#he looks like he has great intentions and terrible execution

[teamatsumu]

atsumu is the kind of guy who would drive all the way across town to get you your favourite food as a surprise but he would completely mess up the order and somehow get you the worst items on the menu

[flower-boi16]

What is the ultimate message that Helluva Boss is intending to send?

Every story typically has a main theme or message that is conveyed by the end of work, whether it would be through a character learning it in an arc or the main theme of the story being conveyed. Hazbin Hotel conveys the message that anyone can be redeemed and try to become a better person, which despite the lacklustre execution isn’t a terrible message to send.

Now…what about Helluva Boss? What message is the show sending here with its main storyline, Stolitz? (Cuz let’s face it Stolitz has pretty much become the main premise of this show at this point). It’s…not a great one. Stolitz is a sexually abusive relationship riddled with victim blaming that the show is apparently attempting to both sides it, which is disgusting on every level.

Blitzo is frequently demonized by the show and is seen as just as bad as Stolas (his abuser), for not seeing that Stolas does love him, even though that is nowhere near as bad what Stolas is doing to him and you CAN NOT pretend that it is. Yet the show acts as if Blitzo hurt Stolas’ feelings and he deserves an apology even though Blitz has a reason to hate him.

There’s a strong dissonance from how the show wants us to see Stolitz vs how the ship actually is. The scenes like the cage scene in Oops or the beginning of Apology Tour are meant to show Blitz being too consumed by his biases, but given the context here, do you want to know what these scenes actually come across as?

Gaslighting. They come across as gaslighting. The characters all gaslighting Blitz into apologizing to Stolas because Blitzy hurt his poor feelings UwU….

….so, the what’s the message that this is trying to send? If your in an abusive relationship, you are just as bad as your abuser and you owe them an apology for hurting their feelings, because you are obligated to return that affection to your abuser and if you don’t you are just as bad as that abuser….

….that is a disgusting and harmful message to send to anyone in an abusive relationship or people who will get into an abusive relationship. People have actively said that Stolas shares similarities to irl abusers, and he absolutely does intentional or not.

Again, given the context and how Stolas previously treated Blitz, their interactions in Apology Tour could easily be read as Stolas gaslighting Blitz, especially the “I don’t look down on you” line, but that’s a post for another time.

It’s disgusting that people are defending this shit, as if both siding rape is ok at all.

[cast-you-dxwn]

The earth quakes before them,

The heavens tremble;

The sun and moon grow dark,

And the stars diminish their brightness.

The LORD gives voice before His army,

For His camp is very great;

For strong is the One who executes His word.

For the day of the LORD is great and very terrible;

Who can endure it?

Joel 2: 10-11

The Heavens crack open. The sky shatters into pieces, Creation reflected in countless jagged fractals of the very fabric of its own reality.

The patience of the Lord has limits, and His wrath is mighty. That which has bathed nations in fire, which has filled the valleys and canyons of the earth with the dead, which has covered the lands in rushing water.

A finality in purification.

A Creation made clean.

A star falls, and the very pillars of the universe tremble with its terrible impact. Heat, pressure, and a light so terribly radiant that it threatens to eclipse the very rays of all the suns of all the realms.

Metal to slag and stone to magma, all to dust and ashes in the face of the crater that now dominates the battlefield, a destruction only seen in Creation as the humans had clumsily learned the power of splitting the atom. The very threads of reality weep and whimper, and from the largest celestial body and the smallest atom come the words that herald the final doom of all things.

Revelation.

Retribution.

Judgement.

Michael.

“Awake. Awake. Rise up, O Jerusalem.”

The words drift through the smoke and dust, and the haze parts with one swift movement, as though the very particulates are commanded to make way by the voice that drifts through them. Like the Red Sea to Moses, a corridor stands now clear between the center of the crater and its observers, with walls of dust and ashes.

“You, which hast drunk at the hand of the LORD the cup of his fury; thou hast drunken the dregs of the cup of trembling, and wrung them out.”

There stands an angel.

His armor gleaming, his robes white as snow, as though untouched utterly by the destruction that swirls about him. Dark-striped wings fully unfurled, their massive expanse touching from edge to edge the deep depression that his entrance has struck into the solid ground.

His helmeted head does little to hide the light that burns in his eyes, supernovae unto themselves, scything across the battlefield with judgement and intent of reprisal.

In his right hand rests the hilt of his blade. The Blade. That which has no name save for those given by its foes. Nay. Its victims.

Foebreaker.

Daemonsbane.

Anathema.

His left, so it seems, is empty. Raising slowly, pale and calloused fingers curling in to his palm save for one. Pointing. Accusing. Condemning. All at the three who dare to stand before him. To stand against him.

They who had once been the most beloved. Not just to their Father, no. But to himself. But what, pray tell, is love in the face of duty? How stands fondness in the face of bitter betrayal? A trajectory following of days long past, when the eldest son had been called to take into account his brother.

“O Brother of Mine. Merry in rebellion. What now, has it cost you?”

He does not look to Lucifer as he speaks. His words not only his, but of the many. Countless voices that rise up from his throat, the cries of the faithful accusing and damning, even as he takes in the two who stand at the Fallen Kings side.

“O High Women of Heaven. One so burdened by duty, as we all must be, why now have you shrugged your shoulders? Why now do you strain against the yoke? Another, light and love incarnate, such tenderness given flesh and feather. Do you not now understand the joy of destruction? The holy uplifting of a righteous cleansing?”

His lips curl bitterly, his teeth bared in anger, and he gestures widely. To the destruction that mars their home, to the blood that spatters the street. When he speaks, his words are an echo, the same as he had spoken when he had once driven his blade into an unruly siblings chest.

“What have you done?”

@high-seraphims @hells-greatestdad

[picturejasper20]

Watched Disney Wish Spoilers below

First i want to start with saying that King Magnifico is probably the highlight of the movie. His characterization is interesting and different from other recent disney villains. He has an arc and his own motivations that are linked to his development in the movie.

One thing that is interesting is that he starts sort of a good guy that wants to help people to grant their wishes and wants what he believes is the best for his kingdom. This comes from how in his past he lost everything so he wants to others to live well.

But, he is also terribly afraid of losing everything like it happened to him when he was young. As the story progresses he becomes more and more paranoid until he lets himself be corrupted by black (?) magic in attemps to push down everyone who questions him.

And that's great! That's a cool villain arc- a corruption arc- which i feel it is quite rare to see lately. It's a nice way to show how people with good intentions can lose sight of their initial goals over time.

Now when it comes to Asha... she isn't an unlikeable character but at the same time it feels like she lacks real flaws in the movie. As someone else who watched the movie told me ¨her motivations aren't much different if any other character from the town was put in her place¨. Because, yeah, it feels like there isn't much else to her besides that ¨she cares about her people¨ and ¨she wants the wishes to be given back to their owners¨.

She never has to exactly overcome some flaw of hers in the story aside from not knowing Magnifico wasn't looking for the best interests of the people... which is solved three minutes after she learns about it.

I mean, this has been a problem with other Disney female leads in the last years. The main difference, however, is that they had some form of arc in their respective movies.

Moving on to other characters, they didn't feel that interesting nor memorable. Again, i don't hate them but i didn't care much about them either watching the film. I feel the ones outside King Magnifico i did like were the queen a bit and the star character, they were sort of cute.

On last point in terms of characters, Valentino didn't add anything to the movie. He didn't have some purpose nor added in moving the plot forward. I think the film could worked the same if he wasn't there.

Now to narrative and themes. I got to say that it is all over the place. While the message is there, it feels like the movie doesn't dive too much about it leaving you were more questions than answers. For example, there is one part one of Asha's friends questions why they can't just ask King Magnifico to give their wishes back- something that is never exactly given a proper answer.

The pacing is chaotic as well. The first 30 minutes the film jumped from one plot point to the other, having like 3-4 songs in only one third of the movie. King Magnifico and Asha are seen getting along together in one minute and in the next minute they get into an argument and Magnifico decides to consider her now her enemy. It's like the movie doesn't allow time to let you digest what you are watching because it is already jumping to another important thing.

On the ¨everyone is made of stars¨ thing, i found it weird and i didn't fully get what they were trying to say with it. I guess it has to do with one having control of its own destiny? I don't know.

I would say that the biggest offense of Wish is how King Magnifico gets defeated... the characters sing a song and supposedly summon their star power and with that alone they defeat the villain. It almost feels like deux ex machima and dissapointing. There were other ways they could have made the same thing work with a better execution.

A lot of the movie feels like there were some productions issues when making it. It feels like there are scenes that are missing and things that were going to be explored in deeper detail that got cut out.

In all, i wouldn't say that i hate this movie... the thing is that it has plenty of issues. Things that should have been better polished and given more detail. There are some interesting things in here, the problem is that more often than not they don't reach its full potential. I would say that Wish is worth of watching for King Magnifico but everything else is forgettable.

[txemptress]

hi i'm here with another (better) request lol,, the floyen family with a (teen)servant! reader who works for them as a chef!! obv platonic as the reader's a minor in this one LMFAO

𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐈𝐎𝐔𝐒

— “𝐒𝐇𝐄'𝐒 𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐌𝐎𝐒𝐓 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐈𝐎𝐔𝐒 𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐀𝐍𝐓.”

Dear Roue,

your letter has been answered! Hope this satisfies your interests. Have a great day!

Sincerely,

Marquise

There had been many servants in the Floyen household. Most came and left in the course of the past two years you had worked here, but you were still here after two years of what seemed to be negligence.

Abandonment was never your thing; you did not condone such things. For you a servant should only leave if their masters were unbearable or abusive towards their said servants.

You had stayed here long enough to think that the Floyens were 'gentle' with their servants. You never got any negative words or statements from them and the duke had just now treated you with respect after two years of staying here.

You were the chef for his own daughter and Lady Jubelian was an entertaining female who enjoyed your time with her and the preparations you made for her.

One day, you were preparing their meal for this morning's breakfast when you noticed that most of the food were seemingly low. Rummaging through the receipts you asked your assistant to place in the drawers, you found receipts that were a bit too high in price to be the right ones. You weren't in charge of the said orders, it was from the head chef. Was the head chef robbing the duke of his money right under his noses?

Debating on whether or not to mention it, you organized the plates of food in an orderly manner whilst waiting for the maid to come and give it.

Eventually, you decided to take the risk and write a letter in a napkin, fixing it in between the clean napkins for Lady Floyen to use when finished.

Once you saw the maid leave the kitchen, your mind started thinking of terrible scenarios that could happen to you since you dared minding other people's businesses.

Later on the maid came back, shaking with fear as she said with a shaky voice. "Name, the duke would like a word with you." Stammering the words out she ran out.

