#i'm sorry if this feels harsh. it's not intended as a criticism of you or your idea.

[moonywritez6]

Knight Sanemi x Princess Reader

Character: Sanemi Shinaguzawa (Demon Slayer)

Reader: Fem Reader!

Wc: 2,497

Warnings: Forced arranged marriage, harsh language, bit of violence, bruises, blood, death

A/n: Not edited or looked over

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Knight Sanemi was one of the lowest rankings of the knights due to his family's status, along with his terrible temper.

Knight Sanemi was surprised to be told the news of his newest assignment to the second princess of the kingdom, finding it highly suspicious.

Knight Sanemi rudely introduces himself, interrupting your teatime in the garden. His actions earn him a scolding from your lady-in-waiting. "How dare you introduce yourself to the princess in such a way! You lowly knights are all the same!! Filthy commoners who know nothing of edict!" You watch as he shoots her a chilling glare, eyes showing pure distaste for her wording.

Knight Sanemi should be used to the constant criticism of those from a higher status, however, he always finds himself on the verge of cursing every one of them out, no matter the consequences. However, he knows his limits and sees that if he were to snap in front of one of the royal family, he would surely ruin everything he worked so hard for.

Knight Sanemi is surprised when he hears a small laugh slip past your delicate lips, causing his ears to ring at the sweet melody echoing through his brain. He turns to you, faces still cold and scary looking as he cocks a brow. "Is something amusing princess?" Though he intended the question to come out gentle, he can't help but scoff at the end of his question. His voice still holding annoyance from the words spat at him seconds ago.

Knight Sanemi watches as you gently place your tea cup down making sure it is placed in the perfect position. His purple irises can't help but watch as your small hands rest elegantly under your chin while your lips slowly curl up into a pure and joyful smile. "I'm sorry it appears I couldn't help myself." You spoke softly, your eyes locking with his causing him to feel…intimidated?

Knight Sanemi watched as you tilted your head eyes filled with curiosity as he took note of how you were appearing to size him up. "Haven't you been told it's rude to stare?" His words earned another glare from your lady-in-waiting but he paid her no mind his eyes solely focused on his new employer. You just smiled before letting out a loud, unladylike laugh causing both your servents to jump in shock. "Hahaha! Forgive me Sir Shinazugawa! It's just I can't help but be reminded of a grumpy cat when I look at you!" Your blunt excuse causes Sanemi to halt his mind slowly processing your words before a deep blush crosses his cheeks. "WHO ARE YOU CALLING A GRUMPY CAT?!?!" His voice echoes throughout the garden causing those nearby to jump in fright. You catch your breath after a moment before dismissing a stray tear with your thumb. "Where are my manners?" After questioning yourself outload you carefully stand to walk in front of the Knight.

Knight Sanemi who took note of your smaller form feeling almost guilty for having to look down at someone who is considered royalty. You give a curtsy making sure your posture is perfect as that same joyful smile graces your features once more. "A pleasure to meet you Sir Shinazugawa. I am the second princess of the crown Y/n L/n. Please take good care of me." Your words were laced with no ill intentions nor did he detect any belittlement of his status which was something the knight wasn't used to.

Knight Sanemi who bows without a word ending the first meeting between the two of you. His mind can't help but wonder what kind of person the second princess truly was.

Knight Sanemi who has been serving as your knight for almost three months. It didn't take him long to realize why such a lowly knight like himself was placed as the second princess's guard. About a week into being assigned his post Sanemi took note of how you were never approached or summoned by any of the other royal family. The staff never cared to put any effort or detail into their work when it came to your things and meals. The only one who seemed to care was your lady-in-waiting who was always defending the princess from the other staff when they were caught badmouthing you.

Knight Sanemi who found you one day sitting alone in the garden a book in your lap as your eyes stared longingly at the blue sky. Sanemi couldn't help but be captivated by the look in your eyes one he recalled all too well. It was the look of someone who desired a new life…someone who desired what he always wanted for himself…freedom.

Knight Sanemi finds himself walking toward you his feet carrying him toward your seated form without a second thought. You heard his footsteps looking at him with that bright smile he caught himself looking forward to each day he woke in the morning. "Sir Shinazugawa! Good evening! The day is beautiful is it not?" You asked brushing a piece of hair behind your ear. Sanemi just grunts as he plops down next to you not even asking for your permission on the matter. You said nothing as you watched your knight get comfortable on the ground putting his arms behind his head as he kept his eyes closed. "Awe did you think I was lonely?~ How kind of you~" You Teased earning a small glare from the man who clicked his tongue in response.

Knight Sanemi who feels your curious stare lingering on him as he slowly opens an eye. "What is it now?" He grumbles having grown used to your random questions. "Your hair…it's such a pretty and unique color…is it common in your family?" Your question doesn't surprise the knight as he was used to sticking out due to the color of his hair. However, he finds himself gritting his teeth to stop the smile that desperately wished to grace his lips with the word you used for it being 'pretty.' He lets out a small grunt instead of going back to closing his eyes. "No, it's not…I'm the only one with this color hair." His response is quick and to the point, your only response being a hum of understanding.

Knight Sanemi feels your form moving around though his eyes are closed. You gently tap his nose causing him to get annoyed as he opens both eyes this time ready to yell at you for being annoying only to stop when he notices how close your face is to his. You smile as you gently caress his cheek causing your knight to stiffen. "I knew it….your eyes are also so pretty and unique… you're such a beautiful man Sir Shinazugawa." Your words caused Sanemi's heart to beat rapidly against his chest as he quickly backed away from you setting what he thought was a good distance.

Knight Sanemi who glares at you stands up once he gains his composure. "Though you are a princess your manners are strictly lacking. I think it would be best for you to touch up on your royal edict my lady." His words were cold and cruel. It was clear he detested you for being of royal blood. You go silent at his words giving nothing but a sad smile along with a nod before grabbing your book to leave. Sanemi stands alone in the garden for a moment before clenching his fists cursing his harsh tongue as he storms off to the training grounds.

Knight Sanemi who hasn't heard your voice in days. He stood by you at all times and protected you when needed but it was silent between the two of you. Sanemi found himself getting irked by your avoidance, but he couldn't blame you…after all, he was nothing but a shitty lowlife like his father. Sanemi stands a few feet away from where you sat, your lady-in-waiting by his side. She is silent for a moment before deciding to speak her mind. "Tell me, knight. What do you know of my lady?"

Knight Sanemi barely spares her a glance let alone a reply. "She is the second princess of the royal family." His short answer earns a scoff from the older woman who glares at him. "Is that all you know? Shame on you for being my lady's Knight without even knowing a single thing about her." Sanemi growls not wanting to deal with this at the moment. "..The princess is an illegitimate child...her mother died giving birth and the king brought her into the palace as a way to free his guilt." Her words made sense to Sanemi as he had assumed that was already the case from how he saw you being treated these last few months. "The princess has no family, no friends…only us." The last two words she spoke get the knight's attention as he looks down at her. She smiles a sad smile up at him as if hoping he would see where she was coming from. "We are the only ones…who truly care for our princess."

Knight Sanemi who finds you the next day once again in the garden reading a book. He lets out a deep sigh before storming over to your form. He sits across from you with a loud thud catching you by surprise as you clutched your book in your lap. Sanemi sat across from you frustratingly scratching the back of his head as he glared at the ground. "..I'm not used to compliments on my…looks." He finally muttered getting your attention. "I'm the only one in my family who looks like this ya know…it caused a lot of problems in my house..between my parents." His words cause your body to relax your eyes softening.

Knight Sanemi moves his sword to the side as he shyly holds a hand out for you. You stare at it confused not sure what he was asking. "My hands are covered in many sins princess…however if you will have me still, I wish to serve and protect you…and only you till the end of our lives." Sanemi watches as your eyes light up with his words a giant smile crossing your face as tears fill your eyes. "YOU FINALLY ACCEPTED ME!!!" You cried jumping into his arms catching the knight by surprise as he blushed heavily while trying to catch you. "WAIT YOU IDIOT!"

Knight Sanemi who has fallen deeply in love with his princess. He finds himself always thinking about her even while he dreams. He feels his heart melt whenever your bright smile comes into view and your angelic voice causes his ears to ring. You feel the same way whenever you see him, his eyes causing your legs to grow weak as his harsh voice sends butterflies into your stomach.

Knight Sanemi is in utter shock when he hears about your arranged marriage to one of the kingdom's most cruel nobles. "This must be a lie! Why would they marry her off to that pig?!?!" Sanemi yelled to your lady-in-waiting who cried into her hands after informing him of the terrible news. "Oh, princess…my sweet lady." She cried over and over. Sanemi stood there his entire being shaking with anger and disgust as he rushed to find you.

Knight Sanemi who, by the time he finds you is dark. You sat curled up in your nightgown small sobs escaping your lips as you hid in your favorite spot in the garden. "Y/n…" Sanemi whispers to not scare you. Your head shoots up the tears in your eyes glistening under the moonlight causing him to grimace his chest tightening. "My princess I am here." He calls softly. Your nose leaks as you let out a big sob at the sight of your loyal knight and secret lover. "Sanemiiiii!!!!!" You cry jumping into his arms. Sanemi shushes you as he keeps you in a tight embrace his body shaking in fear at the thought of his sweet and joyful princess at the hands of that cruel man.

Knight Sanemi who feels like he will puke when he hears the cries that leave your lips. "Sanemi…I'm so scared. I don't want to go to that man! I'd rather die!" You cry your fists gripping the front of his shirt for dear life as you look up at him. Your face usually so joyful is filled with nothing but fear and pain. "Kill me Sanemi! I don't want to be his toy!" Your words break as another sob escapes your throat. Sanemi feels his entire world come crashing down as he watches the second purest woman in his life start to crumble before him.

Knight Sanemi shakes his head at your words his hold becoming tighter. "Don't say that! Get ahold of yourself, princess!" He yells gripping your shoulders as he tries to look into your eyes. He falters when he sees the light dimming from your gorgeous hues. "Please…don't ask that of me my princess…it will be too much for me to bear." He cries, his head down in shame. You stand there, unable to cease your tears as you process the weight of what you were asking of the man before you. "Sanemi…I-I'm so sorry!"

Knight Sanemi kisses away all your tears his grip not letting up as the veins in his neck and forearm bulge out in anger. "I won't let them hurt you Y/n…I am your sworn knight, remember? I will always protect you." He whispers into your ear reassuringly. You melt into his touch, those words sending comfort throughout your body as you both sink to the ground. Neither wished to leave the other's grasp.

Knight Sanemi finds himself pinned to the ground by three higher-ranking knights. Bruises started to form on his skin as blood seeped from the wounds, he received in trying to protect you from being forced away. "Sanemi!" You cried while being forced into the carriage by your father's knights. "Let her go dammit! My lady!" He screamed, eyes practically bulging out of their sockets with rage as he struggled to get up. "Once she is taken away have this filth executed for treason." You heard your father's commander's order, causing fear to swipe through you. "NO! Don't touch him! He's innocent! Please!" You cry while kicking and thrashing around.

