#it kind of. shifts the siblings' perceptions of him

[kastalani123]

Trials of Ares: TTC

(Mortal Ares in SoM)

Ares spends the time between SoM and TTC throwing himself into way too much training, trying to compensate for his weak body and newfound limits. Everyone, including those not too fond of him, keeps trying to get him to stop because it just lands him in the infirmary over and over again and they honestly think it's pathetic to see him constantly sporting bandages and bruises (he can't even get ambrosia/nectar-powered super-healing) in an attempt to regain his godly prowess, unattainable by a mortal. He does not comply with doctor's orders, because he has to be able to protect himself and his allies, you know? Or at least be capable of putting up a fight. It doesn't matter how beaten he gets so long as he stands back up until he is physically incapable of moving again.

Annabeth has gotten over her initial inklings of pity and now just feels pissed every time Lee comes to get her because Ares will not stop even though he's about to cause serious permanent damage to himself and she's the only one who can force him to stop without further harming him.

His kids are conflicted. On one hand, they get the need to constantly train and fight, the need to push as far beyond the limits of their bodies as they can manage. On the other... there's a crazed, glazed look in his eyes when blood and sweat pour down his face, as if he's not really seeing what's in front of him, and his battle screams seem tinged with hysteria. It's a little like he's unravelling at the seams, each forgotten memory and unfamiliar softness of his body sending him further and further into a frenzy.

He always seems normal enough when he cheers them on, though. Not any worse with his threats than any of his children. It's odd. They're not sure how to deal with their father, always shaking with rage, seemingly never aiming the brunt of that rage on them.

Anyways.

He goes to Westover Hall because, again, tied to Annabeth. Also, Chiron thinks it's a good idea to get him away from the arena. He doesn't think Ares's young, mortal fingers can handle being split any longer, they need a moment to build up calluses. So, off he goes. Sally worries over him, as moms do. He doesn't know what to do with it, because he wouldn't dare blow up at a mother, but he hardly knows how else to react to concern. He just. Freezes for most of the ride. Annabeth probably told him not to say anything stupid, anyways.

He tries to attack Thorn the moment he realizes he's a monster. He gets in a decent hit, but is quickly tossed aside and breaks a rib or two (and doesn't tell anyone; no revealing weaknesses here!).

His feelings about Annabeth's kidnapping are... odd. Externally he is, obviously, enraged, though seemingly because he lost the fight with Thorn more than anything else. He even laughs a bit, about how no one can boss him around anymore! But he's a bit more jumbled up inside; he's gotten annoyingly attached to the brat, and not being able to piss her off a bit because she's not there grates on him more than he expected.

Artemis's presence is met with mutual insults. Artemis digs at his weakness, probably roughs him up a bit in a small fight, but ultimately pays him little mind; Ares pulls out insults he doesn't particularly mean, just trying to piss her off despite not having his rage-bait-aura because he wants a fight, damn it, he needs to release all his rage despite his body aching, and who better to do it on than a direct connection to their Father? Suffice it to say, the Hunters really don't like him within like. Two minutes.

When Nico realizes that he's the Ares, he bombards him with questions; Ares blows up a bit, essentially telling the kid to back off, then goes to sulk and try and figure out his ribs. Bianca tries to follow him, because his fall really didn't look good, but he blows her off too. Both the Hunters and Percy tell the siblings to try and avoid him because he's not worth the effort. Bianca... decides to take this as a little challenge, later.

Apollo makes fun of Ares, commenting on his appearance and powerlessness and how mortality isn't all that bad, Apollo's gone through this punishment twice before, can Ares really not handle it? He probably also talks about sending Ares on some errands, now that he's mortal and has to listen to him. Thalia's too stressed to care, the Hunters laugh along, Percy feels complicated because it's essentially bullying but also he still doesn't like Ares all that much, and Grover and the di Angelo's feel bad for him because do you really need to beat down a kid who's already bruised and bloodied and fuming enough?

Ares is essentially considered an extension of Annabeth, and therefore brought along on the quest as a sixth at Chiron's request, despite Zoë's hatred of the idea. Maybe there's a mention of him in the prophecy, I'm not sure, but regardless, he's on the quest legitimately because he needs to help his master. On one hand, he despises this, because he hates being told what to do. On the other, it's once again a fight and a chance to regain his divinity. Though, honestly, a major reason for how determined he is about the quest is that his sister got taken and he does not take that well. It only get worse when he gets the same dream Percy did about Artemis holding up the sky because damn it, no one's allowed to touch his family. He has learned that trying to rush the quest doesn't end well for him, but he's definitely on edge, though he won't let anyone know why.

Bianca is very determined to find out, though. She's got that sibling need to dig into others' business, and though she's trying to distance herself from "babysitting" others, it's a bit hard when there's a brooding kid her age around. She decides it's still a form of rebellion, since everyone keeps telling her not to talk to him. She gets snappy at him, because he is uniquely talented at pissing people off, and they're both surprised when she fires back at him. They both like it, though, and start exchanging barbs; Ares likes having someone to fight who doesn't back down or get too annoyed/bored to continue, and Bianca is giddy with glee that she's being mean. Zoë is. Not supportive of this newfound friendship, but Bianca says she's keeping Ares in check and Ares will be damned if he lets go of his newest little sister-kid.

Bianca is kind of the start of Ares's character development. Most others will either refuse to engage with him or make him shut up/walk away before he gets to anything concrete. Bianca, filled with the pent-up rage of a parentified older sister, refuses, because this is something she's choosing to do for herself, in spite of what those around her say; even her joining the Hunt was prompted by others, but this is entirely her own. She drags genuine emotions from Ares's mouth like she's pulling teeth, gets him to admit that he's worried for Artemis, and repays it with her own concerns about Nico. They bond over being the self-designated "protectors" of the family and being determined to be eternally strong. Ares has already signed the gods damned adoption papers.

And then she dies.

Ares. Does not take this well. He decimates Talos with a godly power-up, desperate to find her; the others cannot pull him away until he does, crushed in metal and burned with electricity. He begs her to wake up but, of course, she doesn't, so he curses out Zeus and Thanatos: Zeus because he's the reason Ares is mortal and got attached; Thanatos because she should have gotten to be picked up by him and not his sisters, the Keres, and can Thanatos not repay his debt to Ares for the Sisyphus thing by being the one to take Bianca, at least?

This is the first time Percy sees through Ares's rage. He has no idea what to do with this, because he is a child and grieving Bianca himself; he decides to process Ares being an actual, multi-faceted person later, when they're not on a quest to save Annabeth and Artemis.

(Also! In his encounter with Aphrodite, he's caught off-guard by her expressing what seems to be genuine concern and feeling for Ares, especially when she tells him to pass on her love and that she misses him, along with a dog tag and a Polaroid picture of her with four young men. He does not, initially, caught up in the quest and digesting their conversation. He will backtrack and correct this later)

Grover also finally manages to get through the stench of rage constantly surrounding Ares and finds the softer grief and worry. He tries to take Bianca's spot of trying to get Ares to talk things through, but after his teeth are almost knocked out, he decides Ares needs a bit of space first. It can wait at least until they get back to the safety of Camp. He's not letting up after the quest is done, though, he vows.

Hoover Dam calms him a little, when they start exchanging little facts about it. He complains about Annabeth ranting about it so much that even he absorbed the knowledge, but is actually grateful for the distraction. He's pissed in a jealous way that Zeus answers Thalia's prayer, though. He doubts he'd ever get that much attention from their Father, and it's fine, really. He doesn't care. Why would he care about familial validation? He hasn't had it in millennia, there's nothing to it. He's fine.

He absolutely freaks out about Bessie. He's also baffled Percy isn't smitten on the spot. He almost kills Bessie himself, in fear of anyone else getting to him first, but lets him be taken to Camp instead.

He totally has a panic attack about the lightning that strikes their car. Thalia realizes something is off, but they don't have the time to deal with it at the moment, so she brushes it off.

Percy and Thalia have to physically hold Ares back from attacking Atlas when he sees Artemis holding the sky and Annabeth gagged. Atlas orders Annabeth to command Ares to not attack him; he's not too concerned about Ares attacking him, especially as a mortal, but it's always one less pest to deal with. She complies.

So he goes for the sky.

I know Percabeth's shared grey streaks are iconic, but Ares is the one who takes the sky from Artemis here. She tries to refuse, because he's mortal, he will die, and regardless of his hated status, she does not want to watch him die, in the end. Ares yells at her, that just because he's mortal doesn't mean he can't handle this, he's still the god of war and her older brother whether she likes it or not. Begrudgingly, he adds that they both know he can't currently rival Atlas in power, but she can, with her trickery. She defeated the Aloadae when he couldn't, so she better give him the sky right now and go fight.

She does.

It is like the pain of all the soldiers he has ever led to war has decided to explode across his body.

(And yes, he is still dealing with previous injuries he has not gotten treated. It's very fun for him. He totally develops chronic pain and adjacent ailments throughout the books, if he wasn't sent down to Earth already with them)

He collapses almost the moment Atlas takes the sky back. The demigods have to help him get up and over to Artemis and Zoë, and Artemis has a bit of panic over who to be more worried about, but Ares makes her shift her focus to Zoë because he's fine, really.

He's not dying, at least.

She does turn her attention on him after Zoë's turned into stars, and finally someone realizes he's been injured for a bit. She yells at him about knowing his limits and not hiding his weak spots from allies because they need to know about them so they can cover for them, then does what she can to heal him up a bit before heading to Olympus. This is the first time in the story that she calls him "brother" in a genuine way, though. It takes away from the worried rage that's been keeping him from passing out and he just. Deflates and drops from exhaustion and pain.

He sleeps through the winter solstice meeting. Maybe Zeus keeps him as such, to keep the other Olympians from thinking of him too much; he doesn't want him returned yet, and if Ares shows up in front of everyone right then, the others might argue. So, he sleeps; Apollo probably squirrelled him away to his infirmary or something along those lines.

Once they're back at Camp, Ares finally taking a bit of a break to heal up, Percy passes on the message from Aphrodite, and the dog tag and photo. Ares immediately puts the dog tag chain on and tucks it beneath his shirt; it's the most precious one of his collection, with a curly Harmonia engraved on it, atypical as the format is. The photo, he almost crushes in his grip as he stares at it, before pocketing it with a gruff thank you. After this quest, the TLT trio grows a bit more patience with him, and he ever-so-slowly softens his aggression; there's still a long journey ahead of them, but the trio can now admit some fondness for him, and he stops arguing about everything they say and do.

Ares goes with Percy to talk to Nico but it doesn't change much; honestly, it might make it worse, because, mortal as he is, Ares is a god, he is meant to be powerful enough to protect those around him if he wishes to, so clearly he didn't want to save Bianca. Ares is kind of devastated by Nico running away, because he was hoping he could look after him for Bianca, similar to Percy, but Nico wants absolutely nothing to do with him. He swears he will find him, though, and make up for Bianca's death.

[saintsenara]

This is too hopeful, but is there any chance Regulus was never invested in Voldemort's cause and always had grandiose ideas of taking him down from the inside? That the Voldemort-fangirl cutouts on his bedroom were actually research of patterns of activities?

This is the first thought I had when I read the book as a teenager, and maybe it's a simplistic and immature assessment - but what made sense to me was not the rosy idea that "he was good all along", but how I saw his potential relationship with Sirius.

I imagine Regulus did not have a happy childhood because his best friend was the house elf, and the Black home sounds like a horrible environment, even if you toe the line to do your best to live up to the name's expectations.

I just imagined him as a quieter younger sibling who wanted to prove himself smarter than the boisterous outspoken older sibling by approaching the situation completely differently. Failed dismally, obviously.

But again, I was a teenager, and I read many different meta pieces on Regulus, including some of yours (I think). Just wondering if you think there's space for this interpretation.

this is very cute, anon. the teenage commitment to wanting to see the best in a sad-eyed boy is universal, and i respect it enormously.

but no. it's not what's happening here.

regulus serves two very interesting purposes narratively.

the first is that - across order of the phoenix and half-blood prince - he serves as the narrative parallel to draco malfoy: someone whose interest in the death eaters is inextricable from his perception of his role as a pureblood son from an extremely class-conventional family; someone who wants to be perceived as important in contrast to a rather more impressive family member; someone whose blood-supremacist beliefs are completely sincere and whose support for voldemort is completely genuine, but whose understanding of how voldemort intends to achieve his aims is hopelessly naive; someone who gets in over his head and then panics; and someone whose relationship with voldemort is seen by harry as entirely subordinate.

[he never assumes draco will succeed in his mission, for example. nor that draco will be able to outfox voldemort in any way. why he pities him is because he thinks draco's going to be murdered by the dark lord any minute, but he also views this as - essentially - a skill issue, which wouldn't be a problem for him...]

but in deathly hallows, regulus' narrative purpose shifts. the revelations about his turn against voldemort become the dress rehearsal for the reveal of snape's true loyalties at the end of the book - he's someone who had a damascene conversion when voldemort threatened somebody he cared for, gave his life to bring the dark lord down, and did so in a clandestine way [i.e. by ordering kreacher not to reveal what he'd done] in order to protect the surviving member of the family he loved from voldemort's wrath.

