#please I cannot be alone with thus opinion right

[fandovers]

Hey gamers, back at it again with another huge ramble!! Albeit a bit scrambled, but a ramble nonetheless!!

Say, have you ever enjoyed a character and thought "wow, what the fuck are the writers doing?" That's me right now with SMG4's tv headed guy.

"But Pyro", I hear you say, "what makes you think that?" WELL OH BOY. Let me tell you some things on my mind, my fellow tumblr user. Grab your pepper shakers, because you will need it to compliment how much salt I am about to spill.

V--- Ramble below the cut !! ---V

Firstly, what you could probably guess. The latest arc. Or well, mini arc as they call it. I think things moved way too fast and that's having a negative impact on people's view of Puzzles.

Think about the Puzzlevision Arc. We got hinted at this mysterious figure only a few times over a course of almost a whole year. Making his appearances so sparce added to the intrigue. Who was this guy and what is he planning? It left everyone on the edge of their seats. Just how much of what has been going on, like Western Spaghetti and IGBP, links back to him? Or that in a way, it was his fault these things happened.

And then we see him more in the Mr. Puzzles' movie lineup. We get a mix of the main crew who we know, as well as Mr. Puzzles, both being the focus of the episodes. There is a really good balance of that in these movies, in my opinion. Because of how we only see him in certain moments, it reads to me as "this shows he has complete power, but he isn't getting in the way of his shows or movies in order to flaunt his power TOO much. He is still trying to have the brainwashed SMG4 characters be the main focus. Because it's a part of his plan."

Then the Puzzlevision movie drops and in my opinion, its great. It's wonderful even!! Puzzles shows up more, but the balance is still kept. And at the end when he is punted to who-knows-where, it was a good ending to this villian, who may return with some new evil plan in the future!! Or so we hoped...

After this episode a LOT of people wanted him back. Personally, I didn't want them to bring him back so soon. I had a feeling it would be a disaster to his character. Think about it. Having his seemingly mastermind who hid behind the camera for a year. With thought out plans, a whole bunch of tragedy and chaos that was all his fault because of how thought out these plans were... this guy coming back so soon? I don't think it would go well.

That brings us to the mini arc where I think it proves me right in my worries; it didn't go well. I will get it out of the way and say yes these epsiodes are entertaining, but not fulfilling. If that makes sense?

A metaphor for this could be something like... think of it like you ate a sugar cube and thought "wow, that was good, I want more!!" And over the course of a year, you treat yourself to a single sugar cube. Then suddenly, one day you get a whole bag full of sugar cubes to eat. It's so much-- so suddenly-- that you get sick from how much you now have to eat. Something you once enjoyed, you got sick over because of the amount you got out of nowhere. You see what I am getting at? With how much Puzzles content we have gotten in this min arc it throws the previous balance out the window and it's completely different.

Anyway back to the tv head. I think what they are going for is to make Puzzles so very power hungry he will do anything to get his power back. He is desperate, which is played off as silly and clumsy. A goofy villian with no power anymore but still thinking he has atleast some power left. Thinking he still has the charm that got him into power beforehand. But he doesn't, not anymore.

Instead of going back to the shadows to plan and think, he wants that power so bad again that he is throwing himself right back in with a less thought out plan. One made in a shorter time frame and is more vague. Get into the Meme Factory and The Comedy Zone.

I get it, they wrote him this way and it's fine, I guess. But this all makes me think. How did Puzzles get into power prior to Puzzlevision? Was he this reckless and straightforward, or was he as we saw him over the year? Everything planned out, sticking to his plans like glue. Keep his cool and make his shows exactly how he wants to get popular or whatever his overall goals are.

This just makes me feel like comparing "Puzzlevision Puzzles" to "Mini Arc Puzzles" feels like night and day. Almost like they are different characters. And I don't say that as a good thing.

We got this villian trying to juggle his power going up and down via ratings. Who is intimidating and feels like an actual threat. He hurt so many people to get what he wants, and he prioritizes his plans above all else. He is scary, he is evil and he is downright awful. But thats what made him a good villian.

Then in the mini arc, we have him going for The Comedy Zone but befriending Leggy along the way. I think they try to hint that despite his exterior behaviour, Puzzles does enjoy Leggy as a sidekick. He suddenly has a change of heart, befriending Leggy to use her. Then he sees she is useful, and that leads to him actually somewhat caring for her how she cares for him. Or that's what we are made to think.

I'll say it outright; I don't think Puzzles cares for Leggy the way she does to him. She goes so far that she throws herself into danger for him, or is actively thrown around like an actual weapon, in order to help him. Because she cares about him. Puzzles doesn't really do that in turn for her, does he?

Also lemme just talk about the end of the latest episode real quick. So, Meggy turns back into her normal self. When she remembers Mr. Puzzles and her when she was Leggy, having "good moments", she smiles. A lot of people read this as her forgiving him.

I think this is moving on way too fast from the pain and torture she was put through. For an entire month during Puzzlevision Arc, Meggy was killed over and over by Wren. Who never would have gotten the power to do so if it wasn't for Puzzles giving him that facility for him to control. "But Puzzles didn't torture her directly during Western Spaghetti" I hear you say. This is true, however he did brainwash her like the others during the movies. He still rubbed it in her face how the events of Western Spaghetti effected her. And yet now she smiles because of a few "good moments" in that last few episodes. Which are really just Puzzles giving Leggy the bare minimum of praise and calling her a friend?

As I have seen mentioned around; I suppose it could be that she is smiling because she sees that he has some good part of him. But the good part she did see, does have the possibility to be a lie. A facade. Honestly if they go with this possibility, that he was faking the whole time and just playing it up like an actor on a set, that would be awesome. Have him in the future in a scene where he can just be alone. Reflect on how much of it was an act and how much he actually did care and felt actual emotion. Have him contemplate his own plans or think over what he has done. If he is to be redeemed like people want, he will have to reflect. If he doesn't, he continues to be a villian and that's great too!! Just as long as they don't fumble his character...

I think the best thing the writing team can do now is keep Puzzles away for a bit. Keep him away until WOTFI 2024 because I am pretty sure we are all expecting him to have a part in that. I mean, he technically caused the last one. Why not cause another? If they are to have him be a physical threat again, in person, they should focus on keeping that balance of who is in the spotlight. Have the episode or movie be not centered around one character but a select few. I feel like he works better when even in Puzzles centered episodes, you see a lot of the other characters too. As mentioned, you have too much sugar and you can easily get sick off it.

Also completely changing the flow of this rant, ramble, whatever you wanna call this. But I have a small nitpick. The recent episode seemed so heavily hinted to be a FNAF parody. However, after watching it, it seems it wasn't at all. We get references to other games but not FNAF. So, why name the episode that? Why hint at an idea just to not use it at all? Why get our hopes up for something that didn't happen?

And oh, one more thing. Let's not forget how odd it is that Puzzles is in the spotlight so heavily all of a sudden. After Puzzlevision, I heard word going around that the SMG4 team "might bring him back if people like him enough". As you could probably see, people more then liked him. They LOVED him. I think because of how much attention he was getting, it only makes sense they would make more Puzzles content. People enjoy him, so why not make a whole mini arc for the new wave of fans to enjoy? It gets them views, fans, attention, and makes the people happy!!

All this just feels... odd. This doesn't give me a good feeling because of the design problem. As mentioned in my latest post, Mr. Puzzles and RGB, (a character from a comic known as "The Property of Hate") both look EXTREMELY similar. The SMG4 team has said nothing about this, and I think they should really be confronted. Asked about it. Whether it be asking them in an email or social media dms, I am THIS close to just outright asking them myself. We deserve to know the truth on this. It's for the best and this silence is driving me a tad batty.

This also leads me to talk about a... misconception? People were saying that the new facial expressions for Puzzles weren't credited. I saw that even an artist of the expressions stated it was alright if they weren't credited. However, in the video's description, it credits the artists who made the expressions. So, was the description edited later? Was it always like that and people didn't see? If I am wrong here somehow, please do correct me. But it seems all that is alright now... unless I am wrong.

I think this is all for my salt filled rant. Please feel free to share your own thoughts on the new episodes and mini arc!! Do you agree with some points I made, or not? I would love to discuss this further and see other's point of view on this!!

Eitherway, I thank you for reading. You take care yall!! ☆

[stormblessed95]

*SOUND OF INTERNAL COMPOSURE SNAPPING*

“JK was with Tae, so now what Storm? You need to get out of your imagination!”

“Storm, hello?! JK doesn’t like anything on SM regarding to JM, ”

“Have you heard, Storm? JK is going out enjoying meat by himself”

“Hi Storm, I really don’t think Jikook are together anymore, just wanted to let you know …”

“Storm, WHY does Tae keep talking about JK,”

“JM doesn’t talk about JK, so now you can see it is fanservice, I think you should face reality Storm”

...

I literally have 4 people I really like and consider friends on this platform and Storm just so happens to be one of them, so that was y’all’s mistake number 1, so you don’ did it. Now two things about me, I am perceived as crass at best and vulgar at worst, so headsup; time to be cragar. 

Whether you are a Creme-de-la-crap Taekooker or an Enlightened-Maybe-Ex-Jikooker you can all take your ignorant, implying, imbecile and insignificant assasks somewhere else. Storm is already a full time mother, thus has no time for dispensing placebo answers to grown-ass kids; this Kindergarten was never opened, so please understand and try the one in the next neighbourhood on invisible road, number zero; it's called I’m Afraid She Can’t Help You Academy or CHY Academy for short. Thank you for your understanding. 

At CHY Academy you will receive the care you need and deserve. 

Creme-de-la-crap Taekooker you will finally understand that people don’t wake up in the morning eating ship-interaction for breakfast and you’ll also understand that all your trivial attempts at battling are ultimately truly inconclusive. You will understand that Storm has been sharing her educated opinions, all this time mindblowing, I know! and y’all are just assembling Avengers style tryna stop an inexistent Thanos. So if you must, please, kindly redirect your energies into the correct universe.

Enlightened-Maybe-Ex-Jikooker you will NOT hear the words you’ve been craving so desperately to hear. But we will make sure you are ready to just spread your wings and go. Nobody is keeping you here. For real-real. You will be able to finally fucking fly away and feel free to talk trash, leave bts all together or whatever the fuck else you want somewhere else, because once again, the answers you are looking for are NOT HERE and you have all the right to pursue them and find validation elsewhere. Good luck, stay healthy! 

“Oh sO noW wE CaNNot TAlk? wE CanNot ExpRess Our OPinIOn? Who DO yoU thINk yoU ARe?” I am your worst fucking nightmare, that’s who I am. Leave Storm alone and if you must come back don’t be a waste of her precious time:

READ HER ENTIRE BLOG: FOR REAL-REAL.

UNDERSTAND IT ALL. IF YOU JUST SO HAPPEN TO SNOOZE, READ IT AGAIN.

IF YOU STILL HAVE QUESTIONS AFTER THAT, PULL UP, ASK AWAY AND GET READY TO GET THE ANSWER YOU DESERVE OR GET IGNORED, CAUSE ULTIMATELY, IF YOU STOOPID, I’LL MAKE SURE SHE STOPS FEELING SORRY FOR YOU CAUSE SHE REALLY  AIN’T GOT TIME FOR YO-ASS.

AYTE?

I'm tired of this shit, so stay away from my loved ones 💋,

Much love,

Marengo.

Love you so much 💜💜💜💜💜

[almostthre]

O K A Y.

So in the beginning of the year I decided that I needed to write again, mainly so I can empty my head a little, however I’ve been thinking about jacegon so much, there’s not enough fics of them, and then it occurred to me that I could fix that problem. Thus I must start writing, which is very hard you know, especially because I’m the type that just imagines things and, at most, conceptualizes them. What I’m trying to say is that I need someone to talk to about my ideas to properly develop them and since I’m not asking my friends about their opinions on this I’ll just scream at the void that is this hellhole and hope that it screams back!

Anyway, let’s start with my beloved idea that I like to call “The White Lotufication of HOTD” so basically we would be following the Targaryens as they go to this luxurious resort for a family reunion and the rest is just truly horrible! But in a fun way, like idk Vissy, as I like to call him, survived his eleventh heart attack or something so he forces everyone to go cause “life is just so precious and PLEASE my beloved family get along for once” as he always does. A few things I have already decided to include: Daemon is adopted, because I feel the need to minimize the incest since this would be a modern au, Aegon has been sober for some time, Jace has older daughter syndrome, Rheana is an influencer so the whole thing is being posted on her insta and so on.

But what really matters is the jacegon, right?

That’s why I’m here, so let’s talk about them, as mentioned Aegon is sober, or at least trying to be. Why? Because he got the family into a big scandal, I was thinking of a sex tape that leaked and the stuff in it was just nasty(please read this with the voice of an old lady for the effect). Thus Vissy(read Otto) gives him an ultimatum: get his shit together or get a job and stop living off of his trust fund and thanks to that he would be trying to keep a low profile for the first time in his life, it’s hard for him, okay? Now to his relationship with Jace in the begging of the fic. They used to be besties until Aemond lost his eye and the family split in two. Since then he’s had no one so in some ways he resents Jace, since once he was out of Aegon’s live he realized that he was alone while Jace still had Luke and the others by his side, also Jace is the perfect son, he doesn’t bring shame to the Targaryen family which fuels Aegon’s insecurities and this beautiful cycle where he wishes to be close to his nephew again but eventually just pushes him further forms at some point.

Now for my boy, Jace! He’s the oldest daughter, he can never fail or disappoint, he must be perfect or he’s nothing at all so needless to say he’s got some issues. I think his feelings for Aegon started when he was just a boy with a crush on his pretty uncle, but as he grew he couldn’t help but desire for more,however he feels as if they could never be together since Aegon is still a piece of shit that pushes Jace away, don’t get me wrong Jace is very much in love but his uncle is an undeniable asshole that treats him like shit and as I mentioned incest wouldn’t be as accepted in this scenario, so those two getting together would be a scandal, and, as mentioned before, Jace cannot have that, he must be perfect. In some ways he would remind me of Henry from “Red White and Royal Blue” in this scenario, hiding his true self behind the perfect persona.

As for why this would be “the white lotusfication of hoft”

1. There will be death, but not of a major character, this is a comedy;

2. These people are all clinically insane;

3. I find that writing about the extremely wealthy without sprinkles of my hatred for them thrown around to be impossible;

4. Idk I just think it would be cool okay

Anyways if you’re part of the void I beg you to talk to me

[ofainur]

( ❀ ) ˙ ˖ pre corrupt!vanimóre ⠀〳 navëquen⠀ ❜࿔

· ⊰ synopsis. eager to see his counterpart for being tardy — the last thing vanimóre expected was to be standing there, caressing his hair

· ⊰ note. I'm so obsessed with these two please. if you want to know more about navëquen, check out this post. he is my darling friend @cilil 's oc, the maia and attendant of námo ~ I love him so much<3 I thought I'd give these two some fluff since their story absolutely breaks me

♡. — 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒂 𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒅

‘Where could that pesky creeps be?’ 

