#but given that both times he's essentially making himself bait

[radiantmists]

what's the phrase? once is happenstance, twice is coincidence...

[biancadoes1]

I work in corporate PR and I'm not from the UK so I've been staying in my lane and not commenting on the whole papgate affair because it isn't my domain. HOWEVER. There's always been something sus about it. To me personally, the only thing I'd say I'm certain of is that Luke himself didn't have a hand it in, purely judging by his reaction and subsequent withdrawal from public life. The stuff that doesn't add up is why he'd keep his team if they'd pulled something like that, it'd essentially be a breach of contract, not just a breach of trust. Either he's painfully naive and maneuvered by people around him who are only thinking about their cut while painting it as them being the pros who know how stuff works and he doesn't, or it was a deeply misguided group effort that backfired spectacularly (which I don't think it was, but is usually what happens).

Lbr, publicists utilize DM strategically all the time to put out feelers about projects, product launches, relationships etc., especially if they might be controversial, and then have plausible deniability if they pull the plug on it or it doesn't bear out because DM doesn't claim to share facts. There are also idiots in the general public who don't understand they're being baited and used and are voluntarily submitting stuff for the thrill of it or SM clout, which is what I think happened with Nicola and Jake's recent papping. Her team has been trying to suppress both these pics and the festival ones, given that they were only allowed to come out after she'd gone to major events celebrating her, so kudos to them, and there must be a reason why they aren't burying them fully - they might not be able to (again, I don't know the UK market) or they're a nothing burger so not a real concern. It is starting to impact the public perception of her though and imo something should've been done about it already, an indication of some sort at least that there's nothing to narrative the tabloids are pushing. She's in far better hands than Luke though so we'll just have to wait and see what the angle and approach will be there, but I find it strange that Nicola hasn't tried to take more of a control of the narrative. To me, her approach just means that there's nothing there and she doesn't care if people speculate, since it's easily debunkable. But with both of them, I find the lack of preemption and clear personal branding strategy to their PR at the level that they're at deeply strange. They don't seem to know what to do with Luke in particular. Idk, let's see how all of this bears out, there's a lot of information that we don't have in order to be making definitive statements.

.

[kel-lance]

Stepdad Nanami

——MDNI——GROOMING, not really incest, Age gap, manipulation, broken home, slut shaming (at ur mom lol), drug mention—————-

You knew your mom’s marriage had about 3 years at most, you had to give it toher that 5 with the same man would have been a new record if she was only with him for that time.

It wasn’t your business. If you had anything to say the men would blame you and say you were just like her. 

You didn’t care about those guys, and they never lasted long with your mother anyway. It was like this for the first 16 years of your life until your mom met a handsome man, who became your stepfather after 2 years of dating your mother 

He was always nice to you, he did everything a good dad should. He got you a car, went all out on your birthday, he wasn’t tying to win you over, he was just that great, he made you change your mind about men. (maybe it was just the kind you mother kept running to)

It was heartbreaking the day he say you down, before he could explain his face sank. He covered his eyes and sighed as he explained that he’s serving your mom with divorce papers. he feels bad to bring you into this but he had to ask

You’re an adult now, you can make your own decisions, but I wanted to give you the chance to get away from her. I don’t mean any offense, but I know for a fact she’s going to use you or worse.

he was right on the money, sometimes she used you to lure in those strange men, where she’d threaten to tell their wives or police what they thought they were doing with you. It was just her type, people who could compare her to parts of herself. In this case, she was sick enough to use her daughter as bait.

You were safe though, it never got further than forceful kisses to tape as proof. That hag just had it out for you but would never consider sharing.

You immediately take his hand as you wanted to move out for years. You’re 21 but she’s had control over you. People always say just leave, you’re an adult so she has no power.

Try living your life as a flea in a jar or a frog in a growing boiling pot, there’s a whole world out there and yet you were taught your limits. 

Your eyes pleaded for him to take you away. You didn’t care, you felt closer to him than anyone. You knew it could be wrong, but he said it himself, you’re an adult now. And your mother wouldn’t be upset about sharing since he’s leaving her. 

You climb onto his lap and lay your head on his neck, his hand now slid down his face, covering his mouth as his other hand patted your head closer to him.

“Don’t worry. You’re safe with me.” He promised. 

The next week sure were hectic. You had to plan out what to take, gathering all your important documents and essentials. 

Nanami daddy got a studio for you both, in a matter days you had everything moved out of the house while your mom was on her bender. Her lapses of being with one man for months then going to whoever after was just part of her fun. She didn’t need them for anything other than attention.

Sometimes you wonder what your father was like, if he could’ve treated you better than her if she didn’t have u trapped in her body for months. U don’t want to know what she did while pregnant with you either. 

You were given this chance. Your stepdad leaving, and he was taking you with him. He saw what kind of life you both had. He found no sympathy for her as she was the adult. He stayed for you. 

A child should be cared for, loved. He didn’t get that from you at all when you first met. Just 16 and you avoided him like the plague. it gave him an indication of who was usually around.

He didn’t lure you out with gifts or make the first move. He just entertained your mother, as he did find something amusing with her. She was fun, but at home she’s a terrible mom and that wasn’t anything he found respectable. 

It wasn’t until the 4th month that he was still around that you just found it weird. No ones usually around this long. Mom was probably having a lot of fun with this idiot you thought.

The 6th month came and you started to come out when he was around. If he was in the kitchen, you wouldn’t wait for him to leave the space before making it yours. It was your house after all, you were going to remind him.

It was weird, but you were getting jealous of him being around. Your mom couldn’t stick to one thing, much less take responsibility and take care of you. Why was he so special? Why did she /want/ to see him?

You felt hatred grow in you as he noticed the posters on your wall, the music you played, how you dressed. For your 18th, he’d gotten you tickets to one of your favorite band’s shows. How the hell did he- and the small gifts like stickers of said posters, he made it so you weren’t surprised when you received yet another reward after accomplishing something, even the smallest thing. “Because you deserve it.”

You didn’t know if it weirded you out, that he was being so nice to you, or that he was your mom’s fiancé and you had him under you. 

That hate boiled over one day and you just had to get it out somehow. He was always patient with you, as you asked to talk to him. It surprised him, but it was definitely a step forward. 

He sits on the same side of the table as you, facing each other, your opposite arms touching the table.

“Are you upset about the wedding?”

You don’t say anything, your eyes darting, answering his question.

“I’m sorry (y/n), but it’s for the best. (M/n) said you’ve seemed happier since we got together.” Your stomach sank. “I could keep-“

You grasp out for his dress shirt sleeve, looking up at him, somewhat between crying and pouting, asking him to stop talking. 

His eyes widen. “(Y/n)…” You take his hand, bringing it to your body. You place his palm under your shirt, watching his face go from confused to flustered. His stoic personality wavering, you hold onto his arm and jump onto his lap. 

You could already feel it, he was so hard under you. 

“(Y/n)!” He takes his hand back, putting you back onto your chair. His stern look scared you. He’s never looked like that around you, only because you were always well behaved, or rather just kept to yourself. He never expected this from you. But you were your mother’s daughter. 

His hand around the wrist you let him feel you with. You didn’t know if you had just fucked up big time. Was the wedding off? You just wanted him to yourself and had to let him know. 

The look you gave him almost made him feel bad for treating you right the past few years. 

you werent used to that, you didn’t know any better. the anger you were feeling was from a lot of things. why did someone like your mother get to marry someone like him? 

Why weren’t there more people like him? If there were you would have been saved a long time ago, but instead, you’re giving it all to the first person who’s shown you you’re more than an extension of your mother. 

Thankfully he was just a man, and that yearnful, pathetic, desperate look a young girl could give to melt a man’s morals, he kissed you.

He keeps kissing you, almost like he was teaching you how he liked it, you didn’t mind, you didn’t care about anything else. Your mom could walk in right now and you’d show off how much better you were for nanami. 

That didn’t have to happen though. As his large hands found their way to your hips and he slowly brings you back to his lap. And after that day you were his. 

He stopped himself so many times to not take you just yet though. It wasn’t until the weeks leading up tot he wedding that he wanted you more than ever. And you’ve been more than patient. Only getting by with his touch and words of encouragement. 

You didn’t get why he still went through with the small wedding, maybe to just show off to everyone else, mislead them that he’s a good man, marrying into a good family, with an honest job and whatever else to solidify the lie. 

the next 2 years being the best you’ve ever had, up until your mothers alcoholism started to catch up with her. Her need to find solace in addictions, whether it was the validation of men, gambling, sex, any other drug, she was a mess. Everyone believed Nanami would be able to fix her, but her last blackout caused you to get a sprained wrist and black eye. That was when nanami had enough. 

Spoiler for part 2: Nanami's divorce lawyer fucks his step daughter (Hiromi makes an appearance.)

[chthonic-cassandra]

Some thoughts below about things I wish I had done differently in Compromise. This isn't intended to be self-deprecation that requires reassurance; I just wanted to reflect after finishing this substantial project.

- Where are the goddamned boxes of dirt in the first story? It's been 14 years and I haven't figured out how to fix this mistake. It became even more of a problem after I quietly retconned it in Intransigence.

- The rebellion plotline in Jackal/Collusion/Adjust is supposed to parallel and contrast with the separate rebellion plotline in the second half of the story, but it's not tight enough for the parallel to fully land. This is very directly the consequence of having written the series over such a long period of time, and not having it fully plotted out early on.

- In general, that whole middle section (Jackal through Acculturation) has some messiness in pacing that doesn't quite work; the arc feels just a little too repetitive and it loses some of the dread that the stories flanking it have so strongly. The tonal contrast is okay, but I would have liked to be more precise with it.

- I am still pleased with the bait and switch I pull by gradually building up the brides' presence (you think it's going to be a story about Mina, Jonathan, and Dracula but ultimately the brides are main characters too), but I wish I could have incorporated more of Ecaterina slightly earlier. There are also things in her pov story that I would like to change to clarify the build to the ending.

- Relatedly, I think there's something subtle missing in Dracula's arc. It's not that I would want more from his pov, because I don't, and I am perfectly satisfied with what Tower reveals and conceals, but I think I could have given slightly more earlier to make the reveals at the ending land better. Probably whatever is missing belongs in Acculturation or Distance.

- The clothing/sewing imagery could be just a little more deliberate and clear in the first half. It also builds gradually, and I like everything that's there, but it's hard to get across because *Mina* isn't paying attention to it in the first stories the way she is to the language/text imagery, and so I can't direct the reader's gaze there as effectively.

- There's something that doesn't work about Distance, and I haven't figured out what. It's hard to tell because it was probably the hardest story for me to write emotionally (not the hardest technically), and I think it's just going to be upsetting and off-putting for readers because of where it goes in Mina's arc, but I also think it could be clearer somehow. I am not sure.

- While parts of the ending are a consequence of the characters' gender essentialism and how it gets in their way, they also end up reinforcing the gender essentialism. I knew that while writing it, but I couldn't figure out what to do differently.

- I really wanted the wedding ring to come back in the final story, but I couldn't make it work.

- It's weird that Appraisal has the only scene with a character other than our six leads having a speaking role. I sort of like it, but it's really weird and not as intentional as I would like.

- That moment in Collusion where Jonathan thinks to himself that he shouldn't fear the brides but he does is wrong his character and is just there because I was trying to lead readers to something which was silly because Mina in her pov already should have gotten us there ("there was nothing that distinguished them except time"). This is one of the few things here I could conceivably fix.

- I probably should have given more explanation about the hypnotism stuff in Complicity/Concession, but I couldn't fit it in structurally.

- Relatedly: both the hypnotism practice and translation scenes in Concession could have been a little fuller. I felt like I had to rush to get the denouement because of the Intransigence cliffhanger, but I think I was wrong.

- Windows and Keys do exactly what I wanted them to do and I don't think I would change a thing.

[ntls-24722]

so answering that ask made me realize how weird my attachment to DJ is. not the attachment itself, but the character.

like look at this thing. look at his face. he and regular music man deviates so far from cawthon's normally more cartoonish style for humans. He feels way more human than he has any right to be. He really does look like an grown, bald man. with the way i play with him like a doll, it's like the fnaf version of those walter white shitposts where they turn him into a catboy

but i digress

again with these 2. can you tell i like pterosaurs?

Also, i tried to give him some clothing where whether or not it's clothing or a part of his body is ambiguous. Kind of like a Who from horton hears a who

So, Miguel has some biases. Though that's not Woolfe in the second picture, I haven't introduced him yet. But now I will! Beware of much blood and gorey details.

Miguel is not a dangerous place. There are no monsters or something trying to kill you, and there isn't even the threat of starvation or dehydration. There is just the long hallways, the expansive rolling hills. Miguel is generally harmless, due to her nature (up until very recently) of observing rather than interacting.

That is, until she wants to.

There are no dangers in Miguel except for two scenarios: Someone is in there who personally wants you dead, or Miguel personally wants you dead. Raoul Bennett combines both scenarios!

(I cannot believe he is the first character in this universe who I've given a last name.)

His thing was that he kind of had homicidal thoughts and a desire for a rush or whatever the hell serial killers feel and while he didn't act on it before, he did get stuck in Miguel and after getting stuck there for months the sensory deprivation and the way time blurred and how everything felt meaningless put gasoline to the flame and made it worse to the point where he actually did go out and start killing people after he got out.

But when it came to hide the bodies, he would bring them to Miguel and leave them there, but then he'd get stuck and get deprived of the high and the cycle just kinda repeated itself over and over again. He kind of had a weird cathartic relationship with Miguel even though he kind of hated it in there.

Miguel... kinda just let it happen. She didn't really care about humanity for a very long time, and while she did find them interesting, she also didn't care very much about their wellbeing. That and she actually did have an interest with Raoul on account of him bringing bodies in.

By chance he found Cameron and Woolfe in there and he was kind of interested in him with just... how weirdly joyous Cameron was and the kind of power he had in Miguel, alongside Woolfe's so he started trying to make the attempt to befriend them. They actually got along quite quickly and they started meeting up both inside Miguel and in reality. He had started to visit miguel more than he usually had for years.

However, by the time Raoul had been coming back more frequently to meet Cameron, Miguel had begun to realize the unsavory nature of what he was using her for, and had begun to concoct something for him.

On some random day without Woolfe, Raoul remembered that Cameron's alone with him without any sort of protection, and now that there was the change where the exit was far more visible, after killing Cameron he wouldn't be stuck there for months. Without really much of a plan (he didn't exactly need one) he decided to target Cameron and would've been successful in killing him if Cameron didn't barricade himself from Raoul.

Miguel has a rule in place where she cannot make things change under direct eye contact, and now that Cameron was hidden behind a door, when Raoul came bursting through, she had bait and switched the room for another - a sublevel that worked less as a seperate level but more like a mini Miguel.

It was one room. One tiny room with knives to an axe hung on the wall.

And man, was it itchy.