[although the idea that kreacher was his best - or, indeed, only - friend isn't actually stated in the text. regulus is implied to be someone fairly lonely by the narrative - the photograph of him as seeker (the only player who acts alone) follows harry seeing the photograph of sirius and his friends - but all we ever learn about his relationship with kreacher is that it was kind. and, indeed, that it was similar to walburga, narcissa and bellatrix's treatment of him - which hermione says, and kreacher doesn't correct her.]

regulus' second narrative purpose - along with his parents - is to underscore that blood-supremacy is a mainstream political view.

the series dispenses with this in deathly hallows, when voldemort's malevolence becomes much more singular and the conflict narrows to the final confrontation between good and evil, but prior to this book it's clear that the death eaters' political rhetoric is just speaking the quiet part out loud. pretty much everyone thinks that being pureblood is better and there are too many muggleborns knocking about being annoying, they just don't say it.

orion and walburga don't support voldemort because they're uniquely immersed in dark magic. they support him because they're mainstream and conventional and conformist - while sirius, the family's free-thinker, is none of those things and therefore not a voldemort fan. the same thing is being implied by them supporting voldemort as by vernon reading the daily mail - that they're small-minded and conservative, but not radical. vernon would be horrified by a radical right-wing terror group who sought to destroy the status quo he values. orion and walburga pivoted away from voldemort because his violence became similarly radical.

regulus joins the death eaters, then, due to convention. he wants to prove himself - absolutely - but he wants to do so within a social structure he's familiar with and which he and his family value. his doubts about voldemort clearly begin when it becomes apparent to him that voldemort wants to destroy the wizarding social order and build it anew.

and his best parallel here is percy weasley.

percy is - by far - the most conventional of the weasleys. his estrangement from his family in the latter half of the series is meant as a criticism of this conventionality - percy believes what he's told and doesn't think for himself and conforms to the group and so on - and his estrangement from his family is also clearly intended by the text of order of the phoenix to provide more context than the surface-level narrative is able to about sirius and regulus' relationship:

"I'm just s-s-so worried," she said, tears spilling out of her eyes again. "Half the f-f-family's in the Order, it'll b-b-be a miracle if we all come through this... and P- P-Percy's not talking to us... What if something d-d- dreadful happens and we had never m-m-made up?"

percy gets written a lot by the fandom as someone who was a secret resistance fighter during the thicknesse regime. i'm afraid i've always thought this is nonsense - not because i think he was a death eater [i don't!] but because i think his position, as someone who clearly doesn't like to go against the crowd, would be to keep his head down and try to get through the war without rocking the boat.

his decision to fight in the battle of hogwarts is him rejecting his earlier conformity and taking a stand. so is regulus' decision to turn against voldemort. and the implication of the text is that both of these decisions are reasonably abrupt "shit or get off the pot" moments.

and this is why the narrative considers them impressive.

the central theme of the series is choice - and, specifically, the choice between what is right and what is easy. the narrative wouldn't care about snape if he'd always been a double agent, it cares because he had once sincerely believed in voldemort and then chose to do the right thing and reject him.

in the text's eyes, then, regulus' choice to sacrifice himself to defeat voldemort is actually much more impressive if we assume he was a loyal death eater than if we assume he saw through voldemort straight away. and notwithstanding the moral question, i also think it's much more interesting.

[meanbossart]

I am replaying Baldur's Gate and its kinda funny the loviatar'd blessing scene, yeah I get Shadowheart approving, Shar is kinda crazy and all.

But Astarion???? Wasn't you tortured a lot? What in the Paulo Freire, the dream of the opressed is to become the opressor was that?

LOL, I mean it seems pretty clear to me (and kind of imperative to his character) That Astarion enjoys seeing other people in pain and misery, or be set up for it.

He likes when you lie to Arabella's parents that she's alive, not because you're sparing them a harsh truth, but because it will make the news hit harder later. He likes when you tell the Absolute siblings to go and fight the Owlbear to "avenge" their brother because that's a clear death trap. He DOESN'T like if you tell Mayrina that her brothers are dead, because you're doing it to prove to her that the hag is evil rather than to rub the tragedy in her face (so ultimately with good intentions). He likes that you intimate people into doing your will and getting your or his way. His desire to cause harm seems to never have much rhyme or reason, rather just something that he gets entertainment out of.

I'm pretty sure that, regardless of approval, at that point in the story Astarion does Not like you or trust you and he's just delighted to see you do something that is harmful to yourself. I'm sure this is in part due to his past (just deriving pleasure from seeing Others suffer as he did. I'm guessing he got a similar kick whenever the other spawn were punished for something) but I think that's also partially just the person he is.

He's an extremely self-centered guy but as I like to say, he's a nice to the date, mean to the waiter type of person too. I don't think that when he starts to care for your needs that that's him being reformed - he's just extending an exception towards you now because you've become important to him. Not to say his perception of others and ability to feel empathy doesn't shift AT ALL, just not that drastically.

[prettyboykatsuki]

Fang you are literally ruining my life. Being a friendly "older sister" figure in ness's life who inadvertently gets put into the position of "mother" for the two of them...

You're so sweet to Ness, so comfortably teasing and supportive... Something about Ness brings out the older sister in u and so u dote on him and take care of him and kaiser sees it all. Sees how it makes Ness improve, sees how it centers Ness in a way that kaiser can't, sees how it changes him in some imperceptible way that kaiser doesn't understand (that he tells himself he doesn't want to understand).

And because there is no Ness without kaiser, you take him on as well. You have bratty younger siblings too so u treat him as u would them. And it frustrates him more than a little. You don't take the bait. You just give him that knowing look like youve done all of this before, heard all of this before. And you tell him it's okay if he's feeling snappy. Does he want a drink? A snack? A nap?

You're more than happy to take care of him too if he'll let you.

And god help him, he wants to.

And god help him, he does.

It's minor at first. A warm smile and praise so buttery warm that he kind of wants to rip his own skin off, kind of wants to crawl into yours. A soft, almost absentminded pat on the head where he has to fight the urge to bite your hand (and he sees in your eyes that you know this and he sees in your eyes that the forgiveness is already there). A scarf, clumsy and handmade, that he rubs his face into until the smell of you fades.

And, as everything does, his feelings for you start twisting. His perception of you starts to shift just as his behavior does. He's not soft, not docile, but it's enough for you to notice. Enough for you to smile and praise and embrace him with your arms wide open.

He asks Ness point blank what he thinks of you. Blushing and nervous, Ness says that you're a friend. A really good friend. Kind of like a big sister, maybe?

And kaiser corrects him.

No, not like a big sister. More like a mom.

Kaiser hears the way ness' breath catches. Of course he does. There's excitement there. Embarrassment and shame too. That's fine, Kaiser can work with that.

Because Ness is sweet and docile. Ness and his big baby eyes and soft voice brings out the most nurturing warmth from you.

Which is why kaiser knows that this time, when he sends Ness to you with his quietly spoken platitudes and hopeful glances, you'll finally take the bait.

hold on . hold on Hold on hold on Hold on . hold on

[lungthief]

Just discovered your Klema situationship art I'm enthralled

eee thank you :') it means so much to me that people are enjoying it, their dynamic is my absolute favorite to write/draw and i adore them as characters

tbh it was one of those things that began as a joke and then made a lot of sense to me once i started actually thinking about it—like ema and klavier both strike me as the kind of people who are pretty cavalier about physical intimacy but very guarded when it comes to emotional intimacy, so yknow. having a coworkers-with-benefits relationship would come easily as a sort of begrudging “they’re hot and it’s convenient and i don’t have to worry about all the messy emotional stuff because we agreed we don’t want that” thing (and in klavier’s case he doesn’t have to worry abt ulterior motives or whatever bc ema straight up Does Not Give A Shit that he’s famous and dislikes him quite a bit at the beginning) and also like. they both could use some stress relief lbr

anyway i think it’d be really interesting to see these two people—one of whom wears a very flirty, outgoing facade and another who is outwardly very prickly and jaded—slowly realize that they both have a bit of a kindred loneliness about them and actually develop a friendship out of something that was intended to be entirely perfunctory. especially after the events of AJ i mean holy shit talk about bonding over Sibling Issues

for ema specifically i think there’s initially a lot resentment toward klavier in terms of his success (prosecutor at 17/got a famous defense attorney slash friend of hers disbarred/international rockstar) and her own perceived lack thereof (failing to become a forensic scientist) which kind of weirdly drives her to start the whole thing in the first place after klavier repeatedly indicates that he’s attracted to her—like “well he may have done all these impressive things but he still wants me desperately despite how openly inimical i’ve been to him so he’s not above me” which like. first of all girl go to therapy but second of all her perspective then can shift a lot over time when she gets to know him little by little and finds out that he also has a lot of horrific insecurities and considers himself kind of a fuck-up and is crumbling quite a bit under the weight of everything

also it is just like. inherently very funny. like you know they absolutely do not advertise this arrangement literally at all so any time anyone else finds out that they were sleeping together at one point it completely alters that person’s perception of reality

anyway all this to say love them love messy fucked up characters with messy fucked up baggage and intimacy issues sorry for writing a literal dissertation about this. I Care Them

[merriclo]

A Quick Analysis of the Tanizaki Siblings

With the release of chapter 118, it’s been officially confirmed that Naomi and Jun’ichirō are not blood-related, seemingly shifting their entire dynamic. this has, of course, resulted in many different opinions and stances within the fandom, and i wanted to share my own thoughts on it.

this post will briefly go over each of their characters and their relationship with each other. later on, i will be making a video essay going even deeper into it, because,, i genuinely can’t stop thinking about this.

content warning for discussions of incest and sexual assault, harassment, and abuse. please please please don’t read if these topics are too heavy for you. take care of yourself. this is also a repost, as the original post didn’t show up in any tags. you can read the original post, alongside a great addition, here!

in order to fully understand them together, we need to establish who they are apart. so, part one of this will be an analysis on Jun’ichirō’s character, part two of Naomi’s, and part three of their relationship.

Part One — Jun’ichirō Tanizaki

(i’ve already discussed a bit of Jun’ichirō’s character in one of my earlier posts, but i wanted to take the time to further elaborate on a few points i made. i wasn’t able to fit some other points in, though, due simply to them not being very relevant, so if you’re curious, go check that one out too!!)

Jun’ichirō is an incredibly fascinating character for multiple reasons. he thinks of himself as incredibly average. I’d like to call attention to this quote in particular. a fact exemplified by this quote:

“…Tanizaki felt he was mediocre at his job, held mediocre principles, and had a mediocre sense of justice, which made him a mediocre human being. He didn’t have the courage to talk back to or stand up to Dazai. Put simply, he was incredibly passive.”

this is found in A Day at the Detective Agency on page 42, a short story detailing how the Armed Detective Agency decided what Atsushi’s entrance exam would be, told through the third person perspective of Jun’ichirō.

these words, these claims of mediocrity, are his own. he truly believes himself to be an average, unassuming member of the agency. in other parts of the story, he calls himself timid (pg 37) and an ordinary guy (pg 54), and says that his smile always lacks self-confidence (pg26.) his genuine opinion of himself is that he’s nothing special.

despite this, we see time and time again that he is a trusted and valued member of the Agency. in the Cannibalism arc, he was left to face the entirety of the Black Lizard all by himself, and prevailed. Even Hirotsu, a veteran of the Port Mafia and leader of the Black Lizard—a man who spends his days surrounded by the most skilled assassins Yokohama has to offer—said that Jun’ichirō was terrifying, and perfectly suited for assassination. this is only exemplified by the fact that he almost succeeded in killing Mori, thwarted only by Kōyō at the last second.

in A Day at the Detective Agency, it’s said that Kunikida needed the help of the best of the best, meaning Him and Naomi (pg 42.) but Jun’ichirō brushes this off, saying that Kunikida only wanted Naomi’s help, but the siblings had become a kind of package deal, and that’s why he was also recruited to help him.

this boy’s esteem is horrifically low, and he refuses to see his own worth, making every excuse there is just to call himself normal. (this is the reason why i honestly view him in A Day at the Detective Agency as a a bit of an unreliable narrator: his own self-perception leads to many false statements, all primarily centered around himself.)

however, we as the audience know that Jun’ichirō is not at all normal. the moment someone he cares for is put in harms way, a switch flips in his mind and he becomes an incredibly dangerous person who will stop at nothing to try and save them. we see this first in chapter four when Higuchi shoots Naomi.

this is also the mindset that he was in when he battled the Black Lizard and attempted to assassinate Mori in the Cannibalism arc, as well as when he faced off against John Steinbeck and H.P. Lovecraft. most recently, this is shown in chapter 117 when Jun’ichirō threatens to rip an actual God (Ame-no-gozen) limb from limb. (i’d add photos of the panels but i have a very limited amount of pictures that i can add!! sorry (′︿‵｡) )

this willingness to abandon any and all morals should his loved ones be put in harms way is a cornerstone of his entire character. So long as it preserves the lives of the members of the Agency, he will do anything. and that isn’t limited to just killing someone, either. without hesitation, he volunteered himself to be the one traded off to the Port Mafia the moment the possibility of Yosano going there was mentioned.

furthermore, in a Bungo Stray Dogs exhibition, Asagiri claimed that Jun’ichirō is the closest to “evil” out of everybody in the ADA (exhibition translation found here!!) (also, it’s so interesting that the translator put sister in quotations. there really has been hints all along!!) this excerpt discusses the scene where Jun’ichirō faced off against John Steinbeck and H.P. Lovecraft, and tricked an innocent trucker into hitting his enemy using his ability Light Snow, causing a crash that the trucker would not be able to escape from unharmed. he did all of this just to ensure the safety of Naomi.

in summary: Jun’ichirō views himself as an incredibly mediocre, insignificant person, and he will do absolutely anything if it means saving his loved ones.

