#or that unlike her brother the plot never lined up in such a way that there was room for like 3 seasons of her becoming good

[sy-on-boy]

Anya + unraveling the mystery of the Desmond family (and Damian being different)

When Melinda debuted, I wrote a post about how she was potentially a character against the Forgers because Anya hadn't met her (we gain insight into characters via our deus ex machina Anya meeting them and reading their minds). Anya has met her now and the narrative has established that she genuinely cares for Damian (even if she's still a mysterious character).

After a long time, Demetrius is finally here. He's still mysterious, but not antagonistic to his brother and still cares for him. Like I said in a previous post, Demetrius subverts what I said above because Anya cannot read him fully even if she's met him. But regardless, Demetrius is here, we've seen him, all four Desmonds have finally debuted. And in my mind, I can vaguely connect them to the Forger-Briar extended family:

Anya - Damian: The kids aiming for stella stars and seeking parental approval. Attached to their dogs. Occasionally heroic (dodgeball, handkerchief, bus hijacking), but ultimately silly kids dragged into "adult" political matters (Anya with more awareness than Damian).

Loid - Donovan: Standing in for WISE vs war, one of the central conflicts. They are fathers and authority figures. Loid, faking a job as a psychiatrist, seeks to understand people (as a fake job, but he also does this as a spy). Donovan famously declared that people would never truly sympathize with each other. A good, attentive father and a neglectful father.

Yor - Melinda: The mothers, the narrative kind of puts them in the background compared to their husbands, but we know they have plot behind them. Yor's job as an assassin is unknown to her family (sans Anya). Melinda has struggles of her own when it comes to parenting her kids / being married to Donovan.

Demetrius - Yuri: Bit of a stretch, but they're both characterized as genius brothers and on the side compared to the main father-mother-child trios. Yuri works for the SSS, in direct opposition to Loid. Demetrius is a middle schooler?? He’s a child so he’s probably not that involved in the main plot, and if he is, it’s not willingly / he was brought up that way. They're both younger (and less experienced) compared to the adults- Demetrius is still a child and Yuri is 20. Yuri's affection for Yor is overflowing and the Briar siblings are very supportive of each other. In contrast, Demetrius is passive and apathetic, but not uncaring.

Anya has met everyone except for Donovan. Anya thinks both Melinda and Demetrius are weird. And Anya thinks of Donovan as the evil super boss. To her, the Desmonds are "weird". "All of Sy-on boy's relatives are such weirdos" - not sure if it's just the translation, but this line seems to imply Anya thinks Damian is exempt to the weirdness of his family. After all, unlike Demetrius, she can read Damian's thoughts normally. And unlike Melinda (and Yuri, and Fiona), she usually doesn't get bombarded with an overwhelming wave of intense thoughts when she reads Damian's mind.

And that brings us to the next point - Damian's time in Eden and the positive influences he receives (away from his family). Damian and Anya are better friends now. E&E's loyalty and affection for him have been established countless times. Becky congratulates Damian this chapter. Despite Damian thinking people suck up to him to get close to his father, he has a group of friends who do care about him (including Becky who doesn't suck up to him). Outside of what we see from Anya's pov, Damian has teachers and his dorm mother (Jeeves too) who care for him. Damian isn't alone.

Damian is shown to be disconnected from his family for whatever reason. His parents didn't come to his orientation. Damian says he doesn't see his parents often. Melinda cares for Damian but isn't allowed to see him often / afraid to be seen with him (?). Damian has called Demetrius before but this is the first time we see him meet Demetrius in person. And we all know about Damian's goal of impressing his father. Damian seems to believe Demetrius and Donovan when close when they were younger (when Demetrius was slightly older than Damian’s age), but Damian receives no such attention. Despite this, Damian still manages to have a fairly happy school life with his friends and supportive adult figures.

I think Damian's growing friendship with Anya and the recent complete reveal of the Desmond family will push Anya into thinking Damian is not like his weird family. If anything, Damian is more like Anya and her associates. Post bus-hijacking, Damian from Anya's POV is seen as more likeable / sympathetic, even more so now that we know about his mother and brother.

Anya is a child who is exposed to some of the darkness in Melinda / Demetrius' heads (trauma from being close to Donovan?), and she doesn't really understand them. Melinda / Demetrius seem off to outsiders (we saw Yor’s reaction, Becky thinks Demetrius is creepy) but it’s only Anya who’s capable of reading their minds and knowing how weird their thoughts are. But Anya has a much better understanding of Damian, the youngest Desmond, who is a kid like her with understandable motivations (getting stars, impressing his dad) similar to Anya's own motivations.

Interesting to note that Demetrius, while at Eden, seems rather lonely and disconnected even within his peer group. When he walks down the stairs, the panel frames it as him being alone, while Damian has four friends with him. When Damian and Anya get their stars, their classmates are shown to be smiling / impressed. When Demetrius gets his stars, we see two of his peers sweatdropping, almost looking wary, while a blushing girl has her hands to her mouth. The story doesn't show Demetrius' peers celebrating his success. It feels like Demetrius' peers are used to him getting good grades but still in awe of how good he is, but... they're not really close to him. Demetrius is not social and says he doesn't understand people, and maybe he doesn't interact much with his peers.

This chapter also reveals Demetrius is not in regular contact with Donovan anymore, contrary to what Damian believed. So Demetrius seems removed from the Desmond family sphere, but also isn't super integrated into the Eden sphere (in contrast to his 6yo brother and his friends). We can believe Demetrius isn’t close to Donovan because he is annoyed (and triggered?) by the mere mention of his father. Clearly Donovan has done something scarring to both Melinda and Demetrius and their thoughts look weird to Anya. Damian, despite craving for his father's attention and being stressed about it, is still relatively unaffected.

From now on, I think we'll slowly get more information about the Desmonds while Damian remains separated from them in the narrative. Damian is introduced as a vital part of Plan B due to his connection with his father, but even Damian himself admits there's not much of a connection. Plan B is working (sort of) because Damianya are friends, but that doesn't mean it's easier for Anya to meet Donovan. I think the narrative has been pushing Damian away from being a plot device for Plan B to being Anya's genuine friend and a victim of the Desmond parenting. At this point, Damian is not really useful to the main plot and there's not much mystery to this 6yo child.

Damian still thinks of himself as a scion of the Desmonds and he’s desperately trying to get his father’s attention. But his dad doesn’t really care, his mom loves him but doesn’t want him to be near Donovan, his brother is similar and also seemingly doesn’t want anything to do with Donovan. Meanwhile, the story establishes him as a boy with a crush on Anya, a boy with friends who will readily sacrifice themselves for him, a boy who’s willing to protect his classmates. All around Damain, his peers, associates, and the story itself has long been defining Damian as someone outside of being the Desmond family. But Damian naturally holds onto it.

Damian isn’t mysterious to Anya because she can read him. Okay, she still thinks he’s a brat sometimes, but that’s Damain being Damian, not Damian being a Desmond. But everyone else in the family is mysterious and it makes Anya feel at least vaguely uncomfortable.

The Desmonds are probably connected to Project Apple, and with the recent hints of Anya’s backstory, we might get some of that. But Damian is framed as almost completely separate to whatever went on, while Melinda and Demetrius are portrayed as victims of Donovan, mysterious and a bit weird but still sympathetic.

And that’s why I think it’s coming together— hints of Anya’s backstory, Damianya becoming better friends, the Desmonds all here. We’ve scratched the surface off and we’re hopefully going to see more.

(Also, just a thought: if Damian indeed goes through a “dark arc” and becomes more like the rest of his family, Anya will know because she can read his mind. She will be able to tell if Damian’s thoughts also start being “weird”. But they are better friends now which could be a lead up to her helping Damian deal with the pressure and struggle.)

[blond-jerk-tourney]

Blond Jerk Tourney FINALS

Propaganda from submitters Under Cut

Sharpay Evans

Blonde, HSM antagonist but it was never that deep

vote for Sharpay right now she fought sasuke

Nanami Kiryuu

She's the mean girl of the show, and a pretty interesting take on the "bitchy vain school rival of the protagonist" trope. She spends most of her early screentime being a bully and most of her later screentime being both the biggest loser imaginable and deeply sad/troubled (which still does not erase how much of an asshole she can be). She even laughs like your stereotypical mean rich girl. Nanami has so many problems and sucks so so bad. I adore her.

Shes a psychotic bully who seeks to ruin the lives and reputations of any girl who gets more of her brothers attention than she does. Reasons Nanami Kiryuu deserves to win: - she has made many attempts at physical and psychological terrorism against Anthy Himemiya (including a plotted wardrobe malfunction at a crowded social gathering) simply for drawing more of her brother's attention than her - tried to fill Anthy's bedroom with wild animals (a snail, a snake, and a live octopus) to make her out to be a freak only to find that her room was already full of wild animals - she bankrolled an elementary schoolers crush on her to turn him into her personal boyservant - briefly non-personed a member of her bully entourage for sharing an umbrella with her brother - received a luxury cowbell due to a shipping error and smugly wore it to school for weeks flaunting it like high coture - when her bully entourage rebelled against her due to her brothers manipulation she brought them back in line by just straight up beating the shit out of all of them - all in all just a petty, goonish motherfucker (she also does the ohohohohoho anime girl laugh)

she's blond: despite being Japanese her hair is yellow, unlike her brother's. yellow is even her image color. she's a jerk: introduced as a jealous and dishonest scheming bully, she is one of the more outwardly antagonistic characters in a cast where pretty much everyone is a Real Piece Of Work she's the best: the quintessential ohoho-laughing ojou, her fully-realized character arc makes people both laugh and cry even her sidekick is a blond jerk! how many blond jerks have their own blond jerk sidekick?

i don't know what you've heard but she's NOT the kind of girl who lays eggs!

The token mean rich girl of the franchise. Does the classic "ohohoho" laugh. Doesn't like either of our main characters. She never actually seems to get her way, and secretly has a lot of her own problems. also she lays eggs and turns into a cow

Absolutely THE quintessential anime mean girl. I mean literally her laughing is THE meme for the hohohoho anime laugh. Needs attention So Badly and straight up bullies anyone she deems a threat to that (so basically Everyone). I haven’t finished RGU but apparently she duels with the intent to kill and drowned a kitten once because it was taking up too much of her brother’s attention? Also she’s 13 which explains a lot

[kidstemplatte]

broken by love

summary: uncle copi babysits you and terzo’s daughter.

message at the end of the post as usual. please enjoy. 🤍🐁

(this is gonna make me cry)

“Ciao, fratellino!” Terzo greeted his brother, standing in the doorway of the Cardinal’s quarters, holding his little girl, Violetta, in his arms.

“What a lovely surprise!” Copia replied with a grin.

“Sorry I threw this upon you with such short notice, I’m going out with (Y/N) - er- this one’s Mommy tonight.” He said, quickly correcting his mistake as he placed his toddler on the ground.

“Oh no, you are not throwing anything on me at all. I am always happy to see my niece.”

“Alright la mia stellina, your Mama and I will be back tonight. Have fun. Make sure he stays out of trouble.” Terzo said, as if he himself didn’t come out of the womb Satan’s greatest troublemaker.

“I will! Hi, Uncle Copi!” she beamed, jumping up and down in excitement. Violetta loved spending time with her uncle. He was funny and sweet and had lots of cool toys in his room. Not to mention apple juice.

“Alright tesoro, have fun, but do not forget about me. I love you, la mia stellina.” Terzo said, kneeling to the ground and planting kisses all over his daughter’s soft face.

“Bye-bye Papa! I love you!” she waved as her father left the room.

“So, what shall we do?” the Cardinal asked his niece, clapping his hands together and shifting them a bit.

“Can I see your toys?” she asked excitedly, looking up at him with her big round eyes, strikingly akin to yours.

“Eh… My toys?” He asked, a bit confused, until realizing what she was referring to. “Oh, of course!”

Copia was, to put it bluntly, a big fat nerd. The shelves in his office were lined with what he would describe as “artifacts”, figurines and merchandise from various games, films, and comics, which were now old enough to be considered “vintage.” Thinking about that sent a shiver down his spine. Typically, Copia was pained when someone referred to his collectibles as “toys”, but found it utterly adorable in this scenario.

