#i was going to try the independent route and do everything in my power to undermine ncr house and legion

[bao-dur]

1 charisma 1 intelligence run is way less enjoyable that i was hoping it'd be, people have me going from 1 place to the next on the other side of the map to fetch some wet napkin for them because i can't convince them they can trust me (understandable) or im completely locked off from completing a quest bc i lack the computer/speech skills which is why it's turned into a homicidal run 😌👍

[sunshine-in-a-bottle]

Everything to do with Edelgard's route is incredibly frustrating to me.

She has no agency. She's not starting this war for herself, she's being held at gunpoint by TWSITD and the best she can do is try to put literally any of the conflict on her own terms. It puts her in this constant in-between of "its her fault" and "its not her fault". You can never say how many things she's done have been her own choice.

Her most prominent captors are male, and it feels incredibly sexist to have this compelling female character who's influence is actually not hers, but The Men Behind Her, but also allow her to take the fall for all these decisions as if she had been to one to make them. She's villainized for what she can't control. She doesn't even get to take responsibility. She goes "oh my fake uncle did that. Sad." They couldn't commit to her making morally grey choices, but they sure can have her be disdainful of the people who suffered from those choices, as if they want to have their cake and eat it too. pick one.

And Yet More Possible Sexism. Hubert waits for Edelgard to make decisions, and if he doesn't like them, he'll secretly do what he wanted to do instead and claim its for her own good. As her most loyal friend, he should know how little agency she already has, how valuable it must be to her to be allowed to make her own decisions, and yet he still makes these choices for her.

Edelgard claims that the Truth of Fodlan is passed down from Emperor to Emperor, but we have no way of knowing if that evidence was doctored, edited, or biased when the earliest part of her life was dedicated to surviving a coup and then enduring torture from the people who have every reason to lie to her. When did she learn this info? She wasn't emperor when it was given to her. Is it an oral telling or is it written down? If its recorded, how safe is that location, and who was its original writer?

The Abyss DLC makes a good point about the way information can be edited and altered depending on who's in power and what propaganda you want to push through its library. To take a historical account at face value without examining these possible biases is a good way to spread misinformation, and Edelgard, under TWSITD's thumb, is hardly in a good place to recover info that hasn't been influenced by her captors.

I think the fact that Edelgard doesn't have all the information is probably the worst part of her route. Her endgame narrative is not one of true freedom. She's plugging in the narrative she has, coloring it with her trauma and her deepest wishes beyond all else. This route is not triumphant. You do not win a better future.

Her end card also is deeply disconcerting.

Just. The other routes don't have all these peasants looking distressed or unsettled. The destruction of two countries who fought to be allowed to be independent now being forced to abandon their culture in favor of once again joining the empire they had left in the first place. The emphasis on Hubert being the one drawing your in the background, having control, in a way that literally none of the other (male) lords have. Edelgard doesn't even get to be the true focus in her own goddamn mural. What is this.

What is the point of having this amazing, morally grey female character who takes up the focus of the entire game if you're going to constantly undermine literally everything she does by waving your hands and saying "well TWSITD did that actually. Hubert did that actually. She didn't actually want to do any of this, and if she did it wasn't that bad, and all of her info is dubiously sourced. She'll sound vaguely bitchy though if you want to feel like hating her."

Just. Stop doing this.

[i-am-the-hero-alfred-jones]

OFMD Season 2 Finale Spoilers

That was THE MOST DISSATISFYING ENDING

Now granted, I'm usually dissatisfied with endings that wrap everything up in a neat little bow, because some stories just work better with an open-ended ending.

For example, one of my favorites will always be Labyrinth. Sarah goes back home, but the goblin king keeps his kingdom and power.

Let's talk about WHY I'm so disatisfied (and honestly, maybe that's the point, it sort of seems like they want the fandom to be like that in order to fix it later one, but idk) 1. Stede Fucking Bonnet STEDE DID NOT BECOME A PIRATE FOR ED

This ending is unsatisfying because why would Stede give this up?! Stede LOVES being a pirate, it's Ed who's disatisfied with that life. Stede CHOSE this life, Stede loves this life, for him to leave it for Ed is fucking ridiculous.

STEDE BONNET IS MORE THAN EDWARD'S BOYFRIEND HE'S HIS OWN GODDAMN CHARACTER AND HE'S THE MAIN CHARACTER FOR FUCK'S SAKE

His pirating is what attracted Edward to him in the first place! You can't take that away from him! It makes him a shell of what he is! Stede never wanted the good peaceful life- he had that. He hated it. Now he just has it with Edward. And sure, he loves Ed, but that's not gonna fix his disatisfaction.

-Now granted, this does seem intentional. It could very well be that this inn ending is intentionally there to show both Ed and Stede, that a part of them really does love the seafaring life, and that they want to return to it.

-You know, like a callback to when Stede returned to Mary and realized what he really wanted was Ed. Instead Stede and Ed are going to try the quiet life and realize what they always wanted was the sea. It was just that they wanted the sea with each other.

-If that's the route they take in Season 3 (or a similar one), I can totally get behind it, and I think it'll fix the Stede Bonnet Problem. [For the record, I think they handed Edward's arc CRAZY well]

2. Izzy Fucking Hands

-. . . Guys. . . One the one hand, the monologue he gave when he died NEEDED to be given.

-Izzy does things more with actions than words, and Ed needed to say how much Izzy meant to him, along with Izzy needing to say how much he loves this crew.

On the other hand- way to kill your guys. Way to immediately fall into old tropes and make us hate ya, Dave. Granted, in the past he has played with tropes intentionally, so this COULD be that (in which case he's sitting back and laughing maniacally like the BASTARD that he is-) Where he's making us believe Izzy is gone for good only to bring him back. [I HAVE HOPE DAMN IT]

-There seems to be this idea that Izzy was the last remaining bit of Blackbeard, but Izzy is his own person and he got to grow into his own person during this season.

Of course, now that he has no thematic relevance, to kill him off is fucking pathetic. NOW we kill him, he's of no use to us. Why keep the disabeled gay? We don't need him anymore. THAT is the vibe that we've been given. Now that he's grown, we're done with him. (as if anyone truly stops growing at any point-)

-Buuut, on the one leg that Izzy has remaining,

-This could be a really good way to tie into Edward's story that he is and always has been Blackbeard. That Blackbeard was never Izzy's creation, but rather a part of himself. And he gets to choose what to do with it.

BUT EVEN IF THAT HAPPENS IZZY JUST DIED FOR EDWARD (Sure, what the character always wanted- but not what he deserved)

-If Izzy comes back from the gravy basket (Maybe with Buttons? lmfao-) with a newfound sense of independence and growth (maybe he learns to love again, idk.), this could be beautiful. A beautiful way to fuck with tropes and to show other shows how people SHOULD be handled. Bury your gays, then bring them back fuckers.

If he doesn't, this fandom will never be the same. Nor will it ever forgive it's writers. We deserve better, man.

[thecactifindahome]

OMG THANK YOU!!!!! I see a lot of people saying Lestat chose to save Louis over Claudia, which is a valid option until we get answers, but then we'd have to admit that both Lestat and Louis didn't put Claudia first in relation to each other and themselves. And while they love and grieve her, they wouldn't make a sacrifice for her. And if they go down that route, the coven (including Armand) is responsible for her death, one father discarded her and the other is able to live with that information? I know in that situation Louis would remain the least guilty, but it would stil make everything even darker than already is. Sure, they can do the Merrick and show Claudia also wasn't as attached either, but we'll have to acknowledge the whole dynamic differently than the picture perfect family from 1x04 before it all went South with Charlie... Louis being with Armand kind of made sense to me because I saw it as the three subconsciously punishing themselves, but with loustat it would be a different case? They wouldn't even be able to say he wasted energy since Claudia's sentence came first (and it would've been super easy for them to change the order since it's this script lol). That said, I do believe it's possible that Lestat's power was fleeting since he kept using them with the crowd... And there are multiple occasions on the books where powers fleet and in the blink of an eye character A gets the advantage and then B again and on... So we'll see I guess. I do love The Trial episode, it's one of their best imo, but some stuff here and there were a bit off. I expect season 3 to fix that. Anywaysss, about Blood and Gold, I'm finally seeing Armand and Bianca! The book is definitely better since Mael got injured, or at least since when Eudoxia showed up, but I don't know if I can say it's picked up? Other books like TVA, TVL and TQOTD, for example, there was a chapter that was a turning point and then I devoured the pages until the very end. I don't think B&G has become addictive, but it is better to read now

Hm...degrees of guilt is a sticky issue that can only be calculated by someone's personal metrics. Treating a human like a Christmas puppy leaves an extraordinarily bad taste in my mouth. Show Lestat made it very clear he was against making Claudia a vampire and only did it because Louis said he would stay if he did. How much do you owe a daughter versus an employee? No one is blameless, but you owe someone a degree of care when you bring someone into the world with prior warning that they will need an adult forever. Show Claudia is older, but they did seem to go with the idea that she can't pass as an adult and fuction independently in society for that reason. I try to keep my expectations for any forthcoming media as low as I can simply because it hurts more to be disappointed than to expect the worst and be correct, so I'm definitely going to err on the side of cynicism, I don't mean to be a buzzkill when talking about the show. But I was there for GoT and that's going to inform my relationship with television forever, lol.

It's always easier when a special little guy shows up 🥹 As kaelio has pointed out, I would have powered through Blood Canticle easily if Armand had showed up.

[loregoddess]

unorganized Octo2 con't thoughts bc I powered through a ton of chapters recently:

Osvald and Hikari have a banter where Hikari talks about his mother's philosophy of vengeance being a path that leads to darkness, and Osvald's like, "Oh, yeah my wife said the exact same thing" and I'm like huh, interesting (I have this small theory brewing about Kura and Rita being descendants from the same group of people bc of the geographical region they lived in and this other theory about the four flames and their protectors)

Apparently I was half-asleep the first time I played and read through the Mercantile Manuscripts bc they are a goldmine of random exposition (what do you mean the Pit of D'arqest is IN the wall at Stormhail? are you telling me the Infernal Castle and the Pit are related or? why doesn't the game let me go to the Pit...)

Also, in the Toto'haha documents, the beastlings are described as "a petite people" so now I don't feel so bad about the idea of Ochette being like, 3-4' tall in all the official artworks bc like, she is tiny, all her people are apparently canonically short compared to humans, good to know.

Likewise if I ever wanna try and draw up a timeline, the Manuscripts are good at giving some...vague time frames for stuff and things.

I'm also starting to notice that a lot of the Blacksnakes have...I dunno, abilities beyond what one might expect which I had brushed off as "Throne's entire route is basically just Fantasy John Wick and all the assassins fall into the weird assassin superpowers trope" but given what I know now, I think it might just be a thing for them bc of the shared parentage and stuff, and I'll definitely have to take a closer look at that eventually...

Also I wish there was a map or something in the game that designated the borders of all the different kingdoms and stuff bc like, Ku decimated U twenty-ish years before the events of the game, but Sai, which is apparently populated by "immigrants" who moved into the ruins of U seems to be part of the Kingdom of Timberain which definitely seems separate and independent from Ku, but Ku also has territory on the eastern continent in Stormhail bc of Clan Mei, but this is unique to literally just that one town and ??? girl (gender neutral) what the fresh hell is going on w/ Solistia's politics...

