#i simply cannot wait to be unhinged :3

[tiredinfluencer]

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀murdoc niccals ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀🙏﹗the great leader

⠀⠀⠀indie. rp ⠀⠀⠀matchies w @buztednblue !! ⠀⠀⠀written by codie . ⠀⠀⠀⤿ 30 ⠀⠀⠀⤿ canadian ⠀⠀⠀⤿ i'm also @CARNIVALBEERS on twitter !

꒰ no minors 𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙡 . ꒰ ships are fine, just not w/ noodle . & multi ship ꒰ nothing sexually nsfw on the dash ꒰ lewd - focus dni .

⠀⠀⠀⤿ phase 7 focused ⠀⠀⠀⤿ tw for cults / drug & alcohol abuse ⠀⠀⠀/ mental illness / i ship 2doc lmao ⠀⠀⠀/ canon typical / etc. idk ⠀⠀⠀⤿ i do my best to match style & length ⠀⠀⠀of replies in my replies ⠀⠀⠀⤿ don't steal my edits or wtvr ⠀

[obsessive-clown]

I hope I am not too late to ask for hcs. Can I please get hcs Yandere Nanami on how unhinged can he get when it comes to his darling

HI ANONYYYY. 🤭 I see you think like I do.

We like our men a little ✨wild✨. So allow me to feed you.

꧁❤︎︎❤︎︎❤︎︎❤︎︎❤︎︎❤︎︎❤︎︎❤︎︎❤︎︎❤︎︎❤︎︎❤︎︎❤︎︎❤︎︎❤︎︎❤︎︎❤︎︎❤︎︎❤︎︎❤︎︎❤︎︎꧂

I believe Kento has a few rules set in place. Maybe not for you, his darling. But unspoken rules for other people.

1. LOOK, DON’T TOUCH -

‘Look, don’t touch’ is as obvious as it gets. People can look at you, but touching you? No. Kento can’t stand the thought of someone else touching you. If they touch you, clearly they want you in some fashion, right? And he certainly can’t have that. He loves you. And he most definitely loves you more than anyone else will. If the person that touched you, or god forbid, grabbed you, is a non-sorcerer, Kento has a chat with them. Which likely ends with the person losing their hands. Or arms. He doesn’t want to hurt the people, it’s not like they know the rule(s), but he can’t have what’s his become tainted.

2. STRANGER DANGER! -

Don’t know ‘em? Don’t talk to ‘em. It’s so silly to hear, especially if you’re older than a foolish child… But it’s a rule that works to Kento. Strangers talking to you makes his skin crawl. What the hell could they be talking to you about anyways? He wants you to be happy, he’ll let you have a little socialization with his friends. Friends that he know won’t make advances on you. But even then, he wants to be there for those little chats. If a stranger makes you uncomfortable with their conversation, he’s waiting until you’re back home to track the person down. And the next thing you know, there’s a body being found with its teeth, jaw and tongue missing, being reported on the news.

3. FRIENDS DON’T DO THAT! -

Obviously, for you, you don’t get to contact your friends. Kento simply cannot risk losing you. But his friends? Yes, maybe, when you’re calm enough to go out with him. However… Some of his friends can be a threat to your ‘relationship’. In Kento’s deluded mind, that is. Even the ‘Strongest Sorcerer’ isn’t excused from Kento’s anger or from repercussions. Kento will go absolutely out of his way to keep you. And that’s what makes him dangerous. If Satoru were to ‘threaten the relationship’ in Kento’s mind, there’s a special box he’d gladly help his white haired friend into. He would go as far as to find out weaknesses his friends or acquaintances have, just to be able to use them if he gets angry over how they act towards you. He can’t lose you. He can’t go back to the place he was at before he had you with him. He cannot bare the thought of it. So, he’ll take the risk of practically burning the damn world down, just to keep you safe with him.

꧁❤︎︎❤︎︎❤︎︎❤︎︎❤︎︎❤︎︎❤︎︎❤︎︎❤︎︎❤︎︎❤︎︎❤︎︎❤︎︎❤︎︎❤︎︎❤︎︎❤︎︎❤︎︎❤︎︎❤︎︎❤︎︎꧂

I apologize for getting to this oh so late, but I was struggling this summer… either way, I’m glad to have finally got this out and I hope some of, if not all of you, enjoy it.

Also, I apologize for only thinking of three rules, but hey, it’s better than none!

[starsandhughes]

Penalty Box— Trevor Zegras (Part Seven)

SERIES MASTERLIST

previous: six

next: eight

corresponding quinn post

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2023

PREGAME

yourusername

liked by colecaufield, trevorzegras, and 4,311 others

yourusername welcome to my pregame update: bets addition! trevor currently stands at 4 games without a penalty, and quinn stands at 5. the last pic is the bets for tonights games! after the games, i’ll let you all know who owes what <3

game day, yay day!!

tagged trevorzegras, _quinnhughes, jackhughes, lhughes_06, jamie.drysdale, _alexturcotte, and colecaufield

view all 317 comments

trevorzegras it’s on😤😈

yourusername be an angel i want money

jackhughes be a devil (😏) i want money

user1 there’s so many possibilities here omg

user2 i want to be a fly on the wall if they’re all facetiming

_quinnhughes may the odds be ever in our favor

yourusername ihy<3

_quinnhughes says the one who can’t watch mockingjay pt 2 without pausing to cry

yourusername ihy (x2)

jackhughes @_quinnhughes for once i’m with y/n

jamie.drysdale “what is it all for? what do you want?”

yourusername “in a word— chaos.”

trevorzegras stop quoting snl

yourusername @/trevorzegras but i truly started these bets for chaos

user3 who wants to bet how long it takes until half the league is in this betting pool😂

_alexturcotte it’s like hell week all in one night

colecaufield true

yourusername you’re welcome! :)))

user4 i love that jack is betting against everybody

lhughes_06 there is no way anyone is coming out of this unscathed

yourusername yolo

trevorzegras @/yourusername my love can only go so far please stop using that

lhughes_06 @/yourusername i agree

yourusername careful boys, i have your moms phone numbers

lhughes_06 @/yourusername my mom is literally your mom

yourusername @/lhughes_06 yeah, that’s how i have her number

jackhughes viva los vegas🎰

trevorzegras you’re not funny

jackhughes i didn’t ask

POSTGAME

yourusername

liked by jackhughes, trevorzegras, and 6,289 others

yourusername welcome to my postgame penalty box update: ducks addition! today will have multiple posts, because i refuse to have just one unhinged photo. onto the news!

tonight, the love of my life (and current greatest enemy) received a penalty for slashing and is back to zero games since his last time in the box. i owe jack a lot of money and that’s simply the worst fate. thanks, babe<3

BUT THE DUCKS WON 4-2 SO AT LEAST SOME PEOPLE (besides j*ck🙄) WON TONIGHT!! stay tuned for quinn’s post!

tagged trevorzegras, _quinnhughes, lhughes_06, jackhughes, jamie.drysdale, _alexturcotte, and colecaufield

view all 702 comments

jackhughes why did you turn my name into a swear word when all i do is love and support you with my friendship?

yourusername you can’t even prove that?

jackhughes @/trevorzegras your girlfriend is gaslighting me

trevorzegras @/jackhughes you can’t even prove that

trevorzegras sorry you owe jack 2 hundy but i love you, forever🧡

yourusername mhmm i love you, always

jamie.drysdale @/trevorzegras she was cursing your name more than jack’s

trevorzegras @/jamie.drysdale that’s true love, baby

user1 y/n really put all her faith in her boyfriend and best friend and they did her dirty

user2 is no one gonna mention that alex also won all his bets

_quinnhughes i agree j*ck sucks

jackhughes what about brother solidarity?!

yourusername @/jackhughes 1. you bet against him. 2. best friend privileges so suck it

_quinnhughes @/jackhughes what she said

user3 when he’s a criminal>>> 🥵

jamie.drysdale you won by spending time with me!

yourusername i mean i guess

trevorzegras that’s just another L

_alexturcotte thank you for the chaos you created! love ya!

yourusername no, you just love the facetime screenshots of me crying

colecaufield @/yourusername i also love those and u

yourusername @/colecaufield @_alexturcotte i love you both too ig but ur on probation😘

user4 i cannot wait to see what happens when the canucks and ducks play each other

trevorzegras EVERYONE KEEPS COMMENTING THAT THEY LOVE YOU SO I JUST NEED TO SAY I LOVE YOU MOST, MY BEAUTIFUL CRAZY GIRL

yourusername i love you always, z🧡

jamie.drysdale gross

jackhughes brb i’m gagging

lhughes_06 maybe we should lower the stakes for the ducks v canucks game😂

yourusername i knew you were good for something! love ya lukey!

lhughes_06 love you too?

user5 this comment section has sm love for y/n it’s adorable

jamie.drysdale it’s because she cried

jackhughes this is charity work

[thegamingcatmom]

I just got back in my twilight phase and discovered your blog, so I was wondering if MC ever got transformed into a vampire in the sisters universe, who would be the one transforming her? I feel like the obvious choice would be tanya, but a part of me thinks that irina trying to kill MC, but accidently turning her would fit the level of unhinged they are. But also if turned into a vampire, how do you think the sisters would react to MC being stronger AND possibly hotter?