A shiver ran down your spine as you stood up to follow her along. Would you get lectured over this matter? No, you were certain you'd at least be able to explain. After all, the duke had given you respect in the past... But there was doubt in you since just because he had respect doesn't mean he wouldn't lecture you over wasting a napkin.

Momentarily, you found yourself in front of the duke. Regis Floyen stared at you intently. As if he was awaiting an answer about you actions.

"Sarah said you called for me, Your Grace?" You inquire keeping your head down whilst keeping yourself as calm and collected as possible. You were afraid that your voice would shake in a guilty way.

"I did." The duke answered, then he looked at the others who may be eyes or spies of the emperor. Taking this into a consideration, he continued in a low voice. "This matter with the napkin. What's it all about?"

You were surprised. You had given the napkin to Jubelian, didn't you? Why had the duke heard about it when Lady Jubelian wouldn't even have been able to finish eating yet? No matter, it didn't matter at the moment as you explain the situation with the head chef.

The duke was silent until you finished your explanation of the things that had apparently occured under his nose. "I see." He said at last. "I will take this into consideration. You may leave."

Days later you found yourself as new head chef. A job you couldn't have seen yourself in for years to come. The duke had dealt with the old chef; by dealt with he meant executing him for such a crime towards the duchy.

After your sudden promotion, another surprise showed itself when Lady Floyen kept demanding you to eat with her; which involved her talking about things that happened with nobles as well as asking for needed advice at times.

[wizzard890]

what got you so into the french revolution?

When I was in school for medieval art history, I did a lot of work on saints and their martyrdoms, particularly how the viewers of art depicting suffering imagined suffering, and how the agony/eroticism of those feelings induced a sort of memetic spiritual euphoria. Which means that I spent a ton of time looking at images of executions. I've seen them all: beheadings and sexymen shot full of arrows, saints barbecued or flayed or eaten by wild animals, criminals broken on the wheel -- all the classics. Or at least, I thought I had, until I encountered this triptych in my senior year of college:

This, by Belgian artist Antoine Wiertz, is The Visions of a Guillotined Head, painted in the late 1840s. Wiertz was a symbolist, and spent a great portion of his career drawn to the macabre, never more notably than on the occasion that inspired this painting.

In February 1848, two notable French criminals were due to be executed by the state. The guillotine was of course still in use as a method of capital punishment (and would be until the 1970s), and Wiertz was curious as to what a so-swiftly severed head felt and saw. He wasn't the first; since the guillotine's invention there had been legends of heads that blinked and blushed and tried to speak after separation. Luckily, Wiertz had a friend who was a hypnotist (as you do). Timed to the moment of the execution, he had his hypnotist pal put his soul "into rapport" with the dead criminal, and claimed that he entered the head itself as it fell.

He later recalled his experiences at some length in writing, but since we're talking about me, here is the important passage, dictated as he "felt" the horror of execution:

A horrible buzzing noise, the sound of the blade descending. The victim believes that he has been struck by lightning, not the axe. Astonishingly, the head lies under the scaffold and yet still believes it is above, still believes itself to be part of the body, and still waits for the blow that will cut it off. Horrible choking! No way to breathe. The asphyxia is appalling. It comes from an inhuman, supernatural hand, weighing down like a mountain on the head and neck. A cloud of fire passes before his eyes. Everything is red and glitters.

Now comes the moment when the executed man thinks he is stretching his cramped, trembling hands towards the dying head. It is the same instinct that drives us to press a hand against a gaping wound. And it occurs with the dreadful intention of setting the head back on the trunk, to preserve a little blood, a little life.

This fucked me up so bad.

I am well aware that consciousness after having your spinal cord severed is a done deal. I was aware of this in college. But there was something about this artist's act of imaginative empathy that compelled me, for the first time, to think about the guillotine in particular. About the mechanical wait, not being pushed off a drop or axed while kneeling, about being slid through on a board, of seeing the basket beneath you, already full of heads. Maybe even heads you know.

I imagined it so hard that I made myself sick and couldn't go to class for two days.

The reason I studied what I studied wasn't because I was ghoulish. In fact, I'm a little squeamish. It was because in the experience of pain, we are all deeply individualized, but entirely, helplessly human.

I laid in bed and thought about the small number of humans who I, an educated layman, knew had been guillotined: Marie Antoinette, obviously; Louis XVI; and (in what felt like black historical irony, given what I knew of his day job) Maximilian Robespierre.

It felt intrusive to have intimately imagined their last, most private moments, without really having any idea about them at all. Better to start at the end and work backwards, I thought. So I started reading.

Robespierre, decapitated by guillotine when he was thirty-six. That's the manner of death. How did he meet his death? In terrible pain, I learned. Why? Because he'd had half his jaw blown off the night before. Jesus, why? Because he'd (maybe probably) shot himself. Why?

It turns out, if you keep doing that, a piece at a time, for years, you can learn a lot about someone's life. And, relatedly, in long and branching paths, you can find your way into every nook and cranny of what burned through France at the end of the 18th century.

[oblivionax]

I finished watching House of the Dragon season 2, and I need to talk about it.

DISCLAIMER: Contains spoilers! Bear in mind that I didn't like the show. Nor do I hate it, but this post is probably going to be a rant. So, if you liked it, feel free to skip my post and/or not agree with it, be it fully or partially.

And a casual reminder that it's not only my personal opinion, but also an opinion of a person who has a degree in film studies and screenwriting, so I know what I'm talking about. Visually? Stunning. Writing? Well, about that...

Here goes nothing. The series had a great potential that was not fully used, in my humble opinion. The idea is very good, but execution could've been much better. Many scenes are painfully long, and many are fillers bearing little to no message/significance. The characters regress, and to me, season 2 was somewhat weaker than season 1. I'll admit I can't say I liked season 1 more, however. It suffered from the very same issues that only grew in season 2.

Some character development was abandoned in season 2, Daemon being the brightest example. His visions in Harrenhal are too redundant and feel practically useless. All that to show that he eventually fully pledges fealty to his wife and gives up on the crown. Like, not because he decided to, but because he was seeing visions? Huh?? That's lazy writing if you ask me.

And let's take a moment to talk about his visions: I think when he picked up the crown and returned it to Viserys after the latter dropped it in season 1 was a beautiful moment meant to show his evolution as a person. Season 2 showed me that it didn't matter as if it never happened. Look at him. He feels soooo guilty now for... for what? He did make amends with his brother, did he not? He supported Rhaenyra. And don't tell me he pretended to. That's a season 2 thing that appeared out of blue. Those visions never advanced the plot. In all honesty, I see them as a waste of time and budget. Like yeah, cool seeing those same actors, yeah, cool, Daemon feels something.

But then, why go through the same character arc he went through in season 1?? I also hated the vision where he slept with his mother. Like, why??? It'd make more sense if it meant something like he doesn't really love Rhaenyra, he loves himself, and he marries her because he sees himself in her because they're literally flesh and blood. Perhaps he views her as a part or an extension of himself, an appendage. That'd be interesting, but it would've been shown differently. And, besides, it's not the intention of the scene where everything is ridiculously simple. But why include his mother? To show he's dumb? Or horny? Both? It served no purpose.

Aemond was dumbed down as well. I liked it when he was looking for Aegon to crown him in season 1, telling him how important it is and how he'd love to be king himself, but reminded it was Aegon's duty as heir. It was somewhat... nice? Though in his own rough manner. Yeah, he has quite a temper, but he also was said to be educated and cunning. Smart. Where did that go in season 2?

In season 2, he's a man-child. Wasn't he supposed to like feel guilty for having killed Luke? Wasn't he actually aware of the consequences of his actions? No, he pretends he doesn't care. Or maybe he's so dumb he actually doesn't. It pains me. He had a great potential.

The same goes for Aegon himself and Helaena. Especially Helaena, who basically became the background character. A queen who... who's just there? Yeah, she was shocked at how peasants hated her, but did she at least try to change anything? To learn more? No, she was just sitting around, sad and powerless. We never see her interact with Aegon, too. And that's terrible. Doesn't she at least try to speak to him? Advise him?

Unlike Aemond, Aegon was more like Viserys, though this wasn't well shown I find. There was but like one moment where he said something about not being willing to cause more violence or something like that in the beginning of season 2. And that's it. I know, he's supposed to be a rebel, a wayward son, young and all that. But still, he took his role as a king quite seriously. Well, that's what they attempted to show, at least. After his injuries, we see what remains of him, which is not too different really. He's literally mourning his cock. Excuse me?? And where's Helaena? Their daughter? It's as if they no longer exist.

Oh, and let's not forget the ending where everyone is just staring into the horizon during the last 20-30 minutes of the episode. Anticlimactic, even considering the budget cuts. Perhaps, especially considering the budget cuts, because the story felt painfully stretched this season. Many scenes are unnecessarily too long. About most of them, I had a craving to cut them out (if I were editing the show). The pacing is odd, as if they needed fillers to meet the required running time for each episode.

Rhaenyra is frustrated, and that's frustrating to watch. She's a queen, but she listens too much to her sexist advisors who are supposed to be loyal regardless of her gender. They've sworn themselves to a woman but have no compassion for her. I know they probably seek to control her. But she's strong. She freaking has a dragon. I'm not saying she should threaten them, but what would they do if she did? Basically, she complains the whole season about being a woman.

Her kiss with Mysaria was really unnecessary. What did that even mean? I hoped it'd be a platonic hug of understanding. But nope. It was... awkward. And didn't seem to do anything as later they looked like it never happened. Then her meetings with Alicent, especially the last one... so flat. Why? Alicent has no choice, certainly, but why would she be so stubborn? Only to return and go "actually you know what, I've changed my mind" to Rhaenyra, who's like "great timing, you're a tad late." That made her look not desperate but kinda... stupid.

Oh, and another one of the issues from season 1 that festers in season 2 is the unstable tone. They're trying to be funny sometimes without being too funny, but it looks so off. One moment, you're trying to set a dark and dramatic tone. The next, it's a joke. Naturally, as a viewer, you'd be confused at how you're supposed to feel. Humour is usually used in drama to enhance immersion, make characters more human, build a connection and empathy between them and the viewers, and most importantly to give more emotional weight to dramatic scenes. Unfortunately, that's not the effect they're getting in House of the Dragon, which is a great shame.

I have too many questions, as you can see. Anyway, thank you for taking the time to read me, and feel free to comment or even DM me. I'd like to hear what you think and whether you share my opinion or not.

Have a great day!

