#by killing the very sons she is expected to devote her life to

[alicentwhore]

Okay I don’t wanna sound like a dick cause it’s really not a big deal. But I guess because Medea as a play and character is like really important to me, there is kind of an amusing irony to the way I’ve seen so many edits and webweaves and stuff of Alicent with that “wretchedest of women” line from Medea (A line specifically about Medea choosing to kill her sons to avenge herself on Jason). Then those people being completely aghast and disgusted and pissed by the concept of Alicent sacrificing her sons. It means nothing It’s just kinda funny to me

[oathkeeper-of-tarth]

I have all the time in the world. How about you?

There is a theme to Aylin's threats and vows of vengeance that I've noticed and that I want to share.

Do what you will. I cannot prevent you. But you know as well as I, I will come for you. One day.

That one, for example, is for Balthazar, while she is imprisoned.

I cannot prevent you. But I can advise you. Be careful to whom you yoke your fate. One day, when he is severed from me, Ketheric will die. I will not. And when I am freed, I will remember whose recompense to claim.

Did you expect me to beg? To cry? To plead? For what. I accept my fate - for now. But the life of a divine is longer than you can fathom, Sharran. And this cold chapter will close, one day.

And those are for you, when you've yet to harm her, when she's still only warning you off. But then, if you choose to try to kill her, like so many before you:

Was it everything you hoped for? Was it sweet, Sharran, to murder a paladin of Selûne - her daughter - her sword? Congratulations - your mistress Shar will write your name on her hand. And I? I will come for you. When the time is right.

The next bit depends on your character's gender:

When your sons are grown and your beard is long and wiry; when you cannot hold your nightly water and your nose grows as long as your weary, weary days… When your daughters are grown and your chin sprouts whiskers dark - when your teeth are yellow as corn and your sleep grows short and your days are long and weary, so weary… When your children are grown and your eyes are weak; when your nose grows as long as your weary, weary days…

Ultimately, your fate will be the same:

That is when this immortal will visit you, Sharran. That is when I will show you what it is to be afraid.

All these long-term promises of one day, coupled with inevitability.

I find it so striking that most of Aylin's threats include her flaunting and flexing her immortality (as well as her flawless, long memory) over whoever has wronged her.

Present your weapon, soldier. Plunge it into the Nightsong. I cannot stop you. But know this: I never forget a face. HAH! Are you afraid, Sharran? Do you rattle and jump at the realisation that an immortal has your face emblazoned in her mind forevermore?

Everything is but a passing inconvenience to her, she claims, even a century of imprisonment and torment. Outlasting, outliving - that is simply what she does and what she chooses to intimidate with. Promising to wait until you are old and decrepit, until after you've experienced all the vagaries of age that she never will, leaving her sword hanging over your head throughout the entire miserable lifespan that she has permitted you to have.

Then, if you wrong her in a very heinous way, there's the extreme one of outliving not only you, but killing and extinguishing your entire bloodline in order to obliterate every trace of you from existence:

WHEN I AM FREE, I WILL DESTROY YOU! I WILL MURDER YOU, AND YOUR CHILDREN, AND THEIR CHILDREN BESIDE! I will rip this world apart, plank and beam, until every iota of your being is scalded by my light. This is my promise. This is my vow.

Over and over, Aylin builds her oaths of vengeance on the foundations of an utter, even proud, certainty that she will see her foe end, one way or another, due to her nature and the simple fact of her own endlessness. This is the well she keeps coming back to.

And I find all of this, this consistent insistence on it, so striking and ironic, because one of her other main emotional threads is being thoroughly enraptured by and devoted to and just so completely in love with a mortal. One who will age and die and pass into memory just like all the targets of her rage - if I think of Isobel when I re-read all of that dialogue up there, it seems to cut both ways so deeply. But then there's the extra element that every single one of these is spoken when she either knows or is (incorrectly) convinced that Isobel is dead. Isobel, who didn't get to grow old, and who is both an anchor to humanity and a very painful reminder of the truth of Aylin's situation being twofold.

Aylin will outlast what she hates, yes, but she will outlast what she loves as well.

[yanderes-galore]

I was surprised by how much I liked your platonic!Rhaenys Targaryen short, since I don't typically request platonic yanderes ☺️ Could we get a concept for platonic!Rhaenys, please?

🕊️ anon

Sure! I said Rhaenys Velaryon on the title to distinguish Rhaenys (Aegon I's wife) and Rhaenys (Corly's wife).

I'm so worried I butchered her character... so I'd appreciate feedback to write her better! For now, just put down little thoughts I had. I love her... just wish I knew how to write her.

Yandere! Platonic! Rhaenys Targaryen/Velaryon Concept

Pairing: Platonic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Manipulation, Overprotective behavior, Violence, Blood, Murder, Isolation, Death, Paranoia, Major canon character death mentioned, Fear of loss/death, Dubious companionship.

Rhaenys seems like she'd be fiercely protective of those she cares about.

More specifically... those she views as her children or something similar.

Related to her directly or not, Rhaenys is devoted.

She seems like she'd be a very attentive mother, aunt, grandmother, etc....

She is shown to care for her family.

She loves her husband, she loves her children, she loves her dragon.

Rhaenys would keep her obsession on Driftmark with her.

You could be related to her... or even a young servant she felt protective towards.

Rhaenys seems like one of the more moderately intimidating yanderes.

She isn't quite as kind and peaceful as Viserys, but she isn't hungry for violence like Daemon.

She's in the middle, often planning tactically to take on situations.

While she would be caring... she can be stern.

Rhaenys would love a Dragonrider obsession.

If you're not... even then I can still see Meleys being just as protective of you as her rider.

Rhaenys would keep her obsession in Driftmark, although... if the Dance started... she'd tolerate keeping you at Dragonstone with Rhaenyra.

Rhaenys feels she plays a big part in your life.

She'd be very caring whenever you're around.

I also imagine Rhaenys would want a say in your betrothal partners.

After all, she's quite the protective one.

Rhaenys can be just as fierce as her dragon, Meleys.

She's often calm, yet always planning how to keep you safe and happy.

She views herself as a guardian to you, after all.

You have your freedoms, yet Rhaenys expects you to stay where she is.

Be that Driftmark or Dragonstone, she wants you in sight.

If you aren't, not even Corlys can sway her from searching for you.

While you have your freedoms, Rhaenys knows how to give you your punishments too.

She'd never hurt you, but I can see her discipline you by isolating you in your chambers.

Y'know, like being grounded?

It's humiliating how she treats you like you know no better...

But it gets the message across in her eyes.

If you ran from her or left to join The Greens, Rhaenys will not hesitate to use Meleys to find you.

She will drag you back home kicking and screaming through dragoon fire if she has to.

You will not aid The Greens or run from her in any way.

Rhaenys likes to treat you as one of her children regardless of your relations.

She dislikes Daemon speaking with you, seeing him as a poor influence due to how impulsive he is.

She worries when Corlys suggests taking you on ships to learn the seas, wanting to keep you with her at Driftmark.

Even during the war, Rhaenys keeps a close eye on you.

She's careful with you, especially when she loses Laena and Laenor.

In fact, Rhaenys would just get worse when she loses her son and daughter.

Before then she was always protective yet loving towards you.

Yet when she loses her children?

The older woman clings to you... scared to lose you.

Even more so when she thinks Rhaenyra killed Laenor.

Similar to Rhaenyra, I can see Rhaenys having some trust issues after the deaths of her children.

She doesn't betroth you because she's scared to lose you.

If you are female, she'd be scared to lose you in childbirth.

If you are male, she'd probably be scared to lose you in the war.

Either way, Rhaenys is a bit paranoid of losing you too.

Whenever you're with Rhaenyra, Rhaenys is close by.

However, despite the Laenor incident, she eventually knows she has to trust Rhaenyra with you for your safety.

Oh, if anyone did hurt you?

Gods forbid if you were killed?

Rhaenys promises Fire and Blood with Meleys for revenge.

Does it go against orders? For once, she doesn't care.

You mean too much to her.

If Rhaenys is platonic over you, I bet even Corlys is to a degree.

The two are quite a healthy power couple... Rhaenys would probably get him to help with your care in Driftmark.

Rhaenys would keep you out of the war for as long as she can.

