#i wonder what his breaking point was. perhaps he did actually see someone he cared about die in the mine. lol but anyway

[misstycloud]

[Yandere.Rich man x ballerina reader]

(I don’t actually know much about ballet so forgive me if things are incorrect!)

—————

Rich. Yandere who was pestered by his friend and his wife to join them at the opera house and enjoy a performance. The couple had asked him numerous times before but he’d always declined. He was a workaholic and didn’t have any other commitments, so there was no need to break his routine. Although he would never admit it to anyone- he barely does to himself- he often find himself imagining a different life; one where he had a wife to welcome him home every evening. Perhaps a few children too. There was no sound besides himself and the staff in his home, it would be so very nice to hear the noise of running feet and happy chatter echo through the empty halls.

Rich. Yandere who is lonely above all else. His family is dead and he has next to no friends- the only one he has is married and devote all his time to keep him company. He knows that he doesn’t have the best track-record of being the kindest person in the world, and he might not be the friendliest or the most out-going, still, doesn’t he deserve some love too?

Rich. Yandere who eventually give into his friends demand and goes with them to the opera. As they took their seats- the expensive and best ones, of course- his friends wife babble on about her favourite dancer. They were regulars there and had seen many performances. He simply sighed and leaned back into his seat, waiting for the show to begin. He could only hope that it’ll be somewhat enjoyable since he doesn’t like wasting his time.

Rich. Yandere who was prepared for it to be a dreadful 3 hours, rubbing his eyes and suffering from lack of blood-flow in his legs. Oh how wrong he was. Instantly his gaze zoomed into you as soon as you stepped forward from behind the curtain. You were so beautiful and you moved your body gracefully to the music. It was magical. While he knew close to nothing about ballet, he knew that the point of it were for the women to look like they’re floating, and it’s exactly what you were doing.

Rich. Yandere who is instantly enamoured with you. As someone who’s never felt love this was all a brand new experience for him. He asked his friend and his wife if they knew who you were, since they frequent the opera so much. And turns out the wife did know who you were; you were her favourite after all. Rich. Yandere was never close with her or particularly liked her even, but he had to give it to her: she has excellent taste in performers.

Rich. Yandere who starts looking up information regarding you. It’s be your name, age, background, family, where you went to school and where you live. Everything. He also begins donating a lot of money to the opera house. In a short amount of time he’s become their nr.1 funder. The managers and owners are ecstatic at the news! They ask why he’s so generous and he simply answers that he loves culture and thinks it’s important it doesn’t disappear. Then, they wonder if there is anything they can do for him return, to which he smiles in response.

“Well, I do suppose there is one dancer I would be delighted to meet in person.”

Rich. Yandere who you feel uncomfortable around. He is so strange. You were just a normal ballerina, a dancer, no better or worse than anyone before your time. That’s why you can’t fathom the interest this wealthy man has taken in you. You two came form completely different worlds! But what can you do when your bosses not-so-gently urge you to see this man alone? You dont have any other skills and can’t apply to another job if you get fired.

Rich. Yandere who is determined to make you fall for him the way he has fallen for you. He’ll take care of you, love you and protect you. You don’t have to worry about a thing. He will do anything for his love.

“Don’t be scared, just keep on dancing, my little dancer.”

[medichamcham]

Think about working a physically demanding job in an unstable environment where a chemical reaction created within the Earth could kill you and/or your coworker(s) in an instant, or the way an entire mine could fall apart and crush you solely due to safety negligence. And you'll just be a statistic in a mine disaster report. You'd have to take that risk every day you work, right? Not to mention the contribution to global warming from burning fossil fuels.

On top of that, one of your parents died in one of those mines, and now you might die the exact same way, or perhaps a colleague who you consider a friend and wouldn't want them to work this type of job for their own sake and health.

Now, I couldn't say whether these circumstances would do near irreversible damage to one's sanity if left untreated. But I wouldn't blame them if it did, especially if the subject is a young adult who might already have been vulnerable before this.

Honestly? If people understood just how much of a harrowing job underground coal mining is and the high mortality rate that comes with it due to accidents/explosions/illnesses, I think they would better understand why Rose is Like That to a slight degree.

But also, it'd be a lot better if we got that sort of insight through a type of unmissable clue you find in Galar's environment, implying the dangers imposed on a miner from either the mine itself or human error, allowing you to have some concrete insight of Rose as a character himself, rather than a random piece of throwaway dialogue made by Oleana way past the main story.

[avocado-writing]

I love your work and saw that your request for baldur's gate 3 was open and was wondering if you can do Astarion x abused? Reader

Basically the reader's father was a narcissist and they or she whichever you prefer. Even though they ran away years ago old habits die hard. They feel the need to take care of everyone else cause that's how they survived for so long and put on a front of being the strong leader they "need". Then maybe they have some sort of nightmare either being dragged back or something feeling the trapped feeling they felt for so long. Maybe Astarion hears them whimpering or something after a hunt and curiosity gets the best of him and ends up comforting them. 

notes: didnt want to get too into what abuse the reader had suffered, so I kept it reasonably vague. hurt/comfort

rating: M (due to themes)

pairing: astarion x reader

Astarion hears the sobbing from the moment he steps foot into camp.

He has exceptional hearing anyway and having just fed his senses are sharpened to a knife-point - he zeroes in on the sound with bat-like perception. Ears twitching as he goes, he tip-toe follows the noise to… 

…your tent.

That is a surprise. He’s not sure that he’s ever been present to you being anything other than… well, joyful. Constantly smiling. Constantly caring. Constantly laughing and reaching out a hand in friendship, the very epitome of what a good leader ought to be. Even in battle you don’t let awful odds get to you, always crying out reassurance from behind your shield as you fend off bloodied spears and vicious claws.

Maybe it is ego that makes Astarion go to your little refuge. He wants to see you shatter, just a bit. Just so he can reassure himself that you aren’t as infallible as you seem; that you are kith like the rest of them, able to err and break.

Or maybe it’s not because of any of that. It is because, despite it all, he has genuinely come to care for you.

Either way when he pulls open the fabric door his heart twinges uncomfortably in his chest.

You sit up in your bedroll, face buried in your hands, ugly tears boiling out from under your palms and soaking the sleeves of your sleep clothes. Your whole body heaves from both the raw emotion and the effort of trying to keep it under control. He’s never seen you so open. 

You look up when you hear the rustle of his arrival. He freezes as the two of you lock eyes. 

“Shit,” is all he can muster, and is it relief he feels when despite everything, you laugh?

“Sorry, did I wake you?” you ask, grabbing a handful of blanket and roughly drying your face with it. An attempt to hide the shame of crumbling.

“No, I was still up - out hunting,” he says, and you nod in acceptance. The two of you remain there for a moment, staring. Astarion is stuck on a threshold, both literally between outside and in, but also one of the soul. He wants to reach out. He wants to withdraw. He doesn’t know what he wants.

Eventually, your soft eyes win him over. He walks in and lets the tent fall closed, sitting down across from you on your bedroll. He feels your feet wiggle aside to make space for him and is struck by the intimacy of what he is doing.

This is unlike him. Stupid, stupid. Don’t reveal too much, don’t leave yourself open to vulnerability. He tries to affect a posture of ease, leaning back on his hands.

“Nightmare?” he asks. You nod again, sighing.

“Sorry, I must look dreadfully silly. I was just thinking about… someone I used to know.”

Astarion winces. Yes. He’s been there, hasn’t he - devoured by the panic of your past catching up with you. 

“You don’t look silly at all. A bit blotchy, perhaps, but not all of us can look beautiful when we cry.”

He flips his hair and that makes you laugh again. The atmosphere in the tent gets a little lighter. He watches the way your hands desperately look for something to occupy them, how they start picking at the loose stitches in any fabric you can find.

“This man. He used to, erm… hurt me. Quite badly, actually.” He hates the way your usually vibrant eyes have dulled. “And I managed to get away - ran away, really - but sometimes… you know. Something reminds me of him and I get dragged down again.”

Damn it all, Astarion finds himself reaching out and covering your hands with one of his. You stop your slow dismantling of your blanket thread-by-thread.

“I understand,” is what he’s able to force out of his suddenly tight throat. He’s mentioned Cazador before, trying to make a joke out of it, pretending it doesn’t bother him now that it’s all in the past - but it does bother him. Scares the life out of him, really, or this facsimile of a life he’s been able to build for himself now he’s free. 

Your fingers slide between his and hold him very tightly. 

The two of you sit in silence.

And then he decides to move properly, shuffling ungraciously so that he can be by your side rather than across from you, his arms wrapping around your body and bringing you close.

Your shoulders hitch a little. Fresh tears warm his shirt, patched dozens of times over because of a man who wouldn’t let him buy anything nice and new.

“I’m fucking tired of being strong. It feels like it’s too much sometimes,” you confess, voice barely louder than a whisper. He tucks his head over yours, your scalp beneath his chin, as if he can shield you from the world like this.

“Then don’t be strong. If it feels better, be weak, my dear. I’m the only one here and I promise you that won’t mind.”

You know that, for once, he won’t. Astarion ‘my favourite activity is to judge everyone I meet’  Ancunín is happy to let you lay your soul bare in front of him. So you do, you let yourself force every emotion you’ve ever bottled up leak out of you, in drips at first and then in a full tsunami. You cry so hard that you lose the ability to make sound for a while, silently choking on tears long since overdue.

He holds you all through it. He is not a strong man but his grip is tight, keeping you grounded, and he knows it helps because eventually you go from crying to sobbing to neutral to asleep. You breath evens out into something more controlled and when he moves to look at your face he is relieved your eyes have shut and that you can finally find a little peace. Gods know you deserve it.