Raking a hand through dark hair, Vanimóre groans from the strain in his legs and arms — still heavy with the weight of lingering sleepiness. He has always been the ‘slacker’ of the two, as Navëquen put it. In Vanimóre’s humble opinion, his counterpart was a workaholic and thus made him look bad in comparison. He took breaks when needed and indulged in slumber; many would assume he was the Maia of Irmo rather than older Fëantur. 

That aside, Vanimóre now scoured for his other half with pursed lips and a small irritation in his crimson eyes. Navëquen was typically the first one sitting in their shared office. However, upon entering the other found him nowhere to be seen. Granted, it was rather early but was the creep not uselessly good at his job? One would expect him to be there in that blasted, favourite chair of his at the onset of a new day. 

‘Maybe he is still sleeping?’ The thought crosses his mind as he approaches a particular cobblestone corridor. A tickle pricks at his fëa. A brief tug. A melody seeping into his own. Vanimóre thus glances in the direction of this allure and realises the aforementioned Maia’s room is right down the corridor. He must still be there — their bond tells him so. 

“Hypocrite. You’re still in your fifth dream I bet.’’ Clicking his tongue he steers his steps down the hallway and makes a beeline for the room. To think, the one time he shows up early the criticising voice that always buzzes in his ear is in fact late. Oh, Vanimóre simply could not let him live this down. He’d do anything to drive both his colleague and closest friend up the wall. Even if it resulted in the other giving him the silent treatment for a few good hours. It mattered not to Vanimóre, he knew that Navëquen couldn’t resist him for long. 

“Creeps!”

His voice echoes the hallway as long-nailed fingers wrap around the doorknob and fling it open carelessly. Hoping to startle the Maia awake and witness his spout of dishevelled panic. Eager to tease the poor thing on being ‘tardy’ when in reality neither of them was to start shift yet. 

Yet that was not the sight that awaited Vanimóre’s eyes. At the far end of the room stood a man. Tall and of fair face. In front of a silver, full-length mirror with a brush in hand and viridian ribbons wrapped around his wrist. It took a second for Vanimóre to recognise this man as Navëquen. Which many would deem strange at first — but the reasoning behind it was far too valid. For not only did Vanimóre behold his closest friend in a dishevelled state, but with his hair, which was typically fastened in a tight braid without a strand out of place, now framing his stunning — ahem. . . pale face. 

Ebony tresses lay loose and extend down to his waist. Messy, yet perfect in every way. It was certainly a rarity to see Navëquen’s hair open, let alone a little all-over-the-place. But coupled with those deep grey eyes and his porcelain-like face staring back at him, Vanimóre could only find one word to describe him in this moment. 

‘Gorgeous.’ 

“Vanimóre — How many times have I told you to knock?”

The spluttering tugs him from his brief haze and only then does Vanimóre take notice of the flustered, almost panicked expression spread across Navëquen’s face. His cheeks give away his embarrassment with a soft pink tint and Vanimóre cannot help but think it adorable. 

“Ah, when do I ever listen to you?” He coughs, hoping that his own cheeks did not mirror the blush of the other. Nevertheless, he attempts to brush it off with his typical, sharp-toothed grin. Yet it trembles, and barely reaches the likes of a smile as he takes a small step forward. “I was wondering where you were. I arrived early only to see that you’re slacking off.’’ He chuckles at the click of tongue he receives in response and watches as Navëquen shuffles back to the mirror. Ignoring — or at least trying to ignore — his presence. 

An awkward silence sets upon them like a heavy sheet. Neither Maiar utter a word despite stealing each other small glances through the mirror; if only to avert their eyes swiftly once caught. Vanimóre fumbles a little, taking a gander at the door and wondering whether he should head back to their office. Instead, his own words betray him as he takes another step towards the chest of drawers displaying the mirror. 

“Would you like some help?”

The question stiffened Navëquen’s brushing movements and struck a lump in Vanimóre's throat. Grey meets crimson through the reflective glass and for a few, silent seconds, they aimlessly stare at one another. Pink faces and surprised expressions galore. 

“. . . Or I could just —”

“Yes.’’ 

Vanimóre swallows the lump in his throat at the acceptance of his offer. His fána moves on its own accord and he soon finds himself directly behind Navëquen who continues to eye him through the mirror. “Alright then,’’ Vanimóre mutters, motioning to the seat in front of the vanity, waiting for Navequen to adhere to his instruction before he takes a hold of the dark locks. 

So soft, he almost mutters, but manages to bite his tongue at the last second. For awhile he gently rakes his fingers through the silky strands — if only to be handed the brush. 

“Ah,’’ he blushes. “Sorry. Forgot about that.’’ Chuckling to quell his own fluster, Vanimóre sets to work on brushing through long hair. Admiring each and every inch of it. So soft, silk-like. . . stunning. It felt as though he was holding his breath for the entire styling process and had to practically scold himself to set the brush down and actually fasten the hair into its signature braid. 

Much to the surprise of the common eye, Vanimóre was expertly skilled in the art of hair-styling. He recalls the number of times his little sister would run to him with pink ribbons and dazzling eyes. Tugging at his sleeves and begging him to try a new style she had learnt of. All those times of endless brushing and ribbon fastening paid off. Vanimóre recounts that she too preferred her hair in a braid, so it was something he could do blindfolded and with one hand tied behind his back. 

From the corner of his vision he sights the faint specks of pink on porcelain skin. A quick stolen glance would confirm that Navëquen was indeed still blushing. 

‘How cute.’ He smiles to himself. If not only to immediately mentally reprimand himself. ‘Damnit, Vanimóre. Would you give it a break? His heart’s not yours.’ 

The smile on his lips falters at the reminder — only emphasised when he takes the viridian ribbons from around Navëquen’s wrist and works on fastening them into the braid. The soft silk of the ribbons felt like a burn on his fingertips. For he knew what this specific colour choice represented. Their lord’s preferred colour.  A certain swell spreads throughout his chest, and Vanimóre is unable to stop his sigh which escapes into the air. 

“What’s the matter?” Navëquen’s quick question prompts him to curse at himself as he finishes the braid off with a neat, viridian bow at the end. “It’s nothing.’’ Vanimóre quips and brings his gaze back to the mirror where pools of grey await him. The arch of a brow and the shine of disbelief tells him that Navëquen was not so easily fooled. He should be aware of that. Navëquen knew him well.

Navëquen knew him most. 

“It’s just. . .’’ releasing the braid, Vanimóre cannot escape the awaiting eyes of his counterpart. With another sigh, he shakes his head. “I was just thinking that you actually look quite. . . pretty,’’ a brief pause. “With your hair down.’’ 

‘Why do I feel like this? It's just a braid.’

Red not only shined itself on Navëquen’s face but on Vanimóre’s as well, and the latter immediately backs off and starts making his way towards the door with a few coughs. “Anyway, I’ll see you back at the office. Lord Namo’s probably already looking for us.’’ Escaping not only his own embarrassment, but his true feelings once more — Vanimóre scampers out of the room without another word, leaving Navëquen all by his lonesome. 

Cheeks still burning with blushes, Navëquen timidly glances back at the mirror. His hair was back to its average stature — yet something felt different. The warm, fluttering feeling within him told him so.

Subconsciously, he shifts the braid over his shoulder and glances at the Maia’s handiwork. Not too bad, he thinks before bringing his gaze to the mirror once more.

Was that a smile?

He blinks. 

Indeed it was. One that only grows with fondness as he relives the recent encounter. . . Who knows when he’ll bring himself to unfasten his hair again. 

·⊰ masterlist.

·⊰ tip jar.

·⊰ get tagged for my writing. @doodle-pops @rurifangirl @a-chaotic-dumbass @cilil

( ❀ ) ˙ ˖ please consider liking, reblogging and / or commenting if you enjoy my work! all feedback is greatly appreciated ♡ 

[influenzalake]

Batfam and Superfam + as One-Eyed Doll and Kimberly Freeman songs

shoutout to my favorite band / artists ever, i will never forget yall - lots of love from mythsong

https://open.spotify.com/artist/4w2wxHsHxLp64aXeZ9v1nW?si=NvqYCayTS_C_RqMhlpefxw (one eyed doll ^)

https://open.spotify.com/artist/0nUdXmFNst3mlwjRD5FOcj?si=PQwaENOsTYOCtxAATeKdUQ (kimberly freeman ^)

( i know most of their music has been wiped, but they play eternally in my brain )

- - - 

Bruce: Brief Candle 

*THE CLASSIC* only real ones get it lol jk the context is when you enter a specific area in mythsong to battle chaos lord Kimberly this song plays, thus being one of the first songs one might hear from this band. The "I will die another day" just screamed Bruce to me. 

Alfred: Remember

An instrumental for Alfred. It is a solemn song that holds tunes that carry throughout the album. The song title also holds significance. Alfred is the thread that keeps everything together, using his wisdom to guide others. Remember has a steady rhythm. 

Selina: Fool Me Once

An emotional song, this one is for Selina because of her reluctance to be vulnerable- and what would happen if she did let her guard down and then got stabbed in the back because of it. It is a melancholic tale of trying to learn to love, then being f*cked over because of somebody else's problems. 

Dick: Committed 

I chose this song because of Dick's place in the batfam and vigilantism as a whole. Committed is a song about a girl forced into an asylum and slowly losing herself to it. This reminded me of Dick because of how deep he is into the hero world, especially to the Batman. He does not want to be the Batman, he is unnerved by what it truly means and what he might become of him due to it, yet he is already there whether he acknowledges this or not. During the bridge (i think thats the right song structure) **and in the music video when it cuts from the demon to the angel** gave it away to me. He already is what he swears he "does not" want to be, by different means obviously, but to me- Dick is already committed. 

Starfire: Ponies (Fluffy)

i was thinking about her Teen Titans (2003) depiction when making this choice lol

Jason: Insecure 

This one hits hard for me as Jason's song because it is cynical and sarcastic, like him sometimes. It has painful undertones of "desperately trying to be accepted and if i can't have that- just leave me alone". it is a very "take me as I am or not at all" song and that is Jason's story. 

Roy: Cinderblock 

I chose this song to reflect Roy's difficulties with authority and his mentor(s)*. The lyrics, in my opinion, show how he too struggled as a young person. In this song the main character channels this anger towards their abuser, I see Roy as this song. 

Tim: Mirror Mirror 

I chose this song specifically for the "mirror mirror, what is my gender?" part. In my head this questioning of identity was Tim. also- "I'm not alone. Shadows are me. Reflections of home. Close my eyes to see." Tim know's who he is and where he belongs. Tim knows he can trust his judgement and what he is capable of. Tim is his own worst enemy and the questions he pesters himself with are what brings his downfall. 

Damian: Float Away

I saw this song as Damian's constant struggle to be accepted and recognized. 

"wonder if they'd notice if i disappeared today" 

In Damian's coldest parts of his head he questions his importance and if he has any place, Float Away is about a person who does not feel any self worth and literally wants to "disappear". They think the world would be better off without them and I heard Damian through this song. 

Diana: Army Of Me

This song is if Diana finally snaps. This is what I hear playing when Diana cannot stand the incompetence of man's world anymore."I won't sympathize" "self sufficience, PLEASE" "if you complain once more, You'll get an army of me" "You're on your own now, we won't save you"  trying to correct man's world is a lot of work, Diana sings this to keep her going

Clark: Destiny 

This masterpiece is about holding on to hope for the future, even if the present cannot be saved. 

Lois: Rust

I see this as Lois trying to relate to Clark. So close yet so far. A lot of people talk about how Clark must feel being stuck in a world of humans but nobody talks about how the humans in HIS life might feel. This song is about a person who is in love, but their love starts to lose feelings- they start to "rust" and how in turn that affects them into "rusting" as well. This song can be Clark and Lois not being able to get past their differences, about having a high and then having a real LOW in love, until they just become "one with the water". 

*runner up was To Love A Soldier

Jon: Sylvia 

A beautiful positive song, about embracing others and the world around. It tells listeners that they are going on a journey, that they are answering a call. I see this as Jon's optimism and a "every day is a new day" attitude he has. 

*runner up was Journey Of Art

Conner: Beautiful Freak 

This is Conner's song because it is a song about unapologetically celebrating your flaws. This is Conner breaking through his doubt and seeking the basic love he deserves. Go Conner. 

"all my life, so lonely, didn't know i was a beautiful freak, To my pleasure, You've shown me, Now I love you, My beautiful freak"

Bizarro: Believe In Me

A sweet but short song, throwback to when that one Outlaws comic pulled a "of mice and men" moment, because thats what i thought when I was choosing a song. Everyone has their assumptions of Bizarro because of what he is and what he's been through but this song is about seeking the one person who you think you can trust because they will believe. 

Garfield: Superstar

"you can party like a rockstar, live like a superstar, you can party like a rockstar, die like a superstar"

I saw this song as Garfield's one identity being his superhero persona. He is a public and open figure and I was thinking about how hard he crashes in the latest Young Justice seasons. He loses everything, he dies like a superstar. 

Raven: Afflicted

This song is about how a community has condemned the singer to torture and death. Either a misunderstanding, mass hysteria, or purposeful cruelty who knows. The song is set in the salem witch trials era so it could be one, two, or all three. I saw Raven as this condemned figure who is never given the chance to defend herself. The singer becomes a puppet to the literal devil and that is also Raven. 

Tara: quite literally: Tara        (somewhere deep in my brain i know for a fact this song was written for / about her Kimberly please confirm) but this one is so self explanatory. If you listen to this song after thinking about Tara's arc in Teen Titans (2003) you'll see it too. 

Harley: Crush 

Listen and you'll understand lmao

[the-new-kiddo-on-the-block]

So, it's been a while since I posted something, especially an update on how things are going at home.

I am happy to report that the donations I've received are extremely helpful and I'm grateful for what you guys have sent in thus far. Like, words cannot describe how thankful I am for it..

However.

Things aren't getting better, it feels like.

Sure, my parents have a fucking understanding now of a lot of things, but, that doesn't change the fact they still don't trust me to make the right decisions, be an adult, take care of myself, work and make money, and be better and more capable than they think I am.

They think that, because of how my brain works- how I think, how I handle things- that I cannot figure things out on my own.

That I cant figure out how to live life somewhere else.

Work a job that pays well and allows me to have a nice place.

How am I supposed to know that when I've been living a sheltered goddamned life practically my whole fucking life??

I feel like my dad sometimes acts like Mother Gothel from fucking Tangled-

This shit in the gif alone is something that my dad has said to me--

And that's fucking gaslighting.

Now, my father could have the best intentions. He could be trying to motivate-

If it wasn't for the fact he's told me this shit for years and years that I don't have anyone out there besides the family in my house who would help me and want me to be and do my best without screwing me over. Who knows me and who knows what I'm like.

Which, by the way, is bullshit.

But, whatever.

My opinion on the matter is null and void at this point in his eyes.

So.

If you can, please- I'm begging--

I legitimately cannot stomach living in this place anymore. If anyone can donate to my GoFundMe, please do so. I'm so sick and tired of this shit.

[scaramoucheslove]

PLEASE expand more on that Zhongli brat tamer thing you posted 🥺

Brat Tamer! Zhongli x Brat!Reader (GN)

Listen to me

What to expect: Spanking, Size kink?(a bit), Choking, Teasing in public, Getting called “whore” once I swear, Zhongli as ur god, fingering? lmk if I missed anything!

