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bthump · 3 years ago

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I hate the fact that Griffith has to be with Charlotte/marry her to become king even now that he is a powerful god and could very well do that without being with the Princess of Midland. I get that it's to validate him becoming king and all but it feels totally unnecessary. Also that scene where we see Charlotte in bed naked and Griffith also naked by the window (meaning they had sex) kinda irks me because I wonder, after everything that happened when he was still human how can he still do the same thing that got him tortured for an year (with that same person)? Is he not traumatised by it? Or maybe it doesn't affect him because he's a demon now and supposedly doesn't feel anything (even tho I think it's bullshit and that he still has feelings and not because of the fetus). What do you think?

This is exactly how I feel except that I have a reach-y thematic explanation for it that makes me like it lol.

Like yeah it absolutely feels kind of ridiculous wrt the worldbuilding that Griffith has to be with Charlotte to rule Falconia. Midland doesn't even exist anymore, he's got the backing of the world's pope equivalent, he saved the world and the city-state he rules is magic and appeared out of nowhere with his preferred desktop theme already installed. He's got magic charisma, a free pass from fate to do whatever he wants, an army of monsters at his beck and call, and magic powers. Charlotte's pretty redundant by now, right?

Human Griffith only pursued Charlotte to get to the throne, we're told and shown this over and over and over. When he fucked her after Guts left it was in a moment of total emotional irrationality and personal loss, and "he did it because he's into her" is the least plausible explanation for it lol.

And even if he did bang her because he liked her, as impossible to imagine as that is lmao, NeoGriffith has no feelings anymore, certainly none he wants to admit to himself, so he sure wouldn't be demonstrating them by pursuing Charlotte for no reason except love or lust now.

EVEN IF we still assume he still has to marry her for the sake of his kingdom for some reason, they're not married yet so there's no reason they need to be having sex right now, and Griff has a good excuse not to have premarital sex considering what happened last time.

But despite all that I think it makes perfect sense for Griffith to be having sex with Charlotte.

Because of the way Charlotte is so consistently tied to his dream in opposition to Guts, basically, in a way that gives off major heteronormative emotionally repressive dream vs being in love with Guts vibes, yk? Add that underlying recurring thing of sex for human Griffith always highlighting his own powerlessness, and there’s some potential interesting takeaways from Griffith and Charlotte being together currently.

Like there’s no compelling reason for him to still be with Charlotte except that it’s thematically appropriate because that’s the bed Griffith made when he chose to sacrifice Guts and pursue his dream, and now he has to lie in it.

(To be fair I don’t necessarily think Miura would’ve put quite that much thought into it, but I do think that Griffith and Charlotte sort of looking like an ideal hetero prince and princess couple is relevant, even if it’s just for the shallowly perfect yet hollow NeoGriffith vibe. My take just extrapolates from that a lot in a fun way lol.)

#ask #a #b #theme: repression #theme: dreams #ship: griffith x charlotte #anonymous #character: neogriffith #theme: heteronormativity #arc: f #thanks for the ask!

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cherrymoonvol6 · 3 years ago

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hmmm i’ve been Thinking about deltarune chapter 2

at this point is it like... too obvious?? that the intention is for the player to connect the dots and conclude that kris is the knight who keeps opening the portals. here are sum hints i’ve gathered:

queen points this out on her monologue right before fighting you on her Huge robot form, but who amongst the lighterns is capable of having enough determination to open a fountain?

also, kris is the ONLY human in the entire town. if deltarune works with similar rules to undertale (the mention of determination by the end of chapter two really bring the theme [back] home) then kris is the only one with enough determination to open these fountains. if not kris... the knight is then most likely to be human, and not at ALL a monster.

again, in queen’s monologue she mentions the knight opens the fountains with its knife, which we see kris doing at the end of chapter two.

all the fountains seem to spawn in places conveniently close to kris and co. first the school, then the library. why? why else would anyone care? why spawn two fountains in literally two consecutive days? i meannnnn

in particular the second fountain spawned the queen, a character that seems to irrationally care so much for noelle to the point of wanting to create a world that accommodates her. why would she even care? she’s a fucking robot. but then we have kris, who cares about noelle - they pretty much grew up together and kris knows things about her that no one else knows, as noelle herself points out during their adventure on the city. like, it kinda makes sense that kris is the one deeply concerned with a fountain that can adapt to her needs and help her feel safer and therefore be more herself, as well. (now did kris ever think that noelle would like, get over her scaredy traits during the adventure? probably not LOL)

based on the animation during the end of chapter two... i feel like kris gets some comfort on their soul from washing it on the fountains. kind of a temporary, extremely brief and extremely comforting pleasure for them. this would explain why they keep spawning. as well as, the entire commentary on chapter two about these fountains bringing happiness to all lighterns involved in the story. which is why i really like that the main characters are all teens: who else would feel powerless, misunderstood, in need of a place to truly fit in? and it’s SO on point with kris too. the game begins with them being lonely both at home and school (their brother is gone in college, none of their classmates would pair with them, they don’t have friends per se).

and i think that brings an interesting layer to the entire dynamic between the player and kris. why are we using kris as a vessel? why is their story important enough to play? seems like this is only a series of little spinoffs of kris having fun with their school friends. everything wounds up fine at the end, no matter what you choose to do. why is it important for US, the player? it’s an interesting question that i’m sure will see more protagonism as chapters go by.

there’s also another element of asriel really being into some sort of magical... irl rpg stuff. god i don’t know what the name is LMFAO but him and insert female character name did a lot of shenanigans about it together. asriel’s name also shows up at the queen’s castle for the personalized rooms: all the rooms are linked to asriel and asriel only. why not people close to susie? or berdly? it’s clear that this fountain in particular is entangled with kris personally. this might also explain why ralsei tells kris and not susie to bring in the cards from the unused classroom to the dark world. in some way, kris’ status as the weird kid in school might mean that they’re into this stuff, and is pretty imaginative and upon their brother’s absence this might work as some sort of escape for them. it’s clear that kris misses asriel deeply and that might be the reason why they would open the fountains, too.

(dialogue with the emo classmate at the end of chapter two also expands on this and supports the theory pretty well. kris is DEFINITELY familiar with this stuff.)

with this assumption in mind, however shady ralsei may appear begins to take more shape. like... it’s clear to me that kris and ralsei may have a closer, secretive connection that the player isn’t supposed to know about. here are some facts.

the prophecy to shut down the fountains calls for a human, a monster and a prince from the dark world. if kris is the knight who keeps opening them, then that’s one part of the prophecy that’s immediately fulfilled: moreover, there’s plenty of monsters in town, so kris can drag whoever they desire on their adventure. what’s lacking in the equation? a prince from the dark world. so ralsei just appears. therefore, this would assure that kris runs no greater risk by opening these fountains: once the adventure is over, they can just close it with the convenient help of an exposition machine- er, dark prince.

ralsei has... no life. no personality. no backstory. he has no parents, no king and queen who gives him a prince status. he’s a self proclaimed prince that works in the dark world and the prophecy anyways (the fountains do indeed close). why?

as pointed out, ralsei works with a lot of information that he probably shouldn’t know. he adjusts his knowledge in the transition from chapter one to chapter two, conveniently explaining to the player what’s different about the storage and recruit mechanics. again, it’s something that we can choose to skip whenever we want, so it’s clearly something that is meant to be communicated to the player, and not kris - otherwise, ralsei would just talk to them. he also happens to know the layout of the school, and he shows up at the new fountain in chapter two because he “sensed danger” or some bullshit. like, it’s CLEAR that ralsei is pretty shady overall lol.

i think a lot of chapter two gives away all this. like... the fact that ralsei knows the layout of the school. ralsei brushing off the fight with spamtom and its implications for kris. ralsei making sure that the kids stay in line with the rules of the dark world. ralsei being brushed off by most other characters for having no personality/no real presence (the fight with Huge queen, ralsei tea, etc).

it’s OBVIOUSLY not a coincidence that ralsei’s name can be rearranged to spell “asriel”. in a lot of ways, i think kris projected a lot of asriel’s traits into the token dark prince. from what we know in town, asriel is a beloved guy amongst everyone and he seems to be extremely nice and well-behaved (the green lizard story, asriel “confessing” for his and his sibling’s sins, etc). and i think a lot of that goes into ralsei: he’s pretty much an empty shell whose first instinct is to approach things nicely, but also makes sure that the rules of the world are always followed and respected. it’s no coincidence he snaps when people threaten those rules, anyways.

which is also why i believe that any attempt to link ralsei and kris romantically will always be a flop because at this point i’m positive that kris acknowledges the influence that asriel has on what ralsei is on their little adventures. like, ralsei looks pretty much exactly like asriel physically. of course they react hesitantly when the player chooses “ralsei” as a romantic companion upon susie’s question in the last bit of the second chapter. (which i’m very sad about!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

this raises the question of, well, how much power does kris have over the dark world? like, taking into account all these things... doesn’t it mean that kris took a major part in SUMMONING the very existence of ralsei? so what else are they responsible of? if they can create multiple of other fountains, how much power do they have over the main dark world that ralsei leads? is the dark world a genuine thing or just an incredibly well-thought, well-planned thing that kris brought into existence just because they had the determination to do so? is that even possible?

(i think at this point the game makes it seem like the dark world is just a thing that exists, parallel to kris. but there are still a lot of questions about their involvement with this and how in-sync these fountains/worlds seem to be with the rules of the dark world. how the fuck does kris even know about them, anyway?)

moreover, it’s sort of a dynamic between kris and ralsei where i’m pretty sure kris already knows the rules of this world - and therefore has given ralsei all this knowledge as well. the only person who doesn’t know about them are, well, the player themself. hence why there are multiple chances to learn the rules from this place, being from ralsei or other npcs in the dark world. this would also explain why ralsei often forces/baits the player into going over to susie’s POV, so they can leave time for kris and ralsei to discuss stuff with no witnesses around. presumably, stuff about the dark world/fountains and its dynamics: how to direct the player from that point onwards.

i also think that, with all this knowledge STILL, it’s farfetched to claim that ralsei is ill-intentioned. i think the fact that he has no real experience in this world (”lonely prince”, no parents/backstory/personality, firmly believes serving lighterns is the best thing that can happen to a darkner because that’s the entire reason of his existence) besides the knowledge (kris’ knowledge) of the rules of the dark world contradict this statement. but i think the best proof is that, even if ralsei “spawned” thanks to kris as a convenient exposition machine and the ally to complete the prophecy, he seems to develop his own dilemmas outside of his determined role. like, the cutscene of the acid pool where he wonders what being “ralsei-like” even means speaks of a real feeling of anxiety upon being this competent born-yesterday creature who exists with the sole purpose of serving kris on their adventures. there’s also multiple hints that he’s developed a romantic interest for kris, that doesn’t seem planned (why would kris ever want this, again?)

which leads to a lot of interesting questions as well. does ralsei know that kris is being “controlled” by the player? (based on his reaction after the spamtom fight... yes he does lol. but what does he think about it?) how much does ralsei know about kris’ involvement with the dark world? he must not be aware of the fact that kris keeps creating fountains to keep the adventures going - otherwise this would antagonize them, which kris wouldn’t want because it’s inconvenient. and what could happen with this inevitable reveal, then? it all hinders again on kris’ influence over the dark world, which is another can of worms, oh boy.

ohhhhh speaking of spamtom. that’s fucked UP. like why would kris’ fountain spawn a being that’s pretty much a mirror of their own situation, only for him to be a warning of what will happen to kris if they attempt to break free from the player’s control? i think a quick answer is that these underlying anxieties are present at the moment that kris chooses to open a fountain - despite their planned world-building, these fears take the form of a secret boss that can be easily ignored, and only sought by the player if they want a taste of that side adventure. it’s kind of poetic, ya know, the fact that kris can complete their adventure without any of that knowledge but the only way this can happen is if the player decides that they want to go through that route. like, OOF. as the player, you don’t know what it’s going to happen, but when that ending is triggered, and breaking spamtom free of his strings results in his demise... it’s a cruel warning that kris doesn’t need to be reminded of.