You’re the strongest one of them all. He decides that perhaps he wouldn’t mind being there to help you shoulder things, if you need.

He lays down with you, limbs tangled, and drifts off.

taglist: @ghosti02art @sadandanxiouswtf @yeethaw13 @trappedinlimbo15 @infinitely-kate @dhampling @wereallbrokenangels @tilldeathdonugget@hopeful-n-sad

[apomaro-mellow]

King and Prince 28

Part 27

The two of them went on that lunch picnic, chaperoned of course. While they sat on a blanket, enjoying treats both sweet and savory, a maid sat on a stool nearby, one eye on them and another on the book in her hand. After a while, they tried to see what they could get away with. Moving from opposite sides of the blanket to sitting right next to each other was allowed.

But when they started feeding each other, they heard her clear her throat in warning. Steve found he couldn’t help himself. Every time he put a piece of food into Eddie’s mouth, the king kissed the pad of his thumb. When Eddie fed him in return, Steve could only think how much he wanted to take more than the tip of his finger in his mouth.

After hearing their chaperone go ‘ahem’ for the fifth time, Eddie surrendered and rolled away to the other side of the blanket.

“You are simply too charming of a temptation”, Eddie sighed.

“Perhaps we need two sets of eyes watching us”, Steve laughed.

Eddie was wonderful. It was a mantra that filled Steve’s head over and over again. It was hard not to repeat it when he sat in front of his new vanity in his new room, just a few doors down from Eddie’s. All of his gifts had been thoughtful and considerate. Normally, the one pursued did not return the favor to their suitor. A courtship was supposed to be one side showing the other that they were able to care and provide to them; a way to showcase their good points. 

But Steve couldn’t just let it all be showered upon him. As amazing as it felt to be spoiled. Thoughts rolled around in his head as he brushed his hair in front of the mirror. What could he give the king that no one else could?

‘Well, there is one thing’, in the privacy of his own room, he felt no need to hide his blush. But, well, if they were doing things properly then that wouldn’t be happening for some time. He was still technically a prince, and normally would have access to a treasury with which to buy gifts himself. But he had no such access here.

“Something only I can do…”

He pondered it for about a day when the idea came to him. It was a longshot, for certain. But there was always the chance that it just might yield something. Steve was, after all, still royalty. He spent an afternoon writing up a letter to his parents. As he wrote, he realized there was someone else he should give a message to as well.

Steve brought the letter to Eddie, who was in the middle of his own paperwork in his study. He looked up, relieved to see Steve and get a break from the words dancing across the page.

“I want to send something to my kingdom”, Steve said right away.

“To your parents? Whatever for?”, Eddie asked, worry marring his face.

“I know they didn’t respond to anything you sent them. But maybe they’ll react to something from me. I want to tell them about my stay here and that I, that I am being courted by a king.”

Eddie stood up from his desk and moved around it to be closer to Steve. “I know I didn’t ask your father his permission but-”

“You don’t owe him anything”, Steve said, shaking his head. “But this is something I might be able to give to you. I know you didn’t start romancing me because of my status. But if our union is able to bring about peace for both our countries, then I want to try and negotiate a treaty.”

“Now where did you inherit such grace and generosity? It couldn’t have been from your folks”, Eddie teased, leaning in close to Steve. 

“There’s one more thing”, Steve said, holding another letter in front of his face. 

Eddie peered at it, cross-eyed from being so close. “Oh? Have you started writing me love letters?”

“Actually, it’s for someone else. Someone I owe an answer to.” He opened the letter, just enough for Eddie to see who it was addressed to.

“Oh. I see.”

“And I need to deliver it personally.”

“You know I must accompany you.”

---------------

Steve rode into town and made his way to the Carver’s. Jason was at the counter, could be seen through a window. As Steve dismounted, he left the counter and walked out, eyes blazing with fury.

“Where have you been?”

“I’m sorry. I know-”

“I said this would happen. I let you out of my sight and you disappeared on me. I haven’t seen you in-”

“I know”, Steve held up a hand. “Jason, listen. I haven’t been entirely honest with you.”

Jason crossed his arms. “That feels like an understatement. For all I know you could have skipped town on me. You must have come to agree to my proposal. Come inside, we’ll talk there.”

“No. I apologize, but I didn’t come to begin a life with you. It’s all here in this letter”, Steve held it out, sealed with wax.

Jason snatched it from his hand. “You came all this way, tell me to my face why you’re rejecting me.”

“I am being courted by someone else. And when the moment comes, I intend to accept his proposal.”

His horse whinnied from behind and Jason took a moment to look at it. It wasn't the usual one he saw Steve with. It was black as night, with an untamed mane. He took in Steve too, from his perfectly styled hair, to the new boots on his feet. His frown only deepened. He didn’t look like a traveling man, who went from town to town.

“You found some aristocrat to take pity on you?”

The horse struck a hoof against the ground, like it took offense on behalf of Steve. Steve stroked the horse’s muzzle, calming them and then sighing himself.

“Everything I want to say is in that letter.” Steve mounted his steed. “You may not believe all that I’ve written, but the truth will come to light soon.”

Steve rode away, leaving Jason with his final word. A fire burned through him and Jason had half a mind to rip the letter to shreds. Instead, he stomped right up to his room to be alone as he read it. The more he absorbed, the more he couldn’t believe. That Steve was a prince? That he was being courted by the king? Jason knew of the Harringtons and the troubles they had brought to their kingdom.

To know that their prince was here…had been here…had been right under Jason’s nose. He had been roaming the streets freely and now what? He had the king wrapped around his finger? The letter was under the mercy of Jason’s tightened grip. Steve being entranced by some aristocrat was one thing, Jason knew he couldn’t compete with that.

But an enemy of the kingdom seducing their ruler was another matter entirely. And the subjects of the land had a right to know about it.

Part 29

Taglist CLOSED

@thesuninyaface @only-evanescent  @snakeorsquid  @ignoremyworld  @theclichefortunecookie 

@goodolefashionedloverboi  @just-a-tiny-void  @0body0disphoria0  @cinnamon-mushroomabomination  @samsoble 

@jamieweasley13  @y4r3luv  @xtkxkrzrizir  @un-knownperson  @greekgeek24 

@justdrugsformethanks  @potato-of-the-lord  @notaqueenakhaleesi  @swimmingbirdrunningrock  @queenie-ofthe-void 

@nebulainajar  @lil-gremlin-things  @nicememerino  @robininblue  @hornedqueenofhell 

@anne-bennett-cosplayer  @moomkin77  @here4thetrama  @bookworm0690  @autumncrocusandladybug

@lil-gremlin-things @littlebluejane @puppy-steve

[ludinusdaleth]

i'm convinced that lud's just spiraling at this point now after the dominox vision and this orb thing. he is going to break like a glass plate if the hells point out that he is no better than who he wants to murder in chucking fae and ruidusborn into the fire to justify his god-hate. they don't need to kill him themselves, i think he's one wrong word from self-destruction.

oh, absolutely. you gotta admire his steel dedication to his plan, rending himself apart to live a thousand years solely for a plan for vengeance. but what happens when your moment of truth (the malleus key) is interrupted by the entire world fighting you to the point the key was half-broken? what happens when your banking on chaos as the leylines align leads to a beast in aeor awakening that slaughters your troops in front of you? what happens when wildemount finally fights back from your rule? what happens when dominox shows you everyone you cared for but you chose to sacrifice for a greater cause? what happens when your closest partner's daughter lightning bolts you even as you try to help her because of what you did to her mother? what happens when you watch aeor be slaughtered and in that moment of vindication you're also faced with these seeded moments of doubt, that the gods did exactly what you did? he hasnt even learned one of his generals was killed by an aeormaton who killed themself for it or that liliana despises him when he's used her as his only crutch.

his hero complex is otherworldly strong, but as ive said before, the way he asked the bells for their perspective on aeor means he needs someone to actually set a distinct pov for him because his reality is completely falling apart. i dont think he knows what to do in any situation where he may be wrong after an entire eon banking on being the only right, after thinking it would all end at the key only to be thrust into the consequences of his actions. i think he is going to cling onto his perspective with all his might, but if untamed in revelation i think he would go utterly suicidal. if the bells can sway him, as matt keeps hinting and driving me crazy about, he is going to break the fuck down. only their intervention or lack of decides how soon he phoenixes. and if he does something with that anguish.

i am very, very interested in this direction. every single snippet of matt we get implies he thinks ludinus is on a teetering point into something new for him and even if it's fated he'll die in some way or another before the solstice is done it is tantalizing how the last moments? hours? days? of this impossibly old mans life is the time that he finally sees something new, to his complete terror, and perhaps wonder.

