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ironunderstands · 1 year ago

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2.1 was so good holy shit (spoilers, obviously)

GOD THEY ATE AND IM SPECIFICALLY GONNA TALK ABOUT HOW WELL THEY WROTE RATIO IN THIS BECAUSE IM FOAMING AT THE GODDAMN MOUTH IT CHANGES HOW YOU VIEW EVERYTHING BUT IN A GOOD WAY.

so, let’s start from the beginning in 2.0 I want to walk you through my experience of it

ratio mean to aventurine, everyone gets mad. I feel weird about it, pre-2.1 I come to the conclusion that he got used as a plot device in that scene, since being racist contradicts his core motivations and the dialogue is awkward and has no real reason behind it, I chalk it up to bad writing but ultimately forgive it because 2.1 seems centered around Aventurine so they need setup for that

2.1 drops, my bsf plays the update throughout the night and we are losing our shit. He gets to the part where Ratio “betrays” Aventurine. I fucking lose it, I try to reconcile this with my preconceived notions of ratio, they don’t match up at all, his behavior that whole time doesn’t in the slightest. I am confused, I wonder if I have been wrong about him this whole time, if his whole speech on the Space Station and his character quests were some kind of fluke. I mean it could be in character? Knowledge of how a stellaron works could save millions if not billions of lives, invaluable information which Ratio would have trouble turning down because of its value. It still feels deeply wrong, Ratio isnt a backstabber, and he wouldn’t so easily bargain with Sunday over information he has no confirmation of (and could likely obtain in some other way).

The story continues, me and Haseeb (aforementioned best friend) are still pissed, I’m losing it because my favorite character just did something so unforgivable and out of character and I feel like a complete and utter idiot for interpreting a character to be a good person when they so clearly weren’t. Well, I (luckily) was so so so so so so so wrong about that, as it was all a setup, a plan devised by Aventurine to distract Sunday and forward their goals. I’ve never been happier, and suddenly every weird behavior, every “this doesn’t make sense” goes from “bad writing” to perhaps one of my favorite retroactive twists in fiction.

Ratio belittling Aventurine for his background doesn’t make any sense, I mean we literally saw the guy give a whole ass speech about how he believes all people deserve access to knowledge and that everyone is capable of being creative and having intellect, but that they just have to try for it, and if they are incapable of it, he DOCTOR Ratio is there to lend a helping hand. To cure the galaxy of stupidity, something which he views as not the lack of knowledge but rather the misuse and misinterpretation of it, how he depises the Genius Society because they mostly do not try and use their intellect from the betterment of other, and actively guide/encourage other scientists (and in Hertas case the researchers at the space station) to view knowledge as some sort of prize or commodity rather than tool. This notion is what causes Screwellum to acknowledge that Ratio is more like a medical doctor than a scholar. And this notion is something Sunday Isn’t Aware Of.

Sunday doesn’t know who Ratio really is, he may have heard of his various exploits, but Ratio has a reputation for arrogance, bluntness and insensitivity, something which Ratio plays up to the nines. The 2.0 scene with Aventurine goes from seemingly massively OOC for Ratio to him actively playing up his negative reputation to play into Sundays perceptions of the pair for their plan. Ratio->

a) makes it seem like Aventurine fucked up and he’s mad at him for losing the cornerstones, something which Sunday would see and go “hmm they don’t like each other

b) this “oh I can drive a wedge between them” notion gets worse (although in their case better) when Ratio brings up Aventurine’s (not entirely accurate) background. Sunday now thinks he has leverage over Aventurine and even more of a chance of getting Ratio to betray him. Ratio also makes it seem like he just learned this information by stating he “did his homework” and this supposed unfamiliarity with one another would give Sunday more confidence to try and drive a wedge between them

c) this makes it seem like the IPC are unaware of the Families constant surveillance, as it looks like they are having an important conversation in a private room, which would make Sunday think they are unaware of his eyes and ears everywhere

Now let me qualify this notion with more evidence because you could still try and argue that the deal Ratio and Aventurine struck was post 2.0 argument

Topaz (my glorious Queen). At the end of the 1.4 (or was it 1.5?) Belabog quest she has a conversation with Aventurine in which he requests for her help in Penacony, and we do not get a confirmation on if she said yes or not. Until 2.1, in which the the Topaz (and Jade) stone in in Aventurines possession, meaning she took him up on that offer prior to 2.0 because how else would he bring multiple cornerstones there, which we know there are many because Ratio says he lost the cornerstones, not just his own. Topaz would not give this item up easily or on a whim in between 2.0 and 2.1, meaning she would have to be let in on his plan prior, meaning the plan was formed prior. Since Ratio was also assigned to this mission keeping him in the dark would make negative sense and actively undermine their collaboration, something which he brings up in their fake argument

2. The Final Victory Lightcone. I originally thought this scene to be after their argument for complicated reasons, the most important of which being the minor snippet of conversation we see between Ratio and Aventurine during the first time we meet Acheron. Aventurine mentions 3 chips, Ratio doubts him, and the lightcone description starts with Aventurine questioning his doubt and firing three shots, a perfect correlation that made me place the order of events in that way. However, we get to see the snippet of conversation between Aventurine and Ratio in game, right before they meet Sunday, not prior to the lightcone events. However, they are still clearly connected for aforementioned reasons, just in a different manner, let me explain. Now we know the three chips reference not bullets but the three cornerstones, and Ratio openly expresses his doubt because the family is always watching (something which I will get into) and because a part of him does doubt this plan will go well. However, Aventurine prior reminds him of the events of the lightcone with the three chips. My interpretation is that Aventurine took that gamble in the lightcone to convince Ratio to go along with his crazy plan since if he can win a game of Russian Roulette with an unwavering smile on his face he an insane gamble means nothing to him (ratio doesn’t buy it because it’s ratio but the sheer audacity or you could say the “charming audacity” makes him go along with it). In my opinion this scene only makes sense pre-penacony, due to the timeline of events, which is why I believe it the reason for the events in it has to be Aventurine trying to convince Ratio to join in.

3) The family is always watching. During the 2.1 story quest it gets brought up several times in many different ways that it seems like the family has eyes on everything and everyone. Sunday’s fuckass bird is everywhere, and the man himself (minus being a goddamn biblically accurate angel) is covered in eye shaped shit and possesses close ties with the Harmony, which lends itself well to a character that knows things considering the Aeon itself is a conglomeration of many different perspectives. He fucking perception checks Aventurine, when the crew goes to look for info on firefly they learn the dream pools monitor people’s vitals and everything, even producing a dialogue option where the trailblazer states they feel like their every move is being watched. Topaz gets stalked by bloodhound members upon arrival, I could go on. TLDR Sunday knows almost everything that’s going on in Penacony, this is what leads him to believe the traitor is within the family, and his access to knowledge is something the IPC 100% knows about. I mean they have been presumably attempting to try and get it back for a while, and they would reasonably extensively try and learn everything about it. The Family notoriously hates negotiating with them so the IPC either learning and/or coming to the conclusion that the Family is watching their every move isn’t a ridiculous notion. If this conversation was genuine, if Ratio truly wanted to discuss this matter with Aventurine, why would he do it in a likely wiretapped, not very soundproof room where any passerby could hear Ratio loudly exclaim that Aventurine lost the very important cornerstones and that he is also one of the most despised groups in the galaxy because that would really do numbers for both their reputations. If you think about it, this not being staged is an incredibly stupid blunder on Ratio’s end (minus the deliberate OOCness) because of all the places Ratio could set up a very important meeting he does it in one of the worst places ever.

4) The dialogue in the scene. It’s awkward, it’s so awkward and the whole “also my family died I didn’t get an education” seemed so tacked on the first time I watched it. Knowing now, it seemed so tacked on because it was, Aventurine had to shove the info in there somewhere and their incredible conversational skills decided that was the best part in there. Ratio fucking leaving before Aventurine is even done talking goes from a “huh weird” to a “wow he is really playing up this arrogant scholar role”. And if Ratio is playing the arrogant scholar, Aventurine is playing the dumb, helpless, blonde to a T. Losing the cornerstones and acting nonchalant about it, letting Ratio insult him so callously and letting the insults slide, talking absolute nonsense at the end about random things that don’t matter, sadly lamenting into the distance that he’s alone again. Bro is playing it up and I live for it. They also and play up these personas in their little adventure prior to meeting Sunday, Aventurine asks stupid questions like wondering about the species of the bird that make up the statues and talking about how he wants to play in the sandpit and even insulting Sunday a bit, behavior that would make Sunday think him unprepared and unserious rather than cold and calculating. If Aventurine does that well, Ratio plays up his arrogant, uncaring scholar persona to the nines. He insults any and every decision or thing Aventurine does, loudly sighing of how happy he is to finally have some peace and quiet when Aventurine leaves his sight for 0.00008 milleseconds, pointing out his sarcasm, beefing with a random Pepeshi bodyguard no reason, pointing out his sarcasm, just the exaggerated way he talks in general, and suggesting he admit Aventurine into the Genius Society (even Ratio wouldn’t stoop so low as to suggest Aventurine was worthy of that).

Moreover, this is really, really tragic because I do think there are several moments of genuine banter and fun the two share “Ratio, you’re huge!” was not added to the script to enhance the plot guys. And obviously Aventurine knows most of Ratios behavior is acting, however he has such severe trust issues, and Ratio is so damn straightforward and blunt that he worries the man was serious about some of it which just breaks my heart. Soft Ratio please add it give me one conversation, the note at the end of 2.1 doesn’t count it’s too short.

Ultimately, knowing what I know now I can’t help but view the 2.0 conversation with Aventurine as being anything but staged, it simply makes no sense otherwise, and it happily obsolescent Ratio of his sins. This was a bit incoherent I honestly just wanted to rant (if you couldn’t tell haha) but I hope you enjoyed it regardless. I need sincere Ratio more then I need oxygen and I’m not afraid to say it.

#honkai star rail #hsr spoilers #aventurine #dr ratio #aventio #i love 2.1

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8100d1u57 · 10 days ago

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Beginning to think that Kodaka was earnestly trying to realistically explore incestuous dynamics in Danganronpa without romanticizing or fetishizing it, but just failed to stick the landing. Kako and Ima are probably one of the best depictions of emotional incest that I've seen in a piece of media. It's genuinely insane to me to think that the man who wrote the monokubs incest subplot and ultra despair girls actually wrote this (I actually like ultra despair girls but I fully agree that it's very problematic in execution).

Kako and Ima both lost their parents due to a car crash, and with no family to take them in, are forced to survive all on their own. Ima is essentially forced into child prostitution to survive, doing anything and everything to keep his twin sister safe and happy despite their horrific circumstances. Due to his constant sexual abuse, his feelings for Kako become warped and toxic, becoming overprotective and overbearing. As long as she's safe, everything he goes through is worth it to him. This puts her on a high pedestal as they have no friends. She's the only light in his dark life.

However, they both know this co-dependency is toxic. While Kako cares deeply for Ima as well, she always pulls away or tells him that he's embarrassing her. She's trying desperately to get Ima to see her as an equal, as a sibling, because not only is he smothering her, he's smothering himself in the process. There's even a route where she absolutely snaps at Ima for his emotionally abusive treatment of her, rebelling against him completely and Ima's instance to not change things between them nearly tears them apart.

Ima hates that Kako is growing up, but in his final bond event, he talks about how it's probably good that she's rebelling and trying to stand on her own, even if it hurts him. Now that he actually has friends and a community to protect not only Kako, but him as well, he's actually able to start healing their relationship and slowly but surely chipping away at the pedestal he's put her on.

