#for their respective sisters. despite effectively abandoning them.

[timothylawrence]

and if i said anthems for a seventeen year old girl was a maya song then what

[zenkindoflove]

Elucien Parallels: Eddard and Catelyn Stark's Arranged Marriage/Marriage of Convenience Trope

I'm back again with more ACOTAR and ASOIAF/GOT parallels. You can go read this post where I breakdown my thoughts on comparing Elain Archeron and Sansa Stark as representing similar character archetypes in fantasy.

Today I want to talk about one of my favorite ASOIAF/GOT ships - Ned and Cat. What I want to do with this post is sort of breakdown the dynamics of their relationship and story arc and apply it to some common criticisms of Elucien and why in order to get the kind of tension Elucien have in canon, you need to have an understanding of how this particular trope works and the way these types of characters inhabit it.

So, a quick rundown on Ned and Cat and their relationship, just to get anyone reading this up to speed. Catelyn Tully was betrothed to Brandon Stark, Ned's older brother. Their betrothal represented a political alliance between the Starks of Winterfell and the Tullys of Riverrun - the liege lords of their respective regions. Despite being betrothed for political reasons, Catelyn fell deeply in love with Brandon anyways. And when he was tragically murdered by the Mad King, alongside his father, she was heart broken. Enters Ned, now the Lord of Winterfell, who has to secure this political alliance because he is about to wage a rebellion alongside his friend Robert Baratheon against the Targaryens. It makes perfect sense for him to marry his brother's betrothed. Ned and Cat get married quickly and off to war he went. When he returned a year later, he brought home his bastard, Jon Snow. He and Cat now have to figure out their marriage on top of not only being effectively strangers, but also with this betrayal looming over their relationship. When we enter the story of Game of Thrones, they have 5 children, the oldest Robb who was conceived just before Ned left for war, is 16. Cat and Ned are very much in love, showing open affection and devotion to each other. Cat is quoted later in the series telling her son Robb (show canon):

"Love didn't just happen to us. We built it slowly over the years, stone by stone, for you, for your brothers and sisters, for all of us. It's not as exciting as secret passion in the woods, but it is stronger."

Okay, so where does Elucien come into all of this and why should you care if you ship them?

Well, I think Cat and Ned's story illustrates a lot of things and disproves many doubts that are thrown at Elucien being endgame.

Betrayal

First is this issue of betrayal - that Lucien's involvement with Tamlin and his inevitable association with the situation in Hybern (though he did not know the extent of the deal with Hybern nor at all that Feyre's sisters had been kidnapped) will be such a huge breach of trust that Elain will never be able to get over it. That the relationship is dead before it even started.

Ned and Cat are a perfect example of how many anti-Eluciens are wrong when they think that Elucien are essentially dead before they start. By bringing home Jon Snow and raising him in his home amongst his trueborn children, Ned inflicted a huge betrayal onto his wife before they ever truly started their relationship. Although, at least in show canon, we know this ends up being quite a noble lie by Ned, this is never something that he reveals to Cat. So, Cat must swallow her pride and her jealousy and continue to be Ned's wife. This does not mean she has to fall in love with him, as it is not expected of her to, but she does all the same. Why? Because of Ned's inherent goodness and devotion to her. Cat sees that Ned is a good, honorable man - which is why she ultimately believes the rumors that Jon must be Ashara Dayne's son and that he is a love-child that Ned cannot bear to abandon. Because as she comes to know Ned, she sees his heart and his moral standing.

Which is all to say, that regardless of whether Elain begins her journey angry and blaming Lucien for association with her being Made and the end of her engagement, by getting to know him and spending time with him, she too will be able to see Lucien's inherent goodness. It is unavoidable and undeniable. Lucien, much like Ned, is honorable, loyal, and stands up to the face of evil, even if it will stupidly get him killed. He takes ownership over the people in the lands he runs and cares for that responsibility and their well being deeply. He commits violence when he must but he does not enjoy it. These are all traits that suited Cat well and why she ended up having such a loving marriage to Ned through many, many years. And likewise, suit Elain well and why she and Lucien will have a healthy and loving mating bond.

Reluctant Tension

Many anti-Eluciens do not understand the romantic tension presented in their situation. They see their distance, polite exchanges, and reactions as a sign of indifference or discomfort. It is a far cry from the explosive anger and deliberate pushing away that Nesta displayed with Cassian. Sometimes it's easier to understand Nessian's romantic tension because passion can exist both in anger and desire. But what about the stilted interactions of Elucien?

This is also where I will draw parallels to Ned and Cat. Ned and Cat did not go to the alter kicking and screaming. They were not political rivals or enemies. Catelyn did her duty with her head held high, living her house words (Family, Duty, Honor). Catelyn is often described as the picture of a noble lady - well-mannered, kind, diligent, dutiful, and respected. She held a high place of honor at Riverrun, effectively serving as Lady of the house after her mother's passing at a young age, and then taking over the role of Lady of Winterfell. She earned loyalty and respect amongst her subjects. We don't know much about the dynamic of Ned and Cat at the early days of their relationship. But what we can infer based on how Cat describes this time period, is that Cat hid her reluctance and anger behind silent pride. It was over time, as she grew to know Ned that this distrust and distance was thawed and she fell in love with him.

Similarly, Ned is not a hot head. He is grounded and stone-faced, a trait that Cat actually did not like initially because it was so different from his brother who she was in passionate love with. Brandon was a hot-head, charming, and funny. He was a showboat and is basically how he came to duel Petyr Baelish in the first place. But Catelyn eventually realizes the wisdom in loving a man like Ned, rather than the girlish love she had for Brandon.

Now Elain and Lucien are not mirror images of this. Lucien is certainly much more savvy and charming than Ned. And Elain is not forced into a romantic relationship with Lucien at all even with the mating bond. She has been given total freedom to choose, unlike Cat. But, my point here is that the presentation of their romantic tension, which is more quiet and understated and can confuse some readers who have a preference for the more passionate displays of tension, is very similar to Ned and Cat in the beginning of their relationship.

Now, as we learn both in the books and the show, Cat and Ned at the start of the series are well into their 16+ year marriage and are quite passionate now. They have many loving physical displays with one another, often passionately kissing or referencing passionate lovemaking they just had. They speak to each other with such warm affection others have to look away. It is clear they have deep love for each other that goes beyond duty. The passion certainly developed between them along the way. With Elucien I'm sure this will play out much differently given the presentation of the mating bond and how we know it affects people. It's very likely both of them are deeply desiring each other already, and very likely that they will have some dramatic rows between them, as it is likely Ned and Cat had as well, once they start really talking about the hard topics. But the point is that passion and the potential for passion does not have to be readily observable right from the start. If anything, there is something very delicious in the steady build-up to it through many of the tropes we see in historical romances where there are rules and etiquette to courtship (which many suspect Elucien will play with some regency era tropes).

Conclusion:

I really love finding parallels between ships of my favorite series, and there is of course a lot to draw from when its two fantasy series. In the end, my bigger point is that great love can come from Arranged Marriage/Marriage of Convenience Tropes which Elucien inhabit with the nature of their bond snapping right when they met. It's not for everyone, but for those of us who get it... we really get it. Fortunately for us, Elucien exist in a romance with HEAs and not the world of ASOIAF/GOT so they won't meet the same tragic fates as Ned and Cat *sobs*.

[woodchipp]

Netflixvania's Lenore and OMORI's Sunny: Why Are They So Similar When They Shouldn't Be?

Sunny is the protagonist of the 2020 game OMORI, a hikikomori who shut himself away from the world after accidentally killing his sister.

Lenore is one of the arc villains of Netflix' Castlevania (2017), a vampire diplomat who at first is sent to manipulate Hector into complacency, but then forms a more equal bond with her slave.

On the surface, Sunny and Lenore should have nothing in common. And yet, somehow, they do.

NOTE: I'm aware those two characters' big crimes (manslaughter and rape by deception, respectively) are not comparable. The point of this post is to document the numerous similarities in their actions and the ways their respective stories frame them - nothing else.

This post mentions such topics as sexual abuse and suicide. Reader discretion is advised.

Lenore deceives Hector into having sex with her by pretending to support his desire to escape the situation he's trapped in, making him trust her on false pretenses; the support Sunny's friends give him is based on a lie he subconcsiously knows about, but doesn't divulge for the sake of covering his ass.

Hector reminds Lenore of the slave ring (a magical binding ring she used as a way to prevent him from fleeing the castle and/or rebelling against his captors), to which she only brushes him off by insinuating he was “having fun" when they had sex and Hector never brings up the subject again; Omori points out that the support Sunny uses to get through the final boss fight is based on the lie that Mari killed herself when Sunny was the one to accidentally kill her, and the game frames his point as unworthy of consideration solely because he’s Sunny’s evil mental illness.

Hector (presumably) makes peace with Lenore's abuse and then allows her to kill herself when she decides she doesn’t want to live anymore; Basil (presumably) makes peace with Sunny before the latter moves away despite Sunny’s abandonment of Basil prior to the game’s events. Both Lenore and Sunny abandon the person they're supposed to care about to the consequences of their own actions - twice, in Sunny's case.

Both Lenore and Sunny's suicides make the act look easy. The former kills herself on a whim and it's framed as romantic (with the show's director, Samuel Deats, outright confirming her death was presented as beautiful "for effect"); the latter’s fate is determined by a single "Yes/No" choice prompt after the final boss fight and the game frames him throwing himself off a roof if you select "No" as a joke by setting the cutscene to a cheery pop song.

Lenore barely shows any care about Hector's mental well-being since she's only concerned about his physical comfort; Sunny only imagines doing something nice for Basil by watering his flowers in Headspace without ever doing anything for him when he has the chance to.

Lenore seeks Hector's company only to complain about her woes; Sunny joins his friends again only because he's about to leave in 3 days.

NFCV's story wants the audience to forgive Lenore since she's sad about feeling useless even though she never does anything substantial to indicate she's changing into a better person; OMORI's story wants the audience to forgive Sunny since he's sad about killing Mari and abandoning his friends even though he never does anything substantial to indicate he's changing into a better person.

Hector's trauma is framed as irrelevant compared to Lenore's whining about how she feels useless; the grief Sunny's friends experienced in the four years before the game's events and are experiencing during said events is practically glossed over in favor of emphasizing how sad Sunny feels.

Lenore's rape by deception is trivialized into her making dick jokes with her victim, the very first scene of them together after her betrayal in the previous season, that is framed as a cute bonding moment; Sunny's manslaughter of Mari is trivialized into him having a nice picnic with his friends in front of her grave, a wholesome scene that ignores how he is sitting near the grave of the loved one he killed with his own hands, surrounded with his unaware friends, without as much as a hint of guilt (which could've been easily represented by Something)

As noted by the post's title and its introduction, the fact those two characters have this much in common is baffling and honestly disturbing. I shouldn't be able to compare a 16-year-old teenager to a 200-year-old rapist vampire that easily. That brings me back to the question posed by the title - why are they so similar when they shouldn't be?

The answer's plain and simple - shitty writing. In Lenore's case, the six-week time skip that gets the audience to the point where she and Hector are already besties may have come from NFCV's lead writer, Warren Ellis, being fired from the show following allegations that he molested women, which might've led to its last season being rushed. In Sunny's case, the reason for his failure as a character is thankfully far less horrific - Omocat has made it clear OMORI's emotional impact was their only priority, so it all boils down to them wanting to create the most tragic blorbo to have ever tragically blorbed at the expense of everything else, including the story's other characters and basic common sense.

[cuteniarose]

also this anon came here from ur art blog!

can you tell us more abt ur ocs?? infodump plz

Hey, it’s fine, don’t sweat it! That was all on me, tbh, I have a habit of not putting too much info about my OCs into posts because they have a target audience of two, me and my partner in crime, and obviously we both already know pretty much everything there is to know about these guys. It’s very rare that anyone stumbles upon my art blog, let alone likes it enough to come here and send multiple asks about my characters, so thank you for that!! Maybe I should start putting small bios in the descriptions of my art posts, at least ages and sexualities and who they are in relation to whom 😅

Anyway, I did make a long infodump post about my main OCs, Suiren and Midori, here, and 99% of that information is still accurate, so I’m not going to repeat myself. And the rest depends on who you wanna know more about, Kat and I have over 20 between us, if I were to talk about everyone we’d be here until next year. But for now.. how about a rundown of the ones I currently speak of most often?

(Under the cut because this got LONG)

Haya – Born in 120 AG, she/her, cis, thinks she’s straight but definitely some flavour of queer, will most likely never figure it out :/. She’s Ghazan’s older sister who raised him after their parents fell victim to a plague when she and Ghazan were 14 and 5 respectively. Obviously, life wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for the two of the after that. Haya had to quit school so she could work to provide for her brother, and she worked herself to the bone at any job that would take her because what else could she do? Let her brother starve? Not pay the bills so they’ll eventually end up homeless? And with how tired she was, of course she had little capacity remaining for kindness. She became hardened, mean and immensely overprotective, always yelling at Ghazan whenever he didn’t do as she told him, particularly he ran off to play in the Swamp despite it being where the sickness that took away their parents had come from, even more so when he made friends with Ming-Hua, and eventually she started hounding him endlessly about how much money he’s costing her. And it all boiled down to Ghazan running away as a teenager and joining the Red Lotus, later reuniting and falling in love with Ming-Hua, and having Suiren and Midori. When the time came for the plan to kidnap Korra, the girls were left with Haya, and that’s where things take a sharp turn for the worse. Haya saw her brother in Midori and the swamp rat who stole him away from her in Suiren, they were living proof that her brother abandoned her and she couldn’t stand it. And so she became physically, verbally and emotionally abusive, and the effect that childhood had on the girls will stay with them long after they’re out from under her roof. Haya is easily the most emotionally conflicting character that I have. You want to hate her, you SHOULD hate her, she’s an absolutely awful person with 0 redeeming qualities, but then you remember that once upon a time she was very much like Suiren, a young girl who loved her mother very much and just wanted the best for her little sibling, and now she’s older and alone and miserable. It’s.. a sad fate, and a part of me can’t help but sympathise with her. Not that it excuses her actions, but it adds a layer to her for sure.

Summiya – Born in 124 AG, she/her, cis, aromantic allosexual, no exact sexuality label beyond that since for her, sleeping with people isn’t about the partner, but rather what they can give her. Zaheer’s older sister, the stereotypically perfect eldest child who sets impossible standards for her siblings. What sets her apart from the rest is that her face is perfectly symmetrical, as if someone put a mirror to one half of it, and while she’s undeniably beautiful, the symmetry tends to freak people out a little. She doesn’t look human, more like a perfect porcelain doll, and that’s exactly what she was raised to be. She was born into a noble family and given the patriarchal structure in place her only role in life is to uphold her father’s reputation and political status by being married off to the highest bidder and becoming the perfect wife and mother. When she was 16, Zaheer ran away from home and she denounced him as a brother with no hesitation. When her sister Aiza did the same thing three years later, Summiya struggled a lot more to do the same, but she was already married and pregnant at that point so pushed the event deep, deep down and focused on her own family. Following her siblings’ betrayal, she was placed under a lot more pressure to not end up like them and not let her kids do the same, which resulted in her becoming an overbearing control freak who hates that both her children (a girl and a boy, just like her own siblings were) were born with birthmarks on their faces, making them imperfect, and her carefully concealed but still obvious hatred of those marks drove her daughter to attempting to bleach her skin. And all her efforts were for nothing, because they still end up rebelling against her as teenagers, not too long before she discovers her husband is cheating on her and only a few months before Zaheer is imprisoned. Tough year, what can I say? And she just.. cracks, completely loses it, and Kat said she’d write a proper fic about it so I’ll leave the details to her, especially considering tumblr won’t like me talking about them, but she begins cheating on her husband too and is a complete masochist, to the point she deeply scares her partners and they end up breaking it off. Essentially, Haya on steroids 😅

Aiza/Emran – Born in 126 AG, she/he/they, genderfluid, pansexual, polyamorous. Zaheer’s other sister, the middle child in the family. The three siblings were never close with each other, they were never allowed to be, but Aiza and Zaheer still managed to share a few moments where he told her about Air Nomad culture and philosophy, thus causing her to gain an interest in it too. After he ran away she started reading a lot more and aching for the freedom described in the texts. At age 17, a few days before her arranged marriage, she gets into an argument with Summiya about duty, sacrifice and wanting more from life, much more than being married to a guy she never even had a proper conversation with and birthing his children, and upon finding no support in her sister she decides to run away too. She cuts her hair, disguises herself as a boy under the name Emran and becomes an air acolyte at one of the temples. She struggles at first since she never had to work for anything before, but eventually begins to love this way of life and gains a lot more confidence in herself. She makes friends and grows so close with them she sees them as family, and at some point reveals her deceit, but no one is too mad at her because ultimately, she’s still her. But after that revelation, she realises that she didn’t dislike being a boy, and she doesn’t hate being a girl as long as she’s not under the intense pressure her parents placed on her, and becomes genderfluid, using different pronouns and both Aiza and Emran as names depending on what they feel more like that day. They also start experimenting with their sexuality and fall in love with a bunch of people of all genders, forming a polycule though never settling down officially. After Harmonic Convergence they will gain airbending, and eventually, several years later, they’ll reunite with Zaheer and the two will get to need out about Air Nomads together like they were always meant to 🥹🥹

Ehuang – No exact birthdate yet, but most likely >180 AG. She’s still a bit too young for us to really decide on gender and sexuality and whatever else, but for now, cis, she/her. She’s the daughter of Midori and Opal Beifong, conceived with the help of Bataar Jr (Midori was the one pregnant). Midori and Opal adopt several kids together, but at some point Midori decides that she wants to know what it’d feel like to carry a child herself, to be there when they’re born, to see traits of her family reflected in them. So she and Opal talk, ask Bataar for help, one thing leads to another and nine months later, precious baby Ehuang is born. She’s the love of my life and light of my world, genuinely the most good and pure thing to ever exist, the representation of everything finally being okay with the world, and I adore her beyond what words can convey. She’s named after a character from the same legend her great grandmother’s (Ming-Hua’s mom, Nuying) name comes from, and will eventually reveal herself an earthbender, though not a metalbender like Opal’s family, but a lavabender like her grandfather. Truly the perfect mix of her entire family <3 This section is a bit shorter than the rest, but that’s simply because she doesn’t have too much going on with her yet. Hopefully one day we’ll find the time to add to it (and finally design her siblings, maybe???)

