#like no way he killed too many of them already

[dreamingdormouse]

I have two thoughts on this.

First, it's important to humanize bad people... partly because everyone should get human rights, even the people who you don't think deserve human rights, or else it becomes easy, as Ms Demeanor says, to have that "not everyone deserves human rights" idea turned on the innocent and marginalized. But ALSO it's important to humanize them because that's how we hold them accountable.

If a villain in a story is a literal monster, only capable of harm, we must stop them, but we don't waste energy on telling people not to be like that. We don't have to tell people "don't turn into a ringwraith" because that's not a risk. We can't prevent bokoblins from happening, just kill them.

But turning into a bad person IS something that happens, it IS a choice they made. Trauma made it easier to be cruel, but did not force them to become cruel. Plenty of other people experience trauma and either just live with it, or use that horrible thing to make them kinder. The bad people are humans, which means they could have chosen better. They are responsible for their actions in ways that a rabid dog is not. And seeing them as inhuman takes away that responsibility.

Second, we have so many books about this kind of character, and people love those books (not me, but many people).

If you've read The Hunger Games, you may know of a book called The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, about how President Snow became who he was.

If you've read Cinder and the other books in The Lunar Chronicles, you may know of Fairest, the prequel that explains how Queen Levana became who she was.

If you like the Abhorsen series, you may have read Clariel, and seen how Clariel made bad decisions with good motives, although I will admit that the corrupting influence of Free Magic is, like ringwraiths, not an issue for most of us. But a good kid became a villain in that one too.

Then there are the stories that aren't prequels, where you don't know going in that this is the story of a villain's rise. I feel like even naming those is a spoiler! But I'll just mention the movie Chronicle and the book Empress by Karen Miller.

If you want to see how ordinary people can choose cruelty and feel justified, read or watch those stories. Lots of people love them. (I don't, personally - I'm not a big fan of tragedies. When it's a prequel and I already know the character will end up choosing cruelty, it feels like they're doomed. And when it surprises me, it's like a horror movie you didn't know was a horror movie. Like when you're screaming at the screen "Don't split up!" "Don't go in that room!" "Look behind you!" or things like that, I feel like I'm going "Bad idea bad idea!" more and more and seeing them corrupt themselves.)

Anyway, point being...

Your

Enemies

Are

Humans

They may not be changeable at this point. They're someone you stop, not someone you can fix. But they are humans, we need to give them human rights (for our sake, not theirs), it may help to understand how they choose what they did, they are responsible for their own actions.

Stop making them monsters, it lets them off the hook.

I thought it was fairly normal to feel empathy for bad people.

I thought it was common, even.

But after my Elon/Grimes post... now I'm wondering if I was mistaken about that.

I wrote a post about Trump being traumatized after his assassination attempt and a post about his poor adaptation to aging. I expressed sympathy for him in both cases. But I still maintain my white hot hatred of him and wish for him to face consequences.

Elon was abused by his father. Some of the stories are incredibly tragic. Hearing those stories triggers an involuntary response in my emotional systems that I can't stop no matter how much I despise present-day Elon. I also wonder if that abuse never occurred maybe we wouldn't be dealing with this current clusterfuck.

I have never held so much anger towards a single person as I do my brother. But I also see him as a victim of abuse. I know he was once a really good person and he was slowly corrupted. I feel sorry for him. I mourn the amazing person he used to be. And I still love him.

But that doesn't make me any less angry.

[voxslays]

KISS ME AGAIN — THE DOCTOR

A/N: Don’t question it, y’all…

Many years ago, when you had once worked for playtime co, you had no idea of the horrific experiments they would conduct on the innocent children. In fact, your job was working with them. You were a counselor, and all you truly wanted was for them to feel safe.

You had only met Dr. Sawyer a handful of times, and even then, you were barely acquainted. You didn’t care for the man, finding him standoffish, snobby, and rude. It wasn’t until the ‘hour of joy’ you had truly learnt what your coworkers had been doing behind the scenes.

One moment, you were a human, the next you were a porcelain doll—one reminiscent of Poppy, but bigger. In all your glory, you stood at about five feet tall. Pretty big for a doll, huh? After the hour of joy, you were left to rot in the factory with the countless other lost souls—no hope to get back to the surface.

But one day, you decided to take a risk. You would go to the lowest level of the factory. What was the worst that could happen? At best, you’d feel a few moments of pain before being put out of your misery. Plus, your glass skin was already starting to crack. It was only a matter of time before you broke anyways.

That was when you met Doctor Sawyer again, only this time, he was a large TV like screen with a mechanical body and one glowing eye. Very different from the last time you saw him. Instead of killing you immediately, Harley lets you live on one condition, you follow his rules.

And that brings you to now. You’re standing next to Harley in his monitor room—the one with all the bright screens and monitors. You’d be lying if you said the light didn’t hurt your eyes sometimes, though. “How much longer do you think the ex-employee will last?” You ask, crossing your arms.

“It couldn’t be too long.” You sigh, desperate to leave the room. Harley was taking much longer than usual—and as if sensing your impatience, his booming robotic voice responds. “Just a moment, my dear.” You roll your eyes. Hadn’t he said that an hour ago?

It was hard to tell time on the factory, but you could easily tell that it had been longer than the moment he had requested. Harley didn’t like it when you disturbed him while he was working, but the way his robotic form hunched over that desk? Too good to miss out on.

You cleverly and quietly stalked your way over to the man, ready to pounce. But instead, you give him a small peck on the side of his screen. The doctor turns to you, as if expecting an explanation. Yet, you simply walk out of the room, unbothered. Whatever punishment awaited you tonight—it was worth it.

[shatcey]

Victor theories (after the trailer)

I just scream a bit… bear with me. I'M SO HAPPY I don't have to buy a tamagotchi and kill it. Thank you, Cybird. Okay… This is my last last theory post. The second last post. I do not know how it happened.

@.kurishiri made a translation of the trailer in case you didn't see it yet. In this post, I will use screenshots from this translation.

The thoughts in my head are jumping from one to another. I tried to structure them, though it doesn't seemed to worked out properly. But… I wanted to write it as soon as possible, before something distracted me. Sorry about it.

His age

The first thing I noticed was that Vivi not only has shorter hair, but he looks younger!!!!!

He looks about 15-16 years old… maybe I'm wrong. But… it looks like that to me…

And the words that we see… repeat the words of our beloved Kate.

I'm going to scream! IT WAS HIM!!!! I KNEW IT!!!!

(clear throat)

I'm back to normal.

So, the younger version of Victor that we see in this video was with Kate. Kate is now 25-26, and it happened in her very young years (she barely remembers it)… for example, 20 years ago. This number was on Jude's route… WTF, why not? So…

So... 20 years ago, Vivi was 15-16 years old… So we're back to 35-36 years old. It fits perfectly.

His origin

Another thing that is very hard to miss is his clothes. Larger version from the announcement of episode 0.

At first I thought maybe it was a school uniform. Because of his age… it's possible. But at that time, boys wore the same clothes they do now. A fairly simple shirt, tie, and black suit. Even if we assume that he just took off his jacket, the shirt is too fancy. And a ribbon… not exactly fitting.

Next I thought about Elbie and Ally's shirts… they have a similar style, but not quite. But the ribbon he wears is too simple for nobility. But at the same time… the quality of the shirt says otherwise. Not to mention the stone brooch… So maybe… He comes from a rich family, that become poor. These clothes can be explained that way. But… church schools were only for orphans, no? Or for family members, as we learned.

But I have a feeling that he looks more like a scholar. It looks like he studied theology, maybe he was preparing to become a priest? Haven't I been thinking too much about Faust lately? Maybe.

Is this even a church?

The statue does not look like a modern God… Yes, we have large windows that let in a lot of light (which often symbolizes closeness to God), chandeliers and benches…. but… It feels a little different. Do you see? The statue is too big… and… architecture… is not quite right. It is somewhat reminiscent of Ancient Greece. What is this place?

Fatalism

I firmly believe in fate, so I am extremely happy to see this part. The fact that Kate was back in his life…

I agree that it's probably very strange to meet someone after so many years and in such strange circumstances. If situations continue to overlap one another, despite the fact that the probability that happen is very low… people usually call it fate.

