#out of context prisoner's throne

[fantasyfangirling4ever]

'"She's bitten me before, you know," he says with a grin. "It wasn't so bad."'

[jurdanhell]

EVERYBODY STFU

[cromulentreader]

S for Spoilers

[toa-archive]

So last week Aaron unexpectedly posted the early story grid for Wizards (Here) which threw a lot of things into a tailspin. Getting hold of anything Wizards related is always gold given how much was lost due to time constraints or other factors, this one was fascinating.

Then yeah he goes and drops another one earlier today:

Source

Now there is a running joke on the Archive that the account holder has a habit of enacting this meme except it's less conspiracy theorist more they are an idiot and can/will connect dots others miss.

AND BOY DID THIS THING HAVE DOTS

Now there's a lot to talk about in that grid from the fact it's when the past!team and present!team was still a thing, people you're not expecting to die dying, Douxie never meeting Zoe in Camelot as the prison break never happened....

And a sidetrack please forgive me:

Source for the artwork

Called it! The odds of being wrong on this one were minimal because Gnasha was killed at Killahead, due to AAARRRGGHH was a small jump in logic but oh. Oh that vindication of being right is so sweet.

Ahem.

What will actually concern people will be this story grid actually explains a few pieces of artwork that without it's context made little sense. The first of which is this artwork by Sean Murray which had the very curious title of Morgana's Castle and Morgana's Throne Room respectively. This has never made sense as surely it was the Arcane Order's castle? Unless of course there was a version where it actually wasn't.

Another of Sean Murray's artwork are these Amulets... Which could easily double up for these mysterious seals that are a separate thing, not a box as they came to be. They could also been a design for accessing the things or something else entirely! This has given them a possible reason for being designed in the first place.

Under the Lava Wizard image on artstation, the caption mentions it was an early concept for Morgana's Castle (There again!) while the art says "Lava" wizard tower. The second mentions unused concept for flying castles with none being uploaded for Ice. Clearly at one point they were thought to be floating about before it became just one for the Arcane Order. It's certainly an interesting thought though budget wise the end result was the wisest for certain.

Source for all Sean Murray's artwork above.

Anyway going to go pore over the grid some more now. As a final thought, that floating castle's weird spikey things look suspiciously like those on Morgana's helmet don't they. Aphantasia meant didn't notice prior to having very big bright red dots sitting next to one another to point it out.

[puddingforg]

Can... can I maybe beg for info dumping about Owen and Hubter's original designs/story?

OFCCC!! I LOVE talking about my ocs so if you have any questions from what I’m about to tell please ask, now brace yourself this is a long one,

Ok lore, where do I start, imma give some world-building context first: Thousands of years ago there were these dudes each from a different species whose sole purpose was to protect their nation. Nobody really knows how they appeared but they had been protecting their nations for generations. As more Nations appeared and more wars started happening, lesser and lesser of them started appearing, first, it skipped a generation, then two, then three and so on until nobody knew what had happened to the fearless warriors that once fought for their nations, in some cultures they were forgotten, in others, they were treated as a myth and in others, they were treated as a curse who would come and cause chaos and destruction. There are 5 of them, they are an elf, a dragon, a vampire, a mermaid/man and a faun. Here are some Sketches as to how their designs might look but I’m probs gonna change them

forgot to mention but the world is kinda in a medieval era¿, it's like a DnD campaign of some sort lol

Ok so- Hunter and Owen being part of the main cast obviously are these previously mentioned “warriors” - Kinda… let me explain, I’ll start with Owen cuz’ his backstory is simpler, you have your stereotypical perfect mermaid, however, these mermaids are a pretty discriminatory species, if someone doesn't follow their very strict beauty standards, which ofc is being a cutesy little fish-tail mermaid, they are categorised as a sea monster. Sea monsters live in separate places from the mermaids. Mermaids have the most territory residing in a huge and radiant city, like Atlantis, where everything and everyone is perfect living a perfect life. Then we have sea monsters, that, despite being way more, are left to live in a small, not very fit-to-live territory with little access to food and resources. Now, there is a deeper reason as to why that is. The normal mermaids have no idea of this but within the royal family there is this prophecy, which is engraved in a rock that they keep hidden, that someday a shark-tail mermaid ( like Owen, who just so happens to be who is meant to protect the people ) will appear and take the throne from those who aren’t meant to have it ( the mermaids ) The royal family for generation has kept the sea monsters oppressed in hopes that they don’t rebel and take the throne. So, Owen lives with his mother in a little house on the sea monsters side, he’s pretty liked and well-known bc he is one of the few ppl, like members of the revolutionary army, that dares to go to the mermaids side for food, ( little parenthesis, the revolutionary army has asked him multiple to join but he refuses each time bcs “he doesn’t like conflict” )  he’s pretty cocky with his abilities so for him it's no issue to go to that side bcs he is sure that he’ll never get caught (he has, he just escapes rlly easily ) it was actually in one of these occasions that he met Hunter, and finally I have a drawing of that! 

here’s the full page, it also comes with their designs and size difference 

I’ll explain how the hell Hunter is underwater and his reason to do so later btw. To summarise what happens next, they break out of prison, Hunter realizes Owen might be the one Caly is looking for (I’ll explain who she is later) Hunter asks him to go with him to the surface, Owen agrees, they go, adventure commences! ( for anyone wondering, yes Owen does end up making a rebellion and taking the throne but much, much, much  later) 

Now to Hunter, 

He’s a shadow-shifter, which essentially means that he is just a shadow w/o any real physical form so he can shift into whatever he wants, however, while he can make small alterations to his body like growing an extra pair of arms, grow wings or grow a couple of feet, to make big changes like increase his size exponentially for example, he needs a huge calorie intake that he can transform into mass/shadow that he can shape. Now I just said that shadowshifters don't have physical forms, that’s not the full truth, due to evolution they have developed a “base form” that resembles humans except that they are slightly taller ( around 7 feet ) and have black with purple eyes, like in this drawing here. 

Shadowshifters are still, well shadows they just look human to sort of blend, but Hunter for example when faced with very strong emotions loses control of himself and turns into a shapeless shadow. 

Onto Hunter's backstory, shadowshifters were a nomad nation, never really given their own land to call home, so they just wandered in caravans around all the lands. They were a hated species being seen as less by almost everyone because they didn't have a physical form. ( the real reason is that they were afraid of what they could actually do if they wanted to attack a nation, bc shapeshifting is a very broken ability 🙂‍↕️) They were so hated that other species began to hunt them, the fact that they were taller and had black eyes made them an easy target as they were easy to identify. One day the shadowshifters were crossing through the woods that sat in between the border of humans and fawns. They were playing music, the children were playing and an overall happy aura was taking over. As Hunter was playing with the other kids he ran over to his mother to ask her for her necklace so he could use it in the game they were playing, his mother happily handed it over. (This is important) Suddenly they heard a big crash followed by screaming. A huge group of not only humans but dragons and hybrids as well had attacked them. Then, the fire started, the dragons began burning everything as the humans and hybrids hunted them down. Hunter's mom grabbed him by the hand and started running away, Hunters mom knew that they wouldn't be able to outrun them, so she hugged Hunter tight saying her goodbyes and instructing him to run away as fast as he could, and to not look back for any reason. Hunter ran nonstop into the fauns territory until his body gave out and he fainted. He got woken up by a kid faun, close to his age, who was slightly shaking him and asking if he was okay. The kid looked at him confused, asking again if he was okay and reassuring him that he was safe. He said that his name was Kamal. Here’s how he looks like as a young adult

Kamal took Hunter to his village where Hunter would tell Kamal’s mom what happened; Fauns being a very docile species did not have any hate towars shadowshifters btw; Kamal’s mom decided to take Hunter in and raise him, the people of the village where also very kind and accepted Hunter. He lived a fairly happy life, until he was around 17. See the one who was supposed to protect the fauns was Kamal, and both he and Hunter decided that the best way to do that was to become bounty hunters and roam the borders of the fauns territory to make sure no one dangerous came in, they started doing this when they were around 13 so by the time they were 17 they were pretty good at it, however, as most teenagers, they believed themselves to be invincible, or at least Hunter did. ( This part is still in development so it's not gonna be that well-written jsjs ) One day, as they were doing their jobs and patrolling the borders, Hunter noticed a group of fairly known criminals entering the forest, so being as reckless as he was, he just started running w/o thinking, Kamal being more cautious decided to check the wanted posters he carried with him, he saw that the leader of the group had a danger level of 4 and a torch stamp ( Wanted posters rank criminals with danger levels ranging from 1 to 5 and if they have a torch stamp means that they have magic ) Kamal rushed to stop Hunter from doing something stupid but when he got there he had already started a fight, Kamal joined knowing there was no way Hunter could win on his own, While they were fighting one of the criminals launched at Hunter’s back with a sword while he fought someone else, Kamal saw this and rushed to push Hunter out of the way getting himself stabbed. Kamal's powers began going haywire, the ground shaking, plants and trees growing fastly everywhere, this scared the criminals away but the damage was already done. Hunter just stood there holding his brothers body, as the last bit of air left Kamal's body Hunter's necklace began glowing and something green started coming out of where Kamal's heart was, and the crystal on the necklace started absorbing it. When it stopped, the crystal was glowing green and the realisation of what just happened dawned on Hunter and he started screaming and crashing out, this caused him to lose his physical form and become a huge shadow that moved frantically everywhere, until he eventually passed out. When he woke up he was in his house, but not in his room, he was in Kamal's room, and his (adoptive) mom was hugging him asking him if he was okay and where Hunter was, he just stood there trying to make sense of everything, then he heard it. His mother called him Kamal. He rushed to the bathroom and saw himself in the mirror, there in the reflection stood Kamal. 

