#knowing how this tackles despair as a theme

[norraexploradora]

The Tragedy of the CX Troopers and the Missed Opportunity to Teach Us All an Important Lesson

A deeper look into how the CX-Troopers were handled in the Bad Batch and the narrative surrounding them that unfortunately got dropped in season 3

I want to start off by applauding the Bad Batch for the brave attempt to tackle dark topics throughout the series and presenting them in a way that is appropriate for families to watch and discuss with their children. Most of series is successful in being just dark enough to raise tension but to also keep things suitable for a child’s first glimpse into the harsh realities of life. However there still a few places that missed the mark.

The one I wish to cover today is the inconsistent narrative surrounding the CX-Troopers. I’m not here to say it was bad writing per se, but if a dark topic is discussed in a family oriented tv series, it is best to commit adequate time to truly flesh it out so the messaging is clear. Subjective is great in a mature series like Andor, but kids lack the life experience required to read between the lines.

And yes, exposition does make dialogue sound clunky at times, but there is a reason why most cartoons in the 80s had the kind of “The more you know” lesson after each episode. The Bad Batch was no different. Tech’s speech in the Crossing and his encouragement to Omega at the end of Retrieval are perfect examples of this.

In my opinion, there was an opportunity for an important lesson to be learned from the CX Troopers that was brought up but left unfinished. These shadow operatives could have been a way to show the viewer how anyone can be “brainwashed” either by force or by clever manipulation.

One operative in season 2 called himself a “Believer” which seems to evoke he was forcibly submerged into a cult-like indoctrination. It’s also why I prefer to use the phrase “coercive persuasion” or “forced persuasion” instead of brainwashing as they are a more accurate description of the process that has been historically implemented by governments, cults, and captors in order to make good people believe in or do horrible things.

Dr. Hemlock’s use of forced persuasion on select clones to turn them into CX-Troopers is a interesting look into the real world and well-documented cases of brainwashing within fascist regimes; especially in wartime settings. It is common and disturbing tactic implemented in moments of great despair and something that deserves more focus within the narrative if it is to be brought up as a major plot point.

Most of the brainwashing aspects in the Bad Batch were rapidly glossed over probably due to time and budget constraints, and not so much by the dark and disturbing imagery. One can easily get the “idea across” without showing it explicitly. (Like Crosshair having his hand chopped off. We didn’t see it but yeah, we get the gist).

I will say however, that despite the mystery surrounding brainwashing in the CX-Program, one of the more poignant moments was Captain Rex telling a caught CX Trooper that he was still their brother and that they would help him. It was a beautiful show of compassion and introduced new plot element; that the soldiers who undergo forced persuasion could possibly be reached or even saved.

It’s not a stretch to believe that the Bad Batch would take this route given the series had built up “we don’t leave our own behind” as one of the main themes. It would also be safe to say that saving fictional heroes from brainwashing gives us hope that real life survivors can recover from such trauma.

It was one of the many reasons fans were led to believe that the mysterious CX-2 operative could have been Tech or Cody. The focus on this particular shadow operative gave rise to speculation that he was different, that there was something coming to shed light or hope that a lost soldier could be found and rescued; something that would make sense of it were a character we already cared greatly about.

Alas, CX-2 was kept a mystery box that gave no insight to the tragic nature of his existence nor gave us a reason to mourn his death. That is why the battle between the Bad Batch and Hemlock’s Batch of secret operatives felt rushed and incomplete to some viewers. There wasn’t proper time for the story to breathe beyond “One Batch is good, the other Batch is bad.”

There were simply too many dropped narratives throughout the final season that reduced the whole CX Trooper plot to a video game-esque final boss battle. Don’t get me wrong, it was an amazing fight, beautifully animated, terrifying, and intense; but nevertheless, it felt hollow because the build-up went nowhere.

At that’s exactly where the narrative around the tragic nature of brainwashing got lost.

It’s important for you to know that I’m not saying the Bad Batch killing these operatives in the final fight was wrong. I’m also not saying that they should have tried to reach out to save these Shadow Operatives in the middle of of a life and death situation. It’s just unfortunate that we were never given a reason to feel anything other than relief that the CX-Troopers were killed.

And yes, this is a show about the Bad Batch and not brainwashed mystery troopers, but I stress, the writing set up these characters and introduced a very dark and disturbing concept to young viewers. With more time and effort spent on the narrative, it could have been an important lesson that applies to real life.

Coercive Persuasion is not a fantasy concept. It is very very real. Sleep deprivation, isolation, abuse, constant interrogation, drugging, shame, and humiliation, are all various means to break down a person’s will and forcibly persuade them into believing anything.

One can simply look to how many people get forced into false confessions by unethical police practices, or those who end up committing atrocities due to cult leader manipulation. A more common and less obvious example is social media outlets designed to spin conspiracy theories; coercing people into believing anything they want, like like the Earth is flat and microchips were put in Covid vaccines. By preying upon people’s anger and fear, these sites cultivate distrust and can lead one to extremist thinking.

This is real world, dark and scary stuff that needs to be handled with serious care and consideration of bringing it into an animated Star Wars series.

So given more time and budget, how could this lesson be shown through the story of the Bad Batch? How could these brainwashed operatives been presented in a way to that is scary but still gives younger audiences a way to sympathize with them?

Shedding more light on a terrifying process would remind us the CX-Troopers are victims and despite their terrifying nature, they still deserve our compassion and empathy. So giving the operatives more of a backstory is a good start.

For Example:

Showing the transformation of at least one of these operatives before the final battle would provide more emotional impact after their demise. Having kids clearly, and not subjectively, understand that under those cool costumes there used to be good men is such an important lesson. It reinforces the narrative that the real villains aren’t these soldiers but the regime that warped their minds and forced them into mindless monsters.

To be clear, this a a family series and I am in no way implying that a clear visual of lengthy torture would be acceptable. There are already hints through Crosshair’s PTSD and that is enough to get the idea across.

My suggestion would have been to place the sniper clone who eventually became CX-2 in the cell next to Crosshair while on Tantis. The viewer gradually sees these two men go back and forth to their cells after these conditioning sessions and the witness bond that forms between them. Crosshair is forced to see CX-2’s identity slip more and more away after each session until he is no longer the person he once was. The sadness and loss of seeing this man lose his identity not only leaves a mark on Crosshair, but by the viewer as well.

The scene of the shadow operative watching Crosshair on Tantiss and the one shadow operative calling him “brother” would have made more sense in retrospect. In addition, having an emotional and clear connection between Crosshair and the man who became CX-2, would have given their epic fight on top of the waterfall more emotional weight. CX-2’s line “You could have been one of us. You made the wrong choice” would be more resonant to the viewer. CX-2 would literally be a sniper shadow operative that Crosshair could have become verses a subjective mystery box.

To further this narrative and Crosshair’s character arc, making the above change to the story could have also opened the door to Crosshair eventually saving this lost brother. Omega’s determination to never give up on Crosshair could have resulted in Crosshair reaching out to CX-2 and eventually getting through to him before the final battle. It would have been so emotional and fulfilling.

And yet…as lovely as that would have been, I realize the above scenario would require at least one additional episode; which the animation team probably didn’t have the luxury or the budget to do. So I’ll offer another solution:

Adding a few minutes here and there during season 2 and the beginning of season 3 dedicated to Hemlock’s treatment to the CX-Troopers and other Clone prisoners would give the viewer a clearer picture into the nature of the CX Program. The result would be that the feeling of triumph wouldn’t be seeing the shadow operatives lying dead on the floor but knowing that the experimentation on the clones at Tantiss by Dr. Hemlock was finally over.

So in conclusion:

It’s a shame that the shadow operatives were left a mystery and simply became foils and metaphors. The fight at the end was nothing more than the Batch having to kill or be killed and it failed to showcase a serious topic with less black and white thinking.

With more time, the writers could have explored the tragedy of forced coercion. Discussing a difficult subject in a manner fit for young audiences could leave them with awareness when they are faced with a similar real world scenario.

The CX-Trooper plot could have also been a good way for a parent to discuss what coercive persuasion does to people; especially in today’s world where social media is rife with bad people luring in youth and manipulating their anger and fear into extremist thinking.

Think about it.

How does someone get so isolated that they fall prey to extremism and they end up committing acts of terrorism? How does one get indoctrinated into a cult and become so brainwashed that they take their own lives or the lives of others at the behest of a cult leader? How would an innocent person sign a confession of a crime they didn’t commit?

These are all good questions that people often ask after horrendous real life events and can regularly be seen on the daily news and social media. Having a fictional metaphor for scary real world issues that children could easily understand would be exactly the kind of thing Star Wars was created for. It was also created to give children and all of us hope.

So in the end, the lesson should have been that people who fall victim to brainwashing aren’t weak or gullible. They have been put through extreme duress and put through unethical means of isolation and manipulation.

And if there is hope for even one of the CX-Troopers to be saved, we as a society should have empathy and try to reach out to those in our own lives who have been a victim of coercive persuasion before writing them off.

Disclaimer:

One thing I’ve learned in life is that platforms like Twitter are not places for deep discussions and good faith arguments. You have a set number of letters to get your ideas across and interpreting the meaning or tone always leads to misunderstandings.

That is why I’m coming to to Tumblr to discuss my deep dives into season 3 of the Bad Batch. I am the type of person who doesn’t like angry, confrontational sparring over ideas.

My goal is to shed light on a different perspective; not to make anyone agree with me, but just to understand that we can all watch the same show and interpret things differently due to our own life experiences. By explaining my viewpoints, I’m showing you into my thought process. You are certainly free to disagree but I’m not trying to change your feelings on the matter, nor do I wish for anyone to forcibly change mine.

We can all exist in the same space and I encourage anyone who has a different view to write an analysis of their own instead of arguing in anyone’s comment section. Be kind and respectful and most of all, remember this is fiction and subjective interpretation. There are so many things to be really angry about in the world and Star Wars is the least of our worries.

Cheers and as always, May the Force be with you!

[theothernads]

౨ৎ ⋆｡˚ ❛❛ ᶜʰᵃᵖᵗᵉʳ ⁶: 𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐀 𝐒𝐔𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐎 ❞ || YJW

☰ ❛❛ 𝖮𝗉𝗉𝗈𝗌𝗂𝗍𝖾𝗌❞ Y.JW.

𝘚𝘺𝘯𝘰𝘱𝘴𝘪𝘴: 𐙚 ⋆ ｡ ˚:

Yn believed in logic. Jungwon believed in understanding his emotions. Their friends knew they would get into petty arguments. All in all, they desire a successful university life, away from their past and families. However, when murders appear in the premises of their own school, and the past comes back to meet them, they find a link and team up with their logic and emotions to find out the culprit and resume their normal lives. But, no one guaranteed their safety and their feelings for each other.

ᯓᡣ𐭩𝖸𝖺𝗇𝗀 𝖩𝗎𝗇𝗀𝗐𝗈𝗇 × 𝖿𝖾𝗆𝖺𝗅𝖾!𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽𝖾𝗋 ౨ৎ. ｡˚

☰ TAGS: college au, enhypen smau, jungwon+reader, thriller, yandere themes, crime, slow-burn, angst

╰┈➤𝚃𝚊𝚐𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝: 𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚗 (comment or give an ask)

𐙚 ◦ Full warnings on m.list page

╰┈➤ [ REBLOGS and COMMENTS are appreciated]

Wc: 2.09k

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A STUDY CAFÉ AFTER TWO HOURS OF CLASS WAS A BREATHER. A way for everyone to cool the foggy effect of lecture notes and the languid speech of the professor. You could have almost fallen asleep atop your laptop hadn't it been for Jungwon clearing his throat.