A/N: AAA BRAT TAMER ZHONGLI NEEDS MORE APPRECIATION </33

(also im so sorry if this is shit even tho i spent so much time writing it?? hurr i apologize and i tried to make it as gn as possible! <33)

Zhongli loves an obedient sub that listens to him and obey his rules. You, were the perfect little baby for him. You were his obedient, perfect little baby. Sure, you’ve been accidentally bad a couple times here and there. But imagine if someday, you were curious enough to see what’s it like to test his limit. So, when you were acting out of the ordinary, of course he’d be suspicious.

It all started when you both woke up. He’d always wake up first, usually drinking tea at the dinner table and you’d always greet him. But today, you felt a little braver than usual and decided to just ignore him and went ahead to the kitchen to grab your breakfast. He raised his brow, but thought nothing much of it. You put your plate on the table and played with your phone while eating your food.

Zhongli cleared his throat, causing you to look at him with a confused look on your face. “Good morning” he said with a smile, a fake one if I may add. You ignored him and continued to play your phone and eat your food. You could see his smile fade away in the corner of your eye. “I expect a response, no?” you looked at him, and his expression seems blank. “Uh, morning?” you answered blankly before continuing to ignore him. He sighs in defeat, standing up to prepare a hot shower to cool him off.

Zhongli said he’ll be meeting up with a few people for a while, and of course you being you, decided to tag along. You were confused on what to wear—until you remembered your little plan to push his buttons. You smirked at yourself before thinking. You had an idea. You put on the most revealing clothes you’ve ever worn out in public just to mess with him. Once you were done getting ready, he doesn’t say a single word. His gaze was enough to make a person tremble, thus why you were averting his eyes the whole time. He simply grabs your hands and wrapped it around his and said nothing more than a simple “Let’s go.”

You finally arrived at the Teahouse after quite some time. The moment you two opened the door, all eyes were on you. You looked absolutely stunning. Your looks may even be enough to tempt a god. Zhongli clearly tried to ignore the situation and dragged you to the back and seated you both at the corner of the Teahouse.

The meeting overall was boring. Although it was pretty boring, you had to admit that hearing people talking about Morax and acting as if they know more than Morax himself was kind of funny. You yawned in boredom and continued to look around before your eyes landed to your boyfriend’s figure that was sitting right beside you. His eyes that are completely focused, the way he talks, and the way his tall figure is sitting straight, asserting dominance through small, simple things. You couldn’t help but feel excited just by looking at him. Your excitement caused you to land your hand on your boyfriend’s thighs as he was listening to some people talking and discussing about the geo archon. He looked at you, confused and you gave him a small, sweet innocent smile, in which he returned.

But what he didn’t expect was for your hand to go higher and higher, until he realized that your hand was basically almost touching his dick. Before you could do anything further, he slapped your hand away and came closer to your ear to whisper, “Behave.” That action alone caused you to shiver and it tempted you even more. Biting your lower lip, you decided to wait for the right moment. After everyone was done talking and discussing, they asked for Zhongli’s opinion. And just right before he gets the chance to talk, you took the chance and managed to place your hand between his pants without raising any suspicions. He flinched slightly, earning worried looks from other people and workers. “My apologies, I thought I saw something.” He said as he kept his composure. And surprisingly enough, they believed him. Thank god you were seated in the corner so that no one could see what was actually happening between the two of you. You palmed him through his pants slowly as he explained about his opinion. You could hear the slight shake on his voice and clearing his throat way more than he normally does, even though he looked completely focused and well composed. “Mr. Zhongli? Are you feeling alright?” someone said in which he responded with a slight nod, and a pinch to your thighs as a warning. You gasped quietly in surprise and stopped your ministrations before looking at him. His stare was menacing, daring you to make another move. In which you responded by looking the other way and pouting as you rest your hands that was palming him a few seconds ago on the table.

The trip back home was silent. You didn’t dare utter a word, not after all that. You looked fine and chill on the outside, But inside? You were trembling. Was it really a good idea to make your god angry? Is it even worth it? Your thoughts were racing as you asked yourself. But there was no turning back.

You walked inside the house slowly, trying to keep calm and collected. You knew you were in deep trouble the moment he shuts the door with a slam. You saw a glimpse of his beautiful, black hair with a gradient, glowing, neon orange color near the ends of his hair, which usually occurred where he’s focused like in battles, or if he’s really pissed. You didn’t really want to test him any further, so you just decided to follow his next commands and obey him. “What has gotten into you?” He asked, voice demanding for an answer. You turned to him, looking to the ground instead while fiddling your hands. He clicked his tongue and forcefully held your chin so you were met with his amber colored eyes. “Talk” He demanded. You were unable to form coherent words and ended up stuttering on your words. He shakes his head in disapproval and practically dragged you into the bedroom.

He lets you go once you’ve both reached your shared bedroom. You watched as he sat himself on the edge of the bed, looking down and letting out a sigh. The moment his eyes met yours, you immediately looked down, not prepared for his eyes to pierce through you so sudden.

“Strip.” He said lowly. Calmly. But you knew him. It’s always the calm before the storm. You stood there, silently, not moving in the slightest. You could feel the tension in the room. He was disappointed. Of course he was! He had all the reasons to be. He walked towards you slowly, observing the outfit you wore. One of his gloved hand stroking it smoothly as his other hand gripped your jaw gently and made you look into his eyes. “Tsk, I have given you such a simple task. But I know you humans simply cannot do anything yourselves.” He practically spat as he tore your clothes off with both hands. Your eyes widened, mouth slightly opened and you froze due to shock as he chuckled at your reaction.

His two hands grabbed you by the shoulders and threw you onto the bed roughly, a contrast to his gentle grip on your jaw earlier. You continued to freeze in your place and he took the chance to pin both your hands with one of his, as his big and strong body kept your smaller one caged. You tried to get out of his grip. But it was no use. No matter how much you try, he will always overpower you.

“Tell me, love. Were you being a brat on purpose?” He asked you with a teasing tone on his voice. You closed your eyes and gave up, exhaling the breath you didn't notice you've been holding while nodding your head slowly in shame and embarrassment. He chuckled lowly as he lets both of your hand go and flipped you over. You yelped in surprise as he positioned himself so that your stomach was on his lap and he places his hand to rub gently on your ass.

You cried out, “Zhongli please I’m sorry-“ “Now, now. It’ll hurt a bit. But you mortals really need to be taught a lesson to know their place.” He says as one of his hand stroked your hair and the other continued to move gentle motions on your ass. “Zhongli pleas-“ Smack. A loud noise echoed across the room as you jolted forward and you felt your eyes beginning to water. “Can you just listen to me, brat?” his voice sounded clearly annoyed. The room was quiet for a while, until he broke the silence. “Stay silent and take it like the good pet I know you are.”

The sound of your cries and sniffles could be heard in the rather silent room. You were sobbing, hands starting to go numb as you gripped them onto the bedsheets, your ass sore and red from all the painful and harsh smacks Zhongli has delivered. You were trembling. It felt like hours since he started and it never seemed to end. He eventually stopped and started caressing the spots he had abused minutes before. “I’m sorry my love, but If I don’t do this then… you’ll never learn from your mistakes.” He explained. You were still sobbing, but a part of you was relieved that it was over.

He got you off his lap and laid you down carefully onto the bed as you finally closed your eyes, trying to calm yourself down. That is until you feel a hand tracing your back and onto your underwear. You felt him come closer as he whispered in your ear “Seems like someone got excited. Well, it isn’t really a punishment if you enjoyed it. Don’t you agree?” you can feel his hot breath fanning your ear.

He flipped you over, your back now facing the bed. You hissed slightly at the sting because your ass still hurts from his ministrations. He gently spread both of your legs apart as he sat himself in between your now-parted thighs and pulled your underwear down, in which he threw across the room. You tried to cover yourself up but again, it was no use. You were now exposed for him and his eyes to devour. “But I’ll have to admit, seeing you in that revealing outfit where everyone can see really makes me…” he paused as he searched for the right word before continuing. “Jealous.” You prayed to the archons to make it out alive before answering him. “Oh? M-maybe you’re just mad they can probably fuck me better than you.” You’ve done it. You took back what you said about obeying him, but at the wrong time. “Getting brave now, are we? How ironic for someone who cried over a punishment moments ago.” he bitterly chuckles. “Well then, we’ll just have to see how hard I’ll break you tonight.”

He took off his gloves and immediately gathered some of your wetness on his fingers, combining it with the drool he managed to get at the corners of your mouth. He wastes no time as he inserts one finger into your needy hole. You gasped and held onto the bedsheets once more, your eyes rolling into the back of your head. God, his fingers were long. You can feel him filling you up as he kept pistoning one finger in and out of you. But then you started to whine for more. For him to fill you up more. “Humans are indeed greedy, but you’re my greedy little human, aren’t you whore?” you scrambled over your words before he used his free hand to wrap it around your throat and tightening his hold around it. “Answer.” He stopped moving completely and you whined as you finally managed to answer. “Y-yes!” “Yes what?” “Yes, my lord.”

[insurrection-if]

But if the MC is not their type, is there a chance that the RO want to know it better (to MC)?

（´・｀）I sincerely apologize, but I am a little confused by the question.

I would like to reassure readers that they absolutely do not have to worry about satisfying an RO's preferences; please create your MCs however you wish! 人´ ∀｀ ) The ROs won't spurn or be more difficult with an MC that isn't a (near-)complete replica of their ideal partner when it comes to appearance.

Take Fyodor for example. In his eyes, nothing could challenge the MC's place in his heart as an embodiment of absolute perfection. To him, every little thing about the MC is worthy of spoken adoration. After falling for the MC, he'll immediately rewrite his preferences as just being them. (ɔˆ ³(°ᴗ°c) Fyodor will never give the MC reason to even suspect him of having a straying gaze. He belongs to them entirely and completely, and he cannot be more honored and proud to have the MC as his in return.

For Imka, she may have all these preferences but she knows that those are best left to daydreams. Any MC of any kind has the ability to fluster her, to make her heart race and mind turn blank with their presence alone. (｡´ ‿｀♡) She'll always be pinching herself to make sure her time with the MC isn't just a dream - though, with an MC that perfectly fits her tastes, it would be a fateful coincidence that her constant dreams of someone like them manifested into reality. Otherwise, Imka will just smile at her past self for being so blind to the wonderful qualities the MC has - soon enough, only the image of the MC will be able to take her breath away. Really though, it's what's inside the MC that she likes best, and appearance would never make her love them any less.

Kamiko may express early discomfort or displeasure towards the visibility of an MC's tattoos, but her love for them as a person will always triumph over her dwindling stigma. In time, she will come to accept these traits as a part of them and, thus, will love them just as much as she loves the rest of the MC. Truly, the MC has more right to worry about the forbidden status concerning Supervisor-Specialist dalliances since the consequences are rather . . . (・・；)

So on and so forth with all the ROs. They will all defend the MC from naysayers when romanced, and they will all be open to exploring a romantic relationship with the MC regardless of their appearance. You'll hear more comments from those around them than the RO themselves about the uniqueness of the MC, and they aren't guaranteed to be negative or positive either way. Fyodor's mother will find reasons for the MC to be declared unfit for her son regardless of their appearance or personality, Imka's parents both care far more about the MC's personality than their appearance, and Kamiko's closest relatives (or, rather, those whose opinions matter most to her) will hype up any MC however they can once they're reassured about the MC's love for Kamiko, haha! ( * ´∀｀）Etc., etc. . . .

If you break it down, it's simply a lot of flavor / comment variations / little added moments across the individual routes.

Apologies for the tangent, but I hope this answer helps!

[snow-in-the-desert]

Dramione Recommendations

Ok so, 2020 has been A LOT but on a personal note one of the most surprising things to happen was me discovering Dramione fanfiction and becoming unashamedly obsessed with it. I really didn’t see that coming but I’m here now and I’m here to stay. 

I think I started reading in the Dramione fandom around mid July last year?? (In all honesty I’ve lost any true sense of time’s progression at this point so I could be well off the mark with that) And I’ve decided to compile a list of all my favourite fics I’ve read so far. Why? I really just want to gush over all the amazing writers I have found through this fandom because y’all deserve it. 

Side note: If any of the authors actually sees this post just dm so I can buy you coffee or post you writing supplies or something idk I feel like that’s the least I can do for all your amazing work x

Remain Nameless by @heyjude19-writing

Ok I have to start with RN because this fic is pretty much the sole reason I decided to create an account with A03 or a tumblr or just decided to get involved with this fandom at all. 

I headcannon this story hard. But I think even if you aren’t a fan of Dramione you should just read this because it is so unbelievably good and well written and poignant and Draco’s sarcastic personality in this is truly a thing of beauty in this - I relate to his inner monologue’s on a deep personal level. 

I could rave about this story any time, any day of the week, just ask me. In fact, maybe I’ll just start a HeyJude19 fan club to fulfill that urge.

There are so many elements that I love but for the sake of brevity, RN is a beautifully told story of Draco and Hermione finding love and healing in a post-war HP setting. Heyjude19 had the very special ability of making me want to simulatenously laugh, cry and swoon with the power of her words. Just stop what you are doing and go read it now if you havent already, ok?  

I also really enjoyed reading Bells on a Hill, Beers, Potions and Unwise Notions and A Shift in Focus, if you are looking for smaller fics, definitely give these a go. They are all funny and heartfelt stoires that will make your tippy toes wriggle with glee. 

The Rights and Wrongs Series by @lovesbitca8

The Right Thing To Do, All The Wrong Things and The Auction are the holy trinity of Dramione writing. I have christened it thus, so mote it be. And frankly I’m not interested in any other opinion than that one, thank you very much!

After reading this series I don’t think I’ll be able to look back on the orginal HP books without thinking of Hermione’s and Draco’s memories of their time at Hogwarts in these fics as anything other than strictly cannon. 

So many things to love about this series but I think one of the major highlights was Hermione and Draco’s use of occlumency. LoveBitca8 created such beautiful visuals with how occlumency works as a magical practice and seeing Draco and Hermione so devoted to eachother to the point of safeguarding their inner most feelings to protect eachother was unbelievably romantic and poetic. 

Also the smut is divine ;)

Manacled by @senlinyu​

My heart will never be the same after reading this story. Like I actually can’t think about this fic without getting a lump at the back of my throat. I have never felt so emotionally ruined after reading anything, compared to the likes of this fic. Just please, please read it. To badly quote HP, reading Manacled will make you suffer but you’re going to be happy about it.

The flashbacks are a rollercoaster in of themselves but the way Hermione inadvertently refers to them when she is still in a state of memory loss was so heartbreaking to read. My heart still aches for them both. Also its a truly satisfying to see Draco and Hermione written in a way were they are both so fiercly protective of one another. They make my insides go soft. 

I also really enjoyed Snow Fall, Now Is A Gift and All You Want by the author but to be honest anything written by Senlinyu is always thoroughly enjoyable and worth a look. 

