#complaint against bloodthirsty enemies

[vulpine111]

[gh0stswh0re]

"where has your determination gone to, little thing?"

warnings: f! reader, shameless repost, cnc, rough dom, angry sex, heavy language, verbal humiliation, manhandling, fingering, piv, no aftercare, simon's being a big meanie, storyline? what storyline?

word count: 1,3k

a/n: ignore the mid beginning (and middle, and end), changed it back into reader insert cuz i hated it

...

he was a man of determination and sheer willpower, a man with strong morals and one might even dare say simon riley was a bit of a patriot, but dangerous is what he really was – like a predator he moved, like a sickened predator he stalked and watched, like a bloodthirsty predator he hunted down and slaughtered whatever poor bastard was his next set target. he was blind and rabid with rage - a weapon, a machine on the battlefield. with phantoms of war haunting his flesh, scattered across his skin in all shapes and forms – the white line searing deep into his thumb, in particular, caught your attention.

you - the little spoiled rotten princess that was assigned under his supervision, making his day-to-day life miserable and the past few days fucking hell – yeah, that's what he would call it, ''fucking hell'', when after a particularly long, torturous day you'd come around with your usual set of deliberately detailed questions and utterly childish complaints. it's not the type of confession he'd make to any other living soul, but he's never questioned your intelligence – he knew how much twisted joy hid in the tasteless jokes, so out of the goodness of his own rotten heart he warned you – ''one day, birdie, you'll get the chance of coming across some mean motherfuckers, and i won't be there, and this shit-'' his deep voice roughed with the heaving breaths, ''is going to get you killed.'' that was three, maybe four months ago – three, hardly four months before you'd be assigned a task together, one he just couldn't deny.

maybe it was the remote location, or perhaps the complications which occurred on nearly daily basis, you could very well just be feeling a bit under the weather – not following even the simplest orders, talking back, grabbing his prized little possessions only to leave them at the other side of the room, and even going as far as raising your voice at him – the petite, cheeky girl with the golden smile and screams like that of a harpy, ringing in his ears, risking to rupture his eardrums as you spat ugly threats at him.

heavy footsteps quickly closed the distance between the two of you, as the wooden floor quaked underneath his iron-cast weight – the air thinned with his presence approaching you. ''i'd like to see you try, princess-'' strong hands invaded your space, hooking the little pocket knife you always carried around off your belt with absolute ease. ''i'd like to see you fucking try'' clatter of the metal blade hit the tiles of the bathroom floor – one room you tried to hide in, thinking about what you've been told, what he taught you – when an enemy backs you into a corner, you fight back, you claw your way out of it, taking advantage of every damn thing in your surroundings, you – he knew this, he knew it and he's been taunting you – watching you, examing each one of your moves, your anxious gaze scattered all over the room.

the tips of his fingers tenderly caressed your chin, brushing against the warm skin of your flushed cheeks as he cooed at you – whispering, his voice haunting you as he hummed a lustful song, the chorus of desperate heat within him. soft, heated breath washed over the side of your face, as he tapped his thumb over your bottom lip – swollen, bloody with fear – prying open your mouth, "stupid fucking bitch".

leather-bound hands groped your flesh, brushing against the swell of your breast and back up, teasing the sensitive, perky nubs, taking one between two clumsy fingers as he gazed at you with curious eyes. ''naughty little birdie, aren't you?'' forcing a hand between your legs, his gloved palm slid down your thigh, stroking your pulse as rough fingers endowed with perverted curiosity slipped past the fabric of your shorts. three fingers ghosted over the swollen folds of your cunt – wet, soaked with need – as he gathered sweet, sticky arousal on his fingers. two pushing in, as you chewed on the inside of her cheek, nearly drawing blood biting down a whimper, your voice trembling as pain spread through your core, and the vicious sound of his chuckle rang in your ears.

heat rippled over your face as the pad of his finger slid across your stiff clit, cruelly teasing it with a quick swirl as the little knot of pleasure in your belly tightened against your own will. pure bliss fought with the persistence of your pathetic resistance – it turned him on how you cried in despair, made him into a fucking animal, only swiping faster, making the little nub twitch under the lewd movement of his fingers.

fear of him breaking you rushed the adrenaline through your veins, and clouded your mind with frenzy – but he wouldn't do that, he wouldn't break you – he'd only shatter you, devour and waste what was once within you.

he kissed the warm flesh on your neck – chapped lips prying open, the tip of his tongue heated with desire tasting the struggle evident on the hot skin, before he bit down, scarring its delicacy. the grip his hands held on you was sadistic, punishing, nearly crushing your hips. desperation and lust thickened in your throat, breath hitching somewhere in your lungs – you couldn't tell though, your own body betraying you – any words of protest, or perhaps resentment towards your superior, your dear and beloved lieutenant, died on the tip of your tongue. only a faint whisper slipped past your lips – hoarse with the exhaustion from the pathetic cries – as he lowered your limp body onto the ground, the playful fingers still fucking you at a lazy pace.

not only was he utterly intoxicated by your movements, but he's also grown addicted to it – snuffing a grunt, sucking the air in through his teeth as he watched you fuck yourself back into his hand. the obnoxiously loud, hot-headed troublemaker was actually an obedient little whore, completely at his mercy.

both hands encased your hips, as he traced the head of his cock along the edges of you, the heavy tip pressing against the tight entrance of the clenching cunt coated with shimmery, sticky arousal. he shut his eyes closed as his heavy hips thrust in and out of you - every rushed beat of your heart was now pulsating with desperation in your cunt, as you whimpered, cried – more, more, more. swayed, craved – closer, closer, closer.

his hands grabbed at your hips, thighs, ass – his strokes jaunty, clumsy, as one hand sneaked into your hair, roughly pushing your face down until you winced in pain. it seemed like he preferred it this way – balls deep, without the pretend concern. your mind was numb, brain melting – the loud slaps of skin and groans of pleasure filled your ears, consumed your entire being, devoured every last bit of decency you had left. noises – mixtures of pure nonsense drowned in moans gutted through your body, as he grabbed your hand and forced your palm open flat against your lower belly – he was boring into your stomach, ruthless and cruel it made your cunt throb with pleasure, ripping up your spine, tearing through the weary muscles as it set your nerves aflame and whirled your brain with the agonizing need to just fucking cum already.

''where has your determination gone to, little thing? thought you were gonna-'' his violent thrusts spread the clenching walls of your warm cunt each time he slammed his hips into yours, ''mm, slit my throat? isn't that right, you needy-'' a thrust, ''desperate-'' and another, ''whiny-'', and one more ''-slut".

he noticed – your muscles tensed, limbs trembled, as your brain fizzed with the pain overwhelmed by the carnality of the physical pleasure, he knew you were so damn fucking close … so, he stopped. ''think you deserve to cum after what you said to me?'' he slowed down the pace of his brutal fucking, even if it took every last bit of his self-control, ''nah, little birdie, you don't-'' a hand brushed against your lower back, ''this one is all for me'' it was a growl more than it was a sentence, as he fucked his leaky precum into your womb, ''and this one too'' one last thrust before he pulled out heaving, hot cum covering your thighs, dripping onto your worn out cunt.

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Cast Your Cares on the Lord (2 Samuel 17:15-29)

1 Give ear to my prayer, O God; And hide not thyself from my supplication.

2 Attend unto me, and answer me: I am restless in my complaint, and moan,

3 Because of the voice of the enemy, Because of the oppression of the wicked; For they cast iniquity upon me, And in anger they persecute me.

4 My heart is sore pained within me: And the terrors of death are fallen upon me.

5 Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, And horror hath overwhelmed me.

6 And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! Then would I fly away, and be at rest.

7 Lo, then would I wander far off, I would lodge in the wilderness. Selah

8 I would haste me to a shelter From the stormy wind and tempest.

9 Destroy, O Lord, and divide their tongue; For I have seen violence and strife in the city.

10 Day and night they go about it upon the walls thereof: Iniquity also and mischief are in the midst of it.

11 Wickedness is in the midst thereof: Oppression and guile depart not from its streets.

12 For it was not an enemy that reproached me; Then I could have borne it: Neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; Then I would have hid myself from him:

13 But it was thou, a man mine equal, My companion, and my familiar friend.

14 We took sweet counsel together; We walked in the house of God with the throng.

15 Let death come suddenly upon them, Let them go down alive into Sheol; For wickedness is in their dwelling, in the midst of them.

16 As for me, I will call upon God; And Jehovah will save me.

17 Evening, and morning, and at noonday, will I complain, and moan; And he will hear my voice.

18 He hath redeemed my soul in peace from the battle that was against me; For they were many that strove with me.

19 God will hear, and answer them, Even he that abideth of old, Selah The men who have no changes, And who fear not God.

20 He hath put forth his hands against such as were at peace with him: He hath profaned his covenant.

21 His mouth was smooth as butter, But his heart was war: His words were softer than oil, Yet were they drawn swords.

22 Cast thy burden upon Jehovah, and he will sustain thee: He will never suffer the righteous to be moved.

23 But thou, O God, wilt bring them down into the pit of destruction: Bloodthirsty and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; But I will trust in thee. — Psalm 55 | American Standard Version (ASV) The American Standard Version Bible is in the public domain Cross References: Genesis 11:9; Numbers 30:2; Deuteronomy 33:27; 1 Samuel 1:16; 2 Samuel 16:7-8; Job 15:32; Job 19:19; Psalm 5:9; Psalm 10:1; Psalm 12:2; Psalm 12:8; Psalm 41:9; Psalm 42:4; Psalm 57:2-3; Psalm 103:4; Psalm 116:3; Isaiah 4:6; Isaiah 21:4; Jeremiah 9:2; Jeremiah 48:28; Acts 3:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:3; 1 Peter 5:7

[orthodoxadventure]

Psalm 55 (NKJV)

Give ear to my prayer, O God, And do not hide Yourself from my supplication. Attend to me, and hear me; I am restless in my complaint, and moan noisily, Because of the voice of the enemy, Because of the oppression of the wicked; For they bring down trouble upon me, And in wrath they hate me.

My heart is severely pained within me, And the terrors of death have fallen upon me. Fearfulness and trembling have come upon me, And horror has overwhelmed me. So I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest. Indeed, I would wander far off, And remain in the wilderness. Selah I would hasten my escape From the windy storm and tempest.”

