#eros does his job ;; canon couple

[gendergremlin]

gonna start doing couple/ship concept lists !! i might further expand them over on @pen-vs-harpoon !!

pairing ;; mitjo !! source ;; long exposure !!

+ picnic date with jonas’ fireflies + battered old car shenanigans + amusement park hijinks  + prank video miniseries + camping + drive up to makeout ridge + one-upping eachother with gift giving + singin !! + bike & skateboard tricks + bonus ; patching eachother up when one inevitably falls + diy-ing clothes  + i feel like they’d have a lot of plants , so getting & naming plants + also they’d absolutely have a dog so also adopting a dog + more roadkill pets + mitch kicking ass at carnival games coz he’s special & jonas bugging him to not do it , but also not saying no to the plushys he’s offered + jonas singing at the birds in the morning , mitch screeching + blanket nest ,,, idk how else to explain + the ever-essential Boyfriend Hoodie + mitch constantly breaking his phone so jonas gets him a nokia + he manages to break that one too + matching tattoos ??? coz mitch would 100% be trying to act cool whilst freaking out and jonas would just be like ‘do you want to hold my hand’ + one cookie two bastards except they both try to steal the cookie via more and more absurd and elaborate means ; think chip n dale , donald duck , looney tunes , etc + live show , jonas ends up in the mosh pit and refuses to get out until it’s ended + jonas just wearing rings n necklaces occasionally n mitch noticing n suddenly pieces of jewelry just start mysteriously showing up + jonas dyes his hair

this list may be added to in the future !! if any of these get a longer post i’ll add a link to that on the item in this post :3

[be-not-afeared]

Black Sails fic recs

Working titles: 12 fics for christmas? 12 days of ficmas? 12 fics none of which actually have anything to do with christmas?

OKAY, so I love nothing more than a fic rec post, and I’ve seen a few Black Sails rec posts floating around but they mostly seem to be a couple of years old and they all recommend a similar bunch of fics (and deservedly so! they are all amazing!). But I thought I would make one to highlight some newer or less shouted-about fics, because I may have only been here for a couple of months but jfc there is so much talent in this fandom and more of it deserves to be hyped. 

So, here are 12 of my favourite fics for the 12 days of christmas! (i.e. an excuse to put an arbitrary number cap on the list or we’d be here all day)

The majority of these are Silver/Flint and the ones that aren’t still all feature Silver prominently because that boy owns my soul, sorry for who I am as a person.

we should rip it straight out by minormendings

45K (Silver/Madi, Silver/Flint, Flint/Thomas)

Madi has always wondered if Silver understands what is between him and Flint as well as she. To her, it has always been obvious, from the way the two of them had fit together, had worried about each other, had acted as one. She had tried to bring it up with Silver back when they were together. But Silver had shaken her off, too enmired in the idea that he or Flint would prove each other’s downfall. Or perhaps just unwilling to open his eyes to the fact that he had loved Flint.

It was, unfortunately for the both of them, even more obvious after the thing between them had broken. Just as Silver had thrown away the war out of love for her, Flint had let Silver take away the war rather than kill him.

God. What a group the three of them were, showing love by betrayal.

Post-canon. Madi and Flint find their way back to Silver.

This fic diverges from canon right at the end of the 4x10; Silver has Flint held in a cell in Port Royal and Thomas delivered to him rather than taking him straight to the plantation. It is a BEAUTIFUL character study of how Flint and Madi could both come to forgive Silver, and has a great FlintMadi dynamic too. It also centres Madi’s struggle between wanting to provide for her people and wanting to experience the freedom of piracy, and fleshes out Julius’ character in a way the show never did. 

we can lose and call it living by I_wouldnt_be_one_of_them

31K (Silver/Flint/Thomas, Silver/Flint, Flint/Thomas)

It's been twelve years since everything fell apart, and John Silver is settled in New England. He has a nice house and a job he likes, and he's gotten used to the loneliness. It's a good life, he thinks, but of course that's cast into doubt when James Flint and Thomas Hamilton show up to find closure and, apparently, to see whether he's happy.

This is an inverse of the ‘silver arrives on flint and thomas’ doorstep’ trope and has Flint and Thomas instead being the ones to interrupt Silver, who is living a sad and lonely existence post-series. I love the ThomasSilver dynamic here. And this Silver feels so true to canon he makes me want to WEEP.

Tell me we're dead and I'll love you even more by Craftnarok

21K (Silver/Flint)

In the year 1725, or thereabouts, John Silver finds himself driven by a storm into an inconsequential little port town, barely a speck on any civilised map. Returned to the life of a drifter, tired and rough around the edges, he is resigned to waiting for the weather to pass before he can sail on again to the next town, and the next, and the next. That is until he overhears a conversation in the inn about a local fisherman, one Captain Barlow, and his tall tales of tempests and becalmings, devils and sharks, and Silver finds a new future opening up to him, haunted by the spectres of his past.

All of Craftnarok’s fics are amazing but I am particularly drawn to this one; it’s set 10 years post-series and is a delightfully angsty exploration of how Flint and Silver could find their way back to each other in a scenario in which Thomas wasn’t at the plantation. It doesn’t let Silver off easy and I love that.

armed with the past and the will by whimsicalimages

3K (Silver/Madi, Madi & Julius)

The language of winning and losing, this language that men favor – Madi can speak this language, though she disagrees with its precepts. Success takes different forms, and failing once does not mean failing forever. It does not even mean failing the next time.

Post-series, Julius teaches Madi how to fight. This fic is BEAUTIFUL - give me anything that centres Madi post-canon - and it explores Madi’s relationship with both Julius and Silver so well in so few words. 

Always In Season by mycapeisplaid

60K (Silver/Flint, past Flint/Thomas, past Silver/Madi)

Towering sand dunes, crystal-clear water, miles of forest, vineyards, orchards, and very spotty cellular service -- John Silver finds himself in a part of the state he's never been before and decides to take on seasonal work. Meanwhile, back from his yearly wintering in Florida, James Flint thinks that perhaps he'll take on a new business venture, even though it means he might have to interact with people other than his two close friends. Their summer employment fosters a friendship that could become something more. Like construction season in Michigan, the two must navigate through their own obstacles in order to seek an alternative route toward happiness.

This is an AU and so much fun!! Silver finds himself in Michigan and takes on some seasonal work at Guthrie Dunes. The whole cast features and the setting just WORKS SO WELL. And this Flint feels brilliantly in character despite the difference in setting.

to make a life by gone_girl

53K (Max/Anne, Max & Silver)

“What am I going to do with your name?” Max asks, a little incredulous.

“Whatever you want,” the salesman says. “Didn’t you want something real?”

Max heard a story once about the importance of answering questions like that carefully. If something emerges from the forest and asks for your name, don’t give it up, the story went. Offer only what you know you can live without. She’s never heard a story that tells her what to do when something emerges from the forest and offers its name to you.