Likewise, trying to make any sense of the theological worldbuilding is still a headache and a half, but the theme of "the true flame burns in a person's heart" actually shows up in a lot of places regardless of whether the church of the flame is present or not, and I'm surprised I didn't notice them before (although given what happens during the endgame chapter, it could just be I'm paying more attention to see how everything connects).

[katsukikitten]

Tell us how you’d be caustic to each other 👀

Aight Nonny 👀 you got it.

We'll start with Katsuki. Both of us have screaming matches sometimes, yelling at each other and nitpicking over the smallest fucking thing because we are both too prideful or independent or stupid to be able to express or take the time to analyze our feelings so we sometimes take it out on each other. Even times with physical altercations when out tempers get absolutely out of control. Each match ending in the infamous line of "Then fucking break up with me." Katsuki would then push me up against a wall and make out with me, hoping sex will fix the issue and angry sex normally does but it's not a long term fix. And maybe one day we both let slip, just to hurt the other or so caught up in our rage that it's true even for the fleeting moment "I don't love you anymore." Eventually Katsuki believes it doesn't go the route of angry sex. He'll start packing his shit and I won't say anything. Just sit on the couch and emotionally pull away. Thinking I'll be so fucking happy when the house is quiet and he's gone, sleeping on Kirishima's couch and he'd done it before, he'd wait til we both cool down before he comes home. He'd open the door and we both apologize the second we see each other.

But something is different about it this time, this time there is a finality to it and when he slams the door shut, the pictures of us rattling in their frames, I do what I always do and push it away until I can't stand to even sit with myself anymore.

Izuku would just take the rage and anger, just like he did growing up with Kaachan, the rage he can handle but the depression, well he doesn't know what the fuck to do. Izuku has tried everything, helping me find an outlet, exercise, taking me to appointments I always cancel. Literally trying to help me as best he can but you really can't save someone from their mental illness and it's a little difficult for him to wrap his head around some days. And soon he'll get tired of battling something he can never win, he'll place the blame on himself, he isn't good enough, can't make me happy enough, I deserve someone who can actually be my hero. He will slowly pull away and I'll notice, oh I'll notice and I'll pretend it doesn't hurt because it happens eventually with everyone anyway. I try to show less symptoms around him, to be more normal but it doesn't fix it and eventually we turn into strangers who happen to be roommates. He'll break up with me, he'll be gentle and he'll have even called some of my friends to show up after he leaves. He'll leave me the stuff he bought because I like it or still use it, he'll have paid everything for the rest of the lease and he'll reassure me that it was him and not me when I know damn well it was me.

Nagi would continue to choose video games over me and I would turn off the internet for attention and if he had a work around to that I'd cut the power cords to his shit. Eventually soccer will take over as a priority, I'll lie and say I'm fine with that until one day I just stop showing up to his matches all together, he's stopped looking for me in the crowd three games ago and to be honest he doesn't notice until someone else points out that I haven't been there for half the season.

Hakuji 😔 I would push this man away so many times. String him along if we weren't dating because I'd be so selfish with him, I don't want him to be with anyone else but I know I'm not the best match for him. That he deserves better and that someone else would really eat up his princess treatment that he gives his s/o. Eventually I'd just ghost him and it'd take him a minute to decide to let go and when I see him with a pretty girl that doesn't look anything like me or act anything like me, I'd be bitter as hell. She'd be soft and kind, gentle and the epitome of feminity and I'd myself that I was right, that I was never his type in the first place.

[canthurryloveandfilm]

Phantom Thread

I initially saw Phantom Thread in the theater when it first came out. I was at the peak of my Daniel Day-Lewis obsession and honestly did not have any idea what to expect going in. All I really knew was that there were gorgeous gowns and some kind of love story, but I was not expecting the dark and twisted path the characters would go on in their efforts to gain and maintain love. There was an unpredictability to the watching experience for me, each scene making the relationship more concerning and complicated. This unpredictability is one felt by the characters as well, the couple at the end of the film almost recognizable from the one we meet at the beginning. Reynolds is a man whose life is defined by strictness and routine. He is extremely particular, demanding that everything be a certain way, and the other people in his life only work to maintain his schedule and home in such a way. Even from his first date with Alma, Reynolds proves to be extremely analytical. He has Alma undress and takes her measurements, analyzing her body and assigning her numerical values. Reynolds is a planner; he has an exact vision for how every aspect in his life will go and lashes out if this does not come true. However, the inclusion of Alma in his life throws a wrench into his plans. She is bold and does not quite fit in with the rest of the house, but in an effort to stay begins playing a game with him, breaking out the poison and becoming combative. She is able to break down Reynolds' strict way of life, removing him from his comfort zone and bringing the relationship into a territory he could never have expected. A relationship is an unpredictable, constantly-shifting entity. There is no way to plan for how relationships will occur. The control that Reynolds wants to have in his relationship is something that is impossible to obtain. Relationships are not something we can entirely control. As we change as people, relationships change with us, shifting in ways we are never able to predict.

But, what kinds of things cause change to occur? One thing Phantom Thread speaks to is a fear of losing a relationship. I have many friends that have been with the same person for years and years, even if they shouldn't. A relationship that has lasted a for a long time tends to become almost a part of us. We have spent so much time in this relationship that it is hard to remember what it's like being single or just unattached to the same person we are now. There is a very real fear that relationships are slipping out from under us. We can feel them moving away and the distance widening, even if we do not want to be free of this relationship. For Alma, she can clearly feel that the relationship is falling out of her control. Alma feels like an outsider in her own home, the distance and the tension between her and Reynolds growing. Additionally, Alma is experiencing jealousy, as Farrell describes it in his article. Alma desires Reynolds' love and affection, enjoying her position as his muse and wanting him to appreciate her. However, she fears the loss of this position when other muses of Reynolds come into the picture. When he designs a dress for the princess, Alma is afraid that she is losing her role as Reynolds' inspiration to another, fearful that the princess will take her place. The fear of a relationship falling apart is a terrifying one for many of us. There is a desire to preserve the relationship through any means possible. But, while most people would simply ignore the problems or try to work through them, Alma takes the extreme route, poisoning Reynolds to ensure that she will not be replaced. She establishes herself as a force of power within the relationship, willing to do whatever it takes to ensure her position as Reynolds' lover and muse.

Part of Alma's fear of loving the relationship is a fear that she is not necessary in Reynolds' life. Reynolds is a fiercely independent individual, extremely exacting and controlling in all facets of his life. When Alma moves into his home, it's as if she is a ghost walking through the house. Reynolds has his routine and she is merely an interruption, with Reynolds functioning perfectly fine when they are apart and treating her as if she is in the way when they are together. It feels as though she is only a tool to him, brought out only when necessary and put away when her function as a muse is completed for the time being. Alma fears that she is not needed, easily replaceable and removable without creating a significant impact. When thinking of this film, I am always reminded of the verse in the Cheap Trick song "I Want You to Want Me." The song goes, "I want you to want me. I need you to need me. I'd love you to love me. I'm beggin' you to beg me." These words reflect the exact position Alma is in. She is desperate to feel wanted and needed in the relationship, not content with being treated almost as an afterthought. She is facing a loss of control in her own relationship, Reynolds taking power and dictating the dynamics to fit his own life and ideas about how the relationship should look. But, Alma wants more than this: she wants to regain her power and control, poisoning Reynolds to create a situation where she is in a position of power. In this state, Reynolds needs her to care for him and begs for her presence, effectively switching their dynamic. Alma is able to regain her autonomy and take control of her relationship, alleviating her fears of being useless and of Reynolds moving on from her. Though this is an extreme example, this is a concept many people can relate to. Love is often seen as having mutuality, both partners having an equal part in the relationship and working to make one another feel loved. This is what we want from our relationships and, though we will not go to such extremes as Alma, we will attempt to give our relationships balance and make our partners feel needed and included in our lives.

[astrolovecosmos]

Vertex: What We Can’t Control

Vertex is a point located in the right-hand side of a chart that represents the intersection of the ecliptic and the prime vertical. In astrology, it is considered an auxiliary or extra Descendant. Some astrologers refer to the Vertex as the “third angle” of a chart.  It is associated with wish fulfillment, awakenings or realizations, the idea of destiny or fate, and some use it for moments that are life changing such as meeting your spouse, a death of a loved one, birth of a child, etc. My focus isn’t on predictive astrology and because of this I don’t use Vertex often in my own readings. Vertex can be popular in synastry but I also don’t typically incorporate it into those charts. I analyze it from the perspective of how we approach what we can’t control, realizations, and our view or approach to wishes and “fate”. 

Vertex in Aries: There is a pull or call to be a leader in some fashion. This person may also feel like they are constantly fighting against “fate” or has a focus on making their own destiny. This person can feel like they are always falling into situations where they are forced to lead, fight, or assert. Defining the self may be important to feeling fulfilled. Self-expression and honoring the importance of the individual can help them feel more stable in a chaotic world. 

Vertex in Taurus: Anyone familiar with that scene from Frozen 2 where Olaf goes “we’re calling this controlling what you can when things feel out of control”? That is the first thing I thought of for Vertex in Taurus. The fear and frustration surrounding what they cannot control can be real. In terms of fate many describe this position as being about finding inner security and being more independent. For many Taurus placements there is the reoccurring theme of learning to overcome fear of the unknown, let go of control, to find flexibility, but most importantly to cultivate inner stability. With Vertex this individual may find themselves falling down a rabbit hole of unpredictable fate, but none of that should matter as long as they understand the power they hold in their own actions and decisions. 

Vertex in Gemini: Here we see someone who tries to get a handle on the unknown or their own destiny via learning as much as they can about the world, themselves, the occult, science, etc. Communication is also important to them in easing anxieties or feeding curiosity. They love to theorize or talk hypotheticals. Here we almost see a reflection of their polar opposite Sagittarius - there is a desire to find meaning in the world. Communicating their needs, fears, and wants can be helpful with feeling fulfilled or like they are on the right path. 

Vertex in Cancer: All of the water signs have a powerful relationship with the idea of fate and Vertex. Here we see themes of strong intuition, attachment, or maybe even psychic abilities. There is a close tie to their fate, whether they are making their own destiny, getting hunches about what path to take, or have world swallowing doubt and fears. Their relationship to the unknown, the instability of life, and to ideas of destiny are deep and felt strongly. With Cancer there is a focus on protecting and nurturing the self and others. They need to be careful of focusing too much on taking care of others or taking on their feelings. Reexamining family, making a new family, or dealing with family cycles or trauma may be in the cards for them. Attending to the inner child or wounded self is important in making themselves sane in such a crazy world. 

Vertex in Leo: Individuality, creativity, self-expression, and empowerment are themes surrounding this Vertex. To become the best version of yourself could summarize this placement when talking about destiny. To adapt or cope with a world that is outside of their control they must create their own world or path. To stand out and/or lead the way is what will help them feel most fulfilled in life. Authenticity is a buzzword now-a-days but that trait or way of being is a necessity for Vertex in Leo as they plummet through the universe. Feelings of grandeur, uniqueness, power, or nobility may go through them sometimes. While they need to be careful of not letting this go to their head or tripping them up - these feelings of power are important in shaping their own future and self. 

Vertex in Virgo: Much like Taurus there is a fear of the unknown or not being in control. To find inner stability could be a struggle. The focus for Vertex in Virgo is to find a way to feel purposeful, needed, or useful. This gives them a sense of direction and stability. This Vertex prefers routine, predictability, and structure. They may be overly practical in terms of fate - believing there are no other influences that determine their life other than them. Similar to Vertex in fire they can have a “I make my own destiny” attitude. Vertex in Virgo may have a pull to work on their intuition. The Vertex sits on an axis like all other points in a chart. The opposite sign is the Anti-Vertex which some astrologers believe to be how we shape our fate or what we have to offer in relationships and life. With Virgo Vertex and Pisces as the Anti-Vertex there is an opportunity to hone their intuition. On the subject of helping others or finding meaning - it is listening to their feelings and hunches that might lead them to how they can do this. 

