#ended up mentioning Dishonored a lot

[nevesmose]

Nostraman Nature Sucks: An Attempted Lore Post

Ave dominus nox Night Lords fans. I thought I'd take some time to go through the various NL stories I have to hand and see what I could find out about the animals that lived on Nostramo. Might come in useful for something, who knows?

Sharks and Whales

As a child, on several coastal journeys with his father, he had witnessed the eyeless barrasal sharks that would group together to hunt the great whales of the open ocean. (Night Lords Trilogy)

His voice filters into something savage and predatory, as hungry as the eyeless white sharks of Nostramo’s blackest depths. (The Long Night)

Not a big surprise since they talk about them fairly often and have the Space Sharks as a successor chapter but Nostramo does have sharks. Pretty gnarly-sounding sharks if I'm honest.

I didn't know what "barrasal" meant, so I looked it up and only found one thread on r/40klore that had the same quote in it as above. Hmm.

Assuming it's not a typo or a more straightforward reference to something I'm just not getting, I'd venture a guess that barrasal, understood here to mean of or relating to "barras" like with "abyssal" could be connected to the French Revolutionary leader Paul Barras who is mostly remembered for supporting Napoleon's rise to power before being overthrown by him.

So maybe the older barrasal sharks will make use of younger ones as temporary hunting partners only to be inevitably betrayed and consumed by them. Sounds about right I think.

As for the whales, where do I even begin? I would imagine they're "whales" in name only like in Dishonored:

This does imply the possible existence of a whaling industry at some stage in Nostramo's history, though.

Crows

Jago reached into his pockets, offering a handful of breadcrumbs. Come, he said to the crows. Food for tonight. Flesh, flesh, flesh, they called back. He laughed as several of the black birds landed on his shoulders and outstretched arm. (Prince Of Crows)

‘Yes. I’ve seen them in books. Is a crow a type of bird?’ ‘Black of feather and dark of eye. It feeds on the bodies of the dead, and sings in a raw, croaking caw.’ (TLN)

Breaking news - legion that keeps referring to crows in shocking has crows on its homeworld scandal. "This is outrageous," said local Nostraman cutpurse and skin disease enthusiast Verxaglryn Quickstabber, "here we are trying to make a good name for Nostramo as a respectable hellhole, a place you'd be proud to exile your worst enemy to, and yet we're surrounded by some of the most intelligent and curious birds in existence. I was shanking someone in a back alley the other night and suddenly I saw a crow learning how to use rudimentary tools! Not on my watch, I said to the rapidly cooling body, and I threw my shiv at it. But it just flew away." At this point Mr Quickstabber was obliged to end the interview due to having been eviscerated by the Night Haunter.

I know their communication with Sevatar is happening in a dream but I really like the idea of the crows adapting to Nostramo by developing some kind of psychic hive mind that's also able to be understood by human psykers.

Crag Cougars

A beast of my home world. When next you see one of the Atramentar, look to their shoulder guards. The roaring lions on their pauldrons are what we called crag cougars on Nostramo. It was considered a mark of wealth for gang bosses to be able to leave the cities and hunt such creatures. (NLT)

Every single one of them is Scar from the Lion King, isn't it? An interesting hint about Nostramo's geography though, of which more later.

Rats

Groundcars whisked by, headlights brighter than deep-hive rats’ eyes, the occupants snug and safe behind armoured glass. (Konrad Curze: The Night Haunter)

No surprises here either. Where there's people there's rats after all.

Something with tusks?

The older Astartes grinned, wolf-like and keen, as the Atramentar either side of the Exalted’s throne growled through their tusked helms. (NLT)

This isn't that conclusive because a lot of Chaos Terminators have tusks no matter what legion they are, but Nostramo being Nostramo they probably belonged to a species of giant carnivorous mammoth that ate babies and sprayed acid from its trunk.

Cows? On My Sunless World?

‘They are still of standard human stock, and not to be mourned. What does it matter if the cattle fear the herdsman?’ hissed Krukesh the Pale. (KC:TNH)

This one's a real reach on my part as it's very likely just a turn of phrase, but I noticed it because wouldn't it be slightly more typical to use a sheep metaphor here? Plus it supports the existence of Nostraman cowboys/ranchers/vaqueros which is fun.

No bats?

His helmet bore a new, spread batwing crest in blatant imitation of Sevatar’s own. (A Safe and Shadowed Place)

A sole space was neat: a circle around an iron lectern fashioned in the form of a bat’s outflung wings, which carried a heavy book bound in human skin. (KC:TNH)

Although they appear a lot in the VIII legion's iconography and artwork, oddly enough I wasn't actually able to find a direct reference to Nostramo itself having bats. Let's cover my ass by saying this aspect might therefore have been brought in by the legion's Terran component instead.

Some Nostraman geography

The Hill Folk lived away from the cities, eking out an existence in the mountains. (NLT)

What's worse than living in a Nostraman city? Living on a Nostraman hill, apparently. This seems to just be an idea of ADB's that doesn't come up again but I've always found it quite interesting. Were the Hill Folk as scummy as the City Folk, just with more of a down-home Dukes of Hazzard vibe? Seems likely.

This also supports the idea of Nostramo not being completely urbanised like some Hive Worlds are. In my view its continents might have had a geographical layout a bit like Italy or Scotland where the cities are mainly on the flatter coasts with a more sparsely populated hilly/mountainous interior.

What else? (This part is just me making stuff up so feel free to ignore it. I'm not ADB, I'm not even ADB's hat.)

If the rest of Nostramo's marine life is anything like the sharks and whales then it's fucking terrifying. I would imagine, because it's funny, that a lot of Nostraman food features disgusting industrially-processed fish in some way or another. Like the food in Dishonored but even worse.

Is something wrong, dearest offworld husband? You haven't touched your stale bread, whalemeat and jellied eels.

Since all life on Nostramo seems to be comically carnivorous and aggressive, it would make sense in a 40K kind of way for there to be giant predatory penguins living at one or both of its poles. A bit like the monstrous blind albino penguins HP Lovecraft wrote about.

Last known infrared pict-capture of an early Nostraman settler attempting communication with a juvenile specimen of the native penguin species. There were no survivors.

[dontlookatmytmntcollection]

Raphael (NSFW Alphabet)

Bayverse Raphael x F!Reader

Our big guy is my second installment. Word Count: 1700. Mentions of exhibitionism, dirty talk, choking, and just general debauchery. I love him.

Raph is a brash, sassy, and gruff person most of the time around most people. It’s a blatant act. It takes extremely little to reveal an extremely sincere, loving, protective, passionate soul, and it’s a side of him reveals to his partner often. ESPECIALLY in the bedroom. Sex is extremely intimate with him, even if he’s being rough. 

Enjoy!

A- Aftercare (What they’re like after sex) - Raph is the one who needs aftercare tbh. He’s a little clueless about what aftercare even is though. He’s loopy and tired and he just wants to kiss and hold you, and unless you speak up and ask for water, a towel, wipes or a snack- he will stay right here with his arms around you. He's a touchy guy, okay? It feels like he’s recharging. If you try to get up, he will pull you back and whine, “What do you think you're doing,” and if you tell him you that you need something he will push you back down, huddle you into the pillows and blankets and go get said items for you. 

B - Body Part (Their favorite body part of theirs and also their partners) - He loves his arms and tattoos and scars. He knows he looks cool. But he does NOT know he is attractive. Or sexy. Verbal affirmations are overwhelming, especially about his appearance. So be gentle with him about that haha. On you, on the other hand. Ass man. Ass man. Ass man. Ass man. He is checking you out, he is grabbing you, he’s spanking and pinching your ass 24/7.

C - Cum (Anything to do with cum) - He needs you close physically. He is grabbing you and holding you close. In missionary he always presses his forehead to yours. Doggy, he nuzzles your hair and buries his face in your shoulder. He loves when you hold his face and keep your eyes on him when it hits. He swears a LOT, and he’s trying to breathe, so if he kisses you it’s super super messy and pathetic in the midst of orgasm. If you’re going down on him or if he’s going down on you, he’s always searching for your hand. Will grasp your hand or arm, and oral get’s intense for both parties, giving or receiving so the connection is needed. 

D - Dirty Secret (A dirty secret of theirs) - Actually doesn’t watch porn. He doesn’t like it, and he associates it with a lot of the bad people he faces topside. Feels dirty and thinks it's a dishonorable thing. He doesn't know he's the only one.

E - Experience (How much experience do they have) - Because how little exposure he allows himself to sex, and how little he’s entertained the thought of actually having a partner, he is going in completely- and utterly - blind. At least beyond basic, basic 'what goes in what' stuff. He has no idea what he’s doing. But that won’t stop him from pretending he knows. If he’s allowed complete control the first time, it will end HORRIBLY, so please PLEASE don't let him take over. Allow him to slow down and mess up, he will feel so big and clumsy and ugly so he requires lots of affection and reassurance. And PRAISE. He's a super, super fast learner.

F - Favorite Position - He isn’t picky, but he loves when you get him to relax against the headboard with all the pillows and you ride him. He loves that comfort and he gets to watch and touch and feel as much as he wants. But if he has to pick a favorite…he loves doggy. He feels big and strong and he loves that he can kiss and talk to you in the same moment he can pull back and enjoy the view. 

G - Goofy (How goofy are they?) - He won’t goof off until you do, but damn it’s a relief when you do. He feels enormous pressure to do well by you and not hurt you. So when you flirt or joke it’s an enormous relief. Give him some time to get used to fucking because he loves to laugh and tease you. 

H - Hair - He does not care.

I - Intimacy (How are they during the moment) - Raph doesn’t really know he does this, but intimacy comes so naturally to him. There are moments when he’s almost innocent in how much he fucking adores you and needs you. So it can get super emotional super super fast. 

J - Jack Off (Masturbation headcanon) - Masturbation is pretty low on his list of stress relief. When he’s frustrated or stressed or anxious he is in the gym. Then he has like twelve other different hobbies outside of the gym he falls back on often. There isn’t a whole lot of privacy in the lair, and out of everyone he isn’t that desperate for privacy either. 

K - Kink (One or more of their kinks) - Raph learns very, very quickly that he’s super into dirty talk and praise and begging. Giving and receiving. Words of affirmation are super big for him, and it shows in the bedroom. He loves reassuring you and telling you how much he wants and needs you. If you beg for him he'll give you literally anything you want. Very big into choking or holding you down. You weight two pounds to him, so manhandling you in bed or even standing is so exciting for you both. 

L - Location (Favorite places to do the deed) - He doesn’t like anything super sexual around his family, but he does not care anywhere else. He doesn’t care if ya’ll are at risk of being seen or caught or heard- if you are down, he is down and he will make it work. 

M - Motivation (What turns them on) - Okay, he’s a slut for your body, so your ass, for one. The second most motivating thing is compliments and physical affection. You start feeling up his arms or waist or dipping your hands in his back pockets, all while telling him how handsome he looks right now- he’s sold instantly. 

N - No (Turn Off’s) - Doesn’t like it when his family is around. He wouldn't want to be in a threesome ever. Not at all into the thought of someone else touching you. 

O - Oral (Preference in giving/receiving) - He loves the pleasure of receiving, and there are times when he NEEDS the worship and loving's from you. But damn…he prefers to give, and he is really, really, good at it. Really good. He could eat you out for hours and hours. He gets pussy drunk so easily, especially if you're praising or begging for him, or scratching and petting his head. Damn he loves it.

P - Pace (Are they fast/rough or slow/sensual?) - He can do both. He sometimes gets a little lost in the moment and is especially when he’s close, so he can get a bit rough. He struggles to stay slow, especially if you’re talking to him and petting him. 

Q - Quickie (Their opinions on quickies) - He likes them a lot, because it makes him feel desired and attractive. If it’s been a while and you REALLY need him in an area around his family (say, at the lair) he gets SUPER nervous and subby. Will do whatever you want. 

R - Risk (Are they games to experiment? Do they take risks, etc) - Raph is the kind of guy who falls into a routine, so while new stuff isn't a problem, he might take it as he’s doing something wrong or ‘you're not satisfied with him anymore’. So just a lot of communication and assurance will make him an easy sell. 

S - Stamina (How many rounds can they go for, how long do they last) - Superhuman stamina. He could have you in bed all day. 

T - Toy (Do they own toys? Do they use them?) - With lots and lots of assurance and communication, Raph wouldn’t see toys as an insult or replacement for him. He would be uncomfortable and a tad bit insecure at first, especially at first, and is NOT the type to have his own collection. But with time and age he would master them. He wouldn’t like to tie you up often. He likes you touching and holding him too much. 

U - Unfair (How much do they tease) - Give him some practice and confidence and you will unlock a horrible GREMLIN of a tease. He will tease, flirt, tempt and touch literally all the time, in and out of the bedroom. PDA be damned. 

V - Volume (How loud they are, what sounds?) - Raph’s more growly and grunty by default, and he swears a lot. He likes to talk, and he gets good at it quickly, but his sounds only start getting strained, desperate and emotional the closer he gets. 

W - Wild Card (Random) - He’s so big, that one time you came just from his dick pushing into your pussy. It lives rent free in his head and it boosts his ego for ages…

X - X-Ray (What's going on in those pants) - Team cloaca, here. Raph is fucking…huge. Giving him a bj is a sloppy, wet and messy event. You need tons of prep, lots of foreplay and lube despite all the extra lubricant from both of you. He is large, even proportionate to him and that means he's massive in comparison to you. It’s a lot of work to get him inside of you and it’s kind of the opposite of a problem for you both. 