Sure sometimes Ima's for lack of a better term, "siscon" tendencies are played for laughs and Kakos persuasion bit was kind of uncomfortable even if I understood where Takumi was coming from, but at its core it's actually so well written. And to top it all off, when fans asked if Kako and Ima were romantically involved, this was the response.

I actually feel so bad because Kodaka's "incest fetish" has been a joke in the fandom for a while because of how it shows up in his games. Like I still feel like I was right for shitting on him for his handling of Korekiyo, especially with how painfully triggering chapter 3 is for me, but I forgive him now for mishandling him. Especially because if you read between the lines of Korekiyo's bonding events, his story is actually pretty heartbreaking and realistic. The definition of a good idea with horrible execution. I haven't read the light novels so I can't comment on Mukuro/Junko.

It's genuinely difficult to find the line where representation becomes fetishization sometimes. That's part of the reason I read works that do fetishize taboo themes. There's so few works that does it right, that all I can do to find that line is to analyze fetish works to figure out what was handled well and what is not. My hope is that my studies will help myself and others be able to create transgressive works that actually represent the horrors and realities of sexual abuse in particular. I think that Kako and Ima are probably the biggest show of how Kodaka has learned and grown from his past mistakes to become a better writer. I kinda hope this just isn't a one time fluke because if this man can keep banging out excellent incest victim rep from now on, I would be the happiest girl in the world. We desperately need stories that'll undo the damage of decades of incest porn brainrot that has made people see it less as actual abuse and instead a gross kink.

#last defense academy #kazutaka kodaka #tw // incest #tw // csa #kako tsukumo #ima tsukumo #Danganronpa #character analysis

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befuddledcinnamonroll · 3 months ago

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Ok, finally have some time carved out to sit and luxuriate in my FaifaWine story! Bring on the sweetness.

Honestly, I feel like their relationship is such a good representation of what a healthy dynamic can look like. Not just for romantic but platonic as well. Mutual support and encouragement is a beautiful thing.

We love a smitten man.

Ha, Wine doing the little neck turn for Fai was so cute. They're already so physically comfortable.

God these two are so damn photogenic.

So these pictures are just straight up engagement photos, yes? Everyone worrying about Faifa's game, when that man is 100% the first who's going to be married.

I don't know if "this will hurt me but it's too delicious not to drink" is the product placement they think it is.

Uggh, lady. There are family relationships where you can tease and joke about each other being a pain, but the fact that she is completely oblivious to the fact that she does not have that relationship with Fai is so aggravating. And once again, his face was so clear!

But Wine won't let it stand, and we love him for it.

Junior's acting here... he's so not used to anyone speaking up for how amazing he is. My poor baby.

So she apologizes, then immediately blames the dad. Shitty apology 101.

It is so infuriating, because he is literally telling her exactly what's wrong, and she's not paying any attention.

I love their hugs so much!

You can see how much Wine is Fai's safe space now. How he hugged his mom, vs how he hugs Wine.

And Wine with the healthy question, of thinking about how to move past it! He's so good for Fai.

Wa and Klao doing some growing up! I do wish we had seen a bit more of their journey, but that's just my general constant need for more AouBoom.

Uh, Toey can mind her own damn business. First outing Wine to his friend without permission, then trying to set him up with her brother without even asking first? Boooooo.

Ok, the "make it loud" is where Wine and my introvertedness severely differentiates, lol. That is my idea of torture.

Not "big boy" lolol.

Arm breaking out the sex kitten call sign for his pouty baby is rather perfect.

Yotha! Seriously. I know this is your version of supportive, but your brother is so, so much stronger than you give him credit for.

And of course Wine can immediately pick up on the different vibes Faifa has today.

Perfect descriptor for our boys.

Ugh, who invited Toey?

But also, props to them casting Ohm as Tor, which is 100 times better when you remember he's going to be with Junior and Wine in My Romance Scammer.

Oh Fai, baby, don't let your anxiety get to you. You are what he wants!

On one hand, I like that the friends want to be supportive, on the other, Wine is literally just walking with a dude. Although I guess Fai's phone being off is a rarity. Ok, I'll give them a pass.

Damn, he really is a big boy, isn't he.

Um, where was I?

Oh god, the way Faifa is so sure he's not going to come first.

Tor seems like a genuinely nice dude, he should get a meet cute with someone played by Fluke on campus. (The Fluke who's going to be his partner, not the Fluke who was his partner. Good lord, these names).

I rave about Junior a lot, but I should also mention Mark has been doing such a good job. He is someone who you can see grow in each performance, and I love that for him.

This scene, this scene, y'all.

Faifa being open and honest about his fears. Wine being honest about how Faifa has always been first for him, and his only goal. Faifa's calmness when he realizes that he wasn't chasing a love that he would inevitably lose, but that he's always had it from the beginning. The mutual love and reassurance and comfort and complete and utter safety in one another's arms. I'M NOT CRYING YOU'RE CRYING.

Omg, do not tell me those idiots literally chased Wine all over campus without him noticing. I am dying.

Ok, not to be a downer, but Yotha, this would have been a perfect supportive moment for you to bring the flowers. Just sayin'.

Yeah, these two are definitely gonna be the first married.

#perfect 10 liners

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tjemegames · 1 month ago

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HSR: e6 Dan Heng Fishing (e1 Anaxa Warps)

I think it goes without saying that I’m a Dan Heng enjoyer. He’s my favorite character and I’ve spent far more time, trailblaze power, and resources on him than most would. Now, after over two years of gameplay, I’ve finally secured his e6!

Okay, I know what you may be thinking: who in their right mind would care so much about a four star dps with a 1.0 kit? Listen, I can’t deny that he’s in desperate need of a buff; while it’s possible for him to clear endgame content these days, he needs a lot of premium help and mechanics he can manipulate to do so. Has that stopped me from using him when or wherever I want to? No, but it has been a source of contention because of how much effort and investment is needed to make him viable at this stage in the game. It’s an unnecessary struggle—one that I would likely be better off without—but I won’t let that stop me. I’m in far too deep to give up now.

As thus, despite his flaws and the game’s determination to make him unusable, I want the very best for him. My love for this introverted, archive living, dry humor having, nerd of a man has ultimately led me to this: fishing for a singular copy of his eidolon. I purposely haven’t fished for a character since the e4 Gallagher debacle—I didn’t have high expectations going into this fishing session because of it. Miraculously, whether through divine intervention or sheer force of will, the gacha gods have seen my unyielding dedication to Dan Heng and bestowed their blessings upon me.

The Epic Saga of TJs Simultaneously Lucky, Unlucky Pulls

We’re waxing poetic for this story time because HE deserves it and I’m still reeling over this turn of events.

When I opened my game on the evening of April 30th, I had but one goal in mind: bring home the prodigal son to bestow his ultimate glory (get e6 Dan Heng). It was my hope that a single 10 pull would be enough, but the game had a different idea:

That is not Dan Heng. shocked laughter

Huh?

Anaxa on my very first ten pull of the session. My guarantee is no more, and I have brought home the wrong nerd… I’m happy yet baffled; never before has my luck presented itself in this way. Early pity characters are an exceedingly rare thing for me, and I was not prepared for this reality, at least not immediately upon beginning my session. It must be a fluke, a glitch in the matrix, because this has never happened to me before. Essentially free Anaxa, yippee!

With e0 Anaxa now in tow, I descend further into my journey. I hand over 30 more pulls to the conductor and hope that one of them will be my boy, but none of them are. I start to wonder if I should give up: I wasn’t planning on spending more than 50 pulls on this endeavor and I’m getting close to that limit. But this is for Dan Heng, and there’s no telling when the chance will come back around.

I give another 10 tickets to Pom-Pom, and they return with something unexpected:

That is not Dan Heng. woah, deja vu

Hello?!? What?

Another early and I won my 50/50? I fear there might be a cosmic ripple opening up. I’m not this lucky. I haven’t gotten two earlies this close together since DHIL was released. I don’t know how to feel. Happy, sure, but also a little bit resentful and anxious because Dan Heng still hasn’t arrived.

Now I’m really wondering if I should stop. I’m ahead by leaps and bounds—I shouldn’t keep testing fate because, historically, that has not gone well for me…. But this is for Dan Heng, and I really want his e6 (even though it’s lackluster) because he deserves it.

With e1 Anaxa on board, I fork over 10 more tickets to the conductor and hope that they will pull Dan Heng from the Archives for me:

That is not Dan Heng. TJ.exe has stopped functioning

What in the actual fuck just happened?

I’m sorry?!? A back to back? And it’s Bladie?? I’m speechless. This is not happening. I must be dreaming. 60 pulls and I have gotten not one, not two, but three five star characters…This is nothing short of a divine miracle—a full blown destruction of the simulation—and I don’t know what to do with myself.

I sit for a matter of minutes and take stock of the situation: I’ve been incredibly lucky for the last 16 minutes. It has been the craziest 16 minutes of my entire HSR experience. I’m reeling at this point. I should stop pulling. There’s absolutely no way this could get any better, it’s literally downhill from here. I’m already beyond the limit I set for myself, and drip isn’t until next week. The smartest thing to do would be to wait and see who’s coming before continuing to fish for this final eidolon.

As I ponder over this harrowing decision (while flipping the fuck out in discord) I’m reminded of what I set out to do today. I have been waiting for this final copy of Dan Heng to come home for five months now, and it’s been almost a year since I bought e4 out of the shop. I don’t want to keep waiting.

I’m not going to keep waiting.

With e1 Anaxa and Blade along for the ride, I add another 30 pulls into the mix. I’m now 90 warps deep and feeling something akin to despair. I cannot, in good conscience, do more than 100 pulls to get this eidolon. It would be one of the most reckless things I could do; I’m back on a guarantee and drip is in 5 days, I shouldn’t risk it.

But, risking it is exactly what I do. With all my hopes coalesced into this last chance, I give Pom-Pom the final 10 tickets I’m willing to part with. The train isn’t gold:

That is Dan Heng! relieved sigh

He’s home.

100 pulls later this motherfucking man has the gumption to come out of his room. I am finally free. e6 Dan Heng is mine.

With that, the wildest 27 minutes of my HSR career have come to pass. All things are exactly as they should be, and I’ve still got 100 pulls left in savings, as well as a guarantee for my next character.

Fin.

Or so I thought.

May 1st has arrived and I’m still reeling off the high that was yesterday’s luck when I opened the shop to do my monthly housekeeping. At the corner of the page, what do I see? There’s no way:

You have got to be fucking kidding me.

I could’ve gotten him for the equivalent of seven tickets if I had just waited to check the shop. Why are they running two of the rate-up four stars in the shop at the same time that they’re on the banner? Hello?? You know what, okay. -93 tickets. At least I got one hell of a rush, two new five stars, and a story out of it.

Just my luck ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Now, as tradition dictates, this is what 100 warps got me:

2 x Anaxa (new, 10 pity and e1, 37 pity)

1 x Only Silence Remains (s3)

2 x Serval (already e6)

5 x Moze (e6, yippee!)

1 x Under the Blue Sky (s11)

1 x Blade (new, 6 pity)

1 x Perfect Timing (s8)

1 x Dan Heng (e6, finally omfg)

Total = eleven 4*s & three 5*s

What a journey that was. It’s been two days now since this all went down, and I’ve had time to ruminate over it. At the end of the day, I’m over the moon with the pulls. Yes, 100 pulls is a lot to throw toward a single four star eidolon. If I had not gotten as lucky as I did, this wouldn’t have been worth it in the slightest. All my love and dedication for Dan Heng aside, this was risky and had the potential to rake me over the coals. It’s a gacha game and it doesn’t matter in the real world (because I didn’t spend any legitimate currency on it) but it would’ve been devastating if things had gone any other way.

