#i think once with a different character before her?

[slut4megantheestallion]

Hello, I love ALL of your work, so if it's not too much of a hassle, I'd like to make a request. Arcane women x reader who is a very dangerous (and well-known) criminal and murderer in Zaun and Piltover, with a sadistic and manic personality. But when they meet her, they realize that the reader is quite kind and affectionate, maybe even a little shy. That's all, I hope you like my idea. Have a good day!

⋆ ☆Arcane Women x criminal!reader Headcannons

Characters: Jinx, Vi, Caitlyn, Sevika, Mel, Ambessa.

Genre: fluff

Warnings ⚠️: Arcane Women x reader, Fem!reader, Criminal!Reader, mentions of murder, fluff, violence implied.

-Jinx

●Jinx is OBSESSED with you the moment she meets you. She expected someone as crazy as her, and while you definitely have your moments of sadistic mania, she's delighted to find out you're actually kinda cute.

●"Wait, wait, wait-so you're tellin' me you are the one that gutted those Piltie officers like a fish? You? Awww, cupcake, you look so precious when you blush.

●She teases you constantly about how different you are from your reputation. She finds it hilarious when you get flustered, but she loves seeing that dark, twisted side of you come out when necessary. It makes her giddy.

●Jink probably tries to provoke you just to see that manic glint in your eyes because damn, it's hot when you're in killer mode.

-Vi

●Vi is wary at first. She knows your reputation, and even if she's not exactly law- abiding herself, she has to keep an eye on you. But then... she sees you being soft?

●"You, uh... you sure you're the same person everyone's scared of?" Vi watches as you carefully, wrap a strat cat in a blanket, looking all concerned.

●Once she realized you're not as unhinged as the rumor says, she finds your duality intriguing. The idea that you could be a ruthless killer yet still get nervous when she flirts with you? Oh, she loves it.

●"Damn, sweetheart. You just slit a guy's throat, and now you're all shy 'cause I called you pretty? That's adorable."

-Caitlyn

●Caitlyn has to meet you under a professional circumstances first. As an enforcer, she knows exactly who you are and what you've done. She expects a remorseless, sadistic monster, not... whatever this is.

●She watches in shock as you nervously avoid eye contact, mumbling out something polite. She expects a challenge, but instead, she gets someone who stammers when complimented?

●Caitlyn doesn't trust you at first, but once she sees you softer side, she starts questioning everything.

●"You- you're a murder. A criminal. And yet you just helped that old woman cross the street?"

●The contradictory of your personality fascinates her. She might even hesitated to arrest you.

-Sevika

●Sevika knows what kind of person you are. She heard the rumors, seen the aftermath of your work, and yet... she never expected you to be so polite.

●She initially thinks it's an act, a manipulation tactic, but the more time she spends with you, the more she realizes it's genuine.

●"So let me get this straight... you've got half of Zaun scared shitless of you, and yet you can't even look me in the eye when I call you cute?" She smirks. "That's just pathetic, doll."

●Sevika is the type to test you, pushing your buttons just to see if the rumors hold weight. When you finally snap and go full psycho mode? She grins.

●"There's my girl."

-Mel

●Mel is intrigued by you the moment she hears your name. She’s dealt with powerful people before, but someone with your reputation? That’s a different kind of influence.

●“A killer with a soft heart…" how very unusual.” She studies you like a puzzle, fascinated by the way you switch between cold-blooded and sweet.

●Mel finds your duality entertaining. She’ll say something flirtatious just to watch your confident demeanor crack.

●“For someone so feared, you do crumble quite easily under my gaze. How adorable.”

●But she’s also deeply respectful of your strength. She knows better than to underestimate you, no matter how affectionate you are.

-Ambessa

●Ambessa isn’t easily impressed, but the moment she hears about you, she’s intrigued. A dangerous, high-profile criminal? She likes power, and you have plenty of it.

●When she meets you and sees how shy you are despite your reputation, she can’t help but chuckle.

●"I expected a monster. Instead, I find a kitten.”

●She enjoys the contrast. She also enjoys watching you switch from soft to brutal in an instant. It proves you’re not weak—just selective about who sees your true self.

[danisbrainrot]

ugh, there is just something delicious about the parallel between mistynat and jackieshauna in the first two episodes of the new season. i barely know where to start.

obviously, misty and shauna lose their best friends. they're both to blame/blame themselves for nat and jackie's death, because essentially, they killed them.

misty actively kills nat whereas shauna passively kills jackie, which shows the difference in their relationship. but at the end of the day, once they realised what they'd done, they have a similar reaction. screaming 'no' in disbelief and holding them in their arms. they refuse to believe not only their best friend is dead, but they've killed them.

OH! and they're both too late to save them. shauna is too late to save jackie from the cold and misty cries, 'it's too late' when tai asks her how to save nat. i can't believe i almost forgot this!

another obvious parallel, misty wearing nat's jacket!! we see that shauna can't seem to let go of jackie's butterfly top, treating it as a security blanket, and now in the adult timeline misty clings onto nat's jacket. both items of clothing are physical reminders of their 'best friend' that they lost.

finally, what parallel stuck out to me the most: misty and shauna became the versions of their friends they THOUGHT they were. shauna marries jeff and becomes a suburban housewife, misty dresses like nat and goes to a bar to do whisky shots and pick bar fights.

however, nat was more than an alcoholic, despite being reduced by misty to a caricature. she feels purposeless after the woods, she's broken and from what we've seen, isolated. nat barely leaves her hotel room except to do risky shit like chase the blackmailer or help shauna dispose of adam's body. the most we see her reach out is to kevyn, who she immediately pushes away when he tries to break down her walls. she's built up this alcholic, uncaring, asshole wall to keep people out.

so when misty plays her as some rough, badass femme fatale, she's demonstrating to the audience that she hardly knows nat. she only knew nat's exterior, and nothing like her true character. to put it frankly, misty never truly knew nat because nat didn't want her to. so when misty 'becomes nat' she's becoming the shallow understanding she has of her best friend.

this ties into shauna never truly understanding jackie's true character. not because jackie hid it from her, but shauna's resentment of her did. every action we see from jackie is protective of shauna—giving her valium to calm down, saving her from the plane explosion, and even 'allowing shauna to eat her.'

however, shauna can't see how much jackie loves her because of her own bitter resentment. even as a ghost jackie is seemingly punishing shauna for letting her die, but most importantly, for hating her while she was alive.

'i don't know who you are anymore shauna.'

'maybe you never did.'

if anything, it should be completely switched around. shauna doesn't know anything about jackie. shauna is projecting this mean girl persona on jackie that just isn't there.

misty is projecting this badass, gets in bar fights and tries to light men's dicks on fire persona onto nat. sure, nat has done those things, but that isn't who she is at the core. just like how being a mean girl isn't who jackie is at her core (i've gone more into depth before, here).

i love mistynat as much as the next yellowjacket fan, but we have to be honest, for the most part, nat was always cagey with misty. something happened out in the woods that made her distrust misty, and i think they're going to explore that this season. especially with the whole, misty telling shauna that nat knows where coach ben is.

both misty and shauna make up these fantasies about their best friends to connect with them after their deaths. it's just so fascinating the writer's have decided to parallel these characters, because when i think about it, misty has always been written as this desperate character, craving attention and love. . . but so has shauna.

they've been narrative foils this entire time and it took natalie dying for me to realise it.

[rottenpumpkin13]

I'm miserable today so I'll be casting my period cramps upon AGSZC and the Turks. How does that go?

