#in fact. the universe demanded for him to be sacrificed

[justaz]

wait. wwwwwait.

allura bringing lance back from the dead by sharing her quintessence with him and changing his dna to be altean and altering his quintessence to give him similar abilities and powers to allura’s. lance who is incredibly self sacrificial and has self worth issues switching places with allura when she was trying to sacrifice herself for the universe.

lance doing it bc he was supposed to die a while ago, allura shouldn’t have brought him back and this was the universe demanding balance. he was brought back without sacrifice and this was the universe correcting itself. lance doing it bc he had nothing left to offer. what was he going to do after the war? return to life as normal? pretend like nothing was wrong and that there was no responsibility on his shoulders? turn his back on those in need or go up into space and turn his back on his family?

this way lance could save everyone and his life would have meaning, this is why he was chosen, he was a lamb raised to be slaughtered. he wasn’t made for war or fighting. his soul always yearned for home and for peace. he’s always been the one taking hits for his friends and family. he’s always been the one to take the ire of his commander instead of his little mouthy friend, to take the brunt of an explosion instead of a man he knew all of two days, to take the force of thousands of volts of electricity coursing through his body rather than his teammate. he should be the one to give his life in exchange for quadrillions of lives he’s never met but who deserve a chance to live.

[0cta9on]

Sana and Miyeon fucking their boyfriend and they fight over him to make him choose her favorite girlfriend (full story please)

A Stroke of Luck

length: +3k words

Twice Sana x (G)-Idle Miyeon x Male Reader

(Author's Note: Sorry for taking so long!! First threesome piece, so I hope it's alright)

【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★

Sometimes you wonder just how you got so lucky. Since the day you were born, you were able to glide through life, getting anything you could ever want with a simple wave of your hand or a nod of your head. Perhaps your life of luxury can be attributed to your incredibly wealthy parents spoiling you the second you drew your first breath, or maybe your past life sacrificed themselves to save the universe and the higher power up there is finally giving you your recompense. Regardless, you revel in the fact that you have everything - and everyone - right at the tip of your fingers.

Frankly, you have a vague memory of how you met them - your memory always gets hazy when alcohol is involved. You were never too keen on clubbing, viewing it as a waste of money for a night you’ll never be able to remember, but it was a small price to pay to appease some potential business partners that your parents would eventually bleed dry before tossing to the curb. While trying to keep up appearances, the crowd parted at just the right moment, allowing you to gaze upon these goddesses for the first time, two Mona Lisas that made even the most beautiful supermodel comparable to a two-year-old’s crayon drawing. This is when your memory gets a bit blurry. A quick exchange of sultry alcohol-infused words, a brief yet lingering touch on the arm, and suddenly you had them both face down in some expensive hotel room, pounding away to high heaven. After a night of blissful sex, you would wake up alone with a note on the nightstand and one new message on your phone from an unknown number. Upon reading the note, only then did you realize just how truly lucky you are.

That night was a year ago. In fact, today marks the exact anniversary of that night - your first anniversary with your girlfriends. You have a whole schedule planned for later, which includes an expensive dinner for the three of you, a private fireworks show, and a steamy ending between the sheets as the cherry on top. As bizarre and outlandish as your situation is, you genuinely do love them and want to spoil them with a good time. Unfortunately (or rather, fortunately), one of them isn’t content with waiting around until dinner rolls by.

The sight of the cute Japanese woman crawling towards you in nothing but one of your white button-up shirts is a sight you would gladly get surgically implanted into your retinas. She tries to glare at you menacingly, but her round eyes and her bread-like cheeks only serve to make her look adorable.

“Sana, what are you doing?” You ask, amused.

“I’m a tiger stalking their prey. Rawr~” she teases, stifling a giggle. Any attempts at trying to watch the game on the TV prove futile once Sana starts rubbing your thighs, her hands tantalizingly close to your crotch.

“Miyeon is gonna be pissed if she finds out we’re fucking without her, you know?” You say as you run your hands lovingly through her silky hair.

“If she finds out.” Sana punctuates her statement with a kiss on your bulge. “Just don’t let her find out,” she giggles. Before you can object, her hands are already unzipping your pants and taking out your erect cock. Sana gazes at it affectionately, licking her lips as she strokes you slowly. Compared to Miyeon, she is much more vocal about her desires, begging and pouting until you finally give in to her demands (Not that you would ever say no to that face). Whether it’s a new handbag or your cock inside of her, Sana gets what she wants one way or another.

“You naughty girl,” you tease, caressing her cheek. “You really can’t wait until Miyeon gets home?”

“Mm-mm,” she mutters, shaking her head before taking your entire length into her mouth. The overwhelming sensation of her tongue lapping up your precum causes an involuntary groan to escape your throat. An entire year of this and not once does it ever get old. Life is fucking great, isn’t it?

Sana’s doe eyes scan your reaction as she worships your member, always so attentive, ensuring that you’re enjoying the experience as much as she is. She watches the way you squirm when she sucks on your balls or the way your breath hitches in your throat whenever her teeth gently graze against your skin. To the unknowing eye, Sana can easily be seen as a materialistic brat, but you know better than anyone how much she reciprocates your affection. It’s most evident in how hard she tries to take all of you in at once, struggling to the point of tears as she forces your cock down her throat.

“Fuck, Sana,” you moan. “Save some of that energy for later tonight.”

She struggles to catch her breath after another attempt at deepthroating you. Precum and saliva coat her mouth and chin, dripping down to her chest that’s barely hidden behind your white button-up shirt.

“I just can’t help myself when I’m with you. That beast between your legs is just sooooo enticing.” Sana hops into your lap, pressing her full body weight into you. You feel her panting breath tickle your nose while you stare at the many charming features of her face. How lucky you are to have such a beautiful woman in your life.

“Why are you smiling?” she teases, the sweet sound of her laugh brushing against your ears.

“I love you, Sana,” you state firmly. Her cheeks turn a bright shade of pink right before she hides her embarrassed expression in the crook of your neck, giggling delightfully. You’re so infatuated by her cuteness that you almost forget that she’s naked and sitting on your lap. Almost.

One by one, you unbutton her shirt, slowly revealing that body you love so much. Her full, perky breasts sit above her toned stomach which flows and ebbs into her petite waist. You run your hands along her familiar curves, painting her chest with kisses. Your body aches for her and hers for yours, clawing and gripping and kissing every inch of your beings, trying to absorb one another just to get closer than humanly possible.

Sana cups your face, eyes steeled with lustful determination. “I need you to fuck me. Fuck me so hard that Miyeon gets jealous. I want to be the only woman for you, even if it’s just for a little moment.”

Without another word, you stand up, carrying her by her ass and aligning your cock with her moist folds before staring deep into her eyes as you thrust yourself into her, watching her face morph into several shapes of desire as she adjusts to your size. Sana’s arms and legs wrap around your torso, desperately clinging onto you to try and take in every inch of your cock. You’re not sure how long she’s felt like this; you always considered her and Miyeon to be a package deal, never one without the other for too long. You love them both equally and always ensure that you never showed favorites. Maybe you slipped up recently, or maybe the two of them are fighting behind the scenes. Whatever it is, if Sana wants to feel like the only woman in your life, you’ll gladly grant her wish in a heartbeat.

“Sana… baby… I love you so much,” you pant into her ear.

“MMPH, yes! I love you too, baby! F-Fuck! You’re the only one that can satisfy me!” She mashes her lips into yours, forcing your tongues into a messy yet sensual dance. Her moans vibrate in your mouth, drowning out any kind of background noise other than the clapping of your hips against hers. Her sweet pussy takes you in so well, almost as if it was tailor-made just for you. However, your cock belongs to two women. One of those women happens to be unlocking the front door right at this moment.

“Hey guys, I’m bac- Hey!”

Much to Sana’s dismay, you momentarily pause your thrusts to glance at the source of the voice. The second love of your life, Miyeon, is standing right there with a large bouquet of flowers and an irritated pout on her lips.

“Hi princess,” you say to her, hoping to ease the tension. “What do you have there?”

“They’re from work,” she huffs, tossing the flowers onto the sofa before stomping towards you. “What are you doing?!”

You let out a sheepish laugh as you set Sana down to the ground, pulling out of her sweet embrace. Now two pairs of unhappy eyes are looking up at you. “W-well, you see, you know how Sana is-”

“How could you two have sex without me?!” Miyeon exclaims.

“Yah, don’t yell at him!” Sana interjects. “It’s not his fault he prefers my pussy over yours!”

“O-okay, I never said th-” You try to come in between them, but they both push you away with surprising synchronization.

“No, he doesn’t! You probably just threw yourself at him, you slut!”

Sana gasps. “Slut?! You’re just jealous that he likes me more than you!”

The two continue to bicker and argue, and you start to worry that things could get physical. Right as Sana lifts her hand, you step in between the two of them, shielding Miyeon from a potential slap.

“OKAY, let’s all calm down for a second, alright?” You gently grasp Sana’s wrist, putting it down by her side. “What is going on between you two? You guys are best friends, why are you fighting all of a sudden?”

The two fall silent, averting their teary eyes to the floor, standing there like bickering sisters. You never expected this kind of behavior from either of them, especially on the day of your anniversary.

“Look at me,” you command, lifting up both of their chins towards you. “I love the both of you and I don’t want to see you fighting. We’re going to stand here and talk until this all gets resolved, even if it takes all night.”

Seeing the serious look in your eyes, both of their expressions soften. Sana is the first to speak up.

“I see the way you treat Miyeon. Sometimes I feel like you like her more than me, and it makes me feel… jealous.”

Compared to Sana, Miyeon is on the quieter side, rarely demanding things from you or complaining about anything. In the beginning of your relationship, you assumed that she wasn’t into the idea of polygamy and only tagged along because of Sana. It took a while to understand her, but you eventually found out that Miyeon just doesn’t like asking for things and wants you to basically read her mind. Now, you can tell exactly what she’s thinking just from her body language, and Miyeon consequently became more affectionate towards you. Sana must have noticed the differences in the way you treat her and thought you were showing favoritism.

“Okay, yes, I treat Miyeon differently than I treat you, but that doesn’t mean I love her more than you, Sana,” you reassure her. “You girls have different personalities and both of you deserve a man that can love you the way you want to be loved. I’m sorry if it seems like I treat her better, but that’s really not the case, okay? Please don’t fight because I made a mistake.”

Sana and Miyeon look at each other with an apologetic expression before falling into a warm embrace.

“I’m sorry I fucked him without you,” Sana apologizes.

“I’m sorry I called you a slut.”

Sana pulls Miyeon into a deep and loving kiss. It starts out innocently enough, but eventually, the two begin moaning into each other’s mouths while their hands explore their bodies. You can’t help but stroke your cock at the sight of your two ladies making out in front of you. Miyeon notices your erection and whispers giddily into Sana’s ear, prompting a mischievous smile to grow on the Japanese woman’s lips.

“We’re so sorry about fighting, baby,” Sana says in a sultry tone.

“Yeah, we’ve been such naughty girls.” Miyeon looks at you with her siren eyes, drawing you in with a simple glance. “Maybe you should punish us, baby.”

Sana reaches out and grabs your rod, pulling you closer. “Yeah, punish us with your big, fat cock.”

With your heart pounding with excitement, you grab their wrists, pulling them towards the bedroom as the sounds of their giggles trail behind you. You throw them towards the bed, quickly freeing yourself from any clothing as they watch with anticipation. Miyeon bites her lip as she ogles your body, while Sana touches herself just thinking about all the things you’ll do to the both of them.

“Miyeon is a bit overdressed, don’t you think so, Sana?” You ask, smirking. Sana nods in agreement, pulling Miyeon into a heavy kiss while her hand snakes its way into her top. You get to work on Miyeon’s bottom half, kneeling in front of her and tugging at her skirt to reveal the damp spot on her panties. You pull Miyeon’s legs over your shoulder so her thighs sandwich your face and begin planting kisses all over her supple skin. Sana tosses Miyeon’s top and bra to the other side of the room before sucking on Miyeon’s perky tits. Her high-pitched princess moans fill the room, accompanied by the wet kissing sounds of you and Sana pleasuring her body.

“Ah, fuck! Yes, just like that!” Miyeon exclaims. You hungrily pull off her panties before diving into her heat, licking between her folds and flicking your tongue against her clit. Sana sits behind her, holding her spasming body while nibbling her ear.