also... why the mettaton neo and dummy motifs? can’t really understand the link there. well, if mettaton and dummy are connected in any way... both are ghosts inhabiting a vessel that allows them more mobility/actions than their usual form. but like... how does that exactly relate to spamtom? or kris, even? while mettaton seemes to be pretty okay with the vessel he currently occupies, dummy does want frisk’s soul for further purposes, sort of how spamtom does. but who even controls him, then? another thing that i can come up with is the fact that, in kris’ town, dummy and mettaton habit the same house. so like, is that simply a reveal of how spamtom will relate to kris’ real world in further chapters? so why use the mettaton (and mettaton NEO, in particular) and dummy motifs, then? wasn’t there another way of indicating this connection that didn’t use elements from the original game to do so? from what i can remember, the only other time an undertale motif shows up is at the beginning of the game, with “once upon a time” when toriel drives kris to school. like, meh. maybe i’ll have to think about it more lol. still... sorta thought provoking and quite fucked up.

lastly... because this is very long and i am Sorry... i am very happy of the direction toby chose when adapting the meta aspect of the player presence in the game. like, when i finished undertale for the first time i was really unsatisfied with the fact that frisk has NO personality at all. the bait of frisk being the first fallen human kinda makes you forget about it while you play, but when the twist is revealed i was just thinking, oh. so frisk is a literal no one. no personality. no backstory. no NOTHING, besides a name. upon replays of the game, i got to kinda understand why that decision was made, and why we as the played really shouldn’t feel like frisk is anything other than an empty vessel for us to play. as sans says on the dinner scene: why would frisk ever wanna leave? they have all they require in the underground, and more. the only reason we would ever take the choice of going to the core is because then the game will progress: we’ll face greater challenges and keep being entertained. and that’s MERELY because WE, the player, want to be entertained, and progressing the game is the only way to do so. for all its worth, frisk has no real reason to leave. but what’s most important is that they have no desire for it, either. it comes to a point where frisk (more like we, the player) can choose to live with toriel in the outer world and no one bats an eye. wouldn’t frisk have a parent, or a guardian looking for them? of course not: frisk’s life begins when they’re laying on a bed of flowers in the underground, and ends up with the monsters as they all first meet the surface. later, you understand that the game wants you to have that meta connection with flowey, a character with personality and backstory. but it’s an aspect that feels missed when asriel asks frisk at the end of the pacifist run, if chara ended up in this world because they hated humanity, what was your reason? we don’t know that and we never will - and the game tells us over and over that it’s not important.

but here, we KNOW about kris’ personality. their world. their possible motivations for how they behave when not being a vessel for us, terrible terrible players. and what’s most compelling of it all: much like flowey, kris fights back against the determination that overrides theirs: they actively reject the soul, even though that inflicts them incredible amounts of pain. AAAAAAAAAA like it comes to a point that, because kris no longer has a soul, they end up with this lack of morale and humanity that we saw in flowey during undertale, but STILL they fight back against it by focusing this soulless homicidal rage on damaging objects and not people (kris slaughtering toriel’s pie, then slashing the car’s tires, presumably doing something of the sort when they leave the house at the end of chapter two and not harming either toriel or susie). and i love how we see slices of their personality in the actions kris does that we have no chance to interject in (kris accepting susie as their friend, as they themself refer to susie as such in front of toriel, and defending her after the fight with the king in the first chapter) or their delivery on certain choices we, the player, take for them (unconvincingly replying with “ralsei” when asked by susie at the end of chapter two). or stuff like their blank side of the room compared to asriel, to the surprise that we get of a “personalized” kris room due to their internet searches. like, we would’ve NEVER gotten anything like that with frisk. i find that stuff really compelling and, much like how flowey was really important in the meta aspect of undertale, having a protagonist that acts like such is a take i’m incredibly happy and satisfied with. can’t wait to learn more about kris while i keep tormenting them with my dumb, selfish decisions, yaaaaay.

(i also want to point out that... the aspect of kris hating the player isn’t new? both flowey and sans dislike you for replaying the game over and over. flowey tells you he isn’t capable of going through all the pacifist run development again, and only allows you to do it again if you erase his memories, and sans tells you on his boss fight that even if you only did pacifists runs it wouldn’t matter because you would reset their lives to the underground either way, instead of letting them live. in that way, the game punishes you for loving these characters and their stories, and i think that’s tremendously fucked up - but also, really refreshing and interesting.)

#deltarune #INCREDIBLY LONG. seriously. i just needed to get all of this off lol #probably clumsily redacted as well #okay don't show up in the tag that's actually fine

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wcamino-confessions · 4 years ago

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anyway have some major points from my "Warrior Cats Rewrite" outline. long story short im rewriting the entire series bc i can, feel free to suggest things youd like to see :)

Overall:

-Please note that some of these bullet points dont make sense in the order theyre in bc i forgot to put them in chronological order and didnt have much time to fix it

-Each book has a different protag in a different Clan

-Some names, families, and pelt colours will all be switched around/changed

-Some characters will be aged up or down depending on when it makes sense to me for them to be born

-StarClan is fucking powerless. Instead these fiesty battlecats have a religion similar to greeks, with their main gods are based around the moon. Its considered super lucky for a kit to be born under a full moon, and naming a cat/kit "Moon-" is considered super disrespectful and can get both kit and mother shunned by the Clan or exiled

-WindClan never stopped tunneling

-Oakheart is still alive

-Assume no cats are related unless I state otherwise

-Lostsong, Wildblaze, Ferncloud, Ashfur, Brambleflower, and Tawnystorm are all related (Bramble, Tawny, Ash, Fern have the same father, Wild, Lost, Bramble, Tawny have the same mother)

-Acorn and Squirrel are Dust/Sand's kits, though they 2 are no longer mates

-The medicine cats cant have mates or kits rule is thrown out the window bc its stupid

Name Changes:

-Brambleclaw -> Brambleflower

-Tawnypelt -> Tawnystorm

-Sandstorm -> Sandstrike

-Firestar -> Sparkfern

-Leafpool -> Acornleaf

-Brightheart -> Lostsong

-Yellowfang -> Mirestorm

-Ravenpaw -> Ravensight

-Swiftpaw -> Wildblaze

1st arc (The prophecies begin):

- Protags are Sparkfern (ThunderClan, book 1), Yellowfang (ShadowClan, Book 2), Mistyfoot (RiverClan, book 3), Tallstar (WindClan, book 4), Tigerclaw (Book 5)

-1st book goes more or less the same with only minor changes until you reach the point where Sparkpaw was supposed to run into Mirestorm

-In this rewrite Brokenstar "out of the good of his heart" allows Mirestorm to stay in ShadowClan under 2 conditions. She gives up being a medicine cat and goes back to being a warrior, and she isnt allowed anywhere without a guard. She accepts

-Tigerclaw goes through with the plan to kill Ravenpaw but fails. Ravenpaw, terrified for his life, decides to switch to being a medicine cat

-WindClan hasn't been driven out, but only because Tallstar gave ShadowClan a good half of their territory

-Tigerclaw doesn't try any backhanded traps like the thunderpath one

-That being said, Cinderpaw still gets caught on the Thunderpath bc she wasnt paying attention to where she was going

-She still goes back to warrior training though bc this ThunderClan doesn't discriminate

-All the ShadowClan stuff happens a bit later than it does in canon

-Spottedleaf lives, but she's fucked up really bad (Blind in left eye, intense scarring on face and right side, unable to use back leg without pain, etc etc) and decides to demote herself as a medicine cat and mkve to the elder's den

-Ravenpaw still isn't fully trained, so ThunderClan enlists Barkface's help

-Ravenpaw ends up being named Ravensight sometime around the middle of the 3rd book

-Sparkpaw becomes Sparkfern around halfway through the book bc i dont try to pack what should be a month of buildup into 2 days so theres timeskips when theres nothing happening

-Sandpaw and Dustpaw become Sandstrike and Dustpelt before Sparkfern and Greystripe because they were apprentices for longer

-Tigerclaw kills Sparkfern by the end of book 1

-Tigerclaw tries to kill Bluestar, but she runs out of the den and Tigerclaw gets exiled

-Mirestorm decides to say fuck it and in book 2 pushes Brokenstar into the gorge in RiverClan territory

-After Redtail's death Whitestorm is made deputy

-Since WindClan never needed to be brought back Whiteclaw is alive now too

-Instead of Nightstar, after Brokenstar's death Blackfoot becomes Blackstar

- Whitestorm ends up getting killed so Sandstrike is made deputy

-On that note since Sparkfern is dead Sandstrike was Cinderpelt's mentor

-Both Swiftpaw and Brightpaw live, but both are heavily scarred and are renamed Deadspot and Lostface by Buestar

-Tigerclaw still leads the dogs onto ThunderClan territory, but instead of coming up with the canon plan they all live in fear until RiverClan decides that this is painful to watch and help out

-Deadspot and Lostface end up having a 2nd run in with the dogs and Bluestar looses her last life saving them

-Sandstar renames them Wildblaze and Lostsong

-ThunderClan don't actually hate Bramble and Tawny for being Tiger's kits, but they both feel irrationally guilty about it and that causes just as much of a strain

-Brambleflower is the one who leaves ThunderClan this time, while Tawnystorm stays

-Silverstream and Greystripe never get together. Feathertail and Stormfur are Silver and WhiteClaw's kits

-Also Leopardstar dies earlier and Stonefur becomes Stonestar

-Tigerclaw takes control of BloodClan and renames himself Tigerstar

-When Tigerstar tries to take over ShadowClan Blackstar tells him no

-Tigerstar tries approaching Stonestar for an alliance and the whole "shun half clan cats" thing, not knowing that Stonestar is a half clan cat (Bluestar still told both Mistyfoot and Stonefur the truth) and Stonefur tells him to get fucked

-tigerstar decides to merge with WindClan instead

-The whole fourtrees stand off still happens, but Brambleflower kills Tigerstar (who due to being a faux leader and not going to the moonstone only has one life)

2nd arc (The New Prophecy):

-Protags are Brambleflower (ShadowClan, book 1), Feathertail (RiverClan, book 2), Crowpaw (WindClan, book 3), Tawnystorm (ThunderClan, book 4), Nightcloud (WindClan, book 5)

-The cats that go on the quest are Tawnystorm, Brambleflower, Feathertail, Crowpaw, Squirrelflight, and Nightpaw (Nightcloud)

-Squirrel (who was born earlier than in canon and is therefor now already a warrior) follows Tawny on the quest

-Squirrel has a puppy crush on Tawny and she makes this fact painfully clear

-Nightpaw follows Feather around like a lost dog

-Crowpaw ends up dying instead of Feathertail bc Nightpaw was in danger

-Nightpaw becomes Nightcloud after the journey and develops a crush on Acornleaf

-She's torn between the two until she realizes Acorn doesnt feel the same about her (Acornleaf is in love with Mothwing in this rewrite bc i said so)

-Nightcloud is briefly devastated but then realizes that this makes things so much easier for her and starts dating Feathertail

-Tawny and Squirrel get together after 4 1/2 whole books of obvious pining

-Daisy is still there, but she only has one kit as the others have died (The living kit is Berrynose, now renamed Hay)

-Daisy gets in a relationship with Lostsong and Cloudtail bc thats my OT3 and bc i said so

-After loosing Hazel and Mouse she finds that she can't bring herself to get too attached to Hay so Tawny and Squirrel adopt him and Daisy just becomes that cool aunt™

-Insert a good 7 pages of Bramble freaking out that he's an uncle now

-Hawkfrost is still evil and traps Sandstar in a fox trap, but Mothwing kills him this time.