“Right this way!” He announced, crouching down a bit to take her tiny hand in his and lead her towards his office.

Upon entering the room, Violetta gazed up at the various memorabilia in awe, mouth agape. The Cardinal couldn’t lie; it was nice that someone finally showed some appreciation for his collection.

“Can we play?” she asked politely, pointing at the shelves.

In this moment, the value of the figurines meant nothing to him. He would normally become frazzled when someone touched his things, waving his hands frantically while jumbling a plethora of words,

“Nononothesearespecialdonottouchpleaseyouseetheyareworthalotandeverythingisexactlywhereitneedstobeplacedand-“

But she was a well-mannered girl, and beyond that, was far more special than anything on his shelf. Besides, at the unlikely chance she were to break something, it would be a wonderful excuse for him to scroll through eBay and search for a replacement (as well as other trinkets) late into the depths of the night. And if anything were to be broken, it would be broken by love. The best thing to be broken by.

“Sure!” he responded cheerfully, gesturing towards his display and letting her decide which characters would join today’s cast of playtime.

Today’s storyline was rather enthralling. A young and beautiful woman named Collette (a Princess Leia doll) was secretly in love with “Señor Joe”, (a Boba Fett figurine) someone her parents told her she must never speak with. The story ended triumphantly with a beautiful marriage. Copia didn’t know how or when they got there- he remembers Violetta briefly mentioning flying to Brazil on a private jet- maybe a war at one point- but somehow the two figures wound up at a marvelous wedding ceremony on Mars in front of all the Storm Troopers, to which, Violetta triumphantly announced, “The End!”

The Cardinal couldn’t help but wonder what you and Terzo were watching on television that inspired this thrilling plot.

“Wow, that was quite the story!” he said, impressed with his niece’s imagination. “You are very creative, much like your Mama and Papa.”

“Thank you Uncle Copi!” she chirped, practicing the manners you and Terzo taught her.

“Of course.” Copia caught sight of the clock, shocked by how much time had flown by.

“Violetta, it is now a very important time of day.” He announced.

“I already had nap time, Uncle Copi!”

To this, he chuckled, and ruffled his niece’s hair.

“Not nap time, it is feeding time.”

“But I’m not hungry.” She replied.

“Not for you, but for my rats.”

“Rats? You have rats? I want to see! Pleasepleaspleasepleaseplease!” She squealed, shaking her little hands in excitement, a mannerism he observed she shared with you.

“Papa says they are foul creatures plagued with disease!” she said, her bright smile indicating that she clearly had no understanding what any of that meant. For all she knew, that could be a top-tier compliment.

“Do you want to help me feed them?” he asked.

“Yes! Yes!” she agreed as she followed him out the door and down the hall, singing a little song about rats on the way. He might have to write that down.

And there they stood, in all their glory, two little rats in a spacey, well-kept cage, their beady eyes and soft grey fur capturing the little girl’s attention.

“Uncle Copi, they are so cute!!!” Violetta squealed.

“Would you like to hold one?” He asked as he opened the cage, refilling their food bowl.

Violetta got a tad nervous after his proposal, fingers fidgeting with the sides of her dress and her expression shifting to an anxious one.

“They are very sweet. You do not have to hold them if you do not want to, but I promise if you are gentle to them, they will be gentle to you.”

“That makes sense.” Violetta replied after her uncle’s thoughtful explanation. “I want to hold one.” She concluded. “Please.” She added, remembering what she was taught.

Maybe Terzo could learn some manners from his four-year-old daughter.

The Cardinal thought to himself.

“Now, hold your hands out like this.” He explained, cupping his hands with his palms facing up. “Do you want to hold Pesto or Bean?”

The latter name made Violetta giggle.

“Is something funny?” he teased.

“Bean is a funny name.” she replied through giggles, pointing at Bean, the brown rat.

“Okie dokie, one Bean coming right up!”

Copia gently picked up his precious Bean and placed him in Violetta’s hands. She giggled as she looked down on the little rat, so small, so sweet. A little bit like her.

“He is nice.” She said, smiling. “His feet tickle.”

“He is very nice. And sí, they do tickle. One time I was in a very important meeting and I did not notice this little Bean was in my sleeve until I felt him pitter-pattering up my arm and started laughing in front of the entire Clergy. Your Papa was there.” He recalled.

“Really?” Violetta asked.

“As real as real can be.”

“I guess I can’t bring him to school.” she sighed.

“I suppose not. But Bean is highly educated already. Does not need any more schooling.”

“Oh. I see.” she replied.

After some bonding time with Bean, Copia scooped him up and placed him back in his penthouse of a cage.

Bye bye, Bean. Bye bye, Pesto. She said, waving to the little rats.

“Next time you will have to hold Pesto. My bestie, Pestie.”

“Your what?”

“My bestie, Pestie. Bestie Pestie.” he explained nonchalantly.

To this, Violetta did not just giggle. If “Bean” was funny, “Bestie Pestie” was downright hilarious. The little girl started laughing so hard her stomach hurt, rolling on the ground as she repeated “Bestie Pestie.” The sound of the young girl’s laughter brought a newfound lightness in his heart, one that left his heart full but a little bit broken simultaneously. The two of them laughed together on the carpet, sharing what would be a treasured memory even years later.

After recovering from the laughter, Violetta asked,

“Can we play a game? Please? The car one?”

❦ ❦ ❦

“That’s how my Papa drives.” Violetta stated bluntly as she sipped on a juice box, pointing at the television screen as she watched her uncle crash the pixelated car in his video game.

Copia chuckled.

“Maybe you can do a better job than me? Your turn again?” He asked, holding out the controller.

“I like to watch. It’s fun.”

“Okie dokie.” Copia said, starting a new round of his game.

But this round was a little bit quieter. There was an absence of conversation. Violetta, exhausted from an afternoon of playing and laughter, fought the urge to fall asleep as her eyes started fluttering shut.

“Copi?” she suddenly said.

“Sí?”

“Are you a Papa?” the girl questioned.

“No, cara mia, that’s your father’s job.” he explained, laughed softly.

“Are you a Papa?”

“I’m afraid I do not understand.”

“Are you somebody’s Papa?”

…

Such a simple question that dug up so many not-so-simple feelings.

“Are you asking if I am a father?”

“Yes.”

“Oh. No, I am not.” He clarified, heart sinking a tad.

“Why not?”

How was he to explain to a four year old that he didn’t have what was considered a prerequisite to a child: a partner? That he was never sure if he would fall in love or that even if he did, there would never be anyone in the world who would love him back? That he wanted to be a Papa more than anything, but his life had not led him to that point?

“I already have my rats, I suppose.”

“You should do it.” Violetta suggested, as if it was a simple thing to accomplish.

“Maybe one day.” he replied, smiling softly.

“You’d be a good Papa.” she sleepily uttered.

“Thank you, Violetta. My brother is very lucky to be your Papa.” He replied, sincerely.

And the sleepy young girl gathered all the energy she had into one final statement before dozing off:

“Love you, Uncle Copi.”

“I love you too, Violetta.”

And she was off to sleep.

Copia carefully stood up, trying not to wake the sleeping girl, and walked to the closet to grab a blanket. He picked up something else as well: a small rat plushie he had been saving for her birthday. He figured he would give it to her now, so she could have a Bestie Pestie of her own. After placing the large blanket over her, he tucked the stuffed animal snugly beside her.

Copia sat beside her on the couch, scrolling online to find a new birthday present for her. He settled on a Barbie airplane that would make a divine private jet for Señor Joe and Colette.

Just after he pressed “order”, he heard a knock on the door and its soft squeak as it opened.

“How cute.” You said quietly, entering his room and seeing your daughter sleeping peacefully on the couch.

Terzo, rather than commenting on the sheer adorableness of his baby girl as he normally would, decided to torment his brother.

“Ay ay ay, I trusted you, mio fratello, with my sweet and precious daughter, only for you to allow her to rot her mind in front of a screen.” Terzo said facetiously, gesturing to the paused television, placing his hand on his forehead with an exaggerated sigh.

Copia, although accustomed to his brother’s persistent sarcasm, was petrified at the idea of rotting his niece’s brain. His facial expression was one of terror, and he immediately began spewing out a plethora of apologies until you gently stepped in.

“Don’t worry about it, Copia.” you affirmed him. “He’s just being Terzo.” you continued, playfully slapping your husband lightly on his arm.

“Is that so bad?” Terzo continued, tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear.

“I never said that.” You responded, a smile and a soft blush creeping up on your face as your banter went back and forth, words slurring together.

Yeah, clearly it was a fun and not-so-sober night out. Good for you guys. Being a parent couldn’t be easy.

Noticing Copia awkwardly gazing around the room, you decided to spare your brother-in-law from your flirting, something your husband would never do.

“She always loves spending time with you.” you said, walking up to the couch and scooping your daughter into your arms.

“Aw, what’s this?” you asked, looking down at the cute little rat friend Copia had given to her, kneeling down and picking it up.

“Tell her she now has her own Bestie Pestie.”

“Huh?” Terzo said, raising an eyebrow.

“Pesto. The rat’s name is Pesto. Therefore he is my bestie, Pestie. Bestie Pestie.”

You actually had to pass Violetta over to your husband, still holding on to the stuffed rat, because “Bestie Pestie” on top of the alcohol might make you collapse.

“Bestie Pestie?” you wheezed out, trying desperately not to make too much noise, tears welling up in your eyes as you held onto the wall for support.

Terzo chuckled and rolled his eyes at his dorky little brother.

“Thank you for watching her, Copia.” Terzo said, giving his brother a warm smile.

“Of course. I hope you two had fun.” he replied.

You waved goodbye to the Cardinal, still holding onto the stuffed animal. You might have to share custody of this thing with your daughter.

“Tell Bestie Pestie I said hello.” You said, stumbling out the door, laughing.

As Copia said, Terzo was lucky to be a Papa. Beyond lucky.

But he was also lucky to be something else as well. A brother. Copia’s brother.

And even if Copia’s heart broke a little during his conversation with his niece, envious of his brother and the joy that came with being somebody’s Papa, that would mean it was broken by love.

The best thing to be broken by.

╚══ஓ๑♡๑ஓ══╝

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i wrote this in one day which is utterly insane for me.

ughhhhhhhhhhhhh i’m so in love with uncle copia, lowkey trying not to cry in public right now, violetta’s story is expanding and new characters are coming!!!

thank you so much for reading!!!

if you have sent me a request, it is coming!!!

<3, alice

[whumpasaurus101]

Nice and Easy

TO THE ANON WHOM I ADORE, i blame you FULLY for this /affectionate. bUT. i have a new story now. and it might acc end up having a plot unlike my other one LMFAO ENJOY Cw: drugging / creepy whumper / lmk if i missed anything

___

The mission was simple. Enter the party, get the information, and don't get caught.

The team went in staggered in twos, linking arms with girls the leader had hired.

“You're trembling,” One of the girls mumbled to Niko, who was linked with her arm. Niko rolled his eyes, huffing out a shaky breath, “It's barely been a minute, try being in my shoes.” The girl simply rolled her eyes and walked off, her heels clacking against the freshly polished marble floor.

Niko let out a sigh, making his way to the bar and slumping on a stool. He felt eyes on him instantly but tried to ignore it, drumming his fingers along the surface of the counter. A glass was slid over to him, catching his attention. He looked up to the grinning man beside him who slid his chair closer.

“Aren't you a pretty sight?” He cooed, eyes soaking Niko in as if he was his new obsession. Niko forced himself not to shrink back, taking a peanut from the bowl before him and laughed, “Is that your pick up line for every person you see?”

It was the target. The target was a 6ft 2 man, a slim figure who dressed neatly. The two sides of his head were shaved while the top half of his hair was swept into a neat bun. A stubble littered his face, well kept as it was trimmed close to his skin. His grin grew wider;

“Just for the cute ones,” He winked, making Niko inwardly cringe. It only got worse from there. He felt the man’s finger’s snake around his chin, grip tightening as he forced Niko to look at him. “Your eyes, like the ocean-”

“What is this, some sort of Shakespearean monologue?” Niko scoffed, trying to distract both himself and the other of how his cheeks flushed a crimson red. Get the information and get out.