Part Two — Naomi Tanizaki

(warning this analysis is not the kindest to Naomi. if you don’t wanna read that, stop now!!)

Naomi is based off of the main female lead of the irl Tanizaki’s work Naomi—a story where a man tries to turn 15 year old Naomi into a Westernized woman, but ends up getting manipulated by her instead when she changes the power dynamic between them. (there’s.. many aspects of Naomi that i believe impact BSD, but ahajjdkdka that’s for another post.)

Naomi is introduced as Jun’ichirō’s obsessed sister. she is shown to be all over him, touching him inappropriately in public and singing his praises. she’s clingy, and doesn’t leave his side once.

but, there’s a lot more to her if you look closely.

firstly, she is incredibly intelligent. In A Day at the Detective Agency, she conspired with Dazai to cheat her way into being the hostage and Jun’ichirō being the bomber during Atsushi’s entrance exam.

“Startled, [Jun’ichirō] looked over at Naomi, who gazed back at him teary-eyed.

“I just…”

[Jun’ichirō] could see the hearts pulsating in his sister’s eyes. She covered her slightly crimson cheeks with her long, delicate fingers, then said, “I just wanted…to be your hostage so you could tie me up and threaten me, my dear, sweet brother…”” (pg 51.)

then, in the main series, she nearly caught on to the significance of Haruno’s cat, Mii-chan.

keep in mind, she is not one of the detectives. she doesn’t have an ability, and she hasn’t been trailed by Natsume for years like Fukuzawa and Dazai have. despite all of this, she picked up on this weird correlation before even Haruno, his owner, did. and let’s not forget how surprised both Fukuzawa and Mori were at the reveal of Natsume being Mii-chan.

furthermore, in chapter 23, in which Steinbeck and Lovecraft hunt Haruno and Naomi down, it’s shown that she remembered exactly what Dazai told her in regards to how she should act in an emergency situation.

not only did she execute this advice near-perfectly, but she planned ahead in order to do so. in fact, if it weren’t for Steinbeck’s ability, they would have easily gotten away.

Haruno says that she would bet on Naomi outclassing Jun’ichirō as a detective, and i have to agree with her. in A Day at the Detective Agency, Naomi’s little plan that i mentioned earlier went off without a hitch. granted, it was likely Dazai who laid out all the steps, but she executed it without error and fooled both her brother and Kunikida.

Naomi is also a highly trusted employee, despite only working part-time (A Day at the Detective Agency, pg 25.) she’s very close with Fukuzawa, and i’d go so far as to say that she acts as a kind of personal assistant for him sometimes. in chapter 15, she is the only Agency employee present alongside Fukuzawa for the between the ADA and The Guild, a very high-stakes and confidential meeting. she is also the only person to think of getting Fukuzawa in chapter 10 when the rest of the employees are bickering about whether or not they can save Atsushi.

(manga panels provided by the amazing @shin--soukoku !! i wasn’t able to access the English translations of this chapter, and they came to my rescue. thank you!!! <3 go follow them they’re so cool and smart and correct about everything.)

in summary: Naomi is freakishly intelligent, and she’s not afraid to use her wits to manipulate a situation to her advantage. she’s well-respected in the Agency, and has the connections to influence others.

Part Three — Their Relationship

(in this part, i will be discussing topics like incest and sexual assault, harassment, and abuse. if that is at all too heavy or triggering for you, please stop reading immediately. take care of yourself, and stay safe <3)

alright, first things first, let’s establish something: these two are siblings. i’ve seen many people that they are not, but i have to disagree.

not only do they commonly refer to each other as brother and sister, but it’s also up in the air as to whether or not Naomi is even aware of their lack of blood-relation. furthermore, two siblings not sharing any DNA doesn’t make them not siblings. fostered, adopted, and step-siblings are still siblings, and as such i will continue to view the Tanizaki’s as siblings. they see each other as brother and sister, and so that is what they are. their relationship is incestuous.

it is also not consensual.

it is stately clearly several times that Jun’ichirō does not enjoy what Naomi does to him, especially when they are in public. here are just a few examples, taken from the A Day at the Detective Agency short story:

“To make matters worse, [Naomi] always tried to have some sort of physical contact with her brother, regardless of location or who was around…. [Jun’ichirō] would start acting self-conscious every time, and his eyes would wander, but Naomi even seemed to enjoy her brother’s reactions.” (pg 26)

“Naomi softly traced [Jun’ichirō]’s collarbone with her fingernail…. [Jun’ichirō] turned red and blinked uncomfortably.” (pg 26)

“[Naomi had] also taken that as an opportunity to try to force herself on [Jun’ichirō], but he managed to escape.” pg. 33

to clarify, the first two quotes take place in front of several of the other detectives, and the third when the two are alone. when it’s said that Jun’ichirō’s eyes were wandering, it was later specified that he was looking at anything but her (pg 27.)

throughout the manga, Jun’ichirō also expresses that he’s uncomfortable with her advances in public. however, whenever he tries to stop her, she threatens or embarrasses him. this is an example of that as seen in chapter 4.

Jun’ichirō, for lack of a better term, resigns himself to this. despite the severe discomfort of himself and everyone who bares witness to them, he makes very few moves to stop her.

the reason for this is stated clearly on page 54 of, you guessed it, A Day at the Detective Agency.

“The only thing [Jun’ichirō] really even wished for was his little sister’s happiness.”

he will do anything if it means making her happy.

Naomi and Jun’ichirō relationship is very realistic in the sense that one person leverages the other’s love against them, as is the case in many instances of incestuous sexual abuse. it’s an incredibly common manipulation tactic, and it results in the abuse lasting for extremely long periods of time.

Jun’ichirō’s willingness to do whatever it takes to make Naomi happy is the very thing she uses against him, weaponizing the love they have for each other so that she can do whatever she would like to him.

and i do think that the love they have for each other is real, to a degree. in my opinion, Jun’ichirō does not see her in either a romantic or sexual light, but he does love her. meanwhile, Naomi absolutely views Jun’ichirō in a sexual way.

in addition to this, i think there’s also a kind of limerence going on between both of them. limerence is when someone has an obsessive, unrequited attachment towards somebody, often surfacing as a romantic or sexual fixation on them, or as pedestalizing them.

Jun’ichirō’s seems to surface as the latter, as seen here in chapter 24.

he’s surpassed just placing her on a pedestal, he’s placed her on the same level as the divine, hence his continued willingness to let her assault and harass him time and time again, despite his own displeasure.

(i would like to further emphasize that the fact that Jun’ichirō loves and idolizes her does not make what she does to him okay. what we see within the manga and light novels can be defined as sexual harassment/assault. furthermore, it’s implied several times that they’ve had intercourse. due to Jun’ichirō’s own blatant discomfort, and the reoccurrences of her manipulating and using threats against him, and how it’s said that Naomi forces herself on him and forces him into doing things, i’m not afraid to call it rape. i just wanted to make it extra clear that despite exploring their characters, i am not excusing anything she does. Naomi is an abuser, and Jun’ichirō is her victim.)

the Tanizaki siblings’ relationship can be summed up as this: Jun’ichirō will let Naomi do anything, so long as it makes her happy, and Naomi takes continuous advantage of this facts.

a very common theme in Bungo Stray Dogs is that the cycle of abuse is not without love, and that you can harm someone you love without intending to, and that you can love someone who has harmed you. Dazai cared for Akutagawa, the Headmaster cared for Atsushi, both Kōyō and Akutagawa cared for Kyōka, and Verlaine cared for Chūya. each of these relationships explore different kinds of abuse—mentor-mentee, mother-daughter, father-son, brother-brother—and the love that is often trapped inside of them. it’s one of my favorite things about this entire series.

this is a topic i will dissect much deeper in my video essay (of which’s release date i am still unsure of at the moment,) but i wanted to mention it here at the end here because i think the Tanizaki siblings are a very good representation of this.

that’s all i have to stay about the siblings at the moment. i’m sorry if some points seem under-supported, i had to leave out a lot to bend around tumblr’s image-limit and to keep this shorter than i originally intended. also my bad for any and all spelling or grammar mistakes, i tried to fix everything but i usually miss some stuff!

thank you so so much for reading all of my rambling thoughts about the Tanizaki’s, and i highly encourage you to add on your own thoughts (agreeing or disagreeing, i’m open to all conversations!!) in either the reblogs, the notes, or my askbox!! i only ask that you be respectful about it, as this is just an analysis i did for fun in my own spare time（⌒▽⌒ゞ thank you all so much again for reading, i know this was a bit of a long one <3

[neonravengames]

Info on MCs cousins 🗣️ ?

There are five!

Meyra (Oldest Twin)

Age: 5 years older than MC

Personality: Practical, nurturing, and fiercely protective of her siblings. Meyra often acts as a second mother, taking on responsibilities around the farm with quiet competence. She’s steady and unflinching, though she sometimes feels overshadowed by her younger siblings’ antics.

Strengths: Skilled in herbology and cooking, often blending the two to create healing remedies. She’s particularly talented at managing the household’s needs with limited resources.

Relationship with MC: Respectful and kind, but a little distant due to the difference in their upbringings. She admires MC’s determination but sometimes finds them frustrating.

Derish (Oldest Twin)

Age: 5 years older than MC.

Personality: Outgoing, headstrong, and charming. Derish loves to tease his siblings and is the most adventurous of the family, often sneaking out to explore the woods or nearby villages. Despite his carefree nature, he’s fiercely loyal and will throw himself into any fight to protect his family.

Strengths: Skilled with animals, particularly horses and the farm’s livestock. He has a natural charisma that endears him to everyone in the local community.

Relationship with MC: Playful and a little overprotective, treating MC like a younger sibling. He enjoys challenging MC’s wits and sparring with them verbally.

Nel (Middle Child)

Age: 4 years older than MC.

Personality: Curious, dreamy, and bookish. Nel is the most imaginative of the siblings, often caught daydreaming or sketching in the dirt instead of completing their chores. They have a love for stories and are fascinated by anything related to the fae or magic.

Strengths: Creative and resourceful, with a knack for finding unconventional solutions to problems. Nel is also a quick learner and often helps their father, Fatero, with small repairs.

Relationship with MC: Nel often asks MC questions about their life in the capital, treating them like the star of one of their stories. MC can send them letters after they meet.

Ulma (Second Youngest)

Age: 3 years older than MC.

Personality: Mischievous, loud, and energetic. Ulma is a whirlwind of activity, constantly getting into trouble or dragging her siblings into her wild schemes. Despite her chaos, she has a heart of gold and hates seeing anyone upset.

Strengths: Bold and unafraid of confrontation, Ulma often stands up for her siblings, even against adults. She’s surprisingly good at climbing and has been known to retrieve items no one else can reach.

Relationship with MC: Idolizes MC and tries to emulate their bravery, often to comedic or disastrous effect. She asks endless questions and follows MC around whenever they visit.

Julian (Youngest)

Age: Just a few months older than MC.

Personality: Sweet, shy, and observant. Julian is quieter than his siblings, often content to sit back and watch the chaos unfold. Despite his reserved nature, he has a sharp wit and often surprises his family with his perceptive comments.

Strengths: Artistic and musical, Julian loves singing and has a natural talent for it. He often sings while helping his parents, and his songs lift the family’s spirits.

Relationship with MC: Playful and affectionate, Julian views MC as a peer despite their differences. He loves sharing stories and songs with MC.

Family Dynamics

The siblings are close-knit despite their differences, and their farm life has instilled a strong sense of teamwork and loyalty.

Havera relies heavily on Meyra and Derish to help with the younger siblings, and the family dynamic shifts naturally depending on who is taking charge.