Vertex in Libra: Trying to see their fate in other people or believing other people are their fate is associated. Learning to create their own destiny or standing on their own or standing out can be a lesson surrounding this Vertex. Finding peace by connecting with others and feeling less alone is also associated, especially in terms of dealing with what cannot be controlled or foreseen. Cooperation and adaptability are strengths needed to feel whole. 

Vertex in Scorpio: There is a lot to be said about willpower here. This person likely is a strong believer in making their own destiny. Strong premonitions and hunches can lead them into believing in a higher power or feeling in tune with the spiritual or unknown. Scorpio is pulled to master their turbulent emotions and intensity as well as conquer and understand the mysteries inside themselves. It’s about learning self-control but also when to unleash. To transform and do all of the hard work in the background so that when life throws you curveballs you are ready. They master themselves, master their life, master the universe. 

Vertex in Sagittarius: It is through faith in themselves, the universe, or that everything will turn out okay that this person gets through the unpredictability of life. There can be a desire to find meaning, especially through spirituality, religion, or a unique philosophy. Sagittarius is a sign that chases truth and by chasing it they can make sense of the world. Being in the role of teacher and student helps them feel right in the universe. They must always be searching, learning, and exploring. 

Vertex in Capricorn: In a world they can’t control this person can face a lot of challenges. They can be tempted into acting authoritative or controlling. However respect and self-authority are important for this person to feel more stable, concrete, fulfilled. To lead others with a level-head and patience is the best route for them. Even better is to focus on their own success and lead by example. This placement is prone to a highly realistic and sometimes negative view of the world and possibly the idea of destiny. This placement can bring about big rewards and depth when they listen to their heart and to loved ones and when they focus. 

Vertex in Aquarius: Aquarius is known for not fearing the unknown and embracing the unpredictable. When Vertex is in this sign there are lessons about acceptance, tolerance, cooperation, and communication. It is the craziness of people and the harm people can do that gets them wanting to become a hermit or to leave the narrative. There can be a temptation to hide away from intimacy, passion, and attachment. The Futurama “I don’t want to live on this planet anymore” meme is for them. Being boxed in by the idea of “destiny” might not appeal to them. To feel fulfilled in life is to feel connected and belonging. Embracing all different types of people and relationships can help them feel more sure of the world, of humanity. 

Vertex in Pisces: This person likely is a strong believer in fate and destiny. If you are one who believes in psychic abilities, this could be a strong indicator for some. This person should be careful of getting lost in wild dreams or a big picture that doesn’t include themselves or include others in their lives. Fate may have big plans for them but it is through their loved ones and how they can help others that they feel most fulfilled. They may feel like life is always throwing them into situations where they are forced to help or to empathize. Learning discernment and protection is important. They don’t need to help or heal everyone, in fact it is in their choice who to help that might make them feel the most sure and solid in life. 

[writingwithcolor]

Blending Mythos Respectfully

@sapphicq submitted:

Hi all! I’m trying to write an urban fantasy that explores oppression in a world that is basically the same as ours, except with magic, while incorporating magical systems and mythologies of multiple cultures. I’ve done an okay amount of research on each one that I’d like to include (still need to do more for sure, especially considering how colonization has effected mythologies). However, I’m struggling a bit on how they should coexist, since in the world I’m writing about they’re present and tangible. One example of this is fox spirits in East Asian mythology. Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Chinese mythologies each have a nine-tailed fox, and though my research says that the myth originates from Chinese mythology, it also says that each of the fox spirits carry different connotations of malevolence, benevolence, and how widespread they are, depending on which culture’s mythology is being referred to. 

The same sort of thing has been popping up quite a lot in a lot of my research. I started to wonder if I could explain these similarities within world as “different cultures have come up with different names and customs surrounding the ‘same’ thing,” considering mythology in the real world from an anthropological perspective. However I don’t want to overgeneralize, especially considering that these different mythological figures are meant to be present and tangible. If I went that route, I wouldn’t want to say something like ‘actually, benevolent fox spirits do exist, and Korean mythology about fox spirits is wrong since Kumiho are pretty strictly malevolent,’ which would obviously be an implication. All this to say: do you have any tips for multiple mythos coexisting in a way that respects the various cultures they come from?

Avoid Round Pegs in Square Holes

A mistake you sometimes see Western authors make when dealing with mythology in urban fantasy settings is to confine the universe’s worldbuilding to a particular mythology or force the rules of a single culture’s folklore onto other cultures. For instance, here at WWC, we get a lot of questions asking how to represent supernatural creatures from multiple cultures respectfully alongside fae from Western Europe, and it's fairly obvious that the author plans to treat all supernatural creatures as fae. Urban fantasy based on Greek mythology or Christian mythology often falls into the same trap. 

I think a writer can demonstrate greater creativity by embracing these differences. I think a potential way to deal with contradicting mythos between cultures is to come up with compelling reasons why differences exist. What world-building systems, philosophies and real-life phenomena allow for a framework that explains the simultaneous existence of commonalities and differences? As you know, in anthropology, there are theories that emphasize cultural diffusion as a way to explain similar customs within the same region, but there are also theories that hold that multiple cultures can develop the same traditions and principles independent of each other (See: existence of 0, lost-wax bronze casting, astronomical calendars and the use of wheels). The answers I’ve given are mostly technological. However myths and belief systems serve very real social functions as ways to keep people together and cultivate norms and mores. Lesya expands on the utility of intentional cultural diffusion below.

Similarly, within evolution, there are instances of species having common features because of a shared ancestor, but also instances where species without shared ancestors evolve to have similar features because they exist in the same environment. I believe flippers are examples of both types of evolution in marine animals.  Thus, I think you need to question your assumption that “different cultures have come up with different names and customs surrounding the ‘same’ thing.” As the world is daily proof, they sometimes do, but they also sometimes don’t. 

-Marika

First, props to you for sending us this ask. You have been thinking about this a lot and have done research into building an urban fantasy that doesn’t do the thing of putting all Asians under one umbrella. 

Second, I’m going to agree with Marika here. Rather than go for the generalization route, revel in everyone's differences. It's a way for you to acknowledge the variations in the mythology, that not all have the same origins though there may be some similarities. Instead, they may have reached the same conclusions. My advice for blending mythologies is to lean into it, and not create a homogeneous umbrella. You can make something amazing with that. 

-Jaya

Hybridity Through Diffusion

So a myth originated in China. This does not mean Chinese tellings have the monopoly on what a telling is. Marika and Jaya have gone into a possible solution, here, but what I’m going to examine here is a mental framework that a lot of people get stuck in that is actually ahistorical.

Cultural appropriation as we know it is shockingly recent when it comes to history. In the modern day, ownership boundaries of myths have become very strict because of primarily European colonialism picking and choosing everything it likes about a mythos, and, this is important: not letting up on the oppression of those peoples. There’s also a strong preference to kill those colonialism deems “wrong”, instead of creating a hybrid culture.

Historically, this got a lot more fluid.

What happened historically was primarily cultural diffusion, wherein open trade, intermarriage, and shared borders made it that myths, customs, and cultural practices were (mostly) freely exchanged without massive power imbalances happening, and then modified to fit local beliefs.

Key word: mostly. Because yes sometimes it happened that one place took over another place and imported all of its customs (see: China, Rome, the Mughals), but… often* the ruling power either backed off, was fought of, or otherwise left the region, leaving the common people to do whatever they wanted with the carcass of what had been imposed on them. Or sometimes, even, the imperial forces would actively create a hybridized culture in order to better rule others.

* in places where the ruling power has NOT backed off on oppression and assimilation, even if the colonialism is very old, then this is invalid and the power dynamics of appropriation are still at play.

Because, historically, there was a lot less incentive to simply genocide the peoples you took over (which is what made armies that did destroy all they took over so noteworthy). People were needed to keep providing food and materials, even if the new person got the resulting taxes. 

This meant there were a lot more common people to play with the stuff imported by the imperial culture. And there was a lot more incentive to hybridize your customs to the common people’s customs, leading to the sometimes-hilarious situations like “Rome assigns an equivalence in their pantheon for literally every mythology they encountered, which was a lot.” 

This also explains early Christianization, because it was a lot safer to simply adapt what you already had to make it better for your own ends than curbstomp everything that was “wrong” to your worldview. Ireland’s mythology survives in huge swaths, because it was either Christianized wholesale, or it was about “historical humans” and not fae. Norse mythology was similarly adapted for Christian worldviews, which means we unfortunately have no idea what the pre-Christian myths were.

So instead of thinking in terms of ownership, think instead in terms of diffusion. 

Myths get imported along with food, cloth, or anything else necessary for life. Myths were, historically, a way for people to explain the world around them, both in place of and alongside science. “Ghost marches” are really common, globally, because if you have wind howling in the forest, it’s going to sound like predators, and predators mean go inside and lock the door. Weaving goddesses are also common, because weaving was so necessary to survive the elements.

Sometimes trade relationships soured, and you get bad associations with the imported stuff. Sometimes the relationship stayed great for long enough it got completely adapted. This doesn’t mean any one myth is “right”, nor does it mean you have to erase historical trade links. It just means you look at the historical context, understand that cultural exchange often used to be a lot more two-way than it is in modern appropriation times, and figure out what that means for your worldbuilding.

~ Mod Lesya

[edelegs]

black eagles relationships i like but don’t see talked about enough

Ferdinand and Petra - I adore their supports. You see a lot of Ferdinand’s dorky side with his reading about historic weapons, and you see that he is genuinely curious about Petra’s culture. He admits that he initially didn’t realize how sophisticated Brigidian techniques are and I just adore his vulnerability with her. And then there’s Petra in their A support, admitting she found a second home in Fòdlan, and the two discuss their loneliness? It’s such interesting insight into both characters (especially Ferdie; I’d say these are some of his most well-rounded supports)

Hubert and Dorothea - Dorothea sees right through Hubert’s edgy theatre kid persona. She approaches him like she would any friend right from the beginning and teases him about his love life. She also respects and believes him when he says that unrequited love isn’t his motivation. I would’ve liked a conclusion that wasn’t Dorothea suggesting they marry, but it is really funny that she did that. I love their paired ending too--completely platonic espionage opera! What could be better?

Hubert and Byleth - in my head they have a quirky sitcom where Byleth keeps trying to arrange Edeleth/Ferdibert double dates and Hubert has to attend them. (but seriously, the appeal of Hubert is looking at this man and saying “I’m gonna make you like me”, and then you do it). Outside of my shipping biases, his threats to you are funny as shit considering that he has no power over you and he’s always dying in battle, but once you win his trust he admits that despite looking Blatantly Evil, he truly abhors TWSTID and is already planning their follow-up war. I could easily see him and Byleth co-leading the war in the shadows (and that’s where the dialogue of the aforementioned platonic Huleth workplace comedy takes place). Also my friend who played as m!Byleth told me the “we could be a couplet of birds” line in the A-support still exists regardless of gender. Hubert is demiromantic bi and you CANNOT change my mind 

Edelgard and Petra - “Don’t settle for being the bird. Be the arrow instead” Both have a great deal of mutual respect for each other, even though Edelgard is heir to the nation that has kept Petra’s country down for years. You see the same beliefs Petra holds in her supports with Caspar here--that being, “we are not our parents, we can make different choices”. It’s a shame they only have 2 supports. I think it would’ve been cool to see Petra asking Edelgard for Brigidian independence or otherwise talking about how she can achieve her goal. 