The Erised Effect by @adaprix​

Ada is QUEEN of dramione smut but ‘The Erised Effect’ is top tier. Its equal parts funny, romantic, sentimental and oh so sexy. Ada really knows how to build and build on sexual tension and doesn’t disappoint on the final delivery. I’m a big admirer of her writing style and just veraciously read whatever she posts but ‘The Erised Effect’ is just golden. A must read. (Also Pansy’s sexual fantasy in this story is a visual I don’t think I’ll ever be able to remove from my brain so thanks for that Ada)

Also quick side note: Adaprix’ stories were the first I read when I was looking into this fandom and it was enough to get me hooked on the pairing from the get go so I have that to thank Ada for too. I remember devouring all the stories she had posted to A03 and when I was done I was like... now what am I supposed to do with my life?? And that’s basically when I began to look deeper into the fandom and thus the course of my life in 2020 changed for the better. 

Some other stories I love by her are Break for Me, All My Sins, The Big 4-0, The Fucklust Series and The Flat in Bath. 

Clean by @olivieblake​

This 6th Year AU where Draco and Hermione work together on a class assignment and end up falling in love had me feeling all kinds of ways when I read it. I almost don’t know where to start but I think one of the stand out things for me was how immersed I felt in reading it. 

Hogwarts is captured really well, you get a good sense of class atmospheres, character nuances and behind the scenes of events that happen in HBP but from a Draco and Hermione’s perspectives. It’s well executed and intricate tapestry of a fic. With an excellent plot twist ending! 

Also Hermione and Draco’s relationship in this is equal parts fluffy and smutty and it just ticks all the right boxes that you want to see for those characters ;)

Breath Mints / Battle Scars by @onyx-and-elm​

The angst in this one is just *chef’s kiss*

God I love this fic. The way Draco is portrayed is very true to his defensive and tetchy character in the original books but he is also given so much more depth. The way his diary entries are written are just so well executed. It’s a true testament to the author’s creative writing skill. And I LOVE how even though Draco is clearly in such a messed up place, he still has a basic level of self respect and dignity that he won’t tolerate being used or undervalued in his relationship with Hermione. 

Yep, I really love Draco’s characterisation in this one if you can’t tell.  But Hermione is also well written too. Her stuggles and trauma of returning to Hogwarts after war is described in a believable and grounded way. And my heart definitely ached for them both. I just wanted to wrap the pair of them in a big fuzzy blanket and tell them that everything will be alright. 

WANDS OUT! by @persephonestone​

This murder mystery / Dramione / Theo x Harry / AU crossover is everything I didn’t know I wanted until I read it. I felt like I was picked up and plonked right into an alternative dimension where all the characters of HP are just living it up in an Agatha Christie novel. 

It’s a funny and clever story that I found refreshing to read amongst all the other fanfics that are usually cemented in the HP timeline or universe. Theodore Nott in this fic is perfection he should be written like this in every fic from now on in my opinion. I couldn’t stop giggling any time he had a scene in the story.

And the ‘only one bed’ trope in this fic is 10/10. I don’t want to give spoilers but ohmygod. It hits all the right notes. 

The One With Technical Difficulties by cassielassie 

Cassielassie has an excellent three part series of Dramone called ‘The One with...” but I have to give special credit to this story in particular for one main reason. ELEVATOR TROPES. I can’t get enough of em. I think I have my early childhood viewings of NCIS to thank for my obsession with elevator tropes they just do something to me that simply cannot be explained with mere words. The palpable sexual tension of being in a broken down elevator with an ‘enemies to lovers’ pairing, a heated arguement breaks out followed by a discovery of mutual feelings and a romantic embrace...

Eugh. It gets me everytime. And this fic is no exception. I loved it for all the reasons I’ve already stated above but also for the attention to detail in Draco and Hermione’s careers makes this one particularly immersive. The dynamics between them established in this one-shot are convincingly portrayed and the chemistry between them is so undeniably hot. 

The Light is No Mystery by @masterofinfinities​

Yooo if you want to read a dramione fic that is a deep dive into Pureblood culture and Post-War recovery but is also a perfect allegory for discrimination and today’s political landscape of moral grandstanding for votes then look no further than this one. 

This story has a bit of everything. Intrigue, mystery, ptsd and recovery, enemies to lovers / secret relationship, government conspiracy and humour, to name a few. I eargerly await every update to this story and am anxious to know how it ends!

The Eagle’s Nest by HeartOfAspen 

Finally! A fic that gives me the Ravenclaw representation I crave. I think I could recommend this fic on the lore depicted of Ravenclaw house alone. ‘The Stacks’ and Rowena Ravenclaw’s own ‘come and go room’ are just such cool details that I could see being real in the HP universe. 

This fic is so cosy and makes me feel like I’m just popping back into Hogwarts for another year. You get to see all the usuals like prof. Mcgongall, Nearly headless Nick, PEEVES, Hagrid, as well as learn more about minor characters from the other school houses. The story follows Hermione going to her day to day classes and there are interesting concepts about magic and alchemy that are explored. 

Draco and Hermione’s relationship in this one is of course very fluffy and heartfelt. But it’s the attention to detail that really makes this fic outstanding and the experience of reading it feels fleshed out and true to HP universe.

A shorter fic by HeartofAspen that I recommend is one called Set in Stone, it has an adventurous, Indianna Jones vibe to it, that I am so down for. 

Teachable Moments by @purplesugarquills

In this fic Hermione is an innocent little virgin determined to learn everything about sex. And Draco Malfoy is her tutor. If that isn’t enough to get you on board then I don’t know what is. Both Heartfelt and Steamy. PurpleSugarQuills writes smut so well but it’s the progression of their growing attachment and the nervous treading of new uncharted waters of romantic relationships for both of them that just adds a whole other level of feels to the story. Also chapter 9 is like reading poetry - its so good. Eugh just give it a read if you haven’t already.

Les Pèlerins by @pacific-rimbaud

This story is high art. It’s transcendent. Reading this story feels like the emotional equivalent of standing around a hundred glowing fairy lights, sipping hot cocoa and being wrapped in the loving embrace of a s/o. I can’t speak my praises highly enough or even become passably coherent in my words when I try to articulate a review. 

From the very first paragraph I felt like I was just whisked away on a Parisian holiday and I’ve never even bloody been to Paris but damn it if this story didn’t make me feel like I was there. The writing style is just so tactile and intense it’s like I could feel the cold winter air brush against me as I read it. Eugh I just completely fell in love with the story and the writer. 

New Year’s resolution. Read everything PacificRimbaud has ever posted online. 

[killerbananas]

Epoch 1: Fondness

After allowing his gaze to haunt you, Hades finds himself equally bewitched by your magics.

🔞 Previous Chapter | Masterlist | Next Chapter | WC: 3,448

Pairing: Reader (Immortal; afab) x Erwin (Hades)

Warnings: smut; hand job, oral, come eating, face-riding, butt play, predator-prey dynamics (lighter), a caution that fucking magic beings has consequences

AN: This is alternatively titled Fortunate Fools. Next chapter should be Porco/Triton. The follow-up to this chapter is certainly planned, but still very much in early stages and thus I cannot say when it'll be posted, but it will happen. Hopefully, we'll get a good glimpse of the underworld and that three headed puppup 🥰 Please let me know how you like this as this is kind of my first more "enriched" fiction I've busted out in a while.

He ghosts the edges of your vision, a shadow of cool whispers that trail through the breeze as it winds around the open air of the venue where you are hovering. The rich tone of his power licks imploringly yet delicately at your skin all the while as you sparingly talk to those about you who acknowledge your artworks. You had already managed to find two people you would like to work with in the future, but there were so, so many that had required the stillness of your sealed lips that you’d tired quickly. It was as you believed yourself alone for longer than a hare’s heartbeat that a shadow crawled over your shoulder, the owner’s height causing you to turn your chin up to catch the source.

“You paint the Gods’ anger with such bold strokes, I should think you would fear their wrath for giving permanence to their transgressions against man.”

His statement is as daring as your painting, for calling the scene you had stroked transgressions spared plenty for you to glean of his own opinions. A mischievous smile teases the corner of your mouth while you raise an eyebrow at the darkly bright being.

“Some moments are simply too touching not to paint, if I can be honest. They beg to be caught and kept, fleeting though they may seem. As for fear, I believe this particular emotion is not usually paid its proper dues. Fear is something every being should rightly experience, but only for its informative nature. Use it. Release it.”

He tilts his head as you reach out and pull off some thread from the edge of your canvas, tenderly fixing the appearance to be right once more before standing, turning in a flourish of the light fabrics alluringly swathing your curved form. You meet his face closer than he believes another being beyond his brothers have dared in centuries so that he subconsciously holds his breath as you smile widely at him, full of teeth. He waits for you to step back, to give some social modicum of space that should be warring at your senses like gnawing dogs to be so close to an immortal.

And yet, your calm demeanor does not even ripple with the want licking at your apex and fingertips to paint the angles of the azure-eyed god gifted with planes of glinting alabaster, lightly dusted in haloing peach that threatens to thunder your heart inside your rib cage. You are the stillness of a curious fawn at the water’s edge, flirting with a pearl-toothed alligator, but the core of your soul vibrates with the darkness of both dualities where the fawn courts death and the alligator mourns the mounting mortality of a passing connection with another compatriot in the twilight of existence. You can smell the darkness and death the god emanates, for it is as comforting to your senses as the forests you call home.

He is taken with the closeness and what it affords him, bemused at the darkly impish behavior he sees dancing around the depths of your irises. He breathes in your brazenly flirtatious scent and the flavor makes his mouth water, what he traces on the edge of his senses as he watches you. It captures his attention to distraction as you raise your hand slowly, as if to not spook a rabbit enchanted with the flower’s ambrosia. Introducing yourself with a soft timbre that begs him closer still with his extraordinary senses acting as rote muscle memory in tandem for a shared whisper, secret, reception of willful need to chase an urge, to taste your lips and savor each syllable like honey. He is taken.

His cool fingertips contact your raised hand in an intimate exchange whereby his lips impart the epithet the scribes have been repeating for years unnumbered, Hades, into your knuckles, equally entranced. Teasing at the edges of your senses is a feeling familiar and reassuring in a way you sorely encounter. His bright gleam of teeth only stokes the heat pitted down between your thighs and begs you unravel him with your mouth.

"An interesting perspective, but surely, upon introduction alone, would you not portend at least some risk to your livelihood?"

Shouldn't you simply be quaking at his feet in fear, meeting the Lord of the Underworld? Perhaps, were you mortal and were he not so devilishly stunning.

"Should I?"

You have not moved a muscle, finding no fire in his implicating question. Moreso, he almost seems to be attempting to guide your thoughts in line with his own expectations. Of course, you could feel the itch of your power further tickling your self-control, innately ready to make the first strike if the wind blew wrong, but no gust ruffles his ire. In fact, beneath the stoic mirth façading his desire, you can almost taste the intrigue fueling his tongue. When had he last made an introduction so absent of dread horror that such a title innately holds to most?

"Shouldn't you, given your depictions here?"

"No, as I have never once had the pleasure of painting the shade of blue that now graces my presence. Though perhaps that rationale pales with the wisdom I have followed for most of my life. A wise man once bade his transgressors thusly: May those that arrive unprepared, leave with the lesson they deserve tucked between their legs, for they should be as fortunate as any other impromptu fool."

He takes a moment to contemplate the turn of phrase, lips tugging upwards in more mirth, neigh, nearly a chuckle at the bold threat tucked neatly inside. None should trifle with those they know not. For all intents and purposes, he believes the same could be said for you, but he only now drops your hand, drawn to such brazen gall and contemplative of precisely why you are not. Is it foolishness or wisdom? For a rare and telling moment, he even questions himself. Were he his brothers, he might take offense at the implication, but he is nothing like the impulsive Zeus, nor burdened with the ego of Poseidon. Unfortunately, the time to react further, to loosen your tongue, is cut short.

It is the jarring clearing of another admirer’s throat that blinks the vision of the charming wraith from your view and the maddening rage his sudden absence fills you with is enough that you could level Athens, but you breathe through it and spare none of the emotion from the glance to the unwelcome trespasser who had broken your opportunity at satiating the hunger driving you ravenously furious. As the look is enough to move the man’s intentions to self-preservation, he disembarks apologetically, tail metaphorically tucked between his legs as he scrambles off.

The sun seems a bit brighter in the absence of the immortal you had just met. You were not sure what you had expected of the god rumored to exclusively reside in the underworld. His light-kissed locks were bright in the way ice reflects, but his dark persona seemed to be stealing every beam that touched him without the normal physics to guide it from his predatory personage. Yet, seeking him out readily sung in your veins as a melodious addiction you craved viscerally. The redness hazing your gaze is alleviated only by the glinting of a scale at your feet, left in place of where Hades had stood moments prior.

It reflects with prismatic beauty, shaped with sharp edges, drawing a maroon droplet to your thumb that absorbs into the sleek material in a way that no normal science would proffer, clearly bewitched. It glows an ethereal azure before returning to its nascent state. Pocketing the reminder of your visitor to evaluate another time, you return to your home for the evening to paint your frustrations away. And if anyone could describe the wake of your departure, it would surely include the terms ‘violent’ and ‘destruction.’ Each step cracks the ground at your bare feet, rending the stone crushed in uniformly spaced divots as your toes push forward at the end of every stride. The very walls groan at your passing, tiny dislodged fragments trickling down like disturbed dustings of snow. The heavy door you encounter could be better described as a window once you are through it, so shoddenly bereft is its final state. Yet, as you reach the edges of a darkened forest, far from common humanity, you sigh a breath the doves lament in gentle mourning cries.

The night finds you bare of clothing except the rag over your shoulder, hued in shades of cobalt to sapphire that haunt your visions, smatter across your skin, and stain the creases of your fingers as you find release more than once with your hand throughout the throes of emotions that bubble up as you attempt to capture your obsession on the canvas. It is as fortifying as it is depleting, but every shade you could mix to recreate the ghost haunting your waking hours must flow from your brushes, neigh, your fingertips if necessary, aching to solve a problem that has burrowed beneath your being through any outlet availed to you.

While you do not require the rest of mortals, being blessed with dreams when you allow your vessel respite is something you would not regret in any lifetime. Yet, all you experience are hauntings of phantom touches where you crave them most until your mind is pulling apart even in your sleep. Waking in a fiery fit, you nearly incinerate the plain blanket barely covering your form. Tossing it aside in a wail of rustling resentment, exhausted to the extent that you do not even recall covering yourself before sleeping, the cool air greets your skin to pebble the sensitive parts of your responsive body.

A molten heat suffuses your face and bleeds to your chest as you pace your remote home. Choosing another path, the moonlight bathes your bare body as you walk out of the back to find solace in the ethereal lunar glow. You believe you may still be slumbering as the vision that greets you is wont to undo your sanity, but you realize the scale is rubbed warm between your thumb and forefinger as you come face-to-face with the figment of your obsessions. Surprised it even holds his large form, he sits perfectly unbothered in your favorite chair, nevertheless full of the control immortals possess to will particular worldly physics to their whim.

His blonde hair is hued icen, almost platinum-cyan, in the beams that sneak through the leaves around you, showcasing that he has chosen to be seen in no uncertain terms of his own. His contrastingly dark garb only emphasizes the otherworldly glow you can see plainly adorning his skin, not visible to mortals, but your eye catches it readily. You hold up the aforementioned scale you subconsciously brought along and slyness tugs the corner of your lips up in inviting banter to his raised eyebrow.

