#it isn't as good as i wanted but here we are anyway

[littleestkirby]

I don't know if you want this perspective, so I'll put it below a cut, but here's what I can say as a practicing christian who also gets fed up with the church sometimes.

1. I think you may have been mistaught that story; Jesus never refused to heal someone. It could either be (a) the story where he doesn't travel to heal a believer's daughter becaus he heals her from that distance. (Basically, the girl's father said "I know you can heal her from here" and Jesus was impressed by his faith and said "ok I will") or (b) the story where he stops to heal someone else on the way (a bleeding woman who had been cast out from her community) and the girl dies before he gets there. He then raises her from the dead

2. The goal of Christianity is to know God. As someone smarter than me (CS Lewis, maybe?) once put it, "we don't love God because we want to go to heaven, we want to go to heaven because we love God." Basically, heaven isn't a magic rainbow land where everything YOU want comes true, it's a perfect union with god. Following Jesus (in the christian belief, anyway) is the closest you can get to heaven on earth. So, OF COURSE Jesus cares about "good christians" (though the bible says no one person alone is truly good; most who would refer to themselves as "good christians" are... misguided to say the least) Because christianity isn't a pass/fail class where if you feed enough homeless people and don't have sex before marriage, you get to go to rainbowland; it's a personal relationship with your Father/Savior/Creator. That relationship (I believe) DOES make your life better, but not in a "you'll drive a nice car and never get sick" kind of way, but a "you'll be at peace with yourself and those around you" kind of way.

3. Jesus doesn't go out of his way to meet with sinners because they're the ones whose souls are in danger, he goes out of his way to meet with sinners because they actually have the humility to listen. THEY actually WANT to know him and have been kept out of the synagogues. There are no good, already-going-to-heaven people in the bible. The Pharisees (self-appointed and societally recognized "good religious people" in the gospels) are NOT fans of Jesus and they are NOT obeying God; the reason he doesn't seek them out is because they wouldn't have listened. They BELIEVED they were already right about everything, so they were just threatened by his influence instead. They were too busy LOOKING righteous and trying to trap him in doctrine to try to know him or God.

4. Obviously, you don't have to listen to any of this. Of course I can't explain why suffering happens, or why it affects who it does. That's one of like, the main things that the collective efforts of christians through history can't explain. I'm not expecting this to convert you, but just wanted to help you understand why so many people still believe all this despite, yknow. All the suffering and stuff

One of the biggest eye-openers for me back when a I went to church was that like…

Oh man how do I explain it.

There’s this prevalent idea I see a lot in Christian circles that if you pray right, if you follow God correctly, if you’re a truly virtuous person, your problems will be solved, right?

If you suffer, if you fall ill, if bad things happen, it’s because you aren’t good enough. You don’t need medicine because if you’re worthy, if you’re faithful enough, God will reward you by healing you. Right?

But like. Discussing this with my mother, and travelling out east with our pastor… Jesus didn’t spend all his time with perfect, virtuous people. Jesus didn’t seek out and heal well-to-do, faithful, perfect Christians. In fact, there’s a specific story in which he straight up doesn’t travel out to heal a believer’s dying daughter, because she’s already “saved”. Her earthy death is okay because she’s going to heaven already.

And like… coming from our Pastor, who is one of the best guys I’ve ever met- there seems to be an ongoing, underlying message of, “Jesus doesn’t care about you if you’re a good Christian”. If you’re a good Christian, if you’re living a virtuous life on earth, then any suffering you experience is only temporary- your ETERNITY is secure. Jesus goes out of his way to meet with sinners and the unfaithful because those are the people whose souls are in danger.

So like. In that perspective, being good doesn’t make your life better, it’s just good for others and good for your soul. Praying and doing good probably won’t cure your cancer, but it may mean you don’t have to worry too much about your death.

And like. I dunno. I wouldn’t call myself a Christian, but I find myself thinking about that concept a lot

Does suffering mean you deserve a reward?

Is suffering proof that you’re unworthy?

Or is suffering just an unfortunate facet of life that doesn’t reflect on your worth, that you still have to deal with as best you can?

Maybe suffering is just suffering.

Maybe the bad things you experienced weren’t about you

And maybe you just gotta try your best and be kind anyways, so you can rest easy when you go

[nabi-unveiled]

Hagiwara isn't off the hook.

He shares responsibility in the state of his and Kaori's relationship, and I'm not talking about the cheating.

Put down your pitchfork. Just hear me out.

I adore Hagiwara. He cheated. I don't care. I have mentally added him onto my list of "good boys". I will make a special category just for him.

I'm also not making excuses for Kaori. She must own up that she kept Hagiwara on a string while knowing it was hurting him.

However, their relationship was doomed to fail. They need different things. Kaori needs a relationship where sex isn't expected, and Hagiwara needs a relationship where he can be fully open and honest with his feelings and desires. Frankly, he needs something deeper than Kaori can offer, and I'm not talking about sex.

But the relationship shouldn't have lasted this long, and that's on BOTH of them. It's perfectly okay that Kaori doesn't want sex. It's perfectly okay that Hagiwara does want sex (and intimacy). The problem is that neither of them communicate about it.

Before we go further, there are some points that need to be established. Also note - the symbols are EVERYTHING to me.

1 - Kaori/Hagiwara's relationship is NOT the same as Fujisawa/Sei's.

Their relationships share similarities, but they are NOT the same.

Sei's relationship with Fujisawa developed as a trauma response to a violent car crash. It has carried violent undertones the entire time.

The symbols convey that Fujisawa has methodically trapped Sei in this relationship.

But Kaori and Hagiwara's relationship? It starts with a romantic meet-cute. It was warm. It had saturated colors.

Their relationship does not have a violent undertone. It has an undertone of passivity and complacency. Of note, Hagiwara didn't initiate anything in this relationship. He's waited on Kaori's lead.

The door is open. Hagiwara could leave at any point.

These two relationships also do not have the same power dynamic. Kaori DOES control many aspects of the relationship. However, Kaori has control of the relationship because Hagiwara lets her. Fujisawa has control over his relationship with Sei because Fujisawa demands it. There is a difference.

In fact, the show actually has already acknowledged that there are different types of "controlling". The coworker's relationship isn't painted as unhealthy. Some of us may see it as unhealthy, but the show doesn't give ANY indication of that itself in sound or symbols.

2 - I am in the camp that thinks Kaori DOES like or care about Hagiwara.

Not because I believe her words, but because I believe in the symbols. Kaori made Hagiwara rice.

The rice that represents home and affection? Kaori made it. It's just her version had a sour plum in the middle.

And when she offered it, Hagiwara willingly chose to eat it. He knew the plum was there, and he ate it anyways.

In this week's episode, Kaori explains herself, and she's in black. This is not a typical color for her. She may be smiling, but she is mourning.

We could discuss in length about whether emotional abuse is in play here or if it's just an unhealthy relationship. That's not really the point of this post. Either way, we know that Kaori was finally being honest and vulnerable.

WE SAW HER FEET.

Feet shots happens when our character's true feelings and motivations are exposed. Sei has beautiful heels (desires) but his toenail is broken (😭 Just like his Sim card, but I can't go there right now). Both Kaori and Hagiwara have feet shots too. No broken toenails. In this case, Kaori's feet stop moving. Unlike Fujisawa whose body moves on it's own, her body won't move. We haven't seen Fujisawa's feet.

Kaori can't make herself take action to deal with the situation with Hagiwara. Her choices are selfish, and they hurt Hagiwara. However, I actually think that's very realistic and very human. In unhealthy relationships (and even healthy ones), we can often hurt the people we care about. It's not easy leaving an established relationship. Especially, one that you want. We're not all as altruistic as Hagiwara.

But Hagiwara isn't off the hook.

He shares responsibility in the relationship lasting until this point.

Sei admits his relationship has problems.

But Hagiwara? He denies that they have a problem at first. He's choosing to ignore reality. A conversation with Sei later shows it too.

He wants to believe they've been honest with each other.

Even though he's not verbalizing his actual thoughts to Kaori. For those that don't remember, he has an entire sequence in his head at the BBQ with their friends of what he wants to say. But he doesn't say it. He's not being open and honest with Kaori.

He's also hiding what he truly desires. Kaori didn't say he couldn't drink the sweet coffee. She said it was unhealthy. Sei said it was unhealthy too. He drank it around Sei anyways.

He even bought it FOR Sei even though Sei thought it was too sweet. Hagiwara initiates with Sei.

It's actually been shown that Kaori doesn't care what Hagiwara eats. He's allowed to eat whatever he wants. Kaori isn't telling Hagiwara to go to sleep or eat the yogurt.

She controls sex (and maybe their social agenda). However, unlike Fujisawa, Kaori doesn't keep tight control on Hagiwara as a person.

Unlike Sei, Hagiwara isn't isolated. There's no traumatic backstory. He's more self-confident than Sei. Unlike Sei, he talks about the things he CAN do rather than things he can't. For example, in episode 1, he mentions that "he's good" at organizing parties.

Unlike Sei, he's not trapped in a locked room.

His affection might have been contained and hidden. I think he wonders whether Kaori has things she has to keep inside, because he knows there are things that he keeps inside. But...

He's not trapped. He's stuck. There's a difference.

Hagiwara didn't forget his ID. He didn't forget who he was. He lost his ID, because he's losing confidence in his relationship.

But he's still walking around this building freely. Apparently, he's been walking free without that ID for months. And when he gets a new ID? He chooses to put it back in the case that Kaori gave him.

He wanted to change his picture, but he hadn't taken the steps to do so. He could've changed the situation by being frank with Kaori at any point. Just like Kaori, he avoided. He has chosen to stay.

He chose not to call Kaori out. He doesn't like making people uncomfortable. His nature is to prioritize the other person. Unlike Kaori, his avoidance is inherently unselfish. But it got him stuck. I'm someone who was actively taught to avoid confrontation and to always think of others first. This hits hard.

Kaori was too selfish, but Hagiwara wasn't selfish enough. Being a little bit selfish is a good thing.

He chose NOT to talk about sex with her. He's not comfortable bringing it up with her, because he's not open with her.

Kaori doesn't communicate about sex, because she's afraid that not wanting sex makes her a bad woman. She's surrounded by heteronormativity after all. As @babyangelsky points out, this is what society treating libido as swamp does to you.

Hagiwara doesn't communicate about sex, because he's afraid prioritizing sex makes him a bad man. After all, wouldn't breaking up with his girlfriend just because of sex make him a bad person? Isn't his desire just making the river murky with swamp water? Stupid swamp. He doesn't realize sex is not the real issue. In the end, he has chosen to stay in this relationship even though he's unhappy.