Ila and Alasie – Grouping these two together because they tend to go hand in hand with each other. Going off how old I imagine them to be compared to Suiren, Alasie was born in 152/153 AG and Ila in 150 AG. Cis and she/her for both, but Ila is a lesbian and Alasie is aroace (and a waterbender, though she’s rather bad at it). They’re not related to each other or, surprisingly, anyone else either on my OC list or out of canon characters. They both work as handmaidens in the Northern Water Tribe palace under Malina, Unalaq’s wife. Now, there’s quite a bit of lore surrounding Malina, but the basics are that her and Unalaq’s marriage was arranged, he has no interest in her because he’s a spiritfucker and only into Vaatu, she hates him, dislikes her kids, and was generally unsatisfied with life right up until one of her handmaidens showed interest in her, and in the nearly two decades since then she’s formed a proper harem out of both maids and guards who are all utterly enamoured with her. It’s not a permanent arrangement, a lot of them end up leaving their positions to get married or whatever else, and Malina chooses not to mourn and simply move on. Ila is a girl very much like the rest, in love with Malina and becoming absolutely obsessed after the one night she had with her. The difference is that her affection is completely unidirectional, she looks at no one else but her lady, completely and utterly devoted to her alone. Alasie, however, is aroace, and after being propositioned by Malina one evening tearfully confesses that she never wants to be touched by anyone, and Malina smiles and calms her and allows her to sleep in her bed, no obligations or anything, just so she can feel the warmth because she comes from a poor family and her clothes aren’t nearly as good at keeping her warm. What she ends up having with Malina is most similar to a queerplatonic relationship, and through that she becomes friends with Ila too, as they’re the two that Malina is most fond of at the moment. I will admit that Alasie is basically just a projection of myself that was created when I first figured out I was aroace and having a whole crisis over it, and Ila shares quite a few traits with Kat, so… yay for self inserts? They’re just fun characters to play around with when we need a break from the general doom and gloom of our main universes, that’s all :)

Oof, this took a looong time to write, and again, these are only about a sixth of all the OCs we have, so if you have any more questions about them, or wanna know about anyone else specifically, feel free to ask!!

[julix41-blog]

I'm going to try to introduce more characters from my original projects that I have saved, this is one of the protagonists of a story I have based on my favorite animes (KNY, JJK, The Legend of Korra/Aang, Inuyasha, ETC).

Here we have Toshinori Hageshi! The eldest son of one of the main families of GODAI (the circuit of families with the strongest "Familiars" and who create the balance of their world).

👺In Toshi's family, the Familiars are practically creatures from the folklore of Japan/China/East Asia that decided to interact and bond with humans permanently. In the case of the Hageshi, their default familiar is the Tengu, beings with red skin, wings and powers related to storms and war.

👺Toshinori got his familiar early with his twin sister Ryoba, but unlike her, he has a softer heart and that caused many incidents while he was trying to earn his familiar's respect (which once he passes, the Hageshi can summon his familiar as if it were his master). Unfortunately Toshinori couldn't reach that level with his Tengu, since he abandoned it before that.

👺Toshinori has a bad leg, it happened when he was 19, but it's not really a problem at this point, Toshinori is cunning and agile. His disability isn't a problem, it's just an aspect. His main weapon is magic arrows (like Kagome!) and they can return to him through the air current (they're enchanted, so the effect isn't lost even after the fiasco with the Tengu).

👺 Toshinori is a stubborn and hard-headed person, once he has something in his head it doesn't go away, this added to his great intelligence makes him a little arrogant at the beginning of his path, but eventually (and by force) he becomes more humble and aware of his actions. Despite this I wouldn't really say he's a bad boy, on the contrary, by nature Tengu users tend to be protective and very loyal, that's how Toshi is. He also has a tender and friendly side that he shows with his friends (But he doesn't usually show it much in public because he doesn't want to be seen as "soft")

👺 Toshinori ironically has a very good relationship with his family. He greatly admires his father (the equivalent of his world to a military prime minister), he is the example of everything he wants to be. His mother was the one who trained him for much of his life, so he respects her a lot and could be considered a mommy's boy. And he would definitely kill someone for his brothers/sister.

👺 Toshinori enjoys drawing with charcoal, at first he did it to sketch out his battle plans, but he ended up liking it a little bit too much. It's not professional at all, but it helps him clear his mind.

👺 He's a picky eater when he's at home, during campaigns he'll eat whatever, but once he's in the comfort of his home? He only eats avocados and salad. He has rich boy vibes (I mean, he is, the older the family, the more money they have).

👺 He looks A LOT like his father, literally the only thing he inherited from his mother is the shape of her face😅

👺 Normally when a Hageshi gets its familiar it's at 10-12 years old, but Toshinori and Ryoba got it at 8, which caused a lot of the pressure for "clan greatness" to fall on them.

👺In case you've (or haven't) noticed, this is Toshinori Hashi from my KNY folder! I decided to give him a heavy redesign and give him his own story, the same will happen with many (almost all) of the OC's from KNY and other anime, I like them as OC's from other series, yes, but I want to make them something genuinely MINE, without the confines of someone else's story.

GODAI, unlike Danny's World or Freak Show Fam, is not related to any other project and I have no intention of adapting it into a comic or anything like that, they are just characters I created for my own entertainment and to improve my writing skills. It's a different format, but I definitely think it's a universe worth exploring and one that I did a lot of research for! So I hope you have fun reading about it.

Hope you like it!

____________

(ESPAÑOL)

voy a tratar de presentar más personajes de mis proyectos originales que tengo guardados, este es uno de los protagonistas de una historia que tengo basada en mis animes favoritos (KNY, JJK, La Leyenda de Korra/Aang, Inuyasha, ETC).

aquí tenemos a Toshinori Hageshi! el hijo mayor de una de las familias principales de GODAI(el circuito de familias con los "Familiares" más fuertes y que crear el balance de su mundo).

👺en la familia de Toshi, los Familiares son prácticamente criaturas del folklore de Japón/China/asia oriental que decidieron interactuar y vincularse con los humanos de forma permanente. en el caso de los Hageshi, su familiar predeterminado son los Tengu, seres de piel roja, alas y poderes relaciónados a las tormentas y la guerra.

👺Toshinori obtuvo su familiar antes de tiempo junto a su hermana gemela Ryoba, pero a diferencia de ella, tiene un corazón más suave y eso ocaciono muchos incidentes mientras estaba tratando de ganarse el respeto de su familiar(que una vez que pasa, el Hageshi puede invocar a su familiar como si fuera su maestro). lamentablemente Toshinori no pudo llegar a ese nivel con su Tengu, ya que lo abandonó antes de eso.

👺Toshinori tiene una pierna mala, paso cuando tenía 19, pero realmente no es un problema a estas alturas, Toshinori es astuto y agil. su discapacidad no es un problema, es solo un aspecto. Su principal arma son las flechas mágicas(¡cómo Kagome!) y estás pueden regresar a el mediante la corriente de aire(están encantadas, por lo que no se pierde el efecto incluso después del fiasco con el Tengu).

👺 Toshinori es alguien testarudo y cabeza dura, una vez que tiene algo en la cabeza no se le va, esto sumado con su gran inteligencia le hace un poquito arrogante al principio de su camino, pero eventualmente (y a la fuerza) se hace más humilde y conciente de sus acciones. pese a esto realmente no diría que es un mal chico, al contrario, por naturaleza los usuarios de Tengu tienden a ser protectores y muy leales, así es Toshi. también tiene un lado tierno y amigable que muestra con sus amigos(Pero no suele mostrarlo mucho en público por no querer ser visto como "blando").

👺 Toshinori irónicamente tiene una muy buena relación con su familia. el admira mucho a su padre(el equivalente de su mundo a un primer ministro militar), es el ejemplo de todo lo que quiere ser. su madre fue quien lo entreno gran parte de su vida, por lo que la respeta mucho y podría considerarse un niño de mami. y definitivamente mataría a alguien por sus hermanos/hermana.

👺 Toshinori disfruta dibujar con carboncillo, al principio lo hacía para esquechear sus planes de batalla, Pero le termino gustando un poco mucho. no es nada profesional, pero le ayuda a despejarse.

👺es un comedor quisquilloso cuando está en casa, durante campañas come lo que sea, pero una vez que está en la comodidad de su casa? solo come aguacates y ensalada. tiene vibras de chico ricachón(digo, lo es, mientras más antigua la familia, más dinero tienen).

👺se parece MUCHÍSIMO a su padre, literal lo único que heredó de su madre es la forma de su cara😅

👺 normalmente cuando un Hageshi obtiene su familiar es a los 10-12 años, pero Toshinori y Ryoba lo obtuvieron a los 8, lo que causó que gran parte de la presión por la "grandeza del clan" recayera en ellos.

👺en caso de que te hayas(o no) dado cuenta ¡el es Toshinori Hashi de mi carpeta de KNY! decidí hacerle un rediseño intenso y darle su propia historia, lo mismo pasará con muchos(casi todos) los OC's de KNY y otros animes, me gustan como OC's de otras series, si, pero quiero hacerlos de algo genuinamente MIO, sin los límites de la historia de otra persona.

GODAI, a diferencia de El Mundo de Danny o Freak Show Fam, no está relaciónada con ningun otro proyecto y no tengo intención de adaptarlo a un comic o algo por el estilo, son solo personajes que cree para mí entretenimiento y mejorar mis capacidades de escritura. es un formato diferente, pero definitivamente creo que es un universo que vale la pena explorar y para el cual investigue mucho! así que espero que se diviertan leyendo sobre el.

ojala les guste!

[nyaagolor]

Hello, this is a really cool blog you mods are running. I wanted to ask this question; do you have any headcanons involving the dog people of Paldea. Arven is 900% a dog person and already got a few headcanons revolving his Mabosstiff, but if possible, could you provide a couple headcanons involving the other dog people and their dog pokemon (which include Nemona - Lycanroc , Ryme - Houndstone, Tyme - Lycanrocs, Clavell -Houndoom, Giacomo - Mabosstiff, Mela - Arcanine & Houndoom, Ortega - Dachsbun, Eri - Lucario, etc.) Sorry for the long post and thanks if you answer!

Under the cut bc it got long

Slight disclaimer I didn't include Eri and Lucario bc that's a jackal-man idk how to mentally handle a Lucario acting like a dog. That's a person. Featherless biped

Nemona: - She caught Lycanroc as part of her new team. Lycanroc hits hard and fast and mostly acts as her hazard setter or revenge killer. Bitches love stealth rocks - Off the field, they often exercise together! Lycanroc LOVES to run. Nemona has a chronic illness and can't jog, but she does bike or ride a Cyclizar while Lycanroc runs alongside her. They love to race around Mesagoza together - They have the same personality

Ryme: - She is the biggest dog person in Paldea, she loved her puppy so much she rapped it back to life. No one is doing it like her really and truly. When she raps about love? She's talking about the dog - She hosts an adoption fair in Montenevera every year. It's a musical festival centered around getting strays adopted and it's had RESOUNDING success so far - Ryme's semi supernatural powers are actually related to her Houndstone-- she spent so much time along it and all the other soul draining ghost types that she built a resistance to their effects. Now she can (and does) play with entire packs of ghost puppies! And sneak them too many treats

Tyme: - All her pokemon are named after numerical prefixes (kilo, giga, nano, etc). Her Midnight and Midday Lycanroc are named Deca and Deci respectively - She spoils her puppies rotten just like her sister, always sneaking them table scraps and letting them run around in the schoolyard while she's teaching classes - Deca and Deci are bargaining chips to get kids to come to extra help. Who doesn't want to snuggle with two cute dogs while you go over math problems?

Clavell: - When he was a teenager, he used to work for the Pokemon Daycare. (I saw a whole hc where he was a delinquent and got sent to the daycare as part of detention and honestly? Canon in my heart). He found his Houndoom there as a Houndour-- it had been abandoned and adopting it taught Clavell a lot about nurturing others. It's what inspired him to eventually be a school director! - Clavell and his Houndoom are always locked in a constant battle, since Clavell likes to garden and Houndoom likes to dig. For the record, Houndoom is winning - Clavell no longer has his pompadour, seeing as Houndoom took matters into his own paws and lit the wig on fire

Giacomo: - He taught his Mabosstiff, Beethoven, to DJ. He's not good at it by virtue of being a dog but the gimmick is very funny - Beethoven has a tendency to nod its head back and forth, so during concerts, Giacomo will get him little earplugs, a hat, and some shades so he can jam with the crowd. Plus he likes the vibes of the raves - He's the vaccuum cleaner for all the crumbs or snacks Giacomo happens to leave lying about. It's a win-win

Mela: - All her puppies are from the academy itself. She just happens to bond well with those pokemon and uses them on her team despite them not technically belonging to her - The Pokemon world has an ultimate frisbee esque game that involves running with your partner pokemon-- Mela and the dogs are the academy champs. They're unbeatable - Don't tell anyone, but Mela really likes styling their fur

Ortega: - That dog is a purebred (purebread?) and definitely cost like 10k. This dog is worth more than most people's kidneys - Daschbun is a total brat and has very specific diet requests. He can, will, and does pick the carrots out of his food mix and spit them out. God forbid Ortega tries to give him dry food? Oh there is hell to pay - Both Ortega and Daschbun are drama queens. Daschbun is a lapdog and knows it and will sit there haughtily. They're having too much fun

[iiroiiros]

DRESSED IN RAGE, INSIDE MY CAGE.

MY P A N D A E M O N I U M, STILL BOUND TO THE FLAME THAT I BEAR.

suzaku ffxiv verse information

born under the kururugi family line, suzaku grew up in an average raen boy's life in kugane, learning his manners alongside his swordsmanship. his mother disappeared under mysterious circumstances when he was just seven summers, and though he was still with his father genbu, suzaku was far closer to his kendo teacher, tohdoh, a hingan hyur. his life would change forever but a few years later, when a trio of young children came to live in the ijin district. three ishgardians, made up of two elezen cousins and an adopted viera brother. their names were euphemia, nunnally, and lelouch, respectively. suzaku grew close to all three of them, learning how they were effectively abandoned by their father and were sent here, as he told them of his own background. the four grew to be close friends, with suzaku and lelouch becoming especially close. one day, this happiness would unfortunately come to an end. euphemia had learned of sui no sato, the raen village beneath the ruby sea, and wanted to see what it was like considering that it was where suzaku's mother came from. though hesitant, suzaku and lelouch went through with the plan with her, nunnally staying behind in kugane as she was still too young. the children did their best, but despite even being able to cross the sea, they could not go below the waters, and instead ended up in the land of the red kojin. the kojin would let them live...however, only if they would succumb to the worship of their kami. euphemia was the first to be tempered, to which she attempted to attack lelouch under the influence of the god susano. out of defense he killed her, but suzaku had only seen that moment of the viera striking his own adoptive sister down. he reacted on impulse, accusing him of murder and attacking him back. they got lucky that they had been tracked by suzaku's father, who brought them back to kugane, but both lelouch and nunnally were gone by the next morning. genbu rationalized this as meant to happen, a punishment for trying to go out into the ruby sea, and in response suzaku attacked his own father, the fight escalating to the point where he accidentally killed the older au ra. when it was discovered by suzaku's teacher, he covered it up for him as a suicide, under disgrace of allowing his son to go along with such a thing. suzaku would then stay with tohdoh and distant relatives for the next several years, until he was old enough to leave kugane on his own. learning of the eorzean way of the sword being taught in ul'dah's gladiatorum, suzaku decided that that was where he was going to start, not only on his own personal journey of life, but on his quest to find lelouch again. little did he know how this decision would come to change the star forever.

-

name: suzaku kururugi age: 18 (arr), 19 (hw), 20 (stb), 21 (shb), 22 (ew) gender: male jobs tank: paladin, dark knight dps: dragoon, ninja, reaper healer: sage

[wintercloudyweather]

This is part two of the child! Au

Luocha

•Child! Luocha has three modes, we have the surface responsible elder sister type mode, dig in a little deeper we have the budding business man and buried underneath is the “I’m a Traumatized kid” who’s has abandonment issues.

•Child! Luocha acts very nice on the surface and helps around the express but thats just curry in favors so that you can overlook his… odd behavior such as dragging his huge coffin around.

• He uses his healing powers in exchange for favors and trinkets he can sell.

•In this child form his business aspirations is an all time high, dreaming of becoming a merchant.

•why do I see him making and selling abyss flower teas, flower carvings, arrangements etc. Anything to do with flowers and herbs he has dabbled in it. He even posed as a girl and sold girl scout cookies, you gotta respect his hustle. Out of all the children he probably makes the most credits, he even makes more than Firefly and Trailblazer which are jobless.

