#my favourite assassination in the history for sure

[dearest-lady-disdain]

finance bros don't murder each other in cathedrals during the high mass at easter like they used to :(

[kneelingshadowsalome]

I absolutely love love love Roman!König! Thank you so much for this blessing. 🖤

Also, not sure if our Titan can read, but let’s just imagine he can:

In my head, König would definitely sleep with an old, worn out German edition of "Die Kunst des Krieges" ("The Art of War") by Sun Tzu along with a dagger from his hometown under his pillow. He probably doesn’t have many priced possessions, however these are some of them. (The other is Fee, of course)

I just had to share this, because he made me think of Alexander the Great and the "Iliad plus dagger under the pillow" is one of my favourite history facts.

…just picture Fee's expression, when she finds them…

Lots of love!

Sorry this is from ages ago but aaaaahhh! I think Roman!König can read somewhat because he knew how to explain the travel guides to Fee! He'd appreciate the Art of War for sure if he ever got his hands on it.

He's far more intelligent than any of us think, but sadly there's no one to listen to his ramblings about military tactics or single combat or how dual wielding axes differs from dual wielding short swords like the Roman gladius :( If Fee could speak his tongue, she would have to listen to some of his monologues, accompanied by a display of his vast skills with different weapons (he's trying to woo her for the rest of his life, just in case)

The book I imagine he'd keep under his pillow would be Germania by Tacitus. He'd keep it as a reminder to never trust Romans and their interpretation of the world. And a dagger is a man's best friend, but König can kill assassins with his bare hands too if it comes to that! One of the reasons he used to keep a knife under his pillow was to see if Fee tried to murder him with it. It would've made a nice foreplay... :) (@wordstome shamelessly winking at you and your most recent fic here 💕)

[pensola]

Xaela Lore Through the Fishing Log

One of the reasons Xaela is my favourite clan in XIV and Azim Steppe is my favourite zone forevermore is due to the lore presentend and how they are consistently shown and used. Not like how Seekers are given lore that is then contradicted in-game, or any other races/clans that are given lore but then it is all ignored because XIV prefers geographical culture and lore nowadays (which is fine, I just wish they would USE the lore they give rather than give arbitrary racial/clan lore that then never come up). Xaela's tribe facts are actually a thing that is used and referenced in the zone in many ways, MSQ, side-quests, FATEs and more. There are so many ways to learn more about the tribes and the zone's history, and it feels relevant. Azim Steppe was the first zone I ever completed all side-quests on, and I actually stopped the main-story-questing in order to do it because I was so curious about their place and culture.

One thing I love is how even the fish you can catch present humorous lore about the zone, and that the Azim Steppe fish lore stays consistent. Sure, it is never referenced anywhere else, but it is a charm to it. I just wanted to add in the ones I have found so far that I found related to lore and were not the general "the fish is named/looks like this because reasons" descriptions down below. A quick summary of Xaelan fish lore:

-The Xaela like fish. A lot. - Fishes are personifications and gifts from the gods, sometimes a representation of their love for the people they created. - Being reincarnated as a fish is seen as a high honour, only thing better would godhood. At least if you are a beloved animal.

Cavalry Catfish: The “cavalry” of its name arrives from the popular rumor that an esurient school of the catfish split a river-fording horse in two, devouring it from the stomach out. Horse-lovers and the weak of stomach might steer clear of this “meal that eats you back.” - Noted since there is a tribe that do love their horses, so I liked that addition.

Dotharli Gudgeon: This freshwater fish commonly found in the upper One River is also known as the Mol gudgeon, the Kahkoli gudgeon, the Dataqi gudgeon, the Horo gudgeon, and after whichever other Xaela tribe that insists their ancestors first caught the species. - Always love when the specific tribes are mentioned, if only because it is funny.

Dawn Herald: Denizen of the middle and lower rivers of Othard who loyally serves as the eyes of the Dawn Father, to hear the Xaela tell it. Dusk Herald: Looming larger than her dawn relative, the dusk herald benights the waters with silver-blue scales of twilight in devout service to Nhaama. - Just funny how the fish lore keeps reminding us how the Xaela view fishes as sacred and important to their gods.

Flamefish: The act of swallowing the sun burned a permanent orange hue in to the scales of this hungry fire-eater and brought about the first eclipse, in case there was any question concerning how that astronomical phenomenon occurred. - Again, fish are so important to the xaela. "Oh, the first eclipse in the world? No, no, that's not a bad omen, a fish did it."

Fickle Krait: Feared and reviled by the public for the role its deadly venom played in the infamous assassination of a feudal lord, the snake itself is blameless, exhibiting a passive temperament and not ordinarily given to biting. - I added this more because it is interesting that it mensions "feudal lord", something more suiting Yanxia than the steppes, yet the fish is only found in Azim Steppe's waters. Can help describe how some commoners in lower Othard would assosiate with the steppes.

Glaring Perch: Fiercely territorial from birth, the younglings seek to intimidate any and all who enter their perceived sphere of dominion, kin included; a posture that sits perfectly well with the Oronir. - Either the Oronir find the Glaring Perch's protectiveness well-working, or they identify with the fish' territorial attitude, and either way it is hillarious to think about.

Eternal Eye: Unblinking sentinel left in the wake of the Dawn Father and Dusk Mother's departure to watch over the Xaela in their absence. - Again, fish are mentioned to be the Xaelan creation gods' important servants.

Soul of the Stallion: "A rare white freshwater fish believed to harbor the soul of a once-proud steppe stallion" and "According to the existential hierarchy of Xaela reincarnation, fishliness is next to godliness. Horses who serve their masters well in life ascend to the waters afterward, with the most noble of destriers reborn in pristine scales of white." - This, I find, is the most important one. We know at least Dotharl and one other tribe believe in reincarnation fiercely, it would not be farfetched to assume it is what many or most Xaelan tribes believe. We do not know if this is a hierarchy for animals specifically, since they only mention horses, but still, it is written in canon that Xaela believe the only lifeform greater than fish is deity, and that is amazing.

Nhaama's Boon: A fish held in the highest esteem by desert denizens, who deem it a gift from the Dusk Mother herself. It's edible, but far from transcendent. Nhaama's Treasure: "A queen among Nhaama's boons, and lady of the waters of Dotharl Khaa." and "Believed by many of the Azim Steppe's Xaela tribes to be a gift from the Dusk Mother herself, this large wavekin is oft presented as a reward in contests of mettle held during sacred festivals." - If I ever make that fanfic where there is a big festival after the nadaam, I will absolutely include tribes gifting the Mol and my Warrior of Light this fish. My WoL is Miqo'te so she might wonder if it is an insult until it is clarified for her.

The Unconditional: "Not so much a lord as a god of Dotharl Khaa, this particular specimen is thought to be a blessing sent by the Dusk Mother and Dawn Father themselves. As such, this catch might be best left unboasted of." and "Possessed of both a dorsal fin not unlike a crescent moon, and a tail fin not unlike the rising sun, this distinctive wavekin is believed by nomads of the Azim Steppe to be the corporeal manifestation of the Dusk Mother and Dawn Father's love for their children on Hydaelyn." - I just. I just love how the fish are represented so often to be gifts from the gods to the xaela, and that they are considered reincarnations to strive for right next to godhood, and here it is explicitly said that it is quite rude, even insulting, to catch certain fish, this in particular.

Zagas Khaal: "A freshwater fish extremely common to many of the One River's northern tributaries. Its name literally translates to "river fish."" and "Ask a nomad of the Azim Steppe to blurt out the first fish that comes to mind, and without fail you will hear the name of this pervasive species, followed by an awkward silence." - I guess the joke is that they ask someone from a place with basically only a few rivers what the fish they think of is, and they just say "fish from the river".