Seeing as I’ve probably used up the entirety of my luck for the year on this fishing session, I think it’s relatively safe to say that I’ll need to watch my back for any pulls that I do in the future.

That’s a wrap on the yap. Be smart, don’t fish for characters unless you absolutely love them and can stomach the consequences. Good luck to all the Anaxa pullers! I’ll catch y’all next time.

#honkai star rail #hsr #hsr dan heng #hsr anaxa #won the 50/50 #early pity #lost the 50/50 #hsr blade #hsr warp results #hsr 4 star fishing #gacha pulls #i love dan heng #i am never fishing again #tjs hsr shenanigans #tjemegames

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aeithalian · 1 year ago

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brought to you by walker scobell's correct opinions

okay so this is super unhinged but I've held this opinion for a long time and I was reminded of it when Walker Scobell adressed it in an interview and I need to yell it from the rooftops - Percy Jackson would absolutely kick ass in a fight against Harry Potter. And I say this as a lifelong fan of both series (who obviously knows which author is better).

But it's more nuanced than that. Because apparently I can't be normal about things.

Here's the thing: Percy and Harry both serve completely different purposes as the protagonists of their respective plots. Because Percy's special. Harry's not, at least in the ways that matter. Hence, Percy would absolutely kick ass.

Allow me to explain. We're in the great position here of both stories being set in the "main character has to go learn how to harness their power" archetype for both characters, (Percy at Camp Half-Blood and Harry at Hogwarts) so luckily, this also gives us a pretty good idea of how skilled they are in comparison to their peers.

Percy, over the span of the series, and even in the first book alone, excels above his peers. He's the child of the second most powerful god in the pantheon, he's given a prophecy and a quest almost immediately upon arriving at camp (a privilege other campers have to wait years for), and at the point we've reached in the canon books, is one of the most powerful demigods ever. Like, his power level is compared to that of a minor god, he's a respected leader, and he beat the god of war in single combat at age 12 based on (mostly) skill alone.

But Harry, in comparison to his peers? Painfully average in most regards. Every single life-threatening situation he was in throughout the entire series required some fluke of nature/magic for him to get out alive. As a baby? Only survived by some ancient magical loophole. Book 1? Use of aforementioned magical loophole. Book 2? Sure, he saved the day but he also almost died, but didn't because Dumbledore sent... a bird. Book 3? Harry's mastery of the Patronus charm is one of maybe three exceptions to this rule in the entire series. Books 4, 5, and 7? Magic loophole!!!! And let's be real - Dumbledore saved Harry's ass multiple times in the book 6 climax, but I'll let the bygones be bygones and not question Dumbledore's methods. My point being: Harry sucks at most things. But, you know, at least he's self-aware about it.

Now before anybody comes screaming to me, I know that Harry's not dumb as a rock, or anything. Yes, he's good at DADA, I am aware, thank you. But let's be real - if the aforementioned magical loophole didn't exist, Harry would not have survived a good 80% of his altercations in the series, considering the aforementioned magical loophole literally only works against one person. To be real, he also wouldn't be in those life-threatening altercations to begin with.

FURTHERMORE. They both fall into the "Chosen One" archetype, right? But here's the thing: Percy is powerful in his own right, and being the chosen one isn't what makes him powerful. Harry, on the other hand, is powerful because he's the chosen one, because of all the mysticism built around an arguably average person of middling talent. He's only special because of the whole "[Voldemort] will mark him as his equal" thing from the prophecy.

Even if you assume that an average demigod and an average wizard hold about the same power levels (which, honestly, I don't think you can say, but for the sake of the argument, that's what we're going to go with), the pure fact of the matter is that Percy is like a Dumbledore-level demigod, and Harry is a Michael Yew-level wizard. (Who is Michael Yew, you may ask? To which I say: exactly.)

Are you catching my drift? Percy kicks ass against Harry because he's more powerful. It's as simple as that.

But allow me to extrapolate further, because I fear that some may take this to mean that Harry is a bad protagonist. He's not, he just serves a different narrative purpose as a character. Imagine if you were to swap Percy and Harry into each others' stories:

Harry would probably die in the first PJO book. As an untrained wizard with at most, one year at Hogwarts under his belt, he'd probably die in the initial fight against the Minotaur. Done deal. Sure, you could take it a step further and assume that he does carry good problem-solving skills in moments of high stress, so maybe he could have made it out of that fight alive, but he's probably toast from that moment on. My main point is that Percy's skills that get him through his first quest are inherent. He doesn't necessarily have to practice to have heightened battle senses, water powers, and sensitivity to the Mist, all things that helped him survive. Harry simply does not have those things, and as a wizard of about the same age, doesn't have the skill set to match those powers with his own magical abilities. And by the end of the series, assuming Harry doesn't die immediately, the last book is one long, big battle, and Harry's one-on-one combat skills aren't necessarily bad, but if I have a hard time remembering how many times Harry was in a duel against a fully trained wizard and won in his own right, what makes you think he could beat ultra-powerful Titans like Percy did?

As for Percy - Put him in the climax moment of the first HP book against Quirrell. Harry survived that moment by using the aforementioned magical loophole, but Percy would have probably chopped Quirrell's head off within the first five minutes. No biggie. No moment in the first three books comes to mind as a situation that would have given Percy a ton of trouble at around the same age. And the fact that I think that Percy would definitely give Voldemort a run for his money in a one-on-one duel in the second half of the series should really say something.

Again, that's not to say that Harry's a bad protagonist. I think that their respective power levels serve their respective plots well! Imagine how boring the PJO series would be if Percy wasn't powerful enough to go head-to-head with Titans, or how boring the HP series would be if Harry had no problems beating Voldemort ever.

It's also interesting when you consider the implications of what being the Chosen One means in their respective universes. Percy knows he's the Chosen One, and he's actually more offended when Rachel suggests that he's not the hero of the prophecy, rather Luke is. Harry, on the other hand, has a hard time believing he's the Chosen One, because he knows just how generally unremarkable he is aside from the fact that he keeps surviving against all odds. Percy is the typical Chosen One, Harry is not.

And that gets even more interesting when you consider how they interact with their peers once their "Chosen One status" becomes common knowledge. Percy, who spends most of his time on quests, doesn't interact with his peers much on-page (meaning we don't see him go through everyday life like we see in the HP series), but that aside, he's generally well-respected. People are in awe of him. People know who he is, and have decided that he is deserving of his claims to fame and power. Harry, on the other hand, is generally not respected to the same degree, and people have a hard time believing him when he tells them about his close calls with death. Adults, specifically, find his stories unbelievable, because to them, he's untrained and not significantly powerful. And you know what? They're completely right.

I tend to also see that manifest a lot in their personalities. Percy, as the Chosen One, tends to struggle a lot with the fact that there are a lot of expectations placed upon him. People come to him for help all the time, and the gods tend to take him for granted, so he ends up with this very 'leave me alone let me live my life in peace' kind of thing going on. Harry, on the other hand, struggles in the different way of, as I said before, never being believed, and while he also struggles a lot with expectations, has this issue that he doesn't, nor will he ever, live up to them because that's not who he is (insert rant here about why Harry becoming an Auror was so out of character, and why he should have become the DADA professor instead, kindly fu JKR). Harry isn't some overpowered godling, he's just some random kid, placed well enough in society that Voldemort took an unhealthy interest in him.

I'm getting off track here. But my point stands: while both Percy and Harry serve the Chosen One protagonist archetype, they are inherently different characters and serve different purposes. Harry is atypical, and doesn't succeed in his own rights as much as you'd predict from a YA protagonist, regardless of the fact that he's got an über-powerful failsafe button. Percy, on the other hand, is a much more cliche example of a main character, being overpowered and wildly successful with barebones training.

Now, this is not me saying that PJO is a cliche YA story. I would never say that, because Rick Riordan is a masterful writer who still incorporates Percy's struggles as a person into a world where he's considered extremely powerful (meaning he's not a Mary Sue). That, and the fact that Percy isn't actually the 'hero of the prophecy', but the main villain is, is what should disprove that statement in a split second.

All is is basically saying that, while Percy would absolutely whoop ass against Harry, that does not mean that Harry is a bad character. Harry is, I think, the only kind of character that could fit well enough in the HP series for it to be considered a fulfilling story (insert rant here about how the final fight in movie 8 is stupid and Harry could have never held his own in a duel against Voldemort for that long, and completely missed the point of the finale of book 7 and it's been pissing me off for years).

Anyways, yeah, point made, come yell at me if you think I'm wrong, but I don't think I'm wrong.

More (mostly TOA) rants here if you want them.

#riordanverse #pjo #percy jackson #rick riordan #percy jackon and the olympians #walker scobell #harry potter #percy vs harry #percy jackson vs harry potter

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faegoddessog · 3 months ago

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Follow up on 200 Follower poll!!

Oh my goodness, my loves. You'll never guess what happened! So I opened my doc for More fun to Miss and started writing for you guys... and I wrote and I wrote and I wrote. (I'm still not done and I've not even started on Mardi Gras-When In Rome. ) I just couldn't hold on to it any more!

So More Fun to Miss is gonna be at least 2 more installments. Apparently, when it rains, it pours for my darling followers.

Here is the OG story on Ao3 "More fun to Miss" (I'll get that put up on tumbler for cohesion at some point)

So here we are... Please enjoy

More Fun to Miss (Part 2)

Warnings: Some Adult Material 18+ , mentions of cock sucking and fucking... and teaching 'lessons'

Austin insisted that he’d leave it up to her if she wanted to see him again.

“You text me, I’m leaving it in your hands,” he had said as they parted ways that night. It might have been fueled by a little anxiety that he'd pushed her a little. Lord she just pushed some little button in his brain.

Mel found the next two days were amazing for her. Her mood was light and relaxed, nothing seemed to bother her and everything seemed to fall into place. Despite this, she found an underlying coil of doubt to her happy. Yeah she felt great, but did she want to see him again or not. Was he worth the headache of a relationship? She decided that if he showed up in her everyday life like he had annoyingly done since the beginning, she’d take it as a sign. It didn’t occur to her that him NOT showing up could be a sign too.

Ironically, she didn’t run into him all week even when she tried. Not that she would admit to herself that she was trying. He wasn’t at yoga nor in her coffee shop. She looked everywhere for the tall blond. This did very little to reassure her worrying mind that he wasn’t just ghosting her.

She drug Bee to the bar that Thursday, where he was again frustratingly absent. She spilled to her best friend, glossing over the part where he spanked her.

“How could he be ghosting you? He said you had to text him first,” she said, “If anything Mel, you are ghosting him!” Bee did NOT point out just how shortlived her resolution had been because Bee was an amazing bestie.

By Friday night Melissa knew, come hell or high water, she was gonna lay eyes on him again. She wanted to see if it was just a fluke or if he really held some kind of magic key.

In desperation, she decided to buy her own ticket to his show. She was able to get the same seat as last time.

As she sits in that dark liminal space between house lights off and stage lights on, she wonders if he’ll even notice her there.

When he made his entrance, her mouth filled with saliva. She squirmed in her seat during the intense moments especially when he was gesticulating with his hands. She knew now what those hands could do. The whole show took on a different meaning for her as she watched his body language with hunger instead of hostility. She was honestly worried she’d leave a puddle on the seat.

He gave no indication that she was there throughout, same as last time. No note appeared at intermission in the hands of an usher, no text came to acknowledge her presence. She could feel the imaginged annoyance bubbling in the pit of her stomach, like maybe he already got what he wanted and was ignoring her. The second half of the show, her brain was having both arguing and enticing conversations with the imginary Austin.