“A token with which to remember you by or,” you allow it to disappear from your person, “to locate me. Perhaps you should explain your intentions before I make assumptions as to which I am more perturbed by. What do you seek from me, Hades?”

He rises with the smooth certainty of a creature humoring another in a slow pace that makes the hairs on your neck question whether they should be standing, but your control is steadfast. Your eyes do not leave his as he approaches, gait assured in long strides that bring him before you with little preamble. Prepared for anything, willing for an outlet of bloody or carnal lust to lessen the humming building beneath your skin, you are instead gifted with the faintest caress to your fevered body. The flare of arousal between your thighs is inciting and unsettling as he looms closer to you, breathing you in with no attempt to hide it and groaning with the coalescing fervor it calls to his lungs. His fingers trail along your skin, drawing gooseflesh in their wake to your chin. He utilizes a touch delicate enough to leave flower petals unbruised, a sigh of air barely perceivable as he shifts you to meet his lips in answer to your acute questioning.

The way he kisses you starts off slowly, thumb making pointed contact with your jawline as he revels in the touches you share with burgeoning ardor. The connection stirs a longing that implores you to become intimately more familiar with the texture of his tongue as it lavishes along your own. You do not deny yourself the indulgence. He blinks down at you with those eyes that had haunted your memories and it is your will that the next blink you return is with you both in the comfort of your modest room. A chuckle leaves him in charming tones that ring with more than lust in your ear.

Of course, he should be more cautiously curious of the situation, of you and your capabilities, but, perhaps he is as equal parts impulsive and egotistical as his kin. You are an enigma to him that begs he unravels such a mystery with reverence. Was it ever the docile doe and predatory water beast, or was it always two hawks courting in a dance of raised feathers hidden beneath beguiling discipline? He finds the concern does not pervade his chiefest considerations, but the excitement of your vessel to his own certainly wins out.

You press forward in want, nude body contacting his clothed one as you take your time pulling the soft fabric from him without a touch of magic. You are taken with the inches of sin revealed at each removal, nipping the muscular plumpness of his chest, the divots of his abdominals, then the protrusions of his hips just shy of bloody. He is impressed with his own restraint not to devour you in return. The greed of most gods was legendary, inscribed in the multitude of colors even in your very paintings, but Hades was smart, steady, calculatingly inquisitive. He knows that rushing without better understanding his tentative opponent would not end well. This is how he chooses to know you.

It is easy to notice the way his cock grows hard in his loose garb, but the thwack and small splattering of prespend that spreads on his stomach as he pops out of the coverage is enough to make you drool. You bite your lip, audibly swallowing your hunger, eyes shy of weariness as you maintain careful vigilance for anything untoward. A bit of magic crackling awry in his lust pauses your hands for a beat before you reach out, seeking the thick heat you gleefully wrap your digits around. A hiss leaves him as his body bends to tower your smaller form, but none of this intimidates you, and he does not intend the possible disheartenment nor terror such a creature like himself could insinuate with a flick of his wrist or raising of his brow. Instead, you are gifted with a hue darkening his visage, openness you do not expect from an immortal.

Bright white teeth dig into the plush pillow of his lips, tone matching the swollen crown of his cock as the foreskin teases the ridges while you slowly scale the length. Nerves twitch from his thighs to his toes as you move with a swirl of your wrist as the beading wetness around his head spreads with the motion. You maintain eye contact with his lust-heavy lidded gaze as you work him up to a pique fit of pleasure, squeezing beneath his head as he shoots across the planes of your torso, a solid groan rumbling from his lungs. He watches closely as you mouth the remnants off your fingers, seeing the heat paired with resolute wherewithal in your irises. His tart cream is as otherworldly as he is and imbues a touch of his vitality and power that circuits your system, expanding your need into a hellish ache. It is only a taste of what you desire, teasing as it is informatively addicting.

Wordlessly, he accepts your proffered fingertips that share the gift he painted across your skin. Your own countenance lightens when he goes so far as to sink to his knees and lick up the remaining droplets scattered along your chest, tummy, hip bones, and upper thighs. Your delight is amplified further as he presses those stunning lips into light kisses, traversing until he connects with the dripping nectar at your apex. A breathy gasp flees without your consent, revealing your focal enthrallment breaking in otherwise welcoming surprise as he easily lifts your leg to wrap over his shoulder. So naturally, you have to do one better, and give only so much notice (none, that is) before utilizing the lip of the door arch in combination with your preternatural capabilities and grace to swing your other leg up, riding his shoulders as he works his tongue between your folds.

He does not falter in his actions, but adjusts so as to palm your cheek while his digits join his mouth to invade your depths with a fulfillment you crave. Your biceps flex to orchestrate the waving motions of your hips as you grind, those haunting eyes demanding your attention no matter his perceivably subservient positioning. Within those pools of thrashing waves lapping the shore of his widening pupils, you can glean the hunger that sings harmoniously in alignment with the emotions that start to seep into your awareness. His seed had been both a gift and unknown advantage to you. A little taste divinely lends itself to expanding your understanding of the ardorously compelling being cradled in the softness of your thighs.

"This vision of you is quite becoming."

You would draw him in your dreams, searing the image into your memories until you could recreate him blindfolded. You drop a hand to run through his silken strands, tugging him back from your cunt to avoid your undoing and admire the pearled dewdrops clinging to his lips as he keeps his wild eyes on yours.

"I could say the same of you, but I believe I've yet to see you at your peak."

The hand previously cupping your ass moves to his mouth before returning slightly over as his spit-slicked middle finger begins pushing against the tender taut muscle between your cheeks. You relax and allow him to sink in slowly, body accommodating the small thickness while your heels press into his back at the pleasing invasion. You maintain a tight grip on his hair as he returns to licking your labia and clit as if to drive you into a frenzy. It works, pleasure building into a tense gathering of magic and madness that he nearly begs for you to fall into like a beckoning abyss. Finding more assuredness in how he earnestly needs your satisfaction both in his gaze and thrumming emotions so salient to you, you cannot stop the snapping tension if you tried. Yet, why would you ever even deny yourself the vision of his plain happiness and eager hunger as you unravel at your core? It takes more of your willpower than you would admit to not harm him as your thighs beseech you to clamp tightly.

Hades is awestruck as he feels the bleeding magics radiating like ambrosial heat from your core, but he does not break stride in letting you ride out your rippling riptide that threatens to drag you under those waves. The intensity is enough to snatch your sight and consciousness from you. You should have known better than to let your libido lead your actions in the connective spell you use to bind him to you in tandem with his avid devouring, but he easily catches you with all the grace he effortlessly brandishes. When he realizes your heart beats quickly, but is gradually returning to a relaxed cadence, he sighs in a calm exhale.

"Perhaps next time, little wildfire."

A rolled piece of parchment is all you wake to hours later, tucked carefully into your bedding. It brings a bittersweet happiness to your mood when you search for the intimately forged connection between your souls, echoing a pulsing strum of longing that halts Hades steps when he feels it. He is hard as a rock a moment later and wondering what he has truly gotten himself into as he strokes himself to completion in his own bed deep in the underworld. You breathe through the shared arousal as your hand swipes your own end in tandem, encouraging you drift off again even as his expelled energy fills your stores.

[asmolemmeeatyouout]

The boys with Autistic! MC! part two ! SFW

(Bc I’m self indulgent and like 5 ppl wanted it so yesyesyes)

(Had my first proper spoonie day in a while today so imma finish this after what 4 months? Whoopsie. Sorry if any of the points overlap I’ve not re read my last post, please shoot me an ask if you want anything clarified/expanded on !)

Lucifer:

Has to stop his brothers from constantly bothering you when you’re overwhelmed (they’re just worried)

You very quickly learn his office is the safest place to be when overwhelmed due to the dim lighting and the brother deterring curse on his doorway

He has a record player and SO much classical music for when you need background noise

This leads to impromptu slow dancing when you insist he needs a break and there’s music playing

If you have your own records, the *smoother ones will end up mixed in with his

*smoother as in less staccato /distracting because he is most likely working

Very much enjoys spending time in silence with you, he finds it comfortng to just exist with someone without having anything needed of him

Especially if you’re both doing your own thing, like you just being in the room with him (playing a game or reading or smthn) while he does his paperwork is so soothing to him

Mammon:

Have you seen his horns? They’re so smooth and shinyyy, a+++ stimming material

He loves head pats so he’ll willingly put his head in your lap when you watch movies

he’s very proud of his demon form but also kind of shy so it’ll take some coaxing to get him to let you touch his horns but when he sees how content it makes you? It’s his new favourite hobby letting you play with his hair and horns during movies

(That said they’re very sensitive (like him) so be gentle)

He WILL adopt your love language and mannerisms:

if you bump people he will start knocking into you constantly, (wrists, hips, shoulders, head, any and all on random repeat)

if you like to collect and give things to people he will a. Hoard them in a little shrine (that he Denys. having) and b. Start looking for things he can give you back

If you rub textures you like you’ll find him stroking your arms/face/jumper right back (sometimes with his face, but only ever in private because he feels vulnerable using such a soft form of affection)

Levithian:

You cannot tell me this man isn’t autistic

Communication is SO! EASY!

Then even If you don’t understand you can just ask. You can just ask and he’ll tell you. None of this ‘figure it out yourself’ nt bullshit

Our baby has anxiety anyway so he’s probably ‘over’ explained it before you can say anything

(Over explained in the sense of nt, personally I love it when ppl get really detailed)

In that case he gets embarrassed about how much he’s talking so it’s your turn to reassure him that he’s not boring you

The solace you get in realising you like all of his autistic traits soothes your own insecurities

That being said your anxiety (if you have it) is matchy matchy so don’t expect him to talk to the cashier for you

He’s very chill with you being non verbal because either he’s absorbed in his own game/anime/show or it means there’s more room for him to talk about his interests

That being said if your special interests/ hyperfixations don’t line up on any given day? The bickering over who’s turn it is to infodump gets intense (this is the one source of all your arguments)

All the other brothers are kind of terrified/jealous of your relationship, especially when they see you talking about a shared special interest because you talk rapid fire and very in-depth. to them it’s almost like you’re talking in code or another language because they know all the individual words but what the everloving fuck are you on about

Asmodeus:

Has specific outfits he wears when he wants you to hug him (which is always). They’re made out of the softest material, or any clothing of his you’ve expressed a texture interest in.

Finds it so amusing when you come rushing over to rub your face against his chest bc mmmmm softsoftsoft

Likes to text you in the morning to see how you’re feeling (and how sensory sensitive you are because god forbid his outfit with chains and jangles stops him from seeing you)

Understands better than Anyone that affection and love can be shown in a whole barrage of ways not just physically

Figures out how you show affection faster than any of the other brothers

Immediately starts reciprocating it (partly bc he’s selfishly trying to make you love him most)

Satan:

Will learn about your special interests so he can engage you on the topic

Is the ONLY person in the house you can talk about any special interest with, no matter how niche because he loves learning (although he does prefer the *academic* side of them rather than pop culture but he will listen to both)

*academic* as in something involving learning about something or crafting or *how* to do something, not just like, maths

You’re pretty much the only person who can keep up with him in terms of knowledge and enthusiasm (even if it’s only for very specific things) and thus you become the person he talks to about his interests

Originally kind of annoyed by how absentminded you are (because you forget several dates) but once you get settled into a routine he starts to find it cute how habitual you are, and then realises it could work to his advantage.

He then schedules a date into your weekly routine (or biweekly depending on your energy levels) so you start to get upset if it’s missed bc it’s part of your routine. (Satan is ridiculously smart and is very much willing to manipulate your routine to his (and yours) advantage, he is a demon after all)

Beelzebub:

Gives the best squishes. He’s just so big he can literally envelope you (in other news he is terrified of hurting you so he’s very nervous at first, he’s used to huggin ppl very gently bc he is a muscle mountain)

Maybe don’t use chew stims around him (unless he’s eating) because seeing you use them will either make him hungry, or he’ll ask to see it and oops it’s been swallowed hope you didn’t want that back (he’s very apologetic he really didn’t mean to but it was in his mouth and chewed before he could think)

Literally the kindest man in the universe, if you have issues with shame or *guilt* (especially if it creeps outta nowhere or it relates to not being able to do something) he will a. Reassure you and give you cuddles until you feel okay (or one on one bonding time if you’re too touch sensitive) then b. Go help with whatever task was too much so you don’t have to worry

Belphagor:

Have I mentioned the stuffies? This boy definitely has a stash of soft toys that all have names and personalities. This originally stemmed from the fact he was locked alone in an attic for a year, he needed some form of company or he was gonna go crazy, and sleeping alone is meh in his opinion. But then he became attached and after you showed him yours? And you weren’t ashamed of your teddy bears or how much you loved them he confided in you about his. (And you had a tea party)

Problems sleeping ? (Me too bud it’s 3.44 am lol) nonononno baby boy has got you, just snuggle up to him and you’ll be snoozing in no time (I HC that being around belphagor just makes you a little sleepy and the longer you’re there the stronger the urge to sleep gets)

You’re at rad (or out in public and can’t leave) and get overstimmed? Belphie has got you! He keeps sunglasses on him so he can secretly sleep when he’s not supposed to. Also (imo) he’s the king of hoodies, both his main outfits have a hood (and you can’t convince me he doesn’t wear one of them over his uniform as soon as lucifer dips), my boy will slip his hoodie on you and wrap you in a hug to get you away from the noise/sights

(I am now too tired to write anymore, hope yall enjoyed!)

[sk1fanfiction]

the many faces of tom riddle, part 1

-no hate (this is merely my humble opinion) but i strongly dislike tom hughes as tom riddle, and here’s why-

FULL DISCLAIMER THAT THIS IS JUST MY OPINION OF A CHARACTER WHO DOESN’T HAVE THE STRONGEST CANON CHARACTERIZATION, AND THUS ALL THIS IS BASED ON MY CONCEPTUALIZATION.

Just personally, this fancast induces a lot of cognitive dissonance for me, but this is the first time I’ve been able to sit down and articulate properly why it always throws me for a loop.

Now, does he fit the visual/aesthetic archetype?

Yes. I understand completely why people like this fancast. We know that he is studious, intellectual, and (at the time people generally fancast him for) involved in the criminal underground, and he more-or-less fits the physical description.

And, to be clear, it’s not that I don’t think Tom Hughes could play Tom Riddle, it’s that I don’t think the character he plays in the fancasts is a close enough approximation of Tom Riddle.

For me, herein lies the issue.

Tom Riddle’s character is all about the emotions bubbling under the surface. He’s a disaster waiting to happen -- he’s angry, he’s lonely, he wants revenge, he feels empty and hopeless and desperate, he’s irrational...

Not sure what movie/show the Tom Hughes clips come from, but the character he plays isn’t that at all. the character he plays is very self-possessed, poised, self-aware. Reflective. Remorseful (there are clips of him crying when/after he shoots someone). Introspective. 

That, to me, is not Tom Riddle at all. 

Yes, he does deal with moral conflict, but it’s never at the forefront of his mind. It’s not something he’s constantly grappling with. He doesn’t really... brood in this Hamlet-esque way.

Tom doesn’t think. Sure, he plans, he ruminates, he rationalizes a posteriori. But he’s very unaware of himself (in fact, it’s one of his fatal flaws). It’s not that he doesn’t have emotions; just that his internal state is a mystery most of the time.

