#isn't really coming from a greater good in his heart to want the best; it comes from greed; jealousy; hatred; pride; etc etc

[darabeatha]

Absolutely feral that after getting kicked from heaven and falling down for 9 whole days (and then staying burning in agony in a pit of fire down in hell for another 9 days) s.atan and his army of millions of fallen angels just crawl from the shores of hell, decide to make a hugeass palace for themselves and then discuss what the heck are they going to do now, only to come to the conclusion that the way to hurt god the most would be to destroy his newest creation (men) which from then on they can further take on earth and make it their new kingdom (bc during the council, one of the fallen angels argued that even if they made a new kingdom in hell, at the end of the day they are still essentially 'trapped' in a box, so would that even count as a triumph?)

[goldensunset]

hi! I know next to nothing about kingdom hearts but could you tell me a bit about Strelitzia? she shares a name with my favorite flower that I was kinda rebranding to at the same time I saw you talking about her (back in october. cough I've been so busy 😭 cough) so I was caught really off guard lolll

but you seem to like her a lot and I'm really curious to learn more! I'd love to hear all the blorbo thoughts :)

hello tumblr user the—plant. i hope this ask finds you well. attached please find nearly four thousand words about a two dimensional mobile game character. best, goldensunset

blorbo brain ACTIVAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATE

hi ok so strelitzia is a character from kingdom hearts union x (but the x isn't really an x but don't worry about the titles in this series just don't worry about them trust me.) she doesn’t have a lot of screen time but she is SO important like she is actually foundational to the plot it is insane. gist of her personality? she’s quiet and shy, considers herself weak, doesn’t have a lot of friends (she has like one named acquaintance but otherwise just clings to her older brother), is kind of odd (she likes sitting on top of the roof lol) and can be somewhat spacey. to me she is like the naïve young beautifully tragic heroine of her own little fairytale

anyway one day strelitzia.... doesn't really meet but more like just notices the player character of the game (your customizable avatar) from afar. she thinks they're really cool for the way they start to like question things around them and think for themselves (bc the town they live in is kind of cult-y where everyone is loyal to one of five factions (called unions) that compete but like even the five factions are under the order of one greater cult. but that's not important rn lol). especially bc she's so shy all the time it's an inspiration to see someone so brave and unique like that. this is me kinda projecting but it might also partially be loneliness bc i think she recognizes that they are lonely too like her

the player never sees her though like they never even learn she exists until it's too late but she starts having a kind of like parasocial relationship with them. like a platonic crush. a squish, if you will. every time the two of them end up in the same place she reeeeeally wants to work up the courage to go say hi so they can be friends but she's too shy every time. my poor darling

so i mean. i lied i do have to mention some plot stuff for this to make sense of course. i promise it's interesting. there is a War approaching. bc the tension between the five unions is getting ugly. they're all convinced everyone else is evil. which is by design of the true mastermind sicko behind all this. he created problems on purpose but set himself up as a good guy and then left to go get milk and his naive homunculus furry children (his students, who each have a deadly sin for a name and an animal for a mask) (they’re the leaders of the five unions) almost all decided to take his words at face value and stick to the peacekeeping instructions he left them. which actually is what causes the war lol. they were never meant to get along! the mastermind sicko claims that that was written into fate (bc he can see the future) (or so he claims). but they still played their part. so is fate or free will responsible for this? well this is all a complicated and juicy section of the lore that isn't really necessary for an infodump about strelitzia. don’t worry about it

anyhoo only one of the naive homunculus furry children was actually fully intended to properly do the job she was told to do. like she's far and away the most important of them all. her name is ava (from avaritia, latin for greed) (so pronounced kinda like short for avocado lol) and she's the coolest of them all bc she's got a pink fox outfit. the instructions given to her were basically like hey so the war is definitely coming and almost everybody here is gonna die bc they're gonna stay loyal to their unions to the end and get involved in these petty fights like the obedient little sheep they are. (is this a good time to mention that they're all children?)

but it's ava's job to try to recruit as many strong and good-hearted people as she can to a sixth, neutral-party pacifist group. these guys are called the dandelions bc the idea is that like the seeds of a dandelion, they'll scatter on the wind and fly away to another world... poetic. that is to say daybreak town is getting massively screwed over by this battle (and arguably some other things lol) so they can't stay there anymore. you either fight and die in a stupid useless war or you say goodbye to everything and everyone you know who wasn't recruited and you run away, basically. the dandelions will be responsible for essentially rebuilding the world. like the survivors of a massive storm

the other thing is that the current union leaders won't be there in the new world either. they're about to disappear (to this day we still don't fully know exactly what happened. we can verify they're all alive though. except ava.. who knows what happened to her). so all these literal children are responsible for governing themselves now yippee! so there have to be five new chosen union leaders to replace the missing furry homunculi. this isn't ava's call though-- she's given a specific list of names she has to recruit. (ava mostly accepts fate and follows instructions instead of her heart! mostly. except when she doesn't)

these guys are understandably a bit unsettled bc as new union leaders they're warned in advance a bit more thoroughly about the imminent fate of daybreak town than the regular dandelions. like everyone has heard by this point the rumor that there could be war on the horizon and some people are in denial about it and others are like yup sounds good let's fight! some people think ok i'll only fight in self defense to stop the other people who are trying to fight! you fools. you're making it happen. the dandelions are like basically people who both believe the rumors they're told and who agree that it's a stupid idea to even get involved or to die loyal to your union. iirc some were personally recruited by ava and some just got recruited by other dandelions

but the union leaders were specifically and personally approached by ava-- lady ava, master ava, a foreteller, basically a member of the nobility-- with an ominous warning that's like 'fate is written in stone. i've read the prophecy of the future that our master saw and wrote down. the war is a guarantee. if you stay here you will die. i need you to help form the foundation of a new world. here's this cool book it serves as your id and proves you're a legit chosen one leader ok enjoy the responsibility don't tell anyone about this until afterwards ok byyyyeeeee'. not fun

FINALLY back to strelitzia. so as you might have guessed she's one of the five names on the list- she's been recruited to the dandelions AND now she's receiving a very special honor. she's kind of amazed that someone introverted and unremarkable like her could be chosen to help lead the new world. my little skrunkly. but then she panics bc she realizes that her parasocial best friend, her squish, the player character, isn't a dandelion! oh no! she doesn't want them to fight and die she has to convince them!

(and honestly as a side note it’s really fascinating bc this story as a whole primarily revolves around the new union leaders as its protagonists and yet the person you play as is someone who was warned and invited to join the dandelions multiple times but explicitly turned down the offer bc they felt like it would be a cowardly or traitorous move to abandon their friends. which is sweet of them to be worried about, and really interesting bc fr, how did recruitment work actually? did everyone actually get the offer or were some people just left for dead bc they weren’t strong or cool enough? the player takes issue with the concept. again- props to them for rising up and challenging authority and fate. but dude are you really going to join the child military instead???)

strel doesn’t know any of that though she’s just determined to reach out and be a friend. she knows that this is her last chance to finally work up the courage and reach out to this person and be friends, although it’s too bad the circumstances are so dire… like social anxiety is strong but the fear of losing someone who means a lot to her is even stronger. like she HAS to warn them and save them. she receives her official rulebook/warning/nomination what turns out to be the day before the war officially begins. that night she almost goes out running in the dark to go find this mystery person but realizes ‘wait that’s stupid i’m not gonna go out at night alone and i don’t even know where this person lives or would be rn’ so instead the next morning she sets out on a mission to find them. yayyyyy she’s finally found her courage!

yeah uh. she doesn’t find them though … what she does find is an ominous dark abandoned house (it was her little magical cat’s idea to go look in there bc it was pretty sure it saw the player around there a moment ago. i mean it was right but they were already gone smh). no little flower girl don’t go in there! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! first person to die in a slasher movie type vibes. yeah there is Someone or Something in there and in the first iteration of this scene the screen just goes dark and we hear a slash sound and then we see strelitzia on the floor. and a shadowy hand picks up her book that fell to the floor and leaves her there. in the like ‘updated’ version of this flashback she cries out for her older brother. AUGH. she manages to stumble to her feet and limp to the door, knowing that she’s dying, and in her last moments, she reflects on all those missed opportunities and expresses her regrets… ‘ i wish i’d had the courage…’ Augh. then her body fades away into sparkles bc this is kingdom hearts

so like… she’s the center focus of a murder mystery. but the characters don’t even know there’s a murder mystery. but the audience does!!! it takes a loooong time for anyone in the story to learn she’s even dead. her older brother (yes that’s right! this tragedy will not go unmourned!) realizes that he hasn’t seen her in a while but assumes she’s simply missing. i mean people in daybreak town take extended leave to work on their own little missions all the time. it’s not like the siblings can spend every day together. his name is lauriam and he’s a very nice refined polite young man who is going to have the most delicious fall from grace negative character development in the series eventually

ik you asked about strel but like i can’t talk about one of the flower siblings without the other and clearly you like flowers and plants so it’s worth mentioning. lauriam has tons of plant and flower imagery going on. the tattered edges of his vest resemble a leaf rotted by plant blight. his name is arguably supposed to resemble ‘laurel’ (although it’s actually an anagram of something else so like that couldn’t have been the original plan). his keyblade is rose-themed. the scythe he later gets is named graceful dahlia. his original appearance in the series gave him cherry blossoms and his remake-appearance gave him rose petals. plus he’s one of the new union leaders of the dandelion and his sister is obviously named after the bird of paradise flower… you get the gist. we could make a whole bouquet for this guy. his concept is supposed to be like a graceful, beautiful grim reaper of sorts—he’s associated with both flowers and death. goes crazy. so it makes perfect sense that retroactively they gave him a backstory where his flower-themed sister dies and he goes mad with grief over it

anyway he goes asking around trying to find her and slowly gets more and more worried bc oh shoot he actually hasn’t seen her since the war… for all he knows she might not have even made it to the new world… oh this isn’t good… he meets up with strelitzia’s only named acquaintance who provides a bit of useful information (and sees something incredibly ominous. basically like a digital flashback into the past of strelitzia’s final moments. like a vision of a ghost of sorts).

eventually the other new union leaders start realizing that lauriam’s little personal sidequest to find his sister is actually more important than they thought bc something is up with her. this isn’t just some random girl that went missing. they eventually realize that she was supposed to be one of the new union leaders (cuz it turns out one of them actually is in possession of the original list of names that ava received. why precisely did she even bother giving that information to him when it would become evident who the new leaders would be very shortly? who knows… maybe she knew something like this might happen). and the fact that she’s missing is therefore VERY ominous bc obviously a dandelion union leader wouldn’t have fought and died in the war so we can’t write it off as a probable casualty. something is very very wrong here.

the replacement. the name that wasn’t on the list. the shadowy hand. if one leader dies then we need a new one. someone who wasn’t supposed to be there. an impostor among the five. uh oh.

that kid though. that unusual boy. ventus. he swears up and down he has no idea what happened or why he’s not on the list. he swears he was personally chosen and given the book by ava but his memory is a total blur. his friends are nice they don’t like accuse him or murder or anything they just want to understand how the switcheroo happened. for all they know strelitzia is still alive and just gone somewhere. and then ven starts having some horrible flashbacks and nightmares. a nightmare where a shadowy demon shapeshifted into ava and led him into this dark abandoned house… a nightmare where he was possessed, brainwashed, whatever you want to call it… where in the blink of an eye the darkness within him lunged out at this unknown girl in that dim room and she collapsed to the ground and he was commanded to steal the book she dropped… augh.