“I bet you’re sooooo exhausted after work, aren’t you, princess?” Sana whispers into Miyeon’s ear. Miyeon nods amidst her whimpering, biting her lip at her girlfriend, begging for her to take her. Sana obliges, shoving her tongue into her mouth as you shove your tongue into Miyeon’s dripping pussy. It doesn’t take long for Miyeon to reach her first orgasm, squirting her nectar all over your face which you gladly lap up, not wasting a single drop. Her body shivers with pleasure, but you have only just begun.

Sana and Miyeon watch intently as you stand up and align your cock with Miyeon’s glistening heat. With a mischievous smirk, Sana moves aside, letting Miyeon lie on her back. Miyeon’s mouth forms an “O” as you insert your tip inside of her, and Sana seizes the chance by sitting on Miyeon’s face, grinding her hips into the Korean woman’s open mouth. Your bodies form a literal love triangle as Sana pulls your face towards her, catching your lips with hers as you thrust deeply into Miyeon. You imagined this to be the last thing you did on your anniversary night instead of the first thing, but you don’t mind doing things a bit out of order. As long as these two lovely ladies are happy, you’re happy.

“Isn’t Miyeon’s pussy so tight, baby?” Sana asks with a smirk on her face. You nod, becoming increasingly aroused by Sana’s dirty talk, quickening the pace of your thrusts. Miyeon’s muffled moans become significantly louder, causing Sana to cling onto your shoulders for support as she reaches her climax. Sana pulls your head into another kiss, moaning into her mouth as her body trembles from her orgasm. She eventually collapses to the side of the bed, allowing Miyeon to finally breathe. 

The light reflects off of Sana’s nectar on Miyeon’s skin, giving her the appearance of a glimmering angel. You slow down the pace of your thrusts, bringing your face close to Miyeon’s ear.

“Mirror?” You ask simply. She nods excitedly, biting her lip with anticipation.

If there’s one thing you learned about Miyeon since dating her for the past year, it’s that she absolutely adores herself. If she suddenly turned quiet, it was because she was either staring at a mirror or taking selfies. Every time she sent you nudes, it was more so to show you just how beautiful is rather than solely for your benefit (Not that you minded, of course). On the nights the three of you felt particularly frisky and decided to film yourselves, Miyeon would always rewind her parts, going on about how sexy she looks when she’s about to cum or how pretty her own moans sound. You wouldn’t say she’s narcissistic; rather, she’s just confident in her looks, and she had every reason to be. Cho Miyeon is the perfect embodiment of a princess, and you love that about her.

You bend Miyeon over the vanity, making sure she has a good view of herself before you rail her from behind. She peers over her shoulder at you and winks, wiggling her ass playfully.

“What are you waiting for? Aren’t you gonna punish m- AH!”

You grip onto Miyeon’s slim waist and begin to pound her hot cunt with ease. The entire vanity shakes as she clings onto it for dear life, barely able to support herself as her legs become as stable as jelly. Despite the stage of disarray she’s in, Miyeon maintains eye contact with herself in the mirror, evidently turning her on more with how her pussy tightens around your cock.

“Cum for me, princess,” you whisper gruffly into her ear. “You look so pretty when you cum.”

“I do?” she asks, flashing her puppy dog eyes at you through the mirror. You nod, unable to speak a coherent word as the sensation begins to feel too much. Miyeon squeals with pleasure as her juices begin to leak down her legs and onto the floor. You hold her up in case her trembling legs give out on her as she rides out her orgasm.

“Good girl,” you reassure her, planting kisses all over her back. Once she calms down, you help her to the bed and lay her down gently next to Sana.

“That was so fucking hot, princess,” Sana says, giving Miyeon a small peck on the lips. Miyeon giggles, her eyes barely able to stay open. With Sana’s energy back and your cock still hard, she descends on you like a panther, pinning you to the bed.

“Miyeon’s tongue is nice, but I needdddd your fat fucking cock inside of me,” she smirks as she straddles your lap, guiding your tip inside of her pussy. Her eyes roll back inside of her head as she takes you little by little, before completely bottoming out inside of her. After a moment of adjusting, Sana begins to ride your cock, holding onto your chest for support. You squeeze and tug at her bouncing tits, eliciting cute little squeals from her. A still-tired Miyeon decides to join in the fun, pushing Sana down onto your cock with more force and teasing her clit.

“HOLY FUCK!” Sana squeals ecstatically.

“I bet you like being a little slut, huh?” Miyeon teases her. “You like being filled up by our boyfriend’s cock, don’t you?”

“FUCK! Yes, I love it so much!”

“You wanna be filled with his cum, right baby?” Miyeon smirks at you as she whispers into Sana’s ear. With how close you are, you have no choice but to follow along with her impromptu plan. 

“Oh god, yes please fill me with your cum, baby!” Sana exclaims, eyeing you desperately. Miyeon’s hand trails up your chest as she leans in towards you.

“You heard her,” she says, slyly cupping your cheek. “Better give her what she wants.”

Without hesitation, you shoot your load straight into Sana’s womb. Sana’s second orgasm follows shortly after, your fluids mixing together inside of her. Out of an entire year of fucking these two wonderful girls, this is the hardest orgasm you have ever experienced.

Eventually, Sana collapses on top of you, gasping for breath, while Miyeon quickly laps up the fluids dripping from the Japanese woman’s legs. You can’t help but laugh at Sana’s post-orgasm shivering.

“H-holy… shit,” Sana says breathlessly. “That… was fucking amazing.”

Miyeon crawls up, laying her head on Sana’s chest. “Yeah, he’s pretty great, isn’t he?” The two girls giggle at each other, exchanging playful kisses and warm looks. You wrap your arm around the both of them, grateful that they’re not fighting anymore.

“How did I get so lucky to have the two of you in my life?” You ask, gazing at these two beauties lovingly. With a quick glance at the clock, you notice that you still have a couple hours until the dinner reservation. “Why don’t you two hop in the shower and get ready? I have something special planned for tonight.”

“You’re not gonna join us?” Miyeon asks.

“I would love to, princess, but I know for a fact that we’re not gonna make it to dinner if I join you in the shower,” you joke. Sana jolts up, grabbing Miyeon’s wrist.

“I am NOT missing out on dinner,” Sana states, dragging Miyeon into the bathroom with her. Right before they close the door behind them, they turn to you one last time.

“We love you!” They say in unison. 

You lay back on the bed, smiling to yourself as you look up at the ceiling. How did you ever get so lucky?

[nanabansama]

Inspired by colowallocake's post, I searched through various Japanese legends about human sacrifice and wanted to offer some of my own suggestions as to the identity of the infamous "Pit God," as I like to call it.

First, let's recap what we know about it.

The god is heavily associated with water. The kannagi are sacrificed by being forced off cliffs and into a water-filled abyss. These kannagi wash ashore to a reservoir below the Red House, which was built on a well that taps into said reservoir. And when Tsukasa sacrifices himself, the God talks in watery speech bubbles:

It seems that whoever this god is, it's some kind of water god (水神 Mizugami) that dwells in Kamome.

And that's actually a common thing! After pouring through a few different articles about human sacrifice in Japan, I found that many of them are done to appease water gods. This is both a good and bad thing; good because there's so many and it's easy to find info, and bad because it doesn't really help us narrow it down.

That said, I have a few different stories I'd like to share with you. The first will be Mitsumata-fuchi.

Mitsumata-fuchi's story is remarkably similar to how the sacrificial ceremony works in TBHK. A beautiful maiden or otherwise a kannagi, aged about 15-16, is thrown into a pool of deep water for a festival thrown anywhere from once yearly to every 12 years to quell the anger of a wrathful god. That's crazy similar, isn't it?

And this "Mitsumata" is a real place! It's where the Numakawa and Wadagawa rivers in Japan join together. It's located in Fuji City in the Shizuoka prefecture. The Wadagawa river is also called by the name "Sacrifice River", funnily enough...

Anyway, there's another story about the Mitsumata I found interesting. A group of 7 girls were passing by when one of them, Oaji, was selected by the villagers to be sacrificed. The other 6 girls were spared and escaped, but feeling bad for the friend they left behind, they end up drowning themselves in a lake.

...But in an ironic twist of fate, the villagers had let Oaji go. Oaji ran after her friends, but when she learned they drowned themselves, she grew so sorrowful she threw herself into the water with them. Thereafter, the evil god was said to never demand a sacrifice again...

I'm not sure if AidaIro will ever reference this particular story, but I found the fact that 7 girls were sacrificed very intriguing in the context of TBHK.

Anyway, there are some interesting things in this legend that haven't been addressed in TBHK. For one, the god here is either a dragon or a giant (sometimes poisonous) snake.

We do have an illustration of this Pit God, which...

...was probably heavily stylized by some in-universe artist, but it is a valuable frame of reference nonetheless. Honestly, it really just looks like a nonspecific supernatural monster to me, but to call it a dragon or serpent isn't a far reach, either, I think...

Something about the multiple mouths reminds me of another story, though. And while I can't really get a specific name or detailed description for the Mitsumata-fuchi god, I do have one for this next one.

Yamata-no-orochi!!!

This tale is a lot more famous, so I'll be quick. Yamata-no-Orochi is an eight-headed serpent legendarily defeated by the brother of the great Amaterasu, Susanoo-no-Mikoto. When Amaterasu's fail brother was kicked out of Takamagahara, he wound up in the land of Izumo and met a crying old couple and a young girl. The old couple explains that they once had 8 daughters, but Yamata-no-Orochi devoured the other 7. It comes down once every year to eat one of their daughters, and soon enough their last daughter will be eaten, too.

Hearing this, Susanoo agrees to help them under one condition: that they let him take their last daughter as a wife. They agree, and Susanoo turns their daughter into a comb and asks them to prepare 8 tubs filled with sake. They comply, and when the serpent comes, each one of its eight heads greedily drink up the sake. Now drunk, the serpent is easily slain by Susanoo and his mighty blade.

...it kind of reminds you of how Minamoto no Yorimitsu got the oni Hakubo lived with drunk and slaughtered them, doesn't it? All these stories and making me afraid to drink sake... *shiver*

Anyway, Orochi is also a Water God, and probably the most famous of the ones that eat young maidens. While I'm unsure if our Pit God is Orochi, it wouldn't exactly surprise me! The fact that Yamata-no-Orochi (八岐大蛇) has eight heads while our protagonist Yashiro Nene (八尋寧々) has the kanji for 8 in her name is also an interesting connection.

As for our last story, I'll try to keep it brief. This one involves a dog, though, so I hope that keeps it fun and fresh for you.

This is the story of Shippeitaro, the legendary dog who, spoiler alert, saved a village from an evil spirit that demanded human sacrifices. In this story, girls are chosen to be sacrificed by a white arrow, and whoever's house is hit by the white arrow has to offer up their daughter. The girl is then sacrificed by being left at a shrine inside of a box/cage. Hmm, intriguing...

Anyway, long story short, the dog hides inside of the box instead and when the evil spirit comes to eat it, it springs out and defeats it! Good boy.

One of the interesting things about this story is that there are many variations. You'll notice I said "evil spirit" instead of something specific. That's because the spirit takes many forms. One of the more popular variations is that of a cat, but it can also be a monkey, fox, wolf...mostly different animals, from what I'm seeing.

Overall I think this story has a weaker connection than the other two, but on the whole, it wouldn't surprise me if AidaIro is taking inspiration from multiple stories instead of any specific one. Which brings me to my next point...

It's totally possible that our Water Pit God is just an original creation by AidaIro! In case you're not in the know, Japanese kami (gods) are basically infinite. Considering TBHK takes place in a made-up town, it's not too surprising if this kami is made-up, too, hm? :)

But hopefully you still found this post to be of help. I had a lot of fun researching for it. And if any of the stuff I mentioned here ever happens to show up in TBHK, that would be really cool! Anyway, if you made it this far, thanks for reading. ☆

[infiniteeight8]

I loved your Titan/Infinity Stone AU! Any more ideas or inspiration for that 'verse?

Okay, I made you wait 6 days for it, but at least it's longer than usual! Here's more, with another appearance of the Soul Stone, as promised. Not much shippy in this one, though.

Edited to add links to: Part 1 Part 2

-

Stephen abruptly looks past Tony and yells, “Stop!”

Tony twists, one gauntlet coming up defensively, and sees that the Guardians have broken away from their discussion and are now standing over Thanos and the gauntlet that still adorns the corpse. The guy, Star-Lord maybe, is bending down. He doesn’t stop when Stephen yells, either, instead pulling the gauntlet off of Thanos’s hand and straightening up with it.

Stephen launches himself up off the rock he’d been sharing with Tony and strides over to them. “Trying to use that could kill us all,” he snaps sharply. “Even with the gauntlet, we’re not made to contain that kind of power.”