He doesn’t connect with his own emotions; he is completely estranged from them. Tom cannot tell you whether he is happy or sad (not just because of his pride). He keeps his emotions and moral compass (which are highly uncomfortable things), in a locked little box, swallows the key, and disregards them. And yet, this character connects so deeply with his emotions that even the audience can see exactly what he’s going through. 

(There’s an openness -- an ease of vulnerability -- that Tom Riddle doesn’t have)

The thing about Tom, is that he hates himself just as much as he hates everyone around him. Creating Horcruxes to save himself from death is not an act of self-love, or even narcissism to the extreme; instead, forcibly ripping your own soul seven times is the most literally and metaphorically self-destructive thing a person could possibly do.

"Of the Horcrux, wickedest of magical inventions, we shall not speak nor give direction —"

If we go all the way back to Book 1, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, you’ll remember that the eponymous material (first described in the Epic of Gilgamesh) is capable of producing the Elixir of Life, a magical substance that makes its drinker immortal, as long as you have a steady supply. Not only that, but according to the beliefs of historical alchemists (such as Nicholas Flamel), it was capable of curing any disease. In the alchemical tradition, it symbolized perfection, enlightenment, and heavenly bliss.

If all Tom Riddle was concerned about was prolonging his life, this is the obvious (and better) option.

Here’s the alchemical symbol of the Philosopher’s Stone. Looks kind of like the Deathly Hallows symbol, right? It represents the interplay of the (at the time, believed) four elements of matter -- a sort of periodic table, if you will.

The mature Philosopher’s Stone was believed to be a red stone (for making gold), and the immature one a white stone (for making silver). Rubeus Hagrid and Albus Dumbledore, anyone??

"So he's made himself impossible to kill by murdering other people?" said Harry. "Why couldn't he make a Sorcerer's Stone, or steal one, if he was so interested in immortality?"

And Dumbledore responds:

"But there are several reasons why, I think, a Sorcerer's Stone would appeal less than Horcruxes to Lord Voldemort.”

"While the Elixir of Life does indeed extend life, it must be drunk regularly, for all eternity, if the drinker is to maintain the immortality. Therefore, Voldemort would be entirely dependent on the Elixir, and if it ran out, or was contaminated, or if the Stone was stolen, he would die just like any other man. Voldemort likes to operate alone, remember. I believe that he would have found the thought of being dependent, even on the Elixir, intolerable...”

And while, yes, he did try to steal it rather than make it, I am sure that in the time it took Tom to make all of his Horcruxes, he could have learned enough alchemy to produce it for himself (or wheedled the information out of Nicholas Flamel). While Dumbledore hypothesizes that it’s because Tom hates feeling dependent, this must be irony, because he spends the first book as a literal parasite, the next three as a virtually helpless creature, and the remainder still reliant on his Horcruxes.

"Well, you must understand that the soul is supposed to remain intact and whole. Splitting it is an act of violation, it is against nature."

But, like me, Dumbledore is making guesses at Tom Riddle’s internal state, and in this case, I think, he’s made an oversight. Horcruxes make him equally as dependent as the Philosopher’s Stone would have. It’s been established in canon that you cannot make yourself immortal without help; either you rely on the continued existence of your Horcruxes or your supply of the Elixir.

And while the Elixir represents the positive aspects of eternal life, like renewal, rebirth, and the cyclical nature of the universe (see above the ouroboros of Cleopatra the Alchemist, one of the four women who knew how to make the philosopher's stone), a Horcrux is antithetical to life. It represents disorder, and once the creator of Horcruxes dies, they are unable to move on from Limbo -- shut out of the cycle. Harry describes Tom’s mangled soul as looking like a flayed and mutilated baby -- permanently immature and stagnant.

This theme of destruction is furthered by the Golden Trio’s discussion on how to reverse the process:

Ron: "Isn't there any way of putting yourself back together?"

Hermione: "Yes, but it would be excruciatingly painful."

Harry: "Why? How do you do it?"

Hermione: "Remorse. You've got to really feel what you've done. There’s a footnote. Apparently the pain of it can destroy you. I can’t see Voldemort attempting it somehow, can you?"

With this in mind, we can surmise that Tom is either (a) impatient, which we know he is not (b) there was some deeper reason for favouring Horcruxes -- so, yes, I believe that either metaphorically or literally, this was self-harming behaviour.

He takes on the name of Lord Voldemort because he hates himself, Tom Marvolo Riddle. He hates the Muggle part of himself so much that he’s willing to tear apart his entire being. 

"Voldemort, is my past, present, and future, Harry Potter..."

If that isn’t renouncement of himself, I don’t know what is. He was clearly not born Voldemort.

While of course, this does NOT excuse ANY of his actions, I find it vastly implausible that the likes of Malfoy, Mulciber, Carrow, etc... would have been welcoming in any way, shape or form to an assumed ‘Mudblood’ in scruffy secondhand robes from a London orphanage, and as such, indoctrinated him into his fanatic belief in blood-purity via antagonizing him. 

(Imagine Hermione, but poor and without parents, in the 1930s/40s. She would not have been treated well in Slytherin, either.)

Children are more vicious than you think. And while Tom probably gave as good as he got at Wool’s Orphanage (and was possibly an active aggressor himself), Hogwarts wouldn’t have been a level playing-field. (I’ll talk a bit about this and the significance of the Gaunt Ring in Part 2).

In other terms, I think Tom was bullied for having dubious origins. That’s often the swiftest way to radicalize someone, and would have left Tom with a crippling sense of self-hatred that I don’t think he would have even picked up from the orphanage.

(And it’s possibly this early experience with relational aggression that results in his constant need to be on the offensive/defensive, distrust of others, and fear of vulnerability. To me, this is an archetypal response of someone who was a past victim of bullying.)

Why else would an extremely powerful half-blood subscribe so strongly to those beliefs? (Rather than discriminating via amount of raw power or something -- because what Tom is immensely proud of when Dumbledore meets him is his ability, not his parentage). But I digress.

Now, Tom Riddle is never, ever quietly menacing like this. The mask is either completely on or completely off. We never see this character angry. Tom Riddle, when the mask slips off, is fury incarnate. Anger is the one emotion he doesn’t find weak; the one emotion he’s completely and utterly honest with.

Besides, that brings me to my next point. Tom’s not quite so austere. In fact, he’s quite witty, and often quite pleased with himself.

Just look at the difference in their body language. Tom has much more fluidity (he’s circling Harry, the head-tilt, the eyebrows move and he smiles a bit) than the other character, who has so much tension. Yes, they’re both menacing, but in completely different ways. Tom is comfortable with his actions, no matter how shitty they are. This other guy doesn’t like doing what he’s doing, but he’s going to do it, anyway.

Contrasted with the above, Tom’s unawareness of himself is such that we end up with a character who has a bizarre mix of extreme self-hatred and high self-esteem -- he always believes he is in the right -- in this case, doing Salazar Slytherin’s noble work -- while going to extreme, self-destructive lengths, such as tearing himself in half at the mere age of sixteen.

So, sorry... I kind of get the appeal, but... I don’t like the fancast. 

(More unpopular opinions coming at 5:30 PM EDT tomorrow!)

[quiteriana]

speculation

not to be a Dumb Bitch but Silver is constantly suppressing himself and watering himself down, so much so that it's to the point where he appears so numb and apathetic because he really doesn't know himself or know his own personality and instead tries to find himself through the people in his life that he values. He tries to do what others wish him to do, and be who others wish him to be. He lacks his own motivations and individuality, and instead, he takes on the motivation of those around him, trying to fill himself with somebody else (the people he values), for he feels as though he, himself, isn’t worth much among others. He hallows out his own identity and numbs away every emotion because he feels as though he is too inedequate and then fills those voids with other people of who, to him, are the most valuable and vital in his eyes.

That "person he values" is Malleus. It's literally Malleus and idc how you interpret their relationship, you CANNOT DENY that Silver is bending himself to what he perceives is Malleus's need.

Silver values Lilia as well, but with Lilia it's different because he... loves him. They love each other, and Silver knows that he will always recieve unconditional love from Lilia, and his [Silver's] own love is shown through the way he tries so hard not to cause trouble for Lilia and how he wishes so badly for his happiness and health. Silver and Lilia love each other and they know that the other loves them (how could they not?) so Silver doesn't really have much reason to... "bend himself to the liking of Lilia" because they have such a strong foundation within one another.

But with Malleus, it isn't like that. Not at all. Silver doesn't know if he will always receive approval by Malleus, but he views him so highly, he values him so much, and he wants that approval, and thus he tries so hard to be that person he thinks Malleus needs him to be. He loses himself in the identity of a "royal guard" because he thinks that's the role he's meant to fill, and he replaces his entire person with that mere duty. He doesn't realize that his role of a guard is just a part of who he is and not the entirety, and he waters down all other aspects of himself to cling to this one identity until he's empty.... Seriously, he is almost nobody outside of this role. How do you guys not see that this is what he's doing to himself...

Silver replaces his own desires and dreams (and really... his personality) with his duty and role of serving Malleus in attempt to overcome that inevitable feeling of being less than and insignificant among all those that he’s grown up around, and among everything he's ever known (being a human among faes... try and tell me that didn’t screw with his esteem when he was young). He goes about life so passively, and so peacefully, for he wishes only to do as he must to please the people he admires so much. He hollows out and waters down his own desires so as not to be inconvenient for Lilia, who he adores, and Malleus, who he devotedly dedicates himself to. He loses himself and he forgets himself; he falls asleep to himself in the sense of his apathy and (the lack of truly feeling) his own emotions; filling his personality with his duty, and erasing the line between them while simultaneously trying to keep peace everywhere he stumbles, trying so hard not to be an inconvenience. Pushing himself further down, denying himself until he’s lost himself because somewhere in his life, he became so worried about displeasing and losing the ones he loves and views so highly because of the person he truly is, and he (unknowingly) combats this by suppressing his own desires and his own person, and instead replacing all of that with the qualities he thinks are more valuable for the role he feels he must fill for Malleus.

In terms of motivation, with Silver being around Sebek so much, he has most likely turned Sebek's motivation into his own since they have the same goal [to protect Malleus]. In a way, Silver feeds off the energy and passion that Sebek exudes for his role as a guard, and he uses that to get him through his position of the same role. By pretending and truly believing that Sebek's motivation is also his own motivation, he's able to continue and continue persevering in this duty he's been raised to fill. But it isn't his own. Sebek's goals are not Silver’s goals and their passions are not the same, but Silver has likely been watering down his own self for so long that he does not even see this or realize.

And he keeps on endlessly tuning himself more and more into what he thinks Malleus needs him to be. Because Malleus is the most important authority in his life; that's what he's been raised to believe, and thus he tries so hard to fit the mold of what Malleus needs in seek of approval and closeness to the person who's been made so important to him--so much that he pushes aside his own desires and his own personality in order to make room for whatever qualities he thinks Malleus needs. And unconsciously, he ends up incorporating bits of Malleus into himself and his own identity more and more because of this value that he's placed on him. Silver's forever glare? His subtly similar haircut to Malleus? These aren't him; these are not aspects of who Silver truly is or expressions of his own personality; these are things that he's lost himself in and has tried to take on the qualities of who he values because he doesn't know what he wants and he doesn't know himself. And the saddest thing is that he's likely not even aware that he is doing all this; it happens so unconsciously as a result of seeing little value in his own self.

For the sake of trying to make a clear point, I'm going to try and compare Silver to the other two hero-based characters: Rook and Kalim. Rook and Kalim, themselves, are actually very, very similar in my opinion in terms of their positivity, endless optimism, and their ability and desire to make others feel valued and recognized. Silver and Kalim are both kind hearted and gentle, but Kalim is obviously much more forward than Silver. Kalim actually has... personality. He has his motivations and he has his interests and he has the things he feels passionately about. Silver... doesn't. He doesn't have those things of his own. He shares with Kalim kindness and a desire to please others, but he lacks all ambition to act in the ways his heart desires; he doesn't even know what his heart desires. Probably, he has never thought of it before, as his role and his future was always right there for him: to be Malleus's guard and protector, and he accepted that with no refute, he accepted it happily and he put his efforts into being... what other people told him to be. Kalim is similar in that he easily accepts and goes along with the suggestions of others; he is also quite easily influenced by others, but he is his own person as well... he is his own person while Silver has lost who he is. (Silver is literally the lyrics "I do as I am told until I don't know who I want to be")

And for Rook. I actually see a lot more similarity between Silver and Rook. They are both peace-loving people; however Rook is a peacemaker while Silver is a peacekeeper. Rook goes out of his way to make peace and mediate between refuting people (Vil and Epel). He does so in a way that makes both parties seem heard and valued, and he does not stop until he has done so. He is stubbornly persistent in making peace, which is really such a wonderful thing in my opinion. Silver is almost there. He possesses the same desire and ache to have peace, but he does not work so hard for it. When he sees people opposing, he does try to say something to mediate, but as soon as someone bites back and refuses that peace he's trying to bring, he keeps silent. He says nothing more. He does this as a way to not further contribute to the conflict (because if he tries to mediate where it isn't desires, that will just cause more problem). He is so so so passive that he does not push through with the good things he is trying to do, and he settles instead for simply keeping some of that peace instead of going through and creating it where it needs to be. He settles for less than what he aims for in fear if creating more conflict.

Do you see what I'm trying to say? Even Silver's valuable and strong qualities (his compassion and kindness and ability to mediate between others) are being washed away by himself and himself only because these qualities are so different from what he sees in the people he values [MALLEUS], and so he doesn't think they're important or useful and he finds them even meaningless because these qualities are his and his alone; they are different and apart from the rest of the Diasomnia members but it's BECAUSE the others lack them that he sees them as invaluable. He sees himself and he sees his differences as bad things, and so he tries to rid of them and rid of himself to instead be more like the people he does value. He completely washes away all of his individuality (even the GOOD things that make him STRONGER than others) because he doesn't want to deviate or be too different from the people he values. He is pushing himself down, he is watering himself away, he is numbing every ability for the sake of filling himself with the needs of others [again, Malleus!]

I also want to briefly compare Kalim/Rook/Silver in terms of their grounded-ness. I feel as though all three of them are not quite in touch with reality. Kalim, I think, is quite capable of really living and feeling in the present moment, but his lack of sense-of-reality comes when he thinks too positively of things, not quite grasping the density of the things around him. Rook, I think, is very similar, but he is more aimless and less present. I think he stumbles without any real direction, but he focused his mind on seeing beauty (sight... paying attention to any of the 5 senses assists in grounded-ness, at least for me), but I feel like he could also get too much in his head at times and lose that stability in favor of gravity. But, it's temporary, and I think he is able to pull himself into reality quite easily when need be. However, with Silver, he... exceeds aimlessness. It's haziness, as if going through life in a fog. Only half-alive. Not just sleeping most the time, but even awake, his mind is out of focus and lost. He is not just out of touch with reality, he is out of touch with himself, and unlike Kalim and Rook, he has no energy or presence anywhere at all. "Almost always everywhere, never quite anywhere." That's how he lives his life. Asleep and half-alive.