She's seen children die, Rhaenyra's especially.

No one can convince her to send you out to fight.

Be that commanding a fleet or riding a dragon... Rhaenys will stay against it.

If you're a servant she doesn't have to worry about that.

Rhaenys may originally be wary of you meeting Meleys, but Meleys is aware of how much you matter to the queen who never was.

The large red dragon often greets you with a trill, gently caring for you with Rhaenys in sight.

This shared care Rhaenys has with her dragon is what allows Meleys to risk anything to protect you both.

Rhaenys doesn't flinch at the deaths of those who cross her.

Any who cross her or you are fed to Meleys.

She takes your well-being very seriously.

Rhaenys always gives you advice and life lessons, she's lived a long time after all.

She warns you to be cautious and to come to her for issues.

Rhaenys always wants to know where you go.

You aren't even sent anywhere to be a diplomat.

It may be selfish... but Rhaenys can't lose anymore of what she loves.

She'll do anything to keep you under her care, including lock you in Driftmark or Dragonstone until you learn it's for the best.

[kirain]

Bg3 companions as college roommates?

Wyll: Despite being a legacy admission, he isn't at all what you expected. In fact, he causes you to reexamine your own personal biases. He's rich, but humble. Privileged, but generous. Popular, but not because he's the son of a duke—in fact, he keeps that detail close to his chest—but because he devotes most of his free time to charity work. He also throws the wildest parties.

Lae'zel: A foreign exchange student. She's often crude and standoffish, constantly bragging that her education is superior. You don't get along at first, but you soon realise she's homesick and completely out of her element. You offer to help her adjust and she reluctantly, though gratefully, accepts. While you aren't sure if that makes you friends, she at least stops calling you "kainyank".

Karlach: This woman is insane. She doesn't take her studies seriously and always crams before exams, but somehow she always passes! You feel a tinge of jealousy, since you lack the same good fortune, but you can't hate her. It's impossible. She's a sweetheart who teaches you the definition of fun, often helping you unwind when you need to most.

Astarion: You don't get much of a chance to know him, as he sleeps all day and only attends night classes. What's worse, he gets expelled within the first week of attendance. You never figure out what he did or why, you only know that the chancellor seemed deeply, deeply traumatised.

Gale: Kind, attentive, eager to help you with your homework. He's a stellar roommate in every single way ... except for one. He has a habit of running questionable experiments in your dorm, often late into the night, which deprives you of valuable sleep. But he always apologises with a home-cooked meal, so you let it slide. Plus he has a cat.

Shadowheart: She's very tight-lipped and always turns out the lights, even when you're studying. You're not sure how to feel about her when you first meet, as she's rather aloof and melancholy. Halfway though the semester, however, she suffers a debilitating crisis of faith, which you happily help her overcome. When all is said and done, she considers you her new family.

Jaheira: She's more like a mother than a roommate. You learn quick that she's a strict taskmaster; you will not leave a mess around the dorm. Cleanliness shows dedication, after all. But you appreciate that. She cares. She wants you to succeed, despite barely knowing you, and she's always willing to listen when you need a shoulder to cry on.

Minsc: Heavens above, he's the dumbest man you've ever met. Part of you wonders how he even passed the entrance exam, until you discover he didn't. He failed. He's not a student. He just hangs around because he likes you. Yet, for some reason, you find that strangely endearing. Loud and clueless as he is, you feel safe when he's about, and you're quite fond of his hamster.

Halsin: He's the true definition of a "gentle giant". A chipper jock with a passion for nature and activity. He often drops keen wisdom that aids in your schoolwork, as well as your personal life, making him a near perfect roommate.

...If only he stopped bringing home dates for his late night hanky panky. You can't sleep.

Minthara: She isn't a roommate, you're just in her room. You should count yourself lucky she tolerates your presence at all. And you better not slack off, because if you do she will report you to the dean. School isn't a joke, and she expects you to take it seriously. Some people would kill to be in your position.

[justsomerandomfanfic]

Playing With Fire - Cooper Adams X Female Reader

Title: Playing With Fire

Cooper Adams X Female Reader

Additional Characters: Riley (Mentioned), his son (Mentioned), Rachel, and a news reporter

WC: 2,926

Warnings: Mentions of murder/killing (none take place), slight change in canon storyline, very brief mention of affairs (none take place), single dad Cooper, arson mentioned, mentioned of mental illnesses, age gap (40's/20's), possessive Cooper (but not too much), nicknames, banter, slightly suggestive, mini angst, italics, and fluff

Cooper Adams had made it out. He had made it out alive and well, and his family - and all the people at the concert, including police and FBI - were none the wiser that he was The Butcher. He'd admit that they indeed made it difficult for him, but Cooper was smart. Intelligent in a way that allowed him to stay three steps ahead of everyone else, usually.

His ability to blend in, to become just another face in the crowd, was unmatched. The persona he had cultivated over the years, that of a loving father, a devoted husband, and a trustworthy firefighter, was nothing more than a well-crafted mask. Underneath it all, the real Cooper thrived in the chaos, satisfying the monster inside him.

He had managed to avoid arousing suspicion, maintaining his calm, collected demeanor even as the authorities closed in on others. He must've blacked out or something, he didn't remember how he and Riley had escaped - well, how he escaped. Riley still had no idea who or what her father was. And he’d like to keep it that way. 

But, a week after Lady Raven’s concert, his carefully constructed world began to fracture. His wife thought that he was having an affair; he wasn’t. 

The revelation came out of nowhere, after a quiet dinner that was too peaceful to be real. The kids had already gone to bed after devouring their dessert, and Cooper had felt a strange calm wash over him, knowing that his double life was safe. But then that all changed.

“I want a divorce.”

Rachel’s words hung in the air, colder than the untouched dessert of pie in front of him. For a brief moment, Cooper felt as if one of his lives was cracking, a sharp splintering sound reverberating in his mind. The mask he had worn for so long threatened to slip. But, he was Cooper, after all, and he had survived worse. He could gain control over most situations, and he'd gain control of this one. Just a bump in the road.

‘A divorce would be for the best,’ He reasoned with himself. He could play the part of the heartbroken husband, the loving father who still wanted to be in his children’s lives. He’d get sympathy, not suspicion. “Yes,” He said slowly, calculating his next move. “Maybe it’s for the best.”

His wife’s face softened, perhaps expecting resistance, but instead finding a man resigned to his fate. She had no idea she was giving him exactly what he needed. 

She moved out, and into an apartment that following month. The divorce was finalized a few months later.

He was supposed to stop, he had planned to end his life, but his kids… He needed to be a part of their lives. This divorce was needed, but it changed his overall plan. And then, on top of everything that was happening, the concert happened. 

He didn't know how they knew he was going to be there. His mind raced with the possibilities. But, it didn't matter in the end. He was stepping away from The Butcher’s legacy forever. 

Cooper had always been the master of his own fate, and he intended to end his reign as The Butcher on his terms before the risks eclipsed the rewards. He was acutely aware that, sooner or later, the law would close in, or he’d slip up. 

Overall, he wanted to step away from being The Butcher, to spend more time with his children. He didn’t want them to grow up with a father who wasn’t there for them.

And he escaped. He escaped, and no one knew he was The Butcher. Not the police, not the FBI, not even his family. Now, it was time. Time to step back, to retire from the darkness that had consumed him for so long. Time to slip back into the life he had built, the life of a father, an ex-husband, a firefighter - an ordinary man of everyday society. 

He thought he would just go on with his life - spending time with his kids every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, going to work, and coming home to an empty house. Life carried on as before, just without his now ex-wife. The routine was supposed to be enough, a return to normalcy.

But, then he met you...

A year later, Cooper was at work when the sirens blared - there was a fire at a college dorm. It was just another job, another fire to extinguish. But as he arrived at the scene, hopping out of the firetruck, his attention was immediately drawn to you. You stood a safe distance from the blazing building, wearing worn-out Converse, shorts, and an oversized hoodie; with your college emblem on the back of it.

There was something unsettling about the scene before him. And then, as if sensing his intense gaze, you turned your head and your eyes locked with his. At that moment, something shifted within him. But before he could process the feeling, he snapped out of it and returned to work. Soon, the fire was manageable, and not even two hours later, it was extinguished. 

