#it could be bad writing to trick us into thinking hes evil in the first 3rd of the drama and then pull a plot twist

[mudinyourshoes]

I agree that ZYZ's treatment of LL is unfair and I had a different take on it than I think you do. I really liked your post and I hope you don't mind if I talk about what I saw differently!

I think LL treatment by ZYZ is unfair and also that it makes sense. Because your right: ZYZ can forgive pretty much ANYONE ANYTHING except for 2 people: LL and himself. So, for me, ZYZ's treatment of LL isn't bad writing, it's integral to understanding ZYZ's character and arc (which, again, yup! Not fair to LL!). I don't think ZYZ ever truly hates Li Lun, I think he hates himself and he's projected that hatred onto Li Lun because during the process of their breakup and the divergence of their life philosophies, Li Lun came to represent for ZYZ everything he hates in himself. Li Lun is unfairly burdened with ZYZ's self-hatred, guilt and shame about his own capacity for violence and destruction.

I don't actually think Li Lun is innocent here -- he possesses, kills, and manipulates both humans and yao in some pretty nasty ways throughout the course of the drama, but crucially, so do a lot of other characters! (ZYZ and Bai Jiu stand out here as being guilty of doing a lot of harm and yet being forgiven and loved unconditionally by their friends and family)

So, Li Lun isn't innocent but he is scapegoated in ways that other characters aren't. Again, I think this is because the story is told primarily from ZYZ and ZYC's point of view and Li Lun's ostracization is about a flaw in ZYZ's character, not about Li Lun at all. But ZYZ's attitude towards Li Lun (and therefore Li Lun's place in the narrative) changes over the course of the drama. Why? Because one of the main issues of the drama is ZYZ learning to forgive and love himself. Li Lun is absolutely right when he complains that ZYZ seems able to love and forgive everyone but Li Lun. It's total bs! But ZYZ has to be slowly dragged out of his self-pity and hatred by WX and ZYC and it's only in WX and ZYC forgiving and loving him that ZYZ can forgive and love himself and it's only in loving himself that he can open his heart up to Li Lun once more. And finally, it's only in being loved that Li Lun can let go of his desire to bring about an apocalypse.

So, ZYZ and the narrative are unfair to Li Lun, but I think that's a feature not a bug, if that makes sense.

I don't know that I could have finished the drama if Li Lun had been the only character I liked because the whole thing would have made me too mad. Poor Li Lun really got shafted by zyz.

Li Lun, a villain I feel for (Pt. 1/4)

Li Lun was the only character of FoF who stole my heart. From the very beginning it was obvious that Li Lun supposed to be a scapegoat of the narrative. The final plot twist was supposed to be a cherry on the top of the final battle, so GJM needed to bring LL there no matter what. LL's fate is in his very name: 离仑 (lí lún). The character 离 means “to be separated”, “to stay apart”; “to keep distance”; “to be alone”, “to break up”, “to become in opposition”; “to turn away” and also “to break into pairs”.  The character 仑 is used only in the name of the mountain Kunlun (昆仑), which is, as we know, a cradle of demons and a gate to the Great Wilderness. All of these meanings match Li Lun perfectly: he is deeply tied to his demonic homeland, yet is separated from the man who used to be his soulmate and opposites him now in loneliness.

Li Lun also was the only character whose story was shown to us not  as a strange flashback after the main events happened (as it was with any other story-within-a-story in this drama) but was fed to us with small portions (as it should actually have been worked out for each of side stories). It was, firstly, the main reason I was emotionally involved in Li Lun’s story – I genuinely tried to guess what happened between LL and the main hero in the past, it caught my attention. And secondly – reshuffling the pieces of LL’s backstory and spreading them across the narrative were the only ways to conjure the illusion that LL’s part of the plot works at all.

"Zhao Yuanzhou, do you still remember your old friend? Whom of your new friends should I kill first?"

When we see Li Lun for the first time in ep 3, he seems like a real villain of the story: he is in chains, looks insanely hot and hotly insane. We find out very quickly that he is absolutely obsessed with his former friend, the main hero, and wants to take revenge on him so badly as if the main hero killed the whole LL’s family and ate LL’s cutie puppy for breakfast. In the first part of the story he looks really intimidating: it is scary when your enemy could literary be anyone around you because Li Lun can possess any body. (And later we find out that there is absolutely no villain in this story, because LL is a Byronic hero and Big Bad in Mask is just a piece of furniture, because no one of the mains remembers of him and gives a single flying heck about him for the most of the story.)

But to look through their story soberly, let me recap it for you in the chronological order.

Once upon a time, something like 30 000+ years ago, two demons were born in Great Wilderness, a sophora tree spirit and a white ape spirit. They were equals in their powers, were friends for many millennias and finally became Great Demons. Hundreds of years ago they anonymously saved the Great Wilderness from destruction and swore to protect their homeland at any cost.

You all know what a hairpin means in Chinese dramas , don't you? 🌚

LL works his magic to make ZYZ happy. Although they had different mindsets, they genuinely care for each other: the main hero (ZYZ) tried to show his rigid wooden friend things he never even thought about, and LL, in return, tried to learn from ZYZ and to make him happy, too.

LL wanted to silent a kid with magic, but ZYZ taught him that no magic needed to chase someone's megrim away. The kid's as well as LL's. ZYZ loved humans and their world and LL was irritated by them and cautious about them, so ZYZ was teaching him how to treat humans right.

They exchanged gifts, a rattle drum and an umbrella. And it was so important for both LL and ZYZ that each turned mate’s gift into a spiritual weapon.

But they exchanged even more valuable gifts, too: ZYZ gifted LL his unique magic ability – Truth Eye, the ability to see the true essence of everything. Not having it anymore, he could rely now only on his heart to see LL’s heart, so giving it away was the brightest expression of his trust and love for LL. And LL gifted him a root of sophora  – a part of his true body, which was… pretty much the same expression of love and trust.

ZYZ gifts LL his Truth Eye. But one day, 8 years ago, when they both were on a date in the mortal world, they accidently found a dungeon where their fellow demons were kept captive and tortured by humans. Li Lun, who swore to protect his homeland and its habitants and was prejudiced against humans, went to berserk rage and killed not only those who tortured demons, but also everyone in a building where this dungeon was located.

He also set free all the demons in the dungeon, included Ao Ying, the demoness who can change her appearance and will serve him later.

Trying to stop LL from killing even more people, ZYZ accidently mortally wounded LL with the power of Everburning Wood he just got. It was unintentional but fatal anyway.

For his crimes LL was immediately caught and sealed in the place of his birth (a dark and lifeless cave). Although the seal could stop him from dying, it took his freedom away for eternity, which was very painful for a creature who cultivated really hard to get ability to move (he is a tree, after all). ZYZ was somewhat upset with it. OK, being upset because of your former friend’s loss of freedom is a good thing, but what happened between the sealing of LL and the current events of the drama?

So, you were friends for literally millenias, you were very close, maybe in BL way, so close, that each of you literally gave a part of his body to other. One of you flew into a rage (fairly speaking, he had a reason to be enraged) and killed people in the heat of passion. And you accidently killed him trying to stop him. Is he a criminal? Yes, obviously. Should you be surprised by your mate’s behavior and not think of it as of something typical for him? Yes, otherwise why were you still friends for so many thousands of years? Would you try to persuade him or to bring him back into his sanity? Yeah, I think. Would you feel guilt because of unintentional killing him off? Yes, of course. But ZYZ didn’t do and feel any of that.

OK, maybe he is too righteous and any unjustified deed put his relationship with a sinner to its and. Oh, no? He eagerly forgives a spy who works for Big Bad in Mask, he forgives a man who hurt him badly and intentionally sent him into diabolic rage which could lead to numerous victims. He even understands and is nice to other demons who kill people. (And, as I remember, in ep 1 ZYZ killed by himself one of demon hunter’s bureau warriors in order to intimidate ZYC. I watched it only once, so I’m not sure if I didn’t notice some trick there, but still). He only despises LL. Also, he didn’t give a flying heck about who tortured all these demons and why (spoiler: it was Big Bad in Mask, and everything would be much easier, if ZYZ cared about it). And later, he regrets that he unintentionally killed his friend and a family of his current boyfriend, but he never regretted he killed Li Lun.

In the beginning of the drama ZYZ obviously despises him and calls him "a scumbag who has to stay in shadows", although LL has to stay in shadows partly because of a mortal wound caused by ZYZ, and can't be counted as scumbag because all the wrongs he did were caused by desire to protect people of his own kind and not because he liked human sufferings or such evil stuff. LL obviously tries to speak to ZYZ and to find out what happened between them (and honestly, I still want to get this answer, too), and ZYZ, for reason unknown, has absolutely no desire to talk about their problems with LL.

It all feels strange. And not fair to LL. Here is Part 2

[chlix]

sharpest tool

bf! chan x fem! reader: chan doesn't love you like you love him. you're not planning on doing anything about it

genre: angst, suggestive (but not actually very fun or sexy)

word count: 2.9k

warnings/tags: toxic relationships/situationships, arguing, self-worth issues

a/n: this fic is inspired by "sharpest tool" off sabrina carpenter's new album! i heard it and immediately knew i wanted to write for it. i also plan on doing other songs off the album with other members but we'll see if i get to that before the album loses all relevance 💀

“What’s new with you then?” your coworker Seohyeon asks once the lunch rush dies down. You’re wiping spilled coffee off the bar and she’s pretending to reorganize the stacks by the till, but really, you’re both just trying to look busy while you recover from the last round of customers. Seohyeon has already bitched about her evil landlord and snitched on your manager for critiquing the way the new girl set up the cup display. Now, it’s your turn to overshare. Unfortunately, your life is scant of any juicy details.

“Nothing. You know I have no life outside this job,” you say.

“So not true,” she says. “What about that guy who keeps hanging around waiting for you to get off every day? How’s that going?”

You stiffen. “It’s going.”

She hums sympathetically. “That bad, huh?”

You drop your rag in the bucket of sanitizer water and take a long breath.

“It’s not bad. It’s not really anything right now.”

“You know, I mentioned how he’s always waiting for you, but I haven’t really seen him in a couple of weeks.”

“You and me both,” you mutter. Unwittingly, your hands drift to your phone in your apron pocket, hoping it’ll buzz and you’ll get a text from Chan, as if he’d sense you thinking about him and give you the attention that you’ve been craving. When you first met, the two of you had that kind of psychic connection. It was like you were of one mind. He was everything you wanted in a guy. He still is.

That’s what makes this all so difficult.

The idea of Chan using you as a warm body isn’t inherently distressing. Or, it wouldn’t have been, if he’d posed the idea initially. Maybe if he’d asked you for that up front, then you would’ve known better than to catch feelings. Or at least if you had, then you could take all the blame unto yourself for being softhearted, overly optimistic. He could be blameless. This would be easier if he was a bad person. Or maybe he is, and you just love him too much to care.

“If you want to talk about it, I’m all ears,” Seohyeon says.

“There’s not much to say. We weren’t really even dating. I think. I mean, he doesn’t owe me anything.”

Seohyeon gives you a knowing look, and it makes anything else you were planning on saying stick in your throat.

“Get well soon, girl,” she says, and turns back to the till. You swallow, pick up the bucket of dirty water, and go to dump it out in the sink in the back.

Chan does not come in at the end of your shift and wait for you. Of course not. He does text you, though.

Hey, he says. It’s the first time he’s spoken to you in a week. The casual nature of it swallows you alive.

Hey

Busy tonight?

Never for you <3

My place? 8?

It’s almost pathetic of you to keep falling for the same old trick. Can it even be called a trick if you’re neither fooled nor impressed? You always knew you were just a placeholder, filling in the gaps for when he can’t have the girls he really wants. He doesn’t have to make it so obvious, though.

Placeholder. It’s one of those thoughts that as soon as it crosses your mind, you know you’ve already lost. You’re not sure if Chan realizes that’s what he’s turned you into. You can’t really blame him. You only recently realized it yourself. You’ve been hooking up for months, you’ve been hanging out with his friends, you’ve been posting each other and having cozy nights in with long conversations that last until the early morning. He’s your baby. You’re his girl. But you’re not his girlfriend. Six missing letters and suddenly, you’re the crazy one.