and at the same time that all this is happening. lauriam is once again off doing his own personal thing which is picking a fight with someone but unfortunately he’s a toothpick and gets beat up so badly he starts hallucinating. thennnn we get the really heartbreaking flashback of happy memories of lauriam and strelitzia… she’s like venting about her day and how tired she is but her brother is someone she trusts and can go to… she’s like i’m not strong enough on my own can we please pair up in battle? and he’s like pffft leaning on me like that isn’t gonna help you grow y’know. then they talk about the dandelions and strelitzia talks about her squish and lauriam teases her about it (in english he explicitly asks if she has a crush and she’s like NO NO NO) and it’s so adorable AUGHGhhh. basically the scene is him reassuring her how much he loves her and looks up to her and saying if something happens he will come running to protect her (are you dying like I am yet. the tragedy………) and she’s like no yknow what? you’ve given me a challenge to get stronger and be able to protect you and i’m gonna do that someday! (augh.) then the flashback turns into a nightmare and she disappears then reappears in an ominous white cloak and starts floating and it’s really freaky and then he wakes up yay! it gives lauriam a really bad ominous feeling…

back to ventus the killer-not-killer. ven isn’t guilty of anything bc it wasn’t really him but like. he thinks he is. he thinks he needs to confess. lauriam is already in an incredibly unstable mental state (and physical state. he’s limping) when he enters the room where all his other friends are and he overhears them saying strelitzia is probably dead. he starts basically attacking and fighting them demanding answers. then in walks this innocent eleven year old saying ‘it was me i’m sorry…’ do you think lauriam handles it well? noooo. no he doesn’t. remember when I said he was a very nice polite young man? yeah uhhh the only thing stopping him from straight up killing the guy is the fact that the shadow demon pops out and ven collapses and uhhh wat going on here

after some battle stuff lauriam is finally successfully convinced that it wasn’t ven’s fault he got possessed and he never wanted any of this and he feels horrible for having attacked and blamed ven. after waking up ven basically reabsorbs the shadow demon bc there was no other way to defeat that monster and that knocks him out cold again for the rest of the entire story. and they never get to meet ever again aughhh. there’s a scene where lauriam is like watching over ven as he sleeps and he’s apologizing while grieving but then he questions like. if the shadow is in fact inside ven then in order to get revenge he almost considers violence again- but then he hallucinates strelitizia!!!! ARUGHGHGHG. she stops him she’s like ‘this isn’t you… you need to let it go… whatever happened to my kind and loving brother?’ and then disappears. AUGH. then lauriam feels such horrible pity for this little kid and vows to take care of him… like his big brother instincts are still there…

and then a whole bunch of plot stuff later long story short everyone gets separated from each other forever and most of them lose their memories of all of this! YAYYY! khux is so evil. lauriam’s future self, having lost his memories, knows there is something he’s missing. he knows there is someone he’s grieving but doesn’t even know who. he becomes a villain in an attempt to get something or feel something again. he thinks if he can manipulate other people’s memories he’ll be able to understand how memory itself works and maybe he’ll be able to unlock his own. he gets the cool scythe he gets the death motif and he gets this massive like.. monster., familiar.., jojo style stand if you will. he gets this specter that assists him in battle and dude i swear the thing looks JUST like strelitzia it’s ridiculous. like some part of his heart still knows her. and the most insane thing!!! remember in the flashback i mentioned how they were talking about what it would be like to protect each other and fight by each others’ side? the way in which the specter assists him is exactly like how strelitzia said she would… ouhhhhh

what actually happened to strelitzia after death though? well in kingdom hearts it can get pretty wacky. there are a lot of ways to die and a lot of different things that can happen to you afterwards lol. for the longest time we had no idea at all and presumably she was just Gone. our beloved tragic fairytale heroine, lost to the sands of time… quietly faded away along with her world with almost no one left in the world who would even have a chance at knowing she ever existed… the most hope we had being the fact that another white-robed figure (like the one that appeared in lauriam’s hallucination) appeared and seemed to have been rescued and sent to the future. that person being referred to as ‘the true dandelion’. but a few years ago we got a pretty substantial update. and it’s driving me bonkers bc i can’t make sense of it yet and we’ve gotten no news since. i would go into detail about what appears to have happened but it would be way too much for someone who didn’t know kh lore to grasp

long story short it appears she somehow ended up in like a parallel plane of existence-- the same place that the main character of the series has ended up in. that’s right- literally the most important dude in kingdom hearts + girl who used to be considered an obscure one off character from a game that’s looked down upon are about to be a duo! afterlife besties! will they ever get back home? is there even a home left for strelitzia? it’s been hundreds of years. did I mention that when everyone got separated at the end they were also sent forward to random points in the future. yeah daybreak town is gone. also did I mention the person she had a squish on and was desperate to meet also dies at the end of khux. but then they get reincarnated and live a long fulfilling life! but then they die again. but like maybe they got reincarnated again maybe there’s another chance!! but in any case i just KNOW strelitzia will find her brother again someday and he will remember her and they will be happy again oughghghhg

ANYWAY

sorry that was a lot of lore. i love that your interest in the plant has stimulated interest in the character bc for me it was the reverse! bc I love strelitzia I’ve become obsessed with the bird of paradise flower. it’s such a cool plant for being so vibrant and unusual it’s symbolic of like freedom and victory and a bunch more bold and beautiful and striking things i don’t fully remember the details. it’s such an interesting namesake choice for a girl who is very quiet and shy, who doesn’t draw attention to herself, who most certainly isn’t free and most certainly does not achieve victory or glory or anything. khux’s plot was released on an episode-by-episode basis and it was pretty iconic in a horrible way for them to introduce her in one episode, make everyone fall in love with her, and then kill her off in the very next update. like it’s both hilarious and incredibly sad. they told a whole entire short story, a self-contained narrative arc, a tragedy with a moral to the story, in two episodes. that is why i fell in love with her. she lives a short quiet life and then dies in secret and is washed away with the rest of her world, lost to time for now. with just a few scattered seeds of hope that she is still alive in some way in some world in the future. but like that flower is such a specific choice it has to mean something. me personally I think it’s a sign that she’ll have a bright and glorious comeback. that shy forgotten girl will finally rise from the grave for real and become someone again. she’ll be vibrant and loud and beautiful and loved… i know it….

[kathaynesart]

What do you take from the Rise movie’s “This isn’t about me,” message? *It’d be interesting to see this become a Tumblr thread cause I’d love to see what others think too.

That's... an important line to decipher. Deep enough to mean so many things but vague enough to be easily taken out of context. I have a lot to say about it, but I'll keep it under the cut to save others the trouble.

TLDR: Future Leo's a dum dum hypocrite

I think... when Leo used the line in the future timeline. He was trying to remind Casey of the harsh reality that they existed in. That this was a world where they sometimes had to set aside their personal wants for the greater good. It's for that reason that Leo was able to ask Mikey to do the unthinkable and sacrifice himself in turn.

What I find fascinating about the movie, is that it both supports and counters this message. It tries to find that healthy middle ground, between present Leo's narcissistic attitude in the beginning and the downright sacrifice he's willing to make by the end. Because him sacrificing himself was NOT the happy ending. And while we get that "ending" for only a moment. We can see that method doesn't feel right either.

In that way, I don't think "it's not about me" isn't actually the "message" of the movie as some might assume at first glance. Merely a gentle reminder to check yourself before you wreck yourself. Because technically, yes, "it's not about me" does apply to many aspects of life. We can get so caught up in our own worries and concerns and perspectives and it just... muddles reality in a way. We need to see how our actions and words affect others and understand that there's so much more out there than our own little bubbles. But we also should understand our own worth within the big tapestry of life and be willing to fight for the things that matter to us.

That's why I think the actual message of the story isn't "it's not about me." It's about balance. It's about the knowing look Leo and Raph share in the end and the fact that Mikey was able to achieve the true, best ending with his brother's help to save Leo, because they know that the world may mean more in the long run, but they mean the world to each other, and I think it's really important to understand.

But that's just my long-winded opinion on the subject and there’s plenty of other interpretations I think I can totally get behind as well. It will be an element within Replica but let's also remember that Future Leo is kind of hypocrite with this line. He's says "It's not about me" but that's coming from someone who the entire resistance has centered around as its leader. He's probably a little tired of the idolization by now and does not like the idea that he's somehow more important than others. I think that's where that line really stems from for Leo. It's obvious that Casey isn't just talking about his importance as a leader, but Leo with the same line is asking him to set those feelings aside even if he is one of the most important people in Casey's life.

And then Leo turns around and throws one of the most important people in his life through the portal. A damn hypocrite (/positive)

EDIT: I was sort of ending it on a silly note but @dandylovesturtles added such a great point that I haven’t been able to put into words but feel in my heart when it comes to future Leo and definitely something I want to show with the healing process he’s been going through in Replica: and that’s the “not all about you” sometimes just means that bad things happen but you can’t just blame yourself for it, and it’s not some cosmic attack for your mistakes. The world did not come to an end because of Leo’s mistake, even if he might have once felt like that. What’s more it means you can’t put the whole world on your shoulder or always try to fix things on your own like how Leo tried to after Raph’s capture. It’s ok to seek the aid and support and ideas of others your trust. It really lines up so well with a lot of the events in the film.

Thank you @dandylovesturtles and everyone else’s amazing comments! I want to hear all of them and take notes.

[mdhwrites]

Villains are not Characters

I have seen multiple lists at this point that try to tell you all the traits you need for a great villain. Make sure to include a sympathetic backstory, make them scary, make them charismatic, make them smart, make them whacky, etc. etc. None of them understand what a villain is though. What an antagonist is.

An antagonist is a narrative device.

Yes, we could argue all things in literature are narrative devices... And they are. What I'm about to say also goes for a protagonist after all. We have the term anti-hero to describe a protagonist who acts villainously or isn't meant to be likable or sympathetic for a reason after all. You make what fits the story best though. What fits the goal and theme of your work best.

And so the way to make a good villain is to first understand what the concept of your work even is and how they challenge it. If your story preaches the power of friendship, your villain is probably going to be someone who is mostly alone and thinks friendship is stupid. Maybe not that childishly but that's still going to be the core thrust of him because he opposes the heroes and the theme of the story. Beating him means the theme wins out. Does he need to be deep in this example or relatable or anything like that? Absolutely not! You can do it that way, have him come to the good side when he realizes the good of friendship (hi Unikitty of all things) but you'll do plenty fine just having an asshole who sneers and mocks the very notion and then has his plans undone because the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

And some of you might be saying this is obvious... While a lot of others might go "Okay but that's hard." People like a one size fits all solution. The hero's journey essentially exists for that reason. We like simple things that can be pointed at to make our work be praised because creation is scary and major elements like antagonist and protagonist are the first to be mocked and the first to be praised in a work usually, especially in writing where spectacle isn't really a thing. As such, people want a list of criteria that will just make it work.

But that's also how you get really boring or tonally clashing villains. There are genuinely stories out there where the reason people end up going "Wait, he had a point. We're the villains here," despite the framing is because in an attempt to make the villain seem to have a proper motivation and depth, they actually ended up justifying him. Ended up proving him correct and that maybe his methods were the right ones, even in works where they are NOT supposed to be. On paper they might be the best thing ever... Until they make actual contact with the story you've written.

One of the best examples for a villain that should not work on paper, AT ALL, but is genuinely genius is Doofenshmirtz from Phineas and Ferb. Yeah, the guy who wants to take over the Tri-State Area. The guy who barely interacts with the main protagonists except for sometimes his inventions being that which helps the boys not get caught. The guy who is a complete joke.

Here's the thing though: The point of the show is the unbridled power and joy of creativity. The bliss that is eyes wide open and prepared to accept the wonder of the world. After all, what is really the difference between Phineas/Ferb and Doof? Both create miraculous things in very short spans of time. They are both endlessly creative, never making quite what you expect but they view things different and thus Perry reacts to them differently. There's nothing wrong with a kid tinkering with his toys for fun and for the fun of others after all. Their heart is pure and their intention good. Perry only steps in when the boys end up somehow putting themselves in danger because someone needs to make sure the kids don't end up running with scissors.

Doof though is missing that wonder and joy. He takes great pride in his creations but the creation is not the goal, unlike the boys. He shows the harm that all of this creativity bent towards selfishness and anger can cause. He contrasts the boys and reminds the audience that there is something special that makes the protagonist who they are just by existing. And as such, because he opposes the themes, Perry is always there to stop him because he's running with scissors, hoping to find someone to stab. Not that dark admittedly but you get the point.

He is so deeply in conversation with the themes of the show that despite very rarely coming into active conflict with the protagonists, or even seeing them on a given episode, he still does his job as a villain through his B plots in the episodes. You get the push and pull of a great villain just through a shift in perspective.

But none of these listicles for how to write a great villain is going to tell you to write Doofenshmirtz. He's an incompetent, pathetic fool after all who is beat by a platypus. Of course, that's because they don't know what a villain actually is, thus making them far more of a joke than Doof ever was. See you next tale.

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Just a fun personal element: A lot of my non-serialized works don't have explicit villains in them because they're often so focused on characters and their burgeoning relationships that the biggest villain is the self. Just your reminder that sometimes the best villain for a story is none.

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

[hestzhyen]

Kagurabachi Chapter 42 Nonsense Takes-

Holy shit. Dear internet void, I'm on the edge of my seat. This CHAPTER man! Several key moments from Ch. 20 are paying off here in a satisfying way.

This time, Hiyuki is the one who wavers when her convictions are contested:

Caught between duty, desire, and her own limitations... not a great feeling is it? She's in the same position now that Chihiro was facing off against her in Ch. 20. I feel like Chihiro's heroics will push her forward much like Hakuri's words did for him. Can't wait to see more of her after this arc and how she reconciles her noble beliefs with the selfish pragmatism of the Kamunabi. Not to mention how she'll manage her pride while reconsidering her rather dismal evaluation of Chihiro from earlier in the chapter.

Speaking of the Kamunabi, though... the older guys who have experienced the horrors of the Seitei war try to be realistic about the situation:

[Shaking Shiba like a maraca] WHAT'S YOUR BACKSTORY MR. OFFSCREEN SORCERER?

They very understandably want to cut their losses and reduce the risk of death for their younger allies. With terrifying artifacts like Magatsumi being necessary, the Seitei War really must have been hell on earth. Better to save what you can than risk losing everything on a bet and all that. I think this will be the meaty, scrumptious crux of the conflict between Chihiro and the Kamunabi whenever he ends up clashing with them in the open. All for the greater good vs. the greatest good for all, pragmatism vs. idealism- I am hype!

And yet the idealistic duo of Chihiro and Hakuri are going to stake their lives on making a miracle. Across the hall, without being able to speak to each other or hear what's being said over the chaos, they still understand what the other is thinking and wants to do. I love these two so much.

Hakuri recalling the conversation with Chihiro during the elevator ride in Ch. 20 when they first met. He knows his samurai's heart.

(Ch. 20 vs 42) Liar, liar, pants on fire. Fakest IDGAFer ever ready to risk his life to save a bunch of strangers, just like he said he wasn't interested in doing.

These. Guys! ARE! THE! BEST!