Y - Yearning (How high is their sex drive) - He yearns for you all the time. His drive is enormous, and he could hole up with you somewhere for days and never leave, if it was possible. But your desire for him matters greatly, so his desire for sex depends greatly on yours. If you want to fuck, he will make that happen, but if you don’t want fuck, he REALLY doesn’t want to fuck. If you turn him down once, it will be your turn to initiate the next time you are in the mood. 

Z - ZZZ (How quickly they fall asleep afterwards) - Depends on the circumstances. He is a very sexual person, so a good fuck won't necessarily be what tires him out. But if you're loving on him and giving that physical and verbal affection, and he knows that there is nothing left to do but cuddle and fall asleep; he will pass out instantly. But be careful. He's heavy, it's hard to wake him up, and he snores.

[absolutebl]

2024 Awards - Quick Picks

I always do the Quirky Awards each year but people often ask about my basic favs as well. Here they are.

Best Music

The Rebound, it was autotuned Stray Kids (more than even JYP's normal sins) only in Thai. I'm not mad about it, and usually Thai intro/outros piss me off.

Dishonorable mention: Sunset x Vibes backing track using instrumental Christmas music. I know it's copyright free but no, Thailand. Just... no.

Best depiction of consent & sex positive message

Every You Every Me, that installment with the rocker character.

AND Knock Knock Boys.

Dishonorable mention: Korea & Thailand black-sliding into dead fish kisses and "pan around the head" no kiss filming.

Best/Most Consistent Kissers

Pond & Phuwin, specifically in We Are (there was lots of kissing) but also just in general.

Best Kiss

YinWar in Jack and Joker

Best Chemistry

SalibPon in both their shows, Pit Babe and This Love Doesn't Have Longbeans.

They also showcased two different KINDS of chemistry, slow burn affection and burn up those health codes out the gate.

Favorite New Pairs

Up & Poom from My Stand-In

GreatInn from Wandee Goodday

I can't WAIT to see their next shows.

Best Support Character

Yai from The Sign

Best Side Couple

AlanJeff from Pit Babe

Favorite 2024 Narrative Structure

Love for Love's Sake

Best Scene 2024

Unknown

Lifetime Achievement Award 2024

OffGun

My Top 10 Shows of 2024

Cosmetic Playlover

Love For Love's Sake

Unknown

We Are

Cherry Magic (Thai remake)

Wandee Goodday

The Sign

Century of Love

Sugar Dog Life

The Rebound

All my end of year round up posts:

2024 BL Trend Report

2024's 10 Best BL Kisses (and more)

Best 24 of BL 2024 - Quirky Awards

MY BEST & WORST BLs of 2024

(source)

[asexualbookbird]

Ah, I read some books in 2024, huh? And eight rereads? Who am I. Tried a lot of new things this year which yay! Go me! Branching out! Not all of those were successes, but I did it and therefore no one can criticise me. But we all know what's important here. So here you go, THE BEST AND WORST OF 2024 (in no particular order)!

THE BEST BOOKS OF 2024

The Adventure of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty - yes, I am still thinking about this, thank you for asking! A full entire adult of a person, a mother even, going on adventures? Fighting and killing and fucking and living? Hell yeah! More of this, please! I would also love to see a prequel of Amina's adventures before the book timeline. Everything about this was so great, I look forward to rereading it.

The City We Became by NK Jemisin - I was wary about this because it was so polarizing to readers. On one hand, even my least favorite Jemisin was still fun, on the other hand, I know nothing about New York. HOWEVER. The audiobook was FABULOUS. I wholeheartedly believe the audio is why I enjoyed this so much. This was FUN this is what reading should feel like all the time.

When the Angels Left the Old Country by Sacha Lamb -FRIEND TO MY SOUL. Again, beautiful audio performance. Beautiful story. I need my own copy so I can reread this to my hearts content. It's cute, it deals with heavy topics, it's gay, it's the friend to my soul.

WORST BOOKS OF 2024

The Novice by Taran Matharu - Ugh. Bought when released, knowing nothing, which seems to be a Theme with books sitting on my shelf I end up not enjoying. Learning about the history of this book made me more angry than the book itself. What do you mean his entire series was bought and published without an editor? It shows, but. Come on. Wattpad born and it shows.

Last Heir to Blackwood Library by Hester Fox- this was only for a summer reading bingo challenge, but come on. There are ways to pull the memory loss, or altered memory plot line and have it work. This did not do that. Wish a library would eat my memories of this book so I never had to think of it again.

Red Sister by Mark Lawrence - Mark Lawrence is one of those authors who writes long books because he thinks it makes him a Good Writer. Mark Lawrence is one of those writers who is afraid to write adult characters because he thinks they won't sell, but continuously puts them in adult situations to show how Hard their lives are and Isn't This Dark And Gritty And Sad without doing the work to actually get there. It toes the line between fantasy in scifi, but not well. It feels more indecisive than anything else.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Firebreak by Nicole Kornher-Stace -more like fireBROKE MY HEART!!!! It was on my tbr list for years, and I finally found a copy and I'm glad I own it so I can reread it at my leisure. It's what Ready Player One could have been if it was actually good.

Godkiller by Hannah Kaner - Okay honestly, this and City were fighting for a spot in the main top three. Either could be there. I do honorable mentions for this very reason. I was surprised to learn this was a tiktok book, because yknow. It's actually Good. Witcher vibes, but with more respect towards women. Why isn't book three in my possession right this second.

Someone You Can Build A Nest In by John Wiswell - I Am Normal About This Book. It was fun to read and annotate it for a friend. It was fun to be around as two friends read it and I loved seeing their reactions to it. Loved cheering on Shesheshen, still think she deserves to eat more people. Friends and I will still share biting goop memes with the caption "Shex3 posting". It's safe to say this has rewritten my brain.

DISHONORABLE MENTIONS

Legacy of Ash by Matthew Ward - I was hyped about this book before release. I bought book two before even reading this because I was that sure I'd enjoy it. What a fool. This did NOT have to be 800 pages. It was another example of someone writing many words because they think that's what Good Writers Do, and not stopping to think about what those words even SAY. Which, in this case, was ~Absolutely Nothing~

Ghost Station by SA Barnes - crying sobbing this book was so fucking stupid. Best thing to come out of it was seeing a friend read it and confirming that yes, it was That Fucking Stupid. Learning the author mainly writes YA Paranormal explained why everyone had Too Stupid To Live disease.

I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons by Peter S Beagle - Admittedly only here to make things even and because it's still pretty fresh in my mind. I was soooo excited when this was announced, and now I'm soooo happy I didn't preorder it. More boring than anything else, but I don't wish it was longer because it already felt Too Long.

Once again, ignored rereads because I feel like that's cheating somehow. Let these be for highlighting new and fun books I discovered! I feel like the last few Bricks I've read have been Very Bad so I hope a couple of the bricks I have planned for 2025 are actually good. Considering one of those is Labyrinth's Heart, I think we're okay.

[metashard]

Necrons ranked by ability to sit correctly:

1: Szarekh, reigning champion of throne sitting. Got trained starting at age 3 and never stopped for 65 million years straight. No contest.

2: Oltyx. Has also been trained but never got comfortable with it. Sitting up straight has also been made rather difficult as of late.

3: Imotekh. Would really prefer to be up and pacing around, but can keep himself in one spot through sheer willpower. And boy does it take a lot of willpower.

4: Trazyn. Perfect form from the waist up, but manspreads to a ludicrous degree like the bastard he is. He could sit normally if he wanted to; it is simply that no one has earned the respect required to close his legs.

5: Orikan (when allowed to float and sit where he likes)

6: Yenekh. Like Imotekh, he's prone to pacing, but unlike Imotekh, his record for sitting in one spot is four and a half minutes. His statue carvers and painters back in the day were tearing their hair out.

7: Orikan (when forced to sit in an actual chair)

8: Zahndrekh. Has never once been sighted sitting normally. Will twist around constantly and end up upside down by the time a meeting finishes if he doesn't watch himself. Much prefers to just leave the camera off for this reason.

Dishonorable Mention: Szeras. Physically cannot sit. Bug ass.

[theyapper0]

PART TWO OF "DISHONORED GUESTS"

Cut to Angel and others. 

Cut. Emily and Charlie at the Aquarium.

Charlie is like OH MY GOD!!!!!!!! LOOK AT THE FISH!!!! THEY'RE SWIMING!!! ACTUALLY SWIMMING AND NOT JUST FLOATING TO THE TOP?????? AND IT IS REALLY BLUE IN HERE!!!

Charlie flips out about fish with Emily humoring her for a while until eventually Charlie asks about Sera. 

Emily says how they're sisters but Sera could be so overprotective sometimes. And not to mention controlling!!!! 

Emily says that she understands that Sera’s just looking out for her as an older sister but… she wished that she trusted her just a little bit more…

Emily is like, “I mean, look at your cuffs!! Sera doesn't even trust us to be ALONE together- trust ME to be alone with YOU!.....

Emily: No offense.

Charlie obviously doesn't take any offense to this and is also like “Wow, you're really open” 

Emily apologizes but Charlie's like “Oh no!! No! It's a GOOD thing! I'm just not used to that! Everyone at the hotel’s just uh… really closed off- it gets hard to tell what they're feeling a lot of the time.

It's nice to hear about feelings! 

Emily smiles at her, “It's nice to be listened to”

Emily sighs, …I feel like she thinks I can't handle anything… I dunno… Maybe she's right…”

Charlie is like, “What!!! No way! Your job is to make people in Heaven happy and I think you're GREAT at that! I mean, I'M happy right now and that's all because of you!”

Charlie: I… I'm sorry that we're gonna have to be against each other during the Trial…  I hope it doesn't ruin the friendship we're forming

Emily is like “No!! It'd never!! Let's not even talk about that right now!! We're gonna have to talk about it allllll night anyhow!!

Emily offers to focus on seeing as much Heaven as we can!! 

Charlie's like YEAH!!!! 

Cut. Back to Vaggie

She's telling herself to pull it together. Everything's gonna be fine… 

She looks down at the countdown on her wrist, “Just a few more hours….”

(9AM when they got there, will be leaving at 9AM of the next day. 22 HOURS LEFT ON CLOCK!! (22:26:12))

Suddenly, an Exorcist Angel (it's Lute) comes BARGING in!!! Vaggie stands up, on high alert.

Vaggie goes to grab her spear but she doesn't have it!!! DAMMIT CHARLIE!!! 

The Exorcist Angel and Vaggie start to kick the shit outta each other!!! 

The Exorcist is like, “You shouldn't be here.” while they're fighting

Vaggie says “I’m here on business with Char-!

“The Morningstar spawn, I know. She got a Trial with the Heavenly bodies but YOU…!” 

The Exorcist Angel kicks Vaggie's feet out from under her and goes to slash her with her sword, Vaggie catches the blade between the flat of her palms, she's straining to push it away as the other strains to thrust it down 

The Exorcist grunts, “Can’t be here….” 

Vaggie screams and is like, “Damnit, just quit it! I know it's you, Lute!!”

The Exorcist falters for a moment but it's all the time Vaggie needs to KICK that bitch off her and stand up 

(She knew it was her bc she could tell by the cape that was wrapped over her armor. Only Lute can wear it (bc she's the Commander. But more importantly, Vaggie could tell from the fighting style (it was exactly like her own) 

Lute gets knocked to the floor and her helmet falls off. She doesn't bother putting it back on as she stands.

Lute: You need to leave. Now.

Vaggie: I can't, trust me, I would if I could. But I'm here until the trial ends. Just-... I'm not here to start any problems, so leave me alone

Lute: ‘Not here to start any problems?’ All you've EVER done for me was MAKE problems, and now this? Do you think this trial doesn't count as stirring the pot? Do you have any idea what you and that wretched demon are doing-

Vaggie: DON'T TALK ABOUT CHARLIE LIKE THAT!’

Vaggie goes to punch her but Lute catches it easily

Lute is quiet for a moment. 

Lute: You've been banished from Heaven. You cannot be here. You're not allowed here

Lute: I don't want you here.

Vaggie stared at her, “I'm not here for you” 

Vaggie walks towards the door and Lute speaks, “What do you think people are going to say when they see you? Do you think they've forgotten what you've done?” 

Vaggie doesn't answer, she goes to open the door but Lute comes behind her and shoves it shut, “Answer me.” 

Vaggie: What I've done? You mean not kill a CHILD?!

Lute: A SINNER child! 

Vaggie: Why the fuck are you here?! Why the Hell do you even care if people see me!?

Lute doesn't answer for a moment, she follows Vaggie's question with another

Lute: Who does Charlotte think you are, Vaggie? WHAT does she think you are? 

Vaggie: Listen, I told you, I'm not here to make problems-!

Lute: What do you think she'll do to you once she finds out the truth 

Vaggie: SHUT UP! 

Vaggie screams as she throws a punch at Lute, who catches it easily

Lute: It’s my job to protect Heaven and your fallen ways put all of eternal salvation at risk

Lute: If you chose to stay the 24 hours bestowed upon you, you'll leave me no choice but to share this information 

Lute opens the door and steps through, standing in the doorframe with her back facing Vaggie, “I'm giving you the option, Vaggie. For old times sake”

Lute: Do not overlook this kindness

Lute leaves 

Cut. Back with Charlie and Emily 

They're walking and talking 

They run into Adam coming out of some shop, strangely missing the Exorcist lieutenant who always accompanies him….