“My name’s Martyn, and what is your name, buttercup?”

Even the name made Niko feel physically ill, but that's what he was looking for. 

“I don't think you’ve earned that yet,” Niko smirked, playing into the target’s games, and just as he thought it would, it worked.

Martyn pushed the drink closer to Niko with a chuckle, “Oh, you like being my mystery? Well don't you worry, butter cup, I love solving puzzles. Now, why don't you finish that drink and you and I can dance, hm?”

Niko’s eyes slowly dragged down to the beverage before him, roofied. How could he talk his way out of it- that seemed to always be his way out of things. He was never the strongest at fighting. Every training, the leader- his own brother had always given him shit for his bad mouth but he guessed that today it was going to come in handy.

He twirled in his chair, turning and facing the man fully, forcing a grin, “I’d like to save the drink for after we dance, wouldn't want to leave a guest parched on departure, hm?” He forced himself to stand up, holding out his hand as an invite to dance.

Martyn chuckled, taking Nikos hand and guided him to the open floor, “I must warn you,” He hummed, sliding an arm around his waist and drawing Niko in close, “I tend to take the lead in dance.”

Niko had to suppress his flinch, instantly wanting to free himself away from Martyn, gods, why was he sent on the creepy missions???

Martyn hummed along with the music closing his eyes as he gently danced with Niko. “I must say,” He sighed, “You are quite a dancer…” Niko smiled, “My grandma used to bring me dancing with her.” Martyn threw his head back with a laugh before suddenly his face turned cold. His grip on Niko’s wrists grew tighter and he forced the other closer to his chest, trapped.

“Cut the bullshit,” He snapped in a whispered sneer, “You better state who you are and who you work for before I lose my patience. And trust me buttercup,” He leant in close, his hot breath flush against Niko’s ear, “You don't want to see me angry.”

Niko felt his heart leap in his chest, oh shit, this was all he needed. He needed to check if the rest of teammates were safe, but there was no inconspicuous way to do so.

“Now, you and I are going to go upstairs and have a nice little chat, you are going to come with me willingly.”

Niko clenched his jaw, feeling his teeth on the verge of shattering, “And if I don't?”

A cruel grin spread across Martyn’s mouth, his eyes practically twinkling, “Oh, I was hoping you’d ask that! Have a look at the four corners of this room buttercup, you will see four separate armed men at each spot.”

Niko’s throat was dry, he tried to swallow over the lump in his throat as his eyes slowly roamed to the four corners. He wasn’t lying; at each spot there was a built figure, an earpiece in and a hand at the ready to draw their weapons.

“I, of course have more men here,” Martyn beamed, cutting through Niko’s thoughts as he suddenly pulled Niko flush to his chest, knuckles white as he tightened his grip on the other, “I just don’t think we’re that close yet.”

Niko started squirming against the grip, panic setting in. He whimpered as Martyn’s grip managed to grow even tighter than before, feeling the bruises form already.

“Ah ah ah, buttercup, you don't want to make a scene now, do you?”

Niko grit his teeth as he glared at the target, “You’ve got the wrong guy,” he growled, “Now let go of me before I shout for help.”He tried his best to stop dancing, only managing to trip himself up over Martyn’s feet. Martyn caught him before he fell; 

“Rusty with our dancing are we?” 

That was it, Niko had enough. His hand reached for his belt, where his pocket knife rested, but his wrist was quickly caught. “Oh honey,” Martyn whispered against Niko, making the other feel sick as he cringed back, “You just made things a whole lot worse for yourself.”

Martyn shoved Niko forward before snaking his arm along Niko’s waist, dragging him back towards the bar. He leant in close, whispering in his ear gently as they walked, “Now, since you decided to cause a scene, we’re going to sit at the bar. You are going to drink every last drop of that drink, the rest-” he let out a chuckle, “Well, buttercup, the rest is for me to know and you to find out!” 

He booped the other’s nose before more or less shoving Niko to the seat he was previously sitting at. Niko stumbled forwards, steadying himself with a hand on the bar’s table. A few seconds later, there was a hand on the small of his back, pushing him to sit.

“Drink.” 

The voice was completely different from how Martyn had spoken before. Niko’s eyes bored into the glass, feeling his chest tighten as a lump grew in his throat. He felt cornered, all of his training just chucked out of the window.

“A coke please.”

Niko’s head snapped up at the familiar voice, looking up to see Adrian, one of his teammates. He felt himself relax, it was nice to see a familiar face finally. Adrian will save him, he’ll be saved. Adrian turned to him with a smile, “Well, care for a dance, cutie?” 

Niko opened his mouth to answer but Martyn was quick to cut in, “Too late, buddy, this one’s mine.”

Adrian tilted his head back, grin on his face, “What a shame, I was really looking forward to-”

Niko slightly flinched as he felt Martyn’s arms sneak around his waist, pulling the other close to him, “Shame-” Martyn cut him off, “Move along, princess.”

Niko bit the inside of his cheek, looks like he wouldn't get to feel the safety of his own teammate until tonight. Adrian looked at Niko, hiding a sympathetic look as he nodded, “My apologies, if you change your mind, you come find me.”

Once Adrian left, the mood instantly turned cold. 

“Drink.”

Niko knew he had no other choice, his shaky hand reaching for his drink as he took his first sip, the Sprite bubbling against his mouth. 

“That's it, buttercup,” Martyn praised, carding his hand through the other’s hair as his gentle tone suddenly returned. Niko tried to place back down the glass but Martyn’s hand cupped the bottom of the glass, tilting it back up.

A tear slowly rolled down Niko’s cheek as he took another sip, finally giving into Martyn’s sick mind games. Martyn didn't let go of the glass until he had drank at least half of the Sprite. Niko coughed, letting out a quiet gasp as he looked at Martyn, tears brimming his eyes, “En-’nough… feel s’ck…”

Martyn pouted, cupping Niko’s face as he brushed his thumb along Niko’s cheekbone, swiping away a tear, “I know, buttercup, just half of it left and then you can rest, alright?”

Niko felt so weak, leaning into the touch as his eyelids began to droop. None of his thoughts were coherent, black spots filling his vision. He couldn't even refuse as Martyn brought the glass back to the other’s lips. Niko just began to drink, no fight left in him.There was a sand-like texture left in his mouth. 

Martyn chuckled, ruffling Niko’s hair, “Come on, buttercup, let’s let you rest hm? You must be exhausted!” 

Niko nodded, whimpering quietly as his body felt limp, as if he would collapse at any second. Martyn guided him to stand, guiding Niko’s arm to Martyn’s shoulder as Martyn held onto Niko by the waist, fully holding the figure, “Let’s get you some rest, dear, just nice and easy.”

Niko could barely see, leaning fully against Martyn. The last thing he could remember was being led into a room, a quiet and peaceful room and then suddenly everything went dark.

Nice and easy.

---

Taglist: (lmk if you wanna be added <3)

Next

[quietmonologues]

More Feyre thoughts. This one is about her relationship with Lucien. I think the reason why Feyre is so resentful towards Lucien is because she's comparing him to the Inner Circle. Lucien is the first exposure Feyre has to a "government cabinet", people helping to run a court other than the High Lord, so he sets a type of standard for her. But once she meets the Inner Circle, Rhysand's "cabinet", she becomes blinded by the enormous power and valor that they seemingly exude and as a result, becomes disillusioned to everything related to the Spring Court, including Lucien. She latches onto the idea that Lucien "isn't on their level" in order to rationalize why he didn't "do enough" to help her and in the process, devalues him while putting the Inner Circle on a pedestal.

Feyre's thoughts about Lucien can basically be summed up like this: "Why did you not fight back against Tamlin? Why did you not fight for me? It's because you're a coward, you're a dog. Unlike Cassian, Azriel and Mor who are powerful, battle-born warriors instead of a court-trained warrior like you. They would never let me waste away". But she doesn't think about the bigger picture, she doesn't think about the context, the circumstances for why Lucien couldn't do more to help her. She doesn't think about the fact that Lucien was juggling different roles and being pulled in different directions. That he was also a victim of Tamlin's negative trauma responses. That he did try, but he constantly got shut down. The thing is, I do understand Feyre's feelings in this situation, to struggle and feel like you have no one to turn to so you lash out at the closest person you think failed you, to not think about the bigger picture because you're focused on your own problems. I get that. But Lucien couldn't do anything else, and it sucks to dismiss everything he did do or think it's an easy task he could've done, just like that. It's not as simple as how she makes it. He can't do much against his High Lord, just like the Inner Circle can't do much against theirs (see the pregnancy plot where the IC were also "loyal dogs" to Rhysand). And I don't like that SJM makes Lucien deprecate himself in order to make Feyre seem like the better person, as was exemplified with the "you were a better friend to me" line. It feels disingenuous.

I really liked Lucien and Feyre's relationship in ACOTAR and at the beginning of ACOWAR even though she was pretending. Their dynamic was captivating and what I imagine having a stubborn little sister and a sassy older brother who still look out for each other to be like. Lucien was Feyre's first friend. And although a small part of me is interested in seeing if SJM will reconcile their relationship (because again, their relationship was compelling, even the less "pretty" parts), I'm somewhat over it for the most part, sadly. My interest in reconciliation is overshadowed by the fact that there's never much introspection or accountability with Feyre post-ACOTAR when she makes mistakes and is hypocritical, and SJM does go out of her way to prop up the Night Court to make them look better than the Spring Court. And she really isn't subtle about it.

[lady-margaret]

bridgerton season 3 part 1 opinion (as someone who has read all the books + is kathony biased so be warned)

after sitting and stewing on what i just watched for a few hours

i’d like to start this off by saying that due to my disappointment of the writing from the last season, i was way more gracious with this one. kate and anthony were great because of simone and jonathan; i’m not sure the writers had much to do with that.

anyway, what i’m saying is that i already knew not to expect the writers to be faithful to the source material (romancing mr. bridgerton), so i was able to enjoy myself more. additionally, polin’s book isn’t exactly a favorite of mine anyway, so there wasn’t a lot to be too disappointed with in my case.

what i liked:

penelope’s wardrobe; they hyped up the “transformation” so much and i’m glad it did not disappoint.

colin’s hot 😌

eloise’ wardrobe; someone pointed out that it had a lot of philip references, so yay 😀 (it has me worried that it’ll be her story next though, we need ben first)

eloise interacting with the other ladies of the ton was really cute and refreshing; she’s learning that despite them having different interests than her, they are still people of great value. the difference is eloise was raised in a loving and supportive family, unlike most of the others.

sibling’s g&h’s personalities coming through more (they are anthony’s children, truly).

featherington sisters as comic relief.

MARRIED KATHONY CRUMBS 💕💕💕 they carried episode 1 for me.

FRANCESCA 💕💕💕 gorgeous introvert representation.