[sswirlicuee]

I just finished OPLA (skipping the parts I didn't care about, though). I'll make it short (spoilers ahead):

Things I like:

- Some writing choices. I liked that they weren't afraid to tweak the narratives a little to accommodate the storyline. Kudos for Zoro getting his wounds taken care of by Zeff, Luffy's & Sanji's parents bonding etc.

- How bold the production was with Zoro's sexuality ("You're asking the wrong guy." *Grabs own sword out of some naked blond guy's hands composedly* etc.) I think the intention might have been to depict Zoro as asexual, but it just ended up making him openly gay. End of story.

Things I find questionable:

- The casting, but not the cast. The first thing I need to emphasize is that all of the casts delivered their performance beautifully. There's nothing wrong with their acting skills. But the casting choices just didn't suit the characters at all in my opinion. And it's not a problem of chemistry either. Usually, when I have my reservations about the casting, it'd be like, oh, this guy works as Character A, but it was honestly a terrible decision to put him together with this guy as Character B. With OPLA, the chemistry between the crew were great, and I really enjoyed the bickering between Zoro and Sanji, BUT there's just that one thing that made them not Luffy, not Nami, not Zoro and not Sanji. (Not so much Usopp though).

- The production. I've already made my points about sneakers. Luffy cajoling around IN Converses!? What on earth. Flashback!Sanji walking around the kitchen (and subsequently on that rock) in crisp white sneakers!? What WAS that. And I think they totally butchered that Sanji Flashback scene. I'm not an advocate of eating disorders or putting child actors through food restrictions etc, BUT after 75 days of being stranded on a rock with barely anything to eat/drink, young Sanji still looked as fresh and healthy as he was on day one. His lips were not even chapped in the close up shots. I felt like they could have made more efforts on this.

- Adaptation... but to what extent? Does adaptation mean following the original to the T? Even when some elements were not even crucial to the storytelling (and hell, OPLA will go on for what, another 2 seasons max? some easter eggs might not even mean anything)? So some of the props were entirely unnecessary and so badly executed it made the whole show cheap and ridiculous, like that dog hat Garp was wearing AND the mouse ears on Nezumi. Especially the latter. It might have worked in the manga and anime, but we could have totally dispensed with those.

Recently in Japan, there has just been a production of One Piece On Ice (figure skating adaptation of Alabasta arc -- highly recommend to check it out on Youtube). It was a totally different form of storytelling, but the casting was perfect. In my humble opinion, the actors there fit their roles WAY more than than this cast did in OPLA. I'm not saying OPLA was bad, though. I enjoyed some bits of the show. It just doesn't really stick overall.

[softpine]

"She can’t get kidnapped tonight. The optics would be terrible." BRANDI!!!

love this sm <33 the contestant push and pull between elaine's expectations and gut (literally) feeling about the engagement was something we knew was coming, but actually knowing exactly how she's processing this is so interesting!

asa bigfoot loml

i'll reread this tmrw, but i'm having a hard time picking up on how austin's feeling about the engagement rn

the glasses thing is so specific and universal and perfect and aaaa

i'm honestly a little surprised asa wasn't being judgemental considering how he was when he met alisa

if he's looking for a big fight does he think finn is stuck there rn? or maybe willingly? or maybe i'm just wrong idk lol

anyways i loved this and your writing and as always i won't stop thinking about it for days <33

i hope you know i LIVE for these messages 💖💖💖

elaine's internal monologue about being kidnapped is something personal to me. after a horrible experience i had while jogging one day, i started consuming true crime content 24/7 because i thought it would help me regain some control, but in reality it just made me SO anxious about everything and distrustful of everyone. not only that, but the truth is that violence happens whether you're prepared for it or not. basic knowledge of self defense & safety is great, but letting fear rule your life is not!

i know puking is gross to read about but it was so necessary to show how, like you said, elaine's gut feeling is at odds with both what she's saying out loud AND what she's thinking in her head.

elaine has been calling asa bigfoot for forever, and now it's finally canon fjskdjs

i liked the part about the glasses because it's something i wouldn't be able to portray easily in a normal story post. and i definitely wanted austin's feelings to seem more complicated than he lets on! elaine wonders if he's worried about the same things or if he would even talk to her about it if he was. so even she can't pick up on his true feelings right now.

the reason asa reacted the way he did here is because he knows that elaine is going to be inundated with people judging her soon, so he felt no need to pile onto that. with alisa it was different, because everyone else seemed to like her uncritically, so asa felt like he needed to be the person to look out for jada. i also think it's easier for asa to give austin the benefit of the doubt, because austin seems to have good intentions even if his execution doesn't come across that way, while it seemed to him that alisa is just playing games with people's emotions for the fun of it. in general, asa tries to give everyone a chance, alisa just pushed his buttons tbh

"if he's looking for a big fight does he think finn is stuck there rn? or maybe willingly?" <- i looove that you said that. i can't say anything about it but i love that you said it :P

thank you for such thoughtful comments, i can't tell you how much i appreciate them!! 💗

[saintofswords]

tell me abt ur scorpion boy 🔫🔫🔫

Oh wow, I'd be happy to! I'll try to post some highlights of the current adventure the group is wrapping up under the cut!

Alright, so my character is a Shosuro courtier named Maekawa Kenji. A big thing for him has been the tug of war between wanting to be a good, dutiful samurai and of being as decent of a human being as he can. As you can guess, a lot of issues have arisen during our campaign because of this. He's slowly been moving more towards the side of goodness, likely in no small part due to the influence of the Lion shugenja in our group. Said shugenja is a pretty noble samurai and an all around decent person, so he's been a great influence. A big thing for Kenji in most of the previous adventures has been balancing secretly doing the right thing (helping the commonfolk, the downtrodden, etc), while also accomplish whatever tasks the Scorpion have for him.

This conflict has all come to a head in the current adventure we are playing, in which he needed to solve an issue with a certain lord of one of the Imperial family's castles being unable to pay their taxes. The Imperial Family sent Kenji (He rescued a lost child of one of their nobles awhile back) to fix this, with no clear instructions about how to do so; he was simply told to get the castle to paying the taxes again. Upon his very first day at the castle, he learned that a coup was being planned, and set himself in alliance with one of the leaders of the coup, the Steward of the castle. Lots of social manipulating later, The big conflict between the insurgents and the lord of the castle's forces is going to occur, with Kenji having played the field the entire time, unsure of what to do, having simply pushed and pulled here and there in the hopes of pulling out as much corruption as he could.

Lost, he goes to secretly meet with the other Scorpion in the party to discuss what should be done. She believes the lord of the castle should be killed, and Kenji reluctantly agrees that it's for the best. They agree to plan more later that night. Kenji is dragged off by the rest of the party to help with something, and she heads off on her own. She often does that.

Some more things happen and we are brought in to the chambers of the castle's lord afterwards. His court shugenja has been doing a terrible job of his duties for a long time (he was in with the Steward, it was intentional sabotage), so the party's Lion is just doggedly pursuing him with evidence from our investigations, trying to get the court shugenja locked up or executed for his crimes. Kenji, wanting to keep that piece on the board, urges the lord towards mercy when the Lion is out of earshot. He's now, unbeknownst to our Lion, betrayed the trust he has for Kenji. It's not come out yet, but I think the Lion is on the cusp of potentially discovering that. Even if he doesn't though, Kenji really regrets doing that to his friend.

Fast forward to the morning, and there is an invading force outside the castle-the Steward's allies! Kenji worriedly slips away from the party and goes to check on the lord of the castle (He later realized the man was not NEARLY as bad as his reputation had suggested), only to find out from the lord's niece (his heir) that the lord of the castle and his wife were slain in the night. The other Scorpion is also missing. Kenji, worrying about where his fellow Scorpion is, and what she has or hasn't done, sets out towards the battle in hope of negotiating. This doesn't happen, and Kenji will be forced to align himself in the mass battle about to occur.

Unsure of what to do, but feeling that too much of his honor is at stake to simply abstain from fighting, Kenji looks to our Lion. He hopes the Lion will choose a side, and Kenji can follow after him. The Lion abstains, instead waiting in the castle to serve as a medic for the wounded after the battle is concluded one way or another. Kenji, feeling that he needs to do what is best for his Scorpion ally, allies with the coup. As does the ronin in our group, simply wishing to join what he thinks will be the winning side. One mass battle and the coup has succeeded, with the niece slipping out of the castle unnoticed at some point. A new daimyo is immediately installed by the lord above the castle's last lord, and she promptly has the Steward executed for being such a treacherous snake. Things seem good! The party (minus the one missing ofc), are called into to meet with the new daimyo and they advise her about the situation of things and how best to move forward. Finally dismissed for the night, after one of the longest days of his life, Kenji returns to his quarters to find a letter.

"I expected more from my friends. The way of the Scorpions is to serve the best of the empire. Putting traitors, murderers, and backstabbers at the head of power is not the best for the empire. I will see you all after [niece] and I meet with the Imperial Family. Goodbye, Kenji."

The trust of two close friends has now been lost.

We stopped at that, so I have no idea what is going to happen for my character next, but he is NOT feeling happy right now. Mission accomplished, and all he had to trade for it were two of his only true friends and comrades!

[henrysfedora]

i finally had brainrots for my don:

i like the idea of him having a soft sounding name, a name that has a feeling of false security. like when you'd first hear it, it doesn't sound completely threatening and it deters you away from his true self: a ruthless piece of shit. it doesn't work on everyone of course but it works on certain people, depending on their level of naivety. i'm thinking about calling him lauro.

still thinking about a last name for him, but i like the sound of colella. don colella.

what also plays into his kind sounding name, is how well he looks. he is well groomed, well dressed, dresses in warm toned clothes, a lot of blacks, navy red, navy blue, dark greys. he gesticulates, focuses on people when he's talking to them or listening to them. if you don't know him his behaviour makes you feel noticed and welcome in the conversation. but if you do know him his mannerisms seem more like threats than anything else, he is focusing on you and your surroundings, he's keeping track of your every move.

he's a warm character. he has a deep, smokey voice. a warm complexion. strong arms, scarred hands, a soft stomach.

born in 1907, that would make him 45 years old currently in 1952 (i'm assuming we could start off here, things would've settled by then), and it's at this age he was approved to start building his own crime family.

his main business is a well loved jazz lounge, where he has his family meetings upstairs, and it's also where he spends most of his down time. the people he has here are people he trusts the most and wants to keep safe (the place is heavily guarded). it has a warm, welcoming vibe. dark spruce walls, orange lights, red rugs, whiskey, wine, champagne, fireplaces, giant red and gold curtains.

probably has another business though to help launder more money. like a restaurant or something.

he just isn't allowed to drive, he's awful. he has a personal driver. probably owns a really nice limo, like a lassiter in game, but he's not allowed anywhere near the drivers seat.

surprisingly a really good singer.

bisexual. he wants to hold every man and woman's hand.