But he's talking again (this time) about fate as a person. Maybe it's just a figure of speech…

That ribbon of his won't let me go… The simple ribbon was mentioned in the bitter ending of Ellis' story in event "Bound to You".

Kate was extremely fascinated by this ribbon. Considering that Kate met Victor with a simple ribbon a long time ago. Perhaps that's why this symbol seems so attractive to her… Forgotten memories, associations…

And the fact that Kate remembers him… there are already two facts about him… mean that he made a strong impression. What happened back then?

Actually in the Dark IF story (translated by @.reccyls)... she sort of remembered him because of his hair...

Yes, he is a magnificent man and makes a strong impression. Maybe it's just an impression. But I'd like to think it was more than that.

I talked about this in my "last post with the theories". Yeah, right… the last.

So… Maybe they were just meant to be together. And that's why (maybe) Vivi let her go many years ago… to keep her safe. And perhaps that's why he feels sad when he says that "fate is playing her cards".. He doesn't want to involve Kate in his life… but Fate has a different opinion.

On the other hand… all the guys "endings" (I'm not talking about… no, it's an untranslatable joke) usually called grim fate. In the sense of the inevitability of missing it, changing it. This is what will happen no matter what. (But we still won't give up!!!) Maybe that's what Victor was talking about. And, perhaps, this has something to do with his grim fate. His grim fate drew Kate into his life. His grim fate made it happen. His grim fate is... so persistent. Peculiar…

His loyalty

This was one of the versions of what his curse might be. I've talked about it… here. But it is very questionable. Victor constantly calls himself the Grim Reaper, the palace Reaper (which kind of resembles Sariel.. who calls himself the devil). So maybe it's just one of the nicknames and has nothing to do with his real curse.

And the last line… totally different from what we've heard before. On every route, they are told us that Crown "destroys evil with evil". So… they don't deny that they are evil, but they do it with a good purpose. But… here Victor said that he was devoted to evil… Maybe the guys don't know who they really work for? Maybe the Queen, as I assumed earlier, is not human at all? Interesting…

Or maybe… He's just being dramatic. He talked about himself as something dark and bad. Maybe it's the curse that makes him think of himself that way…

And a bit more...

It's just a guess. You can't look him in the eye when he gives an order to his victim, otherwise you'll die as well. It's almost the same as a William's curse. He also must look the victim in the eye. It looks a bit like a snake. Has the thought of Sari stuck in my head???? Maybe… no… he's not Hydra.

So… he sold his freedom to get his curse? This… impossible, the curse doesn't work that way. Maybe… he exchanged? What? And again… who is the Queen? Victor belongs to Victoria. Does he have sort of contract with her? Is she the Death itself??? It would be too good to be true...

The design of the spikelet on the dividers I took from Designed by Freepik

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

🔝 𝕊𝕋𝔸ℝ𝕋 ℙ𝔸𝔾𝔼 🔝

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[violasghost]

If you love her, then fight-Chenford era, The Rookie 7x7 episode discussion

Am enjoying reading the already many excellent reviews out there in Chenford nation- but just wanted to add a few favorite observations of this recent episode.

Celina: Aw, I loved how she really did the work and earned her officer status. So proud of her. Would love to see her riding with Lucy sometime (not just as TO and Rookie) but as two female cops kicking ass in the near future.

Miles: He was really sweet too. He has a good heart and I think he has what it takes to make it as a successful cop and go places.

Seth: I’m still on the fence about this one. On one hand, I want him to do well because I want Lucy to do well and get her win for once by showing her superiors that she is worthy of making detective or whatever she wants by helping Seth succeed. I don’t want her to fail. On the other hand, he is super flaky. Aside from the lie thing, he knows Tamara and Lucy are close, and then he arranges to hang out with Tamara privately knowing Lucy is his TO. I mean if he wanted to get on Lucy’s good side he would have asked her if she was cool with him hanging out with Tamara. But he just went ahead and did it without saying anything, then he put himself in jeopardy, which Lucy had to go and bail him out of. The baby cop act thing is getting old. Even when Lucy, Nolan, and Jackson were Rookies, they weren’t even close to that ignorant. Seth is going to get himself killed sooner or later. I get why Tim is concerned honestly.

Nolan and Bailey: I actually empathized with Bailey more this time. I felt like Nolan was being kind of a dick to her by ignoring her for a week. I like this angle for Bailey and hope they play it up, because she really needs a purpose, other than being the helpless damsel and supportive little wifey to Nolan.

Nolan and Tim: I enjoyed these two together as well. They actually have pretty good chemistry. I wouldn’t mind more Nolan and Tim scenes. I feel like Tim tells it like it is and sometimes Nolan needs that. Nolan is pretty damn dense sometimes. I mean exhibit A. He asks Tim when he knew his relationship with Isabel was over, which was like what 7+ years ago, and not really the same situation at all, since Isabel was addicted to drugs and was an undercover cop. And it was SO hilarious when he found out about the ring. I LOL’ed. And yeah, Nolan should have gotten in more trouble for losing the squad car. That was really really bad.

Nyla and James: I’m really glad they are working together now. I was worried about them for a bit, and it was nice of Wesley to chime in too. I feel like Nyla was kind of hiding out with Angela and avoiding dealing with James a lot and it wasn’t fair to him. So glad they finally have a plan.

Chenford: Last but not least. For the couple who didn’t have much in person screen time together over the course of the episode, they sure had a lot to say/think/suggest about one another.

Starting out with Tim’s veterans group and him getting lost in thought about their kiss and hook up. And then he confides in the group about what happened, and we learn that they are quite familiar with Lucy, and not only that, but Tim feels guilty that he did not earn her affections, and hasn’t done the work he feels he needs to do to earn Lucy’s trust back. But the group leader points out that Lucy was an active participant as well.

And then we see Lucy, who is daydreaming about the same exact moments, and not only that but she is putting on a new shade of lipstick, to draw the attention of a certain someone at work perhaps? But also possibly to mimic the feel of his lips against hers. Either way, we know they are both fantasizing about the other.

Then we get to Tim at the station and he’s making sure that Seth is 100% healthy so that he does not put his TO (aka Lucy) at risk. Love protective Tim!

And that’s only the beginning. When Tim’s shacked up with Nolan in the safe house he tells him about how he has regrets about not fighting for Lucy. And again when Nolan said he had trouble sleeping when Bailey wasn’t around Tim nodded in agreement, as if he might understand exactly how that felt.

Then when Lucy called Tim’s phone, waking him from sleep (And yeah when Lucy got in a bind the first person she called was Tim), he was about to bail on everything and planned to meet her until everything went haywire.

And lastly, the scene when Tamara is at the station and Lucy confronts her about Seth and then Tim walks in and he notices some friction between Lucy/Tamara. Then Lucy confides in Tim about her warning Tamara about Seth and it not going well, and Tim offered to put the fear of God into Seth. (Fast-forward if you want to see into future Lucy/Tim’s life in 18-20 years when they have their own young adult kids)

Their lives are so intertwined at this point it’s crazy they aren’t together yet. It’s pretty damn obvious at this point which direction they are headed and its not backwards. Chenford is the last stop at the end of the line, end game.

Looking forward to seeing what’s in store for our dynamic duo next week. Their chemistry is off the charts. They got off to a slow start, but loving the Chenford we’ve gotten the last couple episodes. I hope they keep it up. :D

[bartonomy]

REGULUS BLACK AND THE ART OF LOVING A MADMAN ( WOMAN??)

PAIRING Regulus Black x Crouch!Fem! Reader

SYNOPSIS When you pick a fight with Mulciber (again), get hit with a particularly nasty hex (again), and land yourself in the hospital wing (again), Regulus has to work his usual charm on a professor to clean up your mess. Just another day in his fucking life.

CONTENT WARNING not proofread! ,crouch family slander, reader gets hurt, regulus getting pulled into things, fluff!!

WORD COUNT 1.8k

library.

Regulus Black regretted a lot of decisions in his life.

Most of them involved his family, some of them involved his choice of friends, and at least one of them involved that time Barty had convinced him to try a new spell that had made him vomit slugs for an hour. But on the top among his many regrets, the one that occupied his mind on a near-daily basis and might be the reason why his hair is greying at the ripe age of 16, was the fact that he had somehow, against all logic and reason, fallen in love with you out of all people.