Knight Sanemi who can do nothing but cry and yell as he watches you get shoved into the carriage, your fists pounding on the door. "Y/N!!!!" There is nothing he can do before you are out of sight.

Knight Sanemi finds himself standing in a puddle of blood, the bodies of his comrades surrounding him as blood drips from the tip of his blade. Heavy pants leave his lips as he starts to make his way out of the palace grounds. Sanemi finds himself unable to think as he slashes down those who get in his way. "Move…" He growls as more knight's charge towards him. "YOU'RE IN THE WAY!"

[paladin--strait]

soulmates part 5

luke hughes x reader

sorry this is so short! i'm hoping it'll kinda be like a filler chapter that'll kinda set things up more. sorry that its moving kinda fast, i'm hoping to keep this series under ten chapters.

tw!!: some language, use of y/n, reader can be depicted as any body shape/size. this story moves kinda fast, since I want it to only be a couple of parts long. this is a complete work of fiction. I am no way saying or implying that these people act the way they do in the story. I am open to any sort of constructive criticism! thank you!

-

"quinn." i say, shutting the door to his room behind me. "we need to talk."

he sits in silence on the side of his bed, staring blankly at the wall. "what." his words have no emotion behind them.

"what the hell is going on?" i cross my arms as i move to stand in the line of his vision.

"nothings going on." he says, his tired eyes flickering to look up at me.

"bullshit, quinn." i step towards him, "i need to know."

"i told you, it's nothing." he shrugs, looking at me with an annoyed expression on his face.

"but it's something."

"it's not your business." he fires back, his tone a little more harsh than i hope he intended it to be.

"but it is quinn," i plead, sitting beside him and putting a hand on his shoulder. "it involves me somehow and i need to know what it is."

he doesn't respond, his shoulders dropping as he sighs.

"i don't want to spend the last two weeks at the lake house with some of y'all being so depressed. there's tension, quinn. and it's killing me already, killing the others. they won't tell me what's going on, so i need you to."

"fine." he says, looking over at me. "i..." i wait for his response, hoping it's nothing bad.

"i made a huge mistake." he sighs and i look at him with a confused look on my face. "i shouldn't have tried to set you and luke up together."

my brows furrow, "why not? i thought you said we would be perfect for each other."

"because..." he looks down at his sock covered feet, "i didn't realize...how much i like you..."

my eyes widen slightly at his sudden confession, "what...?"

"i like you, y/n." he looks back up at me, this time with a look of pure adoration in his tired eyes. "me and luke...we got into it after you left for vancouver. brock said something about the way we act towards each other and it made me realize how much i truly like you..."

my shoulders slump a little, "quinn...i don't know what to say."

"you don't have to say anything. i know you don't like me that way and i'd prefer we stay friends. if you still want to be, that is." he says, his lips pursing into a line after he finishes speaking.

"i'd love to still be friends with you, quinn. you're everything to me. but, i don't like you like that and i don't want our opposing feelings for each other to take a toll on our friendship." i explain, hoping he'll understand.

"i agree completely." he nods, "but luke is upset with me and i don't want me and him to be upset with each other and there be even more tension if the two of you end up together."

"i'll talk to luke, try and work things out." i stand, putting my hands in the pocket of my canucks hoodie. "i think i like him, quinn. he's different than what i thought he'd be. he called me a few times while i was gone to check up on me, he's really sweet."

quinn smiles softly, "i'm glad he's been so good to you. i'm sorry about all this."

"don't be sorry, quinny. everything will be okay. and i'm sure it's just a little crush, you'll probably get over it soon." i smile at him, holding my arms wide open for a hug and he stands immediately, placing his arms around my waist and pulling me in for a hug. it's gentle but loving, his chin placed on my shoulder.

i let go, walking over to his door and opening it to leave, "you'll get over it soon, i promise." i whisper, smiling at him softly.

but i don't hear the words that leave his mouth after i shut the door behind me. "probably..." his words laced with sadness and defeat as the bed dips under him as he sits back down.

-

i walk down the hallway and to luke's room, knocking on the door.

a few seconds later, a tired looking luke opens the door. his eyes are red and puffy, like he's been crying. "hey luke...can we talk?" i ask. he nods, opening the door further to let me in. i walk in and he shuts the door behind me, looking over at me. "i just talked to quinn and-"

"shut up." he cuts me off, his hands placed on my hips as he pulls me closer.

"luke...what are you doing?" i ask, my eyes widening with confusion and almost a hint of excitement.

"what i've been wanting to do for a while." luke's words are quiet and sweet, with a sense of urgency and nervousness hinted in there too. "what i need to do before he takes you away from me."

[finalresidentevilfantasy]

A Version of Leon Ada Will Always Love.

Summary: Leon's wife gets caught up in the mess Simmon's creates and Ada shows a rare act of kindness towards a woman she barely knows but has a deep respect for and is willing to risk more than she thought she ever would.

Warnings; Major character death, swearing, brief mention of alcoholism

W/C: 3K

A/N: This is my first ever fic writing for Leon! I hope you all enjoy and I thank everyone who takes the time to read it! I apologise if there are any typos! I plan to post more fics in the coming weeks, I always accept constructive criticism and I look forward to writing more for you guys. Although I generally write female readers and try not to use Y/N, I try to keep my female characters without much description! I may have an attempt at writing a gender neutral reader in the future!

"Sweetheart" Leon was careful as he approached her. She pulled the needle from her neck and disposed of it on the floor. She turned to look at him, panic in her eyes, they both knew what Simmon's had just administered and it filled Leon with dread, his palms starting to sweat.

"Let's hope she doesn't turn quickly, right Leon?" Simmon's taunted with a smirk. Helena growled in frustration, firing her gun several times in his direction, it only hit the glass he was behind but she felt better.

"Leon? I feel hot." The woman was panicking and Helena felt sorry for her. She kept a hand on her gun though, ready to shoot if necessary. She hadn't turned yet but she could at any minute.

"Hey, it's okay. Keep your eyes on me." Leon said as he approached her slowly, his own gun had fallen to the floor when he watched Simmon's inject her from afar, shoving her into the room with them as he laughed.

"I don't want to turn into one of them." She dropped to her knees in the middle of the floor. Helena knew she had to put her feelings to one side as she knew Leon wouldn't have what it took to hurt her, he'd rather die. Helena's heart hurt for the couple, she was innocent, a civilian that had stolen Leon S Kennedy's heart and kept it safe. Helena only knew that because Leon had told her when they found her, the information that he was married was classified.

"I promise you won't baby, we'll find a vaccine. I'll fix this." Leon's voice was hopeful but Helena was sceptical. Vaccine? There wasn't one. His wife, as harsh as it sounded, wasn't going to be that for much longer, not if what they'd seen was anything to go by. Simmon's had dragged her into this, just like he had Deborah.

Leon carefully approached his wife, she was panicking, chest heaving as she tried to keep her emotions in check. Just as Leon knelt down in front of her she fell into his arms, a crying mess as he held her, Helena felt guilty for watching, this was a moment between husband and wife. She stupidly took her eyes of them for a second.

Leon shouted his wife's name, causing Helena to look back, her weapon drawn and pointed at Leon's wife. She had his knife, her arm drawn back ready to plunge as Leon held her wrist. It was easy for him, he easily overpowered her normally, but she was putting up more of a fight as the virus flooded around her system. "Come on, come back to me." Leon stated firmly.

A shot rang out through the room and Leon's head snapped to Helena, smoke leaving the barrel of her gun. Leon snapped back to his wife, watching as the knife fell from her grasp, Helena's shot having hit the metal as intended. It must've brought her out of her trance.

"Leon?" Her voice rang out, a gasp escaping her lips. "I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me." She made to move away from him, but Leon was quick, pulling her into his chest as he buried his face into the hair at the top of her head. She planted her hands on his chest and pushed.

"Sweetheart please don't fight me, it's okay."

"No, no, no. I almost, I was going to." She cut herself off as she began to hyperventilate. Her thoughts everywhere but Leon just pulled her closer.

"I'm gonna get you through this, I promise." Leon said as she gave in and collapsed into his chest, crying her eyes out. Helena felt guilty, what had been the point for her? She'd lost Deborah anyway and many people had lost their lives families because of her. She couldn't watch as Leon lost his wife, the guilt was too much. They had to do something.

"Maybe I can help." A new voice rang through the room, Leon turned his head towards the woman, the one who once held a part of Leon before the woman in his arms tripped into him in the street. Ada Wong. An absolute goddess of a woman, her beauty unmatched by so many, her only downfall being that you couldn't trust her. Leon thought he'd never get over her, then his wife came into his life and now she was a distant memory, a part of his past. Ada no longer held a part of him.

His wife was everything to him, Leon would do anything for her, he'd sacrifice everything if it meant keeping her safe and Ada knew this. At first when Ada had found out about Leon's engagement she'd been jealous, determined to come between the two and then she'd observed her, for several weeks. She was a goddess in her own right, a beauty the did match Ada's, if not surpassed it. She was beautiful inside and out, a kind woman who gave spare change to every homeless person she walked past, stroked every cat and dog that crossed her path.

Ada started to see why Leon loved her so much. She could give Leon the one thing Ada never could and that was her full heart, her honesty, all her bad and good. She stole Leon's heart and kept it locked safe in her chest, she was patient with him, careful, attentive. She loves him in all the ways he deserves to be loved and Ada loved her for it. Sure, she'd had to let him go and watch as he fell out of love with her, but she couldn't think of a more worthy woman.

"Ada?" Leon sounded almost relieved to see her. He knew deep down she'd be able to help, that she was caught up in all this, what other reason would she have to be here? "Please help her." Leon didn't beg often and it took a lot for him to beg from someone like Ada but this was his wife that was in danger and having to drop his act of toughness? Worth it for her safety.

"There's a lab. One Simmon's had here in China. I know where it is, there's a blueprint vaccine there but we need Jake Mueller's blood." She stated and Leon breathed a sigh of relief, he knew where Jake was, he was with Sherry, all he had to do was get in contact. He prayed that his wife would fight it, hold on as long as she could.

"Come on baby, you heard her. Just fight this a little longer." Leon pulled his wife back to look at her, she was sweating, a small smile on her lips as she nodded in agreement, she was as determined as him, she wasn't going to give up on him so easily.

*****

"Fuck." Ada exclaimed as she took in the wreckage. They couldn't all get to the lab, not in time. In the time they'd spent wandering through the city looking for the lab, Leon's wife had snapped three times, the last time worse than the others. She refused to be anywhere near Leon now.