-Mothwing ends up badly injured from her fight with Hawkfrost and Acornleaf takes care of her

-Stormfur ends up dying

-Feathertail leaves RiverClan to be with Nightcloud

-Daisy/Lostsong/Cloudtail end up having Whitekit (wing), Rosekit (petal), and Honeykit (flower)

-Acornleaf and Mothwing become mates at one point and love each other very very much

-Mothwing is trans (comfort hc ive had aince forever, not purely for the sake of her and Acorn having bio kits i promise) and her and Acorn end up having Swanblaze (Hollyleaf) and Goldenfern (Lionblaze)

-since both Moth and Acorn are their Clan's only medicine cat neither can join the other's clan so Moth takes Swan and Acorn takes Golden

-a good 7 moon timeskip between arc 2 book 5 and arc 3 book 1

3rd arc (Power of Three):

-Protags are Mothwing (RiverClan, book 1), Crowstorm (WindClan, book 2), Goldenfern (ThunderClan, book 3), Littlecloud (ShadowClan, book 4), Swanblaze (RiverClan, book 5)

-[Everything that follows happens between TPB and the beginning of PO3]

-Since there's no "medicine cats cant have kits or mates" rule its common knowledge that Swan and Golden are Moth and Acorn's kits

-On RiverClan's side Graymist (who becomes a queen earlier here for the sake of convenience) nursed Swan alongside Sneeze and Mallow. Besides the feeding Swan spent most of her time hanging around and playing with Motha

-On ThunderClan's side, since Rosepetal is the medicine cat apprentice, Leafpool nurses and raises Golden. The entire Clan treats him like their kit though, especially his aunts Tawnystorm and Squirrelflight

-[Everything that happens this point happens in the actual arc]

-The 3 are Swanblaze, Goldenfern, and Crowstorm (Night and Feather's adopted son. He counts as part of the 3 bc Redtail (Sand's father) was half WindClan in this rewrite and his WindClan father also had Night and Crow's mother

-While both Swan and Golden knew they had a sibling in another Clan, they didnt officially meet until their 2nd gathering, when Moth and Acorn intoduced them to eachother

-Swanpaw met Crowpaw when Crow was chasing a rabbit and couldn't stop himself from falling into the river.

-Mothwing, who had taken Swanpaw on an outing to help her collect herbs, ended up saving him and bringing him back to camp while they waited for WindClan to come back and get him

-While Crow is intended to be Jayfeather's replacement here, he isn't blind. He is, however, deaf. He's still training to be a warrior though bc fuck canon

-Night, Feather, and Crow developed a sort of cat sign language they spread to WindClan to help make it easier for Crow

-It eventually ended up spreading to Bramble and Moth, who spread it to their Clans

-Different powers and shit

-Swan has a sort of foresight. She can tell whats going to happen a few moments before it happens. While she brushes it off as good instincts, when she develops it more later in the series her foresight stretches up to a moon in advance

-Golden still has super strength. He aint invincible tho cuz that was a horeible plot point

-Crow can see and speak to ghosts in the living world. Not just StarClan or dead cats, but any dead animal. If he wants to speak to a dead fox he 100% can

-The 3 still know about the prophecy due to Swan training as a med cat and accidently getting it (She eventually ends up dropping it and Willowshine becomes the med app instead)

-Sol comes in and then the eclipse happens

-Golden and Crow are 100% ready to trust this strange cat they met 2 days ago but Swan is like yo dudes wtf

-That whole plot point happens, Sol tries to go to ShadowClan, but Blackstar tells him to fuck off so he does

-Swanpaw ends up accidently killing him (tried to threaten him into leaving the Clans alone using the dunk and let breathe method, ended up drowning him). The guilt she feels from it is what causes her to drop being a medicine cat apprentice and become a warrior.

-Ashfur still had a crush on Squirrel and is extremely jealous of Tawny. He tries the whole fire scene thing with Haynose, but before he's even halfway done with his monologue he stops for 3 seconds, looks around him, and realizes just what the fuck he's trying to do

-He helps Squirrel and Hay out of the fire, apologizes profusely, and turns himself in to Sandstar, accepting whatever punishment she gives him

-Bramble 100% visits both Hay and Swan at least once a week. Sand and Stone have realized by now that stopping him wont work so they just allow it

-There's no huge gathering scene this time because there isn't a big secret to tell

-The arc does end, however, with Swan finding Stonestar's lifeless body laying in his den

4th arc (Omen of the Stars):

-[NOTE: This section is unfinished due to lack of ideas]

-The whole Stonestar's dead body thing is going to be addressed, but i just dont have any ideas for that so its not addressed for now

- Dove and Ivy are both spoiled rotten by their aunts and grandparents

-As such Dove gains a sorta "entitled" attitude. Like not full tantrum entitled, but getting moody/snappy when she doesnt get what she wants

-Ivy is the same way, just a bit less snapping and a bit more silent treatment

-Brambleflower!!!! Has kits!!! With Rowanclaw!!!

-Yes, I am a big fan of the trans Rowanclaw hc

-I am giving Bramble Tawny's canon mate

-why?

-bc its what he deserves

-Anyway, Their kits are Brindlekit/heart (Tigerheart), Dawnkit/shade (Dawnpelt), and Russetkit/tail (Flametail), who I am aging down bc in canon these 3 already have their full names

-Tawny and Squirrel 100% babysit from time to time

-Dark forest trainees stay the same, but this time add in Dovewing, Bumblestripe and Briarlight

-Haven't read, unable to make an outline

-Briarlight didnt make it in time to push Longtail out of the way, so Briarlight isnt paralyzed and Longtail is dead

-Bumblestripe still has a crush on Dovewing, but is way more lowkey and less "creepy" about it

-Swanblaze becomes mates with Minnowtail

-Acornleaf dies in the Last Hope

-So do Brambleflower, Goldenfern, Honeyfur, Graymist, Spiderleg, Applefur, Olivenose, Redwillow, Ferretclaw, Tallpoppy, Whitetail, Heathertail, Reedwhisker, Robinwing, Mosspelt, Pouncetail, and Dovewing

5th arc (A Vision of Shadows):

-[NOTE: This section is empty due to me not having finished this arc.]

6th arc (The Broken Code):

-[NOTE: This section is empty due to me not having read this arc]

#submission #off topic #yes i am rewriting the whole series #why? you might be asking #and bc it gives me an excuse to reread every book in the series a good 100 times :)#< tags added by submitter

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msclaritea · 4 years ago

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"It was inspiring — really inspiring. I remember watching clip after clip of Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens debating Christians, Muslims and "purveyors of woo," exposing the fatuity of their faith-based beliefs in superstitious nonsense unsupported by empirical evidence, often delivered to self-proclaimed prophets by supernatural beings via the epistemically suspicious channel of private revelation. Not that Harris, Dawkins and Hitchens were saying anything particularly novel — the inconsistencies and contradictions of religious dogma are apparent even to small children. Why did God have to sacrifice his son for our sins? Does Satan have free will? And how can the Father, Son and Holy Spirit be completely separate entities but also one and the same?

The "New Atheist" movement, which emerged from the bestselling books of the aforementioned authors, was the intellectual community that many of us 15 or so years ago were desperately looking for — especially after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which seemed to confirm Samuel P. Huntington's infamous "clash of civilizations" thesis. As Harris once put it, with many of us naively agreeing, "We are at war with Islam." (Note: This was a dangerous and xenophobic lie that helped get Donald Trump elected. As Harris said in 2006, anticipating how his brand of Islamophobia would enable Trump's rise, "the people who speak most sensibly about the threat that Islam poses to Europe are actually fascists.")

New Atheism appeared to offer moral clarity, it emphasized intellectual honesty and it embraced scientific truths about the nature and workings of reality. It gave me immense hope to know that in a world overflowing with irrationality, there were clear-thinking individuals with sizable public platforms willing to stand up for what's right and true — to stand up for sanity in the face of stupidity.

Fast-forward to the present: What a grift that was! Many of the most prominent New Atheists turned out to be nothing more than self-aggrandizing, dogmatic, irascible, censorious, morally compromised people who, at every opportunity, have propped up the powerful over the powerless, the privileged over the marginalized. This may sound hyperbolic, but it's not when, well, you look at the evidence. So I thought it might be illuminating to take a look at where some of the heavy hitters in the atheist and "skeptic" communities are today. What do their legacies look like? In what direction have they taken their cultural quest to secularize the world?..."

White, male privilege is the toxic gift that keeps on giving.

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parrotvoid · 4 years ago

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Journey from Science to the Esoteric

Over the past couple of years, I have switched from a primarily mechanistic, materialistic, and scientific worldview to a worldview which is more nuanced and accepting of the unknown / irrational / chaotic. Ever since I was a kid, I found the dogmatism of the traditional religious model to be far too rigid to allow for a real explanation or even exploration of objective truth (aka Truth).

I turned to science for this Truth and initially it was a very fulfilling experience. I learned quite a lot about how we (humans) currently believe the physical, chemical, and biological processes organize the material of our universe. But overtime I found that the scientific method has its flaws and, even worse, is powerless to explore some of the most interesting and important questions about reality.

Science is fundamentally founded on falsification. This means that a theory can only be scientifically verified if there is a way to test a prediction it makes to confirm the validity of that prediction. Falsification is extremely powerful when it comes to the study of physical forces which can be isolated and repeatedly tested in a lab setting. More complex systems (for example biological organisms or economic systems) often can’t be studied in a lab and therefore require statistical models for analysis. Of course, this is problematic since statistics is really a language and a tool which people can manipulate to serve their own interests. Statistical manipulation is one of the factors creating the Replicability Crisis in science, but I’m going to leave that issue for another time...

What scientific falsification has a really had a hard time dealing with is answering questions about things beyond the quantifiable: the existence of metaphysical structures, values, and other physical things outside of our information horizon. The most obvious of these questions is whether or not there is a God. Because one of the fundamental defining properties of God is that it exists outside of the physical universe, there is no way to actually measure God and therefore no way to scientifically prove a God’s existence. While the question of God is the most obvious example of science’s limits, this same line of thought can be applied to the existence of many other things: higher dimensions, realities prior to the Big Bang, multiverses / parallel universes, Platonic forms, ghosts, demons / angels, souls, visions, magick, etc.

Realizing that the cognitive tool set of science cannot give me answers to these important questions about the nature of reality, I initially fell into the trap of atheism and scientism - believing that if science can’t answer the question then there must be something wrong with the questions themselves. I plan on having a whole other post addressing scientism and how I broke away from it. What’s important for this post is that I eventually realized that if science can’t answer these questions then I would have to look into other cognitive tool sets.

Philosophy and theoretical mathematics were natural progressions from my rational worldview. But as I went deeper into them, I realized that there was something specifically problematic about both the philosophical and mathematical pursuits of Truth... they make the axiomatic assumption that the universe fundamentally operates rationally. The universe is not a rational place… I know that is a huge and potentially controversial premise but it’s one that deserves its own post. Living into that premise, the only branches of philosophy which accept the irrationality and absurdity of the universe and our existence in it are at the core nihilistic. At that time, I realized that Truth will forever remain elusive. My nihilism dragged on for quite a while. I used my scientific training to building a career and I used my philosophical interests as means to entertain myself. But during all this time, I knew that any pursuit of Truth was really just running toward a mathematical limit which didn’t actually exist.

Eventually, as just part of my general curiosity, I got into meditation. During long meditation sessions I would feel a connection to something greater. This encouraged me to pursue meditation with greater vigor and I shortly began to experience altered states of consciousness I would learn were gnostic in nature. These meditation sessions opened me up to the possibility of psi, magick, and the spiritual world. Once I began to seriously research the world of the occult and parapsychology, I realized how these phenomena manifest in similar ways across all cultures, integrate in such a way to explain many of “unknown” paranormal phenomena, and even have scientific support!

In the end, I came full circle and I believe that magick, science, philosophy, and mathematics are all just other sides of the many-sided coin of Truth. Or another way to put it is that all of the separate studies are really just truths that project out from Truth. As limited humans, we can use all of these truths as models to functionally interact with the world. Each set of truths will be more effective at specific goals than others but no truth will be effectively applied universally because it is not Truth. We need to be warry of illusions and lies which claim to be truths, but we also need to not be so closed off that we miss an important truth and therefore piece of the puzzle of Truth.

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healingchildhoodtrauma · 4 years ago

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My parents met in AA. They consider every day they don’t drink to be a success. But I look deeper and wonder, what caused them to drink? They’re both open about how they were abused as children. Neither of them have thoroughly worked through their trauma, other than AA meetings. They both had other addictions even when they stopped drinking. They basically “white knuckled” their way through life until they could vent at AA meetings. They took me to a couple meetings as a child and told me to never start drinking or I wouldn’t be able to stop. The more I read about the things wrong with AA, the more I understand my parents and how they raised us. My dad was a “counselor” in AA, which is horrifying.

“People with alcohol problems also suffer from higher-than-normal rates of mental-health issues, and research has shown that treating depression and anxiety with medication can reduce drinking. But AA is not equipped to address these issues—it is a support group whose leaders lack professional training—and some meetings are more accepting than others of the idea that members may need therapy and/or medication in addition to the group’s help.