Steppe Skipper: This fish's aerodynamic green fins allow it to jump to conclusions rather than go through the motions. The Auri Xaela, who know a thing or two about shortcuts, regard the steppe skipper as a portent of good things to come. Dry Steppe Skipper: Unlike its purportedly “lucky” brethren, encountering this withering-grass-colored variety of steppe skipper is regarded as an omen of ill fortune among nomads. Dry humor is often lost on the superstitious. Blade Skipper: Several of the Azim Steppe's nomadic tribes believe this blood skipper, native to the One River, leapt from the depths of its Yanxian home and rode the thick blades of lush Steppe grass all the way north and east to the Upper Yat Khaal where it now dwells. Garden Skipper: Some of the Othard's nomadic tribes view this large green skipper as an ill omen that their journey is about to end, and have been known to go as far as abandoning their fishing rods to the river rather than risk reeling one in. - Can we take a moment to appreciate how most of the skippers are used to determine someone's luck and fortune?

Dawn Crayfish: Devoted disciple of the Dawn Father who battles his sworn enemy for control of the Azim Steppe, and rises as his rival sets. Dusk Crayfish: Devoted disciple of the Dusk Mother who battles her sworn enemy for control of the Azim Steppe, and waxes as her nemesis wanes. - Who else are loving the amount of duelling sealife in Azim Steppe? I certainly am!

Bowfish: Xaela archers often present offerings of this high-strung arciform fish to their gods before venturing forth on the hunt.

Tao Bitterling: Though the breed is generally deemed unfit for consumption, the Mol nevertheless persist in fishing for them per the bidding of their holy men; a case of faith operating contrary to nature's plan. The Word of God: "A king among Tao bitterlings, and lord of the waters of Tao Khaal." and "The Mol believe they are made to endure divine trials that they must overcome to prove their worth. Catching a blessed Tao bitterling was one of these trials. Seeing as they did not catch it, their god will now punish them." - I always like whenever lorebits remind us that the Mol are considered weirdos by the other tribes for how much to the letter they follow their holy men and old gods.

Sun Bass: Azim in the sky is said to partake of this fish fit for a god, though you'll want to think twice before partaking yourself, as the parasites that riddle its body have proven potentially fatal to less-than-divine diners.

Sweatfish: The arduous sister of the Seraphim shines the glorious sunlit streaks of her Dawn Father against the ominous night sky of her Dusk Mother, and is said to be birthed from the very beads off their battle-wet brows.

Duskfish: "A khan among hardscales, and lord of the waters of Azim Khaat." and "Xaela legend has that this massive wavekin was born from a scale shed by the Dawn Father. Scholars insist it has simply had the good fortune not to be eaten."

Nhaama's Claw: A bivalve mollusk thought to resemble a claw of the Mother of the Dusk.

River Clam: One man's dross is another man's dinner with these clams, and while the Xaela may turn their nose up in the steppes, the Yanxians are more than happy to chow down by the river. - They are not fish, so I guess the Xaela simply don't care about clams that much, haha.

[rei-ismyname]

New X-FORCE #1 is FIRE 🔥🔥🔥

Keeping it spoiler free for now, but if the book stays good I'll write on it regularly. Issue one was excellent! Really really cool. Forge and Sage were two of my favourite characters from the Krakoan era - they got a lot of page time and solid development but they were always supporting players. That dynamic is flipped here, as well as the attitude to war crimes and the mission statement, it seems. Percy's X-FORCE this is not. As Forge is the leader (assumption based on his narrative prominence and driving the plot) expect wondrous machines and ingenious upgrades to current tech. It looks like the solicited character of Tank is named quite literally - not a mutant at all but the non-biological equivalent of calling in heavy support. That's the impression I get from #1, though they could be a person in a suit or who knows? That's the beauty of having Forge around his limits are undefined and there's hints of his gift getting a serious level up at a cost. He did jack shit in Heir of Apocalypse except get a confusing compliment from Big Blue, it's nice to put that travesty behind us and see what the man can do.

When I think about Sage and Forge's mutant gifts and what they're capable of, especially when working together, I can't help but get excited for a book where the promise is exploring that potential in service of saving the world. Add Askani to that and it feels like miracles are in the future, or at least some Krakoa-style mutant circuits with Technopathy, Computer Brain, Chronokinesis, Chronoskimming, Telekinesis, Telepathy, and whatever machines Forge has on hand. Marvel's new(ish) power couple of Rachel and Betsy are the big guns, but everyone goes into the field. I love both characters and enjoy them even more as a couple but I get the feeling they're coming out of a long honeymoon phase. It'll be exciting to see what drama is born of their different values, experiences and motivations.

The other From The Ashes teams have been in Krakoa's long shadow, and the shadow of X-FORCE is longer than most. I'm not sure if they're trying to redeem the name or what, because the name of the brand isn't good for much except perhaps intimidating people. It's spent the last few years in-universe as Krakoa's CIA, complete with a LOT of assassinations, toppling regimes, a cheeky genocide, torture, mind controlling people, running a black site prison where people were held without charge or even having done anything wrong (by Krakoa - a foreign nation to all of them,) surveiling their own people, and so much more. Before that it was more decentralised black ops - preemptive strikes, often lethal, on enemies of mutantkind. It is discussed in the issue, but very briefly and not explained. It doesn't seem to be Forge's primary motivation, but he built a lot of the weaponry and gadgets X-FORCE used so he may be seeking some personal redemption as well. Any degree of complicity in War Crimes is too much for most, especially someone who's as altruistic as Forge. He has his own military history, having been drafted for Vietnam at a young age and working as a military contractor until fairly recently. The 'worst thing he ever made' was a gun that depowers mutants. It was originally built to take down Rogue but ended up hitting Storm instead (see Lifedeath 1 & 2 from Uncanny X-Men.) She's clearly on his mind at the start of the issue so it's a valid read IMO. More recently it's been reproduced by an old coworker with a photographic memory - enslaved by a mutant hate group and then memory wiped once freed. He willingly gave/traded it to Emma Frost in Inferno, who then gave it to Mystique and Destiny to depower Moira. Whether it's all of that or none of it, Forge is certainly the loss of Krakoa like everyone else.

Betsy Braddock has the most X-FORCE experience of anyone on the team, though her membership has generally coincided with times of self loathing and unhealthy codependent relationships. New Betsy, new body, new title - I'm hoping she can keep it together and be happy. It's certainly a healthier team to be on at first glance, but it feels like she only joined bc Rachel did. Less/no murder should help, but we can hope this isn't another phase like that. Bets has had a tough few decades and she deserves some happiness. It definitely feels like her participation is highly conditional, though all the characters have been the conscience of a team before - so if there's moral decay we can expect a very good reason for it. I don't think it's That Kind of Book, though.

A good first issue is often a mission statement and a taste of things to come, and X-FORCE #1 knocks it out of the park, answering every question you could want from the solicits while posing many new ones and hooking the reader. It hits the ground running and doesn't stop until the last page, expertly showing us where everyone is mentally and establishing a team dynamic with promise. I predict internal compromise and growth while they're running from problem to problem. The central mystery especially is fascinating, and something is going on with Forge. We're given hints, but it's been content to show not tell and take its time with information.

It's very clear that the fall of Krakoa affected everyone and made the world a far more dangerous place for mutants. A certain disrespect for borders and governments is necessary, an asset, and a lurking danger - even for a team whose goals are above all that. I heavily recommend it!

Also Forge has a holodeck! It's no danger room but it's super cool that he built it himself. See what I mean that something is going on with him?

[pyroreadscomics]

The Problem with Black Mask in Catwoman (2018)

(Spoilers below for the following Catwoman stories: Relentless, Backwards Masking, Catwoman: Blackest Night, Keeper of the Castle/Inheritance, and naturally Tini Howard’s run on Catwoman)

(Also, I wrote this on the Catwoman discord months ago, so some of this may be a little out of date but my points still stand.)