She had essentially planned out this gimmick where when Raoul was trapped there, whenever he had thought of how itchy he was or scratched it, it'd get twice as worse, but as much as it was a mild inconvenience at first, it stacks up quick.

The feeling of a nuisance turned to the feeling of insects crawling beneath his flesh, turned to outright agony as his nails weren't enough anymore, but the serrated edge of the knife was, until he realized if he took the axe and took off his arm, he wouldn't feel pain in that arm anymore. So he did.

Slicing away pieces of himself, Miguel wouldn't let him die, but he still bled, bled so much that it filled the room up to his hypothetical ankles - Hypothetical, since he tore off his legs and they weren't exactly upright anymore. But eventually, he no longer had anything to tear off, nor anything to pick up the axe with. But he still was in agony.

He stayed like that, unable to move or tear at the skin that hated him like this, with each second the pain growing worse, for maybe 20 years.

Miguel brought him back, with all 4 limbs and as pristine and perfect as he was, right at the moment before he opened the door to try and kill Cameron. There was nothing but a little note on the door asking him if he wanted to continue.

Raoul, smartly, did not, and he never returned to Miguel or his life of crime.

might need to draw this ngl

[shoechoe]

I just finished Jojolion today. Usually when I liveblog, I like to keep my actual critical thoughts about the story to a minimum and mostly just point out things I think are interesting and funny, but now that I've read the entire thing, I'll share my full opinion of it. (Word count: 1160)

Overall, I had a lot of fun with Jojolion. It has some great moments, themes, and characters, some even being some of my favorites in the entire series, I think. I loved the Higashikata family and how the story was all about them as well as the main theme of family bonds. The story tries to bait you into thinking that they're evil for a while, and some of them flip back and forth between being endearing and being evil, but then you learn to see them as all adorable weirdos just trying to succeed (...except Joshu, who was definitely a shitbag, and Jobin, who was kind of a dark-gray area in terms of villainy). Josuke also fits himself into the dynamic and is gradually accepted by them as part of the family, which was really sweet.

My favorite character in Jojolion is, without a doubt, Yasuho. I'm going to be honest, I think she's one of my favorite characters in the entire series. She was a lot of fun every time she was on screen, I love Paisley Park as an ability, and I just ended up caring about her the most out of any character. I think she and Josuke are really both the main characters; she's given pretty much equal importance to him and they go through arcs that parallel each other. Her backstor(ies) hit me like a truck each time, especially the one with her dysfunctional family and her father.

I also absolutely adored Yasuho and Josuke's relationship with each other. Paralleling Josuke being more obviously alone and unsure of his identity with his total memory loss, Yasuho is left essentially without a family as well due to her living as an only child with a neglectful single mother. Because of that, Josuke and Yasuho really only have each other for most of the story. There's also an obvious romance between the two of them that I actually liked and cared about, which is an accomplishment (usually, romances tend to disinterest me).

Even the characters I didn't like weren't too bad. Joshu was definitely the worst, but the story knew what it was doing with him and he didn't get in the way too much nor was his nonsense shenanigans left unacknowledged. In other words: he got the shit beat out of him constantly and ended up losing a limb by the end, so I'm satisfied. I still feel like his aggressive perverseness was... very unneeded, though.

Rai Mamezuku was another character I disliked. I have been informed by mutuals that he's a fan-liked character, but... I just don't see it, sorry. He was needlessly cruel to Yasuho and even drove a wedge between her and Josuke for a while to make room for a sort-of implied love triangle-thing with Tooru, and I just didn't like it. When he wasn't being a dick to my favorite character, he still wasn't doing anything that made me like him very much.

While there were a couple snags here and there, though, the characters are overall my favorite part of Jojolion. A lot of them were genuinely heart wrenching (Kaato, Jobin, and Tsurugi come to mind) and the relationships between them were really tightly written.

That being said, while the characters were written tightly, the whole of Jojolion was... not. This is where we get into some major issues I had with it: the noticeably worst thing about Jojolion was its story. I get the strong suspicion that there was no real plan here; it was messy and near-incoherent at times, especially towards the end, and it introduced far too many story aspects way too late in that resulted in a strange ending that visibly did not resolve all of the problems it introduced.

Tooru was an interesting concept of a main villain and I can't say I disliked him, but he shows up so randomly at chapter 81 and is only even confirmed to be the main bad guy at the last ten chapters of the story (and he's defeated before the last two of those). He didn't have enough time to introduce himself as a character and just kind of left me with a feeling of "huh?"

The final fight felt the most written-along-the-way out of the entire story. It felt like play-fighting with an annoying kid that keeps making stupid imaginary one-ups and rules to make themselves win. Soft & Wet's "Go Beyond" ability was... what do I even say about it? "Actually, Josuke had this super secret ability nobody ever knew about where he can make invisible bubbles that defy all of reality, including as the perfect counter to Tooru's ability!" What?

Not to mention all of the loose ends that were just... left there? Why do people get Stands when they go near the Wall Eyes? What was with the strange humanoid bite marks they all received? Was Karera Sakunami really intended to show up only once and never come in again? One of the first reasons given for Josuke to acquire the Locacaca fruit was to cure Holy Joestar-Kira's illness, paralleling Holy Joestar's illness in part three, but then Holy goes comatose and every last Locacaca fruit is destroyed, and she's just totally forgotten about with no follow-up as to what happened with her or any sort of resolution to her story. It was confusing and unsatisfying, to say the least.

The ending itself was also kind of odd. While it's nice to see what happened to Lucy Steel and get an alternate-universe Joseph Joestar, the weird fight with a random rock person from the 1940s felt like it was wasting time that could've been spent with a stronger conclusion to the characters we've actually been with the whole time. The very last scenes with the family in tears, yet the generations-long curse finally being broken was nice, but it still left me feeling odd.

I am of the opinion that Jojolion's story was a total mess; I feel like it tried introducing way too much way too late and ended up writing itself in a corner that it couldn't get out of in any satisfying way (and often didn't even get out of at all, in Holy's case). It was confusing to read and its last chapters had me going "Wait, it's ending already? But what about all of the things it totally forgot to clear up? No, don't say 'Part 8 End!!' Nooo!"

Though, if I had to pick between something with a really good story but bad characters vs. something with really good characters and a bad story, I would always pick the latter option. Jojolion's characters, as well as their relationships and arcs, were so good that a lot of them immediately rocketed into my main favorites.

Jojolion isn't bad, in my opinion- it has a lot of great moments, and when it knew what it was doing, it did it well. It just bit off a lot more than it could chew and that resulted in a very messy, though still enjoyable experience.

[tarnishedxknight]

Since Gylfie's mun talked about how you two talked about "what if Gylfie had to kill Drace", how would Drace and Gabranth react to that situation? Either if Gylfie did kill Drace (though I know Midge said they couldn't go with that AU) or if she was only asked to do it? And is there anything that would make Drace and Gabranth turn against Gylfie in general?

{out of dalmasca} So... I'm going to handle this as if both of them are there and then Gylfie is asked to kill one of them, rather than if only one at a time was there with Gylfie. Also tagging @disillusionedjudge because relevant, heh.

First of all, someone has to do it regardless of who's getting executed because Vayne is ordering it. Refusal is going to seem like treason and that's exactly the position he wants to put them all in. He wants Gylfie to refuse so he can have her imprisoned for treason or maybe even executed herself. It gets her out of his hair. He suspects that Gabranth and Drace are a thing, so he wants her to object so he can condemn her and rattle Gabranth. And Vayne wants him to object, refuse, or try to stop things because then he can imprison or execute him too. Any or all of that destabilizes the Judge Magisters as an entitle with political and legal power, and it undermines Gabranth's position and power to keep them under control as a powerful a force nearly equal in influence to Vayne himself.

Gabranth is the unspoken leader of the Judge Magisters and Drace is a huge support to him, and in any AU with Gylfie, she's a support to him too. Vayne honestly would care little what happens to Drace or Gylfie, but it's Gabranth he's trying to get to. If he can take away that unspoken leadership Gabranth has over the rank of Judge Magister, Vayne can rule with absolute power, having already crippled the Senate by blaming his father's murder on them. So that's Vayne's endgame, to rule without anyone or any political/military body that's capable of opposing him. As long as Gabranth is alive and holding things together, that'll never be true.

So... if Gylfie was ordered to kill Drace, that's a bit of a simpler situation. I know that sounds harsh, heh, but as far as playing political chess with Vayne, it's much simpler this way and Gabranth has more options. Drace... doesn't have any, unfortunately, since if she resists and tries to fight back, other Judge Magisters like Zargabaath are more likely to jump in and enforce Vayne's order. If she goes along with it, then it's game over for her. And that's what she would do, just as she did with Gabranth in canon. She'd saying to Gylfie.. go ahead, do it. She knows she's out of options and so she'd try to make it easier on her.

As far as what Gabranth would do, he's not about to let Gylfie kill Drace. Not only does he not want Gylfie to have that on her conscience, but in a really weird way, he wouldn't want anyone else to do it. Don't get me wrong, he doesn't want to do it either, but if he does it, he knows it's done right. Not that Gylfie would do it wrong, but it's a control thing with him. He needs to maintain control of the situation so Vayne doesn't gain the upper hand. So he'd want to be the one to kill Drace.

The question is... how to do it. Gylfie's been ordered to kill her by Vayne and Gabranth shouldn't interfere, but he has to. So I think it'd be a time for him to put his emotions on a shelf and do what he has to do, regardless of hurt feelings. He'd pretend to be insulted by a Judge killing a Judge Magister, essentially discount Gylfie as worthy of carrying out such an execution, and then completely bait Vayne. He'd say that killing high ranking soldiers is a prestigious thing, not to be given to a mere Judge, as he well knows. If Vayne disagrees, he's admitting that executing his own older brothers at his father's order was not any kind of a special honor, which he believes it was. If he agrees, then he can't allow Gylfie to perform the execution.

Gabranth knows Vayne's not going to disagree, mostly because he doesn't want to, but also because agreeing would put him in a position to pull one over on Gabranth, or so he thinks. He'd think he has Gabranth right where he wants him, and would be like... okay, then, I'll give her the high ranking executioner she deserves... and he'd promptly order Gabranth to do the deed. The rest would proceed pretty much like how it did in the game.

Now if Gylfie was ordered to kill Gabranth, things would go very differently. If Drace dies, not much changes. The only thing it really does is really rattle Gabranth, which works towards Vayne's end goal. But if Gabranth dies, the Judge Magisters are all thrown into chaos, they're going to start fighting amongst themselves, Vayne get absolute power, and Larsa is left essentially unprotected politically. And... a lot less protected physically. Gabranth can't allow himself to be killed. Like yes, he wants to make Vayne think he's loyal to him to keep the peace, but if he's faced with execution, all bets are off. At that point, he'd have to get the majority of Judge Magisters on his side to oppose Vayne, because he can't allow his death to occur.

That's not for selfish reasons or to save his own skin, the whole stability of Archadia and Ivalice is at stake if he screws this up. Unfortunately it's easier with Drace because she's somewhat inconsequential. But Gabranth would not allow anyone, Gylfie or Drace or otherwise, to kill him. There's too much at stake. I also, just as a side note, am not sure what Vayne would execute Gabranth for. Gabranth isn't going to leave any loose ends or reasons dangling out there to give Vayne a reason. But that aside, if someone does move to execute him, he would fight back, no matter who it was.

Drace, however, would say something in Gabranth's defense. I'm not sure what, but maybe something along the lines of it being far outside the realm of what's proper and legal for Vayne to name himself emperor without an election, and then immediately start doing things as influential and dire as executing a major Judge Magister. As long as she keeps her head about it and doesn't get too angry or volatile, a more moderate Judge Magister like Zargabaath might be won over at this point. He's very by-the-book, and so he's ready to accept Vayne as emperor because the empire cannot be left without one, but Drace might be able to pitch things in such a way as to convince him that, although Vayne is temporarily named emperor, he should not have full power until he is duly elected in a proper election.

This strategy might work to stave off execution for Gabranth, but not the sentence. Zargabaath might suggest imprisoning Gabranth until such time as Vayne's power can be legally instated. From there, it's all about the jailbreak AUs, hahaha. At that point, behind the scenes, Drace would keep working on Zargabaath to make sure he stays on their side, possibly revealing that Gylfie has had problems with Vayne before, and ordering her to execute Gabranth may have been vindictive or vengeful towards her on Vayne's part. If Zargabaath thinks Vayne is unhinged, it'll keep him from fully supporting him, and it may even get him on board with providing more protection for Larsa while Gabranth is imprisoned.

And I rambled for a long time about this, haha, but hopefully I made some sense. I am super tired, so if this made no sense, I apologies, heh. But I've actually thought a lot about these scenarios, and I think they're interesting to explore from a psychological point of view. All of these people are playing social and political chess with each other, really. I think the upshot is, though, that Gylfie would not be killing either one of them if Drace and Gabranth can help it. Gabranth would be able to pull control of the situation back to himself somehow, and Drace would use Zargabaath's lawful neutrality against Vayne to keep the balance of power.

That's not to say Gylfie wouldn't still be traumatized. Given what Midge has said in her posts, it sounds like even just being ordered to do such a thing would really mess with her head a lot. But neither Drace nor Gabranth is going to let Gylfie do such a thing, for political reasons and to protect her.

[darkwingphoenix]

I HAVE slightly reworked the lore about Maui and his species, as in they're a year older than Amber as a species, but Maui was given to Amber when he was 12 weeks old and strong enough to carry toddler Amber for a bit of time.

He's also essentially trained like this:

Early on, if Amber gets onto his back (Sometimes via baiting her onto him via fudge rounds), he gets a treat. This helps both of them associate the other positively.

Once Amber's about 3, he's strong enough to carry her for an hour, especially since he's been letting her lay on him. At this point they regularly sleep with Amber on top of him. He starts to be led around with Amber on his back until she wants off, and he's given a treat afterwards.

Eventually, he begins to see Amber as a friend, and starts to not even care about the treat. This happens when she's 4.

Due to his intelligence, he can work extremely well with Amber, as he's more than smart enough to know what Amber means, especially having been raised together.

Also, Maui is actually slower than Amber in the water over long distances, but she's learned to stay close to him or let him hang off of her if they're swimming for a long time. All Koholasaurs are slower than sirene in water but completely outspeed them on land, being able to sprint at an average equal to humans for a much shorter distance.

He's also deathly loyal to her, and since he's more than strong enough to fight 2 ogres at once with minimal issue (Pretty common for his species, although it's more like 1.75 ogres, so like a female and a male at once or like 2 minotaurs), he's able to stop most threats. He usually goes nonlethal by bowling them over and laying over them while making them feel they should've worn the brown pants

They've also gotten good at a maneuver when getting out of water: They swim with Amber right above Maui as they're about to surface along the edge of a water body. If it's something gradual like a beach or ramp, Amber will start to rest herself on Maui's back as he begins to walk/run on the bottom, allowing them to lose minimal time.