“Look, I’ve held an Infinity Stone before,” Star-Lord retorts. “I’m not all human, okay? All I want to do is get Gamora back, I’m not going to try to change half the universe.”

“There’s more than one stone on that gauntlet,” Stephen says. “Even if you knew how each of them worked, which I highly doubt, you know nothing about making them work together.”

Star-Lord takes an aggressive step towards Stephen. “For Gamora, I’m willing to take the risk!”

Stephen looks like he’s winding up for a fight, but then the lady with the antennae gasps. “Peter! The Soul Stone!”

“What?” Star-Lord—Peter, Tony guesses—looks down at the gauntlet and then swears, clutching it in both hands. The Soul Stone is gone. “Where the hell could it have gone?” He demands. “Gamora died for that thing, we can’t just lose it!”

Tony knows where the stone is, of course, but he’s not about to volunteer that without more information. Stephen knows, too, as the bearer of the Time Stone, but he keeps quiet as well. 

You want to fill me in? Tony asks silently.

Gamora was one of those offered to me as I starved, the Soul Stone replies. It doesn’t sound remorseful, only matter of fact. 

Are they right? Can you bring back the dead? The thought sends a chill through Tony. As much as he would love to get back people he’d lost, there was no one he trusted with that kind of power, and he had no illusions about the lengths people would go to to get a hold of it.

No, the stone says, thank God. But Gamora is not dead in the usual sense. She was sacrificed to me, and I hold all the souls so given.

Tony hasn’t decided yet, but he figures he ought to have all the information before he does. Could you give this one back? 

Yes. But Reality would need to make her a new body. The old one is no longer serviceable.

Does Reality need a bearer for that? Tony isn’t thrilled at the idea of any of this group—now shouting at each other and Stephen while Star-Lord digs around in the dirt as if the Stone might have just fallen out of the gauntlet—the Reality Stone.

No. I could ask. They would probably agree. Moreso, if Time asks as well.

Tony blows out a breath and then drags Stephen away from the argument. They let him go, fortunately. Tony lowers his voice. “The Soul Stone says it can bring her back, since it was the one that killed her,” he says. “But it needs Reality to do it. It says it would help if Time asked, too. What do you think?”

Stephen casts a wary glance at the other group. “I think we have two more or less cooperative Infinity Stones, and they have three Infinity Stones, plus the gauntlet,” he murmurs. “That’s a fight I’d rather avoid. And… it would be nice to get someone back from this whole mess.”

“Yeah,” Tony says. For a moment, all he can feel is exhausted. “Yeah, it would.”

Turning, Tony eyes the arguing group. Maybe it would be better to just… take care of things, rather than jump into that. You need me to be hands-on with Reality? he asks the Soul Stone.

No, it replies. You wish me to return Gamora to this world?

Yes. Tony remembers the Soul Stone talked about being free. Please. This won’t hurt you? You mentioned being starved of purpose.

I do not need to consume souls, it reassures him. Thank fuck, because Tony hadn’t even thought to ask about that before. Merely be among them. Touch them, sometimes. Returning this one will have great impact on their souls. 

Let’s do it, then.

Tony’s right gauntlet, where the Soul Stone is hidden, lights up with an orange glow. Then Stephen’s amulet does the same, in green. Just as Star-Lord and his group notice, Thanos’s gauntlet lights up red. He shouts and drops it. Red light beams out of Thanos’s gauntlet and collides mid-air with orange beams shooting out of Tony’s . They twine together, so brightly they make Tony squint, and then abruptly disappear, leaving a green skinned woman in their wake.

Is she supposed to be green? Tony asks silently. The Soul Stone sends him a wordless affirmation; everything is as it should be.

Star-Lord and the rest shout and mob the green woman. A happy reunion, it looks like.

Peter—not Star-Lord, Peter Parker—quietly sidles up between Tony and Stephen while the others are still celebrating. “I’m really glad they got their friend back,” he says. “But does anyone know how we’re supposed to get home? Because I’m pretty sure all the ships we brought, you know,” he makes an illustrative hand gesture, “crashed.”

-

(I confess, I have a bunch more ideas for this AU. Feel free to prompt, either in general or with specific things in this AU.)

[handonhaven]

It’s so ironic how they had Landon telling Hope that people come to limbo to learn a lesson, not repeat the same mistakes, and then they had them repeat the same mistakes not long after?

They’d confirmed that Hope killing Landon was her biggest regret and that she could’ve chosen differently, but then they had her repeating the same mistake in limbo by not choosing Landon again and leaving him trapped there instead. And not even doing anything to help him afterwards. And Landon always letting himself be sacrificed never helped things either, and Raf talked to him about that in 3x01, but then they had him let himself be sacrificed and left behind again.

Despite the fact that Hope and Landon had believed they could fight fate, the writers had them both giving in to fate in 4x04, which caused a big mess that led to them ending up in limbo in the first place. But no lesson is learned from that, instead they have them repeat the same mistake by giving in to fate again in limbo. They literally had a perfect opportunity with Hope too, after she’d seen the vision of herself making a different and better choice, to have her find another way and not do what the universe demands. But none of that ending up meaning anything because they instead just had her not make a different choice or find another way but do what the universe demands once again.

They completely contradicted what they said the point of limbo was. (And on a side note, they even had Seylah repeating the same mistake of abandoning Landon again in limbo as well.) It’s almost as if repeating the same mistakes and not learning a lesson was the requirement in limbo, not the other way around. Really and truly, nothing was learned or accomplished in the end, and Handon in season 4 will never be the real Handon to me.

[comikadraws]

Did danzo genuinely believe he was a hero and was doing what was right?

GOOD QUESTION. I have no idea. Or at the very least I am rather uncertain about it.

Personally, I don't think that Danzo has done a singular good thing. But unfortunately, what's wrong and right is not a universal concept and the answer to your question strongly depends on Danzo's personal views on morality.

Morals are heavily influenced by two things: Empathy and societal norms.

As I explained in a previous ask, Danzo doesn't really seem to be that capable of empathy.

And the issue with Narutoland is that its society condones many forms of violence. Murder, mutilation, torture, and manipulation may be considered "cruel" but are mostly just regarded as a means to an end.

Danzo's views on "Right and Wrong" might already be severely skewed simply because of his lack of empathy and the societal norms around violence in his world.

Danzo's Morals

I personally believe that Danzo's morals are mostly based on societal norms and utilitarianism (due to his lack of empathy), not on actual care for others. That's what his flashbacks from chapter 481 seem to imply.

He considers sacrificing himself not out of care for others but out of a desire for recognition and to adhere to the idea of what their society considers to be a "proper shinobi".

This is also highlighted when his main concern with Hiruzen's sacrifice is not the latter's wellbeing but the "limelight" stolen from him. Interestingly, when Tobirama suggests sacrificing himself, Danzo's protests appear to be in concern for the village (and its safety).

What is important to understand is that those are not necessarily "bad" moral principles to abide by. The societal norm in question here is the idea of "self-sacrifice" in service of the "greater good" (utilitarianism). The purpose is the preservation of a population.

I think the issue with Danzo is that he doesn't follow his own principles while imposing them on others and then driving them to the extreme.

Danzo's Selfishness

Danzo's actions all don't really seem so much in the interest of the greater good. His Hokage fantasies aside, for Danzo everything is not so much about the preservation of the population as it is about self-preservation.

Yes, he does end up "sacrificing" himself at the end of his fight against Sasuke. But please contrast this with his flashbacks. His resolve falters because he is scared. Because even though he does believe in the values he advocates, he does not have the guts to follow through with it. In chapter 481 he is not sacrificing himself just because he wants to protect others but because he knows he is dying anyway and there is literally no reason not to. This is his last-ditch effort to die in "glory" rather than shame.

And no, being scared is not a moral failing. It is, however, if you demand sacrifice from everybody else while not following through yourself. That is hypocrisy.

I should also mention that, in Danzo's defense, he seems to be aware of his own lackings in comparison to Hiruzen (both in the flashback as well as when he dies). However, it is unclear whether this is in relation to his own cowardice and moral failings or only to the fact that he never got to be Hokage.

Verdict

While I still consider Danzo to be a POS, there are grounds to believe that he considers himself to be the "good guy". The reasons why his self-perception would differ from ours are...

His lack of empathy, substituted with blunt utilitarianism

The society of the ninja world that normalizes violence

Cowardice and self-delusion that ignores his own hypocrisy

While I won't get further into the details, he might also make use of moral disengagement to dodge responsibility for his own cruelty.

And, in spite of everything, it is entirely possible that Danzo is aware of his failings. If he is, I personally believe that this is an aspect he dislikes about himself (looking back at chapter 481). In either case, Danzo probably does not intend to be "bad" or "evil" but rather it is a product of his own hypocrisy (mixed with all the other factors mentioned above).

But what the answer to your question comes down to is whether or not Danzo is not only capable of recognizing his failings but also judging them accordingly. And that is entirely up to interpretation.

[chutkiandchotte]

Is it too spicy if I say this is IPK themed 👀

No but for real this is a great flaw of so many Indian tv shows and unfortunately, IPK is no exception. A "perfect" female lead is NOT EQUAL TO a well written female lead and Khushi falls into this trope.

I get that it might seem like, if any thing, the show makers are biased towards Khushi. The narrative portrays Khushi as morally righteous even when she isn't (her lecturing about marriage and religion to Arnav and La; her bringing Shyam back against Arnav's wishes; her leaving Arnav for Aarav etc etc) and posits her as a totally innocent victim in many scenarios without giving any acknowledgement of her critical errors in judgement that led to specific situations - such as keeping Shyam's secret. But the truth is, these biases are only the result of the absolute lack of care they put towards writing and developing Khushi's character arc. And of course in general, she's better written than majority of Indian tv heroines because in general, IPKKND is a better written show. But within this same show, you have the example of a brilliantly written anti-hero with complex and satisfying character development; so it hurts to see how they have simply not bothered giving the same level of in-depth and CONSISTENT characterization for Khushi.

No matter how off the rails the show was, or whatever their constraints were with regards to commercial or channel expectations, they rarely compromised on Arnav's characterization which was always crystal clear and razor sharp. In the midst of the silly Swami track, the nonsense Sheetal track, heck in the laughably ridiculous Miss India track, Arnav was not made to do or act in un-Arnav like ways, for the most part. There are a few exceptions, but they're not very noteworthy and don't impact the plot much. They had a clear idea of who he is and what he would do and not do, and they stuck to it.

Not so with Khushi. In a weird parallel to in-universe dynamics, the meta narrative too picks Khushi as the most convenient sacrificial lamb whose characterization is sacrificed to meet channel demands, tv show format demands, and so on. Need to shoe-horn a comedy track where it makes no sense? Why not reduce her IQ several points and have her do totally illogical things with no rhyme or reason for some laughs? Need a low-effort way to justify Khushi spending time with Arnav? Why not make the "mature for her age" Khushi into a childish caricature who plays at being Gopi Bahu to annoy Arnav! Need a sick Arnav for Khushi to take care of? Why not have a selfless and responsible Khushi suddenly transform into someone so selfish and irresponsible, she plots to deliberately make her diabetic husband starve.

On the one hand, they erase all of her positive qualities to give her a host of flaws (stupidity, immaturity, irresponsibility) that are never explored as flaws, but just tools for comedy, picked up and abandoned at whim. On the other hand, her actual flaws and mistakes that could have used an in-depth arc are just...left alone. In fact what even are her flaws? As per the show, she has practically none - they are only lovable quirks.

Arnav's extreme reactions often eclipse Khushi's mistakes; we nor her get the time to sit with and reflect on her errors, instead the focus immediately shifts to him. Her mistakes are so disproportionally punished, it leaves no room for her character development. Character development is best prompted by moments of reflection, regret, and redemption. We get very, very few of these with Khushi - there's simply no space for it in the narrative of the show.

Its a very subtle distinction that is hard to pinpoint at times. For example, we see Khushi's pain showcased front and center time and again - its the classic suffering heroine trope! But is her trauma from Shyam, from Arnav, heck even from her own family, EVER explored in any real meaningful and satisfying way? No - because Khushi's interiority, just like her brain power, maturity, and sense of responsibility, disappears and reappears as per the convenience of the narrative.

You might say its unfair to compare her to Arnav, who is undoubtedly the protagonist of the show. Unusually for romcoms, Arnav is our main character and Khushi is the "love interest". So perhaps we can't expect her character to be explored with the same range and nuance his is. Okay. But consistency, surely, is something we can expect from Khushi? Why is Khushi EVEN MORE inconsistently written than the villain, Shyam, and supporting characters like Anjali?