[a-shoebox-named-meap]

aight. have some nimona canon divergence AU fic ideas because i’m no writer but i AM going insane

as a huge fan of canon divergence AUs where One Small Decision Changes Everything™ i can’t stop thinking about little bits and pieces from the nimona movie like:

what if the squire had shown ambrosius the video (ohh a fic like this would be Delicious) (mm ambrosius x squire tag team) (ballister’s two biggest fans) (this might be one of my favorite ideas so far) (lots of potential here i feel like)

now there have been a lot of people asking “let’s feel some ANGST what if real ambrosius had walked into the director’s office before nimona” but i will take that and raise you: what if ambrosius had walked in while nimona was doing her thing in the director’s office. perhaps around the time when the director stabbed fake!ambrosius. please consider. may the chaos ensue

ballister had noticed his sword-laser-cannon powering up and moved it away from the queen but it hit something else! or someOne else! (or it killed the queen anyway but still hit somebody else in the process) (oh gods what if it took off his own arm) (or even ambrosius’s—) (can you imagine the kinda twist that would occur if he took off ambrosius’s arm by accident and ballister not resting until he found out who the real culprit is skdjdjdjdjddj) (oh but wait let me make this WORSE what if he hit ambrosius instead of the queen ((don’t worry ambrosius is wearing armor, he doesn’t die he’s just,,, gravely injured?)) and ballister, even if he still gets framed for it, will stop at nothing to find out who did this to ambrosius) (now incorporate nimona into that storyline and hoohoohoo) (i’m rubbing my hands together like a maniacal fruit fly right now)

what if they had uploaded the squire’s video when they got it huh. what then. back it up to the cloud. or just TEXT it to ambrosius you Fool. you absolute Buffoon. (but perhaps this seemingly obvious course of action results in some unexpectedly dire consequences oh no—)

“ooh… nemesis.” “nemesis?” at which point nimona and ballister get stuck in the closet, nimona reveals her shapeshifting abilities, and oh, screw it, if ballister’s situation with his arm-chopping nemesis is really so cOmPLiCAteD then maybe since they’re breaking out of jail anyway they might as well kidnap ambrosius while they’re at it. aka the au where nimona breaks ballister out of jail and she takes ambrosius with them. (i am FEASTING on the possibilities of this one)

let’s take todd’s suspicion and blame directed towards ambrosius (“why didn’t you tell us ballister was working with whales?”) and dial that up to 100. slowly, though, not too fast, it’s gotta build momentum. let’s breed some mistrust in ambrosius. let’s see people refusing to let ambrosius lead the manhunt for ballister on account of their close relationship. let’s see people turn their backs on him thinking he was a conspirator. let’s see ambrosius losing the public’s favor. let’s see ambrosius starting to feel some doubt when he’s alone in his room — let’s see ambrosius wondering what if people are actually as wrong about ballister as he knows they are about ambrosius himself. (what if everybody hates ambrosius too—)

this one is not nearly as straightforward a canon divergence but ponder this: the director noticed the squire was there in the locker room (?) that day and swapped out the swords after the squire had left. or maybe she swapped it out before the squire was ever there. the squire never knew the director had been there. there was no video evidence. now what? up to you >:)

ok hear me out. the squire is a #1 ballister fan right. the squire is probably very careful with the swords and armor he handles. the squire is probably intimately familiar with the swords and other various weaponry and armaments of the institution. the squire is probably very familiar with ballister’s in particular. when ballister first picked up his swapped-out sword he noticed something was off about it, but what if — WHAT IF — the squire had noticed something was off about it first. now of course there’s Possibility #1 where he sees the director swap the sword, and then he checks out the sword and feels that something is wrong with it etc etc (or maybe he mistakes the sword change for an equipment upgrade) BUT now let’s combine this with the previous bullet point for Possibility #2 where the squire DIDN’T see the director swap the sword but he DID notice something was off about the sword before ballister did and actually investigated it. would he discover the hidden weapon, or not? if he did would he bring it to ballister’s attention? ambrosius’s? the director’s? what if he caught the hidden weapon but didn’t mention it and then the queen died and the squire was left fully believing ballister killed the queen (ballister knows mechanics, you’ve seen his arm, it’s plausible he built the weapon into his sword himself) and then ballister and nimona kidnapped him and interrogated him and ballister and the squire were left spiderman meme-ing each other like *points* “i thought YOU were behind all this!” and now the squire is an unwilling sidekick dragged into this by nimona and ballister to figure out who the real culprit is and there’s ACTION and ADVENTURE and COMEDY and it’s absolutely metal—

the squire really feels like a lynchpin in this story is all i’m sayin

if you can’t tell i’m also a fan of happy endings. in my brain most of these canon divergences result in a similar happy ending as the movie. except maybe faster (not always). which i enjoy because i’m sappy and silly anyway thank you and goodnight

[onehelluvafan]

IncuBlitz Part Two: Verosika

This is part two of a three-part analysis related to "Better Than Blitzo" (or "IncuBlitz" as I like to call him) and the look that he gave Blitz, right before he kissed Stolas.

Click here for Part One: His Tattoo, or keep reading to dive into Part Two: Verosika—how and why she could have orchestrated things.

Alright, this theory in particular was my main working theory and what I thought I would be giving evidence for in this analysis. However, after digging into it and following my own lines of reasoning, I’m considerably less sure of this theory.

But let’s go ahead and break it down. Starting with:

Is Verosika stalking Blitz?

I think at this point, it’s heavily implied that Verosika has to be stalking or keeping tabs on Blitz. The nature of the party itself, wouldn’t work nor be full of so many people if she wasn’t getting information on him somehow.

But at the very least, we know that the barometer for who is welcome at this party is pretty low, considering that Dennis is in attendance.

Because the only interaction we see him have with Blitz is a brief encounter during the Queen Bee episode. After Loona interrupts the two making out and Blitz finds out his name, he recoils, shoos him away, and yells, “Get away from me! I’m not fucking a Dennis tonight.”

This did appear to hit poor Dennis a bit hard, but it’s still a pretty low-stakes, low-investment encounter compared to the history that Blitz has with Verosika.

I did wonder at first if this was proof that she was having Blitz straight-up followed this whole time. Because not only was he only there to pick up Loona, but it’s clear that he hasn’t even been going to these kinds of parties in a long time.

But then my friend reminded me that Tex was at that party. And not only that, but he had explicitly asked Loona to go check on Blitz, at the time when Blitz was actively making out with Dennis.

Since he works for Verosika as security closely and often enough to be at the “I Hate Blitzo” party, I think it’s not too much of a stretch to assume that she heard it from him directly. Perhaps, when it comes to Blitz, he’s actually “paid enough to care.”

I think the night of the disastrous date at Ozzie’s is what brought Stolas to Verosika's attention, but she was clearly keeping tabs on Blitz since long before that.

The "Freshest Ex" Timeline

There’s been some discussion in the fandom about the timeline of Full Moon and Apology Tour not quite lining up because, during the duet, you can see on Blitz’s calendar that he has the 29th circled as the night of the full moon.

With the party taking place on Halloween, which is always October 31st, this has understandably led to some confusion about whether or not these two episodes are intended to be within the same 24 hours.

But based on the way that Blitz and Stolas talk about it and the text that Blitz almost sends that says, “I’m sorry for last night,” I think it’s clear that the events are canonically taking place back to back and that the calendars not lining up to just be a mistake or oversight. Or perhaps even an indication that time moves differently in hell.

So that being said, how could Verosika have known so quickly that they had "parted ways," given that it had just happened the night before and Stolas received the invitation sometime the following morning?

I think the answer is simply that she, or someone in her network, was there watching when Blitz was thrown out of the palace by Stolas.

It honestly seems like it would be super easy to know when he was there because, despite climbing in via balcony, he is seen to have parked right out front. Then when he is forcibly ejected, he yells “fuck” so loud that a group of birds nearby fly away.

That alone wouldn’t necessarily warrant the certainty of a dissolved relationship, if not for the fact that he usually spends the night. We can see from that episode that their entire encounter only lasted 5 minutes and he presumably drove off right after that.

So after an entire shopping spree of Blitz acquiring new sex toys before arriving at Stolas’, only to be teleported outside a few minutes later, yelling fuck, and driving off instead of spending the night, I can see why Verosika would feel confident in assuming that whatever kind of relationship they had, it was now over.

Alright, that out of the way, let’s move on to:

The Party

First, I want to cover how she could have orchestrated things, and then I’ll go into the why.

I’ll start with how she knows that Blitz is even at this party. There are several points at which she could have easily become aware. The first being when Blitz first walks into the party. Not only is he not in disguise, but he actively insults several people on his way in. It’s only after that we see him go over to the drinks table and take the tablecloth to disguise himself.

The second opportunity she had was when Stolas was singing on stage. At first, Blitz was pretty far back, but very early on in the song, he moves forward, almost to the edge of the stage. He spends the rest of the song, face tilted up as he watches Stolas, completely transfixed—not pulling his hood back down until near the end of the song.

The third opportunity she has, and the one that I think is the most likely, is when he follows Stolas into the house and approaches him.

If Verosika had also gone into the house after the song, she wouldn’t have been very far behind him. But even if she didn’t see him then, her attention could have been brought to the both of them, when Stolas reacts to Blitz by choking on his drink.

After that, Stolas proceeds to usher him over to a nearby side room. It is in this doorway that Blitz mentions the “apology tour”.

This is the moment that I feel the most confident about Verosika being aware of Blitz and being nearby. Because when they are talking later on the balcony, she uses that exact phrasing with him. I went back through the entire episode, and this moment in the doorway is the only time we hear the words “apology tour” until we hear them again from Verosika.

Fast forward to when IncuBlitz pops in and sweeps Stolas off onto the dance floor, and you can see Verosika, right in Blitz’s line of sight. He can’t have looked at Stolas and IncuBlitz without seeing her.

Not only does she not look particularly happy, but she immediately turns and begins to literally stalk up the stairs, her expression changing from that unfocused look to obvious anger.

This also leads me to believe that if she had become aware of Blitz earlier in the night, we would have seen something indicating that reflected in her expression at some point.

Then, when Blitz follows her to the top of the stairs and joins her on the balcony, she looks completely unsurprised by his presence.

So, to me, it’s clear that she was at the bottom of the stairs, intentionally in his line of sight, just waiting for him to approach her. Once she was certain she’d caught his attention, she then deliberately lured him upstairs so that their confrontation would be farther away from the party.

The Kiss

After they’ve talked for a bit and Blitz gives his actual apology, she is seen looking over the crowd and specifically brings Blitz’s attention over to Stolas and IncuBlitz, right before IncuBlitz checks that Blitz is watching and kisses Stolas.