The founder of AA based its principles on the beliefs of the evangelical Oxford Group, which taught that people were sinners who, through confession and God’s help, could right their paths.” https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/04/the-irrationality-of-alcoholics-anonymous/386255/

“Any certified professional in the field of addiction treatment can tell you that heavy drinking or drug use is most often times a signal of an undiagnosed mental health issue such as depression or anxiety. There is rarely, if ever, any talk about mental health in the rooms of AA. Therefore, someone who is self-medicating their depression with alcohol and who attends AA will be told that they have a ‘disease, for which there is no known cure’ and that the only solution is for them to attend meetings for the rest of their life.” https://www.healthyplace.com/blogs/survivingmentalhealthstigma/2013/02/one-step-forward-twelve-steps-back

“Alcoholics Anonymous, Circular Reasoning, and Group Think

Alcoholics can engage in a dangerous form of group think. There is this ‘us and them’ mentality, and members are encouraged to think of themselves as this special group with special problems. This feeling of having a unique set of problems can border on the ridiculous – I’ve heard people in Alcoholics Anonymous suffering from the common cold who talk as if they have some type of special alcoholic’s cold.

Those who follow the AA program can feel threatened by any type of criticism, and they sometimes seem more interested in defending AA than in helping alcoholics. I can’t remember ever meeting even one member of that group who was willing to suggest any other option than the meetings. This is all made to seem acceptable by using some fancy circular reasoning – if you are an alcoholic your only real hope is AA, but if you manage to get sober without AA you were never a real alcoholic to begin with.” http://paulgarrigan.com/dangers-of-alcoholics-anonymous/

“Deprogramming From AA—When a Fellowship Resembles a Cult

Some report having been coerced into going off their psychiatric medications, against their doctors’ advice. Others became frustrated with the lack of scientific evidence behind AA’s program. Others still are angry that any inquiry into other options is not only discouraged, but sometimes actively punished—by exclusion from social events, public humiliation at meetings, and constant reminders of the AA saying that to leave the program can only result in “jails, institutions and death.”

Many feel that they replaced their addiction to a substance with an addiction to the program.

Another issue that departing 12-step members report as concerning is suddenly dealing with all the issues that drove them to substance use in the first place, but weren’t adequately addressed in the program. People with a history of trauma, in particular, can find that the onslaught of pain and memories—repressed while they were told in AA that “alcoholism,” was the root of all their problems—can be almost unbearable.

“I would venture to say three-quarters, if not more, of the people in AA are suffering from depression or anxiety or survivors of trauma, and were using alcohol to self-medicate,” said Rachel Bernstein. “So then you have people who are derailed from a more direct and relevant path to dealing with their particular issues, and instead they are told that alcohol is the only source of their problem.”

Regarding the nature of “sharing” in meetings, Bernstein said, “Within 12-step groups, there are people who can defend against the social pressures, and others who can’t. They don’t want anyone to be unhappy with them so they’ll say what they need to say, they’ll make commitments, they’ll ‘admit’ things about themselves even if they aren’t true.”

“They’ll do that in a room full of people who are not mental health professionals and do not know how to hold onto that information in a safe way or help you heal,” she continued.

Within AA, she experienced sexual abuse from her sponsor and men her sponsor insisted she date. She was told that the sexual abuse she endured as a child and the rape she experienced as an adult were her fault.

Even more frightening, Alice said, is that she looked and even believed she was happy during this time. “Upon hearing that I had a negative experience in AA, people that knew me during that 10-year period might be shocked. ‘But she seemed so happy,’ they might say… ‘How could she say that?’”

“My answer to this,” she continued, “is that yes, I was very happy–in fact, I was euphoric at times when I went to AA. This was because I was suppressing all of the emotions and things that AA told me would lead me to drink: anger, sadness, grief, critical thinking, negative thoughts, my intelligence. This led me to have a kind of false gratefulness, happiness and peace that only lasted for so long.”

Both Rachel Bernstein and Monica Richardson give concrete advice on how a person thinking of leaving AA or any 12-step program, and wishing to deprogram, should proceed.

Bernstein advises:

1. Learn about methods of control and manipulative tactics. Bring a checklist to your next meeting and check off the techniques as you see them. You’ll be able to see for yourself if this group is treating you respectfully and being open about its intentions, or if it’s using manipulation to not only keep you there but make you feel like you have no choice but to stay. Here is a checklist of tactics to look out for:

* You are taught that the teachings and techniques are perfect. So if they are not working as intended, it’s because you are not following them the right way, or trying hard enough.

* The organization defines you, tells you what you are, who you are, and how to see yourself.

* Questioning or doubting the teachings is wrong and seen as an issue/problem of yours instead of your fundamental right.

* The organization is a closed system, and any issues you have with it have to stay in-house; there is no outside and/or objective governing body to bring your concerns to.

* Dependency is built into the system by making you feel that you cannot trust yourself on your own, and left to your own devices you would always make the wrong decision and your life would spiral downward.

* You never graduate. You are never done. Your participation and adherence to the teachings are expected to be lifelong.

* You are made to feel these are the only people you can trust in your life, and those outside the group are not able to support and ensure the path you should be on.

* The influence technique of “scarcity” is used by conveying the message that this group is the only group in the world that can give you what you need.

* It has its own social norms and lingo that are different from those in the outside community, so you feel more understood by those in the group and more a part of the world of the group, and this can separate you from those in the outside community.

* The group has one system it provides. No other systems or philosophies are integrated. So, whatever the system is designed to address is the only thing that’s addressed, and other potentially primary issues are ignored. Part of the “If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail” idea, this can cause people to be misdiagnosed and to be derailed from getting help they may need with their true underlying issues.” https://filtermag.org/deprogramming-from-aa-when-a-fellowship-resembles-a-cult/

“And so, the AA accusation that alcoholics are people unable to recognize their wrongdoings and character defects sounded familiar to me. The “fellowship” had the same symptoms as a narcissist! And, once again, I was defenseless. A narcissist is never wrong, just as if you relapse in AA it is your fault, never AA's fault. Narcissists see everyone as their mirror, and if you agree with them all is well. If you disagree, you are an enemy. The AA members I met became instantly defensive whenever I criticized AA. They were like my mother!

If I asked questions, I was told "You think you know it all, but your own best thinking got you here." Hearing that I was powerless and that without AA I would die sounded very familiar to me. AA rules by the same fear and confusion abusers like my mother and my rapist use to keep their victims under control.” https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/addiction-in-society/201405/woman-fights-aa-alcoholics-anonymous-narcissist?amp

“AA was part of a Protestant evangelical group for the first several years of its existence, and its 12-step program is blatantly religious by any reasonable definition of the word. AA is supportive — as long as you parrot its party line. It’s nonjudgmental–again, as long as you parrot the party line. AA is not purely voluntary; over a million Americans per year are coerced into attending it via court orders and employee assistance programs, as a condition of avoiding jail or keeping their jobs; and many of AA’s promoters insist that AA doesn’t promote itself, even as they do exactly that. As for AA members being “better than well,” attend any meeting and judge for yourself. And AA does have serious negative aspects, both for its members and those merely exposed to it.” https://seesharppress.wordpress.com/2014/02/26/alcoholics-anonymous-does-more-harm-than-good/

Reading these things provides more context for why my family operated like a cult, headed by my narcissist mother and antisocial father. My mother went from being raised Catholic to AA.. both engaging in abuse, mind control, victim blaming and excessive confession of wrong doing/shame. This gives me a lot of insight into her patterns of black and white thinking, scapegoating, suppression, and abuse of power. It makes sense now why I was shamed/vilified for speaking out against the groupthink. Emotional abuse wasn’t an exception to the rule, emotional abuse was the way of life.

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kuronekonerochan · 5 years ago

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Cdramas I enjoyed and ranty rambles... (spoilers)

Apparently I have a new favorite cdrama ML type, and it's genius mastermind bastard on a scheming backstabbing world that is likely created by the same novel or scriptwriter. Ning Que (Ever Night), Fang Xian (Joy of Life) and Zhong Xin (Young Blood) are a joy to watch and I loved these dramas on the same "spirit" and their characters.

All these dramas had stronger and weaker points, if I could pick and choose, I liked the world and ruthlessness of NQ from EN S1, the OTP that is NQ and SS and the Us against the World vibe, plus the incredible soundtrack and the breathtaking panoramic shots, but S2 was such a production mess...it’s a pity bc I loved the theological turn of the novel and it doesn’t seem likely that after that trainwreck of s2 we’ll get a s3 to end the story (although yes, I admit it would always be difficult to translate to screen from where s1 ends in the book onward bc it’s such a drastic change). Having read the novel, it was funny to see people reacting to the events of s2.

The shift in the focus of the drama from the traditional wuxia, young martial arts lead and his wifey traveling the world, encountering new allies and foes and getting powered up, to religious and spiritual journey about the meaning of life, god, the world and different ideologies clashing in both literal fights and discussions as well as physical manifestations of divinity, mixed in with human subversion of values for petty personal goals...well although people seem understandably confused and not very happy about this 180º thematic turn, it’s not what they hated about the new season. From the comments I saw, what most ppl couldn’t stand were the same things ppl who read and liked the novel also hated: the horrible pacing, some of the cast changes that failed to convey the feeling that they were the same characters, and even though the budget was evidently lower than s1, the choices made where 80% of the scenes were pointless carriage shots, meeting shots, and most pointless of all Long Qing riding horses. Endless set ups of people talking boringly and then when the event that all that talk was leading up to happened, it was off screen and the result was told by some character in a conversation. You couldn’t care less about Tang and the war because all the characters that lived there and could die, like SS’s friends from the brothel, the gang, and even the generic ppl on the streets, none of this was shown...only 2 or 3 ppl talking alone somewhere at a time, talking about events that the viewer would never see. And it was confusing. I read the novel and even so I could barely follow what was happening (they did change a bunch of stuff). Enemies from 2 episodes ago were now allies and they were asking favors without any explanation and key plot points of main story arcs like Ye Hong Yu’s were just thrown out so casually it didn’t even register for me that THAT was happening. The whole Haitian part was also a mess. It was one of those concepts that is indeed hard to translate to screen, but as they did the whole SangSang being present but powerless thing well, the casting of Haitian was a fail. She was supposed to be an uncaring, poker faced goddess, but she also had to have a presence that made her feel powerful and frightening. This lifeless doll couldn't scare a fly, so the whole thing just felt pathetic and weird(er). (Also in the novel there’s this intense mental fight thing going on between her and NQ where she hardcore tortures him and slashes his d*ck off and he in turn keeps torturing her with erotic dreams and all this bc the natal bond means they can read each others minds and can’t keep each other out even if they wanted so it’s a constant exhausting mindgame between them. The drama tried to include some of that in like 2 eps near the end, but toning it down bc of rating and taking the mindreading concept out of it made it very disappointing to watch).

I love the witty sarcastic humor of Joy of Life, I’m not into tragic period cdramas but after so much cheesy lazy slapstick wuxia/xanxia dramas, one with the intelligent, non-stop sarcastic humorous dialogue and an ensemble of god damn talented actors, especially the older cast, headed by an absolutely brilliant performance by the main lead and a script and plot that is compelling, fast paced and never misses a beat...well this is a true gem and one of the best executed cdramas, on every aspect from technical aspects to directing to acting, that I have ever seen. I usually don’t like palace dramas, and this is not one of those, it is adventure and family and transmigration and a lot more, but it retains the core elements of those palace dramas, which is the scheming politics, the intrigue and the constant tension of being surrounded by enemies by all sides and having to mind every word and action because a single faux pas will get him killed. It’s in line with the kind of cnovels I love and would like to see drama adaptations for like Husband Be a Gentleman or Golden Stage, which isn’t much of a surprise since this is also a novel adaptation.