And, unfortunately, the most insane person he had ever met.

“Stop them!” a first year yelled across the courtyard.

Regulus sighed deeply, already rubbing his temples. “Oh, for Merlin’s sake-”

He turned just in time to see you- his oh so lovely, brilliant and slightly deranged girlfriend- launching herself at Mulciber like a particularly homicidal pixie.

“Oh, brilliant,” Regulus muttered.

The duel had looked absolutely pathetic, if he was being honest. Spells were flying. Mulciber’s wand was raised, his face exasperated with anger and annoyance, while you looked totally unbothered, happy even, to be challenged. “You really want to do this, Crouch?”

“You looked at me funny,” you mused, as if that was a reasonable explanation. You showed no sign of actually doing any harm that day,he thinks, much to his surprise.

Merlin's buttocks, I'm getting too used to this mental buffoonery.

As if you could hear his thoughts (well, his steps weren't exactly quiet on the cobble stones), you added, "Care to repeat what you said about me and Barty as well, Mulci?"

Regulus let out a long-suffering sigh. Of course it about Barty. Barty Jr. could get away with murder in front of you, and you would still defend his honor as if he were some kind of noble martyr instead of an absolute menace.

For once, though, he wasn’t involved. He was sitting off to the side, watching the fight unfold with mild interest, completely unaware that his little sister was about to get herself hexed into oblivion on his behalf.

“I didn’t say anything that wasn't the truth, Black,” Mulciber was saying lazily to him. “And you know,” he drawled, twirling his wand between his fingers, “I always wondered how someone as uptight as Barty Sr. managed to spawn not one, but two utter disappointments.”

Regulus felt his girlfriend tense. Beside you, Barty went very still.

Mulciber smirked. “I mean, your brother’s already well on his way to becoming a Ministry disgrace. But you-” He let out a low whistle. “I don’t know if you’re worse because you’re reckless or because you don’t even realize it.”

Regulus sighed. Oh, for Merlin’s sake.

Barty scoffed, looking deeply unbothered. “Well, you would be an expert on family disappointments, Mulciber. How is your Squib cousin, by the way?”

Mulciber’s smirk faltered. His wand snapped up. That was it.

"Sectumsempra!"

You barely dodged it, eyes narrowing. “Alright, you little freak, where the hell did you learn-”

Regulus was already moving, pushing through the gathering crowd of Slytherins who had circled around, waiting for blood. “Protego!” Regulus flicked his wand just in time to deflect the bombarda that was just blasted- your spell, because of course you weren't backing down. No, you were going straight for the kill. “Reggie!” you whined. “I had him!”

“No, you didn’t,” Regulus said flatly.

“Mulciber, you have the nerve to continue this child's play,” Barty Jr. called from the sidelines. He didn’t sound particularly concerned. Mulciber smirked. “the little rat has nothing against me.”

He caught his girlfriend’s eye- “Don’t kill him." you just winked. And then, with a graceful, almost lazy movement, you flicked you wand. “Expelliarmus.”

Mulciber barely dodged. He fired back, sneering- “Stupefy!” You stepped casually aside, as if dodging wasn’t even an effort. “You’re going to have to try harder than that, love.”

Mulciber growled and raised his wand. “Depulso!” You twirled your wand midair defending yourself, as if the interaction was boring you immensely. The force of the impact barely even ruffled your hair.

Barty let out a mocking yawn. “Come on, Mulciber. You hex like a first year.” Mulciber’s face twisted with anger. “At least I have some dignity,” he spat. “Unlike your sister, who has none. It’s pathetic, really. A Crouch playing attack dog for a Black?”

Regulus’s jaw clenched. He looked at his girlfriend, and you were smiling, Not in a nice way. Oh, he was so done for.

You tilted your head, mockingly thoughtful. “You know what’s really pathetic, Mulciber?”Mulciber scowled. “What?”

You only flicked your wand. “Silencio.”

His mouth disappeared, where once his lips were, was now a blank canvas of skin. Mulciber’s eyes widened. He tried to speak- but only muffled words came out.

Barty burst out laughing. “Oh, that’s just cruel, tiger” Mulciber’s face twisted with rage. He furiously swiped his wand to counter the curse- but you didn’t let him. With one smooth, effortless motion, you fired another spell.

“Locomotor Mortis.”*

Mulciber stumbled. His legs went jelly-like, his knees buckling beneath him. Regulus exhaled. “Chéri, are you playing with your food?”

“Obviously.”

Mulciber seethed silently. He furiously gestured with his wand and you deflected the curse midair with zero effort. At this point, he was shaking with fury. His pride- his absolute refusal to lose to a damn Crouch-took over. His eyes flashed and he pointed his wand. A muffled “Confringo!” could be heard as red streaks came blasting towards you.

Regulus’s stomach dropped. The spell hit you square in the shoulder, sending you flying backwards with a sickening crack. “Bloody hell-” Regulus lunged forward, catching you just before you hit the ground.

Your robes were singed, your arm at an unnatural angle that would make a troll wince, and, of course, you were still trying to get back up. “ I swear to my ancestors souls, let me at him, Regulus, before-”

Regulus tightened his grip, pushing you down gently. “You are not dueling with a broken arm.”

You huffed. “I could still win.”

“You could also die,” Regulus snapped. He turned to Mulciber, eyes cold. “Are you quite finished?”

Mulciber raised his hands frantically, gesturing to you and back to barty as if to say 'Hey, she started it!'

Regulus didn’t argue. You had, in fact, started it. But that didn’t make this situation any less infuriating.

“Barty,” he called. “A little help?”

Said boy finally got up from his seat, leisurely strolling over like this wasn’t a life-or-death situation. He peered down at his sister with a critical eye, then shrugged. “You’ll live.”

You groaned. “That’s your concern?”

“You look fine to me,” he said cheerfully. “Besides, I think you got one good hit in." Regulus was going to lose his mind. “You are both insane,” he muttered.

“Thanks,” they said at the same time.

Regulus was already tired. He hadn’t even had breakfast yet. This was supposed to be a normal day. But no, his girlfriend had to pick a fight before 8 AM.

Merlin’s beard, this family was going to be the death of him.

Regulus was not built for this kind of stress. He ran a calloused hand through his pale face, cursing the gods for giving him a reckless bomb of a girlfriend when he once, pathetically, called upon them in his third year.

Meanwhile, Barty- who had been doubled over, laughing at Mulciber from the bed opposite the room, finally spoke, grinning.

“That was brilliant,” he told his sister. “Merlin, I love you. This is why you’re my favorite sibling.”

“You don’t have any other siblings,” Regulus pointed out dryly.

“Exactly!” Barty beamed.

On Godrick's balls, was he tired.

He sat next to your bed, watching as Madam Pomfrey fussed over your arm. The hex had done more than break the bone- it had burned through your sleeve (from your brand new robes, if you might add), leaving angry red scorch marks trailing down your shoulder.

You were delighted by this, and he was flabbergasted.

“I bet it’ll scar,” you said excitedly. “That’s wicked, am I right?”

Regulus pinched the bridge of his nose. “No. It’s not wicked. It’s downright idiotic.”

Madam Pomfrey sighed, already immune to your nonsense. “You’ll be fine by morning, dear. But you’re staying here for now.”

That was fine. That was great, actually. What wasn’t great was the fact that Slughorn was already marching into the room, looking both concerned and exasperated.

Regulus immediately straightened, preparing himself for an hour (more like 10 minutes with the way that mustache of a man rambles) of scolding.

“Miss Crouch,” Slughorn sighed. “Another duel?”

“She started it,” Regulus said quickly, ever the dutiful boyfriend.

His girlfriend shot him a betrayed look. “Regulus!”

Slughorn shook his head. “Detention, I’m afraid.”

Regulus tilted his head, sliding into his usual charming demeanor. “Professor, surely you can’t punish someone who’s already suffered so much.”

Slughorn frowned. “She hexed Mulciber.”

Regulus offered a smile, smooth as silk, looking past the man to the occupied bed with said subject. “And he hexed her back. Quite viciously, I might add. The poor girl nearly lost consciousness in my arms. It was tragic, really.”

His girlfriend scoffed. “I was fine.”

Regulus nudged you sharply under the blanket. “You were barely breathing,” he said dramatically.