Jay stated that he needed to tell everyone something, so no one could resist the urge to gather together in the neat and cream-coloured, study room. The large, white table was soon littered with laptops and the recent book everyone was reading; eventually, everyone sat down.

Jay leaned forward on his elbows once he caught everyone's attention. "I was talking to Jake this morning, and guess what?"

No one spoke a word upon seeing the slight dapple of despaire on Jay's face so, he continued.

"The case where we found that dead man, may be closed, like, forever."

The heavy silence was suffocating, so many unspoken words mixing in the air as everyone stilled. Jay could have thought he was staring at a paused video until Yunjin scoffed, brows buried deep downwards, reflecting yours and Jungwon's reaction.

"You must be kidding," she said quietly as she crossed her arms and quelled the silence. The unpleasant news forced your eyes to wander anywhere but Jay, rocks of anxiety anchoring your mind down. Jungwon remained silent.

"Yeah, I'm not kidding," Jay declared once more to everyone's dismay, gazing back at his lit laptop.

Jay continued to explain that in the whirlwind of the murder case, the route to who the culprit is was hidden by too many obstacles that the police didn't know how to tackle: no footprints, no cameras and no witnesses. It was a dead end.

Scaring yourself was not an option, so you tried desperately to subdue that train of thought and grasp at anything logical despite your own intuition.

"Well, if they closed down the case, I guess, they tried to take everyone's interest at heart." You fiddled with your pen, flicking it vigorously to-and-fro as silence pervaded the study room once more.

"It's just strange. They couldn't find... anything?" Jungwon urged Jay, confusion entangled in his tone. Uncertain, his friend let out a shaky sigh.

"It's probably nothing, as Yn said. Maybe it is genuinely not a threat to us or the university," Jay insisted, trying to put confidence in your weak excuse. Not much was said as Yunjin shrugged, languid.

"I guess so. Whatever. I'm done with that shit. Let's just work," Yunjin announced with a new determination, swerving away from the morose topic and onto becoming academic weapons for the rest of the semester.

Everyone agreed and dived into their work. Ten minutes passed and Jungwon decided to call his good classmate for the upcoming film project. Through the screen, he saw Taehyun's boba eyes and the profuse blinks to make sure the actual facetime was working.

Jungwon wasn't looking but he swiped a hand through his hair and allowed Taehyun to catch a glimpse of Jungwon's meticulously clean nails. Taehyun snickered, causing Jungwon to incredulously raise an eyebrow to the other.

"What are you laughing at?" Jungwon asked, bewildered. Taehyun waved a dismssive hand, clearly trying to conceal his humour. Upon seeing Jungwon's unyielding expression, he finally gave in.

"No - I just saw your nails and they look pretty. Are you going to do them again," Taehyun chimed with mischief, making you, Yunjin and Jay chuckle a little under your breaths. Only Jungwon forlornly crossed his arms and directed his glare at the latter on the screen.

"Seriously?"

Within a second, Taehyun's smile dropped and nodded with a deadpan expression. "Yes."

Whilst you and the others were laughing at the comical situation, Jungwon found it far from that; irritated, his frown remained as he pulled up the page for the assignment.

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Days passed and you were walking along with Minji, Chaewon and Heeseung. Psychology class evoked a session of inevitable ranting that everyone thoroughly required. It was a routine to go through.

The front area of the school was where you and the others were headed, the breeze brushing through your locks; it was a refreshing way to liberate the clouding information from the unpleasant lectures.

More booths and kiosks littered the place, colours displayed from the banners hung meticulously on the stands. Each one delivering the name of the club and the unavoidable prices to capitvate the future customers.

You walked longside Chaewon until you reached the wooden table that was occupied by Yunjin, Jay and Jungwon. Apart from your friends, there were definitely more people out there - more near the platform resembling the stage. Your gaze was not stuck there for long to see who was on it, but you were drawn back to Yunjin and Chaewon squealing in delight.

You stood beside Minji and observed them fussing, a small speck of apprehension seeping into their faces from the way Yunjin ran a hand through her hair.

"I cannot believe we get to dance at the festival, Chae."

"You're dancing as well and I didn't know?" you exclaimed to the blonde girl, your jaw dropped. Chaewon nodded with a modest smile.

"Yeah, Yunjin and I dance with some other girls," She said and was accompanied with an enthusiastic nod from Yunjin. Crossing your arms, you sent a cheeky smile to Chaewon.

"I didn't know you dance."

Chaewon shrugged, almost innocently with her eyes morphing into cheerful crescents when she grinned - as if she didn't know what you were even talking about. "I thought I said so."

On the other hand, Jay placed his phone down with a knowing smile when he glanced ateveryone. Heeseung, sitting opposite him, grimaced at the expression Jay had.

"Why are you smiling like that?" Heeseung asked, disgruntled. A glare was all that Jay delivered to the latter.

"Well, I am also expressing my excitement since I'm also dancing - but with a dude called 'K'," Jay explained with excitement tainting his voice. The name threw everyone, but Chaewon and Yunjin, off.

"K?" you uttered, not even burying the incredulity that crept up your tone. Even Heeseung tilted his head, but Jay dsmissively waved his hand.

"I wasn't the one that named him - anyway, it's short and snappy."

"Yeah - in text," Heeseung remarked with a snort, resulting a terse slap in the back of the head by Minji. A yelp slipped past his lips as he pacified the slight pang in his skull.

"Ow, what the fvck?"

When the conversation reached its end and everyone was about to art their ways, a static screech washed over the entirety of the courtyard. Everyone curtly halted, heads turning, and a wince escaped your lips.

The source was at the stage, the speakers blaring a man's voice; the male figure had black-rimmed glasses, jet-black hair brushed in a tiny man bun and brown eyes that held this hollow calmness in them. When you scanned over his features more, you discovered he was middle-aged and he was flanked by some other people behind him. There was this unnerving, small smile he had that disrupted the serene waves of thoughts within you.

The man patted the mic softly and soft bass sounds followed after it, catching the attention of everyone there. You couldn't look away now that the uncertainty simmered in your stomach.

Who the fvck was this?

As if the man heard your inner monologue, his voice dispersed from the speakers.

"Hello. You are probably wondering who I am. I want to introduce myself as Moon Minseok, the sponsor of the school."

Those eyes that were roaming from booth to booth landed on you and the others. No words were exchanged but everyone acknowledged the dubious shiver prowling down everyone's spine.

It forced you to swiftly divert your gaze into something that was not worthy of attention - much like everyone else. You tried to drown out the remnants of the speech.

You don't even know when the speech ended, but you and Jungwon departed ways together to get to the gardening booth. Danielle was already there and directed you to simply tag the prices to each gardening product before she also sauntered away.

It was easy enough.

So, you and Jungwon found yourselves sitting in the comfortable silence, the subtle breeze caressing yours and his clothes whilst the sunlight feebly seeped through the thick blankets of clouds.

The little cactuses and ferns were adorably small, the plastic wrapped around it in a way that didn't bend their leaves or figures. You couldn't help but smile at the miniature, clay pots.

It was almost calming in a way until a multitude of nefarious footsteps approched the gardening booth, making you and Jungwon curiously glance up.

There was clear tension in your muscles when those empty eyes, of none other than Minseok, landed on you and Jungwon. Behind him, the same people flanked him, tablets in their hands, and the principal also accompanying him. The headmaster looked as if he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.

It appeared amusing to you, but you didn't react and, instead, gave a short glance to Jungwon, who also gave a sceptical look back.

With the oncoming footsteps, you and Jungwon politely bowed despite the clear tension pervading the air. It was almost difficult to even make eye contact.

Minseok had a confident gait, each step on the grounds of campus made his; this mellow smile curved onto his lips whilst he had his hands behind his back. His eyes possessed that icy calmness that made your voice dig back into your throat.

"The gardening club," the principal spoke, gesturing to you and Jungwon awkwardly standing there behind the table full of tagged garden products.

You didn't want to speak, neither did Jungwon. Both you and him had your thoughts drifitng into space. Realising you were just tentatively staring, you captured the wandering thoughts and brought yourself back to reality.

"Um... hello," you uttered, voice coming out much quieter than you wanted. Jungwon was about to give you a relentless side-eye but Minseok stepped forward and ran his gaze over the various assortments of petite plants commonly grown within the university.

The silence seemed to disturb the principal a lot more, the nervousness dissolving into his face; he shifted in his place, hands rubbing over the knuckles of his other. Maybe he was sweating if you observed closely enough to the crown of his head.

Minseok met your eyes in a second and you swear your heartbeat spiked up, clutching your vocal chords and forcing you to just awkwardly smile. You had the fierce urge to run away.

"My mother would love these. These are lovely," he began to say. There was a insincere smile in your smile, but he didn't need to know that. Shrewd, Jungwon fiddled with the sleeves of his hoodie, nails digging into the plush fabric.

"She has good taste in plants," you stated whilst your own gaze ran over the green stems and the soil. Minseok gave a small, humoured laugh.

"She had good taste," he corrected you and immediately sending heat to flood your cheeks and neck. You could tell the principal was probably itching to take Minseok away from your clumsy obliviousness.

"I'm so sorry," you mumbled, bowing in slight apology. You just wanted the eart to swallow you up. Minseok shook his head as if it was nothing serious, and smiled with that tranquil expression again.

"It's fine, she can't hear us, " he responded with mirth to your humiliated state. Jungwon could have scoffed to your mistake, but his muscles were too frozen with tension to even move. And, he didn't know why.

After Minseo recieved silence from you, he picked up one of the plastic-wrapped plants. "She was a lovely woman. She tended to her garden, decorating the house with ridiculous kinds. It's endearing now since she is now buried with them."

It was a depressing conversation so much so that you were holding a breath as Jungwon gave a subtle side-eye.

"I learned from that moment that people must treasure what they have. You may lose the," Minseok added on, gaze flickering to Jungwon. Following his gaze briefly, you noticed the way Jungwon's eyes darted nervously, jaw slightly clenched.

You didn't have the time to ask if he was okay since Minseok dug a hand into his pocket and pulled out some notes to hand it to you. It was a little daunting, and you didn't know whether to take it since he was offering money that was worth more than what was displayed on the small plant.

From the corner of your eye, the principal gesticulated that you should take it. Not wanting to embarrass yourself anymore, you gave a small smile before taking the money.

"Keep the change," he said, holding the plant.

"Thank you," you murmured, to which Minseok curled his smile a little more, eyes scanning over your features as if he was trying to grasp something off it.

The brief silence was cut off when one of his advisors sauntered to Minseok, a ringing phone in hand. Minseok's gaze faltered before he gave a courteous nod to you, a brief glance to Jungwon and taking the advisor's phone. Then, like the wind, he walked away with the principal.

When they were far enough, you looked to the 10,000 won worth of notes. It was a simple interaction but enough to leave you still drifting in your thoughts. Curious, you glanced to Jungwon, who was still frozen.

You wondered if he was even breathing.

"Jungwon?" you nudged his elbow a little, causing him to flinch and look down at you. The brief discomfort stayed rooted in his eyes, jaw still clenched.

This time, you wrapped your fingers gently around his forearm to nudge him again with bewilderment. "You okay?"

Jungon snapped out of the foggy daze and nodded. A deep breath escaped him, shoulders sagging finally and discomfort melting away when he registered the soft grip of your hand.

"Yeah, I'm fine. He just seems a little... odd, don't you think?"

The return of his voice did addle you a little, but you didn't dare mention it, not wanting to ignite whatever worry was just extinguished. Your hand stopped holding his forearm.

"Yeah," you agreed, seeing Minseok and the principal in the far distance, "I think so too."