She was almost curled in on herself as she walked behind them. Her arms crossed across her chest, she made herself look smaller than she was. Leon was starting to worry, his façade breaking, he looked ready to cry himself, a cut on his cheek from her last outburst, she'd clawed at him, catching his cheek as she did. She was beside herself, not trusting herself around him.

"We can't all go." Ada continued as she looked at both Leon and Helena. Their heads turned as Sherry and Jake jogged to meet up with them, Leon looked relieved.

"Here." Sherry was quick to hand over the vial. Her heart also broke as she took in Leon's soulmate, Sherry had met her a couple of times and heard so many endearing stories from Claire, how could Simmons do this? She didn't deserve it, Leon didn't deserve it. Leon handed the vial to Ada.

"Please," his blue eyes begged her and her heart broke a little, he was so used to her betraying him at the final hurdle. "Please help her, I won't survive without her." Leon's voice broke and Ada knew it was true, before he met her he'd struggled with alcohol, abusing it almost every night until she helped him. She became the light that outshone every dark corner of his life.

Ada nodded as she grabbed a hold of Leon's wife, shooting her grapple hook into the building above. Pulling them both into through the labs window. Leon prayed he'd see her again, Ada hadn't given him a moment for a goodbye but every moment counted, she was running out of time.

"She'll pull through Leon." Sherry comforted as she placed a hand on his arm. "Now come on, we've got Simmons to confront." Sherry said as they set off towards her rendezvous point with Simmons.

*****

"I know who you are." She spoke as Ada continued to mix chemicals together as instructed on the paperwork she'd found. "Your her." Ada stopped for a moment. Leon had told his wife about her?

"Listen, me and Leon? It was never gonna work out anyway." She shrugged off but the admission stung at her heart.

"I know." She confirmed, not in a horrible way, Ada was beginning to think she didn't have a malicious bone in her body. "He told me how in love with you he used to be." She admitted and Ada continued as if her words didn't affect her. "He believed you were in love with him once."

"I guess I felt something, a long time ago." Lies Ada. She knew Leon wasn't hers anymore, why dwell on what could have been? "But then he met you."

"I worried for a long time he didn't love me the same way he loved you." She admitted, that made Ada turn to look at her, she looked so vulnerable as if the admission was one she'd never made out loud before. As if Ada was the first person she'd admitted this to.

"He doesn't." Ada said and immediately wanted to cram the words back into her mouth. They came out harsh, cold and the woman in front of her looked so defeated, as if Ada had ripped everything away from her.

"I thought so."

"He loves you so much more than he ever loved me." Ada continued and her head snapped up towards her. "You give him all the things I never could. Security, stability, normality, you'll never understand how much people like us need that. I watched him fall in love with you, I watched you become his everything. He looks at you as if you hung the universe yourself. You know just after you married we bumped into one another and I knew." She elaborated.

"Knew what?"

"That I couldn't even scratch the surface anymore. His love for you runs so deep that I don't think anything could come between you. He so clearly loves every part of you and you've saved him, I knew Leon before all this, I met him back when he was a cop on his first day and you've brought that back for him. He's that man again when he's with you." Ada smiled and it was returned in full by the woman in front of her.

"But you still love him don't you?" She wasn't angry, she wasn't judging, in fact she looked guilty, like she'd come between something that could have been had Ada chosen a different life and maybe Leon and Ada would've worked out but they'd never know.

"I have a soft spot for him, yes, I'll admit that much, but I was more in love with the man I met in Raccoon, the innocent, naïve young man" Ada had never spoken much about her feelings, this was the closest she'd ever gotten, it was just another charm the woman in front of her held. The ability to create a safe space to feel vulnerable.

"I'll admit, I was jealous of you at first. The way he talked about you, it was so clear he was in love with you." She admitted with a shy smile.

"So you can understand how I feel now." Ada answers as she adds Jake's blood into the vial and administers the syringe.

*****

"Leon!" She shouts as she runs from Ada's side. Leon whips around at the sound of her voice, opening his arms to catch her as she jumps into them. He holds her so close Ada thinks she might disappear inside him. Ada smiles at the interaction, watching as Leon peppers her face in kisses, the glimpse of the man she met all those years ago shining through and she was happy for them, truly.

"I love you." Leon said as he smiled at his now cured wife. He couldn't thank Ada enough, she'd racked up a debt Leon could never repay, no matter how many lifetimes he lived. She reciprocated and kissed him again, her legs wrapped tightly around his waist, it was almost like there was no one else there, that they were in their own little world, a world for only those two. But of course all good things must come to an end.

"How dare you disobey me." Simmons sneered from above, Leon was quick to place his wife on her feet and shield her body with his own. She gripped the back of his shirt in fear. "Ada Wong, a soft spot for human life, I was starting to think you had no heart."

"You seem a little obsessed with me Simmons." Ada retorted, having found all the evidence of his obsession, his desire to recreate her image. Simmons lunged at that, jumping from his perch as he transformed into something that looked like a t-rex.

Leon was quick as he moved him and his wife to safety, he pushed her to one side and dived on top of her. Ada moving herself out of the way as Helena followed.

"I need you to get out of here." Leon said to the woman beneath him.

"But what about you?"

"I'll be fine, but you need to go. Please." With much persuasion she finally made her way out of the way and found a safe place to hide from the chaos that ensued. Leon, Ada and Helena working tirelessly together to bring Simmons down, after a while he fell, his body falling to the ground with a loud thud. They were safe.

Leon's wife approached the trio, feeling as though they were safe now. Simmons' body unmoving on the floor as Leon opened his arms for her, she was quick to plant herself in them, her safe haven. Ada watched with endearment until a small movement caught her eye.

Just as Leon let go of his wife and she took a step back from him, Simmons moved, sprouting a leg that was sharp as nails, Leon couldn't react quick enough, his scream ringing through the building as Simmons struck, his hand reaching for his wife as he looked away, he couldn't watch.

Blood covered the floor, Helena moving to finish Simmons, a well placed shotgun shell to the head. Leon fell to his knees, taking his wife into his arms, he was examining her, looking for the wound but he couldn't find one.

"Leon." Her voice was weak, soft and Leon's head moved to the source of the noise. It was foreign to him, he'd never heard her like that.

Ada.

"No." His wife said, her hands covering her mouth, Ada lay on the floor, Simmons leg sticking out through her stomach. She'd pushed her out of the way and sacrificed herself. Leon and his wife moved towards her, Leon taking her into his arms as he held her dying frame. A tear falling down his cheek, Ada smiled up at him, moving a hand to his cheek, wiping away the tear as she took her last breath, her hand falling to her side.

Leon cried as he held her, although he was no longer in love with her, she would always be an important part of his life, hell, he wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for her. She was the last part of his past he had, the last memory of his struggle through Raccoon. Sure, he had Claire but they had spent most of their time apart, only meeting back up a handful of times during the survival of Raccoon city.

"I'm so sorry." His wife took Leon into her arms from behind, holding him as he cried over a woman he never thought would change but here she was proving him wrong, again.

*****

They had a small funeral for her, only Leon and a handful of others in attendance. His wife held him as they both cried, mourning the loss of a woman who had given her life to save both of theirs. It took a long time for Leon's wife to understand why she'd given her life to save hers.

It dawned on her one night as she laid awake, wrapped in Leon's arms as he held her closer, tighter than he had before she almost died and it suddenly made sense. Ada gave her life so that she could protect that part of Leon she thought had died after Raccoon, the part that only she, his wife could still coax from him. The man who made Ada question her morals again and again, a man she'd saved multiple times. A man she loved enough in the end to put first.

[ingravinoveritas]

Why do I feel like this post just got personal and going in for the attack like she did for the radio one on twitter I'm not shocked or surprised by this cos the behaviour is getting more stranger and nasty and a fan on twitter shared this on her page saying we got ur bk u got a whole army behind u. I'm sorry what army and I'm sure if they spilt the fans wouldn't be behind her them they literally making it worst

What do u think ?

So, I saw/got a whole bunch of DMs over this Insta story this morning, but didn't have a chance to talk about it until now.

My first thought was that this was almost certainly in response to the negative reviews and backlash coming out for The Way in the wake of episode 3. The two biggest culprits in terms of media outlets seem to be the Daily Mail (Fail) and the Telegraph, and while I won't link to them here because I don't want to give either site any traffic, both reviews can easily be found via a Google search. Adding to those were a stream of vicious comments, both in the comments sections on the respective websites and on social media, largely from what seem to be right-wing/leaning accounts and public figures.

Knowing that, it made me think that Michael had to have been aware of what the potential reaction to the show could be. We know he was, actually, because he's talked about it in several interviews over the past few weeks, such as this one. And I think with Michael being who he is, he would be entirely amused at knowing he has pissed off exactly the right people. So while I could certainly see him in private having a reaction like the one in AL's story--more than understandably so, given how nasty some of the reviews and comments were--that doesn't necessarily mean it's a good reaction to have publicly. And I think Michael knows that, too.

What also adds to the disconnect for me is that a few hours later, an article that Michael had written as a rebuttal came out in the New Statesman:

What Michael wrote is a brilliant repudiation of remarks made by a Tory MP--a piece that is intelligent, snarky, direct yet unfailingly eloquent. It wasn't just Michael defending his show, but using it (and Nye) to make a point, to make clear what he believes in, and to stand for the truth. And in much the same way that Michael's acting and oratory skills elevate any piece of work he performs, his writing conveyed that same depth, and it came across as effortless as everything else he does.

Which again left me with that feeling of disconnect when looking at Michael's article side-by-side with Anna's Insta story. It's not even that I disagree with her in this instance, as I do think the reviews were unduly harsh and devolved entirely too quickly into personal attacks in the comments. It's that when it comes to acting/directing, criticisms are part of the job, and whether she intended it or not, an Insta story like AL's conveys a sense of unprofessionalism. And when you put it next to Michael's writing, it looks more like a teenager throwing a fit instead of an adult giving a fierce clapback, which again probably was her intention.

Also keep in mind that everything I just wrote is predicated on the idea that someone seeing this story knows what AL is talking about. But I have to wonder how readily apparent it was, because it's so vague that it would probably be difficult for most people to suss out what she is referencing. So it's confusing to me that she is seemingly charging to Michael's defense...but without actually saying his name or the name of the show. Again, it feels like there is a disconnect/sharp contrast between Anna vague-blogging and how specific and incisive Michael was in that article, and it seems like they're not even close to being on the same page.

Those are my thoughts on Anna's Insta story from this morning. It's definitely a fair bit of whiplash, especially given the drastically different tone of her last few recent posts. But I'm interested as always to hear from my followers with your take, regardless of whether you agree or disagree. Thank you for writing in! x

[my-corneroftheworld]

Child without love

Summary: Namor finds a marine biologist with the powers to control water and deep knowledge of the sea and is intrigued.