After the flames were put out and the smoke had begun to clear, Cooper found himself drawn back to where you had been standing. He approached you and you looked up at him, and he had a chance to introduce himself. It was a brief exchange, but it was enough to spark a connection. A connection that he hadn’t been expecting.

~~~

Cooper had never expected his life to take such a turn. What started as an unexpected spark at the scene of a confirmed arson fire had blossomed into something deeper. He and you had been dating for a few months, and Cooper found himself surprisingly content. Your presence in his life brought a lightness he hadn’t felt in years.

Cooper often found himself marveling at how well you fit into his world. The age difference seemed insignificant compared to the happiness and stability you brought into his life. It was clear that you weren’t just a fleeting presence. Plus, his kids loved you; Riley had already seen you as a role model.

Yet, despite the joy and contentment, Cooper’s need for control never fully dissipated. His controlling tendencies extended into every corner of his life, including his relationship with you. He needed to know what you were up to when you went out, and he often texted and called you while you were at college, checking in on you with a frequency that some might find overbearing to those outside of the relationship. But you found it endearing. It was his way of maintaining control, of ensuring everything was as it should be.

When you were together, and he wasn't working, Cooper took it upon himself to handle everything as well, often insisting that you relax and not lift a finger. Whether it was managing household chores or planning outings, he was always there, ensuring you were comfortable and well cared for. To him, this wasn’t just about showing affection; it was a means to exert control, to keep every aspect of your shared life under his watchful eye.

Again, you didn’t bat an eye. You understood his need for control and found comfort in the way he took care of you; it gave you a routine. His meticulous nature was just another part of what made him who he was - and you loved who he was - it brought a sense of security and warmth to your relationship that you valued deeply.

His ex-wife, Rachel, never truly understood him. She noticed his obsessive tendencies and his need for control, but she often saw them as quirks rather than deeply ingrained aspects of his personality. She would sometimes dismiss his need for order and control, urging him to 'relax' or 'let things go,' which only heightened his anxiety and need for control. Their relationship eventually strained under the weight of these misunderstandings, leading to a growing emotional distance between them.

With you, you don’t just tolerate Cooper’s need for control; you seem to intuitively understand it. You recognized that his constant checking in, his insistence on handling everything, wasn’t just a desire to take care of you - it was a way for him to maintain a sense of stability in his world that he originally didn't have.

To keep a long story short, there was something about you that captivated him - perhaps because he had never met anyone who seemed to understand him as deeply as you did.

~~~

Keys jingling in the lock, Cooper opened the front door. The lights in the house were dimmed, only a couple of lamps leading to the living room. Shrugging off his jacket, he carefully folded it, placing it on the small table by the stairs; so he could easily bring it upstairs to his closet when he was ready for bed.

Searching, he found you on the couch, typing away on your laptop. Even though you and Cooper had only been dating for six months, he had practically begged you to move in with him. The thought of you staying in the college dorms didn’t sit well with him, especially after the fire that had occurred there nine months ago. It wasn't just the threat of fires that concerned him though; there were dangerous people out in the world - monsters - and the idea of you being so exposed made him uneasy. In other words, he wanted you for himself, and he knew that he was strong enough to protect you, if needed.

Living together gave him peace of mind, knowing you were safe and under his protection.

Looking up from your computer, you gave him a small smile. "Hey, Coop," You began, your voice warm. "How was work?"

Your attention drifted back to your screen, but Cooper knew that there was genuine interest in your question, the way you always cared about the little details of his day. It was one of the things he loved about you - how you made him feel important, even in the mundane moments.

"Busy as usual, paperwork mostly," Cooper replied, a smile tugging at his lips as he watched you. "But, it’s better now that I’m home." He walked over to you. Leaning down, he cupped the back of your head with a hand, placing a kiss on the top of your head before sitting beside you on the couch. "What are you working on?" He asked, his gaze flicking to your laptop screen.

"History," You answer with a sigh, saving your work and shutting the laptop, "But, you're home now, so I guess I should take a break." You joked lightly, placing the laptop on the coffee table. 

"Hmm," Cooper hummed thoughtfully, his hand sliding up to the back of your neck as he began to massage it. "You’ve been working hard, sweetheart. A break would be a good idea." His touch was firm yet soothing, a mix of care and control that you’d come to recognize as uniquely his. 

You sighed, shutting your eyes, relishing in the feeling of Cooper's fingers working all the knots before running through your hair. "Want to watch something?" You muttered, fluttering your eyes open as he finished his little massage; settling more comfortably against him, tossing your legs over his lap, his hand instinctively resting just above your knee.

"Yeah, sure," Cooper agreed as his free arm traveled down to wrap around your waist. "What do you want to watch?"

"I don’t know…" You trailed off, "We could just scan until we find something mildly interesting."

Cooper nodded, before scanning through the channels. You were half paying attention to the TV screen, more interested in fidgeting with Cooper's hand on your leg. Cooper’s hand was large and strong, the kind of hand that seemed made for the work he did. Solid, capable, with slightly calloused fingers that spoke of years of hard labor. His skin was warm against yours, a comforting presence as his thumb occasionally brushed against you. The veins on the back of his hand were prominent, a subtle reminder of his strength - power - yet the way he held you was tender.

Your drowsiness vanished as the words "Breaking News: Ninth Arson Attack Strikes City, Possibly Linked to Serial Arsonist," filled the room. You straightened up, your attention fully captured by the screen. The images of a blazing warehouse played out in stark contrast to the comfort of the couch, the flickering flames reflected in your wide eyes. The newscaster continued the urgency in her voice. "In a shocking development, authorities are investigating a devastating fire that broke out late last night at a local warehouse, marking the ninth suspected arson attack in the city in recent months. The fire, which quickly engulfed the building, required multiple firefighting units to bring under control. Fortunately, no injuries have been reported, but the damage is extensive, and the warehouse is considered a total loss."

"I was there for that. Took hours to get the fire out." You heard Cooper say, his own eyes watching the scene before him on the screen. “Do you think they'll catch him?”

You hummed softly, "They might, but it’s not going to be easy for them."

The newscaster continued, "-Investigators are working tirelessly to piece together evidence from the crime scenes and are appealing to the public for any information that might lead to a breakthrough in the case. In the meantime, the city remains on high alert as the search for the arsonist intensifies."

As the newscaster continued to report, you leaned back into the couch, your hand stopping its ministrations to cover Cooper’s on your leg. "Well," You said casually, your tone carrying an eerie undertone, "He’s definitely made a name for himself. You know, it’s almost poetic, makes you wonder what drives someone to turn their pain into something so... Powerful."

Cooper glanced over, an eyebrow raised in curiosity. "Poetic? That’s an interesting way to put it."

You met his gaze, a flicker of something unreadable in your eyes. "Yeah, well, it’s like he’s creating a masterpiece with every fire. Some people just have a way of making their mark, you know? Even if it’s through destruction." As the newscaster’s report droned on, you shifted slightly, your eyes never leaving the screen. You spoke with a casual air, but your words held an unsettling edge. "For example,.. Serial killers and serial arsonists..," You trailed off, your tone almost contemplative, "They're not so different, really. Both are driven by something deep, something they can’t quite control."

There was a pause, and Cooper’s eyes narrowed, staring at the side of your face. Did you know? Did you know about him? And with the way you spoke, so intimately about the mindset of someone who causes chaos and leaves destruction in their wake, felt eerily familiar. It was as if you were speaking from a place of experience, not just observation.

Suddenly, the memory of that night - the night he first saw you at the dorm fire, standing so calm in the face of destruction - came rushing back. The pieces fell into place in his mind.

You weren’t just intrigued by the arsonist’s actions; you were speaking from the perspective of someone who knew all too well what it was like to manipulate fear and destruction. The recognition was there, behind the facade of your own calm demeanor, and Cooper couldn’t shake the feeling that you were hiding a darker truth about yourself.

Cooper leaned in closer, his honeyed gaze intense but measured. He kept his voice low, “You seem to have a pretty deep understanding of what drives someone to create chaos.” His words were carefully chosen, probing but vague, designed to test the waters without directly accusing you. He maintained a steady, almost casual demeanor, hoping to gauge your reaction without revealing his own suspicions; he turned in his seat, facing you, his arm slipping from your waist to rest on the back of the couch.

