#but I'm remembering a whole honour thing about who kills you and why

[firebirdsdaughter]

Listen…

… You don't let someone else kill your Assistant Captain. It's just not right.

[chaikachi]

Little Red Riding Hood, The Big Bad Wolf, & The Silver Bullet

Aka I did an Oscar as The Little Prince analysis and now I wanna do one for Ruby's allusion in honour of the 10th Anniversary.

I know most if not all of us are familiar, but I'm still going to start with a summary.

Little Red is a story about a young girl in a red cloak who is sent into the woods at her mother's behest to bring baked goods to her sick grandmother. There, she meets a malicious wolf that asks her many questions, to which she answers all truthfully and without hesitation. The wolf takes this information and uses it to beat the girl to her destination where he then swallows her grandma whole and disguises himself in the woman's clothes. There he waits for the child to arrive and come closer so he can swallow her up too.

There are actually two popular versions of this story with different endings that we often look back to.

In Perrault's story, there is no happy ending. They're both eaten up, the wolf is content. The end. But in the Grimm version, there is an additional character... the Huntsman (aka the woodsman). He hears the wolf snoring after its meal and ends up cutting the beast open & saving the victims. Then, with the help of Little Red Riding Hood, he kills the wolf before it can do anymore harm.

All in all, it's a story about childhood innocence being lost, learning not to trust strangers, and being mindful to always follow the correct path. For if you stray too far, you may lose track of time, invite unwanted danger, or find yourself lost.

In RWBY, we have some very clear allusions here since it's the basis for so much of the show as a whole:

Little Red - Ruby Rose

The Mother - Summer Rose

The Grandmother - Maria

The Hunstman/Woodsman - All Three of Them

The Wolf - Salem and her Grimm (but ESPECIALLY The Hound)

They're all pretty self explanatory.

Ruby has the red cloak, her og trailer is clearly inspired by the tale, she loves baked goods, she's referred to as "Red" and "Little Red" by Torchwick & Cinder. She's also a huntress. And, by and large, her entire arc is about losing that childhood innocence and the view that life "is like a fairytale" as well as struggling with what the "right path" to follow is.

Summer is the mother (baker of cookies) and also the huntsman (slayer of giant monsters). The battle axe being her weapon choice alludes well to the alternate name, Woodsman, as well.

While Maria as the grandmother makes the most sense. Another silver eyed huntress that becomes a mentor figure for Ruby.

And while Salem, her war, & the Grimm (that are all emblematic of that loss of innocence) can absolutely symbolize the wolf... There's a reason why I want to focus on The Hound.

All three previous characters are connected by a very specific common denominator: Silver Eyes.

And the hound is no different.

Just another huntsman... but one devoured by the malice of a canine. And, if Ruby's theory is right, that's the same fate that Summer met as well.

And if you think about Silver Eyes specifically... What is one of the most famous lines from the original fairytale?

"My, what big eyes you have grandmother." "The better to see you with, my dear."

Which, when applied to the grimmification of SEWs, is HAUNTING.

Terrifying when you remember "Woah... you have silver eyes". Also thanks to Behind The Scenes content, that Ruby's hair design was always meant to "be a bit wolf-y". And that since Volume 4, Salem has been interested in capturing Ruby alive... I am WORRIED ABOUT HER.

Some interesting things about silver though that ARE worth noting...

1. "In folklore, a bullet cast from silver is often one of the few weapons that are effective against a werewolf or witch."

2. "The term silver bullet is also a metaphor for a simple, seemingly magical, solution to a difficult problem."

3. "In the Brothers Grimm fairy-tale of The Two Brothers, a bullet-proof witch is shot down by silver buttons, fired from a gun."

The lyric "Yeah I'm a girl but I'm also a gun" from Triumph really tells us point blank (lol) why Ruby is so important to this war against Salem, huh.

I'm gonna end this meta on a fun little easter egg; a hidden fifth character allusion to the original Red Riding Hood fairytale: The Woods.

Now I know what you're thinking, the woods aren't a person, they're a location. But they're INCREDIBLY important to the story.

Overall, the woods are the world outside of the cabin that Little Red grows up in. Whenever she travels beyond it, she's liable to meet all sorts of horrible tragedies and monsters. But I want to talk again specifically about The Hound & just where Ruby first meets them: Atlas.

Or, more specifically, Ironwood's kingdom.

For those unfamiliar, while Jimmy's main allusion is the Tin Man from Oz, his last name gives us a hint to another subtle allusion: Járnviðr. Aka the Iron Wood of Midgard in Norse Mythology (a mythos that's been alluded to a lot in RWBY).

Whiiich if you look at a stanza (40) in the infamous Völuspá, a historic poem which is chalk full of Norse myths, you get the following passage:

In the east sat an old woman in Iron-wood and nurtured there offspring of Fenrir a certain one of them in monstrous form will be the snatcher of the moon

A poem that talks all about the Biggest Baddest Wolf of the Norse pantheon, Fenrir... who is the offspring of a powerful Witch...

and is destined to eat the moon...

All within the Iron Wood, a character Ruby spends an entire volume contemplating on whether or not she can trust...

And the moment she does finally tell Ironwood the truth? The secrets she was keeping? The woods become unsafe, the witch and the wolf appear, and everything else falls apart. Resulting her and her team lost and very far from home.

Say what you want about analyses like these but CRWBY knows what they're doing, okay?

[skylinx2o]

Admittedly, I've been feeling terrible lately. I didn't even finish my weekly drawing and broke my now months long streak. I thought I would be able to do it, but my emotions weighted me down too much. I might go back to drawing one art every two weeks.

Anyway, I feel like I should do more fun things. I mean, drawing is fun, and I love creating stories for my OCs, but I do have a lot of other interests. And tho I'm sticking to talking about LEGO today, I want to talk more and get out of my shell. And maybe give you more insight into me as a person.

So today I'm going to talk about my favourite LEGO themes and why I love the series, plus how I personally got i to all of them. It's not a normal review whatsoever, just an excuse to ramble about my interests freely. Just remember this is my experience and my feelings.

(And it's not at all like I'm making this post because I need all of this to prepare for a speaking class and the only way to motivate myself is by making a post about it o _o Come on, I'm killing two birds with one stone here!)

Okay, so, my all-time favourite themes are (in chronological order to when I found them):

1. Bionicle

Honourable mention: Hero Factory

2. Ninjago

3. Legends of Chima

4. Monkie Kid

5. Dreamzzz

1. So. Bionicle. I have a weird history with Bionicle. My dad's friends used to get movies for us, and one day it just happened that my dad's friends gave us a pen drive with Bionicle: Legend Reborn on it. I think I would be around... Seven or eight when I watched it I've seen fans say that it was a pretty weak film, but I didn't know Bionicle back then, and I really enjoyed it! That movie was a soft reboot of the series, and as someone who started their Bionicle obsession with that movie, in my opinion it worked really well as a standalone supposed to capture new audiences. I really loved the sense of mystery that was probably lost on new fans. It wasn't exactly explained what or who Mata Nui was, besides him being a warrior who lost his people. And the ending... I really thought there would be a sequel to it, and was really intrigued by whom the great beings were, and what happened to the world, why Mata Nui knew them, what the giant ahh robots were supposed to do.

Of course, when a few years later in middle school I looked for the sequel, I didn't find it. And to be honest, the ending was disappointing to me. However, there was a whole other storyline in Bionicle to catch up on! And so one faithful summer was spent reading all the comics I could find, reading wiki pages one after another, playing Mata Nui online game obsessively, refusing to use a walkthrough. Believe me when I say I was obsessed!

And then out of nowhere in 2015 g2 came out, and I was stoked since I missed out on practically the whole g1 as it was being made. (I mean, it's understandable, I was born the same year the first Bionicle movie came out.) I mean, can you blame me for being excited? A dead franchise that I just started becoming a devoted fan of is suddenly revived from the grave. I felt like the luckiest person on earth that day. Honestly, g2 was a lot simpler than g1, but I really like it, even if most people said it sucked. Sure, it wasn't exactly like g1, and even I cringed a few times when watching the g2 show, but for what it was, it was cool in my eyes, and loved finding all the g1 references. And there were quite a few of them! The story of g2 was simpler, but for little kids I think it would've been fine. But alas, LEGO did a crap job promoting it, and it died early, with an ending that was so bad even I can't defend it. It just didn't make sense, and it was rushed as hell. But I still wished it would've continued.

I love both generations for different things, and I'm sad I didn't get any g2 sets when they were out (Lewa was my favourite one). But years later I managed to get a promotional anniversary set of Tahu and Takua, and you wouldn't believe my happiness when I was building it. It's strange being a relatively new fan compared to others I see online, but I still remember seeing Bionicle commercials, and even have a very vague memory of seeing a Phantoka commercial on our ancient TV. I mean come on, I was so into it, I even learned the Matoran alphabet! My mom had to listen to my countless rambling, and if I ask her about Bionicle today, she still remembers some answers, that's how much into it I was. Hell, this blog started as a Bionicle blog before I moved fully to Monkie Kid content.

Okay, this Bionicle ramble is getting a tad long, so I'll wrap this up. Would I recommend Bionicle to anyone? Well... Not really, unless you like long lore researching adventures. The story is so convoluted, with many sides stories, and it went on for so many years, that despite my obsession I still probably missed like, 40% of the lore. G1 at least, wouldn't vibe with casual audience probably. G2 might be easier on the brain, despite it having some deeper lore too. Plus, there's the cultural appropriation issue, that I'm not qualified to talk about, but others already made pages long blogs and articles about. Plus the weird gender situation. But, it's still a good story in my eyes, despite its many faults. But that's just me, and if you didn't catch on yet, I'm already deep in this hole and there's no getting out of here now.

Honourable mention: This brings us to Hero Factory. I watched the first few episodes at around the same time as the first Bionicle movie. Came from the same source as before. I think it deserves a mention, because I still loved it, and did some lore digging, but I wasn't as obsessed with it as the other positions on the list. I didn't like the later stuff as much, tho some concepts were really cool too. But the story of the first episodes was really well done, and worked great as a movie. The fights were tense, and when watching it for the first time, I couldn't really know if the characters would be okay. Honestly, it got me really excited and invested. A factory of heroes is a unique concept, and I always found it intriguing how they made the robot society work. But, I don't think it needed more time than it needed, unlike Bionicle, where I didn't like the ending of either generation. I think it wrapped things up quite well with the first episodes, and the later ones just feel like cool side stories, and it works in my opinion.

This one I would definitely recommend, because I feel like it's underrated, and it's not long. Like I said, the version I got was just a one movie like compilation. I checked and there's just 11 episodes. It would probably take 1–2 hours to watch it, not counting the later movies and all.

2. Next one is Ninjago! I started watching it almost from the start. I must have been around ten or so... The episodes aired on TV, so I had easy access to it! I almost never missed an episode, and watched even the reruns. And believe me, I was hypnotised when watching it. Tho, starting from rebooted I watched the episodes online, first in my native language, then in English since I started getting too impatient to wait. This was my first obsession. For the longest time, when people asked me what I wanted to do, I said I wanted to be a ninja. One of my oldest OCs is Mika, and she grew up with me. Whenever a new season was to come, I would design a new suit for her. I have a whole dedicated blog to her, I wonder if you all can find it lol. Anyway, for a kid's show, the first seasons were really well written, and the show could be dark when it wanted, but it didn't lack jokes, and most were very funny. And honestly, Ninjago had a really big impact on my life. It taught me not to give up, and it made me want to make the world a better place. Grade school was a horrible time for me, and Ninjago was like my escape. Tho, I might have daydreamed about it too much at one point...