I literally only finished this this morning but holy shit this fic is amazing, it’s a Max-centric AU set in Missouri the early 00s and it’s all about found family and building community and platonic love and it has a brilliant SilverMadi dynamic. And there just aren’t enough fics out there that focus on Max & Silver!! 

the straight walk home by vowelinthug

73K (Silver/Flint)

Let me tell you a story, about a vaquero named Vasquez…

Obviously vowelinthug’s fics are recc’d all the time and rightly so as they are AMAZING, but one that I don’t see featured as often as the more prominent ones is this incredible Western!AU. It’s 73K guys!! It adapts the canon narrative into the Western setting SO well!! It has background Vane/Billy which I was not at all sure about going in but just WORKS!! Go read it.

The Truth about Eros by Aisalynn

21K (Silver/Flint, Silver/Madi, Flint/Thomas)

Silver understood one thing very well.

Being Fated did not mean you were safe.

It did not mean you were loved.

This one is hot off the press! I am not normally a fan of soulmate AUs but this is such an interesting take on the trope, and the world building fits around the polyamory theme of the show really effectively! And it is SO well written.

With Nothing on My Tongue by RosieTwiggs

13K (Silver/Flint, Silver/Madi)

"Silver thinks: Maybe God likes it when I fight with him.

He wonders now, whether he’s been playing into God’s plan all along. Because no matter how angry he gets, how defensive, how many “fuck you”s he flings to the heaven, isn’t it all just proof that he still believes God is there, despite it all?

Silver doesn’t know how to counter that.

Maybe he doesn’t want to anymore."

An incredibly well written (and angsty! read the tags!) Jewish!Silver character study. This one has really stayed with me.

Maybe in Another Life by samedifference61

31K (Silver/Flint/Madi, Flint/Madi, Silver/Flint, Silver/Madi)

At the rail of a ship James doesn’t command, they stand shoulder to shoulder.

“John still thinks you’re dead,” James states, because it’s something that needs to be said aloud before they continue.

With eyes unblinking toward the rolling sea, Madi says, “And he still thinks you should be dead.”

James’ lip curls in anger. The wounds of betrayal are too fresh for either to say anymore.

Canon-divergent from 4x09, this is a brilliant MadiFlint centric fic exploring their relationship post Silver’s betrayal, and how he could find his way back to them both whilst acknowledging the weight of his actions.

in a vault of starlight by whimsicalimages

7K (Silver/Madi/Flint/Thomas)

The distance between Nassau and Savannah can be measured as: six hundred and thirteen nautical miles, five thousand pounds’ worth of pearls, or four extraordinary lifetimes.

Alternatively: in the aftermath, Madi writes her own story.

There aren’t enough Madi centric fics out there! This one is a lovely extension of canon with a great MadiSilver dynamic in particular.

the aftershocks remain by pdameron

31K (Silver & Miranda, Silver/Flint)

For as long as he can remember, John Silver has been able to see ghosts. He has no trouble keeping this secret from Flint - until Charlestown. Until Miranda.

Again all of pdameron’s fics are brilliant but I loooove this SilverMiranda centric one, plus who doesn’t love a ghost!au.

[x0401x]

agape

<SPOILER> I admire your works, which I had put into plenty heartfelt youtube tributes. I just saw the movie, then read your summary. Hope I can infuse enough Doll writing skill to elicit empathy for a dissenting opinion.

—

Hiiii, omg. It’s great having you here again! I put my reply under a cut, if you don’t mind. Also, you have more than enough “Doll writing skill”, whatever that is. Your writing style is great!

By the way, I get a bit serious when I write long replies and you had me going all-out, so props to you! My friends tell me that I sometimes seem angry when they read these mini-essays, lol, but please don’t worry. I’m not angry at all. In fact, your message was food for thought, so I’m very grateful. I hope my reply is worthy enough... >_<

FWIW, I agree with the summary in the context of the type of love that is eros. But in the movie, I saw agape through and through. Violet showed just that. She showed inexhaustible grace, and unconditional love. I assert that this is proof of her character growth after writing various letters. Her joke of punching Gil showed she indeed understood her situation, at least from Hodgins’ perspective. She respected Gil’s wish to be left alone, and even contented to just being able to hear Gil’s words again, even when those words were painful. Yes, the anime Gilbert doesn’t come 100 miles close to the dashing novel one. Yet Violet accepted this broken man who had hurt her in countless, inexcusable ways. This flawed man who definitely does not deserve her, which he admitted himself. Yet in her last letter, she expressed nothing but gratitude, and longing yet willingness to let go. Thus the audience couldn’t help but shed tears.

“The greatest happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved; loved for ourselves, or rather, loved in spite of ourselves.“ V.G.

Okay, I guess I never really wrote about it using these terms, so it wasn’t clear enough, but whenever I talk about Violet’s feelings for Gil, I’m never referring to eros. Both in novel and anime, from beginning to end, the love that she feels for him is obviously agape, no doubt. That being said, I don’t see what difference this makes. If anything, it just proves my point.

I’m sorry if I made it look like I was saying that Violet’s feelings are the problem. They aren’t. Gil is. The way he treats her, the way he does the bare minimum and still gets everything, the way he takes it all for granted. Violet is amazing with her undying love and devotion, sure, but Gil should also have been. Because that’s what she deserves. If you look at everything he’s done, he didn’t even have the right to forsake her. He owes her his entire life.

That’s what the novel never fails to assert. He lives for her, because she’s more important than himself to him. She’s bigger than his mental illnesses, his traumas, his self-sacrifices. And if he weren’t protecting her from the sidelines, she would’ve died. As long as this possibility existed, he couldn’t have the luxury to lock himself in his own little world and drown in sadness. He can wallow all he wants, but it shouldn’t get in the way of watching over her; not when her life is on the line. If she dies, it’s all for nothing. She’d be just a pawn that he used in the war and then threw away.

Therefore, I maintain that abandoning her to sheer luck is completely inexcusable. Violet shouldn’t be the only one putting him on a pedestal. That’s my whole point.

Further, having served for a decade in the military. I have come across those who lost limbs, eyesight, and minds. These broken men and women then made decisions that hurt their loved ones in various inexcusable ways. They earned plenty pain coming their way, just as Gil. Thus it began to rain hard when Violet showed nothing but unconditional love.

That first sentence caught me by surprise. We’re surely not from the same country, but still, thank you for your service!

Now, I know that this seems like an understandable comparison at first, but... the loved ones of those people were not in the military with them, were they? If Violet weren’t part of the army and hadn’t gone through way worse than Gil did, I would have no objection about his actions. But she was. She served at a much younger age, killed more than anybody else in the battlefield, did dirty jobs behind the scenes and overall exerted herself far more than her comrades and Gilbert himself. Then why does she have to be the only one still faithfully, loyally dedicating herself to him? If they were a real-life couple, they would definitely be frowned upon. All the more as a fictional one.