You met his gaze with a knowing smirk, your eyes reflecting a mixture of amusement and something darker. “Well, not only do I take a Criminal Justice class, but…” You paused smoothly, your voice carrying a hint of playful menace, “I’ve always found that understanding the darker side of human nature can be quite enlightening. After all, everyone has their dark sides and secrets. Some are just better at hiding them than others. Don't you agree, Cooper?" You tilted your head.

‘Yeah… You knew. But how?’ He stared at you, his expression neutral but his eyes betraying a flicker of recognition. “Yes,” He murmured slowly, his dark brown eyes narrowing ever so slightly, “I do agree.”

The room seemed to hold its breath as his hand on your leg moved up, his fingers gripping your inner thigh with a possessive yet tender pressure.

"Well," You began, voice back to its usual lighthearted tone, "I don't know about you, but I am exhausted," You stood from the couch, only to bend down, your hand cupping his stubbly cheek, tilting his head up to meet yours, pressing a lingering kiss to his lips, "And I would love nothing more than to snuggle with you."

Yeah… You understood. Cooper looked up at you, his dark eyes softening as he felt the warmth of your kiss.

He smirked, a hint of amusement in his voice as he stood. "Come on, sweetheart, let's get some rest."

---

Main Masterlist | TRAP Masterlist

[hadesoftheladies]

female protagonists aren't enough! i want more female-centric stories! i want to explore the existential dread a woman feels when she tests positive. i want to explore what it means to a first born daughter to be her father's hero, why she so desperately tries to save everyone in her family. i want to explore the thought-process of what it means to hate the being you bore of yourself. how something of your own flesh can feel so alien and how you can be scared of something you made, something so fragile. i want to explore what it means to pour your love out into someone you thought would eventually love you back and to keep pouring and die pouring into the void that is your husband, your boyfriend, your son. i want to explore life and death from a woman's eyes. i want to explore what it means to fight in a war for a country that treats you as a resource. to be willing to die for it and realize it is only too happy to sacrifice you. what kind of fear overcomes you when the war begins and it means the entire world is now as violent as your house. what it means when the war is over and now your countrymen expect you to recover the population. "as a woman, i have no country." constantly betrayed by your own home, the motherland that hates it's mothers. what fear must overcome you knowing what they expect of all your women now that they killed the previous generation. i want to explore what it means to be a girl parent, having to manage your father, mother and sibling's emotions. the mediator that everyone is grateful for secretly, but no one acknowledges. in family comedies and dramas, the reunions are framed as inventions of the grandfathers and grandmothers or uncles, but it's always the daughters trying to patch up shit. organizing christmas and managing fights. what it's like to be the second-sister and idolize your older sister, not realizing how eager she is to impress you, not realizing how you've both set her up to inevitably fail. how women try to be beautiful even when they're dying. how people congratulate girls for being sick, getting thin, applauding them as they kill themselves. what it means to be devoted heart and soul to a god who's intermediary is a man that detests you. what it's like to be a young girl and the only one enraged at the injustice going around, so you decide to spy, to become an enemy of the state, a smuggler, a rescuer and then you get caught. what it's like to be a child that tries so hard to be good at everything and gets nothing but derision, but instead of "going joker" just keeps people pleasing until she dies a shell of herself. how unrewarding is sacrifice for women. thinking "this time they'll like me. this time they'll appreciate me. this time they'll be glad they had me. this time they'll want me." how futile it is to perform. what it means to survive the worst and be treated like a villain instead of a hero. how winning makes you even more hated than losing. to be loyal and only betrayed in turn. the joy of wearing your first dress sweats, and realizing you didn't have to perform all the time. the joy of buying boy's clothes and finding pockets in pants, hoodies, etc. the relief of taking your heels and bra off. the maddening exhilaration of gaining muscle. kicking the ball into the net!

no one can understand any of it. no one knows the horrors of any of it like women and girls. there's a whole universe of human experience that no one ever sees. that few ever explore. you don't know, you don't understand, like can you even? everything changes when it's a woman. quests for power in male centric stories are about greed and selfishness. but a woman going on a quest for power would be virtuous, justice. sacrifice for a man is glory. sacrifice for a woman is mundane. to a man, beauty is a gift. to a woman, beauty is a curse that damns you to the sharks. every story, every theme changes when it's a woman. because women and girls live in a society with very different rules for them. every philosophical question transforms when it's a woman it's being asked to. that's asking. even the morals change. "forgiveness and mercy heal society" NO! the moral for little girls should be "don't ever fucking forgive or forget. justice at any cost!" "power corrupts" NO! YOU AS A GIRL MUST CHASE POWER FOR FREEDOM IS INFINTELY MORE VALUABLE THAN BEING LIKED. "love conquers all" NO! love should only be trusted to the worthy! NEVER give your love to someone irresponsible with it! "selfishness is bad" BE MORE SELFISH GIRLS! BE SELFISH WITH YOUR TIME AND ENERGY ESPECIALLY! "violence is never the answer" VIOLENCE IS OCCASIONALLY THE ANSWER. GET A FUCKING GUN! "blessed are the meek" FORTUNE FAVORS THE BOLD! "family is everything" FREEDOM IS EVERYTHING! You are not bound to any blood, build or find the community you deserve! That actually helps you prosper!

we live in different worlds! what men tell the boys does not apply to you! THEY AIN'T US AND THEY AIN'T BEEN US AND THEY CAN'T FATHOM THE STRUGGLE.

you wouldn't get it.

[dangermousie]

Watching Jin in The Last Immortal made me think of Xiao Yao and Cang Xuan in Lost You Forever. More specifically how they are all adult survivors of childhood abandonment for a cause and how it affects them permanently.

Xianxia is such a high fantasy setting and usually deals with such larger than life situations (either world-saving or romantic.) Characters always die for the world or get doomed for love or whatever. And it’s great fun to watch. A xianxia done right is a rare pleasure.

But I love that two very different dramas this year actually take a different tack of sorts - they go, it’s great you saved the world/died for love/averted calamity etc etc but what happens to those left behind especially when said person is a child?

If you think about it, Xiao Yao, Cang Xuan and Jin are all characters who were abandoned by all those who were supposed to love them as children and it wasn’t because their parents/caretakers were bad people. It’s because none of the adults in their lives ever put the children first - they put saving the country (XY’s mom), saving the world (Jin’s dad), or true love (CX’s mom and Jin’s mom) over the children and the dramas go - well that’s great but it fucks the kids up.

If you are devoted to a cause, whether it’s an idea or a person, it makes you a failure to those not encompassed by that cause.

It doesn’t even have to be a cause that doesn’t take the kid into consideration. Xiao Yao’s father abandoned her out of a desire to protect her. But the fact remains is, she was abandoned and as she puts it in one of the dialogues - all the adults in her life, all the ones who loved her, had reasons for abandoning her but it was still abandonment.

I mean, if you look at Xiao Yao, as a result of her abandonment, she really cannot be in a healthy relationship - she can allow Cang Xuan in because he’s family and she cared for him before her world imploded but even with him I think she doesn’t expect him to be around forever. And as to a romantic relationship - she doesn’t even want a codependent one, because codependency implies a degree of reciprocity. What she wants is someone to depend on her while she is not as involved. As she puts it, she wants a man who would put her first and only, over any cause, or any family or anything. If you think about it, she falls for a man who has been disassembled by torture to a completely basic level and rebuilds his desires and his entire identity around her and he ultimately still fails her test by the end of LYF1.

And there is Cang Xuan. Whose father was killed in battle which is traumatic but then whose mother kills herself over his father’s grave, leaving her small child an orphan in a den of wolves with only “when you are an adult, you will understand.” No surprise - no he does not, and grows as fucked up as XY or more. If XY is willing to open to love even if in a dysfunctional format (and eventually she heals enough that she actually does get a happy ending in terms of love though she loses a lot on the way; the ending is a mixed one in terms of sweetness), CX is not at all - he believes he’s unworthy of love and incapable of receiving it properly. The fact that the sole woman he loves is XY, his cousin, also the one person around him who he knew before his life went to hell, and even with her he doesn’t really try to pursue her for a long long time even as she falls in love with someone else or gets engaged to yet another man - is proof of his damage. By trying to live her grand doomed romance and screw anyone else even her own son, his mother ensured her son will never have a proper love of his own.