• Child! Luocha might not remember his past and his adult form yet he can’t seem to let go of the coffin. He feels scared when he’s away from it too long. Firefly tried to carry it by flying but he cried himself to exhaustion. So the Trailblazer decided to add wheels to the coffin so that he can have an easier time lugging it around, something that Luocha greatly appreciated.

•Besides Seele, Luocha is the only other child that accompanies Trailblazer when their dumpster diving as he wants to see if there are any wares he can refurbish and sell. He often drags the Trailblazer to antique stores and pawnshops to see if their is anything to add to his wears.

• Welt acts weird around Luocha often giving him books about accepting death and moving on, despite that Luocha still thinks he’s really cool and Welt often babysits him.

•He has nightmares of death so Firelfy often puts him to sleep by telling him a story and she even explains to him her story to and how we should cherish every moment. It brings the two closer

•In terms of his relationship with the other children, he tried to play nice with child! Seele and they’re have a distant but ok relationship often being the two responsible ones and helping around the express. Child! Jing Yuan is very suspicious of child! Luocha so they have a tense relationship. Child!Silverwolf find Lucha terribly boring so they don’t hangout much. Luocha wants to get closer to Child! Blade to study the effects of mara but the latter avoids him due to being creeped out by Luocha’s prodding. Kafka and Luocha are gossip besties they often keep each other in the loop about the latest drama, both of them are manipulators so they are instantly drawn to each other, they even have make deals with Luocha giving Kafka credits to help fund her velvet coat addiction and Kafka in exchange convinces Blade to hangout with Luocha

•Because of his numerous business attempts he attracts the attention of the IPC who wanted to sponsor and adopt him but he refused so Topaz decided to give him some business tips, she even bought his entire stock. Aventurine on the other hand taught him some stocks tips and gave Child! Luocha his number to talk businesses, but the two often have late night conversations whenever Luocha has another nightmare of death and Firefly is asleep. Aventurine tells him how he survived “death” and hoe Giathra Cyclops watches over them.

•May have outscammed Sampo and outbid him in terms of buying artifacts.

•Initially Adult! Luocha would have been sent to the shackling prison but due to his new form and the general’s absence Fu Xuan decided to use the matrix of prescience on him and found no problems so she let him go as the astral express watches over him

• Sushang thinks that Child! Luocha is super cute and she often tours him around the Xianzhou and she even helped Luocha sell his wears around Aurumn Alley. Despite Sushang supposedly being the babysitter, its Luocha who seems like to be babysitting Sushang instead.

• Bailu and Child! Luocha are healing rivals, they often competes on who can heal the most, despite their rivalry Bailu thankful to have another child healer to hang out with.

•Xueyi is sometimes task with watching Luocha for the commission and Luocha considers her a regular customer as the Xueyi often buys his tea packets for her sister Hanya as the latter says the Tea has a calming effect.

• One time Xueyi and the cloud knight escorted Luocha together with Trailblazer to the Shackling prison to meet Jingliu. She commented on Luocha new form but otherwise stayed silent, Luocha feels like he should know her but can’t remember. At the end of the session just before Jing Liu is taken away she gifts Luocha an ice flower and says “ignorance is a bliss so cherish it while you still can, young child”.

SilverWolf

• Child! Silverwolf is a the “ipad” kid, she is glued to her gadgets 24/7

• She plays videogames all day long, you will not see her not holding any video game consoles

• Her and Trailblazer bond over Aetherium wars and in their many battles she has lost most of them so she vows that she’ll get even

• Child! Silverwolf trash talks online and she knows more swear words than even Boothill. She has started flame wars and reddit wars.

• She user aether editing to bring her video games to life causing chaos in the express. She even unplugged the data banks to charger her ipad causing Dan Heng to band her from his room but that didn’t stop her from simply hacking through

• She sometimes pulls pranks on people such as changing the wifi password and turning off the lights, you know its Silverwolf since she’s cackling and giggling as she does it

• She hates it when people call her short so she often has avatars that are taller and bulkier.

•Firefly often does Child Silverwolf’s hair and they both talk about the Kamen riders series

•If she feels like it or she’s bored she often goes to Welt and help him with his animation in exchange for bubble gum.

•She loves bubblegum and she always have some on her.

• Her, Kafka and Blade are really close. They are like actual siblings with Kafka taking the role of the oldest, Blade being the angsty middle child and Silverwolf being the youngest gremlin. Kafka and her often goes on dangerous adventures with Blade being forced to tag along. Child! Silverwolf and Child! Blade can finally play video games together after she pestered him over and over again, despite Blade not caring for video games he preferred to play simulator games such as FNAF with her.

•Seele and her often play fighting games. Jing Yuan on the other hand prefers board games which Silverwolf is actually bad at. She even made a GC where all 6 children are part in where she bombards them with memes.

• Hates waking up early. She sleeps very late and always plays her video games when the others are asleep.

•She often hacks into Herta Space Station just to annoy Herta by playing baby shark on the speakers or sending memes. She even rickrolled them by sending a link posing under Asta account.

• Child! Silverwolf still has a feeling of rivalry against Screwllum so she often goads and tries to provoke him but to no success. She honestly finds Ruan Mei terrifying so she avoids her but she did try to steal a cake cat only to back off when she heard that there Ruan Mei’s creation.

[Thats it for now, hope you guys like it. I’ll post the last two maybe tomorrow or the next day. M]

(note the art is from the official Honkai Bilibili page in Chinese)

I’m a big fan of found family troupes and I just recently watch “Instant” Family.

So I had this brainrot for while now where Seele, Jing Yuan, Luocha and the Stellaron Hunter trio were turn into kids by an emanator of Aha as a prank. So now Trailblazer and Firefly are now responsible for taking care of 6 children with little recollection of their adult selves. So lets start with some general fluffy headcannons

Seele

•Seele gives wild child energy, she’s rebellious and spunky at first but she is also when to be responsible

•She probably runs around the Astral express all day without slowing down.

•She does help clean up messes especially when it her or the other children’s fault.

•She sometimes listen to the radio but gets board after a while. She often hangs out with PomPom exploring ever inch of the astral express.

•While she rarely starts fights she makes sure to finish them and she doesn’t hesitate to throw hands wether your man, woman or child. If you mess with her you better believed that she is going to get even.

•She knows how to sew and is often repairs her and the other kids clothes as she doesn’t want to spend any money as she is very thrifty. She even joins the Trailblazer sometimes in Garbage rummaging to see if she can find any spare fabrics or items she can reuse

•She loves to watch Grandpa Welt make animations all day and She is loves watching Sam all day thinking that she’s a real life superhero.

•Her favorite game is hide and seek as she can either play the part of the seeker and hunt other people down or she can use her quantum powers and disappear among the sea of butterflies to hide all day. Trailblazer and Firefly were particularly anxious when its been hours since Seele “hid” and they couldn’t find her, they even had to coax her to come out of hiding with ice cream.

• She gets along with the other five but she isn’t particularly close with any of them. She likes playing fighting games with Silver Wolf but she rather spar In real life. Blade, Kafka and Luocha unnerves her for some reason and she find Jing Yuan too lax for her liking.

•Bronya wanted to take full custody of Seele that almost led to a heated court trial under the IPC, She managed to relent and gave sole custody of Child! Seele to the astral express with the stipulation of nightly video calls. Himeko even talked with Bronya about ways to contact Sampo to see if he knows any way to reverse the Childification of the 6 children.

•Seele likes Natasha and when the trailblazer is at Belebog she often goes to Nat’s clinic and helps her with a few errands. She is an honorary member of the moles and is quite close with Pitch Dark Hook the Great. Hates Sampo guts though. She also hates how Luka teases her.

Jing Yuan

• Jing Yuan true to his title, is the sleepy kid. He sleeps alot, only ever being awake when he finds something interesting.

• He can often be found dozing in the strangest of places from The Data Bank to behind a potted plant, ever nook and cranny are Jing Yuan’s potential nap spots

•He loves playing chess and any other board games, it one of the few things he finds interesting so if you want him to be serious then just set the game and its match!

•He loves playing with cats and often tries to sneak them on the express at the expense of PomPom’s rage and Firefly’s scolding him. One time he tried to sneak in a whole lion cub, but was unfortunately caught and grounded by Firefly.

•He has very neat handwriting

• He has a strange obsession with Dan Heng, with him being Jing Yuan “Favorite” person, often sleeping in the Data Bank and helping Dan Heng organize the Bank.

•He still has lighting Lord so if at any time he or the other kids are in danger he’ll summon it.

•Him and the Trailblazer are more like brothers but you often can’t tell which is the older one based on their attitudes.

• He and Seele are ok with each other often having a distant but amicable relationship, they sometimes join forces to reel the Stellaron Trio. Him and Silverwolf often play games with him winning any game that isn’t a video game. He tried to befriend Child! Blade with little success as the latter brushes him off constantly. He disliked Luocha for constantly lying and he doesn’t trust Kafka as well.

•Fu Xuan teased him all about his new Child! Form and assert dominance as she and Jing Yuan are the same height now only to be reminded that she is still shorter because she is wearing heels.

•Yanqing fins it odd that the General is so young now but they still spar quite often, he considers calls this Jing Yuan as “Mini General”. Most of their fights often land in a draw

• Sushang and Guinafen tries to acts as the cool aunties to him as they basically drag him all over the luofu. Bailu and him become best friends as Child! Jing Yuan often helps her hide from the Alchemy commission.

•Yukong gifts Trailblazer and Firelfly some parenting tips as she knows how difficult it is to raise on child but she can only imagine how much stressful it is to raise six

•While initially the Xianzhou Luofu was in disarray over their “missing” general, Fu Xuan was able to foresee this and with the a little bit of Forgery managed to keep Jing Yuan child state as secret for now with Fu Xuan acting as the General due to Jing Yuan taking a much needed break.

_______________________________________________

Note: I’ll do the other 4 later,

This is my first ever attempt at writing and actually posting it. I wanted to thank @moonsaver for inspiring me to write, their care package series is the phenomenal and Its a recommended read.

This brainrot was also partially inspired by the BNHA ao3 fanfic “I don’t run an orphanage” by Kyodon.

[blacksunscorpio]

Astro Musings No. 10

Prominent Lilith…

in a chart  can be found in people who work in areas like defending the rights of women, refugees, the under-privileged; in international law, in war zones, in women’s refuges. These individuals are gutsy advocates, activists... typically the people who experience the darker side of humanity and as a result, know the truth about it. The truth the general population would like to sweep under the rug. You’ll see this feminine energy surrounding the dishonored, rejected and abused. One who feasts on a never ending sampler of the deepest ends of the emotional spectrum; rage, grief, all forms of toxicity, past-life and trans-generational residues and influences, conception/in-utero/birth traumas. This where the “curse” label comes in, as anyone with strong Lilith positions is a carrier of the same, the accumulation of off all these attributes. She will be a receptor of it as well as a deliverer. She will also use it to her advantage and can become someone quite feared and respected.

Prominent Lilith in a man’s chart will usually indicate that he will act out Lilith’s issues through a partner or project Lilith’s issues onto them. There are likely to be issues with the mother. Very similar to a Moon in Scorpio in a man’s chart or moon in the 8th. He may also attract partners who are very strong in their femininity and the quintessential “man-eater”.

Those with Saturn in Capricorn

Will usually find themselves being the ambitious types-especially regarding school or their career. Saturn is discipline and in its element in Capricorn [ruled by Saturn]. 

12th House Stelliums in Synastry or Composite

Can indicate a spiritual-like connection. A deep emotional connection with a ton of emotional involvement. Very likely two people ill appear in each other’s dreams. May even indicate a telepathic connection with heavy Neptunian house influence. However it can also indicate undoing by either one of the natives to the other. In addition, it can indicate a relationship that has hidden aspects. Often this is seen in relationships that are forbidden or forced to be kept secret in some way. Be careful with unrequited love here as well as deception. Heavy 12th House has this nasty knack for making those with it’s influence feel euphoric and even dreamy but it can be hard to ascertain where things are working for or against you. Asteroid Aphrodite Touching the Moon

Will accentuate a native’s beauty and sensuality. Their emotional expression will be seen as “beautiful” by others. This is a common placement found in actresses and even models. If in the 1st house this will be quite akin to having Venus [Aphrodite’s Roman counterpart] on the ascendant. If in the 5th house, a native might find themselves having frequent casual flings that will be catalyzed by someone being attracted to their physical appearance.

Placement found in “Sex workers” Will often be

Venus or Mars in the 10th, 6th, or 2nd

Pluto or Scorpio on the Midheaven

Uranus in the 2nd 6th or 10th [Uranus equates things that are unconventional and rebellious. It also rules the ‘Avant Garde’. On a career or Money house this can indicate one who makes money or has an unconventional career]

Mars in Aquarius [Pornographic actor James Deen has this placement]

Mars in the 8th

Mars touching Neptune [Neptune can indicate fantasy/illusion/acting + Mars = sex]

MARS IN CAPRICORN [Actress Sasha Gray has this placement]

Venus aspecting Mars Lilith and/or Pluto

Venus in the 8th

Dominant Lilith

Strong Asteroid Eros [433], Nymphe [875], Lust [4386]. or Priapus[H22]

Mars in Scorpio

Those with Mars in Pisces

Are quite passive with their aggression. They do not like conflict and typically hate drama but some can find themselves being subversive in their tactics. If badly aspected this can indicate cowardice or one who resorts to manipulative in order to assert their will.

“Sister Signs”

Such as Taurus and Scorpio, Leo and Aquarius, Aries is opposite to Libra, and Cancer to Capricorn are opposite each other yes but they are considered “Sisters” because of the way in which they balance each other out There is always give and take. Taurus is practical and down to earth while Scorpio is existential, Aries sets things off while Libra diplomatizes, Cancer feels and nurtures while Capricorn executes. Moon in the 8th House can indeed make someone think of sex often. 8th house is ruled by Pluto/Scorpio and the house that rules sex and the Moon is one, if not the most receptive point in the natal horoscope. As a result, a native with this placement may find themselves immersed in 8th house thoughts

Jupiter in the 8th House I’ve mentioned before in a man’s chart can indicate one who is well endowed [BDE]. In a woman’s chart it can be an indicator of one who is OVER sexed. The highest sex drives live here because Jupiter EXPANDS. Mars in this house is also a pretty powerful contender. 

Gaslighting...

In astrology, despite common misconception isn’t always a Plutonic attribute but a NEPTUNIAN one. Though Pluto is a master tactician and can often probe to the deepest levels of the psyche, Neptune can downright pull the wool over one’s eyes. Neptune rules confusion, illusion, deception and trickery [as can Mercury]. If there is someone in your life that has a nasty habit of this [natally or in synastry] check to see if

Neptune is aspecting Nessus

Neptune squaring/opposing Mars

Neptune squaring/opposing Mercury [Decepion/mind]

Neptune squaring/opposing Moon [Deception/Feelings]

Neptune squaring/Opposing.conjunct Nessus [Deception/abuse]

Neptune squaring/IOpposing Pluto

Neptune squaring/opposing Sado [Deception/perversion/abuse]

Neptune squaring/opposing asteroid Psyche No. 16 [Deception/Mind/innerworld]

Piscean influence or 12th House influence debilitated/afflicted.

Ladies and and Gentlemen, If you find yourself attracting predatory creepers who happen to be in the older age range...

This is likely due to some sort of Capricorn or Saturn placement touching your Venus. Saturn represents the “father figure” and when touching a receptive sexual/feminine planet like Venus, older men may prey on you. This is especially likely if there is a cross aspect to Pluto which adds obsession.

Moon/Saturn

in hard aspect can be an indicator as well.

Priapus touching Venus with Saturn

in the mix can indicate these older men will do anything to fuck you. Priapus is wild sexual abandon and need to merge [but the male version, he’s Lilith’s counterpart].

5th House Stellium with Saturn in the Mix

or a 5th house in Capricorn can indicate feeling restricted in the area of fun. 5th house is naturally ruled by Leo/the Sun and is the are of life that rules leisure, enjoyment, children/childhood, casual relationships [often of the sexual variety]. When Saturn is here, he can restrict or add a touch of maturity to the aforementioned areas. This could be the person who had to grow up faster than everyone else for whatever reason. This can also be the person who feels blocked from innocent expression of love and therefore they can be terrified of committing. They can be socially reserved, shy, awkward and/or naturally distant even if they deeply crave relationships. People can misjudge their temperament for indifference or coldness but in reality they can’t help it. This is not to say that they will never become emotionally/romantically involved, but more so it may take a longer time than others. Having benefics in said house can help combat the effect of Saturn [depending on harmonious or challenging aspects.]

When Jupiter is transiting one of your angles...

This is Usually an indicator of a lucky break and or windfall. Even more so if Uranus is in harmonious aspect to said angle. The luck can come out of the blue.

If aspecting the 10th, this can mean lucky break in the career.

 The 4th, Perhaps a lucky break in family or even a pregnancy. 

The 8th a lucky inheritance from a family member. 

7th, Luck in love.

Malefic Uranus in Natal or Synastry 

can indicate where one feels abandoned. Uranus is about “sudden breaks” so often if it is touching 4th, Sun, or moon it can indicate someone whose family has been plagued with Divorce. I often seen Sun inconjunct or square Uranus in charts of people whose father was absent or split from life right away. Moon in hard aspect to Uranus can be an indicator of an absentee mother. 