The additional characters in the movie may seem redundant at first. But from the context of how letter writing changes Violet, who in turn, change those around her is profoundly poignant. Daisy was able to express her true feelings to her parents thanks to Violet’s legacy.

Fair point, but I’m not sure if a completely new character was necessary for that. I’d rather have seen the way she changed the people that she had already had contact with. I think it’d be a good means to show what happened to everyone else after Violet went to live with Gil. One of my pet peeves with this anime is that Violet is the only character who receives proper attention, and when there’s a chance to focus on anyone else, the studio will much sooner focus on original characters who only show up once than the canon ones who have always been there. I know they meant to depict what happens even after Violet is gone, to “finish writing about her story” by using Daisy, but I think that’s a bit too gloomy for what’s supposed to be a happy ending. Just my opinion, though.

Now I need to go buy this film

I can help you purchase it if you want! Just PM me!

[howdoyoudothedew]

Another long SPN post

This time it’s notes from my WIPs. I never actually really wrote any of these, but tags and titles are included. Anyone can use these as starting points for a fanfic, have fun

Henry/Balthazar Summary: When Henry’s mentor, Benny, doesn’t return from the war Henry is saddened. He refuses to believe Benny died. Won’t even entertain it. On the way to find his missing mentor/father figure, he meets Balthazar. A strange man with a british accent and a habit of flirting with everyone, especially him. He finds Benny. He finds love. THen Balthazar tells him he’s from another time period and has to go. The last chapter is Balthazar saving Henry from Abaddon. Side note: Henry has blue eyes that Balthy apparently likes to wax poetic about Chapter One The day’s circled on his calendar. ‘Benny comes home’. That would be today. Or, it would’ve been. He had gotten the letter a week ago. ‘Benjamin Lafitte died in the war. We send our condolences.’ The letter, of course, wasn’t actually as cold and unfeeling as that. But it didn’t matter. Because it felt like that. It felt like someone had taken him and shoved him in an ice bath. He couldn’t believe the letter. He wouldn’t believe the letter. Benny had promised he’d live through this war. And if he had to find him, then by golly he’d find him. Even if he had to do it on his own. Henry snuck out of the bunker that night. A pack of food was the only thing he brought with him. That, and a picture of him and Benny. No one caught him on the way out. He knew the passages too well. He stole a bike from the garage, and left. There would be no note left in his absence. No trace of where he’d gone. Because if he’d left one, he worried that they’d try to find him. Find him and drag him back. But he couldn’t go back. Not now. Not without Benny. New section He’d been on the hunt for four days now. Had traveled from Lebanon, Kansas to Chattanooga, Tennessee and was slowly making his way to the Georgia coastline. His plan was to check coastal cities first. Then he’d work inwards till he covered all of the US. He only hoped Benny would return here and not go to another country. This is where he runs into Balthazar It’s when he’s asking a bartender if he’d ever seen Benny, while showing his picture Balthy comes up to him and says “Are you from around here, because you’re a perfect ten.”

----

Don't Make Bets With Love Goddesses Five chapters Alternative meeting, canon divergent, Gabriel is Loki, Aphro has her son arrow multiple people, but Gabe bypasses them all “You cheated!” “That never seemed to matter to you before, now how did I cheat?” “Eros shot Sam with an arrow!” “My son’s arrow never touched the Winchester.” Everyone has what the humans would call a ‘soulmate’, not everyone finds them and they're not always romantic. It looks like Gabe found his, though.

Chapter One Explains how Loki has messed around, yet has never fallen in love “I will never fall in love” the Norse god boasted. He was talking out of his ass, and Aphrodite knew it. Loki bets Aphrodite that he will never fall in love She accepts with a wicked twinkle in her eye Aphro has never been able to pass up bets, especially when they deal with love He was close once, with Kali, but it ultimately fell flat It didn’t even actually fall flat with Gabe, but with Kali who could sense his growing attachment and cut off their involvement before it could happen. They had made a promise to each other that their thing would remain ‘no strings attached’. Then years where nothing happens

Chapter Two Sam enters the scene He’s tall and handsome; funny, sarcastic, witty. And he’s one of the only people Gabe has ever met that won’t take his crap. That will see right through it. Gabriel vows right then and there that he won’t fall in love with Sam.

----

Different Circumstances Summary: Where the first meeting isn't of a boy with demon blood and an archangel, hidden as a trickster god, disguised as a janitor. Nor is the second meeting, or the third, or even the fifth. Until suddenly it is and the world seems just that much more messed up. Six chapters Tags: Canon divergent, Canon universe, 5 + 1 format, fluff, angst

Chapter One High school Gabe is the ‘bad kid’ They bond over pranks, and Gabe teaches Sam a few tricks

Chapter Six Sam connects all the dots and realizes the few people he had met in his life, the ones other than Jess that he had clicked with on automatic, were all the same person. Where all the trickster, Loki the god of mischief, and Gabriel the messenger of God. He hadn’t even clicked with Jess as quickly as he had seemed to click with each and every version of Gabe he had met. And now he was gone.

----

To Heal A Soul Summary: Castiel isn't the only angel who tried to save Sam Winchester from the Cage. But while Castiel got a body, the other found only a soul. Tiny and broken, frayed at the edges, yet still somehow alive curled up in the corner of the Cage. Gabe keeps and heals Sam’s soul until he feels that it could be replaced with minimum consequences, when he does replace it there is still a battle. Gabe can’t help him with this battle, none of Team Free Will can. Gabe's dog is Max Chapter One Gabe gets Sam’s soul, just his soul, from the Cage because he knows what’ll happen if he puts his soul back in his body after Lucifer had ripped it out Sam gets a different… form type thing. Like, I don’t know Gabe uses pagan magic to give Sam a body like his own Explains to Sam the situation

----

Stacy’s Dad (Lafittz) Tags: help me for i know not what im doing, i love this song and had to do this though, babysitter!garth, single father!benny, female teen oc, benny is older than garth by a few years, dilf!Benny, Notes: I'm sorry for the dilf tag, but I thought of it and it was too funny to me to not include it. Garth’s turned twenty a day ago, and is babysitting Benny’s kid (she’s twelve, so it’s not exactly babysitting) Benny’s thirty (his wife and him had Stacy when they were eighteen, they married right out of high school) Garth asks Benny out, saying that he promised him when he was eleven he’d go out with him when he turned twenty Stacy and Garth go to the pool, where Benny may work as a lifeguard Or, Stacy met Garth during her freshman year and they hit it off immediately as friends But Stacy liked Garth, and when he met Stacy’s dad it was practically love at first sight. (Because he's mushy like that) Or Benny and Andrea had her at sixteen, and Benny was estatic. Sure, it was early and he wasn't sure if he was ready, but he'd be damned if he didn't try to be a good father.