But there's certainly going to be a price paid for this- the toothpick bidding guy said as much. Chihiro can't win it all, no matter how strongly he feels about having his cake and eating it too. So what's going to get fucked up? Well, pick your poison(s) on how Chihiro's idealism will be tempered:

Chihiro and Hakuri fail to save all the hostages

Hakuri overexerts himself and is incapacitated/dies

The Rakuzaichi isn't ended for good

Magatsumi falls into the wrong hands

Chihiro/Hakuri is/are captured by an enemy

Failure to Save Innocents This scenario is somewhat likely, I think. We're doing Ch. 20 callbacks so may as well go all-in here. It's also been the biggest sticking point this chapter. "We (YOU) can't save everyone." Be pragmatic when weighing good actions vs. the cost of doing them. Understand your limits, work hard, and be ready to cut your losses. Be willing to accept that someone could die. Chihiro struggles with this for obvious reasons. He's a heroic badass, but also a traumatized kid. A human. He's got limits and he's got to acknowledge them at some point. Even if Ms. Inazuma is saved, he might not be able to tag all the captives before Hakuri has to pull him out. This would be absolutely devastating to him as a brutal but very needed wake-up call before he overestimates himself in a situation with higher stakes. And, man... if Chihiro has to come back to Mr. Inazuma and tell the poor kid that he couldn't save his sister... god, that would be awful for everyone. Idealism alone can't save lives, nor wishing for it, nor trying your best. Sometimes you can't save everyone and end up losing everything. I think this is a bit too downer but it's not completely out of the question.

Hakuri Fucking Dies One of the two outcomes here is almost definitely going to happen. I went on a few several thousand-word screeds about Hakuri's significance and how much I love this slightly insane little goober. There's plenty of good reasons to think he'll stay a permanent member of the cast, and if I'm being honest, I think it's a little early for Chihiro to lose an ally. We need a little more time to get attached and invested in the core crew he assembles before one of them is offed. And yet... While I think Shiba's "you'll both die!" line is just to amp up the tension, this...

I will kill everyone at the Rakuzaichi and then myself if anything happens to this kid.

... isn't looking good. At all. Knowing that Hakuri's basically had a full arc at this point means I can't just handwave away the chance he'll be the price Chihiro pays for his naive optimism. Because that's exactly why they're both doing this: Chihiro's expectations for himself are too high and unrealistic. And he's Hakuri's guiding light. Whatever Chihiro wants to accomplish, Hakuri will back him up with everything he has. He's pushing himself too far for Chihiro's sake and we'll all cry if that means he pays the ultimate price.

I think it's most likely that Hakuri will come out of this severely injured, though. Not dead, but close to it and unable to act for a while. It would teach the same lesson without breaking my heart so please, please let this be the variant chosen if Hakuri must be offered up. Protect his smile and give him the chance to learn that he deserves to be loved as he is.

The Rakuzaichi Yet Proceeds So this one would be interesting as hell IMO. There's a case for this due to the fact that, despite reappearing on the stage in the real world, neither Chihiro nor Hiyuki actually touch it. Only Kyoura does.

God I love the perspective shots

A big point was made in Ch. 33 about how inviolable this wooden platform is:

Lotta prestige tied to keeping people off a glorified wooden pallet, but hey what do I know. I'm not a human trafficker or abusive parent brainwashed into serving a merchant cult family.

So even when the whole thing seems poised to come crashing down, Kyoura alone remains worthy to stand on it. And if we don't see any non-Sazanami clan members step on it by the end of the arc, I think that's a signal that things aren't quite done with them yet. Or at the very least, their legacy will live on untarnished despite the head of the family falling in combat. They could become legends in the underworld for maintaining the sanctity of the Rakuzaichi until the very end. Not very wholesome for Team Goldfish, but hey, it's a comparatively small price to pay. I've got a lot of thoughts about what various scenarios would mean, but I'll wait until we actually see what happens before speculating too much. I will, however, do some Hakuri agendaposting while I'm here though!

I would find it incredibly tasty if Hakuri managed to stand on the stage at the very end somehow. Just for one last hearty "fuck you" to his sperm donor, you know? And to satisfy the part of my monkey brain that loves total vindication. The "worthless" kid who was instrumental in bringing down his family standing in the sacred zone he was supposed to protect, but was deemed unworthy of... that he rejects wholeheartedly while being the first since the progenitor to inherit both signature sorceries... yesssss. Especially considering this:

RIP Tenri, gone too soon

I go feral for stuff like this. Hakuri is the Special Boy. He deserves the moment, if he can figure out a way to get there before he collapses after helping Chihiro.

Magatsumi Goes MIA Once More I think this is the most likely price to be paid. Chihiro's heroics will cause him to miss out on recovering the Super Evil Sword, which could end up just about anywhere at this point. Recovered by the Kamunabi, the Hishaku clan swooping in to take it, the wielder using Kyoura's body to abscond with it to parts unknown... anything's possible! But probably not Team Goldfish escaping into the night with it. Saving people at the cost of missing his big chance to recover his father's "masterpiece" seems like an appropriate setback for Chihiro right now. It'll throw his plans into disarray and really force him to look at his priorities and strategies thus far. Team Goldfish are mighty but they can't take on two massive orgs like the Kamunabi and Sazanamis at once, especially if the Hishaku are meddling. He'll get his reality check and prepare to make hard choices in the future. Save everyone, every time, and chase the blades forever? Or entertain a slightly less idealistic mindset to better the chances of success? Very tantalizing potential here, yes yes. It also ties in nicely with the main talking point of this chapter- much better than losing an ally would, at any rate.

Capturiffic Times I think this is the least likely given the circumstances, but may as well mention it just in case. Both Chihiro and Hakuri are worn down to their last dregs and aren't in a position to fend off anyone that could come at them. Maybe Hiyuki decides to capture Chihiro to take him to the Kamunabi instead of killing him, while Shiba retreats with Hakuri? Or Hakuri is captured by the Kamunabi/remaining Sazanamis while Shiba prioritizes escaping with Chihiro? Shiba gives himself up to let Chihiro and Hakuri run? Again, seriously doubt this scenario. They might not get out in one piece or with everything they hoped for, but I'm pretty sure that Team Goldfish will be able to flee to fight another day.

Anyway. Yapped too much again. Thank you void for letting me ramble into your uncaring ear once more. See you next week, probably.

[riacte]

All the routes Renchanting could go in Life Series 5:

(Self sabotage along the lines of Ren burning his tower in Last Life, swearing, angst with a happy ending, 2k)

1.

Ren moves on, and Martyn pretends he moved on too, but he really never left. Ren forms a partnership with different people, he declares himself as best friends with someone, but when Martyn strays into his path, Ren can't help but take notice of him. Can't help but trust him once more, can't help but to offer him a deal, can't help himself.

Ren's a seasoned veteran now; he understands that war is inevitable and he has to keep his friends safe in an impenetrable fortress. He's not as naive as he was the first time, when he freely let people into his enchanting emporium. If Martyn offered to be his marketing manager this time round, Ren might not have let him (but deep down, he knows he'll always let him in). Maybe Martyn's the chink in Ren's armour. If that's the case, then so be it.

Martyn's not jealous. He's really not. Of course he's glad Ren's found new partnerships and new allies this time round. Of course he knows you can't repeat the past. He's just relieved that Ren is here this time, and he finds a little guidance in him. Something is better than nothing. Even though he has his allies, Martyn's still a wanderer, but he makes his rounds back to Ren periodically, in search for something that he's too scared to ask.

It's not his place anyway. Ren belongs somewhere. Martyn's not in the equation.

So Martyn patches up the fragments of his soul, tucks away his puns and oneliners, packs up his monologues and vows, carefully puts the memories of Third Life back in that little part of his heart, and continues to roam across the world. Walls, corners, edges. Nothing has changed.

(Still, when an unexpected mob strikes, Martyn grabs Ren in a panic, their hands find each other instinctively, they run and they run, and for a single precious moment, it's them against the world again.)

(And when Ren inevitably dies, Martyn stands and blankly stares at what's left of his not-ally, not-partner, not-king. He wonders if it would've been different if he was Ren's Hand again. Probably not. They're all doomed anyway.)

2.

Ren and Martyn ally, hands shook in a new agreement. It's not Dogwarts, but it's something.

They have new allies and new enemies. They're close, but not too close. They have a learned sense of self preservation. They crack their jokes, tend to their crops, enchant their gear, but it's not serious, right? Treating it seriously only results in more pain later. No one wants that.

Ren understands nothing good comes out of declaring himself as king. He always gets overthrown, his beloved defenders always get killed by the masses, his kingdoms always go up in flames. It's best to keep a distance from everyone. It's for the greater good.

This is a temporary alliance. They are all temporary alliances. It's just for fun. Once the end is near, it's time for them to drift away. Ren can't bear getting people getting hurt for his sake.

"We used to be something, don't you think so?" Martyn once asks Ren.

They're both thinking about Dogwarts. About a life a long, long time ago. A doomed life. A beautiful, wonderful, yet catastrophically painful life.

Is it better to have loved and lost, or better to not have loved at all?

They seem to have came to the conclusion organically. It's out of self-preservation, after all. Don't get too close. The story of the King and his loyal Hand is over. Let the dust settle on their storybook. Let the pages turn yellow. Let it wither. Let it die.

It's awful, isn't it? How they've finally found each other, after trials and tribulations, but they're too scared to try again. Where's that defiance against fate? Where's "give me a shield and I'll follow you to the ends of the world"? Where's "this is us now, this is us"? Where's the passion, the reverence, the reckless devotion? What beat it out of them?

"... We could be something, don't you think so?" is Ren's reply.

But they don't. They don't try anymore. Too tired, too drained, too timid now.

Somehow this feels worse than being separated. Not trying at all.

3.

Ren's not here.

Martyn builds his own walls, builds his own tower, wraps the tattered scarf around him once more, the Hand frozen in time, sits and stays right where he's been left. Third Life never ended for him.

Ren showed him life, didn't he? Where is he now? Where's the life he promised him?

Martyn dimly remembers Ren sitting himself on fire when he was lonely in Last Life. Back then, Martyn had dropped everything to rush to Ren's aid. Ren's the one inflicting damage on himself, the prince locking himself in his burning tower, and Martyn, ever the firefighter, puts out his flames with a bucket of water.

In that life, Martyn leaped to Ren's defence. How could he not? Logically, Martyn should've left Ren. Stopped his damage from damaging Martyn himself. But Martyn's never been logical about Ren, has he?

Is Ren watching him, this time? Is his king out there, somewhere? Does he care? Does he care at all?

... Martyn reaches for the flint and steel.

3.5

(Someone— it does not matter who— knocks it out of his hand. It kicks Martyn out of his stupor. He blinks. His head hurts. What the heck is he doing there, mooning about a lost king? Why the fuck does he even care, when everyone moved on?

This has gone on for too long. If he can't pull himself up from the abyss, he'll have to go cold turkey. There's no other way. It's for his own good, Martyn convinces himself.

In a violent, swift move, Martyn rips off his scarf. He watches it burn.

... He swears he's only crying from the smoke.)

4.

Martyn moves on. Ren thinks he moved on from Dogwarts and everything, but once he's back on the server, everything comes rushing back to him, as easy as running water.

He misses having a faction to protect. He misses being loyal to his people. He deeply misses his friends. He misses having Martyn by his side. He misses Martyn.

But Martyn's back to being a wanderer, cheerfully involving himself in everyone's business yet not staying with anyone, because he's permanently more selfish now, and nothing's going to stop Martyn once he's fallen off that edge. He's a cannonball, a tornado, a wild card. He's everywhere, but he's nowhere.

Martyn is cunning, devious, sharp as ever, still funny as fuck, but there's a wild look in his eyes now. He's untamed. He doesn't give a shit about anything. He lies. He backstabs. He's a nuisance. Thief. Plunderer. Shit-stirrer. And it's all for the heck of it.

Whatever happened to the loyal knight Ren once knew? Was Martyn always this way? Was Ren the only exception? Or has Limited Life broken him?

Ren still tries, with his kind smiles and elaborate gifts and offers of working with him, but Martyn seems to be avoiding him on purpose. What worked in Third Life doesn't work anymore.

Ren knows he should distance himself considering Martyn doesn't give a shit anymore, but a part of him can't help but look back. Maybe he can change Martyn. Show him life again. Maybe, maybe, just maybe.

("We can be allies again," he offers hopefully. Martyn laughs, and it's such a familiar sound that Ren can't help but perk up, but it's a harsh laugh. Twisted. Warped.

"No thank you," Martyn replies. Ren thinks Martyn's holding back calling him "boss" sarcastically. At least there's a line that he's not crossing.)

Ren knows he should let it go. It hurts, but dragging it only hurts more. Martyn doesn't want him, not even a little bit. His friends convince him. So Ren loyally sticks to his own circle of allies. He tries to forget about the permanent chink in his armour.

But when Ren carelessly steps into a trap, he thinks he hears an achingly familiar voice scream, "Ren! No!"

The world explodes in red and yellow. Fire. Dynamite. It's just like his first death, the one that turned him yellow the first time, the death that eventually led to his beheading, the one that started it all.

Now it ends. Now it all ends.

Ren's bleeding. He's on the ground. He thinks he hears Martyn's voice. That's nice. It's nice even if it's a hallucination. As his consciousness fades, he hears Martyn's voice,

"... If only you were there last time. If only I care about you as much as I did then. But the universe never lets it align, does it? You got over me when I didn't. Now I'm over you when you're not. I’m too early, you’re too late.”

Ren smiles. Oh, he sees through Martyn's facade. He sees it now. His lips part weakly.

"... Liar."

(Martyn's untamed. He doesn't give a shit about anything. He lies. He backstabs. He's a nuisance. Thief. Plunderer. Shit-stirrer. Liar. Liar.)