For me, this created the possibility that she had intentionally brought Blitz’s attention to the two, specifically so that he could see them kiss.

After watching this a few times, I became considerably less sure, since it really does look from her expression like it was a coincidence or writing choice for telling the overall story.

Because if she had orchestrated the whole thing, I would have expected to see some smugness or satisfaction in her expression in response to Blitz's negative reaction.

Instead, it just looks like she's happy for Stolas, annoyed by Blitz, and then possibly even a little sympathetic as she gives him some advice.

The Cake

Lastly, is the slice of cake. I think most people agree that there is absolutely a metaphor being shown here. Be it “eat your heart out”, “have a heart”, her serving his heart up “on a silver platter”, or all three. But the thing that bothered me, was where the heck did that slice of cake come from?

Because the cake itself is below them on the main floor and we did not see her carrying anything when she first stalked upstairs. So logically, she would have had to either place that slice of cake upstairs in advance or have someone in place to bring it up to her during their conversation.

After further investigation though, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s simply “movie magic”. Because if you look at the cake, it doesn’t really seem like there’s room for a heart inside in the first place, nor do we see a heart or any other organs nearby the cake earlier in the night.

Then, when we see the cake again, from the top-down, the heart area appears completely unchanged and intact.

So, now that I’ve covered how she could have orchestrated things, let’s go over the why. With the biggest but simplest question being:

Why get involved at all?

At first, I assumed that it was just to get back at Blitz. Both for being a dick to her in general, but also for having the “balls” to show up to her party in the first place.

But when I looked through the footage of her in this episode side-by-side, I felt there was a different, more likely reason. And that was just to look after and take care of Stolas.

The first time we see Verosika on screen is right after Stolas arrives at the party. She walks up to him, greets him with enthusiasm, kisses him on the cheek, and asks in a gentle voice how he’s holding up.

She then takes him over to the cake, like any good hostess would, to give him something to interact with. She, of course, then proceeds to murder Blitz’s dick right in front of him.

I think she does this, to some degree, for herself but also to set the tone for Stolas, and encourage him to feel like he belongs there.

When he declines to slice into any of the cake, she immediately backs down but then proceeds to scream “fuck blitzo” to the crowd. I think this is to further make Stolas feel at home and like this is a safe space for him to express his anger towards Blitz.

Because not only does she have experience with being hurt by Blitz, but years of hosting this party has likely reinforced what she expects one of his “freshest ex’s” to be thinking and feeling.

So, it’s possible that she’s assuming Stolas is angrier than he actually is or she might be actively trying to encourage him to turn his hurt into anger.

When she encourages him to come onto stage and talk about his experience with Blitz, she calls Blitz a “cock sucking mother fucker” and then more gently asks Stolas to speak from his heart, specifically mentioning to him that they all “know how he feels”.

So, again, trying to make him feel like he belongs at this party and that it’s safe for him to express any kind of rage at Blitz that he might have.

Then, when he starts to become self-reflective in his song, her backup vocals with Tex try to shut down that line of thinking, saying, “No, no, no. He’s a mother fucker.”

I think this directly correlates with what she says later on in the episode to Blitz, “The worst part is, you make me feel like a bad person for still being angry at you.” And I think she just doesn’t want that for Stolas or anyone else who’s been hurt by Blitz.

And then of course, there’s Stolas crying.

Since we can reasonably assume that she was aware of Blitz, from, at the very least, the mention of the “apology tour” in the doorway, there’s the question of why would she not have intervened right away? Be it by her own self or through someone like IncuBlitz?

I think the reasons for that are two-fold. By confronting Blitz in front of a crowd, the most likely outcome would have been disrupting the mood of the party at best and at worst, ruining the party and possibly even future parties.

Because this would have made everyone aware of Blitz’s presence there. The one person that they are all at that party to be angry at and feel safe in their shared commiseration.

The other reason I think she didn’t intervene was because of the “reason” for his visit. The “apology tour”.

Stolas did not appear to be angry in that moment and was clearly consenting to Blitz’s presence when he pulled down the tablecloth to better hide Blitz’s face and guided him off to a room where they could talk.

Seeing this, she may have not wanted to risk getting in the way of Stolas actually being apologized to, since she herself is someone who deserves and owed an apology from Blitz.

IncuBlitz himself doesn’t intervene until Stolas is clearly no longer consenting to Blitz’s presence and the conversation that they are having. But I will go over that part in more detail during the final theory.

So, to me, Verosika’s interactions with Stolas suggest that she is just trying to comfort him, help him express his anger and hurt in a safe space, and encourage him to have a good time.

Now, on to one of the biggest reasons that this is no longer my top theory.

There is no other entry into that room.

In order for her to have walked in from the yard, seen Blitz and Stolas, followed them, overheard the mention of an “apology tour,” and have been able to send someone in after that, IncuBlitz would have needed to come into the room, after Blitz and Stolas entered.

Running back through the footage, IncuBlitz is clearly seen to already be in the room, when Blitz and Stolas first come in. Same wrist bandages and black heart tattoo on his lower back, though it does appear larger and a bit more faded when we see it the second time.

So, the only way he could have been sent in fast enough to already be standing at a nearby table is if there was another entrance into this room.

I went back and scrubbed through the entire party scene, even going so far as to draft an actual floor plan of the entire house on grid paper, and I am certain that there is no entry into this room other than the doorway that Stolas and Blitz passed through and sat next to.

So, with that in mind, I don’t see how IncuBlitz could have been sent in by Verosika, as a direct response to Blitz being at the party and engaging with Stolas.

Click here for Part Three: Just an ex??

[sanest-bsd-delegate]

───BY THE BOOKSTORE

🗝Pairing: Dazai Osamu x fem!reader

🗝A/N: It was actually a request made by someone on wattpad teehee. p.s if u have the same hair colour as Dazai then no, you don't :D /j just think u have ur hair highlighted or smhtg.

→Masterlist

You step through the bookstore's door, and immediately, the aroma of well-worn pages and ink wraps around you like a familiar embrace. The shelves stand tall, an array of literary possibilities awaiting your exploration. Hushed conversations and the occasional creak of the wooden floor provide a soothing backdrop.

"Mom, bowk" You 2 year old daughter yelled in glee, as she insisted you put her down so that she could hold your hand. It was nothing much, you worked as a kindergarten teacher at your daughter's school, and often worked as a part-time job at a local flower job. Your life might have been tough, but seeing your own daughter made you think maybe, just maybe you could be the mother you always wanted for your daughter.

"Come on darling, this way" You said, as you and your daughter walked towards the children section, your daughter running towards the kids play area

"I am so glad this store has play area for toddlers" You said to yourself, as you place your daughter inside the area, surrounded by soft fencing and toys.

"Mum look" Your daughter said, as she pointed her hair and then proceeded to point it at a person, who you never thought you would see, "Same" your daughter continued before she walked towards other kids and started talking to them.

Your daughter was a mixture of you and him. E/C eyes and brown hair. She always got excited whenever someone had a same hair colour as her, considering most people where blackheaded or had coloured hair in your area.

Your eyes wanders towards the person who was walking towards you, your gaze remained steely, as your arms crossed protectively over your chest. "What brings you here after all these years, Dazai?"

Dazai Osamu. The father of your daughter, your lover and a person who left you without a word. Why did he has to appear now? Couldn't he disappear forever? Why was he so handsome?

Dazai hesitated, choosing his words carefully. "Fate, perhaps. Or a desire to find something I've been missing."

You raised an eyebrow, unimpressed by his response. "Cut the poetic nonsense, Dazai. What do you want?"

Dazai took a deep breath, unable to speak in front of you. Something about you changed, and maybe it was his fault. "I heard about a little bookstore, in Yokohama. I never expected to find you here. And..." he paused, his gaze softening, as his eyes wander the brown hair toddler at the play area. He was sceptical when he saw you dropping a child in a play area, wondering if it was someone your own or that you were babysitting, but seeing the child call you mom and point towards him made him realise, "I never expected to find our daughter."

Your eyes widened in shock, your defences momentarily breaking down. He figured it out? How did he see them-? "What are you talking about?"

Dazai's expression shifted, revealing a vulnerability rarely seen. "I didn't know, Y/N. I had no idea we had a child. Why didn't you tell me? We could have worked out and raised her.....But now that I do," his voice softened, "I want to be a part of her life."

The revelation hung in the air, a heavy truth that neither of you could escape. The bookstore seemed to shrink around you and you didn't wanted to interact with the man any further.

"You want to be a part of her life? After disappearing without a trace, leaving me to raise our child alone? You say we could have worked out, HOW could we Dazai? You disappeared"

Dazai winced at the accusation, but he looked at you with a sincere gaze. "I was lost, Y/N. I didn't think I could give you the life you deserved. But seeing you now, seeing her, I realize I was wrong."

Your fists clenched at your sides. "You have no right to waltz back into our lives and play the caring father. You abandoned me, you abandoned us"

Dazai took a step closer, his expression pleading. "I can't change the past, but I want to be there for her now. I want to make amends."

You scoffed, a bitter laugh escaping your mouth "Amends? Do you think a few words can erase the years of struggle, the tears shed, and the nights I spent wondering if you were even alive?"

Dazai's gaze dropped, remorse etched on his face. "I know I can't undo the pain I caused, but I'm willing to try."

you shook your head, your anger still floating, "I don't want your attempts at redemption. We managed without you, and we'll continue to do so."

Dazai took a deep breath, his resolve strengthening. "Y/N, I may have been a fool, but I want to be there for our daughter. I want to be the father I should have been from the start."