And how with The Last Immortal we see the same effects with Jin. TLI is a kinder narrative and the ending of the drama is supposed to be happy for him (unlike the novel apparently) and Jin himself is not as closed off as the cousins in LYF, but he is so very clearly damaged by abandonment - his refusal to seek responsibility or come into his power, his deliberate goal of making his life as meaningless as possible are all the results of his dad liking the world more than his family and his mom liking his dad more than anyone and anything else.

All three of these characters are adults and capable ones at that but the damage lingers and lingers. And I find it so fascinating in a high fantasy setting.

These are narratives of those left behind on a grand heroic quest and that is something you rarely see done.

[new-tella-us]

The Mothers Part 1

Alright! The way this post will work is, I’ll go over each mom and discuss a brief “before the Demon Lord” section, what happened to get them into the bastard’s harem, what they did when they had their son and how that affected their kid. Then I’ll mention some extra people they either liked or hated. I am doing this two at a time as usual.

Starting with-

Istorae The Overthrown Queen

Istorae, as a young woman, was known to be a hopeless romantic and an impossibly talented woman. She was her kingdom’s prettiest gem. She, of course, had her faults. She could be ridiculously devoted, jealous and thought herself better than most by default. Eventually, she would meet an interesting young man. A brute whose name she’d never learn. Despite seeing herself as greater, she couldn’t help but be interested in this man. The brute wasn’t the prime of his kind, but he had ambitions that most didn’t have. His ambitions and dedication to them made him admirable to her. And slowly, she started to fall in love with him. 

To prove that he deserved her hand in marriage, Istorae’s parents sent this brute off into a war for a neighboring kingdom’s land, despite her protests. If he lived, their army won, and he could bring back proof that he personally defeated the current monarch, he would earn Istorae’s hand. And despite getting captured, the brute succeeded. The war was won, the kingdom was defeated, and the mad monarch’s head was brought back as proof. The brute became the new queen’s consort, only to then stab his wife in the back. He dethroned Istorae, killed her parents and proceeded to amass a harem, truly becoming the Demon Lord. This broke Istorae and the once lively and bubbly queen became solemn and hateful.  

When Raestrao was born, three wives and a secret harem girl were already amassed. Istorae couldn’t show much love towards her son. Her heart was already corroded over. She only focused on training and education. 

Istorae and Raestrao grew a distant, cold and formal relationship. She was more of another commander than she was a mother, facilitating the importance of perfection. In her eyes, she should never have given anyone “lower” a chance, so she raised Raestrao to be perfect and never give anyone less than perfection any leeway. They deserved judgement of the highest degree.  

She also would partake in teaching Raestrao to master magic both from their species and general magic from books. She expected nothing less than excellence from her son in the hopes that he would, one day, overpower his father and take the throne. 

The consequence was that Raestrao grew up with little to no warmth in his life. He was only seen as “good enough” by either parent if he obtained perfection. He grew up judgmental, terrified of failure, and replacing genuine warmth and care with politeness and formality. Luckily for him, his brothers showed him the love his parents never did so he had some reference of care. Who knows how cold Raestrao would have become if he didn’t have his brothers? 

When Raestrao disappeared without a trace, it felt like Istorae’s heart was broken all over again. And while she was distraught about losing her heir and claim to her throne, she also was torn apart about losing her only child. In James’s Demon War Route, she would make her decision to sacrifice her own life to create a Stone Destiny. If there was even a chance that her son was alive and able to take the throne, she would force it to happen. She wished for him to be the next Demon Lord... 

Be careful what you wish for. 

As for extra people Istorae liked or hated.  

Istorae has one servant that she genuinely sees as a friend. She still has her guard up around the servant, but she can hold a very pleasant conversation with them. 

Istorae does enjoy Raestro’s company. She sometimes can be uncomfortable with how similar he looks to the Demon Lord but, she does genuinely love her son, no matter how little she shows it. 

She flat out hates the “harem girl” the Demon Lord has. Remember, she has a major jealousy issue (most succubi do) so the implication that the husband she once loved and still holds some remanence of love for loving another woman hurt. Similarly, she despises Izroul. She‘s never done anything to the boy, but she can’t stand to even be in the same room as him. It doesn’t help that Izroul also looks a whole lot like the Demon Lord. 

She isn’t on speaking terms with Aezera. The first and last wives envy each other’s positions. 

Next is

Kalipo The Siren of the Scalloped Seas. 

Kalipo has always been diplomatic. It’s how she was raised, it’s who she is. She always believed that anything could be solved with a talk. Now, this doesn’t mean she was lenient. She believed in punishing the insolent and foolish and tight rules so specific that you would be pressed to weasel your way out of them. She believed in the “devil of the details” basically. However, she saw that and negotiation as a way to prevent danger and aggression rather than as a response to it. 

When the Demon Lord wanted control of the sea, he would take to using the very strategy of the mad monarch he once opposed. He would storm Kalipo’s underwater kingdom without warning or mercy. He had his greatest mages use “Spells of the Fins” on mass to make his land army almost as effective underwater as they were on land. The sheer numbers and foreign diseases brought to Kalipo’s kingdom wiped out her numbers quickly. Even her parents fell. Kalipo attempted to offer peace, negotiation and deals as she always did but the Demon Lord didn’t care about that. He would only accept pure domination or total annihilation. Kalipo was forced to agree to the former. 

When Uzaeris was born, the fourth and final wife was being... “obtained”. The kingdom was tense and the birth of a second heir that was both not Istorae’s and part animal demon didn’t help. Kalipo saw the uptake in violence in the streets of the kingdom she was now a part of and couldn’t help but be saddened and disgusted by it. The kingdom was tainted with blood that Kalipo was determined to correct. She would raise her son strictly on diplomacy. From mediation, to manipulation, to flirtatious advances to debate, every type of verbal communication would be mastered by Uzaeris whether he liked it or not. 

Kalipo and Uzaeris gained a mentor/student relationship. It was warmer than Istorae and Raestro’s but that isn’t saying much. Uzaeris was still more a student/heir than he was her son.  

In the beginning, Uzaeris was not compliant. He wanted to do other things with his time and wished to get into his own hobbies. He even gained a small violent streak in his childhood. This was unacceptable, Kalipo had to change that. She had to change him. So, she used her own, far superior, manipulative behavior to force a bond between Uzaeris and the newest ‘member’ of the family, Izroul. She, with her infinite patience, would slowly craft scenarios where Uzaeris would see Izroul at his lowest, hungriest and most pathetic moments; slowly, she forged a bond between them and used that as her manipulation. And it worked. Uzaeris gained the motivation to try his hardest to learn politics, diplomacy and the art of manipulation to become the next Demon Lord. He even learnt magic and basic fighting skills to defend himself if needed. 

The consequence was that Uzaeris had no identity outside of his flirtatious persona. His free time was spent either wooing any poor soul that would fall for it or with his brothers, the only time he felt like he could be someone else. He was the perfect manipulator but nothing else. Uzaeris would also become extremely protective of Izroul and distrusting of Raestro. His mother poisoned his mind about his elder brother that persisted even into the human world. He was convinced that if Raestro stayed under their father’s thumb, he would become as bad. Though as he got to know Raestro during their stay in the human world, he would realize that Raestro wasn’t anything like his mother told him. 

When Uzaeris left, Kalipo already knew. She was the only one to witness it. No one, not even the boys, knew that she saw them leave. Why did she let them go? Because she realized there was no point. They had their out and Izroul, her only leverage against Uzaeris, had freedom shown to him. If she took that away, Uzaeris would not only hate her and be aware that she was only manipulating him but would also be set on finding an alternative to escaping with his brothers. She was smart enough to know when she lost. Of course, she was hurt by his instant willingness to abandon her, but his mentality was a monster of her making. She made him care more about his brothers than her. And she knew that. 

In Erik’s Demon War Route, Kalipo is nowhere to be found. She was the first wife to escape as soon as had the chance. Her current whereabouts are unknown.  

She didn't particularly like or dislike many people. Except her son. But even then, there wasn't much "family love", it was more "I tolerate you more than I tolerate most people." She doesn't even really hate Damien's mom all that much. She can be jealous but there wasn't someone to be jealous for.