If they're getting out of a water body with a steeper edge like a pool, they'll start at the bottom or 12 feet deep and then swim at a mild run as Amber grips onto Maui's fin and he clambers out. This isn't 100% successful, and they run a good chance at either Amber slipping off or Maui losing his grip and dumping them back in.

If she's not on him on land, he'll simply wedge himself under her tail and work his way under her as she scoots up his tail. Usually, however, she also uses him like a chair, since he's usually tall enough to let Amber reach a table like a human in a chair would if he rests his head on his shoulders and she props her top half up like Salina does on her profile article. (Pretty sure this isn't accurate, tho. I swear at some point you gave sirene TWO pairs of fins)

When she needs to go and he's under her already, no issue! He just lifts himself up and walks right off!

Amber is actually so used to riding Maui she was at an initial loss when she wanted to try horseback riding, taking a WHILE just to figure out ow tf to even ride a horse. And then falling off a lot as she tried to get used to a horse's movements.

Do sirens use weell chairs to get around on land

Sometimes they do! They actually have a few different mobility options.

Riding a small beast is one of the most popular options. There are usually services near busy shorelines that offer animals for rent. These animals can be ridden by sirenes if they need to go further inland. Donkeys, ponies, large dogs, ala-beguzo, and horses are most common. Sirenes are not the only ones who rent these beasts though, sometimes Terrian tourists will rent them when their feet get tired from walking around. It's a lucrative business.

Sirenes can also buy potions of levitation to fly around the city. Now, there are some safety regulations regarding this in most places. For example, you're not allowed to levitate more than X number of feet off the ground at any time or you'll be fined by police. So while it may be tempting to soar around the rooftops, it is not permitted in most cases. Potion use is illegal or heavily restricted in some regions, so it's not always an option depending on where you are.

The price of these potions varies based on how long the effects last. 30 seconds to a few minutes is cheap. A couple hours is doable for most people. More than a day is where it gets too pricey for the average person. There is also a risk of getting a bad potion, which may give the patron a different effect entirely, not last as long as advertised, or just do nothing at all. And good luck getting a refund after you've already drank it!

Sirenes can also simply hire rickshaws/carriages/cart operators to take them inland for a fee.

No matter which option they choose, all Aquarian species must be sure to pack enough water for their trip. They dehydrate very quickly, so they have to periodically splash water onto their scales and drink as much as they can while they're out. Usually they'll wear a large canteen like a backpack and keep refilling it whenever they have the opportunity.

Alaine wears one of these in a few stories, most notably in "The Wretched Forge".

And like you mentioned, they can also use wheelchairs to get around, which they might own or rent from vendors near the shore. Depending on what kingdom they're in and how much they're willing to pay, they can get a self-propelled chair, a magic-powered chair, or a battery-powered chair. These chairs might have wheels, mechanical legs, or hovering capabilities.

I will also mention that sirenes can move around on land with just their flippers. They move with the same speed and grace as a seal on land, which isn't very fast, but if their destination isn't too far inland they'll just travel by flipper.

*

Questions/Comments?

Lore Masterpost

[crellanstein]

Prodigious

I find it odd how the fandom focuses so much on Aang’s childhood being ruined when he learned he was the Avatar at 12, but there’s very little talk about how discovering she was the Avatar as a toddler affected Korra’s life and how she was raised.

But we’ll circle back to that...

Because this is a good starting point to talk about one of the most prevalent themes in the story, which the mainstream discussion of tends to only focus on a few characters -- That is the Child Prodigy. 

We’ll start with the two most obvious. The ones we always talk about.

Azula.

The clearest example of your typical child prodigy (if there is anything typical about a prodigy). Azula showed early mastery of very advanced Fire-Bending techniques, and is the only Fire-Bender to use blue flames, which was intended to make her stand out amongst the other villains but is also indicative that her Fire-Bending is more pure and powerful (blue flame is produced when burning pure O2 or fuel without contaminant at a very high temperature). 

All this lead to her being praised and favored by Ozai as a child, but as double-edged swords go, this also meant she had a lot of pressure on her shoulders to never fail, and she rarely did. Her ego matched her talent, and let’s be honest she was the baddest bitch the show had ever seen. Conquering Ba Sing Se, defeating the Avatar in combat, and dropping some of the most devastating lines of dialogue in villain history; she was a force nobody wanted to reckon with. 

And that become a problem for one asshole in particular...

Being jealous of his own child is just one item on a laundry list of reasons why this guy is the worst father in the history of fathers. Azula had begun to outshine him with her victories, and Ozai’s maniacal ego couldn’t handle that, so he left her behind to babysit the Fire Nation while he went out to burn/conquer the world, which also was her idea.

And while this wasn’t the only thing that aided in her demise, it certainly was the final straw which sent her spiraling down into this...

In the end Azula is a sad example of how certain unfair expectations are placed upon talented children, and the more they succeed, the more these expectations grow and weigh on the them until they either disappoint those looking down on them or surpass and embarrass their elders.

It is a lose-lose situation which inevitably destroys them.

There is a similar example of the child prodigy, but his story goes a little different.

Aang.

Even as a twelve/thirteen year-old boy Aang by far has the most impressive stats among any character in the Avatar universe.

Basically mastering 3 of the 4 Elements in less than a year, after mastering Air by the time he is twelve (not to mention inventing his own Air-bending move, the Air scooter). 

Aang is an example of a child prodigy who had too much thrust onto him at too young an age because of the talent he showed; because of this he panicked and ran away, and the world was worse off for it. 

Aang/Sokka/Katara’s story is all about how in times of War, responsibilities normally handled by adults are pushed onto kids who then have to grow up very fast in order to deal with it all.

The message is clear. War robs the young of their childhoods. 

Now, let’s talk about a different kind of child prodigy.

The Unacknowledged. 

Yes, of course I’m talking about Toph, the greatest Earth-Bender to ever live.

Because of her blindness, Toph’s family tried to keep her sheltered and safe by hiding her from the world. Refusing to believe she could ever be more than helpless. Anyone who has seen the show knows that is far from the truth.

But because her potential went unseen, there were some negative effects to her personality. Initially, she resented her parents, and rebelled; which established a certain level of independence, a bad attitude, and a hot-headed streak. Over time spent with the Gaang these behaviors subsided because she finally had friends and they accepted her for who she was. By the end of the series she was fully willing to accept aid from them when she needed it, like holding on to Sokka’s arm in environment where her bending couldn’t help her “see”. 

Toph’s story is a foil to Azula’s, both showed immense talent and badassery, but while recognition of Azula lead to ever-mounting pressure for her to succeed; the lack of recognition for Toph created a need for her to be acknowledged and set an undercurrent of frustration which leads to her acting out in the ways she does.

The lesson to take from Toph’s story is not to shelter your kid from the world out of fear for their safety, and to be open to recognizing their talents, not shun them.

Next are two more Unacknowledged.

Katara and Sokka.       

Their story, and the reason behind their circumstances, is one of the more complicated and nuanced ones in the series, so here we’ll focus on how it fits into the subject of discussion.

Because of the War, Katara was robbed not only of her mother but also of any Southern Masters to train her, and any role models Sokka could have looked up to left with his father to fight. Because of this Katara’s potential and Sokka’s genius went unacknowledged not due to neglect but rather due to circumstance. (Yes, I think Sokka is a genius, how many 15 yr olds do you know that can plan an invasion, design submarines, and spit poetry off the cuff?).

This is a further example of how War robs kids of necessary childhood experiences, and these two robberies had particular effects on both Katara and Sokka’s character developments.

Sokka had the responsibility of protecting his home put upon him at a young age. The men of his tribe leaving prevented him from completing his rite of manhood until the Gaang ran into Bato of the Water Tribe, and early on Sokka was constantly trying to prove himself as a man and a leader. Sokka is one of the smarter characters of the series, but he rarely got credit for it until the third season. Not to mention that because he wasn’t a bender he often seemed less useful than the others. The circumstances of war made his talent go unnoticed and because of that he often was unsure of himself and overcompensated to prove something.

Speaking of talent going unnoticed.

Katara is definitely one of the more talented benders of the series. After training herself for years with little progress, she essentially mastered Water-Bending in a few weeks under Master Pakku. While her anger towards the Fire-Nation mostly centers around the loss of her mother, it can’t be ignored that the delay in her training was a direct result of the Fire-Nations’ actions.  Toph’s anger and frustration vented itself as rebellion. However, the same frustration and anger is within Katara, but because she wasn’t as natural a bender as Toph she sought to learn and be respected, and when that was denied to her is when that anger bubbled to the surface in some terrifying ways. 

While Toph’s talent went unnoticed because of her families neglect, Katara and Sokka’s wasn’t acknowledged because there was nobody to acknowledge it. Because of that both brother and sister wanted to prove themselves to the world.

And then there is Zuko.

I know what you’re thinking. Zuko wasn’t a prodigy, his Fire-Bending skill didn’t catch up with Azula’s until the finale and he never mastered Lightning-Bending, but this section is about the Unacknowledged.

Zuko had many other talents besides Fire-Bending, he was a master swordsmen, and was able to successfully break into every secure facility he attempted in the show (which was almost every secure facility the show featured).  Unfortunately, these talents were never recognized, because the only thing the royal family cared about was bending ability (It’s possible the reason he learned the sword was because he lacked skill in Fire-Bending). 

As per usual with Zuko, this part of his tale is quite sad. Many can relate to being outshined by a sibling, and when it becomes all too clear that one cannot match another’s talent it’s quite understandable to focus on what they do excel at, but even then there is no promise of recognition for their own talent. Zuko was even mocked by his father during the solar eclipse when Ozai tried baiting him into attacking with his swords. 

This lack of recognition is one of many sad aspects of Zuko’s early life, but it is a definitive example of one of the hardest unacknowledged prodigy’s cross to bear. The Outshone prodigy, one whose talents are never noticed because a bigger and brighter star stands in the way of such recognition, and arguably the most frustrating type mentioned here. Toph/Sokka/Katara all came from situations were there was no recognition being given to them or anyone, but Zuko had to bear watching massive amounts of praise be piled on to his sister while he and his accomplishments went by the way side.

Ozai summed up the situation best.

“Azula was born lucky, Zuko was lucky to be born”

Alright now where have I been going with all this?

So, far we’ve covered a lot of wrong ways to treat a child, whether they show talent or not, and how the circumstances of war can also take many things from children.

But what happened to Korra?

(Before we get into to this I should state that I like Korra, and the purpose of this is not to bash her as a character or her arc, but rather to give a little of my insight into it.)

It’s well established that Aang was told of his heritage too young, and that was a detriment on his development into an adult, but what would have happened if he realized his powers himself not long after he could walk? We’ll never know, but we do get to see the effects it had on Korra. 

When she revealed herself as the Avatar, Korra set her entire life in a new direction, and because Aang tasked the White Lotus with finding and training her that direction was out of her control. There are two key differences between Korras’ and other Avatars’ lives.

1. She grew up in isolation on a White Lotus compound.

Every Avatar before Korra we know of spent a portion of their early lives traveling the world in order to master the elements; along this journey they not only learned how to bend the other 3 elements, buy also many things about the 3 other nations and the world they are tasked to protect as a whole. By confining Korra in safety and bringing the masters to her the White Lotus deprived Korra of this opportunity to learn and grow and understand the world and the people within in. It also deprived her of learning modern bending styles until she reached Republic City.

While this might have kept Korra safe from the Red Lotus, it grew within her a naiveté about how the world worked, and because of this when she actually did venture out into the world she was terribly unprepared for it.

2.  She was trained and mastered 3 of the elements by the time she was 16.

Most Avatars don’t know they have this power until they reach 16 and then they spend several years learning to control it. Korra’s natural talent in the bending lead to her training being expedited not by necessity like Aang’s, but due to her talent and eagerness. Korra excelled at the physical part of being the Avatar and because of this by the time she reached maturity she had become over-confident in her abilities and true to what her Fire-Bending master said in Ep.1 she lacked restraint.

I’m not saying her bending isn’t great, but rather because it is so great it’s her go-to solution to anything, and she enjoys that so she uses it with enthusiastic gusto and not a lot of thinking before striking.

This overconfidence coupled with her naiveté of the world is what lead to many of her rash decisions and actions, most of which had negative consequences, and I believe are the reason behind some fan are dissatisfied with her. Aang had been almost the complete opposite, even by the age of twelve he was an experienced world traveler and an incredibly humble guy. 

Some may have been dissatisfied by these character decisions, but they served a purpose, they are only the beginning of her arc. The internal challenge Korra must overcome through 4 seasons is to humble herself before the world, and learn from it. This was finally achieved in the 4th season when the metal poisoning in her body forces her to face others in the world as equals, only then had she completed her journey.

And why did it all go this way?

Because she is a very unique child prodigy, what she demonstrates in the first episode of LOK would be akin to a toddler playing the violin or hitting a three-pointer; she could bend 3 elements close to just after learning to walk. That is the kind of prodigious talent rarely seen because it is mostly impossible. How does a rational person handle a child like that? 

It’s a tough question, and something this essay has been circling around the whole time. Each example here is the wrong way to handle talented and different children, but what is the right way?

As always look to Iroh.

Who treated his surrogate son Zuko with both respect and compassion. 

Unlike Toph’s parents, Iroh worried over Zuko’s well being, but also allowed him to be independent, make his own decisions, and take his own risks.

Unlike the Nomad Leaders, he didn’t want Zuko weighed down by his position in the world and the responsibility that came with, and always encouraged him relax and take advantage of the moment.

Unlike Ozai, Iroh would always be there to support Zuko in his victories and his failures. Iroh shows him the right path but does not force him down it.

And even after Zuko betrayed and abandoned him.

Iroh was never angry with him, and embraced him upon his return.

He wanted Zuko to grow and be a better man. Even if Zuko wasn’t a prodigy like his sister. 

And that is the answer here. The way to raise a prodigy is the same way anyone should raise any child. Love, Support, a Guiding Hand rather than a Forceful Shove, Recognition of What Makes Them Unique, and Forgiveness When They Falter. The problem comes along when you start treating children differently because you see them as different or special. All children are different, all children are special.

Kids are kids, and they all deserve a proper childhood.  

[chronicallylatetotheparty]

The problem with inhuman characters is that they are always expendable.

This is even more true for artificial constructs. As beings made to serve humans their lives will always matter less than those born with free will.

In the book Dragon Rider the Homunculus character Twigleg discovers that his kind can live indefinitely so long as they do not love a human "master". Homunculus, being alchemically created life forms, will die almost immediately if the human they've given their heart to perishes. This isn't like the half Elves of Middle-earth choosing to live mortal lives with their spouses. Homunculus have no choice in the matter. Being friends with the human protagonist will literally kill Twigleg eventually.