Slughorn looked hesitant. Regulus pushed harder.

“I carried her here myself,” he continued, voice just the right amount of pained. “Do you really think she deserves detention after such an ordeal?”

Slughorn sighed, rubbing his temples. “…Very well. But no more dueling.”

Regulus smiled, victorious. “Of course, Professor.” Slughorn gave them one last weary look before leaving.

The second he was gone, you gaped at him “You are actually insane,” you said scandalized and eyes wide.

Regulus smirked. “You’re welcome. Perhaps we can star our mornings not risking our lives and you know, go to the great hall like normal witches, hm?"

You only beamed up to him, leaning back against the pillows. “You love me.”

Regulus exhaled, already exhausted again.

“…Tragically, yes. I do”

[princess-charlie-of-hell]

Personally I don't ship Radio*pple and Radiost*tic while preferring Charlastor because of episode 8. Upon witnessing Alastor get a deadly blow from Adam, Vox enthusiastically says that was better than sex, getting way too happy at the likelihood of the Radio demon dying. When Alastor shows up after the battle that everyone thought he was dead from, Lucifer gets annoyed at him for being alive.

One man revels in Alastor's suffering while the other doesn't care that Alastor almost perished at the hands of Adam. Meanwhile, Charlie was clearly shocked upon seeing Adam when she knows Alastor was supposed to be handling him, realizing that if the angel won that fight, her business partner might be dead and later, when the deer himself reveals he survived, she calls him "Al" and wraps him in a hug of relief.

From what the final episode showed, I definitely don't like shipping Alastor with either Vox and Lucifer. I'm not going to pair Alastor with two men who would certainly ridicule him for fleeing the fight he almost died from. In real life, would you want to be romantically inclined with the people who make fun of the time you got a deadly wound? That would be extremely toxic but a lot of shippers love to say that is the epitome of romance and consider it "healthy" to ship Radio*pple and Radiost*tic.

I prefer to see Alastor with someone who cares about him that even when everyone is against him and wants him dead, there's always someone he can rely on. Someone like Charlie. Sure, she's with Vaggie but in the world of fiction, I can ship her with Alastor, you aren't stopping me. Besides, it's literally more likely Alastor wants the woman who was happy to see him alive rather than the men who prefer to him dead.

"One man revels in Alastor suffering while the other doesn't care that Alastor almost perished at the hand of Adam" I think you described it very well, the fact is that neither Vox or Lucifer really cared about the possibility of Alastor dying and Lucifer even was straight up disappointed that he survived

I can understand that Lucifer dislikes Alastor after he tried to sabotage his relationship with Charlie but the fact that he was frustrated over the fact that Alastor is alive, they interacted like 5 minutes and after that already wishing someone dead?

His reaction was in my eyes petty, despite everything what happened between them Lucifer should understand how important Alastor is for the hotel and at least could appreciate that Alastor fought with Adam to defend the hotel while he first came at the very end

And Vox getting aroused that Alastor got beaten up and almost killed by Adam gets romanticized from the fandom in my eyes. It isnt cute when someone sees his so called crush almost killed and thinks "hmm he is so hot right now",especially if some theorize that Alastor rejected him. Like image if Alastor were a woman and Vox still had the same reaction, someone being happy that the person who rejected one got almost killed is creepy whatever man or woman

And then there is Charlie. She was so happy that Alastor survived and was the first one to pull him in the hug in finale

Look how happy she is in comparison to the person, they seem happy to but Charlie is on a different level. Lucifer and Husk look they rather have him dead and I can't blame Husk for it, Angel dust Vaggie and Cherri dust are happy too but Charlie and Nifty at least seem for me to be happiest about having him back. Charlie looks like she doesn't want to let him go and he even looks at her

So Charlastor is for me more healthy than R@diostatic and R@dioapple. Charlie and Alastor seem enjoy each other company, even are comfortable with touching each other like we see multiple times in the show. You can ship RA and RS but I see so many people shipping one of them, acting like they super fluffy and wholesome while making Charlastor look toxic like rat poison

And the whole Charlie has a girlfriend discourse 🙄. People being in a canonically relationship doesn't mean they no longer can be shipped also Vox is together with Valentino and Lucifer is technically still married to Lilith and still in love with her and that doesn't stop people from shipping them with Alastor.

Charlastor and Chaggie can also happen at the same time, Charlie has two hands afterall. Like @pplemedia (Alastor x Vox x Lucifer) is also very popular in the fandom and Chaggistor sounds great too, Vaggie and Alastor beefing with each other while spooning with Charlie in the middle is hilarious

And like you said it is just fiction and people need to stop acting like we are forcing real life people to date each other against their will. Charlie and Alastor are not real and we aren't forcing a real sapphic couple to break up, in the emergency if we want sapphic couples, we can ship Vaggie with Velvette or I date Vaggie myself

[diebischesther]

𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐍 𝐎𝐅 𝐂𝐀𝐈𝐍 ⸺ 𝑴𝑰𝑳𝑶𝑼 ❛ 𝑴𝑬𝑳𝑰𝑵𝑶𝑬̈ ❜ 𝑴𝑰𝑵𝑮𝑨𝑻𝑬

quick meta yap before i start yapping about milou as the mc for @childrenofcain-if. i need everyone to know how absolutely insane i am about the themes here. milou in her original lore already has close ties to death as she's essentially its embodiment. needless to say, i absolutely adore axel's writing & will be following this project closely !! ૮꒰˶> ᴗ <˶꒱ა ♡ image sources found at the end .

NAME. ⠀ Milou  'Melinoë'  Mingate

𝒐' 𝒎𝒂𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒅𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉;  today i weep for you  as i spill my kin's blood,  in hope you grant me succor for when my soul departs this  [ mortal realm . ]

NICKNAME. ⠀ Mai GENDER. ⠀ Cisgender Female ( she/her ) MAJOR. ⠀Biomedical Engineering¹ HAMARTIA. ⠀Paranoia¹

who can you trust,  if not even yourself?  you walk this earth as though you are naught but the empty shell of a woman  ⸺  you are a ghost,  a fever dream.  the lines between reality & the figments of your imagination blur with each passing day.  your senses betraying you,  as though you are your own greatest adversary.  would you notice if you'd be living in a dream?  it matters not,  for you do not know if your nightmares aren't the ones bringing you comfort,  as opposed to waking in this dying world.

EXTRACURRICULARS³. ⠀ Ice Skating, Engineering, Manners and Protocol, Public Speaking, Debate Society LANGUAGES⁴. ⠀ Latin, Dutch, French, German, Mandarin², Spanish PLANNED RO. ⠀ Dumitru Constantin Diaconu

[ 𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 ] ⠀ ⸺ ⠀ ethereal beauty   […]   you tread with the macabre once more .

Milou is blessed with hair that many would kill for  ⸺  thick,  jetblack strands that reach down to her waist in gentle waves. She prefers to wear them loose,  sometimes curled,  though also in a haphazard low bun if need be. She doesn't fret much over her appearance,  the beauty of her stemming from effortless confidence. How could she not? Tall, hourglass-shaped body & a face that makes you lose your breath. Amethyst eyes that you could spend hours getting lost in & an warm olive complexion,  as though kissed by the sun. As far as aesthetics go,  Mingate's choices are as flippant as her character. She's a big fan of jewelry, her ear piercings and tattoos⁵ being the only constant in her daily fashion choices. Her predominant styles lie with biker & dark academia⁶.

[ 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘 ] ⠀ ⸺ ⠀ fortune favours the bold .

As a woman of many names & faces,  trying to figure out what goes on in that pretty little head of hers is a futile task. For those not familiar with her,  it's quite the challenge to discern whether she likes you,  hates you or simply tolerates you. Her demeanour is a constant pull between being friendly & seeming as though she couldn't care less about you. At first glance,  Milou Mingate is the picturesque cliché of an arrogant rich kid  ⸺  a brat too spoiled for her own good. Her pragmatic words are often laced with a heavy dose of sarcasm,  the woman's lack of genuine consideration acting as a deterrant for those around her. Truth be told,  Milou is scared.  Terrified of what lay beyond,  how could she let another know her when she barely knows herself?  Alas,  those who dare to take a leap of faith will be greatly rewarded. Behind the pessimistic extrovert's mask lay a woman full of love for those around her. Passionate. Impusilve. Unfettered.  Despite what she presents herself as,  Mingate sustains herself on the thrills of life. Unapologetic in her way of living  ⸺  hard & fast,  calculated risks taken in the heat of the moment.  Don't tie her down or put a leash around her neck;  for then she'll go to unperceived lengths to steal the moon & stars out of the night sky for you.  But the matters of a heart are a fickle thing,  better hope you discern her elusive nature before she slips out of your grasp for good.