You wonder if Chan knows how these periods of long silence make you feel like a cheap lay, like someone he doesn’t even know. Maybe he does, and this is all an elaborate manipulation tactic that’s working distressingly well. Maybe he doesn’t know, and you’re projecting malice onto his thoughtlessness.

It doesn’t matter either way. You know it, and you’re still going to go.

Ok <3

You put your phone away and start walking to the bus. You need to go home and get ready.

You arrive at his apartment just before eight pm. He hates it when people aren’t punctual, and you hate it when he’s upset, so here you are, shaved and showered and dressed all pretty. You’ve developed a scarcity mindset around him- you need to make sure every time he sees you is perfect because the incidents are so few and far between. You need to look irresistible, so enticing that he’ll be begging to come see you again. It’s so pathetic that you piss yourself off on a daily basis.

You fix your hair and clothes, ring his doorbell. He answers the door, all smiles and muscle tees, and it almost makes you forget that you haven’t seen him since the last full moon. It’s like a thirst that doesn’t make itself known until that first drop of water.

“Hey, baby,” he says, drawing you into his arms. He kisses you deeply, not lustful but loving and you let yourself fall into it.

“Missed you,” he says, low in your ear. He smells like aftershave, like sandalwood and pine.

“Missed you more.”

He pulls you into his apartment and closes the door behind you so he can press you up against it and kiss you again. He licks into your mouth, and you let him, bringing your own hands up to cup his face. The barest bit of his stubble tickles against your palms. His body is warm and solid against you, it makes your knees weak, makes your heart race. For the moment, you forget every grievance you’ve ever had with him. You forget how upset you were at work today, and Seohyeon’s pity, and how empty your phone has been lately. The world outside the two of you might as well not exist.

Chan’s hands slide up under your shirt, pressed against your stomach. Your gut twists.

The illusion shatters.

You pull your lips away from him.

“Chan,” you say, trying to be authoritative, but you’re breathless. He moves away from your mouth and latches onto your neck, and your body reacts without your permission, arching into the touch, but you pull your hands away and press on his chest.

“Chan, stop.”

He lets you push him, taking a step back and looking down at you with blown wide eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I’m just…not feeling it.”

“Right, sorry. Didn’t mean to pounce on you. We can move to the bedroom if you want?”

“No…” That sticky feeling is building in your throat again. “I’m just not really in the mood for sex at all, right now.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

Awkward silence stretches between you. He’s just looking at you, unsure how to proceed, and you want to die a little more every minute.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come. I’ll just- I’ll go-”

“No, wait!” He catches your arm as you go to turn away. “You don’t have to leave. I’m the one who’s sorry. You shouldn’t have to apologize for something like this.”

“Okay…”

He kisses your forehead again, affectionate and chaste. “I’m glad you came. I wasn’t lying about missing you, yeah? Let’s just have a chill night in.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. We’ll order in. It’ll be nice.”

You let out a long breath and pull him into a hug. He embraces you, and your ear ends up pressed against his chest. You can hear his heartbeat thrumming under his ear, soothing, reassuring.

Okay. Okay okay okay.

You try to have a good night, you really do. You want to be happy when you’re around him, but it’s like a switch has flipped in your head and it’s impossible to truly relax. He orders food from your favorite place without you having to even ask.

“You want your usual?” he asks.

“You still remember my usual?”

“I remember everything about you, love.”

You think about earlier, how he’d known to text you as soon as you got off work yet hadn’t made the effort to actually show up like he used to. You tell him your usual is fine and kiss him on the cheek.

When the food arrives, you curl together on the couch under blankets and put on some show as background noise. There was a drama you were watching together, but he doesn’t bring it up and neither do you. As he pulls up Netflix, you notice the title card in his Recently Watched, but you haven’t been over in so long that you know it can’t be from the last time you were together. He doesn’t pause, skipping over it completely to select another random thumbnail.

“This okay?”

You hum an affirmative and the Netflix logo appears on the screen, signaling the start of the episode. You eat your food and try to focus on how good it tastes instead of how leaden your stomach feels.

As the night wears on, you realize that he’s being cagey. He asks you questions about your life and your job, about your sister and her baby and your plans for the holidays. He’s always been a good listener, always attentive and empathetic and curious. He’s been good at getting secrets out of you as long as you’ve known him.

I’ve never told anyone this before, you would start sentences, but I feel like I can trust you.

You can, he’d respond. I’d never judge you. I care about all of you, even the parts you might not care about yourself.

Always so welcoming, so loving. It had you spilling your guts after only the third date.

I’m rambling, I’m sorry. You don’t need to hear about all my baggage.

Y/n, I want to know anything you’re willing to tell me. Communication is important in relationships. It builds strong foundations.

And yet here he is, only a few months later, dodging all your questions about where he’s been or what he’s been up to.

“How’s work?”

“It’s been alright.”

“You’re pretty busy around this time of year, aren’t you?”

Chan shrugs. “Yeah, but I’m used to it by now.”

You nod around the fork in your mouth, unsure how to continue the line of inquiry. You try again, another topic this time.

“Did you hear about that giant pile up downtown? There were like ten cars involved.”

“I haven’t been watching the news much lately.”

“Well what have you been watching?”

“I’ve kind of had other things going on. Not much time for leisure.”

“Right. You said you were busy with work.”

He doesn’t reply to this. You want to shrink into the couch cushions and coil inside one of the springs.

You eat in silence for a while, eyes flittering between the screen and his face. Once or twice, his phone will ding, and he’ll pick up and scroll through it, shoot back a quick reply. You don’t ask who’s contacting him. When he’s done, he sets his phone face down on the table, out of your reach.

When you’re both done, he takes the empty containers from you and goes to dispose them. His hair bounces as he moves, curling around his ears and the tops of his brows.

“Your hair’s getting long.”

“Is it?” He pulls at a loose curl, stretching it out in front of him critically. “Guess I should get it cut.”

“Nooo, I like it. It suits you.”

He glances at you shyly. “You think?”

“I know. You look adorable.”

“I can’t be walking around adorable. What would that do to my image?”

“Right. Mr. Tough Guy Bang Chan, who always has short hair and thick biceps. There’s a brand image to consider.”

“Exactly! I knew you’d understand.” His cheeks dimple in his smile, but it’s shaky, and it disappears as quickly as it came. “And anyway, I just don’t think…” He trails off.

“Don’t think what?”

Chan stays quiet for a while, lost in thought. You’re unsure whether or not to push, but before you can say anything else, he snaps out of it. He shakes his head as if to clear it and throws an apologetic look your way.

“Never mind. Just getting too into my head.”

Concerned, you rise from the couch and cross the room to his kitchen.

“Is everything okay?”

“Of course. Don’t worry about me.”

“Of course I worry about you. I care about you.”

Chan isn’t meeting your eyes. “Just leave it alone, y/n. It’s stupid anyway.”

“Something bothering you could never be stupid.”

“I said just leave it alone.” His voice is harsh now, face hardened in the way he does when he’s not being nice anymore. He’s putting his walls up and you don’t understand why, and it’s tearing at you, the cumulative weight of all this distance.

“Okay. Whatever then.”

You turn around and start walking back towards the couch.

“Whatever?”

The audacity to sound offended after the way he’s been treating you.

“I can’t make you talk to me. If you don’t want to tell me anything then why keep asking?”

“Don’t be dramatic. I’ve been talking to you all night.”

“No, you haven’t. You’re shutting me out.”

“Shutting you out?” He sounds genuinely confused. You stop halfway back to the living room and turn to look at him.

“Yes, that’s what I said.”

He lets out a short laugh and pushes his curly bangs away from his forehead, hands alight with anxious energy.

“Y/n I invited you over here. We’ve been talking and watching the show. I thought we were having a good night. Now I want to keep one thought to myself and I’m ‘shutting you out’?”

That same twisting in your gut starts up again.

“You’re making me sound so unreasonable.”

“I mean, can’t you see how this looks from my perspective?” He turns away from you and pinches the bridge of his nose, like he’s developing a headache. Like he’s the one being tormented. “Sometimes I feel like you and I are living in different realities.”

It’s like a dagger in your chest. All your indignation leaves you, leaking out of you and pooling at your feet in a sad little puddle of self-respect.

“Don’t say that.”

“I don’t know what else you want me to say.”

You set out of your ring of self-loathing and approach the island where he is, still turned away from him. You reach out a shaking hand and turn him to face you. When you meet his eyes, you see frustration, confusion, and helplessness.

You’re a placeholder. You know it, Seohyeon knows it, the girl he’s been texting all night knows it. It’s possible Chan doesn’t.

That’s fine. You know it, and you’re in love with him anyway.

You press your hands against his chest, leaning up so you can look right in his eyes.

“I’m sorry,” you say. “You’re right. I’ve been on edge lately; I didn’t mean it.” You smile, self-deprecating, embarrassed. “Forgive me?”

Chan lets out a long breath. He grabs your hand and kisses it, then keeps holding on to it, his grip strong and secure.

“Nothing to forgive. I’ve been all over the place too. But we’re here now, together. So let’s just relax, yeah?”

You nod. He leans down and kisses you. The twisting in your gut persists, but you don’t pull away until he does.

“Let’s go finish this episode,” he says, and goes to lead you both back to the living room.

The night feels like a failure. You can’t figure out why, but the thought of just finishing your show and then putting your coat and boots back on and leaving feels like accepting defeat. Your legs are unstable underneath you, but not in the way they were earlier, when Chan was kissing you like his life depended on it. Now, you are standing at the top of a very tall hill, fighting against gravity to remain upright on the slope.

Get well soon, girl.

You close your eyes tightly, then reach forward and grab the back of Chan’s shirt. He jolts, surprised, then turns back to you. You release his jacket as he turns and grab his hand instead, lacing your fingers together.

“Forget the show,” you say. “Take me to bed.”

His eyes widen. “Are you sure? Earlier you said-”

“I’m too in my head. You’re right. I should try to relax. I haven’t seen you in weeks.” You get on tiptoe and lean up to his ear and whisper. “You can make me feel better, right Channie?”

Chan’s fingers tighten around yours. When you lower yourself back onto your heels, he’s looking down at you with dark eyes. You push down your unease, leave it abandoned on the floor with your anger and ego and heartbreak.

“You’re sure.”

“Never surer. Unless you don’t want-”

He effectively silences you by sweeping you into his arms, lifting you up like you weigh nothing.

“Baby, you have no idea the things I want.”

You laugh, shocked at the display of strength, and wrap your arms around him as he carries you away. The last thing you see before he shuts the bedroom door is his phone on the table, vibrating with an unanswered call.

[yanderes-galore]

may I request a romantic yandere concept for hitoshi shinso MHA?

He was like the first MHA character I wrote on here... so let's see if how I write him has changed at all.

Yandere! Hitoshi Shinsou Concept

Pairing: Romantic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Manipulation, Brainwashing, Jealousy, Stalking, Possessive/Protective behavior, Restraints, Isolation, Violence, Blood, Dubious/Forced relationship.

Hitoshi has been shown as stoic, quiet, and straightforward.

Due to his Quirk, it makes sense why he doesn't bother talking much.

Yet he could also just be introverted.

Despite this attitude, he's quite capable of holding a conversation with others.

Hitoshi, due to the nature of his Quirk, is manipulative.

He doesn't mind using underhanded topics to trick those around him into activating his Quirk.

Hitoshi is often perceived as a bad person due to his Quirk.

Which seems like another reason he's introverted.

He often states he has no interest in making friends and strives to be a hero.

Right away I can tell he's a yandere who would be quiet and distant... silently observing his obsession before making any moves.

I imagine Hitoshi is capable of being a terrifying yandere.

He just... doesn't want that as he doesn't want his obsession to view him as evil.

Just... listen to this...

Brainwash Quirk, binding cloth, The ability to fool his enemies by changing his voice with his mask...

If he wanted to force his obsession to be with him, he could.

Although, I imagine Hitoshi prefers having you love him naturally.

Many don't trust him already.

So the fact that you're so insistent on being close to him... surprises him.

You... Want to be friends?

You're looking past what he's capable of and asking to be friends?

For a long time he brushes you off.

He doesn't make friends... He's fine alone...

Although, eventually during hero exercises or normal school life, Hitoshi slowly allows you to be his friend.

His friendship with you goes right up until you graduate.