Silver is honestly... a vacant shell for others people to flow through him. For others, this is good because they benefit from it, but for himself it's horrible because he numbs himself with it--his own emotions and even his sense of self. He becomes empty of his own identity, filled instead with the energy of others. Completely groundless and succumbing entirely to the gravity of his mind.

Not to mention that sleepiness is a common trait of people who regularly suppress their own personalities. Though they might not do much actively, they still take up a lot of their own energy to be that shell for others to fill, and they also stress themselves by doing this as well but their apathy and detachment from reality doesn't allow them to properly feel that stress, so it translates instead into tiredness and sleepiness, and it's actually common for these kinds of people to be napping most of the day. It's also literally "falling asleep" to their own desires and ambitions, their own feelings and own identity. It's a way of numbing themselves in order to be filled by others; like this is literally a real thing that happens to people, and I have no doubt in my mind that this is what's happening to Silver as well.

ALSO HIS NAME. his name is... Silver. That's all. No last name, no way of saying exactly where he belongs. Simple, bland, and separate from everyone. Just Silver. It's literally just his hair color. There's no sentimental significance in his name at all. And he... accepts this. He accepts this as his only identification with no question or fight.

I know this seems like such a minor detail and that I'm maybe looking too deep into it, but I promise you I am not. I promise there is more to his name than just "a fairy couldn't choose a name for a baby human". Sure, that's likely where the name came from, but the fact that Silver at his current age just accepts this holds so much significance. It shows that he. does. not. care. He does not care about who he is. He does not care about his own person; he has completely washed away his own identity that calling him "Silver" is good enough for him. No meaning behind it. Just an empty word to be addressed by. Do you understand how sad this is? He sees himself as nothing special--so much to the point where he almost becomes... nobody... for he waters down every individual thing about himself so that others can fill him instead.

How do y'all not see this in Silver... Seriously how do y'all not see this in Silver?? this is who he is; he is so empty and void because he is constantly hallowing himself out for the sake of others really HOW DO YOU NOT SEE he is drowning himself... Silver is drowning

I'm sorry agaksgahsk I know this was way longer than maybe necessary but thank you so much for sticking to the end 💗

Also, I'm really not trying to... enforce my ideas about Silver onto anyone. People have their own ways of interpreting characters (especially since we don't really know much about Silver as of yet), and I totally get it. Every interpretation is beautiful; I want you to know. I'm just trying to get my own thoughts out there in the hopes that someone else might also understand and agree. To me, this is the truth of who he is 💗💗 but anything can be possible! thank you for reading this

[rallamajoop]

The Witcher: The Games vs the Books part 2 – Characters and Accents

So, I've already talked at length about the relationship between the Witcher books and games, but how well they captured individual characters is its whole own subject – and you’d better believe I have enough thoughts on it for a whole extra post.

Andrej Sapkowski's skill for creating vivid and engaging characters really is so much of what brings the books to life, and no matter how much work an adaptation might put into worldbuilding and plot, it's the characters you've really got to nail to get the long-time fans on board. Especially when you’ve done what the games have, framing themselves as a direct continuation of Sapkowski's story. Nothing invites comparison to your source material like basically forcing fans to read the original novels to understand even half the backstory alluded to in-game. 

So how did they do? I can only offer my opinion – characterisation is necessarily going to be a lot more subjective than just telling you what plot points the games contradicted outright – but like any fan, I have opinions in plenty.

Of the main cast, I feel Yennefer is the character they've captured the best. They've done just as well with some supporting players – I have no real complaints about Dijkstra or Phillipa, for example, who are favourites of mine in both games and books. For the main players though, Geralt and Regis seem to be the ones who's differences I'm most inclined to forgive, whereas I don't feel like they've done Ciri justice at all. Book!Geralt is much less of a smartarse, for one thing, whereas Book!Ciri is much more of one. But if we're talking about the differences, I’m afraid we really need to start with Dandelion.

Dandelion

For all the genuinely good work the games do with characters, old and new, I don't think I can overstate what a disservice the they've done Dandelion, who I could not stand in TW3, but is now one of my favourite book!verse characters. Alas, Dandelion is a prime example of something the Witcher games really don't do well: camp. Being the archtypical bard, Dandelion is about as flamboyant as any enthusiastically-heterosexual man can be: you should be able to spot this guy by body language alone, he should be flouncing around and he should talk like a spoiled noble auditioning for Shakespeare. Book!Dandelion is over-the-top and ridiculous and just so much fun, and I loved him well before I'd even really gotten into the rest of the books around him.

Here's just a bit of dialogue from one of his first appearances, to give you a sense of how he and Geralt play off each other.

The  bard  seized  the  fingerboard  of  his  lute  and  plucked  the strings vigorously. ‘How would you prefer it, in verse or in normal speech?’ ‘Normal speech.’ ‘As you please,’ Dandelion said, not putting his lute down. ‘Listen then, noble  gentlemen,  to  what occurred  a  week  ago  near  the  free  town  of Barefield. ‘Twas thus, that at the crack of dawn, when the rising sun had barely tinged pink the shrouds of mist hanging pendent above the meadows—’ ‘It was supposed to be normal speech,’ Geralt reminded him. ‘Isn’t it? Very well, very well. I understand. Concise, without metaphors. A dragon alighted on the pastures outside Barefield.’

Though TW3's Dandelion certainly looks the part, you have to go hunting through art from the Gwent cards to find much that comes close to really capturing his personality (see left pic below – though even there, a Dandelion who'd voluntarily break his treasured lute is a very hard sell). Though a lot of fanart does better (right-below – credit goes to Tatiana Ortaliz).

But as poorly as the games capture his flamboyance, they're not that much better when it comes to taking him seriously. TW3 left me thinking he was all talk and no substance; the books make abundantly clear that he really is renowned enough to be welcome in courts across the continent. Though he often overestimates what he can talk himself out of, he isn’t stupid either: he's lectured at Oxenfurt, spied for Dijkstra, and then there are the moments where the frivolous playboy mask slips and you realise he's sometimes much better at understanding people and relationships than Geralt will ever be (which is honestly kind of funny considering how many of Dandelion’s relationships end with plates being thrown at him from an upper story). He's not at all above mocking Geralt when he deserves it either (and especially his personal and relationship issues) – Geralt will happily mock him right back.

We never do learn how they became friends (I'm pretty sure the incident listed in the wiki is just the date of their first expedition together, not their first meeting), but Geralt just doesn't form lasting friendships or romances with anyone he can't have an intelligent conversation with. And Dandelion is a damn good friend to Geralt – one who, despite being a helpless, squishy little bard, will keep Geralt's secrets under torture, or will follow him into Nilfgaard in the middle of a war simply because you don't let a friend make a trip like that alone. (Seriously, I don’t ship it nearly as much as some, but hot damn there is some material in here if you do.) In short, it's basically inconceivable that he'd leave an amnesic Geralt wandering around Vizima alone, as he does in the first Witcher game – which is the kind of thing I can mostly forgive as a gameplay conceit, only it doesn’t really get better from there.

He’s also supposed to be blond, something I don’t think is technically specified until fairly late in the novels, but 100% what I’d been picturing since his first description as a man in a colourful bonnet with cornflower-blue eyes (let’s face it: Dandelion’s hair isn’t the only thing about him that screams ‘blond’). It’s a shame no-one from the games to the show to the novels’ cover artists seem to have noticed – but at least there are some fanartists out there who were paying attention (credit for these goes to Asphaloth, Ghostcupdraws, Hvit-ravn (tumblr deleted), 94355 and itsmespicaa).

As for the games? Well, I cannot speak to how Dandelion came across in the original Polish, but I think it speaks worlds about the priorities of the English version that they didn’t even bother to cast someone with a halfway-decent singing voice as their master bard. There are isolated moments of dialogue that come close to sounding like book!Dandelion– mostly in Witcher 2, which comes closer to capturing the spirit of the books than either 1 or 3, or his attempts to convince his captor he's a disguised noble when you rescue him TW3 – but his voice actor is just painfully ill-suited to the role.

Geralt

Geralt fares much better than Dandelion, though he’s still a little hard to square with the Geralt of the books. Book!Geralt spends a lot more time sulking, just to begin with: he sulks because his job is complicated and gets him no respect, and because the world is unjust and unfair – and, most of all, he sulks because Yennefer has dumped him again. He also gets mocked for sulking, and usually deserves it. Book!Geralt is generally a lot more taciturn and a less prone to making smart comments just to have something to say – arguably because in book!Geralt's world, making smart comments often ends at the gallows, or at least with some corrupt official making your life much harder. Book!Geralt's world kind of sucks, and he's just got to put up with it.

As much as he often plays into the expectations of being an uneducated monster hunter, he's also got a more of an intellectual streak than you’d guess. He may prefer to stay out of politics (because damnit, his job is to save people from monsters, not people who are monsters), but he attended school at Nenneke's temple and has even taken classes at Oxenfurt academy, and there's a lot of thoughtful nuance to his opinions – his speech to Ciri about why he can't in good conscience take a stronger stance against the Scoiata'el contains a wealth of historical perspective, just for one example. Even his smart comments tend to be, well, somewhat smarter in the books.

Book!Geralt’s explicitly a lot younger than Yennefer – around 50 is the usual estimate, falling far short of the 100-ish the games suggest (the scandal of having a man fall for – gasp! – an older woman clearly didn’t bother Sapkowski one bit). You don’t see nearly as much "I'm getting too old for this" from book!Geralt, who's really not that old by witcher standards, and is apparently still hunting monsters long into his future. I'm also a little annoyed by the way they play off his hatred of portals like he's a grumpy old man who doesn't like mobile phones, when his distrust originally came from having seen the gruesome deaths that result when portals go wrong. This is not to say Book!Geralt lacks other ordinary human flaws, however – twice in the last two books of the main saga, he gets severely sidetracked after his ego gets the better of him (in the adulation he receives after being knighted, then after arriving in Toussaint), and it's quite some time before he properly gets back on track for that whole rescuing-Ciri thing again. He’s also pretty hopeless when it comes to romance and relationships – breaking things off gracefully is really not in his skillset.

So why does game!Geralt not bother me more? Well, he's the main player character of a game franchise, and one who has to carry the experience largely solo. Some adjustments for genre are pretty much inevitable in that position. He's certainly fared better than Meve, for example, who's been softened far more from her book characterisation for her PC role in Thronebreaker. Then there's the whole amnesia thing – it's easy to believe that sort of experience would change a man – and if he doesn't sulk so much as he used to, maybe he's grown up a bit. Geralt's also in many ways the straight-man of Sapkowski's Witcher universe – there largely as the reliable centre for other, louder personalities to play off. But I expect the real bottom line here is that I do still like game!Geralt enough to forgive him a lot of what he lacks.

The books never do describe Geralt as being very attractive – something book-based fanart often tries to reflect. The point has been made before that the rather-alien-looking Geralt of the first game (left pic above) is probably a lot closer to his book-description. However, the main distinguishing factor you’ll see in book-based fanart is probably the ubiquitous headband, which genuinely is what book!Geralt wears to make his hair behave (the example on the right above comes from Diana Novich).

All that said, if Sapkowski really wants me to believe that nearly so many women are eager to jump into bed with him, I’m going to have to shallowly assume our witnesses are unreliable on this front, and Geralt is at least as attractive as Witcher 3′s take on him. Nothing else makes sense. *g*

Regis

Regis varies mostly in that book!Regis is a lot more smug, sometimes verging on obnoxious – and a lot keener to make fun of Geralt (who generally deserves it). But then, Regis is old and wise and superpowered enough to dance rings around most everyone else – can you blame him? By Blood and Wine, Regis' overconfidence has been recently smacked down hard after his near-death-experience at the hands of Vilgefortz, and that kind of thing could knock some chips off anyone's shoulder. Throw in the fact that with Dettlaff, we have a situation not even Regis could make light of, and the changes to game!Regis make a certain amount of sense.

I do feel it's a bit of a shame that the vocal direction didn't work just a little bit harder to capture some of Regis' smugger side, or emphasise that his long-winded philosophising on human behaviour is supposed to sound a bit pretentious. This is actually something I suspect they were going for a few times in the script, but which didn't come through in the dialogue quite the way it was meant to. Still, again, I'm sure I'm biased by the fact that I like game!Regis far too much to find much fault in what they've done with him. They've done a lovely job capturing his friendship with Geralt too.

Looks-wise, there's a tendency in book-based art to portray Regis with long hair (even some pre-Blood-and-Wine Gwent art did so – see the two pics on the left above, from Gwent and early B&W concepts. The right-most pic is cover art from the books). I couldn't rightly tell you where long-haired-Regis comes from, though – perhaps it's described more explicitly in the original Polish, or perhaps it comes up in passing in some passage I've forgotten, though it may just as well just be a fannish meme.

The books do describe him as looking rather like a tax collector, slim, middle-aged, with an aquiline nose, prone to wearing black, and his hair as 'greying' or 'grey streaked', so presumably somewhat younger-looking than the game would have it. The hammer-horror-esque sideburns are likewise a game-verse addition, though I do like the look they went with – it's distinct from Geralt in a way that making him another long-grey-haired man wouldn't have been, and that's probably the point.

Being the hopeless Regis fan I am, I have quite the folder full of different fanart takes on book!Regis, so have a selection – art here is by gellihana-art, justanor, greysmartwolf, Nastyaskaya, NatalyLanier, beidak, natalliel, ellaine and afternoon63. For what it’s worth, I feel beidak’s (bottom pic, second from the left) comes the closest to what I’d have pictured personally, based on how he’s first described.

Ciri

I find it much harder to rationalise the changes to game!Ciri, who I didn't exactly dislike, but found stuck too close to the role of generic-macguffin-girl-who-just-wants-to-be-normal to be very interesting. Having read the books, not only do I much prefer book!Ciri, I'm not sure I can emphasize enough how much the game did NOT prepare me for utter gauntlet of whump and misery that girl survives in the last four titles. Book!Ciri is a character who works for me mostly because of the same flaws the game mostly strips her free of – TW3 makes some token noise about how you can't tell her what to do, but she’s an utter little royal brat when we first meet book!Ciri, and it’s so much of what brings her to life. She throws herself into her witcher training with the enthusiasm of a kid going completely native, but still revels in getting to be girly for a change when Triss first arrives at Kaer Morhen. She hates Yennefer at first, but soon bonds with her just as strongly as she ever did with Geralt, picking up some of Yennfer’s haughty mannerisms along the way. And then she gets thrown through a portal and lost in the distant wilderness, and the whole world comes down on her head.

The build up to the first time Ciri actually has to kill someone is intense... and things only get worse from there. Steadily. For another couple of novels at a stretch. Seriously, a major caveat that pretty much has to go into any rec for these books (and I will absolutely rec these books) is that Ciri's story gets heavy. So heavy one finds oneself using phrases like, "that time that one guy died of his wounds on top of her while semi-consensually feeling her up was honestly one of the less traumatic incidents in the period."

By the end of the novels, Ciri has nearly died of thirst, been beaten, tied up, dragged around the country as a prisoner, run with bandits and killed innocent people for the fun of it, done fantasy-cocaine and got a tattoo, fought off more than one attempted rape, been drugged, lain for multiple nights next to an impotent elf who completely fails to impregnate her, watched the bodies of her friends and girlfriend being mutilated in front of her, and did I mention where she got that scar? She has survived hell, and it is absolutely a testament to her own strength that she somehow comes through it and puts herself back together at the end. When Geralt finally arrives to rescue her, what matters most isn't that her ordeal is over, but that she finally knows she hasn’t been abandoned by everyone who’d ever loved her after all.