CÉDRIC ARMAND LACROIX. ⠀ thoughts and prayers for poor ceddy bear, everyone !  when he says she is the bane of his existence,  he has every right to say so and i will defend him in a court of law on this. for any true rivalry going on between them,  it's rather one-sided on c's side. milou doesn't truly hate them,  not even really dislike them. however,  she's getting an absolute piss out of getting them riled up and has so for years now. truly surprised they haven't suffered an aneurysm yet.  they're also taking second place as far as ROs go. who would have thought!

VANCE KASPER NÆSHOLM. ⠀ bro truly pissed off the wrong woman on their first day at yale...  of course,  milou is pretty pissed following their attempted murder,  but that is not why V is gonna be in for one hell of a ride. oh no.  she's rather quick to  'forgive'  them. milou does hold a slight grudge for a few days,  but that dissipates rather quickly.  she's also a little shit though,  taking advantage of the fact that V is still rather skittish around her at first. playing the hot & cold game,  though milou isn't overtly mean. it's more about the anticipation,  leaving them hanging & wondering whether she hates them or not. however,  given they haven't decided they're better off without milou  (V babe you absolutely would be please save urself before its too late),  they'll eventually reach a point at which milou will assure them that no. she does not hate them. yes. they are friends. yes. they are now legally obliged to be her partner in crime and get dragged into her bullshit.

WILHELMINE JOHANNA OSTENDORF. ⠀ angsty unrequited love my beloved. yearning and pining for what you know can never be yours my beloved. please dear author i need my angst pleasepleasepleaspelapselapsle  (im so normal about their potential dynamics here but need more time with them to figure out the details)

DUMITRU CONSTANTIN DIACONU. ⠀ hold my glass of fruit juice for a moment everyone because im gonna be soooo fucking normal here in a second. i will never. NEVER. shut up about fwb dynamics that turn into "oh shit i have actually fallen in love with you and i'm sorry but now i can't help but love you like a dog until the end of time". it's about the devotion. it's about the yearning. it's about coming to terms that you have found yourself in a love that transcends the capacity of words & yet you don't have to speak a single word because you know your lover understands all of it. it's about bearing the responsibility of a love you never thought could be possible. one you never thought you deserved and yet ...  yet it is here. it is yours. and good fucking lord you will do everything to keep it,  desperately clining to it like your life depends on it because it does. it's something that you know could reach much greater places beyond your horizon,  but you're too selfish to let it go. and i need you to know that this shit goes BOTH WAYS btw. i'm extremely normal about two fucked up people that have endured too much trauma than they should be capable of withstanding, finding each other and becoming their safe haven. goodnight.

MAXINE EDYTHE WHITLOCK-SINGH. ⠀do you know what i love more than women?  women who can actually just kill me. idk but that is the vibe these two give me together. i feel as though they'd become unlikely best friends,  bringing the untouchable down to their knees,  forcing them to walk the mortal realms alongside the other. in a totally normal, platonic and non-sapphic way btw. totally.

✱ ⠀ [ 01 ] ⠀ as far as milou's biggest flaw goes, there are a lot of good options that fit with her character. girl has a lot more vices than she has virtues (D and her are gonna be an absolute mess istg). same goes for majors, although i was more torn between whether she'd go for smth more in pre-med or sciences — so i settled with something in between. simply can't help it as a woman in stem myself .... i love me my women in stem !!

✱ ⠀ [ 02 ] ⠀ my headcanons lean toward milou being partially thai, likely stemming from her mom? although i won't go into this in depth yet bc i want to see the stuff axel has in store for us regarding mc's parents and their heritage 🤭 i'm trying to stick as close to canon as i can though, so mandarin will have to do for now.

✱ ⠀ [ 03 ] ⠀ milou is a YAPPER, which is why so many of her extracurriculars fall into the social category. she knows how to navigate social situations with an effortless ease, though she's definitely got the dramatics to show for it too. dumitru & milou being the drama king / queen of yale anyone ??? i can def see it 😭

✱ ⠀ [ 04 ] ⠀ being a dramatic nihilistic queen struggling with apathy and her place in the world, a lot of her coping mechanisms involve keeping busy all the time, which is why she's taken up trying to learn as many languages as possible (+ in the same vein, take as many extracurriculars as she can). her proficiency is latin > thai mandarin >= german >> french = spanish > dutch.

✱ ⠀ [ 05 ] ⠀ tattoos + jewelry references tba

✱ ⠀ [ 06 ] ⠀ clothing references tba (i got lazy here ok)

✱ ⠀ [ CREDITS ] ⠀ 𝒊.  kuroe16370547, via former bird app . ⠀ 𝒊𝒊.  louise glück,  penelope's song . ⠀ 𝒊𝒊𝒊.  meg_mumu,  commissioned by me . ⠀ 𝒊𝒗.  lu__liu,  commissioned by me . ⠀ 𝒗.  luca guadagnino,  suspiria  ( 2018 ) . ⠀ 𝒗𝒊.  euripides  ( tr. anne carson ),   an oresteia;  “orestes” .

as a last footnote : canon milou has major daddy / mommy issues and would burn the whole city down before getting within a 10 ft radius of them ..... unless her goal is to drive a knife into their back. so it's nice seeing her have a good relationship with her parents FOR ONCE. don't tell me i'm jinxing myself.

[cozmowrites]

if i killed someone for you

if i killed someone for you - alec benjamin

villain! reader x hero! bakugou

+++++

The city lights cast a harsh glow across the skyline, the weight of the night pressing down like an oppressive silence. The streets were quiet, almost eerily so, save for the faint hum of sirens in the distance. You perched on a rooftop, the wind ruffling your hair as you gazed down at the chaos you had caused. The plan had been simple, quick. You'd gone in, taken what you needed, and left destruction in your wake.

But now, standing there, watching the flickers of red and blue lighting up the dark, something gnawed at you. You should be long gone by now, hidden in the shadows, but you couldn't bring yourself to leave. Not yet.

You weren't alone on this roof. The familiar presence of explosions echoed through the air as Bakugou stood a few feet away, his back to you, fists clenched at his sides. His fiery spikes of blond hair were wild, his costume tattered from the pursuit, but there was no hiding the rage in his stance.

"You know, you're getting real good at pissing me off," Bakugou growled, voice rough but controlled.

You didn't answer right away. There was something about his voice—something about the way it cracked through the tension—that sent a strange feeling through you. It wasn't fear or anger. No, it was... something else.

"You've been a pain in my ass for way too long," he continued, turning to face you now, his fiery eyes narrowing. "But that doesn't mean I'm gonna let you just wreck shit whenever you feel like it."

You finally spoke, your voice barely above a whisper. "You'll stop me... right? Is that what you're saying?"

Bakugou's eyes flickered with something sharp. "You think I've let you get away with everything just so I can stop you now? You're fucking wrong."

The words stung, but not in the way you expected. It wasn't the anger you saw from him—it was something deeper. Something... more conflicted.

His expression hardened. "If I wanted to stop you, I would've done it already. But this—" He gestured around them, toward the aftermath of your chaos, his jaw clenched tight. "This is getting old. You've done worse. You've killed."

You flinched, your gaze dropping to the ground. The weight of your actions hit you harder now, but you couldn't bring yourself to apologize. Not to him.

"You don't care about that, do you?" he asked, the roughness in his voice softening just the slightest bit. "You think I'm gonna just let you walk away, after everything you've done?"

Your pulse quickened, and you finally let out a breath you hadn't realized you were holding. You met his gaze, searching his face for any sign of the familiar anger, the intense hatred that always seemed to fuel his every word. But now? Now it was something else.

"I don't care," you said, your voice shaky, raw. "I never asked you to care."

There was a long pause before Bakugou finally spoke again, his voice barely a whisper. "I'm not letting you get away with this." But there was no conviction behind the words anymore. Only a quiet, underlying frustration. "I'm not letting you ruin everything for yourself."