The droids of Star Wars are basically sentient slaves in a galaxy where it's common practice to have their personalities erased when switching owners. C-3PO himself undergoes a mind wipe between Episode III and Episode IV despite being one of the two most prominent robot characters in the franchise. L3-37, the only droid character, indeed the only character period, to actively promote the emancipation of droids is treated as a joke and unceremoniously killed.

Clone troopers from the same franchise were specifically bred as cannon fodder. Genetically programmed to obey orders and artificially aged to maturity. Essentially cutting their lifespans in half. While some of the Jedi generals viewed the soldiers under their command as individual people, worthy of respect. That didn't stop them from using sentient beings who weren't given a choice about fighting in a galaxy wide war.

Stargate has the conciousness of the main teams in SG1 and Atlantis copied into android doubles and clones respectively. Despite some limited exploration of the implications, including the theory that their divergent experiences will eventually result in differing personalities - and the obvious sentience of the copies- they were ultimately treated as just spares. Four sentient beings dying barely into their lives. The Atlantis team specifically being used as bait so their originals could escape.

Even the anime Vivy: Fluorite Eye's Song, which explores difficult moral quandaries about the nature of AI, treats the lives of what is essentially a human terrorist group as more important than the brainwashed robots whose choice has been taken away. Specifically because that is how robots are programmed to function. Even as the rights of androids expand to the point where they can marry humans, their programming still makes hurting their own kind more preferable than hurting humans. The main character eventually sacrificing her memories in order to save humanity. Something that has been established as equivalent to death for an android.

Ben Reilly, Spider-Man's clone, took on a different name from Peter Parker despite believing himself to be the original. Despite taking steps to distance himself from Spider-Man and establishing his own identity as the superhero Scarlet Spider. Ultimately sacrificing himself for his "clone" even after a test supposedly confirms Ben is the original.

Xion from Kingdom Hearts is an artificially created embodiment of Sora's memories. In order to prevent herself from being used against him Xion gives up her own existence to return Sora's memories. Essentially erasing herself from the memories of everyone else.

Now, sentimonsters, beings made from the emotions of whoever the Peacock Miraculous' amok anchors itself to, have no free will. Not so long as their amok is in someone else's hands. And even then the Peacock can end their existence with a snap of their fingers.

Every sentimonster seen so far has been expendable to the plot even if the characters would argue otherwise. Even Sentibug was killed in the same episode she was created in.

Adrien Agreste has sacrificed himself for Ladybug many times. Chat Noir's self sacrifice and suicidal tendencies a core aspect of his character. Both as a heroic virtue and a dangerous mental illness.

However, if Adrien is a sentimonster then he is expendable. Replaceable. If not to the characters then to the story itself. The fandom is already exploring storylines where Adrien is replaced once he dies.

This plotline diminishes the importance of Adrien Agreste as a character. Diminishes the narrative itself. From one of retaking agency and dealing with ones mental health to a simple trope. Where the artificial construct sacrifices himself for the human because the plot will never hold his life in equal value to hers.

[hollybollybingbong]

Albus Dumbledore is the worst.

Albus Dumbledore was written to be a hero, and that's what makes him such a good villain. Almost everyone in the Wizarding World trusted him and thought he was so incredible and amazing, but in reality, he was playing a brilliant game of chess, using them all as his pawns.

How? Let's start from the beginning with Tom Riddle.

Dumbledore first met Tom when he was eleven, and even then, you could see the warning signs. Dumbledore did too. He saw that Tom was dangerous and unstable, and Dumbledore, being Dumbledore, wanted to give him a chance at Hogwarts.

But, Dumbledore, also, being Dumbledore, was the only one who saw who Tom really was, and only "kept an annoyingly close watch on him." He saw Tom Riddle, at the age of eleven saying "I can make bad things happen to people who annoy me. I can make them hurt if I want," and did not think to do anything about it.

He said to Harry in Chamber of Secrets that, "help will be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it," yet, here we have Tom Riddle, who desperately needed help, and did not get it. Could Dumbledore have prevented Tom Riddle from becoming who he was? I'm not sure. Could he have helped him more while he was at Hogwarts? 100%

Next up, Sirius (and a bit of Remus)

One thing I never understood while reading the books was why Sirius had to spend twelve years in Azkaban when there were literally potions that forced you to tell the truth.

The truth is, unsurprisingly, Dumbledore wanted him there. By keeping Sirius in Azkaban, there was no way he could adopt Harry (who was legally his), and ruin Dumbledore's perfectly thought out plan of manipulating Harry. Dumbledore was a high-ranking member of the Wizengamot, if he managed to get Snape off, he surely could've gotten Sirius free too.

But unlike Snape, and Remus, and Hagrid, and Harry, Dumbledore couldn't use Sirius. Remus was a werewolf with no job prospects in the Wizarding World, and no Muggle qualifications either. He spent twelve years alone, as he watched his friends die or get sent to Azkaban. But then here comes Dumbledore, who gives him a job and a home when no one else would. And suddenly, Remus is loyal to Dumbledore.

Hagrid, a half-giant, was kicked out of Hogwarts in his third year for something he didn't do. But Dumbledore comes along and suddenly Hagrid has a home and job, and owes it to Dumbledore, ensuring his loyalty.

Even Snape, Dumbledore saved him from a lifetime in Azkaban prison, securing his loyalty too.

But Sirius, Sirius was different. He saw right through Dumbledore and his manipulation. He was a rebel and chose his path. A path that didn't involve Dumbledore, which is why he was stuck in Azkaban for twelve years, despite him being innocent. Because him being around would've messed up Dumbledore's plan to raise Harry to die, because there is no way in hell that Sirius would've allowed that to happen.

Finally, Harry Potter, himself.

Harry escaped death at the age of one and then was essentially kidnapped by Hagrid on Dumbledore's orders. While there's no proof, surely James and Lily would've written a will, especially considering they were living through a war with their son being the target for the greatest dark wizard of all time. I believe that Dumbledore pulled some strings (because remember, he was a member of the Wizengamot, and despite not holding the title of Minister for Magic, he was as good as, especially considering how incompetent they were), so he could be in charge of Harry's living arrangements and manipulate him further. Sirius Black was his legal guardian, being godfather and all, and yet Hagrid had "orders from Dumbledore," so he got stuck with the Dursleys.

Harry grew up in this abusive home where he was unwanted, neglected, and bullied, so when he eventually finds out about the Wizarding World, he sees it as a home, a safe haven, away from the Dursleys. He feels grateful to the Wizarding World for saving him from them. And when he has to go back at the beginning of summer, it's a reminder that it can all be taken away, so when Harry has to sacrifice himself to save the world he's come to love so much, of course, he does! Because why wouldn't he? It's his home.

Dumbledore could've left Harry with Remus, or the Weasley's, or the Longbottom's, or literally any other family, but the Dursley's made Harry easiest to manipulate.

And before anyone mentions Lily's blood wards, Dumbledore says in Order of the Phoenix: "You need return there only once a year, but as long as you can still call it home, there he cannot hurt you."

There was no reason for Harry to grow up in an abusive household, isolated from the Wizarding World, but it made Harry an easier pawn to manipulate in Dumbledore's game.

Similarly, when Harry is in school, he rewards Harry's saviour complex through house points. In Philosopher's Stone, the trio very clearly go against McGonagall's orders and put themselves in dangerous situations to 'save the day.' But instead of facing any punishment, they are rewarded via the House Cup, and Dumbledore is buying Harry's loyalty.

It's always Harry being the one to put himself into dangerous situations, never Dumbledore. Chamber of Secrets, Harry and Ginny both nearly die, but oh, thanks to Dumbledore's phoenix the day is saved! But wait, wasn't Dumbledore there the first time the Chamber was opened? Was there nobody else in the entire Wizarding World who could fix this mess, without having to rely on a twelve-year-old???

Prisoner of Azkaban. Why were Harry and Hermione the ones to rescue Sirius? Why couldn't Dumbledore do it himself? Goblet of Fire. You're telling me the 'most powerful wizard in the world' couldn't break the magical contract? In all honesty, he probably could, but he said it himself, he wanted to see what would happen. He was using Harry as bait. McGonagall seems to be the only person who cares about this poor boy's life. And then we have Order of the Phoenix. Where Dumbledore isolates himself from Harry, gets Snape to teach him Occlumency instead of doing it himself, which leads to Sirius's death, which I believe was planned (to an extent).

And at the end of Order of the Phoenix, Dumbledore comes 'clean,' saying that the reason he ghosted Harry for the entire year, was because 'he cared for him too much.' That he cared more about Harry's happiness than the safety of others, that he put Harry's life above the life of innocent people. He was telling Harry, who watched his godfather die in front of him, and blamed himself for it, that him being happy would lead to the deaths of others. Dumbledore's exact quote was, "What did I care if numbers of nameless and faceless people and creatures were slaughtered in the vague future, if in the here and now you were alive, and well, and happy." And of course, Dumbledore said this, because he knows Harry has a tendency to sacrifice himself for others, and as a result, he'll choose to die when the time comes.

Dumbledore kept Harry's inevitable death from him for sixteen years, five while he was at Hogwarts. And guess what? By this point, Harry was wrapped so tightly around Dumbledore's little finger, and wouldn't say no even if he could.

Harry Potter was raised like a pig for slaughter, by a man he trusted. And this makes me so angry. Harry Potter was seventeen when he walked into the forest alone, more than willing to die. He was seventeen when he and his friends fought in a war against people twice their age. He was seventeen when he saw some of those friends for the last time, watched them die fighting a war that none of them had seen the start of.

He was fifteen when he watched his godfather die before him, and blamed himself for it. He was fourteen when he watched Cedric Diggory die at the hand of Voldemort. He was twelve when he had to fight a basilisk and Tom Riddle single-handedly while trying to save himself and eleven-year-old Ginny Weasley. He was eleven and having to find and protect the Philosopher's Stone, the first 'test' of many. He was a child battling an adult's war, with no choice in the matter.

Dumbledore manipulated them all, so he could get children to fight his battles for him.

[saturnaftertaste]

i think about the RV stancy scene a lot. how many people have called it out for being a backslide into a pairing that was given closure? that it was the imprisonment of nancy in a relationship that doesn’t give her the agency to chase her dreams of adventure and independence and caters to steve’s domestic american fantasy? like, ever since the season came out there’s been complaints about the stancy angle of it all, how out of character it was for both of them to be interested in getting back together and blah blah blah. i don’t blame them! the duffers are duffers, they can’t write for shit. it was intended as a stancy revival. but i also can’t stop thinking about how in-character it is for the both of them -- particularly steve

like. its set up from the very beginning, like season 1 beginning, that steve is not a bad person. when nancy tells him to back off, he does. when tommy makes fun of jonathan after will goes missing, he tells him to shut up. invites barb, even though he doesn’t have to, makes sure nancy’s comfortable when they sleep together. none of this is like, gold star behaviour, but its evidence of steve being a good person -- good enough that you don’t have to look very far to justify rooting for him.

granted, the stuff that comes later -- the cinema board and the fight with jonathan in the alley -- is genuinely awful, but we the audience know why nancy and jonathan are together; steve very much does not, and even then once the fight is over, he cleans off the board, shows up of his own volition to try and apologize, and buys jonathan a new camera. not saying that it wasn’t a terrible thing to do, but there is a sort of blurring here between what steve the character knows and what the audience knows. again, all evidence points to him essentially being a normal decent person who is unaware of the genre he is living and just very caught up in the high-school-ness of it all.

same thing runs through season 2. goes to dinner with barb’s parents, helps dustin with his girl/hair problems (tries to) five minutes into being recruited into baiting dart, lets nancy off easy after she cheats on him, throws himself in front of monsters of various kinds (human and not) for kids that he barely knows. again and again, we are told that steve is awful, and yet we are shown that he is not. continues throughout season 3 and 4 -- which lets us the audience come to the following conclusions:

1. steve is a actually a good person

2. steve cares deeply about others

3. steve is willing to do anything to save the party

which brings me to my next set of points concerning the RV scene.

- we know that steve gets attached very fast very easily; we see this with dustin and max and lucas specifically, with robin and eddie (to a certain extent) and especially nancy. now -- how much people are attached to him is never fully established. yes, he’s popular; but he blows up his own popularity in season 1 by beating up his so-called best friend. we know that he has parents, but they’re not around much (?); we know that he was with nancy for the better part of two years but she secretly thought he was “bullshit” for a long time. it isn’t until robin comes along that we see steve have someone who has his back like he does theirs -- in essence you have a very lonely boy who feels his connections are fleeting 95% of the time -- not in a woe-is-me, i’m-so-alone kind of way, but moreso suck-it-up-and-deal kinda way.

which is where the whole jancy vs. stancy debate comes in.

- he lets her off easy in season 2 -- puts the responsibility of the situation on himself, and the whole cheating thing/choosing jonathan thing is never brought up to her again. he still loves her, obviously, but he believes that he’s not what she wants, so he lets it go so she can be happy. perhaps he believes that he didn’t make her understand just how important she was to him, how much love he had for her, but nevertheless, this ticks off both conclusions 1 and 2.

- in season 4, he isn’t the one that brings up that nancy might still be into him. that’s eddie, for whatever fan-made reason you want to believe. steve tells her later, that it was her leaving him that prompted a change in his behaviour, which, while factually false, is not actually him trying to win her back or whatever. it’s him trying to explain to her just how much her opinion of him mattered, how much he respected her values. the power in this situation is in nancy’s hands, like it always has been. the thing is though, that narratively they haven’t reached the greatest stakes, so it’s just a partial attempt at speaking his truth.

- jonathan isn’t here. nancy is gawking at steve, talking to him, treating him like an equal as both a friend and a monster-hunter. he still doesn’t try anything. no aborted kisses or hand-holding or anything of the sort. clearly, CLEARLY, this means that he isn’t trying to Get Her Back. does he love her? yes, obviously, that’s why he’s disappointed when she throws herself immediately into jonathan’s arms when he gets back. did he try and woo her? no.

and that’s what the RV scene is a testament to. he is deeply attached to nancy, romantically and platonically, but:

1. he is a good person so he doesn’t actively try to win her back. he looks out for the kids and dives in first and does all the heroic things, but that’s because he always does the heroic things. that’s just steve. the fact that nancy finds dashing do-gooders attractive is her business.

2. he cares about people deeply, but in different ways. he listens to robin talk about girls and dustin talk about suzie and with nancy, he accepts that she’s with jonathan, because thats what makes her happy. ergo, once again, he’s not trying to woo her.