^ i like to think he's sweet on one of the singers in his jazz lounge.

he's awfully romantic and it's really only where his 'kindness' truly shows. he's awkward, he's lost. flirting? he does not know how, he's a bit unnerving. (i think he's the type of guy to take some poor woman into the middle of the woods and be like 'isn't it so pretty out here :D?' without realising that woman is probably terrified).

that being said he is nice to his crime family, he's just, not great with affection and praise at all. good intentions, poor execution. it ties into his romantic heart too, he wants to impress people, but he won't really do anything anyone finds traditionally romantic. he won't buy flowers, he'll buy alcohol and if they won't drink it he will.

hearts in the wrong place, desensitised to gore, too insane and selfish for all the innocent people he keeps falling for. he's not completely nor inherently evil, he's just, rude, and uptight, and, oddly caring sometimes. he's weird.

so, so far: a handsome, badass gentleman who is a trained ruthless killer.. but to level it out he's also a dumbass who falls for people too easily, and he is awfully terrible at trying to be romantic, and he's just a weirdo.

[woolishlygrim]

I really can’t overstate how utterly fascinating I find Ex-Arm.

It’s like - we’ve all seen bad shows, probably worse shows than Ex-Arm. We’re familiar with the reasons why: Low budget and no idea how to stretch what little budget they have, incompetence, lack of interest or inspiration from the creative team, executive meddling, what-have-you. It’s old hat by now.

But Ex-Arm is just endlessly interesting to me because it’s an animated series where the director decided he didn’t need any animators. As other people have pointed out, it’s not like Ex-Arm is cheaply made, it’s got what is probably a very impressive budget! And it isn’t like the director is necessarily wholly incompetent, he’s directed several live-action movies and dramas! And Crunchyroll, who deal exclusively in anime, must surely have some idea of what does and does not make a good anime!

And yet, multiple people signed off on this animated series whose staff did not include animators.

If you ever needed a more perfect crystallisation of the idea of high-prestige and low-prestige work in entertainment, and the idea that the industry elevates individuals in managerial positions while devaluing the teams under them, just - just think about that. Think about Yoshimatsu Kimura, who has never directed an animated series before in his entire career, declaring that he was just going to hire his usual live-action team, and multiple producers going��“I see no way this could go wrong.”

It sounds absolutely absurd, like a parody of the industry’s devaluation of certain workers, and yet it actually happened, and then Kimura declared that Ex-Arm was going to be the best science fiction anime ever created and make every other work in the genre look like trash.

I don’t understand how anyone could find that less than riveting. 

But it doesn’t even stop there!

So Kimura, the music director, is a guitar teacher and part-time DJ under the name SIGMA X81. He’s never worked on an anime before, and his music is ... pretty terrible, to be honest. Not the worst, but, like, if you listen to it, and then you heard ‘And this was composed and played by a middle-aged guitar teacher who is also a small-time DJ,’ you’d go ‘Yeah, no, that tracks.’

Tommy Morton, the writer, is also a first-time writer, and appears to not ... actually ... speak Japanese? Like, anime adaptations that utilise a Japanese animation team but which are initially written in English and dubbed into Japanese after the fact aren’t uncommon these days, especially on streaming platforms, that’s what the excellent Castlevania was and also what the equivalently terrible Dragon’s Dogma was. But there’s two differences here: Firstly, Ex-Arm is adapted from a manga that hasn’t been localised into English yet, which means that Morton was either translating as well as writing, or that he was working with a translator and writing based on their work, neither of which is ideal. The second difference is that Ex-Arm wasn’t scripted and recorded in English and then dubbed into Japanese, but rather seems to have been translated from the manga, scripted in English, translated back into Japanese, and then recorded in Japanese.

And as you can probably tell by now, Crunchyroll’s seeming intent here was to give first-time directors (for anime, at least), composers, writers etc a platform to get their names out there, which is very admirable. Unfortunately, they picked a director who didn’t think he needed animators, a composer who’s a middling DJ, and -- I mean, admittedly, the writing is the most competent part of the whole production here, even if it’s not that great.

Just ... fascinating. If we emerged from the hellscape of 2020 for one thing, it was so we could bear witness to Ex-Arm, and I say that without even a hint of irony or sarcasm. They say you learn more from failure than success, and Ex-Arm is a masterclass, far and away the most interesting anime of the decade from a production standpoint.

The only real victims here are HiRock and Shinya Komi, the writer and artist of the manga respectively. I’ve never read the manga, although the art actually looks really good, but it was well-received enough to get a sequel despite being in a pretty competitive magazine. I can only imagine that they are horrified by what became of its adaptation.

[selinakidreams]

hello hello hello ! this is my comfort piece for @doinmybesthere ‘s mental health awareness month collab! and I’d just like to say a huge thank you to emme for creating such a wonderful collab and thank you for letting me be apart of it.

paring: kirishima eijirou (I’m talking 7ft big strongman vibes) x empathic quirk f!reader (established relationship)

word count: 3.7k +

genre: hurt/comfort + fluff

warnings: mentions of anxiety & toxic friendships, instigating with means to harm- please let me know if I missed anything!!

a/n: this I think,, was the best way to approach what has tormented me for years. it was a reoccurring thing for me but I never handled it properly, and just this year, someone important taught me that I deserve more than what I’ve been putting myself through. so here it is! I also think that once my schedule clears up, I’m gonna make a sister piece to this but idk !! let me know if you guys would be interested in that!

++ the absolute biggest thank you to my betas/flow checkers @doinmybesthere @lady-bakuhoe @keishinslove BIG kith

pss. the first person who can guess my love language based off this fic wins a prize

Turning other’s confidence to despair, gloating to fear, persistence to tiredness, motivation into loss- but all you felt was drained. The overuse of your quirk left your head feeling full of cotton; Your chest heaving and vision slightly blurry. 

You arrived late to the fight because what started as a relaxing day off quickly turned into a rush to get to the streets. Thankfully Red Riot had been on the scene, waist-deep and stalling a full-fledged fight between two combat villains until backup came. 

His tired eyes met yours and you flashed him a hopeful smile until witnessing the villain get a short-termed upper hand. They landed a solid punch, which caused you to feel not only the repercussions of the shock-inducing impact but your building guilt of being a distraction.

Years of training reminded you not to let it get to your head, your hero instincts kicking in after emotionally experiencing that strike. Heart pumping with adrenaline, you began to focus your heart and mind, simultaneously tuning into what those around you were feeling, never forgetting to keep your eyes wide and alert. 

Confidence, eagerness, perseverance, exhaustion, determination. 

Taking a breath as you ease into a rhythm, you kept your sights on the two people who were attacking the boulder of a hero and finally, a steady grasp.

Quirk at work, the familiar mental image of loose strings flowing in the wind appeared, and you grabbed a hold of them, symbolizing that you had caught hold of their feelings and wasted no time on bending and contorting to your will. You watched as their actions became slower and less motivated, making it easier for Kirishima to handle. He must have realized what was happening, a new surge of elation pumped through him as he began to knock both of the villains down a peg. 

Seeing him fight had always been such a marvel to watch; it was so easy to be mesmerized by the sheer enthusiasm he had while trying to keep the balance and execute justice. Kirishima Eijirou was a hero in all senses of the word- and not just any hero, your hero- as cheesy as it sounded.

Secured under his weight and possibly unconscious, Red Riot looked around, a bit disheveled, until his gaze found yours. Expecting to be met with the warm sincere smile that always made your heart flutter, your heart sunk when you saw his eyes turn wide and frantic as he called out your hero name. 

On top of feeling a bit dizzy from honing into those particular subjects and manipulating two people at once, a wave of distress washed over you, adding to the unfavorable aftermath of pushing your quirk. 

You were quick to whip around, finding another villain was closing in closer than expected. You dropped all previous controls and focused solely on the person in front of you. 

“You had gotten better since the last time I saw you,” they sneered as they attempted to land a hard-hitting kick to your stomach. 

Missing by a hair, you pushed past the dreariness in your head and went straight into a defensive position.

The close-cut dodge wasn’t the only thing to throw you off; now you had realized why Kirishima looked at you like that; your traumatic past, the one you had divulged to him in the safety of your home, warbling with tears streaking your cheeks, was coming back to roughhouse with the intent of ending in a knockout. 

Fear twisted into gut-wrenching anxiety; the plummeting feeling hit the bottom of your stomach with a harsh thud.

In front of you stood the unmistakable frame of someone you had considered to be one of your closest friends for a time; someone that seemed so natural to be with, someone you divulged secrets and shared smiles with, someone that had made it seem like separation was not an option- now turned villain, sporting a suited evil smirk smeared on their face. 

It was hard not to let the tears collect on your waterline, thinking about the whirlwind of your relationship as your gaze met theirs for the first time in years. Months and months of triggered breakdowns, cold sweats from various nightmares, and countless tears have been shed as time progressed, the sinking feeling of long-lost fear that they had put you through now showing its ugly head; the thought you had convinced yourself for so long- that you ended up not even being worth their time starting to resurface. 

It had been hard to learn the lessons that were dealt and see the mistakes made on both parts- not just yours, to pick up all the shattered expectations of what a true friendship is, but you had. Now you were able to sort through the wrong sorts and had gotten emotionally and mentally stronger because of it; in many ways, the ending of the friendship helped you realize that there were ways you deserved to be treated, and like shit wasn’t one of them.

However, it almost seemed like all the progress you had made swirled down the drain now that they were in front of you. It was like you were experiencing the heartbreak of them ending the friendship all over again.

“Awww! The poor little hero is still heartbroken after I left her?” their tone patronizing as they jutted out their bottom lip to form an exaggerated pout. “Look at you! I can practically see the desperation on your face- desperate for me to come back? You’ve always been so fucking clingy. But you know, the news has you pinned as like... some kind of saint… no, no. You’re nothing but a selfish attention whore playing the good guy... so I just wanted to stop by and remind you of the truth.” they sneered, really aiming to trigger your trauma. 

You had opened up to them about all your fears; from the smallest to the all-consuming ones, so for them to be targeting you like this… they must have thought that you haven’t changed- and you fucking have. You worked damn hard to do so; You’ve grown and have started appreciating yourself more, started loving yourself more, started working on yourself more. The villain was only targeting your past worries, keyword, past.

Regardless, you were already feeling too much as is and the best thing you could do for yourself right now was to control yourself. 

The urge to take it personally was beyond tempting- to make them suffer as they had done to you, to watch them break right in front of you… But there was a specific way to handle this situation, one you’ve envisioned more than enough, the perfect high route. 