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╰┈➤ A/n: omg, heeyy. My life has been so hectic that I wanted to just- 💀👍🏼. Anyways, still in a hectic moment, but I managed to update chapter 6. Didn't feel amazing while writing it but I tried. And I'm so sorry if the picture quality basically decreased. Idk why. But, pls tell me how it was <3

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Taglist: @jwonistic @ilovejungwonandhaechan @sincerely-sun

[imagine-that]

I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause

One-shot #57 - Christmas cheer edition

Summary: Loki does absolutely everything to please you and your daughter. But is he willing to be holly and jolly?

Pairing: Loki Friggason x female!mom!reader

Warnings: obviously it is a Christmas themed read so if you are not interested in that, this piece is not for you. It also has mentions of children so if that is a sensitive topic, please be warned

A/N: HIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!! Long time no see!!!!! I’m very excited to be able to post this as I have not had inspiration to write again in such a long time. This is a favourite fic of mine and it only took 2 nights to write!!! As mentioned, it includes you, but also your daughter! In this fic there is no (your daughters name), the daughter is named Frigga (😇🥺). I just hope you enjoy it, and happy holidays!!!!!

"Love... this is ridiculous." Your husband says, staring down the red garments in his hands, holding it so far away from himself that it looks as though it had personally slapped him or something.

"Darling, you know Frigga asked for it. And did you see the look on her sweet little face when she did? She BEGGED to stay up late enough to catch him in the act Loki dearest. Aren't you happy she's picked up your knack for mischief?" You reply, imitating the look your daughter had in her eyes as she announced her goals for the night.

He groans, shoving his face into the Santa suit you had selected off Amazon.

"Why could we not have asked Thor to do this? He is a big oaf, just like this Santa Clause you mortals love so much. it would perfectly fit his loud and obnoxious tendencies." He offers, waggling his eyebrows to emphasize how much he likes that idea.

You stifle a giggle, putting down the stockings you were about to carefully hang 'by the chimney with care'.

"THAT, my dear husband, is because you would have thrown a fit if she dared to be more excited by her uncle than you." You argue, waggling your eyebrows right back at him, earning a sigh of dramatic despair.

Being a huge holiday fanatic, you were more than thrilled when Loki began very actively joining in on your Christmas festivities over the years, but especially once your daughter had arrived four years ago. She was his little princess, and whatever she liked, he liked.

Which of course, automatically meant that when she begged and begged to see Santa Clause do his job, your loving husband and her devoted father could never say no to such a request.

"You promised your princess a Santa Clause viewing love. Are you really going to let her down, or hand the task off to Thor like its a chore?" You joke, clutching your imaginary pearls at the idea.

He puts the Santa suit off to the side, giving you a devilish smile before tackling you into the bed, erupting you into a fit of giggles again.

"That, my loving wife, is never going to happen and you know it, do you not my little dove?" He growls lightly in your ear, arms wrapped tightly around your waist.

You wrestle around, trying to release yourself from the gods hold, failing to do anything more than laugh.

"Alright, alright, I know you wouldn't dare. Please release me." You ask extra sweetly. He ponders for a moment, tilting his head every which way, earning an eyeroll from you. Finally, he gently lets you go, his fingertips coolly travelling down your hips before pulling away.

With a sound of annoyance and a look you only get when he is "forced" to watch any of the reality tv shows he so often pretends to loath, he stands and starts to unbutton his crisp white shirt, immediately starting to change into the soft red suit. You stare up as he puts on the padding to make him appear holly and jolly, your eyes filling with more admiration than ever before.

As Loki uses his magic to fake a head of silver hair and a bushy beard, you clap your hands together with glee.

"Honey she is going to adore this! And she will have no idea that it's her daddy all along." You squeal, already picturing the look of excitement you knew would be all over your daughters face once she thinks she's caught Santa Clause.

He grins just as big, the beard just barely hiding it. "Well, then this ridiculous look must have some real worth." He announces, pulling on the hat and letting out a loud "Ho Ho Ho" you never thought you'd hear from your husbands mouth.

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"Frigga" You hum, just barely shaking your daughter awake. Her hair, a curly jet black replica to her fathers, is wrapped in two braids, hanging above her head like an angelic halo perfectly fitting of her features.

"baby girl." You try gently, brushing stray hairs behind her ear. She lets out a groan of protest, rolling over to her side. You sigh, caving to your own mischievous side and yanking the blankets off of her legs.

"Momma." She whines, looking back over to you with a dark glare.

"I'm sorry I woke you up like this sweetheart but there's something downstairs you just have to see!" You whisper excitedly, stroking her back until her scowl dissipates to a look of curiosity.

The small child carefully sits up, grabbing out to hold your hand as she gets out of the bed.

"Is it christmas morning momma?" She asks sweetly, her eyes lighting up happily.

You chuckle before replying, pulling her up into your arms. "No not yet my girl, but it is still very exciting. Lets go see." You say, kissing her lightly on the forehead as you move out of the room.

"Where's daddy? He can't miss the excitement!" Frigga declares, making you laugh even louder.

"Papa went to uncle Thor's to bring their christmas gifts from us. That way we can all open them together tomorrow afternoon darling." You explain, her lips going to an o shape as she nods in understanding.

Together the two of you walk quietly down the stairs, into the hallway. You carefully stop at the bottom, poking your head around the corner to see a bored looking red covered figure by the fireplace. You give him a look, letting him know to jolly up.

"Now Frigga, you said you wanted to catch Santa delivering this year yes?" You whisper, glancing at her as she nods frantically. "Well in order to see him, we have to be super duper quiet and only watch ok? We don't want Santa to get scared and leave with all of our gifts." You instruct, and she agrees excitedly, putting a chubby finger to her lips.

You place her down on the floor, creeping around the corner just enough to see the tree and sitting on the floor, legs crossed. Gently you pull your daughter down with you, cradling her in your arms.

She watches in awe as the fireplace quickly sheds ash, a chubby figure appearing at the bottom. He crosses the room to where she left a plate of perfectly iced cookies the two of you had made the morning prior, gulping down all of the milk and letting out the ho ho ho you now knew he could.

"I can't believe papa is missing this." She murmurs, more to herself than to you. You stifle a giggle as santa-husband pulls all of the delicately wrapped gifts he had almost ruined before you stepped in out of the Santa bag on his back.

Your daughter is practically bouncing out of your lap, her excitement hardly contained. Your husband turns his head ever so slightly, only in real view to you, and sends a wink your way, making you wonder how you ever got so lucky. He fills every stocking, shovels down all of the cookies and leaves the sweet letter he wrote as santa for frigga on the counter. He snatches up the carrots and celery for the reindeer and lets out another merry christmas and ho ho ho before flying right back up the chimney.

"We gotta go watch him leave mama!!!" she begs as she runs to her coat hook anyway.

You simply smile and nod, bringing her outside again and pointing to the sleigh illusioned onto the roof.

Before she can ask any questions or say anything about the encounter, Santa is on his way to the next house. She instead lays her head lazily on your chest, hugging you tightly to her.

“Momma, do you think other kids will catch Santa?” She asks shyly, a sound of uncertainty in her voice.

“My darling, I think that they will try. But I don’t believe they will succeed as well as we have.” You promise, rocking her back and forth as you habitually did since she was a baby.

She nods, assured by your words and starts to shut her eyes, the late evening too much for her to bear any longer. She lets out a little yawn, and you plant one more long kiss in the middle of her forehead before bringing her inside, laying her down in her bed and saying a quick I love you before sneaking out the door and shutting it halfway behind you.

“So, was this Santa clause as exciting as our princess imagined?” A deep, calming voice asks suddenly from behind you, cause you to jump a little bit. He chuckles, pulling you into his chest from behind and planting a kiss on top of your head. You supposed he was where you got that from, passing it right down to little Frigga.

“She was enchanted my love. You were a hit. And don’t think I didn’t notice Santa wink at mom. Am I correct in assuming he has maybe a little crush?” You tease, turning and starting to pull him in closer by the collar of the Santa suit. He grins wide, holding you by your hips.

“Why yes, Santa thought mom was positively radiant. I must agree with him.” He purrs, finally pulling you all the way in and planting his lips hungrily on yours, earning a smile as you kiss him right back.

You two stand in the dimly lit hall, pressed together for what feels like an eternity, a little sliver of time kept just for you and him.

“This is her best Christmas yet thanks to you love.” You smile, stroking your thumb over Lokis jawline.

“Ah but if it were not for you my dear, we would not have her and I would not have my two brightest sunshines, so really you are the one who gave both of us the best Christmas ever.” He corrects matter of factly, earning a deep blush on your cheeks and an eye roll on top of it.

You quietly pull away, turning him around towards your bedroom door and giving a light push.

“Now you Mr, go and change into something less suitable of St Nick and more fitting for the king of mischief and go give your daughter a kiss good night.” You order, getting an eye roll of your own in return.

He follows orders, changing into the Christmas pyjamas you picked out for him, a pair in emerald green with gold embroidery of his initials. “I’ll be in in a moment my love, I promise.” He says, pecking you on the lips and making his way to her room.

You tiptoe behind, your reindeer slippers making you all the more stealthy, and carefully peek between the door crack, watching your husband admire your daughter before kissing her lightly on the cheek, silently thanking the universe and fate for giving you the most perfect Christmas gift of all.

[bardic-tales]

Title: Lights and sirens

Pairing: Bianca / Sephiroth

Rating: Explicit

Word Count: 936

Fandom: Final Fantasy 7

Warnings: Death, violence, emotional distress, supernatural themes, war/conflict, loss of a loved one, dystopian oppression, child endangerment, existential themes, doom/fatalism.

Summary: Bianca Moore is haunted by the death of her lover, Sephiroth, as she navigates the chaos unfolding in Midgar after multiple explosions. Plagued by his voice calling her to join him in the Reunion, she struggles with grief, loss, and her desire for release from the mortal world.

Prompt Filled: 270: Lights and sirens

Created for: @flashfictionfridayofficial

1.

Midgar, Gaia 0007

“Multiple explosions in the Mako Reactor,” the woman relayed from the tv through the quaint little room. As she sat on the armchair, Bianca Moore focused her attention on the reporter on the TV. As she leaned forward, the squeak of the chair conglomerated with the terror in the reporter’s voice.

“Come to me.” Bianca was captivated by the mesmerizing sound of a masculine voice, which seemed to caress her ears and fill the surrounding silence. In that moment, she had a fleeting sensation of someone’s presence behind her, their touch lingering on her right shoulder, but when she turned, there was no one there.

With each beat, her heart throbbed in her chest, mirroring the underlying dread carefully masked by the news anchor. Who said to come to her? Why did it sound so much like him?

In a state of confusion, Bianca’s head jerked from side to side as she tried to locate the elusive owner of the voice. It sounded like him, but it couldn’t possibly be him. Five years ago, Bianca witnessed his death, her voice echoing in despair as the spiky blond-haired trooper plunged a stolen sword into his back.

The familiar wave of sheer terror washed over her, as if five years ago was just yesterday, leaving her heart pounding in her chest. How long would it take for the grief to release its tight grip on her heart? Her rapid breaths hammered against her chest, but she leaned forward, desperately seeking comfort as she cradled her face with her shaky hands.

Her long brown hair fell gracefully down her back, dancing with the rhythm of her steps. As the past events unfolded before her mind’s eye, she attempted to avert the devastating outcome, the heartbreaking demise of the man she held dear, as madness consumed him.

As the thoughts from the past collided with the present, a sudden, forceful knock shattered the continuous hum of the television and its piercing alarm from the Emergency Broadcast System, urging everyone to remain indoors as Shinra tackled the terrorists.