She does despise her husband for all the bloodshed he caused. They had the most "distant" marriage of all the wives. TL:DR- Istorae's raising mentality- "Be perfect. Anything less is trash. Also don't be anything like my scum of a husband, you already look too much like him."

Kalipo's raising mentality- "You see this sad, pathetic, wet dog of a bastard child? Feel bad for him and take over the throne so that you can help him. 'What about Raestro?' What about him? He's probably evil."

[anusharao96]

Oh dear....

This entire revelation of Hilmes' true parentage is so gross but what truly shook me is that it was this man's wish to kill Hilmes.

Osroes was everything to Hilmes. We have seen how much he revered his father's remembrance. His pure, justly father who, he thought, got murdered by Andragorus. Apart from the murder attempt on himself, it was also his father's death that he wanted to avenge, by taking the throne. The cause of all of Hilmes' miseries was the man he devoted his life to :'(

We have seen Hilmes crumbling, panicking many times before and he fought his fears to come back stronger each time. But this time, it's different. It seems Andragorus has snatched away the very foundation of his person. What happened with Hilmes is cruel. And absurd.

He's always so high and mighty so it's kind of....difficult watching him going through identity crisis like this T.T

One character that I took only as seriously as Gieve until now, caught my interest in this chapter. Yup, that's Queen Tahamineh :'D

I never thought I would feel sorry for her but here we are. She's an example of a cursed beauty that people desire, use and accuse for being used at the same time. She was displaced from her roots, handed over from one king to other like an object and bore the blame for everything when the kings and kingdoms failed for whatever reasons (Note what happened in case of Lusitania). Then, she lost her only child and the ability to bear children. She couldn't do anything thing to change her own and her daughter's situation. She's been so powerless, and all of that pent up angst she let out on Arslan.

It's understandable how she would feel. What I don't understand is, though, that how could she resist loving Arslan? He had such a lovable personality even as a child. How could anyone not love him? Maybe her anger thawed at some point and she had to hardened herself consciously. She must have battled with a lot of conflicting feelings.

Anyway, Arslan did nothing to deserve such bitterness. She could, at least, have loved him as just a child, if not as a mother.

Until this point, Arslan showed much understanding for her. It is only when he learns that she never tried to connect to him even as a person, let alone a son, that he finally reacts sternly. He is horrified at thought that she expected Arslan to hit someone he called his mother. And also at the reality that his supposedly mother is as ignorant of his feelings as a stranger would be.

Here in this panel, she feels something other than disdain for Arslan for the first time. I think she got a glimpse of who Arslan really is.

[maithefluffychicken]

Can we talk about BG3 and parenting? Just for a moment.

I just realized (the other day while playing and saving Dame Aylin), that BG3 shows quite interesting parental figures.

Let's go first with blood related parents and their children. (Acts 1 - 2 spoilers)

Wyll and his father, Grand Duke Ravengard. We meet Wyll and we think that no one could ever see our good boy and think badly of him. Even after the change, Wyll is a hero. But later in the game he tells us that, well, his father banished him after his deal with Mizora. The pact that saved the city was what triggered the distance between Wyll and his father. And yet, the moment Florrick tells us that the Duke is in danger, Wyll just... gets his mind on it to save a father that gave him the cold shoulder, Wyll even accepts that it was his own fault and that his father did what he deemed best for Baldur's Gate.

I hope it has a nice redemption arch in Act 3, but to me is just a father not forgiving his son's mistakes (tho I firmly believe Wyll did as well what he could to save the city, I don't see it as a mistake but as a desperate action).

Isobel and Ketheric Thorn. Well, I need more data about Isobel's death, but. A father who betrays everything and everyone to save his daughter from Death? Man. I mean, sounds heroic af, right? Bad thing that Ketheric was a megalomaniac and the deaths of his wife and later his daughter drove him crazy. Yes, he loved them dearly, and he did horrible things to get his daughter back... but he did it out of love? Pain? Or he did just want to have control over things no mortal can decide? He didn't like that his only daughter started dating Dame Aylin, he lied to Isobel about her when she came back to life, and I doubt he was just worried about his daughter dating an aasimar. I think he wanted to have total control over Isobel, never allowing her to decide, lying to her, and then trying to kidnap her no matter the price. A morally grey character, Ketheric Thorn, and abuse can be triggered by the most instense love as well.

Dame Aylin and her mom, Selune. Well, I still have to play Act 3 (my pc crashed at this point when I get to the city 🥲) but she seems very happy being Selune's sword in Faerun, and she sees herself as a protector, and she loves Isobel dearly and openly. I can't wait to know more about her and Selune.

Parental figures that aren't blood related but I can't stop seeing as an abusive parent figures:

Shadowheart and Shar. Well, shit, right? Big spoilers of Act 2, if Shadowheart lets live Night Song, then you know how fucked up Shar is and how much has she hurted our cleric. Shar and her justiciars decided to kidnap a little kid in front of her dad and use the whole memory as a redirected trauma where they were considered Shadowheart's saviours instead of her kidnappers. Creepy, huh? And Shar is the coldest mother, Shadowheart could never be good enough, no matter how much she tried.

Same thing with Lae'zel and Vlaakith. What a brainwash. Giths are forced to fight between them, to kill the weakest of them, to never show mecy, just so their Queen (Mom) would love them and gave them her approbation. Of course, Vlaakith is a tyrant and she couldn't care less about her sons and daughters, but she still expects them to show respect. Giths aren't educated, they're indoctrinated. This is it, the moment Lae'zel betrays her Lich Queen for you and finds out about Orpheus, she redirects her devotion to Orpheus, no doubt.

Wyll, wanting to be the folk hero, Shadowheart wanting to be the best justiciar and Lae'zel wanting her red dragon are just symptoms that their inner child need the love of their parents and that they never had. They need external approbation. The Duke was busy ruling Baldur's Gate, Shar was being the Dark Goddess and Vlaakith was just getting stronger.

That's all fucked up parenting and it shows on how indoctrinated our beloved characters are. You don't see this trauma in Karlach, Gale or Astarion (they have different trauma lol).

[beardedmrbean]

An electrician was shot in the face and doused in acid in revenge for an alleged rape, a court has heard as his murderers were jailed.

Liam Smith, a father-of-two, was lured outside his home and killed in a “brutal and cold-blooded murder” in Wigan on Nov 24 last year.

Rachel Fulstow, 37, from York, and Michael Hillier, 39, from Sheffield, were given life sentences on Thursday after a trial at Manchester’s Minshull Street Crown Court.

Fulstow, who started seeing Hillier in 2021, had previously been on a date with Mr Smith in York in 2019, the court heard.

Hillier told the court she had confided in him in 2022 that she had been “graphically raped” by Mr Smith and that together they decided to “go down the vigilante route” to “seek justice”.

In a statement outside the court, Mr Smith’s family said he was innocent and he had been “denied the chance to publicly clear his name”.

Sentencing the pair, Judge Maurice Greene said whatever happened on the night appeared to be the underlying motive for the attack.

He said: “It was decided between you, you would execute your own vengeance.

“The two of you decided to act as judge, jury and executioner.” He described the murder as “brutal and cold-blooded”.

Addressing Fulstow, a Leeds University graduate, the judge said it was “almost incomprehensible” that she had acted the way she had.

He added: “Whatever happened between you and Liam Smith can never be justification for what you and Michael Hillier did.”

Cannabis dealer Hillier travelled from Sheffield to Wigan three weeks before the murder, and carried out reconnaissance on Mr Smith’s address, the court heard.

Hillier then went back to Sheffield before returning to the house on Nov 24, and waiting for 10 hours in a car with fake number plates, armed with a shotgun.

At about 6.40pm, he lured Mr Smith out of his house and shot him with a modified shotgun before pouring acid and soda crystals over him, the court was told.

Hillier was arrested on suspicion of murder in January 2023 and Fulstow in February 2023.

Fulstow claimed she knew nothing of the attack until Hillier arrived at her house in Andrew Drive, York, and was “petrified” to go to the police.

The court heard that in the days after the killing the couple went on holiday to Jamaica together.

The pair were given life sentences with minimum terms of more than 30 years. Hillier was found guilty of murder and sentenced to 33 years in prison and Fulstow was found guilty of murder and perverting the course of justice. She was sentenced to 30 years.

