#like we already live in a world where lots of innocent people die

[idkhowtopickausername]

It’s true and important to point out that landback is about a return to Indigenous sovereignty and doesn’t mean that everyone else has to leave but it’s also true that land back + the fall of the American empire will probably not happen without significantly jeopardizing the safety of the average North American, and the American government/empire will be to blame for that because it won’t give up power peacefully

[stinkrascal]

Breanna: It don't hurt, does it? Vladislaus: It is healed, mostly. I am grateful you only took one bite.

Breanna: [ slurping ] You want some of this? Vladislaus: No. Thank you. Breanna: Uhuh. Hey, so is cannibalism a thing with vampires?

Vladislaus: Of course. Cannibalism is found within many species. It is only natural it occurs in our kind as well. Breanna: Oh. I bet that's a big problem. Hey, what about restaurants?

Vladislaus: What about them? Breanna: Do vampires got restaurants? I bet that would help with the cannibalism thing. Vladislaus: There is an entire city at our disposal. There are many such opportunities for fine dining experiences.

Breanna: Huh? Oh. You could've just said yes, but okay. I bet you read a lot.

Breanna: Hey, so do vampires have libraries? Vladislaus: Yes, Breanna. We have libraries. Breanna: Yeah, you sound like you read a lot. Vladislaus: Thank you. Breanna: That wasn't a compliment.

Breanna: Hey, by the way, where are we going? Vladislaus: To the headmaster. She wishes to meet you. Breanna: Oh, right. Hey, so I got another question. Vladislaus: Yes, I'm sure you do.

Breanna: What's that supposed to mean? Vladislaus: Nothing at all. Breanna: I feel like you're making fun of me.

Vladislaus: What is your question, my dear?

Breanna: It was—uh—oh. Yeah. About when I bit you. You were bleeding. And last night, when you cut your hand—you bled then too. How's that work? How do you bleed if you're dead?

Vladislaus: You are mistaken. We are not dead. It is the opposite. As vampires, we are made to live. We experience life in its most concentrated form. Food tastes better, music sounds sweeter, and my God, Breanna, the sex.

Breanna: ...

Vladislaus: ...

Vladislaus: [ clears throat ] My point is, we are not dead, we are more alive than any other. Breanna: That's... good? Right? Frankie: Hey! Heyyyyy! HEEEYYYYYY! HEYY VLADDY DADDY! [ coughs ] ah shit, HEY VLAD! C'MON LITTLE MAN, I KNOW YOU SEE ME!!!!!!! HEYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Vladislaus: Of course. If you pay no mind to the minor setbacks. Breanna: Huh? What setbacks?

Vladislaus: The part where we eat the flesh of innocents, my sweet summer child. Breanna: Oh. How'd you know my birthday's in the summer? Frankie: C'mon peepaw! Get some fuckin' hearin' aids! [ whistles ] Yoohoo! Over hereee!

Breanna: Who's that guy over there? I think he's calling for you.

Breanna: Hello? Mr. Straud? Are you listening to me?

Breanna: Do you know that guy? Vladislaus: [ clears throat ] No. Vladislaus: [ in Frankie's mind ] Leave me alone. Frankie: Aww, c'mon, you don't gotta be like— Vladislaus: [ in Frankie's mind ] I SAID LEAVE. Frankie: Agh, get outta my head ya pervert.

Breanna: It kinda seems like you know him. Vladislaus: [ clears throat, louder this time ] As I was saying--our powers come at a great cost. You will do well to remember that. Breanna: Huh? Oh. You're still on that. I don't really care to be honest.

Vladislaus: You should. You were human not 24 hours ago. Would you turn your back on your people so quickly? Breanna: Who's my people? They're lucky I'm nice enough to stick to blood packs. Vladislaus: The blood packs are a byproduct of our sin.

Vladislaus: For every blood pack you consume, someone must die. Someone must be slaughtered. Breanna: Get off your high horse dude, you're a vampire too. If you think it's so bad you shouldn't have asked to be turned. Vladislaus: Is that what you believe?

Vladislaus: [ sighs ] Forgive me. I am being haughty. Truthfully, I envy your nature. You are suited for this life. This world was not made for me, and every interaction I have reminds me so.

Vladislaus: You, however, seem very good at enjoying yourself. You seek decadence, do you not? Vampirism is a decadent lifestyle. You will thrive. I can already tell. Breanna: ...Oh.

Breanna: [ giggles ] That sounds fun.

Breanna: You make me sound like I put some thought into it.

[thisisallthehattersfault]

Some Whitebeard Pirate Excerpts

"But," Rakuyo whimpers. He sounds so very small. "But I'm your son."

Whitebeard's face remains cold. "I have so many sons."

"Oh shit," Marco chokes. "Rakuyo, run!"

The call is picked up and echoed, his siblings crying out for him. He hears the cooler heads among them holding the others back from rushing to their own deaths trying to save him. "It's too late for him!" They shout. "There's nothing we can do, he's a goner!"

Not without a fight. He scrambles at the ground on all fours, animal-afraid, and tries to force enough speed into his fragile, mortal limbs to escape what's coming. He barely makes it two feet before Whitebeard's shadow falls over him like a physical thing, oppressive and heavy. Stifling all the air in his lungs.

Someone screams "Pops, you'll kill him!"

There is the boom of displaced air. Rakuyo has just enough time to think this isn't how I thought I'd die. Then, all at once, the world goes dark.

Whitebeard's massive fucking pillow is practically the size of Rakuyo's entire body, and it slams over him with a fwump that squishes him flat and knocks the breath out of him and sends a spray of oversized feathers up into the air. Some of Rakuyo's siblings have continued their dramatics, and from under the very soft weight currently crushing him to death and muffling his ears he can hear Haruta wailing "He was so young!" and Thatch's hysterical "He had so much to live for!"

Rakuyo gets a corner of the pillow pried up enough to drag in a breath of fresh air, only to immediately inhale a feather and almost actually die choking on it. The rest of the gathered crew are avenging his gruesome murder, and Whitebeard is now fending off most of his children while they attempt to collectively beat him to death with pillows.

Pops, the bastard, just laughs.

It's Blamenco who comes to actually help pry the goddamn pillow off of Rakuyo so he can escape it's down-filled clutches. "You're the only person in this family who actually loves me," Rakuyo tells him.

“That ain’t true and you know it,” his brother scolds him, but he’s grinning, too. “Look, they’re all killing Pops for you. That’s gotta count for something.”

Rakuyo sighs. “Only if they actually manage it.”

------------------------------------------------

“Wh— Is this therapy?” Ace sputters. “Are you therapizing me right now?!”

From somewhere behind him, Jiru mutters, “That’s not a word.”

Kingdew raises his eyebrows. “Without your consent? I would never. It would be malpractice.”

“You lost your license,” Ace seethes.

“For murder,” Kingdew peacefully informs him. “Not malpractice. I’m very serious about the privacy of my patients.”

Ace grits his teeth until his jaw aches. “You are a lying liar who lies.”

“I am?”

“Yes!” Ace waves a hand vaguely at the two of them, and the table they’re sitting at, and the — the fucking hot chocolate. “You’re… trying to get me to talk about my problems because your whole thing is beating up everybody’s brain goblins for them. You’re like, obsessed with the crew’s mental health. I’m onto your game.”

“My game?”

“You’re like—“ Ace grapples with the words. “You’ve got like, that thing, where you can’t do a lot of physical lifting or chores or fighting sometimes because of the fibro-thing, so you try to make up for it by being everybody’s shrink because it’s something you can do even when you can’t stand up.”

Kingdew nods, thoughtfully, like they’re having a debate and Ace is raising interesting points. “Hm…” he muses. “Now who’s therapizing?”

“It’s still you!” Ace shouts. “You’re doing a — a one of those — reverse psychic things on me! Well it’s not gonna work!”

“It already did,” Kingdew informs him, all innocence. Ace can practically see his fucking halo glinting. “You just told me you think it’s normal for people to feel like they have to earn their right to exist.”

“That’s — I —” Ace gapes, too stunned to even really argue. “You’re an asshole,” He realizes.

“Hmmm,” Kingdew intones. “And how does that make you feel?”

“Oh, fuck you!” Ace jumps up from the table, snatches up the hot chocolate (it’s good hot chocolate, and shouldn’t be ruined by — by shitty therapizing crew mates!) and storms out of the room.

Before he slams the door behind him, he hears Pops’s voice, a deep rumbling sight. “Do you really have to come down that hard on him? You’ll scare him off.”

“I don’t know what you mean.” Kingdew sounds way too goddamn pleased with himself. “We’re making great progress.”

[thatgayguywholikesyourcontent]

I try not to nit pick the show because there are small things here and there that don't matter. But they really should've taken half a minute or added a line of dialogue to explain what Magneto did. Yeah, he emp'd the earth but what where the consequences. Jean says something along the lines of "if we don't fix it, the magnetic field will destabilize."

And Magneto is fine just killing every living thing, human and mutant, on the planet???? I'm sorry, what!?!?! Genosha happens and he's ready to doom everyone so him and a handful of people can rot and die on an asteroid? Its so bizarre. And they can't have him fix the magnetic field to early or the prime sentinels would re activate?