I started distancing myself from Ninjago around hands of time. I didn't watch the show as regularly, catching up on seasons long after they aired. I think that's also where the writing quality started dropping… I just didn't like it as much any more. But it should've been expected with a series that went on for so long. I'm not one of the people who think old Ninjago was better than anything. It wasn't perfect at all. But I didn't like the short format of newer seasons. But then secrets of forbidden spinjitzu dropped, and i as a person started getting better too, so I went back to Ninjago, and while it wasn't still the best and people had a lot of issues I loved those few next seasons. I mean, they somehow hit right into my interests with those seasons. First the adventure movies like atmosphere with the Egyptian like tomb, then they get sucked into a video game, then the very DnD like feeling Shintaro. It was right up my alley. My love for Ninjago was back in full force by then. So you can imagine how sad I was when the word that Ninjago was ending started going around. The series has been with me for half my life. My friends even knew how much I liked it, my best IRL friend even bought me a Ninjago set for Christmas one time. But you know, I thought it was probably Ninjago's time. Nothing can last forever after all, and it had a very good run. Why not end it when the story was still quite alright? And then… Crystallized happened. I didn't watch Crystallized. I heard the spoilers, and I wasn't… thrilled. Especially with Harumi. And people hated that season. It left a bitter taste in my mouth. It didn't feel like a send-off Ninjago deserved.

So you can imagine how damn happy I was about Dragon Rising! And surprise, it's the best Ninjago has been in a while! I absolutely loved the first season. The new characters are wonderful, and that change was certainly what Ninjago needed. And the fact that it's merged with one of other of my beloved LEGO series only makes it better. And that's probably my cue to move to it hehe

So, would I recommend Ninjago? Yeah. Its story is easy to follow, you just need to watch the show. If you're ready to watch sixteen+ seasons that it! Even the worse seasons have some value to them I'd argue. But I may be biased with how close to my heart that series is.

3. Yeah boy, Legends of Chima! I started watching Chima around the same time I started watching Ninjago, and I was equally hooked. And yes, my mom remembers this one as well, I watched it every time it was on too. Actually, I think the first fanfiction I've ever written was about Chima. With a pencil on paper. I think that, while the other series captivated me because of magic or the setting or the action, in Chima it was the characters and their dynamics mostly, despite there being plenty of magic powers and action too, plus a unique setting. The main characters all have distinct personalities, and it's fun to see how their personalities clash or work together. I think it's cool because the conflict between lions and crocodiles takes the main stage in the first season. Later seasons are great too, and they shake things up to make things interesting quite well. The lore isn't as broad as in other series, but it's pretty cool and interesting either way. There were some unique concepts there. I can't explain my love for this theme as well as with other series, because I don't think there was anything big that made me like it. It's just a cool show. I think what there was has been satisfying, tho young me was really sad and angry it ended anyway. But it's great for what it was. But I can't say I'm not happy that Chima is now merged with Ninjago, and it works so well together, and I absolutely love Lord Ras.

I would absolutely recommend it. It's a fun show, and only three seasons long. It can be both fun and serious, and I definitely had a blast watching it.

4. Now one of my newer obsessions! Monkie Kid! I watched the pilot in Chinese when it came out, then I promptly forgot about the series and binge-watched it all when season 3 came out. I was reading about Journey to the West long before the series was announced, since I have a liking for old stories and legends and myths and stuff. And Asian cultures fascinate me. I blame Ninjago with its Japanese influence and all the martial arts movies that were on the TV all the time. Plus Mulan and Kung Fu Panda. Anyway, I can't say much about how accurate it is or anything since I'm not Chinese, but I think the show is great. I noticed a lot of references to Journey To The West. No shocker here, it's inspired by it. But being in this fandom made me learn a lot of new things about China, tho I still have a bunch of things to learn. I'm no expert yet. Tho, I try my best to be respectful.

Umm... Like I said, not much to say about how accurate the story is. But I really liked Journey to the West, so naturally I like Monkie Kid too. Plus, MK i really relatable to me. I feel like my personality is really similar to his, tho I'm more introverted. For some reason, I relate to this portrayal of Macaque and Wukong as well.

I dare to say that from all the series so far, I find this one to be the most well written. I just find the writing to be the most impactful. Plus, the artstyle is very different from other LEGO shows. Action scenes are really fun. The artstyle definitely works in its favour. And yeah, I would recommend this show 100%.

5. And finally, the newest addition to the LEGO series, Dreamzzz! The show is really new and just starting, but I love the concept and the writing! Plus again, I really relate to Mateo. The characters feel like real people you would meet, and how they interact feels realistic. And I found myself liking even the characters that annoyed me, because their personalities were the realistic type of annoying, one that you might find out in the wild. And the concept of a dream world just really speaks to me. And it gives the creators a lot of creative freedom. All wacky things can happen in a dream after all. One thing I didn't expect in the show was the secret agency, and I think it's a clever addition to the story.

I would recommend this series. I hope it'll have a bright future, and that the writing will stay this good.

Well, time to wrap all of this up. Whoever suffered through this whole ramble deserves a juice and a cookie 🍪🧃 For a few finishing thoughts... I noticed a lot of the series I like blend magic powers and technology together. I just thought it's interesting. And I wanted to mention that the songs for Bionicle, Ninjago and Chima absolutely slap. I used to listen to them on repeat all the time lol Even my mom really enjoyed those songs

Yeah, I don't know what this post was for, I just felt like writing all that :v

[ur-local-demon1]

Rants from a tired writer 2: "killing *insert name of irredeemable villain here* actually makes us worse than them :("

In the year of our lord 2024, there is not a single reason why I should have to keep seeing this bs without the character who said those words getting some common sense bitch slapped into them. For the last time dearest writers, no, your MC killing the irredeemable villain does not make them worse or just as bad; remember, they are irredeemable for a reason!!

The only show that did this properly (that I can think off the top of my head) is Avatar the Last Airbender, because of course they did, this show never misses. There is such beauty in Ozai being forced to kneel before the last airbender, the only one he failed to kill, as he neutralises him in a way that honours the pacifist way of life of the air nomads. Aang didn't take Ozai's bending instead of taking his life because it was "the right thing to do"; another Avatar would have but that does not make them or Aang any less of a good Avatar for it. It made sense for Aang to choose not to murder Ozai, it was the most in-character thing he ever did and a lot of us could see a conclusion like this coming from a few thousand miles away.

Point is, if you're gonna go down that route, at least make it make sense, because, no, committing regicide on a tyrant that oppressed millions for ages does NOT make your MC as bad as them. Do you think Stanley Pines is as evil as Bill Cipher for burning him alive?

Can we call Luz Emperor Belos 2.0 for letting him rot in the boiling rain?

No! I heavily suggest that instead of recycling this moral dilemma every time the MC has to face the main villain, you should have them focus on rebuilding the "evil empire". Something like "okay, we need to overthrow the tyrant... Then what?" Which is something that the Owl House did really well. The Coven System was successfully abolished and long since forgotten, allowing magic to be explored freely like in the savage ages, and everyone has a role to play in the rebuilding of the isles which makes witches and demons more united than ever before. Nothing is perfect after Belos' death; some of the old Coven Heads were seen trying to go back to the old ways, Luz was pretty much left without magic for a few years and will have to wait for King to grow stronger in order to start using glyphs again, and that's fine.

If you really want your characters to explore the morals of overthrowing a tyrant and taking over, how about this: Let them wonder if they are fit to run a country or to change the system so radically, if it's fair to its people to change their lives so suddenly. I'm once again taking ATLA as an example, but in the comics, Aang and Zuko got into a fight because Zuko did not want to drive firebenders out of earthbender colonies because many people lived there their whole lives and shared both cultures, which the local earthbenders from those colonies did not mind in the slightest. TL;DR: be creative

[sjsmith56]

The Trap, Chapter 23 - Eyes of the Father

Summary: While Lacey and the Barton’s deal with the discovery she’s been tracked to the farm, Bucky and the Wakandans realize the auction is a trap.

Length: 4.7 K

Characters: Almost everyone.

Warnings: Violence causing injury.

Author notes: More heroic Bucky (I find it hot 🔥).

<<Chapter 22

🏰 🌓

Barton's Farm

As soon as Lacey and Terry walked through the portal onto Clint's farm, she and Tommy ran to each other with their arms outstretched. He almost bowled her over when he hugged her. There were several minutes of crying and kissing they both had to get through before they could speak.

"I wanted to hurt that tattooed man who took you," said Tommy to his mother. "I could tell he was bad just by how he looked at you."

"He didn't hurt me," replied Lacey, "but he turned me over to a man and a woman so they could sell me. Your Dad and another man rescued me."

"He rescued me, too," stated Tommy. "We made up. Did you make up with him?"

"Yeah, I made up with him," she answered, with a big smile. "We worked it out. When he's finished his mission, he'll come here."

"He's an Avenger, Mom," boasted the boy. "My Dad is an Avenger."

She hugged him. For so long he had only known Bucky via her phone, then they both had to live with sorrow when they thought he was dead. Now he was one of a group of heroes and she could see the pride in Tommy's face as he talked about his dad.

Standing up with her arm around Tommy's shoulders she looked at the farm, remembering much of it. Clint and Laura strode up to them and she hugged them both.

"Thank you for looking after him," she said emotionally. "I'm still short of a few memories and they come back at the weirdest times so if I laugh or cry out of turn, you'll know why."

"What about you and Bucky?" asked Clint. "Have you made up?"

Lacey smiled remembering the previous two days. "Yeah, we made up," she repeated, then put her arm around Tommy. "He said we're getting married as soon as we can."

"I'd like to walk you down the aisle then," said Clint.

"Laura, would you be my matron of honour?" asked Lacey. "I'm not even sure when we're going to do it but you were my closest girl friend for a long time. That I do remember."

"It would be my honour," said Laura. "Come on in ... you too, Terry, and have something to eat."

They all went inside where over breakfast Lacey told them everything that happened from when her memory was taken from her through to her old memories returning and the rescue at the airfield. Clint told her about the mission in Madripoor and how Bucky had taken a leadership role in planning the rescue and destruction of the lab.

"Why did that Sharon woman sell me?" asked Lacey. "It was like she hated me from the moment she saw me."

Clint looked at Tommy, not sure if he should say in front of him but the boy looked at his mother and put his hand on hers. "She was jealous of you, Mom," he said. "She had a thing for Dad, and he wouldn't even look at her that way. I heard some of her guards talking about it and laughing that he loved you over her."

"It's true," said Clint. "The scientist she found to recreate the serum said her goal was to remove Bucky's memories and reprogram him to be her lover and chief of security. He was to be in charge of a team of super soldiers that answered to her. She tested the memory machine on you but only once, thinking it was enough. The man she sold you to, Sergei Dendrov? He's one of the men who came looking for the flash drive at your house when you first met Bucky. It's likely he killed your brother Tom, as well."

"Terry said Tom was dead," replied Lacey. "I guess I have to wait for all the memories of that time to return. I do remember that man looking at me in the car like I was ... nothing, then driving to an airfield near New York and giving me to another man and woman. They spoke another language the whole time which I realized at some point in the flight was Russian. That's when my memories began returning. If they hadn't, what would they have done with me?"

Clint shrugged. "You were a blank slate," he said. "I'm guessing you would have been trained to become an assassin. That auction they were flying you to is a high level affair apparently. If Bucky and the Wakandans are successful at infiltrating it they could put a serious dent into several traffickers, not just the ones that had you."

Lacey nodded her head soberly. It had been a brief glimpse into a sordid world for her, one that almost swallowed her up. Perhaps it was something that she could write about in a future book. She smiled, realizing she just remembered she was a writer. Another memory rebuilding in her mind. She looked at her brother, still getting used to seeing him as an adult, then at her son. He had his own experiences that would need dealing with but she was sure Bucky could help him with that once he returned. She wondered if Bucky and the Wakandans had started the final part of their mission yet.