Composite Charts with Stelliums

Indicate that the planets and houses will be integral parts of the relationship

1st House stelliums indicate that the couple’s image and personalities will be significantly affected. All 1st house dealings will be accentuated. This will be a karmic relationship.

2nd House stelliums indicate the couple will be very concerned with material values or even quite possessive of each other. They may make money together. Gift giving can be a big factor in the relationship. Careful for neptune here as it can indicate “stealing” of resources.

8th House stelliums indicate the relationship will center around sex/obsession's and/or even marriage since this house is the life/death house. Karmic tie. 

4th House stellium indicate family, security and comfort will be paramount If Jupiter is here, they may have [many] children together.

10th House stellium can indicate a power couple or two people’s relationship that center around their careers. They may be talked about or subject of gossip only because their relationship is akin to celebrity to others.

3rd House Stelliums in Sagittarius 

Will usually be one who is verbose. They have a LOT to say and since the 3rd house is ruled by mercury, planet of communication and Sagittarius is a fire sign ruled by expansive Jupiter, one is always seeking to expand their mode of thought. They may have a knack for languages. These are also the people who will do well if they travel abroad for school. The classic “shipping you off to boarding school in Switzerland” aspect. Very Philosophical thinkers here. Akin to having a Mercury in Sagittarius.

Pluto touching the MC in Synastry

Can mean that the Pluto person can transform [for better or worse] the Midheaven person’s public persona, career, or reputation. For example, Brad Pitt’s Pluto is forming a harmonious aspect to Angelina Jolie’s Midheaven and she went from being the bad girl/outcast of Hollywood to gaining Pitt’s social capital the moment they got together. Her popularity increased exponentially because of him. She was more accepted due to her association with him in Hollywood inner-circles than she was before when acting out her aloof, devil-may-care, vile-of-blood sporting days.

Planets in your 1st House

Can influence your appearance just like your rising can. So even if you are a Scorpio rising, your Sun in your 1st house can make you shine despite the dark Plutonic influence on your ascendant. Aries rising’s are typically on the shorter and stockier side but with Jupiter in the 1st it can make one Tall and Muscular. Capricorn risings with Venus in the 1st Can have RBF yes, but with Venusian influence can have a sort of Cold Beauty. Leo Rising’s with Saturn in the 1st can have a regal aura but a very stern or austere appearance. Virgo Risings with Mars in the 1st Can often be very graceful. The structure and detail of Virgo with the athleticism of Mars are working together Ballerina’s/Dancers often have this placement.

Sagittarius on the 7th house/DSC Cusp or Sagittarian influence on Venus or 4th House can indicate marrying someone outside of your culture.

Minor Planet/Asteroid Pallas in the 3rd or touching Mercury can indicate a writer or someone who is quick witted and ambitious regarding intellect.

Positives for Venus in the 12th 

typically a knack for knowing how to love others. One see’s the hidden parts of others that they do not show. These are the people who wind up having complete strangers spill their guts to them because others unconsciously sense that this person is naturally sympathetic and an empath, Strong empathetic ability here. In addition They’ll attract people from all walks of life. Very go with the flow people. Easy to get along with. 

A square Between Saturn and Neptune in Synastry

Often means the Saturn person can restrict the dreaminess and idealism of Neptune. Saturn wants Neptune to come back down to earth and will often call Neptune out without reservation if they catch them being less than honest. Neptune may feel stifled and unable to express their idealistic nature with Saturn’s rigidity involved.

CEO Placements

Strong Cardinal Energy/Dominant Cardinal Modality in the Chart

Leo Midheaven/Strong Leonine Influence in the chart/angles

Taurus Midheaven

Mars/Aries Midheaven [Bill Gates has this Placement]

Capricorn/Saturn Midheaven [Jeff Bezos has this placement]

10th House Stelliums

Capricorn Risings

Scorpio Sun

Saturn in Scorpio

Saturn in Capricorn [Warren Buffet Has this Placement]

Earth Placements on the Angles

North Node influenced by Jupiter

Saturn, Mars, Pluto, or Jupiter as the Most elevated Planet

Hate to Break it To You

But if your North Node or Your Partner’s North node is squaring many Planets in synastry, this indicates a bit of an “uphill battle” regarding the relationship. The life purposes of two people are at odds. Though there can be tons of passion involved, two people can either encourage each other’s bad habits [usually the case with Jupiter] or Commitment may never be solidified [Uranus]. Venus squaring the north Node can indicate pain regarding love or just two people who may never get a chance to tell each other how they really feel. 

Those with Venus in Aries

Can be quite selfish in love. Aries is ruled by Mars, ruler of the 1st house that is all about the “I”. As a result, one’s loving style can be very egoic. These are usually the Takers in the relationship. They may find balance with someone who has Libran placements on their sexual planets but the give and take can feel unequal if Venus in Aries isn’t careful. Adversely, those with Venus in Libra or Mars in Libra need to take care to not be noodle-backs in romance. Love doesn’t always mean self-sacrifice or running yourself dry. It’s natural for those with these placement to appreciate reciprocity in relationships. After all, Libra is the scales. Balance. If you see that you are giving more than you are receiving, don’t be afraid to draw a boundary and set things straight with whomever might be taking advantage.

A positive for Venus in Aries is there decisiveness in romance, however. They know what they want and aren’t afraid to cut the fat if someone is not meeting their expectations. Rarely will you see this person suffering from self-worth issues. These are ferocious flirts. The kind of person who will ask you out first.

Strengths of Mercury as the Most Elevated Planet

Mensa Level IQ

Inventive

Witty

Quick

Agile

Dexterity

Easy Reading Comprehension

Excellent Writing Capabilities

Fine tuned to detail

Orderly

Funny [especially if Jupiter is touching]

Nessus in Capricorn

Can mean Dad was abusive or some Dominant parental figure could be/could’ve been a big source of Pain. in the 9th they could have demonstrated this by forcing the native to take up a belief system or secondary education that matched their values as opposed to the natives. Work can also be a source of abuse here or these natives can work themselves to death.

Sado in Gemini

 can mean one who can hurt with their words or can mentally abusive someone.

Those with Mercury in Earth Signs [Cap, Virgo, Taurus]

Find it VERY difficult to accept facts or figures without evidence. These are the skeptics. The ones who need proof. One who has this placement may think your love for conspiracy theories, or belief in ghosts is silly. 

Love Languages for the Signs are:

Aries-

Physical Touch/Words of affirmation. Mars is Masculine/Yang in nature. Code? Regardless of gender/orientation subscription- they loooooove their ego stroked. They love the fire stoked and are the ultimate Hype Men/Women. In their personal and public lives. The two languages work in tandem with Aries’ basic needs. You know an Aries loves you if they are cheering you on or giving you a headlock hug. They feel appreciated if this is reciprocated.

Taurus- Receiving Gifts. Taurus is ruled by Venus which rules the 2nd house of Money and Values. As a result, buying shit for a Taurus or showering them with expensive gits reaffirms the sentiment of love for them. They’ll often do the same.

Gemini- Words of Affirmation. This Chatty Sign loves to converse. They feel good when they’re able to socialize and exchange ideas. The sapiosexuals of the zodiac. As a result, words of affirmation tend to be their favorite mode of romantic/platonic expression. Giving or receiving. 

Cancer-  Acts of Service. Cancer is the sign of nurturing. Ruled by the moon, the celestial “mother” these natives don’t feel good if they’re not able to care for something or someone [no matter their hard exterior]. 

Leo- Physical Touch/Words of Affirmation. You’re doing it wrong if you’re not physically loving on a Leo or Telling them they’re awesome. Leo’s LOOOOOOVVEEE their ego stroke. It’s a fire sign thing. Plus, being the Lion’s they are, they need to feel that they are being recognized/worshipped. As a result, positive verbal reinforcement followed by a kiss or a hug usually does the trick for these natives.

Virgo- Acts of Service/Words of Affirmation. Virgo is mercury minded. Hence they work quite cerebrally. They need to HEAR you tell them something. Be it feelings, how they’re doing well, etc. However they are an earth sign that’s ruled by the 6th House of work and routine. You’ll find coaches, trainers, med professionals etc., here. Hence, acts of service tends to be a very Virgo-esque expression of love.

Libra- Gift Giving/Receiving/ Acts of service. Libra’s are also ruled by Taurus which rules the material/luxury. Their love of the finer things- often aesthetically pleasing aspects in life can be hit or miss for some, as it can appear superficial at a surface level. However, they, being a more passive sign love demonstrating their love by pleasing others. Keeping things charming, chill and agreeable. Venus also likes indulgence. This is why swag coming in or going out from/to a Libra  is appreciated. 

Scorpio- Physical Touch/Quality Time. Scorpios are ruled by Mars [planet of Sex] and Pluto [Planet of sex] lol. They’re also a water sign that’s honorary fire thanks to being co ruled by mars [Aries’ ruler]. As a result, these hard-shelled arachnids appreciate physical expressions of love. As opposed to intercourse, a Scorpio is satisfied with things as simple as hand holding, to a simple kiss on the cheek. Pluto likes to merge. Scorpio is also a water and 8th house is very binding on a life and death level. The most precious resource is time and Pluto rules resources. As a result, Scorpio’s enjoy receiving quality/giving time to/from the people they care for.

Sagittarius- Quality Time. Though these globetrotting archers have a hard time staying in one place, you know they love you if they are taking the time to be with you/putting their adventures on pause for you. In addition, they love spending time traveling and going places with those they love.

Capricorn- Gift Giving/Receiving/ Quality Time. These Goats live primarily in the material world so the fruits of their hard labor are the key to demonstrating their love to their loved ones. They also appreciate these things being given to them. Saturn is also father time and the ruler of longevity. Spending time with a Capricorn or them spending time with you is a sure-fire way to know that they give AF. 

Aquarius- Words of Affirmation. These are the big thinkers of the zodiac. So when they are working in their service/socially-minded modes, they appreciate being told that what they do makes a difference and is appreciated. They are also air signs so they primarily work through intellect.

Pisces- Quality Time. These Neptune ruled fish are the empaths of the zodiac. They feel everything so at times it’s important to have someone around to be there for them. That is why Quality time is often big on a Pisceans list for primary methods of affection [giving or receiving]. 

Astro Musings No. 1  Astro Musings No. 2  Astro Musings No. 3  Astro Musings No. 4 Astro Musings No. 5  Astro Musings No. 6 Astro Musings No. 7 Astro Musings No. 8 Astro Musings No. 9

[taechaos]

New Idea

pairing: Step-brother!Taehyung x Fem!Reader

warnings: non-con, bondage, pseudo-incest, sadism, smut, mentions of killing

synopsis: You wished to hang out with your brother Taehyung when he wasn't home, only to realize he was better off staying away.

word count: 3.2k

It was late at night. Rain flooded outside, drops trickled down your window and puddles formed on the roads as they reflected the neon lit storefront signs beautifully. The tears from the clouds splashed against the cement loudly, and you watched the empty streets in boredom. With your cheek leaning on your palm, elbow propped up on the round wooden table across your window, you miserably yearned to feel some sort of sugar rush with a deep frown on your face. Things have been mundane, repeating the same old routines as days quickly went by. You wondered what Taehyung had been up to in the time that he’d been gone. You knew he could resolve your boredom instantly had he been right beside you.

Taehyung – your step-brother who was the embodiment of adrenaline, and was most likely awake with you right now. The man never slept, always staying up at night brainstorming ideas for what to do during the day that was no doubt just as exciting as the day before. Bags adorned his eyes that somehow fit his wild persona that never needed asking for permission to do things that were illegal most of the time. It was especially daring when having strict parents, and the only reason he wasn’t locked up in a mental institution was because he was the pride of your family with excelling grades in college that he rarely ever attended. They never approved of anything he’d done, especially not the teal hair he was currently rocking. You on the other hand, looked up to him as a role model.

What you’d do to see him right now. Sometimes he tagged you along with his adventures, such as exploring abandoned buildings and getting matching tattoos on your forearms that he chose. Despite the rebellious acts he put you through, he always defended you against your parents and got away with everything with a light scolding from his smooth tongue. Admiration wouldn’t begin to describe the amount of respect you had for him, though he was rarely ever around. Unbeknownst to you however, he never failed to go a day without pecking your cheek while you were unconscious. 

He was everything you aspired to be: a carefree soul with a creative mind and a heart filled with exhilaration. The only thing he hadn’t done was probably murder. It was a shame that absence made the heart grow fonder, because throughout the time you’d known him since your early teens, he hadn’t changed one bit with his disappearances that could go on for days. 

Taehyung never changed.

Was this what they called depression? Feeling numb and hating your life for how ordinary it was? You didn’t know, but what you knew was that you really needed Taehyung right now. It was 3AM and your parents were sound asleep in the apartment while you moped over how much you missed your step-brother’s presence. Not a single moment was dull with him, while you were too much of a coward to go through with any of your desires.

And as if your prayers were answered, a pound came on the door. The loud knock instantly gave away the person behind the door; Taehyung, who never cared for how loud he was unless he was on a stealthy mission.

Your heart skipped a beat as the door swung open and the silhouette of your step-brother entered before it was slammed shut with a lock. “You’re awake?” he asked in a whisper without moving an inch when he noticed your seated form.

“Can’t sleep,” you breathed, unable to hide the joy you felt upon seeing him in your tone. He couldn’t have picked a better time to visit you.

“Why not?” he walked over to you before kneeling. There was a smile on his face that matched yours, instantly giving away he came to your room with purpose. It was expected, for he never approached you if not to tell you about one of his newer ideas. 

“Was bored.”

“So was I,” a mischievous smirk graced his face. The street lights outside illuminated his messy hair that your hand itched to ruffle. “But I found us a solution.”

Your eyes gleamed with hope, your grin never faltering. “Tell me,” you impatiently urged, your knees already bouncing up and down with excitement.

“I’ll give you a hint: we’ll both be having fun. But you need to listen to me,” he cautioned with a raised finger. You nodded frantically, willing to do whatever he needed you to do. “Okay, stand up.”

You obeyed him and only then noticed the bag slung over his shoulder once you stood before him. “Let me do all the work, yeah? You just stand still.”

“I really want to know what it is,” you whined and bounced on your feet. 

Taehyung held onto your tits that bounced with you and you quietly gasped. “Better not be acting like this with anyone other than me. Naughty,” he scolded before unzipping his small pouch. 

“I don’t go out without a bra,” you rolled your eyes playfully. Taehyung was notorious for doing and saying things without a filter, uncaring of the effect it had on others. This was simply him looking after you without any boundaries, because he never set any with you.

He pulled out a duct tape from the mystery bag. “Turn around and hold your hands behind you.” You complied without protest, the ripping of a duct tape resounding in the room as he tore it with his teeth. He taped your wrists together like cuffs before facing you again by the pull of your shoulder. 

Confusion washed over you, but not a trace of fear. “What’s this about?”

“Now go lie down,” he ignored you and nodded at your bed. You sat on the center, your sheets already rumpled from all the tossing and turning you’d done in an attempt to sleep. His figure loomed over you and your heart raced in anticipation. “Don’t move, okay?”

You silently watched him with piqued curiosity as he pushed you down. The soft mattress dipped under your weight and you didn’t move a muscle until you felt him tug at your flannel pajama pants. “Taehyung? What are you doing?”

“Just trust me,” he ignored you again and you furrowed your brows as he undressed you. “You’re going to like it.”

Without a single clue of his intentions, you expected him to change your pants after he took them off, but definitely didn’t expect him to aim at your panties next. The second he held onto the hems, you crawled away from him and repeated more firmly, “Taehyung, what are you doing?”

He yanked you back to him by your ankles. “Don’t you trust me? You said you’d listen to me.” 

“I don’t think I want to do this,” you strained and tried to pull your knees to your chest, but he tightened his grip on your ankles.

“It’ll be fun, just sit still,” he spoke airily, his tone unbothered compared to your worried one. “I would never do anything to hurt you.”

Once you felt somewhat reassured, you relaxed your legs and lied back down. The discomfort swallowed you whole when he undressed your bottom half completely. The chilly air hit your bare legs and left goosebumps in its wake.

“You shouldn’t be shy about being naked with me,” he chuckled and tapped your pussy carelessly. You yelped and bent your knees again. 

“Taehyung, this isn’t right,” you stressed and clenched your thighs together. You were growing wary about this ‘idea’ and you weren’t sure whether his pupils were dilated because of the dark anymore. He could be high. “Let’s try something else, please.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” he scoffed and spread your thighs apart, hovering over your loins. “You’re going to love this, just calm it.” He grabbed the duct tape again and tore off a smaller piece before placing it on your mouth, making your efforts of leaning away fruitless. Your voice was muffled behind the sticky tape as you shook your head. “Don’t make me tape your legs too,” he warned as you tried pushing him away. He sat on your knees as he began unzipping his washed denim jeans, ignoring your babbling.

“Been watching a lot of porn lately,” he began casually as tears brimmed in your eyes. “I usually find it boring, but I came across a video that I couldn’t resist reenacting. Plus you were bored too,” he defended, “it’d be mean if I spared my little sister of this fun.” 

You didn’t know whether he was joking or not, but you were ready to start crying if he was actually doing what you were thinking. You sighed in relief when he reached for his pouch for a pair of scissors. It had to be a joke then–

Taehyung began cutting your shirt from the middle, and you whimpered when your tits were on full display. Your nipples hardened as a result of the exposure, and tears immediately began streaming down your face mixed with muffled sobs.

“Oh come on, it’s not that bad,” he exclaimed, “we’re not related by blood. It should be fine.”