There's a lot I do love about the way Khushi is written but I HAVE to sift through the material to find the good stuff which is often in contradiction to the bad stuff. Post the elopement, we see really very little consistent characterization with Khushi and the show's overall writing quality heavily suffers as a direct result of this.

And this IS a sexist trope. It falls into the madonna-whore dichotomy where you can only write 2 types of lead female characters: a perfect angel, who is always morally right and usually suffering without much else going on internally; or the vamp, who has her flaws and her complexities with which she entertains us until she is suitably humiliated and punished by the narrative.

A woman with flaws, allowed to learn and grow from them into a more mature and evolved human being??? Who ever heard of such a thing??? Certainly not ITV writers, circa 2011 (or now).

[furinana]

The Trolley Problem in SMTIVA and why I keep choosing Dagda

There are several ways one could analyze Danu and Dagda's philosophies (and in far more detail) but for this post I'll be talking in a simple and straightforward way through Pros & Cons with in-game evidence.

Personally, I see Bonds and Massacre's essential difference standing on 'I care for the now' and 'I care for a future with no suffering'.

-----Bonds-----

The price: - Dagda is replaced by a Dagda shaped by Danu - Humanity will continue to depend on religions thus the cycle of suffering continues for both humans and those who rely on human understanding (gods, angels, demons etc)

But you get! - The souls that were going to build the Cosmic Egg are set free - All of your teammates are alive with their sense of selves intact

It's an ending that favors the human side as it doesn't put the focus on blaming the humans but 'bad and tyrant' gods. Even though they become bad specifically from the observation done by humans.

Gods and demons will continue to exist by being observed and exploited and blamed on for their misery. But for Nanashi what matters is that his friends and allies are well and working together. For now.

-----Massacre-----

The price: - Human souls will be sacrificed to build the new Universe - Your teammates are alongside the sacrificed and if revived, have a different sense of self

But you get! - Dagda stays as the original Dagda - Humanity will become independent and self-sufficient from religions, sets free those who rely on human understanding (gods, angels, demons etc)

Here, Nanashi accepts solitude and taking on Dagda's god position for a future where religions and myths become pointless. No biases or influences that could twist the original nature of the world anymore so new humans will be born with unlimited potential of using the truth of the world for themselves instead of leaving it at the hands of deities. Unless an exterior force comes.

It's important to keep in mind that as cruel for his methods Dagda is considered, he doesn't favor a specific religion or way of thinking like how Law does and just wants Nanashi to avoid the root of his problems: the observation done by humans. To consider Nanashi as if he could be a second YHVH is to go against what Dagda is preaching for (and Dagda will still watch you as he disappears).

The best argument for this is shown in this summary from page 110 from the SMTIVA artbook (translated by dijeh):

As sidenote, while Brigid isn't shown in the main story, she has a cameo in Tír na nÓg (aka the DLC area where Dagda makes it available for you to train), in which Nanashi can meet various Celtic figures from pre-Christian Ireland:

So if you are going to point out Dagda taking advantage of the mental state of Flynn and your Goddess, just scroll up and look again at what Danu does. They use the exact same method, with the real difference between them is that Danu's solution is an endless cycle of punishing and policing ideas that will keep being reborn from humans while Dagda wants to give future generations of humans the power to not depend on religions and on the same line, towards gods and demons the freedom of expectations to conform to what humans demand of them.

The irony is that Danu's kind and wholesome outcome favors way less groups in the long way than Dagda's despite the game constantly throwing at you that he is the most self-centered of the two.

Krishna, the most fitting force to compete against Law and Chaos since hinduism is one of most popular religions (approx. 1.2 billion of adepts), advocates for the pagan religions to side with him so each gets its own slice of followers for a world order of polytheism instead of monotheism. It's an ending that favors deities associated to polytheism. Dagda does the opposite to Krishna: 1) uses the fact he is not a very well-known deity and hides in the Axiom from interference from other people and YHVH himself until he could meet someone with a powerful will as Nanashi so he can 2) force all deities and demons altogether to return to the nature.

Dagda's ending strips the powers and authority of all religions and gives them to humans.

Now, obviously we also count that how a player considers the 'price' and the 'reward' will commonly vary from the theory (f. e. players picking a side for liking or disliking a character regardless of the meaning behind their alignment or viceversa).

In fact, SMTIVA validates this option as you can still see Nanashi being able to choose dialogue where he looks down on his teammates while also disagreeing with Dagda.

Meanwhile, Nanashi in Massacre is able to show compassion when parting ways with them as well.

In other words, there's no such a thing as a route where Nanashi is 'locked' into a single type of personality. Nanashi can canonically choose a route for ulterior reasons beyond what Dagda or Danu originally wanted them to be.

The duality of being friendly out of selfishness or being aloof out of not wanting to be heartbroken are all possibilities.

One could even say that the latter is present in Dagda himself, particularly from the ways you might be able to view his relationship and treatment of Nanashi.

To put it simply, the perspective of Dagda seeing a son in Nanashi after getting distanced from his daughter and Nanashi seeing a father in Dagda due to his orphan background and rather... unbalanced dynamic with Asahi and Boss.

As how a certain quote goes, the opposite of love isn't hate, it's indifference. Taking into face value Dagda's grievances with influence caused by bonds with other people is similar to villifying the Chaos side without understanding the nuances of Law being what demonized it in the first place.

Dagda is intentionally made to be the bad apple of the game as a smokescreen for the player.

[cienie-isengardu]

Cienie’s take on Mandalorian Culture: Kad Ha’rangir and mandalorian traditional weapons, p. 5

part 1 — part 2 — part 3 -- part 4

Caution: I have never personally played The Old Republic MMORPG game and all my knowledge about Mandalorians of that era comes from tie-in material including those published on dedicated to SWTOR sites and watching playthrough videos, especially of the last patch, Legacy of the Sith. Keeping that in mind, let’s wrap up the final part.

The Old Republic MMORPG game takes place a few hundred years after the regime of Mandalore the Indomitable, The Ultimate and the Preserver (Wookiepedia claims the story of SWTOR currently covers the era of 3643–3626 BBY). For the first(?) time an in-universe source contemporary with the events taking place directly mentions Kad Ha’rangir and praying practice:

The Fall of Mandalore the Vindicated Firsthand account from Ralia of Clan Lok: The Skytroopers surrounded us. Two dozen, blasters aimed at our heads. We had already begun our death roar. And then Mandalore the Vindicated cut through them, scattering their metal parts. He ordered us to rejoin the clan and leave the Skytroopers to him. But the droids had called for backup; suddenly, dozens were swarming him. Mandalore dismantled them two at a time with a war cry like thunder. They kept coming, waves and waves, till we could no longer see him. I started to charge forward, but Droga stopped me. “He’s already gone.”  He was Ardus Lok. My brother, our Mand’alor. And he fell to machines. He will not be honored. I pray to Kad Ha’rangir this pointless war will end soon.

This account gives us a lot of interesting details about the Ralia of Clan Lok’s mindset. On one hand, “he fell to the machine. He will not be honored” line fit with what game itself presented by Torian Cadera

and Khomo Fett's mocking saying

Which implies she and similar minded warriors followed very harsh rules according to which dying in battle against machines may bring dishonor - even if Mandalore sacrificed himself to save his people, as Ralia herself said: He ordered us to rejoin the clan and leave the Skytroopers to him. 

However the author of this account didn’t pray to Kad Ha’rangir to acknowledge and/or have mercy on the soul of the “dishonored” clan brother but prayed for pointless war to end soon. Which is surprising, given that War was a central part of her culture - approximately three hundred ago, Taungs and Neo Crusaders considered War to be divine and SWTOR’s lore object outright says “War is the Mandalorians’ way of life”, while describing Mandalorians as “trained from birth to fight in battle”, who “embrace conflict and admire strength” and “believe confrontation is required for growth — on the personal, as well as the cultural level."

Mandalorian praying for war to end seems to be acting against the most basic principles on which the whole warrior culture is built. Even more surprising is the fact, the prayer was said to Kad Ha’rangir, the god known as Destructor who demanded from his followers to face challenges and trials in the first place and not, for example, to Arasuum, the god supposedly opposite to Destructor. And yes, the Mandalorians: People and Culture and Death Watch Manifesto call Arasuum the god of stagnation and idle consumption however in the traditional understanding of myth, opposition to destruction wouldn’t actually mean prosperity as time not dominated by war?

Showdown on Ruhnuk (included in Legacy of the Sith, 2023) went even further with the religious aspect of Mandalorian culture by introducing the clan Ha’rangir, whose members are said to be descended from the god Kad Ha’rangir himself. Within the game itself, this information is passed to player by Lane Vizla:

"Clan Ha'rangir claims they 're descended from Kad Ha'rangir, an old Mandalorian god of destruction."

SW:TOR provided also a codex entry for Ha’rangir Clan (x):

Named for Kad Ha'rangir, the ancient Mandalorian god of destruction and bringer of change and growth, Clan Ha'rangir was founded by Mandalorians who believed their people were being weakened by cowardice and inaction. The clan began a bloody expansion called "Ha'rangir's Path" in the latter half of 3732 BBY. Their early success encouraged more raids and occupations, which earned the clan a fortune in resources. This vast war chest sustained Clan Ha'rangir during the decades of reactionary conflict that followed. Their empire building peaked in the 3600's and slowly declined as newer generations of Clan Ha'rangir avoided the front lines, preferring instead to manage and expand their wealth. Once formidable conquerors, Clan Ha'rangir's power today resides in the credits they command, rather than their military might. Some within their ranks, however, are questioning their role within the galaxy, perhaps yearning for a return to their expansionist ways.

Lane Vizsla describes this clan as “old money, with an even older name”

However Lane notes also how the fame, prestige and credits corrupted those Mandalorians, including current leader, the Kur Ha’rangir.

Decades of that kind of notoriety, power, and credits have given them quite that inflated self-image.

He does whatever he wants - no matter how dishonorable - and his name and his money pay for everyone to ignore it.

They consider it an insult if you don't recognize their prestigious history. They consider it a threat if you don't give them the respect they demand.

Granted, Lane Vizla isn’t an objective source, as she holds personal grudge against Kur Ha’rangir for killing her brother in an unfair duel over a trivial matter[12], yet what game presented on screen (Kur’s treatment of basilisk war droids) so far supports Lane’s claim. Even Codex entry for leader of Ha’rangir clan (x) highlight his egotistical and arrogant nature:

Ruthless, arrogant, and egotistical, Kur Ha'rangir embodies all of the traits that the members of his clan, Clan Ha'rangir, consider important. Claiming to descend from Kad Ha'rangir, the old Mandalorian god, Kur sees his clan as the supreme embodiment of Mandalorian strength and power. To reflect Clan Ha'rangir's status, Kur believes that he should possess the strongest and most powerful weapons. Although Basilisk war droids--the infamous Mandalorian mounts that wreaked havoc across the galaxy during the Great Sith War and the Mandalorian Wars--are exceedingly rare, Kur Ha'rangir has no interest in preserving them for future generations. His only goal is to collect and continually improve the best of them, even if it means sacrificing the increasingly limited number of Basilisk droids for their parts. As the number of available Basilisk droids dwindles, Kur has turned his attention to learning how to build the war droids--a craft that was lost when the droids' original creators destroyed their own planet. Legend tells of beacons, full of schematics and construction plans, that were scattered across the galaxy when Basilisk was destroyed, and although Clan Ha'rangir has pledged themselves to fight alongside Heta Kol and the Hidden Chain, Kur has not let their desires interfere with his own obsession.

There are plenty of conclusions that can be drawn from the above sources. The most important one is that Kad Ha’rangir is known as an old Mandalorian god of Destruction and whose importance remains strong enough to allow the “descendants” bathe in his glory solely for supposedly sharing the same blood and surname. We still can’t be sure if original Mandalorians worshiped this deity under this exact name (or if even knew him at all), but if Kad was part of Taung mythology, then we can assume the mythological knowledge (religion) was passed down to newcomers before Taung died out. This is actually quite an interesting detail in regard to religious reformation that happened before The Sith War, when original Crusaders are said to change their customs and start worshiping War itself.  

The second vital information is how Mandalorian society has changed by the last three to four hundred years. For one, a clan like Ha’rangir isn’t held at this point in respect due to members’ individual deeds or military might but solely for supposedly having a prestige ancestor and money to cover for their dishonor behavior. Though we do not have that many sources about original Mandalorians, I think it is safe to say clan Ha’rangir is the beginning of the emerging aristocracy while also an antithesis of Taung warrior society. Especially in the matter of equality of clans, personal honor (prestige) and money.