Edelgard and Linhardt - I actually think people talk about this a bit, but it’s one of my favourite Black Eagles support chains so I have to mention it. This one is the key to understanding that Edelgard’s better world is only possible in her route, when she has the support and opportunity to trust others enough to learn how to listen to them and consider their perspectives. I advise anyone who thinks Edelgard would be a brutal dictator to watch these supports, because they so blatantly contradict that idea? Linhardt initially frustrates her because she knows he’s talented and smart but he doesn’t want to do anything to help the world with that. Characters like Linhardt are usually given an arc in which they overcome an initial selfishness to help others. This is not that. These supports are about Edelgard learning to understand Linhardt and accommodate him. Edelgard agonizes over finding the perfect way to allow him to do his research in a way that suits him--and when she senses his hesitation at her initial plan, she presses him for the problem and reconfigures the idea because she won’t put him in a situation he’s not fully content in. This is astounding character growth (from both of them, but mostly Edelgard). Also the struggle depicted in this chain is just something that spoke to me when I first saw it--”be useful” versus “learn for knowledge’s sake” is pretty much my exact struggle in life 😂 Seeing two of my favourite characters reach a resolution that satisfied both of them was hopeful, to say the least. 

Caspar and Ferdinand - What strikes me about their supports is that it compares and contrasts these characters’ ideas of justice against each other. Honestly, the Black Eagles as a whole have takes on morality that are just slightly skewed, and these characters’ arguments about it exemplify it. Caspar just thinks that people who hurt others should be hit right away, head empty no thoughts but j u s t i c e. Ferdinand initially believes that all sense of justice comes from being nobility, and with that comes an obligation to be morally superior. Having Caspar just go “uh yeah, what does nobility have to do with it? I just had to hit that guy” is one way in which Ferdinand’s ideals are challenged. It’s a cool contrast that I think highlights an interesting aspect of the Black Eagles and what they were taught. 

Dorothea and Bernie - I love everything about their interaction. If Dorothea were a lesser character, she’d be the mean popular girl who shames Bernie for her messy hair and her anxiety. Instead, Dorothea is patient and Bernie is like “oh no she’s Too Cool for me”. Dorothea also makes note of what Bernie says as she gets too anxious to continue the interaction and aims to comfort her in their next support. We get a good Bernie character moment in their B-support, where she mentions her father ruining her friendship with a commoner boy--and a cathartic moment where Dorothea tells her that her father’s an asshole and that they’re going to be friends anyway. Bernie cries in Dorothea’s arms and AHHHH why didn’t we get MORE of this???

Bernie and Petra - If I could add any support and ending to the game, it would be Bernie/Petra. They have such a good starting point--because of Bernie’s anxiety and Petra being a second language speaker of Fòdlandish, they are prone to miscommunications (which is the general theme of early Bleagles supports). They had a nice 2-support arc where they understand each other a little better--but then there’s the paralogue, where Petra encourages Bernie to come to her homeland with her and Bernie realizes she wants to travel and see amazing things like carnivorous plants. This is fantastic character development for her and is a satisfying conclusion to her arc. I feel like most of Bernie’s endings involve her just reverting back to her hermit self instead of developing a balance between who she was at the beginning and who she’s grown into. I think Petra would offer to let her come to Brigid again, where she helps her navigate a new language and culture. Bernie’s anxiety is still bad but Petra has been in her position and can offer advise and reassurance. Petra is also patient and would give Bernie a safe little house near the carnivorous plants for her to retreat to when overwhelmed. It becomes both of their refuge, with Petra taking time away from her regal duties to spend time with Bernie and her art and her stories. Whether it’s romantic or platonic is up to preference but I low-key ship them 😏

[nervouscupcakeinspace]

BTS FIC RECS (PART 2)

Jeon Jungkook/Jung Hoseok | J-Hope

Don't Get Charmed by shikiso

When an injured omega is found on their territory, Jungkook's instincts scream danger. He is the pack's omega, they don't need another one. Jungkook is doing a good enough job by himself, protecting the den and soothing the tension off everybody's shoulders.

Why is the pack so adamant on keeping that useless omega in ?

They have Jungkook, they don't need Hoseok.

Why can't they even see his little game ? Hoseok definitely knows how to play the scared and helpless omega. But, if he manages to trick everybody, he can't trick Jungkook. He is immune to his sweet scent and sweeter eyes.

He won't fall into his trap.

Jeon Jungkook/Park Jimin

Omega Drip by sugamongoose

Park Jimin is the kind of alpha who makes you coffee and asks about your day before reducing his partner to a crying, writhing mess on his organic cotton sheets. He doesn't even seem to care one bit that Jungkook is a broken omega who doesn't get wet when he's supposed to.

“Are you busy right now, alpha?” Jungkook asks, holding his breath in anticipation. He can already visualise getting on his knees for the smaller man, can imagine those soft-looking hands petting his hair in approval when he shows just how good his mouth is.

Jeon Jungkook/Kim Namjoon | RM

Every Kind of Way by Oh_Hey_Tae

And then he realizes, quite belatedly, that he’s not supposed to be shaking the hand of the barista. Because that’s weird. And uncalled for. And really, really weird.

So Jungkook draws back his arm, grips the straps of his backpack, and promptly flees the building without a word spoken. Which is fine. Sometimes you have to get out of awkward social situations and blacklist particular cafés and adjust your route to school to avoid said café and the barista with the heart shaped face and his sweet pea scented hands. It happens.

“Jungkook-ah, meet Kim Namjoon.”

And sometimes during your bi-weekly dinner one of your good friends introduces you to said barista with the terribly soft hands who also happens to be getting his masters in social work to help underprivileged youth in inner city neighborhoods. Which is fine. This is fine. Jungkook is doing just fine.

 (Or: Jungkook adores everything about Namjoon except that the man can't catch a clue.)

Here Is What I Know by Oh_Hey_Tae

There are flowers growing on Namjoon’s arm. They aren’t real flowers, of course. That would be absurd. Impossible. Ridiculous. But Namjoon spends most of his lecture on Kant watching the garden of ink bloom on his skin, beginning at his pinkie and spreading across his wrist, trickling down to his elbow, curling up and around his bicep and out of sight under the sleeve of his shirt. Irises and peonies and roses and sunflowers. The girl who’s sitting beside him is staring, and when caught, gives Namjoon a bright-eyed grin before glancing back to the board. Namjoon spots a faded smiley face inked into the skin of her thumb, what looks to be a grocery list scrawled over the back of her hand. Notes or reminders from her soulmate maybe. Soulmates. Huh. It looks like Namjoon has one of those now.

try to resist, i still want it all by exarite

At first, Namjoon doesn’t think much of him.

He looks familiar, but he’s too far away for Namjoon to really see or scent out his dynamic. He’s cute, but Namjoon's not new to cute boys either. He's far too used to handsome, and pretty, and everything in between in the industry.

But then he stands up. Namjoon's eyes catch on the swell of his belly, and every nerve in his body lights up, his mind going blank, and—

Oh, he breathes. He's pregnant.

::

Namjoon fucks a pregnant Jungkook.

just let me adore you by elle_O_moonchild *

Rockstar omega Jungkook has never let an alpha tie him down. He was independent, and happy, and had no need for a domineering knothead to mess up his career and lifestyle.

But powerful and wealthy alpha Namjoon only wants to spoil the pretty omega rotten.

or

A smitten alpha Namjoon gets a weary omega Jungkook to go on a date with him and shows him just how good they can be together…

Jeon Jungkook/Kim Seokjin | Jin

more and more and more by moonsuns

"If you haven’t had sex by the time you’re twenty, then I’ll have sex with you. That way you’ll have a guaranteed end date for your virginity.”

“Do you promise, hyung?”

"I promise."

The problem was, Seokjin never expected to be called on it.

you shouldn't give it to me (good like that) by jamaisvore

opposites in the eyes of the media, but a perfect match in each other's arms.

or: supermodel!jk x rockstar!jin

Jung Hoseok | J-Hope/Kim Namjoon | RM

Pull Me Under by Oh_Hey_Tae

It’s been two weeks. Hoseok has managed to survive two weeks of Kim Namjoon’s progressively darkening thighs and his cheek craters and his swooshy hair and that stupid laugh he does that makes him sound like a bleating sheep.

Yoongi looks over his shoulder. Stares. Slowly draws his gaze back to Hoseok. “Are we discussing the same man who tried to brush his teeth with sunscreen yesterday?”

“Ew, he did that?”

“Your voice says that’s disgusting but your face says you’re enamored.”

Hoseok presses his palms against his eyes until he sees colored spots. “Make it stop, hyung.”

  (Or: Hoseok works at a summer resort and Namjoon is the newest lifeguard. Chaos ensues.)

fall underneath by crycoby

“Is this secretly about your huge crush on Namjoon?” Jimin asks, his fingers digging into the back of Hoseok’s neck in a way that is frankly criminal. “You know that if you like him, you’re going to have to be more direct. He doesn’t like to assume things about people and… He overthinks a lot,” he finally settles on diplomatically.

Hoseok groans, half because of the pressure and half because the idea of talking about this, about any of this, about any of the gnarled mess that is the clutch of Hoseok’s emotions in the knot of his chest, gives him hives.

//

hoseok could talk about his big messy feelings about namjoon, or he could talk around them instead and just hope for the best. yeah. that sounds good.

Methods of Mutual Stress Relief by Only_A_Fangirl

Hoseok cringes, “How weird would it be if I actually asked to jerk off in here with you?”

“Very,” Namjoon answers instantly.

Hoseok nods, “You can choose the porn.”

Namjoon blinks, “Are you for real?”

lyre lyre lyre by oliviacirce

Namjoo regrets every life choice that has led her here, to the hard wooden floor of this dance studio, where she's lying on her back like a beached whale.

Jung Hoseok | J-Hope/Kim Taehyung | V

the long and winding road by moonsuns

Hoseok is (basically) forced to go on vacation and leave his stressful idol life behind, at least for a little while. He wasn't expecting to find Taehyung, that's for sure. (He's glad he did, though.)

Kim Namjoon | RM/Kim Seokjin | Jin

Procurement by FlyYouFools1 (WIP) *

Seokjin and Namjoon have waited decades for a little of their own. Taehyung just wants to pay for his little brother's education.

Kim Namjoon | RM/Kim Taehyung | V

Dandelion Love (part of the (Not) Destined series) by almostsophie1

Taehyung is twenty-one when the word on his wrist turns ashen. The kind of love that soulmates share is forever out of reach.

(But enter one Kim Namjoon, who doesn't think the same.)

Kim Namjoon | RM/Min Yoongi | Suga

Bleeding Love by beebalm

Yoongi was already dressed and halfway to the door, nothing but a dry chuckle and a See you around when Namjoon asked for his number.

OR

It's not that Namjoon is hurt Yoongi only ever wanted him for a one night stand. And he doesn't have a crush. He just wishes they didn't have to keep seeing each other all the time.

Kim Namjoon | RM/Park Jimin

but i want it anyway by ameliabedelias *

Park Jimin’s roommate goes to study abroad for a semester. Kim Namjoon takes over the lease.

only lingering around you by moonsuns 

“I don't. I mean...this is going to sound awkward, but I’m...not really looking for a relationship right now.”