Sephiroth: *curled in fetal position on the floor* "This is manageable. The spasms occur at precise 4.7-minute intervals, meaning I can anticipate and prepare—" *Suddenly, a period cramp electrocutes him like a bolt from Zeus himself. His entire body convulses, limbs flailing as he flops helplessly against the floor like a fish out of water*

Genesis: *sprawled dramatically across the couch, one arm draped over his forehead like a dying opera singer* "Even in the throes of agony, my elegance remains untarnished. My composure, unshaken. This pain—this merciless, soul-rending torment—threatens my very being, a cruel reminder of life's fleeting—" *he gets a cramp* "FUUUUUUUUUUUCK—HOLY SHIT. I AM PERISHING. I AM BEING SMITED BY THE GODDESS HERSELF. THIS IS HOW I DIE. CALL A PRIEST, CALL A SUMMON, CALL MY FUCKING LAWYER—"

Angeal: *pacing the room like a man with somewhere very important to be but no idea where that is, visibly sweating* "I'm fine. Totally fine. This is nothing. This is...just a different kind of honor. Builds character. Toughens the spirit."

Zack: *writhing on the floor* "MAKE IT STOP! HOW DO PEOPLE LIVE LIKE THIS!?" *He reaches for Cloud like he's the holy light at the end of the tunnel* "Cloud, buddy, I'm dying. Tell my mom I fought bravely. Tell Genesis he can have my cool jacket. Tell Kunsel—" *he gasps, clutching at his chest like a tragic protagonist* "—actually, don't tell him anything, he still owes me 500 gil fuck him—"

Cloud: *frantically mixing things in a bowl while doubled over* "Mom always said when the gods curse your gut, you mix honey with hot sauce and vinegar, but it HAS to be bought with your own hard earned money. Then add exactly three and a half crushed potato chips—regular chips summon bad luck, has to be the rippled ones—stir it with a fork that's NEVER touched eggs, and then you—" *Cloud suddenly doubles over, clutching his stomach as the wrath of the gods strike him down* "Oh no. Oh no, they saw me hesitate!"

Reno: *draped over his desk* "This is worse than that time Cissnei tasered me 'cause she thought I was checking out her ass—when really, I was just picking up a gil coin she dropped. Which, now that I think about it, means I technically stole from her. So honestly? She should've tasered me anyway. Yo, Rude! Carry me to the break room! I need like... fifty painkillers and that bottle of sake Tseng thinks we don't know about!"

Tseng: *sits at his desk, spine straight as a ruler, expression unreadable, the very picture of composure—if you ignore the faint sheen of sweat on his forehead and the barely perceptible tremor in his hand as he sips his tea* This is the same man who once reviewed mission reports with both legs in casts. Who attended a board meeting while actively bleeding from a bullet wound. Who once politely asked an enemy combatant to "wait a moment" so he could finish signing off on supply requisitions before engaging in a life-or-death fight.

Rufus: *sprawled out on his office floor like a fallen king* "Cancel all my meetings. Actually, cancel the whole damn week. No, cancel existence. This is worse than getting shot. Worse than the attempted coup. Worse than that time I had to shake hands with that sweaty politician from Junon. Someone bring me the most expensive chocolate money can buy. And fire whoever invented cramps." *A long silence. Then, he turns his head slightly to stare at Tseng* "Why don't you love me?"

[louisaguy]

slow horses timeline stuff

because i'm procrastinating doing work.

disclaimer: this is all for show timeline & show canon. the books are their own thing and have a different timeline. this is show only.

FORMAT: dates we know // how we know it

the show:

s1- likely february 2016 // february: struan's line "it's february!" when louisa suggests christmas drinks. 2016: estimate based off of time of s2

s2- 2016 // min's plaque reads 2016

s3- 2017 // between s2 and s4. also, spider flosses. ergo 2017.

s4- early january 2018 // early january: right after christmas (roddy's mishap with the christmas party, christmas decorations still up). 2018: catherine's calendar in her flat is on january 2018.

backstory things:

bad sam gets isobel from les arbres- "early nineties" // via giti's dialogue. i will circle back to this

charles partner's death- 1996 // partner's plaque has 1996 as death date at the end of s2

rose's (river's grandmother's) death- 2010 // her gravestone in s4

stansted- july/summer 2015 // 8 months pre s1

timeline errors / things that bother me:

river's age- so, you have two options here. option one, via dialogue: we take giti's "bad sam only went to france once in the early nineties" as truth. therefore sam gets a pregnant isobel out of les arbres in the early nineties (let's say 1990/1991, but you can place it anywhere in the early nineties you like). then river is born a few months later (judging by the fact that isobel was already starting to show when sam picked her up). so river's birth date: 1991? or some other point in the early nineties.

option two, via props: river says his mother left him postcards for his "seventh, eighth, and ninth birthdays". one of said cards has the date 1994 written on it (can be seen in the scene where he's looking at them in the shoebox). if we assume that's the one for his seventh birthday, that puts him being born around 1987.

the difference between these doesn't matter that much (it's the difference of him being 27 in s4 vs 31 in s4), except for how it shifts river's relation to other events-- e.g., option one says he'll be left with david and rose around 1997 (or maybe a few years later if you put his birth date in 1992/93, since "early nineties" is vague), AFTER partner's death. vs theory two puts him being left with his grandparents in 1993, solidly before partner is killed. i do think it's interesting to consider whether david already had a cute little blonde boy doting on him at home when he was planning charles' assassination or not. so depending on which river-age theory you choose to follow, river's relation to other backstory events may change (or you could always just do the old "river's age is nebulous and he is however old i need him to be for this specific fic i'm writing" thing lol).

it also means he was sososo young in s1 if you follow theory #1. him being born in 1991 would mean he would be like 23/24 when stansted happened 🥺🥺🥺 BABYYYY. an actual INFANT. (theory 2 would have him at 27/28 during stansted).

characters headstones say they're too young to make sense- partner and rose- partner's plaque says his birth date is 1948... and so if he died in 1996... he would have been 48 years old when he died................. i'm sorry but this man is NOT under fifty. the actor they cast to play him in the flashbacks is like 75 lmfao. i think this is just an error-- him being 48 when he died would make him more of a contemporary with lamb (who would have been in his 40s at partner's death) rather than with david (and considering lamb kinda came up under partner's wing-- at least from the books, but that's the vibe i get from the show too-- i think partner should be at least a decade or so older than lamb). it would also make him like 20 years younger than david (who'd be in his 60s when partner died). i just don't think it makes sense. i would bump his birth date back to 1938 or maybe even 1928, to make him more of a contemporary with david (who was born sometime in the 30s, since louisa says he's 80-something in s4(2018)).

as for rose, her headstone in s4 says 1953-2010. that 1953 date is suspect to me. we know david is 80-something in s4. let's take him to be the youngest possible to give ourselves the greatest margin of error. then he'd be born in 1938. now let's follow theory 1 of river's age (again providing the kindest possible interpretation to rose's age), making him born around 1991. assuming isobel was around 20 when she had river, this means she would be born in ~1971. which would make rose... 18. when she had isobel. which would be fine, except that in 1971 david would be... 33. hmmmmmm.

and remember this is the kindest POSSIBLE interpretation, assuming david is the youngest possible (just barely 80 in s4) and that river is also the youngest possible (born 1991). if you interpret either or both of them as older than that, then isobel's birth shifts earlier and/or david's age shits older, making david and rose's age gap at her birth even more suspect. for example taking river's birth date in 1987 (a la theory 2) would make rose only 14 when isobel would have to be born (assuming isobel was 20ish when she had river). i mean, it's POSSIBLE this was an intentional implication that rose and david had a skeevy age gap? but i doubt it. considering they were trying to claim that the 75 year old james faulkner was playing a 48 year old charles partner in the flashback, and river's age is already an ambiguous mess, i'm more inclined to say that this was just a mistake. i would just bump rose's birth date to be 1943 instead-- still younger than david (who was born sometime in the 30s), but not, uh. illegally so.