Word count: 560 words

Tags: no minors allowed, "water-bender" reader x Namor after the events from Wakanda forever, possessive Namor, mutant reader, asphyxiation, war, violence, harsh language, the usage of y/n, afab reader

Ps. I HAVE HAD THE WORSE WRITING BLOCK IN MY LIFE!!!!!!! I am really sorry for the wait. I am really grateful for all the support and I hope to make it up to you guys through my writing. This chapter is a bit short due to said writer's block but I will do better in the next chapter. As usual, I accept the constructive criticism below :)

Masterlist

Chapter 5

I felt small caresses on my cheek. Moving from my cheek to my lips. My eyes fluttered open, welcoming the beautiful sight of him facing me.

"Good morning," he said quietly. I smiled. He looked so soft and domestic in this light. As if everything else I've experienced here has been nothing but a strange dream. At this moment there's only me and him. "Good morning" I reply with a smile. He smiles but a moment of hesitation washes over his face and he sits up.

"What's wrong?" I ask. "Did I do something?"

He quickly shakes his head "No, not at all. But I am afraid that I have." he sighed. " I haven't courted you properly. I don't usually get overcome by passion as I did yesterday. I am sorry if I have done wrong by you"

"No, you haven't done anything wrong!" I sat up quickly at the accusation. "I wanted this. I'm not sure how you do things around here but where I am from the idea of sleeping with someone doesn't have to mean courtship unless both parties intend it to be" I explained. He looked at me briefly then stood up. "Then I will make my intention clear and court you properly."

I sat there for a moment, staring at him. Every neural function in my brain ceased. Courting me?! As in dating? Or borderline marriage?! I can't! Anxiety creeps in as I begin to reason with the idea of marrying an underwater king. He is kind and attentive but I know very little of his quirks and faults. It can't be healthy to have a romantic relationship with one's captor. I felt the mattress dip and looked up from my fidgeting fingers. He looked at me for a moment with slight worry in his expression, brought my hands into his, and after a short moment spoke.

"I know that this has been difficult for you, leaving your people and your way of life for something that is not your fault. I may be selfish to ask more of you but I can't help but want you near me. However, I will not force myself upon you. I only ask you to consider the possibility of not only making this your home in terms of location but also in terms of your heart."

I looked into his eyes, feeling comfort in their warm depths. It would be a lie to say I didn't feel drawn to him. It wasn’t just his beauty but his heart, his love, and his dedication to his people. It makes me want to do anything for his dreams and aspirations to become a reality. I reached out and held his cheek in my palms, he melted in my touch. I could feel the softness of his cheek and the roughness of his stubble graze me.

"I am struggling with all of this. I am not sure if my decisions are right or even reasonable. I mean sometimes I think I'm losing it. But one thing I am certain of. You being here somehow feels like home and I've only experienced that with one other entity"

He chuckled "the sea?" I joined him. "yea" He holds my hand near his cheek. "Then I will hold you like the waves you are so fond of, for as long as you need"

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Marinette and the Bias Against Female Leaders

I've recently been reading some studies on female leaders and it got me thinking about Miraculous because of course it did. The thing that stood out to me was the fact that female leaders are seen as more selfish than their male counterparts even when nothing but the name is changed. You can read up on one of those studies here and a more generalized study on the same topic here.

The big takeaway from these is that women are expected to be nurturing and compassionate. If they're too initiative focused, then they're judged as mean even if they're acting the exact same way as a male colleague who is well liked.

When women leaders are as assertive as men; they are seen as less likable. The fundamental attribution error is that when women lead with a confident direct style, they are self-serving. Conversely, when men lead in this same manner they are well intended strong leaders. Therefore women must work harder to be seen as well intended, likable leaders. To do this they must spend more time building relationships, especially with other female peers and subordinates.

This brings us to Marinette.

I've personally never understood why people were so harsh in their criticism towards Marinette for her actions in season four. Yes, she absolutely should have told Chat Noir about Alya, but that's not why he quit. He learns about the Alya thing in episode 16 and tells Ladybug that it was okay:

Ladybug: I'm really sorry, Cat Noir. I should've told you. I mean, if I found out that you told someone about your secret identity, I'd... probably be upset, too. I'm really sorry I hurt your feelings. Cat Noir: You didn't hurt my feelings. You did everything right. Paris will always need a Ladybug superhero to watch over her. It's just... I realized that if one day that hero wasn't you, m'lady, since we don't know each other's identities, that means... I'd never see you again. Ever. And now, I just don't know if I can bear it

The thing that leads to him quitting in episode 23 - and the main source of tension for the season - is that he's not special anymore. He's just another part of the team:

Ladybug: (from TV) Of course not, it's just that... umm, he's a partner like any other! The most important is to pick the best superheroes for each mission, with or without Cat Noir. No matter what, we've got a great team and we'll always be here to save Paris. (Adrien is shocked.) Adrien: (turns off the TV and sighs) "A partner like any other..."

This is it. This is the line that pushes him to the brink. This is not followed by him trying to tell Ladybug that he's hurting. It's followed by him trying to get her to let him collect some miraculouses for her so that he feels more special:

Cat Noir: Hey! Meow are you, m'lady? Ladybug: Great, thanks, but I gotta go retrieve all these Miraculous. Cat Noir: I could lend you a paw to help save time. Ladybug: Thanks, kitty cat, but it's a guardian's job to do it. Cat Noir: I know who some of them are, remember? I was there when you first gave them their Miraculous! Ladybug: You don't even know where their rendezvous points are, I don't have time to— Cat Noir: Playing cat and mouse is my forte, you know— Ladybug: (yelling) If you wanna save me time, stop wasting it in the first place! (Cat Noir gasps. As Ladybug swings away, Cat Noir clenches his fist.) Cat Noir: And take my Miraculous back when you're done! Ladybug: (swinging away) Okay, whatever, see you later! Cat Noir: I won't waste your time anymore, I promise. Claws in. (detransforms to Adrien)

It's worth noting that Ladybug isn't actually treating him differently than she did before here. He's never been involved in the guardian stuff. We've seen him complain about that fact, but only to Plagg. As far as Ladybug is concerned, this is just their normal dynamic and Chat Noir is being weirdly demanding when she's on a time limit. She only gets snappy when he won't let her leave. She doesn't berate him for missing the battle or anything like that. She even listens to him initially and only tunes him out after he keeps making the same demand that she frankly has a solid counter argument to.

In other words, Chat Noir completely fails to communicate his needs and then quits without warning because he's not feeling special enough. I don't think that I've ever seen a fic addressing that flaw in Adrien's character (though I'm sure one exists), but there are A LOT of fics complaining about Marinette's behavior. The issues of his poor communication and selfish way of addressing his needs are largely ignored by the fandom because he was hurting and Ladybug didn't see it and how can she call herself a good leader/partner after that?

That focus on Chat Noir's feelings has always confused me because they're superheroes. Doesn't Paris come before feelings? In my book, Marinette's only flaw was keeping Alya's promotion from Chat Noir because it almost cost them both the sentibubbler and the Hack San fight. Once the Alya thing was out in the open and Ladybug apologized and Chat Noir told her that he wasn't mad about it, she was in the clear. The only issue that she knew about was resolved. All of the other tension comes from things that she's entirely unaware of like Nino not giving Adrien the full context of his and Alya's identity reveal.

It might not be satisfying for the audience, but logically speaking, Marinette using her expanded resources to win fights is just effective battle strategy. Of course you'd bring more heroes or focus on the heroes who will best aid your strategy when trying to keep the world safe. She's also free to pick her own second in command even if we'd prefer it to be Chat Noir over Alya. An identity reveal would be nice, but that's her choice and she's not wrong for prioritizing safety over feelings. Basically, she's not doing anything objectively wrong at the point where Chat Noir quits.

Along similar lines, it's Adrien's responsibility to talk about his issues. The fact that he doesn't is a character flaw on his part, not a failing on Ladybug's. Especially since she does ask when she notices that something is off and he lies.

This is actually a lesson that I had to learn as a teen: don't expect people to read your mind. They're probably focused on their own lives and problems and will take your words at face value. If you need help or comfort, then you need to speak up and be clear about what you need so that people can make time for you. I think a lot of people go through a phase like that, so it's a good flaw for a character to have as long as you treat it as a flaw and let them grow.

After reading the above studies and others on female leadership, I wonder if the gender phenomenon is playing a part in this criticism dynamic. Would people judge Marinette this harshly if she was Marvin or would they be sighing over Adriena being overly dramatic and not communicating? Aren't women often told to say what they mean? That rule applies to men, too.

I don't have an answer to those questions, but I thought it was an interesting notion and I'm curious what others think! I do want to mention one more time that Marinette isn't flawless, she definitely made mistakes. I've previously mentioned that, at some level, she's actively written to be unlikable. I'm only focusing on Adrien's flaws because they're so rarely discussed in this context and I'm curious why that is. The fact that Marinette gets more screen time and focus on her flaws could also play a big part.

I tend to look at plots from a writing perspective, thinking about how I'd handle them, and I know that's not the average viewing experience, so that may also be why I look at this so differently from what seems to be the common opinion. If I were writing this, it would be a lesson on communication focused around Adrien's flaws, but learned by both of them because heaven knows Ladybug's out of battle communication skills aren't great. But since she's basically a military leader and not Captain of the friend squad, that's not a massive character flaw. It's just an area where she could improve.

[attic-club-sandwich]

To Ascend Again

Summary: After falling from the Celestial Realm, the seven brothers must rely on each other emotionally to cope with the loss of their sister, Lilith. Meanwhile, they are also trying to adjust to their new forms and heal both the physical and emotional wounds caused by the Celestial War. Their bonds become stronger than ever since the fall, and they learn to rise again from the calamity that befell them.

Genre: Angst/Hurt

A/N: Here is Chapter 7, sorry for the wait! I've officially decided to make the chapters longer. So buckle up. This Chapter is a conclusion of the HoL tour. We pretty much know the layout of the house by now so I didn't feel it necessary to cover everything. But later chapters will bring some of the rooms (*cough* Lilith's room *cough*) into the story. But I hope you enjoy most of the chapter is Levi's POV! I'm going to try and dedicate a chapter to each of the brothers' perspectives so we can really get in and dissect what they're feeling.

Taglist: @obey-me-posts @amberrskiies

Masterlist

Read on Ao3

Chapter 7: The Avatar of Envy

The tour of the House of Lamentation was taking longer than intended as the brothers explored the house and took note of which bedrooms they wanted to occupy. Asmo of course chose the bedroom with the biggest and most extravagant bathroom, which was quick to start an argument amongst the brothers.