Adam greets them like, “Well hello there, you two! How’ve things been? Charlie, how're you liking Heaven so far? ^^

Charlie says how it's A-MAZING!!! 

Adam laughs, “Well I'm not surprised if Emily’s the one showing you around!”

They all talk for a bit and the conversation shifts to the Trial that'll be happening in a couple hours

Charlie thanks Adam for allowing her the chance to speak with Heavenly bodies about redemption, she knew she wasn't going to exactly BUDGE on getting the opportunity but she was still grateful for him helping in making it happen. 

Adam: Heaven didn't really like that I wanted to do this but… it's only fair, right? We exist as 2 realms but we must function as one for all mortal souls

Charlie: Yeah! Exactly! I mean, especially with the Exterminations, I think it's high time to try out a different solution for-!

Adam cuts her off, suddenly extremely on edge, “HAHAHA! YEP YEP YEAH! ANYWAY!!! 

Adam: So Charlotte, have you gotten any more patrons at your hotel?! 

PART 1

PART 2

PART 3

PART 4

PART 5

[moony-2001]

Narcissistic Personality Disorder and Psychopathy: a Critique on Hades' Character and Personality pt. 1

TW: grooming, abuse (financial, physical, sexual, emotional), violence, manipulation

It is imperative that everyone reading this takes into account the fact that I am not a licensed psychologist. This is purely my own (unprofessional) opinion based on the knowledge I have. When I use the term "diagnose", please take it lightly.

I would also like to note that narcissistic personality disorder and psychopathy are usually misrepresented in the media and there is a lot of stigma surrounding these disorders. I would like to take the time to point out that just because Hades is an abusive groomer that I am “diagnosing” with these disorders does not mean that every person with NPD or psychopathy is an abuser or a groomer.

Hi. I wanted to start by saying that this post will cover many upsetting topics (listed in the Trigger Warning [TW]), so please read at your own discretion.

Straight up, this post is not going to be pretty. It is going to be long and technical and full of me blabbering away about XYZ. Based alone on how long this intro is, it's probably going to be split into multiple parts. If you don't want to read this because of all of the aforementioned things above, that's okay. If you don't like what I have to say, that's okay too (but be respectful). But if you do want to read this, I would be so grateful. I hope at the end of the day, you can at least appreciate my efforts. I will try my best to not get snarky, however I apologize if some snark does come out.

The way the sections are going to be broken down consists of the following:

The disorder + definition

What the criteria is that must be met for the disorder

Other known personality traits those with the disorder have/what are other traits people with this disorder have in common

Examples from Lore Olympus that (in my opinion) would cause the character to fit the disorder

"Honorable" or "Dishonorable" mentions

Final Thoughts

Additionally, I will talk very briefly about Hades being a groomer and an enabler. These are not mental illnesses and thus will not be taking center stage. With that being said, let's begin.

Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD)

I must clarify that psychopathy is not actually a category in the DSM 5. Psychopathy falls under Antisocial Personality Disorder or ASPD. So you wouldn’t be diagnosed as a psychopath, you’d be diagnosed as someone who has ASPD with more psychopathic (or sociopathic) tendencies which the DSM 5 does specify. So, even though I can't actually "diagnose" Hades with psychopathy, I can "diagnose" him as someone who has ASPD with more psychopathic tendencies. Again, I'm using the term "diagnose" here very lightly.

The Disorder

Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) is a Cluster B Personality Disorder in the DSM 5. Cluster B Personality Disorders are typically marked by inappropriate, volatile emotionality and behavior that is often unpredictable.

The diagnostic criteria for ASPD is as follows ->

a. A pervasive pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others... as indicated by 3 or more of the following:

failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behaviors, as indicated by repeatedly performing acts that are grounds for arrest

deceitfulness, as indicated by repeated lying, use of aliases, or conning others for personal profit or pleasure (i.e., to obtain money, sex, or power)

impulsivity or failure to plan ahead

irritability and aggressiveness, as indicated by repeated physical fights or assaults

reckless disregard for safety of self or others

consistent irresponsibility, as indicated by repeated failure to sustain consistent work behavior or honor financial obligations

lack of remorse, as indicated by being indifferent to or rationalizing having hurt, mistreated, or stolen from another

b. the individual is at least of 18 years of age

c. there is evidence of conduct disorder with onset before age 15 years

d. the occurrence of antisocial behavior is not exclusively during the course of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder

When these traits were expanded upon under the diagnostic criteria, these are the traits that stuck out most to me:

"... may repeatedly perform acts that are grounds for arrest such as destroying property, harassing others, stealing, or pursuing illegal occupations."

"... decisions are made in the spur of the moment, without forethought and without consideration for the consequences to self or others."

"They may be indifferent to, or provide a superficial rationalization for having hurt, mistreated, or stolen from someone (e.g., 'life's unfair'); they may minimize the harmful consequences of their actions or may simply indicate indifference; they generally fail to compensate or make amends for their behavior."

Associated Features

Those diagnosed with ASPD may also exhibit other behaviors that are not in the diagnostic criteria but are commonly associated with the disorder. These "features" include:

"Frequently lack[ing] empathy and tend[s] to be callous, cynical, and contemptuous of the feelings, rights, and sufferings of others"

"Irresponsible and exploitative in their sexual relationships"

Have a history of many sexual partners and may never have sustained a monogamous relationship

"May also experience dysphoria (tension, inability to tolerate boredom, and depressed mood), associated anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, substance use disorders, somatic symptom disorder, gambling disorder, and other disorders of impulse control"

"May also often have personality features that meet the criteria for other personality disorders, particularly borderline, histrionic, and narcissistic personality disorders"

Additionally, ASPD cannot be diagnosed before age 18 and is more common in males. Males with ASPD often have some kind of substance use disorder.

Abuse or neglect may increase the likelihood that [a] conduct disorder will evolve into antisocial personality disorder.

Common Examples within Lore Olympus

Irritability and Aggressiveness

As listed above, two of the possible behaviors indicative of ASPD are irritability and aggressiveness, something that Hades seems to have endless amounts of. The two beings that are frequently at the receiving end of this behavior are Thantos and Demeter, though really, Hades behaves inappropriately to anyone who isn't in his innermost circle. This, in my opinion, makes me believe that his abuse of others stems more from narcissism rather than ASPD but I am still unsure.

Throughout the comic, Hades treats Thanatos, his adoptive son, cruely. Even though the panels I used as an example are primarily from the trial and post-trial arch, there are plenty of other examples of Hades talking down to, belittling, or humiliating Thanatos, especially in public. Hades later tries to excuse this behavior by saying that due to the abuse he suffered as a child, he "didn't know what to do" with Thanatos. So, in a genius act of parenting, he resorts to *checks notes* either icing out Thanatos or verbally/emotionally abusing him until he could survive on his own. At which point Hades functionally abandons him. And remember when Thanatos asks Daphne if she's going to break his phone? Odd reaction to someone asking if they can see your phone, right? We know that Hades can be violent, often resorting to physical harm or destruction of property. So what's to stop him from smashing Thanatos' phone as a form of abuse? Granted, that last part is speculation, but don't forget Hades ripped out someone's eye and broke both his legs. Breaking a phone isn't above Hades.

Though the reader doesn't see a large majority of Hades' abuse towards Demeter until later, Hades openly admits that he and Demeter never got along, claiming that Demeter "always" found something to argue with him about. I suspect the actual details of their dislike for each other wouldn't make Hades out to be the victim of Demeter's "nagging". My theory, though wildly unsupported, has some stock to it due to Hades not just belittling but being outright cruel to Demeter in the panels below. But of course, Hades is suddenly worried about making a terrible impression on Demeter after thousands of years of bad treatment now that someone they both care for is involved which reeks of narcissism.

Failure to Conform... to Lawful Behaviors

Something that goes hand in hand with Hades' aggressiveness (and is another required "trait" for ASPD) is his failure to conform to lawful behaviors. Obviously, he's not the only character who does this in Lore Olympus, but I'm not talking about the other characters today.

Three situations that go beyond irritability and aggressiveness and turn into a breach of lawful behaviors (among many) are his brutal assault on Alex, his assault on the nymph to get back Persephone's comb, and the threatening of the pawn shop owner after being denied information about Persephone.

I remember when reading the chapters about Alex’s torture, people either cheered Hades on or felt indifferent. I honestly don't remember my reaction when reading these chapters the first time, but looking back now, Hades majorly overreacted. Paparazzi are generally a scourge upon the earth, and I do understand when celebrities get aggressive with them for wildly overstepping boundaries for the sake of a story. However, Hades' punishment (and reasons for the punishment) is extremely cruel and unusual, especially given that this story is supposed to be a MODERN retelling. I know the core cast are gods, so cruel and unusual is kind of their thing, but that archaic attitude of the ancient world clashes with upheld societal norms of today's times. I've seen videos of celebrities flipping off, getting aggressive, or even shoving away paparazzi but never ripping out their eye or breaking their legs.

I don't think Hades nearly killing Alex was the white knight moment people thought it was; clearly he doesn't know Persephone as well as he thought he did if he thought that nearly beating her classmate's roommate to death is something she would give him a treat and a pat on the head for. Not to mention, Hades did it for his own ego, not for Persephone's sake, something Persephone calls him out on. AND HADES ADMITS IT. Sure, Hades claims that Alex put Persephone's scholarship at risk, which is true to an extent, however, he quickly turns the situation into a "how dare you do this to ME" situation, something I pointed out in one of my previous chapter critiques as a major flaw of Hades.

And if you think "cannon" Lore Olympus Hades is a scumbag, wait until you read the pilot episodes of Lore Olympus. I thought Hades' brutal torture of Alex was bad in the officially released episodes, but if you go on the Lore Olympus Wiki where the pilot episodes are posted, you will see it's... so much worse. Imagine it like this: if Hades being shown about to rip out Alex's eye made you grimace, what he does to Alex in the pilot comic will literally horrify you.

Another character Hades assaults and harasses is the unnamed nymph in the underworld who had purchased and was wearing Persephone's comb. Again, she had purchased the comb i.e. it was legally no longer Persephone's, and therefore Hades had no right to take it back. It doesn't matter whether or not Persephone "would've never sold the comb if she didn't have to". Regardless of whether or not she had the comb, Hades as king of one of the three realms has no right to treat his citizens like that. It is unseemly.

It is just as unseemly for Hades to threaten the pawn shop owner because she refused to give Hades information about Persephone. Privacy policies are extremely important. This owner doesn't know if Hades is an abusive partner or if he's trying to hurt Persephone. It's the same reason why in real life, most places of employment are legally not allowed to give out any information about their employees. But sure, Hades can throw a temper tantrum because he doesn't get his way and when the temper tantrum doesn't work, he can try out his little sob story and magically get the information he wants.

Persephone once argued that as a king, Hades has a little more wiggle room to do what he pleases. However, I disagree. I think as a king, he should have less wiggle room because he is the face of a realm. He needs to set an example for his citizens. Instead he is allowed to run wild and do what he pleases, with Hecate either barely reining in Hades or aiding him.

Exploitative in their Sexual Relationships/Non-monogamous Relationships

Quick note: the DSM 5 hasn’t been updated in about 10 years (with minor changes made in 2022) and non-monogamy will likely no longer be included in future ASPD criterion since the rise of polyamory. A better descriptor for non-monogamy would likely be serial cheating, but for now, it is still regarded as non-monogamy in the DSM and I will be referring to it as such here. Keep in mind that not every person who has ASPD is going to be exploitative in their sexual relationships or participate in non-monogamous relationships and it is deeply unfair to make that assumption of someone who does have ASPD. However, there is usually a reason that certain traits or associated features are listed in the DSM-5 (or on other sites about the disorder) so keep that in mind.

One of the biggest critiques in the anti-LO community concerned Minthe, Hades, and the nature of their relationship. It was made abundantly clear from the very beginning that their relationship was incredibly unhealthy and involved themes like exploitation, abuse, and power dynamics. Obviously, Rachel wanted to portray Minthe as the toxic, jealous ex which worked in a way, given the fan base's treatment of her. However, the moment it was revealed that Minthe was nothing more than Hades' PA with whom he slept (which is a gross behavior still seen in the real world today), I felt it went downhill from there. As more and more details about their relationship came to light, it became clear that the abuse happening in their relationship went both ways, starting right from the moment Minthe became Hades' sugar baby. Please remember that financial abuse is just as damaging as verbal, physical, or psychological abuse. To clear up any confusion, here is a rough timeline of Hades and Minthe's relationship:

Hades and Minthe meet for the first time at the car event where she is working

Minthe storms into Underworld Corp. because she didn't get paid for the gig and was angry at Hades for (unintentionally) screwing her over

Hades fires his current PA and Minthe becomes his new PA

Minthe becomes his sugar baby either immediately or not too long after that

Hades blurs the line first and their relationship is no longer "no strings attached"

Years of on-and-off relationships, abuse, and fighting

Hades was planning on proposing to Minthe (which she discovers beforehand) despite knowing that his family hates her and she never wanted to be queen of the underworld

Hades meets Persephone and begins an affair with her, despite never officially breaking up with Minthe

Hades eventually breaks up with Minthe after she hits him

Hades immediately moves on to Persephone, a 19-year-old whom he's only known for a few weeks

Once again, in the pilot comic, the way Hades treats Minthe is worse. After she seemingly doesn’t come to the party with him (or claims that their relationship “isn’t working”), he immediately cancels her phone plan and doesn’t pay her rent as, what, petty revenge? Again, this is a form of abuse; Pilot!Minthe is now homeless and stranded because Hades took away essentials from her, leaving her scrambling. Hades shouldn’t have to lie down and take Minthe’s treatment of him, but he inherently has power over her as her king, employer, and a god. Their relationship was never one of equals.