In response, Ren feels a squeeze on his hand. Comforting. Regretful. Apologizing.

"I don't deserve you. Don't forgive me, Ren."

I always do, Ren thinks. But by that time, he's already gone.

5.

There is a simple rule to the Life series— everyone is doomed from the beginning. No matter who wins.

Ren is doomed. A kind, gentle man can't survive till the end. That's why Ren had to kill himself and let the Red King take over. Is that why Martyn won the season without Ren? Is that how Martyn won, without Ren holding him back, without Ren to guide him?

You either die a hero, or live long enough to be the villain.

Yet, none of it is pointless. The seasons are filled with joy, laughter, genuine connections are formed, and while it can be tragic, it can also be soul-shatteringly beautiful.

It's worth it. It's always worth it.

Once, Ren showed Martyn life. Because all Martyn knew back then was how to survive, not how to live.

But now, Martyn doesn't just want to survive. He wants to thrive. What good is surviving if everyone dies at the end, including his king? What good it is anyway, when Martyn ends up falling and falling again? What good is conquering the world when every tiny bit of it reminds him of Ren?

So when the new season dawns, Martyn decides to throw all of it away. His angst, his inhibitions, his self-pity. Sure, everything goes up in flames anyway, and this fragile world is temporary, but is that any way to live? To live without living, to live without trying at all?

They're all at spawn. Everyone's enthusiastically greeting each other and Martyn does the same, but he's frantically searching for someone, eyes wide. He's waited months and months for this. He can't take it anymore.

And then—

(A familiar chuckle, a flash of brown hair, eyes turning to meet his—)

Martyn remembers the precious vow they made in a parallel universe, under the moonlit sky, blood splattered on the altar, those bygone years and bygone lives, and he runs—

"REN!" Martyn screams like he's never screamed before.

Martyn's hands reach out. He doesn't care if Ren has moved on, doesn't care if Ren doesn't want him anymore. He only cares that Ren is here. Alive. In front of him.

And so he embraces Ren tightly, so very tightly.

"Martyn!" Ren sounds surprised by the intensity. "Dude! I missed you!"

And with those simple words, the shattered pieces of his world start falling into place again. Martyn laughs, a pure, genuine laugh from his heart. Everything's alright now. They can begin again.

"Welcome back, my liege."

[yanderes-galore]

Master Cheif yandere alphabet please!?

Yes you can have that :) Please do enjoy! This is GAME/BOOK CANON Master Chief, not the Paramount show (I don't like it-)

Yandere Alphabet - Master Chief

Pairing: Platonic/Romantic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Overprotective behavior, Violence, Death, Blood mention, Possible OOC behavior, John doesn't understand complex feelings, Dubious relationship/companionship.

Affection: How do they show their love and affection? How intense would it get?

Master Chief, or John as I'll refer to him, is an interesting yandere. Most Spartans like him don't experience obsession like normal humans. They haven't felt such strong emotions and their enhancements usually dampen any sort of romantic desire.

So John ends up coming off as an overprotective guardian. He can't quite figure out how to process how he feels for you. So he does it in the best way he can, fighting for you.

He struggles with affection, an example is when Fernando Esparza hugs him in Halo Infinite. John just... stands there awkwardly. He feels he can show affection towards you by fighting for you, but isn't sure how to reciprocate physical affection.

John can come off as intense as he doesn't entirely... feel human?

He just feels like a force of nature who can't figure out how to show he cares. As a result he can be intimidating.

Blood: How messy are they willing to get when it comes to their darling?

John is used to the sight of blood and violence. He doesn't mind getting his armor messy, especially if it is for the greater good. He is primarily violent towards Covenant, Flood, Prometheans, and Banished... but not really humans.

Even if John saw you close with another human and it sparks something in him... he restrains himself. He understands he can't be like you, you're both so different.

Yet part of him yearns to keep you beside himself... for protection.

Cruelty: How would they treat their darling once abducted? Would they mock them?

John would not kidnap, the closest he gets to it is "relocating" you around UNSC bases. Even then he doesn't mock you, he just explains that it's to protect you.

John is used to caring for others. After all, Blue Team is like family to him. You're no different according to him.

Darling: Aside from abduction, would they do anything against their darling’s will?

He tries not to, he understands you're happiest with your freedoms. He wants to preserve that.

Exposed: How much of their heart do they bare to their darling? How vulnerable are they when it comes to their darling?

John is not vulnerable, even as a child he never let weakness show. He doesn't show much of anything about his true feelings. He just lurks beside you... always attentive to your needs and vulnerabilities.

Fight: How would they feel if their darling fought back?

Due to the strength difference it's more like disciplining a child to him. He just advises you against it and drags you back where he wants you. It's a one-sided conflict.

Game: Is this a game to them? How much would they enjoy watching their darling try to escape?

No and he doesn't (he also doesn't understand why you're trying to leave?).

Hell: What would be their darling’s worst experience with them?

Ideals: What kind of future do they have in mind for/with their darling?

John would never hurt you and he tries not to hurt other humans. However, he'd be ruthless if anything tried to hurt you. So, while this is OOC, maybe when he snaps and attacks a human who pushed you too far.

John realizes he's hit them too hard when blood splatters his armor. He pauses for a moment before ordering medical attention. He doesn't really apologize though.

If he's smart... he waited until others saw the person provoke him.

He doesn't think of a future all too much. He just focuses on now... all he wants to do now is not let you out of his sight.

Jealousy: Do they get jealous? Do they lash out or find a way to cope?

Kisses: How do they act around or with their darling?

If he does he hides it well. He isn't sure how to cope with or understand such an emotion if he even has it. So if he does feel that emotion he just... approaches you and stands there.

It gets the hint across.

Overprotective, Suffocating, Slightly Manipulative, Ruthless towards others. He feels like a guardian more then anything. Even when you show him affection he takes some time in order to mimic it.

Love letters: How would they go about courting or approaching their darling?

Mask: Are their true colors drastically different from the way they act around everyone else?

He probably either works alongside you or saved you. Ever since then the Spartan has stuck beside you. You have a strange grasp on him... so he stays beside you.

Aren't you lucky?

Occasionally, but not often.

Naughty: How would they punish their darling?

He wouldn't. He could easily hurt you so he chooses to redirect you instead. That's all I've got.

Oppression: How many rights would they take away from their darling?

Tries not to take many.

Patience: How patient are they with their darling?

Very patient.

Quit: If their darling dies, leaves, or successfully escapes, would they ever be able to move on?

Regret: Would they ever feel guilty about abducting their darling? Would they ever let their darling go?

It's hard to tell... but maybe he would struggle with it. But he has to move on for the sake of humanity eventually....

He wouldn't forget you though. Never would.

Wouldn't abduct, so this does not apply.

Stigma: What brought about this side of them (childhood, curiosity, etc)?

Curiosity and maybe a sense of purpose.

Tears: How do they feel about seeing their darling scream, cry, and/or isolate themselves?

He tries to provide some comfort, but he comes off really cold. Even when he holds you against him... it doesn't feel right.

Unique: Would they do anything different from the classic yandere?

SKIPPED.

Vice: What weakness can their darling exploit in order to escape?

Nothing I can think of. He means well, so why bother, right?

Wit’s end: Would they ever hurt their darling?

Not intentionally/Never.

Xoanon: How much would they revere or worship their darling? To what length would they go to win their darling over?

Would do anything to protect you, but not a worship yandere.

Yearn: How long do they pine after their darling before they snap?

Doesn't really snap so he can "pine" for a long time.

Zenith: Would they ever break their darling?

Not intentionally.

[anotherstudtouse]

Moment of Truth

Grace x Fem!Reader

Summary: Confessions are made.

Warning: SPOILERS FOR THE MAIN STORYLINE, no smut but it gets a little spicy for a moment. I think that's it!

The moment you find out the truth about Logan -- from not only the infamous bandit himself but also your closest friend in this little town you've come to call home, Grace -- is simultaneously nearly too much to come to grips with and not a surprise to you at all. On the one hand, it's been drilled into your head from the moment you arrived to become one of Sandrock's new builders that Logan and his gang were no-good bandits hell-bent on bringing ruin to Sandrock and the good people who live here. On the other hand, though, everything you've been told by the people who knew him best had always detailed a man with a strong moral compass, a man always trying his best to do right for Sandrock. The Bandit Logan and the Logan people had come to care deeply for had always been at odds in your mind, and now that you have the whole story, it's like you've finally obtained the final piece of the hardest jigsaw puzzle you've ever seen.

     The real surprises, the ones you're still having difficulties coming to grips with as you sit on a couch in Logan's hideout, are all the other things that have just been revealed to you. There is a spy from the Duvos Empire -- at least one -- in Sandrock. Pen, a man you had previously written off as self-obsessed but well-intentioned, is most likely one of them. You're not the only one in this hideout who's almost certain he's not the one in charge, though, which means there's still an unknown player in this game.

     That all still leaves one last shock to your system, and perhaps the biggest of all. Grace is a spy, too, but thankfully not for Duvos. She's working for the Alliance Central Intelligence, and she's here to help Logan root out the corruption that's taken hold. Your best friend here is a secret agent.

      As you sit on this couch, your shirt temporarily discarded while Grace tends to the wounds you'd sustained from your fall off of the edge of the cliff above the hideout, you just... stare at her. Who is she, really? How much of her, the her that you've come to know and -- though you've always kept this next bit to yourself -- love over the past year, is real? She's already told you that, while she isn't still an archeology student, it was one of her majors when she did attend school. A lie, but not entirely. How many more half-lies are there?

     You think back on Bronco's stupid idea to get the pets of Sandrock to somehow reveal Logan's spy all those weeks ago. Despite believing it to be a fool's errand, you'd done it anyway just to say you'd tried everything, and after feeding Banjo the cat and asking him who the spy was, he'd ran straight the Blue Moon Saloon, straight to the kitchen, straight to Grace. You hadn't thought anything of it at the time, but...

     "Gol for your thoughts?" Grace breaks the silence without looking up from the cut on your shoulder she's cleaning.

     "Do you have any idea how embarrassing it is that the local stray cats found out my best friend's secret identity before I did?"

     This causes the corners of Grace's lips to quirk upward. She snorts, glancing up to finally lock eyes with you. Something in your eyes softens her gaze, though, and she turns serious. "I'm good at my job. But..." She swallows. "... I hated lying to you, Y/N. I could rationalize it as doing it for the greater good with everyone else, but not you. You seemed to want to really know me, and... I wanted you to know me, too."

     Silence hangs heavy in the air as you search her eyes. For what, though, you don't know, but she looks back at you as if she's trying her best to give it to you. Part of you doesn't know what to think, but her words have your heart hammering in your chest nonetheless.

     When you don't respond, Grace lowers her gaze again. She moves on to the scratch high up on your abdomen, and even though her touch is gentle, you hiss in pain at the sudden contact. Her hand stills and she gives you an apologetic glance before resuming.

     A few more seconds of silence pass before you speak again, quieter this time, hesitant. You don't know if you actually want the answer to the question you're about to ask but you have to know. You have to. "Was any of it real?"

     You watch her closely. She meets your eyes again; for a moment, she seems confused, a small wrinkle forming between her eyebrows as they furrow, but at the look on your face, she realizes what you mean. Her answer is immediate after that. "I only lied about my history, and even then I tried to be as honest as I could. The way I feel about you... Our friendship is real. Y/N, you are my favorite person and that is the truth."

     You hadn't realized how tense you've become -- partially due to Grace's hands on your bare skin -- until your shoulders relax a little.

     Before you can respond, Grace continues. "You know, so much of my job involves blending into the background. You never let me do that with you." She smiles, lowering her gaze again. "I'd hide out in the kitchen at the saloon and you'd come find me anyway. It would've been annoying if it hadn't been so endearing." The statement makes you chuckle; the sound seems to please Grace. "There it is. I was afraid I'd never hear that laugh again."

     You can't seem to wipe the smile from your face. "I'm trying to feel betrayed here, damn it."

     "Sorry, sorry," she apologizes with a laugh, reaching up to gently cup your jaw and turn your face from side to side to search for more injuries. "I'm just too charming, I guess."

     It's becoming a little harder to breathe with Grace's grip on your jaw like this. It feels like she should've removed it by now, but you're not complaining. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves." Your smile softens as you contemplate asking another question. "Do you... Do you wish I'd left you alone?"

     "No." Her answer is firm, her eyes meeting yours again.

     Her hand begins to leave your chin, but you lift your own to grasp hers before it's gone, bringing both to rest on your knee. For a moment, you worried she would pull away, but she shifts in your hold to intertwine your fingers instead. Again, your heart is hammering; it only worsens when your gaze rises from her hand in yours to see Grace looking back at you with an expression you've seen a few times before directed at you but have never been able to decipher.

     "I don't want to keep any more secrets from you," is the last thing she says, her eyes flicking from your eyes to your lips the only warning you receive before she leans in to kiss you. It's soft and short, as gentle as her touch has been, as if she's afraid you'll make a run for it at the slightest provocation. Her lips leave yours before you even realize what's happened, and her hand in yours tightens its grip slightly as if afraid you'll try to pull away from her. "I love you, Y/N. I understand if you don't feel the same way, or if you did but don't anymore, but whatever happens, I want it to happen with complete honesty. And I'm being completely honest when I say that over the course of this past year of knowing you, I have really, honestly fallen head over heels in love with you."

     "Grace..." You trail off, at a loss for words. Your gaze switches from one of her eyes to the other. You find nothing but sincerity in them. As she begins to pull her hand from yours, taking your lack of words as a bad sign, your grip tightens to stop her. "No, stop. Just give me a minute. A lot has been thrown at me in the last, like, twenty minutes."