Taungs, as far as we know, respected hierarchy but their social structures were built on warriors’ personal achievements not who their forefathers were. They did seem to hold past ancestors (clan members) in high regard[13], as at some point in the past they renamed themselves from Shadow Warriors to Mandalorians in honor of their legendary “warrior king”, Mandalore the First. However no one so far claimed to be a direct descendant of said leader or gods nor the leadership was passed down on such a basis. The title of Mandal’or is outright stated to not be democracy nor hereditary bestowen - which means only the person who dared to take the title (responsibility) and proved their worth may lead other warriors. This approach to the leadership was mentioned in SWTOR tie-in source, the The Old Republic Encyclopedia:

and summarized by Canderous Ordo: “When our leader falls in battle, the most worthy takes his place”. (Star Wars Miniatures)

Similar approach could be seen in regard to hierarchy between clans and its members. For example, Galaxy At War Sourcebook describes Taung society as “clan-based nomadic culture” in which ”veterans of successful battles are held in high regard, to such an extent that they are de facto leaders of their communities. Only the leader of all the Mandalorians, known simply as Mandalore, holds greater sway with the clans.” 

while SW:TOR Encyclopedia states “Although clans may have ties or rivalries with other clans, there is no formal hierarchy. All clan chieftains report directly to the Mandalore”. 

(The lack of formal hierarchy wll change overtime, as some old and/or powerful mandalorian clans like Vizsla and Kryze turned into Houses. The sources so far did not provide enough data about inner workings of said Houses, although Sabine’s introduction in Rebels: Protectors of Concord Dawn [S02E13] as “I'm Clan Wren, House Vizsla” implies other, lesser(?) clans are subject to them. Similarly, House Kryze at some point became officially acknowledged as the Royal Family that ruled Mandalore before and during the Clone Wars. Simultaneously, the number of clans is not constant and limited, as sources provide examples of new clans formed during different eras.) 

At the same time, the Mandalore, clan leaders and veterans - the broadly understood "ruling class" - may be challenged by anyone and according to the law, the honorable duel will officially settle the conflict[14]. This law apparently survived to modern times as could be seen in 

Death Watch Manifesto: “to ensure we would be led by the most powerful, we decreed that any warrior could challenge the Secret Mandalore for leadership of Death Watch”

and The Clone Wars TV animated series when Maul challenged Pre Vizsla to a fight over control of Mandalore & Death Watch:

Almec: “Clearly you are powerful, but how can two of you overthrow Vizsla and his supporters?” Maul: “Vizsla is a soldier and, like every soldier, he is bound by honor. I will challenge him to single combat in front of his men. He will not deny me.” Almec: “Hmm. If you defeat him, according to the ancient laws of Mandalore, his soldiers will be honor-bound to follow you.” [TCW S05E15: Shades of Reason]

All of this implies that Mandalore and even the highly renewed veterans do not stand above the law - and maybe, ironically, are even more bound to follow it, as their honor is at stake. 

Now, Ha’rangir clan is said to get away with dishonorable act during an official duel because of the religious connection and money and in all fairness, this speaks a lot about Mandalorians of that time. The roots of this corruption however reach the end of the Mandalorian Wars and the following decade(s) which brings me to another vital point. How exactly Ha’rangir clan got their fortune?

Lane Vizla described members of said clan as “old money with an even older name”. while Shae Vizla further explained:

Player: Clan Ha’rangir? Shae Vizla: I figured we’d see them around. Like I said before, they’re old money. Many clans got rich from plunder during the Mandalorian Wars generations ago. They want those days back, and Heta’s the answer.

If we agree that Ha’rangir clan got rich from plunder during the Mandalorian Wars, the clan dates to at least the last phase of Taung era (and Lane suggests the clan is even older than that). As much as it is true that Crusaders and Neo-Crusaders raided and robbed many planets, Taungs weren’t exactly focused on material wealth. Yes, they prized advanced technology and generally understood weapons were always at the top of list to steal, but money and similar goods? KotOR Campaign Guide states that “trade within Mandalorian communities is based on barter, with jewelry and precious metals used as portable commodities alongside weapons and armor” and that Mandalorians were familiar with galaxy currency however beside that one paragraph, the traditional culture didn’t seem to hold material goods other than an armor in any real regard, as only personal achievements allowed warrior to rise in the social hierarchy. 

Thinking about this matter, KotOR tie-in materials allowed us to dwell into the Mandalorian mindset and majority if not all named Mandalorian characters showed no real concern over the money. 

In KotOR: War, new recruits were provided with armor and weapons, warriors did not complain about living in harsh, frontline conditions even while raising children. Ko Sornell's advice to a newcomer (Zayne) was “find some wall to lean against. During invasions we sleep in armor. You'll get used to it” [KotOR:War #2]

Another example comes from Interference short story taking place in early 3963 B.B.Y. When Mandalorians were faced with republic propaganda broadcasting on their communication frequency, taunting with luxury, even talking about how the Republic has “Real beds. Running water” in contrast to mandalorian camps and finally promising wealth:

And it is an offer. They say that Mandalorians deal with things in a Mandalorian way. Well, the same is true of the Republic. And what is the Republic at heart, if not first and foremost, a vehicle for the enrichment of all peoples? There isn't any reason at all why the forces of Mandalore can't have a seat at the table like anyone else. And so the offer is this: The Republic would welcome a cessation of hostilities with the Mando'ade. In return, the Senate would be willing to commit a share of all taxation from Republic planets and hyperspace lanes currently under Mandalorian occupation to go to the occupiers. That's right: the spoils of war, to stop the war. It is a fair price, and one that should more than satisfy all your requirements. With your victories in these weeks, your honor has been restored. The galaxy knows it. The Jedi did nothing to stop you; they know it. And you will have the prize -- part of the wealth of these stars, without having to continue to enforce your will on them. You'll be free to explore your options elsewhere, in directions away from the Republic -- and you'll be better funded to be able to do it. “

Ko Sornell reported to her superior, Cassus Fett, this:

Yes, Cassus, I responded already. I used the transmitter here on Zongorlu. I know I should have waited. Who is Koblus Sornell, anyway? Just a warrior. A signals expert, but a warrior. A Mandalorian warrior… ... and as a Mandalorian warrior, their "choice" was really no choice at all. I spoke for all of us: Their "bargain" was ridiculous. Think about it: They could have a glorious battle, a true measure of what we're worth. That's a bargain. Instead, they're trying to choose -- a bribe? To buy peace like a peasant at a shop? All it costs is whatever guts they ever had. And they thought we might agree to it! Whatever gave them that idea? Just like with this "Captain Goodvalor" business. Pretending to be the victor of great battles -- that's insulting enough all on its own. But big talk about what they can do, how big their forces are? Lies  about people leaving our side? Did they really think any true Mandalorian would listen? Do they really fear us so little?

Cassus Fett himself showed little care for wealth, as can be seen in short interaction  with Gromar [KotOR #23]. 

"--you listen to Cassus Fett and your son's sons will have nothing to do -- because you'll have concquered everything!"

Cassus admitted Mandalorians didn’t make full use of the resources of the conquered lands because they rarely stayed in one place for long (the curse of nomad life, as he called it) however he did not promise wealth to his subordinate but that Mandalorians are gonna conquer the whole galaxy leaving nothing for new generations.

Canderous Ordo mentioned in some of his game dialogues the fortunes (wealth):

Canderous: You want to hear tales of my exploits? Of the wars I've seen and fought, the enemies I've seen die by my hand? Heh, sure, I'll humor you. My name's Canderous of the Mandalorian clan Ordo. I've been fighting across the galaxy for 40 of your years. For my people it's the honor and glory of battle that rules us. It's through combat that we prove our worth, gain renown and make our fortunes. [KotOR game]

or 

Mandalore: The Republic thinks my people are dead, scattered. They are wrong. You should have destroyed us when you had the chance. As long as one Mandalorian lives, we will survive. Our honor, fortunes, and lives revolve around battle. From our earliest history, this has been our way, as it will be, always. [KotOR 2 game]

however other tales made it clear money itself did not have the same value as armor, weapon and basilisk droids, as losing those three (cultural) things hurted defeated Mandalorians the most:

Canderous: The war we had with the Republic was supposed to be the most glorious battle of our history, but… it was a very costly one. I guess we didn't think of how much we could lose in it. [...] There weren't many of us left after that last battle. Mandalore himself was killed at the hands of the Jedi Revan. The best of us could not defeat him! After that last battle, those of us that survived were stripped of our weapons, our armor, and our Basilisks. Revan's forces destroyed them while we were forced to watch. Those who hadn't fled earlier were left with nothing to call their own: no weapons, no armor… only the honor of having fought in the battle we just lost. For many this was not enough. While the rest of us were sent into exile on the Outer Rim, they tried to relive the old days – raiding worlds. They're nothing more than bandits now. [KotOR game]

Canderous specifically said “Those who hadn't fled earlier were left with nothing to call their own: no weapons, no armor” so clearly, the “warrior equipment” is the wealth that Mandalorians cared for, not credits or other material luxuries. Similarly approach was seen a decade later in Mandalorian Camp on Dxun:

That idiot Kumus will be working off his shame for the rest of his days. Equipment eaten by cannoks - it would have been better if he'd let the jungle take him. [KotOR II]

However, as Canderous mentioned, after the Mandalorian Wars, this mindset changed in favor of money. Some Mandalorians turned into mercenaries, some kept raiding worlds, some turned into bandits attacking simple farmers. This sentiment was repeat by Veela from The Old Republic: Revan:

“When Revan hid Mandalore`s Mask, most of our people scattered in disgrace. But some of us refused to give up. We stayed behind to look for what was lost instead of running off to become mercenaries and hired thugs.”

Similar statements comes from History of the Mandalorians:

“Following their failed campaign, the Crusaders found a new object of worship -- the almighty credits. Decimated and embittered, the surviving Mandalorian warriors turned ruthlessly mercenary in order to survive. Informally called the Mandalorian Merc, these individuals hired out their lethal talents to the highest bidders without regard to silly notions like justice, morals, and honor.”

So, did members of Ha’rangir Clan enriched themselves during the Mandalorian Wars, as Shae Vizla said, or did they get their fortune from post-war raids, as Codex Entry suggests? This is an important question in context: how old the clan truly is? Because there is a chance that the clan's origin grew into myth over the time, the same as their “cultural” role. 

I mean, Canderous and Veela of clan Ordo were eyewitnesses of change happening in their society while Shae Vizla and contemporary Mandalorians may only rely on knowledge passed down to them by their predecessors. Considering how Mandalorian people were broken and divided after war, it is quite possible that a lot of historical knowledge was lost or misrepresented, even on purpose. 

At the same time, there were attempts to bring back Mandalorians to their honorable ways. The best known example is Canderous Ordo, who for his efforts earned the title Mandalore the Preserver. In KotOR II: Sith Lords, he said “Many Mandalorians have fallen from the path of honor and are now no more than common mercenaries. But that is changing” yet despite Ordo’s best intentions, the unity of Mandalorian clans is much more fragile than what it was under Taung leadership. But if Canderous could dedicate his life to rebuilding Mandalorian society under his banner (against Sith as Revan wanted), then logically thinking there could be more reformators like him. Which is another possibility to see Kad Ha’rangir. Not as a literal deity but actual historical figure who could renamed himself in honor of the warrior god[15], either presenting himself as “chosen” warrior / tool or maybe even as the god’s prophet of some sort or whose fame (interpretation of warrior culture) overtime grew into a myth that benefited the entire clan. TOR game presented us with Mandalorians such as Kur Ha’rangir and Arla Ha’rangir so Kad Ha’rangir easily could be a full name of real person who started the Ha’rangir family in the first place and whose person at some point merged into one with the mythical god in mandalorian collective consciousness. This brings back the question - did Taung truly knew Kad Ha’rangir under this exact name and not just, for example, simply as Ha’rangir?

As I hopefully established in previous parts, swords weren’t the traditional Mandalorian (Taung) weapon while the Kad Ha’rangir name, for the first time showed in in-universe source coexisting with the events taking place approximately 300 years after Taung died out. This is of course matter of game mechanics, but The Old Republic presents on screen

Mandalorian characters using commonly swords

lore entries like Mandalorian Relics: The Final Blade of Dunesa Rul (x)

[...] Rul's creations, prized within the Mandalorians, were often handed down from one clan leader to the next, but demand for new work was overwhelming. Rul was killed in an explosion during an altercation between Clan Mettir and Clan Ironstone, who sought to lay claim to a masterwork weapon--a durasteel dagger--he had created. Both clans were hunted down and destroyed in retaliation for the grievous loss. The dagger itself was never found.

