#he already does to some extent amongst some people

[anassemblageofpassions]

The thing abt john winchester is that he is too complex for the majority of the spn fandom and for a good portion of the writers on the show too.

Because at his core john is about love over everything else. When he looks up at his sons (yes, up, the fact that they’re both taller than him>>>>>), there is love seeping achingly from every single pore of his being even as he abuses them, as he destroys their souls beyond belief. He does it all entirely out of love. And he is so, so wrong for it. A part of him knows it. But he wants to keep dean alive, and he wants to keep Sam pure. And he loves them so much. And he damages them so horribly. John Winchester is the foundation upon which they are both built, they only become more of what he made them as the series goes on. Sam stops fighting it, Dean continues to mold into his image no matter how hard he tries to fight it.

Hell puts them both on steroids, but their individual trauma responses that influence this are the foundations that John built into them. No wonder azazel wanted sam to win so badly. John Winchester crafted his sons into alastair and Lucifer’s ideal victims, respectively, and dean was a better (worse) john than John ever was. John held out in hell. Dean acquiesced to his abuser despite all of his efforts to fight him, and he’s never been the same since.

Sam fought like hell, and he fought destiny, but at his core, he did what John always wanted him to by doing what dean wanted him to do, and then he stops fighting at all, loses the fire he showed john in adolescence that john immediately notices when he returns in s14.

And the sad thing is. They filled their roles so well that John is saddened by what they’ve become. He didn’t want dean to break. He didn’t want Sam to be dimmed. He’s sad to see what Sam is like in s14. In the process of recovering his wife, he ensured he would mold his sons into what he wanted them to be, and when he got what he wanted, he was devastated.

John Winchester is so driven by love and grief and he’s so filled to the brim with both that it’s painful to watch him on screen because he destroyed his family because of it. And he wanted this all along but he didn’t realize what he’d have to give up to get it.

[bronzeagepizzeria]

TEN AND ROSE: WERE THEY HAVING SEX?

Disclaimer: I absolutely support people writing whatever makes them happy; this is NOT a criticism of ten x rose smutfic/established relationship/babyfic etc, I’ve read and enjoyed several of those, this is simply my reading of their canon relationship.

Every once in a while, the Rose Tyler tag sees text posts about how, obviously, Ten and Rose were sleeping together throughout Series 2, as evidenced by their absolutely sizzling chemistry in episodes such as New Earth and Tooth and Claw.

Most of them are usually in good humour—a “can you BELIEVE this chemistry” sort of thing, but there does exist a genuine belief among some that they really were sexually intimate already.

So, let's examine this canonically, from a Tentoo lens.

Were they having sex?

Short answer: No.

Long answer?

Throughout Series 1, we pick up on hints of the Ninth Doctor’s feelings for Rose growing, as well as Rose beginning to have feelings for the Doctor. It’s quite subtle in comparison to Series 2; here’s two great friends beginning to fall in love—flirting and bantering and getting jealous of other love interests xD. It’s not a very explicit romance (and this is why Rose haters tend to prefer NineRose, but that’s a conversation for another day) but it is heavily implied, and it is sealed with a kiss in The Parting of the Ways.

When Rose looks into the heart of the TARDIS and comes back for the Doctor, this romance is made explicit. When the Doctor dies to take the vortex out of Rose, the romance is made explicit. This is no longer a crush, or simple endearment, they’re in love.

The Tenth Doctor is born out of this love. He now knows the extent of Rose’s feelings, and he knows just how far she is willing to go for him. (This is a blessing and a curse, but we’ll come back to that some other time.)

Rose’s immediate reaction to seeing Ten is asking him to change back—(something that noticeably distresses him—the fact that she might not like him anymore). She spends the entirety of The Christmas Invasion mourning him, (which is fair since he never told her the tiny little detail of his ability to regenerate. Sigh.) and only really comes around to him at the end of that episode. We can safely assume, then, that they haven’t had sex.

In New Earth, they’re still very much relearning their dynamic—how do they work together, fit together now? We learn that Rose is physically attracted to the Tenth Doctor, thanks to Cassandra, and Rose's slightly mortified reaction at hearing this from him implies that there's been no confession of the sort to him.

You could argue that maybe something happened off-screen between Episodes 2 and 3, but as Ally on the tentoo x rose server pointed out, that would be shoddy writing. A physical relationship amongst the main two leads that is never even alluded to with a chaste kiss, is odd. So we can assume this major development didn't happen.

Tooth and Claw, the one episode that is constantly subject to 'they were totally shagging' discourse, has exceptionally flirty energy, yes, but this is because Ten and Rose are both very tactile people. Make no mistake, they definitely are flirting and being more touchy-feely than strictly necessary, but it would be narratively inconsistent for the reason for this behaviour to be 'they were having sex.'

Why?

I'd like to point out this dialogue we get from Queen Victoria:

This moment is extremely important; it plants the seeds for the proper beginning of one of the main themes of S2, which is the biggest reason the two of them are not constantly shagging in the TARDIS.

From this point on, something has been re-awakened in the Doctor, the fear of outliving someone he loves again.

We have to remember the Doctor is a severely traumatised man, a man who has outlived his entire species, and the idea of this girl he loves dying and leaving him alone is unbearable.

In School Reunion we get this spelt out for us. The Doctor sees Sarah Jane again, and reality strikes. This will be Rose, one day. There’s a key confrontation that takes place in this episode, an argument that remains unresolved because there are certain things Ten cannot bring himself to say.

DOCTOR: I don't age. I regenerate. But humans decay. You wither and you die. Imagine watching that happen to someone who you…

ROSE: What, Doctor?

There is a later confrontation in the same episode, where the Doctor is tempted with the idea of never having to see anyone wither and die again.

Even the infamous The Girl in the Fireplace doubles down on these themes--the Doctor's immortality. Time running out.

The Age of Steel two-parter brings with it the “gingerbread house”. Things we want which we cannot have.

This, in fact, is the crux of their entire relationship, folks. The incompatible lifespans. Rose's mortality. Untapped desire. The unsaid.

This is why it's important and impactful that Rose, on the last day she gets to see the Doctor, ever, plucks up the courage to actually put words to what she feels. This is why the unfinished confession in Doomsday hurts so much. Because they finally, finally took that plunge but it was too late.

Assuming that they've been in a physically intimate relationship all the while takes away from the gravity of this moment.

(Not to mention it's super exploitative, considering the inherent power dynamics. To think Ten had sex with Rose all that time--entirely aware of her feelings--and didn't have the decency to say he loved her and then proceeded to force her to choose between him and another version of himself...is problematic.)

I would go as far as saying it's a fundamentally wrong reading of their entire relationship, and of the Doctor himself.

I've seen people say the "baby scare" in Doomsday is proof that they'd been physically intimate, but it is, quite obviously the Doctor being afraid Rose was pregnant with Mickey's baby, not his.

DOCTOR: You've still got Mister Mickey, then? ROSE: There's five of us now. Mum, Dad, Mickey and the baby. DOCTOR: You're not?

He is, in his not so subtle way, trying to figure out if Rose is back with Mickey. It only hammers in the fact that he's missed his chance---not that the child might be his.

DOCTOR: Rose Tyler, Defender of the Earth. You're dead, officially, back home. So many people died that day and you've gone missing. You're on a list of the dead. Here you are, living a life day after day. The one adventure I can never have. ROSE: Am I ever going to see you again? DOCTOR: You can't.

Again, the narrative hammers this in. Their time is up. Rose will inevitably move on one day, without him.

All this to say…

TenRose in Series 2 is a tale of what could be. Of missed opportunities, and the lives and love we could have had.

But why is this important?

In order to understand Tentoo and Journey's End, it is vital we understand this aspect of TenRose. The yearning, the skirting around feelings in the room, the denial of gratification on Ten's part. The desire he cannot give in to.

Because Tentoo is the realisation of this desire. He is the second chance.

He is the embodiment of the Doctor grabbing hold of his one, short life and deciding to live it to the fullest. Tentoo is making a choice here--a choice to truly love Rose the way he has ached to do for years. This is why it's significant that he was able to get the words out while Ten wasn't.

This is why Rose chooses him.

This snippet of an email RTD received from Pete Bower sums it up extremely eloquently:

“In having one Doctor grieve for his lost love, while the other Doctor went off with that same lost love, you have written of that moment we all have where we make a choice. It is grieving for the love we never had (and the sex we never had) because of the choices we made.”

[irafuwas]

Sebek and Silver - More alike than meets the eye

I know much has been said already on how Silver and Sebek diametrically oppose each other – from their handedness to their hobbies, and from their personalities to their poses in certain cards – but something I feel we also need to focus on is the one unifying point in their story arcs. Namely, their journeys to discover just who they are.