In that case:

Welcome to my blog! :3

Right off the bat: Irina cannot be trusted alone with MC at this point in time, that´s true. But it´s not gonna stay like that forever. She´ll come around sooner or later (more later though), so the chances of MC getting turned because Irina actually tried to finish the job are pretty slim. But I can see where you´re coming from and I love that yall´s minds are coming up with possible scenarios for the Unholy Trinity and their, uh...chosen one. 🤭

With that said-

It´s difficult to say who´s gonna turn her, as it depends on everything that leads up to that moment. And it´s gonna be a while yet before we even get to that moment. I don´t plan anything I write beforehand. I simply go with what feels right, so I´ll know who´s gonna turn MC when it gets to that. 😅

However, I´ve been working on a lil something for a bit now (yes, the something that´s supposed to make yall suffer), sort of like an alternate ending to The Sisters. Like, yknow how some games have multiple endings? There´s the good ending, the hidden one, and the bad one.

Well, consider my WIP the bad one. 😅

BUT: It might shine some light into everyone´s motives, especially when it comes to the whole turning thing.

.

As for the sisters´ reactions to vampire!MC?

...I mean-

So, not rly any different from now. LMAO.

It´s true though: They might not realize it yet (well, except for Tanya lol) but, to them, MC´s already-

I´m actually gonna take a page out of Edward´s (well, SM´s lol) book here:

MC´s always gonna be their MC, just a lot less fragile. ;3

Like yknow, I don´t think there´s all that much that would change for them. Ofc it´s gonna be nice when they won´t have to worry about accidently crushing MC when hugging her anymore (Kate´s bear hugs can be rather suffocating, it has to be said), but when it comes to attraction? I don´t think they could possibly be any more smitten with MC. Or else they might actually eat her up, lmao.

So, it´s not gonna be an overly sexual first reaction, if that´s what you´re asking. It´s more like they´re completely in awe of what they´re seeing, almost like they´re not quite sure what they´re seeing is even real. Because, at that point, all of them have been through a lot, right? All those months (perhaps even years, I haven´t decided yet) of madness and longing and arguments and more longing and fighting and some more madness and then longing again and-

By the end of The Sisters, it will have been one hell of a ride for everyone involved. So, seeing everything finally come full circle when their chosen one joins them in their shared forever? I don't think words could truly capture their feelings, tbh.

However, something I find quite funny to think about:

I reckon it´s gonna be MC who turns into the horndog this time, lmao. As a newborn, there´s only gonna be two things on her mind when she first opens her eyes to this new world:

blood

sex

That´s gonna be all she cares about. And, somehow, I think she´s gonna try and go for the latter first because duh, look at that gorgeous wom-

Wait, there´s another-

And another-

Jesus, can you imagine?? Poor MC, completely driven by her instincts. Instincts she just doesn´t know how to deal with yet. Her brain´s gonna melt. She´s gonna melt. This is too much, she is but a newborn-

And the sisters? They couldn´t be more delighted at that display. For them, it´s like watching a baby take its first step. I mean, they´re literally ancient. And MC´s so young, she´s a baby. YKNOW WHAT I´M SAYING??

Sugar Momma mode activated.

KSBJFKASKBFASKF

Honestly though, that´s kinda how I envision it. The sisters are beyond mature, and MC just can´t cope with any of it. She´ll need the sisters to guide her, show her how it´s done. She´ll also need them to soothe that inner beast of hers that keeps telling her stuff that totally contradicts with what she´s actually thinking-

And then MC goes about actually jumping their bones, only for them to-

.

Tanya: "Ah, ah...first we must get that thirst of yours under control, my love."

Kate: "I hate myself for this but, for once, I gotta agree with the spoilsport. One craving now, the other craving later. But God, you´re so sexy when you´re-"

Irina: "As Tanya said...we wouldn´t want you losing your pretty head halfway through and risk half of Alaska´s population being drained by noon, would we, maličký?"

MC, who hasn´t understood a word after "thirst": 🩸👁️👄👁️🩸

.

YKNOW???

But I also kinda HC that, in the world of vampires, with age comes status. All vampires have this inner beast that´s responsible for their more primal behavior and instinctive reactions in certain situations. Such as coming face to face with an elder. And MC´s got three of them.

Lord have mercy on that poor girl. We all wanna be her, let´s face it.

.

.

.

Thanks a lot for your ask! 💋

[faededaway]

Hero's fan meets hero by chance!!

K, one silly idea.

I'm not sure where it ends BUT here it goes:

You are a civilian in today's quirky world. You haven't got a quirk of your own though. It's okay! You've never felt bad about it. Things have worked out for you and you've worked with the things you've got!

So, you're going about your day. You're at the local grocery store at the same time as always. The canned food aisle has your attention for the longest as usual (because you're looking for that one canned item they don't seem to bring in anymore).

Suddenly, you hear a man yell out to you, “your bag! Give it to me or else!”

You turn your back to the shelves to look at what “or else” may be. To your displeasure it looks like a barbed tail like appendage that may or may not be in your appendage if you didn't let go of..... The bag you don't have..

“I would give it to you. Really! I'm so scared right now! I'd really love to give it to you, but I didn't bring one. I only have about $20 on me at the moment”. You bring your hands up to your head to show him the lack of any kind of bag he could have snagged from you.

An angry growl leaves him and you see that he's about to charge at you. So you simply, move out the way to let him crash into the variety of canned goods on the shelves.

Upon headbutting the shelf, about a dozen or so cans fall on his head from the higher shelves and knock him out cold. So you continue your shopping, head to the counter, and let the store clerk know about the incident.

Upon leaving the store, you find yourself in front of a reporter from a well-known news channel. “Are you the person who saved the town's only grocery store from being shutdown by this unhinged barbaric villain?”, the reporter exclaims while pushing their mic onto your face.

“Well, barbarian is a strong word. You see, I only acted in self defense. If it saves my favorite grocery store in the process, I hope I get a discount next time I go.” something about how this whole thing felt like a skit makes you want to go along with whatever the reporter says. No one will actually watch the news about a small town grocery store. So who cares about what you say. Besides, they could just cut the unnecessary stuff out.

“Oh, so do I! They should give you lifetime discount! How did you feel when confronted by this villain? What made you decide to act on your own rather than waiting for our heros to arrive?”, the reporter inches in closer and spits out these words at you.

Now, you're thinking. Right. It's that channel. The anti hero one!

“Erm, well, I didn't act! I just, I didn't do much, really. And, how could a hero know what's going on in every corner of the world? Ya know?? Anyway! The cops took him away!! Problem solved!”, you smile at the camera and wave your hands dismissively.

The reporter nods their head fervently. “Yes, the heroes cannot be relied on”.

Ah-oh no. Did you make things worse? Are you feeding the anti hero propaganda? You don't want that. You have to fix it! You have to say something good!

“Wait, you know. Actually, my- my favorite hero! My favorite hero inspired me to do this! Yes, yes! My favorite hero, always arrives at the scene so confidently. With their radiant smile, and, and calm voice. Telling everyone things will be okay. Yeah! I totally had their voice in my head at that moment. I heard them! Telling me 'breathe easy, 1,2, and 3. It will all be over soon'. Ya know? Ya know, that hero?”. You ramble out as quickly as you can. You're not sure if they'll give you any more of their time but you still take your chances.