[titsthedamnseason]

the entire ben situation has the potential to be sooo good! his outbursts, him choosing hockey, his pinterest board, etc. if kbr fully lean into that, the cobalt series would be off to a great start. it reminds of when sulli mentions that ryke thinks all cobalts are mischievous, all but beckett, cause beckett is the kind one. and it would make total sense that ben is hides in that "sheep among lions" perception everyone has of him, when in reality he's a lion just like his siblings.

okay wow. this ask inspired me to do some perusing of kbr’s pinterest because it’s been ages since i looked through it and you can see the exact moment they decided to go this way with ben’s story and began shifting his aesthetic. the pictures go from really bright and nature-y with inspiring and uplifting and emotional sayings to all of a sudden really dark both in terms of color and tone. a lot more hockey is there but also more quotes about violence and rage, angry looking photos, and even one of a man leaning over a bottle of hard liquor and an empty bottle looking agonized 😭😭😭

and yes that ryke quote is so true! we can never forget how well the meadows know ben through his friendship with winona (there is even a patreon bonus where ryke fully admits ben is his favorite nephew 💀)

i can’t wait to see him connect with his brothers and find his place in the cobalt family 💙

[infallible-dreamers]

If I could tell the stars about you

11/11 finale

Finally finished... 84 years later. Read it on AO3

Alex walked back through the Pony doors alone. The encounter with Michael still playing in his mind, kept a subtle smile on his face. Michael had the guts to admit what Alex had been feeling for some time. But Michael, between kisses just whispered a tender apology and quiet admission of how he’d been feeling. And Alex knew the years of egos and poor communication couldn’t be solved in an instant, he just wanted to be kissed by the cowboy.

As he grabbed his jacket, he caught Liz’s eyes. She was short but as perceptive as a hawk, abandoning Max she bounded over. “Where are you going?”

“Home.” He replied, it wasn’t a lie. 

“Wait, really?” Liz looked apologetic, before whispering, in front of her oblivious fiance who had caught up, “I can send these guys off.”

Alex simply laughed and put his arms through his jacket sleeve, telling her not to worry. “I think I should probably call it a night.”

She studied his face, and then finally sighed, unable to figure out what exactly had changed in the last quarter hour, “Okay, but I promise next time it’ll just be us.” Alex nodded.

Michael didn’t come back into the pony. Alex expected the other to have followed him back in at some point, at least say goodbye to his siblings.

Alex was surprised to see the cowboy still standing by his Jeep. Michael bit his upper lip trying and failing at hiding the elation he had when he saw Alex approach through the parking lot.

“You waited?”

“Of course, we’d said we’d talk?”

Alex let out an exasperated chuckle, still processing the surreal night. “I thought you might have left…”

“Nah… just couldn’t face Isobel.” He said, “they kind of know how I feel about you now.” He awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck as Alex's lips formed a tight line and he lifted a brow, “She would know what’s up as soon as she saw my face.”

“You told them?”

“Is that okay?”

Alex nodded, “I didn’t think you would.”

Michael took a step forward and slipped his hand into Alex’s jacket onto his back, “Well, I wanted to… We’re not the same kids we were back in highschool…” Michael paused as he continued to stare at Alex for assurance that he might agree, “in the back of a pick up truck… wishing on a shooting star.”  

Alex’s eyes widened as the memory came flooding back, he’d almost forgotten. Lying lazily in the bed of the pickup, trying to spot a meteor amongst the thousands of stars littering the Roswell summer sky. Stars not too different from tonight. Alex couldn’t remember what he wished for at the time, he’d never thought he’d get it. Michael had wished for home, and now felt like he’d found it.

“Feels different now between us.”

“Yeah… it’s better.” Alex grinned, which brought a smile to the cowboy’s face. He reached out for Alex’s face with his free hand and gently caressed his jaw, thumb running along his cheek and coming to rest on his earlobe. Alex melted into the touch, taking a long blink before he placed a soft kiss on Michael’s mouth. He could feel Michael’s fingers slip lower on his back and hold him tighter.  

They parted as Alex offered to drive them to his house to talk. The drive felt quick, and paradoxically just as long and the inevitable doubts started to creep in.

“Do you think you can be happy with someone like me?” 

Alex’s face contorted and concentration shifted from the road a moment to Michael, before softening when their gaze met. There wasn’t any sarcasm or anger, instead restrained hope as Michael continued watching Alex drive.

“Michael. You know what annoyed me most? More than you being a complete tool? How much seeing you made me hopeful…” Alex sighed and seemed embarrassed as he looked pulled to a stop in his driveway, “even when you were pushing me away. I was still drawn to you… like something…” 

“Cosmic…” 

The words were taken out of his mouth and Alex nodded, staring at Michael with affection. He quietly got out and Michael followed him like a satellite. Michael watched curiously as Alex unlocked his front door, the airman’s mind turning over at a rapid rate.

“Mpmhh…” Michael groaned as soft lips crashed onto his, and they fell through the open door. Alex’s arm wrapped over his shoulders to steady himself before he fell backwards, and his tongue slipped into Michael’s open mouth. Michael’s free hand shut the door and returned opened mouth kisses as they stepped further into Alex’s unit, before he stopped, “You sure?” Michael gathered all his self restraint not to just kiss every inch of Alex’s skin, “Not that it wasn’t fucking epic last time, but it kinda ended pretty shit.”

“I think that has more to do with us… than the sex.” Alex admitted, “How about this, Michael, I won’t leave without talking if you don’t?” Michael could feel blood rushing south at the way Alex smirked, biting his lip to hide his amusement that Michael’s hands had already found their way under his shirt. 

“God Alex… you’re going to be the death of me.”

Alex chuckled into another kiss, as he moved them towards the bedroom and both fell onto the bed. There was no urgency as Alex let Michael kiss down his neck, latching on above his collarbone, swirling his tongue at the growing bruise he’d left. Alex could feel his t-shirt getting stretched and pulled away to simply take it off, he urged the cowboy to do the same. Michael peeled off his shirt and kicked off his jeans and climbed up next to him, Alex gently guided Michael’s mouth to find his own again. His hands ran down Michael’s chest, fingers gliding through coarse chest hair before his lips followed, sucking on the areas that made Michael curse out loud. One hand around the base of the shaft, Alex smirked before he flicked the tip with his tongue smearing precum with his lips, making Michael reflexly tighten the grip in his hair. Alex unfazed teases and kisses before he takes it all in. He bobs on the cowboy’s dick looking at one point to meet his eyes right before Michael swears as he reaches his release. 

Then Alex pulls off slowly with a couple more flicks of the tongue and leans away. Attempting to fumble with his own jean button, and felt Michael’s fingers replace his. “I’ve got it.” Michael asks for permission before sliding down his briefs with his jeans. Alex’s quads unilaterally tensed, Michael placed a gentle kiss to the inside of his thigh to relax his knee, before he slipped the jeans all the way down to confirm exactly why he was tense. All he wanted was Alex to be comfortable. Michael lifted a brow as if asking Alex if he, ‘was really going to be comfortable with his prosthetic on?’ Alex rolled his eyes, and this time allowed himself to completely relax.

 “Fine, I'll take it off.”

Michael gives him space to take off the leg, watching carefully, in case he ever gets the chance to do it for Alex. As soon as the extra weight is gone, Alex finds himself pinned back on the mattress as Michael kisses him hard. Michael worked his way down again, down the crease of his abs and took Alex’s semi hard cock in his mouth and Alex didn’t hold anything back this time as he groaned loudly, bucking his hips. Michael moved his head to Alex’s thrusts, getting encouraged by each sound. He reaches his climax with a guttural moan and Michael smiles before popping off and licking his lips staring at Alex, his own dick hard and twitching once again.

“Bottom left drawer,” Alex huffs, coming down from his high, reading Michael’s mind. Leaning over to reach over, Michael is flipped on his back gripping the lube and condoms. 

He chuckles at Alex’s earnest stare, and grabs the airman’s ass, pushing himself up on his elbows to reach for Alex’s kiss. He lubed up his fingers and pressed one finger around the rim before slowly pushing in

Alex groaned and fell into his shoulder, Michael hesitated. “No don’t stop.” Alex murmured as he breathed in Michael’s scent. Michael waited till he felt Alex relax before he moved his finger. He moved it back and forth until Alex was moaning, and then slipped in a second and then a third.

When Alex was finally ready, he moved his way off Michael’s hand and positioned his hole with Michael’s cock. Bracing his hips, he felt Michael shift forwards and he took him in. Alex moved from Michael's shoulder to rest his forehead again Michael’s own, as they both murmured sweet reassurances to each other, and then Michael moved and his hand wrapped around Alex’s own dick and the pleasure takes over and he meets everyone of the cowboys thrusts until he buries himself in the nape of Michael’s neck, muffling his moans as he comes.

Michael kissed him sloppily as he reached his own climax and they fell into each other, reverberating off their highs.

Alex feels Michael kiss the top of his head, but too tired to open his eyes, he lets himself fall asleep in the cowboy’s warm embrace.

—

If last night had been all in his mind, Michael was content just staying asleep. But there was a weight on his arm and he could feel the tickle of hair resting near his neck. He willed his eyes to open to see Alex on his phone typing out a message.

“So. I wasn't lying in a ditch having a fever dream…” Michael with his self-deprecating laugh continued in a content grin as he wiped the sleep from his eyes.

“Hope not.” Alex murmured, putting away his phone down on the side table and turning to meet the cowboy eyes that were staring down at him. “So…” 

“So…” Michael repeated with a smirk, fingertips grazing Alex’s cheek. 

Alex leaned up and quickly placed his lips on Michael before he fell back into his pillow. Michael chased his lips, hands cupping his face. Their kisses grew fervid and soon Michael was leaning over him kissing his way along the lightly stubble jaw. 

“Do you need to get that? It’s been ringing all morning.” Michael hadn’t even heard it over being enthralled by the man beneath him, from Alex’s expression it had been going a while.

“Do I have to?”

Alex smirked and pushed his chest away, forcing him to get up, “I’m not going anywhere.”

Michael whined but sat himself and grabbed his jeans off the floor, fishing his phone out of his pocket to see who had the audacity to steal his moment with Alex away.

“You little liar!!” He immediately winced and even Alex could hear the squeal from his side of the bed. Alex  got up and slipping whatever he could grab on, grabbed his crutch from behind the headboard  and mouthed he’d just be in the kitchen. “You thought I’d miss your truck in the parking lot!!”

“Seriously Is…” Michael watched Alex go, he wasn’t even leaving for good, it was his goddamn house, but he wanted him back in his arms.

“Don’t tell me you got an Uber! I know you don’t have the app.”

 “I didn’t.”

She dropped the faux vexed attitude immediately at Michael’s honesty, he could hear the excitement in her voice, “Was it Alex?”

“Yes.” 

As he let her get all her excitement out in the next minute as he looked around the room, it was the first time he’s actually been able to see it properly. Taking in the little splashes of personality that Alex had made to his bedroom, framed movie posters hung on the wall behind a dresser, wooden figurines and a mix of fiction and non fiction books neatly placed on top. It felt like Alex. Michael had almost forgot he was on the phone when Isobel's voice got even louder knowing full well Michael’s attention was elsewhere.

“See, this is why you should’ve told me sooner. I’m just that good.” Michael rolled his eyes, “Even if was just to pull your own head out of your ass.”

“Hey! We both had things to figure out, it just wasn’t our time then.”

Isobel's voice softened and Michael could imagine the look she was probably giving him, “What about now? Is it your time?

“I think so.” Michael smiled as he said it out loud.

“No seriously, Michael, I’m really happy for you.”

“Ok sure… sure. I’ve got to go now Is, don’t want to keep him waiting.” Michael murmured, before pausing “Also… thanks.”

–

Alex put a couple pieces of toast in the toaster, got a carton of eggs out of the fridge and grabbed a box of cereal, in case Michael wanted that instead. Once he put the kettle on and he leant against the counter for support, scoffing at his own broken mind. He couldn’t place the feeling he’d had since waking up that morning. He had been comfortable and on edge all at the same time. Some of his nerves had come from the very real but negligible chance he had misinterpreted Michael’s words, he wanted to be something in Alex’s life. It felt so different to that first night, falling into Michael’s trailer, yet he was still reluctant to trust his own emotions.

Michael looked disappointed when he sauntered out of the bedroom and into the small kitchen, with a frown he looked Alex up and down, “You got dressed.”

“Yeah...” The airman scrunched his face and put a scoop of instant coffee in the mug, “Not very hygienic to prepare breakfast otherwise.”

“I wouldn’t have minded…”

Alex chuckled and poured the hot water, “I’m sure… Coffee?” The cowboy nodded, and Alex prepared two before handing one to Michael. “Stop me if I’ve got it all wrong,” Alex paused and rubbed the nape of his neck, stalling, “but would you want to go on a proper date sometime?”

Michael's eyes widened as he heard it, before his face broke out into the biggest grin Alex had seen on the man, “Hell yes, Manes.” He’d already closed the distance before Alex even had a chance to exhale and Alex was thankful he let go of his mug over the counter because he staggered back. Michael caught his hip and then his lips. 

As they pulled apart, Michael kept him in an embrace as Alex chuckled into his neck. Alex could finally place it. 

He was happy.

[lichtundschattens]

‘ lee dong-wook, cis man, he/him, 40 / 400 , illyrian ’ ― cauldron save you. it seems IM JAE-SUNG has been teleported to the dusk court, the GENERAL OF THE ARMIES from THE DAWN COURT is said to be PERCEPTIVE and is said to describe themselves with EVERY LITTLE MOVE YOU MAKE BEING COMPLETELY CALCULATED AND PRECISE, AN ICY AND UNWAVERING GAZE CUTTING THROUGH THE WORLD LIKE A BLADE, MASTERING THE ART OF WAR AND DISCIPLINE TO THE POINT OF MUSCLE MEMORY, A RAGE THAT MAY BE CONTAINED BUT NEVER FULLY TAMED BURNING QUIETLY WITHIN THE DEPTHS YOUR SOUL and with all of this in mind their CRITICAL nature always seems to get them into trouble. may the mother hold them as they navigate this unthinkable time.