Side note: The reason I also included the panels of Minthe talking about what Persephone “gets to look forward to” with Hades is that often, people with ASPD will have a “glib, superficial charm” as stated in the DSM-5. We often see Hades turning on the charm with Persephone, but again, I have a feeling that what Minthe is saying in an attempt to hurt Hades isn’t far off from the truth. And she gets turned into a plant because of it.

*inhale* Emotional 👏🏻 affairs 👏🏻 are 👏🏻 affairs 👏🏻

Not to mention that Hades also got physical with Persephone (and Hera) even while he and Minthe were still together. Like Persephone said, MINTHE DID NOT DESERVE TO BE CHEATED ON and yet they both go ahead and have an affair anyway??? I don’t understand why Hades felt the need to have an affair with Persephone when he had the resources and support necessary to leave Minthe (like seriously. I’m sure there would’ve been a massive party thrown by his family and close friends because they all look down on her). If it was Minthe who decided to leave Hades, she would've had a much harder time with that process.

I will admit I am biased on this topic. I despise cheaters. If you’re going to cheat on your partner, you should just leave and spare them the emotional pain. Instead, Hades drags out their relationship while being involved with Persephone, then gets to play “responsible” so he can sweep Minthe under the rug.

Let's not forget that Hades' relationship with Persephone is exploitative, too. Persephone is a sheltered, naive 19-year-old who hasn't once left the mortal realm until the beginning of this story. She doesn't even know what a butt dial is. Persephone is practically the poster child for the born sexy yesterday trope. And, like every titular story where this god-forsaken trope exists, there also exists a creepy man who is much older than the female protagonist and is totally okay with taking advantage of her so that he may end up with the ideal woman. Like Hera said when chewing out Hades: she's young. Easy to impress. Won't argue with you. And even after Hades finds all this information out, he goes, "Aw damn, that's a shame. Guess I'll pursue her anyways". Luckily for him, Persephone hasn't been around the block, which makes her the perfect target for his grooming and manipulation tactics. Disgusting.

Additionally, there are other moments after Hades and Persephone get together where he exploits her. Some of these moments include when he proposes to her. In this instance (and other situations), Hades exploited Persephone in a moment of distress where he framed himself as someone who could take away her pain. While I won't stick up for the way Demeter treated Persephone, Demeter was correct in the sense that Hades only asked Persephone (and Persephone said yes) to spite her. Of course Persephone was going to say yes, but Hades knew that. That's why he asked in the first place. That was his work around to Demeter's promise of preventing Hades from having something of hers that he truly desired.

Reckless

Hades' recklessness wasn't something I initially picked up on when first reading this comic. However, when doing a more thorough read, it is evident that this behavior is behind many of his actions.

The sleep dive chapter bothered me so much because not only was he not listening to his wife at all, but he acted like they were somehow the victims in this situation which was… certainly a choice. And she had to talk him off a way by having sex with him which just felt so icky to me. Not to mention, he initially wanted to confront Kronos without a plan because HIS pride was at risk. Both of these situations can also be classed as “reckless disregard for safety as self”.

Hades was also reckless in rushing into his relationship and marriage with Persephone. She says she wants to take it slow, he pushes boundaries. She says she wants to live in her own apartment so naturally they move in together 3 episodes later. She wants to take time for them to date and know each other? Nope, he rushes right into that god-forsaken proposal. I don't think I have much else to say on this topic without sounding like a broken record, but this is a behavior that should raise a warning in readers' minds about Hades' ability to make good choices, not only as a person but as a king.

Dishonorable Mentions

There are some “dishonorable mentions” that I think could’ve taken the main stage but I’m not going to go in-depth about them for a few reasons (such as Tumblr's 30-picture limit). They include:

Excuses/Lack of Remorse about the treatment of characters (217, 253)

This mainly concerns Thanatos and Demeter, the two people Hades most often antagonizes. In my opinion, neither party got a proper apology from Hades, just half-assed excuses. Hades blamed his childhood circumstances for the way he treated Thanatos (which funny, Kronos does the same thing with Hera) and his way of making up for that is offering him a sandwitch which just.

Wow. Truly inspiring parenting skills right there.

Not to mention that in the finale Rachel writes that Thanatos and Hades barely talk with each other?? So much for making amends or whatever.

As for Demeter, Hades makes an excuse about how by Demeter "taking away his volcanos", she would remove his only tie to the mortal realm which... I guess we're supposed to feel bad about? As if Hades frequently visits the mortal realm anyways. I suppose it's the principle of the matter, but I still think it's a half-assed apology, especially considering it's been hundreds of years since Demeter was screwed over as queen of the Mortal Realm. And I know Hades also brough back Demophoon, Demeter's "son", but let's be real, it was just to get brownie points with Demeter.

Inappropriate treatment of Persephone in the workplace (40, 41, 44, 59, 88, 107, 178)

Now, I'm unsure if the way I'm interpreting "consistent irresponsibility, as indicated by repeated failure to sustain consistent work behavior..." is, in fact, correct, but I'm going to err on the side of caution and mention Hades' treatment of Persephone in the workplace. This is something I mentioned in Minthe's section, but it is irresponsible and inappropriate of Hades as Persephone's boss to treat her the way he does. The private lunches, the tours, hours spent together not working, the list goes on. Not to mention Hades keeps swinging back and forth between trying to treat Persephone as an employee under him and trying to get her under him.

Alcoholism

Hades' alcoholism goes without saying. It has pretty much been known from the very beginning that Hades has an issue with drinking excessively, to the point where Zeus even snarks to Persephone that where Hades is, there's likely booze. Which... is he wrong? Is he? I don't have a whole lot to say on this subject, I just figured I'd bring it up since substance use disorders are frequently associated with ASPD.

Final thoughts

It’s incredible how Hades got older but never seemed to grow up. Granted, something might have been stunted due to the abuse he suffered as a child, but this is also the man who called his therapist a quack so I can only feel so much sympathy for someone who bemoans their situation but refuses to get help *cough*the afterward chapter*cough*. It's very clear that Hades as also been enabled and coddled to the point of being able to unlearn his behaviors and anyone who tries to stand up to him or does something to displease him suffers his wrath.

Overall, while I was not in Rachel's head while writing Hades' character (and I frankly didn't want to be), this is one of my best guesses about what is wrong with Hades. It’s pretty obvious that Rachel never intended to write Hades as someone who presented with anything other than PTSD, but it’s still kind of shocking how many boxes Hades checks off for other psychological disorders. Again, I'm not a professional psychologist, I don't have any kind of degree, I just know a lot about the subject and I love throwing myself into research. All of the information I have gathered has come from credible sources such as the DSM 5 and other similar sites that cite the DSM 5 in their sources. I will see you soon in part 2 when I discuss Hades and Narcisistic Personality Disorder.

[big-ass-magnet]

Girl Genius character alignment nonsense I could not get out of my head.

I know the dungeons and dragons alignment charts are up to a LOT of interpretation, which is why people always argue when someone assigns blorbos to the wrong square.

HOWEVER.

We are all generally in agreement that the "lawful" part of lawful good, neutral, and evil does not mean the 'things you can go to jail for' type laws, yes? You can do evil things without doing anything illegal (gestures at capitalism) and you can do good things that are illegal (gestures at capitalism again). "Lawful" means a personal code of ethics and honor (or dishonor) that a character follows.

(if you DON'T agree with that, just pretend for the duration of this post; play with me in this space)

Lawful evil can do chaotic evil things without compromising being lawful--the archetype of evil characters who are convinced they are good because everything they do is a means to a greater end. Chaotic evil is when you, at your core, first and foremost form your beliefs and make your choices based on a foundation of "because I want to".

An evil paladin who burns down people's houses for fun can still be lawful evil because of their devotion to their oath--if they have the kind of oath that allows or encourages house burning.

(you can probably guess where I am going with this)

Jägers have done and are in no way opposed to chaotic evil stuff. That is not up for debate. They enjoy violence and destruction, and they will cause it whenever they can, but they don't leave Mechanicsburg on a raid for the fun of it. The Mechanicsburg citizens who ride with them absolutely do it for the fun, for the glory, to get chicks. The Jägers ride with their Heterodyne.

In the novelizations, it's specifically mentioned (in my favorite gag in the whole series) that Bill and Barry turned the town from chaotic evil to lawful evil, and managed to do so because they had the support of the Jägers. When Bill and Barry did good, the Jägers were fascinated, even curious about trying it, because there is nothing in the troth that says you serve your Heterodyne only by setting things on fire.

Mechanicsburg and the people within were chaotic evil; the Jägers, by virtue of their troth, were already lawful evil. Hell, you could make the argument that they were and are lawful neutral, and where they are on the morality scale is up to the Heterodyne.

and bill and barry could have made them good if they hadn't decided unilaterally that all monsters are evil and not worth saving unless they are human on the outside I GUESS

Thanks for coming to my TED talk.

[cheeseceli]

It's okay

Pairing: I.N × Gn!Reader.

Genre: hurt/comfort.

Summary: you feel like everything is falling apart, but your boyfriend is there to hold you close.

Warning: mention of blood; mention of food; Y/n is pretty much in a breakdown; not proofread; some cursing.

Author's note: this happened to me but I had no i.n with me lmao😔 hope this might bring comfort to anyone who needs it

"Y/n?"

The voice of your boyfriend woke you up from the confusion that was in your mind as soon as you heard him, noticing the worried expression his features had.

"What?"

"You've been staring at this glass for a while now. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah" you started drinking from your glass of water, avoiding any other question. The cubes of ice had already melted "everything's alright."

"Okay then. Uh... do you want to order food? We can eat that guioza that you've been dying to try. Or we can just have the usual."

"Just order whatever you'd like."

You stood up and went to the kitchen, feeling guilty for treating Jeongin so cold-heartedly when he clearly was worried about you. But you really, really didn't have the energy to talk in the moment. And even if you did, you doubt anything good could get out of your mouth right now. So you were going to wait.

Wait until your problems disappeared, or until you were brave enough to face them. Whatever came first. But honestly, you didn't expect that any of the previous options would actually happen. You were just waiting for everything to get worse and dry you out. Those last days couldn't have gone worse and now you're just playing this game where you try to guess what horrible thing will follow in the list of disasters in your life. Maybe someone steals your phone tomorrow. Or you can break an arm before going to bed tonight. Maybe your university catches fire, your boyfriend breaks up with you and you receive a call from your parents telling you you're a dishonor. The possibilities are infinite.

Whatever the case is, you just feel something bad will happen, as apparently you have no control over your life anymore. Nothing happens as you plan it, it doesn't matter how hard you try. In the end, you can't stop unpleasant situations in your life, like letting the glass slip from your hands. Very next thing you know is the pain in your foot as the glass shatters next to it.

"Y/n? What was that sound?"

"Nothing"" you tried to keep calm and not involve I.N in your mess, even though you knew it wouldn't work. Not a second passed by and you could hear his footsteps coming closer.

"Oh shit."

"It's okay, I'll clean it."

"No, Y/n, stop. You are barefoot and already bleeding."

"It's just a small cut."

"Still a cut. C'mon."

You didn't quite understand at the moment, but when he searched for the nearest pair of shoes available to wear and took you in his arms you got it: he was bringing you brided style to the bathroom.

"You're overreacting."

"Just sit down, please." He placed you in the sink and started an inspection on your cut, analysing how bad it could be "does it hurt a lot?"

"No. I told you it's just a small cut."

"It's not that small baby. What's going on?"

He was focused on cleaning your wound and didn't really look at your face, but you knew he was paying attention to every small movement of yours. You could see he was trying to help you. For a second, you really wanted to be helped.

"Was it really that obvious that something's wrong?"

"It's the second glass that you break this week. Besides I know you well."

"Sorry 'bout that by the way."

"I don't care about a glass, Y/n. I just want you well. Can you tell me what's bothering you?"

"It's just..." now his eyes were on you, and you could notice how much he truly cared about you. Funny how just his eyes could lift a lot of weight out of your shoulders "I don't know, everything's seems wrong. My backpack ripped in the subway, my friends love to say shit about me as if it's the funniest joke ever, my family's dog is sick, I didn't have a proper meal for more than a week and this is a never ending list. I know I must be being dramatic as hell right now, but to be fair, I feel like I'm on the edge of a breakdown."

"Baby" I.N dried one of your tears with his thumb. You didn't even notice you started crying "it's okay to feel like that. You're not being dramatic at all. After such a hell of a week you deserve to let your feelings out. What about I cancel that order, I cook your favourite to you and we sew your bag later?"

You have him a small smile, glad you had someone so great by your side, someone who knew how to be there for you "I'd like that very much."

He smiled as well "Great."

Jeongin stood up so he'd be able to give you a proper hug. Your boyfriend wasn't the touchy type usually, but he was really great at giving hugs, so whenever a moment like this happened, you tried to savour every minute.

"We can go to your parents' house tomorrow if you'd like. Maybe your dog will get better by your side."

"It's a three hours drive."

"I'm a good driver."

You smiled, hugging him tighter and pressing your face into his chest "thank you."

Reblogs and feedback is always appreciated!

Dividers by @cafekitsune

[thespookybean14]

Okay, so based on this original post, here’s my thoughts on the Nostromo Crew characters that I think about a lot!