----

Scarecrow Summary: Remake where Cas is a “hunter” who Dean picks up on the way to ----, he's working the same case and they decide to pretend to be a couple to solve it. Also, instead of Meg, Sam runs into Gabriel because he picks him up on the road before he got to Meg. Sam’s part is inspired in part by the honeythief amv. Tags: s01e11 Scarecrow, rewrite, i tried, canon divergent, canon hopping, beginning unchanged, fake/pretend relationship, bonding(????) Dean picks up Cas either along the road (a parallel of their brothers) or at the food place he and Sammy split A man slid into the seat Sam had vacated, black hair Dean could only describe as bedroom hair, piercing blue eyes, and a trenchcoat. “So you're going after the missing couples, too?” The other couple isn't there, instead the people there immediately assume they're a couple Cas immediately goes with it and when Dean asks about it later he simply shrugs and explains that this job seemed to require some falsehood

---- Short ficlet where they find Narnia. “I thought you'd already been to Narnia given how deep inside the closet you are,” Gabriel joked.

----

Sabriel Anniversary Sam: Gabriel, I figured we could go where I first fell in love with you. Gabriel: Sam, I'd rather not… Sam: Why not? Gabriel: I have bad memories there. Sam, in surprise: Bad memories? I mean , sure we tried to kill you Gabriel: Lucifer killed me. Sam: Oh… Oh! You were thinking Elysian Fields? I meant Crawford Hall! Gabriel: What? Sam nervously rubs the back of his neck while looking away: Yeah… Could never really get you out of my head after that. *looks back at him* Even when I really wanted to. ----

Everytime they find Gabriel again, Sam wants to ask Gabriel to help. He wants him to stay. Though he tells himself it's not for him, but the world. But then they leave him behind in that ring of holy fire. And he… dies. At the hands of Lucifer. Sam thinks that's it. But then he shows up again, only to save him and leave him. (But it wasn't just him- it was Castiel as well, he has to remind himself for the next few weeks till it sticks.) So this time Sam swallows everything down, and he tells himself it's okay. Gabriel would've never stayed. And that's fine. Then Gabriel's back again, and he finally agrees to be on their team. He finally agrees to simply stay, even if it isn't for him. So of course he has to die all over again. ----

A rebound. Gabriel knows that's exactly what this is. After knowing Sam for all these years, he can read him. Read him easier than he can read himself. Heck, he knew Jess and Sam’d date the second he saw them together. And just as he knew, a month later they were dating. So yeah, Gabriel knew how to read Sam and how he felt about others. Romantic feelings just weren't there for him. Sure, Sam sounded sincere. He truly believed he liked Gabriel, and Gabriel knew that. But he knew his best friend and he knew the feelings were just his body’s half-assed attempt at fixing whatever hole Jess had left him with that he refused to recognize.

“I'm not ready.” It's not a lie. Gabriel isn't ready to date anyone, even if he loves Sam with all his heart. But he refused to be a rebound. He told the girlfriend Sam has before Jess- Ruby- as much when she gave him her twisted blessing after Sam broke up with her. If Sam knew that's what he was looking for in Gabriel, it would crush him. The poor kid would feel terrible, and Gabriel knows it. That is something he won't allow. Sam deserved happiness, but it couldn't be with him. Not now. Maybe not ever.

---- Crime Cleaners crime scene cleaners sam and dean who get roped into something well above their paygrade by two particular Novaks, possible villain being Luci and Lilith, who is his 'queen' they definitely get help from their friend Bobby and the Novak's friends Charlie, Rowena, and Rowena's girlfriend, the coroner Billie Or, serial killers God and his Righteous Man, who are secretly Dean and Cas. Gabe and Sam are the ones trying to find them.

----

John Winchester and Chuck Shurley meet the parents thing. John first meets Cas, and Dean explains that Cas is his husband. Then he meets Gabriel, Sam’s bondmate-husband- and an archangel. When he mentions how weird this is, Gabriel is the one who points out that “If you think it's weird that your son in laws are angels, just remember that their father in law is literally God.”

----

Normal au, Gabriel shows up out of nowhere because he has to do a blood sugar test to check for diabetes or some shit and he just grabs Sam: “I need your blood.”

[bellamyroselia]

If I had to take a not-so-wild guess who's going to rule the Underworld with Hades and Medusa gone, I'd say it's Persephone. Obvious answer is obvious, but anyway.

She predates both of them historically speaking and because of that, has even deeper connection to the Underworld than either of those two (closest thing mythological Medusa has to an Underworld connection is that her son had a kid with Persephone's friend, which isn't much of a connection. She has stronger connection to the sea actually, both of her parents being monstrous ocean deities). She's the dreaded queen of the Underworld first and foremost, not a nature goddess or bringer of fall Demeter causes a very dry summer on the original myth because Mediterranean climate is a thing. That's all Demeter's job. Many ancient texts refer to her by epithets or euphemisms because they thought that calling her by her name would get her attention which is a bad thing, my favorite has to be one from a Orphic hymn that calls her Hades' dread empress. Besides this, she's said to be capable of summoning ghosts and isn't above of trying to trap people into Underworld, giving them deadly gifts or outright killing people she doesn't like - so yeah, she's powerful and has a valid connection to the Underworld, why not make her rule the place. Considering how Hades was written in KI:U as someone who wouldn't have problems with previously mentioned things, she could easily be written as a pure evil character without any problems. It would probably be weirder if she wasn't, considering how she and Hades are one of the more stable couples in Greco-Roman mythology next to the likes of Dionysus and Ariadne or Eros and Psyche - stable couples must have something that keeps them together.

If not Persephone, Minos could also work. He's not as powerful as Persephone, but has some power because he's a demigod son of Zeus after all and he did become one of the three judges of the Underworld after his death. He's also the main antagonist in the Minotaur myth at least when it comes to Daedalus and since Icarus acts as a plot device for his character development... Minos honestly should've been the antagonist of the original game instead of Medusa.

I also wouldn't be opposed on having more lore on Magnus and Dark Pit because they do remind me of certain mythological characters, but it just makes me want more of them. Some other things I'd also like know would be who built the Lightning Chariot and does Pegasus' exist - I do have theories, but it would be nice to have canonical answers.

Ok so not to be annoying and like KID ICARUS ON SWITCH 🤬🤬🤬🤬 buuuuut I have some reasons why we may have a better chance than most e3s

- with miitopia and skyward sword Nintendo seems like it’s wanting to do remakes at the moment (this point is only valid if we don’t get a new game we get a port)

- Two other Greek mythology games have been put on switch, Hades did great. Immortals Fenyx Rising didn’t do bad either to my knowledge I didn’t keep up with it as much but it seems both were at least a success.

- it’s near uprising 10th birthday and it’s the NES kid Icarus’s 35th so anniversary wise it would be nice to make a new one.