“Your favorite hero? Which hero do you speak of?”, the reporter grimaces. Even the camera man gruffs in disgust.

Now, you had a few choices to make. You could mention a few local heroes. Make them a bit more popular. You could mention the top hero. Or you could mention your top hero. Your hero, who actually saves the world with a smile. Hero Fatgum.

“Well, his name is um, he's not a local hero but I'm a big fan. Hero, Hero Fatgum”, you're want to run away now. This is it. This conversation is not real. Your groceries are on the curb. Your soul isn't in your body.

“A fan? What does that mean? Do you make fanart or something?”, the reporter asks. The look like they can't believe you used that word.

Fanart? You do. But, should you say that to them? You wouldn't lose anything because no one watches TV anymore. Or the news. Right? And they can and WILL cut this out!!

“Umm, yeah. I do make fanart sometimes,” you open up your phone to show a fanart of Fatgum bending over to grab hold of a fallen civilian.

The cameraman zooms into your phone. You immediately move to put your phone back in your pocket but the reporter grabs it from you.

“Hm. You're not that bad. Are you famous?”, the reporter now scrolls through your phone as if it's their own. The embarrassment from this makes you fumble out incoherent words. “What was that?”

“I do put them ...on.. this site. Ah, Uh! That's all. I don't have any more fanart” you snatch your phone back and stuff it in your pocket before they could see a ... Truly embarrassing fanart that would make you want to leave the country.

“This site, what's it called?”, you want to question why this anti hero reporter is suddenly this invested in your fanart of a hero but you don't know what that would make them do. So you spell out the name of the site for them and your username.

The reporter finally turns to the camera and away from you, “folks, that was all from the incident of today morning's attempted robbery of the town's only grocery store. A brave fan born from the heroic acts of the braver ones who save the civilians of our land everyday has saved the day. May it inspire us all to be more positive and look at our heros in a new light. Maybe they alone can't save the world, but we together can save ourselves. This has been -”

You tune out the rest of the words. So, the antihero channel is now... Turning over a new leaf? Today? Now? What's going on?

After the reporter and the cameraman wrap you ask them what was going on.

“Oh, yeah. You don't get much government favor by being anti hero. So we decided to find a story that'd help us segue into this new thing. Luckily, we found a good enough story in the morning! Your tangent about being inspired and all, even showing us your fanart?? Great stuff!” the reporter and their partner laugh in relief.

Hot flash runs through your body. On one hand, your purpose is fulfilled. But on the other hand, they will NOT cut out the embarrassing footage of your fanart. Okay. Whatever. You start heading home to sleep this off.

~

You avoid watching the news offline and online for fear that you may see your own face on tv. A week has passed. No one has pointed fingers at you and laughed at you. Someone is yet to bring up your embarrassing tangent. So, you assume you are safe. Thinking so, you go back to your local grocery store for the first time that week.

As usual, you stand in the canned food aisle for a little too long. And today, they actually have the one you're looking for! Canned tropical fruit mix!

When you turn to put the can in your cart, a large shadow towers over you. You tense up. Last week you were lucky to have gotten away unscathed. This time luck may not be on your side. So you brace yourself to run with the cart when you hear, “is it okay if I ask for an autograph?”.

You look up to the source of the voice and freeze. It's Taishiro holding a printed version of your fanart of him asking you to sign it for him. Taishiro, Fat Gum, watched you on the news, visited your blog, printed(and bought) your risque beach fanart of himself carrying you, and is now asking you to sign it for him.

Your hands tighten around the handlebar of the cart. He speaks up again, “I quite like how you drew me here. It's the only one with you in it. I'd like it signed if you wouldn't mind.”

Your favorite hero is in front of you doing something you'd never dream of. Your heart is beating so loudly, you ears are ringing. But you'd be a fool to let this moment go to waste.“Sure. Can I have a picture with you in return?”

“Oh, of course! We could even go grab a bite somewhere if you'd like”. He says as he cocks his head to the side and beams at you.

And that is when you decide to make your fanart turn to reality someday soon.

[jaguarys]

Can I have your thoughts on Halan pls

I AM HERE TO ANSWER LIKE 3 MONTHS AFTER YOU ASKED.

I was originally planning to wait to answer this until I'd read his Stories volume, but I haven't gotten around to ordering it yet and... I wanna answer (I'm working on a Jadina fic and really needed to get my thoughts out). So. Take everything with a grain of salt because I don't have the context of that volume.

I both love and loathe Halan in a lot of ways and I am sorta chomping on him because I think he's terribly interesting.

Before my reread, I'd remembered Halan to be a Lot More harmless than he actually came off. He is legitimately unhinged and dangerous in Cœur du Passé/Main du Futur and I simply cannot get over some of the shit he says.

I think Halan is someone who's extremely extremely spoiled and immature, and extremely used to getting what he wants. I also think he is just Slightly Stupid (with all due respect lol). I don't think he actually views Jadina in a romantic light (nor do I think she does him) but it's moreso the idea of being denied something he wants that gets under his skin. He doesn't like that at all, and having never been denied anything else while being denied This One Thing repeatedly makes him spiral.

I don't think he views his actions as being truly harmful because of his removal from it all. He's in such a position of privilege people don't/can't tell him he's an asshole, and he doesn't see the effects of his choices, and it just means his actions escalate. He is SOOOO easily manipulated by Ceydeirom it is ridiculous. Get some morals boy!

I think for Jadina it's really a case of seeing a boy you were best friends with when you were little become a man you don't recognize. The habits that were silly when he was 13 become menacing when he's 30. Really she does not get enough credit for Dealing. It had to be truly upsetting.

In some small ways, I do have the tiniest ounce of sympathy. Jadina had the chance (stole the chance) to get out of royal life and learn more about the world, which he didn't (of course, who knows whether he could've). I don't think he's irredeemable at all. He just has really gotta wise up.

That being said... he deserved his ass kicked by Jadina and his consequences in Main du Futur and far more than that on top of it all. I think about him a lot in terms of his dynamics with Jadina, and not too much past that

(Slightly separate note: I also think. Some of vols 5/6 are also the effect of Male Author. I don't think Sobral really realized the implications of some things he was introducing there in terms of Halan's behavior.)

[stormyoceans]

top5 puentalay kisses/hugs?

im pretty late with this but i would never pass up a chance to be annoying about vice versa so here we go!!!!!!! (also im not sure if i was supposed to pick only one of the two but again I SIMPLY CANNOT PASS UP A CHANCE TO BE ANNOYING ABOUT VICE VERSA IM SORRY)

TOP 5 PUENTALAY KISSES

1. greyllery kiss in episode 8. this is their first mutual kiss after two one-sided kisses, three almost kisses, three cheek kisses, and one forehead kiss. not to mention the hugs, the cuddles, the promises, the sleeping in the same bed, the taking a bath together, and i could go on but imma stop here before i get involuntary committed. we waited so long for this kiss and when it finally happened it was everything we could have ever asked for and MORE: the confession, the music, the parallels with the glasshouse kiss, the fact that it happens when the lights are out because they love each other for who they really are and not for the body they inhabit, puen's single tear......IT'S PERFECT.

2. glasshouse kiss in episode 4. i know having a one-sided kiss for second place doesn't seem fair but in my defense this kiss makes me go through such a plethora of human emotions that i feel like i need to go lay in the dirt for several hours to climb down from the sheer manic unhinged rabid energies that got me going on. y’all must be tired of hearing me say the same things over and over again about this kiss but. the build up!!!!!! the emotions!!!!!! the music!!!!!! IM NOT EVEN KIDDING WHEN I TELL YOU THIS KISS IS MY ROMAN EMPIRE.