He probably has a crush on you... yet nothing gets too intense until he's a Pro Hero.

So by the time things really go downhill... you're both adults with your own lives.

Well, at least you had a life....

Hitoshi doesn't usually activate his Quirk around you.

As I said before, he doesn't want you to think poorly of him.

You're eventually not his only friend... Yet you're definitely his closest one.

Hitoshi may not act like it, but you mean a lot to him.

He really does try to be patient with you.

Hitoshi may not even realize he has feelings for you until senior year where he noticed you were... getting more attention.

It's annoying to him... But why?

You... look happy.

Shouldn't he be happy if his friend looks happy?

Part of him wishes you'd look that happy when he gave you attention.

Hitoshi is definitely someone who is in denial of his obsession or just hides it.

He hides his jealousy and yearning until even after you both graduate.

Yet he'd be lying if he didn't use his Quirk against those he didn't like around you a few times.

He just acts oblivious to it.

I imagine even as a Pro Hero, Hitoshi checks in with you.

He definitely has your number and checks in whenever he can.

Although, while he has restraint, obviously he can be a scary yandere.

Imagine if you both eventually get into an established relationship?

He starts all sweet and nice, usually still quiet yet the same friend you had in school.

But I can see him relapsing into old habits.

To you, he's always been your quiet friend (now boyfriend) who always focuses on his job and goals.

He always hid away any signs of his obsession from you.

As he was always quiet, it was relatively easy for him to stay in the background of your life and hide his tendencies.

He probably even knew of you before you were friends, yet he'd never admit to that.

Hitoshi would never admit he followed you around in school, watching your every move.

He'd never admit to using his Quirk to separate others from you.

Even if he doesn't want to admit it, he's still quite manipulative.

Even when he plays nice and stays patient... He still has toxic tendencies.

When he meets up with you again, part of him has the idea of using his Quirk on you.

He tells himself he shouldn't, you should love him on your own.

Yet he does have the idea of making you say yes to dating him with his Quirk....

When you two eventually start dating after graduating, manipulation or not, he still seems like how he was when you were younger.

He's hesitant when you give him affection at first, not used to it yet slowly begins to enjoy it.

He doesn't seem like a bad boyfriend.

Although, here's a nice twist...

Maybe you don't think he's a bad boyfriend because he's been using his Quirk on you this entire time?

The temptation gets to him, leading to him manipulating you into staying with him as a Pro Hero.

Does he feel bad? A little.

Yet he's craved your love, deceived or not, for a long while.

Hitoshi, deep down, is a lonely man even as an adult.

You're the only one he's wanted since high school.

Now as a Pro Hero... He's grown strong...

Strong enough to protect you... and also gain the attention he wants.

A big part of his obsession is manipulation, obviously.

It's due to his Quirk and while he doesn't want to do anything like that to you at first...

He will eventually.

Especially if he starts looking into his jealousy more.

While not the most physically threatening or violent... He's good with words.

He'd probably manipulate you into a relationship then use his Quirk to keep you in it.

You'd be isolated from friends with him sabotaging relationships.

Honestly, it's scary what he can do with his Quirk.

Yes, he tries not to at first, but when you're both adults the temptation becomes too great.

It isn't easy to escape either.

He was trained by Aizawa.

He's agile, fast, and still very controlling.

I can see him taking out rivals or recapturing you with his hero gear.

He has the binding cloth in his arsenal which is good for restraints.

He also has the voice changing mask that he can use to lure people in or trick them into falling for his Quirk.

Imagine realizing Hitoshi has been using you and you try to run.

Only for him to quickly track you and restrain you with the cloth, using his Quirk to trick you into staying still.

Then he'd drag you back to your shared apartment or home, just to isolate you all over again.

Even his affection is deceptive.

He acts so caring, giving you gentle kisses and hugs.

But the whole time you're wrapped in his binding cloth...

Kidnapped in stuck in your now shared home.

Plus, even if you weren't, you feel as though you couldn't refuse.

He may just use his Quirk on you again if you refuse.

It makes sense why so many people distrust him.

He tried to play nice and date you properly.

Yet he's impatient... and scared to lose his closest friend...

He knows most of the relationship is built on lies and manipulation... That it's fabricated because his own selfishness got to him...

He knows you won't forgive him, he tried so hard to be patient...

But it doesn't matter now, does it?

One way or another, you're all his, and there's no going back now.

[nanabansama]

119 Thoughts

The recent chapter was... good!! Great, even!! We got a lot of answers and the new developments felt straightforward enough to follow. Still not fully comfortable with my interpretation yet, but honestly I'm just happy to be along for the ride.

Anyway, I wanted to write my thoughts down just to make sure I have everything straight going forward. There's a lot going on and some of my older theories have been debunked!

First, I'd like to point out what I think is pretty obvious and say that Kou must be possessed right now. The specifics are unclear but in my head this is still Kou, he's just being manipulated by the Red House or something. One thing I find interesting though is that he's overall really innocent... he doesn't do anything to put Nene in danger that she doesn't do herself. Nene is the one who decides to risk it all and talk to Amane, after all. The only thing I can say Kou did bad is separate her from the group and take her to Amane. Whatever is controlling Kou might be aware that Nene would drop her defenses around Amane and use that to their advantage.

Mitsuba's part in all of this is still a mystery, but I have to wonder if he will try to trick the Akane/Aoi/Teru trio whenever we jump back to them. I'm suspecting that they won't convene with Nene right away, though I have no idea how Nene will fare in the next chapter... (could she join Mitsuba and Kou and become the Red House's puppet!? I could easily see her tricking Aoi!)

Anyway, moving onto Yugi-sensei, I loved the glimpse into his headspace we got in this chapter. It seems like he's under the delusion everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) is happier in this timeline, which is quite interesting. It almost makes me wonder if the Clock Keepers made him like this to ensure the timeline stayed this way. They told Baby Amane that the future changed, after all, which is... honestly quite disturbing. While I think it was foolish for the Clock Keepers' goal to be to get rid of Tsukasa in the first place, I don't think they'd make such a big mistake by telling Amane the future changed and traumatizing him. The possibility that the Clock Keepers made Amane this way for the good of the world would be a thrilling twist, I think!

I also think this could explain his other curious behavior. Many have wondered why Amane spreads rumors about Tsukasa-kun and why he smirks when school kids summon Tsukasa-kun, and it seems the reason is because he thinks Tsukasa is happy this way. The fact that this Tsukasa is the age Tsukasa disappeared, too, probably helps with this because Amane might still be under the assumption that the Tsukasa who came back after their 4th birthday was a fake. Now obviously, this Amane doesn't have all his memories yet, but it's extremely likely they're just buried inside of him and--unbeknownst to him--influencing his current actions. Either way, I think it's clear that Amane is under the delusion that Tsukasa is happy torturing kids at school. (...and who's to say whether he is or isn't!!!)

All of the souls trapped in the Red House might be in a similar situation, where Amane is under the delusion he's making them happy. I wonder if his parents are part of them...? I'm just thinking that Kou's cheerfulness this chapter is really relevant. He's so happy to just be with Nene and seems to have zero worries at all. It's honestly kinda creepy, when you consider how he was in the previous chapter!

Now hear me out. I'm not usually one to wish harm on Nene, but it would be interesting if Nene got captured and got to meet Amane's parents, assuming they got trapped in the Red House too. I proposed the theory that Kou has just been brainwashed but it could very well be a fake Kou, and if she got to team up with Kou and Mitsuba I think that'd make for an amusing trio. Especially since we have another trio in the house right now with Akane, Teru and Aoi. We could have Nene trapped and trying to escape while a fake evil Nene tries to trick them... that could be so fun!!! (Writing fanfiction at this point lol)

If we go along with the theory that Kou is fake, perhaps the souls trapped in the Red House also have fake body doubles? You'll notice that they are very obviously not happy, considering the way they urged Mitsuba to run away and escape. But I really cannot think for another explanation for Kou's behavior in this chapter. Amane's ominous line about everyone being happy plus Kou being so cheerful just feel so connected! Perhaps the happiness once instilled in the poor souls trapped in the Red House eventually wore off, proving how fake their happiness was in the first place. (Or perhaps I've gone off the deep end.)

In any case, I really wonder what the point of oddly cheerful fake/brainwashed Kou is. I can only assume it's to try and trick Nene into thinking this new world is better. The motives don't seem very malicious, despite all the harm it's bringing. Amane genuinely wants people to be happy, and I think the Red House is working with him to make his dreams a disturbing reality.

I just wonder where Tsukasa is... is he trapped in the Red House, too? Or is he trapped inside the school, inside Tsukasa-kun? What if he's trapped as a child, unable to grow up, because the innocent little brother that left Amane on their birthday is the only true Tsukasa in Amane's eyes? How well did the Clock Keepers do at getting rid of Tsukasa, anyway...? He can't really be gone, can he!?

Ahh, but anyway!!! Thanks for reading if you got this far. And if Amane really prefers Baby Tsukasa then I suppose I can't complain. I mean, just look at him!!

He is so freakin' CUTE!!!! Grahhh!!!! ♡♡♡♡

[le-panda-chocovore]

I think the reason for all that discourse in the JJK fandom is that we had some expectations about what this story would be about, and we were wrong. I'd say it was our fault for having them, because Gege had his own story in mind and it isn't our role to tell him what to write/draw. But I'd also say that we were misled into having those expectations and then being deceived, because shock value is fun.

(I'm not in the AOT fandom so maybe I'm 100% wrong, in which case don't pay attention to me. I'm just rambling I'm not trying to make a point)

See there's not such a thing in Attack On Titans. I mean I know people are arguing whether a decision was good or bad or a character development was positive or negative, but no one is rioting the way JJK readers are even when someone dies, kills, or does worse (they do start a genocide lol). Because in AOT you know since the beginning what this story is about : surviving, war, and liberty. With time you learn that it's also about racism, destiny and injustice. But the story starts with death and blood and it never calms down, characters keep dying or getting hurt and no one's safe all along the story. So you just know it'd end the same way, you know what to expect, that power of friendship won't save anyone here.

But Jujutsu Kaisen is different, because it has all the codes of a basic Shonen. Everyone was comparing it to Naruto during the 1st season so you would believe it'd follow the same path. Of course there's fights and fails and suffering and death, because it's necessary for the growth of the protagonist. He'd learn he's not strong enough and he'd try harder and mature more and be better. Jujutsu Kaisen makes you think it's your One Piece-type manga where 1 person dies every 4 arcs and the main team survives everything, even when it looks impossible.

And then Shibuya happens and you're shocked because it's way to early to kill so many valuable characters in a row. Usually that kind of massacre happens during Big War arcs like in MHA. At first you think it's an interesting writing choice because it changes from other mangas, and you wonder how the main character will evolve from that. But then the training arc never happens, because shit keeps falling on them and there's a pile of deads and you start to wonder when it'd stop. Spoilers : it doesn't.

So at some point you realize it. This isn't a classical shonen. This isn't an happy-ending after a hard fight kind of story. There's no power of friendship to save them, there's no important moral path to keep following no matter what (like "I won't do to you what you did to me because it'd mean that I'm the same" no it doesn't work here), and there's not even a chance to run away from that cursed role no one wants to bear. There's no one protecting the kids anymore. The MC isn't strong enough and the mentors are dead and close friends are off-fight and the one person able to end this has to make the horrendous choice to give up his humanity.

In AOT, you were shocked, but it felt logical in the sense of where the story was leading you from the beginning. In JJK, you feel betrayed and manipulated because everything made you think about those other mangas where people ended up fine, but it was just a cover.

Honestly you COULD have guessed it'd end that way. Many people did. You just ignored it.

You thought Junpei's death was an exception, the Major Point for Yuuji's development, the Shock Value Kill to put some depth nuance in the story. But in reality it was a warning, a taste of the future. There WERE signs after all, and Gege never pretended to write another Naruto. You were so used to the classical shonen that you read the signs and fell for the trick.

JJK has never been a nice story from the beginning, Sukuna was at the center of every event since the beginning. You can dislike what is happening but you cannot say it's bad, as in a scenaristic choice. Gege is a writing genius and unfortunately he's also pure evil.

You shouldn't have trusted a one-eyed cat after all.