- They recently re released the figmas and that’s personally interesting to me because while people did order them I see a striking lack of photos of them online. They know there’s a fandom but they can’t really think we’re so big we’re going to make them boatloads of money can they?

Reasons why I’m not so confident:

- Antony del rio (pit/dark pits English voice actor check out his Instagram he’s a cool guy) said on March 22nd aka uprisings 9th anniversary that Nintendo hasn’t contacted him for a sequel but that the would totally say yes If they did. He also said them same thing in a Interview you can find on YouTube shortly after the games release.

- not much more evidence I can give but we haven’t had amazing luck in the past so there’s that 🤷

Things I’d want ranked in how much I want them

1. A new game

2. Magnus in smash (I’ve already posted about that but he would be a great fit in my opinion)

3. A manga (I love love love the Nintendo mangas and Nintendo has made short promotional comics for uprising and a few different illustrated game guides in the 80s I think they could and would do it if their in the kid icarus mood)

4. A anime or more animated shorts (from Palutena/dark pit smash commercial some people who don’t even know kid Icarus said they think it would be cool if smash bros got an anime in that style, I agree but obviously an only kid Icarus one would be nice to)

5. A port (the reason I ranked this so low is high quality screenshots would be nice but I’d rather have new content)

Things I’d like to see:

- MAGNUS LORE PLEASE Magnus is such a cool guy and there’s a lot in his lore since we only saw him a handful of times. Him losing his child to the underworld or his relation to Gaol wasn’t touched up on more than “it happened” it never said when or how. Even though he’s very closed off emotionally I would’ve at least liked to have him answer all pits questions when he was fighting for dyntos.

- phosphora!!! She’s not my favorite but the personality she has is something I really enjoy. I know that she would be someone I’d like to know more lore about to. I can’t think of any specifics because she was even more of a mystery so I don’t know what she’s like at all other than sassy.

- I NEED dark pit/mirror of truth lore please 🙏 I would like a straight answer to the weirdness that is the mirror of truth. Is it actually a mirror of truth??? Was dark pit really a screwup or is there just no possible way someone as good as pit could ever be in the underworld army? Why was he so confused when he came out of the mirror? Yeah I know he seemed very confident when he was first created and went right to fighting but I find it weird how he acted later. He stated multiple times that he was the original and that pit was the copy. I want to know what his thought process was for that at least. I also want dark pit and Magnus to interact, for no particular reason it would just be fun I think. I also just want to know how he’s doing being in viridis army and such.

- who would be the new leader of the underworld if Hades and Medusa are dead. Pandora may be dead we never got much confirmation on that since underworld people can be revived. And Thanatos didn’t seem interested in leading the underworld, it may be him being scared of hades but I think Thanatos might be dead to so I’m not sure. The show must go on souls need to be collected.

- the statement of just because we fought together doesn’t mean we’re friends from Palutena’s guidance made me sad because l want them to be friends :( idk I hope to see friendly interactions and maybe the pits being a little nicer to each other lol

Aaaaannywayy I probably have more to say but this post is long enough

[beowulfs-booty-call]

So, here’s the low down on the established lore so far in regards to my OC and the universe I’m working on. (As well as details of potential plot points I’m experimenting on and wouldn't mind any constructive criticism or valid points on them as well as nothing is as of yet, concreted besides core plot lines.)

What is known so far:

Demi is the OC I work on, he’s originally a human being who took a mysterious train from Manhattan late at night one day and wound up in The Underground.

The Underground is an umbrella term of the numerous Districts literally under the cities of “men” in which monsters, demons, gods and their fallen counterparts and other beings live and fester in. 

There are at least 6 known Districts: Eros, Wrathia, Scorn, Thostle, Grotten, and Avarice

A 7th District exists, known solely as “Lux”. At this time, it is unknown what “lies” in Lux, besides local rumors that forgotten gods live in splendor and pomp.

Humans cannot live in the Districts as it is not their “domain” and will lose their identity and being slowly until nothing remains but a whispering will-o-wisp so to speak 

Demi can be considered a special case, he was drawn to the Underground by an unknown cause, lost all sort of “identity” to his old persona (Identification, etc) and stumbled into Eros.

Eros, is ruled by the sin of Lust, and coincidentally, “ruled” by Persephone and Hades, a strip club / lounge owner couple who take in Demi as their dancer 

The Districts are barred by an intense power, one cannot leave or enter without a higher being’s request or effort. As such, these things, though rare, are in effect... Concrete trapping demons and other fell beings within the chosen District.

Because Persephone rules the District as the de facto leader (She’s a lot more liberal than other demons / gods that run the Districts. Being Hades’ wife has its perks)

Persephone is not actually a goddess, rather, implied to be a human, who was kidnapped by Hades from her father who sexually abused her. She has issues with sexual / intimate contact after the traumatic event, but Hades understands completely and has done his best to be very gentle on her trauma and frequently goes out his way to make her comfortable. Originally, he ruled the Districts until he grew “weak” and passed over control to those who took the power for themselves and gave Persephone control of Eros.

The Gods (unknown which for now) control the weather, the people, the lifestyle, and their followers reap from the benefits.

Hades retires as a shadow-morphing-through-walls, well dressed dapper man who wears pristine white gloves to acknowledge his pledge of love to Persephone.

Many speculate Persephone does not truly love Hades, but deep down, she does with all her heart, and though she does not actively take part in the intimate workings of her District, she as its ruler nurtures the public as her own children and finds sex a “beautiful exposure of those who take part, be it lovemaking or simple words of nectar.”

It was Persephone who transformed Demi into what he is now, allowing him to continue living as an Incubus due to the choice he made. (She bestowed upon him, a special jewel with the power of unlocking hidden potential. This later becomes Demi’s choker that signifies him as a member of Persephone’s “court” so to speak.) He then became an Incubus due to accepting the “District’s influence”. (It’s said the jewel Demi wears is actually crystallized demon essence Persephone personally uses for her court to keep power in line.)

It’s said demons like Lucifer hide out in the city, while monsters of unparalleled appearances creep and lurk in the cover of darkness, the city hoisted by an ocean of murkiness and forebode. 

TID BIT: Being a demon, Demi can be summoned using the right materials

Parvati claims she is Demi’s mother, as Goddess of Orphans and Love.

Olliver and Demi own a hummer they dubbed “Turtle Dove”

Regardless, Demi is left without any memories of his previous life, and as such, takes on Demitri as his “stage name” with Demi being his calling name.

He is given to Olliver, @red-prince-sidon ‘s OC who rooms with him in an apartment they both share, courtesy of Persephone’s “grace”. The two quickly become inseparable to this day, despite Olliver going back and forth through dimensions as a dimensional traveler

Olliver knows about Persephone more than Demi does, of course, but does not talk about her for his sake.