When you continued crying, he said, “I’ll take off my shirt too, if it helps.” He heaved his t-shirt over his head, his firm chest hard to make out in the midnight dark. “I was thinking kissing would ease you into it, but only if you’re quiet.” Your cries grew louder instead. He sighed exasperatedly, “You can be such a crybaby sometimes.”

He started leaving open-mouthed kisses on your neck, and you whimpered at the feeling. You were ticklish and though you were completely terrified, the kisses were a bit soothing. “This is me being nice to you, because oh boy, that guy in the video was a fucking monster,” he laughed while going down the valley between your breasts. A finger flicked your nipple while his other hand rubbed over your folds. “Want me to eat you out first? You’re not wet enough.”

You shook your head in refusal, so he merely shrugged and began circling your clit instead, his fingers now pinching your nipple. His mouth latched onto your other nipple and he swirled his tongue around the areola, clashing pleasure with pain. The rain drowned out your involuntary moans but Taehyung caught them anyway; it wasn’t hard to miss when your arousal began coating his hand. He released your nipple with a pop and locked eyes with you. “You’re enjoying this? Not gonna lie, I was expecting you to cry longer but... you're a little slutty, aren't you?” He slapped your pussy experimentally and smiled when you moaned loudly. “Keep this up and I might just take off the tape.”

For a moment, he wondered if this was why people enjoyed sex so much; your moans were like music to his ears and your body was making his cock throb even more. He could really get used to this, he thought as he slapped your pussy over and over, the sound echoing in the room along with your high-pitched whines.

“Shit, I need to record this,” he mumbled before reaching for his phone on his back pocket. Your protests went to deaf ears as he began recording your pussy and spanked it, the microphone picking up all your sounds of pleasure. Once it reached the one-minute mark, he threw his phone on your pillow and took out his erect length from its restraints, giving it a few pumps as the tip oozed with pre-cum. “I never thought fucking you would be this easy. Thought about it every time I touched myself.”

You went quiet at the revelation and he smirked at your raised brows. “Why are you surprised? Whenever I’m home, you come hug me with your bare tits pressed up against me. Not that I’m complaining of course,” he chuckled hotly. “Want me to kiss you now?”

When you didn’t respond quickly enough, he ripped the tape off of your mouth without mercy and your eyes teared up at the pain with an ouch. He didn’t waste a second in enveloping his lips with yours as he cupped your pussy, smearing his pre-cum on your labia. He swallowed your moans as his mouth moved vigorously, tongue meeting yours as he explored your cavern. The smacking of your lips caused you to clench your hole, the sound arousing to your ears as you kissed him back.

“You going to stay quiet for me?” he murmured against your lips, his cock poking at your hole teasingly. You hesitated but nodded nonetheless. “Good girl,” he praised with a grin and lightly pecked you before properly positioning himself.

The reason why Taehyung was so eager to have sex with you wasn’t just because he was horny, but also because really wanted it to be your pussy that he fucked first, and maybe second, and third. He was a virgin who watched too much porn when he wasn’t outside, and now that you were 18, he thought it to be the perfect timing for you to lose your virginity to him like he’d imagined when he was 15. 

Due to his experience, he didn’t ease into your pussy and instead shoved his cock entirely. You screamed and he instantly put a hand over your mouth. “Too much?” he asked with a strained voice. His cock was just begging to be thrusted into you, but he couldn’t have you screaming and waking your parents. When you nodded with eyes shut in pain, he groaned to himself. He was twitching inside you, and after a few seconds, he began moving.

You were crying and bitching again, but he paid no mind to it as he pressed his hand onto your mouth while gently slamming his hips into you, his courtesy for now. You'd adjust sooner or later, but the stretch was excruciating; your walls stung and you started to bleed on him.

"Oh fuck," he giggled sadistically once he noticed the crimson fluid, "that didn't happen in the video." He gazed into your glossy eyes before quickening his pace, growing rougher. "You're crying again; what's new?"

Taehyung was laughing as he was moaning, but you couldn’t hear anything except for the ringing in your ears. Your heart pounded and you were struggling to breathe through your nose as he fucked you relentlessly. 

“I kind of feel bad for you,” he panted with a sinister smile. “Does it still hurt?” He took your sobs as a yes. “Poor baby,” he cooed with a pout before moving his free hand to your clit. “This might help.” You were struggling with your bound hands, but you couldn’t move your legs because of how much it hurt. Your fighting was useless, and your body was growing numb except for the thumb that made it less painful.

Taehyung removed his hand from your mouth to hear your moans clearly. Whether it was from pleasure or pain, he didn’t know, but he loved it. He wanted to be the only one to see you in this state. He’d gauge out any eyes that got to see you naked and stab any ears that got to hear your pretty sounds.

But it was a little difficult to savour it when he was reaching his climax so soon; damn inexperience and the low stamina that came with. He had enough self-control to pull out of you to finish himself off with his hand. He missed the warmth and tightness of your pussy and how it kept clenching down on him quickly, but it had to come at a cost – not cumming inside you.

“You fucking monster!” you yelled hoarsely, eyes blurred with tears and face covered in tears.

“Too loud,” he sighed and forced your mouth open to shove his length inside. “Try anything, and I’ll fucking kill you.” His cock was heavy on your tongue as you gagged on it every time he thrusted. It wasn’t long before he released in your mouth and you choked, swallowing his cum without a choice. Another loud moan erupted from him as his hips stuttered while gently slamming into you for the last time.

“Fuck,” he exhaled before collapsing on you with his palms holding up to not smother you completely. “Shit, you’re such a good fucking girl.”

When he raised his face from your shoulder, you spat on him. He laughed hysterically before wiping off your saliva from his cheek. “I’ll make it up to you, damn.”

“You’re the fucking worst Taehyung,” your voice wavered as you insulted him. “I hope you rot in hell. I always saw you as my role model, but now I understand why everyone fucking hates you.”

“Sheesh,” he snorted, “I told you I’d make it up to you, didn’t I? It might hurt now, but it’ll feel a lot better when we do it again.”

“If you try-” he cut you off by going down on you, taking his clit into your mouth and immediately emitting a moan out of you. “Stop, stop, stop,” you chanted in gasps, trapping his head with your thighs and contradicting your words. He chuckled against your swollen pussy, making it feel even better and yet worse. This euphoric sensation wasn’t what you needed after being traumatized by your own step-brother, but it was what your body wanted after getting a taste of his tongue. 

He was slurping up your juices and spitting on your folds before abusing your clit again. The bastard knew how to distract you from your newfound grudge, but you weren’t going to forgive him after your orgasm. Your hips moved against him on instinct as his tongue ran up and down your labia. A knot formed in your stomach, your tears long forgotten as you became more persistent in riding him in this awkward position. He heaved your thighs over his shoulder to take full control, and with his vigorous sucking and pulling, you came undone with a spasm.

“Feels good, right?” he asked rhetorically and fell limp next to you.

“I’ve never hated someone as much as you,” you seethed while recovering from your high.

“You’re going to tell me that wasn’t fun? No way,” he stared at you in disbelief.

“You hurt me,” you sniffled and covered your face.

"I'm sorry princess," the nickname felt foreign on his tongue as he held your arm. "I'll leave forever if you want me to."

He hummed when you stayed silent with a runny nose. "I'll clean you up and go, okay?"

"No," you huffed. "You become my slave for a whole month."

"You want me to stay home with you?"

You nodded while rubbing your eyes with your fists. "You can't do that and just leave, and I hate you but I miss you."

Taehyung resisted the urge to squeeze your cheek and coo. He knew you'd regret asking him to stay, but he wouldn't say no to spending time with you 24/7.

Chuckling through his nose, he said, "I miss you too." He traced the tattoo on your forearm, a minimalistic mockingbird with an arrow slicing through the middle. He picked it because it represented you; an innocent little thing who didn't even look down at her wound, only focused on flying back to Taehyung, a hawk that waited with open arms - ready for his meal.

If you wanted him to stay, then that's what Taehyung would do. You'd fallen for his trap twice, the third wouldn't be so bad. He'd make sure you enjoyed it this time.

[jq37]

The Report Card – Fantasy High: The Seven Ep 2

The Girls Are Fighting!!!

We return to Aguefort Adventuring Academy where the man himself has just told the Seven Maidens that their party is being split up which they are NOT having even though it doesn’t seem to be a malicious plot so much as the fact that Danielle, Ostentatia, and Zelda are Juniors while the other four are graduating Seniors. Antiope casts Hunter’s Mark on Aguefort, Penny pleads, Katja threatens (well, “threatens”; she walks up menacingly and then says that he can’t do this because it’s the only group of friends she’s ever had and it’s heartbreaking like all of her non-hilarious dialogue is).

Aguefort understands that it sucks and has no respect for rules but says it’s out of his hands. Sam clocks that he’s hiding something (along with the fact that he seems to know about something going on with Antiope and Penny which we know is their respective internship/apprenticeship offers) and calls him out, hitting him with a Lightning Lure to drag his ass back when he tries to turn into a bat and escape out the window. She’s unhinged and I love it. 

So does Aguefort who decides to let them in on some school secrets, leaving a decoy while he leads them all to the super secret part of the forbidden library which is bondage themed because sure. Also, Ostentatia is topless for this also because sure. He does a lot of pomp and circumstance to summon a book which Yelle flatly says better not just be the syllabus and it isn’t but she’s close. It’s the bylaws of the school district which he has summoned for the guidelines on the special, magical thing the girls can get so they can graduate together…

Their GEDS!!!!! Trés mystical. 

Basically what they need to do is complete a level A, B, or C quest together (which Antiope knows are like the top 3 highest difficulty quests--they go from A-F) and get signoff from the superintendent. But the superintendent has been missing for 12 years and there can’t be a new one until she’s dead (which she isn’t or else they’d be able to appoint a new one). Her name is Tectonya Karkovnya (who I will be calling TK) and Aguefort calls her, “chaotic and impossible to predict,” which coming from him is como se dice, troubling. 

Sam pulls out her mirror to do a little snooping on TK’s past and sees that she’s a coppery, earth genasi woman. She also sees her talking to Aguefort and saying that the magic of consciousness is far superior to his beloved chronomancy. Then the scene shifts to show her getting more and more worried as she got deeper into her studies and then going to a dwarven holy site in the Mountains of Chaos with some kind of shadow figure following her. 

Penny gets photos of the super cursed bylaws and Arthur leaves since he very much is the principal of the school and has to do his job (ostensibly). With Aguefort gone, the girls discuss the proposition after conscripting a very reluctant Antiope to be their leader (Aabria hilariously improvises that a shaft of sunlight somehow comes down to illuminate her and she has to step out of the spotlight). 

They discuss whether they want to do this GED quest or not and Zelda says she wants to but she wants to give anyone who has other stuff going on an out so they don’t feel beholden. Ostentatia immediately shoots back that Zelda is just saying that because she has plans with Gorgug. That brings down the mood and Sam, despite being a water genasi, fans the flames by saying that Gorgug has lots going on that doesn’t involve her so she shouldn’t be running back to him all the time. 

Yelle tries to calm things down and says they should sleep on it but Sam and Ostentatia are taking this super personally and are offended that they’re even having this conversation. Penny accidentally lets slip that she has some kind of apprenticeship (she’s trying to keep it on the DL because it’s supposed to be a secret) and oh man it becomes a Whole Thing. They fight in the way that you do when everyone in the fight actually wants the same thing and cares deeply about each other but are in completely different headspaces which are making them lash out.

Penny, not wanting to be around the conflict, goes invisible. Zelda is suppressing going into a rage and says that maybe she should go be with Gorgug. At least he won’t yell at her. Yelle once again tries to cool things down and suggests they have a text thread where they can say if they’re in or out by the end of the night instead of hashing it out in the open. She’s accused of not being in and, in response, texts that she’s in. Ostentatia and Sam also immediately text that they’re in, which basically makes her “solution” entirely moot. 

Zelda is finally fully fed up and leaves (Penny following invisibly). Katja also follows. 

Antiope can tell that Sam is upset about something that’s not this but Sam brushes her off rudely and storms off (quite literally, causing storm clouds outside in her wake). Yelle goes after her. Ostentatia is left with Antiope.

Time for a string of very emotional mini scenes which I highly encourage you to watch because they are peak improv.  

Zelda, Katja, (Invisible) Penny

Katja runs to find Zelda who is under a tree crying and asks if she’s OK. Zelda says that Sam and Ostentatia are so beautiful and confident and eloquent and she gets so tongue tied and useless when they disagree with her because she’s so timid. Zelda wants this so bad but she doesn’t want to feel like she’s forcing her friends to stay with her. 

Katja, as we know, has major abandonment issues because of her constantly away dad (and prob her mom too) and she doesn’t want to be left behind again but she also doesn’t want her friends to factor her in so she tries to be stoic and says that the people you love have to want to stay. But with a 3, Zelda immediately clocks the emotion behind the words. Instead of calling her out, Zelda offers to listen to music with her. 

Penny takes this opportunity to make herself known (which has got to be terrifying--unless you’re used to it and then it’s like same shit as usual from Ms. Luckstone) and Zelda goat jumps to grab her out of the tree she was crying in above them and tells her that she doesn’t have to go invisible every time there’s conflict. They all agree that they hate confrontation and Rehka gets the funniest lowkey line of the episodes: that she wouldn’t know what to do if they didn’t agree on that. We then cut to…

Ostentatia and Antiope

Where Izzy gets the high key funniest moment of the episode by transitioning in with a big, “You know I LOVE confrontation,” which breaks everyone at the table. But she says it as a preface to admitting that she may have been a bit of a bitch to Zelda. She plays coy for like a half second before she breaks down sobbing with Antiope catching her before she sinks fully to the floor. Antiope comforts her and admits that while she wants to stay with the party, she hates having options taken away from her as they have been her whole life effectively. She was honestly kind of relieved when she was trapped in the crystal because it meant all that pressure was gone for a bit. They affirm that they love each other then Ostentatia goes to apologize to Zelda. 

Danielle and Sam

Yelle goes to talk to Sam (who she adorably calls “merbae”) and while Sam doesn’t wanna talk about it, Yelle says they don’t have to. She just wants to be there for her in whatever capacity she needs. She knows Sam loves her friends and would never hurt them on purpose so something must be wrong with her-- “History of abandonment?” Sam finishes, almost glibly. She’s tired of losing people. She doesn’t want to lose more. She doesn’t want things to change. Nature is change, Yelle says. Nature sucks, Sam says. Yelle is gonna pretend like she didn't hear that. 

Sam feels bad that she snapped at Zelda and Yelle says that they’re all a family. Things will be alright. The storm clouds that Sam reflexively summoned peter out into a cool, refreshing mist. 

Ostentatia and Zelda

Ostentatia goes to where Zelda and the girls are and full ass runs at her like they weren’t just fighting. After assuring her that she’s not there to fight she apologizes, saying she was a cow. Zelda says she honestly agrees with Ostentatia that she wants the group to stay together and wishes she could be bolder in non-rage settings. Ostentatia says that maybe if the Seniors leave they can still have a party and Penny vetos that even though, as Ostentatia says, it’s a pretty reasonable compromise. Anyway, they basically all go in a circle saying they love each other and it’s very sweet. 

I’m serious, I can’t do these heart to hearts justice in this format, just go watch them for that emotional girl group goodness.

Anyway, outside of the main group, Antiope goes to talk to her sister Corsica who is currently teaching a class. Antiope does not give AF. She orders the students out and they scatter. Wouldn’t you?

Antiope wants advice. Should she stay with her party after flaming out of her last one? Should she take the internship and stay on the path her parents want her on? Corsica really feels for her. Antiope has had to struggle in a way that she and their brothers never did. She finally answers that she and her brothers are awesome and successful fighters but none of them have been able to do the scariest thing possible: disappoint their parents. They’re soldiers. They like it that way. They fall in line. But maybe Antiope isn’t a soldier. Maybe she’s a leader. She ordered those kids out of the room without thinking after all and they obeyed. It’s an extremely good speech and Antiope basically has chills, as do I.  

I assume while this is happening or perhaps right before everyone goes home, Penny goes to see Jawbone (who has some spiffy new art--as did Gilear who cameoed early in the episode when Aguefort atomic wedgied him invisibly because sure) and talk about this uber difficult decision she had to make. Jawbone gets to the heart of the matter pretty quick. Penny is a high achiever who’s lived a life without choice. But now that she’s about to be off the rails for the time she’s freaking out. Penny sees the truth in the statement (after hilariously trying to solve his metaphor about an amusement park) and thanks him for the perspective. She then, in a very Fig move, tries to kiss him and Jawbone basically stiff arms her and breezes right past like it didn’t happen, showing her out. What a trooper that Jawbone.   

Moving on to Katja. When she gets home she tries to call her dad who is unreachable on his hell mission. She leaves him a message saying that he should call her back when he can and she knows what she wants for her graduation present now. She wants her party to not break up. This breaks Brennan and me. 

She then snoops arounds for info on TK. She sees letters of her dad trying to get her into Hudol. And she sees some stuff from the Ministry of Adventure, asking if he knew where TK was. But she doesn’t get anything else. At least, she doesn’t get anything else that’s helpful. She does however find a picture of her mom which makes her bolt to go talk to Cinnamon who prances for her to make her feel better. She joins in dancing, badly.

EDIT: I initially wrote that Katja’s mom was dead because that’s what I thought she said but @ennn said that in the Adventuring Party, Rekha said that her mom didn’t die, she left. Which is less dramatic in some ways but SO MUCH WORSE for abandonment issues so, yikes girl!

