#enemies w benefits

[dol--blathanna]

Thinking a lot about Orym choosing a rabbit when asked what animal he would pick if cursed with lycanthropy.

Because, it makes sense. Orym is small, quick, agile, jumps well, and is highly perceptive. That definitely evokes rabbit imagery. But a lot of Orym’s identity is also tied up with being a protector – giving people AC bumps, the shield being as much a part of his fighting style as his sword, even his title: Saviour Blade of the Tempest. He wants to be a “Shield that protects Exandria”; his priorities about saving the gods are less about the gods themselves, and more about protecting the people of Exandria from the unintended consequences and bloodshed of releasing Predathos. And it would’ve been very easy to pick a large, strong predator to try and evoke the sense of a protector – a wolf, for example, an animal associated with loyalty and protecting its pack. Yet Orym chose a rabbit.

And I think that’s interesting, because rabbits are often seen as ‘cute’ animals – but they’re also a prey animal. In fact, they’re a common food source for many animals across several ecosystems: foxes, wolves, wild cats, dogs, birds of prey like eagles or owls, coyotes, stoats, and humans (and that’s just off the top of my head). Rabbits are skittish, easily frightened; to be rabbit-hearted is to be timid or cowardly. They are not generally associated with fierceness or prowess in fighting. Mice and rats are prey animals too, but typically seen as vermin (rabbits are sometimes seen as vermin too, but a farmer could eat a rabbit – they wouldn’t eat a rat). Deer are prey, but they have hooves and antlers that bring a danger to hunting them, for any animal – the difficulties of hunting rabbits are more related to their evasiveness, speed and good hearing than any life-threatening danger they might pose. Rabbits are, first and foremost, prey animals. They are killed and eaten, so that another animal might live.

Which made me think a lot about one of Orym’s other key traits: self-sacrifice. Bait and switch doesn’t just bump up his ally’s ACs, it specifically switches their place to put him directly in harm’s way. Goading attack is meant to encourage enemies to attack him instead of his friends. He literally made a deal with a hag, essentially exchanging his own life for power to protect his friends. How many times has he gone down in a fight? He’s not the only tank – but unlike Ashton (and Chetney, who also uses ‘self-sacrifice’ in his fighting style with his blood curses) he has no abilities to reduce the damage from the hits he takes (barbarian rage and the werewolf form).

(Side note: I think it’s pretty interesting that Chetney, the wolf, has attacked Orym, the rabbit, more than anyone else when losing control. That Orym’s facial scar was given to him by a friend, not a foe).

Of course, Orym isn’t the only character with self-sacrificial tendencies (FCG wins by a landslide), but I just can’t stop thinking about how weirdly perfect it is that he chose a rabbit for his animal. Rabbits are prey animals. They are eaten, so that other animals may live. Orym takes the hits, he goads and switches with his team mates to put himself in danger, he makes a deal with a hag at the cost of his own life. He’s a soldier, throwing his life away for a cause over and over again because Ludinus must be stopped, because Keyleth has put her trust in him, because it’s the only way to protect his friends, to protect everyone, because it’s the right thing to do. Orym is a rabbit. He’s always been a rabbit. That day in Zephrah, it could have easily been Orym who died instead of Will and Derrig – “unfortunate but necessary sacrifices”, as Ludinus viewed the attack. It’s unfortunate they had to die, but it was for the greater good, according to Ludinus. It’s unfortunate that a rabbit has to die, but it will feed a family of foxes, or stoats, or even a hungry human, so it’s acceptable, right?

Orym is a rabbit. He is giving himself to a greater cause that could very easily kill him – he already willingly signed his life away to Nana Morri. Because that’s what rabbits do. They die to feed others.

And the theme of being disposable is present across the entire group, not just in Orym – Bell’s Hells has been called a “party of NPCs” before. Aside from FCG’s death, I’d say Laudna perhaps fits this theme the best: she was literally murdered and hung from a tree simply because she looked similar to Vex, acting as a warning to adventurers she had never met before. But FCG’s death was – rightfully – viewed as a terrible tragedy by the group. Laudna’s decision to remove Delilah, finally freeing herself from her abuser and emphasising she is more, and deserves to be more, than just some disposable puppet – this was rightfully viewed as a very good thing! But Orym seems to be embracing this identity of self-sacrifice instead, rather than this mindset being properly challenged or acknowledged as a bad thing. After all, there’s no time. There’s too much at stake. Keyleth, Bell’s Hells, all the memories of those who have died in this fight, all the people who might die if Predathos is released and kickstarts a second Calamity – they’re all relying on him, right? A rabbit feeding so many animals with his sacrifice. And it’s not malicious compared to the way that, say, Delilah killing Laudna was an incredibly evil, fucked up and unnecessary thing to do. If Orym died to save everyone else, well, at least everyone else would be saved, right? Saving lives is good, isn't it? How could he complain?