[someverygaymoth]

what would NM’s brother think abt his OSDD, would he be upset he never knew and could’ve been making their life harder, use it against them in battle, or neutral like it doesn’t have anything do do with him anymore. What abt all three, he’s mad at himself for not noticing and making their harder, but the stars are in a rlly bad spot and need any advantage against them, besides the fact him feels disconnected from the years him and NM spent apart. And what does the gang think abt that????

-📖

There are so many ways that this could go and all of them are so interesting!

Dream having no idea until they make a truce, where Nightmare nervously comes clean. Dream is confused at first, "we were only made with one soul... I don't understand." Nightmare gives him some books on the subject, Dream thanks him and does his best to be understanding and promises to look at the books.

He does look at the books and cries for several hours straight when he reads over the causes, which Nightmare neglected to mention during their conversation. Dream's best equation to what's going on is that Nightmare's original soul was broken into pieces. This is a comparison that hurts him severely, but does help him to understand.

Dream ends up reading way way more than the books NM gave him. He feels like he has so much to make up for.

The gang would definitely be a little protective of Nightmare, careful to make sure that Dream is doing what he should to support him, but they back off a little once they see he does.

That's one silly option

Another (which I love) is:

Dream is totally plural too, and just hasn't realized. Which I think is super likely. They're twins, after all, same genetic thresholds, same horrible trauma in two different fonts, that's a recipe for two plural little guys.

Dream talked to Ink about the voices and feeling distant at one point, and massive holes in his memory and ink was like, "Oh dw that's normal, lol" so he never brought it up again, because why would he? It's normal. (Ink is an idiot, and also something is definitely wrong with that freak /aff)

Nightmare talks to dream about it after the truce and Dream is like "wait what? That's possible? That's a thing?"

And NM is sort of apprehensively like... "yeah?"

"I thought everyone heard the voice people!"

"The voice people???"

"Is that not... isn't that normal???"

"No that's not normal. How many do you hear??"

"Uh..." Dream squints a little and starts counting on his fingers.

"D- wait stop. Okay, you hear more than one?"

"Yeah... like three or four i think."

"Dream you're only supposed to hear one, at the most."

"Really?? No, you're playing a trick on me."

"I am not. I'm serious! You can ask anyone!"

"You're kidding!"

"I'm not! Call anyone, right now!"

Dream calls Blue, and they ask Killer, and Horror, and he calls a lust variant he knows— all of them answer the same.

"There's really a word for it?"

"Oh my stars."

"I didn't know!"

"How did you think that was normal!?"

"Ink told me it was!"

"You listened to that IDIOT!?!???"

"hey, that 'idiot' is my friend! ... sort of."

"Brother."

"Okay I see your point. How was I... how were... I don't know how I was supposed to know?"

"You're... you're not, really. I don't blame you. It's not bad."

"It isn't?"

"No."

"What do I do? What did you do?"

"I... we talked to the people that love us."

"Oh."

"We researched... we worked... we... just lived. Mostly."

"That.. doesn't sound too bad."

And the third evil option:

Dream finds out from one of the bad boys, accidentally, and uses it against them. He starts purposefully triggering switches/flashbacks in battle (it's not hard to figure out what'll get him the results when they've gone through the same trauma), doing mean things to get what he needs, just generally being awful.

I don't usually write Dream as such an opportunist as this might make him, but I can definitely see Dream finding out from one of the boys slipping up in battle, looking into it, crying his eyes out, talking to the stars because he doesn't realize it's not his secret to tell... Ink would 100% use this against him if given the opportunity. He knows enough about the things that have hurt Dream to know what'll hurt NM too.

[alessiathepirate]

Resident Evil 4

CIGARETTES IN THE MORNING: Luis Serra x fem!reader

Summary: Just some soft morning moments with Luis Serra - including some cigarettes -, because we all need some soft Luis Serra moments in our lives.

Notes: English isn't my first language. I apologize for any mistakes I made while I wrote this short story.

As I wrote before, my Spanish isn't the best so I'm sorry if I made any mistakes in the Spanish words I used. With that I'd like to say a special thank you to @angi-writes-filth for the kind words and the reassurance that my Spanish isn't as bad as I thought it was :)

Also I'd like to say thank you for all the positive feedback and responses I've got. I really appreciate it :)

Luis Serra makes me go weak these days, so have some soft moments with him as proof to that.

Warnings: smoking

•••

The room was painted in a shade of orange mixed with some gold and red as the sunrise found its way inside the apartment. Waking up to that sight was truly breathtaking and after all the hard, physically demanding work she had to do, it gave her a peace of mind. Eyes only slightly open, looking at her own hands where all the colours the sunrise brought were mixed together, she finally felt at ease.

Her eyes slowly, but surely examined her environment, this time being sure that it's a safe place. It's not some shack in Spain, it's not some big hallway in a castle - it's her home. It's her home where she isn't lonely anymore.

She turned around in the bed, kicking the duvet back to its place when it got tangled with her legs. She was about to reach for a bare chest or the soft, dark brown locks of hair, when she realized that her lover's side of the bed was empty. She let out a long breath in annoyance - no cuddling this time.

Sitting up and pulling the duvet off of her body, she looked around the room, this time being more observant, checking the side what she didn't examine a few seconds ago. There he was, at an open window with his back to her, elbows resting on the windowsill. He was smoking, she was sure of it, because she could see some small clouds of smoke running up in the air, even if his body was hiding the cigarette in his hand.

She laid back down, hugging a pillow to her chest, while she kept her gaze on him. She had to admit that Luis Serra was attractive even in the mornings - more than attractive, beautiful; damn the people who say that word can't be used for men.

She wouldn't use that word for anyone who wasn't special, but Luis truly deserved that compliment. His physique, his dark brown hair - what she liked to play with at night - and those eyes most of the time shining from something flirty yet clever, made him irresistible. And she didn't even think about the way he talks or acts yet.

She got out of bed as quietly as she could and walked towards him slowly, not wanting to disturb him and also wanting to surprise him with a hug. When she was right behind him, she gently put one arm around his torso, while she touched the scar on his back with the other.

Luis seemed surprised, making her chest swell with pride. He didn't neccessary jump, but his shoulders became tense and his hands started to shake slightly, almost dropping the lighter he was even now playing with. She loved the trick he could do with it - it was a Luis-thing, and the fact that he could make that seem attractive was also a Luis-thing.

"You got a smoke?" she asked teasingly, making him giggle. God, she loved to hear him laugh.

"Good morning, cariño." was the first thing he said as he put the lighter down and tenderly took the hand she was keeping on his abdome to press a gentle kiss on it.

"Good morning to you too."

She drew an invisible circle around his scar with her thumb, then drew through the whole, rough line where once the deep wound was. She pressed a kiss to his right shoulder as an I love you. When she felt his grip on her hand tighten, she knew the message got through.

"You didn't stay to cuddle." she said, doing her best to sound angry, but in reality both of them knew she wasn't upset about it.

"I'm sorry, querida. I didn't think you'd wake up so early." he kissed her palm this time as a sorry. "But I'm sure we can still make some time for it."

Next thing she knew she was standing in front of him, with her back to him, while one of his arm was around her torso. He also did his best to keep the cigarette far away from her face and hair, not wanting to burn her.

"Yeah, this is much better."

Luis threw the cigarette into an ashtray, now being able to fully concentrate on his lover. He put his head on her shoulder, while his free hand was playing with her hair.

"Your bedhead is really cute, cariño."

She felt her cheeks become slightly pinker at the compliment. "Thank you."

"You know, for someone who went to Spain to find the missing señorita, you can get pretty shy sometimes, querida."

There was no way she could hide her face from him, so she did her best to ignore the feeling that her cheeks are red. "Yeah, I bet you're really happy that this shy señorita was there to find your flirting attractive."

"Of course I am."

"Of course you are. You should be." she said teasingly.

They were standing there for a while as the first few people started to appear on the streets, most likely going to work to start the day early. For the first time since forever she wasn't jealous of them for having a normal life. No, this time she was happy that she can stay in with someone she loves, with someone who loves her.

After a while they changed the position as Luis started to smoke again.

"Do you want to go back to bed, querida?"

"We can if you want to. But only after a coffee." she answered as she looked him in the eye, liking the way his eyes lit up when he looked at her.

"Of course, I can make you one."

"And you called Leon Prince Charming, when you offer to help a señorita?" she teased, while she took his cigarette to take a puff from it.

"I only offer to help one certain señorita and you know it." her grip on the cigarette almost failed her at the compliment. Luckily Luis took it from her in time.

She didn't answer, not knowing what to say to that. Teasing or joking with Luis was always a loosing game. There was no way she could say anything to him to make him flustered or shy - even if only for a second. Or even if she succeeded in it, he'd always have a clever, either cute or flirty comeback what always made her blush.

His second cigarette landed in the ashtray as well after he kissed her. He tasted like the thing he was smoking, not like it bothered her. It was also a Luis-thing, something what couldn't just disappear without leaving an empty space behind.

"Let's go and make that coffee."

This time she kissed him - as a thank you.

The days with Luis Serra definitely started off happily.

[justali-anne]

Thought Week: Flowey

Flowey is apparently the most popular character right now! And while that is really intriguing, I'm not surprised! He's one of the most complex and most tragic characters in the entire game. So, here are my thoughts about him.

(BTW, if you want to share your thoughts on Flowey, please reblog and share them! I love it when people come together to talk about a certain character, it brings a sense of community and I REALLY want to be a part of that. So please, reblog!)

(Also, the subheadings are gonna be colour-coded based on the character. I love colour-coded characters with a passion.)

First Impressions

I first encountered Flowey during my MLP phase when I was 11. I was watching a Fluttershy Plays Undertale Let's Play, and to be honest, I didn't think much of Flowey at first. To me, he was just the meanie that tricked Fluttershy into running into his friendliness pellets. I was more focused on Fluttershy, to be honest.

However, that is my earliest memory of Undertale. My first exposure to Undertale, funnily, wasn't Sans. It was Flowey. Well, Fluttershy, but Flowey was the first Undertale character I ever saw. Toriel was the second.

And I only just saw Flowey as a cheeky flower with a thirst for blood. I didn't look into him as anything more than that. Not until I got into Undertale as a 16 year old, anyway.

When I actually did get into the Undertale fandom and learned about his backstory, I thought, "Oh. That's a cool character. A sad one, but cool nonetheless." He was interesting, but not my favourite. I liked his sassiness and his tragic side and his creativity, but other than that, there just wasn't a lot I could say about him.

My Thoughts Now

Frick, I love this guy! Not as much as the Skelebros, but he's by far one of the most interesting characters in the whole game! While there wasn't a lot I could say about him in the past, there's definitely a lot I can say about him now!

By the way, I'm going to talk about Asriel here too, since I consider them to be the same person. Well... They are, but I think people tend to forget that.

One of my favourite things about Flowey (and Asriel) is that he's actually a genuinely creative person! He's creative in such a childlike manner, and I find that so very charming. Some of his incredible creations include things like...

Photoshop Flowey!

And the God of Hyperdeath!

Just look at this kid go!!!!! He is clearly a creative genius!!!!

No, but seriously, he gives heavy edgy 12-year-old vibes, and that just works so well, Toby Fox is so good at writing complex characters, it's just... AJEJHFHSJSJG. ...!?:.

It really hammers home that Flowey is a CHILD. He is a child who never got to grow up, who went through something insanely traumatic, who misses his best friend, whose loneliness has driven him to commit terrible acts just to FEEL SOMETHING. I used to see Flowey as a sadistic villain! But now it's just... sad. Sad and nuanced.

Even Flowey isn't all evil. Heck, I have a hard time even seeing him as evil anymore. He's definitely a bad guy, but he's just so... tragic.

Honestly, I think people often forget about Flowey's ability to be GOOD despite his lack of compassion. He is capable of making good choices! Mostly during the True Mercy ending, but even without a SOUL, Flowey is still capable of being nice. And that is another thing I like about him, and something I feel like should be discussed more often.

This is only one example.

Flowey and Asriel

There's a lot more I can say about him, but these are the first things that pop into mind when I think of him. He's such a sad character, it's not even funny. Personally, when I write him, I like to write him as very nuanced. His psychology is what I'm most interested in. The same can be said for a lot of characters, though.