*This post contains light spoilers for cards and story content that have not been released on the EN server yet*

Sebek is infamous for his one-track mind. He dedicates himself to his studies, his extracurricular activities, and his training, all for Malleus’s sake – partly to earn commendation from the men he so respects, and partly to bring honor to his liege’s name. His endeavors are admirable, in that he is diligent, persevering, and earnest, yet rarely does he divulge any of his genuine, private ambitions.

Consider, in fact, that the very reason he sought to enroll at NRC was only to serve as Malleus’s guard, rather than for his own academic aspirations.

Though we’ve yet to learn just why he so fervently worships Malleus, perhaps we can trace this desire for his liege’s recognition back to a broader need to be affirmed of his worth. If you recall his despair at manifesting his magic so late, and how much it bothered him - hurt him, even - when Silver departed for NRC and left him behind, the great extent to which he values magical prowess is clear to see. And if we further consider how he so longs to separate himself from his human heritage – from his magicless heritage, could it be that, even more than the glory of knighthood, he simply yearns to find a part of himself that he – and all those around him – can be proud of, can find worth in?

For what is he without his magic? He, a mere half-blood, born amongst a peoples whose bodies thrum with a power more sacred, more ancient than the air within our lungs and the ground beneath our feet? I feel Sebek is so driven, so severe in his efforts to claim the right to stand by his liege’s side, just so that he one day might finally be able look himself in the mirror and say, “here, here is at least some part of me I don’t have to be ashamed of, that I don’t have to hate.”

And Silver, that sweet boy, how unerring, how remarkable is his selflessness, how his inexhaustible compassion belies the scant 17 years he’s spent awake on this earth! But when one pours out so much of oneself for others as he has done, when all that one does is for the sake of someone else, how often one loses sight of one’s own identity. Indeed, if I were to draw for you a map of the inside of Silver’s heart of hearts, if I were to plot for you his every dream, measure and record every aspect of his being, I scarcely doubt there’d be a single point you couldn’t trace back to his desire to make his father happy.

To that end, consider how we learned in Silver’s latest birthday vignette that Lilia began training him from an incredibly young age – when he had only just become conscious of his surroundings. A child that young cannot make such a monumental decision for himself - the decision must be made for the child. And so, we do not truly know if Silver’s dreams of knighthood are the result of his own personal meditations, or if his father, in his infinite folly, thrust them upon him, burdening the young child with an aspiration that would go on to consume nearly every facet of his life.

With the both of them being so unsure in their own identities, it's why I find it so poignant - and so apropos – that Sebek is the one to rouse Silver from his moments of self-doubt, time and time again. When Silver questioned his capabilities as a leader, when he wished desperately that he could change, that he could be more like his classmates, and when he, in his darkest hour, doubted even the sanctity of his father’s love for him – each and every time it was Sebek who liberated him from his great desolation.

It has to be Sebek - for who better to accompany Silver on his journey towards self discovery than one who must walk down the same path as he? Who better than his best friend, his brother, his reflection – his veritable light in the darkness of his own heart?

[meldingintheunderdark]

The Drow twins and Halsin

Notwithstanding Halsin's peculiar predisposition with drow, yet another interesting topic about the man tbh, the foursome is honestly quite sad.

First things first, solo romanced Halsin ends up as a mute bear. There is none of the daring flirt present with Astarion and Shadowheart. Absolutely tragic. While I understand dirty talking to an ever changing PC would have been a logistical nightmare for Larian, the scene feels rather stale. But it's nothing compared with Halsin's behavior before, during and after the "Underdark experience".

Halsin: An intriguing pair. Takes me back to my youth... Sszazar: Interested, Halsin? Halsin: More than interested, if you feel the same. [...] Sszazar: I would like to hire both of you. And I hope my partner will join us as well. Halsin: So long as all are willing, I see no reason why we should deny ourselves...

Whilst I've read comments arguing Halsin is not enthusiastic at all or cocky and happy to show off, I disagree with the lack of nuance.

Clearly, during the initial talk to hire or not the twins, the bear is down to have fun with them and, from my pov, the fact they are drow is the driving force motivating his choice. He craves drow as much as he despises them (Lolth-sworn).

Sorn Orlith: I can't quite believe it - a night of passion with the famous Halsin? I might faint before I can expend myself. Nym Orlith: Legends spread of you throughout the city... We heard tell that you can change into a bear. Halsin: I hadn't realised I was that popular. But we must give the people what they want, mustn't we?

It's interesting to note the first allusion to his traumas happens during said talk. Furthermore, as soon as they're in complete darkness, Sorn immediately admits they know who he is. The twins explain that Menzoberranzan drow (they seem to hint they fled this city) aren't merely spreading rumors about Halsin but legends. In other words, his traumatic years are widely distributed folktales, retold over and over again. We know that legends are altered over time, thus I wonder if details are embellished. Since Nym mentions his wildshape the instant Sorn is quiet, I do believe his traumas are now a bunch of raunchy, bawdy tales Menzoberranzan drow like to share when they're feeling naughty.

Of course, some stories may come from his other visits. Unfortunately, the canon doesn't give sufficient info to differentiate their content, let alone their sources.

So, Halsin is already thinking about his captors, moreover he is physically vulnerable because they're all blind and butt naked, then he is hit with this information.

Halsin: I hadn't realised I was that popular.

This sentence alone is worth analyzing.

Halsin is already aware he is popular amongst drow (and everyone else with good taste in men). This is probably related to one of his statements during his love confession :

Halsin: And I've been to the Underdark. Many times.

He returned to the Underdark despite his traumas (or rather because of them), therefore he has surely been exposed to his fame. Some of it, at least, because the emphasis "[...] that popular" implies he doesn't know how famous he actually is. He is now exposed to the glaring fact that he is (and his traumas as well) fetishized to a certain extent by Menzoberranzan drow.

Halsin: [...] But we must give the people what they want, mustn't we?

English isn't my first language, so my interpretation may be erroneous. Nevertheless, the use of "we" instead of "I" intrigues me. In my opinion, the pronoun is very significant. Why does Halsin switch from "I" to "we" the very next sentence? Because he is diluting the first person with the pronoun "we". He's distancing himself.

"But I must give the people what they want, mustn't I?" sounds harsher. He must do it. It's an obligation. He's compelled to do so. The pronoun "we" helps him feel safer. He's trying to have control in the given situation. People write novels about Astarion dissociating, rightfully so, yet I believe that "I" vs "we" is a form of dissociation too. He sees the twins. He thinks about his captors. He is sexually attracted to the twins. He was and still is trauma-bound to his captors. He learns his traumas are saucy tales in total obscurity, naked.

But it isn't the icing on the cake yet.

If we rewind to the very beginning, who are Sorn and Nym? They're prostitutes. They are paid 1000 gold to service their clients. And yet...

Sorn Orlith: Will tonight at last be the night I die during an act of pleasure? [...] Nym Orlith: Doesn't it...? How does it even fit? [...] *The drow are filled with awe at your and Halsin's habits throughout the night, time and time again.*

In the end, Halsin is servicing them, like he did with his captors. He shifts to a bear because they want it. Their overeager reactions and the narrator line may indicate they are thrilled to get the famed bear and have him at their entire disposal. He is a legend. Do they truly ackowledge him as a common, but thick af, wood elf? Or do they solely see the mysterious hero of some spicy tales? I particularly dislike the scene because it seems Halsin and, in my case, Sszazar are observed rather than pleased by the twins. I suspect that for Sorn and Nym Halsin is an exotic toy and not a normal client.

Also, he only shifts back to his hunk self when the twins are out of the picture. In the closing shot of them all napping, he's still a bear. I assume he spent the whole night as a bear. Is it merely to become the best pillow available? I bet his wildshape make him feel safer.

Halsin: Indeed. Our time with them was... certainly bracing. Takes me back to some youthful misadventures in the Underdark.

Last but not least, the option to ask Halsin about his "misadventures" in the Underdark is available thanks to this encounter. Technically, Halsin can reveal his traumas without ever leaving the Underdark room at Sharess' Caress. His years of suffering are at the forefront of his thoughts and he opens up about them the moment he's asked by the one person who reciprocates care.

To conclude, I think Halsin did not have a grand time during the foursome, even if he appears eager at first. I don't believe the night was downright traumatizing, however it did reopen old festering wounds. His decisions are heavily influenced by his unhealed, unaddressed traumas.