You didn't understand. You were a villain, a force of destruction. That's what you were built to be. But Bakugou? He was a hero. The kind of hero who would tear apart anyone who threatened the peace.

Except... something had changed. It was in the way he was standing, the way he wasn't shouting at you like he used to. There was no threat in his stance, no confidence in his words.

"I've done things that... I can't undo," you said, voice cracking just the tiniest bit. "I've killed for people. I've hurt so many. And you think—" You laughed bitterly, shaking your head. "You think I care about you stopping me? I'm just... trying to survive."

Bakugou stared at you for a long moment, the fire in his gaze flickering as if torn between two realities. His hands curled into fists, but there was no explosion this time. No rage.

"Why?" he finally asked. "Why the hell are you doing this?"

You couldn't look at him. You didn't have an answer for that question. Why did you do what you did? Was it out of desperation? To prove something to yourself? To everyone who ever looked at you like you were nothing more than a tool to be used?

Maybe. Or maybe it was just because you didn't know how else to exist.

But the quiet question hung in the air, and for the first time, it felt like Bakugou wasn't asking because he needed to stop you. He was asking because he cared. And you hated it. You hated how that small part of you that had buried all the pain suddenly wanted to reach out and tell him the truth.

But you couldn't. You'd made too many choices, crossed too many lines.

"You should just let me go," you murmured. "You can't fix me, Katsuki."

A beat of silence passed before Bakugou's voice sliced through the quiet. "I don't give a damn about fixing you," he said, his tone sharper than ever. "But you don't get to walk away like nothing's happened. Not from me."

His words hit you like a punch to the gut, and for a moment, you almost didn't know what to do with yourself. The world felt heavier, more suffocating.

"Stop," you said, taking a step back, your voice trembling now. "Just stop. I'm not who you think I am. I'm not some damsel in distress. I'm not gonna be saved."

He took a step forward, closing the distance. His eyes never wavered from yours. "Maybe not," he said, his voice softening in a way that felt too personal. "But I don't care. You don't get to destroy everything just because you think you're unworthy."

His hand reached out, hovering just above yours, waiting.

You looked at his hand. You looked at him. And for the first time in a long time, you wondered if maybe you weren't beyond saving.

"Stay," he whispered.

You didn't answer with words. But with the quiet decision in your heart that you weren't running anymore.

+++

masterlist ⟢

more bakugou ⟢

requests ツ

[ultimate-marysue]

In honor of The Magnus Protocol Season 2 coming out soon, here's the Batfamily as Fear Avatars!

Bruce Wayne: The Hunt. Batman is an avatar of fear, and the way it creates said fear is by hunting down the criminals. From their perspective it's almost like he's toying with them, teleporting around, always one step ahead. Every time you think you've out ran him, out smarted him, he's always right there. He is not as bad as other vigilantes. He won't kill you, and on a good day he might not even kick your ass too bad. And yet, there's something about him that just activates that primal fear of prey running for its life. It feeds him, it makes him stronger. The more you fear him, the more you draw him to you, and once you're in his sight, you won't leave it.

Barbara Gordon: The Eye. Compared to Batman the Oracle may not feel as terrifying. How bad can someone be when you'll never even see them in person? Except the Oracle knows. It knows things no one should know, things that are only in your mind. At first you convince yourself it's a fluke. She must have hacked your phone and maybe you wrote it in some notes app or private chat...except you know that's not true. Very few have confronted the Oracle, and they're always changed, but the terrifying thing is that it doesn't need to. The Oracle doesn't even need to talk to you to know. That paranoia will always follow you, has it decided to look your way? What has it seen? it makes you feel naked and exposed even in the safety of your own home. Your only hope is that Barbara will never look your way, but if you're thinking about it, she probably already has.

Dick Grayson: The Spiral. You can put a finger on it, but there's something... wrong with Dick Grayson. His smile is a little too wide, too many teeth. His eyes are too blue. Or maybe it's the way he twists in the air in a way you're pretty certain the human body shouldn't. But all of that can be brushed off, it must be in your head. Nightwing though, that's harder to explain. He's meant to be just human, but that can't be right. He operates in Bugs Bunny logic, falling to his death from a building but when you lean over the railing to see his mangle corpse, he whistles into your ear. "That's quite the fall, isn't it?". It's not just him though, it's the entire God forsaken city. You know the place, maybe you were even born in it. You know this alley wasn't a dead end. You know the backstreet he's been chasing you on for what feels like hours doesn't stretch that far. You're turned right five times already, that doesn't make any geometrical sense. When you see him in front of you, shaking his head like a disappointing mother, it doesn't even surprise you. "What is even happening?" He looks at you funny, like you're crazy. Maybe you are.

Cassandra Cain: The Dark. Batgirl seems to follow in Batman's footsteps, but if you think she's just a younger female version of the Bat you'd be sorely mistaken. If Batman is an expert hunter (setting traps, tracking its prey with uncanny accuracy), Batgirl is a predator. A natural force you can't stop, a creature of the night perfectly designed to eat you alive. If Batman will make you feel like a deer trying to outrun the rifle, Batgirl reminds you that humans used to be prey. The neon lights may lull you to a safe sense of comfort, but she's there, in every shadow. She'll wait for the right opportunity, there's plenty of empty space between spotlights and dark alleys. You may be used to working in these man-made half shadows, you think you know true darkness, until the Darkness stares back at you. You're not the Apex predator, you haven't conquered over nature with your technology. There just needs to be something bigger, hungrier, waiting for you.

Jason Todd: The End. There's something uncanny about Jason Todd. No, not just the Red Hood, but Jason himself. It's not like something was left behind when he came back, nothing is missing. It's that he brought something back with him. That is the real issue. There's something to his pale corpse eyes that reminds you of what's inevitably waiting for you. Your clock may have more time than his did, but when he's near you can hear it ticking away regardless. And that's only when he's not here for you. Put yourself in the shoes of the scum he actually visits with intent. You're up to your disgusting malicious plans when suddenly a clock starts ticking and this time you know exactly how much you got left. It's not something he enjoys, but it is necessary. A brutal death is a powerful thing and The End craves it, better feed him people who deserve it.

Stephanie Brown: The Stranger. There's something weird about the new guy in your crew. You could have sworn he used to act differently, but it's none of your business so you keep your head down. Much later, when she takes his face off, you realize you should have run when you still had a chance. She's a chameleon, a proverbial fly on the wall in every conversation. You will never know who she was, unless she wants to toy with you. You talk to your girlfriend about it, and a chill goes down your spine as you realize it may not be her. You wouldn't know, not unless she wants you too. And there's a more terrifying thought, as you realize someone may be talking to you tonight, and they won't notice anything amiss either.

Tim Drake: The Corruption. The Clench should have killed him. Even if that didn't do it the asplenia mixed with the filthy streets of Gotham should have. But he's still here. There's something sick inside him, it grew until it consumed him whole, and yet it never truly killed him. Well, it may have killed him, but no one will miss that lonely little obsessed boy. You see, he's never lonely anymore, they're so many and they're all under his skin, always keeping him company. Now he's like a poison, once he's touched you it's over for you. He grows closer and closer until you can feel him under your skin. There's no escape from the sickness, it always knows where you are.

Duke Thomas: The Web. The thing about dancing lights is that they're a distraction. A magicians misdirection to get you to look exactly where they need you to look, to pick the card they want you to pick. Most importantly, they make you feel like it's your idea. Duke, and The Signal by extension, is charming. He's not Brucie Wayne's overt charm or Nightwing's awe-inspiring leadership. No, Duke is something more insidious. He'd get you to laugh, to dance, to go to the ends of the Earth with him in a way you can't quite explain. But it's fine, right? He's such a polite and lovely young man. Or a cheeky little bastard you can't help but like. Or a charismatic leader inspiring you towards rebellion. Now that you think about it, why are you here? You didn't mean to confess, you didn't mean to plead guilty. But, it was your voice, wasn't it? You were the one speaking and you can't blame him for convincing you to do it.