Quickly looking back to see how Kirishima was fairing, you were met with the rock hero in the process of cuffing the other two offenders, allowing you to feel a rush of relief. You turned around and mentally centered yourself. The convict seemed to put together what you were about to do, so without hesitation, they began charging only a second too late.

Taking a breath, the perfect feeling to muddle their prideful feeling down surged through you as you carefully knotted their violent stings together.

It was the feeling you faced when all was said and done after, the outcome you faced after you had gone through confronting all of the trauma that was built up by this person. 

All you felt was emptiness. 

When it hit them, you saw it in their eyes as they stopped in their tracks. No smugness, no pride, no cowardness. Nothing to egg them on and yet nothing to make them feel terrible. Blank. 

Before confusion slithered its way to their consciousness, you took the opportunity and roundhoused them- your efficient ankle sweep knocking their head to the floor, deeming them unconscious.

Crouching to the floor next to their body, you made sure they were breathing before cuffing them and standing back up, turning around you double-check on the scene behind you.

The police furthest from you were tucking the Red Riot’s villains in their cars while the others jogging towards you kept their eyes on the limp body behind you, Kirishima in tow. He looked incredibly tired but couldn’t seem to keep the smile off his face. He felt proud.

A weak smile graces your lips as you try to take a step, only to see your vision blur.

Great. 

The last thing you saw was the panicked look in his eyes as his pace quickened to a run in attempts to catch you. You faded out to the sound of an urgent call of your actual name before your body hit the ground with a thud. 

The next few hours came in slow-paced blinks. 

The first time you opened your eyes post-fight, your body felt heavy… but you were moving. It didn’t take long to realize that you were being carried by the muscular arms that you wake up to every morning. Slowly peeling your eyes open, the sight of his signature spikey red hair reminded you that what had just happened. Your boyfriend, the one who was on the scene with you, had witnessed you overcome one of the people that truly had left damage on you. He wasn’t looking at you, but staring straight ahead; by the way, his fingers curled around your bicep and thighs, it had been tough for him to watch everything that had gone down. 

You tried to call out his name, but it sounded stifled, sounding more like a broken whisper than anything. After another try, he seemed to have heard you, his ears perking up even though all the commotion- or maybe it was just ironic timing. When his red eyes caught the beaming smile you attempted to comfort him with, he tried to mimic it, only you could make out the way his bottom lip quiver. Your eyelids became unbearably heavy and for the second time, unconsciousness took its hold over you.

Blink.

The next time your eyes peeled open, you were being inspected by the all-to-familiar medical team. The inside of the ambulance was much brighter than it was outside, fluorescent lighting causing you to squint. Unnamable hands were touching your head and pulse points. When they noticed your eyes open, they tried to keep you awake as long as possible, the first step was sitting you up on the gurney. The first person you made eye contact with was your designated nurse- the one with the most comforting presence, was that part of her quirk? 

With a kind smile and knowing eyes, she jerked her head in the direction of the person she knew was first to come to mind. Following the movement, your gaze landed on Kirishima, who was standing off to the side and chewing on his nail, arms crossed against his chest. 

Had he already got checked out? Was he okay? 

When he noticed you were staring, he mustered up a small smile and in return, you slightly lifted both your hands to do a loose wave in attempts to warm up his smile. It worked.

“Okay c’mon, you know how these checkups go- you can go be with your boyfriend once we know you’re okay.” your nurse teased, knowing full well that a serious approach wasn’t going to work with you being this drowsy. 

You merely nodded in response, head and eyelids still heavy.

 The rest of the examination went by speedily, you being awake making everything go ten times smoother. After everything was checked and you were clear to go home, the nurses moved to talk to Kirishima as you moved to the edge of the ambulance, waiting for them to finish. 

“I’m so lucky that you’re not only my hero but also a registered caregiver. Well actually… both are pretty super...” You mumbled, trailing off with a lazy smile, lids finally starting to accept the losing battle of staying open. 

“Nooo, you’re lucky that it’s the overuse of your quirk that’s keeping you out of the hospital and not fatal injuries. It’s not manly to push yourself too hard.” he quipped back in a light playful tone; He didn’t miss how hard you were fighting to stay awake. “Baby, can you make it to the car or do you want me to carry you?” 

It was moments like this where you appreciated how comfortable Kirishima made you feel in your relationship; feeling no shame when you revert to a clingy pile of mush. Reaching out, you let your eyes close as you mimic grabby hands to your enormous boyfriend. 

You hear him sigh as he kneels in front of you, opening your eyes in time to catch his broad back muscles shifting, “c’mon love, you need to help me with this bit.”

You clumsily climb on his back and loosely wrap your arms around his neck, standing up with ease. He quickly adjusts you against him to get a better hold on your thighs. Once he begins walking, you let yourself subside back into unconsciousness.

Blink.

You were jolted awake when you felt yourself falling, only for your behind to hit a familiar cushiony surface. Oh right, the car. Before you could fade out once again, you heard Kirishima say something about going to grab the paperwork so the both of you can file your reports later when you wake up. The last thought you were able to think was something along the lines of how incredibly lucky you were to have someone love you so deeply.

Blink.

Waking up to the view of the city lights twinkling below your balcony and the energy of a healthy 8 hours of sleep, you stretch the rest of the drowsiness out of your body till you feel ready to accept the hefty amount of paperwork that’s waiting for you in the other room. 

The only light that illuminated your bedroom was the reflection of the living room lights on the hallway floors. Before getting up, you spared a glance at your nightstand, seeing a glass of water with a note underneath, as predicted; this happened more often than not after a battle. You reach out and take the glass in hand and take a steady sip before letting in more and more water, then reading the messy little note:

 in the livingroom <3 

You smiled at the little doodle he drew- two characters that seem a lot like the two of you, kissing, with a sparkly heart over their heads.

The need to recreate this drawing was growing at an incredible speed.

With newfound determination, you push yourself up from the bed and shuffle to the living room, squinting when the light becomes a little too harsh against your eyes.

Eyes fully closed when you get to the center of the living room, purposely facing the wrong way and trying to suppress a giggle, you try to use the most monotone voice you could muster.

“Kiri - where are you I can’t see.” 

“Your eyes are closed- babe, open your eyes.” 

“No it’s too bright but I saw this cute drawing on the nightstand done by this really talented artist and I must recreate it please recreate it with me.”

You heard a bit of shuffling before his voice came close to your left side.

“Was it a pretty manly drawing?” 

“I would like to think so.”

He was much closer at this point, shifted to somewhere close in front of you right before warm lips were on yours; as quick as the peck came, it was gone in a flash followed by the sound of him plopping down on the couch.

“Wait Eijirou-” you start to pout as you turn in the direction where the couch is, eyes now fully open and set on Kirishima until the shock of pain shot through your nerve endings. 

“Ah, shit! Fuck!…” you wince, lifting your leg to hug your newly stubbed toe.

Kirishima is back by your side in an instant, really trying to suppress his laugh but doing a terrible job.

“You’re such a jerk for laughing,” you pout, giving your best attempt of a proper shove… and he didn’t even budge. 

There was a moment of complete silence then the booming of your boyfriend’s boisterous laughs bouncing off the walls. Rolling your eyes, you limped over to the spot on the couch where he was previously sitting, and as the cushion beside you dips, you sigh. 

The sight in front of you was a disheveled mess. Scribbled on papers were thrown about- most were filled out but there were a few that were blank, pens and highlighters could be spotted under and over random reports.

“I did most of the reports… but I didn’t know if you wanted to fill out yours… because of who you were fighting.” he slowly stated, as if he were walking on eggshells. You could tell that he was holding back from hitting the main issue. 

Was this something you were ready to unbiasedly talk about? Kirishima knew most of the details, but he also realized that you probably wanted to talk about it more now that you’ve not only seen them after all this time but had to fight them. 

With another sigh, you let your head fall into your palms- your elbows digging into your thighs- and you roughly rub your eyes before coming up for a new breath of air. 

“My heart was pounding…” you started, attempting to prepare for the unwanted wave of grief, but as you trailed off, oddly enough, it never came. 

When reflecting on the fight, you remembered the range of emotions you felt, but now… you just felt… empty- which was ironic. No sadness, longing, anxiety… if anything, with your caring redhead staring at you with the roundest eyes, you felt at ease. 

“But honestly? I don’t really feel much right now. Like I can say that when looking back, I think I handled myself in the best way possible- they don’t deserve to have that satisfaction of creating a rise out of me, and quite frankly… I’m tired, Ei. I’m so tired of letting them have that hold on me. I don’t deserve that kind of pain. As much as I am a hero, I need to think about myself as a person and there’s only so much I can endure. My mental and emotional health comes first.” 

After saying all of that, there was a slight hint of relief that flooded your system; you already began to feel lighter.

“I’m so proud of you. I know that must have been really hard to face but you did it, and you were so good about it,” he whispered as he reached out for your thigh. 

Accepting his comfort, you sucked in another breath and smiled up at him. He held and returned your smile for a couple of seconds before slightly leaning in, his eyes flickering from your eyes to your lips. 

“Would it be alright if I.. kiss you?” it was such a heart-warming gesture, how he was making sure you weren’t pushing yourself. 

“More than alright,” you whisper, barely getting out the last word because of how quickly the gap between you two closed. The kiss was comfort in the rawest form; his pace was slow, his large hand cupping your jaw as his tongue invaded your mouth. You were following his pace, your eyes coming to a close, melting into a relaxed state for what seemed like the first time today. 

Keeping the kiss light, he pulled away shortly, but not before placing a lingering peck on your lips, then one on your forehead and whispering, “I made you a snack. You’re probably hungry right now so I prepared you a little something filling. And while you eat, I’m gonna run a bath with some Epsom salt and lavender oil, does that sound good?” 

Overwhelming gratitude washed over you. Words couldn’t possibly measure even the bare minimum of the love you have for Kirishima Eijirou, and yet you managed to string a soft, “You are the most wonderful person in the world, and I… Eijirou I love you so much.” 

His eyes became a little teary as he looked down at you, a wobbly smile in place before whispering a returning “I love you,” before heading into the bathroom to run the water in your massive tub. 

As the thundering sound of the water filling the tub echo through your apartment, you get up and rummage the fridge to find a plate of adorably cut red apples with a glob of peanut butter off to the side. 

“Baby do you want tea?” You call out just loud enough, “I’m gonna brew that green tea with the toasted rice!” 

He came into the kitchen looking big and confused, “what did you say, baby?”

“Green tea?”

“Oh yes, please,” he said, leaning in and planting a kiss to your temple before turning back to the bathroom. 

“Kiri? Can you put on the house shows on the tv? I forgot what channel they were on.”