fwiw, i think a lot of these timeline errors come from the confusing detail that while the show is AIRING in the early 2020s, its SET in the late 2010s. so like, river's birth date for example, i think they wanted him to be 31ish in s4, and someone correctly subtracted that from 2018 for the postcards (2018-31 = 1987, so river's 7th birthday would be 1987+7=1994). meanwhile, for the dialogue, someone else accidentally subtracted it from modern day instead (2024-31= 1993, so sam fetching pregnant-isobel from les arbres would be just before that in "the early nineties"). partner's age error i also think comes from subtracting from the modern day when s2 was airing (2022-74=1948) without accounting for the fact that the 75 year old man we're seeing as him is meant to be that old in 1996, not in the modern day (because he's only seen in flashbacks).

and also a lot of this comes from the fact that these are all "flashes-on-screen-for-one-second" props and brief lines of dialogue, and they didn't expect someone to care enough to come along and try to do the math.

but too bad! i'm here! i want to do the math!

my personal interpretation of character ages:

some based on textual evidence, others just estimating based on actors' ages. in general, take what you like and ignore what doesn't work. the timelines are already fuzzy enough that you can fudge it in any direction you like haha, just use whatever works best for your current fic/project. but here are my takes:

river- born 1987/1991 (both interpretations are equally valid imo). makes him either 29-31 or 25-27 for the run of the show.

louisa- mid 30s likely? mostly going by rosalind eleazar's age.

catherine- late 50s/early 60s (going by saskia reeves' age, and also would make her late 30s/early 40s when partner died, which sounds right [& is consistent with the book, though that doesn't count for much imo since the book and show are such divergent things timeline-wise])

lamb- early-mid 60s (gary oldman's age, and him being a contemporary of catherine seems right)

roddy- early/mid 30s?

shirley- early 30s, marcus- late 30s (an inversion of their actors' ages, but necessary because marcus says in the show he's 5 years older than shirley)

min- mid 40s

(i do love that no matter how you slice it, river is def the baby of the slough house family haha. that feels right. oh EXCEPT maybe sid!!)

sid- probably young like river, late 20s/early 30s.

david- 80ish. i'd put him at 81-83 throughout the run of the show (birth date 1935ish), but you could go younger and say 79-81 or something like that. importantly of a different and older cohort than lamb/catherine/sam etc.

partner- fuck it i'm going against the plaque let's say he's born 1928, would put him at age 68 when he died in 1996. more consistent with the actor's age, and puts him solidly as a contemporary of david, NOT of lamb. plus the way catherine talks about him like a sweet old man it makes more sense for there to be more of an age gap between her and partner. so say he was 68 when he died in 1996, meanwhile david was 61, lamb would be mid 40s and catherine would be ~40. that seems right to me.

if david was born in 1935 i'll put rose at 1943. would make her late 20s when isobel is born, late 40s when river is born, 67 at her death (and river would be 19/23 at her death btw depending on which river age theory you subscribe to, in case that's helpful for angst/backstory reasons)

idk everyone else can just be the age of their actors i guess, but if you're writing stuff in the past remember to subtract correctly from the late 2010s not the early 2020s!! or i mean don't. it doesn't really matter. none of this actually matters lol

anyway. whew. that was a lot. sorry i just spat a million words about pointless timeline shenanigans all over you. i do this for fun.

(pspspspsps slow horses creative team let me proofread your timeline math i'll do it for free this is fun for me pspspspsps)

[plushiesssforcrying]

Bluebells.

୨୧ character ┊ telemachus.

୨୧ pronouns ┊ she / her.

୨୧ contents ┊ reader is so mysterious. majority of this is from telemachus' pov. takes place a bit after song 28. slowburn esque... happy valentine's ig.

A cloak wrapped around his figure, Telemachus made his way through the bustling crowd of the market. He scanned the different stalls with furrowed brows, simply trying to find a distraction. A distraction from all the pressure at the palace.

The pressure to be like his father who he's yet to know and meet, who he's still conflicted whether he should resent him for leaving his mother or praise him for being brave enough for heading into war head on as the king of Ithaca.

The pressure to protect his mother from the suitors who had overrun the palace. He had gone above and beyond to make sure that the suitors never bothered her, especially since she started weaving the shroud. While she never demanded him to protect her, he always felt like it was his responsibility.

Although today was different, he had an eventful day of getting beaten up by Antinous and meeting the pallas Athena— who decided that she'll train him and aid him in finding his father.

He only sighed, finding most of the stalls to be of the norm. That is until his eyes landed on a lone shop in the middle of the marketplace. Behind the stall stood a hooded figure busying themselves by rearranging the plants with gloved hands, the other stalls even distanced themselves from them.

He stared in interest and curiousity. It did look a bit different than the other shops, with signs of caution placed around it. What kind of booth would need those? Not long after, he approached with caution just as the signs warned.

The figure took notice of him almost immediately, “Hello and welcome.” she called out in a calm tone. Most of her features was concealed by the hood, her smile being the only visible part of her face. She waited patiently as he takes in the vibrant, colorful floras on display. On the side, he noticed a few strange liquids in glass bottles.

As Telemachus reached for one of the flowers, the shopkeeper was quick to gently grip his wrist. She held up a finger, slowly letting go of him. “Careful now. I have signs for a reason, young man.”

“Oh, right. Sorry.” He sheepishly retracted his hand and rubbed the back of his neck. Curiously, he asks. “But... these flowers. Are they really that dangerous? And why are you selling them?”

The shopkeeper's smile never faltered, instead looking more entertained at the young man's questions. They brought a hand under their chin, thinking of how to answer him.

“Well, they're not to be dealt with recklessly that's for sure. As for why I'm selling them... these are flowers I've collected from my travels. They aren't as easily found here.”

He nodded in acknowledgement, finding her reasoning strange but who is he to question what strangers do in their free time. His gaze fell on a vibrant blue flower, hung like a bell. He curiously pointed at it, never taking his gaze off as he asked.

“Does this one do anything?” The shopkeeper followed his hand before gently picking up the flower with her gloved hands. He swore he saw some scales that spotted her arms when she reached out, but they were quickly covered up as she presented one of the many she had on display.

“Indeed. The bluebell is highly toxic to most living beings, I don't recommend them as a gift. Perhaps just a decoration to keep pests away.”

“Although, funnily enough,” She continued, her fingers softly brushing against the petals of the flower. “Bluebells represents gratitude and everlasting love.”

“It is said that if you turn a bluebell flower inside-out without tearing it, you will win the one you love.” She remarked dreamily as she intertwined her fingers with the stem between her hands, though it seemed she had a joking tone underneath it, it's hard to tell for sure under the cloak.

She turned to the young man once more, the flower in hand being held in front of his face. Close enough for him to smell it, yet far enough for him to not touch it. Telemachus was caught off guard, the sickeningly sweet scent of the bluebell overwhelming his mind.

She spoke, her tone suddenly shifting into a more eerie, yet still cheerful tone.

“Such a strange mix, isn't it? To be the symbol of immortality, only for people to be unable to gift you as a present without risking the life of the one they love.”

Before he could respond, she pulled away and gingerly placed the flora down in its place again. He watched her movement carefully, intrigued and cautious of her fluctuating mood and words. The prince's hand couldn't help but instinctively graze the handle of his sword under his cloak, a motion that didn't go unnoticed by the woman but wasn't acknowledged either.

There was a strange air surrounding this cloaked woman and Telemachus was more than aware of it. Their interaction the past ten minutes had been nothing short of odd antics after another. With light suspicion, he tried to keep a light tone in his voice.

“Well, that is a... grim take on it..?” He remarked with a hesitant smile after what felt like, hours of silence. He sounded a lot more uncertain than he'd like but she didn't seem to mind it.

No, not at all. She was thoroughly entertained, evident in the cheeriness in her laughter after his comment. Whether she was laughing at his underlying fear or simply at his awkwardness was something he didn't, but desperately wants to know.