FRANNY AND JOHN 💕💕💕 (i am both ready and NOT ready to get hurt 🥹)

book references (yay! the bare minimum!)

lord debling’s dope.

i actually do like that they gave cressida a legitimate reason to want to win the competition money to unmask LW in the second part.

the music choices haven’t disappointed yet!!!!!

colin’s line for the season is def the “well are you gonna marry me or not?” line HEHEHEHEHE i ALMOST screamed as loud as i did when john entered when he said that line to pen.

as an army, plus points for dynamite 🤭 i didn’t expect to like the orchestral version and didn’t see the vision of where they would even insert it, but i actually liveddd for it.

what i don’t really have strong feelings about:

mondrich plot; alice is beautiful but the addition of their family storyline didn’t make much of a lasting impact.

the queen; she was very meh so far.

the featherington storyline: the sisters are funny, but their whole situation mixed with the humor leads me not to take it very seriously.

violet x lady danbury’s brother: 🤷‍♀️ i don’t see it.

the “lady danbury’s brother” storyline in general is very forgettable.

what i disliked:

i think nicola and luke could use more chemistry; they fall short compared to daphne&simon and kathony (HEAVY ON KATHONY THIS IS WHY THEY REMOVED THEM FROM THE REST OF THE EPISODES SIGH)

they kinda mischaracterized colin (he spent the last two seasons being selfish and putting himself above everyone else violet, what the hell are you talking about “you never place yourself over others” 🤨)

the lack of ben time?? did he go back to the academy after taking over for anthony briefly??? what did he do besides dodging debutantes all season????

they glossed over benedict running the estate so quickly; this could have been an opportunity to draw out his storyline, especially since he mentioned that he liked having a purpose: WRITERS???? DO SOMETHING WITH THAT!

i also didn’t really care for the ben x tilly arnold plot; unless sophie’s actually a maid of her’s or something, i don’t see her point in the show besides just be another one of ben’s ever changing girl of the season.

im sorry but eloise would never SHOULD NEVER have befriended her (ex?) best friend’s bully, no matter what the circumstances. that is NOT eloise.

honestly, them revealing whistledown in the first season is really screwing with the writing; in this regard, i wish they stayed more faithful to the book and how colin finds out about LW. it all just seems so messy at this point.

so s3 starts when kathony end their honeymoon… how long was this honeymoon? math isn’t mathing cuz it couldn’t have been more than a week given that kate isn’t obviously pregnant yet in the first ep.

i know that colin and pen are longtime friends, but from how they’ve interacted with each other in the past seasons, it’s a bit harder to believe that they were close CLOSE friends; close friends to the extent of helping the other find a spouse through “lessons”? i don’t see it. that’s why i was a bit ??? when i first found out about the plot they were going with for the season (in the book, colin really just starts following her around cuz she was being sus)

i hate that they had to come up with an excuse to get rid of kathony for the rest of the episodes; i get that they’ve been running their separate households alone for most of their lives and want a break but… i don’t think they would abandon their responsibilities for an “extended honeymoon”. knowing them, running the estate isn’t gonna stop them from being wh0res!! they help each other out with the estate and are still sickeningly in love and have time for each other (in the books). i was also really hoping to see kate taking over the viscountess role. i swore they would have done something like that after that cute/awkward moment when they both respond to “lady bridgerton” in episode 1.

i get that it’s established that penelope’s one goal for the season is to get a husband, but as i know her character, she would NEVER get into races (?) or run just so she can talk to a suitor before anyone else does 😭 okay but it was funny.

i am kinda sad that they couldn’t have just let a mean character or a villain character be the villain character; yea sure, i did say that i liked that cressida had a legitimate and well thought out motive for wanting the LW reward money but, idk i could’ve lived without her storyline.

one of the BIGGEST THINGS for me is that i do not think they should have released so many clips/snippets of the show days or weeks before it came out. i understand like 1 clip, but i skipped SO MANY SCENES because i have watched them at least 5 times already on tiktok or twitter.

the two part season idea is dumb.

i’m scared for how messy part 2 will be (in terms of both writing and just how stressed i will be with the revealing of LW plot HUHU poor pen) but i’m still looking forward to it 😇😇😇 and despite all the things i didn’t like, i did still enjoy it. if i do rewatch it or not is still to be decided; s1 & s2 have such high rewatch value.

franny and john were TRULY a standout though. i cannot even begin to describe how loud i screamed when he finally said his name out loud 😭💕

verdict: the writing is getting messier, get jonathan bailey in that writer’s room ASAP

[witchofthesouls]

snorts another line of Dark Energon (Warning: Trauma. Lots of it.) Gods & Goddesses AU where the 13 OG Primes are stranded on Earth in the aftermath of Gaea's birth(???), & they decide to try & Claim these new toys in front of her. Primus/Rung manages to get them offworld, but the damage has already been done. The 13 are utterly mangled by the experience, physically, spiritually & mentally. Primus/Rung has to remove the vast majority of their power because they would straight-up die from their biology & Sparks being torn up otherwise, downgrading them from "Physical Gods" to "Immortality & mild superpowers, but that's it" like IDW 2005. He can't help with the trauma & rhabdophobia (fear of magic), tho. Prima never treated Megatronus badly in this timeline, Liege never plots against his siblings, & Quintus never makes the Quintessons (he got his optics permanently damaged, & is too afraid to leave Iacon) so...yay, teamwork? (If we want to tie this into the Prima's a Dragon-Fragger AU, then 1.) Prima would have to be clever about how he takes on Predaking due to the massive power difference between them & 2.) Predaking realizes he has to invent therapy for his small BF. And talk to his Dad so he can get some context for when Prima wakes up screaming.)

Hmm, this is more of a commentary route because I got really set ideas about Gaea being a sister/daughter/reflection to Unicron and Primus.

As in, Primus would never have been able to get the remaining Primes back. Not after splitting his own power to them. Yes, they are powerful gods. However, Gaea can be taken as their originator as she is of Unicron, who is of Primus, and all were once a single entity that existed before nothing.

Basically, she took advantage of their relationship to claim them. And unlike her brothers, she's not letting them go. Ever.

In this particular AU, the variables that caused their downfall went another way, so it was Quintus who left first. He ventured off to find new species to become good neighbors to a new race. Where in one world, Quintus had found the planet Quintessa; the dreamy Prime was pulled to a hungry Gaea...

< Fragment of myself. > It crooned to a dreaming Prime, fascinated by his visionary thoughts and far-flung travels to seek out his goals. Quintus dreamt of gleaming cities and massive libraries. Stars full of treasures and beautiful singing bridges that connected everything and everywhere. < Wayward Dreamer. Sky-walker. Bridge-builder. > How could it leave such a delicious, willing morsel that stolen its dark heart with such a vision?

Quintus became the bait to grab the rest. Megatronus never returned when he went to fetch their lost brother. Solus and Liege Maximo disappeared on his trail, so it wasn't a surprise it prompted the rest of the brothers to stage a rescue with Prima hot on their heels...

And they all Fell.

Besides, I doubt they would leave after finding out that Unicron hadn't been fully vanquished.

Some of the Primes sleep so deeply, unable to awaken in physical reality. They put too much of themselves into fully caging the Unmaker. Others still walk the planet, wandering and trying to find a way off the planet.

[finelinecinemashow]

Sin City

Plot: Lany, the formidable daughter of a mafia kingpin, finds herself drawn to the charismatic leader of a rival gang. Bound by desire yet torn by allegiances, Lany and her unlikely paramour must confront their deepest fears and darkest secrets in a world where trust is a luxury and betrayal is always lurking in the shadows. Will their love endure the trials of Sin City, or will their passion become the ultimate casualty in a war they cannot control?

Word count: 1,273K

Warnings: vulgar language - Nothing dramatic yet

PART ONE: INTRODUCTION

🃜🃚🃖🃁🂭🂺

The one good thing about being in the heart of Vegas is the college kids that come flooding in. Spring break has officially begun and the idiots are lining the door. For the ambiance, the drugs, and the alcohol galore. Owning half the strip has its perks, but I think getting to watch their mistakes happen is my favorite part. I have bodies littered on the club floor right with party favors and I like to keep my eye on them. Daddy always says, "Never overlook the importance of keeping an eye on our own." Well, he also says, "Those closest to us can sometimes pose the greatest threats." But I'm gonna over look that one. Not because I don't believe it, but because I have strategically hand chosen my crew to help me build this empire. Let's introduce everyone, shall we? 

Down by the bar, I have Georgia. We call her G. She is everything you would want a Soldier drug runner to be. She possesses precision, discretion, and unwavering loyalty, while also possessing the necessary street smarts to navigate the complex underworld of drug trafficking. Also she's fucking hot and knows how to trick a poor bastard. 

Next we have Diego, who is currently cozied up to a group of girls on a couch in VIP. He likes to go by Moose. The fucker is obsessed with Step Up, if you can't tell. He is just an associate, but he is smart, and he knows it. But he is main attraction for women. He makes me the most money when it comes to spring break, holidays, vacations etc. Hold on, pausing on introductions for just a second. 

I lift my finger to the side of my ear and press the ear piece until I hear the beep. "Moose. Why do I have a bunch of females without wristbands sitting in my VIP section?" I snapped. 

I could see the deer in headlights a mile away. "Take it easy on him, Mills. The girl to the left of him came in with bags. He's getting intel." G Spoke back. 

I quickly looked over at her and she lifted her hand up to the ceiling. That means one thing in here. That means that they walked into my club with other gang members. "Angels Syndicate" is what they call themselves. It's a shitty name if you ask me. But what do I know? Moose laughed into the ear piece. 

"Baby come on, just tell me who gave it to you, huh?" I really don't want him flirting in my ear but this better be good. I could hear her giggling as she leaned into him. Little does she know that she is speaking into a mic. 

"I don't know, he was a little shorter than you, but had some cool tattoos. Said his name was Niall. We passed him on the way down here." Diego makes eye contact and nods before letting his ear piece go. Carry on I guess. 

Now.. who's next. Oh, Lydia. She is my... shall I say, seductress. Much like Moose, she is just an associate. But she gets all the men to buy. She's not as good as G, but when I need her, she's the next best thing. And next we have Slade. My secret fucking weapon. Now, He is next with G. He is a soldier, a Made Man. He is everything I need. My Negotiator. But because he's a child at heart, he's currently dealing with it. In the middle of the dance floor. Acting a fool. But that's to get people to like him. He always has to be liked. When in doubt, if you fuck something up and I can't have G fix it, I'm calling Louis. Because while he is lanky, dudes got a mean right hook and he loves to fucking party. 

And we have the nerd. My fun as shit little brother Rhett. He is currently behind me in my office with the security system checking faces, backgrounds and really anything that looks suspicious. He is my know it all brainiac of the operation. He can hack anything you need, Cars, banks, phones, laptops, light systems, scanners, the whole lot of them. We found out he could do that when We had the FBI banging on our door for him at just 11 years old. He hacked the FBI system to prove they needed better security. What did he say?? Great question I would love to tell you. "Boo. I've got you. Now let me tell you about my state of the art of unhackable security systems. Hi, Rhett Corleone." Of course the idiot had to do it and almost bust the family. But lucky for us, they wanted the security. Not us. So the little shit negotiated a crisp Million before his 12th birthday. We couldn't be mad, we were impressed.

 And obviously we save the best for last. Daddy's little girl. One tier below the big man himself. Me. Lany Corleone. But to everyone in Vegas, I am Lany Mills. Club owner. I have been doing this for 7 years. And 2 years ago, I was moved to The Vegas division to take over. I got to pick my own crew, be my own boss, and cause as much mayhem as I want - just don't get caught. That?? That's easy. At least it was until Angels Syndicate came to town. But I'm always one step ahead. I know too many people to be behind them. I have too much riding on this to give it up. Vegas is my turf, and I am not letting them fuck with it. I just need names, and locations to make moves. But until then, party on Garth.

 I felt hands wrap around my hips and lips attached to my neck, mm.. I don't remember saying anyone can touch me. Pulling my gun from the front of my jeans I half turn and grab the person by the shirt and bring them to the banister, gun to head. I'm met with Cam. The local Sheriff deputy. Oh fucking hell.

 "What the fuck, Cam!"

 "Holy shit babe, chill out." He laughs. Why are you laughing pretty boy? I'll fold your shit right here. 

"Don't call me babe, Cam." I sighed. "And don't grab me like that. I've got shit to do." I pull him off the banister Smirking. I allow my face to switch back to hard, cold and ruthless. 

I turn toward the balcony again. What is it about sleeping with a man once that makes them think they can just touch you all the time afterwards?? I slept with him to not get caught, and he's clingier than me. I don't have time to waste on a one night stand. My crew needs me. 

"Cam, You can stay as long as you want, but I have people counting on me for safety. Please let me do my job." I sigh. I look at him, he's still smiling at me. What I would do to wipe that smirk off his face. "Hey Mills. Do you need help? I can be the jealous boyfriend if you need." Slade's voice rang into my ear. I laughed before responding. "All good here. keep dancing away, Pretty boy." I smiled down at him and he smiled back. He continues to throw his hands in the air and sings the club song loudly. 