⚠️ CW/TW: mentions of addiction, mentions of alcohol, mentions of being a POW, mentions of implied violent childhood/abuse, as well mentions as mental health. ⚠️

Note: If y’all are wondering about the colored heart emojis—-those are usually just the colors I associate with them! :)

Note 2: Some of these pieces of lore that I get also come from their pages on the Alien wiki, not just the dossiers I linked. I wanted various different sources to look at than just one. In fact, the post I linked mentions some of the differences between the Legacy and Anthology sets. I wanted to let y’all know! :)

Nostromo Crew Lore:

Dallas ❤️:

•His birthday is February 27th, 2076!

•He’s from Montana

•When he was thirty years old (June 1st, 2106) he was commissioned into the United Americas Outer Rim Defense Fleet. He was a lieutenant!

•He fought in the Torin Prime Civil War from when he was thirty to when he was thirty-two as a pilot.

•After liberating Torin Prime he gained a promotion to captain and received the Sunburst Medal of Honor.

•He lost the UAS Archangel in an enemy attack in 2109.

•It ended terribly, ultimately leading to him getting a dishonorable discharge in January of 2110.

•Dallas went missing in action for three years after that (2110-2113)…like no one knows what happened to him. I really want to know where he went during this time period honestly

•Then he casually smuggles weapons and medical supplies into The Solomons in 2113.

•He buys his own ship (Tremolino) in 2114 and owns it until 2118, when it gets decommissioned. His crew also got disbanded.

•Dallas worked for the Tyrell Company at one point! (Blade Runner mention ‼️)

•It’s noted in his psych evaluation towards the bottom of the page that he had some effects of mild psychosis while doing work as an executive officer. He had hostility towards authority figures and it was subliminated.

•Unrelated to his file, but according to the Alien: Isolation novelization, Dallas meets Ripley and Amanda at some point in the 2110s. Ripley and Dallas end up being really good friends! He offered her a position on his crew. She didn’t take it at the time, but she did end up working with him later on The Nostromo upon his request.

Kane 🤍:

•He’s from the UK! :)

•His birthday is April 20th, 2083 according to the dossiers I linked; but in another set it’s March 28th, 2081. I’m going to stick with April 20th as his birthday.

•He graduated with honors both from private school and military school.

•He was in medical school from 2104-2108 until he got expelled due to dealing with issues of substance/drug abuse. He got treated for it. He would’ve been around twenty-one to twenty-four.

•He later got a Masters degree in Engineering in 2112.

•He served as a Mission Analyst at one point from 2115-2117.

•It’s noted in his psych evaluation that he’s a very idealistic overachiever and due to being under pressure in school caused him to have addiction issues.

•There’s a warning in his psych evaluation about his high levels of idealism and impulsiveness made him a poor candidate for work.

Ripley 💙:

•Ripley’s birthday is on January 7th, 2092!

•Ripley wasn’t born on Earth, she was born on Olympia, a colony on the moon!

•She had to quarantine from the time she was two years old until she was eighteen years old due to a virus outbreak.

•Ripley was very good at law, ethics, and corporate while in school. She also graduated at the top of her class. I like to imagine she probably would’ve wanted to be a lawyer at some point.

•Unrelated to her file, but I did the math in my free time because Amanda Ripley was born in 2112. Ripley would’ve been twenty years old when she had Amanda.

•According to her file, Ripley negotiated an end to a hostage crisis. 49 lives were saved and 8 terrorists were convicted. That was on October 16th, 2115. If you do the math, Ripley would’ve been twenty-three years old.

•She requested for maternity leave and Weyland-Yutani denied her the maternity leave in 2118. She sued them and got her flight license and salary suspended. I hate Weyland-Yutani.

•At least she got it back and got maternity leave before her trip on the Sotillo.

•If you scroll further down the page, it’ll show some of the crew’s psych evaluations. Under Ripley’s, before she had to leave on the Nostromo trip, it’s noted she wanted to stay with her daughter due to experiencing severe feelings of guilt over her lack of contact with Amanda.

(^ That really got me. I think that actually haunts me.)

Lambert 🧡:

•She’s from Canada!

•Her birthday is November 7th, 2093 (she’s the youngest crew member…)

•She has a masters degree in Astro-Cartography, so I think it has something to do with reading maps related to space (considering her role as a navigator), she graduated in 2112.

•She was an intern at Ridton Corp. from June-September 2112.

•She got married in October of 2112 (she would’ve been 18), then divorces Xander Chapman in February of 2114 (she would’ve been 20).

•Lambert got married again in September of 2118 and divorced Lordan Hessutt in January of 2120 (She would’ve been 24 the second time she got married; then 26 when she divorced him…if I did the math wrong please correct me).

•It’s mentioned in her dossier that she’s transgender! :)

•Also, not shown in her dossier in the post I linked, but in the background of Aliens (1986), it’s mentioned on her dossier when it’s shown on the background (if you look closely), it states “slight hyperactivity and nervousness diagnosed” so I think she’s neurodivergent too. :)

Parker 💚:

•Parker is from California!

•His birthday is February 4th, 2080

•Parker was originally a pit mechanic at one point from 2100-2104. He quit his job over a salary dispute.

•Parker, like Dallas, was also in the United Americas Outer Rim Defense Fleet during the Torin Prime Civil War. He was in Skyfire Down and his rank was Private (January 9th, 2105-June 14th, 2107…he would’ve been around twenty-five to twenty-eight years old.)

•It makes me wonder if they’ve heard of each other or even if they knew each other at any point while in the Outer Rim Defense Fleet.

•He later gets promoted to corporal and is a chief mechanic from June to August of 2107.

•Unfortunately on August 1st, 2107, Parker was captured by J’har Rebels and ended up becoming a prisoner of war from August 2107-February 2108. :(

•He manages to escape his imprisonment on February 21st, 2108 by building an emergency escape vehicle out of scrap!

•He later gets honorably discharged in October of 2108.

•He becomes besties with Brett on the USCSS Nonnabo in 2117.

•On his Xenopedia page, it’s mentioned that he dislikes authority figures. (According to the Anthology set)

Brett 💛:

•Brett’s from Texas!

•His birthday is July 13th, 2069

•He worked as a hardware specialist at a solar energy plant from 2094-2095, but it later got terminated.

•He worked at Ridton Corp. in 2096 (same place Lambert worked at!!)

•He piloted cargo ships through a war zone at high speed, causing his to be suspended from work…yikes.

•He has troubles with alcoholism

•While going through detox in 2112, he unfortunately suffered from brain damage.

•It’s implied in his psych evaluation that he had a troubled family life and violent childhood memories :(

•Parker helped him out tremendously, so I really love the both of them a lot.

Ash 🩶:

•There’s not really much on his dossier other than the fact he was with the crew two days before leaving Thedus.

•Apparently Ridley Scott explained in a interview at one point that he gave Ian Holm information about Ash (ie. place of birth, education, etc,) however that information was never really made fully known to everyone and it’s likely a cover-up for the fact he’s an android.

[godhandler]

Tokyo Day 

| s. geto x reader, mentions of n. zenin x reader, infidelity, angst, fluff ending, geto is an unstable maniac in love as he was created to be, porn with serious plot, 1.7k words, part 3 |

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The Modern Japanese Suite at the Tokyo Ritz is the one that matches closest to the Jujutsu High school dorm rooms, as far as Suguru could glean from his offhand perusal of the rooming catalogue. 

“It has a well serviced dining area,” he tells you. “Private enough for a fugitive.”

You’re catching your breath from the long walk, slumped over the foyer sofa. “You’re anything but one, Suguru, you’ve never even tried to hide.” 

He smiles. “I was talking about you.” 

Ever the gentleman, he leads you up to the 53rd floor, having waved off the bellboy. The Modern Japanese Suite has a huge, unending window with no curtains. Is that the fashion now? To flash your neighbours? You shrug, collapsing onto a chair immediately after entering the room. 

“Are you pregnant?” The polite, restrained, socially cognizant Geto Suguru vanishes the second the door is closed behind you. 

“Do I look pregnant?” 

“No! I just meant– Sorry, but how are you tired already? You are one of the fastest fighters we have.” 

‘Were’, you correct him in your mind. “Suguru, when is the room service coming with our lunch?” 

“About 20 minutes, why?” 

It’s just Suguru. More than your boyfriend, he was your best friend. It’s okay, it’s just Suguru. 

You toss off your overcoat and pull up the hem of your blouse, just a little, to show a hint of your belly. When he doesn’t join the dots immediately, you pull down your skirt a little too. The C-section scar speaks of a missed lifetime that neither of you can get back.

“I have to pee a lot more too.” You tell Suguru, who kneels down by your feet, his eyes set tight on the scar. “And I’m allergic to aubergines now. There’s so many small things like that. My body just never bounced back like those supermodels. I love my son, I truly do, but my body is just ruined.” 

“Not ruined.” It slips out before he can help it. Maybe he’s just blind, unable to see all the creased flabby skin over your belly or the trench-like stretch marks or the blue veins running all over. Nothing like the athletic teenage body he last remembered seeing you with. Maybe he does and cannot admire it enough. 

“Is he..?”

“...No.” You caress his cheek. Not your son. “I’m sorry.” 

“I waited for you.” His accusing eyes bore into yours. Who were you a fugitive from? Your legally married husband whom you were dishonoring as of now? Or Suguru, your destiny, who you avoided for the past decade? “I stayed unmarried and childless for 10 fucking years. Do you think I didn’t want a wife or kids, huh? You knew I did. I told you I did!” He gnashes his molars, an eye twitching in his mercurial anger. “You went and got yourself all settled down, didn’t you? Were you just playing with me back then?” His shouting drills through your skull, panic rising as you try to calm him down and fail. “Here- do you see a ring on my finger? No? Then why’s there one on yours? Where’s the ring I got you?”

“Suguru, I can–”

“Where’s-my-ring!?” 

“I–”

We’re not us. That is all that runs through your head. The shock of Suguru griping you by the collar, the sudden fear that you are locked in with a savage murderer, the dismay that you are scared of Suguru of all people. We’re not us. 

You can’t tell if he's saying ‘are you scared of me?’ or ‘aren’t you scared of me?’

All you can reply is this – “I love you.”

He would’ve banged your head against the wall at your terrible answer if he hadn’t spotted the glint of your locket tucked under your collar. A clear diamond the size of his thumbnail, teardrop shape ominously prophetic. 

He was kneeling the first time he put it on you, too. The diamond sat on a white gold ring band at the time. It glinted and glimmered all over his laughing face. You had tears in your eyes, ‘of joy’, as you claimed. 

He could not blame you for how it all turned out. His own devotion never in question, he could not point a finger at you and claim that you broke apart his perfect love story. You never wavered either. Has he not sacrificed enough? Has he not starved enough? Was it just never meant to be? 

Geto Suguru weeps into your lap, his face buried in your soft belly. 

xxxxx 

The room service folks serve the table as you watch. Suguru, now in the washroom, had ordered the menu– a recreation of your cheap student-era lunches. Rice drenched in miso, sausages that he used to steal from you, tamagoyaki, chicken karaage, shredded cabbage, two full bottles of soju. 

“The sausages are all mine!” He screams from the washroom, a lot more upbeat at the sight of lunch. 

True to the theme, there’s only one plate to eat off of. The little family diner you used to visit back then charged by the plate, so all 6 of you would order a variety of food and eat off only one plate. The owner hated watching your little troop come in. 

Suguru claims his spot next to you. Your husband’s wedding ring has been tossed under the dresser and the locket is out in full view. 

“I adopted two little kids,” he tells you, mouth full of sausage. “Twins, Nanako and Mimiko Hasaba. They’re in 9th grade, about our age when we met.”

“And how is it, raising daughters? I know that I have my hands full with my son.”

“Listen, I love them, alright? I’d give them both my kidneys. If only they would stop telling me about their school projects last minute, I would be a happier man. That’s why I’m here, actually.” He tells you all about the school trip and the canvases they forgot.

You laugh. “Mine too! He’s turning 7 soon, so he’s still in 2nd grade. Just last week I had to send people out for black chart papers in the middle of the night.” 

“He’s still little, enjoy that age as much as you can.” Suguru smiles. “They grow up so fast and then have crushes on all sorts of morons. Turns my hair grey. You can’t trust these boys nowadays. Remember how I courted you, with bouquets of flowers and lover letters? Why can’t my daughters pick a standup guy like that? They just have to pick a fool wearing Crocs–” 

“Oh, ease up, Suguru. That age is just like that. You know that before you, I had a crush on Justin Beiber.” 

“Not Justin Beiber.” 

“Can it, you snob. He’s pretty and sang well. I’m just saying that most people don’t end up actually dating their crushes!”

 “I did.” It’s a wonder that Suguru can make you blush hard as a teenage girl even at your age. “Tell me about your boy.”

“He likes to play baseball and is super into traffic lights now. I just dropped him off at school this morning. He’d reach to your knees. He was so small when he was born, we were so worried that he wouldn’t make it. Go–” You glance at him, ascertaining that the name was okay in his presence. “–Gojo helped out with his RCT.”

“Rough delivery?” 

“Very.” You shudder at the memory. “Hemorrhage and blood clots. I almost died. Gojo saved me too. Difficult pregnancy to start with.” 

It would’ve gone different had you been mine– unsaid words hung in the air. I’d be so much better than your useless husband.

“What did you name him? Let me guess, Ryuuto? You were so stubborn about that name.” 

“Ah, about that–”

“Yes?” A pause. Was it so bad that you couldn’t even tell him? “Did you name him Suguru or something? See, I would find that sweet.”

“I– he’s named Naosuke.”

“Naosuke… Zenin?” 