The woman simmered down, waving her hand dismissively. Her other hand busied itself with rearranging some pouches behind the booth that Telemachus couldn't see. “Ah, don't let me bore you. Please, feel free to ask anymore questions and if you prefer, I have some... potions too.”

“They're mildly safe.” She leaned in closer, a hand cupping one side of her mouth. She couldn't help the hint of teasing in her words and if Telemachus wasn't wary of her before, he definitely was now.

He glanced down at the vibrant assortment, the vendor waiting patiently and humming to herself as she await for him to make a choice. His grip on his sword only tightened under his cloak.

It seemed that she's skilled in some kind of witchcraft since she mentioned potions, so why not sell potions instead and make a profit instead of bothering with dangerous flowers that rarely anyone would bat an eye at? Although, admittedly, they are quite eye-catching.

Instead of picking something to bring home, he pointed at the plants. His brows furrowed and expression doubtful. “I don't mean any offense but... is there anyone that's even buying these..?”

She let out a hum at his question, as if mocking a thought but she already knew her answer. “Once or twice, if I'm lucky that day.” Despite the pitiful words, she didn't seem upset, only continuing to fiddle with other plants behind the counter.

“Most come here for these.” She swirled a strange concoction that also had a few petals inside a round bottle in her hand. She doesn't explain further, putting the glass down as she pruned some plants hanging on the stall.

He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again. She took notice of his action however and tilted her head curiously.

He bit his lip, “Nothing. Um, thank you for... indulging in my questions at this time.” He wanted to further interrogate her but he didn't want to look too suspicious. Other than her strange way of talking, she seemed pretty harmless anyway. What she was selling wouldn't be deemed as harmful either, considering she's put up warnings and has made it a point to make sure her surroundings were well observed so that no child could touch it.

“Why, of course. If you have any more, you know where to find me.” He swore she was winking under her hood with the way she moved.

He can't help but bit the inside of his cheek as he walked away, glancing behind him only to be met with the woman's curious smile. He quickly turned away and sped up his pace, flustered that he was caught.

Meanwhile, the cloaked woman stared at the prince who was quick to disappear into the bustling crowd. A curious one, she thought to herself. Perhaps troublesome, but it could be fun, wouldn't it?

She chuckled to herself at the thought, amused at how wary he was with her. She takes a seat on one of the baskets holding several other of her amenities. Guess only time will tell.

my favourite genre of x readers is making reader the mysterious one like wtf is up w this bitch?? ohh that's wtf is up w this bitch

[hubblespacemission]

i've never watched pd but here are my summaries about the characters i know:

william wisp wednesday adams before she transitioned

dakota cole deku but queerer and has adhd. he's red

vyncent sol real life fantasy anime protag. ourple. he was knife once

ashe winters she's a girl, i know this one!!they're lying to you if they say otherwise. based and cool and i like her <3 depressed grunge girl

tide FISH DAAAAAAAAAAAAD!!!! hamburger helper

mark winters middle aged white man half lizard (i think ☝️) . gay situationship with tide

miss g i'm so glad ms. frizzle could find a different job after she was fired from teaching for taking those kids on too many Danger Field Trips

[joyful-patatas]

I've been reading a lot of oi and regression manhwas where the fl ends up in the body of someone and starts treating the child like their own. Some of my favorites and hugely recommend are: The Villainess Flips The Script, The Wicked Tale of Cinderella's Stepmom, and My In-Laws Are Obsessed With Me.

I'm also OBSESSED with Twisted Wonderlad and was thinking of doing one for Riddle's mom where an oc gets isekaied into her body and ends up maybe a couple months before the main story of Riddle's second year with the relationship really tense. Isekaied OC was a therapist that specialized in working with traumatized teens and can see signs of a dysfunctional home based on the reaction of Riddle's father and how curt and proper Riddle is on the phone. While learning more about Riddle by pretending to have amnesia, she realizes that he really focuses so much on rules to a concerning degree and sort of tries to gently broach the idea of relaxing on rules and strictness, but that quickly backfires with Riddle thinking this is some kind of trick to get him to slip and he ends up even more guarded around his "mother". Or maybe MC comes the exact same time as Yuu does and only really meets Riddle during the winter break.

I was also thinking about making the OC someone who desperately wanted children but couldn't. Whether from infertility, awful circumstantial factors like finances and career, or all of the above. Looking like the woman who abused Riddle is dreadful but also feels manipulative to pretend to be his real mother.

I was also thinking of maybe the OC being Yuu's foster parent and they both get isekaied to Twisted Wonderland but in different ways.

Maybe I'll also take inspiration with "This Maid is Forming a Union" on webtoon (It’s soo good I promise you!! Both the worldbuilding and the characters and the callout of terrible story delivery of manhwas that completely altered the way I read the genre!!).

I am also taking inspiration on @anakin-walker's series, "My Dearest Mother" where it's the same isekai concept, but they're there when the OB!Boys are little children. Definitely go check it out!

I'll try developing the idea a bit more and post the chapters once I have something coherent lol

[esquilone]

What I would say/i guess about women who are attracted to Dutch Van der Linde and Sean MacGuire:

RDR2 and You

❤︎ Based on that request! ❤︎

❤︎ Note: the images aren't mine, they're from Pinterest, I just edited them and changed details and made a cover for this post! :p

Right... I don't think Dutch and Sean are characters I'm going to be able to give a good assessment of, so much so that my focus is more on Micah and Javier, but I've done some research with some things I already knew, I've just added them with others and put together some unfinished texts, okay? I hope they match up a bit with reality and what I believe would make a woman like men who look the same as them.

𝓓𝓾𝓽𝓬𝓱 𝓥𝓪𝓷 𝓭𝓮𝓻 𝓛𝓲𝓷𝓭𝓮 -

Why do some women like Dutch van der Linde?

Dutch has an absurd magnetism. He is a charismatic leader, always with a speech ready and the ability to make anyone believe in him. This can be attractive because he has that energy of a “great man, a man who knows how to solve everything.”someone who seems to know exactly what he is doing (even when, in reality, he is just improvising so he doesn’t appear to be falling apart).

Psychologically, he represents that figure of the “revolutionary dreamer,” someone who challenges the system and promises a better future. Many people are drawn to this kind of idealism, even when it turns dangerous. He also has a way of seducing without needing to be direct, simply through the power of words and presence. Want proof? Many incredibly intelligent members (Arthur included) followed Dutch and Hosea blindly. However, I strongly believe that Dutch always had a slightly psychotic tendency. I firmly think he struggled against his own selfishness and greed because Hosea was there to put him in his place. He probably revealed this side of himself during the Blackwater massacre and robbery, but the ones who witnessed it are already dead, so no one could say anything without proof. Hosea often showed both excitement and disagreement toward Dutch’s plans, and I believe it was because he had already seen that darker side of him.

As the game progresses, he reveals this dark side more and more—he becomes paranoid and manipulative, his biggest red flag. However, this doesn’t stop some women from being attracted to complicated men, thinking they can “save” them or bring back their good side. (I mentioned this in my analysis of Micah.)

I believe Dutch truly loved once, and that was Annabelle, who was murdered by Colm O’Driscoll. He becomes violent and loses patience when talking to Colm about her, not because Colm apologized, but because he showed complete disdain for what happened. I think this event pushed Dutch further toward becoming cold and violent out of pure selfishness. So yes, if Dutch loved a woman enough, he could sacrifice anything for revenge in her name. He mentions more than twice how much he despises Colm for killing her, and Arthur even tells him something like, “You should let go of revenge, you killed his brother first once.” But Dutch refuses to let it go.