It does bother me to read countless lame takes about Astarion vs Halsin, as if one deserves more care and attention than the other. They're both terribly traumatized. Because Halsin reacts differently to his traumas, because he is not the perfect, ideal victim, too many fans disregard his pain. The way I see it, the foursome is full of hints about his traumas. He's not dumping everything out of nowhere when morning comes. His pain was here all along. It's a fascinating encounter.

[mancer-in-the-abbey]

This coding course is kicking my ass, have some general ghoul headcanons, one for each of them

Phantom/Aeon: New Bug, as ever, strikes me as a “fake it till you make it” kind of guy. As such, it kinda makes me feel like he’d be a theater kid if given the chance, and although I think he’d get a kick out of musicals (Phantom of the Opera, ha ha), I think specifically he’d be into improv. Like, there is no chance his comfort show ISN’T Whose Line Is It Anyway. The minute someone introduced him to D&D, it’s over for everyone.

Aurora: I think she has a soft spot for classic opera pieces. It really lets her go all out in a technical sense, use her range to its fullest extent. It’s stereotypical, but her favorite aria is the Queen of the Night. It’s so damn fun to do this quick jumps in scale in such quick succession!

Sunshine: MASSIVE sweet tooth. Like, yes she knows her corporeal form is fragile and she needs to take care of it, and she does to some extent! She keeps very fit! But fuck if she doesn’t just devour a pound cake if she’s given the opportunity. Will absolutely get a hell of a stomach ache after, but in her mind it’s worth it. Hey, at least she takes good care of her teeth to match!

Rain: A fan of Dancing With The Stars! Though he himself is not known to be all that steady on his feet, he loves watching people who aren’t traditionally considered athletic be put into a professional dance setting and either crash and burn or get better over time. He honestly doesn’t care about the celebrity aspect in the least, barely pays attention to the slice-of-life interviews before the dances themselves, but MAN does he love to pick apart someone’s performance and try to guess what the judges will give before the scores are announced.

Cumulus: Wasn’t initially a gamer, she more preferred to watch those who were have fun in the ghoul common room, but she didn’t have much else to do during the pandemic so… yeah, she just CONSUMED everything Rain sent her way. Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley, Portal and Portal 2x Hades, the entire Resident Evil franchise up to that point, even DOOM Eternal funny enough. She’s kept up with since then, but still has massive fondness for Animal Crossing.

Cirrus: Loves gem stones and precious metals! She has a real crow instinct but is kinda picky about it, like she’ll get fixated on a shiny gold hair clip with rinestones on it but if it feels too cheep in her hands she’ll lose interest entirely. Even still, her jewelry collection is LARGE. One expensive magpie, that woman, but she shares with the other ghouls if they ask so it evens out.

Swiss: It doesn’t fully mesh with go-to interpretation of him but I once read a headcanon that posited Swiss being able to replicate sounds to an uncanny degree and I am bringing it back here because I love it so damn much, kinda plays into being a little bit of every ghoul. I like to think if you startle Swiss he’ll forget to use his normal voice and just goes straight to the sound effects board. Phantom accidentally pops in from nowhere? Sudden air horn blast. Dew tackling him to the ground? The sound of a car going past you. Mountain stepping on his tail? Fire alarm. Someone kicks him in the balls? Microphone feedback. For a while.

Mountain: He likes eating rocks and precious metals. It’s already a thing with some subsets of earth ghoul, but like for Mountain it’s at a higher level. His preferred snack is those semi-precious rocks you get at tourist attractions, he will just chow down on it like popcorn. When that’s not available, however, he uses salt to sate the the itch. Dude keeps a salt lamp in his room that he uses as a salt lick when no one’s looking. This also extends to novelty items MADE of salt. Those Himalayan salt shot glasses? One-use only. Go straight into his mouth.

Aether: One of those tricks Omega showed him during era 3 is how to use your own quintessence on yourself, something generally considered to be very hard to do amongst quint ghouls. Aether has tweaked and expanded on this ability and has learned how to… basically hotbox but with quintosis. Not something he does often cause it’s draining but sometimes it’s nice to unwind on a near molecular level. Among the few he shares this ability with are Dew, Mountain, and Swiss. He’ll teach the new bug when he feels he’s ready for that kind of power…

Dewdrop: is actually a really good cook! Like really good, actually. He got really into watching Food Network when he first came to Earth which evolved into watching older cooking shows. This further evolved into experimenting with his own recipes. He’s also taught Mountain everything he knows about how to handle the kitchen, so they tend to share cooking duty between the two of them. No one’s complained yet!

[dailyanarchistposts]

A.1.5 Where does anarchism come from?

Where does anarchism come from? We can do no better than quote The Organisational Platform of the Libertarian Communists produced by participants of the Makhnovist movement in the Russian Revolution (see Section A.5.4). They point out that:

“The class struggle created by the enslavement of workers and their aspirations to liberty gave birth, in the oppression, to the idea of anarchism: the idea of the total negation of a social system based on the principles of classes and the State, and its replacement by a free non-statist society of workers under self-management. “So anarchism does not derive from the abstract reflections of an intellectual or a philosopher, but from the direct struggle of workers against capitalism, from the needs and necessities of the workers, from their aspirations to liberty and equality, aspirations which become particularly alive in the best heroic period of the life and struggle of the working masses. “The outstanding anarchist thinkers, Bakunin, Kropotkin and others, did not invent the idea of anarchism, but, having discovered it in the masses, simply helped by the strength of their thought and knowledge to specify and spread it.” [pp. 15–16]

Like the anarchist movement in general, the Makhnovists were a mass movement of working class people resisting the forces of authority, both Red (Communist) and White (Tsarist/Capitalist) in the Ukraine from 1917 to 1921. As Peter Marshall notes “anarchism … has traditionally found its chief supporters amongst workers and peasants.” [Demanding the Impossible, p. 652]

Anarchism was created in, and by, the struggle of the oppressed for freedom. For Kropotkin, for example, “Anarchism … originated in everyday struggles” and “the Anarchist movement was renewed each time it received an impression from some great practical lesson: it derived its origin from the teachings of life itself.” [Evolution and Environment, p. 58 and p. 57] For Proudhon, “the proof” of his mutualist ideas lay in the “current practice, revolutionary practice” of “those labour associations … which have spontaneously … been formed in Paris and Lyon … [show that the] organisation of credit and organisation of labour amount to one and the same.” [No Gods, No Masters, vol. 1, pp. 59–60] Indeed, as one historian argues, there was “close similarity between the associational ideal of Proudhon … and the program of the Lyon Mutualists” and that there was “a remarkable convergence [between the ideas], and it is likely that Proudhon was able to articulate his positive program more coherently because of the example of the silk workers of Lyon. The socialist ideal that he championed was already being realised, to a certain extent, by such workers.” [K. Steven Vincent, Pierre-Joseph Proudhon and the Rise of French Republican Socialism, p. 164]

Thus anarchism comes from the fight for liberty and our desires to lead a fully human life, one in which we have time to live, to love and to play. It was not created by a few people divorced from life, in ivory towers looking down upon society and making judgements upon it based on their notions of what is right and wrong. Rather, it was a product of working class struggle and resistance to authority, oppression and exploitation. As Albert Meltzer put it:

“There were never theoreticians of Anarchism as such, though it produced a number of theoreticians who discussed aspects of its philosophy. Anarchism has remained a creed that has been worked out in action rather than as the putting into practice of an intellectual idea. Very often, a bourgeois writer comes along and writes down what has already been worked out in practice by workers and peasants; he [or she] is attributed by bourgeois historians as being a leader, and by successive bourgeois writers (citing the bourgeois historians) as being one more case that proves the working class relies on bourgeois leadership.” [Anarchism: Arguments for and against, p. 18]

In Kropotkin’s eyes, “Anarchism had its origins in the same creative, constructive activity of the masses which has worked out in times past all the social institutions of mankind — and in the revolts … against the representatives of force, external to these social institutions, who had laid their hands on these institutions and used them for their own advantage.” More recently, “Anarchy was brought forth by the same critical and revolutionary protest which gave birth to Socialism in general.” Anarchism, unlike other forms of socialism, “lifted its sacrilegious arm, not only against Capitalism, but also against these pillars of Capitalism: Law, Authority, and the State.” All anarchist writers did was to “work out a general expression of [anarchism’s] principles, and the theoretical and scientific basis of its teachings” derived from the experiences of working class people in struggle as well as analysing the evolutionary tendencies of society in general. [Op. Cit., p. 19 and p. 57]