"Just come back to us," she thought, sending her wish to Bucky.

She rubbed her hands over her arms, feeling a little chill suddenly. There was a bump on her left tricep and she felt it closely, not recalling how she got it at first. It must have shown on her face as Clint looked at her with some concern.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Nothing, I hope," she replied, then she turned her arm to him. "Can you see a bump here on my tricep? I don't recall having it before."

Clint looked closely at it and ran his fingertip over it. It was hard, about the size of a grain of rice, and it looked like there was a small puncture wound at one end of it. Quickly he went to a cupboard in the kitchen and pulled out the first aid kit.

"Laura, get some rubbing alcohol," he said. "Clean all around that bump." He pulled a razor out of the first aid kit and poured the rubbing alcohol over it then held it over Lacey's arm. "Take a deep breath. This might hurt a little."

Gently he sliced open the skin over the bump. Laura doused some forceps with the rubbing alcohol and handed them to Clint. As Lacey took another deep breath he inserted the forceps into the cut and grasped the bump pulling it out, revealing it to be a small electronic device. Carefully he looked at it then dropped it on the floor and smashed it with his heel while Laura put a bandage on Lacey's arm.

"We have to get out of here," he said suddenly. "Where are the kids?"

"The boys are at the treehouse," said Laura. "Lila's upstairs. Clint, what was that?"

"A tracking device," he said, looking intently at Lacey. "You don't remember them putting it in your arm?"

Her face was shocked, and she racked her brains trying to think when they could have done it. "The man on the jet injected me with something before we landed," she cried. "I thought it was something to knock me out, but it didn't."

"He injected you with a tracker, probably to lead them to Tommy," said Clint. "It was a setup. I have to get the boys."

"Let me go," offered Tommy. "I'm faster than you, Uncle Clint. I can get there and bring them back."

Clint hesitated for a moment. "Go," he ordered Tommy who took off as fast as he could. "Terry, come out to the barn with me. I have weapons there."

"What about the protection spell?" he asked as he ran to the barn with Clint. "It's what gave us enough time to escape when they came for Lacey and Tommy before."

"No, it's not on anymore," said Clint. "Once I was back I told them I could handle it. We can try texting Wong but I'm guessing the traffickers will be here within minutes."

They went into Clint's workshop, and he pressed a button, opening a secret room that Terry never knew existed the whole time they were living on the farm during the Blip. Clint pulled out several handguns and magazines to fit, handing them to Terry. Then he pulled out his bow and a quiver of arrows. Pressing the button to close the room they ran back to the house at the same time as Tommy showed up carrying Nathaniel on his back, with Cooper trying to keep up. Clint pulled Cooper inside where Laura had already closed all the windows and with Lila's and Lacey's help moved heavy furniture in front of them to keep anyone from coming in.

"I called Fury," she said. "They're under attack but will send help as soon as they can. They're also sending backup to the chateau in France where the auction is." She looked grimly at Clint and Terry. "They think it was all a trap to lure Bucky in. The leader of the trafficking cartel has been identified as Viktor Orlov, former KGB General and former HYDRA."

Only the presence of his children kept Clint from swearing. He looked at his three and then at Tommy. "Get into the storm cellar below the stairs," he said. "I want you down there while we handle the intruders up here."

"Uncle Clint, I can help," offered Tommy. "I know how to fight."

"I know son," replied Clint, smiling fondly at the boy. "But your Dad would want me to make sure you're safe. If they get to us up here, you'll have your chance, but I hope it doesn't come to that. Now get down there and stay quiet."

Clint looked at Lacey, unsure if she was strong enough in her current state to handle a gun. With a steely look she picked up a handgun, loaded a magazine into it and grabbed two more magazines.

"Where do you want me?" she asked.

They built a barricade of more furniture and all of them got into it except Clint who had kept part of one window open so he could see outside. They waited and within minutes several vehicles pulled up well away from the house. Each vehicle held four people, male and female, all of them fully armed. Clint looked back at Laura, meeting her eyes with his. They smiled at each other then he nodded his head, notched an arrow into his bow and let it fly through the open window to the closest vehicle, blowing it up and knocking several of the intruders onto their backs. Without hesitation he did the same to the next vehicle, taking out more of the intruders at the same time. The others got smart at that point and split up, surrounding the house before opening fire and driving all of them to take cover inside. They could see several people come up onto the porch and break the windows from the outside, trying to push the heavy furniture out of the way. Terry went to one of the windows and with his handgun shot wildly from a small opening before hitting the floor. He knew he hit several people as he heard their bodies hitting the porch deck. Changing to another window he did the same but Clint told him to get back to the barricade before he got shot. Reluctantly he climbed back over the furniture and took his place.

"Man of the house!" yelled a person from outside with a Russian accent. "Give us the boy and we'll leave you alone. Surely the life of your own children and your wife is worth one small boy."

Clint looked at Lacey and Terry. "Not happening," he yelled firmly. "You leave and you'll get to live."

Those outside opened up again and fired incessantly on the house. Several shots made their way inside, hitting the opposite walls. Then a flash bang landed indoors and went off, stunning all of them. As they coughed and tried to get their senses back they heard the sound of one of the pieces of heavy furniture being moved and footsteps entering the house. All of them looked up to see several high powered assault rifles aimed at them.

"Checkmate," said the same voice that had yelled from outside. "Drop your weapons."

"Drop yours," said a voice from the stairs and Wong sent an energy pulse through all of the armed intruders causing them to collapse. He turned to look at Clint. "Sorry, we're late. We had to deal with the attack on the compound before we came here. It appears they hoped to take us all down at the same time."

Clint went over to the intruders and pulled their guns away from them. Then he went to the storm cellar door and opened it. The kids looked up the stairs at him and he motioned for them to come up. Nathaniel came up first and hugged his parents, followed by Tommy, who hugged Lacey and Terry. Clint then went to where the intruders had entered and saw the rest of them under guard of several MPs. He turned back to Wong.

"What about Bucky and the Wakandans?" he asked. "Was it really a trap?"

Wong grimaced in his understated way. "Yes, but I don't know how it's been resolved," he replied. "We did send reinforcements, but no one has reported back yet."

Chateau Louis XIV, Provence

The convoy of three Audi sedans pulled up to the gates of the chateau. The first vehicle with Everett Ross at the wheel was approached by a man with an iPad. Behind him, another man with a machine gun watched impassively as the occupants of the vehicles were checked in.

"Buyer's code 7398," said Ross, in French.

"Lower the back seat windows for visual verification, please," replied the man with the iPad in accented English. "Your French is terrible."

Ross shrugged and lowered the windows. In the back Bucky and Ayo sat, both of them wearing nano masks. The man looked at them carefully, comparing their faces to the information on his iPad. He nodded his approval then went to the second vehicle and did the same for the King's Guard driver, and for a member of the King's Guard, Themba and Nomble, acting as buyer's assistants and also fitted with nano masks. The third vehicle with Yama alone as driver to transport their purchases after the auction also passed scrutiny. The man went back to the first vehicle.

"You will park where directed," he informed Ross. "Drivers are to stay in the vicinity of their vehicles. Buyers are to proceed inside where they will be directed to the salon for refreshments."

He stood back and pressed his comms piece saying buyers code 7398 had just arrived. The gates opened and Ross led the convoy inside, dropping off Bucky and Ayo at the entrance before following the parking attendant to his designated parking spot. He got out of his vehicle and watched as the other two vehicles were parked next to him. He scratched his ear then gently touched his comms piece.

"We're in," he said quietly, then pulled a cigarette package out of his pocket and lit a cigarette, blowing smoke out forcefully.

Inside the four undercover operatives approached another check-in station, this one armed with a metal detector. Bucky waited until the other three were with him then addressed the woman at the computer with perfect French.

"Buyer's code 7398," he said, perfunctorily, then waited as if he was bored.

He looked around him, taking in the rich surroundings, while also assessing the security. Holding on to his arm possessively Ayo, who had assumed the persona of a very well-kept woman, also looked around although she often looked up at Bucky adoringly. Behind him, Themba and Nomble assumed the persona of buyer's assistants, waiting to be directed by their boss. The woman at the check-in looked at something and her face underwent a subtle change which Bucky noticed.

"Is there a problem?" he asked in French.

"No, monsieur," she replied. "Our host has requested a private meeting with you, but he hasn't arrived yet. It's most unusual."

"May we go to the viewing salon while we wait?" he asked with a sense of exasperation. "I did want an opportunity to view the merchandise before the auction."

"Certainly," she replied. "There is no problem with you attending the pre-auction viewing. Marcel will escort you and your entourage there. When General Orlov arrives, you will be summoned."

Bucky bowed his head slightly, while searching his memories for an Orlov in his past. The only one he could think of was Viktor Orlov who had been part of the KGB, then HYDRA while he was still the Winter Soldier. The last he heard the man had been taken down by SHIELD. As they were escorted to the viewing salon Bucky pressed a button on his watch which would render his vibranium arm invisible to the metal detector. The others had a similar button on their jewelry which hid their spears and metallic weapons. He noticed there were only guards in attendance in the viewing salon. He looked at Ayo and she whispered to him.

"Trap?" she asked.

He nodded, then looked at the two behind him who had also become more alert, noticing the same things he did. Themba tilted his head and Bucky nodded once. Then he turned to look at the dozen people up for sale in the auction, each one in their own windowed cell. They all looked terrified. Slowly he walked towards the left, closer to the final cell where an armed guard stood. He glanced to his right noticing Ayo, Themba and Nomble were spread out to the right. Leaning forward to look at the supposed abilities and possibilities with the person on display he pulled out a set of glasses, as if he was having trouble reading something.

"Tell me," he glanced at the guard, speaking in French, "what does this mean? What are they flexible in?"

The guard smirked and answered in English. "This must be your first time at one of our auctions," he replied smugly, letting his guard down slightly. "Physically flexible as in you can bend them any which way but not break them."

"That's what I thought," replied Bucky, in English. "Thank you."

Grabbing the man's firearm, he shoved it into his face while simultaneously lifting him and throwing him against the wall knocking him out immediately. Behind him Ayo and Nomble had extended their spears which had been in their clutch purses in a retracted state. Both attacked the guards nearest them while Themba attacked the guard nearest to him in much the same manner as Bucky. His guard fought back and Themba found it necessary to run up the man's body, wrap his legs around his throat and squeeze until the man fell unconscious. The people on display were all on their knees pounding on the glass. Bucky could hear them calling for help even though the glass was soundproof. His superior hearing could hear their faint but frantic calls. Taking one of the guns he aimed at the top of one of the windowed panels shooting a short burst, but it was bullet proof glass. One of them, a young woman pointed at the panel below her window, and he pried it off with a nod. He looked up at her and she yelled which wires to cross. He pulled out two of them and touched their metallic ends together. A small click sounded and the panel on her window raised. Bucky offered her his hand as she scrambled out. Then he pulled his nano mask off.

"Red wire and blue wire," he said to the others as they pulled off the rest of the panels.

"Thank you," she said gratefully. "There's a dozen more in another salon. I was employed here as a server until one of the women on sale killed herself by breaking her food plate and cutting her own throat. They made me take her place. I swear I didn't realize it was human trafficking. We were told they were psychiatric inmates, members of wealthy families."

"Can you get us in there?" asked Bucky, pointing to the entrance to the next salon. She nodded and he turned to the other people they had just freed. "Grab a gun. We've walked into a trap and the only way out is to fight." He pressed his comms and heard nothing. "They've blocked our comms. Hopefully those outside have realized this and are calling in the cavalry."

The others took what firearms they could from the four guards and Bucky directed them to follow him and the young woman.

"What's your name?" he asked as they made their way to a doorway that she said led to the next salon.