It's why I had positive thoughts about the breakup scene. A lot could be said about Kaori forcing Hagiwara to be the one to breakup, but I was actually glad that Hagiwara said it. It was on both of them that the relationship lasted this long. Neither of them had been willing to speak up about what wasn't working. They both stayed stuck.

Hagiwara is finally speaking his mind. He calls Kaori out.

Hagiwara is no longer being passive. He's asserting control.

Hagiwara is no longer hiding what he wants. He's being open.

Hagiwara is now taking action to change the picture on his ID.

Previous posts about Hagiwara:

The Desire to Be A Good Man

I also have two additional posts about Hagiwara in my drafts. I'll try to get them posted this weekend.

[1296-very-good-year]

There are a lot of great posts about Viktor's abysmal s2 "arc" already, but here goes anyway: Viktor is entirely absent from s2.

Everyone loves and quotes Viktor's, "In the pursuit of great, we failed to do good," BUT that declaration of failure isn't the end of their scene!

He continues with "We have to make it right" laid over Silco reviewing the letter requesting parley. Jayce AND VIKTOR worked on the peace deal between the cities together. To "make things right."

Jayce lets Viktor sit in his seat while they bring it to council:

I bring all this up because the last thing Viktor remembered before waking up in the goop cocoon would have been this vote passing.

He FINALLY managed to make a difference to help the Undercity! With Jayce, his partner! All he wanted in the end was to see this peace deal through. He was dying, and THIS would be his lasting legacy.

Then he wakes up in Season 2 with no idea what happened after the vote, and never even asks about it.

Then the break up. Jayce was going to push for peace, then resign from council to rejoin Viktor in the lab. All of the distance that grew between them in the second half of s1 was bridged in the finale. Jayce chose Viktor.

This is STILL Jayce's position after the attack. But Viktor walks away with:

Like their reconciliation at the end of S1 never happened.

What exactly do you mean, Viktor? Did your paths not converge again? Did you have a bad dream? Perhaps a dream of a longer season where Jayce's position DID change? Where he takes over the council and invades the Undercity with Hextech weapons while you were asleep? Perhaps?

Yes, Jayce broke his promise and revived Viktor with the Hexcore, and yes Viktor sees blueprints for Hextech weapons on the table, but there is never a moment we see Viktor feeling anything like betrayal. He's immediately over their partnership, and Jayce - who cares about nothing else - is blindsided. The last time Viktor was awake, he and Jayce were united in a common goal, and after a second of looking at a blueprint, Viktor's all ready for the divorce. "Diverged long ago" my entire ass.

Where were the arguments? The explanations? The hurt feelings? He reamed Jayce out harder for not announcing their new projects in a speech!

Viktor, are you not even going to ask Jayce WHY he designed more Hextech weapons? Or why he's covered in bloody bandages? What about asking how you got injured enough to need healing with the Hexcore in the first place? No? Maybe acknowledge that it was wrong for you to hide Sky's death (the reason why you wanted the Hexcore destroyed)? Where was the DRAMA?

We get only vague notions of Hexcore mind control for why Viktor's entire personality disappeared, which aren't even carried through to Act 2. The Viktor we knew and loved from S1 who got mad, who cared about Jayce and Zaun, never woke up (until the end. right before he kills himself).

[obsessedhoneycomb]

Red Mercedes

George Russell x fem!reader

Summary: Perfect married life sometimes hides the rotten truth of lies.

Warnings: cheating, slight manipulation, George getting what’s his at all cost, curse words and smut implication

Word count: 1.5k

A/N: After a frustrating week of not having any good ideas, I had a dream, so I finally had something to pour my heart into. It was so intense that it didn't let me eat my lunch, how fast my fingers drummed at the keyboard and my thoughts flew out of my brain. Enjoy it! :) wanted to include my favorite pregnancy trope, but i decided to not go that way this time

———

“Dad, I’m trying to tell you that mum is acting weird.” Your twelve year old son was travelling with George to Cayman Island for this event he was invited to, to speak about his ongoing career path as a leading F1 champion. 

George glanced at him, his hands gripping the steering wheel, regally upset about the fact that even your son noticed that something isn't right with your marriage.

“Mum is just tired. That’s all.” he tried to brush it off, but he knew. 

“You know, dad, I’m not stupid. I saw her with some man a week ago, sitting at the restaurant when we were out on a bike with boys. She was smiling at him like… Well, not like she’s smiling at you.” his son continued to ponder with his thoughts, pouring his mind out, making George feel uneasy. Pulling over at the hotel they were supposed to stay at, engine off, he turned his body to face his son.

“Buddy, I know that you love your mom, hell, who could not love her.. But she’s- it’s just a phase. I’m gonna figure it out, and you have nothing to worry about.” he tried to reassure him with his soft smile, his eyes betraying him, reflecting the weight of the growing lies.

———

“I see that you’re here with your son, he grew so much throughout the years, aren’t you afraid that he’s gonna be after you soon, you know, with racing and stuff?” 

George chuckled, moving his gaze at his giggling son in the first row, his sweaty palm wrapped around the microphone. “Well, there is the possibility, but his hobbies are different. He’s much more of a cyclist, so I think that Tadej Pogacar should be scared of having another rival.” 

“Oh, that’s great! Guess the Russell’s family is spreading through the field of sports. It’s a shame that your wife isn’t here with us, we had planned to have a family photo shoot for you, also spending some time on the yacht with the staff here.” 

George was professional at keeping his composure, so he just chuckled again, looking at the crowd of people in the small room.

“We can do that anyway, we don’t need my wife for that. She’s busy with some of her other projects, so…” 

Everybody seemed to be happy about it, not noticing the slight frown on George’s face and his son’s.

You were staying at home in Monaco, texting with your lover. Your naive brain was living in an illusion that nobody knows, you sneaking around with someone else, secret meetings at the old restaurant on the other side of the town, your red luxurious Mercedes parked in front of it very often. You were really dumb in some aspects and being so careless about getting after your own desires, you hurt your family in the process.

All those years of your marriage you heard it around you all the time, how George is a gentleman, kind guy, loving and caring husband and father, how every other woman would die for having him just for at least five minutes. But nobody saw that toll that had an impact on you, your life when you fell pregnant unexpectedly, and how George married you just because of it. Feeding you with all those empty promises, but leaving you alone through all that maternity shit because he was at the peak of his career while you were breastfeeding his restless son at night.

Yeah, there were times you were genuinely happy as a family, somewhere between the three to ten years of your son, George was more present, you accompanied him at races from time to time, depending on how his and your parents were willing to look after your kid. 

But the last two years felt like a nightmare, because George won another two championships after five years of no luck, his fans being literally everywhere, even breaking into your home. You spent a lot of time on the go, changing your location and you grew tired of this. Intimity between you and George was long gone, and you yearned for something he couldn’t give you, the tension, secrecy and passion. Even if it meant to destroy everything you have.

———

Darkness overtook the docks in Monaco, rain washing away the summer heat wave. George stood at the huge ass window of your penthouse, sipping on his whiskey, even though he did not favour the liquid that much, he got used to it from time to time. Your son was away for the holiday cycling camp, and with summer break in F1, it left him home alone with the lingering scent of your expensive perfume you saved for your not so secret lover. His mind wandered over divorce, but he was too prideful to let it happen. He didn’t care about your needs, shameful desires, he wanted to keep his family together. Even if it meant to ruin your sweet secret life. And he knew his plan was working the minute you stepped into your home through the threshold, sobbing quietly, with your dress soaked through, droplets of water dripping down your hair. His lips curling into smirk, he took the last sip of his drink, leaving the glass on the coffee table in the living room, walking slowly to the hallway.

You kicked off your heels, running your hands through your wet hair, wiping off your tears along the way, your mascara staining your cheeks. Feeling how your dress is sticking to your body, you let out a frustrated sigh with a whine, finally noticing George standing in the doorway, his arms folded over his chest wearing an unreadable expression.

“What’s the matter baby?” his tone was laced with smugness, he couldn’t hold it back anymore, seeing the mess you were.

“Nothing.” you muttered, trying to walk around him to get to the bathroom, but he was after you.

“You’re clearly distressed. Tell me what happened. You were supposed to have a night out with girls, if I remember correctly?” yeah, he was playing dumb.

“I was. But my car left me in the parking lot, because the smoke started to go out of the engine and I needed to call the towing service and-” you stopped in your rant abruptly as you got to the part you wanted to erase from your memory and you didn’t want to talk about it with George.

“And? Tell me darling.” his tone was firm, demanding, he caged your body against the counter in the bathroom.

You looked up to see his face, locking your gaze with his, reading his mind. He knew. And yet he was still there.

“He left me.” with your head slumped down you whispered feeling deeply ashamed. 

George smiled victoriously as the memory from earlier this week flashed through his mind, him paying that pathetic lover of yours loads of money to leave you, to ruin you, to destroy you.

“Oh baby.” he cooed sweetly, cupping that mascara stained cheeks of yours, listening to your sobs. And that was the last straw and you broke down in tears, all of the suppressed emotions flowing out as you wrapped your arms around him tightly, remorse and guilt building in your heart. 

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry…” you whispered into his chest, your tears staining his shirt. 

“Shhh… I’m right here baby. It’s okay.” his fingers brushed through your hair affectionately, making you relax.

“You should be disgusted with me…” 

“Believe me, I was at first. But from your point of view I somehow understood it.” 

“How… How long have you known?”

“Since the first time you giggled at your phone.”

“I thought that I’m good at hiding it.” 

“Oh, you were so naive that I won’t notice. You weren’t even creative at hiding your car properly. That exclusive red shade of it doesn't go unnoticed. Even our son saw you many times.” 

You shuddered when you felt his lips ghosting against your temple. The mention of your son stabbed you through your heart. 

“George, I-” 

“Shhh, darling. Your stupid boyfriend ditched you, so let your husband, the man who truly knows how to devour you, take care of you.” George whispered with a soft hum, his lips pressed under your ear.

The way he talked made you feel ashamed. But it ignited something within you, the lust and desire for him. And it made you curse internally at how dumb you were for the past years.

“I’m gonna make sure you remember who you belong to.” 