When it comes to Catwoman and Black Mask, it is very very very important that these two fucking hate each other. They loathe each other. They despise each other to move mountains to fuck up the other. The only reason it isn't on sight is because that's too quick.

And the reason this is important to me, is because it means Relentless is still canon.

Because they didn't start out hating each other, they first went at each other Selina didn't even know she was robbing Black Mask of millions in diamonds and Black Mask only went after Catwoman to send a message to people thinking of stealing his shit. Then Relentless happened. In which Black Mask hospitalized one of Selina's friends, kidnapped another, killed her brother in law, and tortured Maggie into a catatonic state that lasted over fifteen fucking years (out of universe, in universe it was probably like… four or five). Meanwhile Catwoman hospitalized his second in command, blew up his penthouse, and dropped him off said penthouse's balcony. Needless to say, they both held fucking grudges.

(Catwoman (2002) #16)

And that was before all their future showdowns. Black Mask tortured her ex during round two, tried to torture Maggie to death during round 3, and killed her girlfriend's father in the New 52. Catwoman for her part has killed this fucker four times (Dropped off Penthouse Balcony in Relentless, shot through head in Backwards Masking, tag teamed by the Gotham City Sirens in Blackest Night, Throat slit and left bleeding out alone in the dark in the New 52) (If you haven’t noticed, Catwoman's no kill rule has an asterisk and that asterisk is called Black Mask). They should, if continuity exists, hate each other more strongly than anyone else.

(Catwoman (2002) #52, Catwoman (2002) #83, Catwoman (2011) #45)

And yet.

If you were going of Tini Howard's run, you'd think they'd have no more history then any other pair of a long standing vigilante and rogue.

And I had hope, when Black Mask first shows up he has this line:

"Catwoman! At my favourite nudie bar? Once I put a bullet in your head, this'll just be like that great dream I keep having."

Which... along being real gross made me think Tini Howard was preserving the history between these two because why earth wouldn't you and also... why else could Black Mask killing Catwoman specifically be a reoccurring fantasy?

But now, 18 issues into the run, and after the second big confrontation between these two... there's no references to their history. Specifically, there's no references to Relentless, and that's insane. Sure there's the occasional line, like that introductory one I quoted earlier, or his "I love seeing it so much I'm not even pissed about being compared to her" that he says when witnessing Eiko's fake betrayal of Catwoman that imply a special animosity. But by that point, she's stolen and blown up his mask which for Black Mask is reason enough to despise her. Meanwhile from Selina's side the reason she hates Black Mask... is because of Kristi, the stripper who kicked him in the head to help Selina escape and who was killed in retaliation for it (also he's just generally a chauvinistic creepy). And that would work for both of them as reasons to hate the other especially, were it any other pair of vigilante and rogue. Were it not Black Mask and Catwoman.

Like, ignoring everything else, these two have done to each other. Ignoring Black Mask killing Eiko's father, forcing Selina to okay the assassination of her own cousin, permanently scaring Slam, Blackest Night (not least because I don't think their showdown during that event is canon anymore), and ignoring the 3 other times Selina has killed the fucker (if for no other reason then explaining how he's still walking around upright), one thing remains: Relentless needs to be canon.

And not even Relentless as a whole (but yes Relentless as a whole because it's just good). You can take away Slam getting hit and run, Holly getting kidnapped, you can even take way Simon's death and Sylvia's betray. What happened to Maggie, as much as I personally, hated it, is fundamental to Catwoman. It is the single most defining tragedy of Selina's adult life and it's not close. It haunts her, almost literally.

Whenever it is canon (which isn't always, thanks New 52) that failure to save Maggie, and the guilt that follows, is referenced over and over again. It's brought up half a dozen times in Volume 3 alone, images of Maggie's dead eyed face appearing in Selina's thoughts. And then following Maggie's post rebirth recanonization, not only is Maggie present throughout the first three years worth of issues, flashbacks to Relentless, to Maggie's trauma, are shown twice, once in issue 4 in Jones's run, and once in issue 32 in V's run.

And that's not even it, because Maggie in this series is doing a slow burn recovery from mental trauma, which she got from Black Mask and it's not ambiguous. In issue 10, Maggie speaks a full sentence for the first time and it's because Selina triggered a flashback to Black Mask making her eat her husband's eye. And that flashback in issue 32? It includes specific details of Relentless that sometimes get lost in the shuffle like Sylvia's involvement, and Slam's hospitalization and what Holly did. Not only was the general "Hey Black Mask tortured Maggie" bit that everyone knows canon, the specific details of that story were canon.

(Catwoman (2018) #32)

Relentless was canon, not six issues before Howard took over. And yet... There's a single scene in Howard's run on Catwoman so far that references Maggie. It's while Selina is in prison, I've included the panel but the short of it is Selina dreams of Maggie as a silent nun she confesses her sins to.

(Catwoman (2018) #52)

In a Catwoman run where the main antagonist is Black Mask, there is no mention of the most important story to canon of Catwoman (outside of her frequently non-canon origin) where he appeared. I don't even know how to articulate how baffling and concerning a narrative decision this is. The closest I can get is this:

Imagine, if you will, a 18 issue run of Batman where the Joker was the primary antagonist. And then, when you got to the end of those 18 issues, and had seen multiple clashes, major and minor, between these two, seen them each plot against each other and ruminate at length about why they hate each other, you got to the end, put that story down, contemplated for moment and then asked: Hey, is 'A Death in the Family' still canon?

It would be utterly insane to doubt that for a second, it's such a fundamental story to the character, it's a structural support pillar for the character's entire canon post that event... and yet.

and yet…

(Also, while this post is about Selina and Roman dynamic, it’s also absolutely wild that this run reintroduces Eiko, makes multiple references to Valentine’s run, and has Eiko and Black Mask sharing multiple scenes, and yet it never once mentions that Black Mask murdered Eiko’s father.)

[generic-lab-assistant]

8? Since you've drawn so many assassins, including those not in the show

This could count in a lot of different categories, so I’ll make it complicated cause why not

My favourite assassin musical-wise is probably Guiteau, he’s just so damn fun and Ballad of Guiteau is the song that got me into Assassins, so him & his song are always gonna be close to me

Favourite assassin just history/learning-wise is between Arthur Bremer & Lewis Powell, both aren’t really talked about a lot (I guess you could say ‘underrated’ but it feels a tad odd to call terrorists ‘underrated’ lmao) but Bremer’s diary is a pretty interesting read and Powell & the Seward assassination attempt are pretty interesting too, it’s shame that they get overlooked whenever the Lincoln assassination is brought up (at least ig History Class wise, I’m sure it’s brought up in other places n stuff). But him and the rest of Booth’s homies are fun to look into

And just for fun, favourite assassin(s) to draw have been Hinckley (musical ver, I haven’t done it yet but one day I’ll make a little chart or some shit that shows design differences in irl versions & musical versions that I draw, all that stuff) but musical-wise he’s very simple and fun, also Fromme since she’s very fun to draw no matter the version, plus she’s got some fun outfits to work with. I don’t really have a least favourite but Booth’s mustache has always been a bitch to get down right

[enlitment]

ask game: 1, 26, 27

Thanks for the asks!

1. Who is your favourite historical person?

I have a lot of favourites, so it's hard to choose! But I'd have to go with Camille Desmoulins. He was very talented, though he arguably kept making bad life choices. I also really appreciate his views on divorce and women's rights in general (it was far from perfect but I'd argue it was quite progressive for its time). Him and Lucile seemed to have a genuinely nice relationship. And, judging from the anecdotes I've read, there just seems to be something deeply human about him, reflected in a way in which he reacted to the things happening around him.