They needed to take a minute or two out of there three part season finale to polish up that shitpile of a plot. And the thing that kills me about it is that the skeleton of a solid plan is right there.

Magneto jacked up the magnetic field.

Its consistently emping the planet, suppressing unshielded tech to keep the prime sentinels shut down at the cost of a world wide blackout.

If its not fixed in 12 hours, this will became unfixable. Magneto himself wouldn't be able to correct it.

And that's his plan. Tech is being used to not only even our the evolutionary arms race between mutants and humans, but will allow humanity to eradicate all mutants eventually.

Mutants are inevitable, stated several times already, and he's giving his people the chance to get ahead of it at the cost of throwing the world back several hundred years.

Which will kill a lot of innocent people, even mutants who can't defend themselves against angry mobs.

Long term victory at a short term cost.

And its a solid plan. Magneto is done. Genosha was the dream Xavier sold him on and its dead. Let the world burn and a new one, a mutant one, take its place.

Magneto even makes a comment that "evolution does well in the dark."

The skeleton of it is right there, but without an explanation a reasonable character is back sliding to a heinous villain. Another problem is that they should've shown mutants on those cargo ships, or him rolling up on Genosha to offer sanctuary to the survivors.

Without any of this the whole climax just feels empty. Sure, we see a bunch of cameos and the chaos on the streets, but it doesn't feel like a line drawn in the sand, the "war" everyone was talking about. I don't know. Just might be influenced by the MCU, or trying to get hype for more marvel cartoons. Focusing to much on refrences where it should focus on the little guy. Its just...If this was every adapted to a comic I could just picture those panels.

[ragnarssons]

Hi! Is it okay if I sent a small rant here?

Most are saying that Joel damned the world by saving Ellie. The world was already damned and killing a innocent little girl wouldn't have made it better. The doctors were incompetent. They were going to kill the only known immune person. They didn't even do any tests. This is enough to prove that even if he left Ellie, there was never going to be a cure because the doctors were idiots.

Did you know that Joel is living his best life at Jackson? Ellie and Dina are married and are rasing JJ together. They also gave Joel a "world's best grandpa" Mug. Joel started teaching guitar lessons it has been a few days let's see how that goes.

It's okay, it's okay, you can come and rant and vent here! People saying Joel damned the world are TLOU2 fanatics who believe the worship-style narrative Abby forced upon the players/audience, because that damn woman can't see no fault in her father. Not even her father murdering a 14yo without her consent. It's funny how we say "well saving the world shouldn't be on Ellie's shoulders"... well technically, "damning" the world shouldn't be on Joel's either. First of all, literally, the world has been ended and doomed for 20 years, while Joel was a poor-ass single dad/contractor not eating his flour. He didn't doom the world, as you say so yourself, at the moment of the game, the world is already doomed, has been for a while, and has revealed a lot of uncomfortable truths about human kind. And yknow, if we gotta delve into questions like this, we still can raise with: How are the doctors any good if they're so willing to kill a child without her explicit consent? And if they get her consent, is it "good consent" if Ellie accepts out of trauma and survivor's guilt? Can they still do it? Where is their duty of care? And then let's say they go with the procedure, everything apple-pie they get their cure. Then what? They use it to beat FEDRA? And how many people would die in the process? What would even be the point of beating FEDRA when it's about "sAvInG HumAnItY"? Or they just distribute it freely like that, happy happy everyone is happy? P l e a s e. The way the world is portrayed in the game and the show, you can't believe that's how it's gonna happen. It's stated multiple times on the show, how FEDRA and The Fireflies are these huge, determined, strong entities going at each other's throat, so much so that oftentimes, human casualties ensue, and it doesn't stop them. Like can we take a minute and weight in on how many people The Fireflies might have killed in approx. 20 years? (I'm sorry anon, literally battling TUMBLR to post this maybe it's too long so I gotta cut this-)

[kingdarkstalker]

I don’t think you really understood the third arc. The reason why it was bad for the leafwings to wipe out the hivewings was because not every hivewing was involved with the tree wars. Most of dragons involved had already died at that point. So it wasn’t fair for them to blame dragons who never took part in anything against them. And don’t forget they were going to do the same to the silkwings. They didn’t care what happened to the silkwings as long as they got their revenge.

How would it be fair for innocent hivewings to die for something they never did? That they had no control over? They literally didn’t even have freewill. Wasp would go so far as to keep dragons under mind control for years just to be petty or to prove a point, like with malachite. We never got to see it, but can you imagine what she did to the hivewings who tried to protest her? Oh wait, we did get to see that. When jewel mentioned a couple of old dragons protesting the treatment of flamesilks. They were turned into zombies. Why should wasps subjects have to pay for her sins? And let’s not act like every hivewing supported wasp because not everyone did. Several times we get to see instances of hivewings defying her. In the epilogue of the flames of hope we’re told most of the hivewings were completely outraged when they learned the truth. There was even backlash from them against jewel just for being related.

The entire theme of the third arc, as I read it, was to look beyond someone’s labels and judge them by who they are as a person, and not purely by their biology. Tui wasn’t trying to sympathize with racists or anything. She wasn’t trying to say that you can’t be mad at your enemies. Heck everyone forgets that blues entire character arc was accepting that things weren’t fine and that he didn’t deserve to be treated the way he was. But blue knew how to be mad at the right people. He didn’t just blindly murder any hivewing who crossed his line of sight. He fought the hivewings who were doing harm and accepted the ones who wanted to help.

i agree that innocents that happened to be born into a genocidal group dont deserve to die, however there's a lot more nuance to this that tui sutherland critically failed to address

"not every hivewing was involved with the tree wars. Most of dragons involved had already died at that point"

not every slave owner in america was involved with the colonization of the land; however they still owned slaves and benefited directly from colonization. the same goes for the hivewings. all the adults after the tree wars, and indeed, generations since, owned literal slaves, and were (consciously or not) treating silkings as objects/possessions. as well as this the adults largely accept the anti leafwing propaganda without second question. completely comfortable in their position of power above others at the cost of their literal lives and personhood

"So it wasn’t fair for them to blame dragons who never took part in anything against them"

many dragons including wasp who were directly responsible for leafwing genocide WERE still alive, and like i just pointed out above, the rest of the adults were complacent slave owners or even soldiers that actively hunted them down.

"And don’t forget they were going to do the same to the silkwings"

i dont think it was right to not attempt a rescue of the silkings or consider them, but at that point in their active genocide i can understand how the leafwings would feel they had no choice, no chance to risk, other than to make certain that none of those who wanted them dead remained

but more importantly, the way tui writes the leafwings against the silkwings really stinks of the way racists try and pit the struggles of people of color against each other. realistically, cultures of color and judiasm have always intersected and upheld each other. tui wasnt capable of imagining a world where the revolutionaries are actually the heroes, so she manufactured a conflict by implying that (some) leafwings think that silkwings are "lazy/complacent" etc when they are LITERALLY slaves and the leafwings having empathy for their situation would be too nuanced for her, of course. if tui sutherland wants to talk about the heavy, extremely applicable to history morality of sacrificing innocent lives to stop a genocide, she better start doing some more research on anarchist / resistant movements, because the shit she writes sounds like she thinks antifa is terrorism lol

How would it be fair for innocent hivewings to die for something they never did? That they had no control over? They literally didn’t even have freewill

alright this is where i have to ask, how far are you intending to go to defend full-on adults that literally owned slaves? when im talking about innocent hivewings, im talking about children or actual honest allies. the very LARGE amount of hivewings were completely comfortable owning slaves, or even if they weren't, they were unwilling to put their lives and bodies on the line. people in america who were born and raised into slave owning families still managed to grow up to realize that owning another person is evil. its rather insulting to the capacity of not only the hivewings theoretical intelligence, but more importantly the reader's. no one is "mind controlled" to own slaves by wasp. this was a system set up intentionally by her and her MANY followers, and was socially accepted by hivewings for how many years again?

nb4 the "but theyre mind controlled!" heres the thing: theyre not mind controlled 100% of the time. yes, wasp is always watching and listening through them and would torture those who tried to rebel. isnt that a convenient way to let hivewings be "too scared" to revolt or even express contempt or disagreement with owning slaves? isnt that such a suuuuper convenient way to blame everything on the actions of ONE person, wasp, as if literal genocide/facism/slavery doesnt take CULTURAL and SYSTEMIC support to even exist? almost like tui sutherland was afraid of, uncapable of, or didnt want to address that she essentially combined the holocoust with america's genocide and slave trade history and that comes with an incredible amount of thought and research? oh but she was too busy looking up evil jungle plants. so she creates a very easy way to have a Single Villain and remove blame from the entire population of hivewings that literally own slaves. because of course, they have no will of their own--except all the hivewings that actively and gleefully abuse the silkwings, or volunteer for soldier or guard duty, or the very few hivewings that actually arent facist. but dont think about that, blame wasp for everything!!