3. beach kiss in our skyy episode 2. our skyy may have given us only one kiss but WHAT A KISS IT WAS. it feels like a sum of all their previous ones, the cycle closing with a recollection of the past and a promise for the future, as the kiss itself lets us know that no matter what's gonna happen from that moment on, they will always love each other like the very first day. and if the reminder of the drunk kiss in episode 2 wasn’t enough to drive this point across, the song they used during this scene is the same as the one they played during the greyllery kiss, which you know. [FEMALE HYSTERIA]   

4. foggy glasses kiss in episode 12. honestly can't think of any other scene in television history that was able to so perfectly portray a fictional character being left breathless, lightheaded, and weak at the knees by a kiss. the way puen is holding talay's head with BOTH OF HIS HANDS to keep talay in place which barely gives talay any time to take a breath...... the way they're so close and entangled in each other that you can barely tell where one starts and the other ends...........this kiss literally be turning both me and talay into the 🥴 emoji every single time.

5. reunion kiss in episode 11. it was a tough choice between this one and the bathtub kiss in episode 10, but in the end i had to go with their first kiss in their real bodies, not just because of this, but because there's so much love and comfort and reassurance packed in it. this kiss is the meeting of two souls who have missed and found each other again. it's the promise of being together for the rest of their life AND I FEEL SO NORMAL ABOUT IT IT’S HONESTLY INSANE HOW NORMAL AND HINGED AND SANE AND FINE I FEEL ABOUT IT.

TOP 5 PUENTALAY HUGS

1. reunion hug in episode 11. LITERALLY THEE SINGLE MOST SCENE EVER IN THE HISTORY OF TELEVISION IT CHANGED THE TRAJECTORY OF MY LIFE THE FOUNDATION OF MY PERSONHOOD AND THE CHEMICAL MAKE UP OF MY BRAIN. puen says "you must be very tired. from now on, things will be okay," and that's exactly the feeling this hug conveys: everything will be fine, you're home now.

2. comfort hug in episode 6. my grasp on the english language is too limited to even attempt to put into words what this hug did to me the first time i've watched it. it made me mentally deranged in ways so profound they will only become apparent years down the line. to this day there are people out there wondering why talay even likes puen and the urge to shove this scene under their nose is immeasurable. FIND YOURSELF A PARTNER WHO WILL LISTEN TO YOUR FEARS, GIVE YOU COMFORT, AND HUG YOU THROUGH THE NIGHT TO MAKE YOU FEEL SAFE!!!!!!! (@GOD ME WHEN)

3. reconciliation hug in episode 7. I NEEDED THIS HUG JUST AS MUCH AS PUEN DID TBH. talay initiating any kind of physical affection always feels incredibly special and precious, and it is so much more here because this is him finally realizing that puen's feelings are sincere. this hug is the turning point of their relationship as talay implicitly accepts puen's love and confesses his own. it’s just so emotionally satisfying [SOBS]

4. back hug in episode 12 and in our skyy episode 1. LOOK I KNOW IM CHEATING BUT. THE DOMESTICITY THE COMFORT THE TENDERNESS THE AFFECTION THE ADORATION THE SOFTNESS THE WARMTH THE PARALLELISM THE ROMANTICISM THE SOULMATISM THE TRUE LOVISM OF IT ALL. YEARS LATER THEY'RE STILL THE SAME.

5. hourglass hug in episode 12. the hourglass with the sand that doesn’t fall!!!!!!! i don't want time to go by without you!!!!!!! from this moment on it's you and me!!!!!!! ‘city’ playing in the background!!!!!!! the moon watching over them!!!!!!! WAILING WEEPING HOWLING SCREECHING CRYING SOBBING SCREAMING--

[lowpolyskeletonz]

HLVRV: 2, 5 and 8!

I've already done 5 but let's do 2 and 8!

My top 3 favs....

Benrey: Hes just such an interesting stupid lil guy. He's completely changed me. He transed me. He's such a guy. He's so silly yet so interesting I. He's tye most sentimental of the science team... Joy...

Gordon: Gordon is just also very silly. He's the straight man. He kicks ass and then gets his ass kicked. He is what makes most of the comedy in HLVRAI work so well. I also love how he's also just as unhinged as the rest of the team sometimes. Gordon sprint. Robbing banks. What a guy.

Dr coomer: I could go on for HOURS about Dr Coomer. He is probably the most plot rich character in the series and I simply CANNOT. I love how Holly voiced him. The realistic jankiness of his voice lines and the incredibly deep and profound plot points he has. Hes probably one of the only guys giving hlvrai a narrative and I CAN NOT wait to see him in Hl2vrai. Come home Dr Coomer.

And for 8! Probably part of Dr Coomers "If you woke up one day and realised everything around you was a lie, was fake, what would you do?"

Anything else Dr Coomer has said could probably work though. Such a profound lil guy.

[marciego]

Your mutuals as dcla ships?

(Like vibes or aesthetics or whatever works for you)

omg let's go yes that's so fun <3 gonna try my best not to redo ships and i'll try not to automatically assign everyone their fav ship but this is gonna be hard like i'm just used to associating them with y'all

@musicallad for you i'm going for a nice and sweet napo/braco and not just because you're the most vocal about them in the fandom, like you're just so nice and sweet to everyone and doing your thing all nicely like i think the vibes just work

@time-never-waits-for-me oh girlie it's camcesca, and ONCE AGAIN i promise i'm not saying it just because you're a camcesca warrior it's just their brand of chaos fits you so well i feel?? like cami is so unhinged and everything she brings out of fran is so much fun and idk it just works

@gaybarbiegirl JAZMBAR fashion girlies + really fun dynamic + aesthetically something works idk what but it does, the only con is that it's an ambar ship and you so don't take yourself that seriously at all but somehow it's not making me change my mind like jazmbar just works

@iristhedeadflower i'm giving you the greatest honor of all here girlie, you give off so much cadmila energy the vibes couldn't be more fitting if i tried, like i'm not even gonna say more it just makes sense

@putonmyfavoriteshow this is gonna be the BIGGEST compliment ever coming from me but i'm gonna say marcesca, you're so kind and fun and nice to everyone and minding your business having fun and being so nice to interact with, it's giving me easy, simple, cute, good vibes marcesca <3

@countessofravenclaw i'm trying not to assign anyone their fav FAV ship but i gotta say gastina and you make a lot of sense so it's hard, still giving you the honor of assigning you pelfi because you're so sweet and supportive and it's always so fun to interact with you!! but yes that's me being difficult because i think your vibes do match gastina more

@assim-eu-sou ok don't ask me why like really don't but i'm going with leonara, like i think it's their kinda really chill and mature vibe that you have? leonara makes sense to me but i couldn't explain why

@alainapaloosa2 natila!!! i think your vibes are so fitting for natila it's just so fun they just work you know

@inthehausofholbein another one i simply cannot explain but my heart is screaming ludcesca to me and what can i do but listen

this was super fun to do, i hope i didn't forget anyone here <33

[hopenobodyeverfindsthis]

My Top Ten Books of 2022

I read more than 100 books last year, and I thought it would be a useful exercise to list my top 10 favorites that I read for the first time if only so I can reflect a little and gush about my passion for books.  This is in the order I read the books; most of these books are so different it would be really hard to put in any real order (warning: it’s an eclectic list):

1. She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker Chan: This was the first book I read in January of last year.  It’s set in the 1300s in China; I remember it being advertised as similar to Mulan, which doesn’t really do the story justice, other than that the main character is born a girl, but lives as a man and becomes a military general. It was so much more than a Mulan adaptation; and it is quite dark. In particular, I loved the dynamic between the two main characters: they are on different sides of the war, but two sides of the same coin; they both don’t quite fit into society’s expectations of gender.  

2. Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi:  Gyasi is probably my favorite author I discovered this year; both Transcendent Kingdom and her other novel, Homegoing, are absolutely amazing and I cannot recommend either enough.  Transcendent Kingdom is about a neuroscientist who is also the child of African immigrants who is studying the science of addiction.  The story reflects on how her family has been impacted by addiction and the immigrant experience.  The prose is absolutely beautiful and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this story since I finished it.

3. Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler: I cannot believe I waited until last year to read Butler; her writing is as impressive as I’m sure you’ve already heard.  There’s not much I can say about Parable of the Sower that hasn’t been said a million times (all deserved), but I will say that I usually hate dystopias, even vaunted ones such as 1984 and a Brave New World. I read Parable of Sower fully expecting to hate it as well, and left simply blown away (and somehow even oddly optimistic about the future of humanity.)