To me, Flowey and Asriel are two sides of the same coin. Simultaneously, I see them as the same person. They represent periods in his life. Asriel for the simpler, happier times, before everything went to shit (excuse my language), and Flowey as the traumatised result of that shit.

And no matter what he does...

He can never get those simpler times back. And that's why Asriel can't stay...

People always talk about Asriel as this sweet-hearted, innocent crybaby, but I think that Flowey gives hints as to what he was really like in life. He was someone who would do anything to make his best friend happy, who liked to engage in mischief, who was a sore loser. And yes, I still think he was a kind-hearted soul... When he had a soul. I still think Flowey has some shades of kindness in there. Some emotions too.

Flowey ISN'T emotionless. I think we know that already, though. Throughout the game, Flowey displayed emotions like frustration, fear, excitement, sadness and grief. He GRIEVED for the loss of his compassion. For the loss of his best friend. But eventually, he just became numb to it, especially after he got the RESET ability.

Oh...

The Narrative

Flowey is up there as one of the most important characters in the entirety of Undertale. That is just a fact.

Story-wise, his death, as well as Chara's, set in motion the series of events that led to what the Underground is like by the time Frisk falls down. It created a whole domino effect! If it weren't for Asriel's death, Asgore would have never made that policy, Toriel would have never retreated to the Ruins, Alphys wouldn't have done those experiments, Sans wouldn't have found an anomaly in the timeline, and so on.

In a meta sense, Flowey is also the most important character, especially when it comes to resets and time loops. Imagine having the power to do whatever you want and take away the consequences. It sounds exciting, but eventually, you just grow numb to it all. Perhaps you'd want to try something different. Something more... extreme. He reflects the player in such a terrifying way, although I can argue that he had more freedom than Frisk because Frisk is literally being controlled by us, and in terms of exploration, we don't really stray off the path that much. But Flowey could go anywhere, do anything, and that's what makes him more scary.

Also, I've just had a thought. In typical RPG games, you come across enemies and bosses that you have to defeat (usually by killing or dismantling), and if you fail to do that, you die. "Kill or be killed".

And that's why Flowey's so important. If it weren't for Flowey, we wouldn't have Undertale the way it is. He's more than just the main villain, he's a representation of a player who's been playing the same game for far, far too long.

Conclusion

I like Flowey! He's not my favourite, but I can see why he would be to a lot of people. His tragedy, his creativity, and his role in the narrative are the three things that stick out to me about him the most.

But most of all... I love that he's essentially a bratty, traumatised kid.

I haven't covered every single aspect about Flowey, but this is just thoughts about him, this isn't an analysis or anything.

If you want to add your thoughts about Flowey, please please please please PLEASE add them in the notes! I wanna see people come together to talk about a character, it would be so cool!

See you tomorrow with Papyrus!

[harrysmimi]

Hey! I absolutely love all your work. And live to see the Desi representation in some of your work. I was wondering if you could do one where everytime H goes out on stage or interviews all dolled up, the reader does the kajal thing for the bad nazar. I just think H would be like soo bashful and cute about it. Love you.

Evil Eye

First off, thanks anon for sending in the req. I love writing fic where I can imagine myself in. I am glad you like my work. Ilysm. Hope you like this one too. I wrote it real quick in like an hour. Pls ignore the typos if there are any, or simply feel free to point them out I'll edit it. Hehe.

More of my work

Harry was getting ready to perform for BRIT Awards.

He was home. He was with family and the love of his life, about to perform one of his hits. This was going to be one of the happiest nights of his life, he could already tell.

It was time for quick outfit change before he went on stage. His girlfriend of six months was hanging out in his green room with him as he got ready, she was on her laptop working away at a couple of urgent emails she had to send out.

It was her day off, but she's been recently promoted as senior manager at her firm and they need her there more often than it seems to be. Harry was more than content with just her presence by his side. He'd gotten into a pair of black pants before his hair stylist was on board. He'd tried on the few different tops to go with it, his last try was a red sparkly piece.

"You look handsome!" He heard his girlfriend chirp from behind him, when he turned around he saw her looking at him like a love struck puppy behind her glasses, her face lit blue from her laptop screen in the yellow lit room. She was sat on the rug using the coffee table as her desk.

"Thank you baby!" He couldn't help but blush at the compliment he for sure hears a million times when he's working. It somehow felt so special coming from her. She just shrugged in reply. "Did you get a good news from work?"

"Yeah, I got the on-paper for my promotion finally!" She shared.

"That's amazing, darling, congratulations!" He was immediately walking upto her with open arms to engulf her in a bone crushing hug and a tender kiss she deserves so much. "It's more legit now, innit?"

"Yeah! It feels so surreal to be honest!" She chuckled in pure joy. "Enough about me, tonight is for you and about you. Are you excited?"

"More than excited actually." He dat down next to her on the rug. "Can't wait to go out there and perform already!"

"I can see." YN commented, "this jacket looks good on you." She leaned forward with her lips puckered asking for a kiss, which Harry was more than glad enough to give her. He took the opportunity to pull her over his lap, making her straddle his thighs with his hands on her bum.

"Though it would look better on your bedroom floor, along with this hoodie, I think we have a good half an hour before the show." Harry managed to mumble between his kisses on her mouth.

"No, not here!"

"No one's gonna come in, I promise." He urged her, hands slipping under the her (his) hoodie over her bare skin.

"Stop it tickles!" She squirmed under his touch. "No, no, Harry not here please."

He let out a dramatic sigh, "fine!"

"But if you loose the shirt underneath, I might be able to trick my aunty thinking I am staying with a girl friend tonight." She challenged him.

"Then you better get to convincing her, love!" He already took off the jacket so he can rip off the tank top he wore underneath it, being his usual dramatic self.

It is indeed a difficult task to convince YN's landlady, who also happens to be her aunty for letting her stay out. She lives away from her family in London, but she's got her aunty a parent figure in the city, which comes with perks of not paying rent but also cons like still following a curfew, typical brown family behaviour. But none the less YN have managed to trick her aunty into thinking she's staying at one of her friend's house, when in reality she is at Harry's.

Her family knows about Harry, they are very accepting of him. Though her parents won't be happy if they find out their daughter spent a night at his place for obvious reasons.

He was tackling her on the rug now as he tickled her more. They spent their time goofing around and poking fun at one another. In no time Harry was ready to be on the stage.

"A lot of people are going to watch you today." YN pointed on trying her best to make her boyfriend keep his hands to himself for now.

"Mhmm." He sounded stealing a kiss from her. He watched her wipe the kohl from the corner of her eye and placed it behind his left ear, "what was that for?"

"To protect you from evil eye tonight." She shared, "you're looking extra, extra, extra gorgeous!"

"I didn't know you were superstitious." His cheeks turned red in an instant.

"Look at you blushing!" YN cooed at his reaction which had him burying his face into her neck to hide his bashful face. "Awe! Harry you're so cute, I love you!"

"I love you." He repeated.

"Now go and sing your heart out." She encouraged him.

"Mhmm." He nodded placing yet another kiss on her mouth before he was off to the stage just in time.

The night was memorable as expected. Harry got wasted like usual. His sister had to take him to her place as he shouldn't be left alone when he's drunk.

......................................................................

N O T E:

This is smth quick I wrote cuz I haven't posted anything sunce August. 😭 pls forgive me.

I love you. And pls lemme know how you liked it!

......................................................................

Tag list:

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[eerna]

I came across one of your posts about tdp (they're great btw I really like reading them) and one of the tags talked about how the show writers treat Callum like a vile character whose done evil things when he hasn't. Can you elaborate on that? And do you think there's a huge difference between on how the show and fandom treat Callum and rayla?

Aww thanks~ Sure, I don't mind elaborating!

So Callum. This show has a problem where the characters have no logical progress, they just do whatever the plot needs them to do, and Callum is a great example of this. Callum is meant to be an awkward average guy who feels like he doesn't belong anywhere. He's the adopted son of the royal family, which means he's not a peasant who is born into a career, but neither is he a real prince, since he is passed over in the inheritance line. He's not good at being a warrior, or a leader, or any other things that might guarantee him a place in court. Things change when he discovers he has a talent for magic, but since he is human and can't connect to an arcanum, he is forced to choose between letting this one useful thing he's good at go, or doing the "evil" dark magic. An interesting character setup: will he go against what he believes is right to realize his full potential? I wonder where this arc will go! The answer is nowhere, he becomes the first human in history to be able to connect to true arcanum magic the way magical creatures do. Okay, so here is his second character setup: the one and only creature in the world who can connect to EVERY arcanum at once! He will spend each season learning how to connect to different arcanums, and through him, we as the audience will understand the world better. That is exciting, as it's something the magical creatures can't do! Except THAT'S also abandoned right away, and his THIRD setup pretends it never happened and we return to a continuation of the first setup: will he join the dark side and become a vessel for the evil guys to use, will he fall into the same trap of "I would do anything for those I love" as the villains? This could be interesting, but it is now over halfway through the story, so the writers have to resort to cheap writing tricks to make the stakes higher and the tension more real. You see, Callum's "downward spiral" relies on him making bad choices for the right reason, but those bad choices aren't truly bad because the writers are scared of writing a hero who messes up for real. Those bad choices are using dark magic twice, but both times he used it out of selflessness, as a personal sacrifice to save Rayla. He used an already dead ingredient to turn some chains into snakes to save his friend... twice. Both times Rayla reacts as if he'd just slaughtered a whole herd of adorable magical baby deer in front of her. The Starscraper elves say his soul is dark and he has been consumed by evil. The only logical reprimand is given by Sol Regem, who just says "I can smell you've done dark magic before" and gets upset bc Sol Regem is a racist asshole character so it makes sense a single whiff of human magic would anger him. But these other characters are meant to be 100% correct in their assessment of Callum's morality. There is no discussion of whether the end justifies the means, there is no nuance or suggestion that maybe a dead bug is worth saving a life, Callum has done something objectively wrong and should never repeat it again. Here it all dissolves into the age old "is dark magic as presented in TDP morally ok" discourse, which I won't rehash here bc it is well discussed and the TL;DR is: no, TDP didn't do a good job setting dark magic up as an inflexible evil, but the story still acts as if it is one. And it is dumb, because Callum doesn't need to do dark magic to make mistakes! Several times throughout the season I thought they were gonna put him at odds with the rest of the cast, and maybe mess up and "fall into darkness" that way. For example, I thought that when everyone disagreed with him on the topic of destroying Aaravos' prison, he was going to defy everyone out of paranoia (since he is the most sensitive one about this subject) and accidently cause Aaravos' escape that way. But no, they don't even argue over it before finding a solution that makes everyone happy and it turns out that Aaravos was freed by a series of contrivances that tell us nothing new or interesting about any character involved in it, which is CLEARLY a much better story.

This third storyline gets even more muddled by Callum choosing to do the Starscraper Morality Challenge or whatever it's called to try and fix the damage dark magic did to his soul. Okay, so we've established that Callum's love for Rayla makes him act in morally questionable ways, which led to his soul deteriorating, and now this ritual will help him find his way back from it. And so the ritual reveals that he can redeem himself if he focuses on... wait. Am I reading this right? The answer to his issues is RAYLA????? So this means that somehow, loving Rayla is both the reason for his evil deeds, and a way for him not to do evil deeds??? I suppose the story could be saying that loving Rayla doesn't mean doing whatever it takes to save her, but listening to her advice and trusting her when she says she doesn't want to be saved by dark magic, but that is just such a dumb character arc that isn't about Callum or his character arc in the least. His way to deal with his issues has nothing to do with his realizing his potential, it has nothing to do with his journey of connecting to the arcanums. It is a "man needs a woman to act normal" story, and that is just plain dumb and boring and no proper character arc.