Your eyes softened for a moment, a flicker of doubt crossing yours features. You looked away, struggling with your emotions. Did he really want that? What he sincere enough to convince you? He left once, he would do it again you thought, but what if?

Dazai continued, taking your hands in his own, "I've spent my life avoiding attachments, thinking they would only bring pain. But seeing the two of you, I realize I've been running from something I created."

"And what is that, Dazai?"

Dazai's voice was steady, unlike his usual whimsical tone. "A family. I want a chance to be a part of our daughter's life, to make up for the time I lost."

"You can't just waltz back into our lives and expect everything to be forgiven and forgotten."

Dazai nodded solemnly. "I know. I'm not asking for forgiveness, at least not immediately. I'm asking for a chance to prove that I can be the father she deserves." Dazai left your hands, the warmth your hand felt once slipped through your fingers again, "Think about it Y/N" and with that Dazai started walking at the exit, not looking back.

You stare at your hand which had a piece of paper, a number, before you hear your daughter yell, "Mum"

You turn around before taking your daughter in your arms as she pointed out towards Dazai's walking figure, "Mw Dwzai"

"Its bad to point at people," You said, using your hand to lower your daughter's pointed finger, as your eyes wander at the exit, the figure long gone, "Especially bad to associated yourself with a stranger's name without meeting them"

TAGLIST: @averagehisoilluenjoyer @high-on-dazai @ruru-kiss @kissesmellow21 @just2normalperson

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[l-in-the-light]

Chapter 1129 commentary

Oh boy, I can't believe we're already leaving the Lego Land. Let's start from the end this time, shall we?

He looks so happy! Is he seeing a fairytale-like world? Many people speculate Elbaf will feel like a fairytale world because it spells backwards Fable :D I don't personally picture that myself, but I definitely wouldn't be opposed to it!

Japanese native speakers noticed the "ah" reaction from Luffy there, which usually means Luffy saw something or someone he recognized. I don't think Luffy ever saw Elbaf before. But he might have seen Kid Pirates (if they're trapped in this prison as well, after their defeat) or Hajrudin (why Hajrudin? Because of our sun god person, ofc :D). Or Law. Because why the fuck not and it's his birth month ffs, it's the time for him to reappear finally!!

In comparison this is how Luffy usually looks like when he visits new places (those are from Water 7 and Skypiea mostly). It's more a :O than :D

Meanwhile slight blush and big smile is how Luffy often reacts, feeling all happy, when seeing someone he knows and likes! That expression looks the closest to the one from the end of the chapter 1129, which might mean something or it might mean nothing, but I thought I would share my thoughts anyway.

The more they say it's gonna be Elbaf, the less I believe them. But the hype for Elbaf is unreal, if it ends up not being Elbaf I'm not sure how fandom will take it at this point lol. I will be still fine. I don't want another long arc without Law.

Seems someone is slipping off his character. Now we can fully see how all of this is just a roleplaying bit.

Which puts the comments of all those tiny giants into completely new perspective. They're all in on this, the sun god is the game master, and they're the challengers (well, sorta).

Despite playing along they clearly want to get out of there, so perhaps they're not willing participants in this D&D roleplaying ;) they probably had no choice.

He's reeeeally into that. He would make a great (if slightly too immersed) game master.

Someone has a slight god syndrome here... which makes me wonder... we know in One Piece world there were beings even more gigantic than the Giants - the Ancient Giants like Oars. To them, the world must have felt the same way it does to our sun god here: like a doll house. I always wondered how they might have felt about other races in the world. Normal humans probably looked like polly pocket sized toys. Were the Ancient Giants once the enemies of humankind? If that's the case, how did humankind win against them and set itself free, I wonder?

Careful there, we're almost breaking the 4th wall again, haha.

Someone got so immersed his first thought was "wait, I didn't make this" haha. I wonder if it means he could have made a thunder clouds himself as well, even if just some fake ones :D

Now it's time to reveal who our sun god is. Apparently it's Rodo, a giant who is part of Hajrudin's pirate crew of giants, which joined the grand fleet of our Strawhats. Rodo seems to have been against the idea and doesn't like to serve "tiny humans". But this is curious, because Hajrudin and his crew used to work under Buggy for his delivery business. Perhaps Rodo isn't the smartest and fell for Buggy's visual trick to appear bigger than he actually is ;)

And this is our culprit. Tekking already figured it out before this chapter even came out and I'm amused to no end that the high heels turned out to be the key evidence :D

Another mystery sort of solved. They got carried by a crow pet of Rodo here (wherever "here" is) and apparently they went through sleeping mist belt, whatever that is (there are other belts besides the calm belts?!). I know it sounds like an ass-pull and it sort of is, but I guess it wouldn't be called a "belt" for no reason, right? So this is a new puzzle piece for the worldbuilding, even if it sounds like a poor excuse instead lol.

Rodo's reaction to "but the giant warrior pirates were guiding them" sounds a bit like "so they shouldn't arrive here". It really doesn't sound like they're on Elbaf, but they're probably at least somewhat close to it? Rodo did know what Dorry and Broggy were up to, at the very least.

Despite not agreeing with Hajrudin's decision, he knows all of Strawhats names and calls them with a cutesy honorific, which kinda proves he is a fan of them and heard quite a lot about them as well, lol. Rodo is kinda a funny guy, ngl. Btw the "taso" honorific is apparently one of otaku lingo trends in Japan nowadays. Old guys call young characters by "tan" instead of "chan" (those of you who read Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles are probably well acquainted with the "tan", thanks to "Kuro-tan". I had no idea though that Fye used old guy's way of addressing him lol).

It's based on a silly thing really, "n" and "so" look almost the same in hiragana and sometimes Japanese mispronounce things on purpose because they think it's funny. That's how "tan" became "taso". There's nothing more to it, just a nerdy linguistic joke. That reminds me that no matter how internationally popular One Piece has became, it always stays Japanese at heart and is mainly targeted at Japanese audience.

There's also the fact that Rodo apparently also speaks like a samurai, but kinda clumsily, like he forgets about doing it sometimes. He seems to like samurai culture, he also carries a katana sword. So Rodo is not only a D&D nerd, he's apparently also an otaku. And this gets dangerously close to representing Japanese fandom of One Piece. Rodo might as well be a representation of an otaku kidnapping Strawhats and playing with them like figurines heh. A fake sun god, definitely :D

I gotta say I'm amused that his sorcerer's staff is just a wired net, meant to help him catch those that run away lol. We also learn that this place is a detention center for the giants! So the people in the Lego diorama are indeed giants despite being small. My bet is still on them having been shrinked somehow to fit in there!

"That way is another dead end", says Rodo curiously enough, so maybe Strawhats didn't manage to break out to freedom by destroying that wall, after all?

We saw that the corridor before had many other doors arranged alongside it. If it's a detention center, then it's possible there are other "prisons" behind each door, maybe each with different theme? One is a Lego fantasy castle, maybe there are some sci-fi realms as well, for example?

And this is how the whole room looks like. Makes me again think back to the Ancient Giants and the huge gates leading to Enies Lobby, Impel Down and Marineford. Could that place have been the ancient detention center, if we go by this analogy? Or perhaps an ancient temple, if we go by how Rodo called this room?

It somehow reminds me of the picture from Enel's side story. Especially that snake that looks like it's folded up like a paper fan. In Enel's story that picture below the three moon people looks like a bunch of folded up snakes as well. Btw do you know that it's speculated to be the appearance of Pluton? :D a bunch of huge snakes that will fill up a battle ship of some kind.

The creatures on the right on the wall represents Poseidon (Neptunians), and the sun like object on the top of the wall is Uranus, with 16 swirly beams coming out of it (we see only half of them, more or less), and is powered up by Mother Flame or something akin to that (the flame-like thing in the centre).

We finally know how the Ear God rabbit looked like! RIP XD

Luffy seems to like this little diorama. Apparently Japanese readers think that Luffy is a bit of a nerd himself, he likes robots, he went really bonkers over Sanji's germa suit (on their way to Wano), in One Piece Red we see him build a tower mound with stones so he likes to "build stuff". He also doesn't like to destroy other people's things, especially those that look cool. In Egghead he informed Shaka that he wasn't the one who broke the headphones, kinda expecting to be accused to be the reason why they're malfunctioning. Luffy might seem like he doesn't care if he destroys things, but if he thinks something is cool, he would want it to stay intact :) I'm sure Rodo will appreciate the fact that Luffy finds his Lego city so cool :D

Someone wanted the adventure to last a bit longer. Can't blame you Luffy, I also wouldn't want to leave the Lego city!

One mystery solved! Apparently Luffy can now control Gear 4 to such an extent that it doesn't exhaust him and that it only extends to his hand or leg, instead of covering his full body like before. He learned from his mistakes, so now it doesn't eat up his whole haki! Law would be proud of him :)

Back to Uncanny Valley. Nami tossing away a map? I know it's not much of a treasure, but I don't remember Nami ever throwing anything she found like that before. It's kinda confusing to me.

Something I might have missed from previous chapter. Someone pointed out that Zoro's sense of direction is so bad that even if he followed a noise he would still not arrive at correct destination. They might have a point, lol. We should never underestimate how bad Zoro's sense of direction is.

Seeing how we're already three chapters in and there's no progress on the mystery behind some oddities in Strawhats behaviours, I have to revise my theory a little. I think trolls impersonating them seems to be less likely now, but the inconsistencies remain a fact. Which is interesting, what might have caused them?

Zoro's case is particularly curious, because his lack of sense of direction is a real life disorder. It's called developmental topographical disorientation and it can affect people even in environment they're familiar with, like around their home or neighborhood. They can get lost despite walking the same path every day! Some studies even point out it can be genetically passed down in families, which might explain why Zoro has it; it got passed down in his family ever since Ryuuma, who was infamous for getting lost easily too.