Namjoon considers, for a moment, elaborating and telling Jimin about everything with Hoseok, but there wouldn't be any point in that. And also, Namjoon is pretty sure that Jimin doesn't care about any of that anyway.

And he's right. At this, Jimin outright laughs. It isn’t a mean laugh, but Namjoon is pierced by the sound anyway. “Who said anything about a relationship, or even feelings? It’s just sex.”

Or, Namjoon and Jimin are friends with benefits.

Kim Seokjin | Jin/Min Yoongi | Suga

운명 (Fate) (part of the (Not) Destined series) by almostsophie1

Yoongi is part of that three percent population left without a soulmate word. It doesn't matter if he falls in love, because love isn't meant for people like him.

(Then he meets Seokjin.)

candy on my lips (part of the just desserts series) by moonbabie

Anonymous advice columnist and baby bi Kim Sujin meets queer club president Min Yoonji, and does the following: writes some cheesy advice columns, cuts her hair, and figures out her shit. (aka a queer romcom meets emotional constipation, self-discovery, and clueless wlw)

Min Yoongi | Suga/Park Jimin

pull me closer in the backseat of your rover by moonsuns

Jimin had just wanted to get off. He didn't think he'd end up with a boyfriend at the end of it all.

Or, another friends with benefits AU.

Nip & Bloom by sugamongoose (WIP) *

The year is 2021, and yet traditional and oppressive views of alpha/omega relations run rampant in the Korean society. Unmated Park Jimin is placed in a government programme which pairs delinquent omegas with support mates to make them more comfortable in their submission. Jimin’s alpha for six months turns out to be Min Yoongi, a tiny music producer who wears fuzzy sweaters, and who won’t stop talking about his kitten Holly.

“You look like an omega,” Jimin blurts out. The strange alpha flashes him a smile that reveals the pink of his gums. “Is that something you prefer? I saw your file, and it said you identify as queer.” “Oh, you looked at my file just to see if I like to fuck other omegas? Knot swelling yet?”

POLY RELATIONSHIPS

OT7 - Relationship

indiscentsible by cloudyworld *

Jungkook had been a little disappointed when, after all the build-up and speculation, he'd presented as a beta. Betas are great! They play an important role in society: level-headed, big-picture thinkers, the solid foundation that holds everyone together. But that pull of instinct that comes with being an alpha or omega, the feeling of belonging... He was crushed at the thought he might never get to have that.

In a pack with three alphas and three omegas already, presenting beta was a gift; Jungkook learns to see that too.

Precious Mettle by glitterandgilt (WIP) *

Jin loved his nest. He'd built it very carefully from the ground up. Spent centuries on selecting the individuals he wanted to spend the rest of his immortal life with. He was proud of his nest and protected it with a possessive love that rivaled a dragon's guard on their trove.

Jin didn't get the chance to go through that evaluation process with his newest treasure. But he would never let it go.

Or

When Jin's blood is stolen and used to sire a new fledgling, Jin has two choices: to ignore the strands of magic binding him to his new childe, or to lay claim to another jewel for his collection. He chooses the latter and drags his entire nest into a situation none of them were anticipating.

Kim's Seven by Gobi17 (WIP) *

Jungkook, 17 year old YouTuber, is in awe of the 6 hot boys who have adopted him online.

Bangtan are a dangerous group of vigilantes who seize the opportunity to kidnap the stepson of their latest target.

Found Kin by Adaptive_Artist (WIP)

Jungkook is starving. Food doesn't make anything better, and his teeth ache like someone is hammering on them. He thought he was cursed. Turns out he's a hatchling kin, and is now the precious baby of the renowned Kim nest. He's also growing little fangs.

Huh.

love bites (series) by feraljk (WIP) 

Summary from the first fic:

newly-turned vampire jungkook still has a lot to learn, but his hyungs are there to help him. taehyung enlists yoongi and jin to teach the fledgling how to teethe and helps him discover how much of a bonding activity teething can be.

or: trans koo and tae teeth on their hyungs and also come

Isn't it lovely? (all alone) by hopefully2020

At age eighteen, all citizens are given a concentration that will determine their fields of study. A small empty square on their wrist will gain a color corresponding to their skill set. Everyone’s fear is that their square color is black, meaning they are destined for a life of crime. When Jungkook turns eighteen, he waits anxiously for his square to gain color, only to be presented with a blank square. He is shunned by his family, having to struggle through high school while trying to figure out what to do for the rest of his life. Jungkook's life gets flipped upside down on the day of his twenty-first birthday when the store he works at is robbed with Jungkook at the cash register. Fearing for his life he believes he is going to die, only to be saved by a figure in black with a mask covering his face. To make things even worse, Jungkook suddenly becomes the target of one of the largest drug syndicates, solely because of his new connection to his savior and five other men who turn out to be the biggest crime lords in Seoul. What happens then, you ask? Well, then the blank world Jungkook always saw starts to drip with black, just a little bit.

blueberry peaches (a serendipitous summer) by elle_O_moonchild (WIP)

Jungkook spends a life changing summer working at a beachside car wash and meets 6 new lovers who change his heart and life forever.

Jeon Jungkook/Jung Hoseok | J-Hope/Kim Namjoon | RM 

Falling For an Alien From Amalthea 5 by Pyotr_Keats78 (WIP)

Jungkook has been in and out of the hospital for years with various medical problems. Eventually, his heart becomes so weak that no human medicine can save him. Believing he will die never having come out as trans to anyone, he gives up. That is until his brother Jimin tells him, “You have two choices, Jungah: you can stay here in this hospital and get high every day until your heart fails you, or you can go to Amalthea, grow a parasite, and live.”

Jeon Jungkook/Kim Taehyung | V/Park Jimin

Mentoring on Marsa by FlyYouFools1

Jungkook comes to the planet Marsa after being promised a full scholarship to Marsa National University. When the scholarship falls through, his academic advisor gives him the number for a mentoring service for newly stranded omegas on Marsa. With rent due, no way home, and no success in finding a job, Jungkook calls the number. The organization sends him Min Yoongi, a fellow omega who's been living on Marsa for 8 years. Yoongi teaches him how to survive. Jungkook's first attempt at survival is alpha couple Jimin and Taehyung.

Features: Yoongi doing his best to teach Jungkook how to manage handsy alphas, handsy alphas (like all of them are touchy) taking liberties with omega protagonists, and my best attempt at writing problematic but entertaining sex. A lot of fluff too, actually. The alphas are fluffy as hell with the omegas, and pamper them a lot, even though their actual behavior is wrong.

Jeon Jungkook/Kim Taehyung | V/Min Yoongi | Suga

November (series) by cuttothequickk 

Summary from the first fic: 

Sometimes, Jeongguk gets so lonely he doesn't even feel alone anymore. He's practicing, and he's very good at it. Loneliness. Being alone. It's blustery cold, and the leaves are falling from the branches of trembling trees, and Jeongguk is alone in a big city, shivering without a jacket, trying desperately to keep himself warm.

There is no one, and then there is someone. Two someones. The lovely winter boys from Daegu, Taehyung and Yoongi, opposites and equals, so loving and in love.

It would be ridiculous, really, if Jeongguk didn't fall for them, too.

Jung Hoseok | J-Hope/Kim Namjoon | RM/Min Yoongi | Suga

how, or when, or from where by moonsuns

“Stop calling it my quest,” Namjoon whines, and Hoseok laughs.

“You’re the one that said it first.”

“I was drunk.”

“Well, the bad thing about going out with people, is that you can’t take back the stupid shit you said when you were drunk. Especially when they’re way less drunk than you.”

Or, after Namjoon almost dies, he decides to go on a quest to live his best life, and takes Yoongi and Hoseok along for the ride.

(* Personal favorites)

MASTERPOST FIC RECS PART 1

[butwhatifidothis]

So if it is MEANT to be a villain route...Why are the villanous actions NEVER ADDRESSED by ANY of the characters outside of "Huh. I wonder if there was a better way to do this."

Why did they have Rhea go insane and torch a city? Why make potray Rhea as a villain when you could potray her as the hero whos genuinely trying to do good? Why have a majority of the characters still be able to be recruited regardless of if it makes sense? Why have the ending narration mostly be possible? WHY have Edelgard succeed and somehow turn her tyranny into a society that "ensures a free and independent society fot all."

If it's REALLY a villain route, why is there not a single character ending mentioning things like rebellions and conflict? Hell, the ending narration shows not a hint of villainy and potrays its ending as heroic.

"Embracing her newfound power, Edelgard could at last set about destroying Fódlan's entrenched system of nobility and rebuild a world free from the tyranny of Crests and status."

Again, if it was TRULY meant to be the villain route, it would have been POTRAYED as such. Instead of a villain route, we got "A route where one of the villains is made the protagonist and her views and villainous actions are never questioned OR addressed and outside of the conquest and starting the war, everyone is mostly happy."

Alright so this is going to seem like a nonserious answer, but I'm 100% serious when posting this image as part of a genuine answer to this question:

On CF, your actions are never addressed because of ignorance. On the surface, your actions seem like they've helped Fodlan, but as soon as the player looks any deeper it starts to become evident that something isn't right.

If Edelgard made a free and independent society for all, why are the people spied on in Hubert's ending with Dorothea? Why are rebellions secretly being put down in his ending with Shamir? That's not free, in a general sense or from specifically tyranny. That's a direct contradiction from two of the characters that can only be played on CF, and this is only found on CF.

Rhea is portrayed as a villain because she is Nabatean, and Edelgard hates Nabateans, and you are playing a route that emphasizes her ideals - which include wiping out all of the inhuman, bestial, vile, cruel Nabateans that have been plaguing humanity’s world. Rhea goes insane on CF because unlike all of the other routes, where the player and the lord never go out of their way to trample and spit on their enemies' trauma, that's what you are doing the entire time you play CF to Rhea - for months once Byleth returns, and that’s being extremely generous and not counting the entire war. You help drive Rhea and the other Nabateans away from their homes when taking over Garreg Mach - like Nemesis did to Rhea after the Red Canyon Massacre! You're helping someone try to kill off the rest of her people - like Nemesis did at Zanado! You're trying to kill Rhea with the Sword of the Creator, her mother's mutilated corpse - like Nemesis did! You're doing so with the descendent of Wilheim - spitting on the legacy of the one human Rhea could trust during the War of Heroes! You're literally recreating the single worst moment of Rhea's life, all so that you can help the one who views her as less than human.

Portraying Rhea as "the hero who's genuinely trying to do good" goes against Edelgard's viewpoint of all Nabateans being evil, and you're never meant to question Edelgard or make her change her beliefs. You as the player are actively discouraged from talking back to Edelgard, as she will noticeably get upset whenever you do - many times you will even lose support points with her, and this is especially bad for specifically Edelgard because you have to get to a certain support level with her to enter her route, with you having less chapters to do so because she won't talk to you until after Byleth achieves the Sword of the Creator in Chapter 4.

Look at how Rhea, Dimitri, and Claude are portrayed on CF. Rhea and Dimitri are demonized, while Claude is given some leeway from Edelgard. Now notice who of the three of them always speak their minds over Edelgard's villainy to her face, and which of the three of them bends to Edelgard's view of them as the bad guy. Dimitri and Rhea never allow themselves to bend to Edelgard - they call her out and call her actions evil. Claude, on the other hand, will remove himself from Fodlan and then afterwards make himself out to be a bad guy whom Edelgard managed to take down. He puffs up her ego, and he gets to live, while the two that don't must die. Edelgard is the one always out for the kill, and only by submitting to her is anyone allowed to live - which, I don’t think needs to be said, isn’t very heroic of her.