You didn’t need to turn around to hear tv turn on; a shout of thanks was called out before you took a bite of your snack.

It felt all very domestic, something you never thought could happen to you. Your childhood was a montage of quirk abuse, being emotionally used, following the same types of toxic people, and never learning your lesson. It all flipped somewhere in your twenties- you began to realize the pattern after being shown the kindness the world could offer. No longer world you put up with bullshit like that. You knew better now and Eijirou always reminded you of that. 

You were halfway through one of your favorite flipping shows when Kirishima came in shirtless, letting you know the bath was ready, “Okay my love, it’s ready. Take your time, I‘ll be in the tub.”

You stripped on your way to the bathroom, leaving all your clothes on the bench in the bedroom before padding into the warm-tiled bathroom.

The view you stepped in on was delicious; your huge boyfriend taking up most of the tub, his head tilted back against the wall, eyes closed.

“Gee red, you’re so sexy.” you aimed to tease, but your words came out a bit strained. He chuckles before turning to face you and groaning your name, “hurry up and come in here.”

And it’s then when you’re submerged in all the heat and laying against your boyfriend’s warmth, do you remember that life is what you make it to be. Never accept anything less than the love and care you deserve.

Blink.

[therealvinelle]

Tucker and Dale and Aro vs. Evil

So, I wrote this meta explaining what the Volturi’s failure to stop Victoria looked like to the Cullens, tonight I write my theory on why this was allowed to happen. Well, the way this meta ended up I write a bunch of theories, and debunk them one by one until we arrive at the one true theory that I think makes sense.

Now, one thing is clear: Jane had orders not to stop Victoria’s army. We know that for sure. The question is who gave it.

Theory: Aro was behind it

Aro gave Jane the order to let Victoria’s army wreak havoc in Seattle for months because he wished the Cullens harm.

Before we get into any of the different scenarios trying to figure out what motive Aro would have, or why Aro would even do such a thing, I’ll remind readers that in New Moon, Edward broke the law in the middle of Volterra. Alice then brought a human who knew about vampires into the palace. Aro had every justification to punish them, yet he let them all go. This was an act of generosity. For this theory to be true, Aro would have to do a complete 180 in the two months that passed between St. Marcus’ Day and Jane’s deployment to Seattle.

Scenario 1: Aro wanted Alice (and Edward, according to Edward)

Relevant meta. TL;DR, Edward brings nothing to the table, Alice doesn’t bring a lot either. This scenario depends on Aro not realizing as much.

Now, he is very excited about Alice’s gift, and would love for her to join, that is true. However, he saw all her thoughts, all that she is, he knows her better than anybody in the world. He knows her limitations as well as she does. Would recruiting her be worth letting a newborn army reign in Seattle?

Let’s assume that Aro thinks Alice is worth all of this. Why would he let the newborns attack the Cullens, when there was a chance Alice would be killed? Edward too, for that matter, assuming Aro wanted him. A recruitment plan that breaks your own law and endangers the life of your recruit-to-be could only be explained by madness or else stupidity. And Aro is not stupid.

Assuming that Aro is mad, there’s the damning argument: Chelsea wasn’t part of the team. 

(And yes, I know for sure she wasn’t part of the team. There were five Volturi, and they’re described as follows: 

I knew it would be Jane in the front — the darkest cloak, almost black, and the smallest figure by more than two feet. (Eclipse, page 331)

Jane is 4′8″, Chelsea is 5′3″. Now, Felix is 6′7″, so Bella’s estimate is a tiny bit off, but Chelsea is a tiny woman a mere seven inches taller than Jane. Bella couldn’t have mistaken that for being two feet. So, Chelsea wasn’t present.)

When Aro wants to recruit someone, he sends Chelsea. He did not send Chelsea in Eclipse.

I hereby declare the theory that Aro didn’t interfere because he wanted to recruit Alice debunked.

Scenario 2: Aro wanted to destroy the Cullens

If Aro wanted the Cullens dead, they would be dead. He has an elite force of killing machines. There’s no need for newborn armies in Seattle.

The movie tries to explain the fact that Aro hasn’t moved against them with the fact that Alice would know. Well, the movie is dumb. What would it matter if she knew? The dead don’t speak. Alice could try alerting other vampires to the tragic impending fate of the Cullens, but this wouldn’t save her. More, the Cullens live among humans and presently have a human living among them. Aro could easily make a case if anybody had questions afterwards. He could also just make something up, as Edward is so fond of accusing him of doing.

There’s the PR issue, that Aro’s critics would get a lot of ammunition against him if he executed an innocent coven, but not stopping Victoria was a lot worse for his image. Victoria’s army made international news for weeks on end. It made the Volturi look weak.

Let’s assume, though, that Aro wants the Cullens destroyed, and thought letting a newborn army wreak havoc was a good way of accomplishing this. Bottom line is that he wants them dead.

If that’s the case, then they would have been killed by Jane after the newborn battle.

The world would have been told that the Cullens tragically perished against the newborns, and that it was the Volturi who stopped them. It would have been perfectly plausible, the Cullens are malnourished pacifists who live with humans. No one would bat an eyelid at a coven led by Carlisle Cullen succumbing to a newborn army. They would have, too, if it weren’t for the shapeshifters.

So, Jane’s orders don’t match up with this scenario.

And then there’s the matter of what Aro’s motive would even be.

We see in New Moon and again in Breaking Dawn that he cherishes his friendship with Carlisle. Now, Aro is capable of killing what he loves, but that’s when backed into a corner (he was going to lose Marcus, Carlisle had created an immortal child). Carlisle in Eclipse was minding his own business and not backing anybody into any corners.

This exchange in particular comes to mind:

“But how can your intent possibly matter, dear Carlisle, in the face of what you have done?” He frowned, and a shadow of sadness crossed his features—whether it was genuine or not, I could not tell. 

“I have not committed the crime you are here to punish me for.” 

“Then step aside and let us punish those responsible. Truly, Carlisle, nothing would please me more than to preserve your life today.” (Breaking Dawn, page 434)

This is a lot of things, but it’s not a man who wants Carlisle dead.

(That question of whether his sadness is genuine or not is a great example of unreliable narrating in these books. Aro has no reason to fake sadness, and if he did want to fake it he’d presumably do more than a subtle “shadow of sadness”. However, Bella has been told only terrible things about him and views him as a murderous tyrant, so her first instinct when he displays human emotion is that it can’t be real.)

Let’s assume, though, that something about the Cullens offends Aro so much that he’s willing to kill his best friend over it, and in a particularly roundabout way involving newborn armies at that.

Why would he be arguing in favor of them increasing their numbers in New Moon? Bella was clearly gifted, and yet he wouldn’t let the Cullens leave until he had reassurance that she would be one of them.

I guess his motive would be that the Cullens are a threat, but one wonders how when all these people do is eat deer and play house. They’re weird, but they abide by the law, I imagine far better than most vampires out there. More, they’re led by Carlisle, an infamous pacifist who's friends with Aro.

I don’t see the threat.

And, again, if Aro somehow did, the Cullens would be dead.

Scenario 3: Aro wanted Alice, and to destroy the Cullens

Including this one because I’ve seen variations of it floating around. Aro has so many evil plans, he executes them all at once and hope one will stick.

If he wanted this, he would send Chelsea along, execute the Cullens for harboring human Bella or in any of the ways outlined in scenario 2, and make Alice join him. End of story.

Conclusion: Aro had nothing to do with it

If Aro was behind the Eclipse clusterfuck, there would be no Breaking Dawn because the Cullens would be dead or trapped in Volterra.

However, his life is Tucker and Dale vs. Evil, so he looks really really shady.

And the meta is now thirteen hundred words, so we’re making it a two-parter.

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

What if Bella had met the Volturi's as a child? What would it change and what ties do you think it would have?

It’d change a fair amount, as in, the entire plot of Twilight would have been derailed. Or, that is, it might change nothing at all.

So, we have three options here. 

Nothing Changes

Bella is an extraordinarily delicious child visiting Italy and the small medieval town of Volterra.

If Bella doesn’t happen to be on the tour, probably whoever’s looking at her sighs, looks longingly at her delicious blood, and then walks away. The Volturi do not lose control in their own city.

Bella goes on her merry way and Twilight presumably happens. Except maybe Bella goes to Alice, “Oh yeah, Volterra, I went there once. Nifty place, nice buildings.” Alice stares.

Bella’s Eaten

Bella’s an extraordinarily delicious child whose mother thinks it’s a great idea to sign them up for the tour of Volterra castle. It’s a very exclusive tour you know! Bella’s eaten almost immediately, she’s probably fought over, Jane gets one limb and Alec gets another.

Years later, Edward arrives in Forks, his personal purgatory where he listens to the banal thoughts of teenagers. Bella Swan does not arrive. Edward continues to be miserable and depressed.

The Cullens have a game of baseball with James, Laurent, and Victoria. Unfortunately, James recognizes Alice, and is intrigued enough to come after her. Unfortunately, Alice is a vampire and not a human with human relatives to hold hostage. The Cullens murder him, Laurent flees to have sex with the sexy Denali ladies, and Victoria swears vengeance upon Jasper.

Unfortunately, her gift tells her that any attempt to murder Jasper will end up with her dead. Jasper doesn’t give her the time needed to plan. He hunts her down and murders her in cold blood.

Carlisle has the world’s worst weekend. 

Edward is still depressed and concludes this is why vampires are abominations without souls. Irina gets to keep her boyfriend, he cheats on the diet and leaves within the year. Irina drowns herself in rebound sex with pretty mortals to try and feel better abou tbeing dumped. It doesn’t work.

Aro Discovers Bella

And this is probably the route you were thinking of.

Perhaps Aro’s taking a midnight stroll with Renata, perhaps he catches Bella on the tour, but somehow he manages to meet her and happens to brush her hand. Suddenly, eating Bella is off the table forever.

Bella’s gift isn’t game changing in the way Alec and Jane’s were, necessarily, but it is something Aro does not want falling into enemy hands and something he may one day need.

He’d probably do something similar to what he intended to do with Alec and Jane. He’d leave her to live her mortal life, keep close tabs on her, and turn her when she’s a young adult (probably around twenty).

Which means Bella returns to America, probably tailed by Demetri, and has no awareness that she is at some poing going to become an immortral blood drinking creature and move to Italy to become a member of an ancient vampire sect.

Bella moves to Forks, she has a run in with Edward Cullen who very nearly eats her, Demetri calls Aro to say “we have a problem”. At first, Aro isn’t too concerned, he’s delighted to hear that Carlisle’s alive and well and my god he has a coven now. Given Edward is Carlisle’s progeny, Aro is probably sure Edward will leave the city completely to avoid temptation and the others will quickly move on.