also the idea that most hivewings had NO IDEA about wasp lying to them is so???? aggravating because this shit was only a few generations ago and yes irl lots of people can be fooled by propaganda but we're also talking about owning slaves, not just being unaware that your government is built on an active genocide. like at a point you have to be willingly ignorant to stay within your comfort. people died in resistance to slavery and genocide irl. it fucking sucks and no one should ever have to die for peace, but accepting that risk for the betterment of others is part of resisting facism and genocide. nothing gets accomplished if no one is willing to put their bodies on the line--we are stronger together, but the hivewings are written as if none of this would ever occur to any of them ever, which is insulting and also untrue

The entire theme of the third arc, as I read it, was to look beyond someone’s labels and judge them by who they are as a person, and not purely by their biology

like, sure, you're not wrong, but it's a very "i dont see color" kind of lesson. completely ignoring someones heritage, culture, and assuming you're totally the same is another kind of ignorance. it screams of how white people use MLK's quote about character vs color of skin, and ignore everything else he said about how that mindset change is not that simple, and how racists and bigots that refuse to change must be destroyed, and how the white population largely ignored the racism of america because they were comfortable in it. or, in the terms of wings of fire, tui continues to act as if bigotry simply stems from a few bad people and arent a result of massive systems of power that are built over generations.

it's not just wasp that's to blame for leafwing genocide and silkwing slavery; its the fault of every hivewing that helped her carry out her genocide (remember, it started before wasp had mind control), who saw what was happening and didnt resist, and the rest who were simply did not care enough to risk their own comfort for the sake of the lives of others. it is the fault of that weirdo human guy who craved domination, and it was the fault of clearsight for her eugenics experiment on pantala. its the fault of the system of governance that allows a single queen to be in charge in the first place--a problem that constantly comes up in wings of fire but is NEVER solved, because of course, tui thinks that replacing a "bad" monarch with a "good" one is the solution. exactly how liberals think that voting in a democratic president instead of a republican one will fix america, when in fact the entire government itself was built on facistic horrors and should itself be dismantled

Tui wasn’t trying to sympathize with racists or anything

then why did she sympathetically portray several hivewings that were explicitly shown to either be slave owners or soldiers for wasp?

She wasn’t trying to say that you can’t be mad at your enemies

then why did she spend sundew's entire book having everyone being mad or uncomfortable or judgemental of her anger? why was sundew's arc "well not ALL hivewings" while that is essentially true, was hammered in with the implications that her anger was "unhealthy" or "unwarrented". shes literally a survivor of an ongoing genocide. why does cricket complain when sundew claws up a statue of wasp? why does bumblebee exist if not to have a convenient innocent hivewing to bond to sundew, so she can feel conflicted about whether she should be mad or not towards the group of dragons largely responsible for killing her people. again, there is nuance here that tui refuses to address--obviously it would be healthy for sundew to not direct her anger at innocents that had nothing to do with their parents bigotry. however the way this is framed blames sundew for even being mad at all, as if a literal teenager growing up under a genocide wouldnt have negative feelings towards the facist culture and all those benefiting from it as a whole. like, it is SO irresponsible of tui to make these extremely sensitive real life topics so front and center in her plot when its very clear that she did literal wikipedia research and nothing further on these events in history.

But blue knew how to be mad at the right people. He didn’t just blindly murder any hivewing who crossed his line of sight

yes of course, because blue is the token "good one". someone else has addressed the racist writing of blue better than i could, so i'll just link it here.

[cheese-water]

hi im sorry I just need to ramble gen loss crap somewhere this s relating to the pole you did I really don’t wanna ramble literal paragraphs in tags:

The dehumanization of content creator by both corporations and fans alike: Lets me honest this is just kind a the surface metaphorical meaning of it all im pretty its been confirmed if not I dont think I need to explain why.

How when our perception of reality is manipulated, our choices mean nothing: tbh this is kinda correct in a way?? Because it all ends in Ranboo dying right? Like let’s if he refuses to do the activities in ep 2 like he’s just gonna die yknow? Like the more you think about it our own choices didn’t really matter they all lead up to the ending scene of rans death. What if we chose live? Something tells me showfall would just erase his memory and reuse them and then the cycle could repeat until inevitable death.

One of many attempts to escape the facility that always ends in death: Kinda what i js said but like: Also it would be extremely hard for Ranboo in any way to escape. Primarily bc mind control. But let’s say that doesn’t apply. Try to escape the mall? Let’s be real the doors are gonna be jammed and there’s showfall people everywhere they’re probably just gonna inject Ranboo with something. Tries to prove to the cameras he being held hostage by showfall? In a ‘real world’ situation Is anyone gonna believe him? They might just think he’s acting. At some point showfall is js gonna get bored of dealing with them and just off him.

also did you see sneeg trying to escape-

The sanitization of today's media to better cater to and profit off of children: I could see this because it is also a VERY common thing in the world with like family channels, child beauty pageants, and what is more similar to genloss’s implementation of this: Ranboo blew up when he was 17! Tommy and Tubbo 16! They were literal minors! They were kids! It was and still is disgusting how much sexual content was produced of them when they were CHILDREN. There are endless examples of this: hundreds, if not THOUSANDS or articles made about an ‘offensive comment’ that was literally just taken out of context, tiktoks and threads saying THAT THEY SHOULD GROW UP?? they are kids!

honestly unsure what the cannon ages of the genloss characters are but if were going by irl ages Ranboo is still 19! Honestly more rambling about how kinda sad this is like, bro is 19 he is literally getting doxxed, death threats, and still creating genloss! Like their 19 and made a work that was considered for an Emmy! (Also being the only not virtual reality work)

The favorable interpretation of events we're supposed to believe vs. the truth: A LOT of ep 2 how they par-take in these games with seem innocent at first, just playing some mouse trap, introducing yourself, etc. but they are literally being held a gunpoint. The scene where Ranboo rips open Charlie it just seems like a comedic scene but for a few seconds the slime is blood. Ranboo is being forced to rip open Charlie simply to survive himself. The puzzler straight up shoots Niki TWICE and the audience(LITERALLY US LOL) feel bad, but a lot people find it funny(kinda is tho- low key loved that scene) obviously Niki is alive so its funnier but what if she actually died?

here’s more of my ramble on genloss meanings and stuff

I just the horrible effects of social media. hate from just being yourself, hate for being ‘fake’/ a ‘catfish’, hate for having fun, hate for not enjoying yourself and people telling you should be grateful. To the point where instead of being yourself you force yourself to shape into this emotionless mold just to appeal to the internet. You could try to ask for help(ranboo spelling sos in Morse code w hand),but your to far gone “you already bought a ticket and there’s no turning back now” I know this isn’t the most accurate but it’s literally 4am lol

Social Media|Showfall Media ya see it?

Srry for the such unorganized thoughts and crap im a dying autistic. -☁︎🪷(just a name to recognize me by you never know also I’m rambling more here about random shit-)

I’ve been trying to think of a response to this ask for a solid five minutes but I just can’t. I just, I’m so so so happy right now. Like, literally smiling ear to ear. You have no idea how happy this makes me. :DDDDD

I adore analyzing media to pieces but with genloss specifically, I also enjoy understanding all of the different influences and interpretations from the audience. Normally, once I find an interpretation I like (either created by me, the most popular, or simply the first one I see) I stick with it, hard. All future thoughts about that media run through the certain interpretation filter only, which isn’t y’know the most open mindset I’ll admit lmao. I think what was different about genloss was a combination of me being a genlosser from the very beginning, being share my theories publicly for the first time, and probably the biggest reason, I didn’t believe the most popular interpretation.

I’ve always been an OUR CHOICE DOESNT MATTER believer since the beginning and could never get on the content creator exploitation train before it left the station. So I guess it gave me a different perspective in regards to reading and sharing analysis posts. Somehow both more critical and more understanding, like I could tell you how the dehumanizing cc theory only applies to eps 2 and 3, while acknowledging that the end of ep 3 literally had a choice that supposedly did matter so who tf cares we’re all having fun. And then I wondered if the cc interpretation was the most popular one and now we’re here.

And so far, it turns out that yeah it very much is lol. But all the notes going into detail about why they believe what they believe just gave me so much more insight and appreciation for the theory. Not just that one but all other interpretations, timeloops, capitalism allegories, your social media parallels just to name a few, have grown a special place in my heart in a way that hasn’t happened to me before genloss. Idk it’s just very cool and I love hearing ‘em all.

Also so I can be told very obvious things I haven’t noticed before. Like how am I just now understanding Social Media -> Showfall Media pfffff

[corvatrix]

Nothing We Learn Is Useless | Scythe by Neal Shusterman

RATING ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

💡 REVIEW

Incredible, fascinating book. Lots of thoughts on empathy, compassion, personal growth, consequences, and what it means to be human when your mortality is no longer an issue. Parts of the book were a bit predictable, but it wasn’t so bad that it felt like lazy or cliché writing...it felt like good writing with consistent characterization and world building. 

The book ends on a cliffhanger, but the ending is also satisfying enough if you were to just read the one book by itself. I already own the next two books (hurray for box sets!) and I cannot wait to devour them.