Destroy, O Lord, and divide their tongues, For I have seen violence and strife in the city. Day and night they go around it on its walls; Iniquity and trouble are also in the midst of it. Destruction is in its midst; Oppression and deceit do not depart from its streets.

For it is not an enemy who reproaches me; Then I could bear it. Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me; Then I could hide from him. But it was you, a man my equal, My companion and my acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together, And walked to the house of God in the throng.

Let death seize them; Let them go down alive into hell, For wickedness is in their dwellings and among them.

As for me, I will call upon God, And the Lord shall save me. Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, And He shall hear my voice. He has redeemed my soul in peace from the battle that was against me, For there were many against me. God will hear, and afflict them, Even He who abides from of old. Selah Because they do not change, Therefore they do not fear God.

He has put forth his hands against those who were at peace with him; He has broken his covenant. The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, But war was in his heart; His words were softer than oil, Yet they were drawn swords.

Cast your burden on the Lord, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.

But You, O God, shall bring them down to the pit of destruction; Bloodthirsty and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; But I will trust in You.

[katsukikitten]

Oh you so get me. Yeah Uncle Festus pinned up against the tree and fucking Gabby pinned underneath a big ass stone table are you kidding me?? All she ever wanted to do was watch unicorns and be a herald of inevitable endings and she got crushed for it?? Not to mention Cicero's backstory, like the brotherhood was literally just a band of misfits finding family in each other and Astrid was such an ass about everyone following her rules that she made up which in the days of the original brotherhood tenets would make her a heretic.

Idk what version you're playing but before the tenth anniversary release, there was this bug doing the Dawnguard questline where if you started it with a follower, when you find (idk if you've done this quest so I'm just gonna call her Her but basically she's a goth dommy mommy that everyone loves) Her, she would join you and your follower and so me and Her and Cicero were wandering skyrim as this crazy bloodthirsty power throuple and I miss those days cuz they fixed that bug ugh let me have my murderous crazies

As for avoiding the main quest line, I do the same thing lmao cuz if you never go to that ruined tower outside whiterun and kill the dragon there, then dragons literally don't spawn and I find it so annoying trying to just do my thing and suddenly there's a dragon like come on man I'm busy!! But also I agree about the thieve's guild, I wish there was more you could do after the main quest other than the little jobs Vex and Delvin give you and the couple ones from Delvin that fix up the Flagon

Speaking of the Ragged Flagon though, Vekel the Man kinda... 👀 Lowkey most of the people in the guild could get it I have such a huge crush on Niruin and Bryn and Sapphire

-Skyrim anon

YOU MEAN VAMPIRE MOMMY? I dead ass just beat the last part of her quest last night aka killed her dad. Finding her in that puzzle where she's just locked up had me so sad

But I hate, HATE having a follower 😭 they always get caught or go who's there. Like girl we're here and now they know too 😭 like the enemy will go past me and agro her that's how bad it was 😂 I got all three elder scrolls and then killed her dad last night. Which I'm wondering if the boy and arrow are really worth it. Which I also didn't realize that I only had killing her dad left? Cause I took a short break cause her quest line was by far the longest, no complaints tho. But anyway the vampires were getting me more than the dragons 😭 in fact I wish more low dragons would come find me but since I sneak everywhere it doesn't happen

OH I FOUND THE UNICORN TOO 😭 SHE COULD HAVE SEEN IT! no stable for the unicorn or shadowmare have been killing me cause when I fast travel the horse is why vampires agro me 😭 but now I shouldn't have to worry about that hopefully? Delphine wants me to go to some random cave so I guess I'll go explore and fight all the dragons 😭 I know I'm so far from beating the game but I so don't want to get even close because I just LOVE this game. Did you do the quest line with that new island? I started doing a few at the raven point place but then wanted to go back to Skyrim to keep exploring 😂

OH did you ever do that quest line in solitude where you take the guys pelvis bone into the palace abandoned wing to talk to that demon and fight some dudes insecurities for a staff that does what it wants? 😂

[llycaons]

later is now. so I love herla and I'll get to her, but aethel strikes me as a horribly careless and self-centered leader fixated on her own victimization and whining about how hard HER job is to murder unarmed prisoners for what they MIGHT do. like!!! you couldn't have offered clemency to these impoverished men you ADMITTED were pressed into service for your enemy!! what the fuck!

and it IS unfair she's criticized disproportionately by misogynistic men for her strategic decisions but she also seems unable to admit when she's made a mistake and she's also like, a war leader who slaughters people in battle at the head of an army and her goals seem to be crushing rebellion (okay) but no grander principles beyond that so she just looks like a bloodthirsty mass murderer idk. what does SHE want for the people of her land? herla and boudica were fighting against roman invasion and conquest, fighting for the political liberation of their land and people. this political situation is much more complicated. I don't really care if ein is the king, and aethel's fixation on holding onto her and her husband's power doesn't inspire much enthusiasm for her or her cause.

and in fact her erratic behavior IS extremely concerning for a HEAD OF STATE like she claims to be. not to echo the sexist old men here but being a political leader means you have to be aware of your image to a certain extent. she's willing to kill a bunch of people and murder prisoners in cold blood but apparently can't control her behavior in public? THAT'S too much of a toll? like, get over yourself lady! maybe this is bc I just came from reading about a pirate commander in a similar position...sk had a horrific past, she lost so much and came from extreme poverty and literal sex slavery, she had to claw her way to power and hold it, and she takes her professional responsibility to her men and crew extremely seriously, as well as her personal relationships to the people around her. and she has zero legal legitimacy, she's done terrible things that she recognizes and that haunt her, and she acts from a place of desperation to keep control but NOT constant angry defensiveness like aethel does. it's only been one chapter so maybe this is unfair but aethel comes off as if she IS the unreasonable and brutal leader she's being accused of. it's like she's insecure. 'if they they want a she-wolf, let them see one' and then kill a guy???? 1. they DIDN'T want to see a she-wolf! and 2. you don't meed to kill a man to prove a point so pettily! wtf!

like honestly? I think the author is a fan of them ('power couple'? 🙄) but ein seems far more reasonable and humane. aethel doesn't come off well as a warrior when she's the one who holds all the political power, she seems like a spoiled and overly agressive brute. sk personally beheading a crew member as punishment for assaulting a woman after making the consequences for such a crime clear, and aethel having a prisoner of war killed without question for the mere RISK that he'd defect again, are completely different in my head.

ALSO. what is going ON with the heir. this is a serious fucking mistake on the author's part, because whatever personal hangups the king has, he HAS to have an heir. he's clearly not stupid. adopt a kid if it's so impossible for him to fuck his wife or something idk. clearly he's the one with the issue! but it was so dumb when his brother was like 'you need an heir' and ein made it about disliking aethel, and maybe his brother does dislike her, but it's an extremely important political concern! for the entire court! if aethel and ein want to be stable rulers, they NEED an heir! go and adopt someone! I'm losing my mind here. the author has GOT to know better than this right. the foreward was so interesting and she clearly did so much research. she knows what she's doing!

but that's the complaints. the other half of this story, about herla, is just spellbinding. I do wish the author knew a different word than 'tawny' when it came to hair, but the mythological style and the lyrical prose of the prologue was absolutely stunning. I WISH we'd stayed in the past with herla and boudica. I bet I would have liked boudica far more for the righteousness of her cause 😭 I like herla a lot as it is tho. her voice is very strong and I loved hearing about her intimacy with her queen. and the descriptions are ao vivid! in every chapter I'm like oohh. the scene where aethel and herla see each other was SO good

and the mythological aspect itself, the worldbuilding, is so delicious. I'm definitely going to keep reading and I feel bad I dislike one of the leads so immediately and I really hope that changes because this story is so cool in every other way. I don't want her to 'soften' or stop being a warrior I just want to see some maturity and humility and a sense of justice. something that makes me think she'd be worthy to be an spiritual succesor to boudica. she doesnt even need to stop acting insane like stop murdering prisoners in cold blood and then complaining about it. please.

[lennart11412]

1Give ear to my prayer, O God, And do not hide Yourself from my supplication. 2Attend to me, and hear me; I am[c] restless in my complaint, and moan noisily, 3Because of the voice of the enemy, Because of the oppression of the wicked; For they bring down trouble upon me, And in wrath they hate me.

4My heart is severely pained within me, And the terrors of death have fallen upon me. 5Fearfulness and trembling have come upon me, And horror has overwhelmed me. 6So I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest. 7Indeed, I would wander far off, And remain in the wilderness. Selah 8I would hasten my escape From the windy storm and tempest.”

9Destroy, O Lord, and divide their [d]tongues, For I have seen violence and strife in the city. 10Day and night they go around it on its walls; Iniquity and trouble are also in the midst of it. 11Destruction is in its midst; Oppression and deceit do not depart from its streets.

12For it is not an enemy who reproaches me; Then I could bear it. Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me; Then I could hide from him. 13But it was you, a man my equal, My companion and my acquaintance. 14We took sweet counsel together, And walked to the house of God in the throng.

15Let death seize them; Let them go down alive into [e]hell, For wickedness is in their dwellings and among them.

16As for me, I will call upon God, And the Lord shall save me. 17Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, And He shall hear my voice. 18He has redeemed my soul in peace from the battle that was against me, For there were many against me. 19God will hear, and afflict them, Even He who abides from of old. Selah Because they do not change, Therefore they do not fear God.

20He has put forth his hands against those who were at peace with him; He has broken his [f]covenant. 21The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, But war was in his heart; His words were softer than oil, Yet they were drawn swords.

22Cast your burden on the Lord, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be [g]moved.

23But You, O God, shall bring them down to the pit of destruction; Bloodthirsty and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; But I will trust in You.

1 We gather together to ask the Lord's blessing; He chastens and hastens His will to make known; the wicked oppressing now cease from distressing. Sing praises to His name, He forgets not His own.

2 Beside us to guide us, our God with us joining, ordaining, maintaining His kingdom divine; so from the beginning the fight we were winning: the Lord was at our side- the glory be Thine!

3 We all do extol Thee, Thou leader triumphant, and pray that Thou still our defender wilt be. Let Thy congregation escape tribulation; Thy name be ever praised! O Lord, make us free!