If Zoro suddenly gained some resemblance of a sense of direction then whatever caused the inconsistencies in Strawhats behaviour must work on genetical level. Maybe it's also a consequence of drinking the Green Fairy. It has "green" in it's name, and so far all sus green substances we saw in One Piece have one thing in common: lineage factors! Think of SAD liquid that was green, the liquid in which the clones in Germa's lab were kept in, and the green blood of Seraphims which Vegapunk explained to us contained DNA of current devil fruit users. It's not impossible that Green Fairy somehow also has "lineage factors" that temporarily affect behaviour of anyone who drinks it. It might not have to be only about hallucinations. I have no idea why that would be included in the alcohol, but I already speculated it might be some equivalement of "gift from gods". It could also explain why Giants shared it with the Strawhats, I doubt they drink hallucinatory drinks on a daily basis, without any special occasion. But since they saw Luffy in the form of Sun God Nika, that could potentially call for a celebraton in their eyes.

Rodo calls himself Taiyoushin which means sun god (as opposed to taiyou no kami, Nika's title). Amaterasu is also called taiyoushin in Japanese. One of her attributes was yata no kagami mirror (later became one of three sacred regalia of shinto), and Rodo's shield in the picture above kinda resembles it visually. Interesting!

We also have to finally adress the animal skull Rodo is wearing. We saw it actually quite a number of times before! In Drum Island's castle and in Long Arms Tribe's place on the walls, on top of the houses and ships of Elbaf, and on the head of one of the God Knights. We still don't have any sort of answer for it, but it's worth noting that this theme is ongoing for quite some time now. I guess it's not the time yet to give us any answers. For now all I can tell is this: in One Piece's universe there was once a sun god that looked like a demon wearing an animal skull. Was it a true sun god or yet another fake, who knows?

Last but not least, seems some people are disappointed with the identity of the sun god (Rodo from Giants Pirates). I can't say I can relate to that. Yes, I also wanted it to be something bigger than this, a proper threat, a true horror Strawhats would have to face. But also like, it was only three chapters long, I would lie if I said it was super hyped in that direction. On the contrary, the chapters constantly played with our expectiations and used twists at every corner, so the answer to the mystery being something not really that sinister is quite fitting in that context. I also think the ride was entertaining, I don't remember when was the last time I had so much fun just trying to figure out things and paying extra attention to smallest details! Also, Rodo is kinda easy to like, even though feeding humans to beasts is definitely still, well, quite sinister.

But who knows, maybe the Uncanny Valley adventure isn't over yet, there might be still few more chapters of that :D though Redon's hints for this week's chapter suggest otherwise. But I'm aware they're also often just pure crap.

But he did hint about bounties going up. Newspapers hitting the press finally? Strawhats posters hanging around somewhere?? Ugh I'm having way too many thoughts about this! I hate those teasers, why do I even check them up?!

If you're curious where I got some of the ideas and inspirations for things I wrote in this post, I leave you with a link to a youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77Lpu0q1W4g It's a good channel btw, it's always helpful to get a Japanese native speaker's perspective on things :)

[quasiquack666]

Chapter 300 Thoughts:

Contains spoilers so I'll hide this under the break.

(Screen readers stop now)

— Already hate that Gestella was immediately sad as fuck about Kayden defending Jiyoung. Holy shit what is with the writing, she is literally like a 50-year-old woman who barely knows him. My face is permanently smacked into my palm.

— Meanwhile, I actually love Gestella herself. 'No point in looking for someone who decided to leave'? It's wise but also hints at sorrow. I really love her. I haven't known her that long but she's definitely a favourite already. Gestella hits different; she's super hot but I also like her moments of depth and think she's a great character.

— Literally the chemistry between Gestella's Handmaiden and Gestella is more compelling than her and Kayden. They're lesbians, your honor. Kayden can fuck off kindly.

— Handmaiden is a super cool sidekick character, actually. She's getting a lot more personality and development than I thought she would. I definitely need a name for her though, like please writers, name drop? Why does Blues get a name so far but she doesn't?

— I love the Awakener world lore, with Gestella seemingly isolated in comparison to the other Top Ten. It's really neat; perhaps she's afraid of letting people close to her that she's unsure are loyal. Because Handmaiden and Blues seem generally loyal, even though Blues is bonkers. But maybe she values the general loyalty?

— The characterization of Blues is super interesting too. He seemed bonkers, like most of the other antagonists, and he is. But he actually does seem to care about Gestella, similar to Handmaiden girl. I mean, he's clearly obsessive and weird, but it's a bit more nuanced? He was actually in tears. I wonder what part of his past made him obsessed with serving her? (Also applies to Pluton and Handmaiden; I really wanna know).

— Jiyoung slaying is always welcome to my humble eyeballs.

— The 300th Chapter extra art is fantastic, I love it.

Overall Impression:

I don't really see how this advances the original plot of Eleceed, not gonna lie. Like what happened to the Jiwoo family arcs, and why did Subin + Jisuk + Wooin immediately vanish from the plotline again, and why is there more of a focus on romance in the recent chapters than the actual plotline?

Kayden did not need a love interest, he should be able to just be a cute dad to his son and take care of cats and love having a home? Seriously.

Nevermind that adding more characters is frustrating because we barely get information on characters who are already in the plotline. Iseul has poofed into an animal or something, Delein is irrelevant despite being the literal first major arc, Cain is gone, Arthur is gone, Vatore is off the planet, Amyeong has become one with the shadows, Subin + Jisuk + Wooin are barely existing anymore. What happened to those initial, extremely important character development arcs? Now it feels like we get a character, then maybe 5-10 chapters on them, and then they vanish.

Like we haven't even had an explanation of Gestella and Pluton's relationship that led to Pluton going to kill/challenge Kayden in the first place. What the fuck, where is that? That's kinda more important than the romance letter bullshit.

Don't get me wrong, I've loved this webcomic enough to write 30+ fanfictions on it and constantly rant to every online Eleceed fan I know. So I'm not a hater, I'm a lover.

But where the fuck is the stuff I actually LOVE?

[guardiandua]

So I've been struggling to find inspiration and giving myself a break allowed me to figure out why. Ever since the loss of my admittedly fake friends, it's been hard to talk about my main fandom Voltron. Today I'm going to let out all the thoughts I've been wanting to ramble about and have no one to ramble about to anymore because it's hurting my inspiration.

I don't have a particular order to this so I'll just begin. My favourite character and Paladin is Keith Kogane. His journey is very much something I can relate to. Someone the world decided to give up on but there was one person who never gave up on him and asked for nothing in return. Like Keith had Shiro I had my Mom.

Unlike most others, I actually prefer Keith as the Black Paladin. I don't hate him as the Red Paladin and thought Red's fierce protectiveness over him was both adorable and hilarious, however I also enjoy character growth being a writer myself. I feel as the Red Paladin, he remained quite the lone wolf and hotheaded. The Red Lion is someone who would have encouraged that impulsiveness because as we saw King Alfor was the same way.

Being in the Black Lion forced him to grow and mess up then learn from his mistakes. He's more similar to Shiro than to Lance which is interesting because he's younger than Shiro and we don't know what Shiro would have been like at Keith's age. Perhaps Shiro adopted him because he saw a bit of himself in Keith and wants to support that. I won't go into too much detail on why Keith makes a great Black Paladin because I have a whole post on that already.

Another thing I love is the brotherly relationship with Keith and Shiro. The society nowadays has become a little bit corrupt because we cannot have two men say I love you even if they add you're my brother without it being made into something sexual. Before the gays come after me (not that I care but you guys take up so much space in the dang comments) I would feel the same if Shiro was a girl and Keith said you're my sister I love you. I would not ship them together but that said the platonic relationship between them is beautiful. The I will die for you or I will die protecting you that is mutual between them. The way Keith was able to pilot Black to save Shiro despite not being her Paladin was so hot! He looked so cool...oh gosh I'm fangirling now hehe. Ok moving on from how hot Keith is. He is hot though right? Anyhoo!

I ship Keith with Allura. Ironically I shipped them together before I knew about the 80s Voltron and although it took me awhile to accept how much I love these two together due to bad fans. Our fandom is toxic guys. It's sad but true. But I feel this show is too good not to ramble about.

Season 7 is my favourite Voltron season. I don't like that they made Shiro gay but that's also because I feel in a reboot you shouldn't change a character's original sexuality. It's like me deciding to do a rewrite of the Harry Potter books and have it be a TV show on Netflix and I decided to make Hermione a lesbian. It's so disrespectful because it's like it's a fanfiction that's actually official which does not feel fair. Also I may not like the whole LGBTQ+ agenda but even if I did, it's cheap representation. I wouldn't want a woman of colour in media if it was just for brownie points and it's not going to make any difference if the character was a white woman.

But back to positivity!! I like season 7 because it feels like a war story. People die. The stakes are higher and heck the Paladins almost die at the end. But my two biggest reasons are Keith and Kallura. It was wonderful to see them address that Keith basically did what he was terrified of his team doing to him. He left them and that being thrown in his face dang that was powerful for his development. He was a complete different person after that. Being there for Hunk, supporting his team wherever they needed him to be.

The second reason is this season to me showed that Keith loved Allura and how much this was sadly a missed opportunity. When the Paladins are captured by Sendak and Keith regains consciousness for like a couple of seconds, the first person he checks on is Allura. She is the first person his eyes travel to and then he falls back unconscious. Dang it was not only a missed opportunity for Kallura but it also showed Keith was more physically resilient than the others even Allura. Are half-Galrans stronger than Alteans? That certainly makes Lotor pretty powerful then.