“That’s not fair at all, why does HE have to get the good bathroom?” Levi whined. His amber eyes glowed a deep orange hue as he felt his sin of envy begin to take over. He didn’t want to admit it, but he was undeniably jealous of Asmo. All he wanted was to soak in a bathtub, rather than standing under the harsh droplets of water from a shower. Asmo had a huge smile on his face as he hummed to himself. “Because I’M the Avatar of Lust, darling! My appearance is vital to my status!” Levi groweld in response, knowing Asmo was taking notice of his jealousy. Diavolo let out a hearty laugh as he led the brothers back down the staircase. “There’s no need to worry, Leviathan. Each of your rooms has its own personal bathroom connected.” Lucifer sighed, he really wished his brothers didn’t announce their criticisms so openly in front of Diavolo. They should be lucky that they even have a place to stay thanks to the Demon Prince’s generosity. He watched as Levi groaned, itching the side of his neck. He was progressively getting more and more irritated and he couldn’t figure out why. “Leviathan, what’s the matter?” Lucifer asked as they all made their way back into the entryway of the house. He had also noticed how irritable his younger brother was becoming. “My neck is itchy, and I feel like I'm drying out.” he huffed. Barbatos made his way over to Levi, and touched the now very angry red spot on his neck. “Not to worry, Leviathan. You just need some hydration. The gills you possess in your demon form act very much like the gills of the aquatic species. Therefore, you should take care to make sure you stay hydrated throughout the day as it will most likely cause you to transform.” Levi gaped at him, unsure how to feel about this new discovery. He was still having difficulties controlling when his demon form took over, but now he had gills to worry about?

Barbatos bowed, stepping back to Diavolo’s side. “I think we’ve covered just about everything, so please feel free to retire for the evening. I can imagine how tired you all must be.” The demon prince was about to make his way out the door when he stopped, suddenly remembering something important. “Oh, Lucifer! We will return tomorrow morning with a few items for you all. I have something that will prove to be useful for you as you settle into the Devildom. Not to mention I’d like to discuss the details of getting you all enrolled in my Academy.” Lucifer dipped his head in response. “Of course, I’ll be sure we’re all ready when you arrive.” Diavolo gave him one last smile as Barbatos shooed him out the door. “Let’s leave them to relax, My Lord.” he said as they left, the door shutting behind them. Once they were gone, Lucifer turned around to face his brothers. They were chatting amongst themselves when all of a sudden his stomach growled. The next task at hand was to figure out dinner and how he would manage to feed all 7 of them. “Would any of you care to join me to find something for dinner to bring back?” Everyone nodded except for Levi, who was sitting on one of the couches in the entryway looking miserable. “Leviathan, how about you go to your room and have a bath?” The 3rd born glanced up at him and nodded weakly. “Okay. Bring me back something somewhat edible.” he said, getting up and heading for the staircase. “And not fish, either.” he added, looking pale. Lucifer chuckled. “Got it. As for the rest of you… Mammon, how about you come along with me. Beel, Belphie, Asmo and Satan, you stay here and relax for a bit.” 

***

Levi’s room was well, to put it one way, unique. As if there weren’t enough surprises in store for him, the plain walls and ceiling were magically transformed into a giant fish tank. He had a feeling that Diavolo set it up that way for him knowing he would choose it. After having his powers assessed, his form is very much like a serpent or sea creature, so he found that being surrounded by water is very soothing. Levi stood in the center of his new bedroom, taking in the gentle sounds of flowing water from the tank. He could feel himself beginning to relax, the anxiety from the day beginning to lift from his shoulders. “Diavolo, thank you so much…” he whispered to himself. He made his way to his bathroom, and almost cried at the sight of the bathtub. He quickly turned on the faucet, and stripped his way out of his clothes. As he waited for the water in the bath to warm up slightly, he couldn’t help but glance at himself in the large mirror above the sink. He hadn’t fully taken in his demon form since his fall, and he was still not quite used to it and the effects it had on his body. He brought a hand up to touch his neck, feeling the delicate, aquamarine scales and the grooves of his gills hidden underneath. Levi shivered at the feel of them, dropping his hand to his side. His amber eyes filled with tears as he glanced down at himself. While his wounds were pretty much healed from his fall, some scars still remain etched into his skin as a reminder for his sins. He had also immediately noticed some obvious changes to his body in this form from the beginning, and he found that he was honestly quite disgusted with himself. Who could ever love me when I look like this? He thought. The burning in his neck was enough to pull him from his negative thoughts and he finally stepped into the bath. He sighed in relief as he sank down into the water. After soaking for a couple of minutes, the burning subsided. He leaned his head back and allowed his eyes to close. 

He woke up to knocking on the bathroom door. “Levi, are you okay in there? Dinner is here.” It was Lucifer’s voice. “Y-Yeah, just don’t come in! I’ll be down in a sec!” he called, water splashing out of the tub as he quickly attempted to cover himself just in case his brother felt like barging in. “It’s fine, just come down whenever you’re ready.” Lucifer said. He sounds tired, Levi thought. He felt a pang of sadness in his chest as he got out of the tub. He knew his brothers were each dealing with their own issues regarding their new forms as well as still mourning the loss of their sister. Once again, tears formed in the corners of his eyes. He hadn’t allowed himself to think much about the loss of Lilith. He wasn’t ready to accept it yet. Shaking his head, he quickly got dressed again and made his way back downstairs to the dining room. “Finally Levi! Did ya shrivel up in there? Get over here I'm starvin’.” Mammon said, opening up one of the many take-out containers lining the table. Levi was thankful it was only burgers this time since he was still getting a taste for Devildom food. At least he hadn’t audibly gagged like Asmo did once at Diavolo’s castle. He smiled to himself, remembering how upset Lucifer had gotten at him, as it reminded him of the old times together in the Celestial Realm. The room was silent as they all dug into their meals. Everyone was exhausted from the day, and were anxious to retreat to their rooms. Lucifer finally broke the silence, clearing his throat. “As you all know, Diavolo is coming back over tomorrow to tell us about the Academy he expects us to attend.” They all glanced up at him, still chewing their food. Levi studied his elder brother’s face as he continued. He had dark bags under his eyes, and his crimson eyes were devoid of any real emotion as he continued, “So I would suggest that you all go get ready for bed after you finish eating.” he said. No one argued with him, more than likely they noticed the state Lucifer was in as well. Suddenly, they all began to hear a soft snoring coming from the end of the table. They all glanced down to see Belphie with his head down in his fries, his burger only half eaten. Levi followed the rest of his brothers as they snickered. Even Lucifer laughed, which he could hardly believe. He hasn’t heard his older brother truly laugh in quite some time.  “Someone take him to bed, already.” he said, chuckling. Beel got up from the table and lifted his twin brother into his arms. “I got him. Since we’re sharing a room, I guess we’ll both be heading to bed. Good night everyone.” he said as he headed out of the dining room. “Oh, and save his leftovers in case he gets hungry in the middle of the night.” 

Levi yawned as his other brothers began to file out of the dining room. He and Mammon were the last to leave since they stayed to help clean up. “Ya feelin’ better Levi?” he asked as they began to head upstairs. Levi nodded, giving him a weak smile. “Yeah, a little. I didn’t realize how much of a toll my demon form took on me.” Mammon hummed in agreement. “I feel that. I can’t control mine from takin’ over either so don’t go feelin’ bad or nothin’, okay?” Levi couldn’t help but glance up at the twisted horns that were now poking through his brother’s snowy white hair. He also noticed his wings on his lower back that drooped behind him as he walked, the material of the shirt he was wearing now torn and frayed where they had ripped through. He’s obviously seen Mammon’s form plenty of times now since their fall, but this was the first time he was really taking it in. “Thanks, Mammon. I appreciate that.” he said, fidgeting with his hands. Mammon patted him on the back. “Don’t mention it, I um. I want to try and be there for you guys more.” he said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head. “Well, here’s your stop.” Levi glanced back up to see they were already at his room. “Thanks. Goodnight, Mammon. And u-um, I’m here for you too. Y-You know. In case you need anything. ” he stuttered, glancing away from Mammon’s golden gaze. Laughing, Mammon reached out and messed up Levi’s own hair. “H-Hey!” he protested. “Goodnight, little bro.” Mammon said, hurrying down the hallway as Levi called after him, “I’m not that much younger than you, you know!” 

*** Levi had fallen asleep in his bathtub. He didn’t know why, but something about the tall, porcelain walls were extremely comforting to him. It’s as if they were keeping him safe. Confined. Hidden from the dark, unfamiliar territory of the Devildom. He stretched awake, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He hadn’t been awoken by any knocks on his door, so he figured it was still pretty early. Getting up out of his tub, he headed out of the bathroom and into his room. It felt so…empty. The bare walls that weren’t taken up by the fish tank were staring back at him, begging to be covered. Back in the Celestial Realm, they weren’t allowed to indulge in any sort of personal decor in their rooms, as it was a sign of materialism which was considered to be a Sin. In a way, he felt a sort of relief wash over him at the fact that he had the freedom to decorate his new space anyway he wanted. But what do I even like anymore? He wondered, biting his lower lip. Back in the Celestial Realm, he did indulge in some hobbies from the Human World, but he was always forbidden from pursuing them. He’s always possessed the tendency to hyperfixate and go a little overboard and he tried his best to keep that to himself.

 The tile floor was cold on his bare feet as he approached his bedroom door. He paused when he heard the sound of yelling coming from somewhere in the house. Quickly, he yanked open his door and ran out into the hallway. “Lucifer?!” he yelled, running in the direction of where the voices were coming from. One was definitely his eldest brother’s voice, and he could hear the sound of something crashing and hitting the floor. The sounds took him into the kitchen, where he saw Lucifer in his demon form and a very pissed off looking Satan. He shivered, feeling the heavy tension in the air. “Fuck you, Lucifer!” the little blonde boy yelled, baring his fangs. Levi’s eyes widened, unsure of where his little brother learned that sort of word. Probably spending too much time around Mammon, he thought. His older brother did have quite the foul mouth lately. “That will be enough out of you, Satan.” Lucifer snarled, his lip curling in disgust. Levi glanced between them and noticed an entire pan of what appeared to be scrambled eggs on the ground. “W-What is going on here?” Levi said, nervously. Lucifer whipped around at the sound of his voice. “Your brother decided he didn’t want eggs for breakfast.” Satan let out a low growl, his barbed tail lashing back and forth behind him. “You guys aren’t my brothers.” Levi took a step forward, holding his hands up and preparing himself to transform if need be. “Hey Satan, wait-” Before he could finish his sentence, Satan took off from the kitchen wiping his tear filled eyes. Lucifer sighed and began to pick up the eggs off the floor. “I don’t know what we’re going to do about him. I’m sorry if we woke you, Levi.” The Avatar of Envy shook his head. “I-I was up already…Um…Where did we get the eggs?” He asked, wanting to avoid talking about the incident with Satan. Lucifer glanced at the fridge. “Apparently the Little D’s left us some basic ingredients.” Levi nodded, leaning against the kitchen counter. “Want to help? I’d rather get breakfast over with before Diavolo and Barbatos arrive.” Together, they got to work on making a new batch of eggs, as well as frying some bacon while Levi handled toast and drinks. 