4. The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich: This is the third book I’ve read of Erdrich’s and my favorite, though I’ve loved everything she’s written.  This story is based on the real life story of the author’s grandfather.  The story involves several characters living in reservation in North Dakota and their fight to lobby for their rights land and their identity.

5. Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid:  Look, I’m not going to try to justify this; I just love hockey and I love rivals to lovers and I love hockey romances and this one is the creme de le creme; it was written specifically for me.

 6. The Locked Tomb Series by Tasmyn Muir: I read several fantasy series last year, and I liked plenty of them, but the Locked Tomb is the one I can’t stop thinking about.  The characters are all super weird and unhinged and awful and I adore them all.  Their relationship dynamics are problematic and toxic and ridiculous and juicy.  I cannot succinctly describe the plot in any way that would make sense. I cannot wait for the final book.

7. Young Mungo by Douglass Stewart: This book gutted me; I rarely cry while reading books and I had to put this down so I could lie in a ball.  It’s a coming of age novel about a young queer boy coming to terms with his identity in set in Glasgow in I think the 1990s.  If you choose to read this book, please look up the content warnings, it is not in any way an easy read, but it did have a surprisingly hopeful ending, even if I was crying.

8. The Falling in Love Montage by Ciara Smyth: This is another surprising addition to the list; I am no longer really the target audience for YA, and I had pretty much sworn off YA romance after disliking a few others. But, I decided to pick this up on a whim and I’m so glad I did.  It is a very sweet wlw romance and coming of age story, but what really stuck out to me was the main character’s struggles with her mother’s early onset Alzheimer’s and how that affects her life.  I read plenty of very good wlw romance (Deliliah Green Doesn’t Care and a Restless Truth are two more I’d highly recommend) but this one stood out.

9. The Narrative of the Life of Frederic Douglass, American Slave by Frederic Douglass: I have read a good number of historical fiction novels which show the horrors of slavery, but while many of those are very very good, I didn’t really realize the extent to which none can really compare to reading a first hand account of the experience until reading Douglass’s work.  Like everyone, I learned about Frederic Douglass’s life, but sadly was never required to read anything he wrote in school.  He is an amazing writer and storyteller and a truly remarkable person.  Everyone should read this book at least once.

10. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley: I had read part of this book in high school, but never actually sat down and read the whole thing.  I’m not usually a fan of horror, and I was worried it wouldn’t be my thing.  However, I shouldn’t have put this off so long.  Mary Shelley truly is the mother of science fiction and Frankenstein is an unforgettable experience. 

[alexandriteobscuraarchive]

🍓;3

mutuals send me a 🍓 and ill compliment u!

((Blair Blair Blair Blair...!! I sing your praises all of the damn time and I'LL DO IT AGAIN. I'LL DO IT RIGHT NOW, BITCH. Present unto me your arm so that I may lovingly gnaw it off~

Okay for real now; how can I even begin to tell you how much you mean to me without going on for pages and pages???? You're legit one of the best rp partners and friends I've ever had and this blog wouldn't exist without you.

Our interactions are a constant source of inspiration for me; so much so that there's never any room for doubt whenever I'm replying to our things, writing you a starter, etc, simply because I trust you and our bond so explicitly. The anxiety that so often plagues me when writing for others just doesn't exist with you (which is really saying something given how much of a fuck my brain can be, especially in regards to writing) and I cannot even being to describe to you the relief that said knowledge brings me but I'll try, if only a little.

No matter what we always do our best for each other and I never have to worry about any of it. I never feel like I have to ask you if you like something---and if I do it's only ever out of extreme enthusiasm and I want to hear you reaction, thoughts, blah blah, Right Then---because we're just so....in sync with each other. I never feel like you're going to hate something I've written for you or that you'd want a rewrite (which, obviously if that ever comes up you know I'd do it for you in a heartbeat! I'm just talking about intuition and such here, I'm sure you understand) and I cannot begin to describe to you how....freeing that is. Our interactions inspire nothing but unhinged creative freedom and I wouldn't trade that for anything.

I love you so fuckin much it's unreal. I love the impact you've had on my life. I love the impact your muse has had on mine and I can't wait to create more things with you. (You better be prepared to fuckin love a certain bird man, I swear to god---) You've been an unwavering and irreplaceable source of joy and support in my life and my only regret is that I didn't meet you sooner.))

[meatriarchived]

[boss music plays as a hp bar appears above my head] hi renee (: i just wanted to say i'm super thankful that i met you this year, and that we literally hit it off and have been vibing ever since. you're such a chill person to hang out with, and i am thankful to have unlocked the frienship dlc with you where we're silly goofy in video games.

i'm sorry but also never sorry for when we start goin back and forth doing critical psychic damage to each other with our unhinged aus and offshoot narratives. you have such a talent and range, and all the muses you have written are ones that feel truly built from the ground up by you. and like, they really are!! i love watching you take a character with little to no lore, and specifically ms maria wronged-by-the-narrative flores, and how you give them the love and care that their creators never will frankly-- danny-alejo osorio > danny gaines every day, mama luda our mom, thomas im scared of you. birdie ur humour and final girl swag. even when hoyt jumpscares us all and dunks on my son im like damn i respect that renee you were so brave and wrote that demon. and ofc maria written as the heart of the narrative doomed or not.

i love building dynamics with you, i love peeking into your creative mind through all your metas, you legit have a garden growing in ur brain. i love that you're willing to get on the insanity level w me w our sad little meowmeows and weave together a story that hurts my feelings every time. i love reading your horror especially, explorations of trauma and the difficult nuances behind it. it inspires me to get a little braver with it and i'm constantly trying to pick up things from your writing! you are funny and kind and a creative powerhouse and i am often simply like damn renee's mind for this…. u know?

anyway all this 2 say ily and i'm glad we're pals, and i hope the new year is kind to you <3!!!

didya enjoy the uno reverse i gave ya for this kels :)) hows that hp bar of yours huh?- FBNJk

you already got all my sappiness in my message to you but do know i so appreciate everything that you said here and in the lil response to the ask as well <3 truly means the world to me how much you guys enjoy where ive been taking my lil texas band of misfits esp with how little they have to go on so most of its my own unhinged nonsense and also just. my writing and characterizations and all of that. esp coming from my hiatus and truthfully feeling rather down and unimpressed with my own writing - knowing you guys not only enjoy it but even pull any little bits of inspiration at all from it warms my heart like you wouldnt believe. so infinitely thank you for that <3

im keeping this saved on here as my last lil posts before this blogs officially archived <3 ilu and thank you again and cannot wait for more of our texas nonsense this year!!! :))

KISSES TO THE SKY TO YOU & OUR FAVORITE JOCK <3

[honestlyfragile]

We Meet Again - d.s.c oneshot

This was a little too long to be a drabble, but let’s be sad together

Pairing: Winwin!Fem reader

Angst, exes, mention of alcohol and cigarettes

wc: 1.5k

This was it. The night you've looked forward to but at the same time, dreaded like hell. When your friend asked you, "Would it be okay if I invited him?" who were you to say no? Just because he was your ex? You were better than that. So you convinced yourself it would be fine, 3 years was long enough right?

You've played this in your head over and over, but things like this never go as planned. When the night of your friend's birthday party came, you dressed to impress. Who? None other than your ex. Pathetic.

But who cares if you did? They wouldn't know that you've been dying to look your best for Sicheng.

When the night of your friend's party came, you made sure that you were early enough to arrive first while tagging another friend along. The first thing you did was scan the venue for any signs of him—none.

And you exhale as much as you could. It wasn't long until he finally arrived, with Ten, Xiaojun and Yangyang whom you also haven't seen in a long time. But you pretend to not bat an eyelash at their presence, you had to convince everyone in this place that you were unfazed and unbothered.

But of course there was always that one person that could read you like an open book. "You okay?" your friend asks and you crumble inside.

"I wanna step out for a bit," You say, trying to defeat this billowing feeling in your chest that grew by the minute.

"Do you want me to come with you?"