After the night to remember when George really took you like a slut you were, listening to your whines and moans, making you tell him how that lover made you feel, what he did to you, he made sure that you won’t escape his embrace again. Watching you sleep beside him, your body covered in love bruises and marks he hasn’t seen on you for months, he brushed the strand of your hair from your face, smiling proudly at how easy you were. All those years he thought you’re this soft and reserved girl who likes vanilla in bed, only to find out that you loved to be cock drunk all the time, overstimulated to the madness to keep your mind from wandering outside of the wedlock. 

“You were so wrong to think that I’d let you go, my beautiful wife…” and his whisper lingered through your sleeping brain like a lullaby.

-

Please don't use my writings without a permission. Pictures found on Pinterest.

Tags: @chilling-seavey

[s0lar-ch3ri]

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY TO @justyouraverageleafykinnie AND @dogboyratgirl TAKE THE SILLIES

tw theyre fluffy and sweet in this so yeah (also long. also will maybe post to ao3 someday idrk)

title is "together we can figure it out!" a bears in trees lyric

this fic features lint from wonderlust as well as wonderlust ocs of my friends :3 (I AM NOT CAUGHT UP WITH WONDERLUST DO NOT EXPECT TO GET FUTURE EP REFS I DONT MIND SPOILERS IM JUST SAYING)

description: It's Aluntine's day (or their world's Valentine's day), and for strange, almost 100% homosexual reasons, Lint can't do anything but find his way back to Apple.

Lint had faced many Aluntines days inside the bakery with his mom, just making cookies. Couples came in, grabbed sweet little treats for their sweet little treats (that isn't incredible wording, maybe he hangs out by Troy too much), and left. It wasn't a lonely time, not when it made business. As he looks across the tables before opening, things feel different.

"You alright Bumblebee?"

Lint half-buzzes back a response. It's not even opening time, he needs to keep it together. Come on!

"Repeat that?"

He buzzes a bit more, less responding to the question and more mumbling to himself. Nothing else is different, nothing's too special about today, well maybe minus...

He leaves the bakery, off to find his sweet little treat.

Apple is not expecting much today. Yes, this time around, Apple could have gone with Lint somewhere nice, however he knew Lint was busy today at the bakery, so maybe he would bug him after. In the meantime, Apple was working on writing something. The plan was simple: finish this, check on the orchard, maybe visit the bakery and see that bee, all that good stuff.

Just like how he changed his life, Lint had changed his plans. With a jumpscare that made Apple fall out his chair, a special bee came buzzing in. All of Apple's panic faded into something softer seeing the culprit of the noise. He sighs a bit.

"Hello, sugarfly."

"I...I feel strange." Lint stands a bit awkwardly in the doorway. Apple repositions himself so they sit up better.

"Go on."

"I thought today was gonna be a normal day, but it just...doesn't. And I didn't know where to go so..."

"Of course." Apple starts cleaning up his writing supplies. He can finish it later.

"Do you uh- how do you ask this sort of thing..."

Apple bleats curiously.

"Do you want to be my Alumni? I just...I don't know. We can uh, hang out, like always, but, special? Not really? Help me out here..."

Apple giggles. "Of course darling."

He buzzes excitedly and Apple can't help but grin at him. I mean, when it's a nice day outside, pretty and basically shining, who could help themself?

"What were you thinking of?"

Lint sinks a bit into himself. Oh cog, he didn't think of something big. Or, uh, anything. What did Mars say? Deep breaths? He takes a couple, in for 7, hold for 6, release for 5. Surely Apple wouldn't mind. He hates liars anyways.

"I uh...I don't know. I just knew I had to come to you."

"That's okay! We can figure it out together!"

Cog that goat was pretty. No, Lint, focus! You have to give them the best date he's ever seen! Just how…

“Maybe a nice restaurant?”

“They may be all reserved out babydoll…”

“Oh…Does my place sound nice?”

“Always does.”

Did it feel silly to take Apple from their house to bee’s? Yes, but to be fair, there were specific things Lint needed there to make sure this was perfect. Apple deserved nothing less.

Walking in, she hears some commotion from the kitchen, mostly just grumbling and the sounds of the assembly of a gift. Looking past his neutral green walls into the kitchen with its purple walls, he sees Troy, bright red and looking just pissed. He angrily puts a ribbon around a set of orchids colored with mint and blue orchids. Despite his pissed…everything, Troy handles the flowers with much care.

“Something wrong Champion?”

“JAX.”

 “Is he-”

“THAT STUPID PRETTY BOY BASTARD ASKED ME ON A DATE BEFORE I COULD AND I NEED TO BEAT HIM WITH MY SLED. ALSO MAYBE KISS HIM.”

“You go do that love.”

Troy stomps by him, grabbing his face gently and kisses his cheek. Lint giggles, which sounds a bit like a buzz. He buzzes a lot. That wasn’t a bad thing, he hopes. Maybe he should just set up the movie.

“We uh, we’ve gotten a lot of movies. There’s Ratatoing- that’s not a good one, there’s Cloverfield, Jax may have left around his strange ‘Ratnarok’ documentaries or something- what interests you?”

“Uhhhh, all of them?”

“Love Rattually it is.”

As Apple helps with selecting the movie, he sets up the couch with its assortment of pillows and blankets. One is plain and fuzzy, a muted green, another a felt one with sunflowers on it. Lint grabs some pretzels and popcorn in the kitchen, he also prepares 2 cups of coffee, one for himself, and one for his heaven send.

Apple is still by the couch, sitting, waiting for Lint. He holds the letter he had planned to give Lint later that day, going over each carefully plucked and nurtured word. Lint had brought lights to his days that he would have known from no other being or aspect of living, the least he can do is give him something of perfection. Lint deserves nothing less.

He adds a couple details to it and carefully folds it so as to not crease it. He hopes it’s good enough. They finish the set up as footsteps come on by them behind the couch. Lint holds his arms around Apple from above as bee places in his hands a cup of coffee.

“Got you a cup! Made with love.” Lint is buzzing with joy, putting his head on Apple’s shoulder. Apple takes this as the chance to pepper him slightly with kisses, but like any well made dish, too much seasoning- well here it just made him giggle and light-heartedly protest.

“Let me put my cup down first angel!” He smiles and snickers and Apple feels his heart flutter around and he gains another reason to love him.

Lint climbs over into the blankets and snuggles up next to Apple as they play some movies, drinking coffee. At certain parts, Apple turns his gaze back to Lint and sometimes Lint’s looking at him. As eyes meet, the boys giggle as they give each other compliments and flirts and kisses. As their binging goes on, their energy simmers down with the time, fading into simple cuddling on the couch. Cups sit on the table, basically empty, with the TV’s hum as natural to the environment as Lint’s buzzing was to him. He adored this bee beyond words.

He carefully wriggles his letter out from his pocket, using the blue light to guide his reading ability.

‘’Dearest sweetest bee I’ve known, Lint

There are many things I want to tell you. I want to tell you how you are the light of my days and how no sun nor star could outshine you. I want to tell you how your voice is a gracious melody, with each note and buzz writing a harmonious tune I wish to hold forever. I want to tell you how I could count the stars that trail the sky and name all the shades of its majesty and not once could I think of a world where it’d be a more beautiful sight then the warmth of your smile. I want to tell you how you’ve taken my world and sculpted it to a more magical and wondrous one then I could have arrived too. I want to tell you how the ideas of love and friendship were carefully taught to me by the wondrous bee you are. I want to tell you how you’re the sweetest nectar I’ve tried and I’ve never felt once a need to find another.

There are many things I want to tell you. Maybe I can settle with a few words. I love you Lint, you are a shining star, thank you, I love you, thank you.

All the love I can give,

Apple’’

He’s still unsure if all he’s wanted to say is there, if that’s what bee would understand is true. Thoughts swarm Apple’s head, like a wasp hive, aiming for his heart. Before he gets lost in his mind, Apple hears a small faint buzz from a special someone under his head. He seemed to have fallen asleep a bit ago. The small reminder grounds Apple and his heart calms down with him. He’s got someone too close to there to be so worried. He remembers Lint’s words before, what he didn’t exactly say but was always there.

I didn't know where to go so I came to you.

Apple smiles a bit, closing his eyes and falling for the background TV ambience himself. Together they will figure it out.

[rottenpumpkin13]

Who in Soldier and in the Turks are more likely to set up a kissing booth?

*Angeal is setting up a kissing booth in the Skyview Hall, alongside a few Turks—including, unsurprisingly, Reno, who is already adjusting the price sign on his own booth*

Zack: What's with the booth? You selling snacks?

Angeal: No, I'm capitalizing on Valentine's Day. All proceeds go to the Leaf House in the slums.

Sephiroth: I think that's a wonderful idea.

Angeal: Good, because you're all participating.

Genesis: Absolutely not. I refuse. Do you have any idea how many bacteria are transferred during a single kiss? I'm not putting my lips at the mercy of some commoner's questionable hygiene.

Sephiroth, raising his hand: I'll participate.

Angeal: …Really? You? You're open to the idea of kissing?

Sephiroth: Not entirely, but it's for a good cause. I'll manage.

*They glance over. Reno's booth is already swarming with customers and he's smug about it*

Angeal: Damn it, he's going to beat us. Sephiroth, quick, get behind the booth with me!

*Sephiroth does as instructed. Before he can even process the situation, Zack sprints up and slams money into the jar with alarming enthusiasm*

Sephiroth: …Really?

Zack: :)

*Sephiroth sighs, shakes his head, and leans in for a quick kiss*

Angeal: This is great! Look at all these people lining up already!

*Zack returns a minute later with a fake mustache*

Sephiroth: !

*Angeal is watching Reno's booth like a hawk*

Angeal: Damn it! He got Kunsel, Reeve, even Mayor Domino!

*Sephiroth rolls his eyes but kisses Zack anyway. Zack fist-pumps and disappears*

Genesis: If you want me to set his booth on fire, just say the word and I'll take out the competition.

Angeal: No, that's unnecessary, we got a lot of customers already and we provide great service!

*Zack returns five minutes later in a baseball cap and sunglasses*

Sephiroth: But this isn't—

Angeal: KISS THE CUSTOMER.

*Sephiroth kisses Zack, who flees into the crowd*

Genesis: Ah! Look at that, now the Vice President showed up to Reno's booth too.

Angeal: Damn it! Where's Lazard when you need him??

*Zack returns, wearing a t-shirt that reads "NOT ZACK" on the front*

Sephiroth: I will throw you off this building.

Angeal: KISS. THE. CUSTOMER.

*Sephiroth groans, kisses Zack, and shoves him away*

Genesis: LOOK! Reno is definitely cheating! Now he's roped Tseng into participating too!