Damian Wayne: The Flesh. In your anatomy class there's a weird guy. He's the son of a millionaire and he knows exactly how many capillaries there are in your eyes. Not eyes in general, just yours. It's a baffling assessment but somehow you feel it's right. He's a vegetarian and when you tease him about it he gives you this look. It makes you feel pinned in place as he tells you: "it wouldn't feel right, after all, we're all just meat". It makes you scoff, breaking the moment. You're different from a cow. At least, you think you are. There's no difference for Robin though, and he can mold you to show you exactly just how animal you truly are. When you come back to your senses in a cell in Arkham no one will believe you. But you know. You know because despite changing your body back, an artist always has to leave a signature.

(I had other options like Tim avatar of the eye or Dick for the vast or switching dick and Steph's, or Jason for the desolation but you know, I wanted each of them to have a different one)

[inufaiya]

CURIOSITIES_ TYPES OF MAGES

As those who read the last chapter I published of the AU (the 19th) Meta Knight explains in general the three types of magicians that exist, the body magicians, the soul magicians and the intermediate ones) so for those who were left with doubts or did not read the chapter, here is a curiosity.

THE BODY MAGES

They are the most common magicians in the universe and they differ from the others in that they do not need an "awakening" since they are born with it, they are not pigeonholed into a single element (and in some cases they can only make small variations of this element such as water / ice) and most importantly, in their way of concentrating it.

Regarding the awakening, it is something that I will explain better with the soul mages, but there are cases that need a push for their magic to activate, whether it is a dangerous or stressful situation, things that at first they thought were a thing of the soul mages until it was discovered that it was not since they are not tied to a single element.

That was what happened to Susie at first, Magic thought that her spatial magic was produced when the accident happened but until she verified that she was also capable of using other magics making them surpass the truth, she was a body mage like the others.

// Curiousity //

Dedede also falls into this category since although his magic is normally activated by the stress of his possessions, it is known that in the au where he is with the puffs it woke up when he grabbed a copy essence discarded by Galacta.

Normally, wizards don't have any physical difference between those who have or without magic, but there are species that do, like the dees that normally have brown eyes except those who have magic since they are the color of their main magic.

Other species have specialized so much in one type of magic like the chillys or the burling leo that they have forgotten how to use the others, others simply need an alternative way to focus their magic like Adeline with her paintings, the fairies of Ripple star with the stones or those of Florancia with the plants.

THE MAGES OF THE SOUL

As I said before, these mages have a kind of awakening, but it is clear that a danger of death is not enough for this, so what?

Well, this is nothing more and nothing less than dying or being technically dead and not having magic from before (the only exception to this rule is ironically Marx).

It is not known exactly how it happens but it is known that it is because energy from Hades remains inside their souls when they are preparing to warn a knight to come for them and this event is suddenly interrupted when they come back to life, it is known that this energy from Hades takes the form of magic of the element that caused or had an effect on their death.

//Curiosity//

As I've already said, Marx is an exception given that his magic was given by the wish of Nova, the lord of Hades himself (and protector that the world doesn't go to shit completely)

Now comes the question, if it is such an effective method since it always ends with magic, why doesn't everyone who doesn't have magic and wants to be a magician use it? Because there is a great danger measured in all this, ending up as a dark matter.

There are too many cases where the way that had to kill them doesn't work and they end up alive but with mortal wounds that will kill them in a horrible way, this way of dying the only thing it achieves is that the original soul mutates into a new soul of a dark matter.

And if anyone wonders, yes, both they and the semis have magic.

For that same fact it also makes it impossible for them to change magic element, their magic is linked to that moment of their life.

INTERMEDIATE MAGES

The last mages are those who are in the middle of two worlds and do not fit in either one of them and those who know they are of this species are the puffs.

They need external help to have access as if it were from the soul but it works like training wheels so they learn it and are able to do it by themselves as if it were from the body, in addition to being genetic, in addition to being able to use more than one ability but all those who do not use a weapon but the others cannot use two at the same time as if they were from the other ability.

They are literally a contradiction.

//Curiosity//

Interestingly, both mages are able to take advantage to strengthen themselves if when they use a spell they are in contact with a puff with that element or with a copy essence.

[hidden-by-a-trench-coat]

Collecting my angsty thoughts about Tarquin from Lost In Your Eyes and his guilt about everything and putting them here because I NEED to talk about them

SUUUUPER long post after the read more just so you know (oh, and mentions of death, guilt, hallucinations, and angst and all that fun stuff - so keep that in mind before you continue)

Anyway, I love Lost In Your Eyes and have so many thoughts, so here they are transcribed from the discussion on the Discord (practically just me talking to myself but hey. Also, wow, hi, I realize if you're on the Discord you might have no idea who I am because this is the one social I have that's not the same username so I can hide from my IRL friends just in case - anyway, I'm Shadow. Continue forth with this knowledge my friends):

I wrote about it a bit in my fix-it fic, but I love considering how guilty Tarquin must feel about losing his entire crew. That’s 53 people he lost. People he cared about and knew by name - and I imagine him to have cared about every single one of them. Imagining how it would slowly break his spirits over time watching them pass one by one and not being able to do anything about it. And yet he has to ignore his emotions because he has the remaining crew members to care about and to keep alive - he can’t fail them, too (though he soon proves to himself that he very much can over and over and over again, no matter how hard he tries. He can’t understand why he can’t just keep them alive)

By the time there’s only 3 of them, he’s barely keeping himself together. The dread he feels as the number ticks down to 2 remaining isn’t comparable to anything in the world (Imagine him by that crew member's side, desperately trying to hold himself together and stop himself from crying as he silently begs for him to stay with them. Because they're so close to land. And after it doesn't work - because of course it doesn't - he sits there on the floor holding the hand of his second to last remaining crew member, which is already becoming colder by the second - and cries) - they’d been so close to getting even 3 of them to safety, and yet he couldn’t even do that.

And then the last one dies (and to make it worse, he dies right after an act of pure betrayal, taking down his beloved Amanda in the process, which could not have been easy for him to process. They'd been traveling together for 3 years, he probably trusted him the most, and then he does that? Without explanation? It must have hurt so bad) and it’s just him and he hates it. He doesn’t think he deserved to survive as opposed to everyone else. He could have taken someone’s place. He was the captain, he should have put his crew first.

He has nightmares for the rest of his life about every member of his crew at least once. He remembers all of their faces so vividly. They’re begging for help, for him to do something. To save them. And he never can. He's just forced to watch.

It doesn’t help that the same thing happened to Amanda. He finally gets to her and yet, she dies, too. He couldn’t save his crew and he couldn’t save Amanda - the one person in the world that he should be able to save, even if he couldn’t save everyone else. He feels like everyone he grows to care about will befall the terrible fate of death and there’s nothing he can do about it. He blames himself endlessly for her death, wondering if he could have saved her (and the rest of his crew) if he’d just done something differently. He regrets ever even leaving when he could have just stayed with Amanda and nothing would have gone this way

And I feel like he'd be terrified to make any future friendships or connections because he thinks that he's going to end up getting them killed in one way or another - and so he ends up isolating himself. Maybe he deliberately spends another 3 or more years at sea on his own. Maybe it's a way for him to feel like he's making up for their deaths or asking for forgiveness or whatever but it just makes him feel worse in the end

Oh and I imagine he hates sailing now, too but he does it anyway because he feels like he has to. Because if he stops he has to find something else to do and he doesn't know what else he could do (though he's starting to doubt he can even sail, either). Any joy he used to feel from having the wind in his face and the smell of the ocean is gone. Maybe the smell of salt makes him feel sick now

Thinking about Tarquin watching the waves for those 3 other years he goes back out on his own wondering why they haven't consumed him yet. Why they decide to spare him even after everything he's done and how he doesn't deserve their mercy. How he would almost rather the waves be harsh and unforgiving. Maybe the challenge would distract him. Maybe it would make it easier to pretend that surviving the tough storms would be like his crew was forgiving him, even a little bit

(I had a whole thing in my fic about how he feels like he doesn't deserve to sail anymore and that Amanda would be so much better at it because she managed to do his 3 year journey in so much less time. And on her own - and yet he could barely even get 3 people across the ocean alive even after his years of experience. I think if she did somehow survive and they needed to return, he would have stepped down from his position as captain and made her do all of the sailing of the ship feeling as though he wasn't worthy of the position and that she was just so much better at it)