THE BASICS;

full name: im jae-sung

aliases: jae, jason

age: 40/400

occupation: general of the armies

alliances: the dawn court

species: illyrian

personality (+): perceptive, tactful, resilient, ambitious

personality (-): stubborn, critical, cold, competitive

inspirations: dabi/toya todoroki (my hero academia), levi ackerman (attack on titan)

THE STORY SO FAR; tw: abuse

You are the firstborn, unaware that two more siblings are destined to follow. Born to a proud and severe Illyrian father, and a mother who passively allows his will to dominate, your path was decided long before you had a say in it. From the start, it was expected that you would become a warrior—greater even than your father and all those who came before. As an obedient child craving warmth and affection, you did as you were told, hoping to earn their approval. But the love you longed for never came. The severe beatings that came with your failures were the only memories that ever came to you.

“A prodigy,” they called you. “Near perfection,” they would whisper. But never perfect. “You have so much potential, and yet you waste it with your flaws,” they would say. These words took root in your mind, festering into a deep frustration—a silent rage fueled by the impossibility of ever pleasing your father.

When your younger brother grew, a new kind of resentment bloomed within you. Not enough to wish him harm, but enough to ignite a fierce need to prove yourself better. You were told you would be better, and you believed it. You were determined to never let him surpass you. You pushed him hard, never letting him forget that he would never win the recognition you fought so bitterly for. For a time, you stayed ahead, making sure he knew his place.

But with the arrival of your youngest brother, something shifted. The years pass, and slowly, you begin to realize that the hate you thought you harbored for them wasn’t hate at all. Despite being pitted against them by your father, you felt no true malice toward your siblings. In this realization, you found something greater than your father’s approval—you found your own worth. This moment became the turning point of your life. It was here that you began to carve a path toward recognition, not from others, but from yourself.

You were worth more than the life you had been given—a life steeped in hatred, anger, and violence. As you grew older, you began to rebel, not just in small ways, but in ways that would make your father despise you. You tried to show your brothers the truth you had uncovered, to help them see their own worth beyond his expectations. But they turned a blind eye, unwilling or unable to break free as you had. And then it became clear: if you wanted happiness, you would have to save yourself. You would have to leave everything behind.

On that fateful night, you stood up to your father. For the first time, you raised your hand against him—and for the last. The look in his eyes burned into your memory: disbelief, shock, and betrayal. He called you a failure, wasted potential, a warrior destined to amount to nothing. But you knew he was wrong. That night, you left your family behind, and you never looked back. It remains the least regrettable decision you’ve ever made.

Now, you live with no regrets, free from the life that once sought to bind you.

TL;DR: eldest of his siblings, once pitted against them and lived life full of hatred and anger. eventually realized this was not a way to live and ran away. now living like larry in the dawn court <3

[magicksgameroom]

Magick's Lore Master Post!

Oh hai there. So I'm still building lore, I'm so adhd I made model first, and now well..... now I have to tell my story! I found this super long list of character stuff and I guess this will just be an ever evolving master post as I find the answers to these questions myself! THIS IN IN NO WAY A COMPLETED LIST!! I just wanted a spot to put this, so I can update it as needed!

Character Chart Character’s full name: Magick Stardust Reason or meaning of name: Character’s nickname: Reason for nickname: Pronouns: They/Them and Fae/Faer Birth date: Hard to explain, since time works differently in the fae wild than it does here

Physical appearance Age: Unsure, somewhere around 250 years old, but since time works differently in the fae wilds, I'm not sure How old do they appear: 27 Weight: 165 Height: 5'6" Body build: Slim but curvy Shape of face: Eye color: Purple Glasses or contacts: No Skin tone: Tan Distinguishing marks: Predominant features: Shifting features, common occurances are horns (brown, pink, and orange in color as seen above), wolf/puppy ears (varying in color to fit mood/outfit), tipped ears due to fae heritage, fangs Hair color: Shifts at will, most common colors are a purple/black, lilac and white Type of hair: Predominantly long and straight but can vary Hairstyle: Varied, common occurrences are long and straight, messy ponytail with braids, viking style braids, and a high long ponytail Voice: Overall attractiveness: 10000/10 imo Physical disabilities: None Usual fashion of dress: Cyberpunk/cybergoth Favorite outfit: See above! (Will change picture as outfit changes!) Jewelry or accessories: Varied!!

Personality Good personality traits: Bad personality traits: Mood character is most often in: Sense of humor: Character’s greatest joy in life: Character’s greatest fear: Why? What single event would most throw this character’s life into complete turmoil? Character is most at ease when: Most ill at ease when: Enraged when: Depressed or sad when: Priorities: Life philosophy: If granted one wish, it would be: Why? Character’s soft spot: Is this soft spot obvious to others? Greatest strength: Greatest vulnerability or weakness: Biggest regret: Minor regret: Biggest accomplishment: Minor accomplishment: Past failures he/she would be embarrassed to have people know about: Why? Character’s darkest secret: Does anyone else know?

Goals Drives and motivations: Immediate goals: Long term goals: How the character plans to accomplish these goals: How other characters will be affected:

Past Hometown: Type of childhood: Pets: First memory: Most important childhood memory: Why: Childhood hero: Dream job: Education: Religion: Finances:

Present Current location: Currently living with: Pets: Religion: Occupation: Finances:

Family Mother: Relationship with her: Father: Relationship with him: Siblings: Relationship with them: Spouse: Relationship with him/her: Children: Relationship with them: Other important family members:

Favorites Color: Least favorite color: Music: Magick's theme song is One of a Kind by Neffex (I'll add a whole playlist of music here when I can!) Food: Literature: Form of entertainment: Expressions: Mode of transportation: Most prized possession:

Habits Hobbies: Plays a musical instrument? Plays a sport? How he/she would spend a rainy day: Spending habits: Smokes: Vapes! Drinks: Other drugs: 420 friendly here! What does he/she do too much of? What does he/she do too little of? Extremely skilled at: Extremely unskilled at: Nervous tics: Usual body posture: Mannerisms: Peculiarities:

Traits Optimist or pessimist? Introvert or extrovert? Daredevil or cautious? Logical or emotional? Disorderly and messy or methodical and neat? Prefers working or relaxing? Confident or unsure of himself/herself? Animal lover?

Self-perception How he/she feels about himself/herself: One word the character would use to describe self: One paragraph description of how the character would describe self: What does the character consider his/her best personality trait? What does the character consider his/her worst personality trait? What does the character consider his/her best physical characteristic? What does the character consider his/her worst physical characteristic? How does the character think others perceive him/her: What would the character most like to change about himself/herself:

Relationships with others Opinion of other people in general: Does the character hide his/her true opinions and emotions from others? Person character most hates: Best friend(s): Love interest(s): Person character goes to for advice: Person character feels responsible for or takes care of: Person character feels shy or awkward around: Person character openly admires: Person character secretly admires: Most important person in character’s life before story starts: After story starts:

[kiigan]

ㅤ«At the risk of sounding presumptuous, I believe most people are easy to read - if only one takes the time and patience to search past the superficial layers.»

ㅤWhich indirectly confirmed that, yes, he very much had noticed the slight bump in Senritsu's mood but, at the same time, it also conveyed that he thought of her no less because of it. In a way, it wasn't that she was easy to read, rather that Itachi himself was incredibly perceptive. With everything good and bad that such a skill entailed. And she wasn't much different herself, was she? She also seemed able to catch and understand minute changes, which the Uchiha assumed to be related to some kind of ability he was not yet familiar with. If she'd not belittled him for being caught at such late hour wandering the streets aimlessly like a stray weasel cat, then surely he would offer her the same level of courtesy.

«Nothing to apologize for.»

ㅤLet the topic die there. Sometimes, the only thing we can do with our trauma is to keep it from devouring us whole, by whatever means necessary. Avoidance and repression were nothing to be ashamed of, and he knew it [had forcibly learned it] from extensive self-experience. Also, there was a hearty vegetable soup to look forward to, no need for past tragedies and somber musings. Straightening himself up a little more, ever one to sit in poise and elegance as was to be expected of the heir of one of Konoha's most ancient and noble clans, Itachi caught a strand of rebellious hair behind his ear and then brought his elbow back to the surface of the counter, chin going to rest on that palm. 

ㅤUp until the moment a slight shift in the air caught his attention and his sharingan activated on its own, just in time to predict how Senritsu's hand was about to touch his arm. Which, frankly, he would not have minded. Unprompted touch from strangers was never something he felt comfortable with who knew when was the last time they'd washed their hands, yet this woman so far had been nothing if not kind to him. But that hand stopped midway and dropped like a baby bird flopping off the nest after trying to take flight for the first time, and he respected that choice as well. Spontaneity between them had yet to show bad results, and so his irises once more reverted back to black.

ㅤ«The birth of a sibling,» Itachi repeated, then, his entire demeanor immediately changing when speaking those words and putting a face to them. Like light entering a dark room through a small gap in the ceiling. For what had Sasuke always been, if not the spark that gave meaning to his life? Maybe he could concede defeat in this one part of the argument, without getting too stubborn about it. «I'd never thought of it as a surprise, but you do make a good point.» It made him momentarily wonder, even, what his reaction would be nowadays if their parents were to announce yet another child to come. ...A very awkward thing to think about, somehow. It was so much easier to process for one young enough to not know how babies were made. Pursing his lips, Itachi vehemently pushed any further considerations about Fugaku and Mikoto's intimacy to the very back of his mind, to go hang out with circumstances far more traumatic and far less embarrassing.

ㅤ«I suppose I can also call it a surprise, that I would finish the day bonding with someone over matters as far apart as the shared role of elder sibling and the mutual dislike of fish flavors.»

For a moment, just a moment, Itachis heartmelody changed- became attentive, focused, knowing, like the heartbeat of a cat who had just found a mouse. A limping mouse, caught with taking care of the injury just for a second. Yet the melody was also very gentle- Itachi did not judged her; in fact he had been the mouse before Senritsu figured and felt a spark of worry in her chest. "Mhmmm, am I that easy to read? Really, I thought I was a lot of more misterioso." the woman smiled ruefully up to the other- she could hear that him knowing that there had been something in her mind, that her voice had trailed off just for a second, had made him remember something. She did not knew what, Senritsu was after all not a mindreader although some people felt like she was in fact reading their mind and reacted just as defensive and shamed over her ability, but it did not changed the fact that she could only made assumptions. Beneath her sleeve the scars on her left arm had started to ache, a quiet, soft throbbing like second heartbeat so she did not thoughtfully tapped her fingers against her chin but Senritsu still looked up smiling gently: "Its alright, Itachi-san. No need to sing me that song." Don´t think about that (about the song), she thought. Don´t think about that and burden yourself, Itachi (that song should not be listened to). Don´t think about that and burden yourself, Itachi, that is not yours to carry (its already too much that I had heard the song). "That is nothing you have to know or worry about. I am sorry, you had to notice that. Just forget what you noticed,yes?" there was a long, almost relieved sigh from her lips when a second later Itachi chosed to not comment on her hestiation.

Smiling back Senritsu lifted a hand to get the cooks attention and ordered the vegetable soup for Itachi.

But over the sound of the cook cutting the vegetable,s over the sound of the blubbering soup, over the sound of the tofu beeing grilled before added to the soupbowl, Senritsu heard something else. Something that almost sounded like regret. Automatically the musician reached out for the others arm with a small hand, aiming to lay a hand on his forearm comfortingly. But her hand never reached his arm. But her hand stopped in the middle of the way. But her hand sank down to the wooden counter, tapping a comforting melody against the wood as she would have against his arm. Senritsu did not wanted to make the other uncomfortable, not more than whatever was circling unforgettable in his mind like a neverending echo already made him feel. "What am I hearing?" ,Senritsus voice was very gentle, dancing along the soft act of her fingers against the wood: "Sometimes surprises can be dolce. The birth of a sibling when one is still too young to understand the mechanics? That sure was a surprise for tiny-me, and now I have three younger siblings whom I love very much. Or meeting a stranger with a dolcissimo chuckle in a foreign town. That sure was a surprise, too. And now I am enjoying it and eat soup with him." she smiled reassuringly, winking up to the other playfully. [ @kiigan ]

[0pexigon0]

Bruno x male!reader

Sleeping arrangements with Bruno :]

The relationship between the both of you are married btw

Sleeping positions:

•Usually ranges but the all time favorite position is when both of their legs are tangled with Bruno’s head on his husband’s chest, hands tangled in the rat man’s hair and his placement in between [Name]’s legs

•Both of them will wake up in different positions; one time [Name] woke up on the floor

Sleeping habits:

•[Name] sleeps in his boxers, which isn’t that big a deal to Bruno, unless he also sleeps without a shirt. Sometimes it gets too hot in Bruno’s room….

•At times, [Name] wakes up in a cold sweat for no reason. And I’m not talking about just waking up and sitting there. I’m talking about jolting in the bed, muttering, sweating and all that eventually leads to waking up and almost bursting out of the bed, out of breath and a ringing nerve in his head.