Even the official duel between Mandalore the Avenger and Field Marshal Kol Heta was done with ceremonial swords

while so far the only axes I noticed are Gamorrean made (x)

and vibro axe (x)

and none of those are even close in shape to traditional Mandalorian (Taung) ones. This kind of weapon seems to have lost its importance in the favor of swords/sabers, so if Kad Ha’rangir was a historical figure who either claimed or was hailed by others as descendant of an old god, he could be also a reason (impulse) for the switch from axes to swords. As in, Mandalorians considered him to have divine connections - or even be the embodiment of divine will - and started preferring swords as a symbol of their renewed faith to honor god. The mentioned in Codex Entry “a bloody expansion called "Ha'rangir's Path" in the latter half of 3732 BBY” fits well in that assumption and even could be treated as the approximate date of “religious (weapon) reformation”.

Like it was already mentioned, the unity between Mandalorian (human dominated) clans is a much more fragile matter than what we know about the Mandalorian society under leadership of the last two Taung rulers - the Indomitable and Ultimate. The conflict between old fashioned warriors and mercenaries started after Mandalorian Wars and will last to modern days however in The Old Republic game it took a surprising shape. The current conflict has divided Mandalorians into supporters of Mandalore the Avenger (Shae Vizsla, a former bounty hunter herself) and Field Marshal Kol Heta (leader of Hidden Chain) who wants to bring Mandalorians to their warrior roots and regain the lost independence. The surprising part of this conflict is that both sides acknowledged the need to preserve material artifacts to keep their culture intact and give people tangible connection to their history and past deeds. 

And so TOR game included:

The Importance of Mandalorian Relics codex Lore Entry: For many Mandalorians, relics are an important touchstone to connect with their long and fractured history. The cultural identity of this clan-based group is centered around conflict and combat, so a chaotic history of war is expected. While grounded in a common creed and code, those who wish to understand and honor past achievements will look to items that gained significance during a specific event, battle, or because they were wielded by a person of great renown. These relics can become symbols of the core tenants of the Mandalorian beliefs; a physical embodiment of a philosophy that is rooted in the most primitive of contests between creatures of flesh and blood. Perhaps more than the leaders before her, Mandalore the Avenger recognized the importance of these relics in helping to unify the clans with a history they could see and touch, and so began to collect and house important artifacts from the past in order to smooth the path to the future.

or

Seeker's Vigil codex: Lore Entry: This heavily-guarded space-faring vault serves as a monument to what the Ash'ad consider the glories of Mandalorian culture. Within these fortified walls lay the history of conquest, raiding, victory, loss, and struggle that characterize a true Mandalorian warrior's existence. There are so many tomes in the libraries that the archivists have lost count. Tableaus and frescoes line the hallways, depicting Mandalorian battles whose names may be forgotten, but are still part of their history. It would take multiple lifetimes to even begin to uncover all of the knowledge hoarded within, and those that call this vessel home will ensure that if the Mandalorian way ever falters, they will be there to teach new generations what it really means to hunt and live the life of a raider.

or

Troya Ajak: "Field Marshal Kol promised the Ash'ad the relics. They belong to those who believe in honor. Shae Vizla does not." "They are priceless symbols to those with honor. A reminder of what the Mandalorians once were."

The importance of relics collected by Shae Vizla’s supporters and Kol Heta’s Hidden Chain could also lead to a renewal of religion - however how true to original faith it was, is of course up to debate.

During Spirit of Vengeance Arc, the player was forced to walk through enemy ships belonging to Mandalorian clans such as Varad and Ash’ad. Here, clearly the various items

are treated differently than what we could see in frames presenting Shea Vizsla’s or Kol Heta’s meeting room.

The skulls and fire flames reminds me mentioned in previous part (#4) details from Cassus Fett and Demagol’s workplaces and may be a continuation of the same magical-religious traditions. What stands out the most is presents of altars and/or place of sacrifice.

On one of the ships, there was even a great statue that resembles Mandalore the Ultimate

but could actually represent a god (Destructor maybe?), considering all the bones - sacrifices? - piled up around.

This is one of the better documented examples of likely religious practice among warriors.

In general, The Old Republic game is so far the one major source providing the most direct information about Kad Ha’rangir in relation to the events taking place, while “Death Watch Manifesto” [Bounty Hunter Code] and “Industry. Honor. Savagery: Shaping the Mandalorian Soul” [The Essential Guide to Warfare] were written in distant modern times. At the same time, the game did not include the traditional Mandalorian (Taung) mythosaur axe, as in this era the swords are the most common weapon alongside blasters. Which leads me to believe that Kad Ha’rangir may be a side effect of religious renewal that happened decades after the original Mandalorians died out, as religion in itself is a very good carrier of culture and binder for a broken community. As post-KotOR sources provided, Mandalorian people were divided and in need of symbol(s) under which they could unite - a need recognized by both Shae Vizsla and Kol Heta. Thus the founder of the Ha'rangir clan could become one of such symbols and his achievements and/or charisma at some point grew into a myth affecting Mandalorian people’s perception of original (Taung) gods. As humans dominated warrior society, it makes sense that some aspects of older culture took different shapes to fulfill their needs.

My final conclusion (theory) is that the “Destructor” was part of Taung mythology albeit there was no connection between warrior god and sword/sabers - if anything, the deity’s attribute was an axe which is why the weapon was held in such great regard. However once Taung died out leaving remnants of Mandalorians scattered and broken, some warriors took upon themselves to resurrect their culture. Ordo Canderous tried to unite Mandalorians under his banner (against Sith), while some time later, Kad Ha’rangir, as a historical figure, brought changes - religious reformation? - that influenced perception of old mythology and somehow, maybe in honor of his name, swords for good replaced mythosaur axes. Later, Tarre Vizsla - the first Mandalorian Jedi - created darksaber that became another important relic that affected his people’s spiritual and material culture.

The modern authors based their knowledge in majority on sources that were passed down to their era and could over time become distorted or their original meaning has completely lost. Which could explain the discrepancies between what sources showed and the knowledge of the (in-universe) authors.

SIDENOTES:

[12] Lane said this story about her brother's death:

Years ago, Kur Ha'rangir challenged my brother to a duel. Over some perceived slight against his famous name. Kur used nothing but underhanded tricks-like he does with everything else, There was no honor in the way he fought... He killed by brother... and no one called out Kur's deception. Typical, for a Ha'rangir.

[13] Another example implying Taungs & Neo-Crusaders had a special respect for (dead) ancestors/family members is the specific greeting used by Mandalore the Ultimate during meeting with Arkanian leader

... and all honor to your family's dead [KotOR #20]

And Ko Sornell while adressing Cassus Fett (one of the closest advisors of Mandalore):

Su'cuy, Cassus Fett, and all honor to your family's dead. [KotOR: Interference short story]

[14] The honor duel does not exactly need to end with the loser's death, as Ulic spared Mandalore the Indomitable’s life but as sources show, death was an usual occurrence. Frankly, the example of Canderous Ordo vs Jagi implies that once the challenge was issued there was no way to revoke it. Even though Jagi learned that his former commander’s action were not motivated by selfishness (glory-seeking) as he assumed for years and accepted his accusation turned out to be false and unfair, the man committed suicide to clean his own name:

Canderous: I saw a chance and had to take it. It ended the battle quicker than we would have otherwise, and many of our warriors may have died. Mandalore taught us that opportunism and flexibility in battle were to be admired. You may contradict me, but do you contradict him as well? Jagi: No! I... I... I see that I have been wrong. I have not been true to the teachings of Mandalore. You were right. I was wrong to question your honor. But I must now cleanse mine with my life. 

Jagi didn't haveto fight Canderous, and you tried to persuade him not to. The Mandalorian sense of honor, however, would not let him live having done what he has. Jagi took his own life in the Dune Sea. This has deeply affected Candeour. [KotOR game]

[15] Similar like clone trooper KADDAK used the name of Mandalorian god in Darth Vader: Cry of the Shadow

He named himself Kaddak. They say he took the first name of the Mandalorian Destroyer God, Kad Ha'rangir, and used it forwards and backwards.

[snowthornes]

💥, 😨, 🍧, 🎭, and 🔪 for Thorne sdjfgksg or whichever of those you want bc I recognize that that's quite a few lol. I just think he's neat

ASK GAME: THORNE BRIERS | SHEPHERDS OF HAVEN | OMNI

SDJDG Thank you so much for sending an ask!! And it's not a problem at all — I love writing about my OCs!!! No matter how much you send, I'll be over the moon. Thank you so much for liking Thorne, that makes me very happy!! 🥹🥹💐💐

As usual, I'll be answering in the context of the SHOH universe! Ah, here's the LINK to the ask game, for anyone who wants to do it!

Edit: Okay, this became. Long. Ridiculously long. I considered splitting the ask up, but I'm not sure how that would work. Will probably do it in the future, though!

MINOR SPOILERS FOR THE ALPHA BUILD BELOW!!

😨 — when scared, do they go into "flight" or "fight"?

Flight! Thorne's not very big on the whole 'go out in a blaze of glory' thing — he'd much rather slip away from the enemy's grasp and live to fight another day.

Actually — and this is a bit off topic — he's not a very big fan of the whole 'self sacrificing' routine that a lot of the Shepherds seem to have going on. Scratch that, he hates it. Everytime Trouble or Blade or any of the Shepherds say something along the lines of sacrificing themselves to save innocents, his eye practically starts twitching in irritation. 🗿

He'd much rather that they all stayed alive, thank you very much. He refuses to tolerate any other outcome. Now that I think about it, it's a bit funny — he'd joined the Shepherds only as a means of self-preservation. He was so sure that he'd fade into the background soon enough, that the Shepherds would just be another odd chapter in his life.

Now he spends most of his time running himself ragged for the order and (secretly) worrying about his more self-sacrificial comrades' survival. Oh, he also spends a good chunk of his time worrying about Caine. His ass was not expecting to be a sort-of-guardian for a twelve year old, but here they are. Ah, how the turns have tabled.

Blade, Dead Serious: Are you willing to bleed for the order? To die for the order? That's what we demand from all our recruits. Thorne, voice floating from another room: It would also be ideal if you, you know. Didn't die. Less paperwork that way.

🎭 — Do they act differently around certain people? What's different between the way they act around friends, family, strangers, etc.?

Oh, boy. Given the fact that his entire surface demeanor revolves around concealing his true thoughts and emotions from others, I would have to say... yes.

HOW HE ACTS AROUND STRANGERS/FRIENDLY ACQUAINTANCES:

Around strangers or friendly acquaintances, Thorne's guard is always up. His charming veneer never wavers, cloaking him like a second skin — he smiles at the right time, laughs at the right occasion, and frowns at the right moment. Everything he does is a calculated mix of genuine and deliberate, engineered to make him come off as a smooth mix of charming, elusive, and trustworthy — elusive enough to make people think of him as mysterious, but pleasant enough to make people trust him.

He doesn't lie outright, however. Not if he can help it. Lies are tricky, and can leave too many threads to pull and unravel. Instead, he deals in half-truths: little bits of truth about himself that he can sacrifice to the masses, all while keeping the ones that he'd rather hide safely concealed behind his smile.

Strangers know him as the dark-haired mage who carries himself with an air of casual elegance, who possesses storm gray eyes that gleam with an intelligent and elusive light.

Others would say that he's a smooth-talking sod who knows more than he lets on.

Others still would call him a smart bastard who's absolutely ruthless in a fight.

Ah, well. Depends on who you listen to.

HOW HE ACTS AROUND FRIENDS/FAMILY:

Around friends or family — and let's face it, those two words are practically synonymous in this case — Thorne is a lot more expressive and reactive.

While it took him a long, long time to get to his point, Thorne begins to drop the calculated front when around the Shepherds. He becomes a lot more... relaxed, and as a result, a trace of his true personality comes out — though sometimes even Thorne isn't sure what that is.

He becomes a lot more mischievous, bouncing off of Chase and Trouble's antics by spearing them with the occasional dry comment or good natured jab. He also frequently comes to Blade, Red, and Halek's defense(?) by playfully coming up to bat with his arsenal of deceptively innocent quips whenever the others are dogpiling them, prompting Ayla to jokingly complain that he was a "bloody suck-up": an accusation to which Thorne responded with a look of mock-offense and a lofty, "I haven't the faintest idea of what you mean."