Spoilers and predictions below. Please keep spoilers out of the comments!

 🗝️ THEMES

The pain of empathy

Humanity and the loss of innocence

Duty and honor vs. passion and desire

Emotional intelligence and vulnerability

Worthiness (and who decides worthiness & unworthiness)

📖 TROPES

Coming-of-age

Teenagers selected for special assignment (Chosen Ones)

Teen angst

Starcrossed lovers

Good guy wants to keep things as they are; bad guy wants systemic change

Political intrigue

Life-or-death stakes

📆 PREDICTIONS

Rowan & Citra are star-crossed and I’m sure the romance will grow, but there will absolutely be conflict; this will probably be the differences in their opinions on how to behave as scythes and what should be done about the more “progressive” members of the Scythedom

The Tonists are going to be a major plot point moving forward (possibly an uprising and a desire to return to mortality, or at least giving people the option to be mortal)

Curie & Faraday will fall in love again and end up gleaning each other

Goddard sympathizers will continue to push for limitless gleaning

Rowan will find Citra’s “old guard” ideals problematic and Citra will think Rowan is going too far gleaning Goddard sympathizers 

💬 QUOTES

“Scythes were no more supernatural than tax collectors in the grand scheme of things. They showed up, did their unpleasant business, and were gone.”

“It’s refreshing to be challenged. You have no idea how tedious it gets--the pandering, the obsequious flattery, the endless parade of sycophants. A slap in the face is bracing. It reminds me that I’m human.”

“We’re roughage. If we don’t cause a little intestinal distress, no one knows we’re there.”

“Good intentions pave many roads. Not all of them lead to hell.”

“Nothing we learn is useless.”

“Scythes wished to be seen as the many facets of light, not of darkness.”

“There are no accolades for the unworthy.”

“Motives can easily be beaten into weapons.”

“I live here not because of its extravagance, but because my presence here is the only way to preserve it.”

“It’s not about age, it’s about stagnation. Some people grow stagnant before they turn their first corner. For others it could take hundreds of years.”

“Learn how to show compassion in the face of tragedy. It was emotionally exhausting, but rewarding. It was preparing her to be a scythe.”

“The idea of irrevocable death without the controlled hand of a scythe was too much to bear for a world that had conquered mortality.”

“In a profession where conscience was a liability, who would want one?”

“I am legend. Yet every day I wish that I was not.”

“I think all young women are cursed with a streak of unrelenting foolishness, and all young men are cursed with a streak of absolute stupidity.”

“Although scythes may be the most powerful humans on Earth, they are also the most vulnerable.”

“There are times I feel I am fighting a losing battle against an old-fashioned apocalypse of the living dead.”

“He wanted to be a failure, because only by failing would he know that he held on to a shred of his humanity.”

“My greatest wish for humanity is not for peace or comfort or joy. It is that we all still die a little inside every time we witness the death of another. For only the pain of empathy will keep us human. There’s no version of God that can help us if we ever lose that.”

“Martyrs testify far more effectively than the living.”

“In our line of work we must hold on to every bit of honor we have.”

[wack-ashimself]

All we work to do is not be homeless, not dead, and not have anything to show for it except for Endless Perpetual Wars on innocent people. So why do we work? Because all our work seems to be doing is killing. Ourselves and others. And never the people who really deserve it. How come the people who always push for war are the last on the front lines? They can make so many sacrifices of everybody else and never of their own. Psychopaths. The worst of humanity rules Humanity through force, fear, and threat of death. But at this point the threat of death doesn't seem that big of a threat when living seems not worthwhile for most of us. I've said it most of my life and people hate hearing it. The world sucks. It's always sucked. Ever since the Dawn of man till now. If you took any average person at any average time anywhere in the world, more than likely they were fucking miserable most of their lives. We have been fucking this up the whole time. And we don't have too many options left to where we can fix it. We might be the last generation that has a chance. So can we take it? We have nothing else to lose including our lives. Fuck, even if they don't kill us, they're still killing us slowly millions of other ways. They're eroding our souls. And I don't know how much is left... at least when somebody is bombed, and a body is found, you know they're dead. I see The Walking Dead all among me. Giving up on being happy, their dreams, or even helping a neighbor. What's the point of walking around if you're already dead? To just move? Alan Watts famously said the point of existence is just to be. Just to be you. And I'm telling you there's way too much in the way of you being you for you to take it. This is your life. Possibly you're only one. Why the fuck would you live it to other people's rules if it's making you so goddamn miserable? If you're going to die, you might as well live the way you want to live. Fuck the establishment. Fuck billionaires. Fuck bankers and CEOs and wall street. But specially fuck the Federal Reserve and International Banks who make these wars profitable legally but not morally for fucking sure. I'm just so God damn tired all the time. Its Never gotten better. Not once. Sure I've had good years, 2023 was one of the best years of my life, but it was also one of the worst years for a lot of other people. Especially palestine. We all, all, get lifted up, or we're all dragging each other down. Like it or not we're in this together. We're a shared part of nature and we've been damning it far too long.

[mohhesham95]

Human x2

'To deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity.'

Nelson Mandela

I wrote about this about 6 years ago, but now seems like a good time to write again. What makes a human human? Seems like a pretty basic question, but in that answer lies a lot of the world's issues. Some would say the brain, humans, are the smartest living creatures. Some would say the ability to evolve. Some others would say the sophistication. Some would say the inconsistency, hence the term 'human error'. In a world with so many technological advances, I believe the most important human quality is empathy. If you can not show empathy, you're drifting away from what makes you human. You're just turning into a robot that can be controlled. A cog in a huge machine that serves a greater purpose. This generation has seen so much trouble in the world that would make them question the purpose of life. The Palestinian war is the latest of those travesties. It makes you think, is it a life worth living? A world where innocent people are murdered every day in cold blood, and the so-called world leaders are trying to normalise that. They are trying to make you feel less empathy, to make these scenes like a usual occurrence. The 'civilised' western governments are not very bothered about murder when it comes to 'less worthy' people. Saying no to killing has become 'supporting terrorsim', and when they try to save face, it's 'all lives are sacred'. If all lives are really sacred, you wouldn't be turning a blind eye to blatant genocide. Are you really expecting a young boy who had his whole family wiped in front of his own eyes to be civilised? Are you expecting him not to feel anger and injustice? Are you not expecting him to want to do everything in his power to get vengeance? This is basic human emotion. How can I be logical in front of blind violence? Violence breeds violence. You can't kill innocent civilians and then be surprised that these helpless people will bite back. Everything was already taken from them, and you will not take their humanity as well. We, as Arabs grew up fascinated by the Western culture. Democracy, human rights, equal rights. Human rights are for only the people they think that they deserve it. It's not all doom and gloom, though. The free Western humans saw the truth. Protests in places like London, NYC, and Berlin to support Palestine. Not in your wildest dreams, you'd imagine that. There are never positives when people die, but the real victory of this war is the unmasking of reality. The people saw the truth because it's as clear as day. The false image has been exposed. They can't lie to your faces anymore. That's why they are desperate to shut you up. They don't want you to be heard. There are no two sides to this story. Governments want to brainwash you into being a cold robot that just follows their rules and accept their narrative. They want to make you feel hopeless and helpless. But you're not. Speak up, show support, and take a side. Being neutral in a situation like this is equal to supporting evil. These situations show you the real core of people. Don't normalise killing. Don't normalise genocide. These are people with stories, dreams, and lives. They deserve a fair chance at life. They are not just numbers. Don't lose what makes you human. Don't lose your empathy. Make them heard. Life might not be fair with no fairytale endings, and we might feel powerless, but I'd rather try to do what I think is right even if it seems pretty insignificant. Just making these people heard and letting them know that we see them as unique humans worthy of a stable life is the least we could do. We were born human, and we can't let anyone take that away from us, no matter how hard they try.

[littleapocalypsekitten]

Interesting thread. As someone in her 40s who hates makeup and does not wear it and who has decided not to dye over the emergent gray hairs, I'm old enough to live in the Age of Who Gives a Crap.