     She laughs at that, her thumb beginning to stroke the back of your hand absentmindedly. "Okay, fair."

     Your gaze is drawn to your hand in hers. You watch the back-and-forth movements of her thumb as you think of what you want to say. "So much about you makes sense now, now that I think about it," you start. She watches you, silent and patient. "I remember that day you wanted to get into the Breach and Justice wouldn't let you. Too dangerous for a civilian, he said." You chuckle. "If only he knew, huh?"

     Grace returns the smile you shoot her way, but doesn't say anything just yet, wondering where you're going with this. You continue. "You gave that poor man a headache but you managed to talk him into having your way. Him and me both -- It took me three trips to find that stuff you needed." A thought occurs to you then, and you straighten up a little. "Wait. If you're not an archeology student anymore, did you even need any of that stuff?"

     Grace at least had the decency to look a little guilty when she answers. "I... Well, not 'need', per say, but it was definitely super cool and I still really, really appreciate it." Her other hand joins the first to completely encase your own -- as if that makes it better (it kind of does, but shut up).

     Your eyes narrow. "Yeah, okay. Anyway," you continue again, "I think that was when I realized I had feelings for you that were a bit more than friendly. You told me you were a spy and I was afraid the Grace I fell in love with wasn't real, but I'm realizing now that everything that made me fall deeper and deeper in love with you was the real you peeking through."

     Your free hand reaches up to cup Grace's cheek, your thumb gently swiping away a single tear that's fallen from the blonde's eye. She leans into your touch. "I was starting to think this was the end of us," she whispers.

     "More like the beginning," you reply, leaning in to kiss the woman you're realizing now that, despite everything, you really have known all this time. All the important parts, all the parts that really make her her. She kisses you back immediately, and immediately she tilts her head and deepens the kiss. It's already so different than the first one. Your reciprocation of Grace's feelings seems to have given her permission in her head to stop being so damn careful with you. Where once she was hesitant, now she's insistent, her hands leaving yours to cup both sides of your face as if she's trying to keep you where you are.

     "Mmh," you moan as you feel teeth nip at your bottom lip. The sound only seems to spur Grace on; gently, she pushes your shoulders back, effectively breaking the kiss as you're lightly shoved against the back of the couch. In a split second, Grace has left the chair she was sitting on to climb onto your lap before reconnecting your lips in a kiss somehow more fiery than the last one.

     "I love you," she whispers in between kisses.

     Your hands come up to grasp her hips, pulling them into you as you pull away just enough to start kissing your way down her neck. Hurriedly, you respond, "I love you, too," before nipping at her pulse point. The action pulls a rough groan from Grace's throat, a sound you immediately know you're going to get addicted to. Grace tilts her head back to give you easier access to her neck and you take full advantage of it, licking a trail up the column of her throat as she sucks in a shaky breath, her fingers threading through your hair -- as soon as her hand touches the back of your head, though, you hiss in pain, wincing and pulling away slightly.

     "Shit, I'm so sorry," Grace hurries to apologize, her hand flying away from your head as if burned. Without leaving your lap, she gently grasps your chin again and leans over while turning your head to the side to examine a small bump on the back of your head. "It doesn't look too bad, but still, we should stop." Letting go of your chin, her hand brushes against your cheek as she cups it, turning your face back toward hers once more. "For now, at least."

     You're not happy about it, but you agree. "For now, yeah. Besides, Logan and Haru could walk in at any moment, and I don't know about you but I'm not really into the idea of an audience."

     She hums in contemplation. "Hmm, yeah, me neither. I like the idea of having you all to myself more."

     Your hands on Grace's hips momentarily tighten their hold, your eyes darkening. "As soon as I'm all healed up."

     Leaning down, she rests her forehead against yours. "The second you're all healed up."

[spectordameron]

The Sequel Trilogy: A Story of Choice

Do not interact with this post if you insist on just being negative, passive aggressive, or critical against the films in the tags/replies. I don't want to hear it.

This post speaks frankly about topics such as abuse, brainwashing, torture, dehumanization, and non-con elements. Proceed with caution.

One thing that I feel goes often ignored or misunderstood about the sequel trilogy, is its core message and value, which is choice - especially, choice over circumstances, or choice over blood. I would argue this is the overall theme of the entire Skywalker Saga, but the sequels really center themselves around this idea, with it becoming the beating heart of the emotional plot of The Rise of Skywalker.

According to writer Chris Terrio in one of the festurettes for the film, this theme is best summed up by the character D-0, and Rey's short initial interaction with him:

Which is meant to be a mirror to what we know of Finn, Rey and (as we learn) Poe. They all come from pasts that were not kind to them, and were treated badly, but found a home in each other. It is a case of choice over circumstances: Finn chose to leave the First Order, Poe chose to leave the Spice Runners (and become a New Republic officer, then choose to leave that when he understood how compliant they'd become), and Rey chose to leave Jakku.

Choice is also mirrored in the trilogy's antagonists (DJ being a good example of the choice to serve only yourself and not join the greater war, Zorii puts aside her resentment and helps the Resistance) but none so much than Kylo Ren himself, who is as obsessed with the Skywalker bloodline as Snoke is (understandably).

There's an opinion and idea that between Ren and the revelation that Rey is Palpatine's granddaughter, that the trilogy values bloodlines and inheritance over choice, but I fundamentally disagree with this, because I think that's a misunderstanding of the story they're trying to tell.

When Han says that "there's too much Vader in [Ren]" in The Force Awakens, I don't take that as a dismissal of Leia being an Organa by choice, not when we discover that Ren is continuously making the choice to choose the Skywalker bloodline, and ergo Vader, over the family that actually raised him: a woman who chose her adoptive family over her biological family, and a man who had no surname but instead claimed one that was thrust upon him as an insult.

There's too much Vader in Ren, because that is the choice Ren made, and continues to make. He chose Vader over Leia, over Han, over the Solo-Organa family. It's a similar mistake that Luke makes:

Blood. Inheritance. The hubris of Ren believing the lightsaber belongs to him, simply because it belonged to Vader, to Anakin, even when the Force calls a quote unquote "nobody" to it instead.

Rey is revealed, obviously, in The Last Jedi, to be born to "nobodies", and Ren (sticks his whole fucking foot in his mouth) hurts her deeply by emphasizing Rey's worst fear which is that she has no place in this story, because she is nobody. It's a moment that haunts Rey enough that she doesn't even believe herself worthy of wielding the Skywalker saber in TROS:

Obviously - and famously - this revelation is because Rian Johnson preferred the concept of underdogs becoming heroes and thought it was the worst revelation Rey could possibly have - that she doesn't have any connection to this story that means so much to her.

Unlike majority of the internet, I love the addition TROS offers, which is that the truth is so much worse. Rey isn't just "nobody", she does have a place in this story, and it's in the worst way imaginable for her: she's the main villain's granddaughter.

And I don't think it negates what we initially learn about Rey, or her status as a "nobody". Her being related to Palpatine does not inherently result in her being somehow more privileged than other characters - she was still abandoned as a child, and was forced to work in order to survive, suffered bouts of starvation, and had to fend for herself for years. She's a traumatized young woman with fractured memories, and poor self esteem from said abandonment and the abuse Unkar Plutt put her under (he also emphasizes in the TFA novelization that she is a "nobody", and likely would have pressed upon her the lie that Miramir and Dathan fed him that she was being sold for drinking money, hence Rey's conflicting memories of parents coming to return for her and what Ren finds in TLJ).

Her position as Palpatine's granddaughter, however, puts her almost immediately into the same position that Ren once found himself in, and he tries to pressure her into coming to the same conclusion that he did: that because of the blood in her veins, she has no choice in going to the Dark Side, that she will wind up abandoned (again) for it, and there's only one place in the galaxy for her - by his side.

And when Rey is frightened enough by her hatred and resentment, that leads her into the Dark Side on Kef Bir and results in her killing Kylo Ren - she flees to Ahch-To to exile herself because she believes there's no escape from her circumstances. She was a nobody who had to earn this legendary saber, who doesn't deserve to be the protagonist of this story, and now she's the granddaughter of its villain.

But she's quickly reminded that blood is not everything:

Even while on Exegol, Palpatine attempts to taunt her with the concept that she has no one but him, that she's helpless but to continue the cycle: Luke had his father, but the only family Rey has is him, and if she doesn't give in and continue the cycle of violence, then her new family will die.

And once more, the concept of blood over choice, is immediately dismantled. Rey isn't alone, because Ben - having finally made the decision to shed his attachment to Vader's bloodline and chose being an Organa-Solo - comes and saves her. Rey isn't alone, and neither is her new family, because the entire galaxy comes in to help the Resistance.

And the ultimate climax of the battle, is that Palpatine does in fact kill Rey, and it is Ben's choice to revive her. He loves her, and so did his mother and father. Rey is family, and he dies to bring her back, and so she takes the Skywalker name - and is the happiest she is in the entire saga, because she's learned that blood and circumstance isn't everything, it is choice. And Rey has chosen and accepted her own family.

But circumstance and choice isn't limited to just Rey in this trilogy - there's also our other primary hero characters, starting with Finn.

Finn is a stormtrooper, taken from a family he'll never know, that we're not introduced to. He worked in sanitation, despite being a very promising cadet in Before the Awakening. Much like Poe, Finn is introduced as being one of the biggest "red shirt" offenders of the saga (seriously do we ever expect a stormtrooper or a fighter pilot to survive? no), and almost immediately Finn gives us the thesis of the trilogy:

Finn was raised and taught for one purpose: to fight and then to die for the First Order. He flees from the First Order, and TFA is spend with him tying his loyalty to his friends - choosing them over running away. TLJ finds him making the choice to actively fight against the First Order, and join the Resistance.

Finn's choice to turn away from the First Order, brought him to his family. And TROS sees Finn at his most grounded and reassured; he's found his own peace and purpose, and it's through the choices he made over his circumstance.

Poe is probably the only character of our trio who is the most assured from the starting point, and the only one who has a tangible connection to the Rebellion through his parents. However, this is only within expanded material, with only a mere allusion to it in TROS, so the only concrete thing we have for connection in the films is his and Leia's surrogate mother/son relationship, and how he's chosen to carry on her legacy.

When we start off The Force Awakens, he's quickly established as a member of the Resistance and a high-ranking one as well (he dismisses a briefing full of generals and admirals).

However, it's clear that Poe views himself as expendable - he rushes in, unthinkingly, back to the village on Jakku and gets captured as a result. He puts himself on the line between the First Order and the Resistance above D'Qar (it is no coincidence that he recognizes Luke and Amilyn's sacrifice plays first later in the film).

Leia, and then the circumstances of the film literally grounding him by blowing up Black One, forces Poe to slow down and examine the choice he's being presented:

Pretty quickly, Poe begins considering what Leia's asked of him, and pauses while mulling over Rose and Finn's plan, before making the choice to be the one to stay behind, rather than jumping into the fray to save the day.

By the end of the film, Poe has quite consciously stepped into the latter half of the choice presented to him. He wants to survive, not just sacrifice himself in the name of the fight, and becomes the leader that Leia knew he had the potential to become:

The heart of his conflict in TROS is his fear that, like Rey, he can't succeed where the past did. He isn't Leia, and he's not so certain that he can do this by himself - but in the end, he doesn't have to, because he has Finn for support, and Rey shows them the way, in a neat inverse to Poe in TLJ:

And then the entire galaxy steps up to overthrow the First Order, and Palpatine. Like his wookieepedia so iconically supplies, Poe becomes the spark that lit the fire that burned the First Order down, and he doesn't do so alone.

The theme of choice and circumstances is often also reflected in the antagonists and villains. As aforementioned, DJ represents the choice Finn has of not joining, and serving himself, but there's another element to this theme, of characters looking down on our heroes for the circumstances they come from:

Snoke also expresses shock over the idea that a mere scavenger could resist his apprentice. It's a similar sentiment that Poe, Rose and Finn all experience within the Resistance itself under Vice Admiral Holdo:

She quickly reduces the three of them - Poe to no more than a trigger-happy flyboy, Finn to being a stormtrooper, and can't even be bothered to remember Rose, our resident behind the scenes worker underdog turned hero, despite supplementary material confirming that Rose is quite literally from Holdo's ship.

Like Rey, the three of them are underestimated and put down for or reduced to their 'inferior' roles. It's no wonder these kids are afraid they're not enough to be the heroes of this story - they've been told repeatedly that they're not, by villains and heroes alike.

Even more horrifically is the way agency and choice gets stripped away from the heroes by the villains:

Poe manages to resist an undetermined amount of time being physically tortured without giving up any intelligence, until Ren forcibly violates him by entering his mind (an experience described as "silent agony" in the novelization), and taunts Rey that he can do the same to her before she quickly turns the tables on him.

Both Ren and Snoke are able to paralyze their victims with the Force, rendering them immobile; Rey has similar trauma as Poe, albeit not from Ren, but through Snoke, as he immobilizes her and then tears through her mind in a similar manner that Ren does to Poe in the Force Awakens. Elsewhere, Finn experienced a lifetime of programming and brainwashing, reduced to a mere number without even a name to give him any sense of individuality. And Palpatine's ultimate play, before learning that Ren and Rey are a dyad in the Force and that power could restore him, was to literally possess Rey's body for himself.