And here we transition into your second question. I am not sure what exactly you meant, so feel free to clarify, but I will do my best to answer as is. I think that Rayla and Callum are treated by the fandom EXACTLY the same way as by the show, but sadly this means they suck (it is no secret I was super duper into shipping them once upon a time, so no one is allowed to call me a hater over this opinion). The first two seasons were fine, but from s3 onwards their relationship also faces a lack of a proper arc. In the beginning it seemed like the emotional, gentle Callum was going to de-radicalize the cold, emotionally constipated Rayla and teach her the joys of having people who care for her as a person and not just a weapon. However, this was quickly abandoned for reasons listed in my Runaan family post - Rayla needed a quick escape from her emotional issues to remove any bad parenting responsibility from Runaan and Ethari's backs. From then on their writing problems are a mix of the previously mentioned "characters doing what the plot needs them to do" issue and playing into fan shipping expectations. And thus when they start dating in s3 it is in the blandest, most boring way possible. They are super happy together, they have no friction, Rayla is suddenly more than happy to be emotionally open. Then the plot needs them separated, so she remembers she is supposed to have emotional issues and leaves. Then the plot needs them back together so they start dating. None of this is supported by a logical arc. S3 and onwards reads like a fanfic in the most negative way possible. The "frozen ship" monologue from s6 made me feel like my brain was actively trying to escape my skull, so I KNOW the crew working on the show is aware of the fan perception and are actively playing into them on purpose. Fan tropes are perfect in the context of fanworks, but they also make canon material worse.

Whew. This was long. But Yeah that's basically what I have to say about that.

[rey-jake-therapist]

This isn't my opinion but damn these weird lorebros sure love to rationalize anything remotely haladriel just to try to invalidate it lmao. The only part I agree with is the first sentence: 'I think we have different ideas of 'canon'. Canon is something that is canonically, visually or verbally, conveyed to the audience. Like, the idea that Halbrand made Galadriel's armour? It's fanon. Especially since there was an actual queen who had command over the smith's guild, had been having these discussions with Galadriel about going to war and is an elf-friend. Even more so, we know that to an extent (despite his manipulation) Sauron was expressing real emotions at the time. He was still struggling with his desire of wanting to be left alone and not be pushed to reclaim his crown, to which he knew he was susceptible. He even felt used. To say that he made Galadriel's armour is to suggest that his emotions were pretent and by extent that he was using her even earlier than the writers have suggested.' It's funny when these lorebros like to flip between 'sauron didnt want to get tempted by power but she kept pushing him and 'sauron was using her all along to get back his power like, OK lil bro? Which one is it? Cause you going back and forth. I guess whichever version of the narrative fits the best frame to invalidate a ship that you personally dislike? XD

Not only the lore-bros do that tbh. There are all sorts of people that will discredit a ship, especially a romance like this one, because it doesn't match with their binary vision of the world. These people are often very young, or just have a very narrow vision of the world where people are either very very bad, or very very good, and very very good people don't fall in love with very very evil people. Also they're still stuck on Peter Jackson's version of Sauron, a stupid super evil floating eye with no heart, and cannot fathom that the Sauron we see in TROP isn't quite there yet. They want so bad Sauron to be a cardboard cut character that I'm thankful they'll never approach the writing team.

I think "we have different ideas of canon" can mean that canon, in certain circumstances, can be interpreted differently because it's mostly subtext. Some will find the relationship Halbrand/Galadriel romantic, some will say the contrary. Some will find the Elrond/Galadriel kiss platonic, while others like me will disagree, etc. There's no definitive "truth" as long as it hasn't been confirmed in the text. If at some point Galadriel says she was in love with Halbrand and acknowledges it means she also loves Sauron, then it will no longer be free of interpretation. If Elrond never shows any romantic inclination towards Galadriel, it will mean the kiss was purely platonic and strategic, etc.

To take your example of the armor : you see Sauron forging Galadriel's armor as the proof that he pretended to be mad at her, but I strongly disagree personally. Ultimately, he decided to follow Galadriel in the Southlands, but we didn't see them reconciliate. When they met on the ship, they looked.... very close again, as if they had finally resolved all their issues on the forge table. Seriously, they looked like they were going on a wedding trip and not to war (though tbh a good war against Orcs would probably be the perfect honey moon for them 🤣), but when did they get engaged?

So some reconciliation necessarily happened between their last discussion and their departure for the Southlands.

Forging an armor for her could have been Sauron's reconciliation gift, his way to say he forgave her, and also to ask for her forgiveness; he was about to screw her up, after all. This trip to the Southlands was basically his Deception tour and I think he felt shitty, like he did when Celebrimbor told him he felt better mentally then ever, while he was actually at his lowest because of Sauron's mind tricks.

He's not a sadist, he doesn't enjoy lying, manipulating and torturing people he likes (and he liked Galadriel very much...), but he believes it's necessary and justified by his ultimate goal, which is to "heal Middle Earth". Because people won't just do what he wants if he doesn't trick them into doing it. All that to say that forging an armor for Galadriel could have had several meanings for him : reconciliation (it would parallel the scene when he gives her Finrod's dagger), and guilt.

Of course any smith in Numenor could have forged it, but then why keeping it a mystery? They could have just said it, when they evoked the armor at the Con. Imho they wanted at the very least the audience to speculate it was a gift from Saurbrand.

Regarding Sauron's sincerity, it's always "he was totally sincere, didn't want to leave Numenor and it's Galadriel who deluded herself" or "he manipulated her from the beginning like a puppet and lied about everything". There rarely seems to be a middle ground, while it's exactly where the truth is ! Sauron was conflicted for most of the Numenor arc. He wanted Galadriel to have this army for him, but also he wanted to stay in Numenor. He wanted to fix the damages he did when he was with Morgoth, but he also wanted peace. He wanted Galadriel to get away from him because he knew he'd eventually hurt her and be cast out by her when she'd learn the truth, but he also wanted to be near her. He was upset that she used him to get her army, but he also knew she was right when she said it could be argued that HE used her, because indeed, he did... Etc. Sauron really knew what he wanted only when he came back to take the pouch with the armory. I thought it was pretty clear that he made up his mind only at that precise moment, and yet now I keep seeing "he did it for the audience" bs, as if it was possible.

There was no one to watch him in this scene, meaning he was truly hesitating to keep playing along or not. It's not a case where he's an omniscient narrator who knows there's an audience watching and lies to them to make a "gotcha !" revelation at the end. What we see of him in these few moments of privacy is the real him.

Even Charlie mentioned that in a pre season 2 interview : that in season 1 we didn't get to see much of his true feelings because the story wasn't told from his POV, but that season 2 would be fun in this regard because we'd get to see his true self much more. If we're supposed to believe as some claim, that "Sauron deceived everybody in plain sight even the audience!", then there can't be no "real him" to watch. Meaning Charlie doesn't know what he's talking about. Sorry, but I choose to believe the actor who played Sauron for two seasons over the Reddit bro or the Tumblr girlie who believe they figured him out, because they're so smart.

Imho claiming that he was either "all innocent" or "pure evil", is in both cases denying the complexity of the character. Just like, no offense anon, it is denying it to claim that he can't have forged the armor for Galadriel because it would prove he was not really upset at her and was faking it all. The world of Sauron is not black and white yet, at least in season 1 it wasn't.

[thelovetheystole]

I'm going to try to not engage with this story so much because I find it all pretty depressing and down right bad, but - I just don't get it. Is John being a Sugden important in all of this or not?

The magazines, which are fed by the Emmerdsle press team, writes that Aaron felt like he was betraying Robert, but the truth is, on-screen Aaron isn't really coming off as someone who thinks John being a Sugden is a big deal at all. His little chat with Vic that John wasn't here to replace Robert for either of them felt like he was telling that to the Robron fans viewers in a way someone tells their kids they have a new step parent that will never take their real parent's place.

But then when we get down to the crunch, why is Aaron so interested in this particular guy, who only has one expression and who he's mostly not got along with since they met?

Again, according to the magazines fed by the press team it's because he just can't resist that (invisible to me) 'Sugden charm'. That's the only explanation they've given so far. That isn't too flattering to the new guy. Surely they could make up a couple of reasons, or better yet, actual scenes, to show why Aaron is falling for him?

(I'd say him being a hero yesterday might do the trick, but Aaron was dating a whole doctor who helped save people on a daily basis and Aaron was still pining after the Sugden guy who was 'born evil' and fake seducing his former father in law...)

Since the pair in question have not been seen on screen having an actual conversation, it all has to come down to sex, right? But Aaron has had sex with plenty of people over the years, without getting this attached, this soon. He could easily find someone else on that app if he wanted. But he really wants it to be this guy, for very unclear reasons.

So is John being a Sugden important to this story or not 🤷‍♀️

If the answer is yes, it's not coming across on screen, other than in the pathetic use of the Robron locations. It's only being told to us through the soap media, which a large % of the viewing audience will never read.

If the answer is no, and this is the big one... Why tf make him a Sugden in the first place?!

[yinwaryuri]

Fuck this, I wasn't tagged by anybody but since y'all are making me insane sharing your lovely faves on my dash I gotta join the fun!

10 BL People That I Want Carnally

Just so we're clear, I'm immediately not limiting myself to 10. I'm bi. You think we have limits? (Tumblr says yes, but that's why I'm on desktop for this instead of mobile)

Night from Dirty Laundry

Are we surprised? This awakened a whole thing in me. I was constantly yelling from the rooftops about my love for this man in the cheapest drag you ever saw. This is my JAM. I'm already trying to calm myself down making the first entry on this post. GOD. And his whole committed-to-the-bit romancing a mafia leader and then robbing her because he needs money, but really he's a wee romantic who just wants to write exciting stories like all of us bitches on AO3? Honey I am FREE at 5pm on Saturday. Also, shush, I know it's not a BL, I'm counting it as part of the Midnight Series as a whole :P

Yok from Not Me

PAINT ME LIKE ONE OF YOUR POLICE OFFICERS. We already have matching tattoos babe. He isn't perfect but he's a well-intentioned mama's boy and has swagger.

Maya from Laws of Attraction

Listen, I don't think much explaining is necessary here. I'm a woman but she can call me "pretty boy" any day. Is she just Silvy Pavida with a MILF wife? Yeah. That's the point. I'll join. They would let me.

Speaking of Laws of Attraction, Nawin

I deserve an insane golden retriever boyfriend. I deserve a man who can't spell his ex's name but can get a pilot's license. He deserves someone who will enable his silliness, even when there's trouble with the accountant. *kisses all over his wing tattoo*

Togawa from Old Fashion Cupcake

Mr. Hamster Cheeks my love <3 The dates would be so good. And so would the food. And the food naps afterward. I'm a good snuggler, he's tall and there's a lot to snuggle. Win-win.

Ink from Bad Buddy

I know many of us are weak for Milk Pansa, but like, there's a reason for that. She gave us the ICON for lesbian side couples. Please, girl, scare men away from me when they mistake a boner for full-fledged love. Make me feel welcome and important and pretty and like I'm the specialest girl alive. Be taller than me ;)

Wen Qing from The Untamed

She didn't die, actually, we just eloped together, haha. I just think as someone who studied medicine, she'd have a lot of good tricks up her sleeve and I don't mean acupuncture needles.

Saifah from Enchanté

Yeah. I needed to use this gif. Get that record deal my man. Live your dreams king. I also love that he's both the old man and woman here. Impeccable. We deserved more of him.

Uea from Bed Friend

Gimme this catboy realness right now. Also, I just love him so much. He owns his narrative despite all the shit he has suffered and gets everything he deserves for it. We could be besties even. We could be...no I shan't say it.

SamMon from GAP

I just want whatever is going on right here. Let me join. Simple as that.

Tops and Marwin from Ingredients

I'm this guy. Except I think they'd be sad to see the other with someone else so I gotta have them one at a time. Tops, who's a shy cutie who can make yummy foods. And Marwin, who is basically Jeff Satur just pumped with extra himboisms.

Todd from Not Me

All principles out the window. He's evil, he's sexy. I know exactly how much that specific hotel room costs to stay in for a night. It would be luxurious.

Rain from Love In The Air

I know most people would say Phayu, and for Boss, yeah I understand, I am all there. But something about the way that little guy can fuck kinda makes me dizzy, I'm owning that. He doesn't have to be smart, he's just gotta be given compliments. Plus, my bed sheets match!

VegasPete from KinnPorsche

They altered me chemically once and I'd let 'em do it a second time and many more after that.

Tagging @kissporsche @thisautistic @omegaphobe @shubaka @risu442 @khathastrophe @loveable-sea-lemon @fawndlyvenus @viva-yas-vegas @first-kanaphan @wherelanguage-ends @xxatlasxx @adanima @snake-and-mouse @scarefox @scattered-stardust @callipigio @sparklyeyedhimbo @jdotsodomite @futureexmrsmalcolm @suzteel @jeffsatyr @coconuts-mafia

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

Could you do John and Gary x a demon reader with memory loss?