She rose from the chair and sauntered to the door. Her heart still pounded, and as she reached for the doorknob, her hands trembled. It was a strange sensation: hearing the mortals crying out and watching the acrid smoke billowing in the distance like some black cloud washing over the plate, but not feeling anything except wanting the sweet release of death finally.

She, being an outsider to the Planet, experienced a paralyzing dread, knowing she could never join the Lifestream and be reunited with her departed lover. She wouldn’t rejoin the Celestial Realm either. Exiled from those lands, she bore the weight of her doomed love for the mortal man. The sensation of the Eternal Moonlight on her skin will forever remain beyond Bianca’s reach, causing her to miss out on its embrace.

If, by some tragic circumstance, she were to meet her demise, her physical being and inner essence would gradually dissipate, eventually ceasing to exist altogether. There was nothing that would prevent that fate. It was the true nature of an angel’s love for mortals and the willful defiance of divine laws. That was a fate far kinder than being trapped in the heart-wrenching memories of the harrowing events that occurred five years ago. Tears welling up in her eyes, and she quickly wiped them away.

Bianca cautiously peered through the slender gap between the slightly ajar door and the doorjamb. She watched as a swarm of people quickly dashed past her, their hurried footsteps fading into the distance. The sight of their battered bodies, wrapped tightly in thick bandages, was a sobering reminder of the violence they had experienced. Her heart sank as several more individuals walked past, their downcast eyes and slow pace echoing the weight of their sorrows. Staring forward with haunted and vacant eyes, they seemed oblivious to their surroundings.

Despite straining her eyes, she couldn’t glimpse who knocked on her door. Not a single soul stood on her stoop. As she stood there, another man hurried past, clutching a young girl tightly against his chest. The blaring sirens muffled the child’s screams and shrieking of terror, amplifying her sense of impending doom. The child’s face contorted with terror, tears streaming down her cheeks, as her wide, fearful brown eyes darted around the street, searching for the man’s reassurance as young children were apt to do.

A group of troopers, their tense bodies rigid, stood near the entrance of the Sector, the blinding beams of their spotlights scanning the crowd, casting eerie shadows on the faces of the onlookers. No one could escape their watchful eyes, but their loyalty was directly proportional to the amount of money Shinra paid them.

Shinra. She thought, as the man and young child now stood in line with everyone else who was trying to get out and away from the bombing. AVALANCE. That blond man who now pretended to be a SOLDIER. They were the source of all the terror and grief that permeated the air.

Surrounded by the pulsating blue lights of the ambulance parked next to her apartment, Bianca’s eyes welled up with tears as she bitterly observed how quickly the civilians carried on with their lives—even amid a tragedy. If he hadn’t died, he would have been sent here to help the civilians, or at the very least, she would have persuaded him to come and help her and the people who lived in the sector. Her grief weighed heavily on her shoulders. Fists clenching together, Bianca seethed with fury. How she wanted to expose the President and the board’s deceit at his supposed defeat by the monsters of Nibelheim. The fan club mourned him, but he was quickly forgotten about as they moved on to the next upcoming SOLDIER.

“It’s time, Bianca.” Once more, she heard his voice — Sephiroth’s voice— in her head. It was lulling and demanded to be heard, much like a siren luring sailors to their demise. “The Reunion where you and I will finally be one again. A melding of souls. Make your way North. Mother and I are waiting.”

For more Flash Fiction centered on Fantasy Worlds Collide, please see the tag flash fiction: fwc.

[louisdulacblog]

I've often seen a lot of takes on abuse in the fandom. Some of which I agree with, some of which I don't.

And I see a lot of takes which run like this:

A: Lestat dropped Louis! That's abuse!

B: No it's not! This is a gothic genre. It's their nature as Vampires! Abuse doesn't exist!

C: Lestat is an abuser but Louis abused him back so it cancels out!

And on and on it goes like this in circles. Though out of three, one of these responses to the show I can say with chest that I completely disagree with.

But let me tackle the first response. Though Lestat does drop Louis this only shows the height of the abuse. It is not because Louis is dropped and broken after this but the consistency of abuse that makes the drop not surprising but expected. Lestat is often the aggressor. In saying the drop defines the abuse would be wrong because you could also argue that when Louis pushes Lestat into the wall after he got turned is abuse. Which would be wrong. What defines Abuse:

Abuse is defined as a pattern of behavior in which one person uses power and control to harm, manipulate, or dominate another individual.

The key word here is 'pattern'. I hope all of us know that Abuse can happen not only physically for all our sakes.

Lestat emotionally manipulates Louis, attacks his self esteem and then after violent or intense episodes between each other, would downplay Louis emotions or 'make up' for them in giving gifts (After the 'I heard your hearts dancing' he goes on to support Louis on a business venture | After the Drop he also does this in giving back gifts)

One other thing that makes Lestat be defined as an Abuser is that he does these things with intent to keep Louis close (control him). Though it is reactionary to what he is feeling the way he goes about it is wrong. What was Lestat's goal in beating and dropping Louis if not for punishing him for not even choosing Claudia over him but thinking of it?

This leads to the second response. The genre is gothic. Gothic genre is described as:

Gothic literature and media often explore dark and complex themes, including horror, mystery, and the supernatural, as well as intense emotional experiences such as suffering and despair.

This does not excuse nor erase the abuse. Instead this should be a prompt to the audience to take the content and have discussions and provoke thoughts on how that abuse plays into their dynamic. You have these fucked up characters that it's almost impossible to see who is the Big Bad.

That's because it is. This is a reflection of life. Louis was abused. Lestat was an abuser. But the love was there. The abuse does not cancel out the love. The toxicity is so intertwined with the love, you cannot separate it. There are relationships that are like this out in the world. Interview with the vampire forces us to confront the grey area of this relationship. The power imbalance. It does not excuse the abuse. It will never excuse the abuse. But it does show us that it's not black or white.

Is Lestat a good person? Simple answer? No. Is Louis a good person? Simple answer? No.

Lestat is also a complex character with moments of vulnerability and affection, these do not negate the abusive patterns of behavior that define his relationship with Louis. Just because Lestat was an abuser does not mean he will stay like that forever. That is the point of the show. Your actions do not define who you are but rather the choices you make to overcome the consequences of those actions and make right with it.

Just because they are not good people does not mean they deserve the abuse they have faced in their childhood or from their partner, for Lestat and Louis respectively.

This show is supposed to make us think. Not excuse these actions but rather the portrayal of abuse in the story should be critically examined, and its impact on the characters and the narrative should be understood within the context of the genre.

And lastly my response to the last response in the fandom. While Louis’ actions—such as physical retaliation or emotional withdrawal—are often responses to Lestat’s abuse, they do add to the overall destructive nature of his and Lestat's relationship.

Though Louis isn’t abusive by intent or nature, his participation in the cycle of violence and dysfunction complicates the situation. This doesn’t make him an abuser, but it does mean he’s involved in a mutually harmful relationship, where both parties contribute to the ongoing conflict, even if one is clearly the aggressor in the relationship.

I've focused a lot on Loustat here though and I still want to say much about Loumand and Claudia & Lestat. So that's my two cents and half on that.

[rulanarinrush]

Hi! I just want to let you know that you are my most beloved fanfic creator of Despair Time. I'm choosing to remain anonymous while posting this because I don't wish to appear impolite to other fanfic creators. Nevertheless, you are without a doubt my favorite. Your works that delve into various pairings have enabled me to gain a deeper understanding of the character dynamics that I had never considered before. I frequently read fanfictions on AO3. When I discovered that three of my favorite fics were all penned by you (even though one was posted anonymously, the writing style is still recognizable), I was so shocked and excited that I let out a scream.

From a more personal standpoint: (Though I wouldn't classify myself as a rareshipper) (I mainly ship Whitvid); (as far as I can recall, ) I was probably the first to post Whitvid-related art on Tumblr, thanks to your post titled "But you and I are only human in the end." Additionally, I am very fond of the time-loop theory and the idea of a Whit who is secretly ‘a bit unhinged yet not in a totally evil way.’ Your articles about the characters’ inner thoughts and your character studies are always so interesting to me and you've done them so well that I am greatly inspired after reading them.

From an even more personal perspective: I think that Whit is the top. Whenever I read your comments with (that guy who used Ryoma as an avatar) I burst into immense laughter :3

To sum up: Thank you for creating all the amazing fanfics! ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^I will continue to support your work! 💖💖💖💖💖💖💖

Thank you so, so much anon! Your words are so flattering! Favorite, wow! When I write character studies, I try to be honest with myself about their flaws and whether or not they would encourage each other or drag the other down, so I know they're not very romantic sometimes, but I find writing the tension to be so exciting, I'm glad you like them!

Whitvid is an awesome ship! They are very alike each other in the sense that they want to be nihilistic about the world, but I feel like the narrative of drdt is doing a great job of tackling why it can't work in David's case. Whit did a great job of shoring up his defenses unlike David, because he idolizes the dead. He has no star to place all his hopes on(David with Xander). He doesn't have to be vulnerable unlike David and the rest of the cast, and that really gets to David, because both hope and despair have no effect on him, nihilism at its absolute best and worst. "but you and I are only human in the end" was actually my very first non-drabble format drdt fic(published), so it does hold a special place in my heart! They're both messed up people in a way that attracts Whit but repulses David.

Haha, the timeloop theory! It's very interesting because the story could be metaphorical, meant to show how everyone will lose hope in their future if everything always repeats and there's no escape from the cycle(Teruko) but if there's any character in the cast that shows the most symptoms of being bored of the killing game, it's Whit for sure lol. Since much of his philosophy involves either not confronting or obscuring trauma, he's definitely fucked up. I'm glad that when I write Whit he doesn't come across as evil; it is sometimes a hard balance to strike because he's wise and perceptive. He knows how to hit people where it hurts, which is like... villain behavior coded(sorry, I can't remember the precise word for this). But none of the characters are presented as wholly evil in this cast, so even if Whit is a mastermind or traitor or some secret third thing, I'm sure "wholly evil" and "wholly good" won't be applicable to any character. That is, after all, one of the themes of ch2.

Yayyyy a top!Whit fan. I'm actually not particularly picky about who the top and bottom is in any of my pairings, and I won't get into the gritty details since this post should remain sfw but does a freaky, emotionally unavailable man like Whit ever truly submit if he does bottom? That man was born to top if only because he is surrounded by a sea of bottoms. I'll tell my friend with the ryoma pfp that you like our convos, I'm sure it'll give him a laugh.

Since you want to remain anon to not appear impolite, I won't tag this in the main tag, but I'll take note that innumerable faces is reread! Also haha, wdym anon fic?(whistles innocently...) I suppose I do have a distinctive style huh? I'm not sure I can do anything with it because that would require me to claim it, but please know that I truly am honored by your kind words!

[triznoff]

RM’s world: RM vs Albert Camus

If you know RM (Namjoon) from BTS, you probably already know he's super into art and culture. From the very start of his music career, he's been impressing fans with his creativity, and his style has definitely evolved over time. He’s always exploring different themes and ideas in his music, but one thing that stays the same is how deep his lyrics are and how they often reflect philosophical thoughts. In this video, I want to dive into how RM’s work connects to the philosophy of Albert Camus and take a closer look at what’s going on in his head and his approach to life.

About the Song

Let’s talk about his song LOST! It dropped on May 24, 2024, as part of RM's second solo album Right Place, Wrong Person. This track is super introspective and reflective, which is kind of RM’s thing. It’s all about existential uncertainty, that feeling of being confused about your place in the world.

Now, to really get the full picture of what LOST! is about, you need to watch the music video. The visuals add a lot to the message of the song. But even without hearing the song, you can sense the main theme — it’s all about feeling lost, disconnected from everything, and lonely.