3. he would do anything to save the party, and i think because he was knowingly on the way to battle a SUPREMELY terrifying villain, and because he’s traveling with, you know, a truck full of people that he loves dearly and because he’s repeatedly proven himself to be the one that holds the front of the line, it’s not too far out to think he believes he’s not gonna make it out alive. robin even says it while they’re making molotovs. the idea of him dying is on his mind, so, reiterating what i said earlier about how he took on responsibility for being a “bad boyfriend” -- where it was more a matter of their coping mechanisms not matching up but instead it translating as steve not taking nancy’s feelings seriously/making her feel important and heard -- he tries to re-establish that she is important to him. there’s no way steve doesn’t know about nancy’s ambition, her interests, her independent streak. he has to know that his dream is not built for her. but he tells her -- and mind you, this is the first we’re hearing of this dream -- how central she is to that. not to try and get her to fall in line with it, but more to establish that yeah, you were so important to me that when i dreamed up a future where i’m happy, you were there. you were so important to me -- are so important to me (because let’s face it, steve is still very much into nancy) that you’re always there in the secret private hidden version of my world where i’m content.

it’s not really an attempt to get her to love him again, i think. it’s more of a confession of how much she really meant to him, something that i don’t think would’ve been a topic of discussion during the year that they were trying to be ‘normal’ or after that when she left him for jonathan. romantically, it’s not a gambit that would’ve worked, and he’s not stupid enough to say it like that. it’s literally preceded by him talking in hypotheticals, which in itself is preceded by a thank-you for breaking up with him. it doesn’t makes sense for him to be using it as a romantic tactic, because he’s a good person. he’s changed. even if he wanted to, and he does, he wouldn’t do it -- she wouldn’t fall for it anyway.

+ bonus: by the way, it isn’t out of character for nancy to be into steve again with jonathan away either. she was very much into Steve ‘The Hair’ Harrington, but we know that she wants someone kind and quick and supportive -- qualities that jonathan has, qualities that steve developed over the course of his arc through the seasons. of course she sees him protect the kids and jump into the lake first and keep going to keep them all safe and of course it re-awakens her interest. shit’s natural. and while it could’ve been done differently, it still fits with the previous pattern of behaviour we’ve seen from nancy.

anyway tldr: not a romantic gesture. just a facing-down-death-with-a-clean-heart-no-regrets kind of gesture.

oooooooh im gonna write a steve post

[carminite-wyrm]

Running Onwards, To The Hope of a New Day (Part 2 of the Time Looping Nyx AU!)

Part 1 can be found here

In which Nyx makes several attempts to keep everyone alive, adds several more things to his to-do list, finds a black market, and learns some new things.

Or, Phoenix Downs Save Lives, More At Ten.

Nyx sighed, flopping back down onto the floor of his room and resting his head on the side of the bed. He was on his sixth loop now, and so far, he’d only managed to learn that keeping Crowe, and everyone else, alive was ridiculously difficult. He’d tried knocking out Luche again in his fourth run, only for Tredd to be the one to kill her, and while Tredd’s aim was a little worse than Luche’s, getting shot in the leg still sucked. He’d attempted to convince her not to take the mission on the fourth and fifth loops, to no avail, as either way she’d think he was being overly worried, or somehow insulting her capabilities.

On that note, keeping everyone else he cared about alive was also proving to be a nearly impossible task. On the fourth run, he’d opted to switch out Luche and Pelna, when they went to recover the Princess, so that hopefully Luche would be the one getting attacked by the octopus daemon.

Pelna had ended up getting backstabbed by Sonitus, that run.

That run had also ended in disaster yet again, though he hadn’t made it past the Princess recovery operation. Because he’d swapped out Luche and Pelna, Nyx had the dubious pleasure of getting a knife through his hand, stunning him just long enough to miss his warp away from the octopus daemon.

At the very least, he’d managed to drag Luche down with him as they fell.

The fifth run had actually turned out a little better, because he’d found out that if he kept Pelna at his side, Nyx could actually warn him fast enough for the man not to die immediately to the octopus daemon. And having Pelna’s assistance turned out to be a very good thing.

The three of them had managed to escape the daemon, and Nyx had tried to convince Pelna and the Princess to escape. Unfortunately, Lunafreya was…incredibly persuasive, and off the three of them went, to try and recover the King, and the Ring.

They got there just in time to see the Princess’ brother put on the Ring once again, and Nyx had managed to get the King, and the others, out of that first room, with the damnable Ring. With Pelna’s assistance, they actually managed to run out to the car, Nyx and Pelna laying barriers in their wake to slow down Glauca. King Regis was still grievously injured though, the Princess doing her best to heal him whilst Pelna took the wheel, and Nyx prepared himself to fend off any attackers.

Unfortunately, they’d only managed to make it a short way before they were beset by Tredd and Luche’s group, and in the ensuing literal firefight, Pelna’d been hit by a bullet. The traitorous Glaives’ attempt to waylay them on their attempt to flee Insomnia was once again interrupted by Petra Fortis, that gate guard that Nyx continued to have very mixed feelings about, but not before Tredd (and of course it was Tredd bloody Furia, the other member of the Kingsglaive besides Crowe to have a great affinity for fire) had managed to hit their car with a fireball, sending them crashing off the bridge.

When Nyx managed to haul himself out of the wreckage, it was to find Pelna unconscious and bleeding out, and the King dying once again, bringing him back to the same damn situation as the first two times.

And so, Nyx had found himself waking up for the sixth time, having died once again from the price of wielding the power of the Lucii.

He still hadn’t figured out how to get Libertus to not leave and join that group of ill-fated rebels, and while he had figured out how to keep Pelna and King Regis alive for longer, events seemed to continue to conspire against them.

And he still didn’t know how to prevent Crowe’s death.

At the very least, he knew for certain that if Luche was the one sent to murder her, he would do it with that handgun of his. Nyx wasn’t sure if he could tamper with that though, considering Luche kept it either in his locker, or on his person, at all times, and Nyx knew he couldn’t get to that locker without raising suspicion.

Nyx tapped his chin thoughtfully. He couldn’t risk telling anyone in the Kingsglaive about his foreknowledge, because the likelihood of one of the traitors or Drautos finding out was too high. And the Crownsguard were…well, to put it bluntly, a bit too xenophobic to pay attention to a refugee who had no actual evidence, beyond his own memories/experiences. He could try getting an audience with the King again, but without an incentive like the Princess’ kidnapping, the likelihood of that working was equally low.

But maybe, he could find a way to increase Crowe’s odds of surviving the ambush. He couldn’t give her any extra equipment from the Kingsglaive armoury, because that would be noticed, but maybe there was some sort of black market in the city? Most cities as large, and with as great a wealth gap, as Insomnia probably had one? Nyx wasn’t certain, but it was worth a try.

And maybe, just maybe, he could put a spanner in the Princess’ kidnapping as well. Her kidnapping was the bait that drew the Kingsglaive out of the city, leaving the Citadel more vulnerable to the attack that would bring the Wall down.

If the Wall remained intact, then the Empire wouldn’t be able to bring in the majority of their forces, including those giant daemons that had wreaked so much destruction. He didn’t really know what happened, exactly, during the signing ceremony itself, though. And there was so much else he also didn’t know, about this whole disaster, especially about that faction Libertus had taken up with, after Crowe’s death.

Nyx sighed, closing his eyes as he realised what he’d have to do, this loop. He knew now that he had the benefit of time, and so long as he made sure he died, everything would reset to just before midday on the 12th. This loop, he just needed to find out everything he could about the faction Libertus would take up with, their location, their numbers, their resources. He needed to know if he would be able to sabotage their efforts to bomb the Citadel, or if it’d be one of the things he’d have to find a way to reveal to the Crownsguard without implicating himself or Libertus.

And for that to happen…he’d have to let Crowe’s death play out as before.

This loop, Nyx decided, steeling his resolve as he headed over to the training area once again, he was going to whatever he needed to do, to get his hands on the information he’d need to make things right. A rebel faction like the one Libertus joined surely had access to a black market of sorts, after all, one wouldn’t be able to put together explosives or those communicators without access to at least some sort of restricted, possibly military-grade, material.

And perhaps he’d also read up on the whole deal with the Lucii, so maybe he would be able to get them onboard with the whole ‘saving lives and stopping the Empire’ thing, without having to sacrifice himself in the process. Their whole thing about setting alight those they deemed unworthy was useful, Nyx had to admit, recalling how it had dealt with Ravus and Luche rather handily, but also it was a pain when the ghosts in the Ring deemed themselves above the plight of the common man, to the point that it had taken Regis’ intervention to even get them to consider hearing him out.

And, now that he thought about it, what was so utterly important about the Prince that King Regis would be willing to sacrifice himself, and his entire city, just so that the kid would be out of harm’s way? There was that prophecy that either King Regis or Lunafreya had mentioned, but Nyx still wasn’t sure what that entailed beyond the Prince being destined to save the world, or something. Regardless, it had to mean something, for both Lunafreya and King Regis to be so adamant that sacrificing the city and themselves was worth it for his safety.

His course of action decided, he silently apologised to both Crowe and Libertus, and everyone else he wouldn’t be able to help this loop.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nyx still threw up, upon seeing Crowe’s corpse in the morgue. He knew he could have at least tried, to save her, but- he needed to know what went on, on Libertus’ end of things.

It still hurt, though. No matter the apparent necessity of this loop, and its likely future benefits, his need to protect those he could still rebelled at his decision to accompany Libertus, and abandon everyone else.

At the very least, he could count on the fact that Libertus was pretty much ride-or-die, when it came to vouching for him in front of the (justifiably) suspicious rebels, when Nyx had found himself failing to come up with an actual believable reason for his presence. The ensuing conversations with the rebels, however, had been rather informative. Nyx knew firsthand how refugees were treated in Insomnia by a large portion of its inhabitants, particularly by those who were born and raised in the city. Even though the Kingsglaive had been essential to the war effort against the Empire, the fact it was staffed mostly by refugees – and the majority of them Galahdian – made most of the citizenry a little…frosty, at best, due to the perceived favouritism from the King. And of course, there was the whole matter about how the nobility – and the Crownsguard, by extension, given that a good portion of that organisation was made up of the sons and daughters of Insomnia’s upper classes – believed that the refugees were beneath their notice.

Nyx knew this, but maybe the time he’d spent out at war with Niflheim had dulled his awareness somewhat, to the situation back home. Had there ever been this much vitriol, this much hatred, at Insomnia and its people? Had the King’s name ever been spoken with this much derision? Had his people – his fellow Galahdians – and even the other refugees from the other regions ravaged by the Empire, been this poorly treated by the Insomnians?

He thought back to the initial meeting that he and Libertus had ended up at, how, as an introduction, they’d all gone around sharing why they were here, in the backroom of a dingy abandoned arcade, planning to bring down the Lucian government.

“My brother died in a daemon attack when the Lucian military pulled out of Cleigne.”

“We lost our homes when the government had them demolished to make way for a new overpass.”

“I lost my job, because some rich upper-class fucker thought that the restaurant’s dishes shouldn’t be cooked by ‘some uneducated backwater savage’.”

“My mother’s cousin was stabbed last week, and the Crownsguard refused to investigate it further because ‘it was probably just a mugging gone wrong’. As if every trash-filled back alleyway was home to criminals, rather than the poor and downtrodden.”

Honestly, at this point, Nyx actually felt kind of bad about the fact that he was going to use the information he got in a later run to stop them.

But he knew that the explosives they would set off would allow the Empire to take the Crystal, which in turn would damn the entire city to being razed by both daemons and the Empire’s soldiers. Nyx really did understand know, why the rebels would consider such drastic actions, understood that the peace treaty was seen as the final betrayal of all the promises that the King had made, understood that at that point, the only way forward, in the eyes of the rebels, was to take matters into their own hands.

But knowing the consequences of their actions…he had to stop them.

He found himself, a short while later after the rebels had all begun to disperse so that they could work on their various tasks, hovering awkwardly in a room that had been converted into a makeshift workshop. From what he’d been told, these rebels didn’t seem to be associated with the traitorous Kingsglaive members, but considering how Libertus was still discussing matters with this group’s leader, and how small this group was, Nyx bet that they didn’t trust him fully just yet.

“So, forgive me for asking, but this stuff doesn’t seem…it doesn’t look like you’d be able to get this from a hardware store.” Nyx commented, staring at the charges one of the rebels was preparing.

“Well, obviously,” The man shrugged. “You’d be surprised, what you can get from the old merchant in the back alleyway. Couple of leftover demolition explosives, from the last time a condemned building actually got demolished. Honestly, the only part of this that we’ve gotten from uh…outside sources…would be the communicators, and the money to buy the explosives.”

“…Do you think this…old merchant of yours…sells potions?” Nyx inquired, as casually as he could.

The rebel squinted at him, and Nyx quietly hoped he hadn’t pushed too quickly. Libertus was having an easier time ingratiating with the group, probably because his anger was all too genuine, whereas Nyx knew his silence was probably leaving everyone suspicious of him, even with Lib vouching for him.

“What do you need them for?”

“I just…I want to be prepared, in case someone- someone gets injured, or hurt.” Nyx admitted, putting in just the slightest tinge of the depression he felt whenever he thought about all the times one or more of his friends had died, of all the times he had failed, over the past few loops.

The rebel’s eyes widened, and Nyx realised that the other man probably had just made the (logical) leap of understanding that Nyx was thinking about Crowe, about his sister in all but blood who had recently died (yet again). Libertus had not been quiet about the fact that her death was the cause of their change in allegiances. The rebel visibly softened, before patting Nyx on the shoulder and giving him directions.

As it turned out, the black-market dealer not only dealt potions and explosives, but also all other sorts of legal and illegal merchandise. Quite frankly, Nyx wasn’t sure how this guy hadn’t been caught yet, considering that not only was most of his catalogue was kept in the same graffiti-covered garage, but also, he travelled around in the shadiest van Nyx had ever seen.

Nyx stared at the array of very illegal weaponry that was on display along one of the garage’s wall panels, before turning his attention to the rack of various curatives. There were a few potions, and he even managed to find a high elixir amongst them, even if the bottle was a little cracked and leaking the magic-infused liquid into its haphazard plastic wrapping.

But what caught his attention next, was a tiny box in the back of the curative rack, one that had the slightest sparks of a phoenix down emanating from it. He picked it up, and opened it, half-expecting it only to be some sort of clever fake. But no, there was a small downy feather resting inside the box, barely a quarter of the size of a regular phoenix down, but somehow, he could tell that the magic within it was as potent as normal.

“…How much does this one cost?” He asked.

The dealer laughed, shrugging. “Five thousand gil.”

Nyx winced. That was…almost a third of his current savings. He could purchase at least ten potions with that money, or even two extra knives for Crowe. And technically, he could buy even more for a cheaper price if he went outside the Wall, to maybe an outpost in Leide or Duscae, but there was no way he’d be able to just skip out of the city in a future loop, not when the Kingsglaive would be ordered to remain within, until the Princess was kidnapped.

Damn the fact that anything stronger than a regular potion was only available in Insomnia via the military, and even then, they were highly regulated. Potions wouldn’t save Crowe, if only because Nyx knew she took at least four of them with her on that mission.

“I’ll think about it.” Nyx finally said, putting down the box. He wouldn’t be needing that in this loop, that was for certain.