And that’s it ✨✨ there is soooo much more I have to say abt their stories but to do so it was very important to have hunters backstory clear so parts of the actual story are clear, I left a ton of things un explained so please ask if y’all wanna know something, I might take some time but I assure you that l WILL respond so dw. Gosh, I didn’t even touched the reasonings behind their designs, not only that but a bunch of other stuff happens in the actual story that’ll love to tell but I feel like this post is long enough so maybe I’ll post that another day.

[dalekofchaos]

Context

Return of the Dwemer.

the Dwemer returning just as suddenly as they left. Maybe go to a city and find it overrun with Dwarves and you have to escape and get together a band of warriors from both sides of the civil war in order to save Skyrim from annihilation or join the Dwemer. As part of the dlc you would get the option of having up to four followers.

Another cool option for a small add-on would be a homebase for your followers like in fallout: New Vegas. A fort where you could send them and make it a thriving community of followers

Post-Civil War. We get to see what happens after you win the Civil War. How Skyrim thrives after Imperial or Stormcloak victory. You crush the last Imperial or Stormcloak hold outs and execute the remaining generals of the losing side. If you helped the Imperials win, you could stop a Thalmor plot attempting to put Elisif on the throne to be their puppet. You could have Elenwen removed from Skyrim and decide who ultimately becomes High King/Queen Of Skyrim. Ultimately it comes down to Balgruuf or Elisif. If you helped the Stormcloaks win. You help Ulfric eliminate all opposition to his ascension to High King and help the Stormcloaks kill the Thalmor Justiciars and eventually burn the Thalmor Embassy to the ground.

Thalmor invasion of Skyrim some time in the future. Set up for a massive battle. You go to help the Legion/Stormcloaks, you have to recruit the remaining enemy Legionnaires/Stormcloaks. Basically every follower you've had and given crazy good equipment to us there. The Blades are all there if you rebuilt them. For some plot reason you have Talos's actual personal amulet which reduces Shout cool down by 100%. You ride Odaahving over the Thalmor Flagship, followed by Duurnehviir. Storm Call. Become Ethereal and leap off your dragon, landing on the deck surrounded by the leaders of the Thalmor. Pull out Wuuthrad. Go to town.

End result is that the Thalmor invasion of Skyrim is utterly defeated and their ability to attack Cyrodiil is severely crippled.

giving the Bard's College a bigger, more fleshed-out quest and adding the ability to play instruments would be neat. You could play instruments, there could be skill books that level your bard skills or song books that would be like spelltomes where you learn new songs. For quests you could have to perform in front of various audiences.

The Forsworn. There are hints throughout the game that they are planning something big, letters found in several camps etc. But other than the forsworn conspiracy there’s not much there. A branching quest line that builds off of that quest, about retaking the Reach or fighting against the Forsworn would be cool. Could even maybe spill over into a hold of High Rock.

For the Forsworn, it depends on what you chose for the Forsworn conspiracy. If you killed Madanach(and everyone in the prison) then you hear reports of the Forsworn planning a massive attack on the Reach planning to avenge their king and retake the Reach. It's clear the Forsworn will not stop these constant attacks on the Reach, so you have to put them down.

If you sided with the Forsworn, you get to help the Forsworn retake the Reach. Displace the Nords, killing the Silverblood family and retake Markarth. Madanach replaces whomever the Jarl was but as king. The Imperials would work with the Forsworn ran Markarth, but The Stormcloaks would not, so better to only choose this path if the Imperials win the Civil War.

The Last of the Snow Elves: Lost tribe of Snow Elves seeks to rebuild their civilization. They seek out other healthy tribes, search for a solution to heal the afflicted Falmer, fight to reclaim their ancestral home, and they seek revenge on those factions still working to eradicate them. This could certainly be a fairly long and interesting DLC. We could get into political shit with the descendants of Nords who still hold a grudge, could get another Elder Scroll on the scene by finding out one of them has the ability to undo the tricks of the Dwemer, some weird time travel shit to find out more about that Elder Scroll, more about the motiviations of the Dwemer.

Post-Paarthurnax Dilemma. If you sided with Delphine, you will aid in re-establishing a new guild of warriors 'Dragonguard' by allocating resources and taking over forts across the province, and prepare an incursion into the heartlands against the false Empire and their Thalmor masters. If you sided with the Greybeards, you will start a new academy for teaching the voice, and train a league of dragon-riding warrior monks set out to extinguish the undead legions of a resurrected dragon priest - a master necromancer and the teacher of Vals Varen and Lu'ah Al-Skaven - who wants to use the buried and recently-dead of Skyrim to conquer the province for himself.

Akavari. An Akaviri expedition arrives on the shores of Eastmarch, having heard the cries of the return of the dragons. They've come searching for the Dragonborn and to join in the hunt for dragons. You venture across the province on dragon hunts with several key new characters, testing your mantle against new dangerous species of dragons in new and old re-vamped locations.

After several successful ventures and proving yourself to the Akaviri captains, they proclaim you as their new leader, and advise you to forge your own kingdom in Tamriel. If you sided with the Empire, you must now usurp their claim upon Skyrim and push the remanent of Tullius' legion out by force, for the Mede Dynasty refuses to acknowledge your new seat of power in Skyrim. If you sided with the Stormcloaks, you must usurp Ulfric's claim as high king before the moot, and convince each of the hold's Jarls, either through favour or battle, to submit to your righteous authority.

I feel like The Dragonborn becoming Emperor could be for Skyrim, what The Shivering Isles was for Oblivion. See this post on what a Dragonborn becoming Emperor could look like

The Psijic Order. Magic in skyrim doesn't really feel too fleshed out, There could be quests that give you entirely different spells instead of the usual 5 spells plus reskins. It could have you solve the mystery on why they never had much screentime.

And at the end, it could have you restoring winterhold

Dragonborn Conquest. Similar to my Dragonborn Emperor concept, but doing it for the good of the people of Skyrim.

The premise would be that the Dragonborn is sick to death of this wretched Civil War. One side is subservient to the true enemy and the other side is full of racists. The Imperials have literal criminals as Jarls(Maven and Siddgeir) Stormcloaks have paranoid lunatics and the corrupt as Jarls. Both sides have good arguments, but both cannot be allowed to control Skyrim. So the Dovahkiin decides it’s time for the people to open their eyes and take Skyrim back for the people. Nords, Imperials, Redguards, Elves, Argonians and the Khajit.

The Dragonborn’s promises

The Khajit caravans get to gain entry in the cities of Skyrim instead of being forced on the outskirts

Restoring Talos worship

Argonians gain entry into Windhelm instead of being forced on the docks

The Dunmer will receive better housing than the Grey Quarter

All citizens of Skyrim will be treated equally under the new High King

Proper Jarls to rule and govern their holds and to maintain stability, peace and justice to their people instead of ruling out of greed or power

An end to the Civil War by any means necessary

An end to corrupt families like the Black Briars and Silver-Bloods

Rebuilding Winterhold

Giving The Reach back to the Forsworn

The execution of Ulfric Stormcloak and expulsion of General Tullius and the Legion.

The final promise. An end to the Thalmor Justiciar witch hunts and kidnappings and the forced removal of the Thalmor from Skyrim

So yeah, The Dragonborn should’ve been able to become High King of Skyrim and rule for the good of the people of Skyrim. Be able to handpick the Jarls for the good of the land and been able to side against the Stormcloaks, Imperials and Thalmor.

The Dragonborn's death is inevitable, but the Daedra are scheming to keep the Dragonborn's soul after his death, while the Aedra want to reward the Dragonborn with Soverngarde.