"Raina," she replied, then choked back a sob. "They were going to sell me to the highest bidder, weren't they?"

"Yep," he answered. "You might have been lured here for the server job but I'm guessing by how attractive you are they always intended for you to be part of the auction."

"Fuck," she muttered. "How do you know this?"

"They took my girlfriend," he replied. "Wiped her memory then when it started to return they were going to kill her. We hacked into their computer system and found out where they were going to drop her off. You were already in the catalogue. I'm guessing they let us hack them so they could lure us here. The four of us are pretty valuable as possible slaves."

They came to the closed doorway and the Wakandans moved up to be next to Bucky. Ayo looked at him.

"White Wolf," she said solemnly. "Us three are expendable but they must never get you. There are likely more armed guards in there. Let us three take the room."

"No one is expendable, Ayo," he said, focusing on her. "I am faster than any of you. I can take them all out before you even get in the door. If I die in the process, you just get the others out of their cells and get the hell out of here. Tell Lacey and Tommy, I love them."

Before she could say anything Bucky raised his firearm and ran through the door. They watched in amazement as he went from guard to guard, firing first then punching, throwing and kicking them into submission. A couple of the guards did manage to get some rounds off which hit him but he never stopped until he had all of the guards down on the floor. Slowly he turned, making sure all the guards were down, and Ayo was relieved to see his bullet wounds were not in a critical area. He went to the nearest panel, pulling it off and opening their doors. She and the others did the same. One of the people on display came down and stood in front of Bucky. A man in his mid-40s, he looked at Bucky with recognition.

"You did get away," he said with admiration. "Thank you Soldat for my freedom."

Bucky looked at him and put his hand on the man's shirt front, dragging him close to his face. "I am no longer the Winter Soldier," he declared. "I am James Bucky Barnes and as much as I hate that you were part of HYDRA you are part of my efforts to make amends."

"I am Hans Meyer," replied the man quickly. "I went straight after HYDRA fell and refused to be their tool anymore. I went into legitimate medical research. But Viktor Orlov found me, kidnapped me, and put me up for sale. This is his doing."

He gestured at the environment around them, and Bucky released him. "Then we both better get out of here before Orlov arrives," said Bucky. Turning to the others he noticed that the remaining captives had armed themselves and he gestured back to the doorway which led to the rest of the chateau. "Anyone know if there's another way out that doesn't involve the main entry?"

Raina put up her hand. "Servers have a door to the kitchen and there's a door to the outside there," she replied. "The only problem is you need a special bracelet to open the door and they took mine."

She showed them to the door that led to the kitchen and Bucky looked closely at it. He fired a long burst at its hinges then kicked it. The frame cracked and he kicked it again, dislodging the door. Several of the young men grabbed it and pulled it away. Leading them into the kitchen, which was empty, Bucky took the point position, making sure there were no surprise guards. They made it to the outside door and Bucky turned the handle determining it was unlocked. The others started crowding towards it to get out but Bucky and the Wakandans blocked their way. The four warriors were all suspicious at the ease of their escape.

"It's too easy," said Bucky, looking back at Raina. "Tell me the truth, were you really on display for the auction or were you put there to make sure we all came out of this door?"

Her face coloured and she became defensive. "I told you what happened," she protested.

Another who had been in the second room looked closely at her. "I saw you," she said, grabbing Raina's arm. "You were flirting with a guard while I was being locked in my cell. That wasn't even an hour ago."

Bucky shook his head at Raina then grabbed her and shoved her out of the door before closing it and locking it from the inside. They watched through a window as all sorts of floodlights came on and she raised her hands screaming that she was one of them. She ran forward then fell after a single gunshot and Bucky saw two guards run to her, dragging her away.

"Well, shit," he said and turned to Ayo. "Suggestions?"

She looked at him with her usual no nonsense attitude. "We post a guard on this door and the one to the salon," she said. "I take care of your bullet wounds while we come up with a way to destroy this chateau and get everyone out alive."

"Destroy it?" repeated Bucky. "We're still in it, Ayo. I don't think any of us wants this building falling on us while we're trapped in the kitchen."

Ayo looked up to a corner of the room and he followed her gaze with his eyes noticing an active security camera. He looked back at her quickly then raised his gun and shot at the camera until he destroyed it.

"This was never about the auction of slaves," she said firmly. "You were the auction. They were the bait to bring you here. I am guessing we were allowed to hack into their computer to lure you here and see you in action. First when you rescued Lacey and then when you led this rescue. Someone has gone to a lot of trouble to set this up. They aren't going to let you destroy the building with you still in it. The rest of us are expendable, to them."

Bucky swore and wondered how long it would be before he could finally remove every remaining HYDRA agent or cell from the face of the Earth. He would never return to them willingly and he sure as hell wouldn't let them get Tommy. They would have to begin brainstorming how to get out of the chateau and how to stop them permanently.

Chapter 24>>

Series Masterlist

Please support the author by reblogging.

[xhanisai]

Top 5 couples

Oh wow, I have so, SO many OTPs that I would die for it's insane!!! I guess I can put together the top five that have driven me the most crazy~~

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1 - Lovesquare (Miraculous Ladybug)

Obviously, this is the most predictable one from me hahaahah! These two have gotten me in a chokehold like no other pairings and that's because not only does this show allow us to see so many variations of them interacting with one another but also because of how they overturn many gendered tropes!

We have Adrien/Chat Noir so open about his love and affections for Marinette/Ladybug whilst she struggles to vocalise her feelings for him and often runs away. We have him openly emotional and quick to voice what is in his heart whilst she's often bottling up her own emotions. We have him often sacrificing himself to save her whilst the world can't be saved without her power. We have him haunting the narrative (as Chat Blanc), we have her saving him like a knight as civilians and just more and more and more.

I can write a 100K word essay about why I love these two and it wouldn't even scratch the tip of the iceberg. These two are made for each other.

2 - Shadow x Maria (Sonic The Hedgehog)

Probably one of the first few younger childhood OTPs that still have me going astronomically insane for them. It's no secret that I'm obsessed with tragic pairings and this one ticks all my boxes. As we've seen from the recent animation shorts, Maria and Shadow were each other's whole worlds! She wanted to finally visit Earth with him by his side and he wanted to be able to cure her illness.

And then Shadow had to watch her be brutally killed before his very eyes? So he vowed to destroy humanity in her name? Only to remember the promise she begged for him to honour, choosing to save the world with Sonic instead like Maria wanted? I am not normal about them they deserve the moon, stars and universe! They loved each other!! They loved each other so much and Shadow was willing to kill everyone as vengeance!!! I love them so much~~~

3 - Soul x Maka (Soul Eater)

I like to call them the ladynoir before ladynoir was a thing hahaahh! Maka and Soul's partnership means EVERYTHING to me and the lengths that they would go for each other (especially the lengths Soul would go through) brings me so much joy!

Seeing how their relationship develops from being childish and slightly mean to each other to the unbreakable bond it is now is just so good! They're so unique! Imagine my shock when I first watched the anime and seeing how protective Soul was over Maka. "A boy being so protective over the girl in a shonen animanga? Without any of the weird tropes into play? WOW!!" Thirteen-year-old me was ENLIGHTENED for real.

4 - Gojo x Geto (Jujutsu Kaisen)

Another doomed, tragic relationship. Another bittersweet romance that literally causes major plotlines in the story and I can never have enough. These two are like the sun and the moon and whether you see their bond as romantic or platonic, there is no denying the impact that they have had on each other! I love them, I hate them and I wanted them to have the best life they could have ever possibly had!!!!

Fellas never break up in front of KFC otherwise it'll cause your own downfall in the future LMAO.

5 - Ichigo x Aoyama (Tokyo Mew Mew)

Most likely my first ever OTP even before I even knew what all these terms meant and will continue to stay in my heart forever. I was obsessed with these two and would draw them practically every single day. Imagine how shocked I was to find out how unpopular this ship was online when I finally had internet in the house 😭

Cute, clumsy, optimistic girl x big bad alien in disguise who chose her over destroying humanity??? What's not to love!? THIS BOY LOVED HER SO MUCH HE UNCONSCIOUSLY CREATED A WHOLE ASS NEW ALTER EGO JUST TO PROTECT HER AND CLAIMED THAT HE IS HERS!!!! INSANE THEY MAKE ME INSANE!!!!! I love Ichigo with all three of his personas! UGH!!!!

They could have been a doomed romance BUT LOVE WON AND THEY BOTH LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER!

I loved how their relationship played out in the manga, the OG anime and the reboot~ I need to draw these two again.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS: Yona and Hak (Akatsuki no Yona), Sonic and Amy Rose (Sonic the Hedgehog), Yato and Hiyori (Noragami), Bishamon and Kazuma (Noragami), Maomao and Jinshi (The Apothecary Diaries), Tohru and Kyo (Fruits Basket), Chloe and Lila (Miraculous Ladybug), Kana and Akane (Oshii no Ko), Roy and Hawkeye (Fullmetal Alchemist), Akira and Ryo (Devilman), Kaneki and Touka (Tokyo Ghoul), Haruhi and Tamaki (Ouran Highschool Host Club) and probably so many more but I can't remember at the moment lol...

[teatitty]

Listen look I know it's 1am for me right now but I've been sitting on new Turas Realta for AGES waiting to get into how good the dialogue is in this chapter with Fionn and Diarmuid so! Under the cut as usual

Besties who are annoying together stay together <3

This is absolutely meant to be a dig at Diarmuid's incorrect reputation as a lover of many women [factually untrue lmao] but it's also not entirely wrong if you consider the love being referred to here as his love for Fionn and humanity as a whole. Also it's just very funny that this is Fionn's way of gassing his boy up

If you don't love Fionn being a menace you're WRONG and this look tells me that his jabs about Diarmuid's love being stronger than Rama's for his own wife was 100% intentional

I need FGO to give me payment because I've been saying this on my blog for literal years before this manga even started where are my credits

Unfortunately the same praises can't be given to Diarmuid's dissection, because they start off really good by acknowledging he was a victim and then immediately go "oh but he respected Grainne and despite their love starting because of a curse he fell for her anyway uwu" shut the fuck up you can't have it both ways

This part is almost directly taken from one of the Pursuit translations, except that translation was way more uhhh homoerotic, being that it was "his heart torn in two" without any further distinctions, implying he held more than just platonic feelings for Fionn. So they changed it here to get rid of the gay implications :/

BUT THIS PART IS GOOD BECAUSE YEAH FINALLY A PIECE OF FATE MEDIA THAT ACTUALLY RECOGNISES HOW CLOSE THEY WERE AND HOW MUCH THEY MEAN TO EACHOTHER

The first part is Fionn's inner thoughts and the second is Mash's! The boys are having fun

I still dislike how often they have Diarmuid say "my king" in this because he never fucking did that, Fionn was just Fionn to all of the Fianna, but seeing them having this much fun is good civ

And confirmation that most of this was them just fucking around for funsies

LETS GO BOYS THIS IS THE GOOD SHIT RIGHT HERE

Don't even get me fucking started on the emotions this look Fionn gives at Diarmuid's above statement I am FINE

I wish you were allowed to be super Overpowered and wipe the floor with everyone but alas you were made the antag which is still bullshit to me but whatever

He unleashes Mac an Luinn here and even in his weakened state and his Lancer class [remember that Mac an Luinn is his sword not his spear] it's still Very Fucking Strong

Diarmuid takes Rama's vishnu attack like a champion here

WHICH LEADS TO THE BEST FIONN EXPRESSION IN THE WHOLE MANGA EVEN IN THE RAWS YOU UNDERSTOOD THIS WAS HIM GETTING ANGRY AT DIARMUID'S WOUNDS

Ignoring the whole "Mash doesn't get why fighting is so honourable and important to these people" thing [I've already said my thoughts on that] this is just good Fionn panels

And Fionn's reaction to Mash's shield going up full force being a simple "I couldn't reach them" is great because he isn't even mad about it so much as he's speaking about being unable to keep his promise to Diarmuid. In the very next panel he describes Mash's phantasm as "incredibly beautiful"

My biggest issue with this manga was them setting up Fionn and Diarmuid as killing innocents and I'm so glad they didn't go that route and instead went with Fionn using his own magic to reinforce protections meaning he's not even at full magic strength during any of this fight because he's been keeping those shields up the whole time

"Let us speak vows to eachother" I've written FionnDiar fics I know these gay ass rituals by heart don't test me

[historia-vitae-magistras]

I, uh…

Listen, you know how I say "I selected most of the fic"?