Edward’s back within the week. He attends school. He sits within a foot of Bella Swan in Biology class.

Demetri at this point probably summons Bella out of school in the middle of Biology with no warning, gets her the hell away from Edward, and has to come up with the world’s most ridiculous lie of why she should never enter within 20 feet of Edward Cullen ever again.

Demetri is a federal agent and Edward is under suspicion of being a sexual predator and serial murderer. Here are all the women who have disappeared in various towns the Cullen family have lived in.

Bella is of course horrified and shocked, but given Edward’s reaction in that first Biology class and his weirdness in the second one... 

Aro calls Carlisle. It’s a very awkward talk. Carlisle apologizes for not writing in forever he got... distracted. Aro says it’s fine, no big, CARLISLE MISSED WATCHING THE MOON LANDING WITH HIM. But regardless, Aro is calling to ask him what the fuck.

Aro tells him about Bella, Carlisle is very uncomfortable with this girl having no choice but to become a vampire and no idea what’s going to happen to her, but there’s no talking Aro out of it. He’s even more uncomfortable that he has been begging Edward to skip town but, for some unknown reason that is perhaps pride, Edward is refusing. 

“All these worlds are yours,” Aro undoubtedly says, “Except Europa, attempt no landing there.”

In other words, hands off Isabella Swan.

Carlisle tells Edward. Edward is appalled and conflicted. At this point, he’s unwillingly fascinated by Bella but has not yet decided he’s in love. He doesn’t quite have her Carlisle persona crafted yet  and so she’s not the saintly figure deserving of worship. Right now she’s just this plain, boring, girl who dared to smell delicious.

So, a part of him thinks it serves her right. Now she will suffer for all eternity as he does. More, he can save face, the monster inside him can go back to sleep for her days are number and he can pretend he’s the wonderful person everyone thinks he is. Everything will remain as exactly as it is. EDWARD IS FINE, THIS IS FINE.

Another part of him panics. First, this girl is condemned to the worst future imaginable. Not only is she becoming a demon, but a blood drinking demon at Blood Drinking Demon HQ. More, if she becomes a vampire, no blood for Edward. And remember, this is a scent he would scour the world for. Edward salivates over the thought of her blood, obsesses over it constantly, and fantasizes over how he will devour her. Suddenly, Edward may not be able to eat her. In canon, the option of eating her is always on the table, and some part of Edward is always thinking about it, always leaving it open. Here, it’s soon to be gone.

Edward probably sneaks into her room at night to watch over her sleep. Telling himself he’s protecting her from meteors but also realizing that he’s there to test his own will power and ponder over the future in which he quietly eats her in the middle of the night. 

Now, this can go two ways

Bella wakes up, and that guy Demetri said is a sexual predator targeting her is IN HER BEDROOM LOOKING SCARY AS FUCK. Bella undoubtedly screams bloody murder and tries to hit Edward with something.

Edward panics at the noise and eats her. Then when Charlie comes running he eats Charlie Swan too. The house is an utter blood bath, Edward stands there in a daze knowing the monster inside him has won. He no longer looks anything like Carlisle Cullen (this is a thing Edward does).

Probably though, Demetri is there. Which means Edward has heard his thoughts from the beginning. While Edward has the overconfidence of Gilderoy Lockhart, and tells Bella things like the laws of physics not applying to his driving or that he could beat Jasper in a fight with both hands tied behind his back, usually when push comes to shove he knows where he stands. (He tries to fight Jane in Volterra, it doesn’t go well, and he acts very meek at being confronted by Jane, Felix, etc. When he fights Victoria, he doesn’t fight at all, but just blathers nonsense and it somehow works out for him.)

So, while Edward will tell Jasper later that he totally could have taken Demetri, he’s not going to try. 

So, instead, Demetri goes, “Hey buddy, looking for a midnight snack?” and Edward shuffles and petulantly asks, “Aren’t you looking for a midnight snack?!” Edward’s here to protect Bella, you see. Demetri just nods, of course, Edward’s here to protect Bella.

They stare at each other.

Neither leaves.

Eventually, Edward slinks away, feeling very disgusted with himself, angry and Demetri, and internally raging that he didn’t get to eat Bella.

Demetri calls Aro and notes that they’ve got to turn the girl. Demetri cannot watch her 24/7 and this boy is 100% going to eat her. Aro hops on a plane in record time, bringing Renata, and makes an awkward visit to both Carlisle and Bella.

Aro tells Bella the truth about Edward which is... a little different but also pretty scary, the truth about what’s going to happen to her and why it’s important, and anything else she wants to know.

I imagine Bella quietly and stoically accepts her fate. 

Edward doesn’t get to eat Bella Swan. He feels very conflicted about it and is filled with self-loathing that he’s conflicted about it. I imagine the Madonna complex he holds for Bella blossoms at this point, and he later comes to Italy with the intent to free her from the Volturi clutches.

This doesn’t work out. 

Knowing Edward, his attempts increase in desperation until, finally, he does something very illegal in an attempt to free her and make up for damning her to this life.

The Volturi are forced to execute Edward.

Carlisle gets yet another awkward, terrible, phone call from Aro.

[robininthelabyrinth]

Spilled Pearls

- Chapter 25 - ao3 -

“Qiren-xiong! Qiren-xiong!”

Lan Qiren opened his eyes, disoriented and confused at being so abruptly disturbed in such an unexpected fashion. This sort of shouting and running around were not permitted in the Cloud Recesses, lest they disturb the cultivation or quiet contemplation of others, and anyway he had never heard such panic in Lan Yueheng’s voice before. Not even with his first explosion, back when he’d still been afraid of fire.

“Yueheng-xiong?” he asked, unfolding his legs from his meditation posture. Taking that as permission, Lan Yueheng burst through his door. “What’s happened?”

“Something terrible,” Lan Yueheng said. His cheeks were pale, his eyes wild; Lan Qiren had never seen him like that. “Qiren-xiong…it’s your brother – no. It’s He Kexin.”

“Say one, say the other,” Lan Qiren said dryly, trying to lighten the mood a little without any success. “What about her?”

“She’s killed someone.”

“What?” Lan Qiren stood up almost too fast, and his head spun. “Who? Not one of ours?”

“A teacher!” Lan Yueheng wailed. “I don’t know which one, but one of them – an honored teacher – she killed him – ”

Lan Qiren rushed out the door, a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach. There were teachers he liked and teachers he didn’t like, teachers that were good at teaching and teachers that were poor, but they were all his teachers – teacher for a day, father for a lifetime, as the saying went.

Even the ones he didn’t get along with so well, he’d made up with in time, and he was on good enough terms with all of them now. So was his brother, for that matter…

A horrible thought occurred to Lan Qiren: would this be the thing that finally broke his brother’s madness? Was blood truly necessary to wash away his obsession – or would he persist onwards, ignoring even this?

Surely that was impossible.

Surely not even their family’s love-madness –

Lan Qiren felt even sicker, and hurried his pace still further. 

He knew the histories of the Lan sect better than many others. After all, it was his personal family history as well as the sect's history, and there had been a period in his life when he had briefly focused in on that history to the exclusion of everything else as a subset of his interest in the Lan sect rules; in retrospect, it had probably been in part a misguided subconscious attempt to make himself fit in with the rest of them through study and sheer force of will.

Unfortunately, that knowledge meant that he knew enough not to be able to even finish that thought. His family’s tendency towards love-madness was truly terrible, a panacea in small doses and poison in large: his ancestors had achieved miracles that no one had anticipated on behalf of their loved ones, but they’d done terrible things for love, too. When it was good, there was nothing better; when it went bad, there was no limit to what they might do. There was a reason everyone had been just waiting around hoping for his brother to get over it by himself…

Lan Qiren made it to the hanshi and saw several of his elders there, including a few teachers. Each one he saw and recognized made his heart relieved, and yet also tighten in terror: what about the rest?

Which one had been lost? Which familiar face would he never see again?

He didn’t doubt Lan Yueheng for a second. If he said that someone had died, it must be true - and even if he had harbored any such hopes, the grim expressions on everyone’s faces made clear that there was nothing good to be found here.

It was all happening too quickly. He didn’t have time to think.

(Who would be gone from their holiday feasts, their seat left empty or taken up by someone new? Whose voice would go missing from their debates, their wisdom and insight lost forever? His swordfighting teacher, who he’d butted heads with more often than not? His music teacher, who had praised him and defended him as a child? Who?)

“Qiren, good, you’re here,” one of the elders said upon seeing him, waving him forward and glaring at the other disciples milling around until they scattered. “You’re needed – there must be a trial.”

“Of course,” Lan Qiren said, suddenly alarmed at the suggestion that there might not be one. If there was a death, there would need to be a trial; their sect valued the rules, and would never condone an outright execution without appropriate judgment.  “Yueheng-xiong said – a murder?”

“A killing,” the elder confirmed. “It looks to be murder, but there’s been no investigation yet – but she’s admitted committing the act.”

There was no need to specify who. In the last month or so, there had been only one person on everyone’s lips.

Lan Qiren swallowed, braced himself. “Who was the victim?”

Hearing the name was like receiving a blow, making him stagger and want to sit down.

Neither his teacher in the sword, with whom Lan Qiren shared a small enmity and who his brother adored, nor his music teacher, who Lan Qiren held dearest of all and his brother was indifferent towards - but the old one, the one that spoke up only rarely, preferring to spend most of his time sleeping, but which always put in a good word for everyone whenever he did so. 

He was one of their oldest, well-meaning if perhaps too strict, a respected teacher for years and years. He had been their father’s teacher, once, and Lan Qiren remembered how he used to keep sweets in his pockets and distribute them to the juniors - in some cases, long after they were too old for such things. Lan Qiren remembered his brother’s long-suffering expression when he was “snuck” such a treat well into his adolescence; he remembered, too, how his brother had eaten the candy anyway and how it had improved his mood - he had even smiled in amusement at Lan Qiren when he had gobbled his own down without any grace at all. 

He had praised Lan Qiren’s academic skills and encouraged him - had been one of the ones who took him to see his father every month as a child, had been one of the few who had scolded Lan Qiren’s brother for not being kind because not even Lan Qiren’s father could prevent him. He had a reputation for being a little overbearing, a little nosy, a little tactless with the carelessness of age, but that had mostly come from how much he wanted everyone to get along. 

He was someone who was greatly respected and admired by everyone.

“Why?” Lan Qiren choked out. 

It made no sense for He Kexin to kill him. If anything, she should have seen him as a natural ally: he was one of the ones who most vociferously opposed the match.