Was inspired by this

[textualviolence]

Meng Yao/Jin Guangyao's Lovers Fuckability ranking

Level minus zero: Lan Xichen. Does not have even a shred of a fatherly relationship to JGY. Treats him like an equal. Is kind to him. Respects him as a person and genuinely likes who he is. Probably inspires JGY to become celibate so they can be chaste together. Some erotic tension if they don't fuck, brushes of hands, purity and chastity causing a rising of tension etc. But there's no way they can have actual sex outside of maybe the hiding from the Wen context. I bet they write poems to each other though. That's very nice. 2/10

Level 1: Nie Mingjue pre-Meng Yao's dismissal. Is technically probably Meng Yao's first dubious fatherbosslover figure. I do imagine he had a certain degree of guilt about it which isn't hot for anyone being victimized by an older authority figure. Definitely probably a lot of the sex they had and especially the kind they didn't have hinged on the fact that Meng Yao looks exactly like Nie Huaisang. I think if NMJ had been willing to cross that line and actually made Meng Yao kinda sorta pretend to be his little brother he would be further up the ranking, alas. The most morally dubious it gets is that Meng Yao is his servant and social inferior and probably aged around 15. However the incredibly high amount of approval he probably dished out regularly and easily alongside sex and orders did prepare the grounds for Meng Yao to then crave that kind of validation all the time and go to ridiculous lengths for it. 4/10

Level 2: Wen Ruohan. Will groom Meng Yao without subjecting him to his weird morality complex. WRH is just a bad guy and doesn't care. Also will favor Meng Yao over his actual blood children, partly as a manipulation tactic and also because his children kind of suck. Definitely loves to play people against each other and will use the trading of sexual favors as a political tool. Actually old enough to be his dad and is also in the same social position as his dad, currently beating his dad in a war, and acting as his dad dangling promises of legitimization in between throne room handjobs and prisoner torture sessions. Can humiliate both NMJ and JGS. Honestly the ideal situation. Too ideal? It's just too straightforward. Give yourself over to me body and soul and do my evil bidding and in exchange i'll give you all the validation you crave. That's so reliable that its suspicious and kind of a turn off. Where's the excitement and rollercoaster of unpredictable reward/punishment? 6/10

Level 5: Nie Mingjue post-Meng Yao's dismissal: No more little brother issue now it's all about how NMJ just wants to kill him at all cost and will risk political disaster in order to do so. NMJ who used to shower him with affection and validation, telling him all the time that he was proud of him and what a good job he was doing as a deputy, now wants him dead. The dick must be incredible. They probably don't have sex often & its never not violent & dangerous, but the high of it lasts for days. It doesn't lessen the rage in the long term but it evacuates it in the short term & where before the sex was coexisting with the validation now the sex IS the validation. Which makes it hot no matter how unvalidating its actually meant to be. Half those bruises he's hiding under his sleeves aren't from Madam Jin let me tell you. Plus he's writing poems to Lan Xichen and strongly considering the benefits of a chaste existence in between. The guilt and hypocrisy and having to lie to Lan Xichen's concerned and loving face when he sees the bruises is only making it more intense. 9/10

Level 7: Mo Xuanyu: He gets to become his dad(s) and take advantage of the willingness and admiration of a beautiful youth who would do anything for him. On top of that they're related. It's 100% reenactment power reversal fantasy combined with the horror of his marriage to Qin Su finding a concrete twisted sexual outlet. This time he fucked a half-sibling on purpose!!! And then he can dismiss him for sexual impropriety the second he comes to his senses and be rid of the sin forever which was half of the need. And then he can feel even more like his dad. 8/10

Level 10: Jin Guangshan: What more can I say. He slaps with one hand and caresses with another. Literally makes Jin Guangyao do the most secret taboo vile political tasks he can't offload onto anyone else and then refuses to touch him because of it until Meng Yao performs some kind of cleansing action, for which he is briefly rewarded with mild approval and even certain shows of affection, but never outside of the bedroom. Keeps a large retinue of whores and plays them off against each other, includes Meng Yao in the games to make sure he feels like one of them. No way to ever feel too comfortable in the certainty he has his father's anything because any shred of positive interaction is extremely hard-earned, unless he shows sign of wanting to leave or waver in his loyalties, in which case his father WILL pull him back with more love and care than he's ever shown which will feel like a drug. I bet he had more than one fight with NMJ over the issue of which groomer his son was to listen to and he won everytime. One show of possessiveness equivalent to 10'000 hours of basic respect in Meng Yao's heart. 10/10

[box-architecture]

cont. of this

for better context if you found it confusing^

Okokok so i talked a lot with Plat about Dark!Drunz where Punz valued money over Dream and Dream, abandoned in the snow, ends up becoming a God, with Punz as his immortal right hand mercenary.

Punz did end up regretting betraying Dream and realize they actually do care about him, but by the time they figure it out Dream has already decided to go with the ascension-to-godhood plan and now Punz is kneeling at his feet, his loyal servant, who Dream pays extravagant amounts and fills their room with jewels. Punz doesn't want any of it. They just want Dream to smile again.

And Sam ends up also surviving the ascension because Dream brings him with and 'keeps him prisoner like he did to Dream,' except Sam has a comfy room filled with cushions and pillows and he's all dolled up in golden chains and he's obviously very well taken care of. Dream goes to Sam's room to fuck him and cuddle him like a plushie, because Dream is so fucking touch starved it's insane, and Sam is the only other person who knows and in any way understands what happened in prison, and therefore understands Dream.

Dream, when not with Sam, is always wearing gloves and long sleeves and never initiates skin on skin contact. His mask is on at all times even during sex, blocking his eyes (though his mouth is still visible) and Punz hasn't felt his touch in ages.

"Punz can't touch Dream, can't reach him but now Dream's a god, with statues and shit, and it's not unexpected for Punz to have their own private temple to Dream because they are one of his biggest worshippers right.

Now consider Punz commissioning a statue for that temple, life like and life sized.

And sometimes they touch it, or sit at its feet, just leaning against it and they pretend for a second that it's something real that they are allowed to do the way they used to.

I think especially because Sam gets to touch Dream, Punz needs it

He needs to be able to go home after seeing Dream petting Sam, and he sits by the statue, the exact way Sam was, head leaning against Dream's thigh and it's harsh, cold marble but Punz closes his eyes and imagines that it's just armor, and that any moment now Dream will reach over to pet their hair lightly." - Plat

Also it's very important that you know that Punz would get off on imagining Dreams bare hands, imagining Dreams hand in their hair, imagining that when Dream touched them ever so briefly that he wasn't wearing gloves, because they're so fucking touch starved and they can't bear the idea of having sex with other people (they already betrayed and abandoned Dream they wouldn't try substituting him as well, like he could be somehow replaced.)

also also:

Dream and Sam having sex drives Punz absolutely mad. They're not given any sort of permission to participate but sometimes they have to report to Dream when back from a mission and find him riding Sam, leash in hand. They're a master of keeping a neutral face, but their eyes can't seem to turn away from the sight, lingering on Dream's mouth and the occasional ragged breath. His eyes are still hidden,,,

if Dream and Punz's relationship ever becomes sexual, it starts with Punz stopping Dream from going to see Sam and telling him to use Punz instead. Punz kneels at Dream's throne and holds his cock in his mouth, looking up at him with devotion. Punz is floating on a high afterwards (he attended to Dream's needs he made Dream feel good he got to touch him after so, so long-) but it's ruined by the small pile of gold laying on their pillow when they go back to their rooms. Dream's payment.

Punz wears Dream's signet religiously while traversing the mortal world. Someone trying to steal or defile it causes instant murder. Everything of Dream's must be cherished and preserved

consider that Dream used to keep his face uncovered for Punz, that Punz used to have access to Dream's eyes whenever they were together. Dream's eyes haunt his nightmares. He doesn't remember what shade of green they are anymore. He clings to emeralds and jades and malachite and thinks this one? Was it like this?

Dream assumes, if Punz blows him, either that Punz is just looking for a good time or is attracted to the fact that Dream's a God now. Of course Punz is only interested in that. He rationalizes it to himself and neatly tucks it away with all the other things that hurt him until he can't feel it anymore. He doesn't need to have a heart anymore. He sends more gold to Punz's bedroom and hopes it makes them happy.

(Punz feeling Dream, hot and heavy in his mouth. Their own hardness hidden as they fixate on the way Dream's mouth parts ever so slightly. If Dream occasionally pets their hair, it's with a gloved hand, and Punz later gets off in their room thinking about how Dream touched them.

Punz puts their own hand over their hair, where Dream did, while they stroke themself and they imagine, just for a moment, that there was no glove, that it was Dream's bare hand touching them.)

Dream, desperately holding onto Sam, trying not to shake because he's so starved for affection but he has to be Strong.

Maybe he puts Punz on his cock on a particularly bad day.

Because he doesn't want to admit to Punz he needs them because Punz clearly doesn't care or want that.

Dream who chose godhood because this way he would be untouchable, because this way he wouldn't need touch and affection and wouldn't get hurt any longer by broken hearts and broken trust, who made the mask part of said godhood so that there would not be temptation to remove it (and trust again).

Dream who wears gloves not to deprive Punz or anyone of touch, but because if he touches someone with his bare hands he's afraid he'll get attached and hurt anew.

Dream who takes Sam to bed to cuddle because Sam is his the way property is now, and that's safe, right? He's got a leash, he's got restraints, Sam cannot hurt him.

Did you know that Punz has to walk in on Dream riding Sam (while holding his leash and establishing to everyone that He's Very In Control Of Course) and give their report. And Punz watches his back flex (covered in prison scars that Punz never soothed) as he lifts himself off of Sam's cock. Cum drips down his thighs as he soothes Sam's whines by rubbing his side. Punz wants to scream.

Dream takes off a glove once, using his teeth - and Punz doesn't know what to fixate on, the way his teeth close almost delicately around the leather, or the pale fingers revealed underneath - because he needs to use whatever touch-activated power on something, and then he uses said bare hand to take Sam's jaw and make him look at him, and Punz has never wished to have his jaw grabbed before by anyone but oh they burn right now.

in some fun plot, perhaps a world is ending, apocalypse and all, so in some big dnd-like adventure, a group of heroes seek to stop the end of the world. And it's inevitable so long as Dream continues to make it be so. So!!! Time to kill a God.

this is specifically so a set of circumstances happen where Dream can tell Punz to infiltrate the party and "betray" him. Punz experiences flashbacks. Punz feels like dying. They promised to do anything for Dream so they join the group and pretend to be a former agent of Dream who's going to help them defeat him.