Right Place, Wrong Person

So, RM's album Right Place, Wrong Person really focuses on existential thoughts, personal growth, and emotional vulnerability. It's all about human emotions and the struggle of feeling like you're not quite where you should be in life. The album title itself kind of hints at that internal conflict — like when what’s expected of you doesn’t match what you actually want. It’s full of moments of self-doubt and uncertainty.

Absurdity

In LOST!, RM tackles this inner chaos — the need to find freedom, and the struggle with personal problems.

When you break down the music video and the lyrics, two big ideas come out — rebellion and absurdity. The main character in the song, probably RM himself, refuses to just follow the rules everyone else seems fine with. You know, that idea of just accepting everything with love and moving on? RM’s character questions that. His doubts and inner struggles make him realize just how absurd the world can be. He’s trying to make sense of things, but the more he does, the more chaotic it seems.

The lines "Pick it up, throw it in the trunk, dump it on the ground" repeat throughout the song, and they really show how RM’s character is stuck in this loop of trying to find order in chaos. But after a while, he just accepts the absurdity of it all and decides to go with the flow.

This ties into Albert Camus’ philosophy, especially his work The Myth of Sisyphus. Camus says that life is kind of absurd — humans are always looking for meaning in a world that doesn’t really have any. Camus argues that while life may not have any inherent meaning, we shouldn’t give in to despair. Instead, we should embrace life and live it to the fullest, even if it feels meaningless.

Like Sisyphus, who keeps pushing that boulder up the hill even though he knows it’ll just roll back down, RM’s character in LOST! keeps going. He’s searching for freedom and trying to figure things out, even though the world seems pointless and confusing. The song expresses that desire to break free and find yourself, even in the middle of all the chaos.

But here’s the thing: RM’s character doesn’t try to impose his views on the world or prove society’s absurdity like Camus. For him, it’s more of a temporary, internal struggle. The absurdity exists in his mind, and it’s something he’s just dealing with for now.

Wrapping Up

So, with all of this said, don’t think of LOST! as just one-dimensional. If you spend more time with the song, you’ll see just how deep it really goes. I hope this breakdown gives you a better idea of RM’s creative world and his way of seeing things. There's so much to explore, and this is just scratching the surface.

[r-neonstories-r]

-Wavering wings | Malleus Draconia x DRAGON M! Reader

__________

__________

°Request?: No•

{For Requests and Rules: here!}

° Type: Angst•

° Warnings: Graphic descriptions of physical and emotional distress, Depiction of thoughts of self-harm, Angst and emotional turmoil, Themes of despair and hopelessness, Mention of blood and injuries, Themes of loss and longing, Themes of captivity and feeling trapped, Emotional and mental struggle, Themes of abandonment and loneliness•

° Length: Short•

{1,000 words}

° Challenge: The moment Y/N is used marks the end of the Oneshot•

[Because I use names too much and this is me trying my best to use anything but the reader's name]

° Proofreading?: no•

_________

It felt as if a day never passed when he wasn't watching the sky. Ears filled with the sound of weeping most nights, Screams of cries in the day. It was all in the hope that another would find him. He just wanted to go home but he did not know the way from the ground. With the sound of his pained whimpering, as he limped through the swampy woodlands. He dragged his heavy body through the mud before having to stop to catch his breath. Through raspy pained gasps, he kneeled over as a cough tackled his throat. With how dry his throat had become from all his screaming and sobbing, it felt as if he was trying to cough up glass and sand. In the end, all he managed to hack up was a bloody mess. 

The taste of metallic filled his mouth as he coughed and was just about to puke. His mouth had a thick sticky layering over it from dehydration but the blood flowing from his lips in splatters made it feel a bit better, even if it was an unfortunate reason.

 It all felt endless. His once lively wings hung limp, mirroring his breaking spirit. Every step through the mud became agonizing. He was too lost, feeling his sanity draining from this torture. He was stranded on unfamiliar ground. his wings rendered useless. His eyes, once bright with hope, now reflected a muted hole that seemed to consume their very soul. They seeped endlessly as he felt he could no longer scream. His throat was too torn to allow such sounds, His raspy breathing carrying the weight of his despair.  Every time he opened his eyes, it all felt like a reminder of the life he knew was out of reach. It wasn't much longer until his body was unforgiving. 

The fight he had been facing until now seemed to tilt in favor of the lack of nutrients. His body crumpled to the ground as a cough hit and shook his very core, causing him to scrape the scabs off his already scratched and cut hands. His legs felt like jello as he knew he couldn't walk anymore. His body leaned onto a tree as his dizzy head hurt from the endless torturer. Weak tears left his eyes as they slowly shut, pulling him into slumber. He could only hope he would wake once again.

—

Malleus felt as if his world was crumbling, with the news of the other dragonkin missing. His endless searching only brought thunder into the sky the more the older dragon got upset. He knew that the younger dragon wouldn't survive much longer if he had been stuck. Once nightfall became the skies once more, he took off to search the ground this time for the one he held dear. His bright green eyes were sharp as ever as they quickly processed his surroundings. It wasn't long before he felt a dreading feeling come upon him.

He did not fight his instincts and grounded pretty quickly. Malleus strained his ears and looked through the darkness. It took a few moments before he heard a strange sound like air forcing its way through a small gap. He walked toward the strange sound as he kept his eyes glancing around trees and into possible gaps the young one could have been hiding.

Without warning, Malleus halted as his foot grazed against something soft, like rubber. His eyes darted downward, spotting a figure slumped over in an unnatural position. A sharp gasp and a shout escaped the older dragon as he swiftly scooped up the body, surprised by its unnerving lightness. Worry etched across his face, he wasted no time, taking to the skies and heading straight back to Raven Night Collage. Instead of returning to his own dorm, he hastened to the school's infirmary, cradling the unconscious male with the utmost care. A sense of urgency took over his body as he flew quickly. He only hoped he wasn't too late but judging by the male's shallow breathing, he had made it. He knew that if he hadn't stopped then he would never see him again.

—

He thought he had slipped past the living when he felt an uncomfortable light in his eyes. Slowly peeling his eyes open, his brain didn't catch on to what he was seeing. There in front of him was the one he had been screaming for. The reason he persisted even if his throat dried up. Tears filled his eyes as he finally took in his surroundings, loud sobs couldn't be contained as he cried his heart out when the crashing wave of reality hit him. The poor boy's cries woke the sleeping dragon in an instant, only freezing as he saw that the younger was awake. Warm hands had been brought up to his face as the sobs still wouldn't stop, he looked through blurry eyes at a blob of black and green with pale skin. His hands reached out in an instant for warmth and embraced the male tightly. 

Ugly sobs filled the room, seeming to slowly let up as the older held the male tightly back. Malleus cradled the weeping male as the sound of his sobs slowed to raspy murmurs and whispers, all of which had been unintelligible to the male. Whimpers of pain only sounded as the younger dragon tried to speak any louder, earning a concerned look from Malleus. " Do not try to speak… it's alright " He had a soft voice that seemed to hold so much behind it but it didn't spill. His tired eyes never felt his, The two couldn't help but just sit in silence for a moment as he tried to calm down further. The older leaned his head on top of the others when he looked down to collect himself. It didn't take long until both realized their exhaustion, it had taken a toll on the both of them as Malleus just held him close and lay on the infirmary bed.

 Oh, how he just wanted to pass out the moment his head touched the bed but he didn't. He fought to stay up longer until the older sighed and covered his eyes. Feeling the older's warmth cover his body his mind was tugged off into slumber almost instantly. With only a whisper coming from Malleus. " I'm glad I found you, My Dear… " 

___

The hours passed, but Malleus remained vigilant, unwilling to let go of the young dragon's hand as if afraid that once he did, He might slip away again. Every subtle shift in his breathing or movement prompted a surge of worry in Malleus' heart, but he reassured himself with the knowledge that he was safe in the confines of the infirmary. Many visited the sleeping male, but he never was awake for them. Sleeping seemed to be the only thing he could do, Malleus had to make him wake up multiple times to try to feed him little by little and take small drinks of water. He made sure that it was always small portions split over the day so the male wouldn't get sick from eating so much after starving for just about a week.

" My dear " The older dragon slowly rubbed circles on the other's back as he pulled him out of his slumbering state. A slight hum left the male as he leaned into the touch, not wanting to get up. " Please, I have something to ask of you. '' With those words, he opened his eyes and looked at the bright green ones that took an emerald's beauty to shame. A murmur came from him as his face morphed into displeasure. With a sigh, he sat up and almost leaned on the back bed bored of the infirmary bed. A hiss left his lips as he immediately regretted his mistake. Malleus flinched at the hissing sound before he brought his hands up to the bandaged wings. He only could freeze as the other flinched the moment his left wing was touched, he had barely even grazed it with his fingers and the other couldn't help but freeze.

" I… My dear, would you like to go for a walk? It… May help " A sense of only a moment's uncertainty sounded through his voice as he retracted his hand away from his wings. The younger could only nod as he watched a small smile form on the older one. He watched as he got up from the edge of the bed and left the room, most likely to go grab shoes for him. He watched as the older dragon left him alone, but the moment he was out of sight was the moment tears dripped down his face. This had been one of the only moments that the dragon wasn't in the room when he was awake, as all his time was spent sleeping to recover. 

Thoughts left him and immediately came back again as he thought about his freedom and joy from the sky. He started thinking of if he would ever recover what he had lost from only wanting to fly alone. A choked sob left him as he leaned down into his hands. This had to be the gods punishing him for something he did as a dragon's freedom comes from its wings. He felt like a clipped-winged bird inside a cage. Even with the door wide open to the cage, he could never go far anymore. All he wanted was to fly so high that he was forced to come down due to a loss of oxygen. His tears seeped into the white blanket and tears ran down his arms as he cried. In the depths of despair, memories haunted him. It pained him to remember when he could fly. He could only think that if he had never been able to fly at all, then he would not be put through such mental torture and agony.  

He felt like ripping his own body apart to stop the suffering, but he only froze for a moment until he realized the thoughts that came to him. The room was soon filled once more with his sounds of despair which could be heard from outside the closed door. Malleus stood just before the door as he heard the cries of him giving up. The older dragon's own green eyes teared up as he stood frozen outside the door. But the tears didn't fall as his companions did, he could only lean on the wall next to the door as a whisper left his lips " I'm so sorry, my dear, Y/N "

_________

_________

-Thank you for reading<3

[daistea]

ooo, here’s another question! what helps you start out a piece of writing? like what makes you go ‘oh this is how i start’ cause i have that problem a lot, especially with writing fics! or just finding the right words to start with! 💚

Honestly, this is one of the hardest things. I think everybody struggles with it!

For me, I listen to music I associate with the character I’m writing about. Or I listen to songs that fit the vibes of what I wanna write.

I do something that gets my creativity flowing, like cooking or just pacing the house lol.

Another thing you can do is identify the themes of your fic! What’s going on beneath the words? What’s the vibe? Does your story center a certain emotion? You can start with an idea that describes/exemplifies your theme.

Good examples of this are:

A Tale of Two Cities. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”

The Call of Cthulhu. "The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents.“

Those openings give your reader a hint about what this story tackles! They set the over-arching theme.

Ooorrr you can state something shocking! I used to do this a lot. Some examples are

The Uglies. “The early summer sky was the color of cat vomit.” LOL it’s descriptive of the scene and instantly tells us what our narrator is like.

The Outsider. “Mother died today. Or maybe, yesterday; I can't be sure.” Instantly gives us insight into our narrators mental state.