It is nearly perfect imo, but the harem aspect (even if tuned down from the novel) still drags it down and the (main) FL is a bore and honestly the least interesting of all the females in the drama (it doesn’t help that ZRY has better chemistry with one of the other actresses, which in the novel, since his character hits ALL of them, it would be fine, here, meh). This is also one of the rare situations where I like the drama better than the book (even with the issues regarding the lack of chemistry with the FL), bc Fang Xian in the novel is scarily ruthless...it’s the same author as Nightfall (aka Ever Night), but NQ is likable because of his bond to SangSang, the irrationality of the persecution they face from the zealots, and also the world, despite being harsh, features loyalty and unconditional love in the members of the Academy, for example, that make all the anti-hero/antagonist traits more bearable. FX in Joy of Life it’s a much more cynical and cunning character, scary even, and the environment is a pit of backstabbing snakes. He is the hero bc he’s the main character, but from any other perspective he can easily be the villain. Add to that my distaste of harem and him getting it on with like 6 or so ladies (to give them credit some of them are pretty awesome characters), the novel just wasn’t for me. But ZRY as FX? He’s just so cheeky and likable, and this drama has an amazing supporting cast. I enjoy watching them all interact with each other. I’m glad it’s getting a season 2 and so looking forward to it.

Young Blood I didn't even like that much in the beginning, it started out interesting but confusing and some of the cast (both acting and characters) were kind of weak, but it got better and it had a power couple as leads who were both smart and a joy to watch, plus the bromance dynamic between the smartass bastard and the righteous straight-faced dudes that Handsome Siblings wishes it had (that’s a whole other story, why HS didn’t work for me, but trust me, no offense to the actors in that, I found them charming in other things, but perhaps bc this script was just better, the boys here just did it better, it just flowed...I watched both dramas at the same time and it was weird thinking that those two should be what Handsome Siblings was trying to do). What annoyed me until the end was that out of the ensemble cast, only 3 of the characters (the smart ones) were given enough material to shine. Eventually the other 2 guys got their piece as well, but the girl from the second couple is unfortunately a waste of a character. They eventually tried to give her an arc, but she’s still mainly “the cute doll” and a foil for the 2nd male lead to have a romantic interest. She is given less screen time and she has no presence. I didn’t need her to be a “strong” woman. They do state that her strong suit is that she is so charming that ppl easily trust her, but I wanted to see her evolve, become smarter (the other two dumb-asses eventually get better from the beginning and grow as characters, but she seems stuck in her shallow one trait personality of “cute/kind”). This has nothing to do with the actress, she was perfectly fine, my issues are with the character and how she was utilized.

Unrelated, there is a weird thing in the last episode where a character just disappears, but not like, on purpose, it seems like the drama just forgot about him, or they forgot to shoot the actor near the other ones where he was supposed to be, lol.

Honestly, story wise and even in terms of production Young Blood is inferior to Ever night S1 and especially Joy of life, which was a tight drama, but since it ended up so much better than it started I really wanted to see what they could do with a 2nd season.

P.S: You know what is also my cdrama type? Genius himbo chaotic mess cutie pies, with “rage issue” but deep down caring relatives... and their “straight” faced besotted partners, I mean...

#cdrama #cdrama edit #young blood #ever night #ever night s2 #joy of life #the untamed #mo dao su zhi #young bloods #mo dao zu shi #cql #mine

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eyeliner-vampire · 5 years ago

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Over Analyzing Ghost Hunt, episode 8

Better titled, 'shit I didn't notice the first time around', and boy did I do a double-take on this one. Episode 8 is the second installment of the After School Hexer. Naru's just pulled an all-nighter, staring down a potentially violent spirit.

Naru: (to Mai) "Turns out your instinct was right, [the spirit] appeared at my window last evening. I felt something worse might happen if I looked away, so we spent the entire night staring at each other."

Lin: "Why the hell didn’t you call me?"

Naru: "Because I wanted to see what would happen, and I thought it would be rude to wake you up for nothing."

Lin: "And what would you have done if something bad had happened?"

Naru: "Well obviously if it had, I would have called. But we just had a little staring contest. So, stop worrying."

Benign, right? On first watch, yeah, just a boy being hella rude to his technical assistant. But once you know the secret to the Ghost Hunt series, this innocuous back-and-forth becomes a boy defending himself from unspoken accusations. How? Well, let's read between the lines.

Lin: "Why the hell didn’t you call me?"

Look at that face.

Lin isn't asking why Naru didn't ask for help with a spirit. He's asking why Naru put himself in a situation where he had no protection. Naru isn't a spiritualist; he can't call on the power of a God or spirits to protect him like John, Monk, and Ayako. All he's got is himself and that's more dangerous than any spirit. Lin is panicked by this revelation. He shouts at Naru, but Naru responds back calmly, perhaps unwilling to divulge more in the presence of Mai.

Naru: "Because I wanted to see what would happen, and I thought it would be rude to wake you up for nothing."

Lin: "And what would you have done if something bad had happened?"

Lin won't budge. His charge could have been in serious trouble if he used his abilities, so he digs deeper, challenging him and Naru responds in kind.

Naru: "Well obviously if it had, I would have called."

Naru's saying he knows better than to act irrationally. He might even be a little peeved by the reminder that he is powerless.

Naru: "So, stop worrying."

The underlying dismissal ends the dispute and Lin walks away. Mai continues their previous conversation, none-the-wiser.

Yep, didn't get any of that the first time around. I almost feel bad for Lin; he's just doing his job. He's there to protect Naru but the boy keeps making stupid decisions and never tells anyone until it's too late. I would love to see a rendition of the story entirely from Lin's POV dealing with all of Naru's teenage bullshit.

#Everyone else probably knew this already #I'm just slow #After School Hexer #Lin Koujo #Naru #PK-ST #manga #anime #english dub #gh #ghosthunt #ghost hunt #Lin #Kazuya Shibuya #Oliver Davis #Ghost Hunt spoilers

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cromwxll · 5 years ago

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“𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐀𝐌 𝐈?....

𝒀 𝑶 𝑼 𝑲 𝑵 𝑶 𝑾 𝑾 𝑯 𝑶 𝑰 𝑨 𝑴.”

-- 𝐑𝐇𝐘𝐒𝐀𝐍𝐃 ● 𝐒𝐀𝐋𝐕𝐀𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐄 ● 𝐂𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐋 --

ENTJ - THE COMMANDER \ TYPE 8 - THE PROTECTIVE CHALLENGER

𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐒 are natural-born leaders. People with this personality type embody the gifts of charisma and confidence, and project authority in a way that draws crowds together behind a common goal. However, 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐒 are also characterized by an often ruthless level of rationality, using their drive, determination and sharp minds to achieve whatever end they’ve set for themselves. Perhaps it is best that they make up only three percent of the population, lest they overwhelm the more timid and sensitive personality types that make up much of the rest of the world – but we have 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐒 to thank for many of the businesses and institutions we take for granted every day.

--- 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘 ---

If there’s anything Commanders love, it’s a good challenge, big or small, and they firmly believe that given enough time and resources, they can achieve any goal. This quality makes people with the Commander personality type brilliant entrepreneurs, and their ability to think strategically and hold a long-term focus while executing each step of their plans with determination and precision makes them powerful business leaders. This determination is often a self-fulfilling prophecy, as Commanders push their goals through with sheer willpower where others might give up and move on, and their Extraverted (E) nature means they are likely to push everyone else right along with them, achieving spectacular results in the process.

At the negotiating table, be it in a corporate environment or buying a car, Commanders are dominant, relentless, and unforgiving. This isn’t because they are coldhearted or vicious per se – it’s more that Commander personalities genuinely enjoy the challenge, the battle of wits, the repartee that comes from this environment, and if the other side can’t keep up, that’s no reason for Commanders to fold on their own core tenet of ultimate victory.

If there’s anyone Commanders respect, it’s someone who is able to stand up to them intellectually, who is able to act with a precision and quality equal to their own. Commander personalities have a particular skill in recognizing the talents of others, and this helps in both their team-building efforts (since no one, no matter how brilliant, can do everything alone), and to keep Commanders from displaying too much arrogance and condescension. However, they also have a particular skill in calling out others’ failures with a chilling degree of insensitivity, and this is where Commanders really start to run into trouble.

Emotional expression isn’t the strong suit of any Analyst type, but Commanders’ distance from their emotions is especially public, and felt directly by a much broader swath of people. Especially in a professional environment, Commanders will simply crush the sensitivities of those they view as inefficient, incompetent or lazy. To people with the Commander personality type, emotional displays are displays of weakness, and it’s easy to make enemies with this approach – Commanders will do well to remember that they absolutely depend on having a functioning team, not just to achieve their goals, but for their validation and feedback as well, something Commanders are, curiously, very sensitive to.

Commanders are true powerhouses, and they cultivate an image of being larger than life – and often enough they are. They need to remember though, that their stature comes not just from their own actions, but from the actions of the team that props them up, and that it’s important to recognize the contributions, talents and needs, especially from an emotional perspective, of their support network. Even if they have to adopt a "fake it ‘til you make it" mentality, if Commanders are able to combine an emotionally healthy focus alongside their many strengths, they will be rewarded with deep, satisfying relationships and all the challenging victories they can handle.

- STRENGTHS & WEAKNESSES

EFFICIENT – Commanders see inefficiency not just as a problem in its own right, but as something that pulls time and energy away from all their future goals, an elaborate sabotage consisting of irrationality and laziness. People with the Commander personality type will root out such behavior wherever they go.

ENERGETIC – Rather than finding this process taxing Commanders are energized by it, genuinely enjoying leading their teams forward as they implement their plans and goals.

SELF-CONFIDENT – Commanders couldn’t do this if they were plagued by self-doubt – they trust their abilities, make known their opinions, and believe in their capacities as leaders.

STRONG-WILLED – Nor do they give up when the going gets tough – Commander personalities strive to achieve their goals, but really nothing is quite as satisfying to them as rising to the challenge of each obstacle in their run to the finish line.

STRATEGIC THINKER – Commanders exemplify the difference between moment-to-moment crisis management and navigating the challenges and steps of a bigger plan, and are known for examining every angle of a problem and not just resolving momentary issues, but moving the whole project forward with their solutions.

CHARISMATIC AND INSPIRING – These qualities combine to create individuals who are able to inspire and invigorate others, who people actually want to be their leaders, and this in turn helps Commanders to accomplish their often ambitious goals that could never be finished alone.

STUBBORN AND DOMINANT – Sometimes all this confidence and willpower can go too far, and Commanders are all too capable of digging in their heels, trying to win every single debate and pushing their vision, and theirs alone.

INTOLERANT – “It’s my way or the highway” – People with the Commander personality type are notoriously unsupportive of any idea that distracts from their primary goals, and even more so of ideas based on emotional considerations. Commanders won’t hesitate a second to make that fact clear to those around them.

IMPATIENT – Some people need more time to think than others, an intolerable delay to quick-thinking Commanders. They may misinterpret contemplation as stupidity or disinterest in their haste, a terrible mistake for a leader to make.

ARROGANT – Commander personalities respect quick thoughts and firm convictions, their own qualities, and look down on those who don’t match up. This relationship is a challenge for most other personality types who are perhaps not timid in their own right, but will seem so beside overbearing Commanders.

POOR HANDLING OF EMOTIONS – All this bluster, alongside the assumed supremacy of rationalism, makes Commanders distant from their own emotional expression and sometimes downright scornful of others’. People with this personality type often trample others’ feelings, inadvertently hurting their partners and friends, especially in emotionally charged situations.

COLD AND RUTHLESS – Their obsession with efficiency and unwavering belief in the merits of rationalism, especially professionally, makes Commanders incredibly insensitive in pursuing their goals, dismissing personal circumstances, sensitivities, and preferences as irrational and irrelevant.

--- 𝐄𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐀𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐌 𝐓𝐘𝐏𝐄 𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 : 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑 ---

𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 | 𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐟-𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 | 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞 | 𝐁𝐢𝐠-𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝 | 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥

Of all the Enneagram Types, 8s stand out for their decisiveness, strength, take charge nature, and confidant reliance upon themselves. They often have strong leadership skills, influence and the ability to empower others and make a strong impact on the world. When their values for truth and justice, are combined with their intelligence, courage, and stamina to protect and defend others, they reflect the power and protection of God.

CORE FEAR - Being weak, powerless, harmed, controlled, vulnerable, manipulated, and left at the mercy of injustice

CORE DESIRE - Protecting yourself and those in your inner circle

CORE WEAKNESS - Lust/Excess—constantly desiring intensity, control, and power; pushing yourself willfully on life and people in order to get what you desire.

CORE LONGING - "You will not be betrayed."

KEY MOTIVATIONS - Type Eights seek to have an impact on the world and to stay in control. They want to be self-reliant, to assert themselves, to prevail over others, and to be invincible.