I have some compassion for the ferret-furry's death-anxiety, though. I lost a very close loved one in mid-January. He was younger than me, in his 30's, because sometimes it is not age that gets you. While I like to keep some spiritual beliefs, I'm agnostic enough to not be sure of them and depression and anger have been large parts of my grieving process. If this person is grieving someone, well, that would be a reason why fert is getting irrationally angry at nothing. Comes with the territory. (I have, for my part, not been directing my rage at innocent strangers online, but the weirdest things have been setting me off). My depression in grieving has gotten me borderline nihilistic, having thoughts of wondering what even the point of life is when we all die (and some of us young) and wondering why the Hell people have kids in a world where they'll learn that one day they will die. (Aside from instinct. I'm an asexual, so I am a freak who does not have reproduction as a basic instinct. Even people who have those instincts live in a world with many kinds of contraception now). So, yeah, I've had thoughts of "Wow, what a rotten thing to do to a kid - to bring them into a world where they and everyone they will ever love will die." I want people back. I will not get them back. I've been very "existence is suffering" lately. But part of the healing and holding myself together is accepting that, indeed, humans are mortal. You can outrun age all you want, but maybe some unforeseen health problem you don't even know about will zap you. I've almost died from an accident falling down stairs several years ago. I narrowly survived a random infection and have some permanent damage (pretty much what age is, ultimately) from it. I've thought a lot about transhumanism, as well, long before recent tragedy in my life. I have a series of stories I write on and off about people with immortal minds who body-surf into robotic forms and their hobby of hunting and oppressing the mortal descendants of the ancestors who were left out of the immortal class. It pretty much captures what I think of the whole thing. Maybe immortality will be achieved, but it will definitely be class-based, which makes it, in my eyes, a lot of bullshit. I applaud the efforts of people who try to do life-extension, because, you know, it would be cool if we reached a world where people regularly lived Hobbit-lifespans and it would be cool if people who aged could do so with less damage, less mobility issues and the like. However, escaping it all? I don't think it's an option outside of divine intervention. And if it were to become so? I guarantee it would only be an option for the rich. It is too late for me now. I resent the chronic pain that life's damage has left me with, but don't give too much of a shit about a few gray hairs and wrinkles. I'm not rich enough to be saved, and I'd like to eventually be reunited with the loved ones I've already lost eventually, whever they are (even if I'm wrong about the spiritual stuff and that "place" is oblivion). I hate to disappoint, but I will not KYS now. I've fought too long and too hard. I'm an ONREY old lady.

scrunching my face real hard rn

[marblemoovt]

Rambling anon here with more to say haha…

Exactly! If only we could get rid of the eclipse altogether 🙃 I love happy endings and working scenarios out in my head as much as I can to ensure they come about.

Yes! You phrased that so nicely. I think it’s completely normal to have this mindset when it comes to Griffith. I say this because he’s such a schemer; and, although he appears well mannered and gentlemanly, we know it’s all manipulation to get what he wants. Griffith’s demeanor makes you want to believe that there’s actually good underneath his carefully crafted façade.

Even though Sadie came about accidentally, she’s still a fave ❤️ you gotta love her relationship with the princess. Also, Sadie definitely helps flesh out the princess’s character—I’d say without Sadie, the reader doesn’t really get to see the princess’s vulnerable side. And although she’s besties with Charlotte, she can never truly let her guard down around her because people are always listening to their conversations. I too love Sadie’s obsession with kneecap breaking 😂

Also…in this world where Guts either doesn’t exist or doesn’t leave the band, it makes it riskier for Griffith to have feelings for the princess, if that makes sense. He’s forced to figure out if this forbidden love is worth potentially jeopardizing his dream. But if you ask me, I’m convinced Griffith is already whipped for the princess (lol) so I think he’s already in the mindset of reconciling what he feels for her with what he wants to accomplish.

So well said. It’s clear that Griffith is conflicted about his feelings for the princess, which seems to be a move in the right direction. I’d say Griffith is even starting to believe in unconditional love towards the end when he admits that he’s trying to figure out how the princess could exist in the “dreadful world” they live in. Griffith learned early that the only way to attain his goals is through manipulation. Clearly, he feels the need to wear a “mask” in order to get what he wants. I love that you explore his innocent side (or, one could say, what’s left of his innocence), because even though he’s calculating, indifferent, selfish, he still maintains a little bit of a childlike sense of wonder.

I agree, this is such a neat trope!! And of course the perfect one to explore using someone like Griffith who is so bent on attaining his dream. I am so excited for if/when you do continue this story to see where this road may lead.

Side note: every time these two kissed I was low key freaking out hoping they wouldn’t get caught or else Griffith gets arrested for it lol 😶

Side side note: Do you think Griffith would get arrested and tortured if the princess’s parents found out about them? She mentions they wouldn’t be happy about her letting Griffith call her by her name. I’m inclined to think that, if someone caught them acting in love, running around together in secret, kissing, etc., then the princess’s parents would likely punish Griffith in some way.

Thank you for keeping my inbox alive, anon. If you ever want to be mutuals, my DMs are open.

One of my toxic traits will forever be thinking that Griffith can be good even if I don't completely believe it myself. Honestly, eclipse and post-eclipse Beserk will remain shrouded in darkness in my memories. I'm content with pretending that everyone is happy and fine. I'm the type of person who dislikes it when a lot of people have to die--which is why I can barely watch my partner play the walking dead lmao.

There's definitely a timeline where the princess runs away with Sadie. I think it would be fun to explore because I love a good royalty -> adventurer story as much as the next person. Though I don't think there's anyone competent enough to take over the throne with them gone. And while I imagine Charlotte to have been their best friend since childhood, she grows up in a much more restricted environment and their personalities differ as a result.

I wanted Charlotte to be the textbook perfect princess, basically what the princess's parents wanted. Funnily enough, they both have what the other lacks. The princess has more freedom while Charlotte has more control. But I think this is what makes them good friends since they can balance each other out. However, I don't think Charlotte would ever truly understand her friend. It's been a while since I've seen Berserk but Charlotte gives me sheltered vibes. Probably because of her dad. Can a bird really know what freedom feels like if it's lived inside a cage its entire life?

While we like Griffith, we all know the man ain't good at genuine feelings. I wanted to have at least one person who could tell the princess that everything will be ok because everyone needs someone like that. And in came Sadie, a person completely unrelated to the other characters. Someone who could see the princess as a person and provide emotional support.

I wanna say that Guts exists because he and Casca are absolutely adorable together. At this point he has not left, I honestly haven't decided if he would. But if he did, it would be after meeting the princess so things could end differently. My whole plan with Griffith is that he realizes there are other ways to accomplish his goal. And so does he continue on the path he knows and is sure will work? Or does he deviate into the unknown that plagues him with foreign feelings but a considerably tempting outcome? Because he can still have a kingdom either way.

Honestly, I'm not sure what his original plan was, probably to gain support, usurp the throne, and marry Charlotte. But there's never any indication that he reciprocates Charlotte's feelings, and I believe all his interactions with her were with the sole purpose of winning her over. So when he's offered an easier alternative, it makes him feel suspicious. Like when you feel that something is too good to be true.

We all know Griffith didn't have the best childhood. He probably learned at a young age that it's necessary to lie and steal to get what you want. He can analyze the situation and don the appropriate mask, which also coincides with how he's good at planning. He's gotten used to fooling people, to burying his feelings deep inside. I want to see the pure panic he experiences when someone manages to see the chips and cracks in his facade--and to care for once. Because Griffith would normally brush the other person off, but when it's someone he potentially likes? That's when things start to get interesting. Someone who can see he's pretending because they don't put him on a pedestal where faults don't exist. Someone who makes it incredibly difficult for him to view as 'beneath him.' Someone who is smart and powerful but still retains kindness, and--holy shit does he like this person???

I feel like everyone has that inner child, some more so than others. I think people who didn't have a good childhood or believe they didn't will always lean on the stronger side. Because there's that urge to have the childhood you wished you had, to not have grown up as quickly as you did. There are just some things you miss out on as a kid because circumstances forced you to mature, and so there's this undeniable pleasure and curiosity that appears when the opportunity arises.

End goal is definitely that Griffith marries the princess and people are happy. Griffith will learn that the path towards his goal is not a single path where the road is narrow and everyone is but a stepping stone. I do want to write a scene where he destroys the behelit with his own hands as a big fuck you to the gods. I want some character development for the princess as well but I haven't come up with anything yet.

Honestly, I can definitely see the princess teasing Griffith with discreet kisses in public, pushing the boundaries to see how much they can get away with. I think it would be funny to have Griffith be totally out of his depth for once. Griffith, in a situation where he has no control whatsoever? Preposterous!

Because the princess's parents are much nicer than Charlotte's, I don't think the punishment would be too harsh. In fact, I think the parents would be ecstatic that their child has finally shown romantic interest in someone for once. That betrothal meeting that ended poorly wasn't the first. While Griffith is a Viscount, I don't think the parents would be shallow enough to fault him for his status. Tbh, the princess is the heir, and so Griffith would kinda be a trophy husband lmao. The way I envisioned the kingdom when creating it was that the princess would take the throne and hold complete power regardless of marriage. So the amount of power Griffith would have solely relies on how much the princess is willing to give him. At most they would both rule the kingdom; Griffith would never have full reign.

I think that would be enough for him, especially if he doesn't hate his queen. With the way things are going in that oneshot, it implies Griffith is fine ruling side by side with someone if he deems them an equal.

As for the name part, I wrote that meaning the parents would disapprove of letting someone of lower status speak casually. I'm not super knowledgeable on nobles and etiquette, but I believe it's deemed rude to not treat those above you with respect/manners. So it's purely a social etiquette thing, especially since Griffith is a man to whom she is not related nor engaged.

There aren't that many people who are on the same level or higher than royalty. Griffith is asking for permission to address the princess informally, and we all know he didn't ask with pure intentions. Because of all the titles, I feel like there's something intimate about dropping them and just calling people by their names. It's especially present when the majority of the kingdom has to address a person by their title but he gets to say their name.