Angeal: Unbelievable. Sephiroth, take five. I'll handle this.

*Sephiroth steps back, arms crossed, muttering about the injustices of the universe. Angeal takes his place behind the booth just as Zack returns—now wearing a trench coat, a terrible wig, and sunglasses*

Angeal: Zack, didn't you come here once before? Leave.

Sephiroth: ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

[throatgoat4u]

hello, hello, hello, hello to all my lovely people out there. i wanna start of by saying happy valentines to every single one of you. whether you're single, in a relationship, or have just broken up, i hope you all enjoy this amazing day of love and share it with their loved ones.

today's not just about a romantic partner, but to people who you just love. tell your family how much you love and appreciate them for all they've done for you and if that's not an option, share your gratitude with your friends or people who have constantly been there for you and have made you feel loved.

do something kind for someone. give them a hug, write them a letter, compliment them, whatever. you don't have to make some big gesture or go all out, just let someone know you appreciate them.

but most importantly, make sure you love yourself. self love is just as, if not more, important than anything else. how are you supposed to put in your time and effort in loving someone else if you can't do that for yourself? so whether you want to go out and spoil yourself or stay in and take a nice bath and watch movies, make sure you're putting your love for yourself first.

but, loving yourself isn't just about spa days and self care (but like that shit's like amazing so like i definitely recommend a nice everything shower if you're not doing anything today.....) it's also about speaking to yourself kindly, forgiving yourself for past mistakes, and acknowledging that you deserve just as much love as everyone else on this amazing day!

now, that being said, i'm gonna spread all my love to some of the most amazing people on this app! (this is where my formality ends, trust 🤞)

@onevison. i literally love you so much omg. you are one of the nicest people ever and you're actually so creative with your aus. i love talking to you and always enjoy when we chat. i love you!

@freshloveee. you're so so so good at writing and genuinely one of my favorite writers on this app. you're honestly so sweet and kind. i love you!

@chrepsi. you're genuinely one of the funniest people on this app, i cannot. i love your vibe and your music taste is just so ugh. you're so cool. i love you!

@muwapsturniolo. so you're literally amazing?!?! like you're so gorgeous and funny and such an amazing writer. idek how many times i've reread your shit but it's too many to count. anywho..... when's the next album coming out sza????? i love you!

@leoslaboratory. i just binge read your fics last night btw. you're fucking amazing and i love everything you do. dealer!chris is amazing and i absolutely love it. your fics for black history month are eating btw. i love you!

@phone4pills. so so so cool. you're theme is so cool, you're fics are so cool, you are so cool. i'm genuinely sooo happy anytime i've seen that you've posted a new fic or something and am always looking forward to when you write more. i love you!

@mattscoquette. you're just sooooo like awesome. i love everything you write and i love scrolling through watching you answer asks cause you're so funny. i'm still heartbroken over a change of heart (and the fact that you've ruined that song for me 💔). also like petition to bring back my man perv!matt. he doesn't get the love he deserve. anyways, when i was lurking here, i would always stalk your page and you were the first person i found on sturniolo tumblr. you were genuinely such an inspiration for me and one of the biggest reasons i started posting what i write. i love you!

@thenickgirl. you're my favorite nick girl out there. i love how you write for him and give him the attention he absolutely deserves. just cause he's gay doesn't mean we should leave him out guys 😞💔. you're such an amazing writer and you're so funny. i love you!

@t0riiiis. you're literally like so relatable and i feel like i can always talk to you without getting bored. you're there for me and you've shown your love for me countless times and i cannot even begin to say how much it means to me. i love you!

@oopsiedaisydeer. i'm sooo happy that we're like friends now because you're such a nice and cool person. you're an amazing writer and i love when i see updates on your ponyo au. you're so sweet and show me so much support on literally everything. i love you!

@bernardsbendystraws. dare i say that you're the mother of sturniolo tumblr?!?! you're genuinely such and amazing and funny person and make the tumblr fandom a much better place. i love how during that whole pedo scandal, you were there for absolutely every single person and were so helpful in the whole ordeal. you aren't scared of what anyone says about you and you're so confident, it's so admirable (this also goes for @muwapsturniolo, cause if i recall correctly she called her workplace or something like that which is honestly a boss ass move). your writing is also just amazing and never disappoints. you're like a breath of fresh air (that sounded better in my head but it's okay). i love you!

and i've saved the best for last, @snoopychris. idek what to say. like i'm being serious. i love you so much and you're my absolute favorite person on here. i love being able to talk to you everyday and ik you'll be there to listen without judgement. you're so funny (and a bit odd) and i love you for it. you're genuinely like a big sister to me in a way and i just feel like talking to you makes my day. whether it's about an au or just yapping (or saying some weird shit about chris) it always makes my day just so much better. i literally trust you soooo much even if we’ve only known each other for a short time. like when i say i trust you, i mean like i TRUST you. atp, i trust you enough to know what my face looks like, my actual name, and other personal info. like genuinely i feel so comfortable talking to you and you never fail to make me happy! you're such a fun person and so creative. also you're writing?!?! i literally love it. i love you 🧠!

obviously there are so many other people who i absolutely love, adore, and cherish with my whole heart, but these people stick out to me! anyways, i love you guys so much and am so thankful for everyone's constant support. i'm so happy with all the new friends i've made on this app and am looking forward to making many many many more! with lots of love...

toodles sluts :)

(i felt it was necessary to bring back sluts for this post...)

also the fact that i actually wrote that shit at the top from my heart impresses me….. like what?!?!

also one last note, if there’s some misspelled words or i’m just repeating myself like an idiot, please note that its still early and even tho i woke up over an hour ago, im still like half asleep

[arrowsperpetualcringe]

I guess I'll say this in a reblog, and hope people see it—

After discussion, I've since changed some of my thoughts on the matter!

So

Let's talk about Amane... again!

Part 2 the sequel.

ALRIGHT, so.

I take it back, ight?

A guilty verdict would not have been "better"

Like at all.

I dunno how, but like. I forgot about how guilty prisoners are like. Tied down??? And tortured???

Bitch my bad, I'm stupid fr.

Again I. Literally dunno HOW I forgot, considering Kotoko was MUZZLED (WHICH IS CRAZY BITCH LIKE FHEIDNDJDJEN)

But it like. Genuinely slipped my mind.

Dunno what to tell ya, sorry bout that chief

That being said, I'm still not happy with this outcome.

But the thing I've come to realize, is that...

I, personally, would not have been happy with EITHER outcome.

Now that I step back and look at it, when it comes to Amane, there were two options.

Abuse her physically (guilty) Or abuse her mentally (Innocent)

I was so upset by how we pushed her further into her abusive religious mindset that victimized her in the first place, that I was feeling regret in my choice to vote innocent, thinking the other option would've "undone" that somehow.

But, I realize now, it wouldn't have.

Even if we broke through that mindset, doing it through physical abuse will just traumatize the poor kid further.

The game's rigged. It's always been rigged.

Because Milgram isn't a place where things get better for these people

Even if you vote them innocent.

We can't give these people what we need here

So it was foolish to say and think that a "guilty" verdict would make her snap out of her brainwashing, and open up some sort of road to recovery (even if it was a rocky and fucked up one)

It wouldn't have and I'm sorry.

From this point on, there's no analysis, there's just me discussing personal feelings on the matter, so, you can skip over this part if you want.

It's just....

I genuinely don't like seeing Amane like this.

I don't like seeing her turn into the very thing that caused her so much pain in the first place.

Like, I'm sorry for how I must've come off in my previous post.

The situation is just genuinely gut wrenching to me.

Slipping further into a dark mindset, and hurting people, even when you're just trying to help/think you're helping.

It's like such a real thing y'know?

And I'm sure she's trying to genuinely look out for Fuuta, because she thinks that the religion is a good thing! I'm sure she genuinely likes Fuuta and feels a connection to him! But being within the refines of a cult isn't going to help him, it's going to hurt him,,,

She's hurting someone she cares about and that's so...

It's just so upsetting

And Amane is such a tiny thing!!!

She shouldn't be going through this in the first place!

So seeing a kid like her be abused, then spiral in such a way that she becomes link in that chain and spreads that abuse?

It like. I dunno something about that just twisted me up inside.

And I think it was made worse by like

Seeing some people speak down to others.

Seeing some people treat this like it's still a victory—

Like I dunno.

Regardless of your thoughts about verdicts, or how she affected others due to the outcome...

Amane is still hurting

And it makes me sad.

Anyways that's all.

Okay so.

Let's talk about Amane.

Cause the discussion around her is so black and white, it kinda infuriates me???

There's the people who think she's the fucking devil himself, and there's people who think she's an angel who's done absolutely no wrong ever.

And.

Please

I beg of you

Both of you

Shut the fuck up

I'm going to die.

So let's get one thing out of the way before I continue

AMANE WAS, IS, AND FOREVER WILL BE A VICTIM.

Ok?

Everyone understand that?

Ok, good.

Now.

With that in mind.

I REALLY don't think Amane should have been voted "innocent" the second time around.

Listen.

I tried so hard to be on the inno side. And I held out hope, right?

Surely it's the right thing to do, she IS a kid afterall.

And she is!

And in all other circumstances, I think voting her innocent would be the right thing to do.

But here's the thing.

I think we fumbled the whole "What is the prisoner gonna take from this?" Aspect of Amane's trail.

I think we were so blinded by the abuse she's shown to suffer that we didn't really... THINK about what's actually going on in her head.

That sounds whack as fuck BUT LISTEN, RIGHT

HEAR ME THE FUCK OUT.

Since she was voted guilty the first time, the result was that cracks formed in her world view, and it began to shatter her mental health.

When she next spoke to us...

Amane was not presenting herself as just herself.

But rather as herself AND her religion.

SHE TELLS US THIS, EXPLICITLY

Even if it wasn't a case of "this is Amane and her alter" like Es said. Even if it's not REALLY her religion speaking to us.

She's speaking on BEHALF of the religion.

Do you understand what I'm saying here?

By voting Amane innocent, we didn't just deem HER innocent

We deemed her religion innocent.

And yes, the state she was in at the time was absolutely awful. But, as it stands. It was progress.

This voice drama wasn't a defense of her. It was a defense of her religion.

She was shaken, because who wouldn't be shaken after having their world view challenged?

And instead of being firm. Instead of saying "Your religion is flawed. You were abused."

We backpedaled because we felt bad for her.

And I went along with it because of the pressure on all sides... But now that we're seeing the results, I definitely don't think this was a good decision.