He now knew where this rebel group was located, knew their leader, knew how they were getting their supplies, beyond collaborating with the Empire. He had also come to the realisation that there were at least another two or three cells, with at least one of them likely in collaboration with the traitor Glaives, after Libertus let slip later that night that he had participated in ‘a meeting with the other leaders of this rebellion’. Nyx had tried to get further details from him, but Libertus had just shrugged and said that it wasn’t important.

He still didn’t know if the rebels would have been half as successful without Libertus’ information (and hadn’t it stung, to learn just how much information on the Citadel, and all their truly loyal brothers and sisters in the Glaive, Libertus had been willing to share), but Nyx figured that was a problem for a future loop. He’d figure out how to convince Libertus to stay. One day.

And now, he had just half a day before the signing ceremony, half a day with which to do research on the other thing he wanted to learn about, this loop. Namely, that Prophecy that both Lunafreya and King Regis had mentioned. Somehow, Nyx had the feeling that it was important, but he had no idea how or why it was. And considering that this loop, there was no chance he’d be able to even start digging up proof of Drautos’ treachery, or that of the other Glaives like Luche and Tredd, he might as well see whether he could get at least some background information on that.

The City Library turned out to be practically useless. Oh sure, there was a book on the Cosmogony, which didn’t actually talk about any sort of prophecy, but all it did talk about a King chosen by the Astrals to ‘see through a coming disaster’. And he assumed that disaster had something to do with that last passage in the book, which he gathered (after a good hour trying to parse through the flowery phrasing) talked about some sort of apocalyptic plague of darkness? There was nothing actually specific though, just passages that he assumed was well-known information amongst the more religious folks of Insomnia.

Nyx was starting to regret not paying much attention to the main religion in the city before this.

He spent the rest of the loop, before following Libertus to see where these rebels would be setting their charges, nursing a headache, as he tried to figure out how exactly this was all related to the Empire invading Insomnia. In the end, he opted to just, focus on the more immediate problems he had. He had his hands full anyways, trying to stop the deaths of his friends, and the destruction of Insomnia, pretty much all on his own.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nyx woke up, for the seventh time, and decided that no matter what happened in any of his future loops, he was never, ever dying again to a hail of bullets. Sure, he may or may not have intentionally stepped in front of that one guy, the rebel leader that had taken a shine to Libertus rather quickly, but…once was more than enough.

He swung himself out of bed, absently rubbing the centre of his chest, where he swore he could still feel the phantom impact of the bullets, along with the by-now-expected mild burning sensation that accompanied every awakening to a new loop. He had about ten minutes before Libertus would call him about meeting up at the training building, and he needed to figure out how exactly he was going to play things this time around.

It was…surprisingly easy to sneak through the alleyways to get to the black-market dealer, that night, and Nyx quickly handed over the required amount of gil for the phoenix down. Absently, he noted that there was a stack of demolition-grade explosives badly hidden in one corner. He quickly rushed back to his flat, trying to think of anything else he could give Crowe that wouldn’t arouse to much suspicion from any of the traitors or his technically-allies. An extra elixir? Nyx wasn’t certain how much help that would be, but well, more curatives certainly never hurt anyone.

Crowe still disappeared, on that mission.

He did notice Luche limping around though, one arm clearly injured, some new bandages peeking out from under his collar.

Good to know that Crowe had, at the very least, given Luche hell.

The trip to the morgue…was perplexing, to say the least. This time, there was an actual guard around the room, and when Libertus inevitably burst in, they only saw the faintest glimpse of a charred arm, before they were both tugged back outside by the combined efforts of Drautos and Pelna.

He tried to convince Libertus to stay, once again. This time, he emphasised the fact that they didn’t know for certain that Crowe was dead, that maybe she was still alive, why else would they try to stop them from seeing her? And Libertus knew Nyx had given Crowe a phoenix down, and an extra potion. Surely Crowe couldn’t be dead, she was far too strong to die.

Libertus still left, leaving Nyx clenching his Kingsglaive emblem in his hand.

Looked like the phoenix down wasn’t enough. Not on its own.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Two days later, when the Glaive deployed to rescue Lunafreya, Nyx found himself revising his words. Slightly.

He’d tampered with the hairpin beforehand, having spent several of the prior loops figuring out exactly where the tracker was placed, and whether he could actually remove the component that allowed the Niflheim forces to track it, whilst still keeping the part that let him know where it was located. It had been…finicky work, to say the least, and it hadn’t worked out before, but Nyx was fairly confident that this time would be the one. He’d left the part he thought was the daemon-attracting one in Luche’s apartment, because Nyx was, at the end of the day, absolutely down to cause that man as much grief as he could before he could kill him with no consequences. And, just before they had prepared to leave, he’d packed some extra curatives, because he guessed that even if he failed to prevent the daemons from swarming them all later, he could at least help keep Pelna and the King alive for longer.

The rescue mission went just about as Nyx had expected, having continued with his plan to keep Pelna alive, because having extra allies never hurt anyone. What he hadn’t expected, however, was a blast of fire slamming into the octopus daemon, successfully knocking it off the ship that Nyx had managed to get Lunafreya and Pelna into.

He looked for the source of the fire, only for a knife to go sailing through the open door, and Crowe warping with it, a second later. She crumpled onto the deck of the ship, and Nyx vaguely heard Pelna make a strangled exclamation, before cursing as he briefly lost control of the ship.

“Crowe!” Nyx yelled, rushing to her side. “Holy shit, you’re alive!”

“No thanks to that bastard Luche.” Crowe grumbled, voice clearly laced with exhaustion.

There was a burn scar tracing from just under her chin, down to her shoulder, and Nyx belatedly noticed that one sleeve of her tattered jacket was hanging empty.

“…We thought you were dead, Crowe.” Nyx admitted, almost breathless with relief as he pressed an extra elixir into her hand. “Well, at least now we know why they wouldn’t let me and Libertus into the morgue.”

“I’m hard to kill, you know that,” Crowe muttered, looking decidedly better after the elixir. “Though…I probably wouldn’t have made it without that phoenix down you gave me. And even then, it was a bit touch-and-go. I was lucky that a couple of hunters found me, otherwise I would’ve died. If not from blood loss because of Luche’s damn bullet, then from the shock of losing my arm. At least, that’s what the hunters said.”

“Are you sure you’ll be alright? We’re…heading back to Insomnia, because the Princess said we need to recover the King, or else we’re all fucked, basically,” Pelna called out. “I think I’ve got enough control of this thing to give you the opportunity to get off, but the moment we cross the city wall, we’re going to be right in the thick of it.”

“Pelna, I literally ran all this way after the hunters spotted the Imperial ships in the air. I would’ve called you all about Luche being a filthy traitor, except that my comms were all linked to Commander Drautos’, and considering I don’t know how else Luche would’ve known the exact details of my mission in order to ambush me that effectively, I…couldn’t risk it.” Crowe glared at him, straightening up and pulling her knife from out of the ship’s wall. “I’m helping, whether you all like it or not. Speaking of which, where the hell is Libertus?”

“He left the Kingsglaive, after you- I mean, after we thought you died.” Nyx admitted. “I tried to get him to stay but-“

“But it’s Libertus. Probably wanted to take things into his own hands, didn’t he,” Crowe rolled her eyes. “Idiot. But yeah, it does make sense.”

Nyx nodded, silently figuring out whether he had any other methods of communication he could give Crowe in future, now that he knew for certain that the phoenix down actually worked!

Several hours later, Nyx cursed viciously as their car once again went flying off an overpass, this time from an errant missile from an MT Armour that had somehow still managed to catch up to them, even with Fortis’ intervention. When he finally pulled himself from that wreckage, it was to see Pelna’s bloodied face staring up at the sky, his neck bent at an unnatural angle.

“Shit.” Crowe said, as they all hurried into the nearest building with the same damn horde of wasp daemons chasing them, Nyx preparing himself for the inevitable run with the hairpin. “I don’t suppose there was any way to stop Tredd from throwing that fireball that sent us right into that MT’s path?”

“Actually.” King Regis finally said, as they crouched behind a row of filing cabinets. “If you told me who the traitors were, I probably could have cut them off from my magic. I would’ve done so earlier…but I wasn’t certain whether I’d be able to cut just them off from the magic, rather than the entirety of the Kingsglaive.”

Nyx stared in shock at the King.

“Wait, you could’ve done that from the start?!”

“It is…finicky work, to sever only those specific bonds, without being immediately near to them,” King Regis admitted, oblivious to Nyx’s churning thoughts. “And I will admit, my hold on the magic of the Lucii is…weaker than it was, before the initial attack on the Citadel. But it is doable.”

Nyx was so distracted by that newest revelation, that he failed to notice the swinging arm of an MT Amour, and found himself waking up with a shout for the eighth time, the feeling of his ribs being crushed still fresh in his mind.

[eryiss]

Summary: Freed and Laxus have always flirted, it's just something they had done. But after Laxus returned from exile, the flirting died away as Laxus reestablished his position in the guild. But Laxus finds himself missing the flirting, and knows a way to bring it back. Unfortunately for Freed, it requires more teasing than any one man can take. [Fraxus One-Shot]

Notes: Hello again, here’s my second fanficiton written over vacation because it’s raining and there’s nothing to do. This time, it's just Freed being horny for Laxus, and Laxus making things so much worse for his own fun. So enjoy seduction, strip poker and smut. Thanks for reading.

Links: FFN, Ao3

How To Seduce Your Rune Mage:

A Guide By Laxus Dreyar

Step 1: Lay The Groundwork

Laxus had taken to a new style of clothing again. It was… distracting.

The outfit wasn't too dissimilar to what he had always worn, but Freed could see the differences. The white shirt was now form fitting enough to mould around his impressive biceps and cling to his pecs, whereas his old shirts had been loose enough to billow around him. Furthermore, he apparently had decided to only button the shirt up half way, leaving his tanned, tattooed chest exposed to whoever might want to look. Or, to whoever might be desperately trying to look anywhere else.

Compared to the new pants, though, the shirt was nothing. Laxus still wore the leather pants he insisted on, but these were tighter. Freed had walked up the stairs behind Laxus and had been eye level with the mans ass; the leather clung to his toned cheeks like skin.

Freed had been relieved when the walk upstairs had been over. The relief died when Laxus sat down.

Even the way he sat made Freed pause to both appreciate the sight of the man and curse him for seemingly being unaware of the effect he was having. He was leaning back in the chair, talking to Bickslow with his hands behind his head and his legs spread far too wide. His arms were flexing under the shirt, muscles all but ripping through the fabric. The leather of his pants pressed across his hard thighs, emphasising the beautiful strength in his legs. Freed had, more than once, let his focus slip and found his eyes roaming the man's thighs.

And then there was his dick. It was borderline obscene in how obvious it was in the pants. Dicks bulged in pants, of course, but for the split second Freed had glanced towards Laxus' crotch - not on purpose, of course - it looked like the pants were made to draw focus to his cock. The large, obvious mound was the focal point of a damn sexy sight that Freed couldn't allow himself to enjoy.

They had all mocked Laxus for calling himself a god, but in moments in this, the comparison held some weight.

Freed had to look away, Laxus hadn't dressed like that for his friend to lust after him. Just because their relationship had always had a flirtatious edge - well, it used to anyway, but Freed felt that might not be appropriate anymore given the things Laxus was going through - it didn't mean that he wanted him for anything more. They amused each other with their sly winks, double entendres and the coy touches that they'd shared from time to time. Nothing more.

But dammit, the way Laxus was sitting was like a beacon. He had picked the perfect position to drive Freed mad, and he didn't seem to even know it. His whole damn body seemed to be pointing to the large bulge in his pants - the bulge Freed would not allow himself to ogle - and yet Laxus was still chatting with Bickslow as if he didn't know.

Freed was almost tempted to leave. He could deal with his… urges when he got home, and then could hope that Laxus went back to his looser, less enticing outfit. Because if this was going to become a mainstay in their lives, Freed didn't know how to deal with that.

Dammit; he was a grown man, not a horny teenager. This was ridiculous!

As he always did, Freed had brought one of his many novels into the guildhall so he had something to do to pass the time. He would simply put all his focus on that, and Laxus would be the last thing on his mind. By the time he would have read a chapter or two, all the shock and desire born from Laxus' change in outfit would have died, and the man sitting across the table from him would return to what he had always been; the slightly too cocky asshole with handsome features and a great body, but someone he couldn't allow himself to think about because acting on his desires would be detrimental to the team dynamic.

He was a captain, and Laxus was essentially his teammate. Lusting after him was asking for trouble, and Freed had gotten over his attraction to the man before. He would again, and with the help of his novel he would push these thoughts to the back of his mind.

'Arthur hauled himself up over the railing of his ship, grunting with effort. The pirate captain ran a hand through his short blonde hair, absently removing his sodden shirt as he walked across the deck. As he passed Clark, he sent the man a grin and a wink, a flirtatious act of seduction. Not that Clark needed it, seeing the tattoo on Arthur's chest was enough-'

"God dammit," Freed muttered resentfully.

Freed owned exactly five romance novels. They were self indulgent and rarely read, and yet somehow he had picked up the only book he owned out of his collection of hundreds to have a romantic lead with physical traits similar to Laxus'.

"Somethin' wrong?" Laxus asked, looking over to Freed with his eyes alight with amusement. He looked towards the book Freed was reading and grinned. "Getting to the good stuff, huh?"

"What?" Freed asked, then looked at the cover of the book. The barrel chested model made it clear it was a rather trashy romance, and Laxus' implication was clear. "No, I most certainly am not."

"Because you leave that stuff for when yer alone, huh?" Laxus teased.

Freed didn't know what it was about himself that delighted in confident men, but that part of him was almost preening with delight at Laxus. Thankfully, just as much as he liked a man with a cocky side, he also liked bringing men like that down a peg, and as such he could still cling to some of his dignity.

"I was frustrated because one of the main characters has a terrible sense of direction, and got the other character lost," Freed rebutted. "It was something I can sympathise with."

"Damn, yer brutal," Laxus chuckled. "But you always go hard on me, huh Freed?"

That must had been unintentional; there was no way Laxus had meant to say such a teasing thing. It was just as unintentional as the way Laxus shifted his position to look towards Freed, somehow spreading his legs wider and drawing the leather tighter across his legs. Damn him; was he just naturally sensual and it had taken the tightness of his clothing for Freed to realise it.

He couldn't help it, his eyes flickered to the impressive bulge in his pants. For a moment, Freed considered acting. Would he rather get to his knees and suck the man off, or flip him over and fuck him where he stood?

The thoughts went as soon as they came, and Freed found himself standing.

"I'll get us around," He said to explain why he suddenly lurched upwards. "Anything in particular you all want?"

Bickslow and Evergreen asked for their usual, whereas Laxus requested Freed "surprise me, but make sure it's hot." The inflection he put on the last word sent a chill down his spine, and Freed quickly retreated to the lower floor of the guildhall, trying to distract himself however he could.