His terrible sense of humor also comes out in full force. Even the stupidest and flattest of jokes can coax a snort of laughter from him. He's a big fan of Riel's sarcasm, often snorting in amusement — eyes sparkling with poorly concealed laughter — whenever the other lets loose of yet another dry quip.

Overall, he's very different from how he was when he first joined the Order. When he first joined the order, he had treated them as he would any other stranger: charming, but distant, with the distinct air of someone who was sure to leave in the future. Now, he couldn't be any more different.

Trouble had once remarked on his change. He had ruffled Thorne's hair, ignoring his dismayed squawks, while thoughtfully commenting on how different he was compared to when they first met him.

"Oh?" Thorne had responded dryly, disgruntledly attempting to fix his ruffled dark hair. "What was I like when we first met, then?"

"Sort of closed off, even though you smiled a lot," Trouble had said thoughtfully. "Like one of those nobles. And you always kept your distance — almost like you were going to disappear any second."

Thorne had paused. It had felt odd, hearing this from Trouble. He hadn't known how to react. "... And now?"

Trouble had grinned, then, eyes warm and affectionate. He clapped Thorne on the back and slung a familiar arm around his shoulders. "Well, now you're stuck with us, of course!"

Thorne had let out a breath at that, rolling his eyes. There was a pause, the two of them blanketed in comfortable silence, before a quiet voice spoke tentatively into the air:

"Yes, I am."

🔪 — How do they react to injury / misfortune befalling their loved ones (significant other, family, friends)? Do they put themselves at blame?

Now... here's the thing. The more Thorne cares about someone, the more emotional he can get. The more he cares about someone, the less all the other things — logic, pragmatism, himself — matter to him. He's very much the type to love slower but harder. I genuinely think that life threatening injury befalling his loved ones would make him completely fling all his caution and inhibitions to the wind.

He'd be rushing to their side in a heartbeat. If they were on a battlefield, he'd be fighting his way to their side like an animal gone feral: all gnashing power and glinting arrows and a desperate need to get to their side, get to their side, before it's too late. Thorne knows how swiftly a person's life can be snuffed out; how one wound, one blow, can so easily drag them to a realm that no living being can ever hope to reach. He has to get to them. He has to.

His magic would probably start running rampant, responding to the cold spikes of fear cutting through his chest, to the ringing screaming in his ears. Rationally, he knows that he should conserve his magic and energy — that he shouldn't be so reckless, so careless, so impulsive — but all that would be drowned out by his urgent need to get to their side.

Ultimately, I think he'd either reach their side and haul them off to safety while debating between trying to heal them now or scrambling to a Healer (he's not the best healer), or someone else would step in and snap him out of it. If someone like Red (since he can translocate) told him to stay behind while they got the injured loved one to safety, Thorne would probably gnash his teeth but ultimately, stay and absolutely tear into the enemy. The moment the battle was over he'd be rushing off to go check on the loved one.

Once he sees them, alive and— well. Not well, but not dead, at least — he'll probably start crying. Tears run down his cheeks while he desperately tries to stifle his sobs, but it seems like the inhuman control he typically has over his emotions has fucked off to nowhere and he just keeps bawling his eyes out like an utter fool. Someone, either the poor injured loved one, (who now has a Mr. Thorne Briers bawling over their bed), or a trusted friend tries to comfort him, and he stiffens up so much that they fear he'll break. But then he grasps onto them like a lifeline, (or ever so gently, featherlight, if they were the injured loved one), and starts sniffling out a bunch of incomprehensible reassurances and apologies as he forcibly tries to calm himself. (It doesn't work).

He'll probably be extra clingy in the coming days, like a cat wandering around their favorite person. He won't come too close out of fear of smothering them (he probably still is) but he'll repeatedly attempt to ✨discreetly✨ poke his head into the infirmary to check on how they're doing and reassure himself that they'll be fine. If he's close enough to this particular loved one and feels secure enough to do so, he'll probably insist on doing his paperwork near them. The poor healers will probably have to shoo him out with a broom at one point.

Eventually, he'll start to relax and lay off on the clinginess, but — I think he'll be a lot more... forward with his affection than he was before. His masks and pretenses are still there — I don't think they'll go that easily — but they're a lot more transparent, and more easy to see through. For his loved ones, anyway.

Ah. This got long. I'm sorry, I think I just really like the drama 😔

💥 — What emotions do they have trouble dealing with?

Thorne... can be frustratingly complicated when it comes to dealing with emotion. He does a lot of mental gymnastics and unnecessary entangling when it comes to... how he perceives himself, and it can be a headache trying to follow him. Ironic, how someone so determined to never lose his composure is actually an absolute trainwreck. Still, I'll do my best to answer!

(Ah, and a reminder that Thorne's thoughts and opinions do not necessarily align with my own, and that they're not always, well... right.)

Thorne is the type to feel with everything in him — and it's a part of himself that he's grown to despise. Sadness, grief, longing, compassion, and hope: they will do nothing. They will accomplish nothing. He sees it as an unnecessary indulgence — something he lets himself feel just to validate himself. To pretend that he's a better person than he really is. That he can be better.

He can't.

Take compassion, for example. For Thorne, compassion coming from him is a useless token. Compassion is pointless when no action is taken, and he can't— he can't promise anything. And what good is feeling sympathy for anything when you can't do anything to help them?

Once upon a time, he had worn his heart on his sleeve. He used to be brighter, all smiles and laughter: a light that waveringly persisted even after the destruction of his village. And he had tried to help — to save people, to do good in the world. But after a few events that I won't get into right now, he... became disillusioned. Overly so, I would say. After all, what was the point in having a bleeding heart when you wouldn't be able to save them no matter how much you bled? When you would only make things worse? He began to harden and hold the world at an arms length. Slowly, he learned to conceal himself, to manipulate and charm and persuade.

And the more beautiful his mask became, the more he began to despise himself.

To be blunt, Thorne hates himself far too much to indulge in these emotions.

Sadness, grief, longing, compassion, and hope: he began to deal with them by either internally pulling away or leaning into his anger.

Thorne's anger isn't the raging, blood-pumping kind — not usually, anyway. His anger is focused, deliberate, like ice and frost creeping up a metal chain and delicately shattering it to pieces. Anger is easy. Anger is cold. Anger lets him look at the world with a knife-like clarity, lets him ignore the steadfast ache in his chest. Anger lets him ignore the emptiness that follows him wherever he goes. Anger... is protection.

Yes, not a very healthy way to cope. But he'll be having some hefty character development throughout the course of the game! :D

🍧 — Do they still have any objects from their childhood? What significance does it have to them? What would their reaction be if they lost it?

Thorne has a bracelet made of twine, with little wooden star-shaped beads woven into it in pretty patterns! His mother had been the one to weave the bracelet, while his father had been the one to carve the wooden stars.

It had been his thirteenth birthday gift; his father gave it to him the day before his Wreath Day. His mother had woven it for him when she fell sick with the Grey Waste. The Grey Waste was deadly, and she had known that it was very unlikely she would be able to pull through. So, shakily, laboriously, she created one last gift for her son, to be given on his thirteenth birthday.

Thorne had cried for hours when he received the bracelet, burrowing into his father's arms as he bawled his heart out. Now, the bracelet is old and worn; he keeps it in a pouch he wove himself, embroidered with patterns of his parents' favorite flowers in honor of their memory. He would be absolutely devastated if something were to ever happen to it, and would probably be shattered for days before painfully accepting that it was gone.

[applcrumbl]

Falling for You

Pairing: Tom!Peter Parker x Reader Warnings: Death (arguably by suicide), Authors Note: Still transferring my stuff from @bapplbrumbl

A treacherous walk, rocky terrain, unstable ground, next to no conversation between you and your best friend. Truthfully, you’d been ignoring Peter, trying to stuff down the ever-growing feelings of love that arose whenever we walked into the room. Truthfully, He’s been ignoring you right back, invigorated at your cold shoulder. Truthfully, this forced you to ignore him even more, astounded that he wouldn’t even try for your attention. It was a never-ending circle of ignorance without bliss.

The lanky boy stormed up the purple-tinted planet, not waiting for you to catch up. forgetting that you, a mere mortal were not in fact superhuman, and could not withhold the same stamina.

“Peter, slow down.” you practically begged, hunched over to catch your breath. He stopped in his tracks.

“Y/N, we can’t slow down. The fate of the universe is in our hands”

“Well thank you captain obvious. It’s just-” you trail off.

He pauses, waiting for the rest of your sentence. You wished he had an arsey comment to snap back with at this point. Anything to avoid what you needed to say.

“I think we should talk.”

He laughs, dry. Like the dust that clogged your lungs. “We couldn’t have talked earlier?” Eyebrows raised. “Maybe, when you didn’t utter a word to me on the walk here?”

In fairness, he hadn’t said anything either, but you weren’t got to cause a worse argument. “I’m sorry”

Peter half expected a sarcastic quip back, so when he was met with your genuine apology, he was taken back. All previous annoyance swept under the rug. “No I’m sorry,” he says, “What is it?”

“I’m scared I ruin things-”

“ruin what? you won’t ruin anything, we’re friends?” You continued to walk, approaching the top of the mountain. The air was much thinner this high, though you suspected it was also the anxiety pumping your veins that heightened it.

“Peter-”

“What is it?” He interrupted

“Peter, please let me speak” You begged, he walked slower, matching your pace, “It was just never the right time.”

“Never the right time for” He paused, shaking his head at himself, “Sorry. I’ll be quiet now.”

You smiled, Peter loved the sight. The ground was significantly more stable up here, you stopped abruptly, facing your best friend. A deep breath.

“I’ve been trying to tell you for a long time. But you were with Liz and now you like MJ.” another breath. “It just- I’ve been scared to say it, but I think we won’t have much longer.”

“much longer? where are you going? what’s wrong?” The poor boy. Blissfully unaware of your upcoming fate. Interrupted by a cursed figure with a red face.

“What you seek lies in front of you. As does what you fear,” he speaks.

“What’s in front of us?” Peter replies, unwavered by the mysterious man whom he had never met.

“The price. The soul holds a special place among the Infinity Stones. You might say, it is a pearl of certain wisdom.”

“Let’s cut to the chase” You snap, “To ensure that whoever possesses it, understands its power. The stone demands a sacrifice.”

Peter’s brows furrow. Confusion spread across his features.

“In order to take the stone, you must lose that which you love. A soul for a soul.” Your eyes fluttered close, “I’m that soul, Pete.”

It took a short second before the realisation kicked in, A strong hand grabbing your wrist and pulling you away from the cliff’s edge. “I can’t let you do that,” Peter states, “I’ll do it.”

You didn’t mean to hit him as hard as you did when you fought, but the desperation was growing. Peter’s complete focus on stopping you from sacrificing yourself was invigorating. But it was not the time to argue.

A big swinging push was aimed at the young boy, very nearly missing him as his arms wrapped your midriff, pushing you to the floor under him. “Stop it” He practically begged as you wrestled free.

You sprinted from his grip and to the edge. Jumping far and away from the edge. You braced for an impact that never came. Your wrist was entangled in webs.

Looking up through teary eyes, Peter laid flat against the crumbling dirt. A string of web fluid the only thing keeping you dangled in the air. “let me go,” you shout.

“Never,” he cries, “Never ever”

The headstrong boy was hard enough to deal with on a regular day, but this was something else. “Petey, you gotta help. save the world. it’s okay.” You begged, “Bring back Aunt May, and MJ. Ned”

“No, I can’t. Not without you.”

His tears fell down past your sides, the web tightening as if to snap.

“You have no choice,” A sharp snap as the web partially breaks. “Let me go Peter.”

Another head shakes ‘No’. As stubborn as a mule. “I love you” you whisper, so light it’s a surprise he heard it at all.

A sharp sob. “How can you expect me to let you go now.”

You shouldn’t have said it, you knew that. But falling to your death without him knowing was the last thing you would let happen. “It’s too much to ask of you, I know.” you cry, pulling a knife from its holster on your thigh. “But you’ve got to Pete.”

“No stop, Y/N stop!”

The web is cut, and you fall. Tears stream from your eyes as you accept your fate. Peter shoots once last web, full effort as it attaches itself to your midriff. But it’s too late.

“I love you too” he cries.