- Another option is description! Whether that be description of a memory, or the present moment.

White Oleander. “The Santa Anas blew in hot from the desert, shriveling the last of the spring grass into whiskers of pale straw. Only the oleanders thrived, their delicate poisonous blooms, their dagger green leaves. We could not sleep in the hot dry nights, my mother and I.”

Night Watch. “Sam Vimes sighed when he heard the scream, but he finished shaving before he did anything about it.”

Anyyywaaay there are options! My advice would be to identify your theme, what you’re trying to say or describe. Identify your tone, and your character’s emotional state or thoughts. The end result should build suspense, anticipation. It catches the reader and makes them curious to know more.

Or just steal a line from a song you like, as I often do 🤷‍♀️

[shizukateal]

Just curious about smth, what do you think of Madoka’s entry on the Feminist Fantasy trope page on TV Tropes?

Well, the first thing to understand about me is that I find this kind of question -"Is This Piece of Fiction/Media Feminist™️?"- to be rather facetious.

Don't get me wrong. There are indeed pieces that engage centrally with the ideology, and that could be considered above most as proponents of it, but the thing is that capital f Feminism is very wide-spanning because it's supposed to be intersectional. It tackles every system of oppression, from economic to sociological: racism, ableism, class, labor, lookism, queerphobia, you know the drill. Which is to say that there's hardly, if ever, a "perfect" Feminist Fantasy piece of fiction/media. And this is because, and I want you to burn what I'm about to write into your soul:

Fiction cannot take into account every nuance of the subjects it talks about. If it could, it would be reality.

Or, to get to the point quicker: I don't think PMMM is The Most™️ feminist anime around, but I also don't think it should be dismissed from feminist discussion, since it certainly engages with the ideology at least a bit further than most of its peers in the genre, although this is not to say that we should dismiss those others instead.

To be honest, I think "feminism" as a theme is secondary in the story to Gen Urobuchi's usual fixation on utilitarianism, but that's a whole other issue that would require me to watch his entire filmography to talk about. So let's go first into the "Feminist Whoopsies™️" that I think the show commits and work our way from there.

In episode 9 Kyubey explains that the Incubators chose Magical Girls as their workforce because they noticed the biggest fluctuations of Hope and Despair in "females in their second stage of development", which is a fancy way of saying that Teenage Girls Are The Most Emotional. Now, there's a lot of space for us to question this assertion because of Kyubey's status as both a very unreliable narrator and a metaphor for systems of oppression. We don't know if the Incubators came to this conclusion because they groomed humanity into adopting gender roles or if the writing staff of PMMM thinks that this is unquestioningly true and Kyubey is supposed to be objectively correct here, or some in-between. The show doesn't go deep into this aspect of its mythology, it can't, it has only 12 episodes to work with and more pressing issues in the plot to resolve. However, regardless of intention or not, in the end PMMM leaves us with an understanding of the concept of "femininity" that is couched, on some level, in the biological, and which promotes an unfair stereotype of women as emotional. And this is antithetical to modern feminism at its core, which goes against biological determinism. There are also no explicitly trans characters around to defy this pov, ironically only Kyubey defies the constraints of the gender binary in their presentation, which opens another can of worms about the Nonbinary Alien archetype.

Then we have Madoka's parents, a girlboss and a malewife respectively. I have the feeling that their inversion of gender roles was on purpose, in line with making Junko (the mom) Madoka's most reliable voice of reason and close confidant and thus giving her a level of relevance and depth rarely seen in mother characters. Feminism win! However, for all its talk about systems of oppression the story doesn't question, say, if this model of nuclear family, where only one parent is allowed to have a life outside of their home and who possibly controls the bulk of the income is healthy in its own right, or if Junko's corporate girlbossing might be reproducing the same exploitation on her company's workers than that of Kyubey on magical girls. We could also have a lengthy debate about how much horny is involved in Mami's presentation. And if you want to go further into Magia Record and it's representation of women of color, well... it's not ideal.

But to leave it at that, tagging the whole show as Not Feminist Enough™️ and therefore not worthy of consideration on its ideas on the subject, would be reductive and dare I say anti-intellectual. I stand by what I say above, but I don't think that episode 9 dialogue had any bad intentions. I think it was simply a solution to a narrative question -why would the incubators use young girls exclusively?- that failed to consider all of the implications. And we can appreciate it as it is and what it brings to what PMMM has to say in the feminist conversation -"Young girls are vulnerable to getting targeted by systems that pity them against eachother so their suffering can propel the agenda of their oppressors"- without dismissing the other concerns as superfluous. Turns out, truths can coexist sometimes.

The magical girl genre as a whole is not clean of sin against the feminist movement, either. Magical girl shows are generally noninclusive to fat people if not outright fatphobic, same with poc and disabled people, or they crowbar their female leads into romantic het relationships with male leads that can go anywhere from bland to absolutely rancid, etc. HOWEVER, the genre is also a space that shows "femininity" (the concept beyond biological determinism) with respect, agency, power, as aspirational and heroic, and it has also allowed for a non-negligible amount of queer rep. But if we see an uptick in well-represented feminist themes in the genre it's both because people are demanding it and because it sells. Concerns about woke capitalism aside, this progress can't happen if we don't engage with imperfection. Don't forget that this genre was born largely from a shonen manga where the joke is that the girl loses her clothes during her transformation only to put on a heart-shaped boob window!

I could also go on a tirade on how Kill la Kill fits into this discussion, but to stay focused I will say this: sometimes media can't be shoved into the progressive vs regressive boxes. Sometimes a story contains a bit of both and it's no use to try and measure what it has more of. Sometimes we have to put on the adult pants and analyze shit to have conversations that can actually help us be better in the future, not just to check on who passes our mental Hayes Code! If a piece of media contains these multitudes it's much more useful to ask what we can get out of it instead of which box we can get it in. Because PMMM was never going to be The Last Show Involved With The Question of Feminism, nor was it gonna be Kill la Kill, nor Sailor Moon or anything else. Grab my hand and let's enjoy consuming media consciously.

[kyndaris]

Love, Death and Ghosts

In life, there are two known inevitabilities. Taxes. And death. Yet, although the life we lead is fleeting, it is often opined by the poets that it is this very much ephemeral nature of our existence that makes life worth living. After all, without the threat of death looming over us, how can we appreciate the wider world we find ourselves in? Or the beauty of love that blossoms between two like-minded souls?

We year because we know it will eventually vanish from our grasps.

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden puts the players in the shoes of two banishers: Ruaidhrigh "Red" mac Raith and Antea Duarte. As the two set about breaking the curse surrounding the town of New Eden, they are caught up in a tale of despair and retribution. One they slowly piece together piecemeal as they help out the survivors set up in their individual encampments after the initial failure to banish the Nightmare of Deborah Comenius.

Through this medium, the game is able to explore themes of love, grief and justice. All the while delving into, and challenging, the societal beliefs of the late 1600s. More importantly, it tackled the concepts of the occult with rituals used by banishers, demonologists and witches alike - something I've always found fascinating even though in our modern world such things are, more often than not, dismissed out of hand.

Here, in Banishers, magic is real and ghosts exist.

Witches too. Although they aren't agents of the Devil as the Puritan townspeople believe, but people who live with nature and understand the nature of the world around them. Nor do they have animal familiars. A missed opportunity if ever there was one.

The games tarts with our banishers arriving in New England upon the request of their good friend: Charles Davenport. Their first order of business is to find him and gain an understanding of the situation they've been called in to solve. But when they arrive at the inn, Charles is missing. Instead, they are greeted by the Governor, Fairefax Haskell, Captain Pennington and the hunter: Thickskin. It is here that they learn their good friend was killed by the Nightmare. Undaunted, Antea and Red meet with Charles' late wife to learn more. When they do, they realise she is haunted by their friend.

After finding Charles' tie, and talk to him about his reasons for staying, Red chooses to ascend their friend. After all, the banisher's code has always been: death to the dead and life to the living. For Charles to stay, he would need to feed off his wife. And though his desire to remain is to protect his wife, to do so would only only serve to put her in danger.

Once they learn more about the Nightmare and allow Charles to pass over, Antea and Red spend a night at the school house. Red wakes and finds Antea missing. Fearing his lover and fellow Banisher has gone to take on the Nightmare on her lonesome, he heads to the meeting house.

Unfortunately, it turns out to be a trap. Red is overwhelmed by the Nightmare. But before it manages to kill him, Antea comes to the rescue. In so doing, though, Antea is killed and Red is thrown off the cliff.

After he is rescued by a witch called Seeker, Red breaks down. However, his grief is short when Antea's ghost appears before him and two choices are presented to the player: Antea can ascend or she can be resurrected through the use of a dark ritual involving human sacrifice. No matter which choice Red goes with, however, the pair realise they need to return to New Eden and recover Antea's body as it is her tie to the living world.

And so, they journey back across the Dark Woods, the Mire Marshes, Mount Pleasant and the Harrows to return to the town where they lost everything. Along the way, they meet the townspeople of New Eden who had fled and aid them in destroying fragments of the ghost terrorising them for the crimes they committed against her.

Overall, I have to say I enjoyed the story of Banishers. The horror of what played out to condemn an innocent school teacher still makes my blood boil. But it was the quiet moments that stood out to me such as the fact Deborah was in a same-sex relationship with Kate, the outright despair she felt when nobody would stand up and speak on her behalf, and the fear of death in her final moments. All of this was juxtaposed with Antea and Red's relationship as they tried to find a means to put an end to the curse and deal with the impacts of human choices.

And because of this, they made Deborah a sympathetic antagonist. She was no mustache-twirling villain. Just a woman who was targeted based on prejudice and fear. The strawman effigy needed to alleviate the struggles of a budding town when it was struck down by disease.

Haskell failed in his role of being an impartial mediator, condemning Deborah even though he would have preferred to offer her mercy. Kate was scared about coming out and putting herself in the crosshairs. But Pennington was the one who accused her of being a witch because he simply could not face the fact his daughter, Grace, wanted to dabble in magic (possibly a metaphor for coming out as trans?). And honestly, my greatest contempt is for him and how he tried to oppress his daughter's means of self-expression.

Had he not been so caught up in Puritan beliefs, he would not have denounced Deborah and imprisoned an innocent woman because he couldn't accept the person his daughter was.

Online, I've also seen people question Deborah's desire for retribution and if it matches the crimes committed against her. Though I would say 'no,' I'd also say that the spirit which had latched onto her continued to feed on her anger and she wasn't exactly in her right state of mind. As Antea often said, ghosts who lingered could forget themselves, their memories fading until they were driven solely by a single emotion when attacking the living.

Neither, of course, are good. Or healthy for that matter. Look no further than The Count of Monte Cristo, who spent decades plotting out his revenge against the people who wronged him. But it is also important to realise that Deborah's anger came from both the injustice of her death and the grief of Kate stepping away when she needed her the most.

In fact, the whole game is about letting go.

Whether that's allowing Antea to ascend, to the ghosts who haunt their respective persons for either perceived slights or because of the love they have.

Admittedly, I did enjoy many of the haunting cases as they provided additional context for the world of Banishers. Even if, of course, most of the townsfolk were Puritans wishing to explore the new world.

Although, I do puzzle why so many of the ghosts who ended up haunting their fellow survivors managed to die in the days or week after Red managed to lift the curse in an area. Yes, I know sepsis can kill a person quite quick, but Ann Wings didn't seem very sick before we went down into the mines but as soon as we emerged, she'd somehow died of disease. Then, of course, in the Harrows, you had someone drink themselves to death and another who poisoned himself in quick succession.