I seriously, 100%, selected every single line in the first part before taking a step back and saying "I don't think that's going to work this time." (Unless you want a break down of my reaction to every single line, in which case give me a few weeks to get through some assignments and I will 100% do it. Every line I went "shit, this is the best thing she's ever written" and then I read the next line and went "THIS is the best thing she's ever written" and so on.)

HOW DID YOU DO THIS. WHAT SORCERY.

I just… I tried to do the "best" lines but goddamn. Every single line was just another knife in the heart.

“May Mother strike me dead before I‌ lose two nephews and a brother at once,” He was very close now, and sometimes ‌Arthur remembered why there was a dragon on every flag his brother used.

I could not handle Rhys in this moment. Absolutely could not. Grabbing the skull before Arthur can, reminding Arthur that it's his name Alfred uses, Arthur being unable to push him, "since you rolled out of a fairy circle and into my lap", and then THIS. My fucking god. I don't have words. There is so fucking much tied up in "may mother strike me dead before I lose two nephews and [an absolute bastard who is my baby brother and has never stopped needing me to take care of him] at once." There is so much emotion and layers and history to process and I will be thinking about this forever.

A woman’s figure appears. His father’s mother, but not his grandmother. Her time is too far gone for him to know her now if he ever did.

Sobbing but he did meet her! Again, don't have words, way too much tied up in Alasdair asking his mother to help Matt survive, Matt not remembering it and not feeling a connection to her, and then him being sacrificed for magic that (I think?) she assists with in the same place she ensured his survival.

Also, not highlighted but very much screamt at: Brighid insisting on helping and shocking Arthur into silence. Again, too much, can't process.

A‌ branch nearly takes his head off as he smashes through the trees towards the sound. More laughter. His world was born from a bolt of it centuries before.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. No Thoughts, Just Screaming. And genuinely tearing up. I do not cry much at all, and never from reading, so IDK how you're doing this to me. Not complaining, actually quite happy, just confused.

A week without Alfred and he'd lost more love than Francois had given him in 150 years. Just a thread of it wound around his heart, hearing his name on the piano notes of his brother's laugh and pulled him forward. He dove.

I AM DYING. YOU HAVE KILLED ME. LIKE THEY KILLED MATT.

Just... FUCK I love those boys so much. And Alfred is going to be so angry when he finds out how they got Matt to him. And poor Matt... that comment about Francois broke my damn heart. What the hell. I'm not saying much this time (compared to some others) and it's because I have genuinely been rendered speechless.

Other things I lack the words for: how much I love your work and appreciate you sharing it. You're awesome, your work is awesome, and everything you post absolutely makes my day <3

THE WHOLE THING omfg I'm honoured 🥺🥺 thank you 😭😭😭 Matt's breaking my heart and it's going to be so bad but so good. Bestworst.

[has-brain-rot]

I FINISHED SEASON 2 OF VOLTRON

OKAY SO SO SO that was a WILD season and the showdown in the last 2 episodes? it was so dramatic and deserved. Really interesting to see the mages(?) get more screentime (though barely) because they are so funky. what are they doing why are they there. but anyways like last time I'lll put the rest below xD

BACK ABOUT THE MAGES. I don't remember their names but the head mage gives off "puppeteering-everything-from-the-background" vibes. I wouldn't be surprised if they turned out to be the real mastermind behind it all. Like if the magic was used to corrupt some minds and help build the empire. Although I don't know what that would do to the world building?

Shiro. WHERE DID SHIRO GO. Like they went HARD on Shiro this season. He's trying his best but life keeps attacking him. The mind battles he has are super cool and WOW this man can fight. but also Shiro do you ever sleep. does he sleep. does he believe in self care. I don't think he's ever heard of sleep before.

Pidge gives off some of the vibes of Haruhi from OHHC. They both have similar genders. Love how she gets time to shine at the tech planet!

Hunk being a master chef is cool, especially considering he's probably never seen any of those ingredients before. Still kinda disappointing that they made 3/4 of his personality food. I also think he'd be good at hugs lol

Keith my man are you okay?? I'm getting vibes of orphan club which like same xD. But also now that Shiro is gone Keith is probably going to have to take over? The red lion has shown to act independently so if Keith takes over the black lion then they could still form voltron? (the black lion has show to not care as mucha bout who's in it, at least compared to the red lion.

ALSO the red lion acting independently feels kind of like a parallel to hyper-vigilance. Keith doesn't feel safe often so his lion is always on guard and ready to protect, unlike a lot of people who generally don't have such a hyperactive "I must protect myself at all costs" mentality. It's the constantly engaged survival instincts you honour

Love how lance is just some guy. I am not invested in him and I feel like he would not be invested in me if we ever met xD. Love how he's just some guy while Shiro has gone through insurmountable psychological and physical trauma. he's just there.

THE MERMAID ADVENTURE WAS SUPER NEAT. LOVE HOW THE QUEEN DIDN'T TURN OUT TO BE BAD (maybe? it felt a little rushed when it got to that point). The suspense of figuring out what was causing the mind control was pretty neat. Also the giant worm beast was living it's life. technically wasn't decimating the mermaid population so.. (joking joking I just really liked its design)

Black lion trust battles are super cool. But I gotta say the black lion has like, reverse trust issues. please just stop trying to pick the genocidal dictator that keeps killing millions of people. please. Though it does make me wonder if part of the reason the black lion accepted Shiro so fast was because Shiro reminded the black lion of the previous paladin? With the arm and vibes and everything?

Coran is growing on me. he's just built like that and honestly good for him. He's like a space dad. Also emo Coran is great, might be a heavy stereotype but you know what we can ignore that and let him own it. Give him back that haircut. Also how he speaks sometimes makes me think that he's not from the same planet Allura is? Like maybe he's from a sister planet of a species that evolved extremely similar but not identical. Because he can't do everything Allura can. UNLESS Allura can do it because she's a princess whichhhh eh. It's cool for her but also tiring to see the whole "royal families are good and deserve their positions because they are inherently more special and valuable" sort of message.

ALLURA. QUEEN. SHE IS FLEXING HER POWER AND I SUPPORT HER ON THAT ENDEAVOUR. She was being mean to Keith but all things considering I can understand her hesitance considering everything. Stills sucks that Keith had to go through her projections. but also DAMN when she blends in to sneak onto the ship I loved seeing her fight. like her fighting style there was literally "what if I just slam everything together". I love that for her

also Keith being only half(?) human is really cool but WOW the team was not very understanding. Just let the guy be. He's trying his best but he also needs time to process and adapt. And I don't think he adapted too well if his first(ish) reaction to being part galra was to throw himself into enemy ships and nearly die AGAIN

red lion going feral is cool. Love how it has a stronger personality compared to the others, but it makes the other lions seem less powerful? not powerful perse but more so they get almost kidnapped a lot more and don't really do anything about it while the red lion will fight for its own freedom.

ANYWHO I should probably go watch the third season because I MUST know where Shiro went. is he okay <- judging by his character he is one of the MOST least okay characters.

[piracytheorist]

2 and 3 please for the violence ask game (I like being nosy and the idea of airing out dirty laundry lol)

2. a compelling argument for why your fave would never top or bottom

(I'm taking this with more of a meaning of dominant and submissive role, respectively) I don't have particular headcanons regarding Loid's sexual preferences (other than him being a-spec), though I believe that he's done both as part of his missions, carefully separating his feelings from the activity so that either role wouldn't matter to him.

So I'm going to talk about Killian instead. And I'm full on the "submissive Killian Jones" train. My argument is that he has trauma and issues over loss of control due to growing up in servitude, and allowing his significant other (Emma, or whoever else) to wield some control over him and their sexual relationship helps him come to terms with his fear. To give up control and not only be treated well by his "master", but to also be given care and support and gratification back (and through the whole thing that what happens is the submissive's choice, so he would choose how things would go but would allow his SO to handle things). I don't know if that's healthy, but the opposite (him becoming dominant to deal with his trauma) could be unhealthy and toxic as fuck because he might see it as a way of "avenging" his past self who had no control and no agency. So yeah, for me, I could never see him wielding control in a sexual relationship like that, and giving up control is what would make him feel more free and relaxed.

3. screenshot or description of the worst take you've seen on tumblr

As a rule I hate keeping screenshots because a) no reason to remember stupid shit people have said just to make myself angry, b) people can change and holding them on to ideas for fictional stories they had from years ago is unfair and c) I've seen people get endlessly harassed over silly tumblr fandom takes, so.

But that doesn't mean I don't REMEMBER horrible takes. Ethan Winters from Resident Evil being a bigot for some reason. Killian Jones from OUAT only wanting to "get in Emma's pants" (and the painful part about that was HOW MANY PEOPLE just outright believed it, like, tell me you haven't watched his scenes without telling me you haven't watched his scenes). Damian Desmond from SxF "never having been a bully".

Ironically, the worst take I've seen about fictional characters in EVER was on twitter, but I'm not gonna go there cause we know what a cesspit that site is and why the people who make such horrible takes do not survive on tumblr.

But yeah I think the absolute most derailed, most biased take and biggest proof of "I haven't watched the original material" is people saying Heisenberg from Resident Evil wanted to help Ethan. Heisenberg, the guy who forced Ethan to fight his way through a stronghold full of lycans hell-bent on killing him, and then fight through Urias too, apparently wanted to help Ethan and also "cared" for Rose. Because throwing Ethan into another death trap after Ethan refused to let him use Rose however he wanted to is how he showed his compassion!

And I'm not talking about people who recognize the difference between canon and fanon. I'm talking people who legit think Heisenberg would be a better romantic partner for Ethan than Mia. They're like "I can excuse using people as objects and leading them into death traps and ignoring their wish to protect their child but I draw the line at lying to your spouse about being a bioterrorist".

And there are people who legit believe that! There are people who are down to fight for Heisenberg's honour and it's the biggest proof that they completely skip the Stronghold part of the game (and most of the factory, I guess, aside from the moments Heisenberg has his monologues through the megaphones). Because I cannot believe watching an entire playthrough or playing through the entire game, with a moderate amount of reading/watching comprehension skills and reach the conclusion that Heisenberg was only "helping" Ethan and that Ethan was wrong to refuse him and kill him. Again, fanon content is different and I respect whatever people want to create. But when it comes to canon interpretations, I do believe that it's the worst, least informed and most biased take I've seen in my years in fandoms.

🔥 choose violence ask game 🔥

[iviarellereads]

Gideon the Ninth, Chapter 28

(Curious what I'm doing here? Read this post! For detail on The Locked Tomb coverage and the index, read this one! Like what you see? Send me a Ko-Fi.)

(Eighth House icon) In which Gideon has a conversation she never thought she'd have.

Gideon went directly to the Eighth quarters.(1) Her memory's a little fuzzy, but she knows this was the correct choice of actions, even if she can't quite decide why she thought that.