After he bowed at curtain call, he looked directly at her with a wide smile and gave her a little fingertip wave. She just about fainted with relief. All her fear changing to desire in her belly. After the curtain went down, she sat back in her seat as other patrons gathered their things and made their way out.

She pulled out her phone:

‘I want to come backstage’

She stared at her phone, waiting for the three little dots to appear. It wasn’t until a few minutes later that she wondered if he had saved her name from the one text she sent him. She was about to thumb in ‘it’s Mel�� when the ominous dots appeared.

‘No, wait in your seat. And don’t be a brat to the ushers.’

A breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding leaves her, but then resistance fires in her chest. Men didn’t tell her no, she told men no. What if he had some other woman in his dressing room?! She feels herself on a precipice. Her logic says, ‘why should we care? We have no hold on this man.’ While the whiny inner child says 'but what about me!'

She finds herself standing, stalking to the end of the row, not sure what she is doing or why, when her phone buzzes in her hand.

‘And take off your panties, I want them.’

“Yeah right,” her mouth puts on a front for no one to witness while heat radiates from her lower belly. It spreads to her legs and makes her knees go weak. She can’t help but sit down, telling herself she’s gonna give him a piece of her mind.

She sits there for five minutes. Ushers walk through the house checking seats and picking up left behind programs. The young man that makes his way into her row smiles and nods at her.

“Good evening Miss, the doors close in fifteen minutes,” he says politely.

“Yeah, well I’m waiting on someone,” she gestures to the proscenium. Her tight-lipped smile does little to cover her shrewish attitude. She realizes too late that it’s the same usher that handed her the envelope last week. Fuck, she could have handled that better.

“Sorry” she mutters, trying not to be embarrassed.

He nods with raised eyebrows and continues on.

Tell me no, make me wait, now I’m a jerk and have to justify what I’m doing here. She thinks to herself, arms crossed, fuming.

About ten minutes later, everyone has left the theater. The velvet fabric rustles and Austin is there, a slight smile on his face. His hair is combed back and damp. He’s wearing jeans, boots and a white tee. His leather jacket is in his hands.

Just the mere sight of him makes her breath hitch in her throat. All her anger threatens to sink past the pit of her stomach, to alchemize into something else.

His eyes glance over her original seat, then land on her at the end of the row. His hands float to behind his back as he walks to stand in front of her, boots thudding on the stage.

Suddenly, the air in the big space changes, charged by his presence, by his silent dominance.

Mel has the sudden impending feeling that she is in trouble. She stands up and blurts out, “I don’t like waiting, Austin.”

His eyebrow raises, “Hello to you too. Mel, no one made you wait. No one made you come tonight,” not yet anyway he adds in his head.

She opens and closes her mouth as he steps down the stairs at the edge of the stage. He’s right, she could have left, but here she is. Why is that again? Oh yes, giving him a piece of her mind.

“Well you don’t own me, I do what I want,” somewhere in her mind she knows this statement has little to no bearing on the discourse.

“I never said I did,” he steps closer to her, “and what is it that you want?”

“I wanted to meet you backstage, instead of waiting out here having to explain myself to ushers!” Ok, yes now she is getting back on track.

“That wasn’t possible, I had to share my dressing room tonight, there was a pipe burst,” he explains calmly.

“Oh, you just could have said that,” all her bluster starts to deflate.

“You could have asked. You could have told me you were coming. You could have said ‘Hello Austin, nice to see you’.” His voice drops low as he steps in, leaning close to her ear, “but I assume that you are being a bratty little thing on purpose.” His voice drops even lower “and where are my panties?”

His hot breath flows down her neck, leaving her without any at all. He leans back, looking down at her speechless face. She should be shoving him aside, storming off, forgetting any of this ever happened. But she is frozen in place.

His clipped ‘hm’ is part judgement and part dare to prove him wrong. "Well, if you want to discuss it over drinks" he slides seamlessly from Dom, into Gentleman, offering her his arm.

She looks from his face, to his arm and back again. “Only if they are drinks at your place.” she can’t believe of all things THAT is what falls out of her mouth.

His perfect mouth lifts up at the corner. Somehow he manages to not make it a smirk as he nods and she takes his elbow.

The cab ride is rife with awkwardness. She tries to be extra polite and make small talk with things like ‘You were good tonight.’ and ‘how long is the run?’

His answers were short and to the point, though not clipped, not angry. ‘Thank you’ and ‘another 4 weeks.’

In truth, he was struggling to keep his hands to himself. He was having visions of pulling out his cock and pressing her head down to suck him. But he was erring on the side of caution after last week. He’d never jumped into a scene so fast like he had in the dressing room.

In fact, he rarely if ever plays that way. When his ex had suggested trying out Dom/sub play, he had taken it seriously. He’d thrown himself into the research and, not surprisingly, created a dominating character to help him get into the right headspace. He had been excited to use his acting training for something personal. She had ended up not liking it, it drove her nuts to not be in control. He found, to his surprise, that he actually liked it. He just hadn’t had much chance to lean into it.

When Mel had failed to call or text, he had been mentally kicking himself all week. He assumed he had terrified her. Yeah he liked spanking her, but he hated to think that he’d actually hurt her in any way.

“Can we talk about this?” she asks finally.

“We will,” is all he gives her.

She huffs and crosses her arms and watches the city out the car window.

Her quiet little tantrum makes his cock twitch. It’s like she’s begging to be disciplined.

Mel considers just getting out at the next stoplight and telling him to go fuck himself. The slamming of the door would be quite satisfying, but the chance doesn't come.

When they pulled up to the door of his building, he offered her a hand out of the cab then didn’t let go. His strides were long and he practically dragged her through the hallways to his door.

She doesn’t resist. Maybe those drinks will help lubricate this situation and she can get to the bottom of this whirlwind of emotions. That’s the excuse she gives herself anyway, but deep down, she knows why.

At a glance, his apartment seems comfortable and lived in. It’s not fancy per se, but the square footage alone kicks it up a notch, this is New York after all. He doesn't give her a chance for more than first impressions though. He shut the door with a finality that doesn’t register to her brain for at least 5 seconds, and by then he is standing in front of her.

“Alright, Melissa,” his arms fold across his chest, his stance just a bit wide. “You wanna talk about this? How about this for starters: You ghost me all week, then show up unannounced at my work. You demand to come backstage without so much as a hello, then are rude to the first person that talks to you after I expressly told you not to be a brat. Your first words to me are a complaint about having to wait when I had rushed like hell under cramped and stressed circumstances. Honestly, I didn’t bring you here just for drinks. I let you in because you need to be taught manners. So, I’m going to give you one chance to explain yourself.”

He stops and waits, nails digging into his palms to keep himself from pushing his body against hers.

At first, her chest and defenses puff up as he lists her infractions. Denial and counter accusations spring to her tongue. But the way he says ‘you need to be taught manners’ pings that underlying part of her that hunted for him all week, that pushed her to buy the ticket, that waited for him in the theater. Under his disapproving gaze her bravado crumbles.

“I didn’t mean to ghost you. Actually, I looked for you all week,” she confesses. “I thought that if you popped up again like you had been, it’d be like a sign.’ Oh god it sounds so lame when she says it outloud. "I wanted to see you again before I texted, wanted to see if it was a fluke, the effect you had on me. I didn’t want to seem…. pathetic.” She finishes lamely. What the hell. What is it about this man that makes her just fold.

“And,” his word is full of expectation.

“And I could have been nicer, I did say sorry to the usher,” she looks at him hopefully. His face is immovable. “I-I should have asked if we could meet up somewhere after the show, been more patient.”

He nods, his eyes narrowing. All he wants right now is to fuck the words ‘I’m sorry’ out of her and have her actually mean it.

“Well Missy, you have a lot to atone for. So here is my offer. You can stay for that drink, with the understanding that I WILL be teaching you those manners, within the boundaries of consent and care, of course. But if you don’t want that, if you don’t want to learn that etiquette, if you don’t want to keep a civil tongue in that pretty mouth? Well then there is the door.” he gestures behind her. “But know that if you leave now, there are no second chances, no showing up at the theater, no running into each other, no texts. No bad feelings either, but we will be done.”

The use of her childhood nickname strangely softens her insides, while at the same time his ultimatum makes her indignant.

“But-” she starts like a petulant child .

“There are no buts Melissa,” he holds up his hand, stopping any argument, “it’s either go and be done or stay and learn your lesson. It’s up to you, you get to pick, ball’s in your court. I’m gonna go to the bathroom, you decide which you want.” He leaves her in his entryway still holding her coat and purse and all her conflicting emotions.

She watches him walk to the recesses of his apartment, then looks back at the front door. One is the familiar safe option and the other is unknown territory.

“If I leave now, I’ll never know if it was just a one-off moment in time, a fluke.”

But if she stays?

I have no idea what he’ll do to me. What if he… is some kind of sexy as fuck serial killer?” Crap, that sounded just like her mother in her head. She pulls out her phone and texts Bee her location, who she’s with and if she doesn’t respons to a text in a couple hours to send in the cavalry. Better safe than sorry.

---

Austin leans on the sink, looking into his own eyes and blowing out a breath.

What the hell dude? What are you doing? his visage seems to be saying. It’s as though all his common sense had dissipated the minute he saw her in the audience tonight. Thankfully he hadn’t seen her until curtain call, or it might have thrown him off his stage groove. What if he goes out and she’s gone? He kicks himself for being so black and white before it dawns on him that it has to be that way. He will be unable to treat her like the average woman, like a normal date. Her bratty little ways instantly cause his Dom to roar to life unbidden and nearly ungovernable. He both hates it and loves it. It has to be one way or the other and he could not be the one to decide.

She hears the water running, the door handle click open. His eyes are cast down to his feet, like he didn’t want to see yet what choice she had made. Her brain arrests the perception of his movement, slow-motion style. The sight of his rolling gait sends an involuntary shiver up her spine. When he does meet her eyes his nostrils flare, his shoulders shift back and breath expands his chest. The wave of authority that comes off him drowns the text sound from Bee.

Mel knows exactly what she wants to do.

Austin waits across the room, not trusting himself to be within arms length of her.

“So?” he asks, trying hard not to assume. She could still bolt like a frightened deer.

“I’ve never had anyone do to me what you did," she blurts out. "It was unnerving just how good you made me feel, even into the next day. Hell, the next few days.”

She can’t quite bring herself to say ‘I’ll stay’, instead, she sets her purse and coat down on the floor. She reaches down and pulls off her heels. An unexpected sense of calm comes over her in the demonstration of her choice.

It’s a short lived thing as he bursts from his stance and covers the ground between them in three long strides. His hand snakes behind her neck and up into her coiffed hair, fisting maybe a little too tight. He pulls her head back to look up at him. Her heart rate jumps, breath suddenly short. His lips are millimeters from her own, electricity palpable over the tiny span.

“You have to say it, do you actually want this?” his voice shaking slightly.

The question hangs heavy in the air as she swallows.

She can smell him now, like a clean, masculine vanilla with a hint of that same essential oil.

“Yes, I do, I want it,” she says, letting her mouth bypass all caution.

><><><><><><><><>><><><><><

Stay tuned for part 3!