🃜🃚🃖🃁🂭🂺

Welcome to Sin City. Love, drugs, gambling, and pure adrenaline. Join the crowd, or watch from the side. Either way, you're in for a hell of a ride. So buckle up bitches.

[pxnsneverland]

Hellfire Lost | Eddie Munson x oc (part 2)

plot summary: Juliet Henderson has had her fair share of excitement fighting otherworldly monsters in the Upside Down with her brother, Dustin, and his friends. She's ready for her senior year to be a peaceful and pleasant time spent cheerleading and hanging out with her best friend Chrissy. However when Chrissy mysteriously turns up dead and her unlikely outcast crush Eddie Munson is suspect #1, she finds herself back in the fight along with the rest of the Upside Down squad facing their biggest threat yet. Will Juliet and everyone be able to stop dangers of the world below Hawkins and clear Eddie's name? And what happens when the monster starts targeting someone a little closer to home?

Part 1

pairings: eddie munson x oc

word count: 1890

warnings/notes:

Chapter 2

As I filed out of the gym with the rest of the crowd, I could still hear the jubilant cries of Hawkins High's victory echoing in my ears. My brother's friend Lucas Sinclair, who I've known for years and who has never demonstrated any talent in sports, had thrown a nearly perfect shot just as the buzzer sounded. The entire school was in a good mood. The senior players were sent off with a boom, and it was a wonderful one. I looked at the time. Nearing ten, it was time for me to meet Dustin beside the car. However, Andy, one of the senior basketball players, stopped me from moving forward toward the car. “So, Jules, pretty good game wasn’t it?” 

I had to force myself to keep myself from covering my nose because he still smelled like game-day perspiration.“Yeah, it was a great game. It’s nice for Hawkins to have a championship again.” 

“Some of us are meeting up at Benny’s to celebrate.” He wrapped his arm around my shoulders. “You should come. We could, I don’t know, hang out.” Andy cast a flirtatious glance my way.

I didn't find it enjoyable to drink beer in a closed restaurant. Spending time with Andy sounded even less appealing. I yanked his arm away from my shoulders and drew my sweater closer to my body. “I can’t. I have to take my brother back home and my mom doesn’t really like me going out after dark.” 

“You could always sneak out. Come on, even Chrissy is going.” 

“I’m sorry. I can’t.” I quickly left before he could continue. I exhaled a sigh of relief when I was no longer in his line of sight. Andy had previously asked me out, so I knew this wouldn't be the last time before we both graduated. The basketball boys were decent enough, despite their tendency to be rude to people who did not run in their circle. Andy, on the other hand, was the worst of them all—a pig. It felt like a curse to be the object of his affection.

I was still attempting to ignore Andy's musty odor as I walked to my car. Then I came to a halt due to a strange sight. Eddie was still parked next to me when I noticed him getting into his van, but that wasn't unusual. The peculiar part was Chrissy getting into the passenger seat. She began by scanning the area to see if anyone was watching her. I'd never heard either of them speak to the other before. The cheerleader and the nerdy metalhead are not exactly a popular friend pairing. There they were, though, and the car quickly accelerated down the road. Chrissy had been acting strangely lately, especially tonight, but was that it? Was she secretly meeting Eddie Munson behind Jason's back? I felt a pain in my chest that I immediately recognized as jealousy. My thoughts returned to an incident from a few weeks ago…

***************************

2 weeks ago

As I made my way down the hallway after cheer practice, I was heading for the parking lot. I heard people turning the corner at the opposite end of the hallway. Some of the basketball players' voices stood out to me, particularly Andy's. I didn't want to deal with him trying to ask me out on a date again. I dashed into the nearest room, shut the door behind me, and peered through the tiny glass window to see when they were gone and the area was safe.

“Hiding from the cops?” I jumped when I heard the voice and had to restrain myself from screaming. I had hoped that after what happened at Star Court Mall, I would be less frightened by loud noises. I quickly realized that Eddie was the owner of the voice. He was seated at a table with figurines on top of a hand-drawn map spread out on the table, a dimly lit light nearby.  He had been writing in a notebook.

“You scared me,” I remarked, “And no. I’m hiding from the basketball team actually.”

Eddie chuckled. “Why? Aren’t all the cheerleaders and basketball players friends or something?”

I shrugged as I took a step back from the door. “Are you friends with every metalhead at this school?”

He laughed and smiled. In the dim light, it made his large brown eyes sparkle.“Touche.” 

I sat off to the side of the table to avoid interfering with anything he was doing. I crossed my legs though my cheer skirt didn’t leave too much of my lower half to the imagination. “Actually, I’m just hiding from Andy. Ever since the term started he’s been asking me on dates constantly and I keep saying no. But he assumes he’ll wear me down eventually.”

Eddie snorted. “Guys toss balls into laundry baskets and suddenly they think they’re entitled to anything they want.”

He was correct. The basketball team effectively ran the school. Any girl would be smitten with Andy and overjoyed that he was even thinking about going out with them. I, on the other hand, was not one of those girls. I'd only tried out for the cheerleading squad because Chrissy and I had been friends since middle school. We kept running in the same circle, but she seemed to enjoy it more than I did. As a cheerleader and Chrissy's friend, I had to spend time with the basketball team. But I felt more at ease when I was with my true friends, Steve, Nancy, and Robin. We may have bonded over nearly being killed by Russians or eaten alive by monsters, but I'd like to believe it was more.

“Well, Andy is not entitled to me,” I explained, “And I’ll happily kick him in the nuts to remind him of that.”

“Wow, princess, I didn’t know anything violent could come out of your mouth.” I was surprised to find myself laughing as he teased me.

“Did you just call me ‘princess’?” 

“Maybe.” Eddie habitually drew his lips into his mouth to hide his smile, his anxiety, or both. “I don’t know. I just think that if you were a character in D&D…you’d probably be a princess. A badass one that can, like, fight and shit, but still a princess.”

I blushed and giggled as I pulled on a hair strand. “Not even.” I took a quick look at the figurines that had been thoughtfully placed throughout the hand-drawn map. “Is that what you’re doing? Playing D&D by yourself?”

“You can’t really play D&D by yourself. That’s kind of the point. Interacting with people.” He started fiddling with the pen in his hand. Because of the way his many rings reflected the light, it appeared as if he was playing with stars. “Which I fucking hate, but somehow this…this makes it easier.” 

“I never really knew much about it until Dustin started playing.” I picked up one of the figures. It was surprisingly complex for its size. It was also painted, which added character and depth to the inanimate object. “Did you paint this yourself?”

He got up from his seat and sat next to me. He took a closer look at the figure I was holding. I could feel his body heat because he was so close. “Yeah. That’s Cas. He used to be a servant to Vecna, at least until Vecna killed him. Then he came back as a vampire.” For emphasis, he raised his arms with clawed hands. He put his hands on my shoulders, causing me to jump and laugh. “Then he killed Vecna himself in revenge.” 

“Sounds entertaining.” I was starting to see why Dustin thought Eddie was so special. He was unapologetically himself, but he was also kind, funny, and sweet. It didn't matter to him whether he fit in or not. His tribe was everything to him. That feature piqued my interest.

“You should join Hellfire. It would be much more entertaining with a princess around.”

“I’m not a princess. I would probably be like an ogre or a troll or something.”

“No. You’re too pretty to be an ogre.” He locked his gaze firmly on mine. His voice changed abruptly, becoming more whisper-like and deeper.“The first time I saw you, when you first dropped Dustin off at Hellfire, I thought ‘wow, I’ve just met the most beautiful girl in the world’. And then I talked to you and you were nice and smart too.”

I didn't mind his proximity because he had grown even closer. I shakily laughed, chewing on my lower lip. I was at a loss for words and didn't know how to respond. I just knew I liked what he was saying and that I wanted him to keep talking.

Eddie reached out to take the figurine, which was still in my grasp. He lingered, his hand resting on mine. His hands were slightly rough and calloused, and I remembered Dustin saying something about him playing the guitar, but they were also light and supple, as if he was testing my resolve to push him away.“Even your laugh is beautiful.” He maintained eye contact with me and gave me a small smile. “Just like a princess.” 

That I was the one to close the gap between us and press my lips against his astounded me. They were soft, warm, and luscious. The kiss gave me the same sensation as a 13-year-first old's kiss. He rested his hand on my thigh, as if he needed it for support. Perhaps because my mind was racing, his was as well. And it was the reeling that jolted me back to reality, causing me to pull away, jump off the table, and stare at him in disbelief. Had I just kissed him? Eddie Muson: freak, bad boy, and criminal? My body had moved before my mind could catch up because I liked it, I liked him. My heart continued to race.

"Juliet..." he tried to say, but I cut him off before he could finish.

I dashed out of the room, down the hall, and into the parking lot, where my mother's car was waiting. My lips were still warm from the kiss, and my face was red. I drove away, and we hadn't spoken about it since.

*****************************************

 “You yell at me to be here by 10 and you’re just showing up?!” Dustin said as he approached the car, which jolted me out of my reverie. 

“I was here before 10,” I retorted as I made my way to the car.

“I heard Hawkins won the game. Congrats. Now you can graduate without looking like a loser.” His tone was playful. 

I cracked a smile. “You’re the loser, Dusty. So did you end up beating the cult of Vecna?” I finished with the same deep voice Eddie had used earlier.

“You bet your ass. I told Eddie we were going to beat his campaign! Now he can’t talk anymore shit.” 

I returned my gaze to the road where Eddie and Chrissy had driven away. “Hey, has Eddie ever told you about him and Chrissy…hanging out?” 

Dustin appeared perplexed, then amused.  “Chrissy Cunningham? Hell no. He wishes someone that hot would pay attention to him.” He cocked his brow. “Why?“ 

“No reason.” Finally, I opened the car doors. “Let’s go home.”

Stay tuned for part 3!! Click HERE to view!

[acourtofthought]

First off, love your blog. Always well thought out backed with canon evidence.

You look at things from the big picture, and take context into consideration, something I noticed many El/riels do not.

Aside from trying to force the Koschei plot line on Az (a plot that ties to Lucien) you ever notice that the only theories they provide are centered around ways Az and Elain will end up together? They legit dismiss multiple plots and arcs in favor of Elriel. I never see them provide actual storylines that moves the series forward. Plots that account for the rest of the characters in ways that it does not diminish them (Making Lucien, Mor and Gwyn villains ) yet dismissing the actual villains, uniting the courts, and progressing the story in a positive way that keeps the IC in tact and drama free.

What I'm taking from their theories is an elriel book is going to revolve around conflict among the IC when the purpose of the series, especially given the crossover is to UNITE and push characters to be the best versions of themselves with the person they are meant to be with. Elain and Az would break bonds, political alliances and it would get messy. It already is messy and they have not even kissed. Sorry, but that is not how SJM writes. Her plot twists and conflicts are centered around actual villians, which we know are neither Lucien or Gwyn. Sure, in other books by other authors it would work, but that is not the case here. If as a reader you enjoy that type of drama and a book centered around how a couple overcome their family and friends rejection and takes up most of the conflict in the book, there are plenty of books with that trope.

With all that is going on, Beron, Koschei the queens, uniting the continent, the crossover, I can't imagine SJM would have time to write one book that doesn't make Elriel look selfish when there is an actual real problems to deal with (The meme of Kourtney Kardashian telling Kim " people are dying" comes to mind here lol)

Imagine Rhys and the IC having to deal with Az and Elain sneaking around and breaking alliances, please lol. That is not the direction SJM takes in her series. This trope for characters like Az and Elain does not move the overall arc forward, it sets the story back and makes them look like assholes TBH. IMO Elriel sunk in that bonus and for good reason.

Lucien and Elain arc are intertwined to move the series forward.

And then you have Az and Gwyn, their union would be welcomed and if Gwyn is Az's mate, his found family would be nothing but happy for him, we'd see Azriel heal in a positive way, the way we did with Chaol. AN Az and gwyn union cements the bonds with the IC and Valkyrie, and allies, it does not break any bonds unlike Elriel.