A powerful demon that got a head injury, and after being taken in by a human hospital, comedicly thinks they're a human, despite being a little too big for that. When they say "oh I'm a normal human, like everyone else", they're saying it genuinely, because they think their "condition" (being a demon) makes them look weird.

I think it would be funny to see headcanons of John trying to go along with it like "sure buddy, that house fire you were TOTALLY in sure messed up your face bad, glad that you're working well at the local library- sure man your face 100% doesn't scare me-"

While Gary is trying to convince this extremely powerful demon of his past only to be hit by "Oh, Sorry. I'm an atheist. I don't believe in demons, or god." By the poor oblivious demon lord.

I love this idea fhhshfw Demon!Reader just forgor

.......

John Ward

He was visiting the library to look for any leads regarding Gary Miller and finds you just,,,,chilling at the register.

It's broad daylight, it's semi busy, and everything seems a bit too normal.

But John still senses a great evil radiating from you and believes every human here is in grave danger.

Yet it's strange seeing you, a big and scary demon wearing their clothes, not have any urge to kill them or paint the halls with blood.

Meanwhile you only see a man who looks lost, forgetting that HE was the one Gary assigned you to eliminate.

"Are you finding everything okay, sir? Ready to checkout?"

"Um..not yet. Thank you." He speaks with great caution, nervously fidgeting with his crucifix. "You wouldn't happen to be the notorious demon-?"

"Demon?" You cut him off with a sigh. "...listen, I know my face looks scary. But that house fire gave me some pretty gnarly scars. I promise I'm a normal human being, just like you."

"....I see." Poor John is terribly confused, especially as you uttered that "normal human being" bs.

It appears you were brainwashed into believing you're human, and you attributed your demonic appearance to burns from a fire you supposedly escaped.

But in reality, you did get a severe head injury while punishing some defecting cultists for trying to burn Gary's writings.

You torched their home, although your physical form got viciously attacked..and a good samaritan found you passed out not long afterwards, taking you to the hospital.

The doctors saw your human skin (aka your disguise) sloughing off but assumed it was from the burns.

By that point you had terrible memory loss, forgetting your time in Hell, Gary's cult, your mission....and even your own species.

But you've quickly adapted to human life, as you began working full time at the library after recovering.

Still, John's not convinced. So he tries asking around, believing somebody was covering for you or was in allegiance with Gary.

Yet he gets only rude stares and remarks of how you were just a friendly volunteer trying to do their best.

He soon realizes you won't be of any use in helping him figure out Gary's plans...as you didn't even know who he was.

All you said was that he sounded like a "nice guy".

Gary Miller

Being just a rank below Malphas, you had the potential to wield great influence over the thralls/cultists on Earth.

So Gary summoned you to weed out the traitors in his cult who spoke of burning his books or revealing them to the public, but doesn't realize what ended up happening to you until much, much later.

A thrall spotted you leaving the hospital, and at first he thinks the cult's cover was blown.

Lucky for him, you apparently made up a story for the human doctors and they 100% believed it.

The next time he meets you for an update, you're happily working at the library dressed in human clothing.

Yet when he privately visits you during your coffee break, he realizes that this little "act" you're putting on may not be an act after all...

You don't remember him at all, and he wonders if this is some trick or not.

Becoming Astaroth for a moment, he forcibly summons you in Garyland, bewildered but trying to stay calm.

He still holds a great respect for all demons, of course.

"Tu es ultor animarum...what has changed? I've done everything you've asked me to and more. Do you grow weary of your duties?"

"....um.." You stare at him weirdly. "Was that Spanish you were speaking just then? And the only "duties" I know of are back at the library, so-"

"You recall...nothing? You don't even recognize the Great Duke of Hell standing before you?" He grows frustrated. "You were a great lord. You've dragged traitors into the Unseen World to-"

"Listen, no offense but...I'm atheist." You bluntly tell him. "It's fine if you believe in God and demons and stuff, but it's just..not my thing. Now how do I get out of here? I don't wanna miss the sweet old lady who comes in every now and then to see if we have any new cookbooks."

[sepublic]

            I’m probably late in suggesting this but… King James I published a whole book about witches, a guide of sorts, called Daemonologie. Published in 1597, it saw another reprint when he became king in 1603. James was said to have a fascination with witches and demons, to the point that it’s claimed Shakespeare wrote in an additional scene with the witches in Macbeth to pander to James’ tastes. The thing is…

         James thought witches were evil. And his Daemonologie book explained how to recognize witches, how they worked, the animal familiars they used, all that stuff, ultimately to give witch-hunters an idea of how to find and kill them; Because the main solution to witchcraft in this book was execution. Daemonologie was meant to expose the existence of witchcraft to the common people, and prove it.

         Philip and Caleb Wittebane entered Old Gravesfield in the year 1613. Just a decade after the Royal Re-Release of Understanding Witches (So you can kill them). Philip documents a lot of the stuff he sees in the Boiling Isles, to a scientific degree, cataloguing, categorizing, etc. And in the first diary entry we hear, Philip ruminates on how he wishes humanity could see the Boiling Isles and understand…

         @fermented-writers-block already suggested this to me a while back, the idea that Philip initially wrote his journal as proof of witchcraft and especially the demon realm’s existence, so he could convince people to help him eradicate the alleged threat, and/or prove he went on a successful crusade that saved the world. Granted, the people of Gravesfield seemed like earnest believers by that point, but I can imagine Philip taking real-life inspiration from King James I to convince others around the globe, who may not be as receptive to his claims.

         Anyhow, I think it deeply re-contextualizes our understanding of Philip’s diary entries in a complete 180 way; Most of us were under the initial impression that Philip’s fascination stemmed from a place of genuine wonder, curiosity, and appreciation for the Boiling Isles. But knowing he’s a witch hunter, it seems his interest came from a place of condemnation; Wanting to understand the witches so he could kill them. Whether James actually believed in witchcraft, I’m not sure, but to Philip, it was lore contributing to his favorite game of destroying the Bad Guys; Cowboys VS Indians, basically. The Collector accuses Philip of having fun destroying Grimwalkers, and they’re not even his main target.

         It’s a borderline fetishistic attitude towards witches; Philip is enamored, he wants to know and understand and figure them out. But he’s so deeply committed to dehumanizing and hating them, wanting their utter annihilation. Witches exist as the enemy NPCs in a video game where Philip immerses himself into their lore and in-universe dialogue, even as he slaughters them in droves. It’s a sick and sadistic pleasure at the expense of others he loathes, paradoxical in the way fetishization is; Philip’s previously-shown interest is not a contradiction, at least not from a writing perspective.

         It works as a way to trick the viewer while still making total sense. A brief outside glimpse might suggest to the unsuspecting that Philip DOES like witchcraft, but no, he’s an objectifying colonizer who wants to own and appropriate, not learn and engage with on the same, humble level as a learner. Philip sees himself as a conqueror looting knowledge instead of riches from his victims, and he gets just that from people like Luz and the Collector.

         He doesn’t really understand what he’s playing with and he doesn’t want to; He’s the White Dude who indulges in ethnic stereotypes and cuisine, in the tourist-y commodification of cultures, while at the same time voting for minorities to be outlawed. I would even compare Philip to a trophy hunter, knowing all the stuff about his prey, writing comprehensive guides… all for the purpose of how to kill and destroy them, as part of some big game.

        I get the feeling that Philip ultimately WANTED witches to exist; Because if he was truly genuine about saving the world, about protecting people, it’d be a relief to find out there was no threat after all. But Philip wants for there to be a threat, never mind what it can pose to others, because then he gets to be the hero!!! He gets to be chosen one who goes on a sick adventure beating people up! He goes on rants about a hidden threat beneath our very eyes, not because Philip actually wants to warn people, but because he sees this as his opportunity to be the savior; So really, Jacob Hopkins IS Philip, isn’t he?

[some-pers0n]

Fatal Flaw

Fandom: WoF

Characters: Clearsight, Darkstalker

CW: Clearstalker-typical behavior (manipulation, fighting, the works)

Summary: Clearsight confronts Darkstalker after discovering that he cursed her earring.

Word Count: 3.4K

A/N: So I was possessed to write this nightmare of a relationship. I forgot how blatantly and obviously evil Darkstalker was presented in the Legends. The scene where this oneshot's based on has him give a half-assed reason for enchanting Clearsight's earrings and quite literally (no exaggeration here) basically going: "Well then, buh-bye! I am going to kill the queen!"

Anywho, enjoy!

Clearsight swooped down, landing onto the library. She paced around the area, trying to relieve some stress before the inevitable were to happen. All of the futures near her came crashing together, forming a clear idea of what was to happen.

She and Darkstalker were going to have a little argument.

She hadn't remembered the last time they argued. Minor disagreements? Sure, yes, of course. Every couple has those. But, an argument? That was something entirely different. Yet, she didn't think of it as frightening. She knew what Darkstalker could do. She couldn't care less though. What he had done- what he plans on doing to this kingdom... Well, to simply stand by and let it happen would be the worst mistake possible.

This was necessary, both for them and their relationship and for the rest of the kingdom.

Darkstalker landed beside her, dust kicking up from his wings. "The library rooftop?" He glanced around the area. It was a peaceful and quiet area. A small garden surrounded them, benches dotted every now and then. Marble spires stood in the corners. Combined with the setting sun and the beautiful hues of twilight, it was a gorgeous place.

"My, what a romantic little spot you've dragged me to," he said, his eyes eventually landing on a white rose. He plucked the head of it, handing it over to her. "But, it all pales in comparison to you."

Clearsight grumbled in response. "You know why we're here."

"What? Was that too cheesy of a compliment, even for your standards?" He chuckled. "I see." He crumpled the rose, throwing the remains back into the bushes. "Simply putting off the main event. Trying to lighten the mood before you begin it all."

Clearsight sighed. "Not too great how you put it like that. I'm not some big bad evil dragon for not wanting my closest friend to trick me."

"Friend? Is that what I've been relegated to?"

"I-" she took a small breath. "-I didn't mean it like that. I still...love you, just I don't feel particularly safe when you go behind my back and do things." She fidgeted with her ear. "I loved that earring, you know? It went well with my eyes, yes, but when I heard you made it yourself I... I thought it was even better. You told me you didn't enchant it into being."

"I didn't. I did make it, that part is true."

"Then what about enchanting it to make me unable to see any futures where you're king of the NightWings? Ones where you're some self-proclaimed emperor over the entire continent?"

He merely looked at her straight in the eyes and said, "that was a little bonus. Come now, don't act like you weren't a lot happier once they stopped happening."

"I didn't even remember them happening before!"

"Another little bonus. Makes you forget that they were even there in the first place. For all you knew, I was perfect. We'd be together for the rest of our short, insignificant lives, raising dragonets and being happy in each other's company. Not to say those futures aren't pleasant in their own right, but I'd rather have my life here be one of more...magnitude. To do something. To be a hero in the eyes of many, as opposed to hiding away like a coward and afraid of my own magic."

"That's what you think of Fathom all along, isn't it?" she asked.

"Fathom? Him? I suppose it is, yes. Though, he'll come out of his shell eventually. A shame he hasn't used his potential to its fullest. That old murderer did a number on his psyche, didn't it?" His face shifted into a crooked smile.

"He's your friend," she hissed.

"I know he is. I want to help him. It's what I've been focusing on more as of late. I don't see what is the issue."

"The issue is that you seem a lot more confident in using your magic."

"Shouldn't I be?" he asked, approaching her. "Clearsight, love of my life, I've never been scared of my magic. I've been liberal with my usage, yes, but never scared. My powers are a gift, one that I must use to bring peace to the two tribes."

"You want to kill them."

Darkstalker paused. "And what makes you say that?" Looking at him was as though staring into pure evil. Yet, he looked no different than the dragonet she had met all those years back. This dragon she cared about, shared laughs and memories with, spent so much time with, was he really like this?

She tapped her claws on the wooden floor. "I can see all these futures where the Ice Kingdom is reduced to ash and dust. Ones where you've repurposed it into more land for the NightWings. Ones where you force all the IceWings to submit and bow to you. I can see ones where I'm standing next to you, watching as the gorgeous palace burns." She sighed. "And we're smiling. You're smiling. Me? I can...feel it. In all of those futures, it's the same. I can feel how my face is forced into that position. I'm not happy. I want to scream at you. I want to claw your throat out. I want to stop this chaos. I hate you. Yet, I stand there, useless and incapable of doing anything. In those futures, you've done something to me to make me...nothing like me."