Peeps who may want to know! , @purejasmine, @slowsweetlove, @richardslady121, @austinbutlerslovers, @tadpoleteef, @allittakesisoneflight @thisworldisntrealhoney, @1nho, @megangovier, @briaandthephantoms, @andro-inherdreamworld @callumsgirl @blombardo @fefeisastar @hacunamy @nestito702 @denised916 @jayydep @r0m4nitcl0v3r @heyidc03, @secondchild-2, @flander42 @natural-born-rebel-spirit @lecosymood @kathrynzaragoza @bsunshinexo @jayydep @ifyouloveweedletsgosmoke @peggyao3, @sunflowers-77, @estrogensensuallovegasm @ivycjl @jjubilee-fluff @psycheetamore @austinshirogane @ab4eva @jubilee-fluff

WANT TO BE ADDEDD TO THIS LIST? ☝🏼 DM me or toss it in the comments below.

#austin butler #austin butler fanfic #austin butler fic #austin butler smut #i love my readers #200 followers

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sapphicrow · 11 months ago

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Re8 Characters as Crane Wives Songs!

Karl Heisenberg- Take Me To War

I think he would be this song because it’s very violent and argumentative, as he is. Also. The man literally is jam packed with the desire for a revolution and his design is heavily influenced by WWII elements. It’s a very simple connection, but suiting.

Donna Beneviento - Unraveling

I think this song reminds me of her not because I imagine her exactly as the serial romantic that the narrator of this tragic tale is, but because of the fact that she has dealt with a lot of loss in her life. Between the death of her family, then anyone she may have had in the village when Miranda ordered them to be massacred, as well as earlier her humanity. The idea of unraveling, or losing it per se, alludes to her characteristic mental illness. Shes off the rails, we love that for her, and so does this song. One of the main lyrics in the song is “But now my love is gone / and I am left unraveling” and I just feel that encompasses how she’s been abandoned to her dolls to wither out of sight. Also the song goes tailor, gardener, then carpenter and she is all of those things which I find to be a rather seemly match.

Salvatore Moreau - Nobody

Now, the artists themselves describe this as a queer tragedy, but I think I can yank it out of context a bit to fit the silly. Now, this song states over and over again how “nobody ever loved me like she tells me she does” and I feel that is a very manipulative statement. Moreau does not have much of a back story, but one of the original concepts for his character was that he was to have the woman he loved melded to his back in a somewhat perverse fashion where she would be forced to stay with him. This idea is encapsulated by the obsessive and toxic nature of the relationship this song portrays. If you really want to have a think about it, you could imagine it was the woman herself trying to justify Moreau’s actions to herself. However, I was thinking more along the route of how Miranda surely had to lead this poor fish on for him to be so devoted. I don’t mean romantically, but she most definitely was more involved to begin. Nobody ever loved him like she told him she does. That doesn’t mean she does, but it does illustrate how she taunted him with the idea of a mom, leading him to create this familial illusion in his twisted mind.

Alcina Dimitrescu- Tongues & Teeth

Now this one was a little tricky, I was torn between this one and The Wolf but I feel this one gives more of that cruel seductiveness we have come to associate with Lady Dimitrescu. This song is very blatant. “And when you come in quick to steal a kiss / my teeth will only cut your lips, my dear” I love to imagine our lady as a woman who relishes in her power, not one who is insecure in it. She will not shy away from her own strength, nor will she temper it for anybody. Tongues & Teeth tells it like it is- should you wish to be hers, you are going to get hurt. End of story. She’s going to hurt you. This is no accident, this is no fluke. She is violent in her very nature. But on the contrary to that, this is a warning. This gives you the courtesy to flee. I think she would want you to at least be willing to be broken by her in some capacity, which is why she would even say anything in the first place. Also. I think the song is a banger and I’d like to bang her.

Cassandra Dimitrescu- Show Your Fangs

Cassie is a huntress, a conclusion made among fans due to her final fight being fought within the Dimitrescu castle’s armory. She is strong and has a fierce playful energy to her, going as far as toying with Ethan with her lil “RAH!”s that admittedly did scare me a few times. I view this song as a sort of feminine war song. “I’m not your highness, a damsel left helpless by fright / I am a lioness, fierce as I walk through the night” Out of the three sisters, she is certainly the most combative. In addition to the obvious associations, I believe that the line stating that she is not your highness is a sort of jab at the title of countess. She wants nothing to do with that power. She is wild and bitey and feral. She is in no way a ‘proper’ lady. She refuses that idea outright and I mclove that for her.

Bela Dimitrescu- Steady, Steady

We all imagine Bela as the perfect, shining golden child of the Dimitrescus. She’s responsible, respectful, and just overall a polite little lady. But I think she’s more wild than that. The duality of this song orchestrates this view wonderfully. Sang in a slow, deep melody; “Steady, steady, you know when you’re ready.” This shows her prim side, I also like to imagine this as her mantra muttered between deep breaths as she goes to present her work to her mom. (She’s always well received, but she over thinks it a lot.)

And then the other side of this song goes in a more frantic, rambunctious tune; “I’m swimming in this dress like a child in her mothers clothes/ This ring around my fingers like a chain around my throat” and while I suppose the original intent was to allude to an unhappy marriage, I think we can point it towards the subtle resentment Bela holds towards her responsibilities and how she feels as though she’s not the right person for the job. Bela deals with a lot of impostor syndrome on this matter. I just think this song gives both sides of our dynamic blondie. (Alternatively for Bela, Hard Sell)

Daniela Dimitrescu- Icarus

Originally, Icarus was a tale of a young fool who got too close to the sun. It is also the tale of a boy who wanted Apollo BAD bad. Daniela feels very youthful and naive to me, she was locked up after all. I think that her mother acknowledged that she was desperate for outside interaction and that this was a threat to her, thus her seclusion in the library. However, in the end, her delusions of romance had her get just a bit too close to Ethan. “My love will fall with grace,” says the song. And so she did. She flew too close to the sun. Plus this song is super spunky and that gives Dani vibes.

Mother Miranda- Never Love An Anchor

Okay so. This song speaks of a shitty shitty relationship, one that’s maternal evidently. I believe this is symbolic of Mother Miranda’s connection with the lords. Heisenberg, who wound up in her control against his own will, shown respect solely for his success as a subject. Donna, demented and alone, was taken under her wing only for her to be defenseless when Ethan attacked. Alcina, mighty and beautiful, but weak and insecure in her own mind, left to yearn for her favor. Moreau, grotesque and ruined by Miranda’s hand, then allowed to spoil further as his desperate need for her love went unfed.

“Do you ever think of me and my two hands? And wonder why they never soothed your fevers? And wonder why they never tied your shoes? And wonder why they never held you gently? And wonder why they never had the chance to lose you?” On a separate note, I think this could be something Miranda thinks to herself as she fights for Eva. If her consciousness is trapped in the megamycete, it stands to reason that she is conscious in there. I wonder if Miranda ever worried if Eva could overhear the carnage she was causing for her. I wonder if she spoke to her, apologizing for not being a good enough mom. I wonder if the guilt would overwhelm her to the point she was crumpled on her lab’s floor, weeping against bare earth and mold, begging her to forgive her. Hm. Food for thought.

Bonus! Mirancina- The Moon Will Sing

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my-rose-tinted-glasses · 7 months ago

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This was the hardest monthly wrap up I ever had to do because I forgot about it until like two days ago and my brain is not at its best and I'm tired so I can't really write a lot. So anyway as usual, spoilers and opinions below, read at your own risk.

QL - Currently Watching

🇹🇼 Blue Canvas of Youthful Days [2/12] - I really like the look of this show and all the art. I'm not yet sold on the main couple as a possible item but I really like the characters individually. I adore the second couple. The scene with the hearing aid was beautiful and I like the fact that it's not about the couple. Perhaps in a bl from a different country this would be about them finally being able to communicate, but because Liu knows sign language, it's simply about helping Tan Yin. Don't know why but I really liked this.

🇰🇷🇹🇭 Eccentric Romance [8/12] - It's not the worst thing ever but at several points during the episodes I find myself asking, what am I watching?

🇹🇭 Every You, Every Me [4/8] - This show constantly surprises me. The different stories every week and the aspec rep was how they got me at first but now I'm invested in the meta and the absolutely adorable mains. And this show is just so gorgeous to watch.

🇹🇭 Fourever You [5/16] - Beautiful Pond. Cute Earth. I'm annoyed. Hopefully the next couple is better in terms of storyline.

🇹🇭 Jack & Joker [8/12] - Can they just get together first and then give me all the drama? I'm okay with that. I actually liked Love Mechanics, so give it to me. But Jack is all over the place with his behaviour, he says Joke is family and they seem to have a shared view of the future, and they sure behave as if they're a couple, but then he hides things from Joke, supposedly 'for his own good'. I feel for Joke, because he's being jerked around by Jack.

🇹🇭 Kidnap [8/12] - I love Ohm. And that is the one and only reason I'm still here.

🇰🇷 Let Free the Curse of Taekwondo [6/8] - I'm obsessed. I think about this show way too much. It's painful and beautiful, brilliant writing and visuals and I need it to be over but I don't want it to end. I think we're gonna have a second time skip since they are not in our present yet and I just want to see them happy.

🇰🇷 Love in the Big City [4/8] - Obsessed in a total different way. This story is like an open tab in my brain at all times. I'm dreaming of edits and gifsets. I think of Young and my chest tightens. I'm having a hard time writing about the second part of the show because it's just so much, although it feels lighter than the novel. I'm dreading the next part.

🇯🇵 Love is a Poison [7/10] - I love it here. Everything about it. This being Shiba's first love sure explains a lot, and the onsen date was amazing. I think the actors are nailing this.

🇹🇭 Peaceful Property [10/12] - I've said enough about it. I'm here for TayNew and trying to just ignore everything else.

🇹🇭 Perfect 10 Liners [1/24] - And so it begins. Every gmmtv boy is here and they are all playing engineers. They got two Flukes and everything. I wish Force wasn't once again an asshole jock and Book the clueless fool but I guess that's too much to ask. This is the couple I'm least interested here so I want to see the rest.

🇹🇼 See Your Love [3/13] - Taiwan just doing giving all the rep with disabled characters and as usual a parade of bl actors. It's fine for now.

🇯🇵 Smells like Green Spirit [6/9] - I love Mishima. I think the scenes with him and Kirino are always great. I'm still not totally on board with the romance but I'm somewhat fascinated with Yumeno.

QL - Finished

🇹🇼 First Note of Love - I feel like I need to rewatch this as a binge because I think this format didn't help this particular show. Although I like the mains and I really liked the actors, their romance never truly clicked for me. I need more of the sides. The language banter was my favourite thing about this.

🇹🇭 I Saw You In My Dream - This is super cute. They are all adorable and they actually communicate. Ultimately I was a little underwhelmed about the concept.

🇹🇭 Monster Next Door - It's fine. I like Big and he was great here. But I've already forgotten everything about this.

🇭🇰 Our Golden Times - I watched it. It was okay.

🇹🇭 Reverse 4 You - Pretty show. Good concept. Not great execution all the way through.

Dropped / On Hold

Waiting to binge - 🇹🇭 The Loyal Pin | 🇹🇭 Apple | 🇻🇳 Teenager Judge

Rose Watches OJBL

Same Difference aka Docchi mo Docchi (2014) - I don't even know what to say. It's not good. That's it.