Because rabbits are prey animals, and Orym is a rabbit too. Destined to die so that another animal may feed.

Except, that’s not true. Rabbits are more than just prey. They’re highly social, and thrive best living with others. They’re playful, they enjoy running around and kicking their legs just to show their enjoyment. They’re inquisitive and mischievous, even being associated with tricksters in some folklore and stories. They’re also associated with innocence, playfulness, spring, youth – all manner of things, depending on the story or culture. And they’re not helpless, either, even if they might be thought of as such. They can bite and scratch and draw blood quite easily if they want to! In fact, freezing up isn’t their only response when being attacked by a predator, they are known to fight back if cornered. They can sprint quickly, they have excellent hearing and senses of smell, they know how to evade predators.

Rabbits are prey, and they are also survivors. They have their own social dynamics, their own habits and dislikes and preferences. They are more than just a wolf’s meal. And Orym is more than a soldier, too. He’s more than a “necessary sacrifice”, he’s more than just a shield and sword. He deserves more than to die for a cause. He deserves a happy ending, just like everyone else. I hope he remembers that.

Orym is a rabbit. And the message isn’t that he shouldn’t be a rabbit. It’s that rabbits are worthy of surviving, too.

[cynomain69]

this ones pre-relationship haino but u can read it as kavehaino or kavehno or kavetham if u like just follow ur heart u know

[nitemirz]

they lost focus and had a consensual workplace relationship

[malrie]

this is probably true though I’m welcome to be proven wrong but piper probably had the most beef with other females in the books than anyone. like what was that. I need her to have a boy enemy for real and not in a romantic booktok rotted way in an actually she irks them and they genuinely think she’s a proponent of evil. and you know who we canonically got a taste of when it came to exactly that? octavian…

[themuseoftheviolets]

thinking dorlilylene necromancy thoughts again...

[lostusagis]

( i think they should make out after beating the shit out of each other, idk maybe it's just me )

[maiteo]

taking esr from us….something real ugly will rise out of me…im sure if it

[supercutts]

          ❛  i  may  be  dirt,  ❜    the  male  begins  steadily,  unwrapping  himself  from  the  other,    ❛  but  you're  the  one  who  likes  to  roll  in  it.  ❜    the  smirk  never  leaves  grayson's  lips,  even  as  he's  searching  for  his  clothes  strewn  around  the  room.  it  only  grows  as  he  catches  sight  of  a  familiar  undergarment,  which  he  dangles  on  his  pointer  finger  in  the  other's  view.    ❛  don't  look  so  pissed  —  i'm  just  fucking  with  you. that's our thing, right ?  fucking around. ❜ @fadinglights

[taintedcigs]

im thinking of posting this enemies w benefits eddie mini-series soon but i need ideas for pt.2 first!!! lmk what u guys think omg

[halloweentowntwokalabarsrevenge]

Honestly there’s nothing funnier than the idea of billy surviving and getting out of punishment by like the filmiest shit, Sidney pregnant from the literally first and only time she’s had sex and the two of them basically chained together by their mutual weird shit about parents while they snarl at each other like feral dogs forced into a get-along shirt

[felteverywhere]

closed starter for @intcxications

"you know, i wasn't really itching for company." dove's grumbling was about as much as she did to remain alone, the music from the party still loud enough to give the room a pulsating heartbeat. scowling at her feet, she crossed her arms over her chest. "y'know, i might hate your friends more than i hate you."

[cheemken]

Knight, anything you’d like to say about the champions? Or just Diantha and Geeta if you don’t want to do all 🎤🎤🎤

Ough the Dia and Geeta brainrot is so real but I really should write more stuff abt the champions too, but still tho, Dia/Geeta would probs have more stuff here hope that's cool uvu" hahaha

Anyways ouo

•Geeta def caught a Carbink for Diantha for her 18th bday as a gift

-Dia cried like no shit and thanked Geeta for it, saying "this is the best gift I ever got, thank you, ma lune ;A;"

"mi sol, you're,, you're kinda holding them a bit too tight—"

"I'll take care of them I promise ;A;"

-she wanted to name it Diancie, after her own lil Carbink who she lost, but she knows it's for the best she doesn't

-since then Diantha is always seen around w Carbink following besides her, making a promise to herself that she's really gonna take care of it, she's not gonna fail this Carbink too

•That Carbink honest to god hates Leon just as much as Diantha does and it's really no surprise

-the champions visit Kalos this time, Leon meets Diantha's Carbink, said Carbink used Rock Slide (a weak one don't worry) on him and he's all "what the hell?!"