Punz reports to Dream as often as feasibly possible while under cover. He recites his vows and clings to loyalty in any way possible. They try to remind Dream (and themselves) each time that they're his loyal servant. It's not like back then. Punz won't leave him ever again. Dream doesn't even seem like he's listening, blankly sending Punz off.

"tell them where I am"

the heroes arrive at Dream's palace. Dream is on his throne, looking every bit the dark evil they imagined. Sam is in a bird cage instead of his usual room, tied up and gagged and looking like someone they have to rescue, rather than his happy comfy concubine self. Punz is waiting for the moment Dream beckons him to return to his side and show them all the futility of going against their beloved- but it doesn't happen. Dream says a few dramatic words, and they fight

it's been a millennia, at least. Dream is so tired. Everything aches, he feels alone. There's a guilt for keeping Punz and Sam eternally by his side, unable to seek out other bonds, unable to die. Their immortality will fade if Dream dies, and he set it up so Punz has a good reputation and a group of allies, and that Sam will be only a victim in need of rescue. Dream doesn't have to keep pushing through the loneliness. He can rest now. (A monster can be defeated.)

Dream doesn't actually use his full powers. He could have wiped them out in an instant. Instead he makes it a big show and a flashy final battle. Punz is Waiting Waiting Waiting for Dream to say he's done playing with his food.

Then Dream collapses, blood on his lips, and Punz has had quite enough.

entire party is knocked out in a flash of light, and then Punz is gathering Dream in their arms and healing as much as they can. They bring a potion to his lips.

"this was not what I asked you to do."

"forgive me, my lord." They're begging. "Punish my insolence however you'd like. Just live. Please."

Listen I just want Punz to see Dream's face now after so long because his mask was shattered in the fight.

Dreams face should be so expressive and his eyes so green and he's wounded and sad and exhausted and Punz feels like a failure all over again.

Sam is clawing at his cage in the corner needing to be let out. Dream murmurs and points to Sam's cage, it lowers and opens, and Sam's practically breaking down the door.

Imagine Punz carrying Dream to his rooms and healing his wounds and giving him all the care Dream never got after Pandora. Think about how healing it is for them both.

Sam guards Dream's bed while Punz goes out and does the work that needs to be done in Dream's absence. Punz comes back and instantly they're at Dream's bedside, making sure he's comfortable, unable to stop themselves from resting their hand on his forehead, just to check for fever

it feels like lightning on their skin every time they make contact, they're tense enough to snap in half, all in an effort to keep control and not just hold him.

But they pull away and Dream lifts his hand and whispers Punz so quietly they could pretend to not hear it if they so chose, and Punz instantly drops everything and kneels at his feet, holding his hand and kissing the knuckles and promising him anything

But also from Plat:

"But also let me go feral for a little bit at this bc I think Dream who thinks he's dreaming/hallucinating bc Punz is being so very attentive and sweet, and he indulges in the throws of fever and asks Punz to come closer and let Dream touch him (for free, he doesn't say, but this illusion of Punz doesn't ask for payment anyway and Dream knows for sure it's fake)

And he starts asking Punz why they're still at his side, and when Punz replies with the truth (they love him they will stay by his side forever) Dream hums and is like 'this is nice. Tell me more' and he absorbs all the sweet things Punz says like a sponge even tho he's convinced it's fake

And later when the fever breaks, Dream is surprised to find Punz all but lying curled by his side, not quite touching Dream but still seeking him, a single hand clutching Dream's sleeve even in sleep as tho afraid Dream will leave

And Punz notices immediately that Dream is awake bc they are atuned to the barest change in his breathing to attend to his every need, and they immediately ask 'Are you feeling better my love?' and Dream, who's half forgotten all that happened during the fever, frowns in confusion, recoiling bc wtf and Punz sees it as rejection and draws back a little, and rephrases 'Are you feeling better, my lord'

They can be professional, and they can give Dream the distance he wants if he wants it, it's fine."

-

Listen eventually they're going to retire to a nice summer villa where Punz will loyally follow Dream through the gardens and be dripping with affection as Dream picks a rose and brings it to his nose before heading to an open sprawl of grass where Sam is kitty sunbathing. Dream naps on Sam's flank and Punz is going to Keep Watch and never let anything happen to him again. Even if Dream is a God now. It doesn't matter. Sam is purring and nuzzling Punz until he too falls asleep resting his head on Punz's shoulder.

And it'll never be what the original drunz have, never quite so open. Dream just can't be that person anymore. But he lets Punz into his bed, and his mask is hung up somewhere, and Punz gets lost in green

They kiss and cuddle and Dream gives these small, fragile smiles that melt Punz completely. And when Dream wakes up, blinking away sleep, he reaches out and gently rests his hand over Punz's.

"My Mercenary." He murmurs. Punz blinks away tears.

-

Please consider that before dark!drunz came together again, Punz had a mission that took them away from Dream for a couple months. And Dream ordered them to come back safe and Punz repeated those words over and over in their mind, obsessing because Dream Cared and it felt like a grounding tether in the sea of endless yearning.

But also they don't come back at their expected time and get injured, and Dream teleports to their location when an hour passes and they still haven't returned and absolutely destroys the thing bothering his mercenary.

I ordered you to come back safe.

forgive me, my lord.

But also please consider post-reconciliation Punz getting hurt and Dream shaking as they heal up in his bedroom. Consider all the times that Punz would rest with their head in Dream's lap, but now they lay their love's head down and quietly tell a story that will end with Dream falling asleep to a happy ending

-

But also also also I wanted to write their first time, after the end of the DND Campaign of Suffering.

...

They'd be a fool to think they could ever be used to Dream's skin against their own.

The bath while Dream had been sick had allowed them to gently scrub his hair and wipe away the sweat from his brow, but they only performed the most necessary of touches to dress him in soft pajamas, and they refused the undeserved audacity of holding his hand while they both slept. Their lord, feverish as he was, had asked for Punz's love, and there was no mortal force that would have them take advantage of his vulnerability. Never again.

These touches were different. This was their fingers weaved together for the first time in centuries. This was them pressing Dream's body against the mattress with his permission, being allowed to kiss him without gold poisoning their love. This was what religion was, and Punz was on their knees to worship. They were so hard it hurt. If they let go of Dream's hand they would crumble into ash and die, it was certain.

(If Dream had asked to end it there, Punz would accept it without fight, slipping away and fucking themselves with the hand that held their love's. His touch was just- it was- )

"Punz." Their lord gasped beneath them. He had dug his nails into Punz's back, trying to keep them draped over him and their chests pressed together. The contact was overwhelming; Punz had to grip the bed sheets to stop themselves from rutting against Dream's thigh like an untrained dog.

Their breath shook as they tried to get the words out. "My love-"

Punz startled as Dream keened at the endearment. They rested their forehead against his, hoping it would soothe and ground them both in the same vein. "I want to be inside you. May I have your permission?"

His eyes (a brilliant green they thought they'd never see again) were hazy with a desperate lust. "You have it. Didn't I tell you to fuck me?"

"Just wanted to be sure." Punz murmured, and smiled as Dream pulled them into a fierce kiss.

Pre-cum was already dripping from their cockhead onto Dream's stomach by the time they forced themselves to pull back. They felt like a foolish mess, they were one, genuinely, but their lord was still holding their hand, and Punz could see the shine of the slick lube that Dream had opened himself up with to allow them the privilege of bringing him pleasure. Like they were worthy.

(They had not been allowed to watch him finger himself. They tormented themselves with images of Dream resting on pillows, ass in the air, as he moaned and sighed with delicious satisfaction.)

A heel dug itself into their lower back, urging them on, and Punz angled themselves properly before pushing in.

The world had been cold. So, so cold. They remembered all those days leaning against the statue, pressing their cheek to harsh, unforgiving marble, waiting for a gentle hand that would never come. Punz had fantasized back then about how warm it would feel to be held by their lord. Even went so far as to imagine themselves in Sam's place, letting Dream use them for his own pleasure. They had fucked themselves many times to the idea. No other mortal could steal away his attention, and it was only through Sam's allowance that Punz had not gone mad with want. Their fantasies had been deep, vivid things.

And yet, fantasies were nothing in comparison to this; slick, velvety heat, walls that hugged them like a vice, tight and perfect and Dream. They're trembled, almost unable to hold themselves up.

They were inside him.

They were inside him.

Dream was urging him in farther, to bottom out, to take him to the hilt-

Punz cried out, only registering Dream tightening around their cock before it all became blinding. Their hips kicked forward without their permission, drawing out their release as they come from just having their cock inside their love.

They don't mean to. Fuck, God, did they not mean to. Self-loathing hits them like a truck. It's fucking shameful, coming so immediately and denying their lord, their love, the chance to experience bliss.

...

I had very vivid imagery of Punz, having not had sex with anyone besides Sam, touch starved and turned on/obsessed with Dream's touch, would be too overcome and just spill immediately the minute they were inside, full of touch starved madness and kink.