KEY OBJECTIONS - Type Eights avoid feeling out of control, unsupported, vulnerable or weak. They don’t want their decisions or authority questioned, to be humiliated, or to be surprised by others’ unexpected actions.

- OVERVIEW OF A TYPE 8 AT THEIR BEST AND THEIR WORST

Type Eights engage life with a confident intensity, strength and a determination to make things happen. Their decisive and assertive leadership style causes them to be powerful change agents in the world, especially when seeking justice and protection for others.

However, in our world of sin and injustice where people are taken advantage of, they feel an intense need to protect themselves against betrayal and powerlessness by always having an invincible exterior and minimizing any personal vulnerability.

Their fear of weakness and vulnerability, joined with their thirst for control, power and justice, apart from Christ, can lead them to be too blunt, confrontational, insensitive, domineering, cynical, and even vengeful. Their attempt to provide protection for themselves by living with a thick steel over their hearts because of the tenderness in their heart. Underneath their outward strength is a major fear of betrayal. While other Types fear people and become passive, Eights fear people and become aggressive. Their personality says, "I’ll control them before they can control me."

Inevitably, this self-protection ends up doing more harm than good. To protect themselves they will live in denial, suppressing any emotions that cause them to feel vulnerable, out of control or exposed, living as though they never existed.

In relationship with others, Type Eights can end up sacrificing intimacy so that their weaknesses can’t be discovered and used against them. Denying themselves closeness and tenderness with others as well as the giving or receiving of forgiveness leaves them feeling incomplete, missing out on the intimacy and support for which they were created.

When Type Eights’ hearts surrender their fear of betrayal, and rely on Christ, they can relinquish their need for control and allow people to see an endearing vulnerability and compassionate strength. From that place they can better protect the innocent from injustice, empower others, and put their strength of leadership to use for the greater good.

--- 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐔𝐀𝐆𝐄 ---

WORDS OF AFFIRMATION ( 9 )

Actions don’t always speak louder than words. If this is your love language, unsolicited compliments mean the world to you. Hearing the words, “I love you,” are important— hearing the reasons behind that love sends your spirits skyward. Insults can leave you shattered and are not easily forgotten. You thrive on hearing kind and encouraging words that build you up.

QUALITY TIME ( 7 )

In Quality Time, nothing says “I love you” like full, undivided attention. Being there for this type of person is critical, but really being there—with the TV off, fork and knife down, and all chores and tasks on standby—makes you feel truly special and loved. Distractions, postponed activities, or the failure to listen can be especially hurtful. Whether itʼs spending uninterrupted time talking with someone else or doing activities together, you deepen your connection with others through sharing time.

ACTS OF SERVICE ( 6 )

Can helping with homework really be an expression of love? Absolutely! Anything you do to ease the burden of responsibilities weighing on an “Acts of Service” person will speak volumes. The words he or she most wants to hear: “Let me do that for you.” Laziness, broken commitments, and making more work for them tell speakers of this language their feelings don’t matter. When others serve you out of love (and not obligation), you feel truly valued and loved.

PHYSICAL TOUCH ( 5 )

A person whose primary language is Physical Touch is, not surprisingly, very touchy. Hugs, pats on the back, and thoughtful touches on the arm—they can all be ways to show excitement, concern, care, and love. Physical presence and accessibility are crucial, while neglect or abuse can be unforgivable and destructive. Appropriate and timely touches communicate warmth, safety, and love to you.

RECEIVING GIFTS ( 3 )

Don’t mistake this love language for materialism; the receiver of gifts thrives on the love, thoughtfulness, and effort behind the gift. If you speak this language, the perfect gift or gesture shows that you are known, you are cared for, and you are prized above whatever was sacrificed to bring the gift to you. A missed birthday or a hasty, thoughtless gift would be disastrous—so would the absence of everyday gestures. Gifts are heartfelt symbols to you of someone else's love and affection for you.

-- @gallaghermissions --

GIF CREDIT XXX

#gallagher:task #bc dea made me do it

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anachilles · 6 years ago

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» mundanity is not meant for us [1/2]

Summary: With the threat of the monster dealt with and Eliot back in the driver's seat of his own body, as badly beat up and in need of recovery as that body is, it's down to Margo and Quentin to pick up the pieces.

A take on post-4x12 events before they've even happened yet.

(( basically soft post-monster hurt/comfort recovery featuring margo and eliot being platonic soulmates with a side helping of queliot and quentin/margo bonding. a marqueliot love-fest, if you will ))

read on ao3: [ x ]

Pain.

One moment he’d been sitting on one of the worn, but comfortably familiar couches in the physical kids’ cottage, flipping through a book researching God knows what in the hopes it would help, and the next… fuck.

It was like the whole entire world disappeared from around him with no warning at all, leaving him suspended in darkness. He panicked, thinking that this might be it and that the monster had killed him. If he was in any right state of mind to be pondering it, he’d be thankful that he’d panicked at the thought of that.

Then it felt like he was being dragged backwards over broken glass, shards cutting deep – lacerating his skin and tearing him apart. He wanted to scream but couldn’t find the breath, only to the register an unbearably searing pain coursing down through his chest that seemed to steal what wasn’t there. The burn engulfed his entire body from the inside out – like he had fire blazing in his veins.

He wasn’t religious in the slightest despite his family’s best efforts, but for a split second he wondered if this was hell. That they were right and that he’d ended up in the fiery pits, despite knowing for a fact that that wasn’t how all this ‘dying’ stuff worked.

He came to all at once, gasping desperately for breath as if he’d had his head held underwater, looking at the dull, overcast sky. Even though his vision swam, everything was so fucking bright. It made him wonder how he’d ever believed his ‘happy place’ to be real, it being so muted in comparison to this.

His senses were overwhelmed and discombobulated, the ringing in his ears preventing him from concentrating for too long on any one particular thought. All he noticed was that he was lying on something cold and hard under his back, raised off the ground, and his shirt clung to him with an uncomfortably sticky wetness similar to the one he felt running down his face from his nose, and… the distant but muffled sounds of voices and footsteps hurtling towards him.

Frantic hands grabbed his face, soft and familiar but bloodied by the action, and though he couldn’t see her properly he knew in his heart it was Margo. She was talking to him, distant tone sounding frayed and desperate, but he couldn’t make out what she was saying.

Suddenly an intense fatigue and dizziness swept over him and he was powerless against the tide of it, letting his eyes roll back in his head, and the darkness claim him once more.

Mundanity felt foreign to them now.

Granted, it had for a while now, and it was almost certain that there was bound to be another earth-shattering global catastrophe under way that required their attention sooner rather than later. There always was. The Library was quickly becoming a well-organised authoritarian regime, the head of which with a God complex the size of Mount fucking Olympus and the means to satisfy it as well.

But right now – they finally had a moment to regroup. A second to catch their breaths after the showdown with the monster and his sister, which had culminated in the rather more bloody and violent exorcism than they’d intended. But for their efforts it meant they finally had Eliot back – real Eliot, not murderous child-God ‘Darth Eliot’ who most of them (especially herself and Quentin) had a hard time looking in the eye for fear they’d end up conflating the two. She didn’t want memories of that thing anywhere near the cherished memories she had of him.

But it was dumb in hindsight, because the second Eliot’s consciousness returned to the forefront on top of the stone altar Margo saw him instantaneously. There was no way she could ever mistake one for the other.

She had taken a cautionary few steps back after engaging the axes and the monster was forced from Eliot’s body, but the second the convulsing stopped she almost tripped over herself in haste as she ran to him. And his eyes were open. His eyes.

The eyes, amber and shining with strength and warmth, that had bore into hers so many times as he told her he loved her. That he was proud of her. That he believed in her.

‘I’ve known what you truly are since the first day we met. Long may you reign’.

“El! El…! Eliot!”

His name scraped the back of her throat as she’d yelled it, and for half a second, she caught a glimpse of her best friend when she reached him. The real him. Her heart engaged before her brain as she grabbed his face, anchoring himself and in some way soothing a cynical part of herself that wanted her to believe it wasn’t true and that it hadn’t worked. He was there; right in front of her.

Or he was. Until he slipped through her fingers and passed out and didn’t wake up for two days.

That first night they had Eliot back, Margo and Quentin both stayed with him through the night. For an irrationally hot-headed and protective instant she had wanted to question why Quentin felt so strongly about sitting in, argue that she had it covered. But it burned out as quickly as it had flashed, as it was clear to anyone how much Q had been hurting and agonising over all of this these past few weeks. The emotional abuse Q had taken from the monster wearing Eliot’s skin, taunting him and slobbering all over him, would’ve driven Margo to insanity. She didn’t blame him for wanting the same type of comfort from having Eliot back that she did.

She had her suspicions about the nature of that comfort and what type of emotions they sprang from, but she relegated them to the back of her mind. That was for another, less pivotal day.

“I’m staying with him too” Quentin asserted, though the crack in his voice gave away his exhaustion.

Margo regarded him from her position on the bed with an unreadable look. In a blink her face softened.

“Then get in here and close the door – you’re letting in a draught”

Margo lay on her side next to Eliot on the bed, one hand circled around his forearm. Like the sensation would reverberate somewhere inside him and he’d know she was there. Quentin watched on, curled up in an armchair he’d dragged closer to the side of the bed. He’d spent some time nervously fidgeting with his fingers, but eventually he just pulled his arms around himself and stayed that way.

Neither would verbally admit it, but they were both equally as on-edge as each other, watching Eliot’s bandaged chest rise and fall, affirming with themselves over and over that he was still breathing. He was alive. The monster hadn’t just fucking trashed the joint and ripped him apart on its way out. Every breath individually helped loosen the anxiety that had settled and taken up root in her chest ever since she’d heard there was a fighting chance that they even could get him back – but that it was down to her to make it happen.

Margo didn’t know if Q slept at all that night, but when she woke up in the early hours of the morning from her uneasy couple hours of nap, he had a book in his lap but looked just as bone-weary and exhausted as he had before she fell asleep.

Feeling her eyes on him, his gaze lifted from the text, and met hers. After very brief, silent exchange, Margo cocked her head and signalled him to join them on the bed. Just like old times, she thought – and its maybe the first time she’s thought something even slightly humorous in the last couple of days. And it was a welcome fucking change, even if it only managed to lift her spirit momentarily. It was something.

He hesitated, but the decision to abandon the book and move onto the bed appeared to be an easy one. Quentin slid himself into the space on Eliot’s free side. Margo watched him curiously. With a shaking hand, he tucked a stray curl that sat errant on Eliot’s face and gently tucked it behind his ear, as if he was some kid daring to touch a delicate glass ornament in a department store.

The air around them was still, and silent, and for some reason prompted Margo to break it.

“He isn’t going to break” she offered, her voice gravelly from non-use.

Quentin looked at her and blinked hard, before his eyes were inevitably drawn back to the other man’s prone form. A look of quiet, but melancholy affection passed over his face and his hand moved from where it had been floating at the side of Eliot’s face, and rested in the space between his shoulder and his chest. Careful to avoid the wounds.

That’s when Q’s eyes, blood-shot and ringed by viscerally dark circles, finally fluttered shut and he actually looked somewhat at peace.

It was much the same for the next day, each of the two of them occasionally shifting positions, leaving the room when needs’ must (no matter how much they loathed to), and Julia periodically popping her head round the door to bring them food. Eliot didn’t change. Or move. He just kept breathing…

Inhale,

Exhale.

Margo could handle that so long as he was alive, but if she was being honest with herself, she was growing somewhat… antsy (read: impatient) to talk to him. Hear his voice audibly confirm their assumptions that he was in fact okay.

At one point Q moved to pick the book back up off the chair, but to his surprise was interrupted in the action.

“If you’re gonna read, read out loud” she asked, tone guarded but… soft in a way he hadn’t heard in quite a while. It briefly teleported him back to a time long ago, of emotion bottles and grad school and that night. Things seemed so much less tangled and complicated back then, as much as it really hadn’t seemed that way at the time. Nostalgia filled his chest, but for once it didn’t make him sad, per se. Just… contemplative.

So, he read aloud to the two of them. Margo was surprised at how she relaxed into the story, curling up a little more comfortably by Eliot’s side as the tension she hadn’t even realised she’d been holding melted away somewhat with the tone of Q’s voice as he told the story.