Sorry, but the way I see it they can’t fit elriel into the entire arc, and their theories never tie into the actual storyline and that is why Elriel was never meant as endgame when you look at the series and crossover holistically, it's pretty obvious.

Thank you!!

To start with Gwynriel, it is set up to be such a natural pairing when you consider their friends.

Cassian and Az are best friends / brothers because of found family.

Nesta and Gwyn are best friends / sisters because of found family.

While Elain is Nesta's blood sister, they aren't sisters in the way that sisters can sometimes be best friends. They care for one another, they protect one another, but I wouldn't say they have the healthiest dynamic. Nesta has always struggled to allow Elain to be independent especially when it involves things Nesta considers too dangerous and I don't think Elain feels truly comfortable letting her hair down around Nesta. I think their relationship will improve by the end of the series but I still don't think they'll be close in the way Nesta / Gwyn / Emerie are close.

So this natural relationship between Nesta and Gwyn, where Nesta is able to be the new version of her makes perfect sense if Gwyn were to end up with Az. Mates spending time together while also spending time with their found family / best friends. Actually, I have friends like this. The two girls have been best friends since they were younger and they married two guys that have also been best friends since when they were younger and to this day they take vacations together, sleep over at one another's house after parties, etc.

I don't think it hits the same when it's sisters marrying best friends when the sisters have a bit of a complicated relationship. I don't think Feyre / Nesta / Rhys / Cassian hanging out would feel quite as fun as Gwyn / Nesta / Az / Cassian hanging out.

As for future plots, I know that shipping E/riel means someone is going to create scenarios for them. E/riel defeating Koschei, E/riel making diplomatic visits together (which doesn't even make sense when we're specifically told Az likes to work from the shadows and he's not social). But until SJM writes the book we can't guarantee that won't happen. What confuses me though is how they create the exact plots that SJM seems to be hinting at for Elucien. How can someone ignore that SJM tells us it's LUCIEN who had been to Koschei's lake? That LUCIEN was setting his sights on his target. That Nesta wonders if ELAIN would not only visit the continent with tulips but the one to the South of that? That LUCIEN is permanently stationed in Spring and is their emissary to the Human Lands, that LUCIEN is the heir to Day, and that Nesta tells us Spring had been Made for someone like ELAIN, that she'd tell ELAIN to go if she could, that ELAIN needs Sunshine, that ELAIN is struggling with her lost humanity. Every single thing associated with Lucien SJM has also tied Elain to. But E/riels ignore every mention of Lucien in these places and insert Az instead. How can you just erase the set up for Lucien's story like that?

And I did say this in a recent post but to your point of forbidden love, first off, how does that even work logistically? Az doesn't have his own place. Elain doesn't have her own place. Are they really meeting in dark alleyways and seedy taverns? There is no where they can go in Velaris where someone isn't going to see something and report it back to the High Lord and High Lady.

Second, does anyone honestly believe the union of Az and Elain is so special that it needs to be forbidden love?

This isn't a mafia romance where they're worried about their families trying to take the other one out.

There are no real stakes to their relationship.

Seriously, no one really cares if Az and Elain want to be together.

If Elain opened her mouth and said a few words to Lucien, "Lucien, I want to be with Az" he would say, "OK". He left her because he knew she was still in love with Graysen, he obviously doesn't feel entitled to her just because he's her mate. Just like Rhys allowed his mate to nearly marry another man, just like Cassian allowed his mate to sleep with many other males, Lucien is not going to stand in the way of Elain's decision to be with someone else.

Rhys laid down his threat but say Az disobeys, what does anyone honestly think Rhys would do? Kick him out of the IC? Torture him?

The ONLY reason Rhys pulled rank is because he knew Az was being an idiot and he didn't have real feelings for Elain. Rhys ONLY pulled rank because he knew Az wasn't over Mor and Az really was planning on hooking up with Elain for "just one taste" and Az did nothing to convince him otherwise. That's Rhys's little sister, it's admirable that he was looking out for her when he knew his brother was being a hothead. And while I'm sure Rhys did consider what consequences could come from Az's idiocy (he's a smart character, of course he looks at all sides), we all know Lucien would have never done anything to jeopardize the peace they were all trying to attain. He was the one warning them to treat Tamlin better because he knew they'd need Tamlin's forces before all was said and done.

So yeah, the whole idea of Az and Elain sneaking around creates this shady love that they can't share with the family and friends who love them and just want them to be happy. It turns them into selfish characters who don't care about doing things the right way, who don't care about having actual conversations like grown ups do.

Forbidden love is a thing because even if the two characters sat down and had a rational and reasonable conversation with their parents / bosses / brother, etc their love would still be forbidden.

If Az and Elain sat down and said to Lucien and Rhys, "we're in love and we're sorry we hurt you", NO ONE would stand in their way and that means their love is not forbidden.

[esther-dot]

One of my concerns about the Snow sequel in addition to the stuff that you and others have mentioned is whether the writers try to lean into the "Jon is the real hidden heir to the IT and he supported his brother Bran as a king instead because he's such a Great Guy (tm)" because there is literally no way that he would be in line to the IT because he is not legitimate and this leads me to one of the most egregious plot points from the show - R annulling his marriage to E. There is literally no way in the medieval feudal universe GRRM has set up that an annulment of a royal marriage which was consummated and produced two trueborn children can be a thing (D&D truly deserve to be tarred and feathered for the absolute disrespect to E and her children for this plot point). I see others agree that the annulment (and subsequent marriage to L would never be valid) and then say "but there is a precedent for taking multiple wives so maybe that's what will happen in the books" but is there? The only "precedent" was Aegon the Conqueror from 300 years before R's time and Meagor the universally hated king which was the catalyst for outlawing poly-marriages in the first place lmao. Do I think in R's pea sized brain he thought he was above the law and could have a poly-marriage? Maybe. Sure. But if the main players all survived (R, E, and L) literally no one in Westeros would see any potential annulment or poly marriage as valid and Jon would be a bastard. Not a Stark bastard, but a Targ bastard. Also, Dorne would have initiated an actual rebellion for breaking an arranged royal marriage and for the complete disrespect toward a Princess of Dorne. The ONLY way Jon could have been legitimate is if R took L as a mistress and then the King legitimized whatever children their affair produced - that obviously never happened. I REALLY hope GRRM doesn't lean into some poly-marriage or worse some BS "annulment" because it would be just so disgusting to do to E and her children on top of it not making sense based on the Westerosi rules of society.

Oh, and additionally to my very long (lol) ask about the legitimacy of Jon. D&D giving Show!Jon Aegon's name, part of his identity, his legitimacy as the actual heir, and parts of his storyline was also disgusting. I absolutely hate when people refer to Jon as Aegon because it's so degrading toward E and her trueborn son. D&D truly deserve the worst for how much they disrespected the Dornish characters on the show.

Based on the fact that HBO kinda...ignored how the long night went/how GoT ended so that they could celebrate Targ specialness via the prophecy in HOTD, and seeing how Kit recently mentioned he thought Jon should have been king (he used to name other Starks), your fears are kinda warranted? Usually an actor's opinion doesn't indicate much about where a show might go, but the sequel is Kit's baby, he is the one who is making it happen, his people are working on it, so...I think his feelings are more relevant than normal. And, we really don��t know how much of his thinking on the characters/the world has been shaped by D&D’s version or if he’s gonna depart from that for another version, and if that version would be one closer to Martin’s vision or further afield. We really don’t know, and since I’m someone who genuinely thought, “oh shit, they are raising Dany from the dead and making a worse version of s7-8” upon hearing about the sequel, I’m not gonna alleviate any fears!

I agree that Rhaegar is a disgusting, that an annulment would be horrible and unlikely. Unfortunately, I can see a lot of reasons why Martin would have Rhaegar “marry” Lyanna. As you said,

Do I think in R's pea sized brain he thought he was above the law and could have a poly-marriage? Maybe. Sure.

I don’t know that it matters that his plan was horrible, we already know his actions are insufferably offensive and idiotic. I mean, knowing his father wasn’t fit to rule and not focusing on that as the pressing problem and instead pursuing a teenager? Crowning Lyanna in front of everyone? Running away with or kidnapping her? Imprisoning her in Dorne? Going to war even after his father brutally murdered the father/brother of the girl he abducted/ran off with? This guy’s foresight/moral compass/problem solving mechanisms were nonexistent. Something being a stupid idea, guaranteed to end horribly does not mean he didn’t do it, or that he would be deterred from a course of action by seeing the fallout, unfortunately.

I think there are a number of things that happened in GoT that were a variation on what Martin told D&D, since then he’s said he’s diverging more than he expected, so perhaps we worry for nothing, but I am not convinced Martin wont have Rhaegar do as you suggest, not annulment, but take a second wife. Stumpy’s reread has been tracking evidence for true born vs Targ bastard for Jon, and I think either version is still on the table. My personal feeling is that the first story we got about Rhaegar is not ultimately going to be the truth, simply because Martin’s whole shades of grey thing. Obviously, my feelings about Rhaegar aren’t gonna change no matter what is revealed in TWOW, but Martin seems to want everything to be complex, lots of layers, nothing too one-note. We now know the prophecy which undermines R/L strictly as some star crossed lovers story which was the other extreme people went to, and that to me indicates we are getting a mix of motivations/ a complex truth.

I assumed Jon was trueborn because a lot of what many have pointed to as R+L=J clues that center on the word “king”

"Likely they were too shy to come out," Ned jested. He could feel the chill coming up the stairs, a cold breath from deep within the earth. "Kings are a rare sight in the north."         

Robert snorted. "More likely they were hiding under the snow. Snow, Ned!" The king put one hand on the wall to steady himself as they descended.  

(AGOT, Eddard I)       

Obviously, now knowing that Robb and Bran become kings, this is a really fun line, but to me, it is undoubtedly a R+L=J hint. We might argue that it is KitN foreshadowing for Jon, not about his parentage, it is the name however that makes me think this is about being Rhaegar’s son, “hiding under the snow. Snow--” Ned claimed Jon as his bastard --snow-- to protect him, so while we can read it about our Stark boys becoming kings, I think Martin wrote it thinking of Jon as a Targaryen heir. Maybe that changed? He keeps up with the king stuff throughout the series and a lot of that is more easily seen as KitN hints, so maybe? 🤷🏻‍♀️

I also like to think about what Martin would want to write, he loves grief and inner turmoil, so I would think that he would like the idea of writing Jon struggling with the option of becoming a legitimized Stark and then the temptation of being a legitimized Targ simply because while parentage reveal alone is a bombshell, being an heir/potential king plays forward story/plot wise and offers that whole heart in conflict with itself. Whether it’s something the rest of Westeros would acknowledge or not, I’m not sure that’s the purpose? To me, the idea of Jon finding out he is not a bastard, only to choose it, to choose to be known as one, for the greater good is meaningful, to not be forced to bear undeserved shame but choose it for love of the Starks, that could be written in a beautiful way.

On the other hand, the fact that D&D gave Jon the name Aegon def makes it seem like they potentially took book Aegon’s heir status/the people loving him more than Dany and assigned it to show Jon, that would explain why Jon had no importance in the political endgame in the show, maybe R+L=J wont impact the politics in the books. I’ve read great meta arguing for and against, but I could just as easily see them being so consumed with Dany saying “wtf do we have two nephews/two heirs for?” and conflating them for that reason, without thinking much more about it. But, it seems to me that Martin might want to use the three Targs to create those nuances that D&D steamrolled. As in, Dany embraces her Targ identity/fire & blood, Aegon embraces Targ identity but will reject fire & blood, Jon will reject both the identity and fire&blood. To me, part of the benefit of introducing Aegon is to allow some middle ground with the Targs? It might allow for a more interesting discussion on what must be done with a legacy such as theirs? It’s a conversation that doesn’t really happen with only Jon and Dany (extremes) or only Dany and Aegon. I would also think a lot depends on the ending Martin has in store for Jon. If he is trueborn, I’d think that points at an Aemon-like ending. Being a Targ bastard would allow for a much happier ending for him imo.