She's not taking her innocent verdict as

"I'm innocent because I'm a victim of abuse and my actions are justified"

She took her innocent verdict as.

"I'm innocent because my religion is correct, therefore my actions are justified"

HELL.

SHE EVEN SAYS THAT SHE'S GOING TO GO ON TO CONTINUE PRACTICING HER RELIGION IN THE START OF HER TRAIL 2 MUSIC VIDEO

She wasn't a depressed husk because we told her "You shouldn't have defended yourself. Your abuse was justified." She ALREADY thought her abuse was justified.

She was like that because we told her "Your world view is wrong. This religion isn't what you think it is. It's not sunshine and rainbows. This is abuse."

She was like that because we put cracks in her world view

Don't believe me?

Compare and contrast her music videos themselves.

Notice how the first is cutesy, sunshine, rainbows, the works?

Now look at the second one.

She's on the defense. And the cracks are starting to form.

Compared to the first video, where her "punishments" are shown in cute little montages, in the second video, we get raw, unfiltered glimpses into what she endured.

She was starting to see what her religion truly was.

And here's where I think we failed as voters.

We were so caught up in "She's a child! She's a victim! She didn't do anything wrong!"

That we COMPLETELY overlooked what was being judged in Amane's eyes.

We were so shell shocked as viewers, and we felt so sorry for her, the person, the child, we didn't see that in her eyes we were judging her faith.

Essentially.

We were SO blinded by our own morality...

That we ended up telling Amane that the cult that abused her was innocent, and that the abuse she suffered was justified.

We didn't tell her what she needed to be told

WE know she's a child. WE know she suffered abuse.

SHE didn't.

She needed to be told as much through a guilty verdict.

Basically

Our INTENDED message wasn't the RECIEVED message.

We did a complete 180°

I think, if we wanted to go the whole "she's innocent cause she's just a kid" route, we shouldve voted her innocent from the beginning, then kept going with the innocent verdict.

But it was too late for that, she was voted guilty, and our backpedaling did some real damage.

When she was voted guilty, she started to have cracks in her world view. She started to have doubts the religion was wrong. But then we backpedaled and told her it was right.

And instead of sticking with the "your religion is wrong" we turned it around.

While what we were SAYING is "you're not wrong for killing your abuser" what SHE HEARD was "Your religion is not wrong, the rule breakers needed to be punished"

SHE EVEN SAYS AS MUCH HERSELF

"I am thankful for the fact that you have forgiven me. For I was able to follow through with my faith due to such. And at the same time, I have also realized my mistakes."

So by voting her innocent, because in her mind we were judging her cult and not her. We accidentally told her that her abusers were right.

Does that make any sense?

Obviously in a traditional sense Amane is innocent.

But BY NO MEANS is this a traditional case!!!

The suspect on trial wasn't Amane but her religion.

We failed to see that.

And

We.

Fucking.

FUMBLED.

And because we told her that, blinded by her brainwashing, she's a victim, yes, but now she's a victim who's perpetuating the cycle of abuse.

And don't you DARE tell me she's not perpetuating the cycle.

People got hurt.

Shidou is obvious, but let's talk about Fuuta.

Obviously, Fuuta isn't dumb for falling victim to the cult and seeking comfort in religion after all he's been through.

But I think it's a bit stupid to say that he hasn't been brainwashed as well.

And I think it's REALLY stupid to say Amane is just... y'know okay for doing this?

She indicates in her new lines that her religion won't be flawed, because there won't be any who break the rules (or oppose her)

"I was mistaken. The religion I believed in was incomplete. That's why there were people who broke the rules. Those who opposed it. Milgram cannot be depended on either. In that case, I could just make it! My own original! Ahahahaha..! Hahahaha!”

If someone breaks the rules, she is most likely going to punish them like she was punished for breaking the rules. If someone opposes her religion, they'll die.

And thanks to us, she thinks that's okay

So in conclusion.

Y'ALL WE MISSED THE WHOLE ASS POINT OF AMANE'S TRAIL, AND NOW WE'RE PAYING THE FUCKING PRICE.

So yeah

She should've been voted guilty for her own sake.

Idk I feel like I'm gonna get flamed.

BUT FUCK IT

WE BALL.

[docholligay]

sounds like you successfully argued to have migrants put in PRISON instead of the equivalent of a hurricane/emergency evac center :/

So i had a whole, really cutting takedown of this statement, and, in general, the smattering of bad faith engagement I've had with a post that went far beyond my usual reach so wasn't written with as many protections against folks looking for a crack in the wall.

But being mean to someone, who, in any case only believes what they are saying so far as they can be anonymous while doing it, isn't helpful. It doesn't inform you any better, it doesn't inform anyone of how to go about this stuff, it just makes feel good that I, what? Made someone on tumblr look silly? Everyone claps? Jesus Christ what a waste of life.

So, let me tell you what actually was successfully argued. What was argued was that the one place in the state that had been offered up by the politicians was rejected by its people. There may be one someday, but not here and not today.

The prison that guy mentioned? (It was not me, but you'd be forgiven for thinking it--this went around with an INSANELY, fox newsbite level, bad faith crop that made me immediately regret not editing better) It's not owned by the state. I went and looked it up later. It's owned by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Supposedly they are running it for their own use. It's gonna be a lot harder to get them to use that.

What we successfully argued, is delaying the implementation of anything. Delaying is a huge part of resistance. Every headache you give people, every hour you cost them, is a win. We cannot afford to wait for utopia, and perfection, and a savior. Some of our greatest weapons in life are delaying, and feigned incompetence, and picking at threads. Especially if you live in a red area, sometimes you gotta go, "Oh sure, yeah, but you know, not THERE, and...no, not there either, cause of X, and, man, Y is almost a perfect place but I just can't sign off on it because..." you see what I'm saying? Oskar Schindler was arguing he needed Jewish children to polish the insides of gun barrels.

The other thing that was argued, is when the commissioner said, 'We'll bend over backward to accommodate your orders," we said, "No we won't." And that goes much further than any site. It sends a small message, that, even in a red part of a red state, not everyone is falling into line. This is why action matters.

I'm not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, and my work in political arenas is not either. But, I have been doing stuff in political arenas since Obama, and, I have always worked here, in this very complicated place. I am an extremely pragmatic worker. I do what works. I don't care much about the appearance of goodness. Sometimes delaying a project is what it takes. Sometimes, in life, you lose anyway. But that doesn't make the delaying worthless. I have lost a lot of fights, and I am going to be set up to lose a lot more. But, today? An offer had to be withdrawn. And that's something.

I hope you come back, and reread both the post and this response, and, even if you disagree with me, have a different perspective on how political action can be approached. More than that, I want it to give you hope that even small, imperfect actions matter. The perfect is the enemy of the good. And the good is the enemy of the literally accomplished.

[dellamortethelesser]

The Wigmaker Job

Notes and Thoughts - Part 5

pt1 | pt2 | pt3 | pt4 | pt5 | pt6 | pt7

DISCLAIMER: These posts I'm doing are my own analyses and are done with the intentional eye to examine the relationship between Lucanis and Illario. I try to source all my assertions from what the text is giving me. This is not Lucanis critical nor should it be taken as such.

"bad timing, mia cara" ← why did he say that. i mean i get the whole bad timing thing but why the pet name. oh Illario…. anyways. i did pick up in the middle of the scene because we have a lot of ground to cover. Lucanis is the one who takes note of the really bad state poor Effe is in

She doesn't know her own age, severely underweight, her hair has been ripped out—bad just bad. Lucanis is the one who tells her to go on her way, seething with rage all the while.

Illario protests, saying that she's seen their faces and thus the contract is compromised. Lucanis bets of her bluffing for them, and she asks if he's a Crow. Lucanis admits this… Illario chides him for doing so. They let Effe go on her way.

"Never known you to have a soft heart," Illario murmured. Lucanis's right cheek muscle twitched. "She won't talk." "This isn't Antiva. We're not heroes here." "We're not heroes anywere, cousin."

Before I jump into the next bit, I want to talk about this! I worry that people falsely attribute the 'we're not heroes anywhere' quote to Illario, but it is LUCANIS who says that! Illario is the one who seems to imply that they may already have a sort of patriotic reputation in Antiva—a reputation that is the one Teia builds on in Veilguard!

Lucanis is the one who points out that the work they do isn't heroic. It's mercenary and fueled by coin. I still think it's interesting that he's the one who says that because he's still at odds with what an assassin should be concerned about. Illario says that he hasn't known Lucanis to have a soft heart—he let a witness walk free.

Illario rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean. The Venatori already have your name. If they learn your face—" "I'll grow a beard," Lucanis smirked. "They'll never see me coming." Illario's frustration deflated. He grinned reluctantly. "That cavalier attitude's going to get you killed." "It's served me well so far."

I'll grow a beard… the infamous Veilguard beard reference <3 really charming to me that they did pick it up from the book lol

I had thoroughly underlined the 'grinned reluctantly' part of this passage. I don't think Illario's frustration is genuinely fading, more so he's putting it aside to focus on the job and the situation. The fact he points out that Lucanis's cavalierness is going to get him killed…

I think it's a link to the conversation at the end of the short story. Lucanis does not care about the right things—he cares about people, and slaves, and justice, but those aren't things an assassin needs to care about. He needs to care about the risk and where he stands with the Crows, and he needs to start CARING about how Caterina is pitting them against each other. But Lucanis ignores all of that.

Anyways. We move to the next scene, where Lucanis and Illario are on their way into the room with the slaves.

Lucanis went first, showing Illario where to place his feet.

Remember that line for later. We're going to come back to it with The Wake analysis.

The slaves are in fucking horrid condition. I'm not going to be recounting it here because it's a bit graphic but you can read along in your own books <3

Lucanis stumbled back, his mouth dry. Something inside snapped. 'Death's too good for this bastard'. Illario touched his arm. Only then did Lucanis realize how quickly he was breathing. He closed his eyes. 'Remember your training', he told himself, and suddenly, he could hear the tapping of his grandmother's cane, the hard elegance of her voice. 'There is no place for emotion in killing. It's sloppy. File it down. Make it useful.'

Pausing here so we can pick apart at this passage for a second. We start with Lucanis reeling back in anger at the horror of what he is seeing. He's incensed on behalf of the people that Ambrose is harming. What surprises me here is how vastly different his reaction is to Illario's.

Illario, ostensibly, seems level and unfazed, or at least he is masking it better than Lucanis. To the point where Illario puts a hand on him to bring him back to center! I also love the insight that we get into Caterina here… she tells the boys there's no place for emotion in killing.