As he did, he missed the smug, satisfied expression on his friends face. Laxus had Freed right where he wanted him, and part one of the plan was complete.

——

Step 2 - Set The Bait

So, Laxus was modelling now. Of course he was,

The newest edition of Sorcerer Weekly was sitting on the coffee table of Freed and Laxus' shared apartment, exactly where Laxus had placed it when he'd left the apartment. He had done so as if it weren't a big deal, claiming that he had spoken about the Raijinshuu during an interview and that Freed should check it out if he was interested. That would have been fine, if it weren't for the picture on the cover, and the promise of many other pictures inside.

On the cover, Laxus was wearing a dress shirt and blazer, with the buttons undone so his chest and flexing abs were teased. His pants were unbuckled, teasing the top of his boxers in a way that was like a punch to Freed's gut. Not to mention the damn smoulder Laxus had perfected.

Dammit, Laxus had been against modelling for his entire life, and now he was doing a four page spread! Where had the change come from? Freed might almost think Laxus was doing it on purpose - intentionally driving him mad as a ridiculous prank of some kind - but that was a stupid idea.

And Freed knew how this worked. He knew the pictures inside would show off more of him. They always did, and Freed knew they'd look so good. So damn good.

"No," He mumbled to himself. "Get ahold of yourself."

Laxus was his friend, he certainly didn't want nor need Freed ogling pictures of him in various states of undress; fantasying about pinning him down and taking him, or pushing him to a wall and making out hard and passionately. They were friends and partners, this ridiculous attraction was something Freed would just have to get over.

But… well, Laxus had said he wanted Freed to read the article. The article would be on the same page as the pictures, so he clearly didn't mind Freed seeing the pictures. And Freed was fairly sure Laxus had some kind of attraction towards him in return; on a mission a year ago, Laxus had been speaking in his sleep and moaned out Freed's name pretty damn loudly. That was a memory that plagued Freed when he was touching himself, whether he wanted it or not.

So, maybe it wasn't too bad. It wasn't too invasive.

He picked the damn magazine up with a rush of oddly exhilarating dread. Page five was the first of Laxus' article, and Freed flipped towards it. He would just save his curiosity and be done with it.

Oh. Oh goodness.

A large picture of Laxus was printed. Laxus was shirtless, covered in some kind of oil that made his tanned skin glow beautifully in the light. He was flexing, abs so shredded and his arms pulsing with veiny muscles. His lightning was flickering over his torso, making him look everything like the all-powerful wizard that he was. Freed swallowed, and his cock lurched in his boxers.

His eyes fell onto page six, where another picture was printed. Laxus was wearing workout shorts and nothing else, the spandex clinging to his thighs in a too tempting way. He was mid sit-up, stomach crunching and hair sweat drenched.

Freed was palming himself over his pants without realising.

He had already gotten this far. He turned the page to see the next picture, and audibly swallowed.

The picture on the left was of Laxus wearing nothing but light grey boxer-briefs. He had his right hand resting behind his head, biceps flexing and bulging hard. His pecs and abs were rigid and pronounced, nipples hard looking. Water had clearly been poured over him, and droplets seemed to be sliding down the endless expanses of muscles that made up the man. His boxer briefs were overly tight, hugging his bulge to perfection and making Freed palm himself harder. His cock was hard now, and precum leaked out of his slit when he saw that Laxus was pulling down his waistband to show the base of his cock and trimmed pubes.

When he looked to the final picture of the, Freed actually moaned. Laxus was naked, his dick only covered by the white bedsheets that rested over his crotch. He lounged on the bed, looking sleep worn and sexy.

Fuck, Freed had wanted to see that in person.

He suddenly remembered where he was and what he was doing. He was in his sitting room, on the sofa he shared with Laxus, looking at the smutty pictures that Laxus had taken, while palming his dick. Freed was not a sex hungry idiot and he had gotten over his attraction to Laxus before, and he would again. He just needed to get it out of his system, that was all.

Within a minute, he was in the shower, stroking himself off as he imagined Laxus on his knees before him.

Again, he missed when Laxus returned home. He missed when Laxus saw the magazine, open on the page with his nude picture. He missed when Laxus sniffed the air and smelt the scent of cum, and grinned to himself. Before Freed left the shower, Laxus retreated to his bedroom, cock hardening in his pants as he did. He wanted to join Freed in the shower and cut the bullshit, but his plan hadn't gotten there yet. And, he had to admit, Freed eye-fucking him all the day was hot as fuck, and he wanted more of that before he made his move.

——

Step 3: Reel Him In

"And with this, Laxus," Freed placed his cards on the ground. "I get your pants."

Freed and Laxus were alone, sitting next to a campfire beside a lake. It was just the two of them on the mission, which had been completed earlier in the day. Rather than returning home, Laxus had suggested that they camp out for the night and return to Magnolia in the morning. Freed had agreed, and somehow had been talked into a game of poker. Strip poker, to be more specific.

They were in various states of undress. Freed was wearing nothing but his boxer-briefs, and probably should have given in by now. One more loss and he'd be spending the night naked, not an overly attractive idea with Laxus sharing a tent with him.

For the start of the round, Laxus has been brutally successful, and Freed had lost his shirt, shoes, coat and socks before he had gotten a single piece of Laxus' clothing off. Freed had wanted to claim Laxus was cheating somehow, but the alcohol he'd drunk had made the argument too much bother. Every time they lost a round, they had to take a drink, and Freed had lost a lot of rounds so was practically drunk at this point.

That wasn't too bad, it certainly made looking at Laxus half naked more pleasant and less stressful.

The drinking wasn't the only forfeit they'd implemented either. If either of them lost twice in a row, they had to do a forfeit chosen by the winner. That had happened to Freed twice, and he'd had to give the story of his most embarrassing moment - a puppeteer wizard had taken control of him and made him act like a clown for a full day, in full costume including the wig and squeaking nose - much to Laxus' amusement. The second forfeit was to do as many chin-ups as he could on a nearby tree. He managed thirty before the bark started cutting into his hands, and Laxus hadn't taken his eyes off him.

Laxus had only been forced to perform one forfeit: speaking in rhyming couplets for a round and slapping himself every time he failed. His cheek was red, but Freed still wanted revenge.

"You don't have to enjoy it this much," Laxus laughed, taking a drink as he stood. He shucked off the too-tight leather pants and threw them to the pile of clothes. He spread his arms to show his state of undress off, and Freed swallowed at the sight of Laxus in his white boxer-briefs.

Fuck, why was everything he wore so tight these days?

"So," Laxus grunted. "What you gonna make me do?"

"Your cheeks are very red," Freed commented with a drunken grin. "Perhaps the fire is getting you too hot. So, you're going to submerge yourself fully in the nice cold lake."

"Fuck, you're cruel," Laxus sighed, patting Freed's bare shoulder as he walked past him. "Glad I'm on your team most of the time."

Freed only realised his mistake when it was too late. When he had chosen the forfeit, he had simply wanted to make Laxus feel the horrors of a cold lake in the middle of the night. It was only when Laxus was wasit high in the water that Freed realised he had instructed Laxus to get soaking wet in front of him while he was wearing his boxers and nothing more. His white boxers - made of the fabric that turns slightly transparent when wet.

Fuck, what the hell had he been thinking? Were his critical thinking skills so redundant around Laxus?

"I'm gonna get you back for this, asshole," Laxus yelled, and Freed turned to watch as Laxus dove into the cold water head first, only to resurface a moments later with an exclamation of: "Fuck that's cold."

Freed couldn't look away. Laxus, the man who had been plaguing Freed's most carnal and deprived dreams and thoughts, was wading through the lake, soaking wet and wearing nothing but his boxer briefs. He looked like a fucking supermodel, and Freed felt the horrible feeling of a boner growing in his revealing boxer-briefs. Worse still, he couldn't stop it, because thoughts of kissing the man dry or dragging him to the tent and having his way with him wouldn't stop assaulting him.

And Laxus, the bastard, decided to make things worse. He stood right before Freed, his bulging dick eye level with Freed (not that Freed allowed himself to look), with his arms crossed. He was so close that a drop of water from his chest fell onto Freed's nose and made him wince.

"Well, you might be okay losing your boxers tonight, but I ain't," Laxus shrugged, "and it's getting late, so I'm gonna call it a night. See you in the tent, you evil bastard."

He emphasised the point by flicking the cold water into Freed's face, and then walked to the shared tent. Freed was left alone by the fire, genuinely considering jumping into the water to shock the boner out of his system.

And Laxus just grinned, knowing exactly the effect he was having on Freed and loving it.

——

Step 4 - Adapt

"Oh thank fuck," Laxus gasped the second Freed walked into their apartment. "You're a fucking idiot, you know that."

Freed frowned, dropping his bag at the door. Laxus seemed to have been waiting for him, which was a shock. Almost as much of a shock as when Laxus stormed over towards him and wrapped his arms around Freed in a tight hug. Freed was frozen for a moment, but lifted his arms and returned the hug. Someone had apparently told Laxus what happened then.

"Are you fucking stupid?" Laxus growled. "Don't you ever pull bullshit like that again, you understand me?"

"I won't," Freed promised.

"You better not," Laxus pulled away, but cupped Freed's cheeks to check his face for injuries. When he saw none, he deflated. "Idiot."

Freed had been on a mission with Bicks and Ever, and it hadn't gone well. The creature they were fighting was stronger than they had expected, and to divert attention from some bystanders, Freed had put himself in the path of the beast. He'd been bitten, and the creature's teeth had injected poison deep inside of him. For around a week he'd been in bed, unresponsive as the medical mages removed the poison from his bloodstream. According to Bickslow and Evergreen, it had been one of the worst weeks of their lives, and apparently Laxus had been kept in contact about it.

"I'm fine," Freed assured him. "I've got a scar, that's all."

"They wouldn't let me come see you," Laxus stated. "I would've gone if I could have, but they wouldn't let me. I wanted to be there."

"I know," Freed nodded, smiling a little as he pulled away. He frowned when he saw what Laxus was wearing. "Why are you wearing a robe?"

"Oh, shit, yeah, that," Laxus blushed a little. "So, fuck Freed you could have died. And I know you're okay because you don't lie about shit like this, but it kinda puts things into perspective. Just because you made it out this time, doesn't mean it'll happen again, you know?" Freed nodded, wondering what this had to do with a robe. "And it got me thinking that, if something happens to ya, I ain't gonna want any regrets, I don't wanna look back and wish I did something that I was too scared to. That make sense?"

"Yes," Freed nodded.

"Well, I don't wanna regret you, so I'm done with the bullshit," Laxus stated. "The flirting without following through on it, and trying to turn you on to see if you'll start something? It's just all bullshit when either of us could fucking die at any point-"

"Laxus," Freed said firmly. Laxus was spiraling, and Freed needed to get him back to something more safe. "The robe?"

"Right, yeah," He calmed himself. "The robe is me saying that, if you want me," He undid the tie on the robe. "Then you've got me."

The robe fell from Laxus' body, revealing him in his nudity.

Fuck. Fuck!

Freed had put in a lot of effort keeping boundaries with Laxus. Yes they flirted, but they both seemed to consciously avoid seeing each other naked. Nudity was the last bastion of them being platonic with one another, because when it happened it would be the crescendo of their flirting. It was an unspoken rule; if they saw each other fully naked, then they'd finally do something about it.

But there Laxus was, naked and proud. His dick had the same veiny girth the rest of his body had; long, thick, and half hard.

And, if Laxus was being truthful, his body was Freed's for the taking.

Without hesitation, Freed closed the space between them and wrapped a hand into Laxis' hair. He wrapped the short blonde locks into his hand and tugged Laxus down towards him, pulling him into a heated and needy kiss. Laxus' hands were on his ass without thinking, groping Freed hungrily as he rolled his naked hips against Freed's. Freed let out a shuddering moan, allowing Laxus' tongue into his mouth.

Years worth of flirting and causal grins and caught moments of attraction had been leading up to this. No more dancing around it; they wanted each other and they were going to take it.

Freed's hands roamed over the body he had wanted to explore for so long. The muscle was as hard as it had always looked, and the quiet gasp from Laxus when he grazed his nipple made Freed grin.

"So responsive," Freed taunted.

"Shut up," Laxus growled huskily, taking hold of Freed's belt buckle to undo it. "I wanna look after you, baby. Not listen to ya smart-mouthing me."

"I don't need coddling," Freed argued.

"I said I'm gonna look after ya, not coddle ya," Laxus grinned, bringing his lips to Freed's neck in teasing bites. "I know you Freed, I know exactly what you want out of a man."

"Oh do you?" Freed challenged. "And what is that?"

"Me," Laxus grinned.

Before he could say anything, Laxus' hands wrapped around Freed's thighs and scooped them up. Freed was lifted up, straddling Laxus' naked body and leaning against him to keep them both upright. A laugh spluttered out of Freed, because the man who had been the subject of his fantasies for so long was lifting him up and walking him to his bedroom.

This was happening. They were going to bed together, and Freed knew that it would be indescribable.

He was thrown into his own mattress, and Laxus crawled over him. Every fantasy, every photo shoot, every thought of Laxus paled in comparison to Laxus crawling over him, shamelessly naked. His chest was heaving and he had the thinnest layer of sweat over his chest, and Freed found himself a little breathless as Laxus placed his hands either side of his head. He looked down at Freed with an expression of mingled cockiness and fondness; a look only he could manage.

"It's awful unfair you're still dressed, baby," Laxus murmured.

"I'm rather fond of the situation," Freed smirked, and Laxus grinned down at him.

"Then you might not like this," Laxus taunted, reaching down and groping Freed's already hard cock through his pants. Freed gasped, but the hand was gone as soon as it came. Laxus smirked down at Freed when he grunted his annoyance, fiddling with the belt buckle again to unfasten it. "Hips up, Baby."

Freed did as told, and Laxus was pulling Freed's pants down his legs. Once they were off, he tossed them aside and grinned down at the hard cock tenting his boxers. Freed was breathless at the hungry, horny attention Laxus showed his hard dick.

"Touch me," Freed panted an order.

"You still ain't naked," Laxus grinned. "But I'm gonna fix that."

Laxus crawled up Freed's body again, his naked legs grazing against Freed's as he ran their strong bodies against each other. He let out a slight shuddering breath as his knee grazed Freed's hard cock, before refocusing his attention at the task at hand. He placed a hand on the side of Freed's shirt, before yanking at it hard. The buttons on the shirt flew off, scattering across Freed's bedroom floor with a clatter. With his abs and chest exposed now, Freed watched as Laxus lowered his head down and pressed kisses against his stomach.

"Oh god," Freed moaned.

"That's right," Laxus grinned. "Say my name,"

Freed let out a breathless laugh as Laxus reached his chest with the kisses. He pushed himself up further, naked chest against naked chest, and brough Freed into another spellbinding kiss. They melted into one another, moans enfusing with the kiss as Laxus' hands kneeled and grabbed at Freed's body. A wayward spark of Laxus' lighting hit one of Freed's nipples, and Freed moaned so loudly and blissfully that Laxus went half lidded.