[bam-monsterhospital]

ALSO, just observations playing against all the alliances.

fuckinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn daggerfall covenant... is the bane of my existence. and probably everyone else’s.  I don’t know what it is (that’s a lie, i know exactly what it is), but they are horrible to play against: they appear out of nowhere, wait when the two other alliances have fought and one side is weak and recovering, then stampede over everything. Constantly. But the actually annoying thing that isn’t just a tactic, is how ridiculously bloodthirsty they are. i can be out on my own on horseback not a threat to anyone, far away from my alliance AND the daggerfall cov’s alliance stuff, not near anything, and pass by a dc player and they go instantly rabid and will chase me to the ends of the earth frying my ass.  AFTER i’ve made it clear that i’ve acknowledged them and have no reason to fight them. They don’t care. they give no shits. You’ve shown you’ll allow them to quest unimpeded? Welp that’s apparently a weakness on your part, because nothing stops them.

What’s really funny is that apparently this is just a THING with dc players.  I’ve heard so many complaints from other players about dc players doing shit like this to them.

Ebonheart pact: They really need to take a page from the ebonheart pact and practice surprise courtesy. Holy moly, ep enemy players are so fuckin reasonable; i’ve had a few times where the same scenario as above is up, but they wait and when we’ve both established we’re just there with nothing to gain, they’ll let you go. Easily.  Hell, i’ve stood arse out in the open, not a care in the world, absolute fool diving through menus, and one of them just walked up to me, paused, and then went on with his day.  Good shit.

Aldmeri Dominion: playing against ad is... a mixed bag.  Either you have one or two gankers who obsessively go after you just to ruin your day specifically, hunting you down to feel better about themselves or whatever, OR you’ve been annihilated by a zerg rush and they just keep on coming holy shit how many are there?!? That said, playing in cyrodiil as ad is interesting in that the zone chat is constantly alive with tips and plans and questions.  

[mcyt-imagines]

hi! love your writing! could you possibly do dating headcannons for technoblade?! possibly including some kissing/cuddling :)

I’m so sorry this took so long!! I’m finally on break so I’ll be posting a little more frequently for now! Also I got very carried away with this one,,,, um,,, it’s almost 4,000 words long,,, can you tell Techno is my comfort streamer?? And gender-neutral pronouns as usual! (Edit: This is C!Techno btw, didn’t think I needed to point that out seeing as we all know the actual streamer is not a bloodthirsty half-piglin man but I just got an angry anon in my ask box, so I’m specifying.))

Dating C!Technoblade HCs

Techno being half piglin shares their obsession with gold, and in turn, likes to gift you gold as often as he can. Usually, in the form of jewellery that matches his own, he even gifts you a ‘friendship’ emerald, embedded in a choker you wear most days. And of course, if you ask for it, he makes sure to acquire a crown for you to match his own. As a man who forges his own weapons, he is aware of the process of smelting and sure, he could make the jewellery himself but he’s not very crafty with his hands. Dealing with the small potion vials he uses to brew is difficult enough for his large hands, let alone something as finicky and delicate as jewellery. But when he’d asked you to make your relationship ‘official’ per se, he did persevere and make a ring for you, he ended up making several and scrapping too many he didn’t think were good enough. This continued until Phil had to intervene telling him that if he wasn’t gonna hurry up and ask you he was gonna do it for him, mortified at the thought Techno buckled down and despite the ring’s faults, which were only obvious to him, he gave it to you. You adored it of course, and then he told you he had made it, and it only made you love it more. Techno had underestimated how he would feel when he finally saw you wearing it, he almost killed Phil. The two had been sparring outside in the snow when you had come riding up from the nearby forest, the ring on your finger glinting against the early morning sun and stunning him. Him blindly thrusting his sword forward, head completely turned to you as you approached. Only turning away when he noticed your horrified expression. Thankfully Phil was fine, but you were banned from flashing anything too shiny whenever you came to visit. Techno never heard the end of it from Phil and yourself, however, teasing him for it whenever you had the time.

Techno is a man of few words, for the most part. His love language leans closer to physical touch and acts of service. This man craves your touch, you can hold him so gently in your small hands and he can hardly describe the feeling that washes over him. He wonders if he feels contentment, or if he just feels whole for once. The latter terrifies him because he has no idea what he’s going to do if he ever loses you. That’s a lie. He knows what will happen. The voices will finally win, and it’ll be over. He’ll be lost in the consciousness of a mind that was never truly his own, to begin with. But when you hold him he forgets about all of it, his mind feels clear and quiet. Even if it's just for a few minutes he cherishes those moments, holding you tightly to his chest and simply letting himself breathe. You are his rock, undoubtedly. And now that he’s lived without you for so long, he never intends on letting you go.

Techno’s favourite way to cuddle with you is when you’re both lying on the couch, you draped over him, head on his chest. Sometimes he’ll read to you and sometimes you’ll lie with him for hours, begging him to take a break for once. Even Phil can’t pull him away from his work on his worst days, but you never fail to tempt him with warm cuddles by the fire. Another one of his favourites has to be when every blue moon you wake up before him, he’s quite a light sleeper so once you stir, he’ll wake too. But if you manage to remain undetected and get downstairs he will groggily trudge down the ladder, shirtless and hair an absolute tangled mess. Without a word he will simply wrap his arms around you, pulling your back tightly against his chest and nuzzle his face into your neck all whilst grumbling that you left him alone to wake up. You will always giggle and apologise with soft kisses and a steaming cup of coffee, of course, he begrudgingly forgives you. Those slow morning cuddles as you cook are some of his favourites. When you desperately try to scoot around the small kitchen to stop the eggs from burning and he merely holds you tighter, strength easily holding you back as you whine out complaints as he chuckles against your neck.

Techno is such a sucker for you whenever you kiss his scars. He has a few on his hands that you will always target if you ever feel if he is getting quiet or distant. Your lips on his skin always pull his spiralling thoughts back to the present, back to you. Whenever he starts to feel less than human you practically drag the man to your shared bedroom to remind him of how human he is. Sometimes Techno will tell you the tales behind the scars you pay particular attention to, others he won’t, you focus on those the most. Doing your best to lighten the dark clouds that plague him on his worst days.

Techno isn’t one for a lot of PDA, content to hold your hand and occasionally kiss your forehead. However, if he ever feels threatened by any of the other members of the SMP he is likely to hold you close and glare down anyone who dares look your way. But Techno isn’t intimidated by anyone at the moment, meaning he has no reason to act particularly possessive whilst you’re out. This man adores your hands, he loves watching how small they look in his own. He’ll kiss along your knuckles, especially if you’re wearing the ring he gave you, he’ll murmur a soft, ‘Looking gorgeous your majesty.’ Just to watch the way you smile brightly at him when he does, almost always leaning forward to meet his lips with your own.

Techno is plagued by the memories of his past, the voices a constant reminder of this. He can handle them during the day, but it’s at night when he’s most vulnerable to them. The first time Techno wakes from a night terror you are practically thrown out of the bed as he violently jerks around. Which instantly sets you on alert, Techno sleeps like a rock usually. It’s only when you manage to stand up that you can see him, his body is caked in sweat, strands of his long hair sticking to his skin, the sheets are even damp from it. ‘Techno.’ You try to wake him, knowing he’s a light sleeper. But that doesn’t work. Eventually, you cautiously climb back into bed, tenderly holding his face in your hands, noticing tears slipping down his cheeks as he practically trembles. ‘Techno.’ You call his name again, nothing. ‘Techno!’ He shoots up, sending you flying backwards again in case he threw a punch with him. His eyes are wide, pupils blown out. You’ve never seen him look so terrified before, he scans the room, eyes darting every which way until his eyes finally land on you. ‘A-Are you okay?’ You probe, the tears start again, but they are silent and run quick down his cheeks. His breathing is shallow and quick as his eyes seem to lose focus, looking straight through you. You move closer to him, ‘Hey, hey.’ You coo, unsure what the hell is going on because of course, Techno wasn’t going to tell you he has night terrors. You take his face in your hands again, wiping at the tears on his skin. ‘Techno you’re safe, you’re okay.’ You speak clearly before he pulls you closer, shoving his face into your chest, his arms tight around your middle. You wrap your arms around him as best you can, repeating comforting phrases until his grip loosens, and eventually, he pulls you back down to lie with him. You don’t ask him about it until he mentions it the next morning over breakfast. You hold him close as he talks, face emotionless and eyes blank, trying to distance himself from the events even as he retells them. You deserve to know the atrocious things he’s done. And yet you still choose to stay. Even after everything he tells you, you don’t budge from his side. That speaks louder to Techno than any confession of your undying love could.

Techno is a wanted individual and just by interacting with him, you’re put in danger. But being his partner doubles that danger by tenfold. His enemies will see you as his weakness and desire to use you against him. So, he takes it upon himself to train you, he knows the last thing you want to do is be the cause for his capture or untimely death. As much as Technoblade claims he never dies, if it were your life or his he would not hesitate to sacrifice himself for you. This terrifies you beyond belief of course, so you agree to let him train you. No matter if you already are somewhat skilled Techno’s paranoia surrounding your safety will always encourage him to push your skills further. Most early mornings the two of you spend together, sparring for hours until the sun is high in the sky or until you grow too exhausted to continue. Which in the early days, was often. But there comes a day when you finally best him. He doesn’t remember if he was going easy on you or was distracted by his surroundings, scanning the perimeter. He only remembers the moment you knocked him down onto his back, you look down at him panting with such a shocked expression. Techno looks up to you and holds out an arm, you take it ready to pull him back up only for him to pull you down with him. Techno holds you tight to his chest, the sun warm on both of your faces as it reflects upon the surrounding snow. Neither of you speak but you both understand what this means, you’re ready.

Techno isn’t one for grand gestures to prove his love to you. The man is dramatic, sure. But he finds himself yearning for simplicity, and you provide it. He doesn’t tell you he loves you very often, he is a man of few words, you’ve always known this so you never expected it. However, his actions scream it to you. Countless times you have mentioned small complaints about little things in your life and Techno takes them on as if the draft in your window had a personal vendetta against him. As if it had threatened your very life. You’d never seen a man fix a window frame so aggressively before. It was funnier to watch than you’d admit to him if given the chance. On one particular occasion, you mentioned his absence from the cabin, his explanation of the importance of the Syndicate and the new room Phil and himself had constructed. You understood and didn’t mention it again, not thinking anything of it but a necessary and temporary inconvenience. Only for Phil and Techno to be set up at the kitchen table when you came downstairs the next morning, the table covered in tattered books and coffee spill-stained scrolls. You were confused for a moment, spotting the Syndicate plans, codenames, etc sprawled out in Phil’s chicken scratch. Until it clicked. Hauling all of the stuff up from the Syndicate room had been a bit of a pain but the way your eyes lit up in realisation was more than enough for Techno to know it was the right choice.  