So while I don't think anything as bad as torture would happen, I do see the possibility of banning Griffith from their kingdom. Which would then call for an "Oh crap you really like him, don't you?" arc. And now that I'm writing this I'm sorely tempted to incorporate it.

Now I'm devastated that this novel lives in my head and will probably not transition onto paper anytime soon.

[suratan-zir]

Another unbelievably ignorant russian comment under one of my posts. Under my recent reblog about Chasiv Yar.

This translates to: "Do you make sims content or a war propaganda?"

I won't even hide the name of the person who wrote this, I don't care. I mean, the fact that they write it to me in russian already says a lot. Where do I start?

This was a sims blog. It was a place where I had fun sharing my content and admiring other people's games. Even when I was living under russian occupation and essentially in a war zone, I was still able to just take my mind off it and relax, playing in a fantasy world where everything was fine, knowing that peaceful and free Ukraine still exists somewhere and I will move there eventually.

I can't do this anymore. Russia killed peaceful Ukraine. Living in russia, where nothing fundamentally changed in your life in one morning on February 24, you are unable to understand me. You don't want to understand Ukrainians.

We watch our entire cities being burnt to the ground, our people die from russian attacks, buried under the rubble of what was once their home. We mourn loss after loss every single day. We've learned to ignore air raid alerts because they happen so often that you simply can't live your life hiding all the time. Everyone who stayed in Ukraine accepted the fact that shit can happen to any of us at any moment. Nowhere is safe.

And while your taxes, like value-added tax from every single little thing you buy living in russia - goes to support p*tin's army and this genocidal war, while 144 million of you doing nothing to stop this, you have the audacity to blame me for posting whatever the hell I want on my own blog?

Is the desire to stop the killing of innocent people considered "war propaganda"?

45 innocent people in Chasiv Yar went to bed on July 10 only to never wake up again. And dozens of others ended up under the rubble or lost their loved ones forever. Russia killed them and thousands of others. Because they happen to live in Ukraine.

How is my desire to tell about this tragedy is a "war propaganda"?

This is Donetsk region, Donbas - the same Donbas that your modern hitler pretends to "liberate". The same Donbas where many people used to think that russia is their friend and russians are their "brothers". Brothers who came to kill us all.

First, your country attacks mine, kills thousands of people and makes life hell for all who survived, so that later you could comment under one of my posts about this war to complain about the lack of sims content. Unfuckingbelievable.

Since the beginning of the war, I changed my blog bio to reflect what my posts are about. I also made several posts talking about what tags you can block if you don't give a fuck about some dying Ukrainians. Hell, I even made a whole dedicated blog only for sims content. But I have around 2k followers, and if my posts encourage at least one person out of these 2 thousand to donate to support Ukraine or spread the information, then it's not in vain. I have to use what tiny influence I have to help my country, just like any other Ukrainian now. Although sometimes in moments like this I really consider leaving tumblr.

[writingforatwistedworld]

Self aware au

I do not take any responsebility for you reading this no matter which age group you are from!

WARNINGS: Yandere themes, obsessive behaviour, possessive behaviour, stalking, imprisonment (a bit)

Entering their world

Oh dear…

Fae are very attached to the one that sees all, aka the player, by nature

But Malleus?

He has a very small circle of people who dare to look him in the eyes

He was taught all his life that you are someone absolutely wonderful

So when you appear it feels like all those years of loneliness finally payed off

I’m not talking about you being in the game but rather just playing it is already bliss enough for him

So when you somehow get into it?

There is no escape from him

I’m not joking

He is once more on one of his strolls at night, avoiding his own personal set of stalkers...

And then he sees light in Ramshackle

Malleus loves his old architecture and the silence

So this is something that annoys him

At first at least

When someone suddenly tapps his shoulder and asks if he needs something he needs to do a double take

It's you

His greatest dreams now have come true

If lightning were to strike him now he would die as a happy man

And you are so nice!

Not even afraid!!

AND YOUR HAND IS STILL ON HIS ARM!!!

Please be nice and ignore the blush on his face

He is just having a small heart attack at the moment (or at least it feels like that... Malleus, that is called happiness)

From that day on he is walking with you to the school building, from the school building to the dorm and visits during the night as well

It's scary how fast he transitions from "cute innocent caring" to "possessive stalker"

Say goodbye to personal time

There is not a single moment where he isn't with you

It has already gone that far that Ramshackle is seen as a extension of Diasmonia

He also has a room in Ramshackle

Lilia, Sebek and Silver also have one

And also a few other Diasmonia students who we do not know by their name due to them being NPCs

How that happened?

I don't know

Ask Malleus

He might know something

His room is right next to yours

You better get used to the "loving" dragon fae

You will see him a lot

After a while it becomes so bad that you can't leave the dorm unless it's for school

Did I already tell you about that one time where he was sitting on a tree watching you

After that you installed blinds

It feels like his grandmother cursed him with the same course she cursed that Princess with

Living with you is like a dream! He just needs to make sure you are dependent on him and his future with you besides him is guaranteed.

(For goodness sake just run away)

[estarion]

she gives his nose tender pressure and he imagines having a heart that could flip.  lashes flutter, quiet reflection in his glossy, sky-searching gaze.  he missed her by a hair.  “… i was betrothed, naughty girl.”   technically.  it never stopped him from dallying.  just like being an elf never stopped him from acting like a heathen amongst friends.  he and akina would’ve been friends.  he is sure of it.  and he’d have dealt with anyone giving her trouble.  magistrate astarion ancunín was subtle, hands kept clean.  he carried a silver dagger, always, but never actually had to stick it in someone.  no.  other people would do that for him.  happily.  “there were cannibals that lurked beneath the city.  i’d arrange to have him fed to them.”  crooked little smirk.  he raises a finger, pretending akina’s still there.  maybe her lips were about where selûne’s tears are now.  floating.  he pokes at the trail in the sky.  it looks sort of like a frown from this angle.  he pouts upward.  “we could’ve watched.  cute date idea, i think.”

he wants to joke that she should have just married him instead, avoid this whole tawdry mess.  tempt him to the point of madness and recklessness.  have him breaking vows to his parents and the boring elven woman expecting to meet him down an aisle once they’d both reached their hundredth year.  what harm could it have caused?  she’s human.  she’d probably die during childbirth and shatter his heart. they’d have had lots of babies before that ... eight or nine weird little half him, half her, half elven babies, that he’d have no idea how to interact with but would somehow become his world.  and he can see her trying to be an ordinary housewife even though he’s a magistrate who might someday try to become a duke.  he would live a life that utterly fucking delighted him before adopting a proper, adult name and succumbing to the next seven hundred years of doing whatever it was his family expected.

astarion boosts up onto his elbows, tossing his head back so that he’s viewing her upside-down the way he might’ve sixty seconds ago.  the girl in his fantasy.  his stomach tightens against a sudden wave of giddiness, breeze rustling through as warm and gentle as her inexplicable kiss, messing with his hair, his head.  that head comes forward again, teeth pressing bottom lip.  him, down on a knee?  before her?  begging her to make him the happiest man?  hilarious...  the thought of her flat-out refusing him, even more so.  gods, he hopes akina would have refused him.  with her dark and disapproving matching eyes and a pretty little heartbreaker dress.  wait until he’s spilt vital organs of all their worth in declarations and promises and then remind him of his place.  nowhere near a darling girl.  even one who tears petals off innocent, harmless flowers.  he shakes his head , grabs his flask, and springs up from the ground.  he twists, glaring back at her while ensuring all his items securely holstered and not to become a hindrance.  then begins his grassy approach, eyes fixed and narrow.  “you’re very annoying.  just thought you should know.”  asking about things he’d already been considering, how dare she.  “and i did start the fire.”   he hopes the smile he cannot bite away doesn’t inspire her to fuck with him.  he likes smiling around her.  she better not ruin it.   “does it make you want to swoon?  how lucky that i’m here to catch you...”   he stops walking before he can be told he’s too close.   “feel like pretending you’re a bride, then?  or would you rather ride me the whole way back.”  he cocks a brow, about to be haughty but eyes soften when he checks over her arm.  he’s not sure which would be more comfortable, but it’s her choice.  let her jump on whichever end she prefers.  his arms are ready.

 while he doesn't look pleased with declaration of her age , he doesn't show the tiniest effort in trying to stop this gullible young woman from getting this close to him . a small smile on her lips , the scent of night flowers and trees filling the air , she wants to bite his nose to catch his attention — thankfully , she doesn't . not a clever thing to do when the girl hovering over you craves attention like she craves to live . and he doesn't even open his eyes , only his leg moves , and akina looks up momentarily to see it . long legs , very long , she's noticed him walk slower sometimes to match her pace when the group is in a hurry . . . how sentimental . her eyes roll , she looks back down at him with a tilted head .