The Original Demi™ is a man much more the polar opposite to his counterpart. Whereas Demi is sometimes naive as a child, the “true” Demi is cold and calculating, where Demi is optimistic and cheerful while still being an incubus, the other is more tired with life and seeks out only luxury for himself.

It is discovered that the other Demi was once a demon summoner, and had multiple demons under his charge. One such being is Parvati of Hindu myth, who comes to Demi and comes to believe that he was forcibly changed against his will. (Demi confirms however he chose who he is now, much to her chagrin.)

Becoming one of the main figures who knew what “her child was like” before Demi was found, Parvati decides to stay by his side as his maternal figure, being summoned from Mt. Kailash whenever need be. When first met, she easily cuts down a multitude of demon thugs who were at first enjoying a dance session before Demi and the other dancers intervene.

Demi doesn’t know who Parvati “is” to the past him, but resolves to find some way to allow her to meet “her son” again.

What Parvati does not reveal is, doing so would erase Demi’s existence, and then give the previous identity the powers of an incubus. She dodges this question many times when asked, “So, what was Demi like before?”

If anything, Demi is a figment of imagination in the paradox of Persephone altering his original fate.

Demi can also summon Baphomet, a pixie, Lilith (who later claims to be a “friend” of Persephone), and a pack of wolves who he had learned the ways of from time away from the District

Demi explores the District many times, bringing the ire of Olliver, Persephone, and many others who continually remind him not to try and leave, and yet, is able to slip through the District’s barrier to a forgotten forest. 

This forest later becomes important as it leads to a sanctuary where a single lone wolf resides. Initially, Demi believes this place to be nothing but imagination, but soon bonds with the wolf that lives within the forest.

This same wolf later gives up its life, and Demi takes its pelt as a hood to keep memory of the only other “friend” he has within the District. He’s extremely touchy on this subject, as this was considered his first familiar, though, the wolf later comes back as a familiar in spirit he can later call on.

Demi works not just in Persephone’s club, he can also be found working a day job at a fitness shop on the more... “shadier” side of town. This side job lead him to become somewhat of an item amongst the public, as his behavior and personality, though very exotic for the District, is a remarkable trait in accordance to his status of being an Incubus.

While being a demon, Demi has some mastery over the magic he studies in his grimoire, as well as preference to “fire” affiliated spells and usages. Naturally, he also can charm and disorient those he chooses, and can even “amplify” certain feelings in someone should the need be. (Very rarely done by choice.)

Demi is known for making henna tattoos to create spells from the sigils and symbols on his body. (I.E, A bloody eye can foretell the future, but also what could go very wrong; A sword can conjure one from the air into his grip and so on.)

He can also control others and even change them through painting or drawing their portrait, effectively making him feared through his unconventional pictomancy

Demi is haunted by nightmares of his previous self, and though he works under Persephone and respects her, he does not trust her

There are Gods in the Districts, many of them are in hiding after being eternally damned into what one can call, Purgatory, others have risen up to own the Districts. Demi constantly dreams of others using him as a God Slayer so as to control the entire Underground for selfish reasons.

Demi has imbued a piece of Olliver’s hair into a voodoo like teddy bear so as to sleep better. This gives him the feeling of sleeping near someone and soothes many of his nightmares. Olliver notes this as Demi’s craving for affection unlike other Incubi.

Demi’s ex left him in terms of how little Demi speaks of them. He wishes them the best, but also is extremely jealous that they have also found happiness rapidly after their breakup. (they become part of the wealthy public after marrying a notable demon and supposedly living in luxury.) 

Demi’s self worth fluctuates, but is still stable now due to the things he has faced to this day. However, he craves attention and affection from those around him, due to feeling he is not worth the love of his friends and allies.

Constantly deals with feelings of emptiness and loneliness, so, speaks to himself so as not feel as alone. This has also branched into him taking Photography as a hobby, as well as making videos about “relaxing” rain drops or about a hellhound he saw on the street and he brushed its fur.

Now, for the subjective content I have, besides other canon stuff to think on, are open to criticism and ideas! Many are not set in stone as such, so, here’s what I have on mind:

One character is formed from the dying wish of a little girl to “live” and ironically is sent to Eros. Demi falls in love with this very character, but, from what arises from this is not known besides that they are ostracized for not being amongst demon kind / other being. Rather, they are, if anything, human thought brought to life. (A “human” to the eyes of the public.)

Humans are able to form “reasons” and logical or abstract philosophies that allow them to exist as a form of identity.

To demon kind and fell gods, this alone stems a lot of jealousy, they are intangible desires given form that can only be “felt” by others on the same wavelength (can interact with humans at times based on their power) while humans are tangible beings able to overthrow gods by rejecting them or building them up with faith.

There are people looking for Demi™, as the one thing they know of his original form is that he wears his signature flannel and sometimes suspenders. The Demi in the Underground however, does not recognize them and so, doesn't interact with them.

Demi was once forcibly summoned by a warlock who went rogue in the deeper parts of the city and was nearly forced into slavery until the same man touched his choker. The jewel reduced the summoner to bone and dust and Demi fled into the world, taking with him the summoner’s grimoire as his own and updating it to his own preference for “good”.

A sorceress who controls the cyberspace blogs of “Grumblr” initially saps and takes demon essence of the literal hell site. Originally seeing Demi as a potential life force well she could always use, she captures him through absorbing his data from his online grimoire and tries to craft him into her makeshift familiar “chimera”. This would effectively render her invincible, as should she be killed, the chimera, whatever “host” it absorbed, would eventually become another Sorceress. This fails, as Demi instead absorbs the Chimera into himself and learns transmutation by pretending to learn under the Sorceress’ teachings to become her successor. When on the verge of being deleted from the Underground, she tries to resurrect herself through Demi, Demi instead seals her within his digital grimoire as an actual living “processor”. Now an ample base of demonic and spiritual knowledge, Demi becomes a full fledged witch through her own work and combining with his own wilder practices. A stoic hint is given through the processing message however. “Should a wish be granted to man, humanity alone may stand a chance against the higher.” 

Demi is able to shift into a Satyr-like form after forming a contract with Baphomet. He meets the demon through attempting to research the Forbidden library, and is accepted as his student, but offers some of his humanity in return. This becomes one of the root causes for his perpetual nightmares that can only be soothed by Olliver’s help.

Persephone does not reveal she wishes to actually use Demi as her God slayer and in a twist of fate, uses him as a pawn to destroy the other fallen gods so as to “free” the Underground. Whether she does this for the good of her people, or herself, is not yet known.