“Yes,” you admit, tang of shame heavy on your tongue.   

“Of all people, Naoya is wh–”

Before his blood pressure spikes again, you cut in to explain. “No! It’s not like that, Naoya is the one who started all this. I didn’t want to! I promise!”

“So you’d rather marry Naoya Zenin of all people than come to me–”

“I was tossed out of Jujutsu High after you left!” You hurry to explain before he melts into his rage again. “I had no money, no education, not even a place to live. Then mom was diagnosed with cervical cancer and we needed so much money, we didn’t even have insurance, I wasn’t well either– I started using and couldn’t stop, and then one day Naoya Zenin appeared talking of marriage. What else could I do? I had no better opportunities in life. I was just 18 then. I didn’t know any better. Everyone was dealing with their own shit. Who could’ve helped me?” 

“Me, you fool, me!” He grabs your wrist, flinging his chopsticks off the table. 

But you simply laugh in his face. “You? I didn’t want to be associated with you. Not just because of the jujutsu laws, but because I didn’t want to be associated with you. You killed innocent people!” 

“And you must be sooo happy with your holy choices, aren’t you? Getting your asshole fucked by that herpes-laden Naoya every night? Tell me, does he put his foot over your fac–” 

“I didn’t marry Naoya, alright?” You shout above him. “Naoya took me to his house for his father to approve of me and then he decided that he wanted me for himself. Naoya is Naosuki’s half brother.” 

“Don’t tell me…” 

“Suguru,” you clasp his face. “I had nowhere else to go. We needed the money.” 

For a second, disgusting images of an almost 70 year old perverted drunkard defiling you filled his head. Did he kiss your pretty face with his warty one? Hold you down while he pushed his small cock to your rosebud lips, hairy balls hanging to his knees, covered under rolls of belly fat? 

In your face all he saw was exhaustion. 

“Eat.” He chose a piece of karaage, dipped it in miso and fed you with his own hand. “We’ll talk after.” 

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[biowaredisasterbisexual]

So, I mentioned here that I had many more thoughts on the Tevinter Imperium’s military and its pay, which ties a lot into my thoughts on the Soporati class. And someone was brave enough to encourage me to keep going. (And my beta is going Through it right now, so I really ought to stop dumping more one-shots in her inbox like a child collecting cool rocks.)

Oooh, my friends, I am unleashed. 🤣

So, first things first, Tevinter, in the world of DA, is very clearly patterned on the Roman Empire. It’s not one for one, of course, “inspired by” and “the same as” are two very different things. Nonetheless, there is a lot of real world Roman Empire influence in the game’s conceptions of game world Tevinter. So many of my thoughts, here, are influenced by the realities of life for soldiers in the armies of the Roman Empire (and the Republic, as DA takes from that time period too, just less so).

We learn throughout the games that Tevinter is structured into roughly five classes (but arguably six, there’s some questions there that the other post digs into). Three citizen classes: Altus, Laetan, and Soporati. Two non-citizen classes: Liberati and slaves. The Altus and the Laetans are mage citizen classes, the Soporati the non-mage citizens of the Imperium and by far the most numerous citizen class. The Liberati (freed slaves) and slaves aren’t (full) citizens of the Imperium, even though they’re ruled by it.

By virtue of being part of the Altus and Laetan classes, mage citizens have educational and professional opportunities that many Soporati lack. Indeed, based on what we can glean in-world, the Soporati largely are a poor class other than a fortunate few who manage to scrape up and/or inherit money through one of two ways. One, the merchant class. Most Soporati merchants are also not well-off in Tevinter. But a limited few are.

And then there’s the Imperial legions.

The way the Imperial legions are talked about in the games, they seem to be one of the few options for achieving financial stability and security for Soporati in Tevinter. Note: This is not the case for the Liberati or the slaves, as they are not citizens and thus not allowed to join the Legion.*

And broadly that may be true. If we take as a given - and this is admittedly a big ask - pay and military structure work similarly in the Tevinter legions as it did in the Roman ones, a standard, enlisted legionnaire would receive: (1) room, (2) board, (3) salary, and (4) retirement (and potentially also bonuses). The salary for the average legionnaire is likely very small. Less than most jobs likely pay. An average legionnaire probably has a lower salary than Tarquin or Rana Savas. HOWEVER, since the Legion is providing housing and food during service, legionnaires have guaranteed disposable income in a way that most Soporati don’t appear to. Higher ranking members of the legions, officers, would receive 2x-10x the salary, depending on the specific rank. At the end of it all, they’d receive a retirement (in Rome this was property and/or 10+ years salary).

In exchange for those financial benefits (again, taking similarity to the Roman legions as a given, which is a big assumption), legionnaires: serve a fixed term (it was around 20 years during the Roman Empire, but that isn’t my headcanon for Tevinter); cannot marry during their term; cannot own property during their term; are subject to brutal discipline; and have a very high death rate during their term. Like 50% or more high. Even for officers. These restrictions mean that their wealth can’t be passed on as easily (remember, no marriage), isn’t as stable (no property), and isn’t guaranteed (no retirement if you die or are dishonorably discharged, and pay can be suspended as discipline). They may not be able to inherit, depending on if one headcanons Roman inheretence laws as also being mimicked in-game by Tevinter.

Add to that that many Soporati members of the legions are likely not used to managing much money (making them, however accidentally, more prone to mismanaging it) and are sending money home to parents/siblings/loved ones. On average, most legionnaires likely have very little actual wealth. They just have free housing and food. They’ve essentially given themselves, at great personal risk, to the Imperium to fight on behalf of a country they have very little say in the governance of because it’s a better shot than being potentially homeless or forced to sell themselves into slavery.

This is quite possibly - though again, I’m relying on at least one major assumption here - the existence that is sold as one of the only paths to stability and security for the Soporati class. Which I feel like says a lot about how little the rest have.

* Tevinter may have forces akin to the Roman auxiliaries (how non-citizens could serve in a military capacity in the Roman Empire) that include the Liberati or slaves (and we know from in-universe sources they do get used as mercenaries, bodyguards, or spies), but that’s never made clear.

[serpentface]

I'm sure you've already mentioned this somewhere I couldn't find it, but if you wouldn't mind going over it again/redirecting...

It's very clear that the purpouse of marriage here is to basically give a man a wife to have children for him and not producing babies is quite dishonorable/sus. Janeys handily sidestepped this, but what's the societal norm for women who physically cannot get pregnant/bring a pregnancy to term? Is this grounds for divorce? Or something even harsher?

The function of marriage in this society boils down to ensuring the future of your family line via children, securing wealth for oneself and one's family (via dowry and dower, and political alliances in the case of the marriages of nobility), ensuring support for oneself/one's family (via a wife's domestic labor, a husband as a primary supporter and protector, children who will provide labor and will care for you in old age, a male heir whole will carry your legacy, etc), and even ensuring secure passage to the afterlife (your children have filial obligations to ensure you get a proper funeral, the blood bond between a husband/wife is thought to help guide a lost soul if they die without being able to obtain rites).

Social norms regarding a man's expected performance of masculinity as a patriarch are deeply wrapped up into and built on top of this, but it's much more complex than Just benefiting a man's social standing. The blood family is the fundamental social unit and sense of identity in this society- you are your family name before you are an individual, you have profound obligations towards your family and ensuring its survival (both literally in a life or death sense, and in the sense of preventing the end of a line). Nobility generally don't have to worry about obtaining marriage for basic subsistence (though marriage and childbearing still has other squarely practical functions) which is where you see concerns about honor being most preeminent, but maintaining your family name and line in good standing IS understood as a survival concern.

So all that being said, yeah it's a problem if a woman cannot get pregnant or bear offspring to term. In cases where the HUSBAND is infertile, the wife stands a strong chance of being blamed (there is most often no way to prove otherwise in the immediate term, and the wife herself will generally have no way of knowing for certain that it Isn't her). A woman's infertility isn't something that's going to be 'punished' per se (outside of individual cases of abusive husbands), the main response is just going to be divorce (and this is probably the most common reason for divorces).

This is still a very bad situation for a young woman to be in. Being divorced on grounds of infertility (real or imagined) DRASTICALLY lowers your chances of being remarried, which is a matter of security and survival for a woman in this society. Your likeliest chance at remarriage is that a MUCH older widower who already has a set of healthy and/or adult children will be interested in taking you on as a wife, and this is hardly a given. Fathers will also sometimes refuse to reclaim daughters who were divorced on grounds of infertility- this Sometimes has practical elements (especially in cases of poverty, where taking her back is another mouth to feed), and sometimes purely a matter of shame. (Note that this is not THE standard practice, and will often be regarded as perhaps understandable but notably cruel, some will even consider this to be an outright flouting of familial obligations).

A lot of women will also attempt to determine their fertility prior to marriage, and a prospective wife being examined for signs of infertility is highly encouraged (if not an outright prerequisite, especially among nobility). Part of the job of many midwives and all higher echelon physician-priestesses is determining fertility, and they can be hired for pre and post-marital examinations. [This comic mentions it, Hibrides has been suspiciously not pregnant after Janeys going 'yeah I've definitely knocked her up, probably. Bye' and ditching, examined by a midwife yet again at his mother's behest, and determined to be fertile] [This is a distinctly unpleasant and humiliating experience].

Divorce is not usually the First response when a couple struggles to conceive (it's within a man's rights to call for it, but this is rarely a pragmatic move due to the massive resource investment in a marriage to begin with). A Huge portion of traditional medicinal practices focus on improving/ensuring fertility (both male and female), and both spouses will change their diet to include fertility-enhancing foods and take/wear medicines when trying to conceive, and may undergo intensive medicinal regimes if they're struggling.

Religious practice is another avenue for navigating conception issues, and fertility is of MASSIVE significance to this faith (in all its aspects- that of humans, the earth, livestock, rivers, wild animals, etc). The Faces Mitlamache, Ganmache, and Anaemache are most relevant to human fertility (with the latter having associations Specific to pregnancy) and blessings from their priests, prayers and personal offerings, and sacrifices to these Faces are thought to be able to increase fertility or (potentially) cure sterility. Odomache has a role as a protector of pregnant women and of children (superficially disparate to Its warfare and sovereignty functions, but womens' struggles through labor is likened to a combat, especially given high rates of death in childbirth and Very high rates of infant mortality), and Odonii provide blessings to encourage a healthy pregnancy and delivery. A lot of public festivals and rites have at least partial functions specific to female fertility (the annual rites to Anaemache are mostly participated in by women who are pregnant or hoping to conceive).

All this being said, sometimes husbands and wives actually do like, love each other. Marriage in this society is usually arranged (SOME lower class marriages are self-selected but the marriages of noblemen are basically never Not arranged) and the institution of marriage is NOT about romantic interest by any means (though its a standard hope that love will develop with time), but men who are deeply attached to their wives might struggle to pull the pragmatic move of divorcing in the face of clear infertility. You'll see some couples struggling to conceive for years and pouring all their efforts into medical and spiritual intervention (perhaps even making a show of it) without the husband ever hitting the escape button.

Adoption does Exist as a thing (though the extreme importance projected upon blood lineage (and particularly blood Heirs) makes many men more hesitant than is practical, the vast majority of adoptions occur when a man already has secured at least one biological heir). An adopted child is not considered a true blood relative, but rites surrounding adoption involve blood-sharing to establish the child as both legal and spiritual kin, and establishes standard familial obligations (this same sort of kinship rite is involved in marriage and sworn brotherhood). Opting for a divorce in the face of infertility tends to be Much more common than adoption, but the latter can fill all purely pragmatic functions needed of a child in marriage, and couples who are deeply attached to one another are likely to take this route.

[cienie-isengardu]

MK1 rant - Sektor's mother

*Attention, rant not spoiler free*

Keeping in mind it’s easy to criticize a worldbuilding when one was not involved in the creation process of it, I must say this - Netherrealm Studio lately is missing many potential, if not great opportunities to add a weight to connection between characters and in more general sense, layers to Liu Kang’s new Timeline. All, as I suspect, to keep the clear line between “good guys” and the “evil ones”. Which is quite a sad turn of events, as the worldbuilding presented so far is pretty nuanced and worth examining and building on. 

The latest missed opportunity is the choice of Sektor’s mother.

Sektor’s Bio put a great deal on her relationship with parents:

Sektor grew up immersed in Lin Kuei culture. Her mother was a leading warrior, her father was its Master Armorer. Sektor marveled at his flawless work. Apprenticing with him, she eventually surpassed her father's skills. When he retired, she took his place. But Sektor also wanted to honor her mother’s legacy. Now her vast knowledge of weaponry and her formidable martial skills make Sektor a kombatant like no other [...]

The presented intro dialogue between Sektor and Kuai Liang on twitter revealed that Madam Bo is in fact Sektor’s mother

Kuai Liang: You have dishonored Madame Bo. Sektor: Leave my mother out of this!

On one hand, Madam Bo trained Kung Lao and Raiden (and was going to test Raiden’s sister), so there is both connection between Lin Kuei and Liu Kang’s favorite Champions and an emotional impact, as she was forced to choose between duty to Fire Lord (and her “boys”) and her own daughter. Which is fine, surprising but not the worst possible choice. 

But lemme tell you this: imagine Sektor sharing the same mother with Bi-Han & Kuai Liang and the impact on Lin Kuei characters AND added layers to established previously lore.

For one, the original timeline stated Bi-Han had a younger brother (Kuai Liang) and youngest sister. With Sektor being a female now, this could nicely be a callback to ice brothers’ roots.