��most had thought she was either too skinny or too pretty to handle a knife , and that had encouraged them to do weird things . it's always been so easy to wrap their hands around her thin neck , and akina never had the upper hand regarding her strength , so she's learned how to swiftly work with knives . a kitchen knife , blades , and finally , twin swords . ❛ good men bore me . ❜  and she scares them , they often run away . not that she's tried anything serious ever since she ran from her mansion , unless there were some manipulation and benefits involved . they'd say she tastes like sugar , and too much sugar isn't good for you . sugar coated poison , something you can't even hold in your mouth for too long when you lick the sugar off it — licking . her mind goes back to the little trick he did on her arm , thinks about how his teeth didn't even graze her wounded flesh , how careful he was .

 it's not done without a warning , it's nothing to startle him or perhaps that's the worst thing you can do to a vampire that's refusing to open his eyes . but she does it anyway ; leans down impossibly close , puckers her plump lips and kisses the tip of his sharp nose before moving away again . back to her spot , eyes briefly glinting – playful . she did it because she felt like doing it , simple , a creature of pleasure and impulse . that's what's saved her in a world like this , yeah ? ❛ hmm . let's say i killed my husband . i got annoyed . he thought marriage on paper meant it's okay not to keep your dirty little paws to yourself . ❜  and she did , she's glad she did . shadowheart would be surprised to hear so many words spilling from her mouth , she called her a mouse a few days ago because she was too quiet – unless astarion was around . something akina did on instinct , not even knowing she was doing it . ❛ but i'm sure i could seduce you . i was prettier . i had both my eyes . and i wore pretty dresses . ❜  a small twitch to her nose , she picks up a tiny , yellow flower and starts plucking its petals . ❛ are you going to carry me to the camp ? did you make my fire ? hm ? ❜

[onyourhyuck]

𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐊ᵃ𝐫𝐦𝐚. | Season 2

synopsis; park areum is a journalist who happens to get her life involved with the mafia leader war and havoc, lee jeno. areum’s brother was kidnapped by the japanese mafia na yuta and areum was able to successfully get jisung back— however with a price that she betrays lee jeno by selling out important information of his base whereabouts. it’s been a year ever since that day and areum happens to get involved in the mafia world again.

warning: mafia au/theme, thriller, action, romance, smut!!, lots of fighting here and mentions of blood, park areum is a bad bitch ykyk, dreamies are here for plot, love triangle!!!!, angst.. massive angst, death mentions of characters, alcohol mention, guns mention, switch!areum, switch Jeno!, rough kissing, gripping, degrading, praising, love scenes, unprotected seggs [wrap your willys sons pls, use it 😃], slowburn romance, prepare for a long ass ride.JEALOUSY, Exhibitionist scenes (almost caught etc) semi public scenes with sexual tension. PLOT TWISTS AND CLIFFHANGERS <3 THIS IS SEASON 2, CHECK SEASON 1 OUT BEFORE READING THIS SEASON PLSSSS.

PART 12 / 25. PART 13 LINK.

╭──────────────────────╮

striking light of guns being shot in the warehouse, constant rushed footsteps overlapping each other, yells of dead fallen soldiers and innocent life’s being took…

jaemin hates to see it. the lives he took will eventually eat him up where there will be no going back for him. he knew that hell had a special place reserved just for him.

renjun quickly slides down the pole on the side, lifting the entire body mass and weight to curve to the edge, where his right dominating leg powerfully hits the japanese mafia soldier pointing gun at jaemin from behind. the japanese soldier yelled in surprise of the coming harsh kick from renjun, jaemin turning around in shock.

that was close. the japanese soldier falling off the edge into the middle pit, squashed, beaten and stamped over by the korean and japanese mafia fighting to the death and to live.

jaemin looking at Renjun, giving him a righteous path. “thanks injun. Did not see that one coming.”

the Chinese scoldingly glared at jaemin but nodded. “be more aware next time. we need you the most.” renjun admitted before leaving. jaemin glancing down reloading the gun.

‘come out yuta, you’re the one who needs to die in order to stop this war.’ jaemin spat.

“boss! boss!” haechan runs towards the taller male with a serious expression. “we overtook the best soldiers he sent, however the bastard yuta didn’t come along. we have the other soldiers hand cuffed to the front lines, waiting for the police to come.”

“areum contacted the information and roots to this whole building already, we need to leave now before they arrest us too.” haechan continued as jaemin nodded, no mater if the Korean police are also against the japanese, they will eventually be against them too; the police are not people you should trust.

especially if you’re a mafia. it’s a doomed friendship from the start.

“okay, gather renjun’s tropes and your tropes back to the base safely, take the wounded too.” jaemin pauses, saddened expression to the half dead soldiers on their side. “we can’t leave our wounded brothers when they sacrificed so much for us already.”

Haechan understood what he meant, the group aren’t like the other mafias that stereotypically do illegal work and cause violence. yes, jeno lead them with violence and with an iron fist but this was against the bad mafia groups who hurt others for the fun of it. jeno strongly wanted to do the right thing by using violence back, but now, if only he were alive he would’ve changed his ways.

park areum was the sole reason for this transformation. the woman did not only change jeno but she possibly changed everyone in the mafia. haechan gained a best friend for life out of the change along with maturity, he was able to become sensitive and show it. renjun wasn’t okay with allowing women in the training, he had strong values of them being weak— but when areum joined he was quickly proven wrong. he holds admiration for the journalist. jaemin learned to love again, haunted and trapped by his ghost ex lover, he was finally able to love and be happy with life.

she holds everyone accountable for their happiness. every soldier under jeno wants to protect areum, not just because she’s with his child now, but because they all look up to her as a role model.

the police were quicker than they thought, rushing from the entrance of the front as the tropes escaped to the back door entrance, hopping into the cars. detective baekhyun and detective chanyeol screaming with their guns aimed in the echoing warehouse. “it’s the police get on the flo- holy shit they’re escaping out the back door, go get them!” baekhyun ordering the men behind him to start chasing cars honestly.

chanyeol dropping the weapon once the men have been handcuffed on the floor with their ankles tied too. he sighs, “man we’re late again! fuck.”

Baekhyun rubs the back of the head, embarrassed. “why do i think our badge means nothing when the mafia are better at arresting than us? are they looking down at us?” baekhyun said again in disbelief.

were they being underestimated? perhaps…

areum pushes the laptop away as she munches on the donuts on the side with tea, renjun really hooked her on sweet pregnancy tea, somehow it enhanced the taste buds to her cravings.

it’s been a few weeks ever since the news of jeno being dead.

she won’t lie, it really did effect her but also the mafia group itself. jaemin was overworked and determined to find yuta, he was practically sniffing him out like a dog ready to bark and chew more than it can handle. areum helping out with gathering the morse codes and secret locations, as of right now she found five of their locations in the span of the few weeks.

jaemin and haechan were just as impressed as she was with herself because apparently, finding out japanese riddles and morse code was easy to areum! the woman carries knowledge in her blood at this point.

haechan swore that the pregnancy made her smarter. on the other hand, jisung was able to take a liking to renjun and kun, jaemin was also quite obsessed with jisung due to the cuteness he projected.

jisung taking gun lessons and how to shoot, it was kinda like call of duty for him but make it real life.

arriving back home the tropes were quick to scatter themselves around; some people went immediately to find themselves water bottles that were prepared by the people who did not go out to fight today, the soldiers that stayed in the base prepared food and water in the middle. kun was also there with medical equipment for the people that were unfortunate today.

jaemin seeing areum helping out with the soldiers water and food now, he approached forward with a tired smile.

areum smiles back, passing the water bottle and large cup of warm spicy noodles and chopsticks with side dishes on the side. “eat up. today was a success.”

jaemin takes the bottle and noddles, sitting down on the chair. clothes roughed up, hair messed up as well, blood on the sleeves and dirty hands. but he ate anyways, they were starving. dirty hands were the least on their mind right now. “not entirely success. yuta wasn’t there, so he survived yet another day.”

he sounded bitter, areum’s lips falling. he was right. but no one died on their side today. she sits nearby jaemin, watching the man eat the noddles finally. Haechan joining areum’s side.

“hey, did you eat?” hyuck spoke upbeat, dancing around as he chews on the noddles. nothing makes life more better than eating spicy noodles after fighting in the war. “i ate nonstop as i helped you guys. i was able to check everyone’s cameras attached to their clothes as well as the vitals of our team. no one died, only massive injuries.”

“i know, you were great help. thank you.” hyuck chuckled. jaemin sighs, “i did say not to get involved anymore but even my words didn’t stop you.”

areum shrugs. “you should know me by now, when did words ever stop me?” she’d cheekily say and jaemin grins, she was right. jisung came down running the large stairs, skipping as he then stole the warm new noodle box next to haechan.

the tan boy looks over seeing the boy eat heavily, “yah…park jisung…that’s my second batch of food.” he points out, jisung pulls away chewing and swallowing before replying.

“hyung just make new one later.” jisung simply told, haechan’s jaw dropping, sarcasm leaking out the tone. “yeah thanks so much, you solved my problem park jisung!”

areum glares at the two boys, scowling. “can you not argue at least for one day?”

jaemin shaking the head. “i think we found the new Tom and jerry.” he pointed out as hyucksung kept on bickering in their own world.

areum turns around to the boy, brushing down jaemin’s hair. the man felt quite safe around her so he didn’t bother flinching or moving away in surprise, allowing her fingers to lightly pat the hair down as he kept on eating. stomach going full in a minute.