But also to file it down and make it useful? I don't think she's saying they need to be emotionless but rather that they need to control their emotions, stay aware of themselves. We don't have the insight into Illario but I don't think that Lucanis is NOT doing that. I'd argue everything he does from this point on is emotionally led.

That doesn't mean I think every decision he makes in this story is a good one—morally, yes, but pragmatically? No. I'm getting ahead of myself, though, there's the next part of this passage I want to peek at.

'Make it useful', he repeated to himself. With slow, controlled breaths, Lucanis flushed the rage pumping through his veins until he could think clearly. Ambrose would die—that was certain—but he couldn't walk away from these people.

My above points stand.

"What are you doing?" Illario whispered. "Breaking their shackles." Illario stared. "That's not the job." "Fuck the job."

Notes I scribbled around this specific part of the passage incoming:

'Once again, Lucanis is pushing past the terms of the contract without consulting Illario.' 'Is Illario following or being dragged?' and 'He's risking the contract to do this, but he's the favorite. Does Illario even have room to say no?'

"That's not the job" & "Fuck the job" respectively are almost the thesis of the story in and of itself—Illario wants a plan, a solid follow-through, whereas Lucanis is taking twists and turns until it's not about killing on a contract but freeing slaves and killing for vengeance. It's really an interesting dynamic from this point out because it widens a gulf between them.

Red lyrium note later in this passage which really does not come up in Veilguard like it did in previous installments of the game.

Sensing thinness in the Veil again—really would have liked to have gotten more details in Veilguard about Lucanis's abilities but Spite took precedence. Which is… fine, but it means we do see a disparity between this book and the game release.

Lucanis grabs Illario's wrist and hits the pressure point at the base of it to get Illario to drop his dagger. Insane move—I see why Lucanis was doing this (he had a different plan to handle the kill, re: the Fade orb in the room) but I would be so pissed if I was Illario lmfao. He let Ambrose get away! Their contract!

Illario wrenches his arm free. "Have you lost your mind? We had him!" "He doesn't deserve a quick death."

Objectively shouldn't matter what he 'deserves'. They're assassins and they are paid to kill. Illario knows this, Lucanis has been set up and shown to be more emotional and sympathetic to the point of interference.

"Did you forget the mess you left upstairs? What do you think will happen when Ambrose finds his bodyguards slaughtered?" "Hopefully he panics. I want him scared." "He'll flee," Illario asserted. "And this contract will be forfeit. Your life will be forfeit."

Two things I want to note here: One, that Lucanis is confident he can still kill Ambrose even with the situation shifting the way it has, and two—Illario's concern for Lucanis. If Crows fail a contract, as has been stated and confirmed consistently, they are eliminated as operatives for the House of Crows.

Interesting that the focus is on Lucanis's life—was anyone else aware that Illario was also on this contract? Or because it is Lucanis who accepted it, it is only his life on the line, regardless of assistance from other Crows? Fascinating to consider.

"Don't worry, cousin. He'll die. But in the right way."

Literally should not be Lucanis's place to determine this. They had a shot and they didn't take it—he wants the perfect vengeance, Illario wants the job done.

Illario threw his hands up. "Death is death! There's still time to chase Ambrose down. But we need to leave. Now. Magic isn't my forte, but even I know red lyrium is bad news. It infects people's minds. Lucanis!" Illario pressed. "We can't help these people." "No, but we can give them vengeance."

Once again I wish red lyrium was as important in Veilguard as it used to be <3 I know they explained it to us in the lore reveals we got but also that shit fucked people up so bad for so long and we saw… none of that lol. I would've even been down to see an Illario corrupted by red lyrium more than venatori in his villain arc who said that

I love that Illario talks with his hands btw go off pookie

I've made previous points about the vengeance talk with Lucanis and I'll say it again: he is a fucking assassin. He is getting lost in the inhumanity of the situation. They are not paid to care, to get vengeance, to do all of these extra steps that he wants to take. Illario, in this moment, is the only one focused on the job.

"What are you doing?" Illario called out. Lucanis took the dagger from his mouth and positioned it over the artifact. "You'll see." Illario groaned. "I really wish people would stop saying that."

By "people", he means Lucanis.

and end scene.

Quotes are either paraphrased or taken directly from The Wigmaker Job, written by Courtney Woods.

[mcflymemes]

AS SAID BY LACE HARDING - PARTY BANTER *  assorted banter from dragon age: the veilguard

don't just stand there!

what does it mean?

oh, that's just a me thing.

you didn't even list ten people!

our paths didn't cross much.

never would've guessed what he was planning.

that's a tricky question.

honestly, i don't know. i think about it, too.

it was a good question.

you can't kill someone for something they might do.

next time you need help moving furniture around your room, let me know.

i was going to come check, but then the noises stopped.

raw strength's important, but so is technique.

want me to show you?

did my tips help?

thank you for that new nightmare.

i don't know anymore.

i don't think an indifferent god is better than an evil one.

maybe things would have been better if they hadn't fought.

we don't know that.

i'm here now, and you're here now, and the best thing we can do is learn from the past.

i'm not arguing with that.

you're not one of them.

be kind to yourself.

romance looks good on you.

i was just trying to be nice!

what kind of questions, exactly?

are you waggling your eyebrows at me?

it's definitely... something.

yeah. we're together.

what exactly was in the basket?

don't worry about it. you weren't prying.

that's so sweet.

would you like some tea?

she just pops up whenever things get weird.

we'll probably never know why.

you've got a lot of trophies.

i wish there was something else we could do for them.

i still don't know why this happened.

what's that like?

i try to ignore it, but something's out there.

i don't know what happened.

how long did it take you to get used to it?

i don't drink. but thank you.

sometimes i get unpleasant thoughts or feelings, and i come out here.

i can't resist that face!

i'm surprised some of us still wear pants.

it's actually easy. maybe too easy?

i can totally see it.

i thought you'd be used to gruesome.

does magic ever make you feel... itchy?

it's... complicated.

do you really think so?

if you liked someone, what would you do? to show you liked them, i mean.

you've been... kinda preoccupied.

it was terrifying the first time it happened.

how did you become such a good cook, anyway?

that's why we don't work there anymore.

i only need one.

i'm afraid of what you are.

it's not personal.

do you ever wake up angry at someone for something they did in a dream?

you mentioned you don't sleep?

i know that face.

i was looking for you, actually.

i was just exaggerating.

you're watching me.

i dreamed about strawberry tarts last night.

do dreams actually mean anything?

what do you think this room was used for before?

this is a weird question, but do you think i could sit on your shoulders in battle one day?

there are people like you everywhere.

isn't that cheating?

whatever it is, it's not stupid. you can tell me.

are you all right? you're limping.

[ephemeralinstance]

Lavellan in Veilguard

The scenes with the Solas-romancing Lavellan in Veilguard are, for me, one of the writing highlights of the game. Of course there are limitations with her being an NPC, but I think that subject to the constraints of the structure of the game, the writer did a really great job of a very difficult piece of writing - creating a depiction of the character that fits with thousands of different versions of Lavellan.

First of all, Lavellan's dialogue is elegant and lyrical, matching the cadence in which Solas speaks and thus showing how in-tune they are even after all these years. One thing I loved about Inquisition was that the language was often really beautiful, so I enjoyed seeing that kind of poetic language return here, and I think the writer understood and captured the heart of what a lot of people loved about the Solas romance - the poetry and beauty of it.

In addition, we get a range of different emotions. Lavellan expresses sadness ('He meant that much'), passion ('You've felt the power of that mind'), anger ('He left me to clean up his mess'), self-doubt ('Am I the prideful one?'). Whatever reaction you personally envision your character as having, you can find it represented in what she says here. I know some people wished Lavellan could have more of an angry confrontation with Solas, but that probably wouldn't have been possible without just allowing us to directly control Lavellan; I think the writer achieved a good compromise by showing us her anger and hurt in this conversation. 

At the same time, she's shown to be mature, self-aware, and reflective. We see her questioning herself, asking 'Am I the prideful one, imagining his broken heart so I'd never have to face my folly?' Lavellan isn't deluded; she's not romanticizing what happened. If she chooses to go with him, it's clear that she isn't naive or being manipulated. She's making this choice in a fully aware, thoughtful manner. And although Lavellan loves Solas deeply, he isn't her first priority. It's important that when Rook asks her if she'd be willing to leave with Solas, she states, 'No. We have to save the world first.' We're shown very clearly that she has a life outside of Solas, and she prioritizes her duty to the people of Thedas: only once her task is done is she able to put herself first, and finally choose her own desires over her duty for once. It's also impressive how clearly she understands Solas, as evident in her speculation that he's left clues because part of him wants to be stopped. I particularly liked the fact that she's shown to have a deeper understanding of him than Rook, as seen in their exchange about 'lies of the heart.' Rook just sees one superficial version of Solas as 'god of lies,' whereas Lavellan understands that although Solas did lie to her, at a deeper level he isn't good at concealing what he really feels. Lavellan absolutely knows and understand Solas' flaws and the 'bad' side of him that Rook has seen, but she also knows a different side of him that no one else has seen. If Lavellan chooses to go with him, it's because she understands him completely: she sees all the good and all the bad in him, and she chooses him anyway.

Finally, sometimes I see people critiquing Lavellan for being passive or not having much going on apart from her connection with Solas. Now first off, this clearly isn't true, since she spends the whole game mustering the armies of the south and sending detailed missives about her military operations - no one in Thedas has more going on than this woman! 

But also, it's important to keep in mind that Lavellan isn't supposed to be a fully-fleshed out character: she's specifically left vague enough so that you can fill in the details with your own Lavellan. For example, we're not told much about what she's been up to in the last ten years, but of course that's not because she's done nothing but pine for Solas: it's simply left unspecified so it can be compatible with different headcanons. Lavellan is specifically written to allow us to fill in the details, and the measure of success is not whether she comes off as a fully-developed character to people who don't have their own Solas-romancing Lavellan (honestly, those people shouldn't even be commenting, this writing isn't for them); the measure of success is whether she works as a stand-in for all of our individual versions of Lavellan. And although of course it's never going to be possible to please everyone, I think the writer did a great job within the limitations of what was possible in the plot.

[goldenlionprince]

In Good Hands

I initially wrote this for @neverenoughmarauders in @sorenphelps The Bodyguard AU because we talked about James' knee injury and the possibility of massages - but I kind of like how it turned out so I post it here too ;)

It's set somewhere in the days after the smut thing I wrote. They have a few days where they fuck like horny bunnies before Peter interrupts their little bubble of bliss xD

So this one is a little bit smutty again. -- tag for @lovelymasks

.