•This scares the absolute shit out of Bruno sometimes. The jolting wakes him up a bit but he’s too unconscious to do anything and doesn’t realize it’s his husband, then just as he’s about to go to sleep he swears he can hear the words “future, past… cabinet, counter… money, jawbreaker and mom” and the words ‘mom’ definitely makes him go wide eyed and glance at the victim of his dreams: [Name]. Then he would wipe the sweat off his wedded’s forehead and neck, gently trying to soothe him into good dreams. If that doesn’t work and [Name] bursts awake, he’ll be there, oh he will be there to comfort the hell out of the other

•Often Bruno has nightmares about being shunned by his family again, considering the all time favorite sleeping position, [Name] is hella perceptive enough to notice. Bruno sweats, which in turn [Name] wipes the sweat off and tries to keep him cool, next, Bruno cries in his sleep so his lovely husband will wipe his tears away and gently try and shake him awake. 9/10 gently waking him up works…

•[Name] has an achy knee, probably from genetics. So he takes meds every morning and night to try and soothe the pain. If those “weird” dreams don’t wake him up in the middle of the night then the knee pains will. Shifting in the bed to the built in bathroom to Bruno’s room will wake the owner of the two rooms up. He’ll squint his eyes to try and adjust the light to at least try and see your figure. Once he sees your build going into the bathroom he will just go right back to sleep like nothing ever happened.

•Bruno is a very light sleeper and the walls of the casita often creak either from the casita moving or setting. This doesn’t necessarily scare Bruno awake as much as just making him shift in bed a bit. There was only one time the house scared him awake and it was the casita trying to wake him up for a reason he can’t even remember.

•If [Name] is having trouble sleeping then he’ll just fidget with Bruno’s hair, how long it takes for him to sleep depends on the many braids and mini hairstyles Bruno wakes up with. His hair is thick and curly so [Name] helps him take out all his hairstyles. Bruno thinks it’s like a quirk to his amor’s habits but the other thinks it’s funny, a little bit…

•Bruno has lived in the walls for ten years, so that means he is used to claustrophobic spaces. So, often times if not enough, he would huddle up against [Name]’s chest, as in cheek pressed against his stomach type way, and hug the living shit out of [Name] to try and simulate that enclosed space feeling again, not because he wants to but because it’s just pure instinct.

•Bruno’s skin can be really dry so [Name] created the perfect lotion for Bruno’s skin type. It also builds more color in his skin because he looked kind of gray compared to his siblings in the movie, most likely from lack of sunlight. He hates the cold feeling of the lotion but the other could give less of a shit: as long as Bruno didn’t look like a dying man…

•Speaking of his lack of sunlight, vitamins. [Name] grabbed all the proper vitamins he could get his hands on, put them all in a large container and tells Bruno to take two every morning first thing. And Bruno doesn’t even know what they do, if [Name] tells him to take it he will take it.

•In my opinion, Bruno wouldn’t be that worried if he woke up in the middle of the night and didn’t find [Name] in his room. It would take a couple hours until Bruno does eventually come down to see the other man playing animals with Antonio, or cooking with Julieta (at 3 in the morning?), or soothing one of the children back to sleep

•A funny little Headcanon I like is when the reader is gifted but their gift is time control seconds back to the past

•Often, Bruno isn’t affected cause of his relation to time control, so both of them are both reluctant to use their gift

•This isn’t even related to the theme of the post I just thought it was a great idea :]

•Last one before I continue with the sleeping headcanons but using too much of [Name]’s gift will get him… “sick”. Not as in a flu sick, as in his nose bleeding, him going pale, lightheaded, not being able to walk properly at all. In reaction to this, Bruno would go into his tower and in that one room, laying [Name] gently there and waiting for the symptoms to resign.

•Anyways, continuing on

•Bruno takes melatonin (a completely safe sleeping medicine :]), and that stuff gets him sleepy as hell, but the dreams he had are weird as hell

•He remembers this dream clear as day; something about Pepa and Julieta force feeding him cactuses and Camilo turning into Abuela and Abuela talking to Maribel about her grades… something like that

•[Name] only took melatonin once. Only once in his life and never again. His dream made him sick to his stomach: never again.

[moonfishcake]

hello! i love your writing - could i ask if you could do yandere headcanons of aether and lumine deciding to teamup and keep a lover between them. how it happens and what happens if you try to leave them is what i'm most curious about.

hello! thank you so much for this ask, it was very interesting to write about the travelers - and i am so sorry it took so long!! i hope you enjoy~

Warnings: Yandere themes, unhealthy relationships

It is already quite impressive that you have managed to capture the fleeting interest of both Lumine and Aether. These siblings are Travelers at heart, those who prefer to relish the moment rather than chain themselves down to a feeling, a person.

But you are an exception. An unresolved mystery, perhaps an answer from this world? Whatever the case, they are your destiny. You must have been the hidden purpose for their travels all along.

After all of the trouble they went through to stabilize Teyvat, in their mind they more than deserve a little reward, a trophy of sorts - and you fit all of the criteria.

It’s not surprising that they’ve both grown fond of you - after all, they’ve been close for as long as they remember, always fighting over the same toys even as children.

Lumine is the one who is more ruthless, ready to draw a sword. She would not hurt Aether, but a fight to decide the winner who gets to claim the foils of the war seems appropriate. After all, if they both keep chasing you like lost puppies, they will just get in each other’s way.

Aether would be the one to suggest an alliance - they have always been stronger together, after all, so would it not make sense to join forces over a common goal?

And thus a scarily efficient yandere duo is born. Power, charm, wit multiplied, enough to rival the Archons themselves.

If you are quick to trust and somewhat susceptible to emotional manipulation, Aether will be the one to approach you. A harmless man with a heart of gold and the disposition of a puppy - he’ll find a way to worm into your heart, either by becoming your confidant or guilt-tripping you, or better yet through both means.

Whatever weighs on your heart, he’ll sort it for you! He’s been running commissions all day, and what kind of friend would he be if he didn’t help you out? Why are you flinching away from his touch? Ah, he knew it. No matter where he goes, to what world he travels to, no matter how many heroic deeds he performs, he will always be an outsider. There is no place for someone like him. He was already too greedy to be in your presence...

It would be difficult not to feel some sympathy or kindness, and even an ounce will only fuel Aether’s obsessive pursuit. It’s not just you that he’s manipulating - as of recent, even your closest friends and family seemed to have grown fond of him, to the point of pressuring you to return his feelings.

He’ll go to any lengths needed to push you into his arms. Lumine is the one who’ll likely work behind the scenes. The scary stalker that chased you down the street, flashing a silver blade at your throat? Perhaps Aether should walk you home from now on, to ensure you’re safe. You wouldn’t want anything like that happening again, correct? After all, next time you might not be as lucky...

Someone trashed your house and carved threats all over your wooden door? Perhaps it would be best if he stayed the night... Of course, it’s nothing suggestive! Just to ensure your safety.

If only you were a little more perceptive, you’d notice how Aether’s face shifts from a superficial concerned frown to deceit filled smirk as he catches something mere meters away from you, shuffling around in the shadows.

And just like that, if you give in to his manipulations, he’ll weave himself into all of your affairs. He’s always there at your lowest moments, caressing your hand and back to help with your sobs. He has the means to make everything right in your world - you just have to say the word. That’s not to say the threats to your life reduce - no, they are ever present, so don’t even think about casting him aside.

He is suffocating - always so close, breathing down your neck every living second, claws deep in every matter that concerns you. Like a parasite who feeds on your fear, who fuels it further to provide itself with sustenance. It clicks in your mind that your misfortunes started raining down the moment he entered your life, and you grow to despise his presence.

It’s Lumine who steps in then, and offers you some respite. In your eyes, she saves you from her brother’s obsessive ways. My brother, he can be annoying sometimes, she says, and you miss the mischievous glint in her eyes, always so clingy, always so whiny - but here, take her hand, she’ll take you on a little adventure. Isn’t it an honour to travel alongside Mondstadt’s fabled hero?

There is no reason for you not to trust her. She is the beckon of beauty and heroism, and just being in her presence is a privilege some would pay for. And perhaps it is not that wrong of you to long for freedom after Aether’s suffocating ways, to long for adventure and a breath of fresh air after living a life that pales in comparison to twins’.

And she is nothing like her brother - she is aloof, barely stealing glances at you, always focused on the task ahead. It’s a breath of fresh air, freedom that you so longed for, and you cannot help but feel grateful for her - unknowingly falling for another trap the siblings set up for you.

Lumine does not lure you in with sweet words and comforting gestures like her brother - instead, she lures you through the beauty of the outside world that would only unravel before a traveller. She knows so many people, all who beam upon her arrival and drag you in for festive dinners. She knows the fields overgrown with your favorite flowers, she knows Liyue’s most influential merchants who can tailor you any garment, any device; she knows all of the heroes and the villains, who unfold before you like a storybook.

But the moment you take her hand, it’s game over. She pulls you into a world of adventure, but that of violence as well, where your survival hinges on her. The time spent with her feels more like a demonstration of power, a demonstration of your weakness rather than the innocent getaway you assumed initially.

She tramples enemies before you mercilessly, and cruelly saves you just seconds before a hilichurl’s spear pierces your chest. She toys with your life as though it’s nothing but a game. After all, how could someone who has travelled so many words understand the petty worries of you, the person who has not stepped outside their home town?

You plead with her to let you go, but her eyes are unfeeling. She has been upset with you ever since you rejected Aether’s (and by extension, her) advances, so you be reminded of your place - which is right by their side.

“Do you understand now? We are strong, twins destined to save Teyvat and bring peace unto these lands. And you, you are weak. Our meeting was written in the stars long before we were born - do you truly believe you have the power and the right to oppose it?”

It doesn’t matter to which one you yield - Aether’s emotional exploitation and manipulation, or Lumine’s threats and harsh words. Even if it takes to kidnap you, they will.

And no one will be there to rescue you. After all, who would oppose Teyvat’s heroes? The Acting Grand Master and Knights of Favonius, who’d kiss the very ground the twins walk on?  The citizens of Liyue, with their unwavering gratitude towards the heroes that saved the city from drowning? Or Inazuma’s clans who themselves enlisted twins’ help to restore their great country?

You are a sacrifice everyone is willing to make for the ‘greater good’. A trophy for all of the twins’ troubles and woes in saving the world they don’t even belong to.

If you decide to leave... Well, if you go for the straightforward way of running away, safe to say you will not make it far. These two have heightened senses from all those years of travelling and battling (and daily commissions), so they’ll probably know when and where you’re trying to run off to. Lumine’s the one who’ll come chasing you, pinning you to the ground with her blade at your throat - betrayal is such an ugly thing, but she is willing to forgive you.

That’s not to say your little escape attempt will not have repercussions. Lumine will be the one administering punishments, wondering aloud if you should be allowed to live now that you’re broken a promise, their trust. Perhaps the stars made a mistake - and they, the omnipresent, new gods of Teyvat, should be the ones to correct such error.

And just when you’re scared to the point of submission and trembling and begging for your life, Aether waltzes in and comforts you, wrapping his arms around you, petting your hair and whispering sweet nothings in your ear. And you have no choice but to cling to him, the only person in the world that shows you kindness, even though you know it’s a ruse, and you know they are both smirking as you sob into his shoulder. This is exactly where they wanted you, after all.

Even if you somehow manage to make it to any nearby town, at this point people know who you are, or rather, who you belong to. No one dares to challenge the twins - not because they are scared of them, but rather, they are scared of what the twins represent. Who could replace them in defending Teyvat? They were sent by the stars after all, and it would be foolish to reject their favour. It’s easier to tie you up in the shed and report your whereabouts, turning the blind eye to your bloodcurdling screams and cries for help.

If you decide to take the pacifistic route, with the reasoning that you cannot possibly escape them, you can try to talk to them - you’re not happy, you want to go home, and if they love you, they surely must let you go? Expect Aether to be the one to sit down and pat your head in the most patronizing manner. Gaslighting and guilt-tripping are second nature to him after all. The conversations with him make you dizzy, because you truly don’t remember anymore if you said those things, if you promised to be by their side no matter what, for the sake of Teyvat  - they both twist your words, twist your feelings, experiences, secrets to their liking. They loom over you like shadows, preying on your self-doubt and fears.

Lumine chimes in with her share of threats - can you sustain yourself in the world as it is now? If you leave, the twins will not lift a finger to protect Teyvat. Are you ready to bear the consequences and see nations collapse, knowing that you could have prevented this were it not for your selfish reasons?

Ultimately, the twins will always be together - and you, you’ll be there with them, for as long as you live.

That is what the stars foretold, after all.

[cafeleningrad]

Alright, going off a theory @mikka-minns and I once tossed around, we speculate that every character is a stand-in for a certain complex of perspective and struggle within Ohtori ➡ their colour representing the complicated matter in a condensed way. The eye colour of characters does reflect the perspective, through what "view" the character sees the world. (By example, Saionji is highly perceptive, seeing the castle at the top of the duel platform for the mirage it is, sees is environment as actually confusing and dissatisfactory, he longs for connection yet he only knows how to go through the motions of performance. Anthy has green eyes, and is equally aware of the sham that is Ohtori but with no way out, she can only go through the empty motions.)