Colum is the one to receive her, in clothes that look as though he's been cleaning. He asks for her sword and second weapon. Gideon protests, but he says he'd be a fool not to make her disarm around his necromancer, and he swears on his honour that nothing inside will hurt her.(2) Gideon doesn't trust him, but she hands over her rapier and glove.

As the rage fades, Gideon starts to regret her choice of actions after leaving Harrow, going to Teacher to find out where the Eighth quarters are. The rooms themselves are very light, airy, and so clean they, or Colum, must have been doing it himself. The only colour is a portrait of the Emperor as Kindly Master(3) placed opposite the table like a beatific and unavoidable dinner partner.

Colum puts Gideon's weapons next to the door, and fetches Silas, who appears to have been in the middle of "ablutions"(4) but is unbothered as he sits and Colum starts combing his thin white hair. He tells Gideon, in very polite words, that he still hates her for the House she represents. Gideon says thanks and asks to sit. Silas allows it.

Gideon says she never swore to the Ninth, and if Silas had talked to Glaurica, he would know that. Silas says a rock doesn't have to take a vow to be a rock, and asks Gideon to remove her hood. Silas wonders where her "phenotype"(5) comes from, perhaps her mother was from the Third. Gideon tells him not to make cryptic comments, he doesn't know the first thing about her mother or herself. Silas says she misunderstands, he was more interested in Gideon's mother than he was in her, when they questioned Glaurica, but ghosts often mistake the useful and the useless.

Wait, ghosts?

Yes, Silas says, Glaurica was a revenant, in fact, the kind of ghost that's so determined to seek out the living and cling to the scraps of their former lives. Glaurica's didn't last long, though. She and Ortus died on the shuttle when it exploded, and wasn't that the shuttle Gideon had intended to take? Gideon has the stray thought that Ortus will "never rhyme melancholy with my mortal folly again" but doesn't confirm or deny Silas's assertion.

Silas continues regardless that he doesn't need the full story. He's here to talk about the children: how many grew up in Gideon's generation? Gideon says nothing. Silas starts with herself and the Reverend Daughter, but adds a questioning tone, pressing the question of more. Gideon asks if he wants a census. No, he says, he wants her to think about why they two represent an entire generation. He wants her to think about the deaths of two hundred children when she and Harrow, alone, lived.

Gideon says he's picked the wrong thing to try to slam Harrow with. The flu happened before Harrow was even born, when Gideon was only about a year old. Gideon's heard about it her whole life. Bacteria in the vents took out the notoriously frail children of the Ninth, and she's always thought she might have lived because the other children had avoided her. Silas says that vent bacteria don't kill immunoefficient(6) teenagers.

Gideon thinks it doesn't make sense, why would the Ninth kill an entire generation? Their population has been waning for centuries. Killing any child would be "a horrifying waste of resources" and the creche flu was an extinction event.

Gideon asks if he's saying the Reverend Father and Mother killed hundreds of their own kids. He doesn't answer. Colum finishes styling his hair, and starts making tea.

"The Ninth House is a House of broken promises," said Silas. "The Eighth House remembers that they were not meant to live. They had one job--one rock to roll over one tomb; one act of guardianship, to live and die in a single blessedness--and they made a cult instead. [...] I do not know why the Emperor suffered that shadow of a House.(7) That mockery of his name. A House that would keep lamps lit for a grave that was meant to pass into darkness is a House that would kill two hundred children. A House that would kill a woman and her son simply for attempting to leave is a House that would kill two hundred children."

Gideon is unsettled, but asks why they would do that, kill a whole generation of children but not herself or Harrow. Silas says she should tell him, since Gideon's the one who tried to leave in a shuttle with a bomb. He continues softly that he doesn't think any child of that House should become a Lyctor. He's not sure anyone at all should become a Lyctor. Power isn't inherently good, and cleverness isn't necessarily truth. Maybe no one should have that power, and that's why he must take Gideon's keys.

Gideon is "almost disappointed" that that's all this is about. Silas says he's doing it for the greater good of all the Houses. Gideon asks, what if she says no? Then he will challenge her for them, and she might find the duel difficult without her sword.

Gideon looks over at Colum Asht, expecting him to have his sword out already with a grin, but he's dropped his needlework and is staring at his necromancer. He says he promised that Gideon would find no violence here. Silas says that's fine, an oath made to the Ninth is meaningless, as their hearts are barren and black. Gideon searches her brain for a witty retort, but Colum beats her to it, saying he's "not worried about the Ninth's heart". He swore on his honour that Gideon would not be hurt. Silas maintains his position, but Colum asks what his honour means to his uncle.

Gideon stays dead still throughout this exchange, so they don't notice her and she might be able to mount an escape since her things are by the door anyway.

Silas says he won't debate words here, he will help Colum to atone later, but-- but Colum says he is Silas's cavalier. He has his sword, and his honour. Everything else is Silas's. Silas says if Colum objects so much, then he can take Colum's sword without asking, and lifts his arm as if to start siphoning. Gideon senses this could be game over, but she looks away from Silas and accidentally locks eyes with Colum, unable to look away until Colum comes to some sort of decision.

"Once upon a time you would've taken everything I said as gospel," he said, in a very different voice. "I used to think that was worse than now ... but I was wrong."

Silas turns to look at Colum, the first time he's looked at anything but Gideon since he entered the room. Colum says he respected the child Silas once was, but he can't stand the man he's become. Silas suggests he recall his oath, but Colum says he was one of three brothers engineered with different blood types, undergoing a decade of treatments, waiting to see who Silas would need for maximum compatibility. He was made into a man who doesn't "pick and choose his decencies!"

Colum jerks his chin in Gideon's direction, then turns and walks to the door. Gideon, operating on an instinctive level that senses that escape might be imminent, follows him. Silas doesn't move. Colum hands Gideon's sword back to her, cavalier to cavalier.

And his eyes were the eyes of a man who had just tied his own noose.

Gideon takes the blade, knowing that she owes him. He says the next time they meet, they're unlikely to both walk away. Gideon says "Yeah" in a way she hopes implies her apology. Colum hands her the knuckle knife, and suggests she get away from here. Gideon half wants to take him with her, but knows he wouldn't leave anyway, so she goes quietly.

As she walked away, she braced for a sudden burst of angry voices, yelling, recriminations, maybe even a cry of pain. But there was only silence.

=====

(1) Gideon's great betrayal is still not, in fact, disobeying Harrow's direct order. She doesn't go to Dulcinea, she doesn't even precisely break ranks. She does something she knows will piss Harrow off but that was never explicitly forbidden. I just cannot with my feelings about these two and THEIR feelings. (2) How much do we think this is careful wordplay about the nuances between hurt and harm? To my understanding "hurt" is a sharp, acute, and typically physical thing, while "harm" has a much broader definition. I wouldn't discount Muir purposely playing the words like piano keys in this way. (3) What could this mean, and why is it colourful? (4) Ablution - the act of washing oneself. A word that's often used and maybe clear from context but not a lot of people actually look it up so I'm pretty sure I've seen it used to refer to other bathroom activities. (5) More gene terms! Phenotype is the visible expression of a gene, typically the most dominant version you carry. Most things have more than one factor, but for example, in the main gene for hair colour, a brown version will override (is dominant over) a blond version (the recessive one), so even if you had from your parents one blond and one brown gene, you'd have a brown hair phenotype. Gideon's red hair phenotype must be unusual, for Silas to remark on it this way. (6) Immunodeficient means the immune system is less than it should be. Immunoefficient, as used here, means an immune system that's working as expected. (7) I dunno, seems awfully presumptuous to question your still-living God Emperor if you claim to be doing his will.

[jayjtheunsispiciousmelodicathem]

"What the hell has happened to her?!" I think the moment that happens "she's a complete mess!"

She's still breathing; I sit her down on my armchair, making sure she won't fall off, and proceed to throw some sheets onto the couch, where I move her immediately after.

I inspect her to make sure it's not a ruse — she's passed out, most likely asleep at this point. The bruises are real, and I feel two or three broken ribs. Not good. Luckily I went through medical training before spiralling down the path of villainy, so I am able to patch her up a bit, and make sure she won't damage herself any more than she is.

While I did all that, only one thing, one question played on repeat in my head — who could've done this to her?

In the many years I've tried to circumvent her in order to wreak havoc, I wasn't even able to scratch her on a direct hit — although her heroic name is Atalanta, she's earned herself the nickname of "the modern Achilles" because of her wonderful invulnerability, paired with her skill and strength. The main difference is that unlike Achilles, she doesn't have a weak spot — or so we all thought.

And now there she is — drunk, beaten up, almost pathetic.

I give her some FastHeal™ — she might be my enemy, but I've got honour, unlike some other villains I could think of. Besides, I owe her for that time my plan went south and I ended up in a near-death situation, and despite me being the cause of the whole thing, she still saved me. I also put a glass of water and some electrolyte powder in case she wakes up hungover.

It was wasy to notice that her hair — usually very luscious and well-kept — looks as if she hasn't slept in days.

I decide to watch her through the night to make sure she's okay. I also reach for my laptop to see if there's any reports of other villains acting recently or right now - maybe they'll lead me towards the answer?

The night has passed, and I couldn't find anything: Vivargent robbed a bank, Swiftfoot killed a dozen, Wanderer scammed Polyphemus inc. — nothing that could tell me anything about what happened to Atalanta.

I hear a complaint spoken in a voice like a nightingale's song — "Ugh can't the sun be dimmer,,, it hurts my eyes..." — Atalanta woke up, and yep, she is hungover.

"Are you alright?" — I asked, mixing the electrolyte powder into the glass of water before trying to pass it to Atalanta — "You were pretty beat up when you came here last night.".

Upon hearing my voice, Atalanta springs up from the couch, winces in pain for several reasons (FastHeal™'s side effects include muscle pains once it wears off), and curls up, kneeling on the floor; my entire villainous career have I looked forward to seeing her like this, and yet it just feels... wrong now that I witness her in her lowest moments.

"Why am I here?" — she ignored me saying she came here herself — "ouch,,, why does everything hurt...".

"As I said, you came here last night by yourself. You were drunk, beaten up, you had a few broken ribs. I healed you as much as I could, but you're still hungover, and still recovering. I'm not your enemy right now." — I explained everything calmly, and tried to put the glass of electrolyte solution into Atalanta's hands, this time successfully.

"But... Why did I come *here*..." — Atalanta is as confused as I was last night, but at least she seems to agree that right now we are not enemies — "Why did I even think of you when I was drunk?! Of all the people I know..."

"It's not important right now. Can you tell me what happened? It's... unusual... to see you drunk, let alone wounded." — if there was any way to find out what happened, this was obviously it."

"Well..." — she sips the drink while trying to look away from the needle-like sunshine — "I uhh... was celebrating with the other heroes... my 45th birthday and 25th anniversary of becoming a hero... Lots of Alcohol... Then we got an alert — trouble in the city. So drunk me decided it's the job for me, and ran into the fight. I don't remember who it was anymore, but uhhh... they landed a few blows to say the least..." — she tells it as she tries to remember more details.

"And then you came to me."

"And I still have no idea why!"

"But wait a minute" — something still doesn't add up — "They landed 'a few blows', sure, I can believe that, but that doesn't explain how they did..." — I gesture vaguely to her — "...this... How did they manage that? You're 'the modern Achilles', this doesn't make any sense!"

I didn't think that question through — a villain asking a hero what's their weakness, it's just bound to go great!

"As if I'd tell *you*" — she seems to finally not feel pain (or at least not as much pain), and her hair somehow is getting more luscious and is sort of "self grooming". The Atalanta that makes my heart rush each time I see her is slowly transforming back from the sorry-looking woman from yesterday. When I notice that, a lightbulb lights up in my head.

"Oh... oh! It's a focus thing, isn't it? You have to focus on your powers in order to be invulnerable, and alcohol made it impossible for you to focus!"