Secondly, Kuai Liang was established by his BIO as “Revered Lin Kuei Warrior”. The use of strong word as revered was suggesting Scorpion’s high position within the clan and/or him being admired by others members of Lin Kuei. Yet once Bi-Han broke the clan’s ties with Liu Kang/Earthrealm so far there was no mention of any Lin Kuei (beside Madam Bo?) choosing Scorpion over Sub-Zero. And logically thinking, there should be still plenty of people who served Kuai Liang’s father and shared his sense of duty. Sektor being, for lack of better terms, one of the “Lin Kuei Royal Family” would add a lot of weight to Kuai Liang’s statement: "You forget Cyrax and Sektor. Their loyalty to Bi-Han is absolute. They'll sooner abet his corruption than follow me."? As in: explaining why Sektor hold so strong influence over their people, developing more inner politics of the clan and expanding the family matters. Both to the biological siblings and to Tomas, especially his status within said family. If he was adopted into a clan that deeply cares for blood ties, does he have any political role/duties, or is he wholly excluded from the line of succession, leaving it only to Bi-Han and Kuai Liang & Sektor?

Thirdly, as Bi-Han was already implied to have a close bond with Sektor (MK1 Sub-Zero’s ending) and Sektor’s BIO confirms she is Bi-Han’s a “kindred spirit”, we could have a great sibling duo (supportive big brother Bi-Han and his loyal, eager to make him proud younger sister Sektor) and an interesting parallel to relationship of Bi-Han & Tomas or Kuai Liang & Tomas.

Fourthly, Sektor wishing to honor her mother while joining Bi-Han and supporting their clan’s independence would nicely fit Sub-Zero's statement that “mother would applaud [his actions].” Simultaneously, again we could have a better look on Lin Kuei inner matters and how the dislike for duty to Earthrealm/doing Liu Kang’s bidding didn’t come out of nowhere, but was a process already in motion. Sektor and Bi-Han being the product of their mother's ambitions and/or independence streak could add new layers to their characters. The same as Kuai Liang (and presumablyTomas) is the product of his father’s high sense of duty to Earthrealm.

Also, any opportunity to bring Bi-Han’s mother into the story is a bonus point to the lore, because that woman deserves recognition for her desperate attempt to save her children from Lin Kuei. And if NRS is so set to make Lin Kuei so “bloodties” oriented, they could turn Sektor and Bi-Han into siblings to A) spare me any worry about any potential romance between those two characters and B) add hilariously to the Kuai Liang & Sektor’s never ending conflict seen through the majority of old and new lore. 

I guess everything would be better in Mortal Kombat if NRS didn’t catch allergy to nuanced and morally gray characters… because Bi-Han could easily fall into that (and worldbuilding wise, could be seen like that) and so could Sektor, and their potential mother with ambition to cut ties with Liu Kang for good.

[lambourngb]

good fences make good neighbors

Commiseration Tuesday

With AO3 temporarily down, lots of us are sad at not being able to read when we wanted to! With that in mind, I’m taking the opportunity to invite you guys to share a little something from a WIP to keep us going through the downtime! Preferably something we haven’t shared before, but whatever works for you! Tagged by @ravens-words​ - thank you! I am working on an exchange fic, so I can’t share that, but I can share a WIP that I had before then...

ICEMAV - Set just after 1986 - based on a prompt where Mav and Ice are roommates and they have noisy neighbors. mentions of period-typical homophobia, and some misunderstandings ....

4400 words currently, but unfinished.

***

It was the third time that week.

Maverick stared sightless up at the plain white ceiling, tracing the cracks in the plaster while he listened to his next-door neighbors, Wolf and Hollywood, do their best to medal in the sex noise Olympics. It would be one thing if they decided to do this during the early evening hours when Mav could raise the volume on the ball game enough to drown out the moans and rhythmic thumping, but apparently, no one had any excess energy *right* after a work day. Instead, the second wind came at 2 am.

Again, the third time in the week, and it was only Tuesday. Christ.

Mav swung his legs out of bed, abandoning his attempts at sleep. Tomorrow's seminar on flight instructor certification was going to be rough, but judging from his recent experience, and god did he hate that he had this knowledge, the next-door noise had only just gotten started. It would be at least an hour before things quieted down again.

He met his own roommate in the dimly lit kitchen. Ice's face was flat with annoyance.

"Woke you up too?" Mav asked stupidly because, of course, it did. Ice was completely by the book and subscribed to the minimum of eight hours of sleep during the week; only the noise of Hollywood and Wolf would have had him in the kitchen nursing a warm bottle of Budweiser.

"I bet if I reported them to the brass, it would stop," Ice muttered darkly before pushing a chair open for Mav with his foot and nodding toward the open six-pack on the table.

"Well, just means they would be annoying their fellow prison cellmates with this instead of us." Mav traded a tired smile with Ice, both of them secure in the knowledge that reporting Hollywood and Wolf was completely out of the question. A few sleepless nights was a small price to pay for them, a momentary annoyance; a complaint about the two pilots breaking the UCMJ with each other would have them both dishonorably discharged and likely imprisoned. In fact, because it *was* Mav and Ice sharing a wall in their base housing duplex was probably the only reason the couple felt safe enough to make any noise in the first place.

Still. It was one thing that their friends had a feeling of safety knowing they would never be turned in, it was becoming clear there was also ... a level of shamelessness going on next door.

Mav knuckled the gritty feeling of fatigue out of his eyes, "What I don't understand is ... how do they even have the energy? We're logging four hours in the cockpit and six in the classroom during this new certification session, and I think Jester has become even more sadistic in his teaching since we graduated from Top Gun. I can barely make it through the evening news at the end of the day, let alone want to do..."

He paused, and then they both heard the enthusiastic beat of a bed frame from next door, and the loud tempo of 'Oh god, oh fuck' soundtrack. "That."

"Are you admitting to a lack of stamina, Mitchell?" Ice smirked, his usual cool expression curving into an even more familiar expression of mocking Mav. At least now, there was only humor in Ice's blue eyes instead of the dislike from when they first met.

"What?! No, there's nothing wrong with my stamina; I have zero complaints about that. I'm just saying... those idiots have been together for years, how are they still... like that?"

This time Ice looked away, taking a long slow draw from his beer. The oven light and microwave clock hid most of the details, but Mav knew him pretty well now, he could sense the discomfort in the question. "I wouldn't know. My longest relationship lasted through the holiday break during the Academy."

"Are we talking two days of Christmas or the eight nights of Hanukkah?"

"The former...and believe me, my mother despairs of me."

Mav laughed and held out his beer to clink against Ice's in solidarity over their sad love lives. "Well, you beat me. My streak is six weeks, give or take." 

He wasn't even sure if he could count the time between Hop 31 and getting cleared to fly again as time spent with Charlie, most of that was a blank in his memory of grief and intense accident investigation prep work. Top Gun was an 8-week combat school session, in between finally scoring a date with Charlie and getting dumped for the Washington job two weeks after the Layton rescue, six weeks was probably generous. Maybe he should count Penny instead, add up his assorted weekends with her after meeting her in flight school when her father was overseeing Pensacola. Four years, six weekends.

"I always beat you," Ice reminded him, annoying as always in his precision, with the memory of last year between them. 

Mav had no idea where the Top Gun trophy was, only that he was a little surprised that it wasn’t displayed prominently in their quarters, especially after Ice had found out who his roommate was at the beginning of the session. 

Actually a lot of Mav’s presumptions about Ice and what he would be like to live with had not come true. Neatness was a rule, but there were no white glove inspections of Mav’s room and only the drollest reminder to throw out the carryout containers after a few days, and they both agreed to keep the women at the O-Club. After all, the curriculum to qualify as a Top Gun instructor was difficult enough, without complicating it with a clingy boat chaser or pilot groupie that stalked the bars around Miramar. As it turned out, as straight-laced as Ice was in his job, he was surprisingly relaxed about the apartment. Mav had even expected some sort of judgment from Ice about his sparse civilian wardrobe or his cheap generic toiletries from the exchange, but there was nothing. 

Other than the old joke about who was the better pilot, Ice was a generous and easy-going roommate. Most of the time he put up a token protest about Ice’s winning streak (1 out 1 in competitions) but he was too tired to argue tonight. 

Instead, he flashed a smile at Ice, letting his shit-eating grin say everything for him. Ice rolled his eyes in turn, but maybe he was tired too, allowing the subject to drop without a further jibe.

The thumps and sounds were slowly winding down, and Maverick picked up their empty bottles to take to the trash. He yawned, and gestured to the side where Wolf and Hollywood were staying, “I do appreciate that they feel safe here, what I don’t appreciate is the timing of it. I almost yawned in Viper’s face during the flight log review today because of them.”

Ice’s eyes crinkled at the admission, but he was kind enough not to laugh at least. He put the rest of the six pack back in the fridge and then wiped the table down with a papertowel, leaving the kitchen pristine again. “I agree. Their timing could be better, or at least quieter, and I guess I’m only a little jealous of them.”

“Why, because they’re getting laid?”

“No,” Ice drawled, without an eyeroll this time, “because they found each other. I might not have had a long-term relationship before, but I’m not opposed to the idea. Wood and Wolf, while I know they have to hide their relationship, at least they can talk about their jobs without boring the other person, or worse, spending the evening explaining acronyms. That kinda sounds nice to me.”

Then it had to be a trick of shadow, or the thin draperies by the window, but Mav suddenly had the impression that Ice was *blushing* after that confession. His mind spun over the possibilities, was that something that his wingman was interested in, and with whom, only a few people could possibly check that narrow set of boxes. Certainly not any of the women at the O-Club, unless Ice had his eye on someone Mav didn’t know. Pensacola had been graduating women for at least ten years, though not many in fixed-wing operations. He shook his head, deciding that he must have imagined that. Iceman was way too controlled to blush. 

He realized he was staring just then, and was standing too close to Ice in the dimly lit kitchen. Rushing to cover for his shameful preoccupation, Mav rubbed the back of his head and scoffed. “Yeah, sure it sounds nice, but I can’t really imagine it being realistic. At least not for me.” 

Ice said nothing in response, not even to make fun of Mav, he just brushed past him to leave the kitchen. The quiet in their apartment had been restored, it was time to attempt sleep again. 

As Mav waited to fall back asleep he realized that another presumption that he had about Ice had fallen completely flat. Ice might have been robotic in his flying at time, but the man was also a secret romantic. 

*

Two nights later it happened again. The thin walls transcribe nearly every movement and every breathless gasp from Wolfman and Hollywood.

Mav sat up in bed with a loud groan of annoyance as the ‘Oh oh, yes!’ chorus started up again. His textbook that he had fallen asleep reading slipped off his lap onto the floor with a loud thump, and then he crashed into his nightstand after overbalancing in his attempt to reach it. The nightstand hit the wall, and Mav yelped loudly in pain.

There was a pause and a giggle from the shared wall and then a loud shushing noise.

He rubbed his elbow, retrieving the textbook from the floor. Thank god blessed silence, Mav thought as the quiet extended past a few minutes, before pushing up from the floor to crawl back in bed.

Except the respite was brief, and the rocking movements of the headboard.

Mav groaned again, even more annoyed by them now. 

There was another spell of quiet, and suddenly, he realized what was going on. Wolf and Wood were listening to him. “Oh you fucking pervs,” Mav whispered to himself, and then shrugged. Maybe it was time for them to get a taste of their own medicine. He got on his knees and grabbed the plain headboard with one hand, then started to rock his hips in motion until the mattress squeaked in time with his efforts.

Boom, boom, boom, he knocked the headboard into the wall, while the mattress made obliging sounds with it. Mav pinched his thumb between the wall and the bed, pulling a loud cry of pain from his lips. Despite the circumstances that gave him an idea, it was the sound that was missing from his production. He moaned and cried loudly, until his muscles started to burn with the exertion.

Had it been long enough? How long did he have to do this? He didn’t want to be teased for being an early finisher if he quit too early-

Out of caution, Mav gave a few more minutes of his best performance without laughing, then he let out a satisfied whimper for his audience. 

It was silent next door. Maybe they were both voyeurs and got off to the noise and idea of someone else getting laid. Whatever the reason, Mav laid flat on his bed and fell asleep quickly in the renewed quiet. His last thought was smug, he had silenced the neighbors in half of the time and all it cost him was a bruised thumb.

* 

The next day was strange. It was Friday, and Mav woke up with a smile on his face. The class had an early morning test before they were all dismissed for the weekend, practically a three day holiday. He had studied the night before thoroughly and felt prepared, his sleep had only been disturbed briefly thanks to his ingenuity, and the weather was beautiful, perfect for an afternoon at the beach. Everything was coming up aces for him.

Except for one thing. Well, one person. Ice.

Never a chatty person in the morning without caffeine, Ice was downright monosyllabic on Friday. He nodded to Mav in the kitchen, taking his coffee back to his room with a brief return of Mav’s greeting of ‘Good morning’ and then he left for class before Mav was dressed from his shower, instead of sharing the walk to the hanger with him. 

Hollywood and Wolf on the other hand were all smiles and jokes that morning, elbowing each other and laughing whenever Mav came near them. He had chocked their behavior up to being a pair of immature pervs, even if they were madly in love with each other, and he had dismissed it completely. 

Ice’s behavior was a little harder to puzzle out.