For a woman from history, I'd have to go with Émilie du Châtelet. I devoured the book of her collected writings yesterday, so I'm very biased at the moment. I definitely think that she must have been one of the brightest minds in the 18th century. Her writings on the role of women and happiness just really resonate with me. Her life story is a bit all over the place but very entertaining, until it gets tragic.

26. Forgotten hero we should know about and admire?

This is a story on a very small scale, but I've recently learnt about Jindřiška Nováková and it really moved me. She was only 14, yet she participated in the resistance during the time in which Czechia was occupied by Nazi Germany. She helped to move and hide a bike used by one of Heydrich's assassins, which may not seem like much, but back then, it meant risking not only her life but also that of her family. Someone reported it and she was taken away for questioning, and yet she didn't reveal anything.

Unfortunately, she was later killed in the Mauthausen concentration camp, making her the youngest victim there.

27. Favourite historical “ What if… ” ?

Oh, that's a good one! I don't really have the sufficient expertise to answer it, but I sometimes wonder if things would be different if the US came to help the French people during the revolution? Namely in a form of a military aid?

I'm not sure if things would be better, but it's an interesting thought.

Though maybe it's just residue from my past amrev obsession and the echoes of Cabinet Battle stuck in my brain.

[slytherinshua]

VELVET AND SILK

genre. assassin au. fluff. warnings. slightly graphic dialogue. use of guns and daggers. meaningless side character death. yongha being an entire cutie. pairing. husband!yongha x fem!reader. wc. 1k. request. no. a/n. first wei fic woohoo written for my favourite yongha obsessed soulmate @eternalgyu <3

“Take one more step and I shoot.” The threat echoed against the walls of the empty warehouse and you scrunched your eyes shut tightly, taking a breath and trying to reach the dagger you had on hand without anyone noticing. It was hard to do anything discreetly when you were being held so tightly against your target’s body, a gun barrel pressed up to your temple. You dared to open your eyes to catch another glance at what Yongha was doing.

It was a bit hard to see in the dark, but you could just make out a stealthy shadow travelling along the second floor of the warehouse; overseeing everything happening below from the railing. You were confident that even if you couldn’t get out of this yourself, Yongha wouldn’t let any other man even lay a finger on you. He was sort of possessive when he came to that. You were sure your husband was already fuming at just seeing you trapped in the arms of a man you both should have been able to have taken out by now.

You would have had the situation completely under control if your target hadn’t prepared backups. Taking down 1 man twice your size was one thing, but 3 all at once was a little more of a task for you. You were strong for a woman, sure, but men towering well above 6 feet still had an overwhelming physical advantage. That was why you didn’t even try to struggle in the hold of your captor. Staying calm and grabbing hold of your dagger was the best chance you had.

“If you have any sense of self-preservation left in you, you’ll let her go now before I blast your brains out.”

The response came twice as harsh as the original threat— right on brand for Yongha. You held back a scoff. Of course your husband would jump straight to that. Though, that was part of the reason you loved him, you supposed.

The next moments flashed by in the blink of an eye. You felt that arm around you loosen just slightly, most likely from a shiver running up the man’s spine at your husband’s chilling warning. This gave you just enough room to grab the dagger strapped to your leg and ram it into the man’s side. A gunshot fire was heard half a second later; Yongha’s excellent aim ensured the bullet seared right through the man’s skull.

You let out a relieved sigh. Even though your life might not have been in danger (you could always tell when your target would be too scared to actually pull a trigger), it was still nice to not have the scruffy arms of a man with a long history of illegal activity holding you in place. The only arms belonging to a man that you would willingly let yourself be held by were Yongha’s; and for the record, he smelled pleasantly of musk and freshly washed dress suits.

“Wanna go catch dinner? All that drama stirred up an appetite.” You heard your husband’s playful tone sound through the room as he jumped down from the banister. You smiled as you picked up your gun again and placed it back in its holster. You always found Yongha’s voice shifts from when he was threatening someone to when he was talking to you to be entertaining.

“Will you buy me a filet mignon? I’m in the mood for something fancy.” You replied back in the same playful tone he had offered.

“If you dress up nice.” He shrugged and flashed you a flirty grin.

“Deal.” 

An hour later you were dressed in a velvet black evening dress, sipping expensive tasting wine across your husband. For missions he always wore his hair tied up, but for dinner dates, he let the long dark strands down, styled only slightly. You loved how perfectly his hair framed his face, contrasting nicely with the white silk suit he had adorned instead of his usual work attire.

He was trying his best to keep a straight face, but whenever your eyes met his, he couldn’t help how his lips quivered and eventually formed a cute smile. Given how soft he was with you and his friends, you wondered how it was even possible he was good at his job— he was acting like a smitten boy in love, and not as if a man had just died at his hands an hour ago (very deservingly).

“Are you drunk already? Your face is flushed.” You took the first opportunity you could to tease him. Seeing him get all shy and smitten never got old. 

“No! The food hasn’t even gotten here, we barely started drinking.” He hushed you, his eyes darting around to the other tables of couples or groups of friends all dressed to the nines. And then with a hesitant whisper, he asked, “Are you sure we really fit in here?” 

You giggled. In terms of looks alone, no one would question you or Yongha. You had both dressed appropriately for the 5-star restaurant, and either one of you had a stare that could kill. Yongha seemed to always be a little too precautionary when out in public.

“What? You want to leave before we get our steak?” You raised your eyebrow at him as you sipped more of the dark red wine. Your husband shook his head slightly, seeming to relax a little, but still be on edge. You could barely focus on anything other than how endearingly his cheeks were flushed.

“You wanted steak, so you will get steak.” He said simply with a smile, “From my wallet.” He added as an afterthought, making both of you break out into soft laughter.

You loved to relax like this with your husband after a mission, both of you lost in the other's eyes for a couple hours as you wound down from the high stress of your job. As long as you had each other, whether it was on a mission or sitting across the dinner table, you were content with life.

↳ wei taglist: @eternalgyu,, @weird-bookworm

[riddleredcoats]

(hi it's me again) since i'm a curious little one so i have to ask something again

when writing your dragon age fics, do you have a sheet/doc somewhere to keep track of all the characters and your findings (and your own ideas) on orlais? a bit too in love with the way you write this country

aside from briala/celene, colombe, fleur and couteau are absolutely my favs. the way you looked at these side characters, gave them so much personalities then presented them beautifully in your works got me on a chokehold 😭 "that which shatters over and over and still beats" astounds me so much; briala thought they were reflections of celene but in the end they are briala's instead. absolutely heartbreaking 10/10 would reread and cry again. so like, i'm crawling in here asking if you have any crumbs about them that you can share for the starving peasant (i got it bad for colombe; tbh, all three of them but if i'm going to be stabbed to death like that one guy in colombe's chapter i hope it's colombe)

Hello againnnn!!! 🥰🥰🥰

I do sort of. I have a little scrivener file with some characters and worldbuilding about Orlais. What I think its the history between certain families even. It's not very detailed and the depth and variety of the subjects sorta vary on my moods. But there is such a file yes, lmao

Aw, man! Thank you so much! I do love the backstories I created for the Ladies-in-Waiting adn that which shatters over and over again but still beats is one of my favourite things i've ever written!

I do have little bits about them I suppose, but most of what I have has been or will be shown in the fic, but I suppose I do have somethings I don't think I ever wrote down.

Colombe is probably the person who has the most conflicted feelings about Celene. Even Briala is more consistent about what she feels about Celene. There's a lot of love there, from both parts, but there's also a lot of anger from Colombe - that is not, at all, misplaced. She would die for Celene, but she views it as her duty rather than an act of love. Although if pressed, she would say that she does love Celene - which yes, she does, but its complicated. She's the most romantic out of the three main ladies in waiting, and she's best at defensive techniques when she fights. Im pretty sure she shares her VA with Celene, so that's where her whole backstory comes from.