Dutch's old love: Annabel

Anabelle is one of the greatest mysteries of Dutch’s past, something he never truly got over. She is almost like a ghost in his story—someone who represents a time when he was still a different man, perhaps more noble, less corrupted by his own pride. We already know she was murdered by Colm O’Driscoll—I’ve mentioned this before—the impact of her death is one of the reasons why he never truly committed to anyone again. He may have romanticized Anabelle in his mind, turning her into a perfect and unattainable figure. This might explain why he never treated Molly the same way.

And what about Molly O’Shea?

To me, Molly is a perfect example of someone who fell in love with the idea of Dutch rather than the real man he was. In fact, I believe he presented himself as the perfect, caring man to her—maybe because, in some way, she reminded him of Anabelle. Molly got involved with this strong and charismatic leader. She is described as a woman of “high class and society,” so we see that she left some things behind—perhaps for Dutch? I’m not 100% sure, because Molly is a proud woman, someone who wants to be seen and considered the best. She wanted to be the woman by his side, but Dutch never gave her the attention she craved. He was more focused on the gang and his own delusions of grandeur.

So as time passed, she realized that he was not really available for her, not giving her attention that she had always received, without time for her. This led her to a cycle of frustration and resentment, until, in a moment of anger, she made the mistake of saying that she betrayed him (when in fact, she didn't) she just wanted him to look at her again like the first time, you see that she drank, probably because she lacked the courage to say everything she wanted.

Molly was nothing more than a shadow of what Dutch wanted—a woman who loved him desperately but could never reach his heart. She spent her time trying to be seen by him, wanting the love he had already given to someone else, and she was consumed by it. Molly's tragedy is that she was just one more in the long list of people who believed too much in Dutch and ended up destroyed by it.

Attraction to Men Like Dutch – The Fascination with Power, Dangerous Charisma, and Protection:

Women who are typically attracted to men like Dutch are often influenced by deeper psychological factors, which can range from unconscious patterns to past experiences. His manipulative charisma triggers something called the halo effect, where his intelligence and eloquence make him seem more trustworthy and desirable than he actually is, creating the illusion that there is no need to worry because he appears to predict and plan everything before it happens. Additionally, there is the visionary leader archetype, someone who seems to understand the world better than others, a man who promises a grand future—something extremely attractive to those seeking emotional security or meaning in life.

(Most people who seek emotional and physical security are women, which is why it is not uncommon for younger women to choose older men, as in some cases they resemble the protective presence of a maternal figure, but in a romantic sense.)

Another explanation may also lie in what is called attraction to the charismatic narcissist. Men like Dutch are magnetic because they project absolute confidence and power, qualities that can activate primitive instincts of survival and protection. Some women also feel that they could be the “exception” for him, the only one capable of conquering his true love and being the constant companion by his side, which reinforces and fits into the savior fantasy, where they believe they can bring out the good side of a troubled man. But in the end, this usually leads to frustration and pain because the truth is, Dutch belongs to no one but himself—and perhaps his first true love. If you happened to be the kind of woman he truly desires, he might surrender that pride for love, but you would have to be the most unforgettable. He is the type of man who is nearly impossible to have kneeling at your feet.

What would it be like to be in a relationship with him?

If Dutch were truly in love, the relationship would be intense and psychological. He thrives on control and admiration, so he’d naturally take on a protective, almost mentor-like role with a younger woman. He’d enjoy being the one who teaches, impresses, and leads. In the beginning, he’d be incredibly charming—seductive, confident, making her feel like the most important person in the world. But Dutch also has a narcissistic side. He craves absolute loyalty and validation, and if he ever felt like he was losing control or giving in too much, he could emotionally distance himself. If she became an obstacle to his ambitions, he would likely grow cold, prioritizing his dreams over her. Dutch always seeks something greater, something that fuels his ego, and if he ever felt trapped, he wouldn’t hesitate to walk away.

However, if she wasn’t an obstacle—if she admired him, supported his vision, and fueled his sense of power—then he could be deeply devoted in his own way. He would spoil her with attention, make her feel special, and keep her close as his most trusted confidante. As long as she reinforced his greatness and never made him feel small, she could be the one person he’d truly hold onto.

What would it be like if it was the opposite of an obstacle, but rather his pure Love for her?

If Dutch truly loved this woman and saw her as his ally, he would be intense and protective. His affection would come through striking gestures—firm embraces, deep kisses, holding her waist or face while speaking in an intimate and captivating tone. He would love to see her admiration and make sure she knew how special she was.

He would show his affection through small luxuries—a ring, a necklace, or something symbolic; he is a man of refined tastes. If she strengthened his pride, he would protect her above all else. In his most vulnerable moments, he might lower his guard only for her, lying beside her at night, sharing his dreams and fears—things he would never admit to anyone else.

( - ❤︎ - )

𝓢𝓮𝓪𝓷 𝓜𝓪𝓬𝓖𝓾𝓲𝓻𝓮 -

Sean???? Oh my, he's the complete opposite of Dutch, I know a few things about him that I believe define him as the man he is; boy, Sean seems to be younger, not as young as Lenny or Tilly, but young, Arthur calls him a "kid" sometimes. He's that outgoing guy, who makes fun of everything and never takes himself seriously. He has a chaotic and youthful energy, a free spirit that likes a good fight and a good drink. Many women are attracted to this type of personality because he is the opposite of monotony. It brings fun, and a little irresponsibility. Psychologically, he can represent that guy who makes you forget the problems, who requires nothing but to live in the moment. In addition, he has an Irish accent that can be very charming for some people, and his self-confidence (even exaggerated) gives a certain charm. I've talked to some people in English and I don't understand the accent because everything seems the same to me, but the redneck accent of the United States I can feel when they speak, so the Irish would be a faster accent and with some elongated words when pronounced. He is bold, playful, often drunk—a man who takes pleasure in teasing and being teased. He makes people laugh when they don’t want to, and even when the entire gang is sighing in frustration, they know he’s an enjoyable presence. He pulls you into situations you never imagined yourself in, and suddenly, you realize you’re enjoying it. There’s something pure about the way he throws himself into life—fearless, without overthinking the future. He may not be the most reliable, he may be reckless and quite irresponsible, but there’s something charming about that—because with him, life is never dull.

Sean MacGuire’s Possible Red Flags:

Sean has always had a chaotic energy—in a fun way—but he can also be frustrating. He’s not the kind of man you can trust with your life—let alone your heart. He’s the guy who disappears for days and returns as if nothing happened, probably laughing with a wild story to tell. He also has an inflated ego, always believing he’s the center of attention, which can be annoying if someone tries to have a serious conversation with him.

And… what about Karen? Well, they had a fling during Sean’s welcome-back party at camp, but it was never serious. Sean never seemed like the type to commit—he lives in the moment and doesn’t get attached. That carefree attitude can be thrilling for someone looking for excitement, but frustrating for someone wanting something deeper. He makes you feel special in the moment, but the next day, he might be making another woman laugh just the same. However, he didn’t really flirt with other women at camp, at least not openly. There’s even a scene where Karen almost slaps him, possibly days after their fling, and later she cries, saying he only cares about her when he’s drunk. Sean asks why she’s upset, and she just says everything is fine and tells him to keep doing whatever he was doing. After his death in Rhodes, Karen starts drinking heavily, which might say more about how much she actually cared.

What Attracts Women to Sean?

If Dutch is a dangerous addiction, Sean is pure mischief. What makes him attractive is that he has no filter—he says what he thinks, and what he thinks is usually funny. Physically, he has a rougher charm. He’s not the best-looking guy in camp (at least not in my opinion!), but he has that mischievous smile, that glint in his eye that makes it seem like he has a secret only you can uncover. He’s not a typical heartthrob, but his energy is irresistible. Many women end up with men who make them laugh, caring less about looks when the personality is that magnetic. His carefree and spontaneous nature is also a big part of his appeal. He’s not always trying to impress—he simply is that way. That makes interactions with him feel genuine, even if he’s not the most reliable man around. For those who love a free spirit, someone who lives without fear or restraint, Sean is hard to ignore.