And it would really fuck them up because they already have so much guilt over prioritizing themselves over Dream so long ago, for abandoning him, that they're in agony. How Could They Be So Selfish As To Deny Dream Pleasure And Take It All For Themselves? How could they lose control like that?

(They are literally fine, Dream is going insane because Punz filled him up and wants them to do it again)

Also Dream realizes Punz is in distress and gently urges Punz to Look At Him and cups their cheek and pets it with his thumb and asks if they're okay, and then Dream pauses, fumbling and hating the fumbling as he says "Mm- My Mercenary?"

And Punz wasn't expecting it at all, Cock twitching inside and already getting hard again, half-thrusting because yes. They were Dream's. However he wanted them, they were his.

It's important that at some point during them having sex, Dream says "I love you" and it makes Punz come again

^Dream hating the fumbling because Dream must be Strong (he wanted to call Punz his love)

Dream is still holding back Not Taking Unnecessary Risks because there's some part of him still afraid that the moment he gives Punz his whole heart Punz will laugh in his face. Even if he knows Objectively that that's so unlikely because Punz looks like they're dying not being able to love him.

Listen. Listen. They fuck and at Dreams peak he gasps out my love, please in tears and Punz goes insane and peppers him with kisses as he comes.

And Punz swears endlessly, yours, only yours as they hug him close to their chest, feeling him cling back. If they have to separate from each other They Will Die

And afterwards they have a bath together, and Dream orders Punz to sleep with him, and they're wrapped so tightly around each other and finally soothed. and the next time Dream gets cloudy-eyed and asks what he owes Punz, Punz will kneel and say "I want for only your joy and happiness my lord."

And there's some days where Punz is too touch starved, too desperate, so Dream coaxes them to sit on his cock in the throne room, cuddling them to his chest and whispering in their ear, I have you. You belong to me. I won't let you go

It's the happiest they've ever been.

Also Dream likes to watch Punz fuck Sam, so he lounges in Sam's room while they both fuck and feel his eyes on them and it's extremely intense for all of them. Dream sometimes gives little suggestions that Punz follows immediately.

Dream starts out using My Love very sparingly and it's the equivalent of Sam's Good Boys but for Punz. Their entire brain lights up. Anything to earn the right to be Dream's love.

(They say this like they aren't already in his bed every night)

(Dream hasn't let them go back to their own bedroom for sleep since the first time they fucked.)

But also getting regular sex from Dream doesn't stop the touch starved insanities. Punz feels Dream pet them with his bare hand now. They get to rest their head against his knee and feel soft eyes roam their face. Punz is actively lovedrunk horny at all times.

It helps that Dream is also as equally as touch-starved. Punz Can Never Leave Dream Again, By Order Of Dream.

Punz is fine with this.

There was at least one day where Dream didn't want to get out of bed and so Punz was unable to do anything but accept cuddles and kisses and lovebites all over their body.

Dream was purring and happy and if anything had come through that door to disturb his bliss Punz would have shot them point blank with his crossbow.

-

(By the way, the Punz that saw the vision in the mirror of the alternate world where they betray Dream? They go home, off-kilter, breathing fucked up and body trembling.

Dream is in their base, as he has been for the past week and a half, smiling softly as he pours sauce over noodles. Punz had bought groceries and wheedled Dream into making dinner for when they got home as part of long term scheme to get Dream to enjoy food again. He used to love cooking, before prison. They wanted to see him love it again.

And he turns to them when they come in, grinning, except it fades as soon as he sees them because he Knows they're not doing good. He always knows them

And it's that thought that nearly sends Punz to their knees, but Dream is There and let's them cling and gasp out apologies for things that never happened.

Dream rocks them gently as they vow devotion eternal and endless love, buries his fingers in their hair and kisses their ear because Punz's face won't leave his shoulder. They need to hold and be held and the look on that other Dream's face- the devastation when he realized Punz abandoned him-

Punz needs Dream to reassure them that he Knows, he knows they're loyal and that they love him. They can't live in a world where Dream thinks they don't love him.

Punz ends up falling asleep curled into Dreams chest that night. Dream doesn't understand what happened, but he'll wipe any threat from the face of the earth for scaring his Punz.)

[princessofmerchants]

My prediction about the next four books SJM will publish

I wanted to get this down somewhere, in part to process my angst about the possibility of what may come last in this next cluster of book releases 😫 but also to record the plot and character threads I am seeing as important heading into the next stretch of books SJM will release.

This includes HOFAS, ACOTAR, and TOG spoilers so it's after the break.

DISCLAIMER: These are just my guesses based on various interviews SJM has given both before and after the HOFAS release — THE ONLY SERIES BOOK THAT'S CONFIRMED IN THIS LIST IS ACOTAR5 BEING NEXT, and with that one, the main characters and plot threads I'll mention have also not yet been confirmed (beyond an avalanche of textual evidence 👀)

So, here are my predictions, circa 1.5 weeks after HOFAS was released:

➡️NEXT: ACOTAR5 - Az/Gwyn + Nesta and the Valkyries (which should also include Mor, ideally in a shared storyline with Emerie), Illyria / Ramiel / the Prison (and maybe a return of the pegasuses to Prythian), Gwydion and Truth Teller (not to mention the other two Made blades Nesta forged in ACOSF - also will Narben make an appearance? 👀), and I also think the first part of the Autumn Court drama may be told in this book - the truth about what happened between Mor and Eris, Beron's ongoing treachery, and Beron may die in this book making Eris High Lord (though some of these items may also be in ACOTAR6 instead - I do think the Mor and Eris story needs to come out in ACOTAR5 though, for Az to make peace with his 500 years of pining for her)

➡️FOLLOWED BY: A Throne of Glass crossover book - Shifter Fae + humans, more history and context about when the ancient Erilea Fae world-jumped to Midgard and served the Asteri, a story that creates threads and connections (of some kind, no idea how, and not sure which ToG characters it would entail) to Lidia (deer shifter with fire magic a la Aelin), Tharion (and the Mer as a people - ToG stans, remind me, were there mer in the ToG series at all? I'm pretty sure Rigelus says they hailed from the same world as the wolves and other Midgard shifters - I've read ToG in full but not as closely as ACOTAR and CC), and Ithan (wolf shifter with ice magic a la Dorian)

➡️THEN I AM THINKING: CC4: House of Many Waters - This would be the continuation of the story threads SJM did not resolve or finish by the end of HOFAS: Lidia's "service" to the Ocean Queen (and more RuhnLidia story with Brann and Ace 😍), Tharion/Sathia with Flynn and their earth magic / Avallen and the pegasuses, Ithan as the new Prime of the Wolves (and something with Perry - why did the antidote fade for her so fast?), Firstlight Zero, widespread distribution of the antidote, Ariadne (where did she go??!), and maybe more portal hopping to Prythian for Bryce, Hunt, Ember, and Randall (OH and maybe Ruhn here too, to get him in the same room as Rhys 👀) to further develop the cross-world friendships we saw forming in HOFAS

➡️WHICH MEANS FOURTH IN SJM'S AIRPLANE TAXI LINE WOULD BE (SOBS): ACOTAR6 - Elain/Lucien, Band of Exiles, Firebird retelling, Koschei, the mortal queens, and the conclusion of the big magical conflict that began with the finding of the Dread Trove in ACOSF, not to mention the Archeron sisters finally acknowledging and healing all of their familial baggage that was born from their collective and generational hardships from their time as humans (so Elain also coming to terms with her Seer powers and being Fae / no longer human - also answering the question: What happened when Elain went into the Cauldron?), I also think some of the Autumn Court drama would play out in this story Helion/Lady Autumn and Lucien's heritage (Day Court heir?), as well as more information about Papa Archeron from the time period of ACOWAR when Lucien traveled with him (LOTS of processing complex and problematic parents in this one!)

Again, these are JUST MY IDEAS - the ToG book guess is based on SJM saying after ACOTAR5 she's excited about the world her next book will be in which she implied was not the CC or ACOTAR world, and which will be emotional for her because of "who may pop up" - if that doesn't scream a return to her to the ToG universe then I don't know what would.

Then the 3rd and 4th predictions follow from that 2nd one being ToG and what I think she may focus on in it to add layers to her crossover - which seems like something she would want to do after how much work she's put into it so far.

I think there's a stronger and deeper fanbase for ACOTAR6 than there will be for CC4, so I think that could impact a decision to write and release CC4 first (since us ACOTAR stans would wait decades for the conclusion of that story and still buy a bazillion copies of it).

WHICH MEANS (SOBS), if these books are released one every 1.5 years on average... It may be quite a few years until we get our Elucien book 😭 ACOMAF came out in 2016. It would be PAST 2026 when ACOTAR6 gets released, over 10 years, until we get to see what actually comes of Elain's and Lucien's mating bond, if the above winds up bring true.

I swear, Eluciens are going to get the trophy for longest wait to see these two in their endgame, bless our patient souls 🏆

(There is always a chance the last two in the list will be in reverse order, with ACOTAR6 followed by CC4, but even if that winds up being the case, it would still be three books from now for ACOTAR6.)