However, anarchistic tendencies and organisations in society have existed long before Proudhon put pen to paper in 1840 and declared himself an anarchist. While anarchism, as a specific political theory, was born with the rise of capitalism (Anarchism “emerged at the end of the eighteenth century …[and] took up the dual challenge of overthrowing both Capital and the State.” [Peter Marshall, Op. Cit., p. 4]) anarchist writers have analysed history for libertarian tendencies. Kropotkin argued, for example, that “from all times there have been Anarchists and Statists.” [Op. Cit., p. 16] In Mutual Aid (and elsewhere) Kropotkin analysed the libertarian aspects of previous societies and noted those that successfully implemented (to some degree) anarchist organisation or aspects of anarchism. He recognised this tendency of actual examples of anarchistic ideas to predate the creation of the “official” anarchist movement and argued that:

“From the remotest, stone-age antiquity, men [and women] have realised the evils that resulted from letting some of them acquire personal authority… Consequently they developed in the primitive clan, the village community, the medieval guild … and finally in the free medieval city, such institutions as enabled them to resist the encroachments upon their life and fortunes both of those strangers who conquered them, and those clansmen of their own who endeavoured to establish their personal authority.” [Anarchism, pp. 158–9]

Kropotkin placed the struggle of working class people (from which modern anarchism sprung) on par with these older forms of popular organisation. He argued that “the labour combinations… were an outcome of the same popular resistance to the growing power of the few — the capitalists in this case” as were the clan, the village community and so on, as were “the strikingly independent, freely federated activity of the ‘Sections’ of Paris and all great cities and many small ‘Communes’ during the French Revolution” in 1793. [Op. Cit., p. 159]

Thus, while anarchism as a political theory is an expression of working class struggle and self-activity against capitalism and the modern state, the ideas of anarchism have continually expressed themselves in action throughout human existence. Many indigenous peoples in North America and elsewhere, for example, practised anarchism for thousands of years before anarchism as a specific political theory existed. Similarly, anarchistic tendencies and organisations have existed in every major revolution — the New England Town Meetings during the American Revolution, the Parisian ‘Sections’ during the French Revolution, the workers’ councils and factory committees during the Russian Revolution to name just a few examples (see Murray Bookchin’s The Third Revolution for details). This is to be expected if anarchism is, as we argue, a product of resistance to authority then any society with authorities will provoke resistance to them and generate anarchistic tendencies (and, of course, any societies without authorities cannot help but being anarchistic).

In other words, anarchism is an expression of the struggle against oppression and exploitation, a generalisation of working people’s experiences and analyses of what is wrong with the current system and an expression of our hopes and dreams for a better future. This struggle existed before it was called anarchism, but the historic anarchist movement (i.e. groups of people calling their ideas anarchism and aiming for an anarchist society) is essentially a product of working class struggle against capitalism and the state, against oppression and exploitation, and for a free society of free and equal individuals.

[maxphilippa]

The Super Object Energy + Cobalt Blue's Unknown Story.

So. This just dropped. Let's talk about it.

In the video it is explained that the Super Objects were the ones that created life amongst objects, this already saying a lot about the fact that the Super Object Energy is genuinely the strongest power ever known to object-kind.

They used that power to create life the same way others could use it to destroy. But then. We KNOW that Cobalt Blue was an artificial Super Object. But he was responsible of rock based objects.

So this means that Cobalt Blue was just as strong as the others, but he didn't win because again, he's just ONE super object. His army was strong but we're talking about four other super objects here.

But then that makes me wonder. Why did they choose Cobalt Blue anyway? How did they create said life? We know that to an extent, it really is just very linked to the person and what they use the power for. Let's take a look at Supreme EC and (Super) Computer.

Supreme EC's example on the power being able to destroy but also to create life are really obvious, but his are more of an hurting the enviroment heavily (the skies turning red and glowy) and as well the thunderbolts that come from him. He has the power that WAS GIVEN TO COBALT BLUE ON THE PAST. SO OF COURSE HE WAS THAT STRONG.

ESPECIALLY EVEN MORE since he did absorb the powers from his minions, after all. Which means that The Super Object energy can only get bigger and bigger, and the damage that it causes can get worse. It can also change the aspect of the person as well, this being obvious with Cobalt Blue (the red veins) and EC's horns and tail.

But apparently what holds the Super Object Energy from being stupidly overpowerful is. The body of those who have it.

The Super Objects are quite literally Gods, but they're not immortal by any means. They are strong and can take a lot of damage, but their body can take only so much power.

And. This brings my doubt.

HOW did Computer not die instantly when EC got to him, EVEN IF he wasn't an Super Object?

And again. Super Objects can create life, in theory, "they can even turn death into life". What does Computer do? Exactly. He is alongside EC, the only guy able to revive people, but EC probably only had his abilities once he got his Supreme form. Computer is STILL a mystery. And.

Super objects have great resistance after all. But that's the thing. He wasn't a super object there.

[gets close to the mic] what i'm saying is that computer might just be an even more interesting guy because he has shown to have abilities that are similar to the super objects, EVEN WHEN he was still just some guy.

Now remember the thing I said about the Super Objects being literal Gods? And that even then they can still die?

Super Computer wasn't able to kill Supreme EC because he was not only limited by his emotions, but his body was also LIMITING the power.

So when he dies, since he does not have a body, The Super Object Energy doesn't need to put limitations to itself in order to not put the person at risk, or to keep them safe anymore.

It's a complete weapon. Way stronger than EC.

Because it managed to completely delete him from existence, but it also managed to fix ALL of the damage he caused. Because it came from Computer. From the purest part of him. From his soul.

It destroyed death and gave life a new chance.

So I think that the Super Object Energy is a really interesting concept as a whole. It makes sense that it makes life.

It can be used to destroy or to create it. To hurt or to protect. To hate or to love. Can you believe that the only person that used all of that power, from all of the past super objects, loved that place so much that he didn't mind if he was dead because of it at the end? That he was the only person in the last couple of decades to use that power for good? (Alongside the s1 competitors)

Now, with Cobalt...

What makes it the more tragic for Cobalt is that his super object energy... led him to believe that he was a saviour of sorts.

And the worst part is that he was convinced that he would surpass the others.

Cobalt Blue is just a perfect example of going mad with power, although with initially good intentions.

However, my point remains. Cobalt's actions seem to pretty much have started from a wish to protect others, but later on he ended up being consumed by his own thoughts and power. Not saying that this excuses his actions, but that it gives him some more depth.

Him being described as an rather mysterious object is fascinating. The historians don't know much about him, even if he was the biggest threat back in the day. We don't really KNOW much about CB on an emotional and psychological perspective.

We also DON'T know why he had that ability on the first place.

We know that it's a product from being an artificial super object, but then, why fumes that can control people? Was it that the Super Object energy just choose itself? Did it consume Cobalt?

... he wanted to protect his group, or he didn't want to be forgotten.

Or probably, wanted to make sure he could be just as important as them.

The way he looks so happy on past times before he got exiled makes me wonder what was going on inside his head.

Of course it was wrong. But look at his smile. It isn't a challenging one or a threathening one at all. But rather a proud one?

He wanted to be known. And he is. But was it worth it?

He was so obsessed with wanting to be strong that it ended up being what it killed him. It's also possible that there wasn't any hurting in his original plan.

Of course, kidnapping IS fucked up, but it was stated that he attacked the towns after he got exiled.

"And he was strong"

I think that's the part that shocks me the most.

His army was strong. He was strong. But he still wasn't a match for them. And yet his power remained there for years even after dying.

And all of these factors make his final scene on TDOS so so much more worse.

He's alive without a purpose.

At least with his power he had an idea of who he was.

Without it... he's nothing.

Or maybe he never was someone.

No one knows him. Not us. Not the historians. Not the cast. Not even himself knows who he is.

He outlived them. And yet he has done nothing but hurting others. Was this the saviour he wanted to be?

Was it?

[zeeckz]

tell me more abt kazeva thoughts 👀

Oh, is my kazeva propaganda already working?

First of all, I will definitely end up rambling, so this will get long enough

I'm sure it's gonna turn out messy as well (sorry), but I'm gonna divide it into younger kazeva & then older kazeva (aka Master Miller & Big Mama)

Kazuhira Miller and EVA

Although I didn't really contextualize how they end up together and such, I think it might've been EVA visiting BB while they're in Costa Rica - Kaz happens to see her and, well, you know how he is; she caught his interest and now it's his mission to make out with her

100% sure he is absolutely devastatingly dying to fuck her, might even say more so than how badly he wants to fuck Cécile (EVA is more bold, so she presses buttons Cécile wouldn't or would take longer to do so; plus Cécile is sooo easy to tease/annoy, EVA not so much)

Whether they previously had Intel about each other (or just one of them, most likely EVA about Kaz, I think) or not is just as funny to me; even if either of them knows, they'll pretend they don't

If they know - they're not only trying to flirt, they're also trying to demonstrate which one of them is better at it; whoever falls for the other first, loses. There's A Lot of compromising situations. Also Kaz sure loves risking his life by chasing his boss' sexfriend, don't you think. If the sauna tape was bad enough, he gets caught doing this...