She looks at me — the silence and her eyes piercing me tells me one thing – 'Bingo'.

"If you ever tell that to any other villains, I will make an exception to my 'no killing' rule, just so you know. Now why don't you think of a reason I came here?" — she's slightly annoyed, but I feel like she's also kind of impressed by that.

"I think... no... you will deny that..."

"Deny what?"

"Well... I think it's that you knew, even if subconsciously, that even though we've been on very different paths for the past 25 years, I would still help you."

"And why's that?"

"Because you miss the time we were together, even if you won't admit it... You miss the times when we were a couple, aiming to become heroines. But once I became a villain because of my ideas... and I'm not sure if I want to be one any more..."

"..."

"When I saw you kneel in pain, it just felt wrong... I thought I wanted to see you lose, but now I realise... I just want to go back to when everything was alright... I want to be back with you... I don't wish to be your enemy anymore. I don't wish to be an enemy to anyone you consider friends."

"I... that's... that's a lot... I have to think it through... but... ... could we get some breakfast first?" — Atalanta's face went though a whole array of emotions while I spoke – surprise, confusion, denial, and so on – but in the end, she gave me a slight smile.

I will do my best to redeem myself for Atalanta... even if we're not going to be partners again, I will try to change for her...

As a Villain, one night, someone knocks on your door, you open it and there she is, the most famous invulnerable heroine of the city, completely drunk and with many bruises, as soon as you realize who she is, she passes out into you arms.

[lichdragon-fortissax]

I've been wondering, Lansseax atacks us on outskirts of Layendel. Obviously protecting the city, but do you think she knew Morgott? After all he is king so he atleast had to know of her being in the city. It's just, how much interaction did Morgott actualy have with his subjects and where would Lansseax even reside then and know to ambush us there. She's the only dragon that actualy atacks us first if I remember correctly.

Honestly I don't think it's Morgott that she knew about- I think she protects Leyndell because she is the sister of Fortissax, who was a very close friend to Godwyn the Golden, and we have some means to think that the dragons within Elden Ring have a form of family system due to Greyoll's link with flying dragon Greyll, hinting that they are one of her ancestors. So it's not too hard to imagine that she and Fortissax often frequented the capital together, as 'it is said that she took the form of a human to commune with the knights as a priestess of the ancient dragon cult', and Vyke the Dragonspear was 'the one she loved the most' (which now has me wondering about the nature of Godwyn and Fortissax's relationship...hmmm). That means that she's directly connected with the Roundtable Hold via the whole interacting with Tarnished business, and has a vested interest in who becomes the next Elden Lord. If not Vyke, who inherited the Flame of Frenzy, then it must be someone that she next deems worthy.

The main reason why I'm not sure if she and Morgott interacted is bc of the whole 'dragon cult' and 'tarnished association' btw- he seems relatively tolerant to the whole dragon thing going on with some of the tree sentinals, but he most certainly draws the line at the Tarnished, while she clearly doesn't mind mingling with them. And even if she somehow knew about him via Fortissax's link to Godwyn, it's likely that she might not have felt the urge to seek him out afterwards, either because she wasn't familiar with him, or because him being of Godwyn's blood meant that she considered him the rightful lord of Leyndell.

Also, for her attacking us- I think it's a test! One thing that's unanimous with Fromsoft dragons is that they are keenly intelligent, noble, and somewhat battle-driven individuals, so it wouldn't surprise me at all if that was the case. For example, in the Ringed City DLC for Dark Souls 3, Darkeater Midir follows you around watching you from afar + forcing you through difficult puzzles by assailing you above narrow spaces, which is implied to test your merit so that you can fight him and give him a noble death rather than wasting away under the Abyss's corruption. While that's from a different game, I'd argue that we have far more examples of draconic intelligence and society in Elden Ring, given the fact that their race hadn't been brutally slaughtered to near-extinction like in Dark Souls. And what we DO have points to them being cunning, intelligent, honourable creatures in their own way, with Adula swearing an oath to knighthood after Ranni bested her + Fortissax's and Lansseax's love for Godwyn and Vyke, so it's not too unreasonable to think that's a possibility.

So with that in mind, the way I interpreted Lansseax attacking us just before the capital was to test our mettle in a similar way to Midir, which is why she never bothers us again after we prove ourselves to her. Glintstone Dragon Adula is a similar scenario, with the exception being that we're capable of killing her before marrying Ranni because she's aware that her lady just preformed a major sin by killing her Fingers, so she'll fight to the death to keep that a secret on the off chance that you'll betray her (though that's just a guess, I didn't kill any dragons but Magma Wyrm Makar on my first playthrough bc I was doing a no optional dragon-killing run + didn't know about the Dectus Medallions).

[justafandomgvrl]

The lyrics to the songs that made me choose them - and who's perspective they're from

Jenny of Oldstones - about Halbrand and lover

they danced through the day and into the night

Queen of Peace - lover corrupted

like stars chase the sun over the glowing hill i will conquer

Heavy In Your Arms - third person perspective

who is the betrayer? who is the killer in the crowd?

Drumming Song - lover

but as the water fills my lungs it couldn't wash the echoes out. i swallow the sound and it swallows me whole till there's nothing left inside my soul

Long Way Home - Halbrand

til the sun comes up we can own this town, something like make believe

Monster Among Men - Halbrand

i won't break your heart again, i don't wanna be a monster among men

Older - Halbrand

you kiss away the pain, every time you twist my lips, my dear devoted delicate

Dancing with the Devil - lover

i've been good, don't i deserve it? /// almost made it to heaven, it was closer than you know

All For Us - Halbrand

just for your love i'd give you the world

Born to be Your Queen - corrupted lover

oh watch me rise i'm never coming down, in time they'll love and honour me

Tell Me If You Wanna Go Home - lover

and i just can't bear if you're not there

Ophelia - Halbrand

heaven help the fool who falls in love /// you can't feel nothing small

Soldier, Poet, King - about Halbrand

there will come a poet who's weapon is his word, he will slay you with his tongue

Standing At The Wall - Halbrand, then lover

i remember long before the sun refused to shine /// my dreams are all for naught but lost at sea

Self Crucify - lover

what's the point of pretending were alright? its important to not self crucify

Waiting on a Miracle - lover

someone please just let me know, where do i go? i am waiting on a miracle

Whatever It Takes - Halbrand

i love the adrenaline in my veins /// i love how it feels when i break the chains

Feed The Flames - Halbrand about lover

i watch your light shine within, glowing like a beacon

Weapon - Halbrand

the devil on my shoulder wants to pull me under

Various Storms and Saints - lover

you took your toll on me so i gave myself willingly

Safe & Sound - lover & Halbrand

"don't leave me here alone" /// darling everything's on fire

Everybody Knows - third person perspective

everybody knows that it's coming apart

Jerome - lover

he was a quiet man with bloodstains on his hand /// why you treat me so cold? /// the only love i've ever known

Dancing in the Grey - Halbrand

i won't let you fall lower than me // marked by the overcast, dancing in the grey

Into The West - third person perspective, just the whole song

Uncomfortably Numb - Halbrand

baby all i'm gonna do is bring you down under the water. how long can you hold your bated breath before you drown?

Not Afraid Anymore - Halbrand about lover

devil underneath your grin, sweet thing

Angels Like You - Halbrand about lover

gonna wish we never met on the day i leave. i brought you down to your knees cos the day that misery loves company

Savior Complex - lover

you want blood and i promised, i'm a bad liar with a savior complex

Queen of Disaster - lover

you're the king and baby i'm the queen of disaster

Vulnerable - Halbrand

i would tell you all my secrets, wrap your arms around my weakness if the only other option is letting go

(I Just) Died In Your Arms - lover

loving by proxy, no give and no take // i should've walked away

Salvation - lover

are you far? will you come to my rescue? am i left to die? but i can't give up on you

Smells Like Teen Spirit - Halbrand

for this gift i feel blessed

Somewhere Over The Rainbow - lover

someday i'll wish upon a star and wake up where the clouds are far behind me

Favorite Crime - lover

know that i loved you so bad, i let you treat me like that - i was your willing accomplice, honey

Tears of Gold - lover

you can make me cry a thousand times, i come on back

Green Green Dress - lover, Halbrand

tell me what to do, i'll do anything you say /// can i tie you up, love?

Baby Blue - lover

in for a moment or stay for a lifetime /// i wanna stay here forever

War of Hearts - Halbrand

stay with me a little longer, i will wait for you. shadows creep and want grows stronger, thoughts of you consume

Meet Me On The Battlefield - lover

i will be your sword and shield, your camouflage, and you will be mine

Sinners - both

the world may disapprove but my world is only you

Tripping Over Air - Halbrand

is there something on your mind, cause you're the only thing on mine, love

Saturn - Halbrand about lover

with shortness of breath you explain the infinite - how rare and beautiful it is to even exist

Landmines - lover about Halbrand

holding on to you is like guarding a grenade, slow dancing on landmines

Soft to be Strong - lover

i choose to love you without fear, no shame in being sincere

What The Water Gave Me - corrupted lover

she's a cruel mistress and a bargain must be made

All The Kings Horses - lover

free to go back on my own but is it still a home when you're all alone?

Fire and Ice - lover

i'm still as a statue but he brings me to life - don't care if it's right

Shadow Preachers - lover

you make me wanna love, hate, cry, take every part of you

Man or a Monster - Halbrand

do you hold the light or is darkness underneath?

When The Darkness Comes - lover

i'll be here waiting, hoping, praying that this light will guide you home

Empire - corrupted lover

just one word, i'll let the world burn. i'm gonna build me an empire and it's lonely at the top

Hard to Kill - Halbrand

the world owes me a debt, and now i've come to collect so don't get in my way

Villains pt1 - Halbrand

i become possessed and obsessed with the idea of revenge

Please Take Me - lover

what do i do if you're no good for me but i might be good for you? why do i crave your love so desperately when i don't even want to?

Where The Shadows Lie - third perspective and the whole song

Battlefield - lover

everything could stay the same or we could change it all

Anti-Hero - Halbrand

did you hear my covert narcissism i disguise as altruism?

Bigger Than The Whole Sky - Halbrand

every single thing i touch becomes sick with sadness

[black-n-white-wings]

As long as it stays in good fun, I'm good. I can appear blunt and then defensive. And I think that's a good way to roundabout to your main argument. So many people are defensive of Jiang Cheng because the hate I, at least, see in Tumblr for this character is out of line. Vile. And it's sometimes used against the fans themselves.

So, to clear some things up. I don't think the Wen deserved to be killed more than the Jiang, or less. I think, however, pulling the events out of context give the misunderstanding. It is wrong, for us, for people to be killed after a war, we've got history with it and the Geneva convention. However, in a society where honour and basically the law of the Talion (not sure if it's the correct English phrasing, I'm french) it was a move that was not considered out of line. Extreme, definitely, and the Jin camps were nothing short of monstrous even in mdzs as seen by the reaction of the other sect leaders when wwx mentions them. They asked for proof, sure, but nmj looked bothered and lxc closed his eyes, so he didn't like it.

For Jin Ling, I'm sorry but we'll keep disagreeing. I don't see Jiang Cheng's attitude as abuse. He's rough around the edges, sure. He could gain by being more composed and polite, clearly. But again, mxtx showed several times that kids with such a strong character did not run toward their abusers for comfort. They tensed, fawned, shut down, lashed out, but never just happily ran toward them. And so, while I think that kind of parenting is not ideal, it is not *abuse* per se. Especially in a culture that did not do the whole gentle parenting. We must keep analysing in context, it's vital. Wwx is an absolute outlier. An anomaly. That's why he's at first admired and then despised. He does not fit in this society.