Yelle meanwhile goes home to talk to her unofficial third mom, Holly, who is the awakened tree under which her house is. Picture a Grandmother Willow situation from Pocahantas basically. Yelle talks about the conflict a bit and, as usual, ends up on a tangent about how the world is unfair and she has to speak for the voiceless. Holly is concerned for her (as are her other moms which I may have neglected to mention in the last recap). She asks Yelle if she can tell her something that might be painful. Yelle agrees. Holly says that Yelle is great and wonderful and kind but she spends so much time speaking for other people that she never speaks for herself. Her moms worry that there will come a day when she needs help and will have to ask for it without couching it in terms of the greater good and she won’t be able to. 

Yelle really hopes she’s high when the time comes. 

At her home, Ostentatia casts Commune With The City to see if TK has been around and she’s not there now but she can tell she has been (though there’s no indication on if that’s recently or not). On a 17 religion check she knows that there is a dwarven holy site in the mountains that matches Sam’s description from the mirror. She’s still avoiding her dad but when she prays for her spells, she asks for her dad to feel like himself again too. 

Hey, what time is it? Let me check my watch. 

Ah yes, it’s time for Sam to make some rash decisions. 

She feels like she should text Zelda but doesn’t. Instead, she goes into Penelope’s room. And she takes out her mirror. And even though she’s expended the charge for today, she tries to make it show her Penelope. 

OK, says Brennan. Sure. Hey, can you roll me a quick little Wisdom Save?

5. 

Haha, Sam’s in danger. 

The mirror heats up as it’s pushed beyond its limits and Sam sees an image of a young Penelope with braces grabbing her hands and grinning and saying that they’ll be best friends. Then, the image shifts and she sees the Penelope of the present in her tattered prom queen dress and glass shard crown. Her eyeless, haunting, demon prom queen form, teeth razor sharp as her words. 

“A call without a text,” she says. “Are you out of your mind?”

“You look better than you ever did alive,” Sam spits back. 

It is a battle of the bitches right out of the gate. The girls are fighting part two if you will. They snipe at each other for a bit and Brennan has Sam roll insight into herself. On a 19, Sephie says that’s not enough for Sam to get a read on herself (yikes girl) so she doesn’t understand that this fight can only ruin her because while Penelope enjoys causing people pain, Sam doesn’t. 

They both get in some very choice barbs but when Penelope tries to entice her into making a devilish pact and disparages her new party, Sam does the mic drop of the century by telling her that her parents are divorcing and hanging up. The entire table LOSES THEIR MIND. It is like a real life representation of one of those Draw The Squad memes. Everyone brandishes their fans in a salute to that truly epic conversation ender. 

As the night draws to a close, Brennan asks the girls who haven’t responded to the text chain yet if they respond. Katja texts that she’s in. Zelda texts Antiope and Penny that she’s not going to text whether she’s in or out until they respond because she doesn’t want it to feel like a 5 on 2 dogpile.

Antiope and Penny call then text, then call, then text, then call each other to discuss what they should do and also hype each other up because with all the drama, they didn’t really get to celebrate their opportunities. Penny tries to downplay her thing and insinuates that it wouldn’t be a big loss if she wasn’t in the group anymore and Antiope shuts that down immediately. You’re the last thing so many people see before they die Penny! That’s so cool! 

They both decide to text that they’re abstaining from voting for now and go to bed.

The next day, Antiope gets up and sees that her party’s schedule has been cleared for the next two weeks by the school for quest reasons. She tells her dad she wants to talk to Charity Blythe (the woman at the Ministry of Adventure she needs to talk do) and he sets up a no pressure (but actually tons of pressure) meeting with her before turning her 5 mile run into a 12 mile run because she is a Jones and 5 mile runs are for Amateurs. 

Ant texts the rest of the Maidens that this meeting is happening so they can maybe get some quest info from Charity and Ostentatia has in the meantime texted (after the 2 abstains) that she will be going for the GED regardless and anyone who wants to join can. Of course, there was never any reason to NOT go for it (besides the danger which they obv don’t care about) and getting it doesn’t mean any doors are closed to them. It’s just that emotions are running so high they can’t fully seem to see that (or at least some members can’t). 

Ant doesn’t have the clearance to meet at Charity’s office so they meet at the Museum of Adventuring instead. In it happens to be the skeleton of Kalvaxus who they killed (if you don’t remember, the Bad Kids killed him first and then he was resurrected so the Maidens could also kill him for catharsis reasons). Tensions are still super high as evidenced by Sam’s snide abstention comment to Penny and Ant and then by her TRYING TO LIGHTNING BOLT THE DRAGON SKELETON TO DESTROY IT.

GIRL.

That doesn't happen though because she’s Counterspelled by Charity Blythe who walks in, surprised to see that Antiope brought her whole party. Antiope says they were just leaving but Charity can sense shenanigans when she sees them and says if they’re gonna spy on the conversation they might as well stay for it which they of course do.

She gives Antiope a rundown of the internship: 1 year commitment with a possibility to expand to 2-3 years. Stipend. She’d have to live in Bastion City.

Katja remembers that her dad was talking to the Ministry of Adventure in the letters she found and asks Charity about it. Charity says they were asking him about TK’s whereabouts because he was friends with her. On that, Yelle casts Detect Thoughts with a Stealth roll of 17 (we see on a secret Box of Doom roll that Charity got a 26 to see her cast it). Anyway, she sees that TK took some object with her when she disappeared (which she later sees is a crystal screen with a map seemingly marking quest locations from A-F) and of course the fact that Charity knows this. Yelle shares this info with everyone as Antiope walks off with Charity to talk further. Katja suggests to the group that maybe Ant should take the internship to get more info for their quest. While she’s talking to Charity, Ant feels the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

See looks up and sees a figure with blood red lips look at her and disappear.

Yikes! Combat time baybee!

Superlatives 

Danielle: Most Likely to Talk Her Way Out of a Hostage Situation 

While, like her mothers, I am slightly concerned that Danielle is the type to set fire to herself to make sure others are warm, I also very much love her chill, warm, encouraging vibes. For those of you coming off of MisMag, she is like vibing at the same wavelength as Whitney Jammer but with the intensity turned all the way down. Danielle encouraging Sam honestly gave me like second hand calm. Excellent vibes. 

Random Thoughts

If you’re wondering how long it took for it to come up that Aguefort banged a phoenix, the answer is 12 minutes.

The concept of phoenix chlamydia is the definition of thanks, I hate it. 

Aguefort saying that TK is a crazy person could literally mean anything tbh. It could mean she is the most batshit person on the planet or it could mean she’s totally normal and just kinda bugs him. Literally no way to tell. 

Someone (I think Rekha?) mentioned that the cursed bylaws book is copper and so is TK. Idk if that’s relevant but thought I’d flag it anyway. 

We learn in this episode that the friendship bracelets Penny made them last week let them track each other and see each other even if one of the in knocked out (which is what gives it utility outside of what their crystals can already do).

We learn in this episode that Skullcleaver Elementary School is actually named after Katja’s family. 

Nothing like the fear you feel when a DM gives you what you wanted even on a failure. And on that note...

Sam, I wish you a very happy Please Go To Therapy. Please girl. 

This episode was such an emotional roller coaster. I deeply empathize with the horrible feeling that your friends have stuff going on and you don’t and you’re going to be left behind. It’s so rough to see everyone hurting and lashing out (or in the case of Yelle for instance, trying and failing to diffuse the situation). But it’s so nice to see everyone trying to be there for each other and apologizing and affirming that they love each other (from Antiope saying that she would kill and die for any of them to Danielle defusing the ticking timebomb that is Sam). The players really get the cadence of how teenage girl friendship works and it’s such a treat to watch. 

“Did we ruin your life?”

Do you think ep 7 of The Seven is gonna be when everything pops off? As a DM I wouldn’t be able to resist that.

Penny’s response to being told that she can’t take every path is, “You can with chronomancy” which isn’t a bad point. 

Rekha is the Zac of The Seven which is to say low key the funniest person on the planet. Her saying she was so scared that she wasn’t gonna be told “I love you” during that scene was so funny. Her comic timing is impeccable. 

Katja fainting at the end of the “I love you” session after Penny says she loves her and Cinnamon. 

I love the table ambient whisper of, “LCAB” under Antiope’s scene with Corsica. 

I really felt for Zelda in this episode. Like, I felt for everyone but especially her, being the quiet one with all this yelling happening. When she was talking about how much she hates to have to fight with Sam/O my heart really broke for her. I’m so glad she got all her hugs in after that. 

In this episode Katja, Ostentatia, and Sam roll nat 1s. No nat 20s.

[love-sapphirerose]

Inuyasha and Kikyo Is the Feudal Romance We Deserved

Inuyasha and Kikyo are well known for their doomed romance in Rumiko Takahashi's iconic Inuyasha series. But what if Kikyo had lived instead?

BY DIANE DARCY

PUBLISHED MAY 16, 2021 With the 2020 debut of Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon, fans of the original Inuyasha series got an opportunity to revisit familiar faces as well as meet the children of their favorite pairings who front the new series. But what if one of these pairings had turned out differently? What if, instead of dying and reincarnating as Kagome Higurashi, Kikyo had actually lived to spend the rest of her life with Inuyasha?

While Kikyo living would’ve resulted in a very different story from the one Inuyasha creator Rumiko Takahashi developed, it also could’ve resulted in a more epic romance story. What is it about Inuyasha and Kikyo as a couple from 50 years ago that makes them so compelling? The characters could have developed very differently, with some fascinating aspects of Japanese history enriching their story even further.

In both the manga and anime, one of the unifying themes of Inuyasha and Kikyo's relationship is the two characters feeling out of touch with their humanity. In Inuyasha's case, he is a hanyou (a being who is half human and half youkai) born to a human mother and a great dog youkai, both of whom had high status in their respective communities. Despite this, however, Inuyasha was rejected by both humans and youkai alike for not being of pure blood. As such, he was forced to fend for himself at a very young age, resulting in feelings of self-loathing and a profound distrust in others.

Kikyo was born into a human village that she later protected as a miko (shrine maiden) after reaching adolescence. Little is known about her childhood apart from the fact she was born with strong spiritual potential (as narrated by her younger sister Kaede), though much of it can also be pieced together based on the history of miko in Japan. As stated by Tsubaki -- a rival of Kikyo -- in Episode 147 of the Inuyasha anime, a miko's spiritual power thrives when she abandons all human feelings. She also warns that as a woman, Kikyo could naturally fall in love, which would cause her powers to weaken.

Though Tsubaki's explanation of a miko's spiritual power is treated as a curse by Kikyo in the anime, it is actually consistent with how young girls trained to become miko in Japan's earlier history, most notably during the Sengoku period (when Inuyasha takes place) and especially in centuries prior. As practitioners of Shinto, young girls who trained to become miko underwent various purification rituals as a way of strengthening their spiritual power. Since purity is central to the Shinto belief system, miko were not permitted to marry as it was believed that compromising their sexual purity would also compromise the strength of their spiritual power. This last part is relevant to Kikyo's storyline.

Inuyasha and Kikyo's storylines converged when the latter was given custody of the Shikon no Tama, a powerful jewel with a reputation to grant any wish to its possessor. Inuyasha desired the jewel as a means of erasing his humanity in exchange for becoming a full youkai, though he had to get through Kikyo to get it. While Kikyo had the skills and power to keep the jewel safe, she also found her new occupation even more isolating than being a miko alone. After meeting Inuyasha, Kikyo became aware of her human desires and emotions, which factored into her decision to rid herself of the jewel and pursue life as an ordinary woman.

The premise of Inuyasha desiring to erase his humanity with Kikyo desiring to reclaim her humanity created strong story potential that deserved further fleshing out. This was done to an extent in the anime story The Tragic Love Song of Destiny (Episodes 147-148) that depicts the budding romance between Inuyasha and Kikyo, leading up to the moment where she proposed Inuyasha use the Shikon no Tama to become human. At the time, Kikyo theorized that if the jewel was used to make Inuyasha fully human, it would be purified and would cease to exist. The original Inuyasha manga and subsequent anime adaptation, of course, established towards the finale that this would not have been the right wish. But realizing this could've been an important part of Kikyo's journey.

Another major development that could've still happened in a universe where Kikyo lived is the shattering of the Shikon no Tama -- this time by a weakened Kikyo, which would've been a huge wakeup call for her. Recalling what Tsubaki said earlier about how falling in love would cause her powers to weaken, being responsible for shattering the very jewel she was entrusted to purify would've shaken Kikyo to the point of rethinking her priorities. This would've placed Kikyo in a position of needing to learn new skills to supplement her miko training, which in turn could've created opportunities for character growth.

A meaningful change that could've come out of this journey was Kikyo realizing that the key to strengthening her spiritual power was embracing all aspects of her identity. Maybe she needed to realize that rejecting any part of herself -- whether it be her human self or miko self -- was why she wasn't being an effective guardian of the jewel. Allowing herself to experience human emotion may have allowed her to channel her powers in a smarter, more effective way.

Related to the plot of shattering the Shikon no Tama, the wounded thief Onigumo (whom Kikyo was nursing in a cave) could've still become the evil hanyou Naraku with the same motivation as before: wanting Kikyo for himself and desiring the Shikon no Tama as a means of getting her love. He still could've sent various youkai after Kikyo to exhaust her as he did in Tragic Love Song, only things didn't go his way. Instead of mortally wounding Kikyo, one of these attempts to exhaust her could've resulted in the aforementioned jewel's shattering, allowing the story to play out as it did originally -- but with some key differences.

Keeping Naraku as a villain would've still been important for Inuyasha's character development as he embodied a much darker version of Inuyasha's own goals. This could've forced Inuyasha to reconsider his own motivations for becoming a full youkai and whether or not he should take up Kikyo's offer to become fully human. Naraku's obsession with Kikyo could've similarly made Inuyasha re-evaluate his own feelings for Kikyo, whether he's similar to Naraku in lusting for her or if he actually loves her as a person. There's also the factor of Kikyo being exposed to Inuyasha's human side during moonless nights and the vulnerabilities that come with such moments. This too could've forced her to re-evaluate her own motivations for wanting Inuyasha to erase half of what he is as a means of purifying the jewel.

By getting to know Inuyasha in both of his forms, Kikyo could've ultimately decided against erasing what makes him unique, effectively changing her plans for purifying the jewel. Her thoughts on this could've been further solidified after experiencing what Naraku was capable of with only shards of the jewel as opposed to the complete jewel. Naraku's dark motivations could've similarly provided Inuyasha and Kikyo with the perspective to realize none of their problems would be resolved by casting a selfish wish on the jewel, regardless of their intent. Instead, they both could've reached the same conclusion that the only way to relieve themselves of the jewel and its destructive power was by wishing it out of existence, effectively allowing the jewel to destroy itself just like it originally did.

While keeping Kikyo alive would've changed significant aspects of the Inuyasha story, it also could've resulted in a more focused romance with more profound character development. Since both Inuyasha and Kikyo have a unifying theme of not feeling in touch with their humanity at the start of their respective narratives, their journey could've focused on them rediscovering their humanity together while not rejecting what makes them unique. By reconciling all aspects of themselves into more mature identities, their relationship would've been stronger for it.

[skye-huntress]

RWBY Panel 2021 Reaction

I figured why not. I was up at three in the morning to watch the panel just for even the smallest sneak peak or news of Volume 9 so I might as well throw out my reactions and thoughts into the void of the internet.

Let me start off with the biggest non-news, the lack of date for Volume 9. In the back of my mind, this was something I feared to expect. Between the pandemic, the blackouts, and probably a lot of other disrupting forces I am not aware about, it’s not reasonable to expect CRWBY to be at the same place with every upcoming volume every year. Similar for the Volume 8 Soundtrack, though for that I wasn’t expecting to hear any new updates on.

I am interested in the new game, Arrowfell, though I will admit that side-scrollers are not a style of game I’ve ever found compelling. It’s RWBY though, so of course I am going to check it out. They never said anything about what platforms it would be on though.

Now for the sneaky peak:

I’ll admit, that first half of it was intense. It really brought everything back, the anxiety, the near-panic, the anticipation of what would happen. It felt fresh seeing it from Ruby’s perspective.

Maybe seeing Yang’s fall happen in realtime will get people to lighten up on Ruby and realise that she couldn’t have really done anything, but I doubt it.

It is interesting to see how the edges of Ruby’s vision light up when she’s trying to call on her silver eye powers. I’d wager she experiences other sensations as well when its working and not just the sudden fatigue we see her go through after the fact.

So Neo is still attacking Ruby on sight despite the fact this path may have already sealed both their fates. I feel I should say this, I don’t think there is any reasoning with Neo. If she’s half as smart as she thinks she is, there’s no way she genuinely believes Ruby is responsible for Roman’s death. She went after Cinder first for a reason. She’s angry and in pain, and she needs someone a little easier to stab than a rogue maiden to take out her frustrations on. Ruby’s just a convenient scapegoat for Neo. One way or another, it will end this volume.

Oscar, Yang, Penny. These are all people Ruby has failed recently. Oscar was captured and tortured and Ruby didn’t even hear of it until afterwards. Yang took the blow meant for her and was the first to fall. Penny is the Maiden and it was Ruby’s job to protect her but now she is at Cinder’s mercy and that bitch doesn’t even have the word in her vocabulary. I feel this is the volume where Ruby has to confront her failures and increasing doubts about her leadership. We’ve been building up to it for a while

All alone and unarmed on a shore, in a strange place in another world. Nothing to do but keep moving forward.

At the very least, that she landed in the same realm we saw Crescent Rose suggests all or at least some of the Fallen have ended up in the same place.