Others - Watched

🇯🇵Densetsu no Head Sho| 🇰🇷Black Out | 🇯🇵Double

Upcoming Shows - November

As usual my ask box is open. Have a wonderful weekend💜

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crysta1ized · 1 year ago

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a theory on ep11’s preview

firstly, if you’ve guessed/ theorized that non was still alive, you get 10 points!

if you also guessed that perth would help him (in that case, thanks to tee) you also get 10 points!

knowing that tee helped non escape, was definitely a plot twist. he basically lives at his uncle’s mercy, is forced to work for him and has to follow every single one of his orders so his father doesn’t die. which is a pretty shitty situation!

we saw previously that he showed guilt after non got busted for the fake accounts instead of him, but to help him escape from that very uncle? you’ll never fail to surprise me, tee!

after that, tee gives an envelope to non and tells him he’ll get him out of there.

now, what is in this envelope? my first thought was obviously money. but i also thought, what if it was a plane ticket? it’d be safer for non to get the hell out of bangkok (or even thailand) to be sure the uncle and his men could never get him. a one way flight, non leaving without looking back.

i think that with the help of perth, tee could’ve gathered enough money to pay a ticket. i mean, that would’ve benefited tee a whole lot too. non forever out of his hair, not causing any more problems. disappearing without a trace. his uncle thinking he got rid of the troublemaker.

but what happened to mr keng then?

firstly we have no idea of the extent of his injuries. we guessed that non’s were only bad enough to knock him out on the roof, but the uncle might as well have killed keng for good.

i mean, he was hit with a car, which is way worse than a few punches. in the best case scenario (for him, cause i want that bastard dead), he only got a few bruises, but the most logical one would be that his legs are broken, as well as a few ribs maybe (depending on how hard the car hit him).

if we assume he’s alive, like non (which i seriously doubt), i don’t think tee would’ve helped him at all. he’s already risking everything to save non, he wouldn’t try saving both, especially because keng doesn’t mean anything to him. he probably never even had a conversation with him.

so in my opinion, we won’t see the teacher ever again, unless he found another way to escape, such as being rescued by the police as his disappearance could’ve been noticed after some time.

now onto the fun part!

white is seen entering the arcade place, where we’ve already seen non & phee meeting up and making out at.

which means we’ll finally get teewhite whole’s backstory!

my depressing theory is that we’ll get a cute little montage of their love story, and they’ll show us how cute they are, with their little puppy love, opposites attract shit just to snatch it from us right after.

mark my words, they’ll make us love teewhite and after those little flashbacks with bright colors that distracted us for a moment, we’ll get back to our depressing and dark present.

4 possibilities after that:

best case scenario: while we get a contrast between the past and how in love they were and acted, nothing terrible happens. tee explains to the group what was revealed to the viewer in the flashbacks, that he ended up helping non and that he’s still alive. he righted his wrongs and while white is shaken up, he’s glad tee isn’t just a bully who guilt tripped a kid into money laundering, he did feel guilt and saved him from his uncle.

same as above, tee reveals everything to the group but white doesn’t forgive him. he feels betrayed and mad that tee hid that from him for so long. in white’s eyes, tee is no longer someone he can trust, or hide behind.

tee dies

white dies

while i believe those 2 last options can happen, i don’t think they’d happen at that moment. tee’s reveal scene will probably be at the beginning of the episode while the following one with phee & new may happen soon after, which is why those 2 options seem less likely to happen then.

new is clearly urging phee on to shoot.

but how? in the last scene of ep10, fluke is the one who has it and he clearly doesn’t want to let it go. he let white out of his grasp and is now pointing it at tee.

but fluke is clearly out of it, and is the one suffering the most from hallucinations, which made him shoot top even though his only principle was clearly to never act, to keep his hands clean of anything that could prevent him of becoming a doctor. too late now!

someone could take advantage of his delirious state and while he’s distracted, take the gun from him, like white, who’s on the ground, kinda behind fluke and now out of his sight. which is when phee could take the gun, as he’s the unofficial new leader and appears trustworthy as he just exposed new.

but who is phee pointing the gun at?

i think it’s most likely fluke. he’s clearly losing his mind and the hallucinations are making him aggressive, like top. which is why they may have to kill him before he kills someone else.

phee clearly wants to make the right decision, surely wants to kill him or just hurt him because fluke is an active threat. but tan just wants to see them all gone! he clearly has nothing to lose left, now that phee exposed him, this is his last chance to avenge his brother.

alternative theory:

phee might be pointing the gun at someone else.

according to how tee’s revelation ends, especially how non’s story ends, something might happen after that.

phee wouldn’t be pointing the gun at someone who didn’t deserve it, who wasn’t a threat to the group.

so why would it be tee? in my opinion, non escaped the country, end of story. but maybe something happened to him just before he could get out. then new would get mad at tee, blaming him. tee fights him. then he would represent a threat. or maybe the hallucinations come back and he gets violent.

then of course new would be happy to see phee shoot tee, who was the whole reason non even got involved with dangerous mafia shit in the first place.

the last scene is new, lighting a cigarette.

why would he be smoking in the middle of all this? like he has time to do that?

maybe it’s just a meaningless scene they’re throwing in the preview so they don’t have to spoil too much stuff.

but, still, new is the only one who's going through with his plan, and he wouldn’t waste time on lighting a cigarette! unless it’s truly chaos, and like we know, he smokes to de-stress.

creepily, when i saw the scene the first time, i thought ‘this is his last cigarette. they’re holding him at gunpoint and they allow him to smoke one last time before they pull the trigger’ because he’s clearly shivering. but that may be way too far as i don’t think any of them would shoot anyone in cold blood if they weren’t actively threatened.

but a more plausible theory would be that they’re forcing him to smoke. in the scene where new is urging phee on to shoot, phee looks at him ‘like, what the fuck?’ like he’s not liking new telling him what to do at all.

maybe then, phee doesn’t shoot anyone, not fluke, not tee, but instead turns on new and points the gun at him. maybe phee really doesn’t want any kind of revenge for non anymore as his brother became too violent for his liking. but phee wouldn’t shoot new.

he could however hold him at gunpoint, and force him to smoke one of the drugged cigarettes, one with an X. maybe so he isn’t an active threat to them anymore, urging them to kill each other and to cause more chaos. they’d be on equal ground as he’d start hallucinating too.

what do you think?

#dead friend forever #dff #dff theory #dff the series #thai bl #dff ep 10 #dff white #dff new #dff tan #dff phee #dff jin #dff fluke #dff top #dff por #dff tee #dff teewhite #dff pheejin #asian lgbtq dramas #lgbtqia

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yuriisclumsy · 7 months ago

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𝖯𝗋𝗈𝗅𝗈𝗀𝗎𝖾, 𝙰𝚌𝚝 𝙸𝙸: Dvalin & the Wind Born Bard

First Chapter | Last Chapter | Next Chapter

𝗉𝗋𝗈𝗈𝖿𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽 𝖻𝗒 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋𝗌 𝗍𝗋𝗎𝗅𝗒. 𝚆𝚘𝚛𝚍 𝙲𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚝: 3839

Authors note: Guys are you excited!? One step closer to uncovering the mysterious quest given to [Name]! I won't take more of your time, onwards you go!

The rustling of the branches and the noises of my mad voice is heard throughout Windrise; even the slimes did not want to mess with me.

“AHHHG!!” I threw a tig at the big tree, frustration getting the better of me.

You may be wondering, why are you mad?

Well, my dear friends, I have been trying to make these powers of mine work for the past THREE hours.

Am I mad? No.

Am I frustrated? Ehh…

I think the best word to describe this feeling is jealousy. For whom, might you ask?

For Sirius. I am extremely jealous of Sirius right now.

I already tried touching the statue of the seven for its corresponding element as he did. It did not work. Tried telling the system to give me powers; total failure. I even asked the old and wise tree if it could give me powers! …It decided I was unworthy of its recognition.

So now I am left with no powers, and a will to punch something so hard it could travel all the way to Celestia.

“Ahg!” I aggressively kicked the tree, and in response, the tree let a branch fall on me, “ow–!” I rubbed my head for the pain to go away. “You think you're so mighty, huh!? Well, how about you come here so I can beat you up!” I yelled at the tree.

With a big sigh, I plopped on the edge of the tree on the grass that tickled my sides. I looked up at the branches of the tree; hatchlings were chirping at their parents to feed them; a squirrel running to hide the nuts in its mouth for when winter came around.

This was a rare moment where I could just…relax. Having Paimon’s never-ending dialogues – even the city’s loud gossip of Stormterror – made it difficult to find a window of silence like this one.

Thinking back, how did I end up here? What was the last thing I saw before coming here…? I was making grunting noises with how hard I was trying for a memory to pop up and give me a clue. In the end, I came up with nothing.

I wasn't one to forget things easily. So why are so many of my memories blank? This has been an issue ever since I awoke. I had just ignored it until now, thinking it was nothing but a fluke. But now, I think it’s not just a coincidence.

“Ahg…If it’s not one thing…it’s the other…” closing my eyes harshly wanting to forget this topic entirely. Remembering my original goal for coming here, I opened my eyes; reading the book I borrowed from the Scary Witch, Lisa is why I am here.

I reached for the book that I left forgotten at the side of me and began reading. ‘Teyvat’s History 38th Edition’… I skipped all the chapters I knew from the previous edition. ‘The beginning of Teyvat’, ‘The Archons’, ‘Nations’… ‘The…Divine City’? I don’t recognize that name. Did Amalia talk about this…? Hmmm… No, not that I remember.

I flipped the page and began reading.

In the far right corner of Teyvat stands a ‘nation’ that is different from the others. Not only is it ruled by a god that is not an Archon, but is also controlled by the heavens themselves. The nation is called the “Divine City,” in accordance to its link with the divine; and its ruler, ‘her Grace’, a god above the Archons, making sure that all is orderly in the realm the mortals roam.

A fancy way of saying it is Celestia's domain. I snorted at the thought of the Archons bowing down to this, so-called, ‘Grace’. That’s one way to keep them humble… I wonder if the story will take us there.

Before I could continue with my immersion, I saw a bright light from the corners of my eyes. I raised my arm to shield sensitive eyeballs from it; the light grew bigger until it dissipated into nothing.

With curiosity, I quietly closed my book, slowly standing up. I made small steps to get a better look at the side of the tree where the light came from. Please tell me it isn’t another one of those creatures. I don’t have Sirius to defend me! I leaned my body where only my left eye was in view.

At the foot of the tree stood a person. It was a boy; he wore a green cape and a green hat with a white flower attached to its side. With a lyre on his hip, he stretched raising his arms up towards the clouds, and breathed in the air that surrounded him.

“Ghn! Ahh… What lovely weather we have…” his head turned towards my direction, “don’t we?” I hid behind the old trunk as fast as it was humanly possible. He had already noticed my presence, so what was the point in hiding?

I don't know how dangerous this boy could be. Even if he was small and meek, this world is a testimony that nothing it’s what it seems. Trust me. The slimes were cute too at the beginning, up until they tried to eat my hand when I tried to pet them.

The boy didn’t seem bothered by my reaction. Humming to himself, he placed the lyre that was on his hip up to his side. He strummed a few cords before his eyelids closed, preparing to play a song.

“There was once a tale of a nation like no other…” he began, and I listened in. “A land far right of the confines of the world, ruled by one far above the Archons, and with blessings from the heavens above.”

Wait, this is…

“The Divine City, they called it; the place where the divine descended, and a place where war could not wage. With hopeful hearts, mortals from all walks of life ventured to the city to find a refugee from the raging war.”

“To most, this was the only place where they could find true peace. But their hopes would soon be shattered, as the city too, would soon be dragged into war at its climax by jealous gods who fought for a seat in the heavens."

"Witnessing the devastation the city endured from the war, its ruler made a compromise with the heavens for a chance to save the people from such horrors; they had lost too many lives already, and they couldn't let this continue."

"The heavens granted the wish, but in exchange, they would abandon all favoritism they had, and never step foot there again…” The notes started to dissipate, marking the ending of the story.