This man cannot keep a secret from you. Most may think he isn’t very talkative, but you can hardly get him to shut up sometimes. Not that you’d ever want him to, eager to listen to whatever he has to say. He will always come to you when he feels he needs advice, knowing you will offer a fresh perspective that may give him the breakthrough he needs to make an informed decision. You are his rock and he never wants you to forget that. He may be more talkative with you but that doesn’t stop him from being a fantastic listener. Sometimes he can get zoned out when the voices become too much. In the beginning, you found it difficult to tell when he wasn’t able to listen, but after being around him for so long you’ve got a better knack for it. And sometimes you can’t and you keep talking, he’ll just silently press a hand to whatever part of you is easiest to reach. And that usually gets the message across. Sometimes you can pull him out of his own head, and other times you can’t. So you just sit with him in comfortable silence, usually, you’ll place your smaller hand in his and lean into him. The two of you have fallen asleep countless times like that.

However, sometimes the fact he can’t keep a secret from you leads to some comical miscommunication neither of the two of you foresaw. Phil, Techno and Ranboo had left for around a week in search of a new woodland mansion to raid, following one of Ranboo’s countless maps. Upon their return, Techno seemed visibly, off. He wasn’t being distant or getting lost in his own head, it was more as if he were actively avoiding you. Which was something very un-Techno. What made your worry increase tenfold was when you asked Phil if he had noticed any kind of difference the blonde merely shook his head. “He seems normal to me, mate.” Because there’s no way Phil didn’t notice Techno’s change in behaviour, which means they’re both hiding something from you. Knowing the two men quite well, you knew they wouldn’t break. But Ranboo would. So with your head held high, you sought out to find the boy, only to find out he was staying in Snowchester for the time being but would be returning in the morning. That night thoughts of self-doubt plagued you, wondering if it was something you had said or done that made Techno act strangely. But just as the moon was reaching its zenith, Techno came into your shared bedroom. He beckoned for you to follow him, after putting on some snow appropriate outerwear the two of you were on the back of Carl headed towards the forest’s tree line that faced the cabin. You asked Techno where you were going his only response, “It’s a surprise.” And to say your heart soared would be a slight understatement when the two of you finally reached the forest clearing. A small candlelit dinner for two inside of a dark oak gazebo. One that looked as if it had only been finished recently, the veneer on the wood still in impeccable condition as Techno led you over to it. You were truly floored by this display, stars illuminated in your bright eyes. “Phil and Ranboo helped. We brainstormed on our way back from the woodland mansion. And I, I knew I’d spill the secret the moment you asked. Sorry.” His apology and explanation are curt, much like the man himself.  You hold him tight then, arms wrapped around him for as long as he’ll let you. He chuckles after a while, “C’mon, the food’s getting cold.” He pulls away after pressing a soft kiss to your forehead, pulling your chair out for you because Phil told him to. The blush you provide lets him know he should do it more often. As the two of you begin to finish your food you hear the soft strumming of a guitar and an equally soft voice to match. Floating atop one of the branches in a nearby tree, as if he were trying to sit on it, is Ghostbur. He sends a small and quick wave when you spot him before his hand drops back down to his guitar. “Wow, you really pulled out all the stops for this, huh?” You look back to Techno to find him now stood up, offering his hand to you. “For you. Anything.” You take his hand and he leads you into the middle of the gazebo with a grace you always knew he had. Ghostbur continues to serenade, the two of you dancing in your own private world until the moon was low on the horizon once again.

Whenever Techno leaves to go and fight he knows you worry about him. You do not doubt his skills but his luck is bound to run out eventually. Skill and resources only account for so much of the outcome, luck and fate determine the rest. Techno worries when he leaves to fight as well. He worries about what will happen if he ever loses. When his enemies will come for you, his past now liable to catch up with you as well as himself. He can’t have that happen. That’s why he keeps fighting, he won’t stop until he knows that if he ever falls in battle you will be safe from his enemies past or present. When Techno eventually does get back from the battle, without fail you will swear up and down that he cannot keep doing this and that next time you’re going to leave him to bleed out in the snow on the porch. You never do. But some days Techno thinks you’d be better off if you did. But those are the kind of thoughts you happily kiss away with a soft smile and a few gently spoken words. You are always the one to patch him up when he’s injured, which isn’t often but you remain swift with sutures and bandages despite that. No matter how badly he’s been injured you will always hold him so reverently, with such a gentle expression that it never fails to floor him. Most sessions in which you patch him up devolve into soft gasps and warm hands on your body to repay you for your ‘services’.  

Techno knew you were different from the moment he met you. He acknowledges how stupidly cliché that is, but it’s true. The constant chatter of the voices in his head drowned out the first time he saw you, even if it was just for a moment. They stuttered and stammered, just as he did. You floored them as much as you floored him. When you were with him, they would quieten. As if they wanted to concentrate on what you were saying as much as he did. Not even Phil made the voices act in such a way. Only you. Nowadays they only bother him on certain bad days that grow more and more infrequent the longer you are in his life. You drown them out in a way nothing else in his life ever has. He doesn’t know how he can ever repay you for that but vowing to be by your side for the rest of his life seems to be a good enough start for the two of you.

The first time Techno tells you he loves you is when you’re in battle together. Techno, Phil and yourself had decided to raid a woodland mansion, something all three of you had done before with no trouble. But upon arriving, everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong. This led to the three of you becoming separated within the confines of the thick wooden walls. You were managing to keep a level head but fear was growing in the pit of your stomach. With every vindicator you took down another only seemed to replace it, leaving you tired and heaving for air. You were in good shape all things considered but you were getting tired and soon you would get careless, you needed to find Techno and Phil and get the hell out of here before things got worse. Your totem of undying tied tightly to your waist glints against the setting sun pouring through the large floor to ceiling windows as you charge past, enemies remain at your back as you plough forward heading for the set of stairs you know are here somewhere. As you spot the sacred stairs you hear a shout of pain followed by a deep snarl. You look over the stairs balcony to see Techno swarmed by a group of stubborn Vex. He looks exhausted. Bloodstains him, you’re unsure whether it’s his, the enemies, or a combination of the two. Techno fails to notice the Ravager charging towards him from behind, the axe raised high above its head. The half-piglin far too distracted by the Vex and the aiming of his crossbow at their stupid little bodies. It takes only a moment for you to vault over the second-floor railing and plummet towards the Ravager. You land on its shoulders and it stumbles, your hand shoots out to restrain its axe-wielding arm. The other hand desperately clawing at you as it grumbles and groans grow high pitched and panicked. Your legs wrap tightly around its throat until you hear a sickening pop and you fall to the ground along with the now very dead Ravager. You don’t manage to catch yourself, despite the adrenaline pumping through your veins. You let out a soft groan as a hand comes into view, Techno following it. You take his hand and he hauls you back up and onto your feet. Now that you’re closer to him you can tell that some of the blood staining his clothing is his, but you’re sure you mirror his look. He doesn’t let go of your hand now that you’re stood up and neither do you. You look up from your entwined hands to his face, he’s staring at you with an expression you can’t quite determine. “Tech-“ His lips plant firmly onto your own, swallowing your words instantly. He grips the small of your back, trying to pull you closer into him as if the two of you could fuse into one single being. When he finally pulls away to let you breathe your lungs are burning, soft gasps heaving in air. “I love you-” He mumbles the phrase repeatedly against your lips like a prayer, a mantra, only to capture your lips again before you can even respond to his confession in kind. Eventually, the two of you break apart long enough for you to be able to tell him you love him as well. You knew he loved you before that moment, but in reality, he finally realised how much he loved you. And for the first time, it didn’t scare him.

~Requests are still open! But it’s a little full so please be patient!~

[cienie-isengardu]

Zoro & Sandai Kitetsu

There is something that was bugging me about Zoro’s swords for a long time and now, the Wano arc helped put thoughts in proper perspective. Namely four out of five named katanas used by Roronoa are, in fact, a heirlooms; a burden of someone’s else dreams or ambition or honor that Zoro (consciously or not) carry on while Sandai Kitetsu is the only one sword truly and just his. Because the same as the sword was chosen by Zoro, Zoro himself was chosen by Kitetsu,

The best known Roronoa’s sword, Wado Ichimonji in fact belonged to Kuina who died the night after she and Zoro made a promise that one of them must become the world’s best swordsman. He begged Kuina’s father to gift him with her sword and to honor Kuina’s dream, he created an unique fighting style - Santoryu.

Zoro could just replace one of his swords with Wado and yet Zoro’s fighting style is a fusion of his two-sword style trained since childhood and one-sword style used by Kuina. Which is his way to stay faithful to a promise made between them and maybe a promise between him and Kuina’s father too. That way Kuina - represented by Wado - gets stronger with each of Zoro’s fights and with him, one day will become the best swordmaster. Zoro has carried on her dream since childhood and in fact, their shared promise is both a great motivation AND burden. What was noted by Mihawk  (What burdens you so?) and something Zoro himself was well aware (“I may only have three swords, but the weight of our swords are completely different!“).

Wado is as much a memento of his deceased friend as much a burden to carry on alone. It’s Zoro’s most precious sword and at the same I think it will never truly belong to him. Wado was and always will be Kuina’s. He was not chosen by the great katana - he begged for that  sword and it was given to him by Kuina’s father. Because Zoro cared so much for their vow, when Koushirou dismissed Kuina’s dream when she was still alive. Koushirou granted the precious katana to a determined boy, so his daughter’s dream (and which it, a part of Kuina) could live on.

Wado is Zoro's most precious possession, but it is a “borrowed” katana that never truly was meant for him. It was Kuina who should carry on the white katana. Zoro only carried it in place of her, because she never had truly a chance to spread her wings. Thus, Wado is a memento, a shared dream, a burden and second chance (for Kuina, and maybe for Koushiro too). 