The knee is starting to become a problem. It's not horrible, not yet, James vividly remembers the pain of the not so distant past so it's very endurable compared to when the knee wound was fresh, but still it's uncomfortable.

Maybe the run wasn't that great of an idea. Or running up the stairs.

James refuses to blame it on any other activities. Even if there had been a good few of those.

James stretches out his leg and tries to get a little more comfortable with slight adjustments but Sirius, of course, notices James' discomfort immediately because there is barely anything that slips through his attention. James had really tried in their early days with only medium success.

“Are you okay?” Sirius asks, trailing fingertips along James' spine. “Was the last round a bit too rough for you?”

James can't help but laugh. Of course Sirius' thoughts go there immediately. “Don't worry, Star Boy, you're a pain in my butt but not in that way. It's just my knee being a little stupid.”

“Star Boy?” Sirius chuckles softly. “That's a new one.”

“Can't call you Soldier Boy in bed, can I? Although I have to say you're pretty good at coming to attention.”

“You're a menace,” Sirius says and it comes out a little fond. James would smile like a lovesick idiot but Sirius' words are immediately followed by a bite to where James' neck meets his shoulder and that smile melts into a soft moan instead. “Stay here,” Sirius orders and then he's off the bed and James feels cheated by his distraction techniques.

With a huff, James flops back into the pillows and brushes his messy curls out of his face. They are even more of a disaster than usual.

He doesn't have to wait long for Sirius' return. James is almost tempted to grab his glasses to see Sirius in his full glory again but ultimately decides against them. He won't need them for long anyway and he'll have time for more ogling later.

“Move over a little,” Sirius says and James complies, moving a little more to the middle of the bed to give Sirius some space. Sirius sits down next to him and pops the cap of a bottle that James only notices now.

“What's that?”

“Oil,” Sirius says simply and gets some on his hand before tossing the closed bottle aside. “Give me your leg.”

With a frown, James extends his hurt leg. Sirius takes it between his hands and –

James should have already known that Sirius' fingers can do magic but god, this is a new level. He has no idea if he wants to whimper or moan, curse or beg for more. It's torture and bliss all wrapped into one. White hot pain in some places followed by a tingly sensation that goes straight to James' dick.

He's probably babbling something incoherent, James isn't entirely sure because he's too wrapped up in that sudden assault of too much sensation.

Sirius, the bastard, knows exactly what he's doing. He's chuckling as he squeezes and kneads James through that blissful torture, his fingers slowly moving higher on the inside of James' thigh and James wants them somewhere else, wants them inside of him so bad.

He's not above begging.

“Please,” he pants, head thrown back on his pillow, hands buried in the bedsheets. It should be impossible for someone well above their teenage years to be so ready for another round of sex so soon after they just finished one but gods, James is ready.

He's almost inhaling his tongue when Sirius' oil slick fingers brush along where James wants them the most. He's prepared for more teasing – Sirius loves a good torture – but thankfully he has mercy with James right now. One finger slides in easily, quickly followed by a second, and that turns out to be a whole new torture on it's own since it's good but not nearly enough.

“We should probably keep your leg elevated,” Sirius says and moves closer, pulling his fingers free as he goes and James almost wants to curse him. But then Sirius grabs both of James' legs and throws them over his shoulders and James forgets all about his curses. “Keep the strain from it for a little while. It might help.”

“I'm sure it will.” James nods and grabs the back of Sirius' neck, pulling him closer and into a hungry kiss.

It will do wonders for his knee, James is absolutely sure of it.

[starlightsuffered]

The Wedding Night

Warning - mentions of religion, family trouble, smut, oral (male and female receiving), short refractory period.

The wedding had been a beautiful affair with all our closest friends and family. I had been a bit sad for a small amount of time. My family was extremely religious, and when they'd found out I was dating Timothée they tried to talk me out of it. They were upset he was Jewish, and therefore, didn't believe Jesus was the Messiah. I was a Christian, like my family, but I wasn't an extremist.

When they found out Timothée had proposed, they'd refused to come to the wedding. They had hoped the threat would work, but it didn't. I told them they could do what they wanted, but If they didn't attend the wedding, I would cut off contact with them. I think they probably thought I would break, but I didn't. The wedding was wonderful without them, but there were times when I felt something was missing.

However, I knew my Timmy would do everything in his power to make me forget about them. Currently, he was insisting he carry me all the way from the limo, into the decadent hotel he'd booked for us. We'd leave for our official honeymoon in France in three days, but before that we were staying here, to drink each other in a bit before the long plane ride.

"Timothée, we're going to get looks," I giggled as he continued to try to grab me.

"We're already going to get looks, I'm a famous actor," he smiled.

"Come on, please," he gave me the puppy dog eyes that he knew I couldn't resist.

"Oh alright, you adorable thing," I said, pinching his cheek lightly. He beamed. He'd been smiling hard all day, as had I. I loved him smile.

"Come on Ms. Chalamet," Timothée said, pulling me to him. My heart skipped a beat at the name. I didn't think I'd ever get tired of it.

We were both laughing as he held me in his arms. He walked carefully so he wouldn't trip on my dress. I was right, we did get looks, but to my surprise they were sweet looks of admiration. People could see how genuinely in love the two of us were.

"You are so beautiful," he praised as the elevator closed. He had said it at least twenty times today.

"So are you," I said, caressing his face. Soon he was fumbling with the hotel key.

"Put me down," I laughed as he awkwardly tried to bend to swipe the card.

"Absolutely not," he said stoically. He eventually got it and gave me a triumphant smile.

He walked in the lavish room and my mouth fell open. It was more of an upscale apartment than it was a hotel room.

"Tim, this is gorgeous," I gasped.

"Anything and everything for my girl," he pledged as he laid me carefully on the bed. He hovered over me, just looking into my eyes. He kissed me, long and slow. I sighed into his mouth, treasuring every second of contact.

"Can I undress you?" He asked. I bit my lip and nodded. He got down on the floor and I watched him. He ever so slowly removed my sparkling heels. He kissed the inside of my ankles as he did.

"How was it today?" He asked anxiously.

"Don't you dare think I didn't have a wonderful day Timothée. I missed my parents and siblings a little, but you're worth it."

"I feel so bad," he whispered as he reached up to pull down my stockings. I grabbed his face, forcing him to look in my eyes.

"Stop it. It's their fault, not yours. It isn't very Christ like to act like they are anyway."

"I just want you to have every happiness. Every good thing, it is what you deserve."

"Yes, but Timothée," I said sliding to the floor so I could look him in the face. "I have you, and that's all I need. If I have you I can face monsters, and slay dragons, and move mountains, and stop thinking about asshole family members."

He chuckled and pulled me into his arms. We stayed this way for a while, just breathing each other in.

"You're so brilliant, and brave," he said burying his face into my neck. I grinned.

"And you are so kind and gentle," I responded contentedly.

"I'm going to finish undressing you Mon Amor," he said, and I nodded eagerly. He stood me up, and turned me around so that he could undo the many laces on the back. He hummed the song we'd had our first dance to. Finally, he'd gotten them all undone. He sighed as he pulled the dress down so it pooled at my feet.

I turned around to face him. He bit his lip looking me up and down. He smiled so brightly it almost hurt to look at him. He reached behind me and expertly unhooked my bra. My breasts fell free heavily, and Timothée took a second to run the pad of his finger over my nipple. I captured my own lip between my teeth

Then he was getting on his knees, keeping eye contact with me the whole time. He hooked his fingers in my panties and slowly dragged them down my legs. He looked so beautiful on his knees for me. He stood up, taking my form in, eyes darting everywhere.

"How did I get so damn lucky?" He asked.

"I feel the same about you," I promised. "Now let me go get some of the things I was given at the bachelorette party," I said with a wink, but he stopped me.

"Baby, I'll only be gone a minute," I said squeezing his hand.

"It's not that. I don't want you to go put on lingerie," he said earnestly. I might have accused him of joking if he didn't look so serious.

"Why?"

"You can wear that other times for sure. But I want you wearing my favorite thing for our first time as a married couple," he said.

"And what's that?" I asked cheekily.

He got closer to me, mouth ghosting over my earlobe. "Your gorgeous smile, and nothing else."

I shuddered and pulled him into a heated kiss. His hands were roaming my body, squeezing and massaging my skin. He pulled back and began to press kisses all over my chest. I was breathing hard. Why did this all feel so new, it was like it was our first all over again. I was just as jelly legged and excited.

"I'm going to kiss every inch of you," he promised, motioning for me to lay on the bed, and began kissing down my breasts and stomach. He moved down to my heat.

"I love you," he said, pressing a kiss to my pussy before he dove in. He was lovingly lapping between my folds. His mouth was putting me in heaven. He continued making love to my cunt with his mouth. He had never done it quiet this good before. The sounds were pornographic as he slurped me up into him.

"Baby, I'm so close," I told him, and he moaned into my heat. As he swirled around my clit I felt the cord inside me snap. I was rolling through my orgasm, convulsing from the pure pleasure.

"Ughhhh Timothée," I moaned. "That was so good."

"I would do anything for you Angel," he said, climbing up, his mouth glistening. I tasted myself on his tongue as he kissed me deeply. I could feel myself dripping onto the bed as he bent down to take my nipples in my mouth. He suckled, giving my sensitive buds tingles off pleasure.

"So good baby, so good," I said, grinding against his hard length. "Let me take care of you now," I said eagerly.

I worked his cock up and down in my hand, using his precum to aid me. He bucked up into my hand.

"You want my mouth Timmy?"

"Yes, please, Y/N," he nodded. I leaned down to take him in my mouth. He threw his head back as I sucked him. His cock was long and hard and delicious as I worked my way down. My nose hit his skin and I gagged. He was groaned.

"So good, you're so good to me," he praised. "That mouth is magic baby, I adore you."

I hollowed out my cheeks around him. He was whining, fucking up into my mouth. I heard him panting. As I worked on him, he reached down to massage my clit and I moaned on his dick.

"That's it baby, feel good while you suck me off," he urged, and I wiggled my hips onto his hand. I let my tongue tease his head, and massage the under side of his cock.

"I'm going to cum baby," he warned and I continued my vigorous efforts.

"So close, so close," he whimpered and then he was shooting ropes of hot cum down my throat. I popped off his cock.