Fleur is, unsurprisingly, the leader of the all the ladies in waiting - I headcanon that there are at least thirteen ladies in waiting (10 for the countries of Thedas, and they act as spies ambassadors, and advisors to Celene on how to deal with the diplomats of the rest of the nations. the three main ones we see are the 'domestic' ones, and the onest Celene trusts the most - or rather actually trusts). Fleur really does become sort of a proto-mantillon, too; only she never does marry -she has her affairs - and she is the that is almost blindly loyal to Celene. She never really gets the hang of combat.

Couteau's siblings all make very respectable marriages instigated and organized by Celene. Couteau is, of course, the assassin and the one who coordinates the still remain assassin household that exists in the palace - tho, they all have other jobs too, Celene isn't big on letting things lie still. She's the only one of them who's married - she and husband are cordial, not very affectionate even tho Celene did try to find a love match for her. Couteau is very close to Colombe and Fleur and her feelings for Celene are refreshingly simple and straighforward - Celene appreciates that a lot about her.

man, thank you so much for the questions. I do love talking about my process and these faux-french assholes (affectionate)

[literary-illuminati]

Book Review 67 – Saint Death’s Daughter by C. S. E. Cooney

This is a book I’ve been vaguely aware of for a while, without really knowing anything about it beyond that it was getting a lot of positive buzz, but it got a WFA best novel nomination and that provided the impetus I needed to finally give reading it a try. And, well, I’ll be honest – this was a slog for me. If it had been half the size it would very likely be one of my favourite works of the year; as is the best way I can describe the reading experience is ‘slowly drowning in cotton candy’.

The book stars Miscellaneous ‘Lannie’ Stones, younger daughter of a declining noble house which has provided executioners and assassins to the royal family of Lariat since its founding, and generally but not lately provided necromancers as well. Lannie is the hope of the family, a necromantic prodigy (if one with a profoundly inconvenient allergy to violence that requires her isolation from the rest of the family and her raising by a bound revanent nanny and the dubiously trustworthy ghost of an ancestor). As the story opens, her parents have both died, and she’s been forced to write to her terror of an elder sister to come home as their debts are called due. She comes home with an enscrolled and deeply unwilling fiancee abducted during her studies. This, surprisingly, only takes up the first small chunk of the book, followed by a timeskip, the introduction of Lannie’s niece born in the interim, the elder sister dealing with the consequences of her seven-year campaign of bloody vengeance against the foreign court which murdered their parents, and the beginning of the actual plot.

I really did want to enjoy this book, and on the page-to-page level it was often somewhere between charming and delightful. But there were just so many pages, and so very little happening on most of them. After the timeskip the book spends something like 500 pages just leisurely meandering, stopping whenever anything catches its interest to spend half a page or three enthusiastically describing it. At a certain point the exuberant narration and playful vocabulary stop feeling delightful and start feeling like the author is somehow being paid by the word.

This is made all the odder by the fact that around the 80% mark the book suddenly realizes its got a bunch of problems to resolve and switches into an entirely different gear, rushing through revelations and resolutions like it’s on a deadline. Which apparently it was? The book ends with what feels like less of a sequel hook and more like a final hundred pages were chopped off the finished product by a longsuffering editor pushed past the brink.

So, the lion’s share of the book is interested less in plot than character dynamics and cute slice of moments. It’s very much a found family sort of narrative, delivered in an incredibly blunt fashion. Which definitely works for a lot of people, I’m sure, but everyone was so obviously written to be endearing and charming and fell into love of various sorts with each other so instantly it just left me cold, and more a bit bored.

This is a book with footnotes, and among those it feels pretty middle of the pack? Not doing anything particularly impressive with them, and they don’t have a real character or voice different from the rest of the book, but they’re a fun enough way to infodump a bunch of Stones family history (particularly all the ways different members have died).

Thematically...look, I’m aware this is entirely a personal pet peeve not shared by any particular audience, but the fact that Lannie’s whole life from infancy is being chosen as the beloved priestess of a goddess of death for one specific purpose, and that this is portrayed as an entirely benevolent, positive, and uplifting thing to have done at basically all points that it’s discussed just sets me on edge. There’s nothing really badly done about it, I’m just a contrary maltheist by nature and the book did basically nothing to allay that.

Generally – I don’t know, I’m not opposed to 700 page books (I’d be an utter hypocrite if I was. Almost certainly still am regardless), but I feel like being that long is a failing the book then has to justify? It should be obliged to do something with the length, if it’s going to demand so much of my time to wade through it. This didn’t really feel like it did.

[thiswaycomessomethingwicked]

Vetinari for the character ask game? :)

ahhhh everyone's favourite dictator.

First impression

I read Hogfather first, and so I didn't think much of him at all. Downey left way more of an impression on me, obviously. Then I read Guards! Guards! and I thought him mildly entertaining, though perhaps a bit boring and predictable.

Overall, I think my takeaway was: What a stupid nerd, love that for him, but he should be more of a weird freak.

(Do I have Downey's approach to Vetinari? Possibly.)

Impression now

I'm not sure my impression has changed too much. While Vetinari does change a bit as a character over the series (though in the last few books he's pretty OOC, in my opinion), it's not distinct enough of an arc for me to really alter my opinions on him.

(tbf I do stop accepting canon at a certain point, because there are some books of Pratchett's that shouldn't have been published because they weren't up to standards due to the whole mental decline. Let him write all he wants, just don't publish them. Jesus.)

Like, Pratchett doesn't write deep characters for the most part. Vimes and Granny have depth to them - but they're POV characters so I would hope they have depth. But side characters, not so much. Which is reasonable, you know. Pratchett was writing satire and pretty basic political commentary, he wasn't doing character studies or deep literary explorations.

So, I think Vetinari is a fun spoofing of the stereotypical villainous dictator wherein he's still a dictator but he's not terrible. He's sort-of benevolent. (He still has a scorpion pit and has Problem People assassinated and locks away others who he likes but doesn't want out in the open for various reasons i.e., Leonard. Still very much a tyrant - don't get on his bad side or you'll disappear. But he's nicer than Snapcase and Winder. Low bar but he crosses it.)

I like that he's very weird and has an idiosyncratic sense of humour. That delights me. Also his fastidiousness and clear foibles and ticks are charming. That he refuses to leave treats on Wuffles' grave that Wuffles didn't like in real life is a nice detail on some of the innter softness that is in him.

That said, he can be a hard one to get into the interiority of his head because he's so...untouchable, in a certain way? He always has a trick, he always has an answer, he is always able to turn a situation to his advantage no matter what to an implausible degree, etc.

Like, Vimes I understand. I can get into his head. Same for Angua or Carrot or Downey or Sybil. But Vetinari is on the harder side. I can do it, but it's not as easy as it is for others.

It's the perfection, I think, because TP needed Vetinari to never not be in power therefore he has to be impenetrable and able to always maintain control, or reclaim control in a Cool Fashion should it have been wrested from him in some manner.

We also just don't spend much time with him, compared to others. (Barring Downey, but Downey is disastrously human so I get him.)

Favorite moment

Probably most of his vacationing with Colon and Nobby during Jingo. That was all rather entertaining.

Idea for a story

I feel like I've written all the stuff I want to with Vetinari? I'm not sure I have something off hand that I can think of.

Unpopular opinion

He ain't the woke leader fandom sometimes weirdly projects him as. He is High Tory who does progressive changes only when he thinks it will best suit him to maintain stability within the city, overt control of Ankh-Morpork as a whole, and/or to ensure the city's broader hegemony within the region.

In Night Watch he isn't written like a sixteen/seventeen-year-old and I wish he had been.

Favorite relationship

Downey lol. I mean, come on - those two have history and it's going to be Stupid and Ridiculous.

I also like him and Madam and wish we saw more of that, especially in present day as an adult.

Favorite headcanon

Other than Madam being his mother? His leg wound is an actual disability and will steadily get worse with age and Vetinari's seeming lack of a lot of physical activity.