Predictions

For Ruby, I think this will be a critical volume for her. All sorts of negativity has been building up with her for a while now and with her current situation, the fate of her friends, and when the news of Penny’s death inevitably reaches her, something is going to give. This might be a break from the plot but it is also a break for Ruby to reevaluate her leadership, her choices and how she’s been handling basically everything. How this changes her will likely determine the direction of the show and how the protagonists confront Salem going forward.

For Weiss, this could also be a big volume for her. For one, she’s gained and lost a lot this volume. Atlas, for all its faults which caused her to leave it twice, was her home, and now it is rubble and those of her people that survived are now refugees in a Kingdom they are not necessarily welcome. She confronted her father, and was working on her relationship with the rest of her family, but is now separated from them. She wasn’t as close with Penny as Ruby, but she lost her, too, and now her sister has the same target on her back and is probably doomed to suffer the same fate sooner or later. She also thought she lost her other family and it will be bittersweet to find herself stranded with them if when she can find them again. It’s been a rollercoaster for her.

While on this note, I think we are due for a heart-to-heart between Ruby and Weiss. Ruby recently had a talk with both Blake and Yang about her leadership, but I think Weiss has the best chance of actually reaching her. After all, Weiss was the first one to openly express doubts about Ruby being a leader, and it was also a position she once coveted for herself. Weiss is the sceptic turned believer, and she’s not afraid to call things as they are, so I think she is and always was the best one to talk to Ruby about this, which is why I think they never had this conversation before. Now that Ruby is in this critical stage, of course this is the perfect time for her once reluctant and now devoted partner to put in her two cents.

Since everything went down with Adam and her relationship with Yang improved, I haven’t been quite sure where Blake’s character arc will go from there. When Yang fell, she nearly completely lost and it clouded her judgment. After her talk with Nora, I wonder if Blake herself needs to reevaluate if perhaps there are parts about her own life and wellbeing that she has neglected since she and Yang have gotten closer. Perhaps it’s a time for her to reevaluate her priorities, which doesn’t necessarily mean distancing herself from Yang but it could still mean she puts more effort into herself and her other relationships, especially with Ruby, Weiss and Jaune.

Yang was the first to fall and everything went to shit after the fact. She stopped a sneak attack on Ruby but she couldn’t stop Neo or Cinder, and she was not there for her team or Penny. That moment is probably also too familiar to what happened with Adam at Beacon for Yang’s comfort, not that I think there was anything she could do better in either situation besides simply being faster. I don’t know what Yang’s response to everything will be, what effect this will have on her. Plus I can’t forget that she’s probably suffering a concussion right now.

As for the Bees, despite all they’ve been through and even with the split that happened last volume, they were still closer than ever. There’s a mutual respect there for each other’s decisions. If one is going through something, the other will be there to talk them through it or even simply be a shoulder to cry on. If this is a situation that they’ll be stuck on for the foreseeable future, at least they have each other and there are worse places they could be stranded in. Despite everything that happened or maybe even because of it, it might seem the perfect setting and timing for some confessions and more.

Now to Jaune. He certainly hasn’t had it easy. From the start, he was the furthest behind among his peers, and now he’s been licensed earlier than most of them. Pyrrha helped him a lot with that, and was the first to believe in him and she was taken from him, and it seems he came to terms with that since Argus. He didn’t let his grief blind him and he stayed on task with the evacuation, and he wasn’t reckless when he did confront Cinder. He did everything right, but it wasn’t enough to save Penny and in the end he had little choice but to respect her dying wish. It had to be done, I don’t blame him for being put in that position, but it’s still got to hurt. It’s also so appropriate that his weapon, one of his most important tools as a Huntsman, was broken after spilling innocent blood, almost like a punishment(?) for his “betrayal” to what a Huntsman is suppose to be. He’s going to carry this until the day he dies, and now he has to face his friends, especially his best friend whom was the closest of all of them to Penny.

Finally Neo. Like I said, I don’t think she can be reasoned with. She abandoned any sort of rationale a long time ago, and it will take more than words to shake her out of it, if it’s even possible anymore. I doubt there will be a peaceful solution to this conflict, it feels too similar to what went down with Adam towards his end. He also refused to back down, he too insisted on making Blake his scapegoat, and despite being given every chance to walk away, he persisted until his death. Time will tell if Neo can avoid that fate, but my doubts about that have only strengthened since the sneak peak.

As for Oscar and the others, I already had my doubts about whether we’d see them at all. The way CRWBY talked about this volume, it seems clear that this is our break from the main narrative so I doubt we will be seeing much of Vacuo yet. I am more than okay with that, it’d be good to take a break from the main plot and focus and our main girls again and we’ll get more of that with a significantly reduced cast.

[crystal-moon-101]

(Updated Drawing for a second time) Name: Jay Maxwell Tennyson Nickname: Jace, Jay Jay, Human Omnitrix, Lill’ Ben, Hero Boy, Omni Boy (By Feike) Age: 13 Gender: Male Birthday: February 7 Sexual Orientation: ??? (Just like his father) Ethnicity/Species: American/Japanese - Human/'Omnitrix' Personality: Adventurous, Often has self-doubt, Sensitive, Cultured, Dependable, Brave, Hopeful, Persistent, Impulsive, Jokester, Trustful, Has slight anxiety problems, Forgiving, Selfless. Hobbies: Gaming, mostly survival games. A couple of sports (He's known to play tennis with his mother). Learning and Reading up on aliens and their cultures. Collecting items/souvenirs. Photography. Designing with Family:

Ben Tennyson - (Father/Jay has always looked up to his father, striving to be a hero like. However, there are issues between them, in that Jay struggles with how often his father isn't around, out in space-saving the day on another planet. He understands why this is, but it makes it hard to spend time together, along with seeing the struggles his mother goes through, even if she accepts this with Ben. That being said, anytime Ben visits, Jay jumps at the chance to spend time with his father.)

Julie Yamamoto - (Mother/Absolutely adores his mother and vice versa. Since Ben is often away, Jay has picked up a lot of Julie's habits and behaviour, even hobbies, like tennis. He's always eager to help her around and the house and spending quality mother and son time. He's very thankful his mother raised him to be patient, kind and polite, a big part of his personality.)

Ship - (Pet - Galvanic Metamorph/He's always loved the pet blob of the family. When he was born, Ship was very excited about Jay's presence, doing whatever he could to make the baby boy laugh. It's been the same, even as Jay grew up. The happy blob will always comfort the boy, especially through his anxiety attacks or self-doubt moments.)

Muse - (Pet - Null Void Guardian/Muse wasn't the kind of pet Jay thought he'd get, but he loves her anyway. Having saved her during a mission in the null void, the creature became rather attached to him as they don't normally have positive interaction with other species, even their caretakers. She loves cuddles and having Jay's attention, but can be very protective if anyone dares to hurt her human.) 

Tundra, Orion, Vale, Neva, North, Crystal, Alaska, Micha, Storm, Gray, Raine, Arlo, Zodiac and Lux - (Half-Siblings/Jay is very close to his fourteen Necrofriggians siblings, despite the species differences. He's never really questioned how unusual it was having them as siblings, even when people give weird glances. His siblings also adore their baby brother, spoiling him whenever they visit.)

Ivory - (Kind of half sister? It’s complicated/When Jay bumped into Ivory the first time, during a mission where Khyber was running around, he had to say he was surprised to see someone who had similar features to him and to his dad. After explaining this run-in with his parents, it didn’t take them long to come to the conclusion she must be the daughter of Albedo, back from when he was still human. Since then, Jay has tried reaching out to her, not only because he believes she can find a better life beyond Khyber, but also because he has a feeling she wants family, just as he wouldn’t mind having another sibling around...But for now, she brushes him off.)

Gwen Tennyson - (First cousin once removed/'Aunt'/Much like Ben, he looks up to his aunt, always eager to hear stories she shares with her father and Kevin. Since Gwen and Kevin aren't off earth as much as Ben now of days, Julie and Jay often visit for dinners. He likes to ask her help with schoolwork during these visits, though lately he's also been interested in learning about Ledgerdomain. Gwen has a feeling it might be because of a certain spell caster he is crushing on, but he hasn't said anything.)

Kevin Levin - (first cousin once removed in-law/'Uncle'/Somehow, Kevin was often the one that both Jay and Thea were dumped on to babysit. He would complain, but he really did adore the pair, even recording some of their younger interactions and adventure, which were both hilarious and adorable. Jay likes to show his uncle love when he can, as he knows very well how rough Kevin's background is.)

Cynthia Levin - (Second Cousins/The two basically act like siblings, teasing one another, hanging out often and venting to each other when they need it. Even if the two-act like opposites, they play off each other well. With Thea being more bombastic and outward, she helps keep Jay out of all the trouble he gets caught in by mistake. She does what she can to protect him from bullies or galaxy criminals, sometimes even from himself. That being said, Jay is one of the only few who can pull her back from her aggression, showing her that there are calmer and nicer ways to handle things. His forgiving nature sometimes worries her, because she knows it'll backfire and get him hurt sometimes, but she has been amazed by it, as shown through his many connections with aliens they've met, even some who were dangerous or criminals. Even if they have hard arguments or struggle to understand one another at times, they'll always have each other's back.)

Ken Tennyson - (First cousin once removed/'Uncle'/While he enjoys his life with space and aliens, he does appreciate having a family member who is very down to earth. Ken is a very supportive and wise uncle, often knowing just what to say or do to cheer Jay up.)

Carl Tennyson - (Grandfather/Carl, of course, loves his grandson, happy to babysit him and have him over. However, because of Carl's effects of galaxy life and aliens as a child, he sometimes struggles to talk with Jay, who adores that lifestyle. Jay understands, as he and Carl both had/have Plumber fathers often off-world, along with how his grandfather was somewhat abandoned by Verdona, his own mother, in his younger years.)

Sandra Tennyson - (Grandmother/Sandra has always doted on her grandbaby since he was born. Always jumping to babysit, playing with him and proudly shows him off to her friends. She is also the one who inspired his photography hobby.)

Mr Yamamoto - (Grandfather/Despite Julie's father's issues towards Ben, he's always been gentle and kind towards Jay, often being the one to remind him of the beauty of earth.)

Verdona - (Great Grandmother/Verdona and Jay have a friendly relationship, often openly showing affection through hugs or chatting away. While it does somewhat hurt, he doesn't resent her for mostly coming around for Gwen and Thea, because of their Anodite sides. Since he can change into different aliens, he understands very well that every alien functions different, so he can't fault her in her behaviour, so he'll take what he can get.)

Maxwell Tennyson - (Great Grandfather/A legend in Jay's eyes, being who his middle name is from. Even though Max is retired and spends these days in his RV with Xyelne, he's always happy to tell Jay stories of his old Plumber days. The boy will listen to every word with wonder in his eyes. Max has even told stories on Ben when he was very young, including the summer vacation when he first got the watch. It always puts a smile on the boy's face.)

Xylene - (Great Grandfather Figure/While Xylene isn’t amazing with kids due to her background, her and Jay get along nicely since he’s a polite and calm boy. She has a way of speaking with Jay where she can be blunt and honest, but in a manner that he understands and doesn't get hurt by. Like getting that needed push to do something.)

Frank Tennyson - (Great Uncle/He enjoys the boy's soft presents and can always ask Jay for help here and there.)

Natalie Tennyson - (Great Aunt/Natalie likes having Jay around, as he's always eager to help with housework. She does love her granddaughter, but having a quieter child around is sometimes more preferred.)

Friends:

Vanessa Morningstar - (The two have a sweet relationship, despite Thea’s rivalry with her and Vanessa’s parents. They treat each other with respect and trust, and for Vanessa, this is something not common to her. He's always ready to listen to her and doesn't believe she is destined to be a villain, even with her heritage. There have also been noticeable sparks between the two, but with all that goes on, it's hard to make something of it.)

Malax Shard - (Friend/A common friend and partner in Plumber training. Unlike Thea's uncertainty towards his gentle side, Malax has full trust in it. She knows his personality is rare in this line of work and is something desperately needed at times. That being said, she's often the one to give him the tough talks about reality and how harsh it gets. He respects her for this and both would have each other's back in any fight.)

Rook Rilla - (Friend/Another common friend and partner in Plumber training. The two have known each other since childhood, due to how close their fathers were. Rilla’s dry wit and no nonsense attitude has, admittedly, gotten Jay out of some tough problems, and the two play off each other well while working on the field.)

Feike - (Friend/He started out with issues towards Feike, mostly because of his flirting towards Thea. But, over time, Jay has started to see more to him. It's clear to him Feike isn't exactly happy where he is and feels trapped, being abused and manipulated by his boss, Sciros. He's tried reaching out to him, but the other teen likes to brush it off and tells him not to get involved.)

Renata - (Friend/Because of Reiny and Ben's friendship, there had been some playdates set up between the two when they were young. Despite how hard it is to communicate with Renata, Jay has come to understand how to talk to her, thanks to these playdates. He'll often go to her for space politic problems, given her status and training. Even though she doesn't show much emotions, she can show a protective side around him.)

Azmuth - (Friend/Azmuth is normally the one to take a look at his biology and powers if needed. Ben has also dropped Jay off for rare babysitting, Azmuth can only be so thankful Jay will listen to him and be quiet when told. He's always found it amusing how gentle Jay is compared to his father. He's also to happily talk about embarrassing moments about Ben to the boy.)

Etherea’Liss - (Friend/Their first meeting had been a little iffy, as Jay had met Zs’Skayr a few months before meeting her. But he quickly came to see that Ectonurites are not like him, and she's always happy to educate him on her home planet and people. In return, he helps her adjust to life outside of her home.)

Enemies:

Eldrigma (Enemy/Ever since this man showed up, Jay has been chasing him across the galaxy, feeling responsible in stopping him. However, with each encounter, they learn something new, that there's more to the story behind this man. As much as he wants to stop him and fight him, Jay is starting to see something grim and sorrowful behind the man's dark outside.)

Professor Alate - (Enemy/Honestly, this man creeps him the hell out. His intelligence as always been trouble for Jay, often getting outsmarted by the scientist. This wouldn't be so bad, if it weren't for the fact that Alate has this dedicated goal to catch Jay and experiment on him, mostly because of his Omnitrix biology.)

Sciros (Enemy/Jay has nothing but bad thoughts about this man, stemmed from kidnapping him and hurting friends like Feike and Vanessa, tricking and abusing them. He desperately wants to keep his friends away from the man, but his grip is tight and he knows how to keep them inline.)

Vilgax ('Enemy?'/It’s mostly Vilgax’s history with his father that scares him the most. Vilgax can be a hard foe to fight and is willing to use Jay to get revenge on Ben, however, with Jay’s teachings from his father and the fact Vilgax doesn’t have that great of an understanding since it’s been twenty years, Jay can fight against him and survive him. After seeing Vilgax around, he’s come to the realization that Vilgax isn’t as scary as most of the other villains Jay is currently fighting. He’s also given warnings to Vilgax about Alate.)

Representing Song: Human - Christina Perri

Skills: Enhanced Endurance/Stamina. Alien Morphing (He's able to turn into aliens without a watch, thanks to his unique biology). Hand-To-Hand Combat. Multilingualism (Jay can actually speak and understand a few alien languages, comes in handy). Photographic Memory. Makeup, dress ups, hairstyles, Jay is amazing at finding the right outfit or disguising others.

Weakness/Flaws/Fears: Monophobia (Fear of being alone or lonely), Atychiphobia (Fear of failure), Sometimes Anthropophobia (Fear of people. But depending on what people are currently like, especially in school, also depending on his mood) Slight Catoptrophobia (Fear of mirrors. Sometimes he can’t stand looking into the mirror, easily after something sudden or traumatic) Didaskaleinophobia (Fear of school) Autophobia (Fear of oneself). Sometimes changing aliens, becoming one or turning human can fail, especially if he has barely any focus. He keeps his injuries and damage he gets from fights as his aliens, even in his human form. Lack of energy or being rendered unconscious can make him turn back to human. He gains the weakness of his aliens. He needs to focus to be able to transform. His hidden sensitivity and anxiety can hinder his progress and the mission he’s on. He has a habit of taking on too much work, struggling to say no to others who depend on him. In rare cases, his biology can go out of whack sometimes, causing things like blindness, dizziness, struggling to walk E.T.C but it’s never permanent, so far. In his human form, he isn’t the strongest fighter and barely has any defense in tanking hits.

First Ten Forms:

War Roar

Cibeetle

Lavizard

Hollow Woods

Katana

Shadow Puppet

Manta Wave

Smitemare

Power Source

Sin Reaper

[jackoshadows]

Eddard Stark is back in a big way in book 5,  A Dance with Dragons. He’s everywhere in the North and even gets a mention as far off as Essos, where Ser Barristan informs Daenerys that Ned was against the proposed assassination attempt.

Bran beyond the wall travels through the Weirwoods to the past and sees his younger father:

Then all at once he was back home again. Lord Eddard Stark sat upon a rock beside the deep black pool in the godswood, the pale roots of the heart tree twisting around him like an old man’s gnarled arms. The greatsword Ice lay across Lord Eddard’s lap, and he was cleaning the blade with an oilcloth. “Winterfell,” Bran whispered. His father looked up. “Who’s there?” he asked, turning … - Bran

Lord Eddard seemed much younger this time. His hair was brown, with no hint of grey in it, his head bowed. “… let them grow up close as brothers, with only love between them,” he prayed, “and let my lady wife find it in her heart to forgive …”

At the wall, conversations between Jon Snow and Stannis Baratheon center around Ned Stark’s bannermen - what they would do, who they would side with.