He'd have to remember that. But not now.

As they kissed each other, Laxus removed the shirt from Freed's arms and tossed it to the side. Freed's paler body contracted beautifully with Laxus', and Freed moaned at the press of the other mans bulk against him. This was like every fantasy he'd had about the man, but better in such an explosive way.

Laxus' knee was gently teasing Freed's straining cock, the seam of his boxers the only friction against his aching member. He raised his hips on instinct, trying and failing to rub against Laxus.

"Please Laxus," Freed whispered. "Just touch me."

"Not until yer naked," Laxus whispered back, hands running over Freed's flexing abs. "So soon, baby."

One of his roaming hands slid down to his cock, giving it a single, torturous pump. Freed whined and Laxus chuckled into his ear, the feeling of the man's breath against him incredible in its intimacy. The hand hooked itself in the waistband of his boxer-briefs, quickly pulling them down and exposing Freed's cock to the room. He moaned at the change of temperature as Laxus tossed his boxers away.

For a moment, Laxus sat up, straddling Freed and looking down at him with horny adoration. He looked at Freed with the same expression of need, desire and lust that Freed looked at him. Freed's cock leaked with pre cum, and Laxus looked almost blissed out.

And then, he lowered himself, taking Freed's cock into his mouth in a single fluid movement.

"Fuck!" Freed exclaimed, hands clutching at the sheets as the warmth of Laxus' mouth covered his cock.

He was thunderstruck as he watched Laxus work. The man who Freed adored was sucking his cock, smoothly and passionately, taking him to the balls and then drawing back to the tip. He neither gagged nor slowed, as if his sole purpose in that moment was to suck Freed off.

"Shit," Freed moaned. "Laxus, stop. I'm gonna-"

Laxus only increased the speed of his movements, tongue licking and teasing at the tip of Freed's cock. Freed's grip on the bedsheets turned white-knuckled, and he thrashed his head back as white covered his eyes. The pleasure was unreal, multiplied whenever he thought of the man who was doing this to him. He groaned, bucking his hips as the rush of orgasm overtook his senses.

The feeling was damn-near life ending. Every nerve, sense and thought was set alflame as he bucked his hips, his spasming dick fucking Laxus' throat without repentance nor care. A spew of cusses, moans and exclamations filled the room as spurt after spurt of hot cum shot down Laxus' throat.

He was swallowing it all, and the constrictions of his throat against Freed's dick only further drained his balls.

"Fuck," Laxus gasped once every drop of his lover's cum had been swallowed. He was red faced and grinning, chest heaving and dick rock hard. Freed, despite the orgasm, was just as hard. "You tasted so good, baby."

"Fuck," Freed parroted weakly, shifting and pulling Laxus towards him. He pulled him into a sloppy and needy kiss, not purebred by the taste of his own spunk on the other man's tongue. He openly groped at Laxus' ramrod dick, pumping at it and delighting in the shuddering moans Laxus tried to hold back.

"Wait," Laxus panted, pulling away. "First time I cum for you, I wanna cum in you."

Freed could have reached orgasm again from just that.

"If you wish," Freed teased, and Laxus' face brightened and he pulled him into another kiss.

Without argument, Freed allowed himself to be pulled so he was straddling Laxus, his cock resting against Laxus'. They kissed slowly, Laxus scraping at his back while slowly gyrating his hips in a way that was clearly driving both men mad. Freed was absently pulling at Laxus' hair, mind swirling with the memory of Laxus' lips around his dick, swallowing him without complaint. Fuck, this was happening. He and Laxus were going to fuck.

All the fantasies of this moment fell away. Freed knew they would be pathetic when faced with the reality.

As they kissed, Laxus had reached into Freed's dresser and brought out a bottle of lube he kept there. He had covered his fingers with the lube, before slowly trailing them down Freed's stomach, leaving a cold trail in their wake. He cupped Freed's ass with large, cold hands. Freed gasped as they ran gently across the crease of his ass.

"You ready?" Laxus asked in a voice one might describe as lovestruck.

"Yes," Freed nodded, pushing his body tight against Laxus'. "Please."

One finger slowly slid inside Freed, and the moan of unfiltered, unadulterated pleasure filled the room. Laxus was grinning as he slowly probed Freed's asshole, teasing and slow in his movements but stretching him out to perfection. Another finger pushed its way in, and Freed groaned a guttural groan as he rested his face in the crook of Laxus' neck. He stretched and toyed with Freed, and all he could do was delight in the face it was Laxus doing this to him.

"That's enough," Freed stated just before Laxus slid in a third finger. Laxus looked at him with a hint of hesitance, and Freed smiled a naughty looking smile. "I want to feel you splitting me."

"Fuck," Laxus breathed, and his cock lurched at the words. "You demon."

"Absolutely," Freed agreed, shifting his weight up.

With slightly shaking hands, Laxus held the base of his cock and pointed it upwards. With too slow movements, Freed carefully moved himself down again. The tip of Laxus' fat, quivering cock rested against his hole for a moment, and they both groaned at the feeling. Freed paused, but with a shared look of trust and desire, he slowly began to lower himself down.

Inch by inch, he took Laxus' cock inside of him. They both groaned, moaning their pleasure to the otherwise silent room. Laxus scratched at Freed's bare back, while Freed clutched to his lover's shoulders. His thighs quivered with the effort of holding himself up, and a gasp split his lips when he felt his ass rest against Laxus' legs.

He had never felt so thoroughly filled before, and his eyes fell to the back of his skull.

After a few moments to accommodate the new sensation, Freed gave a tentative grind of the hips. Both men moaned loudly at the feeling, and Freed's grip on Laxus' shoulders tightened. He rested his head in the crook of Laxus' neck again, before whispered a quiet, "Fuck me, Laxus."

It happened instantly,

Thrusting, slow at first but incredible, started to split Freed open. The beautiful burn of his body being torn apart increased with each slow and taunting push and pull of Laxus' dick. He could feel all the ridges of Laxus' dick inside of him, pushing apart muscles that was all too happy to accommodate him.

And then, with a stronger thrust than before, Laxus hit the spot. Freed let out an incoherent sound of erotic delight.

"There," Freed demanded, voice wavering. "Oh fuck, there."

Laxus needed no more instruction, thrusting his hips up again and again, faster and more powerful with each strike. Consistently he beat against Freed's prostate, again and again making him moan, whine, grunt and roar with the pleasure that only years of growing desire could have caused. Freed pushed down against him, wanting to feel more. To get more!

"Oh fuck," Laxus moaned, voice a horny, needy, desperate shadow of its former reticence that drove Freed mad. "Shit, fuck."

He was cumming, and the feeling of the man he loved filling him with cum while he spasmed and grunted was all-consuming to Freed. Orgasm overtook him with the same sudden ferocity, and the overwhelming euphoria made him shut his eyes and drown in the pleasure.

As he rutted into Freed, cum still spilling, Laxus pushed them both down. Lying atop Freed now, Laxus rode the high of orgasm to its end, not caring that Freed's own cum had spattered across both of their faces and chests. Panting and slowing his thrusts, he collapsed onto Freed with a giddy, horny smile.

"Holy shit," He cussed. "Why the fuck did it take us so long to do that?"

"It's a mistake we won't repeat," Freed said, equally breathless.

He pulled Laxus into another kiss, slower this time but arguably more passionate. Their movements were tired, lethargic, and perfect. Freed shifted them both, removing Laxus' cock from his ass and lying beside him, not once breaking the kiss. He nuzzled into his lover, smiling gently.

"I'm glad you're okay," Laxus murmured when they did pull away, stroking Freed's cheek. "And I'm sorry I fucked around and didn't make a move before. All that teasing bullshit was just my way of trying to get you to do something first, because I was scared of getting rejected."

"I can understand that, and I certainly won't be angry at you," Freed chuckled. "But know, I will do exactly the same to you from now on."

"Wouldn't expect anything less," Laxus grinned. "But we're not waiting that long until we fuck again, right?"

Freed simply smirked, and kissed his lover again. "Absolutely not."

[butwhatifidothis]

What is Pincer Theory? Genuine question. I hear it thrown around but am not sure exactly what it entails.

The Pincer Theory, in a nutshell and from my understanding of it, is the idea that Dimitri wanted the Church of Seiros to be attacked first during the Battle at Tailtean Plains because he wanted him and his men to swoop in at the tailends of the fight without putting in the actual effort to fight off the Empire's forces.

The theory, I assume, come from these bits of dialogue:

Here it says that Dimitri plans on intercepting the enemy and having Rhea have her forces positioned so that they perform a pincer attack (attacking an enemy force from two different directions using two forces). This is what ends up happening within the game.

However, before the battle starts proper, this is said by Dimitri:

He says he were hoping that the Church would be attacked first, even tho the agreed plan was seemingly that Dimitri's forces would be the ones to engage the Imperial Army first. This is seemingly confirmed to be the case by Rhea, when she says this earlier:

(double lined the last two words for emphasis, though the whole sentence is important)

Because of this reading of the above, people believe that Dimitri was planning on abandoning the Church's forces to save himself and his men. However, something is being ignored here - look at the second screenshot, this time with a different emphasis:

Reorganize the formation. As in, there was a formation already in place, as in Dimitri always planned on performing the pincer attack. He had no intention of leaving the Church behind to deal with the Imperial army by themselves, he at worst seemed like he simply wanted them to be attacked first despite initially saying otherwise, even if we go by Pincer Theory's reading. Also, Rhea saying "If the Kingdom's army has already engaged" implies she isn't ruling out the possibility of them not. She doesn't really seem to give a shit, as long as the enemy is eventually engaged. The absolute worst possible reading you can get from this is “both sides had their preferences as to who engaged first but ultimately don’t give that much a shit about it” when we take into account their characters, because uhhhh dunno how to say this but Dimitri would quite literally never actively, willingly sacrifice people for his own safety, omega especially if they were his allies like the Church is

There's also this reading of the screenshots: Rhea expressing concern over Dimitri intercepting the enemy is her saying she's worried over him participating in the fight at all, not just being the first to engage with the enemy. With that reading, Dimitri saying he had hoped for the Imperial forces to attack the Church first would not be a backtracking of what he sad he'd do before. Him "waiting for the enemy" would be him waiting for them to engage with the Church as planned so that his forces can perform the flank.

Like this:

Essentially, Pincer Theory posits that the scenes go like this: Dimitri said he would block the enemy and Rhea would finish the flank -> Rhea is forced to flank to Dimitri's displeasure -> Dimitri wanted to use the Church as bait.

What is more in character is: The plan was that Rhea would block the enemy and Dimitri would flank -> Rhea is forced to flank to Dimitri's displeasure -> Dimitri now must block the enemy and Rhea must now flank, reversing the order of their plan.

This makes more sense given Dimitri's character, as there is no part in the game that would suggest him using the Church as bait, even during his worst moments. No other moment while he has a clear mind would imply he would what Pincer Theory suggests, as this would be him sacrificing the Church's forces for his own gain, something that goes against his core character. Save for the invasion of his land there is nothing unique in CF that would change this trait in Dimitri, as this would be him consciously sacrificing people by deceiving them, something he has never shown to be capable of.

But I will readily admit that this alternative reading I put up there can be easily seen as reaching - this is me making sense of the scenes to have to be in line with what I view to be Dimitri’s character, but I understand if people look at it and go “lol this bitch takin’ yoga” so yeah lmao, but that’s my understanding of Pincer Theory.

If anyone wants to chime in and correct me/explain it better, I’m all ears!

[the-deli-delicatessen]

Nonono they DO have their Personas, they just attack different in this scenario

But AUGH Maruki being so ATTACHED to the smol player like 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 that's his BABY DAMMIT HE DOESN'T WANNA HURT THEM

But also AAA shadow fusion!! Like how I talked about Akira fusing with his Shadow to become BIG SCARY KAIJU BOI (i do wanna talk a lil more about that)

There are two points w this topic, 1. how it's done, and 2. the plot points in which it's used

Fusion between humans and Shadows is done similarly to how it's handled in the Velvet Room, with the Shadow in question being killed by a certain kind of weapon. Almost everything used to execute Shadows in the Velvet Room has the insignia on it, and I sorta take that as the visual signifier of something that can kill a Shadow for fusion. Shadow Joker can make weapons with his own version of the Velvet Room insignia as fusion weapons, it's red and upside down with an A instead of a V, and those can fuse a Shadow to a human's consciousness. Fused Shadows act as a sort of added alternate consciousness, and the effects of fusing multiple are... interesting.

When we first see fusion, it's with Maruki. Since it's only one Shadow generated from someone else's consciousness, it's more of a devil-on-the-shoulder type of situation. Its influence is undeniable, forcing acute awareness of how on guard Player is at any given moment, or if they're alone in a room together. Intrusive thoughts are prevalent, and they only get more frequent and severe if he's physically too close for too long, which causes Maruki a LOT of distress. On the other side of things, he would naturally want to distance himself as much as humanly possible from Player, for the sake of both their safety and his sanity, but here's the kicker, the fact that it's Akira's Palace as well as Player's. It gives him what I'm calling Joker Syndrome, aka an uncontrollable attachment to and severe emotional dependency on others who are close to you. Long story short, you don't see the people you care about, boom you're facing a slow descent into a complete depressive state, if you do see them, your brain pumps you with enough dopamine and serotonin to (figuratively) down a horse. You're essentially addicted to friendship, not unlike a certain someone (Akira).

Now where things get even MORE interesting, it's when you factor in Palaces, or more specifically the corrupted Palace AND Maruki's Palace. You see, the Shadow from the corrupted Palace infiltrated Maruki's consciousness, right? So, that means that a piece of Player and Akira's own conjoined cognitions are a piece of his brain, thus linking them. Essentially, because of this, Maruki's Palace joins with the Corrupted Palace, making the whole thing EVEN BIGGER. I gotta make a diagram of the full Palace eventually but I hope you get it. The influence of the Shadow on this part of the Palace is very evident, like picture the Reaper mechanic in Mementos mixed with the gameplay of The Witch's House. All of this is just driving Maruki completely NUTS and when his Treasure is stolen the Shadow finally is destroyed and Maruki can CATCH A DAMN BREAK. (dw the Palace disappearing doesn't mean people like Akechi go back to dead because the script didn't really kill them off in the first place in Royal so they're just chilling off camera until the third semester. It's only in Vanilla P5 where they genuinely die.)

And after all, that fusion can go one of two ways.

Way 1: Shadow Akira baits all of the PTs into killing their Shadows

OR

Way 2:

I will go into this later because it is WAY longer

Anyways, the third time is Akira fusing with his own Shadow and being KAIJU BOI

So yeah there u go

slides in

You good to chat?

yeah bro 👁️👁️ i always got them on the mind. put any idea in front of me and i will bark and tear into it like a rabid dog