"I'm good on my own." Sure you were. Until you realized you had to pass the table he was assigned to on your way out. But it would be too embarrassing to turn back. You held onto your clutch and looked towards the exit and that direction only. The clicking sound of your heels against the tiled floor giving you a tad bit of confidence.

You saw it, you saw him. From your peripheral vision, you knew that the moment you passed by, he reached for his phone and pretended to be occupied with something.

When you were finally out to gather some fresh air, you took time to appreciate how clear this night was. You take a cigarette out of your bag and pop the tip into your mouth, and search for your lighter in your purse. But before you could even do so, your mouth was left agape because of the absence of the cigarette stick.

"You only do this when you're stressed," He says, delicately holding it in between his pretty fingers.

You cross your arms, "It's none of your business." And snatch it back from Sicheng. Who does he think he is?

But god damn if you didn't think that he looked absolutely stunning—more than ever. Until you remind yourself that you absolutely do not have anything to do with him anymore.

You walk further away and look for a spot where he wouldn't bother you and finally lit your cigarette; your puffs heavy and aggressive. When you were done, you drop it on the floor and stomp the burning tip with your heels.

You walk back to the venue feeling unhinged by his presence, it was harder than you thought.

"Too early to be grabbing some drinks hm?" Ten playfully says while appearing at your side.

"Oh my god! It's been so long." You give him a hug and kiss his cheek. You've always stayed in good terms with his friends, especially Ten. You couldn't deny the fact that you missed them a ton.

He flashes you the brightest smile, "I know." He says, contemplating whether to ask you about Sicheng or not. "Have you..." he trails off.

"Have I..." you mimic him.

"Have you spoke to him?"

You chuckle, "Nah." You leave the encounter awhile ago out of the conversation.

Ten simply nods, not wanting to make it awkward and proceeds to ask how you've been, you tell him that you were fine and just always the same girl he knew. He was happy to hear that.

And when the universe cannot hold your encounters with Sicheng off any longer, you decided to let it be. You can't avoid him forever.

When yours and his table merge, he takes notes of the names of the people that he met tonight and recites them out loud, but leaves you out of it. You pout and playfully said, "What about me?" like you were out of your mind.

He chuckles, amused. "How could I ever forget you." He says and the crowd roars. Of course they knew your past.

You shake your head and take another shot of whatever drink you picked out from the selection at the bar and continued to try and belong to this circle.

"How have you been?" He asks, completely sober. Good for him.

"I've been alright. You?"

"Same." And left it at that. When you couldn't stand it any longer you left his side and took more shots for the sake of enjoying this night, giving your friend quite a hard time getting a hold of you.

And when you knew you've had enough, you sit at the empty table because most of the people have left the venue already; it was getting late.

To your surprise he also pulls out a chair and sits right in front of you, trying to take in your drunk and pathetic figure. Or if that's what you'd like to think.

"Are you okay?" He asks, brushing off the hair that had managed to clump in front of your face because of the sweat that consuming alcohol gave you.

You could cry right now, you felt so damn vulnerable that if you looked straight into his eyes, you would simply just lose everything it took you to be here. "I'm alright" You say, looking at every direction possible but his.

"How are you?"

You chortle, "You asked me that a while ago. I told you I'm good."

He purses his lips in disbelief, "I'm asking you for real."

"What do you want to hear from me Sicheng? That I've been an absolute mess without you?" Fuck. You did not just say that.

"No," He clenches his jaw. You might have gone a little too far. "You haven't changed." he says disdainfully.

"So have you." You shrug, having absolutely no control over your thoughts and words to even formulate proper sentences.

But despite everything he still manages to say, "You look beautiful."

To hell, if you could cry right now. Why the hell did he make it so hard for you, even when you weren't together anymore. "You don't look bad yourself," you retort, not knowing what to say at this point.

He asks you about how your mom was doing since they used to be close when you guys still dated, she even thought that you'd end up with him for good. She was devastated when she found out you broke up. You say that she's doing fine, but never really accepted the fact that you weren't going to get back together anymore.

He didn't know how to respond to that. Because he felt the same. He hated the idea of you not getting back together anymore.

“But are you?”

“Am I what?” 

You waited for him to respond, “Have you been a mess without me? Because sure as hell I have been without you.” 

There was a long silence. He’s unbelievable. You thought. He thinks he could just sway you with his words again, 3 years later you were back to square one. You couldn’t let him get his way again. 

Finally, you say, “No. I was asking if that’s what you wanted to hear,” you pause and gather all your courage to ask this question ever since you found out from a friend. It had been bothering you for 3 years. “Did you really cheat on me?” 

He takes a deep breath, and answers, “No. She was a friend. A friend I was leaning onto when we were falling apart. We never became an item.” 

You laugh bitterly, not being able to help the escape of your tears. “Right.” was all you could say. 

Your friend saves you from the awkwardness, “___ it’s time to go” She says from afar and you gather your strength to get up from your seat, but you trembled. He held your arm to keep you still. 

You didn’t know if you should shake his hand, wave goodbye or just walk away. But before you could even decide, he had already engulfed you into a hug. Your head on his chest, staining his white button-down with your tears as his hand lightly pressed your head onto him. His scent was still so familiar to you, his hands still as gentle and delicate when it came to you.

You couldn’t take this anymore, you had to break away. You couldn’t throw away the 3 years you spent on yourself to get better. You swallow, “I have to go.” And didn’t wait for his response. 

“Take care.” You faintly hear him say from a distance, you didn’t look back. 

[greensaplinggrace]

What Is There To Celebrate About the Darkling? (Part 4)

1 2 3 4

He’s calculating but impulsive. Gentle yet firm. Stubborn and adaptive. Just a real mess of contradictions that makes him all the more interesting.

He loves nature. He loves the forest.

Fond of luxuries and nice things. After growing up as he did, I think he deserves them.

Very socially awkward. Introvert just trying his best. Anything that isn’t manipulation and therefore something he’s planned in his head is just a social train wreck waiting to happen.

The way he pushes up Alina’s sleeve when they first meet. This man had zero compunctions about acting completely unprofessionally in front of his soldiers and I think that’s very sexy of him.

He’s constantly tired and exasperated with the people around him.

The way he says “quiet” with the softest voice imaginable and a room full of laughter instantly goes silent.

He had no interest in Elizaveta even though she was utterly obsessed with him and I think that’s hilarious.

Elizaveta: I have a plan to resurrect the Darkling Everybody Else: Oh the Darkling is so evil for trying to come back! The Darkling, who just wants a nap and is sick of this mortal bullshit: Why am I even here? This is such a pain in the ass. I should have killed Elizaveta when I had the chance.

How he asks if Alina “will have” his name like a man proposing.

Has his bedroom attached to the war room.

Constantly checking up on Alina just to know how she’s doing. Never pushing her beyond her limits as she’s training.

Very creative with his shadows and the extent of their abilities. So many of the ways he uses his powers are genius.

His ending in RoW is a tragedy and an injustice. He deserves better.

This old man pouting at Alina in episode seven as he says “please, I just want to talk to you 🥺”

There is a black kefta made for Alina after like two days in the Little Palace. He really was already planning their entire immortal futures together as Mr. and Mrs. Starkov wasn’t he?

His bed is covered in maps and notes when he’s plotting how to find Alina. Also before that, the way he’s poring over the notes at his desk and giving orders is 👌🥵

Him acting like a real General at all is simply amazing.

The fact that he trusts Luda with his life. That they have a whole intimidation routine set up around him purposefully getting himself fatally injured knowing she’ll heal him.

He looks like a vampire in the show and a fae in the books.

His favorite ABBA song is probably “Lay All Your Love On Me.”

Looks composed but that’s only a façade. Is actually an unhinged feral terror of pain and misery.

That scene where he tells the king she will remain in the Little Palace to train undisturbed and he puts his foot down. ON THE RED CARPET. the king’s carpet. and uses a commanding voice that’s just on the edge of an order…I’m surprised he didn’t get flogged for that. IMO nothing conveys the fine line he walks with those in power while wielding his own like this scene. Literally he should just be celebrated for this alone.

“‘Why won’t you leave me alone?’ I whispered one night as he hovered behind me while I tried to work at my desk. Long minutes passed. I didn’t think he would answer. I even had time to hope he might have gone, until I felt his hand on my shoulder. “Then I’d be alone, too,” he said, and he stayed the whole night through, till the lamps burned down to nothing.