[infiniteseriesofhalfways]

good lord, i just read some shit i wrote back in October, and it fucking hurts, like-

He doesn't hate his father. He loves him like an ant loves a magnifying glass, like ex-smokers love a new pack, like holding your hand to a fire and begging for once, for it to only warm and not burn. His father is a force beyond his control, a god who forgot the verses on mercy. On forgiveness. He doesn't pray to anyone, not since they stopped going to church. But at night he lies awake, pleading with the universe, allow his father to see the truth. His mother is a good woman. He has done his best to be a good son. They have given their entire lives to him, sacrificed nearly every bit of their own desires to try and make him happy. If, someday, his father should wake up and see all of it, maybe then he would start believing in god again. Until then, he can't see anyone looking out for him. He can't find any father in the stars who actually loves him back.

why did i say any of that at all??? could've kept every bit of that to myself.

When CA turns away from him, his heart aches. He wants so badly to reach over, to hold CA until everything bad that has ever happened to him comes tumbling out. He wants to let CA spill his secrets and leave them here in the sand, buried beside forgotten beer bottles and toy shovels. It's in the rise and fall of his chest, faster and faster as he spirals. He can't imagine where CA's thoughts have gone, what fucked up memory he's gotten lost in. He considers his own past, good experiences tainted by the way they ended. He could tell the story, be the first of them to cut himself open tonight. A bloody invitation for CA to do the same. Not a demand. Not a requirement. An open palm and a promise under moonlight.

like idk who i was thinking i was but i have in fact depressed the shit out of myself three months later

[intermundia]

Hello! Thank you for all of your metas and analyses, they're always really intelligent and I greatly enjoy reading them. In that vein—if you're willing—I have a question for you. Where did the 'Obi-Wan hates going to the Healers' trope come from? I know the 'character X dislikes medical' trope is pretty common across most fandoms (or, I think it is? I migrated from the MCU, it's a staple there), but do you have any guesses as to why it's so common with Obi-Wan, specifically? Thanks!

it's always fraught to some degree for me to discuss other people's characterizations in public, their obi-wan especially, because it's a controversial topic and it’s really important to me that everyone's participation in fandom is welcome and their art is valid. my opinions about the importance of canon only apply to my own work, not to anyone else's, and i’m not making value judgements, just trying to describe trends.

the fact that you are familiar with the trope from MCU is unsurprising to me. i think that there is a fandom archetype of the self-sacrificing workaholic who will push through any pain and ignores their own comfort because they might not believe they deserve care. this leads to a great hurt/comfort dynamic and is useful for whump stories, and so is kind of universally applicable to all ships. people see obi-wan as someone who plausibly fits into that role as someone who puts duty first and they want to take care of him, make him accept care and reassurance, and more power to them for that. i think that’s the reason the trope is so strong, people love these characters and hate to see them hurt, and identify with their pain. to have someone demand that they accept comfort can be very psychologically satisfying for the reader.

the reason that i don't use the trope much myself is that i haven't found any canon evidence of it, and aligning my version of him with canon is important to me. my memory is good, but not perfect, so i always welcome if people have sources, but afaik while obi-wan is, as stover describes him, 'modest, centered, and kind,' he is not irrational or prone to self-harm. he's willing to die or be hurt to help people, but there's nothing to suggest that he doesn't accept help when he needs it. i can't remember anything off the top of my head other than fanfic that describes him that way.

we do see him hurt a lot, the clone wars loves to whump him, and we never see the aftermath of that, because the show isn't about trauma or healing, it's about plot. people are free to read whatever they want into the empty space! using his opinion about medical is a good way to characterize him in a story. to me, a quick check if something is wrong is the more pragmatic and useful thing for him to do, so he would do that and then head to the bridge to get to work. that's my general interpretation of who he is. the only story where i had him grab bacta and hide in his cabin was when he was processing a lot of psychological trauma after zygerria and didn’t want to do it in front of other people, so i do get and use it where it feels right!

[anyathefandom]

Things that are working on GH right now (for me of course😉)

Sprina: We're about to get into our Trina cheating on Rory with Spencer era and I love that for us.😌

Sante: Their healthy and happy with each other. their the couple that you would think would get more love scenes because they seem crazy about each other.

TreeJ: Shipping aside I do believe their friendship came out of nowhere but I'm willing to look past for the simple fact it's nice to see willow interact with people who aren't Michael and his family.

Ava: Ava's fuck you energy she has for Nikolas is everything. I'm so glad Nava is dead.

The Cassadine-Webber duo: cam backing Spencer all the way is what I like to see. I'm actually looking forward to seeing Spencer supportive cam when Caoss break up.

Spencer: He's taking responsibility for his actions ( even though he shouldn't be serving 3 months for this 😭) and he's sacrificing his own wants just because Trina is currently happy with Rory. Yeah he's becoming a man.😌

Martin gray: I love that southern man plus him and Lucy are so entertaining together. Also I'm going to need more Martin and Spencer scenes ASAP.

Dex: I like a man that is trying to fuck over sonny.🤷 Plus he's not afraid to be snarky with anyone so I'm tuned in.

Selina Wu: Whenever she's on she has my attention. Only thing I'm demanding is that they expand her family. Let the Wu's come through!!!

The Robinson/Ashford family with ava also of course 😉(In an alternate universe I'm sure ava is trina's godmother): Even though everyone sprang into action last minute it payed off in the end with team work because they needed to save their baby girl. 🥰

Vanna: I honestly need to catch up them but Vanna has never disappointed so I feel safe by putting them on the list.😌

[sabo-has-my-heart]

Guardian Angel Part 2

This is part 2 to my Guardian Angel fic, enjoy

Luffy looked down at his straw hat. It had been 2 years since Marineford, 2 years since his Guardian Angel had sacrificed themselves for him, 2 years since he sent a message to the crew to train, 2 years since he’d begun his training. He picked up the hat and put it on his head, a smile on his lips.

“If you’re still here, I’m gonna tell you again, I don’t want you here! I’m going to get Y/N back and they’re gonna see me become King of the Pirates!” Luffy shouted at the sky. It had become somewhat routine to tell his new Guardian Angel that they weren’t wanted, that he didn’t acknowledge them as his Guardian Angel, that only one person could hold that title. Not that it stopped his new Guardian Angel from following him, after all, that was his job. This new angel, however, didn’t have the attachment or dedication to Luffy that Y/N had. They didn’t tend to his wounds as passionately or immediately, Luffy’s small scratches didn’t heal as quickly, they were detached because they’d seen how attached Y/N had been. With that, the young man headed out, before he could find Y/N, before he could become King of the Pirates, he needed to get back to his ship and his crew. 

Elsewhere on the Grandline

Things were hard, not knowing where you were, why you were there, or, more importantly, who you were. You’d been stuck on this island for 2 years, confused and alone, trying to figure out how to leave the island. Worse yet was that, not only did you barely know how to survive, but the fact that you were always getting hurt. You’d be out hunting for whatever you could catch and would snag yourself on a particularly sharp branch or accidentally cut yourself with your own weaponry. You’d once tried something that you thought was safe, some berries that you’d gathered, safe, edible, and easy. That is, until you ended up sick to your stomach, the ‘safe’ berries being emptied out into the nearby bushes. You usually healed pretty quickly, a simple scratch would only take about 2 days to fully heal. When you’d broken your leg while climbing and while it had been hard to survive with a broken leg, it had only taken a month to heal. There were a number of times when you’d tried to escape, but despite your best efforts, it was as if some unknown force kept you here. Random whirlpools that destroyed your raft and washed you back to shore, a storm out of nowhere that deterred any ships that got close, hell, the large bird that you’d coaxed into giving you a ride had been inexplicably shot down by a bolt of lightning! You’d given up on escaping the island about 6 months ago, figuring that if the universe wanted you stuck here, then you were stuck here. 

It was a few weeks before you spotted another ship on the horizon, every now and again a ship would sail close enough to see the outline, but another storm or other ‘natural’ phenomenon would always crop up and drive them away. From what you could see from your spot atop the cliffs, the ship was smaller than most vessels, a large skull with a straw hat was printed on the sail, and a large yellow sun was plastered on the bow of the ship. With a defeated sigh, you stood up, brushing the dirt from your butt before walking away. Staring at the ship would just make you depressed, longing to get off this island. You’d felt a strange pull in your chest since you’d first washed ashore, a need to get off this island and go see what was out there, maybe find out who you were.

Luffy held his hat down as Nami shouted orders. He’d demanded that they sail through the storm. There was an island in the distance and, being Luffy, he wanted to explore it. Law had been relatively irritated that he wanted to visit this strange island, but his arguments had fallen on deaf ears. Luffy did what he wanted, no matter who told him otherwise. A little ways above him, his guardian angel looked down disapprovingly. Every guardian knew about this island, it was the island you’d been banished to, an island that was supposed to be cut off from the world, one without any means of escape, but this new Guardian Angel was quickly finding out that there was no such thing as “can’t” in Luffy’s dictionary. If he wanted something, he threw himself at it with everything he had. Despite the storm, the whirlpools, the large bolts of lightning, and the rather angry sea kings, the StrawHat crew and Law made it to the island, anchoring a short ways away from the island before taking the mini merry to the island. It bothered Nami, how calm the weather was once they’d gotten close, but Luffy seemed as unfazed as always, eager to explore this island.

Your eyes widened when you noticed the ship anchored nearby, no ship ever got this close, ever! It was the same ship from the day before, though now you could make out the lion-sun figurehead better. Immediately you began to run towards the shore, not caring about the brambles and branches that cut and sliced into your skin. A ray of hope was shining in your chest, too bright for you to care about some minor cuts. Hope that shone as bright as the sun, even as you tripped and tumbled down the rough slope, gathering more cuts and bruises. It wasn’t until you realized that you’d come to a stop that you opened your eyes, getting ready to run towards the ship again, only to find yourself face to face with a small group of people, one of whom was holding you. There was a woman with black hair and three boys, one with moss green hair, one with a rather long nose, and a strangely familiar looking black haired boy with a straw hat. Almost as soon as you looked at him, he shouted a name, pulling you into a tight hug. A vague memory flashed through your mind, the boy with the straw hat was holding you as he sobbed, shouting something that you couldn’t quite make out. It was like trying to hear underwater, the only words you caught being ‘join my crew!’ Looking at the boy, you tilted your head to the side, his name was Monkey D. Luffy and, somehow, he knew you, whoever this boy was, he was the key to finding out who you were.

hope you liked it, currently considering a part 3

[terrence-silver]

What would Terry be like during the birth of his child and then seeing them for the first time?

Nobody on earth can ever love you more than your parents.

Terry Silver's convinced those universally acknowledged words were designed specifically for him and him alone in that moment, once the immaculate nurse of an equally immaculate private hospital on Beverly Hills, entirely cleared out for the occasion, at his leisure and explicit demand, brings him a bundle, handing it to him tenderly, like providence at 0300 in the morning, military time; ideally healthy and controlled measurements. The average length of a full-term newborn baby, 19–20 inches (in), or 48.2–50.8 centimeters (cm), wrapped in a pale, pristine cashmere wool blanket.

Perfect.

Absolutely perfect in every way.

Even though he didn't speak of it often, Terry's life was hard.

First, there was the destructive despotism and the subsequent chaos of growing up with his parents. Then, there was his childhood and formative years cut short by Vietnam. Then, there was Vietnam itself and all it brought upon him. Then, came a great respite and a great climb after the war. Up, up, up. Always up. From Dynatox, to becoming a businessman of renown, to sponsoring and co-founding Cobra Kai to growing into himself. Into Terry Silver. There was also a great loneliness on those heights. A great sense of isolation hard to describe to others. Even to Johnny himself. To anyone. His own head, at times. But, Terry supposed as he held the most fragile thing he's held in his arms in a while that there was a sense of bafflement and awe and all those years of loneliness seem like a good investment now. He made that. He made a great many things, but none of them so acutely designed from his blood that he feels an acute sense of inherent kinship, intricately tied at the tips of his fingers as he cradles the head of the newborn, staring at it. Mine, he tells himself. That's mine. Literally speaking. They belong to me. After all, when it’s time for a baby snake to hatch, it will break the rubbery shell of the egg with its razor-sharp tooth. This tooth is sacrificed for the great escape and falls off once the hatchling comes out of the shell. It is aptly named the ‘egg tooth’. His offspring has no egg tooth. In fact, no teeth at all --- not in a great, long time to come --- just a weeping gurgle in its tiny, saliva-coated, opened mouth.

There was no need for a symbolic egg tooth --- not here.

Terry Silver would ensure the world would be soft, unlike it was for him.

Soft like frosting atop of a cake, easily digestible, easy to feed on --- consume.

Easy to devour, so when his child bites into it, it can bite into life itself with relish.

Laugh as it demands seconds and thirds from their silver platter.