His playful and teasing nature creates a quick sense of intimacy, like he’s someone you can truly be yourself around—laugh until your stomach hurts and forget about your worries. He provokes and challenges, but never in a threatening way, which can be exciting. And his slightly childish pride can even be charming, making it feel like he’s always trying to impress, even if he won’t admit it.

Attraction to Men Like Sean – The Charm of the Teaser and the Free Spirit

Men like Sean represent a different kind of psychological fascination. They are teasers, playful, and INSISTENT, which triggers a phenomenon called the chase effect—the idea that the more someone provokes and challenges you, the more engaging they become. Their bold and daring nature creates tension, a push-and-pull dynamic that can be exciting for many women.

Additionally, Sean fits the archetype of the man who pursues, which can activate something known as validation through desire—when someone feels more attractive and valued because they are being intensely desired. He has no fear of showing interest, and that can be irresistible, especially in contrast to men who are more closed off or indifferent. He’s not a bad choice. c:

How could Sean be if he was really attracted in the romantic sense, by a woman?

If Sean truly liked a woman, he would show affection in a spontaneous and playful way. He’s not the type for grand romantic declarations, but he’d express his feelings through teasing, cheeky nicknames, and casual touches—throwing his arm around her shoulders or messing up her hair just to hear her complain. He would probably try to impress her by telling exaggerated (or completely made-up) stories about his adventures, just to make her laugh. In more sincere moments, he might lower his guard and be surprisingly sweet—holding her hand when no one was looking or pulling her into a dance for no reason, just because. And despite his reckless nature, if he truly cared, he would try to protect her in his own way, even if it meant getting into trouble to defend her.

At his core, Sean’s affection would come from his loyalty and the way he’d make sure to always be around, making life lighter and more fun.

Conclusion:

Dutch Van der Linde and Sean are the complete opposite of each other, each reflecting a different type of masculine figure for different women, or perhaps there are high and low levels! It all depends on the person.

I hope you liked it, goodbye! ❤︎

[acourtofthought]

Every couple is different and has their different origin stories, but I think if every couple across the SJM universe were told from first meeting “hey this guy… this girl… that’s your mate. See ya and have a nice day” they would all have similar reactions to how we see Elain and Lucien.

Rhys and Feyre are different as Rhys knew before even meeting her…

But if Cassian and Nesta were told from their first meeting they’d be pissed.

Aelin and Rowan- ha!

Bryce and Hunt- they’d both punch the person

All would be in complete disbelief and upset/disappointed. So I don’t like the takes that Elaine and Lucien hate each other and both want it broken.

We’ve been in Lucien’s head and know how he feels about Elaine and the curiosity there. We’ve yet to be in Elaine’s head. We know she doesn’t want a mate period (Nesta said the same thing).

For fans to think they’re not end game and we will not explore their bond at least a little? Come on now. It’s pretty much an arranged marriage trope taken to the next level. Let the simmering tension commence!

Without a doubt. And Rhys / Cassian knowing / suspecting that Feyre and Nesta were their mates wasn't ever an issue because in canon, the fae in the ACOTAR world typically cherish mating bonds and look at them as something sacred. It's the same reason we had Lucien showing loyalty to Elain from the very moment their bond snapped even though he hadn't officially met her. But if any other SJM FMC was made immediately aware of their bond, especially those who were human or half human? They would have rioted. I mean we kind of saw Nesta do that exact thing when she was drawn to Cassian from the first moment she met him. But let's throw out a hypothetical. Do most readers think Rhys and Feyre are right for one another? I'm not even saying they have to like Feyre or they have to like Rhys, but are they well matched? I think they are, I can't imagine either one with anyone else. Now say you're one of the people who do like Feysand together, you think they compliment each other well and you can't imagine them without the other. Now let's say Feyre did find out about her bond from the very start. Does that mean we'd suddenly feel Rhys and Feyre were a poor fit? Do you think readers would now say, "Never mind! They don't match because they knew about their bond from the start!" I doubt anyone who likes Feysand would ever say that which proves the beginning really doesn't matter so long as the end product is the same and that's two people who were destined to be the other half of their soul finding their way to each other. It is no different for Elain and Lucien. Yes they have had a rocky start and yes they've got more to deal with having the knowledge of their bond from the start (as well as her being in love with someone else and him believing he already had and lost a mate) but that doesn't make them less perfect for one another. Sarah actively drew parallels for them once she realized they would be mates and that only compounded the unintentional parallels she already had for them in book 1, those unintentional ones being exactly why Elain ended up surprising her and Lucien as being the one for him.

Sarah did not go on this 4 / 5 book journey with Elucien only to let all the buildup and anticipation of "What will she do about her bond?" "What will their first real on page conversation look like now that she's out of her depressed state??" fizzle out. She's invested way too much time creating their storyline (to the point that so many characters have spoken about / thought about their bond - Hybern, Eris, Cassian, Feyre, Nesta, Amren, Madja, Az, Jurian, Rhys) not to explore it in their book.

Elucien is the tea and everyone is waiting to find out what they're going to do.

[annabthesolitarywriter]

Let Me Go Home

Rating: Gen (mainly)

CW: Referenced abuse and trauma.

OC appearances: Elegil; Elanel.

Canon character appearances: Aragorn

Honorable Mentions (OCs): Elanel; Elerion

TA 3021, Minas Tirith

"Captain?"

The soldier slowly turned and closed his eyes as bowed his head. "My lady."

"I did not expect to see you in Minas Tirith. Are you going to accept my brother's offer and settle in the South at last?"

The soldier let out a sigh. "I fear that will not be the case, Madam. While it is true that the King and I discussed the matter at length, I unfortunately could not..."

A visible crease appeared on his forehead; the woman's hopeful gray eyes staring at him. She walked up to him and gently rested a hand on his shoulder.

"You will not stay."

"It is indeed the truth, my lady." He stiffened. " I should like to return to my lodgings."

"Elegil."

He raised an eyebrow, his lower lip quivering slightly as he gulped. "Madam."

"Who are you to refuse my brother? Who are you to refuse the High King? Many of your comrades would give up their lives for such an honor and you..."

"Does my decision upset you?"

She jolted as she raised her chin. "Of course not." She quipped, her voice suddenly as hard as steel. "Why should it matter to me?"

"You tell me, Madam."

She snickered, her cheeks tinged with a pinkish hue. "I..."

She blinked. "My brother needs you here. He deeply cares for you and would be most unhappy if you..."

"You love your brother, that much is clear. It always was."

"That is precisely why I must urge you to reconsider and take your rightful place as Commander of the King's Guard. Your Liege-lord needs you and I know of no one other who could better serve him."

"There is nothing for me here, Madam. The King is aware of it and, by his leave, I am returning home,for that is where I belong. I only wish to be reunited with my wife and son." He took a deep breath. "Now, if you will excuse me..."

"It cannot be. You promised him you would..."

"Forgive me, my lady, but I think we both know why you are and have been so adamant about me lingering within these constraining white walls. The King himself mentioned how you have been pestering him it about it for days and—I beg your pardon for speaking so bluntly—such childish behavior certainly does not befit a Princess of the Reunited Kingdom. That is, especially since your brother and his own motives for keeping me here have very little to do with the real reason behind your machinations."

"Must I remind you whom you are addressing?"

"My lady..."

"I am King Elessar's youngest sister and a Princess of the Reunited Kingdom. As such, you ought to be respectful when speaking to me."

"How have I disrespected you?"

"You...you implied that..."

"Bereniel."

"I..."

She caressed his face before she looked away. "You loved me once. Long ago."

"I will not deny that I did."

She smiled softly. "Was I very different then?"