If they don't know - they're flirting with just a certain amount of caution, more secretly, in an more sutble manner, slowly learning more about each other as they take their chances with one vague suggestion or another "accidental" touching (Kaz is going crazy because she knows how to keep things slow and he wants it as quick as possible)

If EVA already knows about Kaz - she's just as bold as she needs to, enjoying every little moment of caution and doubt she can sense from Kaz after a suggestive pose or invitation and making sure to put him in more compromised situations as his patience runs out and his libido goes higher

If it's only Kaz who knows about her - again, he's basically chasing his boss' sexfriend, so he needs to be really careful with his actions; she's wondering why there's some blond guy who seems to have more than enough work to do (must've heard someone refer to his rank), just walking by her side, showing her all the "secret" corners of Mother Base; she'd eventually hear some gossip about his high libido and start teasing him for fun, she's interested to see how far he'll go given how straightforward he can be after certain actions

Regardless of this, she Will try to get him caught by Big Boss just to see what happens; thus, Kaz still needs to be particularly careful with what, how and where he does things, specially if he already knows who EVA is and what her past with his boss is

It might be obvious because we're talking about Kaz, but he definitely has dirty thoughts more often than not and they get dirtier, and harder to ignore, the closer they become

EVA seems to have a toned body and there's no denying she knows what to do to get what she wants; I think Kaz would praise her appearance more often than to other women because of it, as in, he admires not just her body but also her ability to carry other people's thoughts with it

They, as a couple, cuntify each other more (not trying to over-cuntify each other, they're only enhancing each other with their natural cuntiness)

I feel Kaz would be particularly more passionate with her in bed than he is with other women, the same way he would with Big Boss amongst other men

Kaz seems to be the type to make gifts to get a woman's attention, EVA would try to take advantage of that just to take some profit while they're at it, but Kaz is aware of this (you can only fool him to an extent, he notices more things that you'd consider)

Regarding that, it's only natural a man like him would pay attention to the smallest things; it's surprising for EVA (I mean... Big Boss is definitely the exact opposite of attentive in this kind of matter) and she's a bit wary, but can't deny she likes it

As infatuated as he might be with EVA, he'd still hook up with anyone during their, uh. Mating rituals

Likewise, she'd notice his special interest towards Big Boss pretty quick as she did with Ocelot back then, so she'd intentionally be really touchy and affectionate with him in front of Kaz

Also, you gave me the perfect occasion to highlight this beautiful tag

I've been thinking about it since I got it, so I might as well have it on a better display

This is kazeva. This ship is about Kaz's horniness breaking its cage and him trying not to die in the process, either by causing himself a heart attack (either by himself or by fucking people / Eva further past exhaustion) or by being beaten up by his boss. Like, c'mon, he could barely keep his temper with Big Boss only wearing regular underwear, imagine what EVA's cold-calculated cuntiness would do to that man. If that alone isn't convincing enough, I don't know what is.

He's also constantly fantasizing about making out with both of them at the same time btw.

Now,

Master Miller and Big Mama

See, these two are The Bisexual Swingers Couple™©®. Just. Look at them. There's no way they don't give off that vibe.

Of course, they both ride big motorbikes, wear leather jackets (probably a whole leather outfit tbh), heavy boots and matching helmets

I think they'd be on the move pretty often, and would stay in rather small, isolated places (like a little cabin on the woods, or a somewhat shady place, it's not like they, of all people, would be robbed anyway; probably already scared the shady people) instead of popular guesthouses/hotels and such; they like being alone together

Not strictly kazeva I guess, but I think they'd always send little gifts and pretty postcards (with a few words written in the back) to David and company, from all of the places they've been in

This one is entirely new, but I can imagine them passing by any animal shelter, stopping by to say hi to ALL of the animals there, and then anonymously leaving a quite surprisingly big donation before moving on

They are Definitely that couple that's been staring at you from across the bar, buy you a drink and later invite you to have a threesome

They get everyone's attention anywhere they go, not just because of their outfits, but also how really good-looking they are (again, they're cuntifying each other and I've seen more than enough drooled floors when it comes to Master Miller, it's about time people do the same with Big Mama and this is the perfect chance to do so)

They likely get everything they want - they're attractive, imposing, have more than enough experiences under their belts, and have the best of social skills. How can you deny them anything. How.

^This was only meant for you to see my vision, but.

Have you seen her glasses? Close enough to Kaz's vibe. They're definitely matching outfits, whether that's only with accessories or the whole outfit depends on the day, but they WILL match one way or another

They definitely caress each other's hair. They pet it, they play with it, they tie it, they braid it. I bet their hair is the silkiest thing ever.

I can see them borrowing each other's clothes - again, she seems quite toned, with shoulders wide enough to look good wearing Kaz's clothing even if they don't perfectly fit her size (oversized fashion is pretty nice anyway); as for him, I think he'd be more limited due to size difference, but he'd manage to take the most out of his possibilities

C'mon just ship them already

[xnewtiebooty]

I've gotta say...I really don't like Teresa.

I knew going in she was a controversial character, and that may have coloured my perception of her negatively from the offset/made me biased. And I tried to like her, I really did. I'm trying to do the mature thing, to appreciate her nuance and complexity, but boy does she make it difficult. In fact I did like her in the first film, when she really was just a scared, guarded, but sweet and funny girl who didn't remember who she was.

And I can in fact understand and even appreciate her motivations for what she did. I realize it can't have been, and wasn't exactly easy for her, sacrificing her relationships to the people she was closest to, for the sake of everyone else. Throwing that all away, knowing they'd probably hate her. I appreciate her empathy for what other people were going through, on a worldwide scale. I really do.

But also...she strikes me as disingenuous. If her reasons really were so pure, why then was she alright with being in a lab coat, being on the other side of the glass, watching, actively participating while someone who was once her friend was suffering? (Along with others, *children.*) Why wasn't she the first to offer *herself* up to WICKD, to allow them to perform experiments on *her* and force *her* to endure what suffering they felt was necessary in order to achieve the desired results? Instead, she signed up her friends to do it. And yes, I realize she was clearly guilty, at least to an extent, and conflicted watching Minho be tortured. But that was directly a result of her doing. And ultimately, she stood by, and let it happen, watched. She, on some level, was okay with it enough to stand by and watch it happen. That's the difference between her and Thomas. Thomas wasn't.

Not to mention all the pain she caused, the domino effect it had. I mean...first off, in her doing what she did, she basically pissed on Winston's grave. He died directly as a result of them escaping from WICKD, again, and she was fully ready to deliver them all right back into the hands of their abusers. His death would have been for nothing, had all the others been caught.

Mary Cooper also died directly as a result of what she did. And not only was she an innocent woman who was wrongfully killed, but she was an invaluable resource. She was the one, aside from Teresa, who could make the serum amongst them.

Then, Minho was taken and tortured. What he went through was absolutely disgusting, and unforgiveable on it's own.

And with the ripple affect her choice had, she already (indirectly or no) caused Newt's death. And that is something I can never, ever look past or get over, can never forgive her for. Had she not turned them in, they all would have made it to the Safe Haven, together. Mary would still be alive, and even in the event that Newt still ended up catching The Flare later on, he could have easily been given the serum and cured.

Not least of all, the impact her betrayal had on Thomas, the way she hurt him. The chances of having a connection like what they did is often once in a lifetime, not something everyone even gets, and she completely threw all chances of a relationship away. She made Thomas completely question himself and his judgement, and feel stupid for trusting her.

Yes, I understand she tried to tell Thomas he could save Newt. I understand she tried to finally do the right thing (although I haven't failed to notice it was after Ava had already been killed and Janson, who was clearly corrupt, took over.) I understand she did help Thomas, and ultimately died doing so. And I don't necessarily even think she deserved to die, but it also doesn't undo what she did or the damage she caused.

Perhaps I'm not giving her enough credit. Maybe her reasons were completely selfless, and maybe there are legitimate reasons that can explain why she didn't offer herself up to WICKD as one of their subjects. If anyone has any answers or ideas I'm open to hearing them.

But ultimately, her seeing firsthand what WICKD did, what they were capable of, the absolutely horrific, dehumanizing ways in which they treated *children* who were unlucky enough to be born with the right genetics, should have been enough for her. I don't care what WICKD's reasons were, even if they were claiming to try to save humanity. If it's at the expense of a whole group of innocent people, treating them like chattel, is it even still worth it at that point? (And yes, I am aware of the Immunes producing the enzyme more quickly under states of stress. I understand why they were put through the maze trials, I just don't care.)