From a gameplay perspective Banishers is quite simple. There's a light and heavy attack, which are mapped to the shoulder buttons of the PlayStation 5. Square is for healing, circle is dodge and X allows Red to unleash a powerful Banish attack. Triangle, on the other hand, will allow you to shift into Antea who is able to deal spirit damage through her punches. As the game continues, she unlocks various 'Manifestations' which help unlock parts of the map and also serve as power abilities to unleash in the midst of battle.

Unfortunately, the gameplay loop was fairly simple through the game and I never felt like I had to deviate much from my tried and true formula of dodging away from enemies before counter-attacking them with a flurry of blows.

My main issue was the camera and how Red was trapped with strafing side to side. In the early game, this was difficult to navigate when fighting multiple enemies at the same time but after I'd slowly unlearned the Final Fantasy XVI key bindings and finally was doing what I wanted instead of hitting the wrong button, the game got easier.

Like the game that came before it, Ghost Trick, Banishers sees you trying to solve the mystery. Whereas Ghost Trick was primarily focused on Sissel's journey of self-discovery, Banishers has Red decide the best path forward to resolve each case - whether that be blaming the human, ascending the ghost or banishing them back into the Void. But while Ghost Trick was a game filled with levity and hijinks, Banishers is rooted in the reality of the world we live in and the prejudices inherent of being human. Especially when we only have a limited understanding of the world around us and don't seek to expand our knowledge of how it works, or the history that has led us to where we are now.

It is often said that those who choose to ignore history are doomed to repeat it.

Of course, there are also those who incorrectly put things from the past up onto a pedestal and hope to emulate what they believe was the pinnacle of civilisation. All the while ignoring the inconvenient truths and realities of the time for their own sanitised version of it.

I'm looking at you, Roman Empire.

[a-world-of-whimsy-5]

Hi! Can I request Mairon x reader with "what, am i not allowed to look at you?" and "is that my shirt?" fluff pls! Thx!

Hello! I hope you don’t mind if I didn’t add “Is that my shirt?” I already covered it in this fic.

“Perfect”

Pairing: Mairon x Fem. reader

Themes: Fluff

Warnings: Insecurity

Word count: 600 words

Summary: An invitation to a company dinner has you freaked out on what to wear.

Rules and tag form here.

You studied the invitation on the bedside counter. A company dinner, and in a fancy restaurant, no less. Mairon’s boss, Aulë would be there with his wife. A veritable who’s who of the company and its business partners would be in attendance. You despaired when you looked into your wardrobe. You felt like you had nothing to wear, certainly nothing that would suit the occasion. You looked at the time. The wall clock said six pm. And the dinner was at eight. A decision had to be made, and quickly.

"Babe?" Mairon knocked on the bedroom door. "Babe, is everything alright in there? Are you ok?"

"Yes!" you cried before settling on a dress. "There is time, yes?"

Mairon chuckled and looked at his watch. There was plenty of time, and he did not want to rush you.

"Plenty," he said from the other side of the door. You sighed in relief and picked out the dress that finally caught your eye. "Take your time, ok?"

Take your time, he said. And oh, how you wanted to do it. Still, you didn't want to waste too much time getting ready, so it was off to the bathroom first for a hot shower to calm your already jangled nerves. You were accompanying Mairon to an office event for the first time, and you wanted to make the right first impression. First impressions mattered a great deal in the circles he moved in.

The hot shower worked wonders. It made you feel like you could tackle anything. Then came the dress. It was simple, made of thin red wool, and new. When worn, it clung to all the right places, revealing just as much as it concealed. Panic slowly started to eat at your insides once again. The dress was simple. Too simple, you thought. Would it be too simple for the party?

Mairon was both impatient and curious. There was plenty of time, but he wanted to make an early start to avoid a possible build-up in traffic. He gave you ten minutes. And another ten minutes. At the thirty-minute mark, he knocked on the door and walked in.

"Mairon!" You cried and ran into the bathroom, closing the door behind you so he couldn't follow. "I'm not ready!"

"Babe," Mairon smiled and walked up to the bathroom door. He caught flashes of a red dress when he walked in. His curiosity grew even more. "Baby. You are ready. Come on. Let me see."

"No!" you said. "You... you can't see me."

Mairon huffed, "What, am I not allowed to look at you?"

"Yes!" you cried through the door. You wanted him to see it. You were also terrified of it. What if he did not like it and insisted you change? "No! I don't know!"

Mairon leaned against the bathroom door, an idea forming in his head. "Can I see? Please?"

You wanted to say no. Then Mairon suddenly started to whine like a little puppy. The longer you waited in the bathroom, the louder the whines got. A round of child-like please, please, please was thrown into the mix. A smile came to your lips. That smile slowly turned to laughter when Mairon insisted on whining.

"Alright! Alright!" You gave in and reached for the door handle. "I'm coming out!"

Mairon grinned and took several steps back. He whistled softly when you opened the door and stepped into the light. "You look amazing," he said. "And that dress.... damn... why did you run into the bathroom again?"

"I..." You grew bashful and felt silly for trying to hide from him. If Mairon loved the dress, it can't be all that bad. "I don't know."

Mairon broke into a grin. He took your hand and had you twirl for him. He thoroughly approved of what he saw and could not wait to show you off.

"You're perfect," he said. "I mean it."

tags: @cilil @asianbutnotjapanese @fictionfordays @edensrose @floraroselaughter

[universestreasures]

Cardfight Vanguard Clans Themed Headcanon Questions!

Royal Paladin: Does your muse prefer to tackle problems alone or with others?

With others, for sure! Aichi is definitely the kind of guy who is all ‘power of friendship’ and all that. The only time he usually goes at it alone is when he feels like it will put others in danger (Like with the whole S4 situation)

Shadow Paladin: Is your a muse the ends justify the means kind of person?

99% of the time, no. However, when there are desperate times (like again S4), there come desperate measures. For the most part when it comes to Aichi, he doesn’t like doing anything if it means someone else is going to get hurt, even if it is to save the world. Like if he had to sacrifice a friend to save the world he wouldn’t do it. 

Gold Paladin: Does your muse have trouble asking others for help? 

Depends on what it is. Aichi can be pretty stubborn. If it’s something small like help with a homework problem or a suggestion on his deck, then he can do it easily. It’s more the big personal stuff he can have trouble with sometimes. 

Oracle Think Tank: What does your muse see for themselves in the future?

Aichi sees himself not as a professional cardfighter, but rather a professor at a university teaching astrophysics and astronomy, all the while researching Earth and Cray’s connection on the side. He plans to go for his P.H.D! 

Genesis: Does your muse often read their horoscope? 

Aichi isn’t into things like that. Just not his thing! I think he wouldn’t mind hearing about it from someone else. It’s more he won’t go out of his way to read it. 

Kagero: Has ever been a time where your muse has just been like: Man I just wanna burn everything down to the ground?

Nope. Even after all the pain Aichi has gone through, he’s never really had that sort of thought before. He does know people who have though and how destructive that mindset can be (COUGH KAI KUN COUGH)

Narukami: Does your muse like storms?

Aichi doesn’t mind them. When he was younger, he was pretty terrified of them, but that fear has faded away. The only time he’d really not like them is it was super severe weather (like a hurricane or typhoon). 

Tachizake: What dinosaur would you associate with your muse?

I feel like Aichi vibes well with a Plesiosaurus, which is a type of aquatic dinosaur. IDK why, but that’s just what I feel. 

Murakumo: How would your muse react if they found out they were a clone?

Oh goodness...He’d uh...Not react well at all. A full on meltdown and extensional crisis. It would just be a hot mess, let me tell you. 

Nubatama: Is your muse good at gathering information discretely?

Being subtle is not a strong suit of Aichi, so I’d say no. He’s not the person you trust to gather info on what to get someone for your birthday, or to secretly follow someone to get information about them.

Nova Grappler: How much does your muse rely on technology?

Honestly, Aichi could live without it. He doesn’t always have his phone on him, doesn’t really use a computer unless it is for school, and isn’t glued to the TV. He’d be content with just his physical Vanguard cards, honestly. 

Dimension Police: Does your muse have a strong sense of justice?

Yes, even if it may not seem like it from the outside. Aichi very much embodies the knight archetype when he matures, and takes to heart what those values of courage, nobility, and justice mean. 

Link Joker: Has your muse ever lost all hope and fallen into despair?

Several times, actually. Aichi may be a very hopeful person, but there even times when that hope can die out. Season 4 is a great example of this since not even he believed there was an answer to the Link Joker seed other than sacrificing himself. 

Spike Brothers: Does your muse enjoy sports?

No, unless you count Vanguard as a sport (which Aichi doesn’t so). He’s not very good with much anything that involves a lot of physicality. 

Dark Irregulars: How well does your muse handle horror and general scary things?

Not well...Aichi is very easily frightened so even the most tame horror movie will cause him to get all spooked. Avoid that as a date night thing, folks. 

Pale Moon: Does your muse enjoy being the center of attention?

Absolutely not. Aichi hates whenever unneeded attention is on him, which is why he prefers to sit in the back of the class in a corner where no one will notice him. He also has stage fright and sucks at public speaking. 

Gear Chronicle: Does your muse think they are running out of time?

Not really. He still think there is a ton of time he has left on the planet, and looks forward to his future. 

Granblue: If your muse could bring back anyone from the dead, who would they pick?

His father, no question. 

Bermuda Triangle: Does your muse enjoy idols?

Even with some of Aichi’s friends being idols (AKA Ultra Rare), it’s not something he’s into. He could enjoy their music, but wouldn’t be an obsessed fan or anything. If it was one of his friends though, he would of course support them. Depends on the context and the person.

Aqua Force: Is your muse afraid of the ocean?

Nope! Aichi enjoys the ocean very much. He finds it relaxing. If he does swim in it, he won’t go very deep, but he enjoys it. 

Megacolony: Is your muse afraid of bugs?

Aichi is not a fan of bugs and will get anyone else to get rid of one. So, yeah. He is not a fan.

Great Nature: What animal do you most associate with your muse?

I know this is kinda obvious considering his deck/aesthetic, but a puppy. Aichi is a cute, soft puppy who is very loyal, loving, but will not hesitate to bare his fangs at anyone trying to hurt his loved ones (if they cannot be reasoned with, of course. He is, again, a pacifist). 

Neo Nectar: What flower do you most associate with your muse?

Blue Hydrangeas! They are the blue flower that is seen in the movie version of him and Kai’s meeting. It is a flower that has various meanings, but the most relevant ones to Aichi are apology, understanding, and gratitude which I think fit Aichi very well.

Tagged By: No one! I made this up cause I thought it be fun and wanted to share!

Tagging: @abysseeker​ (Choose your fighter) @duskshrouded​ @fragmentedimensions​ (Choose your fighter) @highseaskxng​ @whorunthewcrld​ (Choose your fighter) @thcsevoices​ (Choose your fighter) @tcthinecwnself​ (Choose your fighter) @adversitybloomed​ (Choose your fighter)  @acollapsar​ and anyone else who’d like to do this!

[a-skirmish-of-wit-and-lit]

Book Review: Twice in a Lifetime by Melissa Baron

Part The Lake House, part The Midnight Library, and part butterfly effect, this book has a cross-genre aspect to it that makes it a time-crossed love story as well as an achingly raw life story that's populated with heavy themes and emotions. Tackling things like chronic depression and anxiety, it gives pulse to real struggles. It gives delicate depiction to the gains and setbacks that people who suffer from these conditions experience on a daily basis.

For that reason, it can be intense and despairing to read at times. Overwhelming. As a reader, you feel everything. You suffer everything the characters suffer. However, it's also hopeful in the way that it champions love, compassion, empathy, and finding one's support unit in the unlikeliest of people and places.