“...And so, this place was sealed off from the world which had opened its doors to refuge,” the music died a while after he finished his tale.

That’s…it? What about the city now? What happens next? Is it still off-limits? Will the story take me there? When our eyes met I realized I had left my hiding spot. Shoot!

“Seems I again caught the interest of a curious star,” the boy said, glancing at me.

“What..?”

“Hahaha! Don’t worry about me and my ramblings,” he diverted the subject. “Tell, what is the name that was given to you?”

Mother said not to trust strangers, especially weird ones. He must have noticed my skepticism because he went into a thoughtful state.

“How about this, I’ll introduce myself first, and then you can introduce yourself if you want! Ehem!” He prepares to give the best introduction to have ever existed. “I’m Venti. A humble bard and three-times-winner of the “Most Popular Bard of Mondstadt,” at your service!”

Venti…like, the Anemo Archon…? Oh…. OH NO.

“Hello…Venti,” I greeted with bullets of sweat dripping down my forehead as my head was in complete chaos.

This is the Anemo Archon, THE Anemo Archon! My body tensed up as I slightly bowed in a careful manner BECAUSE A LITERAL GOD WAS IN FRONT OF ME! I should calm myself down before I raise suspicion on myself. Bowing with such formality towards a bard is weird in the first place.

I tried smiling, which turned out to be more awkward than I wanted it to be, “it was enjoyable… The song I mean.”

With pride, Venti smiled, “I’m glad my performance was up to your standards!” He placed a hand on the tree and looked up, then he started to comfort the tree, “Poor dear friend of mine. She should have been nicer to you.”

“Y-YOU SAW THAT?!??!” This could not be happening to me right now!

“Of course I did,” Venti stated it like a fact. “It was quite sad seeing the way you treated this old friend of mine.”

[Internal dialogue of panic with second-hand embarrassment].

“We’re almost there!” a high-pitched voice said.

My saviors!

“Paimon!” I yelled excitedly as I skipped a few steps towards my traveling companions who had come in the right direction.

“Huh? [Name]! What are you doing here?” she questioned, then she looked at Venti. “There you are, you sneaky bard!”

“I was beginning to wonder if you two would even follow me,” Venti said as Paimon and Sirius got closer. “You three know each other?” He asked.

“Yup! [Name] right here is our other travel buddy,” Paimon explained. “Now, [Name]. Why exactly are you here?” And here I thought she would forget about me.

“I was here to read this book,” I took out the history book and put it on display. “I was about to read it…but then Venti showed up out of nowhere and startled me.”

“Whoops,” he scratched his head. “Guess I owe you a song as an apology.”

“...Can I request the story of the song?”

I want to know more about that city. And if Venti is a god, he should know far more than these history books, I glanced at the book.

“Why of course!” I smiled at my ticket to unlock a new place. Take that you stupid game restrictions!

“Venti, I know more about the Anemo god,” Sirius told the wise bard.

“You speak of the God of Anemo, Babatos?” Venti clarified. “He disappeared from Mondstand a long time ago. Unlike Liyue’s and Inazuma’s respective gods are still present, but Mondstadt has seen many a moon since they last saw their own god.”

Disappeared, my a-s. You’re standing right in front of us.

“Why do you wish to know about the God of Anemo? Does it have something to do with Dvalin?”

“...Uh… Uhm… gods are…” Paimon’s feeble mind tried to come up with an excuse.

“Someone told me about Dvalin’s past,” Sirius said before Paimon fried her own brain. “They mentioned the Anemor Archon, so I wanted to know more about him.”

“Hmm… Just how is it that everyone sees Stormterror? I’m quite curious. That said, there’s no need to rush…” he looked at the side, “I have not been back in a while, it seems there are a few who are unhappy with my arrival.”

As we looked to where Venti’s gaze was fixated on, a strong gust of wind blew towards us, almost making Paimon go flying.

“I can’t…open my eyes…” Paimon said as she grabbed onto my cape. “What is that!? It looks like a ball with a tornado inside it!”

In the story, I remember fighting an Eye of the Storm after meeting Venti at Windrise. That thing is far more dangerous in person.

“That’s an Eye of the Storm!” I yelled, trying to ground my footing. “Sirius!” He looked back at me, “Be careful with it!”

“Got it!” He took out his Dull Blade and readied his defensive stand to launch forward.

“I’ll help as well!” Venti said as his bow materialized. “You two,” he glazed back, “stay behind the tree. And don’t come close, it may get vicious.”

“Right!” Paimon yelled back and pulled me with her, meanwhile Sirius and Venti fought the creature.

Watching fantasy fights in the flesh is interesting, even more, if those characters have a different way of fighting that defies the ‘real world. Venti’s style of archery is unique from what I’ve seen on Earth. His movements feel relaxed and free; ideally, you want to be as stiff as possible from what Amalia told me when she trained.

The screech of the Eye of the Storm signals its defeat. The creature disappears into small particles of dust.

“Finally!” Paimon and I went out of our hiding spot. “That thing sure had a fighting spirit, that’s for sure.”

“Seems that the dragon wasn’t the only one affected by the change of winds...” Venti spared a few more seconds on the place where the Eye of the Storm was last. “Now then, you were saying someone had told you about the dragon?”

“Oh! Lisa told a lot about Dvalin. Something about him being mad that the people have left him discarded, and that the reason the situation has gotten to the level it did was because of both sides being violent against each other,” Paimon reiterated to Venti what Lisa told them about the dragon.

“Is that so? Quite the scholar I must say, Lisa.”

“Wait, is that true?” I asked.

I don’t remember the game saying anything about Dvalin being mad at Mondstadt for abandoning him.

“She’s not wrong. The conflict has reached this point, only because both sides have resorted to the use of force. His hate, however, does not stem from the people not making tribute to The Four Winds. Nor was it born from his own nature, but instead came about as a product of his degradation.

“Degra… what now?” Paimon tried sounding out the word.

“Degradation, Paimon,” I repeated.

“I–I knew how to say it, you don’t have to mock me!”

“Oh, yeah? Then, pray tell, Paimon, what is Degradation?”

“That’s…uh…it means…degragation is…”

“Degradation, not degragation,” I corrected her. “In this situation, it means that Dvalin has been suffering for a long while...”

“Really…?” Paimon looked concerned for the dragon.

“The black blood flowing through his heart has been torturing him for years. That’s what's allowed him to be led by the lies of the Abyss Mage.”

Agh…those guys are as much a pain in the butt as the Fatui. Can’t they leave a nation to breathe for a second?

“Abyss Mage? Isn’t that what we fought back when we investigated the Temples of The Four Winds?” Sirius said to Paimon.

“Huh-hu! Those are some pesky creatures! But they do seem to have some level of intelligence to have made a plan this big.”

“Isn’t the Abyss Order an organization?” I asked Venti.

“Correct. The Abyss Mage, along with other abyssal creatures, are an organization comprised of non-human beings. I’m not sure where they come from, all I know is they despise mankind,” Venti made sure to emphasize the hatred the Abyss Order has towards Humanity.

“Do they really hate humans that much?” Paimon shuddered a little.

“I mean, they are trying to manipulate Dvalin,” I said.

“Dvalin isn't the only one who they have control over. Many hilichurls out in the wild take orders from them and act as their weapons,” said Venti. “Before arriving here, I too was like Dvalin, cursed and left to waste,” he turned to look at the Windrise tree, “but now before us stands the Symbol of Mondstadt’s Hero, the place from which Mondstadt rose.”

“Being here with you beneath this great tree feels like when the tear was purified earlier. Like the poison is leaving my body…”

That sounds…romantic. Well, he is a bard.

“Mmmmm… Feels much better.”

“So…how exactly did you get poisoned?” asked Paimon.

“Ahh… that would be because I tried to communicate with Dvalin back in Whispering Woods, but was…interrupted…” Sirius scratched his head with an awkward smile. “As a result, not only did I not manage to help Dvalin break his curse, but instead, I was also infected myself.”

“Oh, ah…that… That was…us?”

“Don’t drag me into this,” I glared at him,” I wasn’t the one glowing with Anemo.”

“Yes, it was you!” Venti looked directly at Sirius. See? Not me. I wasn’t the one dumb enough to continue adventuring when a dragon was on the loose. “So, to make up for it, you lot are coming with me to the Cathedral!”

“Excuse?” I let out.

Paimon tilted her head, “the Mondstadt Cathedral? To do what exactly?”

“Oi, don’t ignore me.”

“To claim a certain “Holy Lyre der Himmel.”

“And why do I have to go?” They started walking away from me.

“Hello!?”

Why do I keep getting into situations like this…?

We returned to Mondstadt City some time ago, and we’re currently on our way to the Mondstadt Cathedral. Much to my displeasure. I tried leaving a few times but was caught by either Paimon's or Sirius’s puppy eyes that would stare at me, making me feel guilty for leaving.

“Why am I following again…?” I complained, I dragged my feet as we walked through the streets of Mondstadt.

“Because, [Name], you have left us ever since he came to Mondstadt. We are supposed to be travel buddies!” Paimon exclaimed.

“Exactly, travel buddies. And since we’re not traveling, I want to have my alone time, thank you very mucho.”

“Hehe…” Venti giggled, while Sirius snickered.

“What are you laughing about, mister?!” Paimon thumped in the air.

Venti let go of an airy laugh, “It’s nothing, really. I just find your relationship to be endearing. You two might even be considered siblings.”

“Thank you, but no thank you,” I rejected the idea of being Paimon’s older sister.

“Ewww! Not with her,” Paimon gave me a nasty look.

“Oi.”

“Paimon would never stoop as low as to admit that [Name] would be a reliable sibling!” She crossed her arms. “And even less that her cooking is amazing!”

My mood fluttered at the unintentional compliments. “...You think my cooking is amazing?”

Paimon’s little eyes wide at the realization of the things she wouldn't admit aloud. “Uh?! What? No! Paimon didn’t say that your cooking is the best Paimon’s ever tried!”

“Aweeee, Paimon…” I pinched her cheek like a doting mother. “You don’t have to be shy about complimenting my cooking skills.”

“Agh, stop!” she pushed my hand away, “and wipe that smug smile off your face!”

“No can do~,” I said singly.

“Paimon will show you not to mess with her!” Paimon quickly flew over, but I stopped her by the head, rendering her unable to move and with her small arms swinging back and forth trying to hit me.

“Calm down you two,” Sirius intervened just like the older sibling he is in our friend group.

“I’ll get you next time, just you wait…” she glared at me, and in response, I stuck out my tongue.

“So…”Holy Lyre der Himmel.” What is it?” Sirius asked Venti to get us to focus on something else.

“It is one of the most treasured items in Mondstadt. It’s the lyre Babatos used to play. With it, perhaps I can help Dvalin draw his gentle nature back out of this nightmare he’s going through.”

“Can a lyre really stop Stromterror from causing more damage?” The subject had been successfully changed.

“Of course. I’m the best bard in the world,” he puffed his chest. “There’s not a single song I don't know, no matter if it’s from the past, present, or future.”

That ego is really hard to break. I wonder if he's able to sing songs from my world…

“Look me in the eyes. Do you not find me trustworthy?”

“Look into my eyes. What are you hiding?” I looked deeply into Venti’s eyes, making him a bit uncomfortable.

I know what you are…

“The color of your eyes is like the sky in my hometown,” said Sirius.

“Hahaha, that one doesn’t work on a bard.”

Are these two just straight-up flirting?

“So…how can we get the Holy Lyre?” Paimon asked.