“areum,” his dark voice trails. “i have favour to ask of you.” he’d tell. areum raising eyes as she nods, “yeah?”

he puts the empty cup down, sipping from the water bottle before turning his entire attention to the journalist next to him. admiring the beautiful face he’s met with. “why don’t you go back to the cabin for a little bit? it might help you relax and stay in jeno’s presence more. i just, don’t want you stressed with police and mafia world. i need you away for a little. can you do that for me?”

the cabin was something areum rather avoided— not because she hated the place, she absolutely loves the cabin. it holds so many fun memories of her and jeno, it was the day they really started clicking emotionally and making them understand each other. but areum is scared that she will break down when she goes inside the cabin, only thing she will be reminded of is jeno itself.

she doesn’t know how to deal with this emotional and physical pain absence of the man, in fact, the only thing areum does to avoid feeling the reality is by working.

jaemin saw the uncertain expression falling, he was quick to gently hold areum’s hands in his. hiss like breathe coming out, deeply resting the forehead onto areum’s shoulder. areum was silent, but she was thinking about it. “i know this might be hard for you but..”

“i’ll do it.” areum mutters catching jaemin out midway, he pulls away with wide eyes. “you mean it?” he trails, areum nodding slowly.

“the bed sheets are losing his scent, they only smell of me now, hopefully the cabin bed will be different...” areum mutters looking down. jeno’s presence is slowly leaving and she still wasn’t ready to let go. jaemin squeezed her hands in his hands tightly, whispering. “i’m so sorry areum. i’ll try to spray all his perfumes he wore often on them to make you happy.”

areum embarrassed, she laughs gently. “that’s kind of embarrassing now, don’t worry about it.” jaemin let’s go off the hands, smiling. “it’s not. i completely understand it, when you really love someone you can’t help but like their smell.”

it somehow made areum realise that when you really care of someone, you become attached to the slightest things that reminds you of them. jaemin was similar to areum, he used nayoung’s perfumes on his clothes before.

jisung hums slowly joining in, “i agree, mina wears my hoodies ever since we are doing long distance. i guess it helps you feel more closer to them when they’re not around you as much.”

Haechan gasps, “you have a girlfriend? You?” the younger boy scrunching the nose up in an upset pout.

“yeah and you don’t? shocking, right.” jisung shot, haechan’s expression falling. “bro don’t even test me today, i told you i have girls!”

jaemin did not waste the time putting areum to the cabin, in the next few minutes after travelling for hours she will arrive at the cabin completely. It’s late going nightfall.

the car stopping at the front, areum taking the large bag that she packed, she were first to get out soaring a glance to kun and renjun.

“thanks for the ride. I’ll call you when I’m ready to leave.” areum tells, renjun nodding at the passage seat. kun spoke out sternly, “remember that you’re entering your tenth week in the pregnancy soon, so don’t over work yourself.”

areum shortly smiles. “i know, don’t worry about me. keep an eye on jisung and update me on the situation.” they nodded before the car drove off reversing and then leaving through the wood path for the vehicles. everyone seemingly to be asleep except for animals that are nocturnal.

the women made herself go inside with the spare keys jaemin gave, as she enters with the door closed, the memories flooding areum’s brain haywire. the way jeno stumbled down the stairs worried areum was possibly kidnapped or left without a word, the way she came home drunk and he had to take care of her.

mr and ms Kim’s twins were here playing with him on the ground, the sweet lingering memory came with a hint of sadness. she purses a deep breathe that left her shaken, walking upstairs.

creaking left and right until she arrives to the top of the open bedroom, large wide windows allowing the starry sky overlooking the clean bed. the times where they shared it for the first time…

areum wasn’t sure how to feel other than needing to cry out, maybe it’s the pregnancy making it even worse with her amount of mood swings. she’d put the bag down on the bed, sniffling the wet nose.

squeaking…

the door slowly swung open, a heavy slow motion movement of the door she swore she closed. it did not take her a moment to realise because it was already telling her intuitively, that someone was standing behind the door ready to launch at her.

the woman grabbing a gun that she took with her, turning around with eyes darkly eyeing the person who came out at the same time. Door opening to reveal.

the person who was behind the door, had their own gun ready to shoot the person but they stopped lowering it a little. their mouth was about to open until a shot was heard, making the person flinch scared for their life.

areum tightly holding the shaking gun when she accidentally shot out of nervousness and amount of shock running down her body, freezing it. skin going deadly pale as her eyes wide in disbelief, tears streaming, heavy hot breathe exhaling out, hands turbulence in front.

the man was quick to relax his stiffen body as thankfully the bullet missed the body by an inch, quick to realise that the woman was simply scared. the relaxing soothing voice, he couldn’t grasp why areum was so shocked as if she saw a ghost.

little did he know he was presumed dead to areum. he didn’t realise it sooner, but areum was shocked unable to figure out if this was her delusional mind playing tricks or if it were reality.

“areum, hey, slowly lower the gun.” jeno soothingly told approaching very cautious and on alert, areum’s wet pupils shaking when the man came closer slowly. areum gulping, “stay back- you’re supposed to be dead.” she spat.

jeno quickly stops, mind going blank. “what?” areum stuttering, “you got shot and died. everyone came back except you. this is my mind playing tricks on me.” the words were fast paced, jeno gathered so much info in just a small amount of sentence. he shakes his head. “areum, listen to me..”

the voice felt so real to areum so comforting, she longed to listen to that voice for weeks, but it can’t be reality can it?

“please, i promise you I’m alive. i survived.” jeno quietly told coming to the front again, this time areum staying quietly as she sobs gently. she felt a hand finally lower the gun and take it from her own grip, dropping the gun to the floor.

her lungs largely inhale as she looks up, jeno eyeing the woman with kind eyes, his body engulfing her close to his chest. “see, i’m alive..?” it was almost a question rather than a statement.

areum only sobbed harder shaking her head, hitting his chest the more he pulled areum closer, mumbling words of hurt and sadness as well as relief too. everything was high on emotion, jeno unable to say anything but take whatever areum was giving him.

she hits his chest as her hiccuping voice from roughly crying, “you got shot! do you wish to die?!” she grabs the collar, upset that jeno ended up getting hurt but at the same time this was out of love and relief. jeno knew this. he looks at the woman who pulled him down by his collar.

he couldn’t lie but areum scolding him will always have him on his knees melting, he somehow found it even more attractive. areum awaiting an answer in small silence.

“did i ever tell you that you’re hot when you are angry?” jeno whispers with half smirk lips, areum biting the bottom lip, stale voice speaking. “lee jeno i’m serious.”

“areum.” jeno spoke out again wiping those crying eyes that sparkly whenever she’d sob, areum had him under her spell. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for scaring you, for making you believe i was dead.”

the woman wasn’t expecting jeno to go on his knees in front of areum, holding her legs with his veiny hands. she gulps at the sight of jeno being the submissive one. no arguing, just him accepting that he was in the wrong, that areum was scared and that she really loves him for being depressed for these weeks. jeno understood everything.

he didn’t need to be in his ego for areum. she had no other way but to no longer stay upset, as her hands grab a hold of jeno’s jaw pulling the man up.

jeno on the knees with his face stretching forward into a longing deep kiss, areum passionately putting in the emotions on something she desired to do for so long. the man melting in the action his face following the woman’s dominating loving side, as his jaw was still held by areum.

areum breaking the kiss, jeno dimming down watching the woman pull with a breathy intake. she murmurs softly, “I’m…”

“pregnant, jeno…”

everything felt surreal to the man when hearing those words come out of his loved one. jeno looking at areum before standing up, looking at the stomach as he came forward with his hands lightly perking on the top.

the clothes made it seem like there was no bump, but there most definitely was a little one forming. jeno felt it, the round shape above in his palm. his eyes twitching in excitement and sparkling as if he were the most happy person on the planet. areum watching the reaction, jeno spoke first.

“areum, how many weeks..?” jeno trails, happily smiling. areum was really in awe at the positive reaction. “nine weeks, jeno are you…not upset?”

the man shaking his head quickly. “areum, i love you. a baby with you won’t change my love for you, in fact— it only increased my love for you.” he slowly trails, going on his knees as he slowly hugs the little bump.

in such gentle manner, areum couldn’t help but smile like a giddy idiot.

“i’m going to be a dad.” jeno softly tells, looking up to the woman who nods softly. “mhmm, so don’t get shot again.” she’d bring up again, he couldn’t help but think her stubbornness was always going to be hard to look past.

but he loves her, he deserves to be told off for his off guard actions. “you really won’t let go off it will you?” jeno whines.

she still is his karma for sure, but this time, areum is his good karma.

────────────────────────

MASTERLINK FOR HIS KARMA.

@onyourhyuck please refer from copyrighting and translating my work!

Y’all take a guess if it’s a boy or a girl or how many, because i have that already planned out 😳😳…