It is a constant struggle for agency, with the villains quite often stripping our heroes of their autonomy - that is what the sequel trilogy is about. Three people who are consistently put down, devalued, who repeatedly have their agency stripped away, who are told they are stuck in an endless cycle, and it is about them going no, and leaving that behind and finding a home and a purpose in each other. Making the choice to find a new home, a new family, a new purpose, a new surname.

It is a victory when they emerge from Exegol, bloodied and exhausted and injured but with the sun shining, because they broke the cycle and they chose each other. It isn't about restoring the Republic, or holding onto the past. It's about three hurt people finding the value in themselves, and making a home with each other.

[intimacyequalsdeath]

Bubz's Slasher Fictober Apple Crumble NSFW Alphabets Day 17: Jack Torrance

Day 17 is here! Not much to say today besides the usual thank yous and such so I'll keep this nice and short and hope you all enjoy!.

Notes: Minors DNI, NSFW, Smut.

A is for Aftercare (What they're like after sex):

He'll get up to run you a bath but fully expect him to go back to bed, He'll clean you up or at least help you if you ask but he also likes to just let you handle it by yourself and relax in the bath for a while.

B is for Body Part (Favorite on them and their partner):

He'd pick his brain as his favorite body part, but he doesn't wanna seem cocky or cliché so if he had to pick another one it would probably be his arms (The gif is exhibit A) he's strong and he knows it and it's something he's proud of.

On you he likes your eyes, you're his muse when it comes to his writing and getting inspiration and he always tells you how he finds no greater inspiration then when he looks into your eyes.

C is for Cum (Anything to do with cum):

He doesn't want anymore kids, like at all so never inside though if you don't have the proper equipment or just have no risk to getting pregnant he'll think about it. He does particularly like your stomach or thighs but he'll really do it anywhere just not inside you.

D is for Dirty Secret:

He wants to show you off, let you flirt with other men, only for him to swoop in at the last second and lay claim to you. The fact that your his and only his turns his sex drive up to 100.

E is for Experience (How experienced are they?):

He was married once before you so he has a good amount of experience. I can't see him having crazy amounts though like maybe before his wife only having a couple other serious girlfriends.

F is for Favorite Position:

He likes anything really, from standing up missionary so he can fuck you against a random door in the hotel, to having you bent over the front desk of the hotel lobby where anyone could see.

G is for Goofy (How serious are they?):

Never. Not even a smile or laugh. He acts like having sex with you is the single most important thing in the entire world.

H is for Hair (How well groomed are they?):

He keeps himself pretty well groomed. I mean at the Stanley hotel he really has all the time in the world to keep himself neat and tidy.

I is for Intimacy (How are they during the act, romantic etc):

Very romantic, like I said before this man acts as if it's a life or death situation. He's gonna give you the best time of your life each and every time you fuck. Not that he would let you but he wants to ensure that you never leave him or the hotel.

J is for Jackoff (Do they masturbate and how often?):

He doesn't really jackoff ever. He doesn't really enjoy it that much to be honest. Plus him and you are stuck in the hotel together, why would he finish himself off when your ready and willing and have no where else to be.

K is for Kink (Their kinks):

Heavy on the daddy kink, no matter how big or small the age gap is between the two of you he's your daddy and he expects to be called as such. He'll call you his baby or anything else your little heart desires.

He's also really into predator and prey. Run around the hotel and hide, let him find you. If you wanna be a brat do that too it only works him up more. The more you work him up the harder the fucking when he finally finds you (or you let yourself be found)

L is for Location (Favorite places to have sex):

Anywhere, literally anywhere. You have an ENTIRE hotel just to yourselves. Every couch, every bed, every available surface in the entire building is his favorite.

M is for Motivation (What turns them on?):

Like I mentioned earlier he really likes your eyes, so if you ever want to really get him going just shoot him a look. He'll instantly be all over you.

N is for No (Something they won't do):

There isn't much he won't do and he's a pretty sleazy guy normally but don't let that fool you. He'd NEVER hit you or hurt you like that even during sex. He just think it ruins the entire mood and doesn't like the thought of actually hurting you.

O is for Oral (Oral Preferences):

He really likes receiving, it makes him feel like a king, but he also really likes giving too. I mean it is his after all why wouldn't he wanna service it.

P is for Pace (How fast or slow? Are they rough?):

A nice in-between medium pace. He doesn't like going too fast but he also doesn't wanna go at a snails pace either. He's rough though, like I said earlier not to the point of hurting you rough, but there's nothing soft about Jack Torrance.

Q is for Quickie ( Do they like quickies?):

Sex is sex to Jack. He'll be down for quickies if you are. He's been a ghost for decades babe, this man is down to fuck.

R is for Risk (Are they down to experiment?):

I feel like Jack would be very open to experiment and try new things, not to sound like a broken record but this man has nothing but time. He'd bring up some things he'd like to try and if you do to then the more the merrier.

S if for Stamina (How long can they go for?):

Do ghosts get tired? If they can it definitely doesn't seem like it. Jack can go for however long he feels like really. He'll only stop if you get too tired but don't be fooled, he has unlimited stamina.

T is for Toys (Do they use toys and do they like them?):

With toys Jack is a bit old fashioned. He doesn't really see the appeal of all the rubber and latex but if your into toys he is too. If that's what gets you off he's all for it and ready to go.

U if for Unfair (Do they like to tease?):

Jack is the biggest tease ever. If you aren't ready to weather through it then maybe he isn't for you. He teases the fuck out of his partner and also has the tendency to get kinda mean. Like mentioned earlier he would never physically hurt you but that doesn't mean your safe from him entirely.

V is for Volume (How loud can they get?):

Jack gets loud but not with moans or whines. He likes to talk to you during sex. Talk you through things and tell you his commands for what you need to do to get him off. Since no one else is around in the hotel he tends to do everything but yell these commands.

W is for Wild Card (Random things):

His favorite place that you've ever had sex that's also only happened once was outside of the hotel watching the sunset. It was a warmer night nearly to spring when you sprung the idea and he absolutely adored it.

X is for X-Ray (What are they packing):

A good 5 to 6 inches. He's not the biggest ever but he knows what to do with what he's got to get the job done.

Y is for Yearning (How high is their sex drive?):

Through the roof, I mean like was mentioned earlier. The two of you are literally stuck in a hotel alone together. He is essentially horny 24/7 and is always ready to take you.

Z is for ZZZ (How fast do they fall asleep?):

Like I said he'll clean you up from time to time and maybe run you a bath if you ask but while your in the bath he'll probably pass out. So don't be shocked if you come back to bed and he's already asleep.

[loversarcanas]

like a movie i've seen before

series: persona 5

pairing: haru/ann

words: 1,819

based on ceilings by lizzy mcalpine

read on ao3!

Your fiance isn't bad, at the start. He’s tall, handsome, suave, dressed to the nines in fresh pressed suits, and has a way with words that would bring most girls to their knees.

Still, being around him never feels comfortable - he makes your stomach knot up, blood go cold, even at his nicest and most gentlemanly.

Mere months later, you learn to trust your instinct, as he slowly but surely shows you his true colours - muddled greens, as murky as a swamp.

But what is there to do? Your Father never pays any mind to your feelings, to your worries or your misery, only considering the effect your marriage will have on the company's financial success.

When was the last time he'd been 'Papa' and not 'Father', anyway?

You wish so desperately that you can be rescued, that your prayers will be answered by the very heroes you looked up to as a child. But heroes are a fantasy, a fiction far away from your own grim reality. 

And then you find him.

A lost cat to the naked eye, but the catalyst of something so much greater, bringing you to a place that completely changes your worldview.

The inner workings of your father's heart, a twisted, cognitive wonderland. Your clothes change to match those heroines you so adored. You become your own heroine. 

And then they come along. The Phantom Thieves. You're guarded, at first - how can they be good when they've caused this poor cat (or not a cat? you're not sure) such distress? You run off with your new feline companion (Mona, he says to call him), leaving them to their own devices.

But when you're later confronted by your fiancé, when he kicks Mona to the side, his small body smacking the wall, when he tries to force you to come home with him, the Thieves very quickly prove to you that their intentions are pure.

In their leader's room, a lonely attic above a corner café, you witness firsthand how much this group cares for one another, how much they love each other. 

You wonder how that must feel.

And so you join them, opening your heart to a new kind of power. The woman inside you encourages you to fight back, to spill the blood of those who've wronged you - a tantalizing idea that you've always repressed, in hopes of being the perfect daughter, of taking up no space. 

But you know now, and you will take up as much space as you want. You will encompass the entire world, no longer playing the role of subservient puppet, the role you were trained into. You are Noir, and you will cut down anyone who tries to harm you or friends again.

—

They said they did everything right. They took his treasure, They left his cognitive self intact. He seemed to be getting better.

So why are you watching him bleed from his eyes on national television? Why is he, of all their past targets, the one they failed?

The atmosphere of Destinyland lends nothing to the overwhelming dread of watching your father die. Seven pairs of eyes become trained on you instantly, and you feel even worse. You need to leave immediately.

You tell your friends to stay as long as they like, in your calmest voice possible, and secure a ride to your house.

When your limousine pulls out of view, you let yourself crack.

-

All of the Thieves have been wonderful in your time of mourning, and the most understanding of your complex feelings towards your now-deceased father. You've spent time with each of them one-on-one (group hangouts are too crowded for you right now), and all have done their best to comfort you.

None more so than Ann, much to your surprise.

Of the team, she's one you've spent less time with. Not out of dislike or anything of the sort, really the opposite. You admire her quite a bit, despite her being a year below you. She's loud, outgoing, fiery, but she's also compassionate, gentle. Kind Hearted, and yet she knows when to stand up for herself.

Maybe it's your admiration of her that holds you back from spending time, and you wish you had figured that out sooner. Despite your grief, while you're out at the mall with Ann, trying on outfits and looking at jewelry, and just talking, you feel lighter than you have in weeks.

Ann calls you over to your fourth clothing store of the day. She takes something off a rack just inside the entryway, and shows it to you. An elegant, fluffy lilac sweater, embroidered with small silver butterflies down the sleeves. She says you'd look beautiful in it, and insists you try it on. And just like every outfit before this, you feel like you'd be beautiful in anything she hands you.

As the evening sky sets in, you walk out of the mall, arms spilling with bags of things neither of you probably needed (Ann says it's called “Retail Therapy”, and is a valid form of treatment), but you're both laughing and talking about the sweetest nothings as your driver pulls up.

When you drop her off at her place, she gives you a tight hug, one so warm you might mistake it for a heart attack. Perhaps it's the fact that your father rarely hugged you that makes you wish you didn't have to let go. But when you do, she smiles brightly at you, and tells you she'll be there for you no matter what.

Your heart thrums in your chest in a way all too familiar, as you say your goodbyes and watch her make it safely into her apartment.

When your driver pulls away, you crack again.

-

Bisexuality is not a foreign concept to you. There were times as a child you remembered fleeting feelings for girls in your classes, and dating the occasional boy (before your father found out, and made you break it off). You were never averse to the idea of loving another girl, it was only a matter of your father's approval. While you still feel some semblance of guilt in the wake of his death, you're now free to do as you please with your relationships.

Meaning if you want to fall for Ann, you're allowed.

Spending more time alone with her has given you more to love about her. While you looked up to heroines as a child, she wanted to be like the cool villainesses. She was isolated for a long time due to moving counties, and struggled to make friends in Japan. Despite being outgoing with her friends now, she was withdrawn and lonely for a very long time. She's obsessed with sweets.

The more you learn about her life, the more you want to learn. The more you want to experience it at her side. And so, as you sit on the couch of her apartment, watching her play her favourite game, you ask her if you can.

She's extremely cute when she's flustered, you realize quickly, when she kicks her feet and nearly throws the controller at the TV. But when she recovers, you hear a small, bashful ‘yes’ from under your breath and suddenly your heart is doing backflips over itself.

You ask if you can kiss her, and she tells you it will be her first. And just like Noir would, you steal it.

-

Light shines brightly through your sheer curtains. You rub your eyes, mildly annoyed at the sun for disturbing you, but completely forgive it when you rub the sleep from your eyes.

In front of you lies Ann, still undisturbed in her slumber. Long, messy blonde strands cascading over her face, pale, bare shoulders peeking out from beneath your shared blanket. She looks ethereal, bathed in the glow of the morning as she sleeps. An angel, a goddess in your mind.

You carefully sit up, slide on your pink slippers, and slowly walk to the kitchen, careful not to wake your sleeping beauty. You arrive at your coffee machine, a gift from Boss many years back, and sort through your collection of blends until you come one that feels right.

‘Finca Flores’ is your coffee of choice for the morning, with hints of toffee and maple syrup. While you usually like a more robust, dark roast, this is one you know your wife will like as well. You look down at the gold and white band on your finger, and find yourself giggling like a schoolgirl again. Even after all these years, you still can't believe it sometimes.

When you walk back into your room, coffees in hand, your wife utters a groggy good morning, and a thank you for the drink. She takes the cup from you, sets it on the nightstand, and immediately wraps her arms around your neck.

You unfortunately have to tell her to wait, so that your new sheets don't get a permanent coffee stain.

When you set your cup down, she continues where she left off, nuzzling her face into your neck, breasts pressed against your arm, smelling just like the rose perfume she sprayed on her pillow last night. She whispers good mornings and I love yous in your ear, peppering your neck with the gentlest kisses you think anyone has ever kissed.

And in this moment of pure bliss, you feel like nothing will ever hurt again.

-

You wake up. 

You don't remember falling asleep last night. 