I should make it abundantly clear my dislike of her has nothing to do with my liking Newtmas either, or her "getting in the way." I'm aware Thomas and Brenda end up together in the books, and while I don't ship them, I absolutely love Brenda. She's one of my favourite characters.

I have nothing against people who do like Teresa, or who have a greater appreciation of her character, and I don't want this post to alienate them. I just had to get this off my chest.

That being said, from what I've seen floating around, she evidently is expanded upon more in the books and made much more likeable, so we'll see I guess. As for film Teresa, my point still stands.

[wavytam]

nowadays I wish Oda would stop Sanji's Nami mania if he doesn't want them to be canon. In the beginning his simping scenes were funny but the manga ends soon and this ship still just a joke. tbh I don't understand why Oda so afraid of romance. SaNa remind me Sango and Miroku from Inuyasha. he was a big playboy but in the end he only loved Sango. Shonen and couples totally normal.

Hello, anon, I feel you. SaNami holds a very special place in my heart and I think they have great potential as a couple (they will always be my number one ship) but sometimes I try to understand what exactly Oda is doing with them.

We can clearly see that Sanji does see Nami differently, like Miroku did with Sango (I also watched Inuyasha, and I loved them together).

The major problem will always be how Oda stated he does not want romance amongst the crew - which to some extent I understand, he does not want to shift the dynamic amongst the Strawhats (romance always makes people focus on the couple rather than the rest of the group) - but it annoys me to no end how, even if he says all of that, Oda still makes Sanji walk an extra mile for Nami.

If he intends to make another ship with them canon in the end, why write Sanji's interaction towards Nami the way he does?

Don't get me wrong, I love it when Sanji defends Nami, cares about her, and is really kind to her (she deserves that) - but if Oda is making all of this, because he wants Sanji to go through some type of heartbreak (or because he thinks it's funny, even after all these years) I think it would be better if he just stopped with Sanji's favoritism over Nami and make the cook move on, for his own good and hers too.

Obviously, Oda doesn't need to make Sanji stop being kind to her - I doubt he cares for Nami expecting something in return (see Pudding, for example, who he didn't stop being kind towards even after everything she said about him) - but Sanji can threat Nami well and still be with someone who loves him as much as he would love that someone (and doesn't humiliate him like other characters already did).

So, yeah, anon, I get you, and I am also tired. I will continue to ship them because I do think this ship has potential, and I think that both characters would be extremely happy with the other, but if Oda does not want them to be together at the end, I say: just make Sanji move on from Nami and make them end up with good love interests.

Sanji can still treat Nami well, with love and affection, just like he does with every woman, and still have a happy ending with a loving partner.

[tigerspite]

If you couldn't tell already, these two are getting flung around my mental washing machine at frightening speeds.

Read the rest of The Devil's Claw here

Previous chapter

-

CHAPTER ?? / The Forbidden

House Kings does not know how to deal with a human of remarkable talent amongst the ranks of Devil warriors.

House Devils themselves hardly knows, either.

Wethraks notes that Yami's presence in the Kell Guard and association with its most esteemed inner circle destabilises loyal bonds. Allowing a thief of the Great Machine in the halls of the Devils' Lair stirs Barons into action. They question Ursaviks's sanity and authority, and promise to maul his precious weapon, or make an example of everyone involved if they cannot do that. House Devils is capable of defending itself without the need for interference from another species, they believe. Doing so implies weakness, and a failure of their own warriors, which means their leaders are worthless. If one human can replace entire crews worth of Devils, the sacrifice of Eliksni lives and the deaths of those who built London upon its new foundations is unnecessary.

The first few, Ursaviks docks for insubordination, and strips them of their statuses. The rest, the smarter ones who know to let the foolish younger Eliksni take the fall before making their stand, he regards as amusements. Every single one of them is laughed out of the Lair. He waves them away with a suggestion to look at the results before making such bold accusations and statements.

None of them realise that, for the most part, Yami is the prized pet of the Kell Guard.

They name him 'Lodask' for his ferocity on the battlefield. An ancient word from home-Riis, equating him to a vicious, six-legged creature that Wethraks has only heard described by Elders. A predator that would steal away hatchlings from shorelines, lurking in the shallows to drag even unsuspecting adults to their watery demise. Intercepted comms from Kings raiding parties prove that he strikes the same primal fear into their minds.

Outside of combat, his existence is accepted to varying degrees. Having the courage to fight for a people who are not his own wins favour with the coldest of hearts, and others find him a curiosity. Some of the trappers make friends with him and ask to be taught about his culture and the way of life he left behind. Others take him on tours of the city - which really means pub crawls - or ask him about the artefacts found in the salvage markets. On occasion, they ask to be taught human games and activities. 'Throwing-football' is a particular favourite, and the primary cause to blame for most recent injuries in their ranks. It is very different to 'kicking-football', which teeters on the edge of being banned on the grounds of the Lair for entirely different reasons that Wethraks does not understand the extent of.

Supposedly, he has even endeared himself to his neighbour, Taniks. The latter speaks no English, and the former gets by with an ever-increasing grasp of Eliksni, but they find alternative ways to understand each other. The target propped at the end of their shared hallway, and the axes and arrows sticking out of it, says everything Wethraks needs to know.

As his charge learns the ways of the Devils so he can do as Ursaviks ordered and leave his humanity behind, less complaints about his presence filter back. Or if they are made, they are quieter. Subtler.

What none of them see, however, is Lodask's guilt and regret.

One night, he finds himself knocking on Lodask's door. The man disappeared after a skirmish, and rumours from the Guard swirl wildly as to why. Apparently, someone watched him tear the arm off a Kings Captain and beat her senseless with it, stabbed her in the eye with an arrow from his quiver, and then slit her throat with the same arrowrtip. While it does not seem out of the realm of possibility, his newfound crewmates tend to speak highly of him in defence of his honour, as if they collectively still have something to prove.

There is a moment of hesitation, a slight delay before the door cracks open and Lodask peers through the gap. The haunted look on his face is both unnerving and worrying, and confirms his fears.

"Is something wrong?" he asks.

"I heard what happened," Wethraks does not mince his words. Yet from there, his confidence scatters. "Is…can I come in?"

"Uh…yeah, sure." Stepping aside, Lodask allows him to squeeze into the narrow hall and into his relatively unfurnished apartment. The single lamp light on is dim, and he manages to step over the discarded armor and weaponry on the floor before he can trip over it. Despite the shelving and storage available, few things in his home are kept in a designated space.

From there, he doesn't inquire further. Instead, he watches as Lodask sinks into the couch, and wonders why he never realised that he is just as small and fragile as every other human.

When he finally speaks after several seconds of silence, his tone is flat, and he rubs at his face. Something in the action speaks of vulnerability. Expert though he is at hiding his emotions, his body language almost always gives him away.

"I lost control." he murmurs.

Wethraks's hearts sink to hear the speculation confirmed. "Are you injured?"

"No, no." The denial is instant. As always. It would be of no surprise to learn that he is hiding grevious wounds but is too fearful to admit it, as he has done before.

"I can look, if you're worried about infection-"

"No, I'm not hurt," he insists, shoulders slumping. "I just can't keep doing this. I said I was done, I was meant to start over. I told Ursaviks I didn't want to hurt anyone. But how many Kings has he made me kill?"

In place of answer, Wethraks sighs through his nose and lowers himself to sit. At his friend's side, he spots a dark purple blotch of dried blood stuck in his hair. If there is one thing they have both discovered, it is that Eliksni blood clings to human skin and hair like thick oil. Once the sheen of Ether evaporates off, it leaves behind a residue reminder of his sins until days worth of scrubbing and picking remove it.

"He trapped me. I walked straight into it." Lodask almost growls with self-hatred, lowering his head and shaking it.

Wethraks lets a purr rumble in his throat, thin yet steady. Nothing else he can say or do will soothe him. Any offer of comfort would only send him spiralling further. Sitting within his personal space and being present, listening, not pushing at any boundaries, is as much as he will allow. Even the privilege of being able to hear him express his concerns is a high honour. One day, he is sure he will be able to rest a hand on his arm, embrace him, or invite him to the warmth of his own home and nest as night-family so that he does not have to bear his burdens alone. But that day is many years away, distant behind impenetrable emotional walls.

In the quiet, he thinks. A way forward has to be available. Lodask cannot suffer forever. Treating him as a weapon of mass destruction, absent of his own agency. Is unsustainable. London is supposed to be not solely a safe refuge where he can recover and rebuild his life, but a home too, with Eliksni who would care for him as if he had lived among them his entire life. Beholden to Ursaviks he may be, his mate would also not want him to feel so miserable. However, all four of his hands are tied. Allowing him any further concessions may prove disastrous when his ultimate goal is to transform a human into an Eliksni.