Then we have YUBASHIRI, given to Zoro by Ipponmatsu in Loguetown

Ipponmatsu freely gave Zoro this katana as an apology for looking down on him, once Roronoa proved how well skilled and strong willed swordsman he was by testing his luck against cursed blade. The given sword served him well, up until Enies Lobby, where Yubashiri was destroyed by marine captain Su, a man with devil fruit power of rusting.

Ipponmatsu did not tell Zoro that Yubashiri was in fact his own family heirloom - something pointed out by shop owner’s wife:

but once questioned about the decision, Ipponmatsu asked back “what is wrong with a man entrusting his dream to another man?!”

what implies that Yubashiri, like Wado, carried inside someone’s else unfulfilled dream of greatness.

In Thriller Bark, Yubashiri was buried alongside remains of Brook’s first nakama while its place was taken by SHUSUI.

Shusui was a black sword that belonged to legendary samurai, Ryuma. In Thriller Bark it was wielded by Ryuma’s zombie (with Brook’s shadow) and once Zoro saw the blade, he wanted it for himself, to replace destroyed Yubashiri and was willing to take it from the enemy's dead body. Though the fight was relatively short, Zoro’s skills were acknowledged by Ryuma and in result, Shusui was given to pirate.

Zoro honored his opponent by taking sword and being willing to pretend the match never happened.

Similar to Sandai Kitetsu, Zoro both chose a sword and was chosen (accepted) by the blade. But unlike Kitetsu, Shusui, as the most precious treasure of Wano country, couldn’t truly belong to him. The katana served its master well and Roronoa appreciated it very much, but since Dressrosa arc, he was constantly nagged by people of Wano to give it back. He didn’t care for their complaints and did not plan to do so, yet once asked by Kozuki Hiyori to return it to its rightful place, Zoro finally agreed. Because in the end he respected the dead swordmaster and how much the black sword meant to people of Wano. It was a sacred symbol, a heirloom of legendary samurai Ryuma while he was an outsider. Although Zoro proved his worth to Ryuma zombie, the sword (and Ryuma’s body) was stolen in the first place and Hiyori was willing to give up memento of her late father (personal treasure) for Shusui (a national relic). Such sacrifice proved how much Ryuma’s sword meant to people of Wano and Zoro, despite his claim, returned the black blade to where it belonged - asking only to let him visit Ryuma’s grave once the battle is over.

Shusui was another heirloom, a sword burdened by past and its meaning. It served Zoro well, but it couldn’t truly belong to him.

For returning Wano’s national treasure, Hiyori promised Zoro no less great katana - ENMA.

A legendary sword given to Hiyori by her late father, Kozuki Oden that is said to be the only blade that even injured Kaido. A wonderful gift, but the same as previous swords, it is someone else's heirloom passed to Zoro. Another memento of a dead person. Another burden to carry on. 

While Zoro trained with his new sword, Tenguyama Hitetsu (the creator of Sandai Kitetsu) told him the story behind Enma - Oden’s sword and Kuina’s Wado were birthed by the same man, Shimotsuki Kozaburo. Who, ironically, is Kuina’s grandfather according to SBS. What Zoro may have known now, since he did met Kozaburo as a child.

Anyway, Hitetsu assumed that Hiyori perhaps recognized Wado and because of that offered Zoro her heirloom as a replacement for Shusui. I personally think the reason was more selfish than that. Once Zoro saved her, Hiyori said there was a prophecy that “in time of the resurgence of the Kozuki line, strong, kind samurai from across the seas would come to our aid” and Zoro fits perfectly. Even more, since Zoro’s hometown, the Shimotsuki Village is in fact strongly connected to Wano by Kozaburo no less.

Hiyori, as Oden’s daughter, wants Wano to be a free, safe country again but for this to happen, Kaido must be defeated first. Zoro already proved to be a reliable ally. He came To Wano with her missing brother and Kinemon. He saved her and Toko from Orochi’s assassin and later, from enemy attack once the fight broke out after Yasuie’s death. He is strong (something she saw for herself) and to some degree has the samurai feeling about himself. 

Above everything else, Zoro will fight in the upcoming war against Kaido for the Kozuki clan even though he (like all Straw Hats) has no real obligation to her family. Whether she believed in prophecy or not, by passing to Zoro her family heirloom, Hiyori burdened him with her hopes and dreams for victory and justice for her murdered parents and for Wano country as a whole. She gave an outsider Oden's precious sword that can injure Kaido and by that, placed faith in Zoro. She can’t use the sword, she can’t fight in battle, but Zoro will carry on Oden’s (and her) wish to protect Wano into battle. 

Was Zoro aware of such a possible burden? Who knows. Still, he accepted the blade despite its dangerous nature - and any eventual burden (someone else’s unfilled dreams and hopes) to carry on.

Frankly, Enma and Sandai Kitetsu have a lot in common. Both are dangerous blades that drive weak swordsmen into madness and/or ultimately lead to their death. Both need to be tamed. And Zoro likes them very much, despite warnings of other people. Even manga presents their “introduction” as accepted and appreciated swords by Roronoa in similar way:

Yet there are two major differences between Kitetsu and Enma, what also are true for the three previous swords too.

First, already mentioned and explained the matter of heirloom and connected to that “burden” Zoro carries on alongside. In the case of Enma, once the battle is over and Wano saved, all the faith and hopes put in Zoro by Kozuki Hiyori through the Enma should not burden him anymore. Yet since Hiyori entrusted him the memento of her father, Roronoa will need to make sure to never bring shame to her (and by extension, the Kozuki clan) in later adventures & fights he will face one day. But frankly, this is the same with all of his swords bestowed to him by people who were important to him or which he shared mutual respect. It is strictly connected at core to sword fighting philosophy; to be worth of great blade.

Secondly, Wado Ichimonji, Yubashiri, Shusui and Enma, all those swords are desired and appreciated by swordsmen all over the world while Kitetsu, as a cursed blade, was not wanted. Kitetsu was feared by people, put in barrels between low quality swords in hopes to get rid of it. Even sword maniac like Tashigi, once learning the truth about the katana, did not want that blade despite its high grade and low price on it. She was even sorry for insisting previously Zoro should take it. Kitetsu drove previous owners into horrible deaths to the point “you will not find a swordsmen who’d dare to use a Kitetsu these days”:

Zoro felt that the sword was cursed, before Ipponmatsu had a chance to explain why Kitetsu had such a low price on it. And after learning the horrible truth, he decided to take the blade. The unwanted, bloodthirsty, cursed blade that brings madness and death because no one else would dare to use it. Zoro liked the challenge. Oh, he liked it so much he decided to test his luck (fate) against the curse of Kitetsu, putting his swordmaster future at stake.

The same as Zoro chose Kitetsu, the sword chose him. Like Ipponmatsu said, the sword chooses its owner. And yes, Zoro wanted to have Wado and Shusui but these blades were heirlooms burdened with someone’s dreams and greatness while Kitetsu was the unwanted, dangerous blade with a horrible past that Zoro faced only with his own strong will. No hidden promises to carry on, no ambitions or honor or hopes passed on him by previous owners. No legendary status to live up. Like Wado. Like Shusui. Like Yubashiri. Like Enma.

Sandai Kitetsu is this wild, bloodthirsty sword that was challenged by Zoro and decided to spare this insane man who looked at it, felt the cursed nature and did not throw it away but appreciated it. Something that, I imagine, didn’t happen in years. And there is very strong bond between Roronoa and Kitetsu, because Zoro always can tell apart the cursed blade from other swords

and he kept Kitetsu usually in left (dominant) hand during fight. All those little details give the impression Kitetsu is much more spiritually connected to Zoro’s core than Wado.

In short, Sandai Kitetsu was the only masterless sword Zoro picked solely by and for himself that did not burden him with sentiments, past promises or hopes. And though the sword was “problematic child”, its demonic nature seems to suit Zoro’s own very well.

[huskeddevotee]

Borderlands 3 and the Powerful Man + Crush on woman = Powerful Woman phenomenon

A common complaint in BL3 is how we get spoon fed a narrative of powerful women and girl bosses, without ever seeing strong female characters. No one is actually interesting or with much substance. With the problem of a false feminist narrative, I've had a nagging question in my mind since I first played:

What's up with the crushes?

Zer0 has a crush on Lorelai.

Fl4k has a crush on Ellie. 

Troy has...a thing, for Aurelia. 

Lorelai is an enby who presents and mostly uses feminine pronouns, and is a leader of a small Atlas soldier group fighting Maliwan. Zer0 is an enby/of indeterminate gender who presents and uses masculine pronouns, and is an Atlas spy and assassin. 

Ellie is the owner of the Catcharide and the Sanctuary III's mechanic. Fl4k is an enby bot who is obsessed with death and the hunt.

Aurelia is an older woman who is rich and full of bravado, though not to the point of unclassiness. Troy is a leader of a cult and is both aggressive and intelligent. 

So, this doesn't look bad so far. But look closer and it looks...weird.

We never see Lorelai and Zer0 interact bar an Echo log and a dialogue that may or may not play from Zer0. Troy and Aurelia are fundamental opposites; Troy is a grungy, crass, lowerclassmen, Aurelia is an elegant, classy, hyper-class-motivated woman who detests reprobates. Aside from a one-night stand which is ooc for both, they have no relationship. 

And Fl4k and Ellie…

Fl4k flirts with Ellie once. 

And its not even flirting. 

When the player meets Ellie, if they play Fl4k, their line is "You've got admirable heft, girl."

I am a fat girl. If someone tried flirting with me by telling me I was fat enough for them, that person would be maced. That isn't flirting. It has no grounds for a relationship, but because GB says so, Fl4k says this as a way of showing they like Ellie. 

Now, let's take a look at the boy and enbys.

Troy is a ruthless maniac with a taste for violence and attention. He controls the CoV, even killing a powerful Siren, Maya. He is dangerous. He is depraved. His thing is that he has the masses to throw against whoever oppose him, and years of being out of the spotlight has even turned him against his sister. He's off the rails and taking control. 

Zer0 is a hyper-skilled assassin that is 10 steps ahead of everyone they encounter, predicting enemy plans before they are even made. They are lethal with the blade and incredibly agile, striking fear into their victims with their mystery and oddness. 