If following the eye colour-corresponds-to-colour-coordinated-perspective-theory, Miki's change of eyecolour could be indicative of him having shifted his perspective from naive, irresponsible blue to the more aware, perceptive yet unable to liberate oneself green. (Gosh I know it sounds pretentious, please bear with me). Why would the colour have shifted though?

What the movie actually is, is not easy to pinpoint down but given indicators of longer hair, Anthy not wearing her glasses, Ohtori falling apart, I would personally theorize that one of the possible movie functions, is a serving as well as a sequel to the main series. If so, Utena has an impact on the student council before. As signaled by riding the Wakaba-car, the student council has broken out somewhat of their princehood mentality even though not entirely - but they're on a good way. Miki has developed as a character in the show. At this point most short interpretation of what goes on between Miki and Kozue is the following: Miki does unconsciously hold a lot of power over Kozue because they do find to find emotional refuge in each other while their family breaks apart. In his mind, Kozue is less a person than an extricable part of Miki's desire to regain the solace of their (fabricated) childhood. Kozue is her own person though. She tries to defy Miki to not act as an appendage of his, and his will over her. Simultaneously she tries shorten the distance by gaining Miki's attention, even if it's negative attention. Miki drags Kozue within the dynamic of prince-princess as limited form of expressing desire for connection. (Hence the incestuous undertones in their relationship. It goes to varying degress for every sibling pair because princehood can't fathom the idea of any kind of genuine connection, even less between different genders.) Kozue is forced to succumb to her role as princess, and only gets increasingly trapped in the logic of needing to be pursued by Miki to gain his affection over the course of the story. But while Miki pushed Kozue into a corner, he himself slowly untagles his trappings. In the beginning he clings on his fabricated nostalgia. Which runs contrary to the promise of Revolution. Revolution is sold as adulthood where children are promised to make sense of all the confusing emotions and dynamics between people. But Miki already has a simple answer to make sense of what dynamics he wishes for. In order to get him dueling Anthy, and especially Touga need to persuade Miki persistently (over two episodes) that actually he totally not only wants, actually needs to duel. (Touga sleeps with Kozue, the person Miki wants actually be close to, Touga's promises of revolution is framed in a borderline erotic seduction scene - whereas Miki agreed with Utena before that it's wrong to duel over Anthy.) In the end, Miki is told that he should want adulthood and revolution but Miki doesn't know what he actually wants out of it. (His nostalgia pursuit already crumbles after his first duel...) His attempts to get to Anthy are still about spending time with her, even less physical than Tsuwabuki attempts to get closer to Nanami. Akio needs to persuade Miki again in the car, Kozue talking about herself as "the price" but with heavy sexual connotation. Miki is not comfortable with it. Miki botches the duel, Kozue is angry with him. She's in the role of princess now, however Miki refused to play along as prince. Even less doe she actually understand his role. In the last encounter with Utena, Miki is actually happy not chasing after anything. In the end: Miki pushed Kozue in a role, and left her in it, while he worked out his misconceptions. He doesn't chase his ideal anymore, hence he doesn't need Kozue as an inextricable part of him anymore.

If Adolescence continues the story, Miki in the movie has realized that clinging to Kozue means clinging to nostalgia which stunts his growth. A Kozue stuck in her understanding an princess needing to be pursued pulls Miki constantly back in a place keeping him trapped at Ohtori. The roles are reversed in the movie. Now Miki sees the world more clearly, Kozue got stunted in her development due to Miki's previous actions.

If the green eyes would ever symbolize a different outlook, the colour change would indicated Miki having understood that he needs to move on from his idealized image, and all attached to it.

It might also mean that he embodies Saionji's ineptitude to know how to achieve his emancipation from the patriarchal mindset. Hence why he only knows how to gain power to triumph over others. However... Kozue being a car is something I interpret as positive over all. (Note, Shiori and Kozue share a a lot of parallels as to why they're stuck as witch/princess but both can turn into cars.) The car-people are people capable to lead others outside Ohtori. Maybe they might not be ready but they've the potential to do so. Utena succeeds in finding a way out. Wakaba can take the student council quiet far even though the drivers aren't ready yet. But they got far. Shiori could eventually get out yet she rather uses her potential to antagonize those who actually want to use their potential to escape. For Kozue it means that she isn't even on the road yet. However she has the potential to one day escape.

Just like any self-respecting Utena fan, I've latched onto a (semi) minor detail that I just can't find a satisfactory explanation for!

(MASSIVE RGU (series and movie) spoilers ahead!)

As someone who has engaged with RGU supplementary material plenty, it often goes out of its way to point out how Miki's eyes are "like crystals" and similar things. You can see it in the game and in the light novels.

The fan translation is accurate in this case.

So after staring at movie screenshots one too many times, I noticed that his eyes aren't blue there... they're green! And he's the only character whose eyes changed like this.

What does this mean? My first thought was to connect it with the characters who most prominently have green eyes in the series - Anthy, Akio and Dios. The characters who have the most power despite also being the most trapped in the system, with Anthy in particular having the power in the movie and being the only one of the three who is alive - if some theories are to be believed, she was the one who created the world the movie takes place in in the first place. However, she's also the person most trapped in it too.

However, their eyes are definitely not the same shade. More on that later.

An interesting part occurs in the movie during the Touga and Shiori scene - we cut to Miki and Kozue in the bath. It seems Miki has grown since the anime - he accepts that there's no going back to their childhood, and tells Kozue she's still precious to him. In response, Kozue threatens him with a razor and calls him a traitor.

And yet, the next time we see them, Kozue has become a car, and he smiles after she passes by, not sparing her a single glance. What happened? Did she become a sacrifice? She isn't seen individually afterwards unlike Shiori or Wakaba, she becomes just another car in the locust crowd. Perhaps more unsettling is the reason he gives to Juri for being a duelist - "I always wish to obtain more power". Juri responds to him by calling it manly.

That fucking smirk haunts me. Anyway.

Pursuit of power - doesn't this ring a bell? Perhaps like a certain student council president? Of course, in the movie, Touga is dead, so perhaps someone else took his place in the narrative... Miki. The unsettling implications of what happened to Kozue seem to add to this. Not quite as sinister as Touga's relationship with Nanami, and there's no reason to see it as similarly complex, but also I don't see what else it could be.

So even though Miki appears to be pursuing power at the cost of even his sister, potentially, he's unable to get there. His eyes are not the same shade as Anthy or Akio, not even close - they're much brighter. He appears to have shed some of his innocence - no longer wishing to go back to that garden - but he traded it to pursue more power. No wonder he isn't ready to leave Ohtori yet.

An English-speaking person may also be tempted to connect this to the common expression of "green-eyed envy", and yet I'm profoundly unsure if this is the case. He's never shown to be envious of the power possessed by anyone (unlike Touga, he can't look up to Akio, who is also very dead), even if he and Juri see the ghost of Dios inspecting the cars.

However, no matter how much he desires power, in the end, he's one of the people helping Utena and Anthy escape. He tells them how to go to the outside world. He promises the student council will join them eventually. Arguably the most good-natured interaction Anthy has with any of them.

His eyes appear to be showing how much he's changed since we saw him in the anime, and in some ways, perhaps not for the best. However, he's not fully trapped in the hell of Ohtori Academy yet - there is hope for him, even if he's strayed into such a dangerous path.

In the end, I think all of them deserve their revolution, even if the road getting there is bumpy.

...Or maybe they thought it would fit him more to have green eyes idk lol-

[skaterboyfriend]

[source]

finally made my stardew valley profile! more info about my farmer under the cut <: (warning ! it is CRAZY long)

🍑 overview 🍑

"and when delilah saw that [samson] had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the philistines [who] brought [her] money in their hand." judges 16:18

"the vixen is inevitably the bad girl. she’s mouthy and defiant in the face of authority—but only to a point. her seeming power and independence [...] is a facade. as soon as anyone stronger leans on her, she collapses—sometimes out of fear, but usually simply because she isn’t strong enough to fight back." [x]

"too fast for freedom / sometimes it all falls down / these chains never leave me / i keep dragging them around" [delilah, florence and the machine]

the biblical delilah is portrayed as a whore and a liar, who betrayed her lover for her own benefit- a stark contrast with her apparent beauty and delicateness. i want to write this farmer as a woman sort of at war between her own hopes and dreams versus what is expected of her- she had a hard childhood and had virtually no support other than herself. part of her knows she must keep to herself and not rely on anyone, but isn't it everyone's dream to finally find a home- a lover to kiss, a friend to share fresh fruit with? she feels she isn't warranted such a future- farmer delilah feels she couldn't possibly be entitled to a life of indulgence with the sins on her back- she bears so much guilt from the way her past treated her and thinks anyone who dares to come close to her might just find themselves without GOD'S STRENGTH- weakened and betrayed. i want to make it pretty obvious that delilah wants to be the best she can be, to be kind and compassionate, but people's perception of her- bearing a name that is associated with deceit, having a past smeared with accusations by joja co and her own mother- makes her fear she will be labeled a traitor, no matter the goodness in her heart.

obviously, this isn't some radical propaganda-type thing where i am trying to be like oh! biblical delilah is a #girlboss! i just wanted an oc bearing my own religious trauma LOL so what better than having a woman with immense guilt for existing named delilah and having a loving and fulfilling relationship with a guy named samson! turn the tides with delilah cutting samson's hair out of love- summer nights together in bed are far too hot; sam hands a pair of scissors to his lover and with a twinkle in her eye, she cleans him up!

♡ name: delilah lalune ♡ age: late-twenties ♡ height: 5'3 ♡ zodiac: ♐ ♡ some traits: determined to the point of being stubborn, wants to be compassionate but worries nothing is ever enough and tends to give more than she has, not quite book-smart but will stay up all night researching to prove someone wrong ♡ likes: summer evenings, the color red, the arts [reading, writing, music...] ♡ dislikes: makeup [except lipstick!], large crowds, people relying on her ♡ family life: late father, estranged mother, no siblings/cousins ♡ social life: no friends, a few summer flings, nothing serious ♡ style: red red red! always wearing red lipstick and red nails - thinks it makes her look prettier than she is. prioritizes comfort over fashion = used to wear blouses and slacks for her office job and now a shirt and overalls for farm work. she used to wear her hair loose back in the city but tends to keep them in braids for the valley.

🌇 background 🌇

miss delilah lalune, born on a thundery friday, had a tough childhood upon her father’s sudden death due to a car accident when she was young. since then, her entire life seemed to take a turn for the worse- her mother became an empty husk of the woman she used to be, shifting her hatred for the world that took away her husband onto her daughter that bore far too much resemblance to the ghost that haunts her at night. ever since, delilah had felt guilty for something she could not understand- and spent her life trying to repent. her mother sent delilah to various boarding schools, convincing herself that she’s doing it for her, all the while it putting strain upon the young girl. her academic career was marked with anger and frustration, at herself and at the world. delilah frequently was involved with various fights with the other children and with the lack of support from the adults around her, she ended up having to grow up a lot faster than what should have been expected, learning to depend on herself and herself alone. upon turning eighteen, she cut her mother off and tried to make her mark on the world, despite the hand she was dealt with. she made many mistakes; with her finances, her career, her lifestyle ... but nonetheless, she worked hard to prop herself up; she chased success, wanting to simply be happy- no matter the means to obtain it. she tried to fill the aching hole within herself with whatever fleeing joy she could: a slice of warmed PEACH cobbler, sitting idly in a small booth alone in an empty dinner, one-night stands with men she could barely remember faces of.

she found herself playing secretary for the top corporate officials in joja co- with belittling remarks and degrading treatment, she persisted, trying to get through each day, although her efforts could only go so far. being secretary to some sleazy businessman made her privy to many inner details- she had quickly realized the rot underneath joja co’s gilded shine- cutting corners, price hiking, shady deals … seeing what joja co truly is- a greed-fueled capitalistic hellscape-, she knew all too intimately the hardships faced by those with less resources and the enticing taste of triumph as a hero- the woman who CUT THE HAIR of her enemy and RENDERED HIM WEAK, the woman who took matters into her own hands and seized her destiny- she longed to take them down, however she could. with dark red lips and nails shining like justice, she gathered all the information she needed one late night in the office- a few drinks, a hand on some white-collar's shirt with a flirty giggle... the next morning, she, all but ready to leak it to some local newspaper, awoke with the news the company had caught on to her before she was able to truly do any true damage. her actions resulted in her being labeled a TRAITOR, a BETRAYAL to such a great and respectable company- she was fired and disposed of. she spent her days working odd jobs, trying to get by as she always had done. she tried to do the right thing and, in the end, she can sleep with her choices at night. that doesn’t make it any easier- it still backfired, now she’s scrubbing bathroom floors and skipping meals to save money. what could possibly save her now?

upon seeing a letter among the pile of overdue bills, delilah had contacted her mother about this man- a last resort she did not want to have to take, having not spoken to her in years. who was this stranger claiming to be the grandfather she never knew she had? her mother, paralyzed with the past coming back to her, told delilah that it must be her grandfather on her late father’s side- he had been a mean old bastard and the entire family had cut him off, however, before her father died, he made amends with him and apparently that turned the old guy’s life around. he apparently settled in a town deep within the valley to the west’s golden coast, fixing up some dingy farm...

she called up the mayor of the small town after going through lots of annoying and tedious government channels and presented the fact she inherited the farm and was wondering what options were left for her. the mayor explained it’s been rotting for a while, with the old farmer’s worsening health causing him to neglect the land, leading it to ruins- basically, it was worthless [much to delilah's dismay- she hoped she could sell the land for this month’s rent]. but perhaps, the mayor slowly trailed in… she herself could move down here, and start fresh? delilah listened to the mayor’s words and hesitated- she stated she’d think about it and bid him a good evening. with her head hazy, she tried to sleep, which never came- instead she was haunted with the screaming of the night traffic, the party music next doors- the stench of the city inescapable. she called up the mayor the next morning saying she just bought a one-way ticket to stardew valley and will meet him next week.