So I let out a lot of my thoughts in here but there will be more specific posts later. Character analyses and all, pairing stuff, villain stuff etc. this feels good.

[dilatorywriting]

Question! regarding vil and perhaps, leona as a s/o, i'd like to ask if you have any angst thoughts abt them?? do you think vil would be controlling or leona being too 'i-dont-give-a-fuck' type of person? TRUTHFULLY, i feel like vil being too controlling would be because he wants to bring out the best in someone he loves which Yuu/Reader would understand while Leona is someone who is more 'subtle' or shows his affection or care thru words or actions.

ANOTHER QUESTION I'M SORRY IF YOU'RE OVERWHELMED but, if you ever continue your Heroes Vs. Villains stories.. would you make a Mufasa-like character to be the 'Hero' in the story? (i've been wondering for a while if you ever did think of one! cuz i assumed that Heartslabyul would be Alice, Scarabia = Aladdin, Ignihyde = Hercules)

LASTLY IN MONSTER MAYHEM, what 'monster' do you think Vil or Riddle would be? 👁👁

Oh my I have so many thoughts on these poor bois and they would have So Many Issues.

Which of their habits would be more 'angsty' I think would depend on the individual and their own preferences--because they basically sit at opposite ends of the same sliding scale (Vil caring objectively far too much, and Leona not enough. All based around the same fear of themselves not being worth it). Personally, Leona's apathy would sting far more for me than Vil's obsessiveness, but everyone vibes differently.

For Leona, I feel like he's so ingrained into the 'why try when I'll never get anywhere' mentality that it would cause a lot of issues. Because it's one thing already to not be putting effort into a relationship. It is another entirely to very openly and actively show that that's your intent. Like I know for me, I would absolutely break if I went to talk to someone about how I feel like they don't actually care, and they just scoffed and were like 'yeah no why would I? What makes you worth it?' Whether they mean it or not (and surely Leona wouldn't actually mean it. He's just lying to save his own sorry skin), feeling like you're not worth anything when you care so much in return is a genuinely miserable experience, and in my opinion, it's very very hard to come back from that unless said reciprocating person is super chill and understanding. For someone who had, say, already pre-existing self-worth issues, that would just be the end of it. So I think in turn to counteract that, Leona would need someone who was very sure in themselves. Not like egotistical, but someone with a very strong sense of self and independence that could handle that weaponized apathy of his. Because that is just a recipe for absolute disaster--a perpetual spiral of being ignored, feeling upset about being ignored, being ignored harder out of making a point that he really doesn't give a shit, and just ack. An absolute nightmare.

As for Vil, I see a lot of his inevitably controlling behavior being born of that same sort of 'I'm not good enough' fear Leona has, just... being terribly misdirected. Like, he would certainly push you in a good way! Doing his best to keep you healthy, and happy, and moving towards being the best you that you want to be. I just think with him one of the big things is that when you have so many of your own confidence issues, cruelty starts to feel like white noise. When your own head is constantly spewing all kinds of vitriol at yourself, you start to think it's normal. So I'm sure he'd accidentally casually say something absolutely bitingly mean. And maybe it'd only really hit when you were already having a bad day. But it would, and it would suck. And he would feel terrible about it. Which would unfortunately just feed into the rest of it. Because he has to be better, to make up for it. And that means taking his role as your guardian and self-proclaimed instructor up to the nth degree, because he has to be the best for you to also be the best. Which might only exacerbate the unpleasant comments or controlling behavior. The big difference with Vil I think though, or at least what makes the difference for me, is that I don't think there would ever be any doubt there that he does care. It's that he cares too much and too hard that's the problem. While Leona pushes away, Vil claws in as close as he possibly can. And depending on how you deal with that sort of codependence, it could definitely cause a lot of strife. If you're someone who isn't particularly independent or strongwilled, someone who likes being given direction and purpose (*cough* like I may or may not be *Cough*) then you're going to probably be able to handle that a lot better than someone who was already very strong in their own sense of self and where they stand in life.

But ahh!! Sorry for the absolute SLOG of a ramble. I just love both their Problematic Personalities SO MUCH, and Vil in particular is my favorite.

For the rest of the ask!

The thought with Leona for a Heroes vs Villains was to have it be a Him vs His Family sort of situation majoritively, with a surprise guest in the form of a Twist-ififed character I shant say. In case I do ever get around to writing it. (but I will go hint hint and say there's only so many villainous animal characters in disney movies. so like. do with that what you will. And also like, lions vs tigers--always a vibe 😉 anywho!)

For Monster Mayhem, I've decided Vil 100% is a siren. Have the outline for it ready to go and everything. Riddle I picture as a Sphynx sort of creature, with a massive penchant for trapping people with his strange, archaic, laws

[coffeebanana]

Enemies au ft. Ladrien for the ask game 👀 (hehehehe)

@heartfulselkie @ladyofthenoodle @rosie-b

i see this is was a popular one (which is good because i'm actually dying to talk about it 😂). i haven't written much of this yet, but i DO have a complete 26-chapter outline (that i made during my writing "break"), and even though i'm trying not to get too deep into it yet because i have so many other projects, i also not-so-secretly want to be enabled. do with that what you will this fic would take place in an au that diverges from canon at some point early season 5 (post-elation at the latest but i haven't quite decided), and it's my rendition of sentiadrien being forced to help monarch. i want to play with how sentiorders might work and what loopholes might exist. but also the fact that adrien doesn't know he's a senti yet. he doesn't even understand WHY he keeps agreeing to help his father, and he hates himself for that and ladybug...is understandably not in a great place either. obviously she has more support than adrien, but she still feels the weight of the burden. she misses her kitty 😢. and even alya has some stuff going on in her life, so she can't be as available to marinette as she has been in the past

then ladybug and adrien run into each other after an akuma attack one day. and it's sort of an echo of strikeback, where she's at her lowest point, and even if adrien knows he should run away and leave her, he can't. not when she's hurting. and he starts to realize maybe he can still help her. maybe he's not useless.

and ladybug also starts to see adrien in a new light (because he's still allowed to go to lycee, he just...doesn't really talk to any of his friends anymore). she's been so distracted with her own stuff that she's pushed her feelings about him aside, but even if she can't overthrow monarch, even if chat noir is lost to her, maybe she can at least help someone she loves

so basically it's ladynoir enemies with ladrien helping each other pick up the pieces. where they both start at rock bottom but maybe they (with some help from their friends!) can start to help each other heal

i'll share the intro scene under the cut (since this is getting long) with the caveat that this is an early version i might still want to flesh out/rework/possibly rewrite completely

thanks for the ask(s)!! 💜

...

It was barely October. It shouldn't be cold enough for the air to burn on the way down, for each breath to feel like ice crystallizing in Ladybug's lungs. But it did. 

It felt like she'd forgotten how to breathe.

Gigantitan toddled down the street, clapping his hands and using the occasional stopped car as stepping stones. Car roofs caved in as he advanced, bringing muffled screams from those who hadn't been lucky enough to flee  in time. And Ladybug could only stand there, backing away unsteadily as she failed to come up with a plan. 

Part of her wondered if she should just give up. It would be fitting, at this point, to be taken down by a toddler. If she barely had the strength to get out of bed every morning, she certainly didn't have the energy for impromptu babysitting—even if the fate of Paris hung in the balance.

Maybe it was someone else's turn to care.

The voice in the back of her head—the one insisting she didn't really want that—wasn't loud enough to spur her heavy limbs into action. Instead she found herself wondering what the end would be like. When Monarch won, when he made the wish, would she feel the force of being torn apart, cell by cell? 

Or maybe her end would come sooner. Gigantan was getting close now, and the silhouette of Monarch's mask flash across his face. But maybe he wouldn't be swayed by Monarch's words. Perhaps he'd keep smashing through the streets, and she'd be crushed like the cars he'd already left in his wake. Or maybe—

Someone slammed into her side, protective arms wrapping around her as they flew through the air, landing roughly and rolling until they slammed into the side of a building. Even with the suit, her hip was still throbbing from the impact when they stopped, her assailant hovering over her. She kept her eyes shut tight for a moment, breathing in his familiar scent and taking comfort from the arms bracketing her body—keeping her safe, the way they always used to.

The way they shouldn't. Not anymore.

Chat Noir's breath warmed her face as he pushed himself up, and Ladybug forced her eyes open to meet a pair of wide, worried eyes. Ones that sucked away any remaining breath she had left.

How dare he look at her like that? After everything?

"Ladybug, I..." He squeezed his eyes shut, his whole body stiffening momentarily. "I'm sorry."

A shiver travelled down her spine, zapping some life back into her. By the time she noticed his hand twitching in her periphery, she was already moving. Her fist connected with his cheek as claws grazed her earlobe.

Grunting, Chat rolled off of her. She sprang to her feet, hand moving to her yo-yo as she glanced back and forth between her two foes. Adrenaline coursing through her veins, she was starting to cobble together some semblance of a plan. But she needed more time, so she tossed her yo-yo around a nearby chimney and took off through the streets. 

When she was certain she'd gotten enough distance from the fight, she stopped on a rooftop, resting against a chimney as she caught her breath, remembering the shock of green eyes boring into hers.

It shouldn't be cold enough yet for her body to feel so numb.

...

[yuseirra]

**P3R spoilers!! About the ending!!!**

I'd been holding out for a bit long because I was a bit afraid on how I'd feel and handle it, I was already aware about how things would play out for like a whole decade's worth of time now. The last time I played (before P3R was released, P3P-) I saved and left the game hanging on the day before the last day. I didn't want it to end knowing what would happen.