Fl4k is a bloodthirsty stalker of men, obsessed with appeasing death after gaining sentience and revels in the fear of their enemies. They've tamed vicious beasts and what they can't sicc the pets on, they take down with a bullet to the head. 

Ellie is a mechanic.

Aurelia is a rich woman who's good at hunting.

Lorelai is a murderous batista. 

Now, the girls are not bad characters. I like them all.

But why do these men like them?

There is no reason or precedent. We have no reason to think these characters have chemistry bar being told there's something there. And all of them are straight - this is notable because the samesex relationship was done wonderfully. They showed chemistry and genuine romance between Wainwright and Hammerlock, why couldn't they with the trio of heteros? 

Because there was nothing to push with Wainwright and Hammerlock.

Every single female character that didn't die, we are told is powerful, a strong woman, a boss lady. 

They weren't. They were stupid, brash, arrogant, and did nothing to advance or control the plot. They told you where to go, and someone else told you what to do. Lilith has nothing to do until the end of the game. Tannis is a factor for 3 things. Ava does nothing ever. Ellie doesn't do anything. Lorelai doesn't do anything. 

Not even Tyreen or Aurelia do anything. Troy does everything for Tyreen until he dies, and Aurelia just taunts you over the Echo and shoots at Hammerlock. On Promethea, Rhys tells you what to do. On Eden-6, Wainwright tells you what to do. On Nekro, Typhon tells you what to do. 

For a game all about strong women, the women have no autonomy and its the men doing everything and moving the plot forward. The only female character that does something significant is Maya, for dying and directly encouraging Troy's abandoned character arc. 

So, we have female characters who aren't convincing as strong, powerful women. 

We know Ellie and Aurelia are powerful and strong - they're fan favorites. Everyone loves Ellie, and for the ten people who like TPS, Aurelia is great fun. Lorelai needed convincing the most. 

What's the easiest way to hammer in "See? They're strong and powerful!"?

Make a strong and powerful male/male presenting character have a crush on them. 

Zer0 is scared of Lorelai and likes it, even messing up the haiku when meeting her. Fl4k admires Ellie’s body - which I’ll get into in just a moment. Troy bottoms for Aurelia. These guys are intimidating and dangerous, so them falling for x woman means x woman is a strong, feminine force that allures them with her strength. 

Wainwright and Hammerlock are good because they were allowed to be a couple. They were just in love and you can see it. The trio never romantically interact beyond telling you "I, scary man, want this woman to step on me" in different flavors.

And what bothers me the most out of all of them is Fl4k and Ellie. Ellie was never a sexual character. She didn't care how people saw her, and didn't care about whether or not she had a man. As a fat girl, I adored her because it was nice to just see another fat girl not be just a Rebel Wilson fat girl. She talked about her body and was happy with it, but it wasn’t just “I am fat and like to f*ck.” 

In BL3, we are constantly reminded that Ellie is desirable and sexy. She tells us she wants to 'show city boys things they only see in nature documentaries'. Everyone's (Sans Zane, bless him) first comment upon meeting her is on her weight and how hot or good it is, rather than saying an actual greeting. You don't do that. You don't greet someone by saying "Wow! You're fat!"

They were trying to be positive about Ellie's body, but instead made the VHs look like feeders. Ellie was positive because her weight did not matter. Making it the only thing about her just...made it weird. 

And Ellie and Fl4k's only flirty interaction is Fl4k telling her they like how fat she is.

At least Lorelai and Zer0 clearly say they like something normal about the other. Lorelai comments that Zer0 is tall, Zer0 says Lorelai is scary in good way. Troy and Aurelia is just an allies-with-benefits, they don't have a romantic connection.

Fl4k, if that line was meant to be flirting, outs themselves as a fetishist. 

This bad character writing and interaction writing happens because we had to be reminded that these characters are powerful, and the only way was to make other characters say "Wow she's hot." The only reason this didn't happen to the main female cast is because they had a main part in the story - Lorelai, Ellie, and Aurelia are all blink-and-you'll miss it. 

The three women not being part of the overarching story means that they don't have a lot of opportunity to show off how capable they are - we have to be told directly, or be shown that they are because someone powerful thinks they're hot. And the thing is, these characters are strong characters, but we aren't allowed to see them be. Ellie was one of the best new characters in BL2, Aurelia one of the favorites of TPS. Lorelai could have been a great character, too. But they just didn’t do anything with them. 

And even stranger, they did this thing with Maya and Krieg.

When Krieg first saw Maya, his thoughts were 1, she's a Siren and could kill me, and 2, I am completely enamored with her. In that exact order. But this doesn’t come off as an attempt of spoon-feeding faux girl power because Maya is blatantly a strong female character. Every second with her, she is in control of the situation and active in the plot, both in BL3 and BL2. You don’t need to be convinced that Maya is a powerful woman, so Krieg being in love with her not only works via genuine chemistry, but because how could he not be? 

But the difference is, with Maya and Krieg, we actually had decent writers who knew how to write relationships between characters and how to, y’know, develop good female characters. 

Which we don’t anymore, evidently. 

[thatringboy]

Aaaaaaaand here’s Maei’s wife: Yangyue!

Generational Warrior

”My father was a fool for living life so vicariously. However, there is some beauty in living every day like it’s your last.”

A captain of the Millelith stationed in Liyue Harbor who’s family has a long history of service.

General Information

Name: Fa Yangyue

Age: 25

Affiliation: Millelith

Birthdate: February 23

Starsign: Pisces

Constellation: Fulgur Anguis

Weapon: Polearm

Vision: Electro

Voice Claims

CVA: Su Lin

JVA: Sayaka Ohara

EVA: Erin Ebers

Voice Lines

Good Morning: Ah, good day, Traveler

Good Afternoon: Have you seen Maei? I need to know if she ate lunch or not

Good Evening: Evening, Traveler, where do we set off to tomorrow?

Good Night: *Yawn* Goodnight, shall we reconvene in the morning?

When It Rains: Stay away from me, I don’t want to accidentally shock you

When It Snows: Someone once told me that we could eat the snow if it becomes thick enough. I don’t see the appeal, do you?

When It’s Sunny: Ah, feeling the sun on my face rejuvenates my spirit!

Favorite Food: I am always in the mood for some herbal tea and some sugar candies. Maei may have told you this, but I have a giant sweet tooth

Least Favorite Food: My food must have a certain level of spice. I will throw up any bland food I consume

About: Vision: Mine belonged to my father before it came to me. One day at work, my squad was pulled to help a caravan of travelers who were under attack. I only found out that my father was among them when I arrived to see him be impaled on the sword of a Treasure Hoarder… we only had a few minutes to whisper our apologies to each other before he passed and his Vision awoke for me in his wake. For my service during that fight, I was promoted to Captain. The title is a reminder of how I failed as a daughter to support my father’s dream

About: Interests: My interests? Uh… I… *Sigh* this is embarrassing but all of my free time is spent taking care of my mother and spending time with Maei. I don’t have any hobbies… well, I guess I enjoy singing from time to time. I also like traveling to foreign nations for work purposes as the Millelith’s foreign affairs captain

About Childe: Childe, the eleventh Fatui Harbinger. I have no personal quarrel with him - we even work together unofficially for some… recon missions. However, given Maei’s history with his organization, I keep my distance even when we work unprofessionally

About Hu Tao: Little Miss Hu, the Millelith has mixed feelings about her. I find her to be quite exciting to be around. You never know what she will say next

About Xingqiu: *Sigh* If I get another complaint from his father about the Millelith letting that boy run around the harbor without an escort, I’m quitting my job and becoming an adventurer full time with Maei. He’s a young man with a Vision, he doesn’t need a bodyguard. I am also a fan of a book series he recommended to me: A Legend of Sword. Sadly, I haven’t had the time to tell him my thoughts on the series

About Xiao: I met him while I was stationed in the Stone Gate a few years ago. I thought he was a regular adventurer who bit off more than he could chew, so I slew the monsters pursuing him and administered first aid. Only afterwards did he reveal his name to me and told me that if I was ever in need of assistance, to call out his name. That was seven years ago, before I met Maei… I wonder what he’s doing now…

About Diluc: He works with Maei, or did a few years ago. I’ve only met him through letters we’ve exchanged, but he seems completely different than his reputation among my peers. At first I thought he was a bloodthirsty monster who’s only goal was to purge the world of evil. Turns out he just has daddy issues like me

About Keqing: She’s nice outside of work. When I received my Vision, she’s the one that gave me pointers on how to control my new powers. I hold a lot of respect for her and her position

About Ningguang: I feel bad about the loss of the Jade Chamber, but she is remarkably resilient. I know Liyue is in good hands with her

About Ganyu: Keqing and Maei often compare me to Miss Ganyu. I don’t see it, but maybe she would know more?

About: Family: My mother currently lives in Qingce Village even though she is still on the younger side. I try to visit her with Maei whenever I can to keep her from being lonely. I have a few cousins in service as well, Kun and Fugui. I’ve even introduced Maei to the entire extended Fa Family! M-My father? … he was my hero. He was the only Fa who never joined the Millelith and instead was an adventurer. He would bring back stories of adventures he went on all across Teyvat and I wanted to be just like him! Until I turned sixteen and my eyes opened to how hard and unproviding that lifestyle was. I joined the ranks of the Millelith with my family and like them, ostracized my own father because I was too stubborn to see how much he loved his job. We had an argument that night and didn’t speak for five years until the night he died. I never got to show him my favorite posts or sing to him… I never introduced him to my wife… I never got to truly forgive him and myself… *sniff* sorry, Traveler, let me compose myself.

About: The Adepti: You know, I was a participant in the battle against Osial. It WAS supposed to be my day off, so I used my free time to explore the Jade Chamber as I had an invitation from Madam Keqing, but SOMEONE decided to raise an ancient god of the sea! I had to grab the nearest weapon and start fighting off the Fatui right there! To be honest, it was rather cathartic. Maei later asked me how many of the enemy I took out and her eyes lit up like I had never seen before. When the chamber went down, I simply hopped onto Cloud Retainer’s back and flew to safety. While I was on her back, she actually spoke to me. She thanked me for saving Alatus’ life that one time and then congratulated me on my anniversary with Maei… how did she know that?