🌾 moving to the valley 🌾

all was not easy upon her move to the valley. once stood in front of the farm, the stench of rotting wood and muck seized her throat. the farm was overrun with saplings and weeds, rocks and logs making traversing through the land difficult. the carpenter, robin, stated she could help fix up the cabin but beyond that, she can’t help much. it took robin’s best persuasive skills to get delilah to agree to have her help with the farm- the new arrival was very hesitant on accepting any help and robin took note of that- making a mental note to keep an eye on the girl, for her sake. delilah was left to her own devices for the first few weeks. she spent a lot of time up in the mountains because for some reason, only there was good internet connection [later, she’d find out it’s because of sebastian!] all to research how to, well, farm! she took some starter parsnip seeds and rusted tools left in the shed behind her late grandfather’s house and got to work!

every day she was up from sunrise to sunset, every night she was dead with exhaustion and collapsed onto the bed to do everything all over again the next day. word made it to the locals that a newcomer is trying to fix up the old farm- some were hopeful that they’d have fresh produce once more rather than the vacuum sealed veggies ™ from joja co, some were hesitant with the idea of a new person in town with potential nefarious intentions, and some were bitter with an urbanite trying to make it in this small town. rumors are nasty and the new farmer became overwhelmed with the amount of whispers behind her back. despite all her work, it seemed to do nothing- she was barely making enough to survive with her bitter parsnips and small cauliflower - pierre only bought her crops out of pity, and even then, at the lowest buy price. delilah thought she was in over her head- all she’s ever known was the city- why the hell did she think she could make it as a fucking farmer? … she almost decided to move back, hot tears of anger running down her cheeks as she watched the sunset from her porch- then a head popped into view, then another! two children with wide eyes and a trembling lip asked what was wrong. delilah quickly wiped her eyes and gave a smile- don’t worry about little old me, hey… where’re your parents? it’s getting late- you should get on home! jas and vincent- the youngest in the valley, talked of how they’ve been sneaking on the farm to help clean up… they always loved playing with the old man- they’d tell stories of how he’d give them an assortment of mixed seeds to plant and how happy vincent was upon eating a blueberry he’s grown himself [apparently it was the sourest berry in the whole valley!] or jas with her first fairy rose grown with her own small hands. the farmer asked more about her grandfather- what kind of man he was? vincent gave a toothless grin- a nice one! like santa claus! a part of her always wondered why she even bought the ticket to the valley- why was she chasing redemption like this: filling the shoes of a farmer who had the love of this entire town- from the mayor to the carpenter to the young children... why did she feel this primal desire to prove herself that she could be good, she could be kind, she could be a hero... and it had clicked- she had been burdened with such intrinsic guilt that everything wrong with the world was her own fault- she was deemed a serpent, a liar, a whore, and with such guilt, she felt so alienated against those with halos that seemed to outshine her. all she ever longed for was to hold hands with a friend, share cut strawberries with a lover, to live indulgently without it feeling like a sin -with delilah bursting into tears, the children exclaim, offering hugs and words of encouragement- don’t cry, look at this flower! this worm! this snail! ewww! she finally smiled when the two plucked a few PEACHES from a small tree her grandfather must’ve cared for the most- the fruit were as big and sweet as the children’s hearts- ruffling up their hair to their giggly exclamations before walking them home. the next morning, delilah got up with the first light of dawn and got to work!

she remained pretty incognito throughout spring- when summer rolled around, with hotter days and shorter nights, the farmer came out of her shell a bit. the farm started to make sense to her - tend the cattle, water the plants, pluck the weeds. she managed her time better and found out once late afternoon came around, she was pretty much free to do whatever! she found herself sitting alone at the saloon often, making idle chat with the doctor besides her. it was getting late and the farmer- a bit tipsy at this point- met eyes with a man with a guitar case upon his back, his wild hair drawing the farmer’s attention- it was fashioned as a very classic mullet, his ears decked in piercings, his eyes bright and smile grand. the man introduced himself, finally happy to do so. he asked about his younger brother, vincent, where the farmer put two and two together. sam thanked delilah for taking care of his little brother- vincent loved to talk about her, weaving tales of his adventures with jas and the farmer- sam himself had stars in his eyes when talking about how cool it must’ve been to hang out with her. then came the realization, the reddened face, the stammering- no, i mean- well, not that it WOULDN’T be cool to hang out with you, but i mean, well i don’t know you and, well not to say i don’t WANT to know you- i do! like badly! woah not that badly- she laughed and invited him to l'espoir [aptly named for her continued hope despite it all]- maybe tomorrow he can come over with vincent and they’ll make PEACH lemonade to beat the heat. sam smiles and accepts.

💫 relationships 💫

it took the farmer a while to get used to the small town and its residents- after all, such camaraderie found throughout the town, such friendliness and warmth- it was all so foreign to her, having grown up very lonely throughout her childhood only to be used repeatedly as a young adult. eventually, she lets her guard down and finds herself frequenting the saloon specifically on friday nights- because why not, i mean it’s the end of the week and a perfect day to celebrate the fruit of her labor throughout it- oh, why yes it’s a bonus sam happens to be there too… sam always managed to slip away from abigail and sebastian who’d at first wondered where he’d gone, stumbling upon him chatting with delilah with stars in his eyes and realize why he’s always disappearing on them. it didn’t take long until sam thought a performance for the new addition to the town is a must- he and his buddies prepared a small set with gus’ permission, playing a few short songs that perfectly captured his summer vibe, like sunlight flooding the small saloon despite the darkness outside, delilah’s heart bursting with love like an OVERRIPE PEACH.

the young teacher’d swing by the farm with the two young ones, who were bursting at the seams with energy that delilah instantly felt better, despite however many hours she’d worked hard that day. she’d reserve wednesday afternoons for hands-on activities about science- geology [the kids would break opens geodes the farmer would collect on their trip down to the mines], biology [she would teach them about photosynthesis with an experiment with jas and vincent recording measurements of a plant grown in the dark vs the sunlight- an ongoing experiment!], among other small life lessons about business and agriculture. the kids would have so much fun along with learning about something they’d otherwise never get to in a traditional school. this was particularly important to the farmer- she knows the trouble of growing up; she would do anything to go back to her child self and tell her it’ll be okay in the end. upon learning about vincent’s father and jas’ late parents, delilah knew within her heart she would do everything she can to bring them smiles- whether through surprise ice cream trips to alex’s cart in the summer or baking adventures with spooky cookies during autumnal evenings. the farmer once awoke to jodi and marnie’s homemade cake [fresh ingredients from marnie’s best animals + jodi’s famous baking skills = a delicious combination!] that they made for delilah in thanks for being so sweet to their children!

it didn’t take long for the meanest in the valley to put her sights on the new farmer- it started out with harmless little comments- delilah’s clothes, her new sunhat, her sunburnt skin… it morphed to jabs at her friendships, how everyone seemed to be under her spell, but not haley- no ma'am, she can see right through delilah’s fake act. one particularly low moment, haley’d go off about the farmer to emily in their home, about her lame overalls and matted hair and smile that’s like soaking up sunlight and laughter that sounds like the waves crashing on the shorelines and- emily bursts into laughter with haley’s reddened face and huffed voice- WHAT are you LAUGHING AT!!! emily wonders aloud if haley’s got a small crush, to which her sister goes LIVID! the next day, haley refuses to leave the house due to her own embarrassment- there’s NO WAY she likes that STINKY UGLY FARMER! later that afternoon, while she was gorging on potato chips and soda [cheat day…], a knock on the door has her wonder if alex finally’s dropping off her camera [he wanted to use it for evelyn’s and george’s 50th anniversary!]. the farmer reveals herself with sweat dripping down her face and a bright smile. haley flushes upon seeing her hold out a lone sunflower, as big as her face with petals as golden as her hair. the farmer drawls how emily swung by, saying haley was a bit under the weather, and that she should check up on her. she hands the flower to the speechless girl, then wordlessly mount her horse and with wink, rides off. haley is like ummm ok yeah i’m in love.

nearly a year after settling into the valley, delilah prepared to embark to the mines, finally getting the minecarts to work again with a little help from clint. as soon as she opens the door, she stumbles upon seeing a stranger stood upon her porch, who is equally as shocked as her and demands to know who she is. the farmer raises an eyebrow and barks behind the screen door that this is HER property, and he is trespassing! after a very heated confrontation, the older man’s eyes softened upon realizing what had happened- he apologized profusely, not getting the memo that the old farmer had died while he was abroad. he offers his condolences, saying that the old man was a good friend to him, who allowed him to take refuge on his porch whenever staying at home felt too constricting. the farmer, with narrowed eyes, opens the door and scans over the stranger. he’s tall, much taller than anyone in the valley. his face looked young- even handsome, but his eyes were so empty- showing that he was far older than he seemed, seeing the worst there is to life. it was clear he was from the army, with his combat boots and star upon his chest, his hair a military-grade buzzcut that’s been far overgrown. there was a loneliness to him and the farmer noticed it as much as he noticed her own. delilah asked how he knew her grandfather and he scratched the back of his head- he’d come to the valley on-and-off in between his tours and while his family couldn’t understand why he’s so standoffish, the old farmer did. the old farmer knew very well the feeling of being so alienated from his own family and told the soldier if he ever needed a place to find peace, it could be by the babbling brook that runs down the farmland. he’d talk about how he’d smoke cigars with the old farmer who’d tell stories of his past - he had truly found a friend in the old man. delilah, upon seeing how the stranger smiled softly upon reminiscing about his late friend, invited him in. there was something about the weight of the ex-soldier's own cross that he carried that reminded delilah of herself- the two seemed to have their own past haunting them like a shadow and live with that guilt everyday. upon realizing the similarities between them- the two had been inseparable ever since, the new farmer claiming that her late grandfather’s offer still stands- anytime kent needs a place to rest, he’s always welcomed here. they later become close friends, kent working alongside her to do otherwise undesirable tasks [eg, cleaning out the barn, repairing rotting fences, removing tree stumps] and eventually, go on runs with her to ginger island for fishing hauls or foraging adventures! after meeting the farmer, kent becomes closer to his family and friends in turn, remembering the value of life, of love!

with delilah's success, of course came the town relying on her to a degree she felt almost uncomfortable with- she after all never had such warmth in her life prior to moving to the valley. she, with her own proclivity to seek out acceptance and atonement, chose to always give back to pelican town- she fixed up the rotting community center, used her evening to help willy restore his old boat, cleaned up the library and donated all sorts of artifacts and gems she came across on her adventures ... one early morning, delilah and kent had been fishing by the pier, as per the norm bright summery mornings. he had caught her eye and with a coy smile she asked him what he was thinking. she was able to divulge a lot about her wretched past to the ex-soldier who shared the same feeling of disdain for what he used to be - he knew how she wrestled with her identity but upon seeing how she acted with such confidence and ever-loving compassion, he often thought of her as a leader- maybe one day, she can take on the mayoral role, helping restore the valley as its once-known title of jewel of the fern archipelagos. with that thought planted in her head, she began to find out just exactly how pelican town governs itself- she researched and sleuthed around, coming to the realization of how the mayor seems to make funds disappear over night- it was all too reminiscent of the dirty deals she was familiar to with joja co. but the last time she tried to go against something far stronger than her, it had labeled her with a scarlet letter. instead, she swallowed her pride and let mayor lewis play with the town like a deck of cards while she silently waited for the moment she FOUND HER STRENGTH to strike back.

🌻 gallery 🌻

[ID: a collage of various pieces of writing, photos, and paintings. most notable are two photos of nail inspiration, with the nail designs resembling crystals, a sequence of photos of friends hanging out in a green field, and screencaps of a bollywood movie with the actress kajol living life. there are three text posts. the first one states: sometimes i wake up and realize i'm still the same heartbroken 17 year old girl just in the body of someone older. the second one states: you see a tiny sign planted in the ground. bending down to read, you just make out, in impossibly tiny script, "a mundane clump of dirt; much beloved by god, like any other." the third one, which is an excerpt from czeslaw milosz's notes, states: not that i want to be a god or a hero. just to change into a tree, grow for ages, not hurt anyone. END ID.]