"You laughed more. You were happier."

"I was. I was no longer lonely." She glanced at him."I was alone all my life." She scoffed as she blushed. "That is...except with you. I was happy because of you. You, my brave, honorable soldier. Oftentimes I wonder..."

She cleared her throat. "If only my late mother had approved of our marriage..."

She paused. "Have you ever thought about it since? Have you ever reminisced on our days together?"

"So you do at last admit that the sole reason why you wish for me to aimlessly linger here is..."

"I would like to stay for my brother...and for me as well. Is it too much to ask?"

"Must I remind you once more that I have a family to tend to? A wife and a son who need me?"

"Elegil, please..."

"Forgive me, my lady, I was not finished. Must I remind you that you too have a husband and a son of your own?"

"Husband? I never had a husband."

He frowned. "What in Eru's name are you saying, Madam?"

"What I meant is that...I never had a proper husband. Yes, I happen to be married to a man that was considered suitable to be wed to a sister of the future King of the most powerful realm of Men. But I am afraid it was never a true marriage. It never was and it never will be."

"How so?"

"His vows were only empty words, which he did not mean. More often than not, I would find him..."

"I am sorry."

"Do not be. That is nothing compared to all that I have endured at his hands."

He raised an eyebrow. "My lady?"

"He..."

Tears were streaming down her face. "He...hates me."

"Did he ever hit you?"

She stared at him for a long while before she nodded. "He threatened to do the same to our son if I ever spoke about it."

"Am I to assume that the King..."

"He does not know. Promise you will not way a word. He must not know."

"He should be informed of it so that he can protect you. Let him help you."

She shook her head. "My husband would be executed and I do not want make my child an orphan. My son loves his father and..."

"Madam..."

"Would you protect me? Could you do it?"

"I am certain that the King will take care of the matter as soon you talk to him about it. Your husband shall harm you no longer and your son..."

"I wish you could stay here with me. You are one of the few people I can trust. Please, Elegil."

"How many times must I tell you that it is impossible for me to do so? I have a family, my lady. My son and my wife are waiting for me back home. I have a home I long to return to. I am a married man and..."

"I know what you will say. You will say that I have to be strong for my boy."

"That is indeed your duty."

She hesitated for an instant, pondering her words. "What if I was tired of being strong? What if I was tired of pretending? What, then? What would you say? What if I told you that I am scared? What if I told you that I fear for my life and that of my son?"

"I would urge you to speak to your brother at once."

"How can you dismiss me so? After all that we have been to each other, after all that we were..."

"More than forty years have passed, my lady. None of it matters anymore."

Bereniel's eyes widened. "I have never questioned your love for me. Not once have I doubted you." She chuckled. "It is odd, is it not?"

"I do not want you to feel betrayed. I truly did care for you. You were not lied to."

"I am aware of it, Soldier," she quipped. "You did not lie then and you are not lying now. You cared for me, that is true. You showed it on multiple occasions. I did not only care for you though. I loved you." She gulped once more. "I loved you and I love you still."

"I understand that it is a privilege and an honor to return the love of a Princess. Yet, I find myself unable to reciprocate your feelings at the present time."

"You live by the motto of our people, do you not? Strength and honor..."

"I try to, yes."

"And I must presume you are in love with your wife."

He smothered an uncomfortable laughter. "Naturally."

"She is a beautiful woman, is she not?"

"She is."

"And you truly love her."

"I do."

"You love her more than you loved me."

"Please do not force me to..."

"You are an honorable man, that I know. I am only asking you to serve me as a soldier is required to serve his lady. I am asking you protect me. Will you do that, soldier?"

She moved closer to him. "Please."

"I cannot. Forgive me, I cannot do this."

"Elegil..."

"I love my wife! We are bound before Eru and I shall not..."

"Make way for the King!"

Both the Princess and the Captain jolted and turned at once, bowing before Elessar. The former Chieftain of the Dúnedain stood in the middle of the hallway; his herald and members of the Grey Company behind him. He glanced at his sister. "My dearest Bereniel...I should like to speak with you. Come."

The Princess curtsied. "As you command."

Elessar nodded as his gaze shifted to his old comrade. "You are dismissed," he simply said.

Elegil bowed his head and returned to his chambers, locking the door once he entered his bedroom. He would depart the White City the following morning never to journey South again. He would soon be home. He would see his beloved Elanel once more. And Elerion, of course. His little boy. How he missed him...

Home. He would never again be parted from it. That was he had told Estel.

Let me go home.

All his life, it was all he had ever wanted. All he would ever want. And he would never leave again.

Faceclaims:

Russell Crowe as Elegil

Tülin Özen as Bereniel

A bit of trivia:

Elegil is my main OC's dad and he's Captain of the Grey Company in Arnor. He did have somewhat of an affair (but not really) with Bereniel, Aragorn's youngest sister, but she was way more into him than he was into her. He cared for her, but I don't think he was in love. They didn't have relations or anything, they just were closer than usual for a while and Bereniel never got over him. I get it, my girl. I get it. He then fell in love with my main OC's mom—like 40+ years later—and married her. I honestly don't think Bereniel understand that yet or perhaps she doesn't want to. Her husband is horrible to her and her son is her only source of comfort and joy.

Their dynamic is inspired by that of Maximus and Lucilla in the movie Gladiator. It's a pretty standard trope, but I think it works well here. As a matter of fact, Elegil is kind of based off Maximus personality-wise. Or, at least, my interpretation of the character. Bereniel is also a bit like Lucilla without the political acumen. She's basically a good and decent lady and a major Elegil simp.

Elegil's whole personality is basically Maximus in this clip. Everything about him screams "I'm uncomfortable and I want to leave right about now." That's basically how Elegil acts with any woman who is not his wife.

This is his wife, by the way. Her name is Elanel. (Faceclaim: Annabel Scholey)

Her reaction (most likely) when Elegil either first looked at her or when they first kissed.

And that's it for today's snippet! Not exactly Valentine's Day material, but...it will have to do, I suppose.

Hope you liked it and let me know if you're interested in reading more about this...love triangle? To be honest, I'm not even sure it can be called that. Dude is loyal. As far as he's concerned, there's no triangle at all.

Oh, well...do let me know! And thank you for reading! 😊

[arachnixe]

I'd be lying if I said I didn't notice the meandering at times, but... well, let's just say that compared to other web serials I've read, your style of meandering is practically laser focus. And I'm saying that as someone who primarily writes and reads short fiction, so I definitely have less patience for narrative bloat than most web serial readers do.

That said, I think you also used the wider breadth of scope in very satisfying ways. Like I commented on before, the human-as-monster and monster-as-human theme is better executed here than I think I've ever seen from another author, and a large part of that is how you iterated on it again and again in different ways and with different characters that all had their own relationship with their struggle for identity on that axis.

We've got Vita, the monster who thought she was human and struggled with how she had to pretend to be so, whose struggle for fulfillment required being true to her natural, inhuman nature. Penelope (my beloved!) is almost her mirror, human in truth but still "faking" her humanity in her own way. Like Vita, her struggle for identity means pursuing and embracing inhumanity.

There's Penta, who got to touch humanity once and fell in love with it, longing to pursue that life and identity for herself. She's mirrored and contrasted by Lark, who doesn't so much pursue humanity as constantly wrestle her inhumanity.

All of them have their own relationships to the dual concept of "human as identity" versus "human as person who acts with compassion," and I loved reading each of their POVs as they grappled with all of it.

Also I really truly fell in love with Penelope as a character. Her arc is perfect.

I don't know how much you care to read one reader's mini literary analysis of your own story, and I can't be sure which themes you feel like you didn't quite nail, but... I mean, the punchline is that it's still a fantastic story, and what it does well it does *very* well.