I’ve said before that I have an (irrational?) hatred for Rhaegar, so I am on your side with all the concerns, but I’m just...well, I’m not convinced that any of what happens with the Targs is gonna be as clear-cut as we might want. I’m bracing myself for messy, not nice.

[blond-jerk-tourney]

Blond Jerk Tourney Semifinals 2

Propaganda from submitters Under Cut

Spike

He is a jerk. He is Spike. Of course he is a jerk. And he is a walking paradox. He was bad, is bad, but got better. No you can't fix him, but you can love him for his efforts.

Nanami Kiryuu

She's the mean girl of the show, and a pretty interesting take on the "bitchy vain school rival of the protagonist" trope. She spends most of her early screentime being a bully and most of her later screentime being both the biggest loser imaginable and deeply sad/troubled (which still does not erase how much of an asshole she can be). She even laughs like your stereotypical mean rich girl. Nanami has so many problems and sucks so so bad. I adore her.

Shes a psychotic bully who seeks to ruin the lives and reputations of any girl who gets more of her brothers attention than she does. Reasons Nanami Kiryuu deserves to win: - she has made many attempts at physical and psychological terrorism against Anthy Himemiya (including a plotted wardrobe malfunction at a crowded social gathering) simply for drawing more of her brother's attention than her - tried to fill Anthy's bedroom with wild animals (a snail, a snake, and a live octopus) to make her out to be a freak only to find that her room was already full of wild animals - she bankrolled an elementary schoolers crush on her to turn him into her personal boyservant - briefly non-personed a member of her bully entourage for sharing an umbrella with her brother - received a luxury cowbell due to a shipping error and smugly wore it to school for weeks flaunting it like high coture - when her bully entourage rebelled against her due to her brothers manipulation she brought them back in line by just straight up beating the shit out of all of them - all in all just a petty, goonish motherfucker (she also does the ohohohohoho anime girl laugh)

she's blond: despite being Japanese her hair is yellow, unlike her brother's. yellow is even her image color. she's a jerk: introduced as a jealous and dishonest scheming bully, she is one of the more outwardly antagonistic characters in a cast where pretty much everyone is a Real Piece Of Work she's the best: the quintessential ohoho-laughing ojou, her fully-realized character arc makes people both laugh and cry even her sidekick is a blond jerk! how many blond jerks have their own blond jerk sidekick?

i don't know what you've heard but she's NOT the kind of girl who lays eggs!

The token mean rich girl of the franchise. Does the classic "ohohoho" laugh. Doesn't like either of our main characters. She never actually seems to get her way, and secretly has a lot of her own problems. also she lays eggs and turns into a cow

Absolutely THE quintessential anime mean girl. I mean literally her laughing is THE meme for the hohohoho anime laugh. Needs attention So Badly and straight up bullies anyone she deems a threat to that (so basically Everyone). I haven’t finished RGU but apparently she duels with the intent to kill and drowned a kitten once because it was taking up too much of her brother’s attention? Also she’s 13 which explains a lot

[horizon-verizon]

I would like to ask your opinion on this links, Where is argued that Rhaenyra's reign would never have been stable as long as there was a viable male heir. I think that would be slightly true except that we have Jeyne Arryn right there who yes, she had to lock up some of her cousins ​​(I think) for trying to usurp her and yes, there were conflicts after her death because she chose a successor and some decided not to respect it.

When one of the worst crimes is kinslayer and we see within the universe examples of how it is solved peacefully. I don't understand why everyone jumps to yes, without a doubt murder is the only way.

https://www.tumblr.com/bbygirl-aemond/707496074526523392/what-would-you-think-would-happen-if-the-greens?source=share

I would say that there is a male candidate under her reign who would keep those who wish to destabilize or usurp her hopeful, but the line between hopeful and actually plotting/active in this case is thicker than this person thinks. Yes, with Rhaenyra being female there are always people who will prefer any of her maniac brothers. And yes, Jeyne Arryn had trouble getting her seta having to imprison her own relatives who later stopped her chosen heir from ruling after her death. However, as I and others have already said--several times, really!--how many people actually would do something against her or try versus those who supported her and fought for her and therefore--if she had ruled--would stay behind her? Especially if greens stans and some "neutral" fans realized that it's so much less likely for dragon-less Andal lords to actually seriously harm them with their dragons outnumbering the original 3 conquerors' dragons by more than 10 if the green characters (and I mean Alicent and her kids and father) had left well enough alone.

As for Jeyne Arryn, is it not strange how it is after Rhaenyra dies and loses that another woman-ruler's wishes/authority declines after her death? What would have happened if Rhaenyra had survived and ruled without as much as she went through, how would she have responded to her Arryn cousin's will ignored? The same cousin who--unlike the Rosby and Stokeworth girls who were not blood-related--actively and personally supported her in the war? A woman who ruled her dead mother's homeland, the same house whose' sigil she added to her own wartime banner? And it's important to note that Jeyne Arryn, like Viserys, expressly vocalized/declared who her heir was while Rosby & Stokeworth's fathers did not as far as anyone knows. Finally, it's a lot easier for Rhaenyra to support Jeyne's heir or avenge them because unlike here, w/Rosby & Stokeworth she had the pressure of choosing what would make her immediate supporters happy for her immediate needs. If she had won, that pressure would have been much lighter. So if one argues that Rhaenyra would treat Jeyne Arryn exactly as she did Rosby and Stokeworth, they're not reading through the text. And if this makes Rhaenyra sound self-interested, I never said that she wasn't. In other posts, I explain who I think Rhaenyra was as a person and how she became that (pre-KL and marriages) into her becoming her later paranoid self. But I am speaking not of an individual's morality but of one very important effect of her fall on the politics of greater Westeros. Once again, Rhaenyra's loss and inability to stay as a queen affected noblewomen's ability to justify their places as rulers in their own right, which has implications for what women are able to do versus men's. To downplay that is to ignore the implications for even Daenerys, how Arianne Martell vs Stannis Baratheon use precedents and customs to explain or promote their decisions and bids for positions, etc. It is to ignore how Targ women get weaker and farther from the central seat of royal power until we have Rhaella and Dany--both literally sexually and physically abused by their own brothers. A long way from Alysanne, Visenya, and Rhaenys. It is to say, "patriarchy and thinking women shouldn't politically participate and decide for themselves how they navigate life and get any sort of support from their families/government/etc is actually good, or 'not as bad as you'd think'". Using Rhaenyra's self-centeredness and then exaggerating its quality or effect to make her pre-KL personality into something evil is making a victim a perpetrator before they actually become said perpetrator. As well as a lie. Which ironically tends to actually make perpetrators, pushes them into darker places.

Because textually there is nothing to indicate she performed any truly distinctive or evil act before or after her marriages nor her time at Dragonstone ruling it by herself. The reasons why some at Dragonstone turned against her were because some believed a man should come before a woman, because they thought that they'd gain some benefits or just survive the greens, because they wished to see the person who allowed their relatives to either try to claim a dragon or died during the Battle of the Gullet, or they were like Alfred Broome who felt that she didn't give them as many privileges as another person and for personal greed ("Rhaenyra Overthrown"):

The greed and envy part aligns with the greens' own reasons for usurping Rhaenyra. As for the Sowing by itself, those people chose of their own free will to try to ride a dragon, that's not on Rhaenyra. In the Battle, you could argue that disobeying an overlord would be enough to hate any lord and this is correct and valid except as a way to vilify Rhaenyra out of all the lords and ladies who, for centuries, have also used commonborn people for their wars. Yes, Rhaenyra is a typical aristocrat in that sense, so why should she be singled out for this specific thing? (This is not to those commonborn, but to those readers and in-story green supporters who would try to say Rhaenyra deserved punishment for this. The commonborn, just like with other lords and vassalages, can and often do, resent lords for lost or disabled relatives from war).

We already saw/see how many came out and fought for her, how they outnumbered those who didn't. (Links to a list of her supporters versus him and what he did--EXCEL SHEET; QUOTE#1 /QUOTE#2; A TUMBLR POST). Don't believe me? Check out this wiki page of the official wiki: The Greens vs the Blacks by the end of the war.

To clarify: going by how many supported Rhaenyra in the actual war, we can surmise that she had way more support than she did without. And I mean "support" by those willing to fight for her whether by the value of oath, to help their own claims, belief in her herself, or all of the above. All the while, you have to also realize that Alicent had to have tried spreading the rumors of Rhaenyra's sons' "bastardy" and Rhaenyra's own "licentiousness"--Borros' comments about her being a bitch and Lucerys her "whelp"--as to ruin her and their reputation and get others to turn against her. Didn't work for most people, evidently.

The reason why the Lannisters and Hightowers (the two main and biggest green supporters aside from Borros/the Baratheons) ever thought to rebel and participate in usurping Rhaenyra was that Viserys allowed an in to the Hightowers by marrying one of their most Faithful, conservative members and having 3 male children with her. And the Lannisters (namely Jason and Tyland), while they definitely thought males were better were not as invested in supporting the greens as far as they could capitalize on their win (and for Tyland, safety, as he was in the castle when it all went down). Rhaenyra had already rejected Jason Lannister in the show while Viserys ignored Jason as a potential husband for her in the book/original lore, so the Lannisters chose a different avenue to influence in the royal family and power. They were all so emboldened partially because they had dragonriders on their side: Aemond, Aegon, and even Helaena if they ever made the excuse to put her out there (though I seriously doubt they would) plus the hightowers' resources and influence.

Finally, when we asses why people would not "respect" Rhaenyra's rule or her heirs' vs why sometimes men and their male heirs' are not "respected" throughout "Westerosi" history, there is a clear difference. If we went back to TWoIaF, there are many examples of men and their male heirs usurped or not "respected" and killed because they were physically weak, too young, weakminded, outmatched, unlucky, etc. They were generally never killed because they turned down an offer of marriage that would benefit their spouse more or just because they were women and seen as unfit based on that alone (the first one is a society woman's plight). Meanwhile, women receive more socially sanctioned sexual or turned-up regular violence, or simply those surrounding them decided they'd rather be led by an invited male--even those men who were a past-enemy/conqueror--than have a woman/girl from the past male ruler's direct relation rule in her own right: Agnes Blackwood; Argella Durrandon; those women that Ronard the Bastard "claimed" from those he conquered; Gerold III Lannister's unnamed daughter who married Joffrey Lydden, the first Andal to rule the Rock and like Orys took his wife's name as to continue that lineage but still would overrule her; Arlan III the Storm King offered to have Roderick Blackwwod's daughter/his own good-daughter Shiera to rule with him jointly after his conquest of that part of the Riverlands, but the lords protested and said they'd rather have him than a girl so that he just added these lands to his own Duurandon domains and it ceased to be "Riverland" for a time. One can check out why this happens more often HERE, by mononijikayu. You can't choose when and where history matters and when cultural/societal ideologies matter in how they shape the present.

[darklinaforever]

So, I'm tired of seeing people say that :

Alicent is not paranoid. That she's right to be afraid that Rhaenyra will come after her children once she takes power, because she's not the only one in the equation, and there's Daemon by his side. Proof of this is that he could be a threat to the children of Alicent: Daemon saying that he will put all the heads of the Greens on pikes before the next moon in episode 10, and that he ends up killing his grandson in the rest of the story.

Let's be clear. Alicent definitely begins to believe that her children are in danger from episode 5. What finally convinces her is that Rhaenyra did not tell her that she had lost her virginity with Criston Cole, so that She had gone directly against his misogynist beliefs about what a "good" woman should do, making her by extension somehow "evil". That, plus the fact that her father, having been fired in the same episode, kept hammering this idea into her head (namely that Rhaenyra, without including Daemon, would eliminate her children so that nothing gets in the way of his accession to the throne) for a long time ! So, yes, it's called paranoia!

Daemon wasn't in the equation at the time. And certainly not in episode 6, where he had been absent for 10 years, and where Alicent was very clearly convinced that Rhaenyra's ascension alone remained a threat to the lives of her children ! While so far, nothing has ever shown that Rhaenyra would have done this to her brothers and sisters, even if she did not frequent them! Not even that Daemon had the desire to have the Green children killed at that time ! And there was even less reason to think that Rhaenyra would have united with Daemon for this purpose, or that he would have convinced her to do so, or that Daemon was the real threat to her children, since, I repeat, He had been absent for 10 years already !