Trapped a bunch of Saints in the Shadow Fold like a true amoral disaster villain. What an icon.

His barely concealed amusement and half hidden smile when Alina comes to put his kefta on. The way he finds Alina utterly hilarious and tries so hard to act like he doesn’t.

That small amused smile when Alina jokes about finding Volcra hilarious. Please he’s so adorable 😭

“‘I know what you feel when you’re with the tracker,’ he said. ‘I doubt that’ He gave a dismissive wave.” - My Malarklina obsessed self, vibrating at the edge of my seat: but what does it mean?!?

Mal and the Darkling’s entire fight in the Fold: dumbass on dumbass violence.

The way he stands with his back turned to Alina when she enters his tent the first time they meet and then does the slowest Godfather turn in history. 1999/10 - points removed for a criminal lack of cat petting.

“I may lead the second army, but the king is still the king.” - the delivery of that line. the implications, the history behind it and also the foreshadowing for his plans.

That slow turn face reveal in episode one though. Like okay we get it you’re pretty alkjsdflkj

Confused Old Man Face™ whenever Mal or Alina do anything remotely defiant in his presence.

How he tells Alina to come closer and she only takes the tiniest step and he doesn’t even react.

His little head cock whenever someone says or does something that just doesn’t vibe with him.

Darklina tumblr has now convinced me that the Darkling is a cat in human form.

“You’re an amplifier,” she said. He glanced at where Sylvi was pouncing on another helpless tree, oblivious, and gave a single, frightened nod. How could he have been so stupid? He would have to tell his mother now, and she would insist that they leave right away. If word got out, they’d both be in danger. Amplifiers were rare, hard to find, harder to hunt. Their lives would be forfeit. Even if they got away, word would spread. He could already hear his mother’s voice: Foolish, careless, callous. If you don’t value your own life, show some concern for mine. Annika touched his sleeve. “It’s okay,” she said. “I won’t tell.” Panic crowded in. He shook his head. She slid her hand into his. It was hard not to pull away. He should. He was breaking his mother’s fundamental rule for keeping them both alive. Never let them touch you, she’d warned him. - 😥 I just want to give him a hug all the time.

His strangled shout when Mal tackles him off of the skiff.

His smile when he’s summoning the sun. The expression on his face when he does so. Like I know I’ve mentioned this before but damn. If you ever needed a reason to celebrate him, this would be it.

“Shame, I’ll have to give that speech again now.”

The way he flips Mal over his shoulder in the Fold after Mal attempts to strangle him.

His little lecture on the Small Science to Alina when they’re going to meet the King. Info dump.

“You make it sound so easy.” “A bird makes flight look easy. But it was born to do so.”

When Alina looks at him for guidance on whether or not to remove her veil and he gives her a small nod.

The handhold in the throne room after Alina’s demonstration is absolutely precious, but it’s in a room full of people he should be keeping up a façade for and it’s so unwarranted and yet he does it anyway, I’m-

The way he says “welcome home, Ms. Starkov,” in the most tender voice I’ve ever heard and then goes “ok that’s enough emotions for one day” and then just straight up leaves without even a goodbye.

He has his symbol?? Sewn into Alina’s kefta??? bRo???!?!

Disaster Simp never gets tired of introducing Alina to other people or talking about how she’s the best thing that ever walked this earth.

The Darkling lying: honestly

“I have devoted my life to undoing the great sin of my forebearer, but I am never seen as the solution. Only as a reminder of the problem.” Sasha you were literally the problem. What a manipulative little shit. We love to see it.

The way he closes his eyes and kisses the coin before he makes a wish at the wishing well.

“I think the Grand Palace is the ugliest building I’ve ever seen.” - I love him your honor.

This man has the most intense lines for Alina. Like straight up I would have booked it when he said “you and I are going to change the world”. But then the head grab?! “I’ve been waiting a long time for you.” He’s so intense like sir can you tone it down a bit please I am begging you.

“I shall be right by your side.” / “We can do anything. Together.” / “For us.” / “You cannot do this on your own. And neither can I” / “I want you to know my name. The name I was given, not the title I took for myself. Will you have it, Alina?” - WEDDING VOWS

That scene in the war room when Alina comes to find him and he instantly drops his guard and lowers his arms and welcomes her with a soft voice.

“Am I bothering you?” “Not at all.” - girl you could be stabbing him in the chest and you still wouldn’t be bothering him.

This whipped disaster sounds like the proudest man on the planet when he talks about how much more his enemies fear Alina over him.

His shadows react to his emotions.

“YoUr’E nOt IvAn.” asjlkdfjs god he’s so embarrassing.

Local Dark Lord Sasha offering Alina the throne after she literally tries to kill him.

He gets so jealous of Mal.

Has a great relationship with his soldiers and his men. His men trust him implicitly and believe him to be an amazing general.

When he turns around after Alina puts the kefta on him and looks flustered/has to take a breath because she’s a lot closer than he expected. The way he’s breathless and literally can’t string a sentence together because he’s so distracted by her closeness.

His jokes are absolutely terrible.

GF: *jokes about throwing herself down the stairs to get out of an event* Sasha “no thoughts head empty only Alina” Morozova: haha I’d just have my healers heal you right back up again.

How genuinely touched he is by Alina admitting to wanting to help Grisha and Ravkans.

That scene in Demon in the Woods when he notices the intricate details of the politics in the Grisha camp after one meeting with the Elders. He has the Ulle pegged almost instantly.

Born to be a leader. Born to take care of others. Born to protect. Even in Demon in the Woods he’s protecting people. Even in Demon in the Woods he’s leading them and caring for them.

The way he cups his hands around Alina’s face when they’re kissing.

This man gets so starstruck by Alina walking into the Fete that he doesn’t even excuse himself from the King’s side to go to her.

Long haired Aleksander rights!

Ok I know the wig was kind of ugly but he looks pretty with long hair and I think it would look very good on him naturally.

The way he slams his hands together in the Winter Fete scene and instantly turns the room pitch black.

Literally any times he summons shadows is a blessing and we should all celebrate him for it. They are so beautiful. On god if I ever saw his shadows in real life I would be awestruck.

He asks Mal if he’s okay when they first meet.

The pure, barely contained fury directed at the Conductor for daring to harm Alina and kidnap his Grisha.

He always has to make a grand entrance.

This man is like a bloodhound when it comes to Nina. He is very invested in finding her and I feel like that’s never really talked about.

“I know exactly how she felt. The King’s soldiers treated me the same way. Because they knew- they knew that I was more important than any of them.” - the way he says it, like it’s something he has to remind himself of in his head constantly. a justification for the way he’s been treated, the fear he evokes in others. a way to protect himself from the hurt of being ostracized and reviled. arrogance and conceit as a defense against emotional harm.

Also the way his face instantly changes after that, like he’s said too much. vulnerability. lowering his eyes. shifting his eyes. literally just everything about this scene makes me love him all the more.

Dark carriage rides up to the Crows’ hiding place. Grisha circle the area as Aleksander steps from the carriage slowly, dressed all in black, floofy cloak high on his shoulders. Villain Entrance™

Him slowly pulling a knife out of his chest like it shouldn’t have killed him is hot as fuck and also totally badass. Big dick energy.

“I’ve had enough of your lies.” “And what lies are those?” - Alina, pulling out a fifty mile long scroll of grievances: Well, for starters-

This man is literally just an Alina Starkov compliments machine.

He cares so much about the Grisha and their protection. He loves Ravka and his people so much.

He had an entire cult dedicated to him.

“They would approach him. They always did. But he felt more anxious than usual. He’d stopped trying to make friends in the places he and his mother visited—there was no point when they moved on so quickly. Now he wasn’t quite sure how to go about it.”

Save a Villain. Murder the King.

Openly admits to staging a coup like it’s the most natural thing in the world.

He speaks so slowly. He moves so slowly. Everything he does has to have Purpose and Gravitas.

Theater Nerd™

He knew Nikolai for years and yet couldn’t recognize him as Sturmhond. We do stan an oblivious icon 💕

The Darkling after he gets his ass whooped in Siege and Storm: Mom can you please come pick me up? I’m scared!