[blacklegsanjiii]

i'm not really a sanji girlie but i've been watching skypeia so. what if skypeian sanji au (idk how tjis would work but maybe he escapes germa thru one of the other entrances to skypeia that are referenced? or he has skypeian heritage on his mom's side. idk i just had the thought of sanji with wings and antennae and my brain went brr)

There is a Skypiean!Sanji here. However this has been something I've wanted to expand upon, especially in the context of loved!Sanji. So here we go!

Skypeian!Sanji whose mother and father rule a kingdom in the North Blue and is a prince with basically no chance at the throne as he's the fourth born child and the third born son, but he has wings and antennae like his siblings and mother. His mother is Skypeian and teaching them the language as they prepare to head for the East Blue. Sanji knows what they are, there is no hiding it after the failures of their forefathers.

They're attacked as they cross over and they're doing their best to defend themselves when Sanji is grabbed from his hiding spot, the guards slaughtered in front of him as he is dragged out of a window and his mouth covered, muffling whatever screams came out of his mouth as he is ripped from his family and home. Sanji is held prisoner for months and he doesn't know if his family is going to come for him or if he's just dead to them.

The people holding him put him in the helmet and tie his wings down cover them and taunt him for months and there's nothing he can do except cry and remember the stories his mother told him of the All Blue and Skypiea and all of the fun he had with his siblings and father. He's in there for a long time, so long that he lost count until pirates attack the ship and he's dragged out of his cell he is screaming and crying and the pirate with his braided mustache stomps on his helmet hard enough to open the jaw part.

Then the ship goes down and Sanji wakes up on the rock with the pirate and is staring at him and he stares back as he's given a small bag of food and sent to the other side of the rock. He's waiting for a ship to come get them and hopes it's his family but they don't come. No one does. For months. He's waiting for everyone to come get him. Sanji goes and finds the man, lacking a leg with a bag of treasure and not food, Sanji is so frustrated and he cries again as the man watches him rip the jacket off his body and move a knife to one of his wings. Zeff stops him and pulls him close and tells him not to be dumb, those are more precious than his leg. Sanji loses his knife to the man.

When they are saved Zeff makes sure no one comments on the small boys wings, they work on getting the helmet off and everyone is surprised at the antennae sticking out of his matted blond hair and the swirly eyebrow that everyone realizes he's not supposed to be there. Zeff keeps the boy with him and refuses to let him be alone really. The kid doesn't talk about his family as what is canon continues, the only difference is Sanji covers his antennae. Even after he joins the crew. Everyone finds out over time though. Nami and Luffy and chopper find out on Drum, Robin on Skypiea when she hears the story of one of their girls running off with a prince who looks a lot like their cook. Usopp and Franky during Ennies Lobby/Water Seven. Brook on thriller Bark.

No one brings it up to the cook, lets him bring it up to them, though Luffy will preen his wings because they're so soft when Sanji is shirtless and not hiding them under his shirts and such. Sanji doesn't actually know what to do with how soft everyone is being with him. Zoro finds out on Sabaody when Sanji takes a particularly hard kick to the back and sees blood soaking through and someone shouts about his wings. They don't get to talk until after the time skip. When Sanji decides to forgo his bandana and coat in favor of his extra bits being free and not cramped.

Everyone always asks him why he didn't stay in Skypiea and he's like 'i know literally no one there, I have no idea who my family is there, they hated what my mother did' and just leaves it at that and things still go as Canon. Until Zou where there's a singular member of the Royal Family of Germa, not in anything from the 66, just her royal outfit as she tries to calm down the Strawhats, that Sanji is fine. She is doing well in taking their anger and the fact they keep saying she kidnapped the cook when she didn't. Her brothers did.

So the rescue team goes with Pink and meets Sanji's family who are also dealing with the Big Mom pirates. Pink unpins her antennae as they arrive and are let into the castle and led to a main sitting room where Sanji is being preened by an older woman and a man is laughing as three other Sanji's with different hair keep talking about the beast pirates and how Big Mom is also after Sanji after Fishman Island and as a swipe to them. Luffy yells and snaps to Sanji who catches him and curses him.

"This is him? How charming!" The woman coos as she pats Luffy's cheek.

"Yes, this is my captain, Luffy." Sanji sighs.

"You stole my cook!" Luffy snaps at her.

"Oh dear, he's possessive isn't he?" She laughs lightly. "My apologies, our children were so excited to be reunited they didn't seem to take into account what repercussions there could be." She apologizes.

"And who might you all be?" Nami asks with a frown.

"My apologies, I am King Judge, this is my wife Queen Sora's and our children. Princess Reiju, our oldest and her younger brothers, the quadruplets and princes: Ichiji, Niji, Sanji whom you already know, and Yonji who is our youngest." The older man smiles kindly.

"You're a prince?!" Nami, Brook, and Chopper yell at him.

"I haven't been since I was eight?" Sanji asks with a look to his mother.

"Oh, you still are. Besides we seem to have a common enemy in Big Mom." Sora smiles.

"So you're the Skypiean who ran away?" Chopper asks her as they're led to a dining room to eat and Judge talks to Nami about things they can provide short term aid in the fight, not men but equipment. As they're prepping to leave a few days later they're staring Big Mom attacks and the crew and Germa begin fighting as Jinbei shows up.

When they escape and make it to Wano and the crew is gathered Luffy and Chopper tells everyone. The story of Vinsmoke Sora running with a Sea Dweller, their family, the lost prince who became a pirate. Sanji shrugs as Jinbei laughs heartily as that story, at least the first half, had been around for a long time. Over twenty five years at least.

"Yeah, that's about when my parents met. Hence the appearance." Sanji shrugs.

"Amazing." Jinbei laughs harder.

[physalian]

Can I complain about modern fantasy book titles and covers for a second?

I don’t like these books anyway. Why doesn’t matter, they have their audience and I’m not part of it. But eight whole books, and I read seven of them (not Assassin’s Blade) a few years ago now, and I could not tell you in what order they should be read if someone handed me a blind pile, or even what cover belongs to each book because they’re so painfully generic (and missing numbers on their spines).

Nor could I tell by the titles which are also painfully generic. Yeah they read like fantasy titles but there’s nothing distinct about them, they’re just fantasy buzzwords and they’re so vague that even Tower of Dawn leaves me vaguely recalling that kingdom with the giant birds, I think? Heir of Fire might be the romantic side quest that lasts an entire book, but that’s based more on my memory of the order of events than the title or cover would suggest.

Blank of X and Y she used for ACOTAR (which I did not read and know nothing about so I skipped them) is just so boring to me if the Mad Lib is nothing special. “Heir of Fire” could be a Game of Thrones fanfic for how unique and evocative the title is. A Court of Thorns and Roses literally stole the cadence of A Song of Ice and Fire but guess what?? Those aren't just nonsense words. Ice and Fire and how they're related are hugely thematic and relavent elements in those books. "Thorns and Roses" just ripped off a Poison song.

I assume these were the original covers since they’re not so manicured and actually have character. The titles are the same but the colors are so much bolder and the imagery isn’t a greyscale girl for 7 out of 8 titles. They’re distinct and memorable and while they’re still not evocative of the actual story, if I was a bigger fan of the books I’d probably have stronger associations. They do try. I have fuzzy memories coming back of EOS having the cool pirate with the map hands, KOA being the climactic battle book, QOS... might be the boring side quest with the dragons. This does not look like assembly line popcorn fantasy. This looks like it has heart, and an air of mystery. They draw you in and have you asking questions, they have you wanting to know more.

These books are, in my opinion, superior in many ways to anything SJM has written, but the covers? The exact same problem on steroids. And I only read four of them, there’s six total apparently. King’s Cage is the best title of the bunch. I know immediately from the title “that’s the one where the protagonist spent the whole book as a political prisoner in, you know, the king’s cage”.

But the covers, though they all share the same aesthetic and would look pretty on the book shelf, are absolutely devoid of any and all context within the book, save King's Cage. They’re all feminine crowns and tiaras, too. They could have at least given a man’s crown or at least something with harsher angles and thicker lines to evoke, idk, maybe the titular character the third book is about? It helps that the series (at one point) was only four books so it was less titles and ambiguous covers to juggle, but now there’s six so I guess that’s out the window.

Pretty, but purely window dressing. The best thing they have going for them is how distinctly minimalist they are that sets them apart from other fantasy.

I have incredibly mixed feelings about these books but the colors. Very much carrying on the PJO tradition of titles that actually fit the books and art to go along with it. There’s so much drama and movement to each one and they are, once again, scenes from each book, so many little details to look at. Festus was a huge part of TLH, then Percy's back in action, front and center in SON, then... uh, MOA... then Percy and Annabeth looking scared shitless in HOH and then... uh, BOO. Exists.

They all draw you in and I very much remember the cover drop for House of Hades and losing my mind over it. Much more face-focused than the reserved originals, much bolder, but still, mostly, Percy Jackson.

I looked this up on google images and couldn’t even read the titles there tiny at the bottom. The exact same color scheme for every single book. This is for the box set, I know that, so the spines all make one image when you line them up, but the spine doesn’t have to be the same image as the front cover.