Lwj, I may be biased. I don't like that character and I found him lacking substance both and being pretty surface level. But I agree he was probably the one that worked on changing the Lan. But why should ljy insult jc to his face with no retaliation, speak badly with no repercussions in such a society? I love the sociopolitical aspect of stories and mxtx choosing not to develop it was a bummer for me. But jc is patient with the Lan's bullshit because he clearly has, post time skip, the means to "punish" them with trade deals and alliances. The Jiang are the only sect that thrived without any support from the other sects. He can fuck around without finding out. Would it be a dick move? Absolutely. But could he do it? No doubt.

About the denial of being a victim, I think the core of the problem is that no one in this book is able to see their own shortcomings. Therapy is not a thing in the Jianghu. But he tried. Trying to get answers was, in my opinion, his way to try to heal and move on. And he was denied that. By wwx. Multiple times. And wwx does not have the moral high ground about the Wen because filial duty, which is vital to their society, demanded revenge. For jc, even if for us it seems strange, not avenging his parents and his sect was out of the question. And even if he had decided not to do so, the Jin were after the Wen. A big, already respect sect leader such as nmj was not able to stand his ground in front of jgs, how could have jc who was a child and isolated?

I admit wwx was kind of tossed back to life without a breather, but he remembered being dead, it is said so in the book I think? I don't have an exact quote but he says something about being a quiet little ghost and not a vengeful spirit. Maybe he had time to think for a bit while being dead? I don't know for sure, it's just a mention and maybe I got it wrong, but it is a possibility.

Jiang Cheng changed. He's a parent, a good, respected leader. In my opinion, the problem is that 1) the book only shows him reliving his traumas with wwx coming back to life and he does NOT handle his issues gracefully, and 2) the book is wwx's pov 90% of the time. I thought you had CQL as main reference because of the comment but, since you read it, you can see the book is clearly biased. Many times it skips about parts that should be important. CQL is my favourite adaptation and I liked it more that the book but maybe that's for another time, I'm already rambling too easily as it is.

About wn being the one that delivers the news of the gc reveal and how he handles it, @insanefiercecorpse answered my post, and I think they raised a good point. The fact a creation of wwx, the only one able to understand what jc could feel, chose to hurt him so bad was insane to me. The blow that the core was not his was hard enough as it was with how little self-esteem he has.

Also, I don't disagree that wwx belongs to lotus pier and saw the Jiang as his family. But jfm was a bitch, and he never made it official, never clarified his position in the family. It HAD TO bring repercussions for how the children themselves saw their place in this dynamic. And wwx himself would rather fuck off, did it and said "it's for the good of the sect, okay bye" when jc begged him and then threatened him to come back home. And after fleeing, he's suddenly back as if nothing had happened. As if he had not chosen everyone but the Jiang several times. And again, as a reader, I don't blame him, I understand his point, but jeez he knows how much of a wounded animal jc is and still teases, pushes, breaks boundaries.

I never read other stories from mxtx because, honestly, I struggled to read mdzs in full. I don't like the main characters and that's tough to get through once that happens. For me, wwx and lwj are too far from the rest of society, too aloof and they just bypass most of their society's conventions with little to no repercussions. I think I did a previous meta on this, if you're curious, but that's really a personal opinion.

When I analyse a story, I try not to get out of its context, it's very important, and the logic of it. Reforms, changes, the work to make society better is a great plot, but it has to be done well. Wwx didn't try to change society. He tried to get what he wanted no matter which rules he had to break. He resurrected Wen Ning for himself, not Wen Ning. He freed the Wen because wq and wn saved them first and foremost. Not because he thought what had happened to the Wen was unfair. Hell, he probably killed a few that did not deserve it according to our modern standards a few times. And to just shimmy back to your main point not to get too far off again, that's why, I think, jc's fans are so defensive. He's easy to hate and wwx's fans give wwx the status of an untouchable saint when he's not really better. He's just the protagonist. If jc or jgy were the protagonists, that would be a whole other story, they would not be vilified as much.

That's the problem when the mains are above everything in a story. Every character of this fucking book are bitches that need therapy istg, but the spotlight is not flattering to all of them. That polarises the story, and surface level reading doesn't allow for subtlety.

So as a jc fan, I agree he's not perfect, but compared to some other characters? He plays his role beautifully. He has people that rely on him and he chooses them, every time. He has responsibilities and he never ran from them. He is a parental figure despite not needing to be one, and he fought to be part of his nephew's life, and in my opinion he did so well for a traumatised teen that suddenly became a parental figure. He's brash, harsh, trigger-happy but he's fair (maybe except to wwx), level-headed, a brutally efficient politician (because let's remember it's what he is!) and a leader that has the safety and well-being of his people as top priority. If not, they would not have loved him this much. They'd have left. They're not Jiang by blood. And the other sects would have crushed his when he was weak and instead he is SO STRONG in the game.

So yeah, I'm protective because the analyses are biased, pulled out of the context of the story. For instance, jc's presumed vile homophobia always makes me laugh. Wwx is homophobic ffs!! It's the norm! And I think he takes it pretty well, considering! It's just he hates lwj and has conflicted feelings about hating or loving wwx!! Everyone is homophobic! Lwj has a fucking mental breakdown at realising he is! You can't fault a character for being written as the context they're put in demands! And let's not talk about mxtx's writing on women. It's just atrocious, no wonder the analyses are batshit, there's nothing there.

I hope I was less off-track this time and that you see my point better about your confusion on why people can seem so protective of the character. Some just want to play with their blorbos but others just try not to get too frustrated fighting the windmill antis are!

I don’t think Wen Ning told Jiang Cheng about the golden core because he wanted him to know he owed Wei Ying or any of the sort. Like a lot of people seem to think that and therefore conclude Wen Ning was out of line. But it’s more likely that he did it to give Jiang Cheng the wake up call he needed. Because he has lived for 13 years in denial of the truth in that Jiang Yan Li’s death was not Wei Yings fault and he himself had a hand in his brothers demise. It was meant to be a reminder to him of who Wei Ying actually is and the made version he has in his head is a perception that has been warped by his anger and grief. It’s meant to be a reminder of how much Wei Ying loved him. Jiang Chengs anger is understandable but it doesn’t justify him treating Wei Ying the way he did and putting all the blame on him without ever trying to comprehend the choices his brother made and why he made them.

[zeawesomebirdie]

OKAY ASK THE SECOND. Originally I sent that first one because I saw you wrote the little aurebesh sentences too and I was just like. You like the same things??? 🥺🥺 you get involved in it because you're having fun too 🥺🥺🥺🥺???? and I remembered that meme and I was like oh my god yes. So I sent that because I love you so much and we keep joking about marriage and then Pigeon called me aer's wife and I was just so !!!!! So that's what I was going to add, some context, maybe discuss the proposal etc.

NOW. @lilaclogan obviously I want to be deserving of Tomas' hand, so a duel at dawn sounds good, but we need to discuss the modalities. I'm transmitting the message through Tomas' blog since he IS the ✨prince✨ and he should get to be the arbiter of the whole thing, consent etc etc. First, which dawn are we talking about, and second, can this be a fun duel where you evaluate my Worthiness as a suitor, job interview style, instead of the injure-or-kill type? If this is to Actually Happen I do have to say I don't know how we'd do it, something like a President game online? I'd have suggested pool noodles or nerf guns but I think we're a bit too far apart for that, and I don't really own any console besides a good old 3DS (I would have loved to join in on the ACNH fun otherwise but I'm not buying a switch for that, sorry haha). If you have ideas of things we could do I'm down, it is after all essential that I show to both Tomas and you how good of a wife I would make! (Alternatively I will draw myself in a duel-worthy outfit because that could be fun)

Okay I love the little net of creation we're planning here with @aerie-dwelling, I have no idea what I would contribute to that but I love making that kind of plans with friends!! You are welcome to 2v1 Logan I suppose, but I think Tomas deserves a true 1v1 Fight For His Honour like we're in a fairytale as well haha. Btw Tomas I think the vibe should be you're a prince with many (three) suitors and you like us all so we play fight for your attention all the time and at the end of the day after all the festivities we all fall into the cuddle pit or some such. That way you get everyone AND you get people "fighting" over you because you're worth it <3 less of a duel for the winner and more of a "best partner of the week: Logan, cuddled nicely / worst partner of the week: Ram, ate the last cookie" thing, or like a test to see if we are deemed worthy of looking in your direction and kissing your hand, you see the deal. I just think exaggerated chivalry type romance is extremely fun especially without actually romance lol

Definitely tell me if you have ideas for the Sims, I'll try to make a recap of places I think would be cool, fun decor, all that stuff, and you can give your opinion. I wish the game had multiplayer but it Does Not (or like, a LAN multiplayer mod I believe, so that doesn't help) (in general I'd recommend just pirating it haha the game is Not worth the hundreds you can spend on all the expansions but the base game is even more bland without so... But anyway ignoring the S4 opinions) I would definitely take screens of the venue and doodle little us in there though!

I'm so glad you had a fun morning tbh when I came home and I saw all that I was soo happy too like!!!!! Love love love making plans with people like this it's soooo fun. Also thinking back on the proposal socks does that imply WEDDING socks for when we're married then?? Proposal socks and marriage garters :'))) ? Anyway love you good - afternoon/evening to you. If we're planning a marriage we have to do the invites (who would we invite? Doesn't matter it's for the Passion of Graphic Design not actual guests lol. I'm thinking of the Obikin wedding invites btw)

RAM MY BELOVED <333 Thank you for the context! But ofc I did the aurebesh writing, it's so cool and I'm a sucker for handwriting and btw, your writing is so nice!!!!! I'm of the opinion that handwriting says a lot about a person and that's part of why I'm such a big fan of letters and the like

Okay ANYWAY

I would LOVE to see your duel-worthy outfit, please!! I think that's more than enough tbh, and actually now that you mention it a pool noodle fight would be really fun so if there's ever a time we're all in the same country (someday,,,,, when the pandemic ends and the economy recovers and,,, one can dream) we should uh totally hang out and do that 👀👀👀 I know a good river we can go canoeing at in my state, and there's a lake that's only an 8 hour drive from me that's perfect for swimming in!!! (Don't @ me ik we're all too poor for the flights lmao)

Omg I need a cuddle pit with yall now, please that sounds like heaven, we can marathon Star Wars and have various parallel play activities and that would be lovely please I need this

So fun fact about me and @lilaclogan we're literally the most romantic couple we know and we're both extremely aro 😅 chivalry and romance and etc are just so much fun when one takes romantic attraction out of the equation!! Let people love people!! All forms of love are equally important and some of them are actually hella fun!!!

Okay okay so you'll have pictures of our wedding venue in sims, I can set up my island in acnh and take pictures there, then @aerie-dwelling you could totally do the minecraft venue! We can just have three weddings, extra cake 😌😌 we deserve the extra cake for all the planning we'll be doing for three weddings

Alright I didn't even consider marriage socks for once were married but I can totally do that 👀 (ps I'm gonna dm you about the proposal socks, pls look out for that!) And yes! This morning was great!! Thank you for all of this, this was the most fun I've had on tumblr in a while thanks to you and Pigeon, yall are the best <3333

We need invites a la the obikin invites! Maybe we could try to smush all our fandoms and ships together? Like, zelda-SW-HP invites? Or maybe we do three invites, since we're having three weddings ?? Ah so much to plan!! We should get a discord group chat together or something so we can plan, there's so much to do!!

(My brain is providing a sound clip of a character who's name I don't remember going "I love weddings!" and I want to say they're a character from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies but for the life of me I can't remember who said it nor am I even sure it's the Pirates movies)

As far as who to invite, well. I have no idea. We can discuss the guest list at a later point, maybe ? Pigeon, any ideas?

Okay!! I love you so much!! You're the best!!!