I've had my fair share of complaints over the characters that can be recruited over to CF, but even with those complaints... look at how those characters behave on CF. None of them are Felix levels of negative character development, but they all act noticeably worse on CF vs how they are on the other routes. To name some notable examples: Ignatz goes from wanting to paint Garreg Mach as it stood five years before to preserve its beauty to wanting to paint the violent downfall of the Alliance, Lysithea wants to abandon House Ordelia, which is in direct contrast to her core character motivation, Ingrid is willing to throw away her lifelong dream of being a knight of Faerghus, which she herself says is her spitting on her dead betrothed’s dreams, Leonie works with Jeralt’s killers, etc. etc.. And mind, CF is the route that locks out the most units - there's the obvious ones like Dedue and Gilbert who were already route exclusive, but then there's Seteth and Flayn, Catherine, Cyril, and Hilda. CF is the only route to have even non-exclusive units be completely unavailable no matter what.

Edelgard doesn't make a society that is "free," like I said above - having a secret police monitor the people's actions, or is ready to put down anyone who tries to rise up against her, is literally the opposite of free. Edelgard can and will ban plays she doesn't like - not free. Edelgard only allows state-sanctioned religion, if she does allow it - not free.

CF is a route that wants to make the player believe the lie that you're not the villain, because you are playing from the perspective of someone who herself doesn't think she's the villain, but like. Look at what you're doing. You're invading two countries for the express, explicit purpose of taking them over and making them your own. You're working with someone who's been trying to reunite Fodlan back under Adrestia as early as the prologue when she tried to have Dimitri and Claude assassinated. You're helping TWS. Your Imperial presence makes Church people flee - which, given that Edelgard wants Rhea and those involved with the Church dead, I don't blame them. You're working with someone who is starving her people so that she can carry on with her war.

CF lies to the player - Edelgard lies, constantly. She says she's willing to let Rhea live, but literally the scene before she says she seeks to fuckin' Exodia Rhea. She lies about Arianrhod. She lies - or is flat-out wrong, which isn't much better - about the Church hoarding wealth and about the Church splitting up the Empire. She lies about not knowing about TWS pre-ts. She helps spread the lie of Duscur being the ones who killed Lambert. She lied about not knowing where Flayn was when she was kidnapped. She lies to her people by making them believe she’s making the orders during the war, not Byleth. There's a student who doubts all of what Edelgard says right before the timeskip happens and who isn't sure about his decision to stay, and then there’s a man who calls Edelgard “a tricksy one” on the last explore section for lying about attacking the Kingdom capitol. She’s wrong about the history of Nemesis and Seiros, calling Nemesis killing all of Rhea’s family a “simple dispute.” She lies to her people about an entire war against a group who just a little bit ago were her allies. Lies and ignorance are staple points to CF as a route, it’s baked into it, so the idea of the CF going “oh no you totally are the good guys” literally as the city burns down around the players doesn’t come from nowhere.

And like... the ending narration “shows not a hint of villainy?” Um.

Her stepping on the flags of the Alliance and Church? Her recreating a painting of Napoleon - that little known imperialist - down to the hand of justice? Her denouncing gods constantly and then being ushered in by a statue with heavy resemblance to Nike, Goddess of victory? Hubert plotting away from the sight of the rejoicing people? Yeah, there’s a lot of hints to villainy.

Again, CF isn’t “portrayed” as a villain route because it’s you falling for the lies of Edelgard. You have a wool over your eyes. You accept everything Edelgard says as fact, even when she actively contradicts herself - sometimes as radically as in back-to-back scenes. You view yourself as a savior to humanity, even when you plunge it into darkness. You don’t think you’re the villain, so your actions aren’t going to be put in an explicitly villainous light - at least, not by anyone on your side.

This post showcases the difference between non-recruited characters fighting non-CF!Byleth vs CF!Byleth. Characters are mostly saddened by having to fight Byleth in the former, while they are mostly betrayed on CF. Byleth is very clearly seen as being wrong for having sided with Edelgard on CF by the non-recruited characters - Edelgard’s actions may not be directly criticized (save for by Dimitri and a few others), but it makes no sense for these characters to be this shocked and betrayed by Byleth siding with her if her actions were so good. Leonie deadass calls you a traitor to Jeralt, Ingrid says that you are not fit to rule Fodlan specifically for siding with Edelgard and the Empire after all she and they have done, and Dimitri questions you as to why you chose Edelgard and her “savage, bloody path,” just to name a few notable examples. You, as the player, are being criticized for siding with Edelgard. You say that the villainous actions are “NEVER ADDRESSED by ANY of the characters,” but what else are these reactions but characters addressing your villainous actions?

And like... “a route where one of the villains is the protagonist” bro that’s a villain route. Like. I’m not trying to be mean, but I am genuinely confused as to what you were trying to get at here.

Like. In a vacuum? I might can get the idea of CF not being a villain route a little better, were it the only route available (though even that is a very big stretch). But you have three whole other routes where there’s no conquest, there’s no working with TWS, there’s no using Demonic Beasts, there’s no killing/exiling the remaining (immediately known) Nabateans, there’s no continuous and long-standing lies that never get outed, the lords never stay flat out wrong about the events of the game, non-recruited characters aren’t shooting Byleth up the ass with accusations of being a traitorous lemming who’d follow Edelgard off a cliff... and they achieve peace. Those endings, with Dimitri Claude and “Rhea” (SS ain’t really her route even though it should’ve been but ye), lack the following in any of their endings:

Censorship

Spying on the people

Constantly putting down rebels in secret

State-sanctioned religion

(mind, this last one is in direct contradiction to CF’s ending narration that says that Church is destroyed)

None of this happens on AM, VW, and SS. They all have peaceful endings. They all have Fodlan see the light of dawn, and that is never contradicted in their endings. CF is the only route to have all of these things happen in it - I think that’s enough for it to be considered a villain route lol

[jypbae7]

Could you do a breakdown natal chart for Kun from Wayv?

QIAN KUN - NATAL CHART

Kun was one the most requested I got which was a pleasant surprise!!❤️❤️

(Not claiming to be an expert this is just for fun please don’t take anything too seriously!) Hope this is helpful and that you enjoy it 🥰❤️

Personality: Capricorn Sun, Leo Rising, Taurus Moon, Capricorn Mercury, Capricorn Mars

Clearly a LOT of Earth sign placements but nicely broken up by the fire sign rising

Capricorn Sun has serious and long term plans for the kind of future they want for themselves and once they set out for it they seldom give up. Stubborn to a fault, but also consistent enough to actually persevere. They want the perfect job, reputation, partner, house, family, etc.

Leo rising is a bright, warm and outgoing personality. Lots of energy, creativity and flair. They enjoy having a strong core of friends that they feel understand and enhance their experience and effect on the world. Leo’s are known for being hardworking and as a fixed sign it offers a lot of consistency and determination. They are extremely devoted and loyal once they develop a bond and trust with someone. Though the passion can fizzle out quickly if they aren’t feeling the kind of attention and passion they want.

Taurus Moon is a very grounded person with more social charisma and approachability than Capricorns are known for. They also have a tendency to like bold styles, they have big dreams and goals and you’ll be surprised at how well they can attain them if they’re focused enough (Kun is a Capricorn Stellium so yes this boy KNOWS how to get shit done when it needs to be done) Taurus is also a fixed sign which along with the stubbornness everyone knows about also comes with patience and consistency making them really good leaders when added with their natural friendliness and perseverance

Capricorn Mercury indicates a strong preference for structure, somebody who tends to follow rules and feels uncomfortable breaking them. They tend to have authoritative energy and demeanor. Big ambitions and determination to succeed and excel in their chosen career. Spend more time thinking than they show with a generally very logical mind which can sometimes lead to a black & white perspective

Capricorn Mars - responsible, organized, secretly a thrill seeker, can come off as aloof or guarded when they are around new people or people who they really want to make a good impression on.

Relationships:

Non-Romantic Relationships: Capricorn Sun, Taurus Moon, Leo Rising, Capricorn Mercury, Capricorn Mars

Trustworthy and dependable - the “dad” of the friend group who everyone calls when they have something serious to deal with

Platonic love languages: acts of service and quality time - he loves spending time with people with shared interests especially music. Also loves going out to different places such as different trendy cafes, movie theaters, museums - you name it.

Likes other thrill seekers who push and motivate him to get out of his comfort zone

Sense of humor is a lot more childlike and playful than one would expect from his serious and strict side

Capricorn energy is NOT to be crossed or messed with. These are the ones who are calm af and calculated when angry - this is when you know you are screwed. When Capricorn is calm and collected while enraged, ohhh boy, do they figure out ways to hurt you in the smoothest and most effective ways without so much as lifting their finger. Spare yourself the trauma and DO NOT LIE to him no matter what.

Romantic relationships and preferences : Aquarius Venus, Capricorn Mars, Capricorn Juno, Aries Eros

Aquarius Venus is outgoing, friendly and charismatic. They are attracted to interesting and unique people who stand out of the crowd. They like bold and spontaneous gestures and they will do them back for their partner as well.

Aquarians also dislike overly clingy/needy partners which Capricorn also isn’t a fan of either. These signs are all about independence, individuality, personal expression and achievement. Meaning that while they do yearn for a partner (especially Capricorn placements) they want a partner who is self sufficient and independent with their own hobbies, careers, dreams, goals, etc.

Capricorn Juno implies they’ll be a tough to nail down for very long because Capricorn wants only the best of everything and they’re always busy trying to excel at things and scoping out their options. So you’ll have to prove your worth to them before they are willing to commit because once they do it’s for the long haul

Capricorn likes natural ethereal beauty while Aquarius likes the bold - my guess is healthy mix of both. Natural looking and soft featured with some bold/unique traits like bright/bold hair or fashion style, a bit of spice/sass here and there is another secret pleasure

Be prepared for endless serenades and songs made and sent to you like love letters - whether he’s singing or composing a warm ethereal instrumental for you, his whole heart is in it

Love languages (most to least) - words of affirmation, gift giving, physical touch and quality time

Words of affirmation makes him feel really wanted and needed, he’s also really really good at giving it out to people he loves so if he’s doing it one sidedly it would hurt him and make him feel insecure.

Gives either unbelievably beautiful luxe gifts or unique/fun gifts and loves to surprise his partner with them often especially after time apart

Capricorns HATE wasting time they are hyper aware of how many hours in a day and how much can be done in a day. So, if he’s spending a lot of time with you, you’re very very special and important to him and he prioritizes this time very highly

Star gazing dates, beach dates, camping trips - this man will go out of his way to make sure every date is an experience. He is PREPARED, he has an itinerary in his mind, he’s looked up the travel routes and picked the best one. When you go camping he will FLEX with his efficiency and ability to handle the labor heavy tasks. This man will purposely wait till you’re looking to start chopping wood (not that ANYONE is complaining), put the tent up and have it filled with blankets and pillows galore in 2.00034 seconds because he practiced in the dorm living room with the others like a drill routine. (Lucas taught him how to chop the wood & still look hot while doing it)

Is the MOST polite and endearing person to your family and friends. Goes above and beyond to be the perfect partner around your family and they are unable not to LOVE him. Is especially soft and doting of any children or elderly relatives. And none of it is phony at all, he doesn’t know anyway else to even think. Respect, manners, and family are extremely important to Earth signs. They’ll probably end up liking him more than you but honestly you can’t even blame them

(None of y’all ungrateful people better ever slack on Zaddy Kun’s visuals ever again!! If I don’t get to see his happy trail during 2021 I’m burning the SM building down once and for all)

18+ Preferences:

Aries Eros ooof - passionate, possessive and steamy. Pick their partners off instinct and energy - once they really like you they become infatuated and want to STAY that way. If it’s not the “I need you so fucking bad I’m gonna lose my mind” type of love they DON’T want it.