It was the morning going into the third day after another night that Quentin clearly hadn’t slept properly, and Margo insisted in an almost annoyingly ‘big sisterly’ way that he go to his own bedroom and have a proper sleep, in a room that wasn’t so emotionally charged and liable to distract him.

“He’s fine” she insisted firmly “I’ll come wake you if anything changes”

Quentin clearly grappled with the idea for a minute, before visibly giving in. A) he knew deep down that she was right, and B) when it comes to Margo, when she adopts certain tones of voice he’s grown accustomed to noticing, it’s clear to anyone that she means business and not for being argued with. No matter how much the stubbornness welling in his chest wanted him to stand his ground and argue back a bit more.

“You promise?”

“Cross my heart” she replied, in that sarcastically mimicking way - but with an edge of gleanable sincerity that marginally put Q’s mind at rest. Marginally.

That was a couple of hours ago now, and Margo had sat upright against the headboard, propped up by a couple of large, plush pillows. Shit, this place was swanky.

She knew the idea of sleep was futile, so she’d flipped on the TV that hung against the wall facing the bed. Christ, she’d been in Fillory playing High King for so long she’d almost forgotten what television looked like. Pictures move? And speak? Oh how fucking revolutionary.

And how far behind she was on Game of Thrones. Actually – now that she thought about it, it was becoming harder to distinguish what felt like real life and what felt like a foreign country between modern Earth and the… rustic (read: medieval) “”charm”” of Fillory.

She flicked and flicked through hundreds of mind-numbing channels before settling on the age-old classic ‘Dr Phil’. Don’t judge – it was the best pick of a bad bunch and what could hurt about listening to someone else’s much inaner and less life-and-all-of-magic-kind- threatening problems. Give her cheating husbands and paternity tests that turn into Wrestle-Mania please.

She couldn’t focus on it though – her mind was drifting (she was surprised it even had the capacity and creativity to do that shit on so little sleep).

It was the utter plushness of the room that seemed to prompt it. This Marina chick who Kady had somehow stolen this apartment from really knew her shit when it came to New York City real estate. They’d taken up camp in the master bedroom, and it alone probably would’ve fitted both Eliot’s and Margo’s old rooms at the cottage together. The furniture was new, paintings and décor bland but ultimately tasteful, and it was immaculate enough to give the image of a showroom.

No – a fancy as shit hotel room Downtown. Like that one place Eliot and Margo had scoped out sometime in their first year at Brakebills whilst they were out shopping and simultaneously cutting class. It reeked of the kind of exclusivity that would not lend itself well to a couple of grad students, nor their bank accounts. But they’d gotten creative with their spellwork and blagged themselves the funds (at least… seemingly – which was all that mattered), completing the story with dramatic, colourful backstories, played out dramatically for extra effect with artful expertise, right down to the most minute detail.

Estella Armani (not that Armani) – daughter of a wealthy investment banker and depressed, pill-popping ex-movie starlet who ran away from her arranged marriage to the deathly boring son of her father’s evil business partner with the penniless but supremely gorgeous and passionate bastard son of a British Lord who’s came to America to ‘find himself’…

Margo smiled at the memory. Eliot had kept up that ridiculous fucking accent the whole way through their ‘performance’. The guys at the front desk probably didn’t give a shit but oh well, they were amusing themselves, and had collapsed into each other belly-laughing all the way up to the room ‘til they were sipping their $500 champagne.

Automatically, her hand reached out and closed around Eliot’s bigger, slightly calloused one where it lay on the bed in the space between them.

The spark of happy nostalgia dimmed though, but the hint of warmth that it left still sat in her chest and gave her some semblance of peace, and hope to get through the next however long they’d be stuck in this limbo.

They were in limbo, but the feeling of his hand in hers grounded her.

She turned her attention back to the TV and watched mindlessly for maybe an hour longer, happy to let her attention be swept up in someone else’s problems that she wasn’t at all connected to for a change.

Compared to the last few days of stormy, overcast, grey skies it was turning out to be a nice morning; the curtains were drawn shut but were sheer enough that the late Spring sun filtered through and cast the room alight. It felt warm. It dusted the cobwebs away and everything was still, blurred only by the buzz of the television.

Until what felt like the absolute impossible happened. A weak, croaky voice emanated from the other side of the bed.

“Bambi, really… Dr Phil?”

a/n: hi there!! this is my first ever magicians fic and so i’m still trying to work out/develop the characters’ voices in my head but i had so much fun writing this!! all comments and constructive criticism are so so welcome. thank-you for reading!!

#my stuff #the magicians #margeliot #queliot #marqueliot #multi chapt: minmfu #the magicians fic

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kimabutch · 6 years ago

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One fun thing about starting Critical Role with Campaign 2 is that I entered Campaign 1 with some really skewed assumptions about the Exandrian gods. Because in Campaign 2, it really seems that the gods are morally neutral, easily corruptible, and not really that useful — at best. The six gods that are allowed in the Empire seem fine with being used as political symbols/tools for an oppressive regime, while the other gods appear powerless to mortals destroying their symbols and jailing their worshippers (or, in the case of the Wildmother, to having her temples destroyed by an unknown force). The people who run the temples aren’t particularly sympathetic, and Jester is able to easily play tricks on them with no significant repercussions. Most of the inhabitants of the Dwendalian Empire don’t seem to care very much for the gods, and some (such as several members of the Mighty Nein) outright make fun of them, so that I, as a viewer, didn’t take them seriously at all. And then, of course, there’s the Traveller, who’s suspicious as fuck.

So when I started Campaign 1, I was a little surprised by how GOOD and compentent Pike is, and how Sarenrae seems to genuinely love and support her — I thought that was suspicious for the first several arcs. I was even more suspicious of Lady Kima when she was first introduced because she worships Bahamut. In Campaign 2, my first introductions to the god were as a symbol of the Empire, as adornment on Molly’s stupid toga, and as the temple that Jester defaces. When Keyleth challenges Kima as blindly following Bahamut, I was totally on her side, even though I know a lot of OG fans thought that Keyleth was acting irrationally. Obviously, in Campaign 1 there are a few irreverent characters, but many of them have important religious moments — Keyleth calls upon Melora when she uses her staff against Raishan, Percy goes to the Raven Queen temple, and Grog has his moments with Earthbreaker Groon. And Vax even goes from religiously ambivalent to incredibly faithful over the course of his character arc.

I dunno, it’s just really interesting to me! I’m really glad that Campaign 2 is so thematically and tonally different than Campaign 1, though — it makes it really cool to compare the two, and never boring to watch.

#critical role #just found this on my computer #I think I wrote it when I was just finishing the briarwoods arc #but I don't wanna edit it too much

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luddlestons · 6 years ago

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Here’s a little fic I wrote for @shattsunday based on a very important question that I asked myself recently: what if there were PUPPIES at the Garrison?

Life appears to move on just fine even during an apocalyptic alien invasion; Matt knows this because since landing, he’s seen at least three babies that were too small not to have been born post-Galra-invasion. He figures it’s a good sign, even though he spends a long time irrationally worried somebody would ask him (a high-ranking member of a rebel alien coalition) to babysit. Thank god people were sane still and nobody requested that of him.

He’s not as excited about, you know, human babies and the next generation as he should be, because he’s not dragging Shiro through the halls of the residential portion of the Garrison base to introduce him to somebody’s kid (partially because then Shiro would want one). He’s not elaborating, either, just tugging Shiro along with a quiet repetition of “come on, come on, come on” until Shiro stops resisting and goes with it, racing through the halls with him in a way that’s not exactly befitting of the captain of the Atlas, but fuck that, this is important.

“Nobody’s here,” Shiro points out, hesitating even though Matt’s ID opens the door just fine.

“Yeah, I know.” Matt plants his feet and tugs a little harder, which does successfully drag Shiro through the front door, because he’s not resisting that hard and Matt has the brute strength to pull him around, now, which is exciting. “A friend of mine lives here,” he explains, “she asked me to keep and eye on things for a few hours, because somehow this is my responsibility, even though they’re my parents’ dog’s—”

“Puppies,” Shiro finishes for him, in a soft, sort of awestruck voice.

Matt figures he’s allowed to be a little amazed, considering Keith’s the only one of them who’s seen a puppy in the past however-long-it’s-been. The timeline’s gotten a little scribbly on him.

“Yeah, they’re cute, huh?” Matt reaches into the towel-lined cardboard box that’s holding four little black and white lumps, who were born just before Matt got back to Earth, and were too young to do much more than wiggle around adorably for a little bit and then fall asleep. They don’t look much like Bae Bae, more like their mom, who’s sleeping on a pillow that’s been repurposed as a dog bed a few feet away from the box. He cups both hands around the smallest one, which is stubbornly trying to dig its way under the blanket instead of just curling up with its siblings for warmth, and plops it in Shiro’s lap, where it seems momentarily confused and then satisfied with snuggling up into his uniform jacket.

It’s adorable, frankly, especially the way Shiro’s eyes light up like he’s a ten-year-old who just unwrapped the little furball for Christmas. “They’re so small,” he says, still hushed, like their tiny puppy ears can’t handle his full volume. “How old are they?”

“I dunno,” Matt says, “I’m not really a puppy expert.” He can vaguely remember when they first got Bae Bae, but it’s mostly memories of the dog licking Pidge’s face, since she’d been the closest to the ground most of the time.

Shiro has started to pet the puppy’s head with two fingers, because the thing’s whole body is the size of his hand. He’s gentle with it, and when the puppy tries to scoot off his lap, Shiro readjusts it gingerly, trying not to touch it with his prosthetic arm. “You think they’d let me keep one on the Atlas?” he asks, and oh god, of course he’s doing the whole “can I please keep it” thing. Matt wonders if he’s gonna regret this.

“Too small right now,” he says, and resigns himself to giving Shiro the contact information for the people who own the mom dog. Shiro, Matt has always thought, is a dog person who lives the kind of life that would make it much easier for him to just get a cat. But the Atlas could probably use a therapy dog. And Shiro could definitely use a therapy dog.

“I’m the captain, I can decide if we get a dog,” Shiro says, not like a decree but like he’s just now realizing he can make dog-related decisions for his crew.

“Are you gonna name him? Her? Them?”

“Don’t put me on the spot like that.” The puppy has fallen asleep on Shiro, with its chin resting on his hand, so he’s powerless to move, stroking his thumb gently over the puppy’s floppy little ear.

“Well, everyone knows once you name it, it’s yours.”

“I’ll name it when I can keep it,” Shiro determined, and it’s ‘when’ not ‘if.’

“Well, you better start thinking,” Matt says, and then, because he has a brilliant idea, he elbows Shiro in the side. “Hey. Lay down. I’m gonna put all four of them on you at once.”

#voltron #vld #shatt #my fic #and that's how shiro got completely covered in tiny puppies

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ariabauer · 7 years ago

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100 Carmilla Stories - RunWithWolves Masterpost

Missing Hollstein? Already re-watched the series dozens of times? Need some Carmilla in your life? Then I have the fics for you. Seriously. I’ve written 100 Carmilla stories and categorized them here for your convenience (some stories fit into multiple but i did my best)

If you want...