Pratchett sort of writes it off as a whatever/funny point/something that isn't an actual problem for Vetinari (because Vetinari can't have real problems due to the need for him to be perfect so he never has to write political changeover in the city in the present day) - and I always found this annoying.

So yeah, the leg wound is a real problem and his cane is an actual mobility device and not some "aha, you thought I was weak but I'm actually not!" gimmick.

----

Thank you! <3

[lemonhemlock]

https://at.tumblr.com/lemonhemlock/bro-wtf-happened-with-aegon-iii-and-viserys-ii/83go94e2ymsm

Can you please explain what happened to Ageon III and Daenaera’s children?

And Viserys II aswell? What went wrong with them? I just saw the show recently and haven’t read the books so I’m not sure (2/2)

Aegon III and Viserys II together produced 4 boys and 4 girls, enough for 4 exclusive Targaryen matches, should they have wished. Aegon had Daeron (143 AC), Baelor (144 AC), Daena (145 AC), Rhaena (147) and Elaena (150) - my goodness, these birth ages are so close, it's almost like Daenaera Velaryon is just a living womb or smth. 🙄 Viserys started having children earlier - Aegon IV (135 AC), Aemon (136 AC) and Naerys (138 AC).

The most baffling decision in all of this is that Viserys II forced his children Aegon IV and Naerys to marry in 153 AC, when it was clear that they couldn't stand each other. Aegon was generally a vile person, but he absolutely terrorized Naerys. She was uniquely predisposed to be his greatest victim. She couldn't escape him, she was frail, had health issues, was emaciated, repressed, an extremely religious person and would have preferred to become a septa. Failing THAT, Aemon and Naerys were presumably in love and would have probably managed to have a far happier marriage.

I get that, going by Targaryen logic, the eldest son has dibs on the eldest daughter, but Aegon made Naerys' life a living hell. He loathed Naerys, but insisted on having sex with her, just to terrorize her, even though she was obviously very uncomfortable with the concept of sex in the first place AND EVEN THOUGH Aegon already had tens of mistresses and could have gotten his rocks off anytime. Naerys almost died giving birth to Daeron II in 153 AC and BEGGED Aegon to leave her alone, since she had already provided an heir for him. Aegon refused just because he was the biggest arsehole who ever lived. He kept getting Naerys pregnant against her will until she eventually did die in childbed in 183 AC.

Most of this shit was happening when her father was still alive. What did he do about the constant rape and health threats his daughter was subjected to? Not a damn thing. Boneheaded nitwit BAELOR did more for Naerys than her father ever did by sending Aegon to Essos one time after Naerys was recovering from giving birth to twins so he wouldn't get her pregnant immediately again (!!)

Even Prince Aemon the Dragonknight, who was so pressed about his brother torturing his beloved Naerys, was such a fucking beta to this clown. I swear, all this man did his entire life was act like a goddamn cuck for his loser male relatives, even though he was arguably the sanest and the most capable out of all them, but he was too much of a bitch to grow a spine. At one point, two dudes try to assassinate Aegon AND INSTEAD OF LETTING THEM, Aemon saves Aegon and gets killed instead. Aegon kills Naerys a year later by getting her pregnant again. 🤦‍♀️

Anyway, it's not that I would particularly wish to saddle any woman with such a vile worm like Aegon IV, but it seems evident within the text that Daena would have been a far, far better match for him than Naerys. Daena is known to history as "the Defiant"; she had a lively and fiery personality and actually was willing to have voluntary sex with Aegon. Even Aegon seems to have liked Daena, if he was willing to sneak his way into the Maidenvault to get into her pants. They have a bastard son together, Daemon Blackfyre, encumbering House Targaryen with 4 (5?) future Blackfyre rebellions, because, guess what, bastards DO create succession crises in this universe !!!!

What you also need to understand is that the throne passed down like this: Aegon III -> Daeron I -> Baelor -> Daena -> Rhaena -> Elaena -> Viserys II -> Aegon IV -> children of Aegon IV

My favourite part in all of this is when, after Baelor dies, Viserys looks at this line of succession, sees his nieces are in front of him and says "You know what. Fuck that. My mother WAS a usurper" and proceeds to proclaim himself king. Then dies a year later, allegedly poisoned by his own rat of a son.

Aegon IV is such a fucking trainwreck of a king that I won't even attempt to get into it, but probably the worst thing that the does for the ENTIRE realm for generations to come is to legitimize his Great Bastards (i.e. children birthed by mistresses coming from noble houses) and to intentionally spread rumours that his trueborn son, the future Daeron II, was Naerys' bastard fathered by Aemon, just to fuck with Naerys, Aemon and Daeron. Daeron II will later have to deal with the Blackfyre rebellion thanks to his dear old dad.

Aegon IV also was the father of Bloodraven, whom I low-key (high-key) think is evil.

So that's Viserys' side of the family, but first came Aegon's side. Daeron I must have only waited a hot minute after his balls finished dropping, because he thinks that invading Dorne is a fine idea and that he should totally become a great military hero at the tender age of 14. This is not the most celebratory thing, because Dorne doesn't really want to be conquered. They don't want to be part of the Seven Kingdoms. Daeron is, therefore, assassinated, and is followed on the throne by Baelor.

Baelor the Blessed. Yes, that fucking lunatic. What more can I say. Another fucking half-baked idea this family had (Daeron I, it must have been his brainchild) was to wed BAELOR to freaking Daena. The same Daena who craved Aegon IV's musty sausage and "idolized" her brother Daeron. I feel like (??) either of those marriages would have been much better? What on god's green earth was going on in this House of Commons? Similarly, Baelor would have been better paired with his religious sister Rhaena (who later became a septa) or with Naerys herself. So many religious fanatics in this generation for some reason.

Either way, Baelor was a very special type of idiot. He walked all the way to Dorne to secure Aemon's release (who had been captured as a result of Daeron I's assassination). He voluntarily went into a pit of vipers to free Aemon, suspended inside a cage. He felt the gods would protect him, you see. A captive, probably very weakened Aemon had to physically drag this imbecile into the cage with him, so he wouldn't die. Then he had to free his own damn self using the key, climb out of the cage with a blacked-out Baelor on his back and carry him along the road until they reached safety.

Baelor is kind of a mixed bag in the sense that sometimes he pulls some shit out of his arse and you start thinking maybe there is something to this guy, but then he goes and does something norm-defyingly stupid like imprisoning his sisters in the Maidenvault, so he wouldn't be "tempted" to have relations with them, or fasting himself to death because he had "lusts". Even Baelor wasn't immune to the targussy; he just couldn't handle it.

ANYWAY, I'm sure there's stuff I've missed with the Aegserys cousins, but now you have the basics.

[starlostlix]

ANIME REVIEW - Akame Ga Kill!

[This isn't a really formal review it's just fun for me to talk about the show I saw]

Also major HUGE spoiler warning I literally spoil all the character deaths and ending

- Released - 2014

- Episode count - 24 (1 season)

- Watched in - English Dub

This show feels very different from ones I've seen previous. Mostly because it's got much more fanservice aimed at men than any other show I've watched I think. But a general breakdown:

- Plot

So it's a relatively simple plot of a group of assassins fighting against a tyrannical ruler and its supporters. Sometimes the episodes can feel a little off in the pacing. My specific issues with pacing come in dialogue sometimes but it's not a huge issue imo. I also think that the show jumps around a lot plot-wise without spending enough time exploring its theme and more time on its characters or fights, so I think some improvements could be made there really.

I think the plot really gets very interesting with the introduction of General Esdeath and the Jaegers as a parallel to Night Raid. I think it's a very interesting narrative choice and the fights between them are really good (as are most of the fights in general).