In fairness, by this point, most of the teachers had settled on that position, reluctant as they were to reach that conclusion when it was something that Lan Qiren’s brother so obviously wanted. It was simply too clear to everyone that He Kexin, whatever her somewhat improved opinion of ‘her’ Qingheng-jun was, was not interested in becoming Madame Lan, either now or later. 

If Lan Qiren’s brother had had any notion of true filial piety, if he had been strictly taught the rules and taught to keep to the rules, he would have dropped the suit long ago, knowing that his sect demanded more from him than what he was giving to it. But he wasn’t, and he hadn’t, and Lan Qiren recalled with great bitterness all the times when his brother had equated the well-being of the sect with his own interests and no one had opposed him, least of all their father. 

Here was where it all ended up. 

“Why did she kill him?” he asked.

“We don’t know.”

“Worse than that,” one of the others said, hands gripped so tightly behind his back that his shoulders bent backwards. “We don’t know...the sect leader has been informed, but he has not yet issued a judgment.”

He meant that he didn’t know if Lan Qiren’s brother even would.

Lan Qiren shook his head. “Uphold the value of justice,” he said, and looked at his teachers and elders sidelong. “Take the straight path, reject the crooked path. Do not take a life within the premises. The rules are quite clear: a murder within the Cloud Recesses calls for a trial, and for a harsh response, no matter the personal cost. Do you agree?”

The elders looked back at him, surprised: Lan Qiren had never cited the rules as a warning before. He had never made clear that he, at least, would have no intention of stepping aside this time – brother or no brother, sect leader or no sect leader, this was simply a step too far. There were rules that could be bent and rules that could be broken, ones that could be responded to with punishments and others that had to be dealt with harshly, living up to the demands of justice no matter how bitter.

If they bent the rules on something like this – there would be no point in having the rules at all. They would only be making a mockery of them, paying lip service when whole-hearted adherence was what was required; they might as well throw them out entirely rather than let themselves become hypocrites of the worst sort. Lan Qiren knew that he tended towards inflexibility, that he was too stern and too unforgiving, but this was the sort of thing that simply could not be forgiven; they could not find a loophole, they could not be moved by mercy, they could not simply bow their heads and shrug their shoulders and look away this time, the way they had so many times before. 

If they allowed for power and influence, the protection of the sect leader, to overcome their principles – if they punished only those who were weak and had no backing, and refrained when it was the sect leader’s beloved – then they ought to lose the right to call themselves Gusu Lan.

“You’re right,” his teacher finally said. “The rules are clear. We must do what is right.”

“Yes,” Lan Qiren said, and braced himself. “No matter the cost, we must.”

This was going to hurt.

Not just his brother. Lan Qiren didn’t know what his lovesick brother would do in response to this fiasco, but he was certain it wouldn’t be good, not for him and not for her and not for any of them, the sect and all. This was going to hurt everyone.

But then again – hadn’t all this hurt them all already?

A feeling of deep foreboding settled deep in his gut, Lan Qiren entered the hanshi, where his brother was waiting, eyes narrow and features set and defiant, standing in front of He Kexin, her own features equally defiant and yet also strangely confused, as if despite the fact that her sleeve was still splattered with blood she had not yet absorbed what she had done.

When all the present elders and members of the main Lan clan had gathered – all the ones who, when all together and speaking in a single voice, were entitled to override the orders of the sect leader – the argument began in earnest.

Everything happened very quickly after that.

After, when it was all over, Lan Qiren didn’t remember the exact words said or the arguments made. He didn’t remember the rules he cited or the positions he took – he barely even remembered that he had for the first time in his life spoke out in earnest, acting as a full adult of the Lan clan with all the rights and privileges he had never felt truly entitled to claim, standing in actual opposition to his brother and refusing to yield and insisting that for once, for once, the rest of the sect refuse to yield alongside him. 

He didn’t remember much of anything else, either.

He didn’t remember the details of He Kexin’s defense, didn’t remember the stupid reasons she’d spouted for what she had done – her story only made sense if you assumed the worst in people, and then acted upon it without bothering to check. Thanks to Lan Qiren’s brother’s endless persistence, He Kexin had a terrible impression of the Lan sect; it had made it easy for her to believe it when her friend abruptly claimed that the teacher had engaged in misconduct, when in fact he had only correctly identified that He Kexin’s beloved ‘sister’ was using Qingheng-jun’s love-madness and indulgence to try to benefit her own sect, and had scolded her for it. 

He barely remembered the way He Kexin’s story had collapsed in the face of even the most basic of questioning, all of her assumptions falling apart one right after the other, and then falling apart even further in the face of actual presented evidence. The way that it became increasingly obvious that one of her friends had lied to her in order to manipulate her, had been lying for weeks on end and encouraging her to carry on the relationship just to take advantage of her. 

He scarcely recalled the exact words that were spoken when even He Kexin’s friend, already captured by Lan sect disciples on account of the crime and dragged in to give account, denounced He Kexin’s actions. If only she had been less arrogant, her friend complained, less overenthusiastic - she hadn’t mean to push He Kexin to go so far as to kill the man, had meant only for her to use her influence with Qingheng-jun to immunize them against the teacher’s criticism. Only in her excess disdain for the Lan sect, He Kexin had jumped straight to the worst conclusions and gone too far, and now she had now ruined everything…

The details didn’t matter.

What Lan Qiren did remember was the look of horror on He Kexin’s face when it all fell into place. He remembered how she stared down at her hands that had killed a man for so little purpose, for no purpose at all, on the basis of false accusations because of her blind trust and unwillingness to question, her refusal to communicate and her unwavering belief that she knew best. He remembered the alarm and very real fear that appeared when the first elder proposed a sentence of death, pointing out that the only appropriate resolution for such a pointless murder was the most severe, that it would be a life for a life in the traditions of the cultivation world –

Remembered the expression on her face when his brother proposed a different solution.

Remembered the expression on his brother’s face, fanatical and determined, the whites showing all around his eyes, the reckless madness of love writ all over his face – it had consumed him wholly. He had given himself away in full, and there was nothing left, nothing binding him back other than the duty that had always weighed him down.

Remembered how he had responded – what he had offered –  

“This cannot be,” Lan Qiren said numbly, walking out into the light of dawn – they had argued the whole night through before reaching the end. “What are we going to do?”

“Qingheng-jun is entitled to resign his position and enter permanent seclusion if he so wishes,” his music teacher said heavily, his voice nearly as dull and shocked as Lan Qiren’s. “His wife, whoever she may be, is entitled to do the same, matching her actions to his. It is our sect’s way: that those who travel the same path as Dao companions be allowed to continue down that same path, never being parted in life. The precedent was set years ago…”

“As was the one that dictates that those who are in permanent seclusion cannot be removed against their will for any reason,” his swordsmanship teacher said, his voice equally solemn. “Not even for trial, should a crime later be discovered. As their seclusion is permanent, they are removed from the world – they are considered as if already dead, never showing their face under the heavens.”

Lan Qiren knew all of this. He knew all the stories, all the rules, all the precedent – not that it had ever been used this way, but his brother had always been one to find loopholes in the rules, to bend their letter to his will rather than bend his neck to honor their spirit. If He Kexin was his wife, she could accompany him anywhere, including into seclusion; if they were both in seclusion, she could not be tried; if she could not be tried, she could not be found guilty and sentenced to die.

“He condemns her instead to a living death, then,” he said woodenly. “She doesn’t even – like him.”

“She is not the one who chose seclusion. She is welcome to leave at any time,” his swordsmanship teacher said bitterly. “Provided, of course, that she is willing to bear the cost and lose her life to pay for her crime.”

He Kexin wouldn’t do that, Lan Qiren knew. She was vivacious and bright, full of life and humor and hope; she feared death, as any regular person did, and she was not part of the Lan sect – she didn’t know how strict their seclusion was. She didn’t know how taxing it would be on her, how little she would see of the world, how disconnected and isolated she would be.  

There would be servants to care for her in her seclusion, but they would seek to minimize their presence as much as possible to avoid disturbing her, speaking to her only when necessary. She would be able to speak with her husband, to meet with him on occasion – their seclusion was technically shared, and therefore meetings between them were not counted as a breach of that seclusion, but they would not be permitted to meet too often, lest they be distracted from the higher purpose of cultivation by bodily affairs.

Permanent seclusion was rarely chosen by those young enough to allow for the possibility, but should there be any children born into her seclusion, they would be taken from her and allowed to visit only rarely – the exact frequency had not been recorded, and would probably be a matter of debate should the issue ever come up. Their father would likely see them even less often, only on holidays involving filial piety, and whether he would speak to them would be entirely up to him; there was no obligation on his part.

“How could this be worth it?” Lan Qiren whispered. “How could he…?”

“He is in love,” his music teacher said, as if it were a death sentence.

It was a death sentence.

“We must send word to the former sect leader,” his swordsmanship teacher said, shaking his head. “He, too, is in permanent seclusion and cannot be forced out, but he retreated from the world in honor, not on account of a crime; he could break his seclusion voluntarily. He has always cared deeply for the affairs of the sect – surely he would…”

He trailed off, shaking his head a second time. A motion was taken among the elders and members of the Lan clan, each one of them deeply subdued – He Kexin had already been taken away by her bridegroom to perform the marriage ceremony in the memorial hall, without any of the usual trappings of such a festive event – and a runner was soon sent to the rooms that Lan Qiren’s father had selected for seclusion.

Each of them anticipated a long wait, expecting the former sect leader to demand a full explanation of all that had occurred before emerging, yet to their surprise the runner returned within half a shichen, scarcely enough time to get to the rooms and to return.

“Seniors,” the runner cried, throwing himself down on his knees and touching his head to the floor. “I sought to alert the sect leader of what passed here this night. I called his name time and again, rang the bell to alert him of an emergency…”

“And what?” one of the elders demanded. “What happened then? Why have you returned so quickly?”

“He did not respond,” the runner said. “No matter what I did…I thought the situation was desperate, and so acted rashly. I bypassed the prohibitions and looked through the window – seniors, honored teachers, the former sect leader is dead!”

Lan Qiren started violently.

“What?” his swordfighting teacher demanded, rising to his feet – they were all rising up, all but Lan Qiren who only sat there, stiff in shock. “What do you mean? Even if his cultivation failed, it would not be so soon!”

“It cannot be doubted. After what I saw, I went inside to confirm it. He is dead.”

“When,” Lan Qiren said dully, barely bothering to make it a question.

Everyone turned to look at him.

“It has been an entire night,” he said, staring down at his hands. “Bad news flies on swift wings, and spreads as quickly and inexorably as ink in water. Tell me - did my father die by his own hand before or after he found out what his beloved eldest son has done?”

Nobody answered him.