You look at your alarm. It's 8:45 in the morning, meaning you're late for school. As you quickly get dressed, brush your hair, you still feel your heart thrumming from the intimacy of that dream last night. 

When you arrive at school, after getting scolded by your teacher, you try your best to sit through morning classes. You absorb no information, the only thoughts running through your mind is that of Ann, how real she felt in your dreams, how soft she was, how beautiful. 

And how awful you feel, having dreamt of her so intimately.

You see her in the hallway after class, talking to Shiho. You watch from afar, deciding not to invade their conversation. It feels like a creepy thing to do, you think, yet you can't stop yourself. When they part ways, you can see Ann sigh audibly, and mouth something that looks awfully familiar. Your stomach drops.

When you meet with the Thieves after school, you find yourself unable to meet Ann's eyes, even when she talks directly to you.

Stupid, you think, to believe that there could be something between you. Stupid to think Ann would feel the same way. Stupid to dream so sweetly of her, to feel so safe, only to have it ripped from you entirely. Like the gods are playing tricks on you.

And when your driver picks you up from school, like clockwork, you crack.

[alatariel-gildaen]

Daryl Dixon - some rambling thoughts

I just finished watching and I have a few thoughts.

I know there are plenty of people with greater insight than me, but this is just what I have been left with over the course of the past 6 episodes (and the past 10+ years of the main show)

Firstly I want to talk in general about ship baiting. Now, I don't know if it's because I'm too neurodivergent to see anything other than Caryl, but people talk a lot about ship baiting and I just don't see it. Like, at all. There's no connection at all that I can see between Daryl and any other woman he appears on screen with, other than Carol. Whether that was B*th, C*nnie, or Isabelle. Let's not even talk about L*ah because that was just a dumbass mess that doesn't count, but those other three - if anyone can point me towards any moment at all where there was any indication that Daryl had some kind of deeper feeling for them please feel free to point it out, because I genuinely see nothing. Obviously, people are free to ship whatever they want to ship, but as far as baiting it is concerned? No. NR's acting choices shut down any baiting because Daryl absolutely wears his heart on his sleeve, and he is not showing me anything towards those other women.

Secondly, there has been a lot of talk about Daryl being OOC. Again, watching it, I genuinely don't see it. His entire motivation the whole series has been to get back home, and that never wavered. The OOC bit comes from the main series of him walking away from his family, but as in this series it's showing him trying to get back in every single episode, I don't see the OOCness people are talking about. He's still the Daryl we know and love. He cares about people, he's honourable, he does his best to do the right thing. Check, check, and check. Yes, he shouted horribly at Laurent in one scene, but we all have our breaking points, and that kid had just jeopardised not only Daryl getting home, but all of their lives.

Isabelle - I really want her to become walker chow. She manipulated Daryl from the word go, and that would be bad enough, but her saying to Daryl—a man abused by his father—that he was repeating history by trying to return to his actual family? Gtfo. That was manipulative and cruel to the extreme.

Which kinda leads me to the ending. Daryl not getting on the boat. Her cruel manipulation of Daryl isn't his motivation for staying behind - he's still a man of honour after all, and he's not going to let a young boy be eaten by a herd of walkers. You could see the thought of "for fucks sake" in his eyes when Laurent appeared. There's no happiness in him missing the boat, he's not chosen France over his family, he wasn't given an option at all.

I think when Carol gets to France she'll likely team up with Codron to track Daryl down. I can see him holding out as long as possible to not give up The Nest's location, but she'll rescue him and he'll be able to tell Carol where her Pookie is.

I'm sure there was more I wanted to talk about but my ADHD brain has decided to shut down for now, so if I think of more, I'll come back.

But all in all, my excitement is rekindled. Good things are coming for Caryl fans, of that I am certain.

[pascaloverx]

Sweet Love

Summary: You're an up-and-coming writer, congratulations. To protect your beloved job, you're willing to do anything. Even strike a deal with the devil, better known as your sister's neighbor. You and Dean Winchester don't really see eye to eye, but in a moment of desperation, you agree to collaborate with him for a greater good.

Author's Notes: Many characters do not belong to me but to the Supernatural Universe (2005-2020). I hope you enjoy the fanfic's story. The fanfic will contain strong language and adult content. Dear readers, I'm here to let you know that if you enjoy this fic, please engage with it. Comments and likes are welcome. I appreciate everyone who follows this fanfic. Anyway, enjoy this chapter.

chapter eight final chapter

CHAPTER NINE

Your need to be close to Dean is much greater than you imagined. Not only are you moving to live near him, but you are also going to live in the apartment above his. You thought a lot about it, concluding that even without being in a relationship with him, you still wanted to be close.

"You are aware that moving above your ex's place isn't really getting over him, right?" Sam Winchester says as he helps you with the moving boxes. The apartment you bought is already furnished, so you're just bringing your personal items to start getting organized.

"I'm not sure if your brother is my ex. But I do realize that it's not the best decision in the world to live in the same building where your brother and my sister live. But I've grown attached to the neighborhood." You don't want to admit the truth to Sam. After all, he is practically your brother-in-law. Saying that you don't want to be so far from Dean wouldn't seem right.

"My brother would love to know about your affection for the neighborhood. I have to be honest, I don't understand you two. But I know you care a lot about each other. I just fear that when you realize it, it will be too late. Where do you want me to put this box?" Sam says as you both climb the stairs. As soon as you reach the door of your new apartment, what he says seems to affect you.

"Do you think he'll find someone else?" you ask Sam, apprehensive. Despite knowing that Dean owes you nothing, you're not sure if you're ready to see him move on. Which, frankly, is idiotic. After all, it's you who is separating you two. Well, you and the fact that he has already slept with your sister.

"As far as I know him, no. But there's nothing stopping him. Which means you're taking a chance. I know he messed up, but I still think that the fact you're moving so close to him must mean part of you wants him." That's something you didn't expect: Sam playing your romantic therapist. Before you can say anything, you both watch a familiar figure step out of the elevator. Castiel, dressed all in white, looking like a celestial being. His outfit was stunning, almost like attire for a very fancy event. You and Sam exchanged glances, immediately remembering that Castiel was getting married.

"What are you doing here, Castiel?" Sam asks from behind you, causing Castiel to look at the two of you climbing the stairs. Castiel looks like he just ran a marathon, he’s so out of breath.

"I need to talk to your brother," Castiel says, then walks over to Dean's apartment door and knocks. You and Sam, curious, watch, but a bad feeling is blooming in your heart. Dean opens the apartment door a few seconds after Castiel knocks. He doesn't see you and Sam, only Castiel, who is facing him.

"Castiel, you should be getting married. What are you doing here?" Dean asks, surprised, and you and Sam exchange glances as if you're about to witness a movie plot twist scene.

"I should be getting married, but I couldn't. All I could think about was that you weren't there. That's when I realized I shouldn't marry Gabriel. Because I still feel something for you. Because I want you to be around for important moments. And I came here to find out if you feel the same." Castiel speaks to Dean tenderly. However, you feel like you're about to lose Dean forever. Unnoticed, your eyes fill with tears, but you couldn't dare to spoil this moment for Dean and Castiel. Perhaps they are meant for each other.

"I think it's best you come in so we can talk," you hear Dean say to Castiel, who immediately follows Dean into the apartment. Sam looks at you as if he already imagined you would be crying.

"If you want, I can keep carrying some boxes, and you can rest up there on your couch," Sam says gently, giving you a light pat on the head as if to comfort you.

"Sam, let's just finish taking the boxes upstairs," you say, walking towards your sister's apartment. You and Sam continue carrying the boxes, with you feeling downcast and hoping not to see Dean and Castiel together. They've been in Dean's apartment for quite some time now. When you finally finish bringing all your belongings to your new apartment, you feel a void filling your heart.

"Hey, don't feel like that. I can't be sure, but I don't think Castiel and Dean are getting back together right now," Sam's words are kind, but you need him to leave soon so you can mourn the loss of what could have been a future with Dean.

"Sam, I know you're speaking with kindness and concern. But I think I need a moment alone," you say, trying not to be rude. Sam nods in understanding. He gives you a hug before walking out the door, leaving you alone. And as soon as you're alone, you allow yourself to cry. The worst part is you can't even be upset. It seems your sister was right about something. You regret something, but not what she imagined. You regret pushing Dean away, leaving the path open for him to reignite his love with Castiel. Your crying, however, is interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Sam, I said I need a moment alone…" you say as you open the door, only to find Dean standing there. You don't understand why he's at your door.

"I'm not Sam, and frankly, I'm tired of leaving you alone," Dean says, looking at you, perhaps noticing your swollen face from crying or your sad expression.

"What are you doing here?" you ask, trying to compose yourself to appear less vulnerable. You don't want him to pity you or to hear about getting back together with Castiel.

"Proving that I know myself better than anyone. That I never called Castiel the love of my life because I knew that no matter how good our relationship was, he and I weren't meant for each other. I made a mistake, letting other people dictate how you saw me, afraid of how you'd react when you realized I never really found a love of my life. I tried with Castiel, used your sister to forget him, and for that, I bitterly regret it. But you're different. You make me think about what it's like to be committed to someone. Being with you is what I want now. I can't promise you'll be the love of my life, but I can guarantee I want to be with you. More than anything," Dean speaks with such certainty that you're almost left speechless. He truly cares for you, and you can't help but feel you're wasting a chance to be happy with him.

"I want you." It's all that comes out of your mouth, as naturally as any declaration of love could be. You don't expect him to say anything; you just approach him and kiss him. Throwing yourself into Dean's arms who hold you tight, you continue the kiss. His mouth devouring yours as if you were competing for who has more desire for the other. Dean holds you firmly by the waist, guiding you to the bedroom while you don't stop kissing. And as soon as you both enter the room, you're glad you installed a new bed. Tonight will be about you and Dean making up under the sheets.

[partystoragechest]

A story of romance, drama, and politics which Cullen has accidentally become invested in.

Supplemental material for Unwanted, from the perspective of Cullen. In this addendum, Cullen needs some help, and he isn't going to get it.

(Masterpost. Addendums. Words: 791. Rating: all audiences. Warning: Addendums may contain spoilers for Unwanted and are best read after finishing the story entirely.)

Chapters 48, Addendum

The War Council gathered, summoned by its Inquisitor. Advisors surrounded the war table, to plot the demise of the Venatori incursion at Adamant—should the Champion report it true.

“I have been gathering our troops,” Cullen informed them, “and I will survey their readiness once they have assembled. If the Wardens are truly lost, then they will march on your order, Inquisitor.”

“Good,” said the Inquisitor, “then that will be all.”

The Council dispersed, Inquisitor marching from the room. Leliana followed, her own business to get to, and Josephine attempted the same. Cullen stopped her.

“Josephine, I wondered if I might ask you a favour?” he said.

She prepared herself to hear it, politely inviting him to walk the corridor back to her parlour. “What may I assist you with, Commander?”

“It’s about… Arcanist Trevelyan,” he murmured. “Would you be able to, perhaps, arrange one of our walks, or—maybe something else? I don’t know. But if you could…”

Josephine stopped, and stared at him. “Now you want me to meddle in your personal affairs?”

“Only to ask her—”

“No, Cullen.” Josephine shoved open the door to her parlour, and marched to her desk. Cullen hurried after her. “I am not going to interfere with anyone’s romantic prospects again! Unless, of course, it poses some political advantage to the Inquisition—but, when it comes to my friends, I shall not matchmake.”

“Then… what am I supposed to do? How do I… ask?”

Josephine chuckled. “Really, Commander? Have you never asked someone to spend time with you before?”

“No—yes! Of course, I…”

“Meetings don’t count.”

Cullen sighed. “Well, it’s… it’s been a while,” he said, in strict competition for the understatement of the Age.

“Then allow me to refresh your memory,” said Josephine, with a perky smile. “All you need to do is go up to her, and ask. Simple as that!”

If only it were as simple as that. But Cullen’s palms became sweaty even just thinking of it. He was so skilled at making an absolute fool of himself in front of the Arcanist; he could hardly imagine he would resist the apparent temptation to do it again.

“What if she says no?”

Josephine shook her head. “Then you accept her answer, take it on the chin, and move on.”

The first part was perfectly fine. The second and third were easier said than done. Hard to carry on with his day when his heart was crushed into tiny little pieces.

“Perhaps... if you just do it this once—”

“No!”

“But I’m afraid I’ll do something wrong and ruin it all again.”

Josephine gasped. “Oh, in that case? Still no.” Though biting in her tone, she saw him shrink, and softened. “Cullen, she agreed to walk with you when she despised you. I can think of no reason now, when she holds you in greater regard, that she would not answer in the affirmative.”

Cullen wrung his hands. “She has no reason to pretend to like me any more.”

“Indeed,” said Josephine, tapping a sheaf of documents into a neat pile. “So given that she has not yet set you on fire, I think we can assume she is done pretending.”

Fair point. Especially as she now possessed the arms to do so rather efficiently.

“What time do you think best to ask?”

“Honestly? Right this moment,” Josephine suggested. “She will have been working all morning, and may be glad of the break.”

“All right,” Cullen said. “All right.”

Josephine smiled. “There. Not so hard, is it? Good luck, Cullen.”

Taking her advice, he absconded almost immediately to the Undercroft, hurrying so that his mind had not the time to convince itself how bad an idea this was. He almost stumbled down the stairs—but best to get that sort of thing out now, before he saw the Arcanist.

He emerged into the cavern, that mess of forges and machines. People buzzed about, an absolute distraction to the eyes of he who searched for a particular individual.