That said, the cover images are still distinct and still hold true to the originals—showing actual elements from the books, like Blackjack and Polyphemus and the Labyrinth. Updated but a bit too sleek for my tastes (maybe that’s just nostalgia talking). The titles though, love the titles. At least they kept the series number on the covers (unlike TOG or RQ).

Now this. This here. These have everything. Bold, distinct colors on the spines, beautiful unique and very fantastical art, art that actually pertains to the book it’s about with an air of mystery every single time. You want to ask why there’s a kid floating in Long Island Sound, who that giant eye belongs to, who has that pegasus so frightened, what’s in the golden coffin, and… well the last one is just noire and I like it.

The titles, though. The. Titles. “Sea of Monsters” cannot in any way match up with the plot of the rest of the series. These covers are perfection.

Now I did not read these books, just saw the movies. These covers are dated, but there still wonderfully, charmingly whimsical, for an entire series about wizards and witches. The colors are distinct, the font choices reflect the vibes of each book, the art depicts the stories within the pages—Harry joining the Quidditch team, Fawkes coming to the rescue, Buckbeak, the mermaid egg thing and the other competitors in the Tri-Wizard Tournament, the (I think?) prophecy room/Ministry of Magic, the Remembrall (I think??), and, you know, the last one is cool too. The style of the drawings are rather unique to Harry Potter. Harry also visibly ages across each one.

The titles themselves, like PJO (while predating PJO so setting the trend I’m aware) cannot be separated from their books. Order of the Phoenix? That’s the book about the Order of the Phoenix. Deathly Hallows is about, shocker, the Deathly Hallows.

Putting Twilight here at the bottom. I like these despite them being minimalist because, unlike every other cover on this list, they’re minimalist fantasy. Barely urban fantasy. The red and white motifs are evocative of the romance genre and vampire fiction and at least the covers of Twilight and Breaking Dawn do reference scenes in their books, with Edward catching the apple in the cafeteria and them playing chess on their honeymoon.

They also speak to a more adult, mature audience with the sleeker look. These are romance novels with vampires, *not* fantasy novels with romance. You see any of those covers among other adult romance in a bookstore and they’re going to catch your eye. The titles… eh. Not so much. Nothing to do with the story they just sounded pretty and evocative but this is romance, not fantasy, they’re supposed to be sensual and evocative and “Bella Swan and The Broody Vampire Boy” would not at all fit that vibe.

—

It’s not like these modern fantasy novels are devoid of creative terminology. I don’t like SJM at all but her books did have some really creative and wonderful moments in isolation. It’s like the publishers were afraid to be authentic and sincerely fantastical, so they went with something safe and clean and uninspired both in title and in art.

“Throne of Glass” means nothing to me and could be applicable to like, four of the books in that series. If I squint I can see it as a metaphor for the fragile state of the ruling house but there is quite literally glass everywhere so maybe it’s just one cool element—that should have then been on the cover—but like, the whole book is about the Assassin’s trial, right? So call it The Assassin’s Trial or Tournament of Assassins. You know. The plot of the book, not just one random ass element in the background.

Be authentically fantastical, or don't write fantasy.

[lokiinmediasideblog]

come on don't be afraid to admit that loki is the ABUSER. even if Thor is that in your headcanon it still fades into nothingness when we bring out Loki's abuse

keep that eye twitching babe

I'd say it's more complicated than that.

Whether you like it or not, Thor was very violent for millennia. We see him flipping a table with food on it in T1 because he wasn't allowed to break Jotun spirits. There go a bunch of "Poor Thor was not allowed to throw tantrums, only Loki was" HCs. He also addresses Loki with phrases such as "Know your place".

And yes, Loki does try to kill him. But have you considered that this is unusual to him? the context behind this was that he just found out he belongs to a species Thor has stated he wants to murder and has been shown to murder? Loki's evil is usually affects those suffering as collateral rather than a crown prince like Thor.

Let's see, in A1 the context is a battle on opposing sides, and that matters. And he stabs Thor with a small knife (and fun fact; even humans don't die from this usually) and throws him from some cage (knowing Thor can fly). I also won't give shit to Thor for not knowing how to deal with Loki.

In T:TDW, he's imprisoned. Thor takes gets him out of prison because he needs Loki's help and intends to imprison him again for life afterwards. I won't give shit to Thor for not visiting though. But still, am I not allowed to comment that this is not out of kindness and he's putting Loki to use? He also threatens and manhandles a manacled Loki constantly. He shoves him off a ship. And he's about to beat the shit out of him on the skiff when Loki isn't actively harming someone. He's just grieving/venting. Loki fawns, and Thor holds back realizing he was playing into their dysfunctional dynamic.Loki protects Jane throughout and ends up being impaled for Thor and to avenge Frigga. His body is just left there. Loki seemingly redeemed himself to Thor through death. Loki poses as Odin, offers the throne to Thor, Thor refuses it, so instead he gives Thor his blessing to do whatever the fuck he wants.

And if we're talking about TR, he's actually crueller to Loki in this movie than in previous ones, yet this Thor gets an unwarranted cinnamonroll reputation . The first thing he does when he finds out Loki's alive is to violently threaten him with Mjolnir, a magic super-weapon, with a smirk on his face. There's no "I mourned you" or anything like that! I'd have less issue with this if he'd not being smirking and looked on the verge of anxious tears.

Then Hela and the whole Sakaar thing happens. They're both at the mercy of the GM, and Loki's been there long enough to learn to maneuver around him. He's trying to talk to Thor, and again, I won't give Thor shit for not being receptive as he blames Loki for everything. Thor talks of going separate ways (understandable, and it also likely activated Loki's abandonment issues). Thor coaxes Loki into doing a maneuver that he finds humiliating. They fight those guards. Loki attempts to betray to Thor (I think he wanted to stop him from fighting Hela). Thor understandably has had enough, and I understand he feared execution, but he does take too much glee in Loki's pain and leaving him tortured and vulnerable. He didn't knock Loki out. He left Loki there convulsing. And the moment Loki gets free, the first thing he does is to come to Thor and Asgard's aid.

And Loki ends up dying for him in IW.

[sword-wielding-sapphic]

my final thoughts on Black Sails

(spoilers)

I don't think I've ever seen a show with such fully realised themes. the finale feels like a perfect resolution to all the ideas it has raised since episode one. it's a wonderfully meta commentary on the power of storytelling, pirate folklore and Treasure Island and this show's place within all of that.

after four series building up to this war, the ending felt a bit anti-climactic but I appreciate the thought behind it. I like how it's clear that the treaty was not universally agreed upon and Madi is rightfully angry at Silver for it but I still think it's glossed over a little too much.

I do love Flint and Thomas's happy ending but I also feel it's a little simplistic to say that it's Flint 'returning to an earlier state of being' because even if he can get Thomas back, they can't undo the trauma that England did to them. I just hate that they're both prisoners. I wish that Flint's final act of violence was to break Thomas out of there and then they live a happy, peaceful life as free men.

Rogers's vision of Eleanor's ghost sitting quietly knitting is so devastating. He's only mourning the idea of her as the demure housewife that she never was, it's like the real Eleanor already died long before that.

Trans masc Mary Mark Read! fuck yeah!

Overall, Flint and Silver's relationship is absolutely fascinating. Both of their character arcs are so well executed, it's so interesting to watch.

Literally everyone's character development and shifting loyalties has been interesting. I constantly went between hating and loving Silver, Eleanor, Jack, Vane, Anne, Billy etc. they're all so morally grey but I understand every single character's motivation.

Except Max, I always loved Max. She has the most amazing growth throughout the show and on an unrelated note, she's the most beautiful woman in the world.

I couldn't say that I love or hate Flint. I just find him... fascinating. Blorbo material for sure.

Eleanor and Flint as narrative foils is violently compelling to me.

Now that I know more about the production context of this show, I do really appreciate the bait and switch of series 1 appealing to michael-bay-game-of-thrones-dudebros only to be like "sike! that hypermasculine hero you idolised is gay the whole fucking time! Oh did you think the lesbian relationships were just fetishising? prepare to get incredibly emotionally invested in these complex female characters, dipshit. Have you ever critically examined how power structures are maintained by dehumanising transgressors? We should kill our oppressors with swords and guns and cannons." 10/10

[alicentsgf]

"No she didnt ask for his death, its more about the asumption we can make about it all. Speaking completely and only to the book exclusively, I have to ask, what do you think would have been Maelor's fate if he'd been brought back to the red keep and Rhaenyra?" mmm I understand where you're coming from, and I agree that there are assumptions we can make based on the book's context. But I think Maelor's fate would have depended on Rhaenyra's strategy at that moment. If he had been brought back to the Red Keep, she might have seen him as a bargaining chip or leverage against Aegon's supporters rather than killing him outright, especially if she believed doing so would further destabilize her own rule or alienate her supporters. I think Rhaenyra would have seen him as both a potential threat and a valuable pawn. Political decisions often involve more nuance, and she might have calculated that keeping him alive—at least for a time—could serve her interests in a different way, like future leverage, public sympathy, or dividing her enemies....I think there’s room for interpretation about how exactly Rhaenyra might have handled the situation. Then again, we can only assume, but as George himself said in his post, Rhaenyra didn't ask for Maelor to die—that wasn't her intention. Yet, people still insist that she wanted him dead?