Although within those boundaries, one option remains. An unpopular one that risks rejection at the first hurdle, and tone-deaf in the face of their present situation. But it is better to share his thoughts and plant the idea in his mind than leave his friend to fester, unaware of an escape route.

"Why don't you go to Proving?" Wethraks suggests.

Lodask glances upwards from his hunched position, eyebrows raised in bone-tired, exasperated, disbelief. The mere implication of fighting for his honour and position seems to age him another twenty years before his very eyes.

"Ursaviks is Kell, but because he took charge of you, he's also the leader of your crew," he attempts to explain, pausing to ensure that the translated distinction is correct. Why English has so many words for types of leaders, he fears he may never know. *If you can campaign to him to enter the next Proving and defeat any challengers, you'd earn your freedom. With the life-debts you've accrued, you'd become a Captain or a Baron."

"Did you do that?"

"Well- no," Wethraks stumbles over his words before recovering. "Being Kell's Mate means I don't have to do anything. But it's what I would've done if I hadn't joined with the Lair." Excluding that he would have been eviscerated as soon as he stepped on to the field, with his history of fleeing from battle, seems sensible.

"Isn't it a fight to the death?" he asks, incredulous.

"They happen, yes, but that's usually someone trying to prove a point."

"How many Devils have a point to prove about me?"

He opens his mouth to assure that not many would try, then catches on to his point. Some way or another, it seems the entire city knows of his existence. While most simply cross the street to avoid him or turn their backs when he approaches, the disgraced once-Barons could band together and enter themselves into the same competition pools in order to regain their reputation when they hear of his campaign. Let alone who they could rally behind their cause to fight and kill on their behalf. Or the sheer number of Devils who would want to watch the battles. If he were to fall, it would be a public embarrassment of the highest order.

Beyond that, though, it would mean he is never accepted. Determined to drift and not once find the stability he so terribly needs. He could leave and find refuge in another House, or with a band of exiles, but it would lead to more of the same. Fighting for survival first, and to justify his place in an uncaring world second.

He cannot betray him like that.

Clutching at the last few desperate straws of optimism he has, he answers, "I wouldn't worry about them. Ursaviks likes you too much. So do the rest of the Guard. They wouldn't let anything happen."

Lodask sighs and slumps back into his seat, arms folded. "I guess."

Sensing that he does not believe him, he clicks his mandibles to make his friend meet his gaze. When his attention turns to look at him, Wethraks touches a hand to his own chest, over his hearts. "I won't let anything happen."

The briefest flicker of a genuine emotion passes over his friend's face. Unable to read it, and with no immediate reaction other than his usual guarded stare, Wethraks's insides writhe. Perhaps the gesture was too intimate. Too honest. For all the time they spend together, it is as far as he has ever pushed. With so many barriers in the way, it is difficult to tell where their friendship stands on the best of days.

But before the awkwardness can set in and force him to take it back, a faint smile ghosts across Lodask's lips.

"I know."

[bumblingbabooshka]

Ok so what would you change about Voyager if you could :eyes:

More time spent on the Maquis-Starfleet divide/integration More arguments amongst the characters (related to above) More screentime/episodes devoted towards non-white characters (especially in later seasons) Harry Kim gets promoted shortly after Tom Paris gets demoted (dramaa....) More Tuvok episodes where he's fully himself and not altered in some way (he already has a suspiciously low amount of screentime for being The Series Vulcan [comparing him to Spock and T'Pol] and a lot of the plots he has hinge on him acting out of character) More time spent actually showing Tuvok and Janeway hanging out together. (I want to see those decades of friendship in action.) Tell me more about Tuvok's family (and as an extent, typical Vulcan family/relationship dynamics) right now. Tom & B'Elanna actually break up in 'Drive' (won the race but lost the girl...) Less time spent on the Borg in later seasons (I have a personal preference for more episodic plots being the norm and I truly do believe this can be achieved while building characters and keeping them consistent+interesting. I just find the borg stuff a bit boring and would like it more as like...a thing Seven has to contend with herself and the people around her, not an enemy that's actively attacking the ship all the time. Plus since they're in a new quadrant I'd personally prefer that the Villains of the show be things/people that Voyager has never encountered before, keeping them fully out of their depth.) Maybe related but I don't think the Borg Kids do much. Seven already has Naomi, she doesn't need to be a more literal mother imo. More horror/mystery episodes bc I just like them and I think Voyager's a perfect series for them given how they're trapped alone in space. The ultimate "I have no cell service!" Q appears in that one episode where Janeway & Tuvok have to argue for or against suicide and that's IT. He does NOT come back again. B'Elanna's call from the alpha quadrant comes from her mom instead of her dad. Generally more character relationships being built in a way that feels distinctly different/closer than in any series bc of their circumstances. I love character interaction. I always want more.

[yandere-kittee]

How would the yanderes react to a darling who is very shy towards them and other people?

This will be headcanon type rather than scenarios because I'm soo tired. Literally only had 2 hours of sleep and then had 3 hours of practice😭 anyways enough of that shit let's get to it!

Yandere x Gn! Reader. (Fem!Reader only when it comes to Emilia.)

"I don't hate people, I just hate interacting with them. "

Nathan

If this was pre-kidnapping he would relate to you and he would want to grow closer to you so he would often approach you but not too much? Since if he did that, that would make you want to distance your self from him since he often sought you out despite your shy attitude.

Nathan understands why you're shy and is patient with you, amongst the Yandere's he's good at dealing with shy darlings.

Nathan will coach you into going to crowded places with him, he's proud of you when you speak up to the cashier to order by yourself.

But when he actually ends up kidnapping you, then he won't be as strict since he knows no matter how much coaching he did d and how less shy you become you'll always come back to him since you're so dependant of him.

He'll always have you to himself.

Emilia

Unlike Nathan, Emilia will not understand why you're so shy and run away from her!

She will feel frustrated and will corner you when she finds you and you won't be able to escape, she will demand answers from you.

Emilia is loveable and people often pine for her attention while you're here trying to get away from it!

When she kidnaps you, she'll use it to her advantage and will further distance you from people/manipulate you into only trusting her.

She may not be the smartest but she sure is good with words, Why do you think guys spend so much money on her?

Aiko

She may not be the best in understanding you but she tries her best with helping you (Though not to the extent you'll be more comfortable with other people instead of her) .

During Pre-kidnapping she'll approach you discreetly, your grades have dropped to a certain amount and a teacher has assigned her to help you!

She'll meet you in the library and accompany you, the two of you sitting together and just reading silence, she may not say much to you during these times but just her pressence has you already getting nervous, thankful she isn't engaging in conversation.

She's also one of those Patient Yandere's but she does have a limit to how much patience she has, but if it's for you she'll gladly wait for years.

During kidnapping, nothing much will change aside from her now actually engaging in conversation with you.

Because of your shy attitude it's easy for her to keep you around her, you wouldn't be able to ask for help since you'll end up running back to her once the pressure gets too much.

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚　˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

Okay, this is short and all but I hope I did your ask some justice! I hven't been able to post lately but I just wanted to post this because I still have some drafts to work on and some asks to finish.

Follow me for more Yandere content! <3

[elrielbaby]

Bryce & Azriel are not mates. I get that people don’t like the idea that they just ‘decided’ they were mates & if that were the only scene we had of them being mates I would understand it to a certain extent - but every single theory post I’ve seen seems to forget a few very important details. (Contains Crescent City spoilers)

Ruhn & Bryce have a whole conversation that lasts approximately 2 pages where Ruhn comments on the fact that their scents have merged & how Hunt is going ‘ballistic’ in the way the Fae do when they’re true mates in their bodies & souls. And he was suspicious even before this from what I remember, saying how Bryce smelt different.

SJM has to be careful with how much happens in Prythian during the cross over. Why? Because she has two more books in the ACOTAR series (plus at least one novella if not two) that she has already set up the plot for. I know antis don’t like it but Elriel have four books worth of build up & foreshadowing. For something so integral to happen in another book series would be extremely arrogant on Bloomsbury & SJM’s part. Casual readers may not have read Crescent City (I know if I wasn’t on tik tok I would have probably only read TOG) & some people may not have liked Crescent City so they didn’t continue after the series or DNF’d it. Either way, they’d have to assume people had read that series before carrying on with ACOTAR & that just seems like an incredibly poor writing choice to me.