Though, somewhat fortunately, Cullen was at least gifted with the curse of being utterly mesmerised by the beauty and vivacity of Arcanist Trevelyan. It was through this afflicition that he saw her, eyes ever-bound to seek her out. She sat at her a workbench near the cavern’s maw, documents and materials littered across it. Herzt hovered at her side, taking instruction and aiding her research.

Cullen did not wish to disrupt them. He was fortunate, then, that Herzt happened to look in his direction. With the meeting of eyes, he seemed to understand, and promptly came to where Cullen stood, tucked by the entrance.

“Commander,” he said, “may I help you?”

“Yes,” Cullen replied. “May I speak to the Arcanist?”

[astroyongie]

Can you do a short birth chart analysis for changkyun the same way you did for jungkook,since we know his ascendant and house placements.

I’m sure you know already but in case you don’t he was born 1:43 am which makes him a scorpio rising in the 2nd decan so his chart is

aqua sun in the 3rd

aries moon in 5th

cap mercury in 3rd

pisces venus in 4th

and aqua mars in 3rd

and also cap jupiter in 2nd

pisces saturn in 4th

and sag pluto in 1st house

Changkyun Birth Chart Report

Pluto 1st house Sagittarius: his persona isn't stable, Changkyun is the type that is in constant try of changing himself despite saying that he is okay with his life. He goes from being happy and sociable with people to ghosting them one week after. He is also evolving and changing is opinions and his friends

Capricorn 2nd Jupiter: He is someone very sensitive despite not showing it to the world. He tries his best to focus and to hide his feelings. Changkyun possesses a lot of insight and intuition that is often put under the mug due to his overthinking

Capricorn 3rd Mercury: He is very goal and work-oriented, his mind is always focusing and thinking about work, about what needs to be done and what he has yet to due. He is a rational person too, he doesn't like to be involved with emotions despite himself being a huge sensitive in heart.

Sun Aquarius 3rd: To be honest his work and his public figure are his personality, meaning that if you strip him of his idol persona he is nothing, he won't be able to find himself. He has his own structure around the character he built and the person he wants to show to others. That doesn't mean he is fake since his idol persona is still him on a version he wishes people to know him for

Mars Aquarius 3rd: Again the fact that he has so may placements around his 3rd house really shows to which point this man is very focused on what matters. He wants to be different, he doesn't want to be mainstream, he wants to be "that guy" the one that is different, unique unconventional. Changkyun wants to shock as much as he wants to attract

Uranus Aquarius 3rd: Always in constant change like I said earlier, he really isn't able to keep one moral or value for long, he is always changing to try and develop his character.

Neptune Capricorn 3rd: Changkyun is someone that suffers in silence, someone that thinks and overthinks a lot about things and yet he always pretends to have everything under control by controlling his environment. but honestly inside his mind, it's a jesus help.

Venus pisces 4th: Despite all of that he is lighthearted, he is someone who wants to love, to be loved, to have his own kids and family yet his dreams are so out of touch that is very complicated for him to stick to realistic goals that he can reach.He is also very very romantic

Moon Aries 5th: He is a creative mind, passionate. Everything he does he does it with his heart, with his raw emotions. He wants t be true to himself by doing things that have his personality and his own way to be. so per example, his songs are really very deep and connect to his soul.

empty 6th Aries: He has a lot of health complications with his placement, mostly he gets easily toothache for example, headaches, and burns his tongue frequently. He is prone to head diseases. he also gets easily bored with things

Empty 7th Taurus: Changkyun has huge committing issues when it comes to relationships, he loves too raw, gets possessive and jealous too easily, he never rusts his partner 100% because for him there are always things the person can do to hurt him

Empty 8th Gemini: he can gaslight people to get what he wants, despite his true nature, Changkyun also knows how to be a "fake bitch" to hurt and to get things from people. Also this usually comes out during self-destructive moments when he is drunk for example.

Empty 9th Cancer: He has little faith in things. Like he belives there is the greater good, yet he gets easily into that state where blaming a god or a religion for his bad karma.

Empty 10th Leo: Again, the only bad thing about this is that he always has to pretend to be someone he isn't at work. Also Changkyuncan be a little arrogant and egoistic, putting himself on a pedestal when it comes to his talents.

Empty 11th Virgo: He has a hard time making friends and keeping them since people get easily tired of him and also they don't like the fact that he can easily get judgemental and cold toward people.

Empty 12th Libra: Terrible dealing with stress, with anxiety or depression or any type of negative emotion. Whenever he isn't well mentally, Changkyun gets overly dependent of the people he loves or he completely removes them from his life

[thewingedbaron]

Tag game! Open tag from @arendaes!

Tag game: Give your KC's first impression and final opinion of each of their companions.

Since Vysk's playthrough is still going, I'll throw this back to Allix, my first KC. TLDR: He's a Freebooter Ranger turned Angel that struggles with the Lawfulness of Heaven while doing his best to keep everyone alive through the crusade. He drinks a lot of coffee.

First Impressions-

Seelah: There are worse people to be trapped in a hole with in a city under siege by demons. A paladin is one of the best options running. I just hope she isn't too by the books...

Camellia: A noble. Just my luck. We'll be lucky to crawl out of this hole with our sanity intact. She has all the fixings of a higher-than-though noble... and yet. There's something off about this one. Some glimmer in her eye I just can't place a finger on. I need to be careful with this one.

Lann: I've never heard of a mongrel before. He seems cheery enough for someone who's lived their whole life underground. Certainly much more open that his companion here. Free spirited, headstrong. I can respect that.

Wenduag: You, I don't trust. I know what it's like to carve out a living in the wilds, amongst a tribe. Those that refuse to walk with kin do not last long, unless there is something else going on in the background. You and Camellia might get along, I feel. You have the same steely glint to your eye, no matter what honey rolls off your tongue.

Woljif: A thief turned crusader. That ought to be something. Woljif might play it cool, but there's a jumpiness to that one. I couldn't leave him in that cell. He seems a little too eager to jump out into the burning streets. He'll bear watching, but I don't think he's as cowardly as he wants to appear.

Ember: No one will touch this child again so long as she remains in my care. To maintain such innocence in her philosophies after being so wronged by the forces that claim to act in the greater good. She is either crazy, or hopelessly optimistic. Either way, she will be protected.

Daeran: Just what I need. Another pompous noble who cares for nothing but his own entertainment. He knows the city better than any of us, and his influence might prove useful. I'll placate him for now, let him get his fill of blood. Gods, hopefully he grows bored and just stays at the inn.

Nenio: A scientist with a death wish that cannot even remember home. Am I the one going mad? Perhaps it is perfectly reasonable to be strolling the streets in the middle of a warzone, asking cultists what they really know about their gods. She has gall. I respect the hells out of that.

Finnean: Poor soul.

Ulbrig: A hundred year old griffon just came crashing through the roof, demanding to know what I did to his lands? I don't have time for this. Well, I might have time for this. This just keeps getting stranger. Maybe he'll calm down once we get him some ale.

Sosiel: A cleric of beauty in the middle of a warzone? What confused loyalties have led you here my friend? He seems nice enough, though I fear he may lack the spine for what is to come. If he can find beauty on a battlefield? Gods, I would envy him. He is even less prepared for this than I.

Regill: Clipped, professional, a man of few words beyond those required for what passes as hellknight tactics. I abhor his organization. I hate with all my heart his treatment of prisoners, wounded, and allies. Yet, his chapter knows how to run an army, run a supply train. I need his experience, as much as I loathe to admit it. We'll be allies, though I may suffer some sleepless nights.

Arueshalae: A demon that wears an icon of Desna? Can demons truly turn on the abyss? I don't see a reason they couldn't I suppose. My own kin are called demons the whole world round for our horns and tails. Who am I to judge if her intentions are true? I'll need to keep an eye on our new ally, but something tells me she's telling the truth. Desna may not be my chosen patron, but she shares a realm with Erastil. May old deadeye guide me true.

Greybor: Any fellow willing to charge a baylor with naught but a dagger is one worth meeting. An assassin by trade? Not exactly my old job description, but I'm sure there's plenty of overlap between that and a bounty hunter. As soon as this is all wrapped up, I need to buy that man a drink.

Trever: Oh Sosiel. A man who wanders from the path is not all lost. I cannot speak to the horrors Trever has suffered in the Abyss, nor can I judge him for the things he has done to survive. I will get him home. That much I can do. As soon as we get out of this thrice damned place.

Queen Galfrey: I am officially over my head. I'm here on a bloody bounty contract, killing demons for gold and hunting the occasional deserter turned bandit. Now, I'm drinking with a Queen and being handed control of a crusading army? It's not too late to slip out the back door, I suppose. But these powers... Gods damn it, this is not the kind of mess I need to be mixed up in.

The Hand of the Inheritor: Oh joy, the right hand of Iomedae, herself. Of all the realms to be looking over my shoulder, I got the lawyers of the afterlife. Angel's have long been allies of the crusade, but I cannot say that I was expecting to have the right hand of the goddess herself looking over my shoulder.

Final Thoughts:

Seelah: One of the finest people I shall ever have the pleasure to know. First among drinking buddies. First into the fray and the last to leave the field. I have had the privilege to meet very few people who truly care as much as Seelah. This war has bent her, but I believe she shall never be broken. I shall treasure her friendship for the rest of my days.

Camellia: I have no regrets in her fate. Thousands of soldiers have perished under my command over this past year. Thousands of families have been devastated, left without sons, daughters, mothers and fathers. That some would be murdered like livestock in my own camp? There was never a way that Camellia could have left that basement alive. Horgus Germ will face tribunal, and perhaps I may sleep soundly again. I very much doubt it.

Lann: Faithful friend. Never have I seen one so wracked with guilt, and yet, you have survived it. I am proud to call you my brother. I cannot explain to you how angry I felt when I thought you would be the instrument of your own demise. I would never have you question my faith in you. I am glad that you found the strength to question your faith in yourself. Please do not name that boat after me.

Wenduag: I cannot help but feel that I could have done more for you. So focused were you on strength, on finding or creating the stronger master. I hope that you found peace in the end, for you have left me with none. For Lann's sake, I hope you found peace.

Woljif: I cannot overstate how proud I am of you. You overcame your demons, quite literally, and chose the higher path. You could have sunk deep into your magic, claimed the power that was before you, but instead you struggled on. I hope you're enjoying your retirement, my friend. I believe we're going plane hopping next month...

Ember: I have never seen someone surprise a god so thoroughly as you. Even Arueshalae is baffled that you managed to flip the Redeemer Queen. They will regale you as a saint, I'm sure. But your friends know the truth. You're just another person, trying to create as much good in the world as you can. I always look forward to your visits.

Daeran: I never did apologize for misjudging you so badly. While I think you and I would never quite see eye to eye, I am proud of how far you've come. I hope you're enjoying shaking up Queen Galfrey's court. She'll need some excitement in peace time. Don't forget that we're vacationing with Woljif soon. I can't wait to hear all the details you've left out of your letters.

Nenio: You continue to baffle me. I'm not sure that I will ever truly understand the depths of your mind. Though I can confidently say that being told to "take my pants off" for friendship in the abyss is a memory that I will never forget. Thank you for making me your assistant. Even if it took you years to finally learn my name.

Finnean: Rest well, my friend. You've earned it.

Ulbrig: I don't think I'm going to ever get used to the idea of you as a god. Come visit some time, yeah? I'll never outdrink you, but it is always a joy to try.

Sosiel: My dearest friend. I do not know how, but we survived. I hope that you are getting the rest you deserve. Your estate is lovely, and your cherry wine is still Arue's favorite. I know that you have your quiet days. The world was never as hoped it would be. But with Trever, and your love at your side, I hope you still find beauty wherever you look. We'll come visit again soon.

Regill: I never expected to have the respect that I harbor for you. We were never quite friends, but I think we now understand each other. I cannot help but admire your discipline, even as it kills you. I hope for nothing more than joy for you. However you choose to find it.

Arueshalae: My darling, what else is there to be said? I am so proud of you for the impossible heights that you have scaled. Our cabin on the water is beautiful. I cannot wait to explore many more dreams with you.

Greybor: I will never understand you. A man truly married to the job. I wish you well, friend. May you stand the test of time and ambition. It takes a lot of gall to run an assassin's guild in the abyss.

Trever: I hope you find your peace, friend. I suspect it will not be found in gods, nor liquor. You have a long and dark road still to walk, but I can think of no finer a man to walk beside you than your brother.

Queen Galfrey: I harbor you no ill will for your trespasses against me. I cannot imagine the weight on your shoulders after a hundred years of war. Your realm is changing rabidly now, new councils, new liberties. The real test of your rule has begun. I am curious to see how you intend to handle it.

The Hand of the Inheritor: Last we spoke you asked me to kill you. I cannot say if I made the right choice in refusal. I hope you found your healing, my friend. I will search for you soon, my friends at my back. If heaven deigned not to open its gates to its finest servant, hurt and broken after fighting its war for it, I will tear down those golden gates myself. Wherever you are, I hope the sun shines brightly. We shall meet again soon enough.

BONUS:

Irabeth:

First- Finally, someone competant to take all this over. Hey, hey, what do you mean I'm in charge???

Final- Anevia is the luckiest woman in the world to have someone as steady as you around. I would not have survived without you. Please bring those cinnamon cookies over again next time, I think Arue would kill me if I forgot to ask.

Anevia:

First- A kindred spirit. We're going to get along famously. Assuming we survive this of course.

Final- The greatest spymaster I could have asked for, and an even greater friend. I will not forget the blackberry mead next time. That was my bad.