Here's the thing. I thought the ending would either break me or make me cry when I saw it, but it actually didn't! I'm actually happy. Did anyone feel the same way? My head feels so clear. I genuinely feel satisfied and fulfilled. As the protagonist. As myself I'm screaming a lil bit thinking GUYS... GUYS...(by guys I mean SEES) YOU'RE LATE!!! OMG GUYS!!! YOU SHOULD'VE COME SOONER and also going oh my god..I feel so bad for the protagonist but, there's this other feeling I'm having, feeling fully satiated about it all. I'm not even sad about what happened at all. I feel like I've done well.

I've been very absorbed with this game, right? so I've been playing from the protagonist's point of view(or how I think he'd have been feeling) and it's really strange, but, I feel like I know how he's actually felt about it all. He's really okay about all this. Of course he'd love to see his friends or stick around a bit more, but I think he feels that everything's going to be all right. There was this sense of relief and happiness so what he's said to Aigis is true. "It's okay."

I even chose to close my eyes on my own accord because I thought it made a good finale for my life. Death wasn't scary at all for his case.

Oh, but as a player, I felt so sad seeing him fall deeper and deeper into the sea (where is he going.. where is he off to.. well, we'll get to see that in the DLC but it's such a tragic fate for someone who's only in high school! Can't someone take over his place or sth, I rather he rests in peace!)

It actually feels different after finally having played this scene myself. I totally understand how he could be smiling in that final cutscene because I'd have done the same if I were to be him. It could've been better if his friends came up in time and he got to see their faces but seeing Aigis's smile wasn't half bad lol (I'm glad she was there with me because she's very lovely. I wish her the best.)

He's led a good life and it was wrapped up in a pleasant way. If I could feel this same emotion I've felt as I played this game in my last moments, I think I'd be really happy, and perhaps this COULD've been what they were going for. Nothing was sad about it from the protagonist's point of view. I understand it now.

but it'd be nice if he could see his friends and talk to them once more and make proper goodbyes. I'm looking at you Answer DLC that comes up in september, because this guy cares. He really loves his friends and it was nice to be him for the past three months I played this game, the 117 hours.

(I didn't intend to, but I ended up using the last save slot for the final clear data as well! :) it felt like a good closure.)

Wow.. this is a really interesting feeling. I didn't realize I'd ever feel this way about the ending. It was so unexpected, but that's exactly why I feel it was so cool! If anyone else has felt the same way I have, let's have a high five.

So death really IS something you don't have to be so frightened over. You can die feeling this fulfilled, and refreshed, even. I actually.. felt it through a game. Which is very meaningful! Mhm, I'm glad I gathered the courage to go through it all. Thank you persona 3 reload, you were a wonderful game and I had such a great time!

[thewhumpcaretaker]

What r ur thoughts on HopelesslyDevoted(Chidi x Vincent)? :3 they’re sooo doomed bodyguard x boss yaoi

I HAVE. SO MANY. THOUGHTS.

Once again you poisoned my brain, thank you. Ever since that gorgeous fic...dang. Well, now I can yap about it!

TW: mentions of drug use and an abusive family, and NSFW stuff

Okay so first of all, let's think about the nature of a personal bodyguard in the JW universe. This is not just anyone who has the necessary qualifications. This has to be someone who is willing to die for you and who absolutely will not betray. (I believe Gianna picked Cassian for that reason but that's another story). So Chidi did something for Vincent that proved he would be loyal to the death.

What did he do? I think he was a Myrmadon who was serving under Vincent's father, back when Vincent was younger (around college-age). So they've known each other for a long time - it's actually sort of a friends-to-lovers situation. He was around Vincent, but not allowed to speak to him most of the time - or at least, it would have been awkward to do so. He just watched him from afar and became very fond of him, and they talked occasionally. At some point, perhaps during an attack by a rival family, Chidi was ordered to focus on defending property or another De Gramont family member but he disobeyed and saved Vincent's life instead. You could even go so far as to say that he saved Vincent's life instead of his father's - that would be a lot of drama. In any case, he expected to be executed for what he did, but instead, Vincent made him his personal bodyguard.

Why is Chidi so in love loyal? Because he's thoroughly charmed by Vincent. He admires him in every way. Here is a man who's breathtakingly beautiful, wildly charismatic, intelligent, talented...don't get him started on it honestly, because he could praise Vincent forever. Vincent is also more social than Chidi could ever be (this is very much an extrovert-adopts-an-introvert situation). He sees Vincent's more potentially negative characteristics too, such as his pride and arrogance, but doesn't see them as flaws. He's also one of the few people who has really seen what Vincent has been through on a personal level. They don't often talk about it, but he witnessed Vincent being mistreated by his family pretty frequently and it made him massively protective. He gets why his bien-aimé is like this.

How did Vincent fall in love? Initially, Vincent mistreated Chidi a lot. He saw someone who was hopelessly devoted to him and thought, "What a fool. Well, at least I can use him." He never did anything really awful, but he was generally rude and mocking, didn't give Chidi any breaks when working, exploded at him in anger, that kind of thing. But over time, little moments of vulnerability happened that a bodyguard inevitably sees. Being tired after a long day. Getting sick. Breaking down after an argument. And Chidi always went out of his way to make sure Vincent was comfortable in moments like that. Vincent slowly started to notice. He also noticed things that he admired about Chidi - his calmness, his determination, his emotional intelligence, his skills with not just fighting, but also cooking and even sewing (idk why but I think he likes to sew and sewed a button back on for Vincent during a fashion emergency at some point). Eventually Vincent started to wonder and secretly hope that there could be something between them, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything - it would mean too much to him to have someone who genuinely cares for him. He didn't dare to confess his feelings and test whether it was true.

So instead he started fucking him, oops! Just casually. For fun. Because they're both hot. Definitely nothing more than that...next thing you know, they're married.

Miscellaneous Things:

They’re both good at fencing and sometimes they spar together. Chidi always lets Vincent win.

Chidi always reminds Vincent that it’s his job to take care of his health in all ways, including mentally and in terms of keeping him clean from drugs.

Chidi service top!!!!

Their relationship is part of the reason why the High Table is so queer accepting - Vincent is the most influential member other than the Elder himself, and he wasn’t going to put up with any nonsense about him and Chidi being together - happy pride!!

[lemonhemlock]

imo an underexplored part of Corlys is how admitting to Rhaenyra's children being bastards would slight both his son and him, and his entire house. He'd rather play make-believe than admit that for one, he arranged his gay son into an unhappy marriage which eventually led to his early death, and secondly, actually give the rumours that his son is indeed gay and can't produce children concrete affirmation. for a story so concerned with misogyny, the homophobia is so easily handwaved away as if these two are not integral in upholding of cishet patriarchy.

what you're saying is true, but, at some point, it becomes a matter of just cutting down your losses and doing some damage control. where was corlys when laenor was spending most of his time on driftmark gallivanting with knights while rhaenyra was popping out babies he had nothing to do with? he didn't do a damn thing about it

i actually had a conversation with @duxbelisarius today where he pointed out that the silent five (aka vaemond's cousins whom viserys ordered their tongues be cut out) actually fought for the greens during the war and three of them even died in battle, that's how deep their grudge went. not to mention the fact that the remaining two plotted to murder alyn after corlys' death so that he wouldn't inherit in their stead.

so all this make-believe happy families fantasy that i see team black peddling, about how luke & rhaena would have made a great power couple ruling driftmark in peace, because they love and care for each other or whatever, is straight-up delusional. the velaryons would have assassinated luke as soon as possible to get him out of the way and, had they been sent joffrey as a replacement, they would have done the same to him. rhaenyra was living in la la land for making such a fuss about driftmark, while corlys was absolutely incompetent as head of the family for putting his house in such a precarious position that his death would be followed by in-fighting and instability

i think that he perhaps DID eventually realise what a stupid idea that was and, in the aftermath of the luke debacle, decided to make sure driftmark at the very least goes to someone with velaryon blood, but he went about it in the most annoying and unhelpful way possible.*

can you imagine the audacity of this man to clown on (dead) rhaenys' memory AND on rhaenyra's arse at the same time in order to engineer driftmark to pass to HIS bastard son? all the while claiming that alyn was fathered by his gay son? who everyone knew was gay? and couldn't have fathered joffrey? otherwise why would you break the law** to give driftmark to laenor's alleged bastard instead of his alleged trueborn son?*** corlys must have taken lessons from rhaenyra herself, because that's the most boldfaced lie i ever did see

this man was so annoying FORREAL. was there at least one member of his family he didn't fuck over in some way? truly an example of being prideful to the point of stupidity

*not to mention, of course, that he already had legitimate heirs of his own body in baela and rhaena. and, lacking that, there were other true-born velaryons who could have inherited.

[EDIT: i'm wondering if this isn't a behind-the-scenes reason for daenaera being presented at the maiden's ball. daeron velaryon (don't get me started on the audacity of him being named daeron as well) was vaemond's son and also contested driftmark after baela & rhaena had been passed over in favour of alyn. so i'm wondering if baela didn't devise this little match to placate her cousin with a trade-off: if he couldn't have driftmark, at least his daughter would become queen]

**i'm saying he broke the law bc grrm himself states that it's unclear where precisely in the line of succession legitimised bastards fall. whether they go by birth order in between the other true-borns or they just go straight to the back of the line, behind all other heirs born within wedlock. so the legality of shoving alyn in front of everybody else is debatable at the very least

***idek how to call this, he is literally using his gay son to cover up his own arse and inadvertently implies that laenor was both cuckolded by rhaenyra (in that joffrey isn't his) AND that he broke his own marriage vows to rhaenyra by sleeping with another woman. he truly is a poet in the way he manages to implicitly insult everyone left and right