Levi almost dropped the glass he was pouring juice into when he heard Lucifer begin to hum behind him. He recognized the tune immediately; He used to sing the lullaby to him and his younger brothers when they were scared, usually from some sort of nightmare that plagued their dreams in the middle of the night. Levi smiled softly as he remembered going into Lucifer’s room one night to already see the Twins being comforted by him. They did share the same dreams sometimes, so it only made sense that both of them were there. Speaking of the Twins, at some point Beel must have entered the kitchen, lured in by the smell of food cooking. “Good morning Beel. Help us set the table, breakfast is almost ready.”  Lucifer said. Beel nodded enthusiastically. “Sure, it smells delicious.” As the three of them continued to get the table set for breakfast, the rest of the brothers began to trickle in, all except for Satan. “Hey Lucifer, um.. What about Satan?” Levi whispered as they stood in the doorway to the kitchen. Lucifer shook his head. “He’ll come down when he’s ready. Or hungry enough.” Lucifer cleared his throat, catching the attention of the other 4 brothers. “Now the rest of you, eat up. Diavolo and Barbatos will be arriving soon.” 

[away-ward]

I think the reason why I like aydin so much despite him being manipulative towards emmy is because he was lashing will and alex left and right. at the end of the day aydin was willalex’s biggest hater and i applaud him for that. Will and Alex needed to be taken down several pegs and aydin did just that.

I guess that's the reason many do like him. I still find it to be a bit of a double standard to ignore the wrong things he did just because he was angry at Alex for choosing to be with Will, originally her client, over him.

He sang her praises after she appeared, and desperately wanted to marry her the entire time, and that's fine, but Emory receives criticism for choosing to marry Will?

Nah, Aydin was a weak, jealous man bulldozed by Alex's "charm," just like everyone else. He ended up in Blackchurch because he refused to move on from her. He was never trying to take them down; he was just pouting because Alex was out there having sex, doing what she wanted, but wouldn't touch him.

Edit: I'm coming back to add this because I thought about it while answering the other a&a, but I think it fits better here.

I think Aydin puts himself and Emory on the same level because while Alex and Will were out there finding comfort in each other and "forgetting" about them, he and Emory were alone.

But the difference is Emory was working on taking care of herself and accomplishing goals. Was she a self-fulfilled and well rounded person? No. She needed some help and reassurance to deal with her trauma. But Aydin refused to move on after Alex, and he held a grudge for Will since he saw them in the pool in Corrupt. While Emory was out there trying to make the best of a bad situation, Aydin was feeling sorry for himself.

They are not the same. Emory knew about Alex and Will before Blackchurch, and her only hope was that he could be happy even if it was without her, even though she hated that thought because she wanted to be the one to make him happy.

Emory is light-years better than Aydin. He's just as pathetic as Will if we're going to be comparing the two, and he deserves to be treated that way.

Thanks for the reply! I hope my reply doesn't come across too harsh, because I don't intend it that way. I appreciate your clarifying why you like him, but I just can't bring myself there.

-KO

Have a good day/night!!

[lucy-the-cat]

Hey! I have bpd and though overall I love your analysis, I just wanted to let you know that correlating a character’s redemption with how treatable their disorder is, is a bit…..

Also I’d advice you to refrain from referring to people with BPD (or any other disorder) as “borderlines”, etc. since in a way it reduces them to their diagnosis.

Sorry if I’m coming off as harsh, this is not meant to be “criticism”, per se, just something that made me feel a bit uneasy as someone diagnosed with a cluster B personality disorder.

Have a nice day, I love your fics!

I'll use the term "people with BPD" in the future to be more sensitive, thank you for the input! I guess I should clarify that you shouldn't be assigning moral weight to someone's symptoms if you can help it (a lot of abuse victims can have difficulty with this because of their own emotional exhaustion, which is why I don't put it as an absolute). Redemption is a bit of a moral term, even if I didn't intend it to be, so I apologize for that. I don't think you should deny empathy to those who are more difficult to treat, it's more that you often can't address a change in decision making without addressing the root cause of the brain's wiring. I do think Maven's issues are medical in nature, and should be treated with a newblood healer/therapist/both. More neutral terminology might've been better, if less intuitive, I just didn't want to seem like an enabler/apologist for his actions. Sorry if you or the disorder you struggle with were mischaracterized in any way. I'm glad the post was overall validating and that you like my work!

[writingmochi]

hi lissie, it's me again! sorry for responding so late, but i basically agree re: your thoughts on ggum and i wish the song didn't hold back and went harder and grittier! i loved the mixtape intro film and was hoping for something with its tone and vibe, i.e. melancholy and unfiltered, so i hope that the rest of the mixtape will deliver on that.

also i'm really glad that you freely share your thoughts and criticism on the artists you follow here, more and more i'm finding that your approach to music is so rare in kpop fan spaces. so many days it feels like people only want to praise and the only negative opinions come from haters, while genuine well-intentioned criticisms are buried by fan calls to stream and vote (plus they're often treated the same way as actual hate). i do get frustrated with artists that i love and want to state more critical opinions of their music, not because i've become a "hater" but because i do appreciate the artistry and musicianship of kpop!! and that means respecting the work enough as an art form to give it genuine critique, even if it's not always positive!

anyway i found your RYM by accident while looking for reviews of txt albums and i'm so glad to read your unfiltered voice. i hope you keep doing these reviews because these discussions of the artistry of kpop albums make me hopeful. <3 -🌻

lissie: hello🌻anon! no worries about the late response cause we all have things happening outside of tumblr (me included).

ahh thank you for saying that. i know that people said that ggum is overhated but i do believe that the comments i and a few others have made are mostly made in a positive way to improve what has been created with the song. seeing the tiktok's of the ot5 txt members dancing to it and a few dance covers of my explore page really makes the chorus linger in my head (just like what they intended) but i still don't really enjoy the song as a whole. october's the month of the mixtape so hopefully what you and i believe will do come true *fingers crossed*

i truly am glad you say that. i think, imo, because i've been a fan of kpop for so long that i have gone into almost every phase of a kpop fan ever known (excluding being a sasaeng of course cause fuck that) that makes me able to be level-headed. i've been in a few toxic fandoms before and being open to opinions outside of it makes me able to build a foundation of how i wanna interact with kpop more now casually. i know that i came to like kpop because of the music and with me branching out also, it makes me braver to voice out my opinion on idols that i like in an evolving/improving way.

it still is sad to know that even with the most constructive criticism that has a disclaimer that it is supposed to be able to improve is hidden behind fanatic commentary. it's actually one of the reasons why i am more active in a forum-style platform like RYM, AOTY, reddit, or even youtube for a more in-depth opinion sharing of kpop as a genre and as a industry. i definitely relate to what you are saying cause i've been in that space before and i left it because it makes something that i enjoy as a pastime consume my life (especially with voting and streaming). and i also believe that by criticising art, the artist can be better. they can innovate and create something they aren't confident in making, make it daring instead of playing safe because of its profit stability (looking at you @ hybe)

no worries about that actually! i'm using RYM and AOTY as platforms to track what i've been listening to so that i have an archival area to know what i have listened to and how i rate it. the reviews i posted on RYM is actually the polished version of the reviews i made here :D and i do hope that it can enrich people's opinions on txt, ateez, and enhypen's releases. i actually might also cross-posted my reviews onto AOTY cause, imo, the community is a bit more tolerable in a way like RYM is pretty harsh honestly.

i also do movie and game reviews on letterboxd and backloggd respectively if you wanna check that out too!

thank you so much for sending an ask *wave*

[skydemonizark]

no offense, but that trans manga u described, wandering son, is almost the exact opposite of what happened. there were a good handful of trans women, surprisingly, but then the character u assume will be a trans man just ends up being ok w being a girl. it gets criticized bc the creator couldve at least considered the concept of nonbinary genders, but the character's story is kind of just dropped compared to the other. that story does get criticized for that, but its not for not having trans women, the gf of the main character ends up saying "so does that make me a lesbian?" showing she accepts her as a girl. a lot of manga has problems w trans women rep, but i dont think that one counts

I'll admit it's been ages since I last read it so I don't clearly remember everything about it. And I acknowledge there are other trans girls in it, namely the older trans woman the mc talks with, and the other child trans girl. But I'm pretty sure I remember the mc choosing to live as a boy, I can't remember the reason but I am 90% sure he did.

Plus I did mention in the tags that the gf was cool with him being a girl, in fact I stated it as a reason why I was so confused and frustrated he chose to live as a guy...

And while I again acknowledge that there were other trans characters (were there any trans men??? I can't remember there being one...) The fact that the two main characters ended up choosing not to/ or ended up not being trans is what frustrated me. Because there are trans side characters, that are written with respect in several manga, but trans, like 100% textual trans main characters? I can only think of a few other manga, and a lot of them are comedies which are still good and important but feels lacking you know?

I suppose I am being kinda harsh on wandering son, cause it is a carefully written story with a lot of care put into the way the trans characters are written and represented. I'm just frustrated you know? cause I started reading it when there were only a few chapters out and I was so so excited to have a story with a trams mc and a trans man main character! But then the trans man wasn't actually trans, I was sad but I understood that that happens so I was fine. But then the ending where even the mc ended up choosing not to be trans? I felt hurt and mildly betrayed. Like trans stories aren't for main characters? I donno but it definitely left a bitter taste in my mouth.

Also I am so sorry if I miss remembered and the character did choose to live as a girl and I've been misgendering them this whole time... It was very much not intended to imply trans girls aren't 10000% girls

also also I know you didn't say or imply it but I kinda accidentally did in the original tags so I wanna clarify I don't think the mangaka decided to make the mc stay a boy so the relationship with the gf wouldn't be gay (I said it's cause the mc didn't wanna be gay which again I don't actually remember his reasoning this was just what I vaguely remembered) cause I know the mangaka has other works with gay characters and gay mcs so I would never claim she was worried about making her characters gay.

[hamliet]

@cowboyunderscore

To start with, I assumed this was something obscure/a private take sent to a person on discord (since I've gotten that before, that genuinely argue that Razukhin/Raskolnikov is the true love story or something and demonize Sonya, which is genuinely what I presumed was the context of this... and clearly was not). I realize that the person who sent this to me may not have had bad intentions either, but this doesn't leave anyone feeling great!. In the future, link me to a public article if it exists so that I can actually contact the person and see it in the full context, because again, to quote the man of the hour --

Don't let us forget that the causes of human actions are usually immeasurably more complex and varied than our subsequent explanations of them. -The Idiot

And to you, writer, I'm very sorry. Truly. Now I realize this may seem like splitting hairs, but I actually do have a record of making this distinction in my past critiques--I truly, truly did not actually intend to insult you as a human being, but rather critique the take itself, and when you see a take without a name it's easy to make harsher statements. If you look at what I said, I kept it to the "take" not to an individual, and that was deliberate (you also did call anyone who sees it as romantic as "crazy," which I'm assuming you didn't mean hyper literally but again, when you don't know anyone or context and see that then, well). However, especially since we don't know each other, that's not necessarily gonna come across well when I use harsh language like that, and I do realize that, so again, I'm really sorry. I don't think you're any of those things.