About: The Qixing: It is my duty as a Millelith captain to serve the Qixing. I would gladly lay down my life for my government and my people… don’t tell Maei that. She gets uneasy when I make that vow

About: The Millelith: While the Millelith stands guard, evil shall never prevail!

About: Her Scar: My scar? It’s an embarrassing story to be completely honest… it was the one and only time I ever tried fishing. I tried to throw my line into the water and the wind picked up, snapping the hook back in my face. I was lucky to not lose my eye!

About: Timeline: Well, I joined the Millelith when I was sixteen, met Maei at nineteen, married her at twenty, got my Vision at twenty-one and now I’m twenty-five. Yeah… early adulthood for me was a bumpy ride…

About: Hair: I’m actually a pretty good hairstylist. I do Maei and I’s hair myself. Her hair is hard to brush and her scalp is sensitive, so I wake up early to do her hair before heading to work. If you couldn’t tell, my love language is acts of service. Before Maei, I had long hair I put into a top knot, but I cut it short so that I can spend all my time with her… that’s a little cheesy, huh?

About: Electro: Electro is the element of eternity. I suppose that fits me, coming from a family that has served Liyue for dozens of generations. Yet this Vision belonged to my father; the black sheep of my family. Perhaps his eternity was more living every day like it was his last than continuing a legacy. I wonder what my personal eternity will reveal itself to be…

[hieromonkcharbel]

Give ear to my prayer, O God; do not hide yourself from my supplication.

Attend to me, and answer me; I am troubled in my complaint. I am distraught

by the noise of the enemy, because of the clamor of the wicked. For they bring trouble upon me, and in anger they cherish enmity against me.

My heart is in anguish within me, the terrors of death have fallen upon me.

Fear and trembling come upon me, and horror overwhelms me.

And I say, “O that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest;

truly, I would flee far away; I would lodge in the wilderness; Selah

I would hurry to find a shelter for myself from the raging wind and tempest.”

Confuse, O Lord, confound their speech; for I see violence and strife in the city.

Day and night they go around it on its walls, and iniquity and trouble are within it;

ruin is in its midst; oppression and fraud do not depart from its marketplace.

It is not enemies who taunt me— I could bear that; it is not adversaries who deal insolently with me— I could hide from them.

But it is you, my equal, my companion, my familiar friend,

with whom I kept pleasant company; we walked in the house of God with the throng.

Let death come upon them; let them go down alive to Sheol; for evil is in their homes and in their hearts.

But I call upon God, and the Lord will save me.

He will redeem me unharmed from the battle that I wage, for many are arrayed against me.

God, who is enthroned from of old, Selah will hear, and will humble them— because they do not change, and do not fear God.

My companion laid hands on a friend and violated a covenant with me

with speech smoother than butter, but with a heart set on war; with words that were softer than oil, but in fact were drawn swords.

Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.

But you, O God, will cast them down into the lowest pit; the bloodthirsty and treacherous shall not live out half their days. But I will trust in you.

Psalm 55

[nightslain]

Send me a ☕️ and a topic and I’ll talk about how I feel about it lol: People hating Leon because he is a crusader. Or other reasons people hate Leon. (I had no idea people hated him. Also, can I be an emoji anon with a tag? I want to be 📈 anon.)

Send me a ☕️ and a topic and I’ll talk about how I feel about it lol

This is a multi-layered topic if there ever was one because I have observed so many hateful, vindictive and downright petty remarks about Leon as a character that consistently drain me of all will and life since most of which are not even deserved or educated for that matter. So let’s tackle with the complaint that you’ve actually emphasised and the one that holds some considerable water--the fact that Leon was supposed to be a part of the crusades.

This is was obviously a pretty profound historical event that should NOT be swept under the rug, ignored or excused by any means, and truly I do understand people’s discontent with this aspect of his character and the connotations of a person involved with these events being portrayed as a protagonist of all things. However, my usual rebuttal to this complaint when raised in context with Leon is threefold. Firstly, the game got its dates confused and actually placed the events of Lament of Innocence in the year 1094 whereas the crusades didn’t begin until a year later, at which point Leon had already abandoned the church and set down another path entirely. 

While the game claimed it was taking place during the era of the crusades, their dates were a little out of whack (along with numerous other factual inconsistencies, though it’s not like I was expecting exact historical accuracy from my campy vampire fantasy games where women’s souls turn into whips and everyone is unbearably beautiful.) In my canon especially, I do not play Leon as ever having been part of the crusades when they were actually in full swing because of this fact, even if he has been an integral component to numerous wars in Europe and beyond.

And secondly, everyone seems to conveniently forget a large part of Leon’s character arc is abandoning the church and its self-serving behaviours in the game’s opening act, and with this Leon was stripped of his ancestral home, his title, his wealth, everything that he had accrued for himself in the course of his life and everything that has quite literally defined him since the day he was born. As soon as the church proved themselves to be more concerned with vapid, intangible ideas of moral purity instead of actually protecting the citizens from literal monsters, Leon abandoned their path to instead set out and accomplish what they were too cowardly and too selfish to; devoting his entire life--nay, his entire bloodline to that cause henceforth. Yes, Sara’s kidnapping was part of the driving force behind this conflict, so I don’t claim that his intentions were entirely philanthropic and unselfish, but I find it difficult to believe he would be this willing to openly disown the church and all the privileges he enjoyed as their most valued and decorated pawn if he did not also fundamentally disagree with the way they conducted themselves at this point. I also find the fact that he took on this massive burden of protecting humanity instead of being a part of its ugliest problems to suggest an act of penance for the lives he has taken as much as it is to honour Sara’s wish.

Leon wants to protect people. He was raised to believe that what he was doing was good and just and for the protection of his people, indoctrinated with the beliefs of the greater systems of power of the time and was reared to serve the needs of which at threat of punishment and consequences for failure to comply. He is not a vindictive, cruel or bloodthirsty murderer contrary to what some people like to believe. He did not kill people for honest-to-God hatred and malice. He does not enjoy killing, nor celebrate it, and speaking from my interpretation, he never enjoyed it even when he was a soldier--it was just a grim and necessary evil he was expected and conditioned to carry out (I have many headcanons about how he would pray even for his enemies and had engravings on his sword related to this.)

And lastly, do you ever notice how people love to complain about Leon being a crusader, but not a word of that same criticism is launched against Mathias/Dracula even though he too would have been a crusader by that logic? I don’t see a word raised about a literal genocidal monster being “problematic” to the degree that Leon is positively crucified for this online, even as a very vocally repentant man whereas Mathias becomes wholly unrepentant and kills even more people than he would have as a crusader after the fact; this telegraphs to me at least that people just don’t have the faintest idea what they’re talking about or otherwise are singling Leon out for clout to join in with the constant shitting on his character people love to do.

This though leads me into another point of contention in that I always see people on twitter and tumblr making their snarky comments about the fact Leon must be a horrible person because he was a church-serving knight and must be the kind of hateful individual that would use derogatory slurs, despise other races and likewise bear an inherent disgust for LGBT+ people. This in particular grates deeply on my nerves for the simple fact that it’s beyond me how people can look at Leon, his speech, his behaviour and his actions in the course of the game and assume he would be a man of so much pure vitriol and intolerance for other people, especially when he literally abandoned the church and their extreme beliefs guys would you just fucking FOCUS YOU ABSOLUTE DUNCES. I do strongly believe the people spitting this kind of rhetoric are just ignorant sheeple following the trend of whatever’s popular to clown on for clout, because even with his christian roots, people conveniently always forget that Leon takes his life into his own hands and rebels against the primary oppressors involved in which that would have enforced those beliefs and behaviours. Needless to say, I wouldn’t be surprised if these people didn’t even read the wiki or play the game and are getting their information from other people with their heads stuck up their ass putting this false information into circulation. Leon is so sorely, wrongly characterised by the fandom at times it physically pains me.

Speaking of, can we talk about the people who love to headcanon Leon as being stupid and illiterate? I cannot stand these ignorant, unfunny, uneducated fucks who constantly bark about this opinion unironically, because as a knight of all things, Leon would have been subjected to a very rigorous system of education, including writing and reading (among many other miscellaneous and desired abilities) as well as performing academic studies beneath chaplains and priests--for the standards of the time, knights were very well educated, and Leon is no exception. The game is perhaps to blame in part for this for scripting Leon to sound very naive and bumbling to a degree, which I believe was an attempt at imparting the quality of purity and innocence that was intended for his character (which also lmao is at odds with people’s desire to shit on him for being a bad person.) But people just take that at face value and assume Leon is a complete idiot when he is quite the opposite and would have to be to even ascend to his position of knighthood as it is. Let’s not forget he would have to be incredibly exceptional too to have ascended to knighthood five years too early! Leon is not stupid, and I will fight anyone in the pit who tries to tell me that he is, you absolute imbeciles.

[stonedandstudying]

Was Lucifer Enthroned in the Vatican?

Written by: Tom Carroll

Just weeks before the transmission of the prophetic Third Secret by Our Lady of Fatima in 1917, Italian Freemasons celebrated the 200th anniversary of the founding of their order by marching in St. Peter’s Square. According to St. Maximilian Kolbe who attended the march, the participants carried signs which read, “Satan must reign in the Vatican. The Pope will be his slave.”

Were they successful?

In July 2019, Church Militant received documents from the Archdiocese of Chicago regarding credible rape allegations against their former Archbishop, which had been covered up by Vatican officials since 1993. The complaint even reached Pope John Paul II, and detailed a satanic ritual conducted in South Carolina in 1957. The rites of the ritual included the rape of the victim (then an 11-year-old girl) and the desecration of the Holy Eucharist.

This account is eerily similar to the appalling scenes in the prologue of the novel Windswept House, by Father Malachi Martin. It should be noted that Martin is shrouded in well-deserved controversy, especially for failing to live a priestly life in some instances. However, after some research, I discovered that the EXACT SAME WOMAN from the Church Militant report told Martin her story in 1990, which he used as the premise for the satanic ritual in the novel. Martin names her Agnes to protect her identity.

What Martin describes in Windswept House was no ordinary satanic ritual; it was THE satanic ritual, in which extremely high-ranking clergy summoned Lucifer himself up from Hell, and enthroned him in the sacred halls of the Vatican. In an interview with Bernard Janzen, Martin stated that the enthronement of Lucifer is an historical fact (20:25). He said that 85% of the characters in the novel are real people and 95% of the events are true, and that it’s “all cloaked in novelistic form to make it easier to digest” (03:42).