Fake Dating/Marriage - i just really love this trope

Politician Carmilla has to get engaged to someone for her campaign and ends up with her long time best friend Laura. Marriage of Convenience

When Laura hears that actress Carmilla is fake dating her ex, she has some words for her best friend. A Rational Irrationality

Princesses Laura and Carmilla told the world they were dating to get out of arranged marriages. It’s easy til they fall in love. Not Really a Royal Romance

Laura wakes up in the hospital to find ex Carmilla at her side after they apparently got married a decade before. The Girl Who Got Away

As far as anyone knows, pHd candidates Laura and Carmilla hate each other. Lab Manager Laf is onto them. Worst Lab Partner Ever

General Fantasy - Supernatural beyond just vampires

Hollstein are dragon riders and Carmilla is not taking the responsibility seriously enough for Laura. Just A Girl and Her Dragon

Vampire Carmilla never expected to find old roomate Laura working a magical flower store in Diagon Ally. Lophii’s Blooms

Carmilla never wanted magic and Laura can’t unlock her own, they’re stuck together until they figure it out. circle of magic au Magic of My Own

Movies at Silas come to life and drag Carmilla into the role of Prince Charming while Laura gets sleeping beauty. Silas Movie Night

Werewolf Laura and Vampire Carmilla don’t get along and Carmilla doesn’t understand why Laura doesn’t turn her over tot he hunters. Like Cats and Dogs

Carmilla’s the best surgeon in the hospital but she swallows her pride and asks Dr Hollis for help when she gets an unusual sickness. Paging Doctor’s Hollis and Karnstein

Laura is angry because Carmilla thinks her blood tastes gross and spits it out instead of killing her. False Advertising

Clockwork Au: Laura and Carmilla to each have creatures made of clockwork (dragon and cat respectively) that represent their souls. Silver and Gold

Myths and Fairytales - sometimes you need a Hollstein happily ever after

Sassy Laura barges into Carmilla’s castle with a rose and demands a curse be lifted from her father. Beauty in A Beast ft Catmilla

Cupid Laura is determined to find vampire Carmilla’s soulmate even if Carmilla doesn’t want her too. Stalked By Cupid

Totally-in-love Laura and a tiny kitten Catmilla. Princess and the Frog twist, The Princess and the Kitten

Goddess of Spring Laura is accidentally kidnapped by Lord of the Dead Carmilla. Hades/Persephone AU. Queen of the Underworld

Carmilla goes overboard into the ocean during a storm and never expected a mermaid to pluck her from the sea. Kissed a Mermaid

War is over and shepherd god Carmilla can’t wait to go home to her wife. Sumerian god au. The Shepherd God

Orphan Laura falls in love with witch!Carmilla and chases after Carmilla when she runs. King Arthur au. Sword In My Stone Heart

The gods disappeared and Greek demigod Laura demands Sumerian demigod Carmilla help her save them. Daughter of Love and War

Science Fiction Fun - time travel and space and oh my!

Carmilla’s time machine keeps taking her to a small human child. When Carmilla stops coming back, grown up Laura stows away. Time Travel Malfunction

After graduation, bffs Carmilla and Laura take their spaceship on a roadtrip with definitely no pining. Roadtrip To the Stars

Captain Hollis is forced to let cocky co-pilot Carmilla join her starship crew as she tries to stop black holes from devouring the universe. Star Filled Memories

Cops or Superheroes Au - nothing like a good bout of crime fighting and a mystery to get flirty Hollstein roaring to life

Laura as a detective and Carmilla as the flirty annoying writer following her around as they try to solve murders. Write Me A Murder

Laura who doesn’t have superpowers trying to navigate a school for the superpowered featuring asshat with superstrength Carmilla. Powerless

FBI agent Carmilla trapped in a bank/bomb heist and sending flirty notes to the hostage negotiator Laura. Don’t Let Go

Supervillain Carmilla and superhero Laura being arch-enemies and yet their alter egos are roommates. Beneath the Boots and Leather

Special Agent Hollis would have an easier time getting through the laser field if her annoying partners wasn’t so flirty. Mission Flirtable

Vampires know there’s no such thing as superheros. Laura didn’t get the memo and she’s now Carmilla’s problem. Not a Superhero

Fire Princess Carmilla has flames at her fingertips and still isn’t ready for her air-powered roommate. atla au Fire In My Veins and Air in My Lungs

Star Reporter Laura is determined to get an interview with Superwoman if only her incompetent partner Carmilla stopped getting in the way. At The Daily Planet

Batwoman doesn’t have time for dating even if Wonder Woman ‘call me Laura' makes her heart flutter. No Dating For Batwoman

Could Be During Canon? - Trying to fit stories inside the world we love

Reincarnation AU where Carmilla's vampirism allows her to die and then come back to life 9 times. Nine Lives to Die

Carmilla plans a date after Laura asked her to the Zeta party. s1 Date Like it’s 1698

Each episode written in an extremely snarky tone in Carmilla’s diary. Dear Creampuff

Countess Karnstein is looking for the partner who dances in step with her. The Right Partner

Laura is the girl who cares and Carmilla doesn’t know what to do when she stops. s2 story. A Question of Caring

8 times Laura uses a Bandaid and 2 times she doesn’t. Stick an Apatosaurus to My Heart

Even though Laura’s dead, alt-Carm keeps hearing her heartbeat everywhere she goes. Floating Through A Stone Wall

Laura breathes until she doesn’t. Carmilla doesn’t breathe until she does. With Human Breath

Hollstein gets trapped in the s2 cellar with a magical snowstorm raging upstairs. Cuddling for warmth. Colder Than Our Hearts

Hollstein says hey a lot. It’s kind of their thing. A look at all seasons and the movie and what that word means. Hey

Canon Alternatives - twists on the way it went

Carmilla dies from the Dean’s sword and Laura brings her back, binding them together forever. The Golden Heart of Paris

Laura gets her heart back but doesn’t wake up so Mattie comes to her with a deal. Hold Her Hand

Danny is dead and the the campus is gone and Laura Hollis has had enough of people dying in her name. An Explanation for Deification

Laura saved them all from Vordenberg but paid a price Carmilla wish she hadn’t to channel a god’s power. Behind Your Ancient Eyes

Laura had meant to do romantic things for Carmilla, she’d just thought they’d have more time. I Meant To Do That

LaFerry fic where Laf is a ghost and keeps stealing substance from Carmilla so that Perry can touch them. Define Death

Saving Laura to be the only reason Carmilla would ever willingly get back inside the coffin. Coffin of Starlight

Barely friends Carmilla and Laura literally glued together including obligatory shower scene. The Sticking Incident

Mircalla’s doesn’t remember her past but her next client looks familar and, instead of taking her ‘services’, just wants to talk. Find You In the Dark

One Carmilla was bad, Laura has no idea how to handle 2 version of her ex girlfriend when they’re stuck in the library. Split Personality, Literally

Laura has amnesia but is thrilled to find out the hot vampire by her bed is her wife. Absolute jackpot Wake Up With a Hot Wife

Carmilla’s soul is trapped in the pit and Laura and the scooby gang have to figure out how to put her back together. Colours of A Soul

After Canon Ends - what could happen next

Post Movie Hollstein and their daughter go looking for the fountain of youth. Retcon the retcon. Family Trip to the Fountain

Papa Hollis gives a speech at a Hollstein wedding that gives all the feels as he tells Laura’s life story. That’s My Daughter

Vamp Laura going through a photo album and telling stories about her adventures with Carmilla. A Live Well Lived

Laura, her father, and eventually Carmilla leave letters on Laura’s mother’s tombstone. Until We Meet Again

Mortal Laura and immortal Carmilla trying to figure out their lives and how to handle forever. Dandelion Promises

Vampires can’t go inside churches but Carmilla still likes to listen to the bells. Laura follows her. post movie. Monstrous Grace

Laura leaves a letter for Carmilla to give to all of Laura’s reincarnations over the centuries. The One Who Loves Her Next

Pregnant Laura has weird 2am cravings for Carmilla to try and fill. 9 Months of Mustard

Musical Hollstein - Trying to write melody with words

Tired world class musician Carmilla gives beginner Laura lessons and falls a little bit in love with her and the music. Teach Me to Play

Carmilla’s sent to interview her ex, pop star Laura. It’s been years and Carmilla can still see the brokenness her mother put on Laura’s face. To Hope Beyond an Unfinished Melody

Coffee Shop and Cooking Hollstein

Laura moves in with the hot coffee barista she has a crush on it’s both the best and the worst. Coffee Cupcake Crush

Laura can’t make coffee but she can set up all her customers with each other, the only person she can’t find a match for is fellow barista and ‘cupid-in-crime’ Carmilla. The Ultimate Coffee Shop Au

Angsty chefs Hollstein run a cooking show but when things get hot in the kitchen, they become secret exes with benefits. Cooking With Hollstein

Human Hollstein - Nothing supernatural. Just our girls being cute.

Billionaire playgirl Carmilla can’t bring herself to be a playboy when it’s Laura she’s taking as her date. Read The Carmilla Karnstein Special

Laura sees a girl on the subway but couldn’t speak to her so writes a ‘missing person’ ad instead. Missed Connections

Aggressive salesman Laura sells girl scout cookies with tiny Laf and knocks on Carmilla’s door. Just Buy the Cookies

Adorable sticky note conversations between broody Carmilla and the girl on the day shift who stole her mug. The Mug Thief

Drunk Carmilla comes into Laura’s tattoo shop and demands a tattoo on her butt. Tattoos and Bikinis

Laura literally falls into Carmilla’s lap on the bus and a spunky older gentleman gives love advice. Strangers on a Bus

Laura’s not very good a camping and the night’s cold when your tent collapses, might have to share sleeping bags. To Build A Tent

Librarian Karnstein enjoys annoying Professor Hollis by rearranging the books to see her scrunched nose. Librarian Hottie

Laura signs up to be a toymaking Christmas elf but gets a grumpy partner who hates making toys. Christmas Trains

Hockey player Laura is determined to get concessions booth worker Carmilla to love the skating rink. Cookies Cupcakes and Hockey Captains.

High School Hollstein Stories

Nerd Laura becomes the quarterback and only reluctant cheerleader Carmilla doesn’t change around her. A Classic High School Love Story

Laura is desperate for cookies and Carmilla ate them all after high school home ec. How to Avoid Kale

Hollstein neighbours shoot nerf guns and marshmallow guns and water guns at each other. War of the Windows

Hollstein becoming friend in kindergarten and then grow up together while getting into all kinds of trouble. Loving Trouble

Hollstein with Animals - Fluffier than fluff because animals are fluffy

Reluctant dog walker Carmilla can’t say no to vet Laura’s requests to walk various animals so they get exercise. Puppy Dog Eyes

Pet Store worker Carmilla saves Laura after she kills Laf’s fish. Again and again. One Fish Two Fish

Carmilla’s cat to keep bringing home some mysterious girl’s underwear. Drawer of Lingerie

Carmilla’s cat gets Laura’s cat pregnant and Laura demands Carmilla co-parent the kittens. Bonus unexpected canoe. Kitten Kisses

Carmilla rescuing Laura from evil spiders in the laundry room. For Fear of Spiders

Playing With Words - Hollstein examined in a story

The story on campus before Carmilla reached room 307 told like Welcome to the Nightvale. Welcome To Silas

Writing the movie plot before the movie came out with Hollstein engagement and Ell closure. It’s Not About the Plot

Laura’s a baker, Carmilla’s a firefighter. An examination of what a Hollstein story really is. A Generic Carmilla Story

Detailing the 100 little ways Hollstein fell in love over the seasons. 100 Ways They Fell in Love

Soulmates - because who doesn’t love some soulmate Aus. Usually twisted from the typical soulmate version or an original idea

Tiny literal hearts to pop up every time Carmilla looks at Laura and all Carmilla wants is for Laura to NEVER SEE THEM.Love is Orange

The scars from one person to show up only on the body of their soulmate featuring a Carmilla who is scarless for centuries and a Laura who will only wear long sleeves. Scars Inside

Timer soulmate au where Carmilla meets a tiny five year old Laura on her first day of school and suddenly finds her timer has started counting down to the moment they fall in love. A Broken Pocketwatch

A mirror will let you see your soulmate every year on your birthday but everyone is convinced there’s been a mistake when 21th century Laura sees 17th century Carmilla in the mirror. The Mirror Between Us

Fairy Laura follows her soulmate compass through a jungle only to find a panther. Carmilla’s not interested in soulmates. Follow Your Arrow

Everyone is born with a soulmate marker to write the name of their chosen soulmate on their skin. Vampires don’t have ink. s1-3 We Chose Each Other

Child countess Carmilla wished on stars for a best friend and got an imaginary lion. Centuries later, child Laura makes the same wish and finds a panther on her doorstep. Wishing On Imaginary Stars

Carmilla has never seen color until the world starts flickering when a kid can’t find their mom. A Hint of Colour

You can hear the music of your own soul and your soulmate but vampire Carmilla can’t hear the music. After Ell separates them, can Laura find her again and again? In Every Universe You Are My Symphony

This has been a 3 year labour of love. The stories vary in length from about 2k to over 100,000k for a total of more than half a million words. Have suggested stories? Let people know! It’s a big list!

Hope you enjoy them and thank you for all of your support creampuffs! <3 Aria

#carmilla #hollstein #laura hollis #carmilla karnstein #runwithwolves #aria bauer #long post #masterpost

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