“It’s said that it’s enshrined deep within the Cathedral, somewhere safe,” Venti explained as he reached the level of the Cathedral, standing right outside its doors. “I’ll go take a look around. You can come if you want.”

“I’m good,” I rejected his invitation.

“Really?” Paimon got a bit sad, “you don’t want to come with us again?”

“Please don’t give me that sad look…It will make me feel bad.”

“Good! You better feel guilty for not spending any time with us!” She crossed her arms.

Well, now I don’t feel bad at all.

“Paimon, leave her be. She is still as new to Mondstadt, as she is to Teyvat. She doesn’t remember any of this, or if she even was from here,” Sirius reminded Paimon.

“...” Paimon looked at him and then frowned, “Oh, who is Paimon kidding? You’re right” She turned to me and apologized, “Paimon’s sorry… Paimon just missed you being with us…”

I paused for a moment, maybe regretting what I was about to say, “...How about this, I’ll stay right where I am until you guys return.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

“...Okay. But Paimon better see you here when we return! Or else…” she threatened.

“O-K,” I signaled with my fingers.

“We should head in now. The more we delay, the more Dvalin suffers,” said Venti.

“You’re right,” Sirius said, then looked at me sternly, “Stay put. Paimon, let’s go.”

“Yes, sir!” And like that, they left.

“...”

Did Sirius just tell me to stay still like a dog, or am I imagining things?

I sigh in defeat, “...just need to wait till they’re back. It can’t be that difficult of a task.”

Ding-Ding!

“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me…” I just had to open my mouth. I looked around to locate the screen that would always show up after the sound but found none. Had it been a false alarm? Looking at the people surrounding my area, I saw no one confused about a random alarm going off–although that might be Mondstadt's nature. “No one’s impressed by the sound, that’s for sure.”

Where did the sound come from? I inspected my surroundings again. Maybe I had missed something? I looked to the left, then to the right, up, down, spun around. I looked like a lunatic. Still, nothing I saw was out of the ordinary. Strange… I closed my eyes. Perhaps it's because I didn’t get any sleep last night.

Then, sparkles rained down. My eyes followed, landing on the old stone floor where a trail made of tiny particles began to form. The trail glowed towards the stairs leading down to the lower areas of Mondstadt, trying to pull me towards them.

But I refused. I promised Piamon I would be here when they came out, and I will fulfill that promise.

I sat on the stairs leading up to the cathedral, moving around a bit, before settling my head down on my palm. And then another notification appeared.

[Your target is near!]

My curiosity was strong, but my loyalty was stronger… But, would taking a peak be that bad? Oh-oh.

“...Sirius, Paimon… Come fast…”

𝚃𝚊𝚐𝚜: @udretlnea, @taurus-caeli, @humongousoperatorhairdoopera, @aesir1, @creationmage, @savedpostsnotmain, @melanistium, @dontlookatmepreetyplease. Comment if you want to get added into the Tag section for The Divine City: Story. Related Series: Sub-Stories Arcs for more information about this AU.

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#reader insert #reader input #sagau #genshin impact x fanfic #sagau genshin #genshin sagau #genshin impact sagau #genshin isekai #genshin impact isekai #the divine city #blond traveler #venti #paimon #aether #dvalin #stormterror

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screaming-universe · 2 months ago

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HI so I was thinking about your amazing mer Buddietommy art again and wanted to know if you have thoughts about the backstory you could share 👀 obviously some things might be spoilers but I am sooooo curious!!!

Ahhh thank you!!! 🧡 (and please pretend that I didn't take forever to answer t.t )

Since I don't think I'll ever write/draw this fic, I might as well make a looong post about it.

The guys: Tommy is a lighthouse keeper on an island in the middle of nowhere (lighthouse keeper cause some people of my acquaintance (@buffaluff) are lighthouse enjoyers :3). Buck is a whale shark mer, Eddie is a lion fish mer (in german, their name translates to fire fish, I couldn't resist that ^^).

The setting: Merfolk are known but there is no real interaction between them and humans, due to prejudices and also violence. Mers live in settlements in shallower waters (I do want them to be out of easy reach of humans but also have some sunlight which does limit how deep these settlements could be. Maybe there's bioluminescent algae or something?) in democratic societies led by councils. Bobby and Athena are probably on the council of the settlement where Buck and Eddie live. On average, female mers are bigger than male mers (there's gorgeous mer art by @chaussettecanape that really solidified that worldbuilding decision for me!). They have gills but also lungs and do spend some time on land to sun themselves but certainly spend most of their time in the sea. Fighting fires isn't really a thing in the sea, but first aid and rescuing people would still make sense, so the 118 would still have jobs in that general area. Just without engines and so on.

Stuff that's happened in the past: Eddie was part of the guard of a settlement further south, where he grew up. Mers often fight with trident and spears; one time Eddie and other guards clashed with another group and Eddie got stabbed by a trident in the left shoulder and and by a spear in the left wrist. Another trident messed up the frills on the right side of his tail. Some time after that, (parts of) Eddie's family moved to the settlement where they currently live. Shannon probably lives in this AU and her and Eddie are back to being very good friends. (Shannon and Chris both have whale shark tails. Abuela also has a lion fish tail) Now since there are no engines, there's no engine to pin Buck's leg to the ground. Also no leg. What does happen though, is that Buck's fluke got pinned by an anchor and he loses the left side of it. He gets a prosthetic for it.

Eddie and Buck get together before the actual plot picks up.

Now to the story itself:

I have actually written the very beginning of chapter 1:

It is quite windy when Tommy goes out for his daily walk. The waves crash high on the rocky little island that’s been his home for the past six months. So he knows better than to go down to the jetty, instead he walks along the high ridge to the far part of the island. Around him the seabirds are calling as they race through the sky. It could have been a day like any other—most days are when you work as a lighthouse keeper. But instead he hears voices. Voices. Tommy is supposed to be alone on this island. The first time he hears them he tells himself it’s a trick of the wind and his loneliness. But then he hears them again… And of course he goes to investigate. There’s not much new on the island and if Tommy is going insane then he’d rather know sooner than later. But no: there definitely are voices. Because there are people. Tommy steps around a rock and then he sees them: three persons but none of them human, though partly humanoid. They are mers and one of them is a child. And the child is stuck in a tide pool, some twenty feet away from the sea. Another mer, one with a fiery red tail, is crawling towards them while a third struggles to climb the up and onto the island. There is no beach here, no gradual slope. Just rocks worn so smooth that they offer barely a grip.

And here it is as a (badly photographed) comic sketch:

I haven't settled on why Chris gets stuck on the island. Maybe because of a big wave that surprises him, maybe he went there when the tide was in and then missed the point to go back to the sea. However it happens: he's now stuck in a tide pool. Buck helps Eddie to scramble up the rocks but it's not easy for mers to move on land and Eddie struggles to help Chris. And that's when Tommy arrives. The mers - especially Buck - are very wary of him since humans do sometimes hunt mers. I'm not sure if they could understand each other? Mers should have another language entirely but I also want them to be able to communicate easily. Magic??? Anyway, Tommy helps Eddie get Chris back into the sea, at no small risk to himself. The mers disappear quickly and Tommy is left wondering if this really happened.

The next day though, he finds a necklace where he saw the mers and he's pretty sure that it wasn't there before. Then he sees a mer (Eddie) in the distance and he thinks it might belong to him. Tommy fastens the necklace to the jetty in a way that it can easily be retrieved from a person in the sea but won't fall off on its own. When he comes back later, the necklace is gone.

Over the next weeks, Tommy sometimes spots a mer in the distance, watching him. Or two mers. Mostly it's Eddie who is curious about him, though Buck sometimes comes along to glare some. Eddie gets closer and closer to the island until one day Tommy's on the jetty and there's a mer mere feet away from him. Buck is jealous and possessive and he doesn't get why Eddie keeps seeking out this human, it's dangerous! (except he does know, possibly more than Eddie does, he just doesn't want to admit it to himself) Eddie (and Chris) visit Tommy regularly and Buck sometimes joins them and despite his best efforts, he is starting to be charmed by Tommy.

And then, one day as they are swimming to the island, Eddie is hit by a harpoon and dragged out of the water and into a boat. Buck doesn't know what to do; he is chased off by harpoons and spears, and he knows he could not get on the boat. However, Tommy's island is close and due to everything that just went down, Buck isn't sure if Tommy might be involved in it. (It's not that far-fetched: fearing abduction and captivity is a reason why mers are generally wary of humans. And Buck and Eddie have been visiting Tommy for weeks/months now; it would be easy to tell somebody where to find them) Tommy's on the jetty, expecting them, but before he can even smile at the approaching mer, he is dragged into the sea. It doesn't take long though until Buck believes Tommy that he doesn't know anything about these mer hunters. Buck takes Tommy along as he goes to search for the boat, and Tommy, completely soaked through and freezing, manages to climb onto it and free Eddie. Eddie of course is badly wounded and they are very slow to escape from the boat, since Buck has to support Eddie and make sure that Tommy doesn't drown at the same time. Just when it seems like the hunters will catch up to them again, Athena and more of the guard arrive and the trio is hustled away to safety. The doctors can patch Eddie up but think it would be better if he could recuperate on land, to keep the wound dry. Now luckily, Buck knows an island that is save and that's how Eddie ends up in Tommy's bathtub. He hates the lack of mobility and misses Chris and Buck, even if he enjoys spending so much time with Tommy (who's hauling up many buckets of sea water every day).

I'm not quite sure how it happens, but Buck and Eddie and Tommy get together. Tommy goes swimming with them:

Tommy stops and looks back to his lighthouse for some reason. Evan and Eddie just want him to go swimming with them but this moment feels somehow important, like a point of no return. Of course he knows the legends and stories of merfolk seducing humans—especially men—to join them into the sea to then drown them. But Tommy has been with them in the sea before, once, and he has been close enough to the sea that either Buck or Eddie, especially both together, could have easily overwhelmed him to drag him into the sea. And of course they were just that: stories. Any reputable source he could find told him that it was just bullshit prejudice and that was it. So he’s sure that it’s not this kind of point of no return—what is it then? Instead of trying to figure this feeling out, he turns back to the two men in the sea who are calling out to him as they splash each other with water like they aren’t already mostly submerged in it.

(I didn't add the harpoon scar but I think this fits best here, not like I'm very set on the timeline either ^^')

They tell him about the settlement under the sea and he says that he wishes that he could see it but he knows he can't. Or so he thinks. One day, as they swim to Tommy, Buck expresses that he wishes that Tommy was a mer so they could spend more time together and do more things together. Tommy goes swimming with them, when he suddenly gets pulled into the sea. Before they really know what's happening, he is a mer.

They take him to the settlement and everything seems perfect until it looks like Buck gets struck by lightning (it's not real lightning) and then is in a coma. As it turns out, when Buck said that he wishes that Tommy was a mer, something magical I have not yet thought about more hears him and makes it come true. And now Buck is paying the prize. He gets stuck in a strange world and idk what happens but he's getting out of it again and that's how he "pays" for Tommy's transformation.

Maybe there's some additional angst after he finds out that he accidentally made Tommy a mer and what if Tommy didn't want that to happen??? (Tommy didn't think it would be possible but he sure is not complaining ^^ he's got nothing keeping him on land anyway) The three of them + Chris start to figure out how to live together and Tommy learns how to be a mer.

And I think that's everything, I hope you like it! 🧡

#sorry again for taking so long t.t i see a message in my inbox and go look what it is and then forget its existence until a month later #scream back at the universe #buckhastwohands #a light on the sea #buddietommy #polyfire #bet #mer au #mer eddie diaz #mer tommy kinard #mer evan buckley

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