"oh, sorry, they don't do well with strangers"

"I've been here ten separate times how am I still a stranger?!"

"maybe he just doesn't like you"

•anyways speaking of Leon and Dia, do you see my vision when I say that they're the most ♠️ coded pairing in my hcs (the Homestuck girlies will understand this hahah)

-like, the song I Can See You TV by Taylor Swift? That's Dia and Leon's song right there

•since Cynthia and Lance both like Dia in my hcs, I wanna imagine them like fighting for her attention maybe hahah

-like yknow trying to one up each other

-Geeta actually helps Cynthia, telling her the stuff Diantha likes so Cynthia would have the upper hand

-Steven helps Lance out bc he honestly pities him at this point—

-Iris and Hau helps Cynthia bc ofc they would, they've had enough of her gay ramblings everytime they play Orrecraft together

-Wallace just wants to see how long will it take for Diantha to actually notice bc as smart as she is, she's really really really fucking dense when it comes to someone liking her romantically

•yknow w that, I do wanna add that Diantha really has troubles on figuring out romantic love more than anything

-bc for one, she grew up watching the marriage of her parents fall apart

-two, she's an actress, she sees all the drama regarding celebrity romance all the time, sees what happens behind the cameras and how those relationships seems and are fake

-so hey, the only stable relationship she ever had in her life is the familial one w her brother and the platonic one w Geeta

-tbh she's really scared to actually have a legit romantic relationship w anyone, she thinks it's gonna end up like her parents' relationship and it'll get messy, and she'd rather die than to become like any of them, driven by bitterness and anger over the other bc of a miscommunication

-she does want to try to have a romantic relationship w someone tho, she really does, but it's that fear that's holding her back from doing so, and since bc she's so used to platonic love, and since Geeta is also that affectionate towards her, she thinks Lance and Cynthia's advances towards her are just them being nice the same way Geeta is

•the Diantha brainrot is so real isn't it, anyways yeah Diantha loves musicals but she doesn't sing that much

-Wallace has a really good singing voice but he almost never sings too

-Hau would often prompt them to sing whatever they want when he brings along his Primarina, saying that even if they're off key, it's fun to sing w friends around

-so the more Hau brings his Primarina, the more Wallace and Diantha would sing w them too

-Geeta just loves hearing Dia's voice, and even brought along a Skeledirge one time and the two pkmn had a lil concert of their own

•yknow since they do have lil champions meetups and such, imagine if they all have that one region they don't like visiting hahah

-Lance doesn't like visiting Paldea for obvious reasons, he also doesn't like to visit Alola that much bc of the weather. He doesn't understand how Geeta and Cynthia could wear all that black under the Alolan sun

-Steven doesn't like visiting Kanto and Unova that much, he does like going to Sinnoh tho

-Wallace doesn't like Sinnoh at all, altho Hearthome is a good venue for contests, he just doesn't like how that region is so,, mountainous

-Cynthia hates Kanto but likes Johto, she will never admit that to Lance since she actually likes visiting Blackthorn

-Iris doesn't like the vibes in Kalos, she just puts up w it for Diantha. Majority of the people she meets there are low-key elitists, and even Diantha admits they are and she also doesn't like them

-Diantha hates going to Galar and if anything she'd try to make up excuses to not join champion meetups when it's set in that region

-Hau doesn't really hate any of the regions, he just hates it when they stay at a cold place like Icirrus, Snowpoint, Snowbelle, etc

-Leon hates Kalos but for different reasons, he has to admit tho the food there is amazing, desserts especially

-Geeta doesn't like going to Hoenn, and also hates going to Kanto/Johto for obvious reasons too hahah

[cospinol]

finally finished filling out this template elia sent me ages ago<3 i think this is the most perfect one of all time for them lol

[witchsickness]

and I remember how we felt so old we fell in love and no one had to know

[kan-bu]

^w^ <- me being the angriest ive ever been

[busygirlgcttagc]

"i hate miss sophia leigh. i can't believe i'll have to kiss her"