Leo Rising is a possessive as fuck placement thankfully when they get riled up or jealous they have the confidence not to get angry with you or insecure about it. BUT.... you‘ll still be awakening a whole new type of beast and quite frankly he will let you know that it’s all your fault as he holds you down and uses you like the stupid toy you are till you remember who you belong to

If he sees you doing anything even remotely domestic his Taurus Moon and Capricorn Juno will have his mind go from soft and warm thoughts to bending you over the kitchen counter and taking you right there without a care or second thought spared

Positions where he feels in in control are his favorite - he likes being on top of you, behind you and if he can pick you up and carry you while ramming into you best believe he will.

His favorite is position is missionary - likes to feel big and dominant he also wants to be able to see as much of you as possible and kissing you as much as possible from your lips to just about anywhere else he can reach. Will be staring at you 99% of the time with big smoldering eyes that don’t waver in the slightest. In fact if you give him eye contact back he’ll just be even more turned on

Now...this might be controversial but... Capricorn Mars usually suggests power play/dynamic kink - think rich powerful CEO who secretly fantasizes about being tied up and blindfolded. Not to say that is exclusively his main kink bc it’s definitely not, he is 100% mostly dom BUT with the right person he’d be more than willing and very excited to try it out - probably because they are always in control so it’s an adrenaline rush for them to relinquish it to someone else. Doesn’t necessarily mean an extreme level of being submissive even just simple restraints can feel very extreme for a bossy and in-control Capricorn

Aquarius Venus also likes breaking relationship “norms” and trying out new things. They are super fun and bright when happy so when he’s in love he’s in LOVE. Wants to sing about it 24/7 but is too stubborn to be clingy or needy. The type to smile during sex, especially when he’s on top of you or drunk. Don’t even get me started on drunk handsy Kun whining in your ear about how he just wants to sneak out of the party early.....bc I will genuinely never recover

Very vocal in the bedroom - gives his partner tons of praise. Completely loses his mind and is loud af when you kiss your way from his neck down to below the hips

Most of the time sex with him is more passionate than kinky, not lightening fast jack rabbit thrusts instead hard and deep rhythmic ones that make your whole body shake - Hungry makeout sessions, sneaky little hickeys where no one else will see, massages than turn into hours of love making, takes his time to hit deep and hard inside you, handfuls of your hair, gaspy whispers

When he is feeling more kinky it’s usually spur of the moment. In the car in the middle of a rainy night during a cancelled schedule or after an especially steamy date night where he decides to take you to a hotel afterwards

KING OF AFTER CARE (NOT up for debate) - cooks you an amazing meal afterwords or orders up a feast if he’s too spent to get up too, cuddled up in blankets watching a movie for the rest of the night afterwards.

[thevindicativevordan]

On Maxima

Every time DC wants to put Supes in a relationship with someone other than Lois, I always wonder why they don't just go with Maxima.

Especially since she's basically what they turn Diana into every time they try to hook the two of them up. Why not just go with the actual Superman Rogue/supporting character who is also a warrior-queen? Who is already almost as violent as she is horny, forcing Clark to try to get her to chill out, even as he's tempted to join her? If it isn't already clear, I like Maxima. Her character archetype, the supervillainess who tempts the hero with sex appeal, is one that's pretty damn popular for obvious reasons. Also for obvious reasons, this kind of character can provoke a backlash nowadays.

Personally I think she can still work just fine, she just needs some revamp. The basics of her character and backstory are still solid and offer storytelling potential. She's the Queen of the alien Empire of Almerac. Maxima is drawn to Superman because of his power. The real big fix is changing why she's attracted to his power, and why she came to Earth in the first place, shifting it away from eugenics to something else.

What I'd Do With Maxima

So I'm going to take some cues from the DCAU incarnation of Maxima in that the reason she seeks Superman out is because she's been deposed.

DCAU Maxima got deposed after she met Superman, but she lost her throne because her people judged her too self-absorbed and immature to lead them. Which she totally was, and changing that formed the crux of her character development over the course of the episode. I'd take a similar route with reworking comics Maxima's backstory.

Maxima has just taken the throne when the Interstellar Empire of Almerac comes under the assault of Mongul of Warworld. Crushing Almerac's defenses, Mongul gives the world an ultimatum: Turn over a selection of their greatest fighters to fight for Almerac's continued right to exist in Mongul's gladiator arenas or he'll reduce the entire planet to ashes. He also demands a sizeable portion of the population be turned over as slaves tasked with keeping Warworld running, and he wants Maxima to be among those slaves as a symbol of Mongul's authority over Almerac. Maxima angrily refuses, but her people don't trust in her leadership on account of her youth and immaturity, and Maxima is overthrown. She's handed over for transport to Warworld, but while en route she breaks free and seizes control of the transport. Alone and without allies, Maxima sets a course for Earth to seek out the one person she's heard is a match for the Lord of Warworld: Superman.

Only interested at first in his power, and planning to use and dispose of him afterwards, Maxima at first presents herself to Clark as a potential mate. Her hope is that will entice him to support her on what could be a suicide mission, and that offering power and wealth via marriage will cement his loyalty. Being betrayed by her subjects still stings her though she takes great pains to pretend otherwise. Superman turns down the marriage offer, but agrees to follow her to take down Mongul and free Almerac. The two travel back to Almerac which is in the midst of choosing who will fight on Warworld. Clark pretends to be a native of Almerac and is chosen as one of the champions. Initially planning to stay on Almerac and purge those who betrayed her while Clark fights on Warworld, Maxima chooses to give herself up to Mongul, after he announces that he will be vaporizing an entire continent as punishment for the Almeracans failure to turn her over to him. Amused at her compassion for those who betrayed her, Mongul adds Maxima to the roster of gladiators, and she departs with Clark to the arenas.

Over the course of a series of battles, Maxima and Clark butt heads, watch each other's backs, and gradually fall in love with each other. Maxima admires Clark's resolve, restraint, and maturity, traits she's forced to admit she lacked. She's skeptical of his idealism however, seeing it as a flaw that undermines his effectiveness, particularly when it comes to killing. Clark admires Maxima's passion, bravery, and refusal to settle for anything less than the best in anyone including herself. All traits that make him ponder if perhaps she does have it in her to be a good leader. He dislikes her arrogance and entitlement however, particularly when it comes to her royal right to rule. A frequent source of fights between the two is whether the common person should have any voice in government with Maxima scoffing at that and point at how the mob gave in to Mongul, with Clark countering that Almeracans had long felt unheard and cut off from their rulers. Obviously that they're both super hot doesn't hurt as part of why they end up sleeping together.

Ultimately through a series of events Superman and Maxima succeed in freeing Almerac and driving Mongul away. Then everything promptly goes to hell. Having fallen for Clark for real over the course of their adventure, Maxima repeats her offer to him of marriage, except genuinely this time.

The two have had sex a couple times already, and Clark is genuinely tempted at the prospect of sticking with Maxima. He's grown to enjoy her company (having sex tends to do that), he enjoys the freedom to be himself without having to hide his powers, the Almeracans embrace him as their champion, and as Maxima's consort he could take an active hand in shaping society. At the point in Clark's career where I'd want to do this story, he's growing out of his youthful rage, but he's still not at peace with his lot in life. Earth's inability to meaningfully change at the pace he wants frustrates him, and leaving behind the restrictions of life there does entice him. My point is that I think the appeal of Maxima to Superman should and can be more than just breeding little Clarks as has been the case in the past.

However Clark ultimately rejects the offer. He can't bring himself to cut ties with Earth, Maxima's unwillingness to cede some of her power to her people isn't something Clark can accept, and Clark is also concerned that taking up her offer would compromise his ability to be a hero. As you would expect, Maxima is pissed at his refusal, treating it as another stab in the back. Due to his help in freeing her people and reclaiming her throne, she spares his life but exiles him from Almerac, declaring him persona non grata throughout the Empire.

Unbeknownst to Clark, who leaves after it's made clear the Almeracans don't want a civil war, Maxima is pregnant with his child. The child allows her to avoid entering into a political marriage, maintaining her independence since she now has a heir. This daughter will be groomed in hidden to take over the Empire, which Maxima now has plans to expand. The humiliation Mongul visited upon Almerac has had a big impact on her mindset. Now she's focused on eliminating any potential threats to her people, and she wants to transform Almerac into the greatest Interstellar Empire in the Milky Way. Then it will never be at the mercy of a foreign power ever again.

For stories, Superman and Maxima are clearly going to clash given she's become an imperialist herself, no better than Mongul. You can tell stories about Clark foiling Maxima's attempts to conquer other worlds, or Earth itself. Maxima would occasionally dispatch assassins or go personally to attack Clark, for the purpose of preventing him from getting "soft". The public reason for this is that he's become a roadblock to her aims, and needs to be eliminated. Secretly, her goal is to constantly push him to be stronger because she wants him to meet his daughter one day. Not for any sentimental reasons mind you, Maxima wants Superman to teach their daughter to be his equal in ability and resourcefulness. After learning everything she can from Clark, said daughter will be charged with leading the invasion of Earth. Conquering Earth, and defeating Superman, will be the girl's rite of passage into cementing herself as Maxima's heir. The world of her father, Superman, is destined to be her own Throneworld as Almerac's is Maxima's.

Think you could have a lot of fun in giving Clark a "Damian" of his own to deal with. Personally I'd have it so that the "daughter" would be akin to the New 52 Maxima who I thought had some potential. You could have Maxima and Maxima Jr. argue about the morality of Almerac's expansion, with MJ ultimately taking her father's side which causes enormous problems for her mother since she can't disown her daughter without a replacement heir. I think that could be a fun family dynamic to explore.

Wondering where Maxima will show up next. Part of me was hoping Almerac was that part of underdeveloped Superman lore PKJ talked about fleshing out, but that seems to be either Warworld or the Phantom Zone. I still think Maxima and Almerac have a lot of potential to be major players in Superman's world, but it's going to take someone being interested in fleshing them out. Maybe the upcoming Superman cartoon will accomplish that? If not I'll just have to hope someone will down the line.

[extravalgant]

Bruh could you IMAGINE the reaction if we could actually get together with villains though? Whether our wiz becomes friends or significant others with them, I like to imagine its like those Harry Potter fanfics where the protagonist gets out from being the headmasters personal weapon as we were likely previously wrapped around his finger. We are independent, graduated and gone from Ravenwood, not to mention we do indulge in the shadow magic. We return with whichever shadow sibling you decide and they're like:

Ambrose: wtf, didn't he try to destroy everything in existence 10 seconds ago?