In a statement read to the court, Mr Smith’s mother, Julia, said he was a “devoted father” to his sons, aged 11 and 14, and a “gentleman”. She told the court: “We are never going to be able to fill this massive void which has been left in our lives.”

Louise Blackwell KC, mitigating for Hillier, said he would not have carried out the attack were it not for his drug addiction and the influence of Fulstow.

She said: “Of course, Mr Hillier took the lead role in the sense that he went and he was the person who carried out the acts but it was under pressure from Fulstow.”

Det Chief Insp Gina Brennand of Greater Manchester Police said: “My thoughts and the thoughts of the investigation team will always remain with Liam’s family. They will never ever get over this tragedy, nor should they be expected to, and the actions of Michael and Rachel were nothing short of despicable.

“On the night of Liam’s murder, police and other emergency services were working incredibly hard to try and ascertain the facts. It was unclear what had happened to Liam that night and it was very concerning for local residents.”

[hjertetssunnegalskap1]

So I noticed a strange little thing that probably only will be interesting for me. Still, I gotta share it, because I don’t know what else to do with it. In that scene in the magic trick shop in Good Omens s2 ep4, the shop owner mentions a man, William Ellsworth Robinson, who got killed doing the bullet trick in 1918. Robinson used the stage name Chung Ling Soo, pretended to be from China, and claimed to have been the pupil of Albert Taen Arr Hee, a known magician/ acrobat/ tradesman from China. I have been hyperfocusing on Albert Taen Arr Hee and his family for three years, mostly because I looked for a possible connection to my family tree, and then I ended up falling down a bottomless rabbit hole. 

You see, Albert Taen Arr Hee was part of one of the very first Circus troups from China that toured USA and Europe. Also, he had an adoptive sister, Achuen Grace Amoy Eaton, or, she was most likely sold as a child to his parents, Tuck Quy and Wang Noo. Tuck Quy led this group of Chinese jugglers and acrobats that toured the world. While Albert stayed on as a circus artist and later became a tradesman, Grace escaped the circus life, married and moved with her family to Canada. She was the mother to the well-known authors Edith Maude Eaton (“Sui Sin Far”) and Winnifred Eaton (Onoto Watanna). 

You can see how I could so easily fall down this rabbit hole, right? This family had so many intriguing stories to tell.

Oh, and Albert married Frances Poolman, the sister to Isabella Poolman, or Bella Freeman, who was a coffee shop owner, brothel madam and fence, who supposedly devoted her life and money to tracking down the Whitechapel murderer. Because she had been familiar with one of his victims. Bella was prosecuted a number of times for running a disorderly house. She ended up very rich, apparently.

Oh, and Albert founded the stores of China & Japan Goods TAEN-Arr-Hee, in Berlin and Dresden, around 1880, and his sons took over, and that’s a whole other story. 

Anyway. I just never expected to stumble over the mention of this magician Robinson, who more or less was connected to all of these other stories (and more). I shouldn’t be surprised, of course. Neil Gaiman knows how to sprinkle his stories with interesting anecdotes and historic facts like these.

So yeah. Fun times.

[rinwellisathing]

Get to know my OCs: Family relationships

Jaina Thalassia:

- has a good relationship with her parents, although because she was the child of theirs Umberlee chose, her father does expect great things from her and so she lives under constant pressure to live up to his standards. Her mother is a bit disappointed she chose to be a teacher instead of a priestess.

- typical sibling relationship with her brother. They fight and bicker and rag on eachother, but they played together as children and as adults they help eachother, she watches over her niece and trains her in magic, her brother helps her cover up her crimes when she kills people who would harm her students. Her brother is a rising star recruit in The Flaming Fist.

-though her grandparents are dead, she makes offerings at the Shrine near the docks in honor of her maternal grandmother, who was a priestess.

- when she has children, she is highly protective of them, even to the point of insisting that because of how unfair and harsh Ulder was towards Wyll when he was young, she will not allow her children to spend time unsupervised with their grandfather because she believes he has no business raising children. She will relent if Wyll is there, however, because she can't imagine a better parent than him.

Kroger of Creche K'liir:

-never really thought of 'family' in the istik sense of the word until someone mistook him, Octavia, and Lae'zel for siblings.

-With that being said, because of his feelings for Wyll and Jaina, when they have children he is actually a very devoted additional parent to the Ravengard children, though perhaps a bit overzealous about preventing illness and injury, given his work as a Ghustil.

Sentry Ojeda:

-completely adversarial and belligerent towards Bhaal for the most part, but still with the nagging urge to please him and make him proud. Ultimately rejects him.

-first set of adoptive parents were overzealous Bhaal cultists who abused him in every way possible and whored him out for breeding from an early age, ultimately resulting in Sentry murdering them.

-second set of adoptive parents, Commander Evagria Ojeda (a paladin of Ilmater) and her life long friend Father Lorgan were good to Sentry and he loved them both, the closest he ever had to a normal family. They taught him most of his basic life skills and his class skills as a paladin as well as validating who he really was and helping him transition.

-when Evagria died, Sentry rejoined the cult of Bhaal, this time as its Chosen. He gets along well with his older sister Tomi, confiding in her and often favoring her when it comes to assignments. His older sister Gabraela annoys him, but he does care for her and realizes she only means to protect him. He used to get along with his little sister Orin, even doing artwork with her and sharing techniques, until Sarevok stepped in to drive a wedge between them and the two became rivals. He has a visceral hatred and disdain for his older brother Jackal, who abused him in every way possible claiming it would 'make him stronger'.

- tends to latch on to any parental figure he meets and half way gets along with, before being tadpoled, he had a close friendly relationship with Ffion at Sharess' Caress. Post-tadpole, he latches on to Zevlor and Jaheira.

-Though Sentry's first child was one he never got to raise because of how soon after her birth Orin attacked him, his two children he has after he helps defeat The Elder Brain are very important to him and one of his goals is to give them a better, safer childhood than he had.

Jakael 'Jackal' Silk:

-the unwanted third son of a minor noble house, he was traded away as an amusement to a much older noble woman as soon as his parents were able to be rid of him.

-he despises every last one of his Bhaalist siblings, viewing Sentry as an up jumped breeder with delusions of grandeur, Tomi as a freak of nature disguised as a beautiful woman, Orin as a petulant child, and Gabraela as a sentimental imbecile.

Octavia of Creche K'liir:

-given her love of istik cultures, she has always referred to Kroger and Lae'zel as her siblings due to hatching around the same time from the same clutch.

-is overjoyed to meet Gale's mother and be welcomed into the Dekarios family, even more so when she and Gale adopt an abandoned Githyanki egg to raise.

[todayisafridaynight]

So, just for everyone so we can get this whole thing over and done with. Arakawa and Jo stuffed their babies in lockers (both for different reasons). Arakawa felt bad so he went back to save Ichi, but since the planets aligned and there were two babies in different lockers he rescues Aoki. Then jiro kasuga comes to actually get baby Ichi because the handout (which I’m assuming means pay off the Yakuza that we’re after Ichi’s mom) goes to shit so rescues Ichi and then Kasuga dies when Ichiban’s 15 and then he goes to live at a whore house.

we're gonna run this back one more time from the very beginning if you're still confused come quiz day i'm failing you and kicking you out of the classroom and im forcing you to read the entire yakuza wiki before you're allowed to write another ask

Masumi Arakawa was expected to date the daughter of the Hikawa clan. However, he was already seeing his girlfriend, Akane, on the side. Eventually, Akane became pregnant, and after Arakawa tells his patriarch about the situation, the two become prime targets of the Hikawa clan.

Just a bit after midnight on New Year's Day, Akane gives birth to Ichiban at the hospital and contacts Arakawa via payphone. Because the two had plotted to meet at Cafe Alps to skip town beforehand, Arakawa was already at the cafe and thus took the call. Over the phone, Arakawa instructs Akane to place their baby in a coin locker at the train station once Akane lets him know the Hikawa are following close behind her. Akane urges Arakawa to take care of their baby, implying she was aware that would be the last time they spoke to each other.