Lilith was the first actual contracted demon Demi comes into contact with, and consequently, gifts him her name as his surname (Demi Lillith) as well as her sigil to identify him as her “child” (as she is depicted as mother to all incubi and succubi). This also conflicts with Parvati and Persephone for their own reasons. Lilith seeks revenge on Persephone for “stealing” her chance at taking Eros for herself. Lilith is at odds with Parvati because Parvati, and before, Sati and Kali, were once regarded as another reiteration of her until eventually, Parvati was formed on her own accord. Lilith seeks to use Demi for her own personal gain by drawing Demi into her “love” so that he feels he can see her as a mother as he does Parvati. This way, should he do so, Lilith will manipulate him into becoming a god by slaying the other gods in the Districts and eventually, making way into the human world so as to bring her back to Eden and find the reincarnation of Adam to be his wife.

Adam, the incarnation of the first man, is a warrior of God wandering the Districts looking to slay Demi for being branded by Lilith, hoping to finally sever all ties with her. Accompanied with him, is Beth, a woman of unknown origin told to be the incarnation of Eve and Adam’s lover, though she later does not love him and Adam does not truly love her. The two are later separated while Adam destroyed demons in his wake and Beth finds herself in the company of Demi, who allows her to stay with him until she finds her way back. She tries to kill him, for Adam’s sake, but cannot after finding that while many demons in the District are sinful desires of humans formed by conscious thoughts, Demi proved that there are demons who can live in peace with humans as he tried with her. She takes off later on, but leaves her cloak when she realizes Demi would be hurt knowing she would have “abandoned him”. Demi is lead to believe somewhere out there, Beth is still alive and hopefully happy, but she truly does not know where God is in the Underground, or where Adam could be. 

Lemme know what you guys think! I’d love to hear anything you got in mind! The canon right now is pretty shifty, but the concrete stuff is just the basis and character traits.

Thanks for reading!

[sleepingprinceonice]

Georgi, the 3rd Yuri - Part 3

DISCLAIMER: This is a long meta. I wrote this along with a friend and we spent pretty much a week analyzing a lot of stuff, from the anime scenes to interviews and even song lyrics. There’s a ton of text, many links and it can get kind of pretty image heavy in some parts.

To help with this, and for organization’s sake, we divided this meta in 4 parts.

Part 1 - Georgi, the Chekhov’s Gunman and 3rd Yuri in Yuri!!! On Ice

Part 2 - Georgi, Victor, and The Sleeping Beauty

Part 3 - The types of love and Victor’s long hair

Part 4 - The romantic songs and Victor’s first love

The types of love and Victor’s long hair

Eros, Agape, Philia, Storge... We all know that the Greek are responsible for many ways of thinking and questioning society, so it’s not surprising that they developed an analisys over something as abstract as love.

One of our biggest mistakes is to think that love englobes all kinds of affection. Recognizing that there are many faces for this feeling makes it easier for us not to get dissapointed in life but also makes it easier to understand Yuri!!! On Ice.

We wouldn’t have so many details, so many stories, come they or not from the protagonists, if the narrative wasn’t trying to tell us something. And it’s so obvious that it throws at our faces - or, better, at Yuuri and Yurio’s faces - two of the types of love: Agape and Eros. This chase of Yurio’s for unconditional and selfless love wouldn’t be so important if it wasn’t valid for the plot, and neither would’ve Yuuri’s quest to find his Eros if it wasn’t applicable to the narrative and for his future (or even a canon past that we still don’t have).

Let’s take a closer look at those definitions of love?

Starting with Agape, that looks so simple and easy, but needed so much effort for Yuri Plisetsky not to understand, but to accept it. For him, it’s hardd to bring out the essence of this feeling during the interpretation of his short program and, when he can find it in the memory of his loved grandpa, he loses himself in the middle of his performance. Why is it so painful to accept Agape, Yurio?

We’re taken to believe that since he was very small, his life was surrounded by responsabilities that shouldn’t belong to a child. To go far away from his family, from his mother - and later from his grandpa - to dedicate himself to the ungrateful figure skating career. Even though it’s so beaufiful to watch, we all know how this world has their favorites and how short an athlete’s life is on the competitive area.

Your career is short and you need to take the maximum that you can from it; any mistake can mark you, the favorites outshine you, the sponsors pick carefully who’s worthy of their investments and, desperately, Yurio wants to bring the judge’s and world’s attention to himself. So much focus on this harsh world made him harden; if he accepts so easily love and its weaknesses, he fears not being able to go forward. Plisestky doesn’t like to feel weak, doesn’t like losing. Each medal he doesn’t win, each place lower in the podium is like having his record stained. How can someone so young get lost in so much fear?

And this quest for the denied Agape is hard, but rewarding. Yurio recognizes with time that he always had selfless love close to him. He has the love and support of his beloved grandpa, the trust of his coach, Yuuko’s friendship, the reception of the Katsuki family during his stay in Japan, the newly discovered friendship with Otabek... And all of this love and affection given to him without the need to receive anything back made him discover the best of himself. After so much time seeing love as a weakness, the feeling is now the origin of his strength: Agape was found.

But if this love is selfless and considered the purest side of the feeling, Eros is its total opposite. Does it mean that it’s bad? No, it only means that it isn’t eternal.

If for Yurio recognizing Agape in his life was a problem, imagine it for Yuuri, who’s a man so modest and emotionally blocked, to accept the desire he kept inside? To have these two Yuris skating to such contrasting feelings makes it look like, at first, as a proposal because they have nothing in common with them, however, they don’t want to admit that they have inside them those versions of love, since, as the Greek says, we all have all of them inside us.

And we can clearly see Yuuri’s wish to be desired when he decides to explore for himself, when he decides to incorporate a seductive woman, since he can’t bring out the playboy at the moment.

Insinuating, seductive... Yuuri knows who he wants to get to, knows who he wants to seduce. Victor’s the worlds most desired single, his friend Nishigori asks him if he can seduce Nikiforov. Does he thinks so? No would be the obvious answer, but we see Yuuri wanting to try to prove the contrary, who wants to show his Eros and become an object of desire to conquer the Russian and to show the world that, yes, he’s capable of taking Victor away from the world - even though he never says this out loud.

It can be seen in his actions, in his skating... It’s a challenge to conquer his emotional, the anxiety and discomfort with his body, still, Yuuri does all of that. “I am Eros and Eros is me?” he asks. Yes, Katsudon, you exist in Eros and Eros exists in you. It’s okay to be a sinnamon roll, you’re doing a great job.

His intentions are clear; while part of him is embarrassed over so much skin exposed and feels invaded with the public displays of affection, Yuuri has lust enough to free his desires as he does a full pole dance performance, asks for Victor to keep his on him and only him, almost declares a cold war with the Russian public in the Rostelecom Cup when he shows them all the love he has to offer, plays with the judges, blows kisses, gets more and more audacious in his programs and, discretely, revealing not to be as closed to the touch as we imagined at first.

After all, if this was true, he wouldn’t have let Chris grope his butt when they met at the Cup Of China, and wouldn’t have shared with Giacometti his seductive performance made of drinks and almost no clothing.