After moving from Chicago to a small cottage in a St. Louis suburb, in need of a fresh start after her mother dies from cancer, Isla starts receiving text messages from a man who claims to be her future husband. She's pretty resistant at first. Disbelieving, too. (Who wouldn't be? It sounds impossible.) But he changes her mind by sending her a photo of them on their wedding day and revealing details about her that nobody else knows.

After that, she relents and they cautiously start a texting relationship. She learns that Ewan is sweet, patient, funny, and good-looking. She can talk to him. He also seems to love her for who she is, which is something she has a hard time wrapping her mind around thanks to an anxiety disorder that keeps her self-worth toddled to LOW and her mind buzzing with subjectively perceived failures.

In part, that is why Ewan is reaching out. He is texting through time in order to try and save her from a dark fate he won't discuss but will result in them no longer being together.

So the question becomes: what can Isla do to prevent that fate from occurring? How can she learn to be happy in the present? Grow? Accept herself and overcome her bad mental health days? And if she does manage to veers paths, what will happen? Will she be able to meet and fall in love with Ewan twice in the same lifetime?

I liked that this wasn't simply a lighthearted love story. I appreciated the representation of mental health struggles, feeling keenly for Isla as she attempted to get a handle on her intrusive thoughts - sometimes succeeding, sometimes not. That felt realistic to me. It was lovely that Ewan was so kind and patient with her, too. I think it's important to see compassion represented because we could all learn how to be more supportive and understanding, especially when it comes to health conditions people are suffering from that are invisible.

The timeline structure and pacing could have been better, though. Isla and Ewan stumbled from texting strangers into "I love you" exchangers rather quickly and I would have preferred for there to have been a slower, more progressive build-up. There was also a narrative switch about halfway through that was jarring. Though I wasn't sorry to get some of Ewan's perspective, it felt like it came out of nowhere. Like a bolt of lightning that strikes when the sun is still shining. Perhaps it wouldn't have been as noticeable had the book been separated into two parts, but who's to say?

Overall a decent debut. It'll resonate with fans of The Midnight Library, for sure, because of its mental health focus.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Alcove Press for the ARC!

3/5 stars

**Follow me on Goodreads

[hekigankiseki]

apparently your 'selfless' act wasnt enough to stop future events from having loopholes. like the fog in Inaba, you wouldnt be able to stop that as people turn into Shadows in that fog. and then theres the whole steal your heart thing, where people become even worse. your wish for humanity doesn't seem to do anything... is this what you wanted? ( this isnt anon hate just a curious headcanon like question, how does he feel about this?)

                         “…I never did say change will come immediately, now did I?”

                         The heart of man was always the hardest thing to sway within a person. The mind can be tricked; the soul can be manipulated, but the heart stays true to what they believe in. Experience and memories tell the tale, and each beat lies a page eager to be written with the story of life. He remembers his own story very well– one filled with strife and depression (the number of hurdles he faced should’ve been enough to drive any sane man to insanity), but one also traced with goodness and trust and love. One year was enough to convince his heart to open itself to be written by others; to not give up on living and see the beauty the world and humanity may bring along.

                        Everything has a beginning and an end; Memento Vivere, Memento Mori. It was the key to him realizing his own answer to life, hence doing what he had to do. Beating Death was just not possible– how could he take down an ideology that drew the mother of Shadows in the first place? Something that existed since the dawn of time? All Minato could do was hold it back. He was hoping for a miracle, until realizing that he had to be the miracle itself. Equivalent exchange.

                      He enjoyed life: the sights, the sounds, the sensations of it all. He loved his remaining family, his friends. He loved the world, and learned to love it once more. And in a beat, the Great Seal was made through a godly whim.

                      “…Kirijo said it herself the best– for malice to truly be destroyed, everyone’s feelings must change… and that’s not an easy job to do.” Recalling how his silent demeanor and apathy for the events around him thaw into warmth and love, Minato can say hat he’s seen what change can do. The difference of his demeanor now to when he first arrived at the dormitory is astounding. Sure, the silence is there, but he’s come to love the world as it is, flaws and otherwise. If only the rest of the world would follow suit; but alas, the stubbornness of man is displayed in its full terror. They are the most stubborn creatures in the world.

                        Life strips people into their bare essentials; the will to live, the will to survive and the will to love. Trials and tribulations test these, and at the braking point it is astounding what people would do to cling onto what their heart has embraced as the truth. What happened several years ago, when The Fall was all but imminent, it was then Minato had the struggle to realize on beating death. How exactly are you supposed to stop something that was there since the dawn of time? If this was humanity was collectively wishing for, who was he to deny it? Even now that thought permeates the mind; despite holding the Universe Arcana, he wasn’t exactly one to speak for all of mankind. He was just one person.

                        “It’s not a loophole… It’s basically the truth. I can’t stop them from wishing something to come… But I loved the world and my friends too much to see it end just like that. It’s like… they needed more time to realize there’s a lot of things to live for.” All he could do was delay it. Borrow time. In exchange for his life, he made the Great Seal; all so that the world could not wish for untimely fate to end all life.

                        Certainly even he didn’t foresee what humanity would do to itself.

                        What made life so beautiful that it was not to last forever. It was up to the people to make the most out of their time walking the Earth. Carpe Diem. Seize the day. This is what he admired the most from watching over the Investigation Team and SEES (now the Shadow Operatives), and the up-and-coming Phantom Thieves; seizing the day and making change for the betterment of the world. On a global scale it didn’t seem much, but they were putting their heart and soul into it– even putting their own lives on the line. Doing something for the sake of humanity despite the rest of the world being kept in the shadows of who or what they are… Absolutely selfless.

                        “I can’t… really control what people do. I don’t have the right to micromanage that. Sure; I have the Universe as a power source, but I’m not exactly God either. Who am I to say that I can dictate what is right and what is wrong? People have reasons; some of which are valid, despite crossing a moral compass. I mean, look at me– had I not been influenced by my old teammates in SEES, who knows what would I have done if I found out that Death was inside me for a decade?”

                        The thought of such sent shudders down the spine of the Persona-user, but it was a kind of shudder that makes people even more curious, albeit worried as well– perhaps he may have done a heel turn and joined Strega? Or perhaps he would have gone rogue and disconnected himself from everything in sight, alliances and bonds be damned. The Fall would have happened uninhibited, and the world may not have looked as beautiful as it is now. Thankfully, things went the way they did, and here he is now with a better resolve and a purpose once in the dark being slowly brought into light.

                        “Perhaps… that’s why I was brought back by the Arcana?” Such a mysterious, omnipotent power bringing back its sole owner for one purpose; it has to be it. He may not have the right to be the one to lead all of humanity by the hand, but… “If I can’t guide them, as far as being deity-like goes, maybe I can protect them from the shadows. As far as what I’ve been doing lately, that’s been the top priority– everyone’s safety, that is.” Blood, sweat, tears and everything in between; despite those being shed for a sake he’s bound to get nothing in return, there isn’t much of a reason he can think up of to stop. Not because he has a duty to uphold after the miracle, or because he’s obligated to in return for letting him fall in love with the world again.

                       Sometimes, you don’t need a reason to help, after all. “I don’t care if people don’t see what I do. As long as I can protect the world and the people I love, it’s fine. This wasn’t what I wanted, but I’ll make do.” Somehow.

[missdreamshade]

yan skz reaction to u running away ? <3 btw i love ur blog sm

// Aww! Thank you so much, that’s really sweet of you, and thank you for the request. I feel like I was all over the place, but I hope you enjoy🍄 \\

Yandere!Stray Kids Reaction: You Try Running Away / You Get Away

Warnings: Yandere content so there will be threatening, toxic, possessive and violent themes. Strong language.

Bang Chan

You can try escaping. You can try running. But remember, he’s always 10 steps ahead of you.

You decided to try and slip out the balcony of your shared apartment. You thought you did everything right. You were silent like a caterpillar. You even made sure he was gone before trying.

But the moment you turned around, there he was. Sitting on the staircase that lead up to your balcony.

“What are you doing out here, hm? I sure hope you weren’t planning on running. Now, get back inside, sweetheart, before I begin to lose my temper.”

Lee Minho

It never occurred to him that you’d want to run away. He never “kidnapped” you. Instead, he insists he saved you from your dreadful life. He saved you from being corrupted by this world.

That’s why he was temporarily stunned when he turned around to see your figure running for the door. He quickly chased after you, grabbing both your wrists and pinned you against the nearest wall, pressing his body firmly against yours. Many seconds of terrifying silence passed until Minho finally spoke up.

“Try this shit again, baby, and I’ll break your legs so you will never be able to get away. Do you understand?”

Seo Changbin

You managed to escape him for a couple days by hiding in the basement of an old friend, who you thought lived far enough away. But little did you know, Changbin knew every detail of your life. Including the names and locations of everyone you’ve interacted with. You should’ve known better than to hide away with someone you cared about..

You were woken up to screaming, only to find your friend laying in a pool of his own blood. Changbin stood over him, a bloody hammer clutched tightly in his right hand. You let out a horrified scream, and tried to run, only to have Changbin tackle you to the ground.

“I didn’t want to do this, sweetheart, but you left me no choice. You left me and came running to him. You should’ve known that you can never escape me.”

Hwang Hyunjin

Like Chan, Hyunjin is always 10 steps ahead of you. To him, you were so predictable, so easy to figure out whatever plan you decided to conjure up in your head.

That’s why you hardly even made it down the street before a strong grip wrapped around your wrist, stopping you in your tracks.

“I thought you were smarter than to try and run off, princess, especially with all my warnings. Now I have to decide what to do with you .. Should I chain you to the bed? Cut off your legs? Hm? Aw, don’t look so scared.”

Han Jisung

You never considered how much Jisung knew about you. The thought never crossed your mind until Jisung was easily able to find you, not long after you escaped out the bathroom window.

A strong pair of arms wrapped around your waist the second you stopped running to catch your breath. The grip was tight, almost painfully tight.

“Did you enjoy your adventure, beautiful? I sure hope you did because once we get back home, you’ll never be leaving our room again.”

Lee Felix

There wasn’t anywhere you could hide from Felix. At least not in this city. So he knew exactly where you were headed the second he saw you were missing.

You were anxiously waiting at a bus stop, clutching the precious getaway ticket in your hands. Hope swelled inside your chest when you saw headlights heading your way, until despair took over. It wasn’t the bus. No, you recognized this car. It stopped in front of you and Felix got out of the driver’s side door.

“You were so easy to find, princess, so predictable. Now, get in the car. You might want to hurry while I still have my temper under control. You don’t want me to pay a visit to your family because of these shenanigans, do you?”

Kim Seungmin

It took him longer than expected to find you. Somehow, you managed to escape the city entirely. But when he finally found you, he made sure to bring both you and a special surprise home.

You woke up tied to a stiff wooden chair, ropes wrapped around your wrists and ankles. Seungmin stood near a table smiling at you while arranging a small cluster of objects. Scissors. Screw driver. Tape. Laying in front of you was your unconscious best friend. Tears started falling from your eyes upon realization of whats happening next.

“Aw, don’t cry, sweetheart. I don’t want the tears to blur your vision. This is your punishment for running away. Remember this next time you think of something so idiotic.”

Yang Jeongin

Jeongin could feel himself beginning to breakdown when he woke up to an empty house. You couldn’t be found anywhere. The bathroom? Empty. Kitchen? Deserted. Basement? Vacant. You were gone.

He wouldn’t waste time calling up all the contacts he could, searching all over the city for you. He will find you. No matter where you run to. No matter where you hide.

“I’m coming, baby. I will find you and I promise that you’ll never leave my sight again.”