Bioshifter is a delight in its own way. This post is getting long enough as it is, so I'm not going to dive too deep into it, but I adore how it inverts the self-sacrificial conclusion that HMGGH had. I don't know if you plan to write a sequel, but is it weird if I hope you never do? I find the ending powerful and moving as-is. Hannah did what she could, and it's more than anyone else managed, and now the future is unknown but with a spark of hope there wasn't before. Personally, I love the ambiguity of it. Putting in the work to make a difference for the next person even when things are bleak and you can't know what the future holds... it feels deeply relevant to the world we live in today.

vigor mortis is my favorite stories of all times, only thing that's managed to locked me into a binge read in years and yeah you're right, the ending had me crying. looking forward to your thoughts on bioshifter, i still haven't finished it myself (why is it so hard to pick things back up >.>)

Bioshifter didn't resonate with me quite as much as Vigor Mortis—which is perhaps surprising given the whole spider thing—but that's not a slight against it. Vigor Mortis just hit some very specific themes I adore with laser precision.

Having now finished Hive Minds Give Good Hugs, it's easy to see a thematic throughline of "trying to do the right thing" and how it both connects with and is separate from the concept of ones "humanity." Both VM and HMGGH seem to take very similar approaches to that specific theme, but...without going into specifics, Bioshifter veers hard off the course charted by the other two. I actually think it has an even stronger ending than Vigor Mortis, which is impressive considering how well VM really sticks its landing. One of the things I like about it is that it doesn't wrap everything up in quite so tidy a bow, and it has a wildly different conclusion.

Also Sela might actually be my very favorite take on the "killer robot with contempt for flesh-beings" trope, especially with her role in the climax. Genuinely, the way that whole thing plays out is delightful.

[dykedvonte]

One of my mutuals opinions is the "bro code" thing, that Curly is one of those guys who wouldn't care about the victim because the perpetrator is his friend and I'm really banging my head on the wall like that other anon. I've only played through the game once but Curly's behaviour/reactions etc read completely different from the "bro code" thing and I have to wonder if my mutual and I even played the same game.. like the constant digs at him from Jimmy, his body language in his face reveal and so on like you mentioned in your post. While this game is a little different obviously, it kind of reminded of a point in Alice Madness Returns that makes it very clear that Alice's pain blinded her to the abuse of the other children and her failure to act earlier because of it. Curly is guilty of a similar inaction but it doesn't change the fact he was a victim of Jimmy too. I don't think I can look at it any other way because both of these games have really stuck with me.

I genuinely think it really is the idea that people want a simple easy to blame problem and the idea that the only relatable victims of abuse are those that "surpass" it or do a lot to help others. When it comes to victims, especially those that don't fit the typical demographics, who either accidently perpetuate it, enable it or aren't ideal in some way shape or form, people jump to ignore what they went through as it's easier than dealing with those conflicting sentiments.

The bro-code conversation in Mouthwashing stems from a concept I generally dislike that there had to be something about Curly that made him meet or keep being friends with someone like Jimmy. I think people genuinely underestimate how many like decent and good people just know an asshole or are friends with someone who is really bad outside of their view/established dynamics. The game makes it clear none of the inaction against Jimmy is because of a lack of care, it is a lack of understanding from the privaleged postions they have as men to not have to worry about what Anya does/went through and the type of extremes men like Jimmy will go through to cover it up. They are all too preoccupied in their own strifes.

Another thing I see being oversaturated the idea that you have to be a freak, misanthrope or have a disorder to do the thing Jimmy does. The game is an escalation, it's a spiral that I don't see people comment on that Jimmy was not likely having the mood swings and episodes of rage/frustration we were seeing in the game. This is after they all start experiencing the worst moments in their lives that he got THAT openly bad. Of course, this is just my interpretation but much like in real life, people that go to extremes like that usually live mundane lives. It's a pressure cooker affect to where the stress made them pop. It's self inflicted but still the case.

I really think people need to be more willing to acknowledge that not everything needs to be an extreme or in black and white or easy to understand. It doesn't need to be happy or have an answer or solution, especially in the cases where the abused sadly helps perpetuate what they experience. It's not he should've known better from experience or shouldn't he have known what could've happened because victims tend to not like to think in matters of the worst. Not to mention, especially in cases of abuse where it feels so personally directed that you don't expect to happen to someone else.

[dariusaurs]

i think dinostar is such an interesting ship right now even if i've kind of turned away from it after this season. the problem is that it's complicated, and fandoms historically don't like nuanced situations or takes. i don't think it's fair to say darius is putting brooklynn on a pedestal, since from his perspective, she hasn't done anything wrong, and kenji has been framed as this unfair partner to her. it does feel like his feelings are very immature and more of an infatuation right now ("if he loved you half as much.."/"unless?"), especially when you compare them to kenji's own feelings for brooklynn - his girlfriend who he's loved for 6 years - but that isn't a horrible thing, it's just different. i do completely understand if people dislike the ship right now, and even criticize darius' way of handling the accidental confession, but i just think people have been way too harsh on all three of them without being willing to see that all of their perspectives are different

[aroanthy]

i love how fraught and complicated discourse around various utena characters ‘dying’ is when anthy is literally stabbed to death eternally by a million swords imbued with human hatred. and then utena gets stabbed to death by them also. like. ‘death’ is incredibly interesting in rgu because most of the time it’s this ambiguous figurative thing that has interesting implications re: ohtori as a closed-off world one can escape. we are all trapped in our coffins. mamiya is the only named character with a grave. nemuro memorial hall functions as one all the same. ruka is implied to have died in the hospital— was he dead all along? who was the boy we saw for these two episodes? is this dead boy the same boy, or is this just another coincidence from the shadow girls, cutting like a knife? it’s heavily implied that akio and anthy murder kanae by poisoning her, adding to the previous implication that they were poisoning mr ohtori too, but there are no perceptible consequences of this. kanae’s absence is not felt. she’s fed an apple slice. what happens to the bodies? we know what happened to the 100 boys, but what about everyone else? and so on and so forth. ‘death’ is a tricky thing in utena, i think it’s constantly functioning on figurative and literal levels in very different ways for very different purposes. dios died. dios was dying. dios didn’t die. he grew up. etc etc

[batbeato]

Phenomenon not unique to Umineko but starkly showcased because of it: the difficulty with separating discomfort of a character from analysis, and from judgement of others.

There are so many characters in Umineko that make people uncomfortable - Rosa is one of the first that comes to mind, but Kinzo does as well. They are such well-written, human characters - and also terrible abusers. They are uncomfortable to watch, they are uncomfortable to analyze, because it feels uncomfortable to remember and acknowledge that, yes, the abusers are human too even though they are terrible.

And there are people who will love characters like Rosa because of how well-written she is, just as there are people who will dislike or even hate her because she is uncomfortable, she is abusive. Some people will then go on, as they hate Rosa, to also hate people who enjoy her character, equating their enjoyment of her character to condoning or ignoring her actions.

I've also seen the opposite, wherein people who love a character will be upset that there are people who heavily dislike or hate a character who, while well-written, is abusive and uncomfortable. They may even equate this dislike to a lack of understanding of Umineko (a common way people are attacked for their opinions, and one I'm trying to move away from using).

People should respect that people may enjoy a character they do not, and that does not always reflect on their views regarding real-life treatment of others. They should also respect that people may not enjoy a character they do, and that does not reflect on their understanding of the text. Again, not a problem unique to Umineko fans, but I've noticed it amongst us.

[silusvesuius]

n*loth not being able to bag anyone over the (human term) age of 25-30 at most is the only logical and real conclusion to me because it can be just explained away as him wanting to prove and control everything and anyone (Cus he's a man!) but being stuck in that demographic because his unbearable and vile personality is a force that nobody can look past once they've outgrown the possible fear and idolization period of anyone but also n*loth in particular.