Darkstalker straightened his neck. "You're stressed over that? The chance that I control you further than you'd like?"

"It's not just that. I mean, yes of course I'd rather remain myself and sufficiently not enchanted beyond recognition just so you still have somebody by your side in your conquest, but it's more." She blinked, feeling her eyes welling up. "I don't want you to do any of these things. You know I don't. You're probably prying around in my mind right now, aren't you? You're seeing all of the futures and plotting what next to say so you're so frustratingly distant." She flexed her claws. "Why can't you just be yourself? Why can't it be like the old days?"

He laughed. "I don't think I could go back to those 'old days' if I'd like. I don't know how else to tell you, but I've always been like this. It's almost adorable, how you constantly try to go back through those old memories. You keep trying to cling to the idea that I was once a better dragon. Some innocent and hapless fool. Perhaps I was once that. But, that was your rose-coloured view of me. I assure you, my sweet, that I was no different back then." He grinned.

A lump formed in her throat. She wanted to speak, say anything. It didn't matter what. A half-baked insult. Pleading that he was lying. Desperate attempts to reason with him and talk him out of it all. Something as pathetic and sad as a quiet, strained sob. Yet, nothing. She was frozen.

"I can tell it's a lot to take in." He drew closer to her. "I would be shocked too if I were in your position. The love of my life? Somebody who I've trusted for so long? How could you be so cruel? Well, I personally don't see it as that. Perhaps you're giving these IceWings too much credence."

"Why shouldn't I?" Clearsight spat out.

"Why? Because they don't deserve to be treated with kindness and respect. You know this too, don't know? IceWings are vile, horrible dragons. Look at them. Look at their circles. Standing high and mighty with such pride and arrogance as to believe they are a superior tribe. They are pathetic. They hide behind their lavish walls and watch the rest of the continent, laughing amongst themselves for other tribes not being as civilized as them. Hypocrites. They spit and laugh at those lower to them. Put the weak, ill, elderly, those deemed 'useless' at the outskirts of their kingdom, far from where they can hear their pleas for help."

Darkstalker's eyes narrowed harshly. "They hate. That's the only thing they know how to do. They hate their own brothers and sisters for not being as nauseously strong. Imagine: you are doomed to live in horrible conditions and deemed utterly useless by your society for simply being hatched with an illness, not being physically able to hunt, or for having the smallest shred of decency and kindness in your soul. For simply not being 'good enough', you are sentenced to a village where, if there ever were to be an attack, your house would go up in flames and no guards would be to save you. If anything, those in the higher circles will laugh as they drink their wine and eat their lavish meals, giggling about how it was about time."

He looked back at her. "Do you think those dragons deserve sympathy? Mercy? They are disgusting. Revolting on all levels. They are built on hate and oppressive rules that only hurt. They want nothing more than the destruction of the rest of the tribes. To be the only ones. They are vicious, horrible dragons who don't deserve even an ounce of kindness. They only destroy, pillage, and hate. They would be better off gone. No more could they hurt. No longer will they be able to curse this continent with their presence. It would be a blessing if I were to just snap my talons right now and force them all to tear their own hearts out, wouldn't you agree, my darling Clearsight?"

Clearsight had to hold back from gagging. To hear him speak with such vitriol and malice... She knew he wasn't fond of them. But, to this extent? To kill them all? Vile. Simply evil.

"Evil?" he echoed, "seems a bit much."

"So you ARE reading my mind!" she snapped.

"Of course. It's a bit hard to. I love hearing your thoughts. They're oftentimes eloquent and beautiful. A lot more refined and pleasing than any other dragon I've met." He raised his talons, stroking her snout. "You're a perfect dragon. You deserve better than to be so...fragile."

"Is that what you think of me? Fragile?" She backed away.

"Well, it isn't-"

"No, you think of yourself as better than me, don't know? More powerful. You have the ability to do whatever you want, and it- it's all gone to your head! Look out at the plaza. Look at all of these NightWings. What do you see them as."

Darkstalker glanced at the busy streets. "I see them as...weak beings."

"So you admit it."

"Of course! I would never lie to you."

"You lied about the earring."

"You never asked or questioned if it was enchanted, only if it I willed it into being," he answered, a smug, pompous feeling etched into his words.

"I shouldn't have to ask if it's enchanted! I should just be able to trust you and not have to sit there, wondering if every second is my last one spent free. Perhaps I'm enchanted right now. The moons only know if you've subtly messed with me. Every thought of mine could be influenced by your magic. I wouldn't even know if what I'm saying is what the real me would do-"

Darkstalker cut her off with his low, rumbly laugh. "Your paranoia is so funny to see. My sweet, if I didn't value you so much, I would've silenced you and made you forget about everything. Put back on the earring, this time with a couple more adjustments so you never find out. Or perhaps make it a permanent spell on you. Make you quiet and agreeable." He tisked. "But, that's not you, is it? That's not the dragon who I love so dearly."

"So you value me and not enchanting me, but not the others? You would do this to anybody else?"

"Of course! Why wouldn't I? I'm only held back because I have a connection with you. A bond so deep it defies the universe. I love you, Clearsight."

"You...you want to kill the IceWings," she muttered.

"A necessary action to take to ensure the safety and prosperity of not only our kingdom, but the entire tribe. Look at me and tell me that the IceWings offer anything of value to the other tribes. Anything. Their culture isn't anything to gawk at. It's dystopian and shameful. It's oppressive and they value certain dragons more than others over superficial and idiotic reasons, leaving others behind to feed off of the scraps."

"Isn't that what you are like as well?" she asked.

A pause. The atmosphere grew tense and stiff. It was harder to breathe, her lungs almost rejecting what little air could worm its way into her. Darkstalker's eyes were still, the silvery pupils glistening in the evening light.

"Clearsight!" he responded, his manner playful and humorous. It didn't hide the brewing frustration in him. "You honestly believe I am like that? To be even so much as comparable to them? That's rich!" He laughed.

"I'm not joking. Th- this isn't a joke! These are dragons, Darkstalker. Dragons with real lives you're talking about. Hopes, dreams, goals, aspirations, all that. They are as alive as you are."

He snorted. "Again, bold to assume they would even have those. Their lives are nothing but to serve the kingdom. They are miserable inside of it and out. Look no further than my father. A parasite on the life of my mother. He tricked her, making her believe that there was something more to him. That he wasn't like the rest. That he was as soulful as she was. Then, he trapped her in a loveless, horrible marriage. Not a day passed without them at each other's throats. Depressed and alone without anybody else except her two dragonets. That was until she finally had enough and..." he sighed. "She didn't deserve her fate. She didn't deserve such a grisly demise."

"So you're simply using your father as a reference? A guideline for how the tribe works?"

"It's only natural for the royalty of such a tribe to be practically the epitome of such a toxic and horrible environment. It's in his nature to act in such a way. To suck the life out of anything and everyone. He ruined Foeslayer. He ruined Whiteout. He ruined me. For that, I've seen enough. I know how terrible these dragons are."

"So you're completely fine with killing them all?"

"Yes."

Clearsight refrained from her knee-jerk reaction to scream and yell "What's WRONG with you?!" and rather took a small breath. "And what makes you believe you're any better than them? With all of your talk about being vastly greater than them? With believing you're higher and better than any other dragon? With thinking that everything would be better if the other tribe was dead?"

"Clearsight, that's a bit of a reach-"

"Is it? Is it!? From what you've been going on about, you've done nothing to say something even remotely moral. You've only tried to justify your actions. It's never your fault for anything, is it? You enchanting my earring, that was to make me happy, wasn't it? You never consulted me before. You simply altered me in a way I couldn't even tell as a 'surprise gift'. Was it really to make me happy? Or was it to make me shut up and blindly follow you?"

"Clearsight, that's quite enough-"

"I'm not done yet. The way you talk about other dragons is abhorrent at best and downright despicable and evil on the regular. Not just the IceWings, but anybody else. I'll spend an afternoon with Listener and then the minute I get back you'll go on and complain about her. I remember you once 'joking' about how you wished you could enchant her to lose her voice. I don't think that was so much of a joke as is what you genuinely wanted. You want power. You want to be this...figure that everyone loves. Aren't I and Fathom enough? Moons above we care about you."

"Clearsight, that's enough."

"You say you love me, but I can't honestly believe in that. I don't believe in my own feelings for you either. What part of me is real and genuinely cares about you, and what part is fabricated from your enchantments? I can't tell. Perhaps all of it. It's...sad watching you become this dragon. I know you're not like this. You're better. You're not some evil dragon. But, you're determined to see this through, aren't you? This plot to kill Queen Vigilance and claim her throne, as if you'll do any better of a job than her. She's got sheep for brains, but you're a monster-"

"Enough out of you!" Darkstalker snarled. He raised his talons, clamping them together. With that, Clearsight's mouth closed. She couldn't speak. Her breathing quickened as she tried to breathe. Whole whole body seized up. She couldn't move a muscle.

"I've been merciful for a while, letting you vent out your frustrations. Believe me, my dear, I understand why you would be so angry. It's only natural you'd react in such a way. However, you haven't grown to realize that this all is for, well, you. Me getting rid of the IceWings and making way for a sweet, peaceful existence? It's all for you to be happy. My parents weren't happy. I don't want us to be like them. Ever. We deserve a happier life, one full of love and joy."

He paced around her. "I do it all because I love you. None of it is selfish, I assure you. I promise you with all of my heart and soul that it's for you. Every enchantment. Every spell and utterance. It's all for you. Yes, even now with me keeping you still. I need a moment to talk. For you to understand without objecting or claiming falsehoods."

He came to her snout, grabbing her by the chin. He tilted her head up, letting her stare right into his cold, black eyes. "I love you, Clearsight. Though you may be scared, you may find me strange and unsettling, I know you do too. You may hate me in this moment. You may find me disgusting and horrible. But, we both know one thing is certain. You love me. It's the truth. You do love me. Even when you crawl into your bed tonight, hateful and wishing you could've said anything else to win this 'argument', you will love me. Even when I kill Vigilance, you will love me. Even when I send waves of plagues and famine upon the IceWings, slaughtering village after village in order to maintain peace and fulfill my destiny, you will love me. It's our fatal flaw. We love each other more than anything else."

He looked at her with a longing, sweet expression. "I love you, Clearsight. I love you."

With that, he opened his talons. Clearsight dropped to the ground, grasping at the floor. She gasped for air, clawing away from him.

"Would you like me to help you up?" He held out his talons.

"GET AWAY!" Clearsight screamed. She swiped at his claws with anger, sadness, and above all: fear. What would've otherwise been a blow so powerful and heavy it could've sliced at least a couple claws off glazed along his scales. Not a single scratch.

She flailed away from him, opening her wings and taking off into the skies. She flew away from the library, her legs sprinting through the air as if it would make her go faster. She needed to get away from him. She didn't even notice the tears pouring from her eyes until they were rushing against the wind, drying as quickly as they formed.

She felt hopeless. There was nothing she could do against him. Any sort of plea or reasoning would only make him more annoyed and upset. It could endanger more lives. He was already dead set on killing Queen Vigilance. It was only a matter of time he did it. She was useless.

But, above all, she felt betrayed. That wasn't the dragon she fell in love with. That couldn't be him. The one who she stuck by whenever things got rough. The one who cared about her and told her that she was the most lovely thing in the world. The one who promised her a loving, and sweet future where they'd both be happy and love each other.

That was the dragon she loved, not this...thing.

...was he even that different though? He was right. The more she thought about it, the more of these repressed memories bubbled up. Moments where Darkstalker would say or do something that would otherwise be harmful and horrible. He'd joke about the NightWings all bowing to him one day. He'd bring up hypothetical about him 'going mad' and what Fathom and her would do about it.

A sick, disgusting pit formed in her stomach as the realization dawned on her. She...really did love this dragon; and no matter what he'd do or what she'd say, there was nothing that could change that. This was the future Darkstalker that she wanted all of those years ago. This was her soulmate. This was the dragon who she loved.