Wiz: Perhaps, but he's my husbando now. :3

We probably get accused of being too dark, but why does that matter when we literally get to be the biggest power couple in existence? I just think it would be interesting to see Ambrose ACTUALLY have issues with us. Im always game going the villain route lmao

god im crying isnt this exactly what happened with bat in the athanor questline

THIS DUDE WAS LIKE HEY ISNT THIS BAT? THE SON OF THE DUDE WHOS TRYING TO KILL US??? and pork is like you are Hysterical . it was just a Prank bro . AND EVERYONE GOES ALONG WITH IT

and i see where ur coming from in the second part anon - although i dont think ambrose would have issues with it surprisingly :0 were quite powerful on our own so i think wed be capable of protecting ourselves and other people if the opportunity arose

plus despite sending us out on missions that eventually lead us to go and kill god he does tell us were a close and personal friend to him so... theres that i guess

but also . i want a morally grey wizard

[noxiatoxia]

CRYINGGNN??? CRYING AUUGHGFHFGH THATS SO GOOD

that last part actually reminds me of this idea i had where kaoru really is trying to push hikaru away 'for his own good' so he starts literally trying to avoid him. being distant and kind of standoffish, but hikaru just keeps thinking its something else entirely bothering him and tries to get closer to him so he can help.

obviously this completely ruins kaoru's plan and he realizes the only way he's gonna get his brother to let go is to start avoiding him altogether. and it sucks because if he felt alone before he certainly feels alone now. but he gets his own room, doesn't really have casual conversation with hikaru, eats lunch alone, takes different routes to class. but they sit next to each other in every class and have host club together. on top of literally living with each other.

so he starts acting cold with the host club like he'd been doing with hikaru, basically slowly moving towards quitting the host club altogether knowing it will be breaking his own heart, because

a) he values hikaru's happiness, future, and freedom above his own happiness and mental health, and

b) because his self worth issues are getting so bad to the point where he starts thinking the host club doesn't really need him, or even want him around at all. not only does he feel this about the other members (before he even started acting standoffish, his depressive state was giving him mood swings/causing him to skip school and club meetings/letting his appearance go, and that kind of aggravated them. even though it was more worry than actual anger, it made kaoru think they'd stopped liking him when he was literally at his worst), but also the guests as well. he starts 'realizing' that they don't really like him at all, they like hikaru and his twin brother, but not Kaoru. even though that's not really true at all.

so because he's getting pushed away, hikaru starts to believe that he really fucked up somehow and he doesn't know how, all he wants is to fix it but kaoru keeps avoiding him. and hikaru straight up asked him 'what did i do? please tell me i swear i didn't mean to do anything' and it makes kaoru so sad but he cant tell him that he's only doing it because he loves him or it would ruin everything ... these DUMBASSES who can't COMMUNICATE their FEELINGS make me SO SAD!!!

honestly i have no idea how this would end. like maybe kaoru does end up quitting and its a huge deal and there's a whole episode where hikaru tells the others about his brother's behavior and his nightmares and all that so they can try and put together why he quit/why he's been acting how he has in order to get him back in the club, and all the club is like. bro. what do you MEAN he cries himself to sleep every night while that princess movie he loves so much blares from his tv so loud you can hear it from the other room and you couldn't tell he was struggling. DUDE

and kaorus reasoning behind 'for hikarus own good' can be interpreted either romantically or platonically, like you said-- 'doesn't want to 'corrupt' his brother' or 'wanting him to be an independent person'. also for the second one maybe kaoru just knows he's getting bad, he can barely take care of himself anymore, and he wants to push hikaru away not only so he can be his own person, but so he wont have to worry about him, or see him in the state he was heading towards.

basically he'd rather shove everyone away so they won't have to deal with him than actually ask for help at all. no i am not projecting (i am projecting)

either way by the end of the 'episode' kaoru would learn about the power of friendship or whatever the fuck and gets back in the host club and everyone supports and loves him. only because i refuse to let this have a sad ending that boy has Been Through Enough.

god this one is so much longer than usual. is it too obvious ive switched to my laptop

ANON ANON ANOOOON PLEASD PLEASE PLEASE THIS IS MAKING ME GO FERAL. INSANE. THIS IS HOW I CHARACTERIZE KAORU SO MUCH LKDMFEKRJFBERJBFREKJ THIS DUDE IS SO DEPRESSION-CODED (/HJ) ITS INSANE.... AND THIS!!!! THIS IS SO FUCKED UP BUT YOU'RE SO RIGHT!!!!

Reminds me a bit of my Kaoru has depression thread I update every now and again...

Kaoru moving into his own room would be a huge deal, and NOT in the good way. Hikaru is SUPER against it for many different reasons (he can't monitor Kaoru's sleep anymore to make sure he's ok + he'll miss his brother!!) but Kaoru is very adamant and tbh it probably ends in a fight and Hikaru getting really mad at Kaoru and yelling at him. Kaoru does move into a new room.

And if Kaoru didn't feel alone before... by god he sure feels it now. It's so hard to sleep without Hikaru's warmth and general presence. The nightmares are more frequent. He keeps having to tell himself it's "for the best" bc it's the only thing keeping him from losing it. That, in the end, this will be good for Hikaru and maybe even for himself, too. He just needs to endure it for the end goal.

But, the issue is the Host Club. Like you said, he still needs to play pretend with his brother in the Host Club. (Even worse if this is a scenario where he IS in love with Hikaru, bc surely fake dating only makes his feelings more apparent to himself and harder to ignore). He gets this idea in his head that people really only like Hikaru, anyways. Hikaru is the outgoing one, Hikaru is the funny one, Hikaru is the important one. Hikaru is Haruhi's friend. Hikaru is Tamaki's friend. Kaoru is just... the twin. He's not Kaoru. He's a nobody. I'm sure it sucks being identical twins, never having your "own" identity, bc eventually, it'll seem like one of you is the "real" one and the other is the fake copycat. And that's how Kaoru feels.

In order to let Hikaru be closer to "his" friends and to cut himself off from the fake dating causing more stress on him, Kaoru quits the host club. It fucking hurts, because he loves everyone there and they're his friends, too, but Hikaru is more important. And he rather them spend more time with Hikaru than him. And anyways, Kaoru is self-sufficient and cunning. Unlike Hikaru, he can handle being alone and by himself. So no worries, right?

You talked about Kaoru realizing he's getting 'bad', and I think this is that point. He's effectively cut himself off from Hikaru and his friends to the best of his ability and is also failing to go to class everyday. He's staying up way too late and having really bad, restless sleeps. He's begun locking his door because he doesn't want Hikaru to check in on him like he always does. Hikaru would counter this by pounding on his door relentlessly for minutes, but the pounding soon became knocking, and eventually just an hourly voice outside his door saying "Kaoru, are you okay? I'm sorry, I don't know what I did. I don't know what's wrong. I miss you."

totally not projecting at my worst points of my depression no sir

The thing is, Kaoru begins to realize how bad this has gotten. He's not eating or sleeping right, he has no real desire to talk to anybody or even watch his favorites movies anymore. He doesn't really want to do anything, actually. He's not even crying anymore, he's not even sad anymore, he's just... well, it doesn't really even feel like he's real anymore. And maybe he never was. Maybe it always was just Hikaru. Wasn't he always just in his brother's shadow?

The one thing that keeps him from completely spiraling or doing anything drastic is the constant messages he gets from people. He doesn't turn his phone off, doesn't text back, but he gets texts all the time from Haruhi, Tamaki, Kyoya, Hani, Mori, and especially Hikaru. Even Renge, who somehow got ahold of his phone number. Some text him more than others, but they all message him periodically, sometimes asking if he's okay (Haruhi), sometimes begging him to come back (Tamaki), sometimes getting angry at his "selfishness" (Kyoya) (the anger born out of fear of course), sometimes trying to send gifs and photos to cheer him up (Hani), sometimes telling him he should seek help (Mori), sometimes reminding him that they love him (Renge)

And often, he gets a text saying how Hikaru misses his little brother so, so much.

Hikaru doesn't want to give up, but he's scared. He's terrified. He doesn't know why Kaoru's suddenly like this, and he's heard horror stories of people taking their own lives in states like this. The thought worries him sick, and he has no clue how to fix it, how to make sure not to fuck up more than he must have already done. The breaking point is Hikaru himself not showing up to club, too overcome with anxiety to leave home in case there's an emergency. When he does finally show up, he's not himself at all, and when Haruhi after club tries to talk to him, he snaps at her. But she's unfazed, tries getting through to him in his anxiety-fueled anger, and eventually, he just breaks down into tears, because he has no clue how else to react. It's really embarrassing, crying in front of the whole Host club, but he can't help it. Kaoru hasn't talked to him in weeks, possibly. He's only coming out every now and again to eat. The school has given up and just started sending his classwork home, expecting him not to show up. And their parents arent doing a fucking thing because they're "too busy" (<- own headcanon) and Hikaru is scared out of his goddamn mind because it's his brother!!!! His baby brother!!!! His little brother is severely depressed, Hikaru is genuinely afraid he may hurt himself, and nobody around him is doing anything to help him!!!! and Hikaru knows that includes himself, because what can he do? He's said everything he can think of at Kaoru's door, slipped notes under it, brought him gifts, brought him treats, sat outside and talked at the door for hours, holding a conversation with himself just because Kaoru won't respond. The only reason he knows he's still alive is because Kaoru does come out for food, and Hikaru does damn well try to talk to him then, but Kaoru never responds.

I think after hearing this, the Host club decides to make an unanimous decision to visit the Hitachiin house. Cue Hani and Mori forcefully, literally breaking the door down which scares the ever-loving hell out of Kaoru. And the way Hikaru runs up to his little brother, latching onto him and crying and telling him how sorry he is for whatever he's done or whatever has happened, that he just wants to make everything better and he would do anything at all to make Kaoru happy again breaks Kaoru's heart.

That's probably the first time in weeks Kaoru's actually spoken back, just mumbling back an "I'm sorry".

And like. YES this is super angsty. But Kaoru is a lonely and most importantly DRAMATIC mother fucker. Of course he would go to these lengths if he thought it was legitimately the best thing for his brother. And I can say from experience when you're depressed you think the worst things are "for the best".

I think the host club prob brought gifts or other things, in efforts to cheer Kaoru up. "You can hold Usa-chan!" Hani tells him. Similarly, Tamaki says, "You can hold my teddy bear". Mori took the time to do extensive research into clinical/severe depression and anxiety and complied a handwritten list of coping methods he's seen to be most helpful. Self-therapy, basically. Kyoya, likewise, offers Kaoru (at a generous discount, of course) trips to their therapy resorts or even their specialized psychiatrists.

Haruhi simply bought him his favorite movies on bluray (which he probably already owns, but she didn't rlly think about that at the time and it's the thought that counts) with a handwritten letter for him that's super mushy written in that very awkward I-don't-know-how-to-say-this way Haruhi is known for (she forbid anyone else from reading it. It's for Kaoru only!!!)

I think the kindness does get Kaoru to ACTUALLY start crying for the first time in a while. After feeling so hollow and emotionless, he's surprised at the sudden surge of emotion inside his chest, and he can't stop sobbing. It's not bad, though. In a way, he prefers it to the utter roboticness he's felt. I think they all hang out after that, insisting they all watch the movies Haruhi bought him (Host club Cinderella movie night!!) and while it of course follow standard Host club antics, I think it would be pretty chill and low-energy. Kaoru probably needs it to be a little slow right now, and he's just happy to finally embrace his friends again - he doesn't realize how much he's missed them...

And of course, Hikaru is basically attached to him the whole time, snuggling and cuddling him and saying words of affection - an uncommon thing, as usually they never have to be said, but this is an unprecedented moment, and Hikaru just wants to make sure Kaoru knows how much he loves him.

...GOD THIS GOT SO LONG. NO REGRETS THOUGH. YOUR IDEAS INSPIRE ME, ANON