A somewhat major issue for me is the way they present some of the romances in the show, specifically General Esdeath's obsession with Tatsumi and Lubbock's feelings for Najinda. These ones just feel kind of uncomfortable a lot of the time. Chelsea's seemingly romantic feelings for Tatsumi that kind of appear out of nowhere before her death are confusing to me really but there are romances that seem good, especially between Mine and Tatsumi. Also I think from the beginning this show is shown to be one of those ones where a large portion of the cast is romantically interested in the main guy anyway so I'm not sure I should be that surprised.

Another issue is that fact that a lot of the time Akame, our titular character, doesn't feel like the main character of her own show (but when she is focused on she absolutely shines I love her). I think some elements of that comes with an ensemble cast but I think it could have been done a bit better.

The role of the Imperial Arms is really cool and I like the variety of abilities they have. The lore behind them is really interesting and I think my favourites are Akame's sword, Kurome's sword, Balut/Tatsumi/Wave's armour, Esdeath's ice powers, Soosano, Mine's gun Pumpkin, and Run's wings (I wish we got to see him use those more). I have to give Ubiquitous' dog one a shoutout for creativity like that thing is insane.

- Characters

The majority of the characters in this show are quite likeable for me at least. Sure there's occasionally some jokes and stuff they do/say in weird or bad taste but not enough to where it's not fun to watch them.

My personal favourites are Akame, Najinda, Tatsumi, Soosano, Mine, Lione, Kurome, and Esdeath. I also lowkey had a bit of a crush on Najinda throughout the whole show but that's not that important.

I was also surprised by Bulat being openly gay in the dub, even if some of his moments felt distasteful (him flirting with Tatsumi specifically). But I don't know enough about the history of queer representation in anime to know talk in depth about that really.

In terms of ones I didn't like, there's not really that many. Prime Minister Honest is the antagonist and so we are meant to dislike him and I very much do. I also found Dr Stylish uncomfortable and his experimental creations kind of creepy (but yet I still think cool writing choices). Sometimes I found Ubiquitous a bit too intense but I didn't hate her for it, it just felt a bit annoying at times. No others really come to mine right now though. There was probably some other more forgettable ones that I disliked but like I said they aren't memorable enough.

I think the choice to make Tatsumi and Wave foils of one another is very cool and I like that about their dynamic. I actually like Wave a lot too and I wish we saw more of him. Another really good dynamic is Akame and her sister Kurome (I love sibling angst, I am a fan of Arcane after all). In terms of the romances Mine and Tatsumi are really cute together and I wish we got to see more of their relationship.

- Chararcter deaths

This gets its own section because frankly it's a pretty key part of the story on its own. Unlike some series, this one isn't afraid to kill characters from time to time. And there's a lot - until only Akame and Najinda are left at the end.

The first death, Shelle, was well done, as was the second with Bulat (I wish he got to stick around but Tatsumi needed to get an imperial arms somehow). The thing in common with the deaths is that they are all made to be impactful and this is shown in different ways for each death.

One death I have to point out for being particularly saddening is Bols. The imagery of him reaching out to his wife and child as he crawls and slowly gets weaker is honestly really heartbreaking (specifically because he is shown to have a very sweet caring side despite his crimes). I think his shyness and caring nature despite his appearance and criminal backstory made me really like him.

Other key ones - Tatsumi in the second to last episode, Lubbock being impaled, Mine passing by Tatsumi's side, Soosano :(, Esdeath (the entire Esdeath and Akame duel is awesome), Kurome (her going in for what looks like a hug from her sister and being stabbed makes me ill), Chelsea's head, etc.

The deaths are generally done pretty well even if sometimes the succession of them is a bit too quick (Bols and Chelsea died in the exact same episode for example).

- Animation

The style of the animation is pretty solid. It looks nice generally and there's the occasional more detailed frames for specific moments to create more impact which I always enjoy.

The character designs are also all very distinct and I really enjoy that, and the ones that are more similar are like that for a good reason (obviously like Akame and Kurome as sisters). Bulat's hair makes me think of Jojo characters (which I haven't seen the show of but i feel like I still know what they look like). The designs of all the imperial arms are also cool (Run's imperial arms is especially underutilised and i'm still kind of sad about it) and make them all distinct.

- Ending

I had heard that this was changed from the original manga ending but i'm going off the anime alone here. This ending sort of makes sense with Akame's character and her journey of carrying the weight of her victims with her (but now that also includes her friends). I think it's also a more realistic outcome of revolution than other shows. I'm happy that Najinda gets more time to be a girlboss even if it's not much. I would have really loved to see where Akame went next but I think it makes sense that we don't see that based on the plot and Akame's character anyway.

- Overall

So generally this is a pretty decent anime. I think it's got good ideas, fun characters and a decent episodic moments. It strikes a somewhat decent balance of fun and sadness for me, and is quite enjoyable overall. To give it a score, i'd probably say a solid 6.5-7/10. (Do not take this in relation to all anime i've only watched like 5 anime series all the way through, this is like a personal rating mostly based on enjoyment really).

[Its my first time trying something like this, since I don't have anyone to talk to about this show (my friend's bf introduced me to it but my friend still hasn't finished it yet) I thought it would be fun to post a review style thing here to talk about it! I may do more of these with new shows or seasons of shows I watch but idk yet. Also this has been in my drafts for weeks so I'm just posting it randomly now apologies if it's not written too well i forgot about it]

[big-ass-magnet]

@queenofbaws tagged me in this thank you queenie :* I tag @experimentalmadness @jay-auris and all my other writers whose tumblr usernames I cannot remember.

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

Exactly 100! 39 of them are just for What We Do in the Shadows, thanks to the time I went insane and wrote a friend like 20 different fics for a Christmas exchange.

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

375,883 WOW THAT'S A LOT HAHAHAHA

3. What fandoms do you write for?

oh goodness. Mass Effect and Dragon Age I'll always come back to; at the moment I've settled into Girl Genius.

4. Top five fics by kudos

Relationship Status: It's Really Complicated (Venom 2018)

The Things We Can't Take Back (What We Do in the Shadows)

Safe and Sound (Venom 2018)

A Hole in the Family Portrait (WWDITS)

A Change in Perspective (WWDITS)

5. Do you respond to comments?

I TRY I REALLY DO, even if it's just to say thank you

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

THAT IS A HARD QUESTION, I literally had to go back and review all my posted fics because I don't write a lot of angsty endings; I'm a happy ending bitch!!! I gotta end on love and light!

Timing, a Beast Wars fic that is probably the saddest and unsexiest smut I've ever written, about Rattrap mourning Dinobot after his death. I wrote it in college so it's old to be "oh god no never look at my old writing it's so embarrassing", so I'm afraid to look at it.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Also a hard question but for the opposite reason! I'm going to go with Consider This, where Cassandra realizes Varric is in love with Hawke based on how he writes in Tale of The Champion--and then makes it Varric's problem.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not out and out, but I've gotten a few "constructive criticisms" which made me feel so bad about the fic I stopped writing it--so yeah I'm going to call those hate. Just a few though, across my entire writing career.

9. Do you write smut?

Yes, but I go through phases where I'm so embarrassed about writing it and I'm sure people will think it's badly written, but in between those, I will write it. (I wrote...a lot of it...for wwdits).

10. Craziest crossover?

Fang and Fur and Snow - yes, it's my only crossover, but considering I only did it because both What We Do in the Shadows and Werewolves Within have a) werewolves and b) Harvey Guillen in them, I call it pretty crazy.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I've ever noticed.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes!! Best Served at Muzzle Velocity (sole survivor Shepard learns that shooting thresher maws on foot makes for great therapy) was translated into Russian here!

[They changed the title to A Dish That is Best Served From Service, which I've assumed means 'military service', which I thought was very cool!]

I was extremely flattered.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes, a couple! It was always a fun time.