His uniform was perfectly pressed, and his gold pen was still in his hand while they waited for the test to be passed out to the class. No sign of the lazy, hypnotic twirl that Ice was prone to do. It was as if every inch of him was locked down and under complete control. A complete 1-180 from how they first encountered each other. It was then that Mav realized that the pen-flipping and gum chewing were all signs of Ice being comfortable and at ease with his environment, and why wouldn’t he had been during TOPGUN, his skills had him in first place on day one, and everyone else had to play catch up, Mav included. Not today. A statue had more warmth and movement than Ice did. Mav tried to catch his eye from across the room, but Ice seemed to be deeply interested in front of the classroom and never acknowledged Mav.

That was also new.

“This might be a short day, gentlemen, but this test will determine whether you have the proficiency to teach the theories of aerial combat to incoming Top Gun classes. I hope you all studied hard,” Jester said from the podium with the tests in hand.

Hollywood smothered a laugh after Wolfman kicked the back of his chair.

“Something to add, Lt. Neven?” 

“No sir, we all studied hard. Some of us went at it a little harder than others last night,” Hollywood answered, almost respectfully. Mav noticed that Ice’s shoulders seemed to tighten and a red flush was spreading over Ice’s ear as he stared straight ahead completely stone-faced. The rest of the room was used to Hollywood running his mouth, nearly everyone rolled their eyes at the innuendo.

Mav had the strange feeling that he was missing something. Ice’s knuckles were white where he clutched his pen when just the other day that type of remark would have had him trading long-suffering looks with Mav. They knew better than anyone what Hollywood was referring to as the unlucky neighbors. However his musings were cut off by the appearance of the test. There would be time to figure out his wingman later, Mav reasoned, first he needed to make sure he didn’t wash out of the training program because of a stupid written exam.

The previous hard work the night before in studying was at least well rewarded. He confidently wrote in the answers to the open-ended questions and circled the appropriate bubbles during the multiple choice sections, hardly needing to pause to remember the correct information. Mav had to hide a smile as he reached the end of the exam, and noticed that Viper had updated the scenario with the MiG and inverted tanks. Finishing the test with a flourish, Mav stood at almost the same time as Ice did, both of them were the first to turn in their exams. 

He rushed to the front of the classroom, mostly with grace and slapped down his test in front of Jester with a smug celebration for being the first. Jester raised his eyebrows at the display, and placed the completed test to the side with an exaggerated gesture of patience. Mav turned his head to see if Ice was bothered by finishing second, only to watch him walk slowly and unhurriedly to the front, seemingly without a care. 

Like Mav was the only one who was competing. Like Mav wasn’t even worth competing with.

He was definitely missing *something* when it came to Ice. Well, as a pilot, Mav was well-trained in the dogged-pursuit of a bogie; putting his wingman in his sights was easy. Target acquired time to move in for the easy kill.

Or at least it should have been easy. Mav waited just outside of the classroom doors for Ice. 

Ice took one step out of the hanger, then caught sight of him, he then made a text-book perfect dress-right move away from him in an obvious attempt at avoidance. Ice must have been in charge of drill formations for his brigade at the academy, Mav mused to himself before jogging to catch up to match Ice’s long strides down toward the housing block. Something was definitely up with him.

Deciding to start with the obvious, Mav fell breathlessly in step with him, “Hey, so how do you think you did on the test? Not as bad as we thought, right?”

“Fine,” Ice gritted out without looking over at him.

“Just fine? I think I aced it,” Mav continued, undeterred by the short response. “Did you see the question about the inverted tanks? I feel like perhaps my name should have been cited as a resource there, since it was my intel from the Enterprise-”  he paused to see if Ice reacted to that, and was met with a clenched jaw but nothing else. “I guess we will find out on Monday if they wash any of us out for being too stupid to teach here. It’s not like the ASVAB where you get thirty points for spelling your name right, although yours was probably a challenge, Kazansky.”

“Right.”

There was no way that Ice was worried about failing out of the program, Mav thought, but maybe he was wrong about that. It was barely ten am, and there was almost three days before the results would be ready, maybe what Ice needed was a distraction. 

“Listen, it’s early enough, why don’t we hit the beach, scout out the best location before the rest of our class finishes up. Maybe it’s time for another rematch in volleyball,-”

“No, thank you,” Ice replied firmly.

The response was polite on the surface, but completely cold. Mav blinked, and realized that they were back at their shared quarters. Instead of moving toward his bedroom to remove his uniform for the long weekend, Ice was packing a slim carrying case with his textbooks and notes. His movements were smooth and unhurried under Mav’s stare, as if Mav wasn’t even there in the room with him.

He had tried subtle, but that had rarely worked for him, so Mav got straight to the point. “Is something wrong?” 

Ice didn’t pause after zipping the case up, even though his hands flexed on the supple leather. “No, nothing is wrong.”

“Are you sure? Because if I pissed you off, it wasn’t deliberate-”

Ice straightened, holding the case in his right hand. He was still the consummate officer, his left hand was free to salute, as he flicked his gaze over to Maverick for the first time all day. Up and down, without a hint of his thoughts on his face as Mav shifted anxiously under it. Whatever he saw on Mav, it must not have been interesting as he executed another precise pivot away from Mav. “You didn’t, I just don't have time for you right now, Mitchell.”

Dismissed. 

Mav thought about what Goose had said during that first night at the O-Club about Ice, “he wears you down, you get bored, frustrated, do something stupid and he's got ya-” somehow without Mav becoming aware of it, Ice had gotten lock on him and had fired, echoing the words of disinterested foster parents and bored peers who hadn’t cared to hear his teenage-mouth runoff about planes and the Navy in that dead end town.

Ice had his back to him thankfully for Mav’s ego, he was too intent on leaving the small duplex and missed the devastation left in his wake, calling out a belated, “Later, Mitchell,” over his shoulder. 

Still precise and polite, even after leaving a knife inside Mav. 

*

Time played games with Mav after that, slipping away in hours before lingering painfully over the last few minutes with Ice. He was somewhat aware of movement outside the door, a knock and call from Wolfman, some offer about the beach, but it felt unimportant to Mav. One thing was clear, he had not imagined the tension in Ice that morning and then the sudden dismissal after the test solidified that into fact. 

He had done something wrong, something that had killed the blossoming friendship between them after the Layton rescue. He had no idea what it could be, but he was a little too familiar with this type of confusion after having experienced it before as a kid. He remembered how it went back then, foster parents that were excited to welcome a son into their family, with wide smiles and effusive hugs always seemed to slip into cold, disapproving strangers because of something Mav had done.

There was even a particular look they would get after making the decision to return him to foster care, but before the social worker could find the next placement. With the brief return of the wide empty smiles, everyone would act nice, but behind it was the peace of knowing it would be just temporary and he would soon be someone else’s problem. 

Ice had found his limit with him; apparently, he was now cooly polite to Mav and obviously avoiding him. Maybe he had reached his own decision about Mav, there was no social worker for Ice to call to pick Mav up, but there were transfer orders and reassignments instead. 

He’s waiting to finish the teaching certification and then he’ll be headed back to sea, away from Miramar, Mav realized dully. They would finish the program qualified to be instructors, but not together. Somewhere along the line after Ice had signed up for the class with him, he had pictured sharing an office with him at Top Gun, taking up new pilots and bickering over paperwork, turning that bond they had from the Indian Ocean into something… more. 

Mav had never felt more stupid in his life, he suddenly understood why his stomach had clenched when Ice had confessed being a little jealous of Hollywood and Wolfman having found each other. “I might not have had a long-term relationship before, but I’m not opposed to the idea.” He was jealous, because he now realized that he wanted that too, with Ice. 

He swallowed the sour taste in his mouth and stood up from their couch, suddenly aware that hours had passed and he had done nothing to fix whatever he had done to piss Ice off. The key to convincing someone to keep him around had always revolved around being useful to them. He had learned early on that certain home placements had lasted longer when he accepted the bulk of household chores, then later on, he had ensnared Nick Bradshaw’s lifelong friendship when he had volunteered for newborn diaper duty with baby Bradley. Hell, even Charlie had hung around for his knowledge of the MiG, which was all very useful to her career prospects in Washington. 

Now how could he be useful to Ice, and make up for whatever he did to alienate the other man?

The quarters they shared were still neat, as per Ice’s original request but maybe he also meant he wanted them to be clean? That he could do.

*

It was almost eleven when Mav heard the key scrape in the lock that signaled Ice’s return. 

He kept his attention on the baseball game, long since placed on mute after the sound of the announcers had started to scrape over his anxiety. Ice flipped on the lights, causing him to blink owlishly at the brightness, his eyes having long since grown used to the dim light of the television.

“Sorry,” Ice apologized, still polite and courteous. “I didn’t think you’d be back.”

Mav glanced over at him before returning his attention to the game, even though he had no idea how his team was up by four. That confirmed another suspicion, Ice had stayed away until now because he wanted to avoid him. He hated it when his suspicions were proven correct. “Never left.”

He could see out of his periphery that his admission seemed to halt Ice in his tracks to the kitchen. It was just temporary, he recovered and continued to the small alcove to retrieve a beer from the fridge after placing his leather case on the small card table that masqueraded as a kitchen table. The sounds were familiar to Mav, the hiss of the refrigerator door, the snap of the bottle cap, the careful clink of Ice throwing the cap away in the trash, instead of tossing it carelessly like the rest of their class.

It all sounded normal, except for the bounds of tension that were looped around his chest. 

A ball was hit to the outfield, and Mav watched as it arched higher and higher over the desperate reach of a desperate center fielder. He blinked, realizing belatedly that his team had allowed the opponent to tie up the game. It was the bottom of the ninth, if his team held it they would have another shot at winning, but if they slipped it was all over. That, at least, felt familiar to Mav. 

“You cleaned,” Ice said, stating the obvious with a small wrinkle of confusion on his face as he took a seat next to Mav on the couch. His blue eyes scanned the room, noting each small change, like the rug was freshly beaten, the wood floors swept, the scent of lemon oil in the air. 

Mav pulled his attention away from the game and tried to read his expression, looking for some sign of approval or disapproval. Damnit, he was twenty-five years old, and somehow he had found a time portal back to 1973, eleven years old and wondering if he had cleaned the house well enough to avoid being sent back. For the first time since Ice had brushed him off, he felt the lick of anger at himself for being this weak. 

“I did.”

[anti-katsuki-lounge]

Can you make a top for the MHA fights? From your favorites to your least favorites.

You can take the coreography, narrative weight (the stakes behind and or clashing ideals) and logic behind them (by this i mean if the winner makes sense or not)

There’s a lot of fights in MHA so I’m just going to focus on my top 5 faves/least faves.

Favorites:

1. Shoto vs Izuku: if any fight could summarize the central theme of MHA it’s this one. I loved seeing Izuku break down Shoto’s walls, I loved seeing Shoto let loose and actually smile for the first time, and I loved how Izuku sacrificed a pretty easy win because he saw someone who was hurting and wanted to help them. 

2. All Might vs Nomu: This is a fight that’s just pure fun. Sure, it was a slugfest between All Might and Nomu, but it was a hype one. I liked seeing All Might find a way to defeat an opponent who seems unbeatable.

3. Hawks vs Twice: as I’ve mentioned before, this is a wonderful and heart wrenching fight. Something people don’t notice is that Hawks was actually trying to save Twice. He gave Twice numerous outs and even mentioned that he sees good in him. However, Twice’s loyalty to his friends made him refuse to go to the good side. Hawks, having been trained by the HPSC to be nothing more than a weapon, proved that he was more than that. Twice himself, someone who was constantly seen as an unstable freak, showed us that not everyone who’s bad was born bad. In the end, Hawks put down Twice because he legitimately saw no other way to end the fight.

4. Stain vs Tenya, Izuku, and Shoto: A fantastic fight that shows off Izuku’s true heroic nature and Shoto’s growth while also serving as a great teaching lesson for Tenya.

5. All Might vs AFO: A great fight to end the first set of arcs of MHA. I don’t really have much to say outside of that.

Honorable mentions go to Overhaul vs Izuku, Ejiro going into unbreakable mode for the first time, and Tamaki vs Three of the Eight Bullets.

Least favorite fights (not really going to explain them in detail cause if you’ve read my blog you’d know why I hate these fights):

1. Katsuki vs AFO: Katsuki’s plot armor breaks new grounds as he wakes up from having his arm broken and his heart blown out with no injures, gets a BS quirk awakening, and manages to defeat AFO because the villain was too stupid and didn’t get rid of rewind after he was fully healed.

2. Kacchan vs Deku 2: Katsuki gets his dick sucked for the billionth time while he beats on his victim, ignoring that Izuku was grieving All Might’s retirement too.

3. Kacchan vs Deku 1: Katsuki’s first dick sucking session begins as he’s somehow able to change fighting styles midway through combat despite having no formal training. He was also aiming to essentially torture Izuku and fired off an explosion that would’ve seriously injured, if outright not killed him. Of course, since Hori loves Katsuki, he only gets told to grow up.

4. Katsuki’s fight in the Joint Training Arc: Oh look, a failed attempt at showing that Katsuki’s developed in any meaningful way. Also, let’s watch Hori wank off his favorite again.

5. Katsuki vs Ochako: a failed attempt at displaying a pro-feminism message by Hori because it amounts to another dick sucking session for Katsuki.

Dishonorable mentions go to any fight Katsuki’s in because they’re always Katsuki dick sucking sessions, Hitoshi vs Izuku because Hitoshi’s hypocritical bitch ass was annoying to watch even when Izuku was kicking his ass, and Ochako vs Yui (this one’s cause I’m petty af and as even though I like Ochako, we Stan Yui in this house and she had a higher skill stat so I would’ve liked for her to at least put up a fight)