Following on from my last point, whatever does happen in CC3 has to be quickly and easily explained in ACOTAR5 (assuming the plot follows on from those events - which I assume it will to avoid SJM spoiling too much for the upcoming series or writing herself into a corner plot wise) in order to not spend too long on it - because then you get the opposite problem for readers who have read CC3 - it would be annoying to spend more than a page or two on something you’ve already read.

Now, imagine. Let’s say, Bryce & Azriel are mates. Given where ACOSF left off, you’re going to have a bunch of confused readers- who could sense something was building up with Elain for it to have fizzled to nothing or for Azriel to have found his mate in another book? How does that work? We have so many unanswered questions. Why did Azriel & Elain act so mate like to each other, for one? Do they still have feelings for each other & if not, why not? Amongst the so many other unanswered questions we have.

This is an argument that I have with G*ynriels as well, when I say that Elain’s book is next with Azriel as LI - and they say yes but they’ll both move on from each other to G*yn & L*cien in that same book. How do you expect SJM, in one single book, to deal with not one, not two but four love interests in one single book AND fit in a plot somewhere? This is without even mentioning that SJM herself has said each book focus’ on one couple - it will have the same lay out as Nessians book (dual pov + happily ever after for said couple within the same book)

Then we have the CC3 plot just on its own. It’s covering (as far as we know) two worlds. Bryce is currently in a world where she can only communicate with two people. She has to find a way to communicate with Aidas, perhaps travel to Hel, & get help. That’s all incredibly complicated stuff. Ruhn, Hunt & Baxian are in Midgard going through god knows what. Ithan, Declan & Flynn have rescued Ariadne, and Ithan has just freed the unnamed Fendyr heir. Thats without going into whatever is going on with Tharion. Where is SJM supposed to drop the bomb that Bryce & Hunt aren’t mates, she’s actually mates with this random guy that she can’t even talk to from a different planet? We’ve got too much to find out without adding that to the mix.

SJM herself has said, that this trilogy is Bryce & Hunts love story. Adding in a different mate doesn’t really fit with that narrative, particularly when the book doesn’t even support it.

I could go on and on about how this just isn’t going to happen & I love crackships I truly do! But it’s when people try & insist that it’s going to happen, then laugh at me for trying to say that actually I think Elain & Azriel are mates or at the very least endgame.

[nagisasstunningpersonality]

Am I too late for this?

💝 A headcanon about their love language🌟 A headcanon about their desires/wishes💤 A headcanon about their sleep

Luckily I love Karma headcanons so never too late. Karma heacanon asks

A headcanon about their love language

I honestly feel like Karma's idea of love language is insulting the other person (affectionate). He's repeatedly described as a sadist after all. I think this is with some kind of mutual understanding that he doesn't actually mean it. He is also arguably portrayed to be relatively touchy, especially for a Japanese person.

In terms of receiving? Possibly a mix of quality time and acts of service, but it's hard to judge. I think Karma is very slow to trust, at least to the extent of full comfort, so doing things that reinforce trust especially would maybe ring well with him.

A headcanon about their desires/wishes

I mean we all know he wants to control the world from the shadows.

I think most people talk about Nagisa being very single-mindedly goal oriented. My opinion is that Karma is actually very similar in this regard, it's just that the difference between them is work ethic. Nagisa will work his ass off to achieve something. Absolutely, Karma will do the same, but if there's an easier route of doing it he will take advantage.

What I find fascinating about his wish to become a civil servant is that he was inspired to do so because he admired the stability they were able to achieve (likely in reference to the 2011 Fukushima disaster).

The thing about the civil service (and I can only speak to the UK on this but I can't imagine it being too different) is that it's not a career you go into if you want to be rich. Don't get me wrong, you get well compensated especially in the upper levels, but someone as smart as Karma would easily make double the salary in the private sector.

It's also not a career you go into because of your own desires. Like, you pretty much have to set aside your political opinions and prepare to do whatever the current government want you to. You also sacrifice much of your capacity to publicly speak about those opinions outside of work too.

So anyway, as much as Karma talks about 'pulling the strings', and hey maybe he does have his inventive ideas about efficiency at least, it's actually a pretty interesting career choice for his character (I mean, it's called being a civil servant). This is honestly why I love analysis of 7 years skip Karma being there's a lot of potential analytical depth here. But I've gone on too much about it already right here...

A headcanon about their sleep

I think I've settled on him being Not a Morning Person. Clearly he doesn't have a super set routine at least, because in canon we know he skips breakfast - implying he didn't leave time for that. We also get it implied in the graduation album that he sleeps amongst his work... so I feel like he's the type to be productive in the evening before eventually just kind of passing out. I don't know why, but I see him enjoying naps a lot.

When I lived in Tokyo, given that I'm only 5'5, I wasn't far off being too tall for my bed/blankets. So being over 6 foot, I can only see this being a genuine problem for the guy. Like I'm sure he probably has the sense to specifically buy a bed that fits him and such, but there'll always be standard situations. So I see him having to curl up a lot, lest he get very cold feet.

I also see him being a bit of a restless sleeper. Like, sometimes he dream-fights and just thrashes around, waking up in weird positions. Has been known to punch a pillow to death.

[fyreblood]

𝐓𝐇𝐄 　𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐑 　𝐒𝐍𝐀𝐊𝐄 　𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐒　 ;     .        ☾     — 　SOLO　( kang saet-byeol )

“　𝘵𝘰　𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘮　𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴　𝘵𝘩𝘦　𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨　𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥　𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨　?

the princess of the northern water tribe walks silently, her shadow seeping into the hollows of the red city as she walks through its streets with purposeful strides. there are guards flanked at her side despite her lack of need for their protection—her self-assurance in the political immunity she has, never once falters. she smiles, to whomever she passes though as the sun had begun to set, she realises she does not see as many people wandering the streets as she had years before. the air of the fire nation has changed startlingly from what she remembered since her last visit. 

when signs of trouble had settled upon the horizon in the fire nation, the water tribe’s ambassador had been one of the first to leave, citing the need to return to her home nation in its own time of need. her own goals in the fire nation having been unachieved, she returns to her home with a sense of defeat that she masked impeccably well with a relief to be once again amongst her beloved people. the bloodbender rumours to reside in the firenation perhaps had only been an urban legend, or rather she had not stayed long enough to finish her hunt. in the year since, however, she had worked on the skill herself and day by day she swears she has improved drastically, though she is far from the extent of power she had desired.

since her departure from the kingdom of the fire-benders however, letters from friends, confidantes and fellow diplomats had almost become endless, detailing to her the fire nation’s crisis, however she cared little for it and had little time to care even if she wanted to. her father, having fallen ill in the year since, and he remains on his deathbed ever so adamant on keeping her brother on the water tribe’s throne much to the princess’ displeasure. but patience is a virtue she knows all too well. 

kang saet-byeol smells rebellion teasing at the frays of her home nation and in some ways it strikes a fear in her heart. whilst a revolt with her name and face as the dawn of something greater, would be a decisive key to her victory, what she needs is to turn the focus away from herself and rather towards the idea that her brother is unfit, not that she wishes to force him off the throne. no one wants a ruler who comes into power with death and despair on her hands. rather saet’s strategy had always been to depose of her brother quietly and maintain even the slightest of peace and so as tensions rose the longer she remained in the northern water tribe, she had begun to see the work that needed to be done in the fire nation as an ambassador too heavy a burden to leave alone for as long as she had already left it. the news of the fire lord’s wedding offers her the perfect distraction and the perfect time to divert her attention towards another noble pursuit. 

in her home, she allows rumours to rest as she packs her bags once again for the fire nation despite the precarious situation of its politics. but back in the water tribe, her brother has as much of a knife to her neck as she has to his and she would rather burn in this city now than have her blood at the mercy of his hands. 

having only recently arrived, despite the chaos, saet-byeol had never felt so at ease in a long long time. anticipation of the wedding itself grips her focus, or so she makes it appear as she had just her her day flitting through the court making idle small-talk, and flashing her same alluring smile as much as she had been in and out of diplomatic meetings and then her afternoon off in the marketplace. of course, her image must be always be sustained, as she knows all to well and having spent the time defamiliarising herself with the nuances of the nation and its people, and become accustomed to the changes since, saet-byeol feels some intangible weight lift from her shoulders.

as war rages on in the south and revolution bubbles in her home in the north, oddly enough, the princess finds herself breathing in the air with something akin to relief, like the pieces of the puzzle are finally slotting into place.

saet-byeol turns her head to the guard on her left, one whom she had already recognised as having been with her on her first expedition to the fire nation as its ambassador two years ago. she offers him a smile, glittering in the light of the moon as it creeped upon the sky, as genuine as it may seem it masks her greater ambitions. “isn’t it so wonderful to be back?”