“If Your Grace wishes to lose all of my lord father’s bannermen, there is no more certain way than by giving northern halls to southron lords.”

Jon and Stannis each have knowledge of the other from Ned. They use this to haggle with each other for castles and information.

“A turncloak would tell you what you wished to hear and betray you later. Your Grace knows that I was fairly chosen. My father always said you were a just man.” Just but harsh had been Lord Eddard’s exact words, but Jon did not think it would be wise to share that.

“Lord Eddard was no friend to me, but he was not without some sense. He would have given me these castles.”

Never.

Similarly Alys Karstark heads to the wall to get the help of a son of Ned Stark:

“I did not know where else to turn but to the last son of Eddard Stark.You are my only hope, Lord Snow. In your father’s name, I beg you. Protect me.” -Alys

Jon manages to convince Flint and the Norrey of his plans to let the wildings south of the wall, due to his being a son of Ned Stark:

“None but them whose sires displeased the Kings o’ Winter,” said The Norrey. “Those came home shorter by a head. So you tell me, boy … if these wildling friends o’ yours prove false, do you have the belly to do what needs be done?”

Ask Janos Slynt. “Tormund Giantsbane knows better than to try me. I may seem a green boy in your eyes, Lord Norrey, but I am still a son of Eddard Stark.”

On the march to Winterfell, when Stannis’ southron army protest the grueling march, we see the loyalty of the Northerners to Ned:

But the wolves insisted; Roose Bolton could not be suffered to hold Winterfell, and the Ned’s girl must be rescued from the clutches of his bastard. So said Morgan Liddle, Brandon Norrey, Big Bucket Wull, the Flints, even the She-Bear. Lord Peasebury turned against the northmen. “This march was madness. More dying every day, and for what? Some girl?” “Ned’s girl,” said Morgan Liddle.

“Ned’s girl,” echoed Big Bucket Wull. “And we should have had her and the castle both if you prancing southron jackanapes didn’t piss your satin breeches at a little snow.”

“Winter is almost upon us, boy. And winter is death. I would sooner my men die fighting for the Ned’s little girl than alone and hungry in the snow, weeping tears that freeze upon their cheeks.

Back at Barrowtown, Roose Bolton is well aware of this loyalty and plans to use it to his advantage:

Let Stannis march on us. He is too cautious to come to Barrowton … but he must come to Winterfell. His clansmen will not abandon the daughter of their precious Ned to such as you.

The vengeful Barbrey Dustin is team Bolton because Ned did not bring her husband’s bones back like he did Lyanna’s and tells Theon this tale of woe. But she is well aware of the dynamics of the different houses present in Winterfell:

What do you think passes through their heads when they hear the new bride weeping? Valiant Ned’s precious little girl. Lady Arya’s sobs do us more harm than all of Lord Stannis’s swords and spears.

Meanwhile Jon wonders if it’s a fake Arya used as a trap because Ned did not trust the Roose:

What if Bolton never had his sister? This wedding could well be just some ruse to lure Stannis into a trap. Eddard Stark had never had any reason to complain of the Lord of the Dreadfort, so far as Jon knew, but even so he had never trusted him, with his whispery voice and his pale, pale eyes.

At the Three Sisters, Davos’ fate rests in the hands of Lord Godric, who recalls a tale with Ned Stark being stranded, siring a bastard child and in danger of losing his head and then using that incident to let Davos go.

‘This Baratheon is fearless,’ I said. ‘He fights the way a king should fight.’ Our maester chuckled at me and told us that Prince Rhaegar was certain to defeat this rebel. That was when Stark said, ‘In this world only winter is certain. We may lose our heads, it’s true … but what if we prevail?’ My father sent him on his way with his head still on his shoulders. ‘If you lose,’ he told Lord Eddard, ‘you were never here.’ ” 

Later, Davos reaches Lord Manderly where there is a plot to restore Winterfell to Ned’s son Rickon because ‘The North Remembers’.

In effect, Eddard Stark is everywhere in the North in spirit. He looms large in every plot in the North. He is a factor, a cause, an effect. He is still driving the plot despite being dead for 4 books. That’s the power of the Ned. Northerners rallying around Ned’s children Lady Arya Stark and Rickon Stark. Northerners seeking out a son of Eddard Stark for help.

Tywin’s death down south is a spur for everyone - Stannis Baratheon, Jon Connington/Young Griff, Varys, Davos, Doran Martell, Jon Snow etc - to think that the Lannister regime has been weakened and to plot to topple it. Ned Stark on the other hand is the spur to get rid of the Boltons and restore the North to Stark rule.

This is why I strongly feel that the next leader of the North, whomever that maybe, will be someone who embodies Ned’s ethos, values and leadership. It is Ned’s values and the person - often derided on the TV show as being stupid - that the people of the North respect and honor. And it will be the Stark who reflects those values who will be the Stark in Winterfell at the end.

[hmslusitania]

Prompt: AU to 2.01. during the workout scene Eddie brings up Abby and Buck feels hurt and betrayed that Chim would share his private life with basically a stranger. When Chim says Eddie’s cool Buck says he can be wary of the new guy who gets so comfortable right off the bat when Buck himself got hazed like crazy as a probie. When Chim says Abby’s not a big deal Buck turns to Eddie and asks if he found his abandonment amusing. Eddie feels horrible and Chim finally understands his screw up. Buddie

Hi Anon! I’m not 100% sure this will satisfy your prompt, for which I apologise. That said, in a longer fic I’m currently working on, this scene gets examined hardcore from both Buck and Eddie’s POV and I hope to post that fic soon, so if this does not quite do it, hopefully that will. All that said, I do hope you enjoy this:

--

The kid is like a brother to him, but good god. It’s only Eddie’s second shift and they haven’t even all clocked in yet, and Buck is already being a dick. Chimney sighs – on the inside – and keeps buttoning his shirt while Buck slams locker doors and Eddie just tries to change.

When Buck finally stomps out of the locker room, Eddie takes a second and then turns to Chim.

“So, is it just me, or…”

“Try not to take it personally,” Chim recommends. He likes Eddie, has liked him since they met. It’s nice to have another medic on the shift, even if Eddie isn’t certified as a paramedic like him and Hen. Bobby’s and Buck’s EMT certification is great and useful but sometimes that little bit of extra medical knowledge comes in handy.

“So he’s just a dick to everyone?” Eddie asks.

Chim sighs. “Nah,” he says. “He’s just – look, the kid’s got a heart of gold, he really does, and most of the time he’s the sweetest guy you’ll meet, like a giant 6’2 golden retriever, but his first serious girlfriend just dumped him and then ghosted him, and he’s been a bit…in a bad mood.”

Although, now that he thinks about it, Buck’s straight up denial about Abby having dumped him has kept his mood afloat well enough. Up until Eddie showed up at the 118. But Chimney can’t fathom how the two would be related.

Eddie nods like that makes sense and they continue getting ready for their shift.

Chimney does his best to stay out of Buck’s way for most of the morning. It’s only by coincidence he finds himself in the gym at the same time as Buck and Eddie. Buck, clearly trying to comfort himself with the hot firefighter calendar, starts taking selfies over by the bench press.

Chimney does not know why Eddie decides to start something.

“You’re in the wrong light, man,” Eddie says. Chim frowns. Light? For a selfie?

“Some of us don’t need lighting to look good,” Buck shoots back.

Chim glances at Buck, but he’s distracted by himself.

“Hey, Eddie? What did you mean by the wrong light?” Chim asks.

Eddie explains about warm side lighting as opposed to flat blue light, and shows off the pictures his niece had taken for him. Chimney doubts that most of the effect is just because of lighting. As he’d pointed out on Eddie’s first shift, that is a beautiful man.

Still, having well done photos can’t hurt.

“You think she’d be willing to take my pictures for me? I’m told I photograph like an Asian Fabio,” Chim says, which gets him a laugh from Eddie.

“Sure she would,” he says.

And then, of course, Hurricane Buck.

“You shouldn’t get his hopes up,” he says to Eddie, all glower. “No offence, Chim.”

Chimney isn’t sure how he’s supposed to take that as anything but offensive. But—

He’s got a heart of gold, Chim reminds himself. He’s got a goddamn heart of gold.

“None taken,” he says, heading back to his bench dips. “Evan.”

He gets maybe two reps in before he hears Eddie say, “Okay, man, what’s your problem?”

Chimney winces and looks over to see Buck getting up in Eddie’s face.

“Okay, you,” Buck says. Chimney frowns. Eddie? It really is personal? “You’re my problem. Your comfort level. You’re – you’re not supposed to just walk in here like you’ve been here for years. There’s supposed to be a getting-to-know-you period. You’re meant to respect your elders.”

That’s what Buck is pissed about?

“You’re not his elder, Buck,” Chim points out. As he says it, he realises he doesn’t actually know how old Eddie is. He’s been assuming due to his work history that he’s on the other side of thirty from Buck, but he doesn’t actually know.

“Look,” Eddie says. He sounds calm and rational, in complete contrast to Buck’s anger and irritation, which Chim takes as a good sign. “I in no way meant to, uh, be too familiar or step on anybody’s toes. I know you’re going through some personal stuff right now.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Chimney can see Buck flinch.

“What personal stuff?” he asks.

Whoops.

“I know your girlfriend recently broke up with you and you’re coming to terms with that,” Eddie says.

“No, I’m not,” Buck says. Which, points for honesty, Chim thinks. “And she didn’t break up with me. Who told you that?”

When they both turn to look at him, Chim tries to melt into his exercise equipment.

“I’m just saying, I hear you’re a good guy, and I’m sorry you’re going through pain but you don’t need to take it out on me,” Eddie says.

“I’m not in pain,” Buck snaps, wounded.

Chim doesn’t mean to heave a dramatic sigh, but it happens. Buck rounds on him.

“And why are you telling all of my personal shit to strangers?” Buck asks.

Chim winces. There are a lot of reasons – Eddie asked; Eddie is already a clear part of the team, not a stranger; because Chimney’s worried about him and gossip is how they deal with things at the 118; but he doesn’t think Buck’s in a mood to accept any of those.

“I asked if you were pissed at me or something else,” Eddie says. “And I’m sorry about your girlfriend, man, I know what it’s like to have someone you thought loved you disappear on you in the dead of night.”

Chimney stops doing his dips and turns to scan Eddie, concerned. But Eddie’s just looking at Buck.

“She didn’t – I drove her to the airport,” Buck says.

He sounds so damn small and vulnerable that despite how much of a dick he’s been recently, Chim kind of wants to just hug him. He’s spent so much of the past four months since Abby left acting like he was completely fine most of the time, and so they hadn’t really…

Well, they hadn’t been there for him. Bobby’s got his reasons, Chim knows, since Hen’s almost certainly right about the secret Bobby-Athena relationship going on in the background. But Chim and Hen could’ve done better.

“Look, man, all I can tell you is that staying in denial isn’t gonna help,” Eddie says. “You’re still gonna get the divorce papers in the mail eventually.”

“We weren’t—” Buck starts and Chimney almost jumps into the conversation to make sure Buck isn’t actually that stupid. “Oh.”

“Truce?” Eddie asks, taking off one of his boxing gloves and holding his hand out in Buck’s direction.

Buck swallows and, after a long, awkward moment, takes Eddie’s hand. “You’re still a probie.”

“I promise you, there is no worse hazing you can do to me than the guys in Afghanistan already did,” Eddie says.

Chimney wonders if he feels like eating those words later that night when Eddie and Buck get into an ambulance with a live grenade. Chim and Hen aren’t on the call with them, since they were already doing a transport from the previous call, but when they all get back to the station, something has clearly shifted between Buck and Eddie.

“You two idiots got in an ambulance with a live grenade?” Hen demands, hands on her hips. Chim has seen her deploy this expression at Denny before. It usually gets her immediate apologies and chagrin.

“Eddie was an army medic,” Buck says. “We were totally safe.”

“Until the ambulance exploded,” Eddie points out.

“Yeah, but we weren’t in it anymore,” Buck says, knocking his shoulder into Eddie’s while they sit at the kitchen counter together. Hen shakes her head slowly, like she can’t believe what she’s hearing. “And besides! We saved the patient.”

“Which is what matters,” Eddie adds.

Hen throws her hands up, exasperated. “I’m so glad there are two of you now.”

She stalks off and Chim watches while Buck and Eddie exchange bright smiles. Chim couldn’t say for sure, but he thinks the last time Buck smiled like that, he was talking to Abby. Which is certainly a development Chim didn’t see coming.

He finds Buck later in the bunks.

“Hey,” he says, knocking on Buck’s partition. Buck isn’t asleep, he’s just scrolling through his phone. “Got a sec?”

“Sure,” Buck says, sitting up and dropping his phone into his lap.

“I’m sorry about earlier,” Chim says. “Telling Eddie about Abby, I mean. I don’t think any of us really realised how much you’re still hurting over that.”

“I’m fine,” Buck says. It’s too quick, and just a bit too sharp to be genuine.

Chim just waits.

“I’m – I’ve – I’ve been single for four months, haven’t I?” Buck asks quietly.

“Yeah,” Chim says, because Eddie had pointed out, denial just hurts more.

“Great,” Buck says. He clears his throat a couple times like he’s trying to get rid of a blockage. Chimney takes that as an opportunity to clap him on the shoulder.

“You’ve still got your family,” Chim says. “By which I mean the 118, because as far as you’ve said, you may as well have sprung out of the ground fully formed.”

Buck snorts. “I’ve got a sister,” he says, which is the first biological family member Chimney has ever heard Buck mention. “Maddie. She’s actually sleeping on my couch right now.”

“God, a female Buck,” Chim says. “I can’t even imagine how terrifying that must be.”

Buck scoffs and elbows him. “She’s not like me at all. You might even like her. She’s basically the best person ever, just a heart of pure gold.”

Chimney doesn’t quite trust Buck’s judgement when it comes to his sister, but if he’s right, well…

“Certain shitty comments you’ve made recently aside, that sounds exactly like you, Buckaroo,” Chim says.

“Thanks, Chim,” Buck says and sounds like he means it. “And I’m sorry for being a dick.”

Chim nods and claps him on the shoulder again before turning to head back to his own bunk.

“Hey, Chim?”

Chimney pauses.

“Do you think Eddie’s—”

Chimney waits, but all Buck says is “never mind.”

Their next call isn’t until morning when they find a group of idiots who have cemented their friend’s head into a microwave. When the kid falls into a pool, Buck jumps in to save him without hesitation and Eddie is only a split second behind him.

Chim doesn’t think about it until they’re all back at the station and changing out for the end of shift, but he thinks that this particular level of drift compatibility between Buck and Eddie might be a bit of a dangerous thing.

When they’re all back in civvies, Eddie says goodbye to everyone and starts to leave, only for Buck to follow him out, calling, “Hey! Eddie! There’s a really great brunch place down the street if you want to grab something, maybe?”

Chim and Hen watch them go, and wait until they’ve both driven off – together, even if in separate vehicles – before commenting.

“They’re gonna give us all heart attacks, aren’t they,” Hen says, resigned.

“Oh yeah,” Chim agrees.

“At least Buck seems happier?” Hen asks.

“Small victories,” Chim replies. “I’ll see you on Thursday.”

“See you then,” she says, going back to cleaning her locker.

Chimney only makes it as far as the parking lot before he’s stopped dead in his tracks by a breathtakingly beautiful woman. He’s never been a poetry kind of guy, but he’s pretty sure he could wax poetic about the bright stars in her eyes for several days if pressed. It doesn’t hurt that she’s holding a large Tupperware of baked goods.

“How can I help?” Chim asks, swallowing his gum. There’s nowhere to spit it out and no way to do that in front of a pretty girl that doesn’t look tacky.

“I was actually looking for Evan Buckley,” she says. “I wanted to surprise him. He said he was having a kind of intense shift.”

Chimney feels an instant spike of envy, and then realises who she is.

“You must be Buck’s sister,” he says.

“I am,” she agrees. “Maddie Kendall. Well, Buckley, again, I guess.”

“I’m Chimney,” he says, offering her his hand to shake.

She balances the container of baked goods on one forearm and shakes his hand. “It’s nice to put a face to a name. Buck says you’re one of the best guys at the station.”

Chimney can’t help but smile at that. “That’s funny, I was just saying the same thing about him.”

Maddie laughs and Chimney is struck by the desire to make her laugh always.

He stands there, grinning at her like an idiot, for much longer than he should until Maddie finally says, “So, where would I find him?”

“Oh! Sorry! You just missed him,” Chimney says. “He already left for a brunch date with the probie.”

Maddie’s eyebrows lift, delighted. “A date?”

Chim shrugs. “I’m not sure either of them knows that part, but definitely.”

“How about I put these down somewhere and you tell me absolutely everything,” Maddie suggests, holding up the box of muffins.

“I don’t know if I should,” Chim says, showing her up the stairs to the loft where D shift are working on the coffee maker. “I kinda got in trouble for telling people things about him recently.”

“Mm, big sister’s prerogative,” Maddie says, happily accepting the cup of coffee Chimney offers her.

“Okay, but if he yells at me again, I’m blaming you,” Chimney says. He takes one of the muffins from the now open container and groans. So not only is she gorgeous and the best person ever by Buck’s estimation, she can also cook and she thinks Chimney is funny. “These are amazing.”

“Thank you,” Maddie says. “And I’m sure we can work something out about Buck re blame. So long as you dish.”

Chimney grins. “Deal.”