Imagining Tarquin during his time alone at sea hallucinating members of his crew or Amanda - especially Amanda. How much it would hurt him to realize that they were fake. Maybe at some point he's so disoriented for one reason or another he mistakes the hallucination as real and breaks when he realizes it's not. The amount of hope he would feel - however futile or impossible - thinking that someone of his crew managed to survive despite everything. And then it disappears and suddenly he's so terribly alone again

Imagining him in front of the hallucination of Amanda begging for forgiveness. Maybe the hallucination accepts (Amanda would) but maybe it’s more Tarquin’s perception of how he thinks she’d react and so she doesn’t accept and he understands why she wouldn’t. Maybe he even thinks he deserves it. Maybe it even convinces him that Amanda hates him now. Whatever happens I think it would break his spirits even more

Meanwhile, Amanda watching from the afterlife with sadness watching Tarquin’s mental state decline over time and being unable to do anything about it

Actually, imagining her actually being on the boat with him as a ghost. She can’t do anything to support him physically, of course, but she’s trying her best to protect him, hoping that somehow he can sense her there - maybe that’s why his boat is so safe despite everything

Maybe Tarquin actually sees her ghost one time but he doesn’t believe it’s real - because it can’t be - but he talks to her anyways because that’s what he’s done every other time he’s seen her. And she tries so hard to be there for him, trying to comfort him. He can’t feel her touch, but he imagines it anyways. And for the briefest of moments it’s like she’s there again. For that brief moment - nothing more than a second - everything is okay again. And then it’s not. Because she’s not really there.

He can’t hear her desperate attempts to try and get him to just take care of himself

An in a different universe, imagining Tarquin eventually deciding to head home after the events of the play. He realizes he needs to tell all of the families of his crew about how their family members are dead. They probably knew the risks but he still feels terrible thinking about telling them (even if they don’t know his entire crew died). But he feels obligated to tell them, because that was their family member.

Thinking about him realizing he’ll need to tell Amanda’s mother that she’s dead. He knows he can’t wait to do that because that’s her mother. So one of the first things he does when he gets back is goes to Amanda’s house (what was Amanda’s house, he supposes) and knocks on the door. She is not excited to see him and probably asks about Amanda, but he asks to be let in so they can talk because he can’t do this outside and it feels more respectful if they’re both sitting. He’s not very good at hiding his grief - he almost certainly hasn’t been sleeping well - and so she lets him in.

And then he has to tell her. He probably has to force the words out because he doesn’t want to say them. Maybe he’s still in denial, but either way saying them aloud hurts him even more. Amanda’s mother is almost certainly angry at him (because of course she is. She always had this negative impression of him in the first place and this just proves all of her worries - how Amanda should have never been with Tarquin in the first place. Hell, maybe Tarquin even agrees with her now. Because if he hadn’t fallen in love with her, then maybe she would have still been alive. And even if they weren’t together, at least Amanda would have been happy and alive doing something different and with someone else), and he certainly doesn’t make himself sound much better, after all, he’s been blaming himself for her death this entire time. And so he sits there and just takes it as she yells at him, and he probably thinks he deserves it.

That was a lot, but I just have so many thoughts and I need to put them somewhere - thank you so much for reading my crazy collection of thoughts, I hope it didn't hurt too much

[dryadologist]

He hasn't meant to scare the boy, though he isn't inclined to beat around the bush on this topic. Bran is clearly wise beyond his years when it comes to the topic of the Folk, his sketchbook so full of terrors and creatures of nightmare. And off he goes, scribbling notes in the margin. Wendell can't help but smile to himself. A junior dryadologist, indeed. "My colleagues at Cambridge would be so very impressed by your drawings, you know. Would you be interested in attending university?"

Wendell bursts into laughter at Gruff's soft woof, the sound stunningly complimentary to the rustling of the leaves in the trees and the various other forest sounds. "Yes, we'll say you're a junior dryadologist too, Gruff." Seeing as the dog may very well work just as well as any of Maude's wards in scaring away at least the little ones. Though he may not be anything special in the eyes of a mortal, he's entirely otherworldly to the Folk.

The professor is keenly aware that his expressions can be difficult to parse. But then Bran goes and speaks exactly what's on his mind. Curious, isn't it? "I can imagine the wards become more and more difficult each time she remakes them. Magic like that is somewhat akin to a candle. There are only so many times that the candle can be relit until the wick burns down to nothing and becomes wasted. You just have the misfortune of your faerie ex-captors continuously blowing out her candles." He wonders if Maude's suspicious of him. Clearly that creature she keeps so closely hasn't mentioned anything or else he doubts he'd be allowed to continue this conversation with poor Bran.

"You've mentioned having difficulty with your memory already and clearly your time in their realm has taken its toll. Have you experienced any other side effects since your return to the mortal realm?" He doesn't disagree with the notion of returning to Faerie, but would not voice that aloud. "This may sound like a peculiar question, but did you make any friends while you were there? If you ever are to go back, you must find a way to ensure your protection." Wendell runs a hand through his golden blonde hair, brow furrowing as he fights internally on what course of action he'd be best to prescribe. "Maude would kill me if I offered to take you there, wouldn't she?"

Bran folded his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms loosely around them. His sketchbook rested on the grass beside him. He didn’t answer the question about his memory, too swept up in Wendell’s next words. Returning without a mind or not at all. A hint of fear flickered in the boy’s gaze at that. He knew he was fortunate to have returned, regardless of any toll the return had taken on him. Courtly fae. Some had certainly seemed regal in their own strange way.

A junior dryadologist. A soft breath of amusement left Bran at the title. It felt rather childish, but it still brought a faint smile to his face. When the professor began giving advice, Bran was quick to grab his sketchbook and flip to a blank page. He scribbled notes with a stubby pencil pulled from his pocket.

Gruff accepted Wendell’s compliment with a gentle woof, and his tongue lolled out in his own lopsided version of a smile. He liked Wendell already. True, he liked most guests, but it still meant something.

Bran watched the other’s expression closely, saw the smile offered in Maude’s direction. The boy did this often: watching people, guessing what they might be thinking. He rarely voiced these guesses aloud. He did this time, though, if only because he felt Wendell deserved to know what he was up against.

“She won’t ask for help.” Bran’s voice had quieted despite Maude being too far away to overhear. She did not return Wendell’s smile; her expression stayed wary, her arms folded over her chest. “She doesn’t think we need help, since her wards work. She thinks she can keep remaking them forever.” Bran spoke without judgement, his tone matter-of-fact, albeit more hesitant as he went on. He couldn’t meet Wendell’s gaze. Gruff, seeming to sense the shift in his demeanor, returned to Bran and lay beside him. Bran rubbed the dog’s head in return. “But… I can tell it tires her out. Even though she tries to hide it.”

Maude lingered in the doorway a moment longer before she headed back inside. Bran took a breath. “Sometimes I— I think maybe I should just go back.” Back to that strange realm. A rushed confession that tumbled out before he could reconsider saying it. “Then Maude wouldn’t have to worry about me anymore. But she’s the one who saved me, so… I don’t know.” The boy shrugged again and glanced up at Wendell with a tired ghost of a smile. “I’m, um, scared I’m making things worse no matter what.”

[mohntilyet]

okay this is actually just bias now so before you read what i have to say i did warn you. yes illario would never be able to beat lucanis at being a crow or an assassin but you know what he would beat him at. being a lord of fortune. hold my hand as i take you through my mind palace and introduce to you my ideal post-game vision for illario dellamorte

[sallymew4]

kids when they hear that their dad is back in town VS. kids when theyre hanging out with a conman that accidentally stole their wallet once

im not even joking btw

bonus heres me being crazy about them in dms ^^^

[dimension-20-every-introduction]

Everyone Introduced in Dimension 20's Fantasy High: Junior Year episode 20 (finale)

[worstloki]

been thinking of Loki as a vengeful ghost/demon that tries to kill Thor after dying on Jotunheim except instead of killing Thor straightup Thor's on a quest following a trail of weird clues and strange happenings across multiple realms sort of? so Loki is just leading him around not showing himself but very much heartbroken in the distance about how Thor just 'moved on'. Meanwhile on Thor's end it's very evident in how Thor handles quests once Loki is gone that he still follows all the advice and suggestions Loki made, and tries to consider what Loki would have done when he does things.