Martin’s full account of the enthronement in the novel can be found here (pg. 7-20). WARNING: It’s extremely disturbing. The following is a watered-down and more bearable summary of his account:

The Enthronement of the Fallen Angel Lucifer was planned on the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul. Satanist tradition had long predicted that the Time of the Prince would be ushered in at the moment when a Pope would take the name of the Apostle Paul, which had just happened eight days earlier. The ceremony would take place in the Chapel of St. Paul for good measure.

For the Enthronement to succeed, the unbloody representation of the Sacrifice of the Nameless Weakling on the Cross must be replaced by the supreme and bloody violation of the dignity of the Nameless One. Guilt must be accepted as innocence. Pain must give joy. Grace, repentance, pardon must all be drowned in an orgy of opposites – the ultimate ritual of treachery.

Because of the extravagance of the ritual, many of the rites, with associated accoutrements, must be performed at a “Targeting Chapel” to avoid alerting Vatican security. This task would be carried out by a trusted bishop in South Carolina. Communicating by telephone, it would all be a matter of unanimity of hearts, identity of intention and perfect synchronization of words and actions between the Targeting Chapel and the Target Chapel. The living wills and the thinking minds of the Participants concentrated on the specific Aim of the Prince would transcend all distance.

Pentagrams and black candles appeared in both chapels. In the Chapel of St. Paul, a throne had been placed next to the Altar. The Tabernacle on the Altar was covered with a blood-red veil, and black cloths with satanic symbols covered the famous paintings of Jesus and Paul. In the much larger Targeting Chapel, the Snake Shield and the Bell of Infinity hung from red and black pillars. To the right of the Altar stood a cage with a sedated puppy and another with a dove, surrounded by vials of Earth, Air, Fire and Water. Kneeler chairs aligned in a semi-circle around the alter were flanked by a bowl of bones.

The participants consisted of cardinals, bishops, priests and some of the most respectable lay people in society. Those in Rome wore their normal cassocks and suits. The American participants undressed completely before donning red, sleeveless, v-neck robes. They each grabbed fistfuls of bones out of the bowl, rattling them and humming a ritual din as they knelt at their places. One of red-robed participants held his daughter Agnes in his lap, who was also sedated and clothed in a long, white gown.

Agnes was injected with another dose of drugs and went limp as she was lifted out of her father’s lap and laid on the Altar. The Bell of Infinity rang and the participants rose to their feet and began to loudly chant an ancient chant, which was echoed in the Vatican.

Then, silence. The bishop took a crucifix and laid it upside down against the Altar. “Let us invoke!” he exclaimed, while making a goat sign with his hand. “I believe in One Power,” he began. The participants in both chapels responded, “and its name is Cosmos.” “I believe in the Only Begotten Son of the Cosmic Dawn,” he continued. “And his name is Lucifer,” the participants responded again.

The bishop then reached into the cage and pinned the puppy with one hand while he dissected its organs with the other, prolonging the poor creature’s agony and whipping the participants into a bloodthirsty frenzy. He brought the first part of the ceremony to a close with the words, “I believe that the Prince of This World will be Enthroned this night in the Ancient Citadel, and from there He will create a New Community.”

Next, blood was drawn from a finger of Agnes. The bishop, rubbing the blood on his hand said, “This, the Blood of our Victim, has been shed so that our service to the Prince may be complete. So that he may reign supreme in the House of Jacob, in the New Land of the Elect.” The priest, raising the Chalice and Host, responded, “I take You with me, All-Pure Victim. I take you to the unholy north. I take you to the Summit of the Prince.”

The wine in the Chalice and the Host were transubstantiated and the participants filed by the Altar to receive an unholy communion. Then the bishop and the priest raped Agnes on the Altar in a horrific act of sacrilege.

With the sacrifice complete, the bishop led the ceremony to its culmination:

“By the Power invested in me as Parallel Celebrant of the Sacrifice and the Parallel Fulfiller of the Enthronement, I lead all here and in Rome in invoking you, Prince of All Creatures! In the name of all gathered in this Chapel and of all the Brothers of the Roman Chapel, invoke you, O Prince!”

“Come, take possession of the enemy’s house. Enter into a place that has been prepared for you. Descend among your faithful servitors, who have prepared your bed, who have erected your Altar and blessed it with infamy.”

“Under Sacrosanct instructions from the Mountaintop, In the name of all the Brethren, I now adore you, Prince of Darkness. With the stole of all unholiness, I now place in your hands the Triple Crown of Peter according to the adamantine will of Lucifer, so that you reign here. So that there One Church be, One Church from Sea to Sea, One Vast and Mighty Congregation of Man and Woman, of animal and plant. So that our Cosmos again be one, unbound and free.”

In the target chapel, it was completed with the announcement: “By mandate of the Assembly and the Sacrosanct Elders, I do institute, authorize and recognize this Chapel, to be known henceforth as the Inner Chapel, as taken, possessed and appropriated wholly by him whom we have Enthroned as Lord and Master of our human fate.”

Finally, all participants in Rome and South Carolina swore an oath to serve Lucifer and the Universal Church of Man with their blood. A little silver bell rang three times in the Chapel of St. Paul, and was echoed by the Bell of Infinity in the Targeting Chapel. The ceremony was ended and the congregations adjourned.

The members in the Vatican emerged into the Court of St. Damasus in the small hours of the feast day of Saints Peter and Paul. Some of the cardinals and a few of the bishops acknowledged the salutes of the respectful security guards with an absentminded cross of priestly blessing traced in the air, as they entered their limousines. Within moments, the walls of St. Paul’s Chapel glowed with their lovely paintings and frescoes of Christ, and of the Apostle Paul whose name the latest Peter-in-the-Line had taken.

To conclude, here’s an actual quote from a homily delivered by Pope Paul VI on the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul in 1972:

[princeescaluswords]

Fandom claims the Hales as ~protectors~ of Beacon Hills and that Scott ~usurped~ the role (despite the bite was forced on him + he rose to Alpha by strength of character). But where oh where is wise, sassy Uncle Peter? Not risking his life for the citizens, certainly. He can't hide behind being a beta, becuz Scott was saving lives as an inexperienced beta compared to born wolf Peter who has wealth + experience to back him up. Where was he, fandom? I thought he was the badass ~left hand~

It sounds like you’re just as irritated by this particular fandom trend as I am, because you know that it’s simultaneously racist and disingenuous.  

The Hales were influential in Beacon Hills.  We get this from the entirety of Visionary (3x08),  Derek’s conversation with his mother in Galvanize (3x15), which he relates to Scott in Riddled (3x18), and from the dead pool tape discussion of Beacon Hill’s history in Orphaned (4x06).   Nowhere in those two scenes are any implication that this was an official position in werewolf society, but it was something the Hales did out of equal parts altruism and self-interest and applied equally to natural and supernatural alike.   

So how could Scott usurp being Protector of Beacon Hills, when it was voluntary and not an official position?  The Hales weren’t the only pack in Beacon Hills, let alone Beacon County – we know of at least two other packs that were nearby (the Primal and Satomi’s pack), so he couldn’t be usurping the territory.    

The word usurpation comes from Sassy Uncle Peter, the World’s Most Reliable Source, after he had spent an entire episode manipulating Stiles, Derek, Braeden, Liam and Malia into helping him kill Scott and Liam and become alpha again with Kate’s help.   And even he didn’t imply that it was an official position – it was his family’s legacy that Scott was supposedly usurping.  

It’s racist because given the total absence of anything formal or enforced on the part of the Hales in the production, it’s a fandom choice to make the Hales the supernatural authority.  Given ingrained tropes why wouldn’t they be in charge – they’re a rich, white family!  We see it time and time again, such as when fandom writes fiction that takes it as a given that omegas would be driven out of a territory.  They only thing even remotely connected to canon would be when Gerard says an omega is kicked out of their own pack.   

Yet, how often do you read stories where the Hale Pack threatens Scott because he’s an omega on their territory or they actually indulge in extra-judicial murder of nameless omegas.  It fits fandom’s power fantasy, but it’s not canon.  It’s a choice – the rich, powerful, white family kills those who trespass on their privilege.  (Ask yourself this – have you ever read a fanfiction piece that has Satomi killing an omega because they trespassed on her territory?  I’m betting not.)

Peter wanted Scott in his pack not because it was his duty as alpha to take care of omegas, but because he needed child soldiers to kill the Argents.   Derek wanted Scott in  his pack not because it was his duty as alpha to take care of omegas, but because he needed child soldiers to fight the Argents.  That’s it.

And here is where the disingenuous part comes in.  

To them, if Scott is to be alpha, is to be a werewolf, he needs to obey werewolf rules and kill the enemies of his pack – like Gerard and Deucalion (actually only Gerard, Peter, and Deucalion, because those were the only three he might have had a chance to kill and didn’t, but more on that later).   Yet, there is not a single complaint that Derek or Peter failed to put any effort into killing Gerard in Season 2 or Deucalion in Season 3.  It’s only used as an insult to Scott because he took a stand against murder as a first resort.   He was opposed to killing people who were acting against their will (like Lydia supposedly was, like Jackson was, like Donovan might have been).  

The argument that Scott “let the bad guys go so they could bother someone else” or refused to dispense punitive justice comes back to giving him supernatural authority over other packs that he didn’t have, which is only a crime if you believe that the Hales had that right and that Scott took it from them, so he has to fulfill those duties.  Except there is no indication that the Hales had that right either. Talia certainly didn’t give anyone orders to do so.  Derek and Peter between Master Plan and Damnatio Memoriae didn’t hunt Gerard down and kill him.   They didn’t call a werewolf court to try Deucalion.  Because it didn’t exist.  

Fandom does this a lot – they bring in their savage, bloodthirsty werewolf tropes from other fictions and then condemn Scott (and only Scott) from not following them, ignoring the actual story in front of them, which has Talia and Satomi – alphas we’re supposed to like – cautioning against violence and literally has the story criticizing the werewolf-hunting families for overstepping their bounds.   

These are choices fandom makes, and part of their frustration is that they didn’t see that in the show, but they make that a slight against the character and not realize it’s a different story.