Then... Uh, did these people forget that Daemon's line in episode 10, is said after the Greens committed fucking treason by usurping Rhaenyra ? That they also hid for several days that his brother was dead so they could carry out the usurpation? That these revelations precisely caused the stillbirth of her baby with Rhaenyra ? Obviously they want to kill the Greens at this time ! Especially considering that he never had any affection for them, although he never showed any hatred for the Green kids, just indifference. Not to mention that he hates Otto and Alicent. So after all these events, it's even more worth thinking that Daemon will take the trouble to be pacifist with them as he was the years before.

Oh and... Really ? Is the murder of Alicent's grandson really being used as an example of justification for Alicent's belief that her children were in danger ?

Since this event has not yet taken place in the series, let's talk about the book. In it, unlike the series, Alicent was not at all worried about the survival of her children. It was a simple excuse to usurp Rhaenyra and prove herself right. I recall that she and Otto started plotting as soon as Aegon II was born, when Rhaenyra was only 10 years old, and Daemon had been exiled for years, and wouldn't return for a few more. This shows that Alicent actually expected Viserys to strip Rhaenyra of the title of heiress the instant she bore him a son. But since he didn't, she began actively trying to undermine Rhaenyra in various ways, including making sure her children hated her. What could have led Alicent to believe that a 10 Rhaenyra with a Daemon not even present at that time in years would have her son killed in the future ? The answer is simple. Absolutely nothing.

As for the murder of his grandson by Daemon, it was committed in response to the voluntary murder (and not an accident as in the series) of his stepson Lucerys Velaryon by Aemond. Daemon therefore did not order this murder out of a simple desire to kill the Greens, or sadistic pleasure, but rather out of revenge, in response to Aemond's act. On top of that, Blood and Cheese might actually be about Aegon II, not one of his sons. (even if I prefer to believe that the child was intentionally targeted because "A son for a son")

Going back to the series, it was already explained that Daemon had nothing to do with Alicent's original belief that Rhaenyra would have her children killed. But either way, Blood and Cheese will happen for the same reasons as in the book (unless the writers are being completely stupid), which is that Daemon will probably avenge Lucerys' death, that he has no way to know to be an accident, and even so, Aemond is fully responsible !

The Greens, whatever the version, series or book, attacked first, without valid reasons. I don't know why this is so hard for so many people to understand.

[phoenixkaptain]

I finished rewatching Total Drama Island (and I only almost threw up five or so times. All on episode 25. I only had to stop watching for, like, five minutes though. Whoever came up with that episode is seriously fucked up, but I can’t help but to respect it.)

I just think that rewatching Island is hilarious with the foresight of World Tour existing. They could not have set up Heather’s future narrative mirror any better if they tried, like, it’s kind of amazing! I mean, I’m sure the creators had some idea that the show would continue, but that had to be near the end right? Otherwise, I’d have to assume that the creators gave so many of the characters nice, happy endings with the intention to fuck them up. Which, the creators did create TDI episode 25, so it isn’t outside the realm of possibility, but-

Anyway, none of that’s the point. Heather having to deal with Heather 2: Electric Boogaloo is the funniest thing they could have made happen in World Tour. I know it’s a redemption arc, and I think they couldn’t have given Heather a redemption arc if they tried anything else. Like, if Heather was antagonized and antagonizing Alejandro, who Noah says best is just like Heather only prettier more socially adept, Heather would never be redeemed. Some of the stuff she does in the first season is just cruel for the sake of being cruel. If they tried to redeem her any other way than making her deal with herself 2.0, it just wouldn’t have worked.

(And it wouldn’t have been as funny)

I really liked a lot of the episodes. It really takes me back to my childhood, you know? I was only 6 when Island first premiered. I didn’t understand a single thing going on. I think I liked Leshawna because I liked her shirt. And, Leshawna, I feel, definitely has the least second-hand embarrassmant scenes, so that was probably a part of it. I liked DJ because I could relate to his anxiety. Even at 6. That’s probably a bad thing, huh…

Anyway, point being, I totally watched this show as a kid and I absolutely hated every other moment and wanted to die and understood approximately none of what was going on (as a kid andanadultcoughcough I tended to zone out. I missed a lot of plot in movies and tv shows. I was busy thinking about something else) and I think I only watched the show because I wasn’t supposed to. My brothers told me not to, so I went out of my way to. Success.

I do think the series’ humour peaked in World Tour (“If it’s any consolation, you do get *gestures to Tyler falling down the side of a pyramid*” This makes me laugh every time. The line delivery, the timing, even the animation- everything is wonderful. Not to mention Tyler climbing the fence in Area 51 and getting electrocuted and Duncan and Alejandro going in through the open gate. Tyler is the funniest character in all of Total Drama (that I know of, which is seasons 1-3) and I will fight you on that.) but Island is still very amusing. DJ screaming at Heather, her saying “stop, it’s me, Heather,” he stops, then starts screaming again. A little joke I don’t see people mention a lot is Chef saying “25 of us went in, only 5 of us came out,” twice. The second time always gets me. Chef telling Chris he’s an inspiration while cradling Chris in his arms is only as funny as it is because of Chris awkwardly saying “thanks, dude.”

I really like all the characters. Watching it again, there really aren’t any characters I actively hate. I mean, Ezekiel just isn’t in the show long enough for me to hate him, and even Heather has her most redeeming quality (being very funny). The characters are fun to watch interact. I really like Geoff, who was voted off for being too good of a person. Of course I really like Leshawna, who connected the sewage pipe to the showers while Heather was showering to get revenge, which was just really satisfying. I like Gwen and Owen, especially because they’re just the most unlikely duo of all time and their friendship is kinda cute. Noah is fun if only because he is very obviously a 2007 stereotype of a gay man: calling people “honey,” being sarcastic, his voice, hanging around mostly with girls, not liking traditionally masculine things (sports), limp wrist, the scathing way he talks to people (he did kiss a dude that one time but it was in his sleep, so I’ll give him a pass on that one. Plus, it wasn’t even the only scene of a dude kissing another dude. Owen kisses dudes. Kissing someone’s ear and people’s cheeks, I just don’t know if I buy that being significant in any way other than the creators making gay jokes). Noah was obviously meant to be a gay caricature only for the creators to figure out he was a fan favourite and give him a girlfriend, most likely at the behest of the studio. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if Noah’s popularity in the first season stemmed entirely from him being a gay caricature. 2007, man. Things were wild.

I guess you could say that I sort of understand Noah’s popularity, especially coming from seasons where he was not the third person to be booted, but also I don’t? He’s funny, which is enough for me to like him, but I don’t know if others agree. In fact, I can almost guarantee there are people who disagree, because I like Heather for the same reason, and people have claimed that no one should like Heather. Unfortunately, she made me giggle once, and now I will defend her to the death. That’s just the way I am, sadly, and I can’t change it, nor do I particularly want to.

Speaking of Heather, I really enjoyed the running gag of Chef being a good chef who purposefully makes terrible food for the campers. I like when he complains about no one showing any gratitude for him slaving over a hot stove all day. I really like that he seems to hate Owen, because he just can’t gross Owen out, but he also seems to like Owen, because Owen compliments his cooking.

Owen is such a weird character, because he is the butt (pun intended) of so many gay jokes. But my favourite Owen bit is him in the confessional spilling all of his secrets because the confessional makes him want to confess everything. Also, Mr. Coconut. Also also, Owen easily defeating the snake keeping them up in the treehouse and, upon being asked why he didn’t do it earlier, him saying “What, and miss out on all of this bonding?” I love Owen.

I quite enjoyed watching the show. It is nice to understand what’s going on. And to understand the jokes. And to realize how weird it is that Lindsay couldn’t talk about eating disorders or boob jobs but Harold could talk about seeing boobies (on American television). And now I get how weird it is that they aged down the cast, yet kept the adult themes. I mean, the teens very rarely act like teenagers, they more act like college students than high school ones, and the discrepancy between their ages and the ages they were meant to be portrayed as is incredibly funny to me.

All in all, I will continue to watch the show’s seasons. Because it’s either that, or pull my hair out trying to get myself to hyperfixate on something else. I can’t guide my hyperfixations, I can only ride them. And this is what my mind wants to focus on. I don’t really have a choice, y’know? If I did, I think I would choose literally any other show (any other show that didn’t make me almost throw up a dozen times). There are worse shows to fixate on, but there are definitely better ones too.

[oathshxker]

hello my beebs, tis i, lyna (she/her, 25+, est) here with my beautiful brain child i am SO EXCITED FOR named sura. he's a noble in the fiendish courts (though he doesn't really wanna be) and takes delight in corrupting people's hearts and souls. his strategy is normally to appeal to the deadly sin someone is weak to and exploit it in hopes that when they die they go to hell and become infernal like him. he's quite evil, and i'm very excited to pen such a devilishly devious muse. below the cut is his bio, and i have some premade open plots for him here if you're interesed! please like this for plotting! i'll message you, or you can add me on discord: @plumboss!

⸺ ✧˖° Introducing the noble lord sura, a cunning DEVIL with a fondness of music and poetry. Their admirers endlessly praise them for their skills as a charismatic BARD & their work as the court of flames' INFERNAL ARCHIVIST. On the contrary; their rivals will warn you of their tendency to be manipulative and malicious. ⦁ faceclaim: park seonghwa, ateez . mun: lyna, she/her.

THE DEVIL IN ME

“⸺ ✧˖° 

NAME: [classified] NICKNAMES/ALIAS: sura GENDER: male PRONOUNS: he/him BIRTHDAY: unknown AGE: stopped counting after 300 SPECIES: fiend - devil  SEXUALITY: chaotic bisexual CURRENT LOCATION: jeosung, koryo OCCUPATION: nobleman and scholar of infernal history ETHNICITY: infernal NATIONALITY: koryaan RELIGION: demonic SOCIAL CLASS: nobility ADVENTURE CLASS: bard - college of whispers

FACECLAIM: ateez seonghwa EYE COLOR: red [when not glamoured] HAIR COLOR: black HAIR TYPE: straight BODY TYPE: lean athletic HEIGHT: 6’1” WEIGHT: 170 lbs SCENT: eau d’avernus TATTOOS: none PIERCINGS: ears and tongue SCARS: one long scar down the side of his neck, apparent scars around his horns from when they grew in

bullets:

born in avernus, was quickly summoned to jeosung by his family to avoid the blood war front lines 

was raised in jeosung as part of the nobility, with distant blood ties to one of the archdevils of the nine hells serving as his claim to his title

unlike some of his brothers, sisters and cousins, sura never took to any one skill that he was supremely proficient at, but was rather skilled in most things he tried, and therefore ended up training as a bard

he is proficient with many instruments, his favored instruments being the flute and the lute

can pretty much talk his way out of anything or convince people he is more capable than he actually is

chose the name ‘sura’ for himself as an alias to keep his real name a secret, though somewhere in the nine hells there exists half a stone tablet with part of his real name recorded on it in infernal. the other half is in his possession and locked away for safe keeping.

found himself enjoying his studies more than combat and spell casting, and so he decided to make a profession out of his learned knowledge and become a scholar and tutor

he began forming an archive of infernal texts he safeguards in his estate as part of his scholarly duties

he visits court, sure, but it’s a little dull for his tastes, though he does his best to make the most of it and have his fun, either through conversation or making a little impromptu performance

he uses his tutoring as a way to lure in potentials for becoming fiends, using his role as a mentor to influence human souls so that they might go to hell upon death and become devils themselves

his methods usually include pushing someone towards acting on the deadly sin they’re most guilty of and then appearing as an ally when their sinful acts blow up in their face

morals are clearly corrupt, his main goal is to avoid his name being discovered since he enjoys controlling others, rather than them controlling him

is more so guilty of apathy and boredom rather than selfishness, he toys with people to entertain himself more than anything

will always try to appear as a friend rather than a foe, this is his way

dresses in the finest, trendiest [and most revealing] clothing

he’s all about having fun really