Since you said you wanted to discuss the idea, though, I'm more than happy to! I love talking Dostoyevsky. (Frankly, most literary criticism is just critics vagueing each other, but it's always better to have a direct discussion.)

Clearly, I don't personally believe the idea that Raskolnikov doesn't see Sonya as a person is textually supported! In fact, I'd argue the text supports the opposite idea. When Sonya is accused of stealing, Raskolnikov is the one who observes the situation and figures it out without needing or wanting anything from Sonya. Katarina loves Sonya, so she defends her, but she also needs Sonya. Sonya is her salvation. For Luzhin, it's the opposite: Sonya is a tool for him to use because his own pride was wounded.

For Raskolnikov, it's different. He's neither. He sees Sonya as a person and realizes that she's got nothing to do with this situation; she's not a thief/villain, she's not a savior, she's not a pawn. She's a person who has been hurt by people insisting she sacrifice herself to save them, by people who see her as a societal villain/fallen woman, by people who see her as a tool to use. Hence he is the one not who proves her innocence, but the one who explains the situation accurately--the textual implication being that he can see clearly in this.

We constantly see Sonya put in these two extremes: selfless savior or fallen tool to be used. This mimics Raskolnikov's own "schism" (as his name references) between being both an extremely selfless man (giving away his last kopek and risking his life to save orphans from a burning building) and a murderer with a Napoleon/God complex. The difference is that Raskolnikov's schism is internal, but Sonya's is external in terms of how others perceive her--hence, why they are able to bring out the best in each other. It's also kinda the nature of empathy, imo.

Their relationship doesn't benefit Raskolnikov more than Sonya; they both very much benefit from it. He empathizes with her as someone forced into a terrible situation. Yes, he does project in some instances--his "you have sacrificed yourself for nothing" speech applies to both of them, but it's not as if he's falsely projecting (it's true, and is used to relate to her later on rather than to condemn her as someone beneath him).

Raskolnikov ad Sonya's relationship, to me, is founded on a mutual respect and acknowledgement of the other one's humanity. This begins from the very first time they meet, long before Raskolnikov starts confessing to Sonya. He has her sit on the couch next to his mother and sister, which is something so incredibly taboo in society that day that Luzhin's rage over this isn't all that weird (culturally speaking). He defends her worth as a human being but also acknowledges to Sonya that she's not helping things as much as she'd like to believe.

I don't see any evidence textually that Raskolnikov sees Sonya as existing for his redemption. Rather, I see him as inspired by her. He goes to the station on his own, but it's her presence that encourages him to go through with confessing, because human beings cannot exist alone. That's a major theme in all of Dostoyevsky's works.

I also think that the symbolic ideas are a bit complicated; while I see what you're saying, I do think Raskolnikov empathizing with Sonya helps him empathize with himself, and deconstructs his idea of Alyona as a louse. See, Raskolnikov seeing Alyona as a predatory louse isn't just his own delusions: she is preying on the vulnerable and leeching her own security off of the desperate. However, the reality is that she is a human being, even if a mean one. As Sonya herself says, a human being can't be a louse!

But I'd also argue that how Raskolnikov sees Alyona is how he sees himself. Again, the schism idea: Raskolnikov is contradictory. He sees himself as Napoleon, as a superhuman with license to do as he pleases. Why does he see himself that way? Because he's a starving student too sickly (mentally and physically) to get his degree and despite this his family keeps sending him money. He sees himself as leeching off Dunya and his mother. He sees no hope for himself in the world, so he wants to believe in the delusion. He uses the Napoleon philosophy to create meaning in a life that seems otherwise hopeless.

So I guess what I'd say is that the tl;dr of this is that I don't think Raskolnikov moves from seeing Sonya as an symbol to a person; rather, he sees her as a person to begin with. There are symbolic ideals mingled up with a person, but that's the case for every single character and person in general.

I would also say that the text does pretty clearly state that they are in love at the end of the story; whether or not you buy it is up to you, but I don't see room for it being debatable that there's a romantic aspect to it? The emphasis on "seven years" clearly means that they are aiming to be together after he's released.

They wanted to speak, but could not; tears stood in their eyes. They were both pale and thin; but those sick pale faces were bright with the dawn of a new future, of a full resurrection into a new life. They were renewed by love; the heart of each held infinite sources of life for the heart of the other... But she was so happy—and so unexpectedly happy—that she was almost frightened of her happiness. Seven years, only seven years! At the beginning of their happiness at some moments they were both ready to look on those seven years as though they were seven days.

Wanted to ask what you think about this reading

( >︹<)

No but actually. It's anti intellectual, cynical, bad faith, not authorially intended, and not textually supported take. The sheer degree of misreading makes this almost laughable.

Like if you don't think that romantic love--which is not incongruent with spiritual love--is the entire POINT of the ending, of what offers Raskolnikov and Sonia practical futures, then they didn't read the book. They read their own presumptions into the text.

I'll quote from @linkspooky here. Link's talking about No Longer Human, which is in many ways a response to C&P, as well as how NLH's main character is perhaps more similar to the unnamed narrator of Dostoyevsky's Notes from Underground. The point I think Link expresses really well is this:

For Yozo, each woman he meets is his Sonya, they are meant to redeem him and bring him peace, and when they don’t he leaves. Yozo someone missing the point that, Raskolnikov loved Sonya because he sympathized with her circumstances and suffering while Yozo really only ever cares about his own suffering...

The protagonist encounters a young prostitute name Liza, he tries to save her at first, but then turns around and starts to treat her terribly and has a mental breakdown in front of her that ends in this line. She finds him pitiable, and comforts him in that moment. 

However, after this moment of comfort he then he goes back to treating her terribly once more. He yells at her, and she grows tired of him. He pays her and she leaves and that’s the end of that relationship. 

See it’s a moment that’s simultaneously, a moment of human connection, but also it shows how the protagonist regards other people and why he can’t connect to them. If you only use other people to comfort your loneliness, you’re going to end up alone either way. The same way the Narrator uses Liza, Yozo chronically uses women. 

The person whose take you linked (no idea who they are) is basically doing the same thing as Yozo and as the unnamed Narrator--they're viewing Sonya as existing for Raskolnikov, but they don't cite any actual evidence for this, nor can they without removing context. Now, you can criticize Dostoyevsky's execution of the idea, but there is a vast, vast, vast difference between how Dostoyevsky portrays the Narrator and Liza and how he portrays Raskolnikov and Sonya. This difference shows that Dostoyevsky is not unaware of the idea of seeing a woman as an idea or an idol rather than as a human being.

Sonya is absolutely a person, and that's why she's able to impact Raskolnikov so much, and why he's able to empathize with her. It's her humanity. Someone who is denied humanity by so many and even by his own self meets someone whom others deny humanity to and can only affirm her humanity because of what he's heard from those who love her--long before Sonya and Raskolnikov ever have any sort of interaction. He affirms her humanity before he even meets her, and that's the point.

Yes, within the story she's a symbol for the suffering of humanity and for the suffering of poor women just as Raskolnikov is a symbol for the suffering of the impoverished students desperately seeking some kind of meaning in a life that looks hopeless. But to reduce the characters to their symbols and to argue that the text supports this is directly against the themes, because Raskolnikov seeing people as just symbols is exactly what fueled his toxic philosophy. It's coming to love someone as a human being that sets him free from that.

[ailuronymy]

Hello! I was searching for some trans warrior cats post on Google when I saw your account, I would really like some advice for handling a trans warrior cats character I'm writing in my AU.

He presents as a she cat at the beginning but later on comes out as trans, I was wondering about how should I approach the transition itself. The first ideas I had are: for him to do vocal exercises with the medicine cat which will help lower his voice (that is one of his main insecurities) , his clan mates will switch to male pronouns and he will get extra food so he could grow larger and more masculine looking (Cats that have a stable diet while they're growing are going to be bigger and stronger) along with herbs that are supposed to stop/repress ovulation in she cats (I'm not that great at biology but I think that would also affect his hormone levels)

Do you have any other ideas?

PS: Thank you for your help and time!

Hello there! Thank you for writing in, but I’m sorry, this blog is not here to provide this kind of help. If you look in the tag here, I’ve done what I can in the past and I hope some of it is useful to you, but as I’ve said before, I’m not looking to talk more on the topic. It’s not wrong to want to write about trans characters, so you’re not in trouble for asking or anything, but I’m not comfortable being consulted for this information.

In fact, if I’m totally and maybe a little brutally honest with you, I think that if you’re at the stage of writing about a complex and highly personal experience where you’re asking random strangers on the internet for advice, you’ve probably got a little way longer to go before you’re ready to actually write about the topic and I’m sorry if that’s difficult to hear. My guess is that you’re probably not transgender yourself, because otherwise why would you be asking me about it? Surely you know your experience better. 

I don’t think that means you can’t write about this topic eventually and I think there is genuinely a good intention in trying to seek out information, but please consider the sources from which you’re seeking this information. There are literally books (both fiction and nonfiction) written by transgender people and I feel like reading work by those people--i.e., the people who have first-hand experience--is a great place to begin learning about how to write on this topic. 

I know you’re coming to my blog because it’s about Warriors and you’re looking to write about a transgender cat, but I think before you can try to transpose this concept onto the world of Warriors, you need to really learn about the concept itself in detail from a variety of sources and then you can focus in on how it might be interpreted in a different context--i.e., in cats. 

For example, you’ve mentioned “male pronouns”--but actually there’s no such thing as male pronouns. He/him is traditionally assigned to men, but there’s a lot of lesbians who also use those pronouns. There’s nonbinary people. There’s a lot of transgender women who haven’t come out. I understand what you mean to say when you say that, but pronouns are actually just one aspect of identity and performance of self and they’re as fluid and open to interpretation as the rest. 

It’s all constructs and I personally think if you want to write in a space that is actively discussing gender and what gender is and what gender can be and the kind of inherent boundary-breaking and remaking and reworking that comes with that territory, it’s worth really sitting down and thinking about these things and being careful with how you actually want to position your character and story and the language you use, etc. etc., and again, I think if you’re asking me for guidance, there’s probably a chance you’re not quite there yet. 