I get that, maybe I didnt make it clear that I dont think he's dead immediately I'm talking exclusively about if Rhaenyra wins the war. In fact, at the point where she puts out a reward for the return of Maelor she is winning, as shes sitting the throne in that moment. It was Maelors death and Helaenas subsequent suicide that changed that. I just think on some level Rhaenyra must know when shes asking for Maelor to be found that he cant be allowed to live beyond her own death. Shes not completely blind to the realities of the situation, despite her political frailties. There would be another sucession crisis in some form, for sure. Rhaenyra and Daemon arent known to be particulary politically savvy so I dont hold out much hope for them playing any kind of long, political game and them like... holding Maelor as a prisoner when he has no male Targaryen relatives left? that makes no sense to me. When they can so easily remove the one potential claiment their enemies could rally behind, why wouldnt they? Its not like they dont have a history of removing their otherwise innocent inconveniences, e.g. rhea, laenor, jaehaerys, etc

To me theres just no eventuality where Rhaenyra rules peacefully and Maelor just exists living as Maelor Targaryen, even under lock and key. That would be a terrible look on her, to hold her nephew, a child, hostage. Whilst he lives he remains politically relevant, disturbing the peace just by existing. And that is Rhaenyras objective - to rule peacefully, and to have her heir (which would be Joffrey in this version of events) ascend peacefully. So on some level she must know Maelors claim has to be neutralised at some point, even if she doesnt want to acknowledge that directly. Like I dont think she would revel in the idea of killing him, I just think she would see him as collateral and be prepared to do anything to protect her own children, as you would expect!

At best shes smart enough to publically show "mercy" and send him to the wall or something (because theres no way he gets sent to Oldtown where he has allies), but lets be honest he'd probably still disppear or be killed in some ""accident"" at some point following that decision. A convenient little incident, like getting thrown from a horse lmao. More likely Daemons doing, if he still lives, or Rhaenyras council if not, but Rhaenyra wouldnt ask questions. One life to avoid another war would be totally justifiable to her, even if it was the life of a child.

[sarnai4]

Prison Again

I am a major fan of Dragons, but I'll admit it's rife with plot points that don't get fully used in my eyes. Another one of those was in "Something Rotten on Berserker Island." Dagur's turned on by his Berserkers and imprisoned. This all happens pretty quickly. There's the revolt, he's put in prison, Snotlout breaks him out, and they become the dynamic duo, powering my love of their friendship (that I STILL don't think was shown enough, but okay. That's what fanfics are for, I guess). Still, there's so much that could have happened.

First off, Savage shouldn't have done the coup that day. Of all the days, he literally picked the time when the Berkians were going to show up. Seriously? That's the equivalent of trying to usurp the throne the same day when some of the king's best allies are coming for a special feast. The level of arrogance/stupidity is hilarious.

The next factor is how Dagur's fear was proven true. He admitted that the reason he let people think he killed Oswald was so that they'd think he was tough enough to lead them. That's another way of saying he didn't think they'd believe he was tough enough if he simply took over. He couldn't just be himself. That wouldn't work. They wouldn't respect him. He had to be Dagur the Deranged, the feared chief. So, he goes against his own beliefs when he turns good. He tries out the alternative he could have the first time...and he was right. They didn't respect him. As soon as he stops being evil and threatening to his people, they turn on him. Sure, not everyone does, but I also wish we got a better idea of how many were part of this coup. It's even the first time since turning good that we see him interact with the other Berserkers again. This would be devastating. You finally turn over a new leaf to become a good person and the people you've been trying to lead just throw you in a cell. What makes this hurt even more is how much Berserkers value loyalty. This is what Dagur was teaching Heather. It's why he was shocked that the Hunters deserted. Loyalty is important in that culture, but they blatantly disregarded this to betray him. Lastly, the icing on the pain cake is that he really does care about his Vikings. Even back when he was a mean kid, there were signs that he cared. I often think back to the Skrill ordeal. Alvin referred to the dragon as his. When Dagur corrected him, he said it was theirs (referring to his Berserkers too). Easily, Dagur could've just been thinking about himself, but he was still thinking about his group as a whole. So, even bad Dagur did care about them. Imagine how much of a blow that would be to get betrayed after he tried to openly treat them with kindness.

A bigger part of this to me is the fact that Dagur didn't just get put into a cell. With context, he'd spent 3 years locked up, broke his people out, then some or all of them might have just put him right back in. We really don't know the type of mental toll that took on him. Sure, it's pretty obvious that it messed him up, but that's why this scene to me matters so much. There's the emotional betrayal combined with the fact that he probably promised himself he'd never become a prisoner again. Unlike others who have tried, the Berserkers even use the smartest way to apprehend him. The Outcasts had him in the cell, relatively free, and the Hunters and Riders tied him up. Neither option worked, but the Berserkers use chains because they know him and are more aware of what he's capable of. Sadly, if anyone could have probably kept him in prison for the rest of his life, I think it's the Vikings who have been around him his entire life.

The last thing from the episode that I wanted to see was what happened to the traitors. We never find out what Savage's fate was. Did he get executed? Imprisoned? Could have been either, but it's never mentioned. I just feel like there's a lot of potential where Dagur's made a prisoner again, but it's by his own Vikings. So, one of these days, I'll make it into a fanfic.

[windriverdelta]

On the Grand Northern Conspiracy

Somehow I have been thinking a lot about the Grand Northern Conspiracy, an ASOIAF fan theory that posits that in AFFC/ADWD the lords of the North and Riverlands are plotting to install Jon Snow as King in the North. Well, no time like present to write a comment.

TL;DR I find it extremely implausible and would very surprised if TWOW featured anything even resembling that. It's a far-fetched conspiracy theory.

First of all, as other people like @turtle-paced have pointed out, there are lots of barriers to communication between the supposed conspirators and no evidence that they could coordinate their actions. Now, there is evidence in Arya's ASOS chapters that the Brotherhood Without Banners has contacts to the Riverlords and one wonders if Jaime Lannister in AFFC is being deliberately steered to Brienne, but that doesn't mean the Northerners can do the same.

Second, where is the set-up for the Northern lords using Stannis like that? Late Walder Frey is amply established as a traitor, opportunist and oathbreaker two books before the Red Wedding, there is no foreshadowing at all for Mormont, mountain clans etc. This isn't Game of Thrones, spectacular betrayals do not come out of thin air in ASOIAF. In this context, it's worth noting that foreshadowing in ASOIAF usually takes the form of a few unambiguous meaningful events, not a lot of very ambiguous little things that can interpreted in multiple ways like the infamous "Corn Code"

Three, Jon Snow does not work very well as a fulcrum for such a conspiracy. Ignoring for a moment that nobody has bothered getting his buy-in for such a plot (what if he deems it dishonourable and sleazy and ices out all the participants?), there is no indication that any physical copy of Robb's will survived the Red Wedding. Remember, the various lords and ladies are referred to as its "witnesses", and most of them are now prisoners of the Freys. Look at it from a character's perspective: Two lords who somehow survived the Red Wedding, claiming that Robb wanted to make Jon king. Why would anyone believe them? Especially Jon Snow, who knows in ADWD that Robb was killed by his own men, he has no reason at all to trust Maege or Galbart. And without the will, Jon Snow would just be an usurper and deserter from the Night's Watch.

Narrative-wise, I don't see much foreshadowing of Jon being king in the north in the main series - all so-called "foreshadowing" I've seen are ambiguous allusions or far-fetched interpretations. I see no thematic or character purpose, either - I tend to think that R+L=J, the three dragons and his assassination lead into him being a dragonrider and fighter against the Others. In my opinion, the political side of the Northern storyline is Sansa and Stannis' job. And there is plenty of potential conflict around them without the need for a king in the north scheme.

But the big sticking point is that the actions of many of the supposed conspirators don't fit with theory. Just to cite a few examples:

Lady Stoneheart is not crowning Jon with anything but a noose, not in a million years, there is no evidence whatsoever that she's anything but a revenge zombie.

Wyman Manderly is entrusting Rickon Stark to consummate Stannis loyalist Davos Seaworth, which makes no sense at all if he planned to betray Stannis later - why would he risk Rickon becoming Stannis' hostage?

We have no reason to believe that Barbrey Dustin is lying about not liking the Starks - for one thing, Dustin troops are noticeable by their absence for the War of Five Kings, true to her word. She'll probably jump ship if Roose falls, but that's not the same thing as becoming a Stark restorationist. In fact, I could see her supporting Stannis to take the Starks down a peg.

People keep citing Lyanna Mormont's defiant letter to Stannis as proof of Bear Island not being truly on his side, but not only is she (as Jon points out) not in charge of House Mormont, we later see Alysane marching with Stannis. She almost certainly is in contact with Maege given her comments to Asha about her family; I doubt that this is a right hand vs left hand situation. I am not even sure that she has much of a retinue, either - the problem with Rickon above may exist here too. Finally, recall that in AGOT Maege challenged Robb, telling him that he was so young as to have no business giving her commands. The Mormonts don't let anyone boss them around, that doesn't mean that they are Frey Lite.

In short, this theory requires lots of poorly foreshadowed OOC behaviour to enable a rather pointless political ploy that doesn't fit the narrative very well.