He is the playboy of his story and he knows that. For this reason and because he’s embarrassed to bring this out, it’s easier for Yuuri to agree that “a seductive role is not for him”. Of course it is, playboy. You proved us enough already.

In this we enter one of Yuuri’s biggest challenges, that maybe confuses him about the depth of his feelings for Victor. We’re talking about Nikiforov, the living legend, his country’s pride, loved by the world, the best of a whole generation, desired single and star that’s printed in every poster all over all over Yuuri’s room. It’s almost a dream to have a man like this at your side, and even more to have him saying that he’s going to train you, bring out the best of yourself. And is it Victor that does it? Or is it Yuuri that, dazzled to have his childhood and teenagehood star at his side, starts to try to keep him close?

“I’m the only one that can satisfy Victor.”

Now look at his pretentiousness! He’s good and he knows that! He’s seductive, yes, maybe not with a sex appeal as explicit as Chris, but he does have his own Eros! To have Victor at your side, with his eyes only for you - as Yuuri challenges him -, that’s something to inflate anyone’s ego. Wouldn’t you be satisfied to have the world’s best figure skater’s gaze for you only? To be, even as the public calls for him, the center of attention?

Overwhelming, strong, sweeping, explosive... And ephemeral. Passion is like fire over straw, fast, intense, it dominates you completely and then, as fast as it comes, it goes away and leaves nothing behind to tell the story. Does it mean that nothing else will exist between Victor and Yuuri? No, it only means that what they have right now will end someday. And, while Eros is the biggest responsible for trying them together, if it goes away what’s left over the couple that almost doesn’t speak sincerely when they’re not skating?

Yuuri is the playboy of his tory and no one doesn’t even suspects it. But you remember what happens after the most desired woman in town is seduced, right?

Contrary to the transient love that is Eros, Philia is more lasting, and also more loved and praised by the Greek. Defined as the love between friends and the camaderie of brothers in arms, Philia is based mostly on loyalty; with the friends, with the job, with the country. It’s the love that commits itself, but that also lets it go if it’s better for the other party.

And who’s better to represent Philia if not Georgi Popovich?

A sensitive soul, dedicated to his art and his sport, a diligent student that always listens to his coach’s orders and advices, loyal to his friend to the point of traveling with them to Moscow just to watch their performances and the other’s as well. This is Georgi, someone who incorporated Philia in his life - actually he is Philia in its purest essence.

Not only that but he is also one of the characters that talks the most about love during the course of the series; and, considering that he's also a Yuri, nothing more fair than to have him represent one of the Greek words for love. And, just as Yuuri has his own Eros that was denied for a long time, and Yurio searched for his own Agape despite the conflitant and painful feelings, Georgi also has Philia inside him, even though he - maybe - doesn’t know this completely.

During one of the interviews, Yuuri’s voice actor, Toshiyuki Toyonaga, says that he feels some Pathos in Georgi. Pathos, just like the words for love, is also Greek, associated with passion, excess, suffering, feeling and affectionate bonds. It is, as well, a method of rethoric and storytelling, used to instigate emotions from the audience with the use of passion, expressivity and metaphors.

If this definition doesn’t match perfectly with Georgi’s profile please correct us.

It’s in this loyalty and passioun about eveything that surrounds him - his art, the way he expresses himself, his silent obedience over Yakov’s denial to join Victor when he asks them to come have dinner with him, in his observations and admiration of the other skaters during the Rostelecom Cup, that Georgi is Philia.

And Philia can evolve and become something bigger: Storge.

If Philia is the friendship’s love, Storge is the family’s. Here we don’t talk only about blood, but also about the families that we cultivate with the bonds of destiny, of friendships that are lasting, that shape and change your life. After all, it’s not always the blood family that we have present, or maybe they don’t always help us - it’s not uncommon to see people that, alone, build their own families with no blood ties.

People like Victor Nikiforov.

We don’t know Victor’s blood family, but he doesn’t seem to be close to them. We know that Victor’s solitary, that he dedicated over 20 years - his whole life - to figure skating, that he spent more time on ice than anything else.

Curiously, however, it is exactly because of skating that Victor creates bonds, and these bonds are now his real family. And isn’t this one of the main points of his character development over the course of the anime? To go from a solitary star at the top of the world to be now someone happy, loved, with a life and surrounded by people with strong, lasting bonds that he can call family?

His respect for Yakov, his relationship with Yuuri, his friendship with Chris, his fondness for Yurio... And, why not, a bond with Georgi as well? After all, both are Russian, are at the same age range, it’s even said in Georgi’s official profile that he’s Victor’s rinkmate. Considering their ages, it wouldn’t be surprising to see that they know each other for a long time now and that they shared many moments together for many years...

Including when Victor was the Lilac Fairy and had long hair.

Ah, Victor Nikiforov with long hair... The few scenes we got with Vitya with this haircut served as fuel for so many breathtaking fanarts, beautiful crossovers, delightful headcanons and even photoshop over the original screencaps, reimagining the story with Victor still showing his long locks. This platinated Rapunzel causes us all a strange fascination, and we don’t even know the reason why. Or maybe this is what the producers wants us to think.

Why so many scenes, so many flashbacks reminding the spectator of this past? It’s not just to settle the story... It would be way cheaper to just have the characters telling us instead of animating them all, taking money and minutes from the episodes. They’re not there to make the anime longer or fill random holes, they are necessary, especially each and every one of them that contains at least a bit of Victor’s past. We may not know all we want about his life, but these hints are extremely important! In then we have the similarities between young Victor’s apparitions.

He looks realized, happy. In the image above Victor doesn’t carry the weight of his career yet, even thought it’s been some time that he’s skating already. How does the happy face above turns into the evident sadness shown in the Victor that we know now? When did the ice stopped to make him happy? Or was it something else?

What are those ten years hiding from us?

Right at the first seconds of the first episode, in the first step of Yuuri’s story, Victor appears at the rink, a common point of interest between the two skaters, performing his choreography of Stay Close To Me in the most absolute silence. And, between light and shadow, Victor goes from his younghood - with long hair - to adulthood - with short hair - right before Yuuri’s eyes, simbolizing all the life that Yuuri spent admiring his idol.

However, it’s not only Yuuri’s admiration that we can see in this situation. Don’t forget that Yuuri wasn’t the only one that watched him grow, it was the whole world. The whole world could see his evolution on the ice, could witness his changes, even though no one knows at what point he matured enough to pass the blades through his hair. Even though the exact moment is still a secret, in this scene we can see - or not - when this happened: in the shadows. Who also lives in the shadows?

Not only this haircut may be related to Georgi or it can be a secret between them, and that’s why it’s “hidden”. And this secret relationship confirms itself in the free skate songs: Stay Close To Me and A Tales of Sleeping Prince (with a big participation of Serenade For Two - yes, Michele’s song).

Continued in the next post. (x)