I want to mention as well that “coming out” stories in general are greatly over-represented when it comes to ‘queer’ stories by non-queer writers in mainstream media. You’re writing fanfiction for fun and that’s allowed and okay, but it does seem that the story you’re looking to tell is ultimately about this character coming out. You’ve focused a ton on the transition aspects of this character and if I’m totally honest with you, that strikes me as maybe not a great move, since it’s a very cis approach to writing about transgender characters to fixate on the “process” (often with an invasive, objectifying kind of lens). I’m not saying that your intention or necessarily what your story would be, but I do feel it’s worth pointing out so that you can be sure to avoid it. 

Also, as a side note that might interest you, cat voices don’t actually work like human voices. In human sexual dimorphism, testosterone levels rising in puberty result in a low voice--but cats don’t experience this in real life! Male cats don’t have lower voices than female cats, and the spectrum of “normal” cat voices can span from the very high to the quite low and gravelly regardless of the cat’s sex. To offer an anecdote, I have a skinny old Siamese who has an extremely deep yowl (which his mother also had) and a fluffy ginger cat with a very high, squeaky chirp, and they’re both male and desexed. So basically what I’m saying is transposing human experience onto cats (or frankly any animal) in this instance might be less straightforward than you’d expect, depending on how many cat characteristics versus human characteristics you want to include. 

Anyway tl;dr: I strongly recommend undertaking genuine research into lived transgender experience as written by transgender people before attempting to tackle any kind of story like this. You’re welcome to look through the tag I’ve got on this blog for ideas on adapting that research to a Warriors context when the time comes but I really have to stress that this is a topic that requires effort, humility, and a willingness to both learn and acknowledge the limitations of your own perspective as a writer. I’m sorry if that’s not the feedback you wanted to hear, but I can’t in good conscience not say it. 

[sophitz]

I’m going to toss my opinion in to the mix if that’s okay, because honestly? I think a big part of Fitz’s hate comes from the difference between his portrayal in the narrative in comparison to Keefe’s, even if they’re both very similar. Like…they both act out because of stress and trauma, right? But, the narrative doesn’t really emphasize that as much for Fitz as it does for Keefe. (Not saying that the narrative never does- just not nearly as much.) WE know that Fitz’s upbringing was probably extremely stressful and traumatizing for him, but how many times is that said in the series, if ever? The only time I’d say the narrative is really ”on his side”, for lack of better words, is when it comes to his stress over Alvar (and in Exile when Alden almost died), but the compassion almost entirely stops there. We, as an audience, know a lot about how Keefe’s experiences negatively affected him. He does bad stuff, yeah, and other characters get mad at him, but there’s always that connection there between his stressors and his actions that the narrative emphasizes. It’s also worth noting that most of Keefe’s bad actions are misguided attempts at helping others (Like how he runs away in Unlocked to try to protect everyone.), which is sort of hammered into the reader each time he does make a mistake. For Fitz, his bad actions tend to be due to stress over what’s happening to him specifically, which is also hammered into the reader through Sophie’s frustrated-inner-monologue half of the time. (Like with the relationship drama in Legacy, for example.) If you just read the series without analyzing it much yourself, you’re likely going to dislike Fitz (unless you project onto/have a crush on him, obviously.) because that’s kind of what the narrative tells you to do, intentionally or not. If anything I just said is actually the case, which it might not be I mean I’m just one person, it could also explain why a lot of younger readers specifically tend to dislike Fitz, since they’re not really thinking as critically about what they’re reading yet. I was going to say more but I’ve already written a lot, which I’m sorry about. I just think the reason behind why Fitz is such a polarizing character is really interesting.

I think you hit it right on the nose, anon. Keefe’s trauma is much more highlighted as a contributor to the plot and as a defining source of his actions. There isn’t much subtlety when it comes to his Tragic Backstory. Gisela and Cassius's A+ parenting is shown so often that readers understand and forgive his rash decisions, whereas Fitz...we don't really get to hear "his side of the story" much anymore. And of course, that's not to say I'm ready to dismiss his poor coping skills entirely (just as I'm not willing to do with Keefe either).

But what younger readers tend to miss is that Fitz's bad decisions are not out of malice becuse they are not always explained on a silver platter in the text. It's so easy to write him off as selfish and narrow-minded in Legacy because of his fixation on Sophie's matchmaking, but I feel like we never addressed his pressure to uphold a several-thousand year family legacy (no pun intended), baring the responsibilites now of eldest son after Alvar effectively disowned them. If there had been more about his struggles with that weight on his shoulders, if he had gotten anything close to the Keefe Sencen Treatment in this last half of the series, his mistakes wouldn't be judged on such a double standard.

I think that's why I'm partial to the strong Alden critics (even though I'm not nearly as harsh on him myself), since they at least draw on that connection between Fitz's upbringing and his outbursts. If more of KOTLC's target audience were able to recognize the intricacies of the story and analyze Fitz past his surface-level actions, there would be a lot more sympathy for him.

[blue-bird-lamentation]

yosuke for the character opinion bingo? 👉👈

 #1 blorbo at the moment. i think if i don’t see a picture of him daily i’ll explode.

I think i’ve never read so many fanfic before lol (however for other pairs i had been interested before, there isn’t that many content, so it’s difficult to compare). i do love reading the various interpretations of Yosuke (and Yu/Souji) in those.

Although I had some knowledge about the game and it’s story beforehand (i even found a post from a person who seemed to actively disliked him, but i didn’t pay much attention to it at the time), i had no idea i would get so attached to him but it happened right from the beginning - falling into trash cans is truly remarkable.

I loved his initiative to start the investigation, the immediate chemistry with the Yu/Souji, and I was super hyped with the og trio: Yu/Souji, Yosuke and Chie.

I loved his Shadow arc (although it works, it’s sad we don’t get an actual dungeon for that like the others (same for Chie)) and his SL <3<3<3 (also his appearance in Marie's and Naoki's SL, although, for Naoki I prefer the manga adaptation, since in game it revolves more around Yu/Souji).

The game starts pretty harsh on him: learning that the girl he was interested in (and one of the only people that seemed to understang him at the time) has died and the last words he hears from her are not the ones he expected to hear. And learning about how lonely he feels in that town, and how his happy silly self is a facade, it was ... sad and depressing. It really made me get really attached to him.

And yet he keeps being the guy who takes a lot of initiative inside and outside the investigation.

I love how he is so silly, and smart, and he also looks really cute tbh (extra hella moe in the dancing game and super cute chibi in the q games. Him and Naoto are super gender, especially looking at them in the dancing game ;;).

Seriously, I love how he is such an idiot sometimes (derogatory and affectionate), how he talks without thinking, sometimes... it's part of his charm.

But i also love how smart he is, and also dedicated (not only in the investigation, but for example he does show, with the motorcycle license scene, that he can put effort in goals he intends to achieve, and if he is motivated, but it also shows how anxious he is and how he is afraid of failing or staying behind).

I also love how he can say such beautiful things sometimes (SL!!!), but sucks at texting (i can't read that fr).

It made me so happy whenever i could just select the nice dialogue options for him (like right at the beginning when Saki mentions he can be a bit nosy sometimes and you can tell her he seems to be a nice person) and how you can choose to hug him in the SL :'')) (btw i didn't know you needed to unlock something in a previous rank to get the hug option, so i was very proud that i got it right at first without knowing it).

Even though i can’t relate 100% to him, there are a lot of aspects that feel kinda relatable, even more if i think of myself when i was his age, in game. Mainly the anxiety, loneliness and sometimes being just silly to hide true emotions/feelings. However he is totally a more outgoing person than i could ever be.

( Whoever sent this, i'm so sorry for taking so much time replying ( ༎ຶ ◡︎༎ຶ) )

I know he is a somehow controversial character (i mean, the game itself is) but i actually try to avoid the mean comments towards my faves so i rarely see those. i’m just aware there are. i love seeing the content from other people who like him though c: and there is lot of good content, i’m always well fed.

I think it’s fine if people don’t like a character or make thoughtful critics if something upsets them about a media they are consuming, critical thinking is always good, and we do not need to like the same things. As long as people are respectful, I am just fine and that’s it.

I just wanted to write a minimal text before simply posting the board and didn't find the right time to do it before ;_;  pls accept a smoll Yosuke plushie drawing to compensate)

[cosmicjoke]

I'm not trying to justify any type of violence but honestly, I'm so sick of people invariably condemning or chastising Levi for his reaction to Historia's intendency to become queen. I understand, he was kinda harsh, but people need to realize that they were all at a tough spot. The commander of the SC and his comrades were all detained; there was no guarantee Hanji & her squad would come out of their assigned mission alive; he and his squad were being hunted down by the MPS. They were all at a desperate situation. They didn't have time for Historia's hesitance otherwise they all would've died there and then.

The other example in which they accuse Levi of being vindictive is how he treated Annie in the female titan arc. He could've stayed silent, yes, I understand that too, but how in the world he could've known Annie would have the ability to summon other titans and get away? He felt bad himself too so why the blame all the time? Sorry for the rant mate.

Yeah, it's pretty absurd. People constantly take Levi's actions and twist them to fit this narrative they want to push of him being something he isn't. I'm telling you, it all comes out of jealousy. They hate that he's so well loved. You laid out exactly why what he did with Historia was, while harsh, not even remotely malicious. First of all, everyone acts like he put his hands around her throat and choked her, which he didn't. He lifted her up by the collar of her shirt, and the reason he did it is exactly what you said. Everything hinged on Historia assuming the role as Queen. If she refused, then the whole thing fell apart, and everyone that had given their lives up to that point, and everyone who's lives were on the line, and everyone who had sacrificed so much of themselves, all of that would be rendered meaningless. And all because Historia was giving in to self-indulgent self-pity. There was no time for that sort of thing at that point, especially for someone who had voluntarily signed up to become a soldier who pledged to dedicate their lives to the cause of the SC. Levi got angry because she was threatening to collapse everything they all had worked and sacrificed for because she felt sorry for herself. I'm not saying Historia doesn't deserve sympathy for her feelings in that moment. Of course she does. But she was also being selfish to the point of endangering an innumerable number of lives. Not just the members of the SC, but the lives of everyone inside the walls, whom the powers in control at the time had proven themselves not to care one iota about. So anyone who criticizes Levi unduly for his treatment of Historia during that scene is being an idiot, and just looking for reasons to shit on him.

The same goes for Levi's threats against Annie during the Female Titan arc. Annie had just gotten through slaughtering dozens of Levi's comrades, in cold blood, even torturing some of them, and Levi couldn't do anything about it if he wanted Erwin's plan to work out. Levi was pissed, understandably so, and he gave in to his emotions a little. But if anyone thinks Levi actually MEANT any of what he said to Annie, they don't actually understand his character at all. Levi constantly says stuff like that as a bluff, and out of emotion. The reality is, he was trying to get her to just surrender and come out of her titan so that no more lives had to be threatened or lost. It backfired, fine. But like you said, nobody knew Annie could call titans to her. Again, it's just a case of people looking for reasons to shit on Levi because they hate the fact he's so popular.