"Fuck, y/n, you're good at that," he complimented.

"Please tell me the fun isn't over," I begged, so wet from his fingers.

"Of course not," he grinned. He got off the bed and grabbed his phone, he synced it with whatever Bluetooth was wired in the room. He started a playlist of some of our songs.

"You're a sweetheart," I smiled. He came behind me, hands running down and massaging my breasts as he kissed my shoulders and neck. I could feel he was already hardening again against me and I gasped.

"So soon," I said, reaching behind me to urge him along. He hardened further from my touch.

"It's hard not to have a boner when Mrs. Chalamet is naked in a room with you." he said as he kissed my cheek.

"Call me that again," I begged.

"Mrs. Chalamet," he whispered in my ear before sucking my earlobe into his mouth.

"Mrs. Chalamet," he said again as his fingers went down to massage my clit.

"Mrs. Chalamet," he said for a final time as he slid inside me. I moaned, long and low. He began to thrust, one hand massaging my clit, the other my breast. I pressed back against him and he continued to pound into me.

"I love you," I cried as he hit a particularly sensitive spot inside me.

"I love you so much. I'm going to love you until my last breath, and if there's a world after this one, I'll love you there too. Mon Amor, my wife."

His words were almost enough to make me cry. The mix of pleasure and emotion was making the sensation of him all the much better.

"I can't do this," he stilled inside me.

"What?" I asked.

"I got to be able to see you, I want to see my wife while I'm inside her," he said as he pulled out. I lead him over to the bed, laying down and pulling him on top of me.

He hovered over me, kissing the tip of my nose.

"In my world," I whispered to him, nearly choked with emotion. "The sun rises and sets on you."

"I am your family now y/n," he said in earnest. "and I'll never leave you."

"Never," he said as he sheathed himself back into me. He took my hand, intertwining our fingers as he began to move.

He was filling me perfectly, hitting every spot I needed him to hit. He thrusted into me at a perfect rhythm. I was not being fucked by my husband, I was making love with him.

"I love you, so much," he said.

"I love you," I responded.

"I'm close," he said pressing his forehead against mine.

"Me too," I said shakily. He grunted as he gave one more thrust before he was spilling into me. The feeling of his pulsing member was enough to make me fall over the edge as well. We rode out our orgasms together as we panted each others names.

"I can't believe I get you forever," he said.

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Sometimes I wish that the show expanded on the miraculous lore instead of the love square drama. I mean, of course it's a rom-com at it's core but it's also a magical girl anime. Sailor Moon did a pretty good job juggling the two.

Anyways, I've been trying to make some headcanons that might fit the show given that they've given us crumbs. I would love to hear your thoughts about it.

1. There's a secret society or elite clubs where they're hoarding or possibly hunting for miraculouses. Which is why the guardians haven't been able to retrieve most of them.

2. The Order at Tibet isn't the only one. There's at least one order at every continent to keep an eye on the Miraculous/Kwami.

3. Master Fu just assumed that the kwamis in the Chinese Miracle Box are 'Chinese' but they are a collection of different miraculouses from different miracle boxes. (Maybe he also just named it as the Chinese Miracle Box because of their temple's location.

4. Some people who are akumatized are able to remember some of what they did. And some akumatized people still have bits of their transformation. Just to show that the power of ladybug isn't enough and that creation needs destruction in order to cure the damage during akuma battles.

5. Some of the kwamis are interrelated or that their forms aren't just one. They said that kwamis are born from concepts. And human belief/faith, is another form of concepts. So the kwamis physical form shouldn't be just one.

6. The sentihumans 'human body' cannot be destroyed nor die unless their amok is destroyed (show canon) so even when they die, they'll either reconstruct a new body or resurrect.

7. What do you think of kwamis that are related to sins, virtues, seasons, religion, and the soul? Since they are technically concepts so there should be kwamis of them.

Hope you enjoy this ask tbh. I just saw one of your post and couldn't help but ask you this.

-Rian

These were really fun! I'll give some notes on my three favorites.

Some people who are akumatized are able to remember some of what they did. And some akumatized people still have bits of their transformation. Just to show that the power of ladybug isn't enough and that creation needs destruction in order to cure the damage during akuma battles.

That would be an interesting way to use Destruction! I've always took the stance that Chat Noir should have a sister power that gets used whenever an akuma leaves something that needs cleaning up, but using it to destroy memories of people being used by the villain certainly has potential. I'm normally pretty against the destruction of memories, but it's hard to see a good argument for people being forced to remember something like an akumatization. I think most people would want to forget that or maybe the power would only work if people wanted to forget. Curious if others agree.

Some of the kwamis are interrelated or that their forms aren't just one. They said that kwamis are born from concepts. And human belief/faith, is another form of concepts. So the kwamis physical form shouldn't be just one.

Hard agree. I think the kwamis forms should all be a thing they chose that then inspired human legends. This explains the tie between the kwamis and myths while also justifying the mismatch between the powers and the myths. For example, black cats being bad luck came from Plagg's existence, but is obviously not right because Plagg is Destruction, not Bad Luck. A previous holder just got on the wrong side of the church back in the Middle Ages and now here we are.

The sentihumans 'human body' cannot be destroyed nor die unless their amok is destroyed (show canon) so even when they die, they'll either reconstruct a new body or resurrect.

Hard agree on this one, too. One of the many reasons why I didn't think the sentitheory was real was the fact that Adrien was a squishy normal human as we saw in Riposte:

Adrien: Watch out Ladybug! (He dives at her and they roll out of danger right before Riposte could skewer Ladybug.) Ouch! (Adrien holds his hurt ankle.) Ladybug: Are you hurt? Adrien: I'm fine.

He spends a good chunk of this episode limping around when it should have been used to hint that he can't be hurt because he's not a real human.

What do you think of kwamis that are related to sins, virtues, seasons, religion, and the soul? Since they are technically concepts so there should be kwamis of them.

I personally think that canon went way too abstract on the kwamis. As written in canon, yes, there should be kwamis for all of the things you listed, but that's a little insane in my book. Way too many powers and kwamis to deal with! Because canon isn't about tracking down infinite kwamis, I'd make the concepts way more limited. I'd also have the kwamis be created by Tikki and not just a thing that happens. The tracking-down-kwamis-like-clow-cards route is the only route in which I'd keep canon's current lore.

[things-arent-what-they-seem66]

Sera: What do you mean he's gone?

Lucifer: I mean I looked the whole garden over and Adam isn't there Sera. I don't know where he could be.

Michael worried his lip: You don't think he wondered out by mistake do you?

Sera: That's impossible! He shouldn't be able to leave the garden at all.

But he also just wouldn't disappear into thin air either. This was troubling they only just made Eden and things were already starting to go wrong.

Sera: Regardless we need to find him. If he did somehow get out he won't be safe on the rest of the Earth. Lucifer.

Lucifer: Ma'am?

Sera: Since you were the first to be alerted to this I'll send you out to look for Adam okay? Bring him back safely.

Lucifer: Yes ma'am.

Lucifer went down to Earth outside of the garden. It wasn't finished yet and there wasn't much here. Surely it couldn't be that hard to find Adam.

It was very big though.

-

Adam forgot how hard it was to make a fire with his bare hands but he did it. He even made his own little home and found water and food source.

He was good to go.

Lucifer: Adam?

Adam felt his heart leap in his chest, he fucking found him!?

Adam turned and glared: Go away! Leave me alone!

Lucifer frowned, why was he so upset?

Lucifer: Adam, you have to come back to Eden where it's safe.

Adam: Pfft, right. Why don't we just fast forward to the part where you and Lilith fuck off together and I can stay here being in peace. I want to be alone so LEAVE ME ALONE!! You wanted nothing to do with me the first time around so I'm just making it easy for you traitors!

Lucifer was so confused, what was Adam talking about?

Lucifer: What? No, Adam I'm your friend and Lilith is your wife you need to-

Adam: No. You all might not remember but I DO. And I am NOT doing this again. You want someone to pump her full of kids? Either make a new man or do it yourself since you're gonna fuck her anyway.

Forge my own way

@things-arent-what-they-seem66

Adam blinked as his vision was swarmed with light. The sound of voices, all different but familiar, echoes around him.

?: They're beautiful.

?: They're incredible.

?: They're absolutely perfect. Just the way he wanted them to be.

Adam almost gasped at the last voice, he knew that one. It was Sera!

He tried to call out to her, to say something, anything really. To try and understand what was happening. However, for some reason he could not.

Instead, he focused on trying to adjust his eyes to the light. Took a bit of effort but once the blurriness went away, he began to see properly. What he saw almost took his breath away again.

In front of Adam was his first home.

Eden.

Every single flower, every fruit, everything was exactly how he remembered it.

But...how was this possible?

Sera: Hello.

His answer stood in front of him. There standing in front of him were the figures of angels. One particular figure stood out; it was Sera.

She was giving him a soft smile, a smile that he hadn't seen her give him in a very long time. Adam almost forgot what it looked like.

Sera: Let me be the first to welcome you to life. I am Sera, one of the many children of your creator.

Those words, they were the exact same words that she told him the first time the two ever met.

Sera: Your name shall be Adam, and this garden shall be your home.

This was starting to become freaky.

It only got worse when he saw the woman whom he loathed with every part of his soul.

Lilith.

She appeared to revert back to when she still had no shame. In other words, she was naked, butt naked.

Just like he was.

Sera saw him eyeing Lilith and her smile grew.

Sera: This woman here is your wife, and you are her husband. You two shall tend to the garden and name every single thing that lives here.

Adam felt like she was forgetting something.

Sera: You shall also play the role of mother and father, you two shall be fruitful and multiply.

There it was.

Adam felt like he couldn't breathe. This had to be a dream, it just had to! While scanning everything in sight one face in particular made him freeze.

Lucifer.

The angel who betrayed him.

The angel who doomed mankind.

The angel who helped get him killed.

The angel he once called his best friend.

Those shining blue eyes stared at him with curiosity as he started to tremble. Sera saw and shushed him.

Sera: It is alright Adam, you're alright. I understand that this is all so new and overwhelming, but I promise you will adjust. After all, this is your destiny.

Adam wanted nothing more than to spit at that word.

Sera: Now, we must go, but we shall check on you in a few days. Goodbye first man, goodbye first woman.

In a flash, they were all gone, including the arch-traitor. Leaving only him and Lilith. Adam didn't know what to do, he felt like he was in an ocean, and he was drowning.

He needed air, desperately.

Not thinking twice, he turned and ran away from a now confused Lilith.