14. All time favourite ship?

God. Hard to say. In terms of longevity, Shepard/Garrus, but Hawke/Varric is so consistently fun to write and read and they are such a perfect 'weird puzzle pieces that fit perfectly' ship it always makes me happy.

15. What's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I try to never say never! ...but, When History Comes Calling was supposed to be the first in a series about the Shepard twins--one is taken by batarian slavers, one becomes Commander Shepard. I've got Kiryn the assassin and Commander Keris Shepard; I really wanted to do a companion piece with Commander Kiryn Shepard and Keris the gladiator.

Aaaand I haven't been able to. (I also wanted a sequel to WHCC and haven't had much luck with that either.)

16. What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue for SURE. I'm very proud of my dialogue, both quality of writing and (in fics) how true to canon I can make it sound. If there's an audio component, I'm very good at mimicking the dialogue patterns of characters, to the point where I can tell I need to rework a line if I can't hear the character saying it in my head.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

PLOTS.

I have SUCH a hard time finding the inspiration and discipline to follow through with a long fic plot. Mostly I'll have a neat idea or scene, but not be able to come up with a story to carry it. You'll notice more than a few of my fics start in media res.

18. Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

I want to know what people are saying!! I feel like I'm missing out on useful information/character stuff! (More than anything this is for conlangs, especially ones that aren't Klingon or Tolkien Elvish where only the author knows what any of it means. TELL ME WHAT IS HAPPENING.)

19. First fandom you wrote in?

Avatar the Last Airbender. I was a Zuko girlie and boy did I write for it. Those fics are long since lost in the depths of fanfic.net.

I lie. I remember my username. No you can't know.

20. Favorite fic you've written?

When History Comes Calling. I think it's one of my most inventive and interesting fics, with the strongest emotional writing, and a lot of really good action pieces. It's also one of the rare ones where I have a plot and plot twists and manage more than a handful of chapters.

[lucyqueenofchaos]

The Assassin's Blade

⭐⭐⭐⭐: My heart has been ripped out of my chest and stomped on.

I finally read The Assassin's Blade. On my first read through of the Throne of Glass series, I was too excited and obsessed with the magic story line, so I skipped the Assassin's Blade. And I now know that was a mistake. A very big mistake. This review does contain spoilers, so please read at your own risk.

This collection of short stories is a must read in the Throne of Glass series. You can read it either before Throne of Glass, or between Heir of Fire and Queen of Shadows. I chose to read it between Heir of Fire and Queen of Shadows, and I currently feel like I made the right choice.

I like how each of the included novellas have their own contained story line, but they also contribute to the whole that is The Assassin's Blade. A wonderful blend of characters and environments, with such incredible variety. I loved that the Assassin's Blade explored so many different locations in Erilea, which is something I've always wanted to see more of in these books.

The Assassin and the Pirate Lord: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ This novella is a great start to our history of Celaena. Full of the action that we love, and shows off the true moral code of Celaena. I think this is honestly the earliest chronological time that we (as the reader) get to see the morals that Celaena holds true in her heart. And seeing her fear for Sam when the watchtower falls had me holding my breath as well! There are also some really visceral descriptions included in this first novella that honestly had me on the edge of my seat. I did feel that it was little slow in places, but I can forgive that.

The Assassin and the Healer: ⭐⭐⭐ This was a truly interesting read. Told almost entirely from Yrenes' POV, it played out a little differently than the rest. I liked Yrenes' character development - from a timid girl who has given up on her dreams, to a confident young woman who is on the path to greatness. I felt like even though it was really short, it did end up dragging quite a bit. I liked seeing Celaena teach Yrene basic self defense, and having read the series before it gave some much needed background on Yrene that I missed the first time around. Unfortunately the pacing of this one did hold the rating back on it for me.

The Assassin and the Desert: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Look, I'm trying to keep this review semi-professionally worded, but my heart is screaming "OMG THIS NOVELLA WAS SO GOOD!" It was quite a bit longer than the previous two, but that's because there was more to the story. Watching Ansen and Celaenas' relationship play out was beautiful. Not once did I suspect Ansen of being the spy, and I'm going to be brutally honest - that reveal just about broke me. Ansel and Celaena could have been thick as thieves for life if it weren't for this betrayal. I really enjoyed seeing Celaena get the point of the training The Master gave her (it gave me major karate kid vibes, but Celaena is less of a little shit). It also broke my heart to see Celaena come to the realisation that Arobynn is a manipulative, abusive man - and to see that The Master is everything Arobynn is not. And finally learning the tale behind the stolen Astarion Mare was the cherry on top. The Assassin and the Desert is for sure my favourite novella from The Assassins Blade.

The Assassin and the Underworld: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ For such a short novella, this one did certainly drag a bit. It felt like there was less action, and in my honest opinion; Celaena and Sams' relationship didn't live up to the hype. I think there were honestly a little toxic for each other, but young love is so sweet. I'm definitely not doubting the extent of their love for each other, but they're both pretty petty people (I just love alliteration), and they weren't good at effective communication. It was nice to see their affection for one another grow and change. Seeing more of Celaenas' apartment was also a lovely touch for me personally - I think it was a needed insight to her personality. I can 100% identify with Celaenas' shopping tastes - she's a girl after my own heart!

The Assassin and the Empire: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ No. I may not have thought Sam and Celaena were perfect for each other, but this destroyed me. I knew this ending was coming, I knew what happened at the end of their relationship right from day one. And it still broke me into a million pieces. There is something so personal, so heartbreaking about Celaena being betrayed like this. I read this novella while I was getting my nails done, and let me tell you - that was a huge mistake. I had to explain to my nail artist why I was crying like a baby. Don't forget that just when I thought the pain was over, The Lord of The North appeared to Celaena on her way to Endovier. In a beautiful moment, Celaena is reminded of herself, her duty, and that she will not be afraid. Summary: All the pieces of The Assassin's Blade come together perfectly at the end. As I am writing this I have just come to the awful understanding of the meaning of the title. The Assassin's Blade is Celaenas' anger. Her anger has been honed into the sharpest blade of them all, and I think this revelation is going to haunt me for the rest of my life. Thank you for reading this review, I hope to continue posting more of my in-depth book reviews. Please check out my Goodreads profile for more of my previous reviews, and as always, my main social media accounts are linked below.

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[master-of-the-opera-house]

27-29!

27. What’s your favourite historical “What if…” scenario?

Technically every 20th century and their mum have already posed "what if Franz Ferdinand lived" but here's the deal. I'm specifically more interested in "what if Franz Ferdinand lived BUT Sophie didn't". Sure Franzi was an advocate against starting a war in the Balkans, but would anything have changed if his wife was killed and he was left behind? He loved her fiercely and had a temper to match, would he have rashly avenged her in his grief? Would Franz Joseph support or even allow it - he was ready for conflict and he did send the ultimatum against Franzi's own death, but he hated the man personally as long as he lived and starting a war over a royal nonperson would've probably been seen as pretty stupid. So would Franzi have just simmered, unable to do anything with the loss? He would ascend in 1916 - would there have been another trigger between Sophie's assassination and that to start the war anyway? What would he have done about that in his state?

28. Do you have a favourite “dream team” of historical figures living at the same time in a specific era of history?

Yeah speaking of Franzi I want to see him and Ludwig hang out and also build and design a castle together. It'd be a HGTV nightmare. They really did miss each other by a few years what a shame lmao. Did Sisi see her cousin in how her nephew hadn't found love in the longest time? Did FJ think of Ludwig when he visited the kitsch hellhole that was Konopiste? They'd be an unstoppable autistic St George fanboy DIY duo and I seethe to think we only just missed it by a bit.

29. Are there any great historical mysteries that you are interested in?

Speaking of Ludwig....

Julia how dare you get me spinning this in my head like a bowl of soup in a microwave again. Julia that bowl is made of metal and I'm gonna explode -