Some time beforehand on the night of New Year's Eve, Jo Sawashiro and his girlfriend at the time, Ikumi, similarly produced a child. Because of their unstable situation as two teenagers barely getting by with just the two of them, Sawashiro takes their child and locks him away in a coin locker, doing so being a common practice in Japan during the 1970-80's.

Back to Arakawa, Arakawa wasn't able to immediately go to the coin lockers due to being cornered by the Hikawa family at the cafe, forcing him to endure a fight with them before reaching the station. Not thinking there would be multiple babies in lockers that night, Arakawa seizes the first locker he hears emit crying- this locker being the locker Sawashiro used, and thus letting Arakawa take Masato to the hospital while Ichiban was left behind.

After Arakawa absconded from the scene, Jiro Kasuga- an ex-coworker of Akane- arrived to the lockers once it was apparent the trade off didn't go as planned. With Arakawa long gone and no one else left to take care of the remaining baby, Jiro adopted Ichiban as his own and raised him in Shangri-La alongside his workers.

Arakawa, unable to reconnect with Akane, assumes she was killed by the Hikawa family, the family infamous for making people disappear without a trace. What exactly happened to her is unknown (as of right now), but it wouldn't be until decades later it's revealed she survived the ordeal. The Hikawa family were unable to find neither Masato or Ichiban that night before Arakawa and Jiro reached their respective children.

Five years later, Sawashiro would encounter Masato and Arakawa, at this time learning that Arakawa had become the patriarch of his own family. Upon seeing Masato's severe health condition, Sawashiro would decide to devote the rest of his life to Masato and to the man who raised him, swearing up to Arakawa and joining the Arakawa family.

Jiro would pass away once Ichiban was 15, leaving Ichiban a drifter. It wouldn't be long after Jiro's passing that Ichiban would cross paths with Arakawa. 100 days after their initial meeting, Ichiban would be allowed to join the Arakawa family.

Arakawa never knew Ichiban was his son, and Ichiban only found out Arakawa was his father after his murder. In LAD8, Ichiban's newest adventure revolves around him venturing to Hawaii to reconnect with his mother, Akane, and to give her Arakawa's ashes in the form of a necklace. Masato never knew Sawashiro was his father, nor did he know Ikumi was his mother.

[kirain]

Headcanon for the companions having children? 👀

This was fun! In true D&D fashion, I rolled a 🎲 to decide how many children each companion (besides Halsin and Astarion) should have. Luckily most of my rolls were low, because I think making five to six kids for everyone would've killed me. 😅

🎲 Gale couldn't wait to settle down and have a child. He has a daughter named Abigail, whom he worships and adores. He never pushes her towards greatness, though she achieves it through curiosity, hard work, and nautral talent. With her father's support, she becomes a wizard of both world renown and incredible kindness, never feeling burdened or unloved. She is truly the apple of her father's eye.

🎲🎲 Karlach never thought she'd live to be a mother, but life surprised her in the best way. Not only did she survive the perils of Avernus, but she also gave birth to twins, Terra and Reeze. They would become celebrated demon slayers, traveling the Sword Coast for fun and protecting innocents from evil.

🎲🎲 Lae'zel adopts Xan (Freedom), and has a biological daughter named Vika (Hope). Both children, raised to be cherished and free of Vlaakith's tyranny, become symbols of a promising githyanki future, as well as the source of their mother's joy.

Astarion, unable to conceive and unwilling to condemn a child to his vampiric way of life, remains childfree. He does, however, visit the Underdark as often as he can, during which time he ensures the spawn children are adjusting well to their new form. He also donates many stolen goods for the construction of their new city.

🎲🎲🎲 Wyll has three sons, Alder, Adam, and Cenric, all of whom inherit their father's best traits; honour, courage, and compassion. Despite his immense responsibilities, Wyll always makes time for them, encouraging them in all areas of their life. One becomes a politician, one a commander, and one a bard. He couldn't be more proud.

🎲 Shadowheart has a son, Linwyn, whom she showers with all the love and affection she lost to Shar's cruelty. She raises him firmly but fairly, except when he brings home an injured animal. Each time it happens, she just doesn't have the heart to turn it away. He becomes a devoted cleric of Selûne, as well as a successful animal physician.

Halsin never has children, at least not in the traditional sense. Once the Shadowlands heal, he opens a large orphanage, dedicating his time to the dozens of children who come and go over the years. They never forget him or the positive impact he had on their lives.

🎲🎲🎲🎲 Minthara has three daughters and a son, Nayrene, Enthira, Curien, and Cheza. They are acceptable. Smart, strong, independent; everything she expects them to be. Though she rarely admits it out loud, they make her very proud.

[black-rose-writings]

A post I saw recently made me remember an idea I had like a year ago: The Gaang (from AtLA) as Grishaverse characters.

All of the characters would be aged up by 6-7 years compared to their OG versions, to match up with their stories and the universe better, meaning that Toph and Aang are in their late teens and the rest is in their early 20s.

Also, I firmly support the Darkling and Grisha loyalists, so please avoid leaving anti-Darkling replies or I will block you, because I don't feel like arguing with yall on here. Feel free to send me hate asks if you want, but keep it off of this post.

So, in no particular order:

Toph Kir-Lao: The only daughter of an influential Shu noble family, born blind and a Durast, with incredible talent for working with both rock and metal. Her parents had her recieve some secret training during her childhood, but eventually, at the age of 12, she had enough of their overprotectivness and desire to force her into a life of hiding her true self and conforming to the expectations of a high-society young woman and an heir to an influential family, and decided to run away from home and to Ravka, joining up with the Second Army (as that was the only place she knew where being Grisha wasn't at best a shameful secret). Her parents did eventually find out she was at the Little Palace and though the relationship remains tense, they are in sporadic contact. (If anyone asks them, Toph is studying in Kerch).

Zuko (He has both a Kerch and Shu family name, but doesn't use either because fuck his family, though his uncle gave him permission to use the name Yul-Iroh if necessary): Ethnically mostly Shu, grew up in Kerch. His father is on the Merchant Council and traces his heritage to the Taban family (their ancestors fled to Kerch after an unsuccessful power grab). The entire family are and have been Inferni for several generations, though it is not public knowledge, and Zuko, his sister and cousin were all trained to use their powers from an early age. Zuko got his scar in his early teens, during a fight with his dad. Iroh is his father's older brother who decided to cede his position as the head of the family business after his son disappeared, so that he could fully devote himself to the search/investigation - he would later find out that his brother was involved with the Kerch slave trade (and general gang shenanigans) and arranged for his son to get captured and sold. Though Iroh always knew about the dangers Grisha faced, it was only this that made him realize that being rich and powerful didn't exempt him or the people he loved from that. Combined with Ozai's escalating abuse of Zuko, Iroh decided to leave Kerch and seek shelter with the Second Army, partially hoping that his son had managed to escape and ended up there as well.

Aang (He has a Ravkan first and last name, but only uses his Suli middle name): Ethnically a mix of Suli, Ravkan and Shu, Squaller, grew up at the Little Palace. He comes from a Grisha family that has been part of the Second Army pretty much since its founding. His only living family is his grandfather Gyatso (who teaches at the Little Palace school), both of his parents were killed in the war when he was very young. Both he and his grandfather are deeply religious (to the point of being considered fanatics by most other Grisha) and refuse to kill because of it (which is why Gyatso ended up being a teacher) - despite this, Aang is the youngest known Squaller to have learned the Cut.

Katara and Sokka: They are Hedjut. Though the Hedjut are typically pretty accepting of Grisha, they still live in Fjerdan territory and their mother ended up getting killed in a Drüskelle raid (not decided if she was also Grisha or if she just took the bullet for Katara like in AtLA), after which their father decided to send them both down south to Ravka, as their home could no longer be safe for Katara (not decided if Sokka went with her because he wanted to make sure Katara was safe or because their father suspected he was also Grisha and didn't want to risk him, either). Sokka isn't Grisha, but he did end up joining with the Oprichniki to stay close (he typically is part of the Palace guard, because something-something-Ravka is racist). Katara is officially a Tidemaker, though she does have some Corporalki abilities (Hedjut, much like the Zemeni, don't view Grisha with strict order distinctions, so she didn't realize this was not normal until much later).

I do have some additional ideas for the characters (and for other AtLA (or other universe) characters translated into the Grishaverse), so feel free to ask about those. Or post your own extensions, if you want.