He’s here to manipulate sun summoners and murder cities. And unfortunately he’s all out of sun summoners.

Would absolutely get drunk on real alcohol. This man thinks kvas is strong liquor.

Has his wrists exposed exactly one time in the most skin he’s shown all season and it’s when Alina visits him at night in the war room. WHORE!

Was too emotionally slutty and fell for Alina. RIP.

He’s passionate and cold and beautiful and hurt and twisted up in ways nobody could ever hope to understand and he’s stunning.

I would literally kill for this man 🖤✨

[insanityclause]

Can I ask why mlm shippers always seek validation for their fictional ship also in the real life people who play the characters?

This is difficult to unpack but it goes back to that most shippers are women and there's this subset of them that cannot handle another woman (fictional or in reality) in proximity to their fave.

In their actual fantasies, they picture themselves with, in this case, Tom/Loki. Any woman near him endangers the fantasy so they pour all their shipper energy into Lokius and I guess Towen because that's not a threat. They also actively try to discredit any connections he may have with women actually in his life. Is that crazy, unhinged, senseless and disturbing? Yup. But it is what it is.

(Anon 2) Because those Lokius shippers simply fetishise two white men. It's not even about characters in the show, evident in the fact they use the characters and their actors interchangeably. They ship simply because they feel attracted to an older white man which they won't admit because it's uncool and they have been shaming other people for doing it. They frame their shipping/attraction as a pursuit of social justice which makes them feel morally superior and quirky.

(Anon 3) (Not excusing any harassment here.) Loki has a lot of LGBT fans and I think desperation for representation unfortunately drives some of them to see evidence of a m/m ship that isn't there. Loki officially being bisexual is a big step, but the usual m/f pairing happened. Not any less bisexual, but the predictable safe route. Seeing support for Sylki likely feels threatening because if the writers, actors, and majority of fans want Sylki, then the chances of a m/m Loki ship happening feel lost.

(Anon 4) Some people really want to see Sophia as the big bad villain of the series, right? No, wait... I meant Sylvie... or maybe I really wanted to say Sophia... no, it was Sylvie! ...or maybe both? No, seriously, the fact is that they can't really separate the actor from the character, especially in their fan-canon, that's why they seek validation and project on them a lot

Multiple responses to the shipping anon's question...

[albatris]

@polyacery​

:D!! yes!! ok!! yes!! please forgive the much-much-much-lengthier-than-intended ramble sorry thank you love you <3

first off, two facts about Noa and Kai:

they care about each other a lot

they cannot fucking STAND each other 90% of the time

they struggle a lot when it comes to teamwork, their personalities don't mesh well under pressure and their approaches to problem-solving differ wildly, so they often end up getting on each other’s nerves and being quite tense when they have to work together :P nothing, like, dramatic though, and nothing that escalates beyond general bickering and annoyance

that being said, on a personal and social level they do view each other as close friends and (can) get along well, though you’d be hard-pressed to get either of them to admit it. they share a lot of similarities (some of which I’ll go into) and both value the other as someone they can be open and honest with and drop their guard around, which is sayin somethin ‘cause openness and honesty are notoriously difficult for both of them lmao

in general I would say hmmmm

Noa views Kai (fondly) as a bastard and a swindler and possibly the most infuriating person she’s ever met, an opinion which does not change even as she grows to consider them a friend. like, genuinely? she fuckin hates their guts. and their ridiculously charming smile. and the way they can sweet talk their way into or out of any situation. she’s a little bitter about the way people just seem to hand over whatever Kai wants just ‘cause they’re a smooth-talker and good at pulling strings, ‘cause that level of uhhhhh sneaky interpersonal finesse is not something she’s ever really been able to access and it strikes her as cheating ahaha

that being said, though she finds their personality grating and their face punchable, they’re a person who cares intensely about people, not in an abstract theoretical all-talk-no-action kind of way, but in a concrete, physical, motivated “hey let me help you with that right now” kind of way, which Noa will never have any beef with. too many people sit around talking about what it means to do the right thing. not enough people get out there in a van full of interdimensional crime and pull off elaborate heists for the greater good

Kai has a similar take on Noa in that regard, as in, like. she’s kind of hardcore, yes. but. there are too many people sitting around talking about what it means to do the right thing, not enough people getting rightfully fucking unhinged and charging headfirst into injustice and cruelty and punching the shit out of it. her methods are a little too impulsive and headstrong for Kai’s tastes but it works for her n they’re cheering from the sidelines lol

but ye, Kai views Noa as. hm. a very very very intense person who is a lot of fun to mess with. pretty much as soon as Kai realises Noa isn’t going to be a threat in any capacity they’re like “sick now I have free reign to be the most annoying person in the universe” and they absolutely follow through. they find her passion and intensity amusing but admirable, and they were sold on the fact that she’s a good, kind person no matter her prickly exterior the second they saw how much she adores her mum c:

so, arguably, half of the next part is just,,,, me elaborating to an excessive extent,,,,, but this info used to be at the start of the ramble so I’d already written it before being like “hey wait a minute” so to hell with it I’m including it anyway

these two don’t get a lot of screentime together till the second half of the book and they have a pretty rocky start imo

like, Noa’s first impressions of Kai on two separate occasions are “that bastard who robbed me while I was on the clock” and “that random weirdo who somehow charmed my best friend into thinking they’re cool even though they sound like the shadiest motherfucker on the entire planet and I’m pretty sure they’re a serial killer”, which then culminate into “oh shit these are in fact the same person and they’re definitely bad news”

Kai never dislikes Noa the same way Noa dislikes them, but they are wary of her and have a healthy degree of fear regarding the threat she could pose to them.......... Kai and Noa’s different career choices put them at odds with each other right off the bat, what with Noa working for the Department of Interdimensional Instabilities and Kai operating a significantly less legal business that’s essentially the antithesis of the DII

plus Noa in general has a reputation for being Kind Of Fucking Terrifying

initially I would say they both view the other as “potentially a legitimate threat” and “not to be underestimated”, but post-mid-story-heist they get to spend some proper time together and form more grounded opinions of each other :P though arguably still for a considerable while the only reason they put up with each other is because Tris is like “:D” at them both and they’re like........ aw no I don’t wanna make him sad

Kai warms to Noa a lot faster than Noa warms to Kai, ‘cause Kai warms to most people pretty quick provided they’re not literal axe murderers. Noa starts to warm to Kai only after careful observation and assessment leads her to conclude the following two facts with reasonable certainty:

Kai does appear to be in possession of a solid moral compass

Kai has no ill intent towards Tris whatsoever

which tips the scale in their favour enough for her to be like “okay fine”

there's a level of distance and awkwardness between them for ages 'cause like, yeah, they're friends they guess but not like, friends-friends, there just seems to be something that's not clicking, n the main reason for that is just like

(handshake meme)

a deep-seated terror of being emotionally open and vulnerable resulting in a pathological need to project a loud outgoing persona that masks every ounce of insecurity and fear and prevents anyone from getting close enough to Know You: Noa 🤝 Kai

as soon as THAT realisation clicks for both of them n they're like "oh shit you're just like me and I know exactly how you feel" it instils a sense of connection and camaraderie between them and solidifies a kinship based on Something rather than simply "mutual friends" and "sometimes we're in the same place"

n like, obviously the others Know about the whole. situation. with Kai’s backstory but Kai’s still pretty cagey about it emotionally speaking.... I’m pretty sure Noa is?? the only person they manage to completely drop their guard around over the course of the story? in terms of like.... having a genuine heart-to-heart about the emotions involved and the fear n guilt

and like. yeah. yeah. Noa hasn’t made a friend besides Tris in like ten years n she’s also notoriously cagey with her emotions and her being genuine and vulnerable is just....... not a thing that happens very often or very easily.... and even less through a lot of the story

idk man. they’ve just got good vibes together

they offer each other a Safe Place and a level of understanding that maybe the others don’t quite grasp. even though the others r still empathetic and care for them a lot n have equally important things they bring to the friendship. Noa and Kai just have a vibe yeah

even though they’d sell each other to satan for one corn chip