The Ciri of the books is fierce and wild and arrogant, but she's learned her morals from the best, and she holds onto them until she can't, then picks them back up again when she can, and above all she survives. For all that her story turns arguably too much of the last two books into a slog of misery, oh boy does it pay off at the end. And that's probably about as much as I can say about her Big Moment in the last book without spoiling too much, so suffice to say that by the end of the saga, Geralt has pretty much become a supporting character in Ciri's story, not the other way around. (Seriously, you’d be surprised how few chapters of the last two books he’s actually in.)

Finding art which captures the aspects of Ciri’s character and history which are missing from the game has turned out to be pretty hard, though the fanart above from her bandit phase takes a decent crack at it (credit to Loles Romero and NastyaSkaya). I do rather like that one shot of her on horseback beside her girlfriend too, which comes from Denis Gordeev’s illustrations for the novels (below).

How much of this does TW3 get across with her portrayal in the game? Well, she's still pretty headstrong, I guess. And they let you give a 'sorry, I like girls' answer in one bit of dialogue, so they remembered her girlfriend existed. That's nice. But game!Ciri still has a kind of wide-eyed innocence that book!Ciri lost years ago, while book!Ciri is a little force of nature in ways the games hardly even hint at, and that's a really shameful loss.

You'd think, with a character so young, it ought to be easier to imagine she's simply grown up since we saw her last, but so much of what's changed about Ciri feels like a step back rather than forwards. I can shrug off Geralt and Regis' differences and still enjoy their game-verse-selves, but Ciri leaves me genuinely disappointed.

I’d say the official art that comes closest to capturing book!Ciri is that one portrait of her as a very grumpy young child (right above). Some of the early concept art (left above) feels a little more like it has her attitude, though she’s rather too yellow-blonde – not to mention too pretty. I think it also bears pointing out that Ciri isn’t really supposed to be the kind of beauty she is in the game – even before she gets what’s meant to be a seriously ugly and disfiguring scar. (Fanart below by justanor and bobolip)

But of course, the male gamer fanbase can’t be expected to give a fuck about a girl they wouldn’t want to fuck, so game!Ciri must be generically gorgeous. Le sigh.

Triss

I suppose I should at least touch on Triss, too, though she's a very odd case. She's so out of character in the first Witcher game that I am wryly amused that the biggest thing they arguably do get right is that taking advantage of Geralt the moment he showed up with amnesia is... pretty well in-character for her (look, I gotta be honest here, I'm not much of a fan of Triss in any of her incarnations).

The second game does a much better job with her – she actually feels like book!Triss, she has some good dialogue, we're finally dealing with some of her conflicted loyalties to the Lodge and to Geralt – though by the third, her characterisation has been so softened into “the nice one” that none of that potentially meaty conflict is ever resolved, or even really mentioned. Perhaps there's more buried in the Triss-romance path, which I've never bothered with, but the writers seem to have just given up on dealing with anything that might make her look less than wholly sympathetic. Heck, we hardly even get a clear statement about why she and Geralt broke up between Witchers 2 and 3.

Even speaking as such a not-a-fan of Triss, I promise there is more they could've done with the character the books give us. There's her ongoing trauma in from the Battle of Sodden, where she was injured so badly she was memorialised as one the dead: the 14th of the hill. There's her furious impatience with the neutrality of both the witchers and the Lodge: Triss has fought and died for a cause, and is ready to do so again. The second game sort of gets into this, but by and large, the games really aren't up to tackling the moral complexity of having such a theoretically-sympathetic character as Triss, who was still broadly willing to go along with the Lodge's plans to pair Ciri off and get her pregnant as soon as possible – her own wishes be damned. No, instead, Triss has conveniently left the Lodge before the rest of them go spiraling into abject villainy in the second game, clearing all that messy grey stuff out of the conflict.

Of course, the really big unresolved plot point still hanging over book!Triss is how badly she needs to terms with the fact Geralt's just Not That Into Her, and never has been – but since the games want Triss to be a serious romantic option, that's definitely not getting the resolution it could've used.

Book!Triss also pointedly avoids any outfit with a plunging neckline because her chest is covered with the ugly scars she received in the Battle of Sodden, something the games did not have the guts to reproduce. In a more confusing note, the books do consistently describe her hair as 'chestnut', which we'd usually think of as meaning 'brown' – though it turns out the games actually may not have been wrong to make her a redhead, since in Poland 'chestnut hair' apparently mean dark red hair (google some pictures of actual chestnuts, and you'll see why). Still, the firy-red-haired Triss of TW3 who wears nothing but plunging necklines remains a bit of a stretch, however you slice it. Once again, TW2 gets her best (and I must say, gave her the nicest outfit) – though even here she's conspicuously unscarred in all her sex scenes.

(Leftmost pic above is official Witcher 2 art, whereas Triss-with-scars fanart comes to us – once again – from nastyaskaya)

Shani

Shani sort of falls into a similar category as Triss as someone who isn't terribly well-served by any of her appearances, given that both exist in the first game largely to compete for Geralt's attentions. But I can't honestly say I find Shani’s portrayal in the Hearts of Stone expansion to be much better – the degree to which either version exists solely to fall all over Geralt is a bit painful, especially given that their relationship in the books is limited to a single, undramatic hook-up. Book!Shani really only appears in a couple of chapters: we meet her as a medical student friend of Dandelion's, who's been surreptitiously selling pilfered university supplies to fund her degree, then later see her again in the final book, where she proves herself as a battlefield medic during the climactic Battle of Brenna. She's pragmatic to a fault, and I really can't see her as the type who needs Geralt to point out to her that her patient is dead, for example, or who'd subject a guy with Geralt's problems to such an extended feelings-dump as you'll get out of her during the wedding.

Shani is a reasonably logical book-character to bring back, if only because she’s one of those who explicitly survives the ending, but for my money, "serious contender for Geralt's affections" is just not a role she works in.

Anna Henrietta

The duchess of Toussaint, Anna Henrietta, is another case who differs more from her book counterpart than you might think. In the books, the duchess is by far the least competent of the (pleasantly many and) various female leaders and rulers we meet – she comes across as rather young and naive, and every bit as absurd as everyone else in the ridiculous fairy-tale duchy she rules. She is, for example, most displeased to learn that Nilfgaard's war against the north is ongoing (something her courtiers have carefully avoided mentioning in her presence), because she'd long since sent the Emperor a stern note demanding he brought it to an end. She promptly has one of her ministers sent to the tower for misinforming her, and demands the others prepare an even sterner note for the emperor, which will surely do the job.

After Dandelion (inevitably) cheats on her, she has him repeatedly sent to the gallows, only to change her mind and send him a reprieve at the very last minute each time. Picture yourself a much younger and prettier version of the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland, and you've about got her general vibe.

Blood and Wine sort of waves at this part of her character when she first speaks about Dandelion, and again in suggesting there's a widespread feeling she lacks compassion, and once more as she proves utterly immovable on the subject of her sister. But the generally sensible and insightful woman you deal with for most of the main story is a far cry from her book-verse characterisation. That’s a bit of a shame, because I feel like there's a lot more they could have done to blend the two versions of her. Still, it’s hard to argue the duchess we get suits the story being told around her.

Other characters

Much as I love Yennefer, Dijkstra and Phillipa, I don't really have much more to say about them because I feel the games have done such a good job. The Yennefer of the books gets to show a lot more depth and complexity simply because she has more scenes and more space in which to do so, but when ‘there isn’t more of her’ is your biggest complaint, the game is officially doing pretty well. I could certainly gripe her about how “dresses in black and white” seems to have been taken as “dresses in black with maybe a trace of white trim”, or how Yennefer and Triss seem to be the only sorceresses in the world capable of wearing pants, when Phillipa (just for one) is in sensible men’s clothing the very first time we meet her, but that’s getting into serious nitpicking territory.

(Not that Yen can’t look amazing in outfits with more white – art by Emily Caroll, theclashofqueens, BarbaraRosiak, and cosplay by greatqueenlina)

Vesimir, Lambert and Eskel, Geralt's fellow witchers from the School of the Wolf, fall into a similar category for me – though we spend far less time with them in the books, everything we see of them in the games feels like a fairly logical extension of their book-roles. Vesimir is somewhat over-played as the old fogey, and his death is painfully cliched, but the impact on the characters and Kaer Morhen still hits home – and the games do some especially great work expanding Lambert into a much more complex character. To my mind, the only shame is that more of the book-original characters didn't get the same treatment.

Who have I missed? There's Avallac'h, of course, but I think I've got him pretty well covered by that last post. Zoltan, perhaps inevitably, has had his personality largely flattened into 'generic dwarf', with nothing better to do than hang around Geralt and Dandelion. You wouldn't know Book!Zoltan was apparently incapable of turning away women and children in need, for example – even human women and children with the chronic inability to say thankyou for his help. Or that he eventually admits to Geralt that the luggage he and his friends are carrying comes from a decidedly unsavoury source for such a supposedly charitable, upstanding guy. Yes, even Zoltan gets to be a morally complicated character in the books – who knew?

Speaking of dwarves, pleased as I am that Yarpen Zigren gets remembered in TW2, he's an odd one to talk about, since even in the books, he appears to have had a substantial personality transplant between his two main appearances. Yarpen’s a largely comedic figure in The Bounds of Reason short story, where he cheerfully admits to having considered letting his men knock down a particularly pompous aristocrat and piss all over him to teach him a lesson, but he’s evolved into a studious voice of reason against the scoiata'el by Blood of Elves. TW2 doesn't do a particularly good job of capturing either version, which I suspect probably bothered me more than most people – I liked the later book-incarnation of Yarpen immensely (and not even just because he's one of few ever to really call Triss out on just how much she needs to stop misreading Geralt's friendship as anything more than it is). His chapter in Blood of Elves packs a hell of a punch.

On the subject of accents

I do have to wonder if I'd have warmed up to characters like Triss, Shani and Dandelion (or even Letho) more if they'd only had halfway decent voice actors. It's not just that none are exactly leading the talent at the acting part of the job, it's that their American accents stick out in TW3 like a sore thumb.

Geralt mostly gets away his own US accent by dint of being the very first character we meet, so we've gotten used to the way he talks long before we notice how he stands out – hell, maybe that's just how they talk down in Rivia (hilariously, book!Geralt eventually reveals he's not even from Rivia, but simply picked the place and taught himself the accent so he could feel a bit less like the abandoned foundling he is, which only gives us yet more excuse for why his accent might sound a bit weird). More importantly, Geralt is meant to stand out, to be the outsider wherever he goes, so having him sound like no-one else fits the character.

But neither Triss or Dandelion are "of Rivia", and by the time they show up we've had dozens of hours in a game where literally everyone else sounds British, or Scottish, or Irish, or vaguely-eastern-European in the case of the Nilfgaardians. So why do these weirdos sound like no-one else on the continent?

The short answer seems to be that every character with an American accent in TW3 is someone who had an American accent in at least one of the previous games, which were way looser with their casting and had enough incidental American accents around that they didn't stand out. Clearly, by TW3, consistency with prior games has been prioritised over consistency with literally anything else we’re hearing.

Gaetan is an exception to the rule as the only new character (at least that I caught) with an American accent – presumably because between Geralt, Eskel, Lambert, Berengar, and Letho (and cohorts), some sort of 'witchers have American accents' rule has been pretty well established (another random American-accented witcher shows up in Thronebreaker, just to underline the point). We're going to mostly ignore Jad Karadin here, since his British accent is presumably a recent affectation to go with his new identity, and so makes sense.

This still doesn't really work though, since Letho’s school is all the way down in Nilfgaard (land of the Eastern European accents), while the oldest witcher from Kaer Morhen (Vesimir) is the one guy with a British accent. He sounds nothing like any of his students, despite the fact he's logically the guy they ought to have learned their accents from. So the logic falls in a heap however you slice it, and I'm thrown right out of the game.

With TW3 as your intro to the series, it feels almost as if characters like Triss and Dandelion have been assigned American accents because they're just too important to be saddled with the same pedestrian British accents as everyone else, which did nothing to endear them to me. The only one I eventually warmed up to was Lambert, and then only because he's just such a bitter asshole that he eventually goes full circle and comes out the other side (somewhere around when you've heard his miserable backstory, then gotten drunk together and told him how much you love him, man). Gaetan similarly snuck in under the same clause – American accents clearly work better for me in this series when attached to characters you're supposed to find pretty insufferable on first impressions.

Some final notes

To conclude, it seems only fair to throw in a quick nod to some of the more memorable book-characters who don't appear in the games. Neither Mother Nenneke (Geralt's sort-of-surrogate mother) or Vissena (Geralt's biological mother) ever appear either, alas – Vissena doesn't even merit so much as a Gwent card, which seems quite the wasted opportunity.

Milva, Cahir and Angouleme – the three remaining companions of Geralt’s who died alongside Regis but who were not so easily resurrected – naturally don’t appear. But nor are even really mentioned in all the games, which seems rather less than they deserve after giving their lives to Geralt's cause.

Cahir and Angouleme do at least have pretty badass Gwent cards to their names, though I am properly offended that Milva (who has the dubious honour of being my very favourite book character who doesn't ever appear in the games) is stuck with a card of her freaking death scene – which not only gets the scene wrong (believe me, there was no grimacing and gripping the arrow buried shallowly in her chest for poor Milva), but doesn't even bother to get her hair the right colour, for fuck’s sake. Basically, Milva was a stone cold badass and absolutely deserves better. #justice4milva

One can only guess how I'd have felt about some of these characters had I read the books before playing the games – I am obviously biased towards forgiving changes to characters whom I liked in their game incarnations, regardless of how they compare. Still, I think it does speak wonders that there still all these characters who suddenly made sense only after I'd met them in the books.

Even if only for Dandelion and Ciri, I can only dream of seeing a bit more of the book-original characterisations make it into the collective fannish consciousness. There's nothing wrong with getting into the canon purely based on the show or the games, but having read Sapkowski's novels, it's no longer any mystery how they spawned this massive franchise. That the saga wasn’t even fully available in English until well after Witcher 3 was released – a solid couple of decades late, and long after it had already been translated into Russian, French, German, Spanish and more – is a real shame. For once, it’s us in the anglophone world who’ve been missing out: these books deserve so much more than to be thought of as a footnote to the games or the show.

[chat-noir-always-here]

Debunking “Adrien is perfect”

  To voice a rather non-Marinette-like opinion of Adrien: He’s not perfect. He’s never been perfect. He has, in fact, been riddled with flaws from the very beginning. Part of the reason Chat Noir gets hate is because he serves to exaggerate Adrien’s flaws and make them more obvious, destroying the perfectionism façade. And the sooner Marinette tosses the “I love the perfect Adrien” filter in the trash where it belongs, and starts actively recognizing and acknowledging his faults, the better off the endgame relationship will be.

 Long post is long and I don’t like cuts, cuz i’ve lost a few posts in the past using them. Please filter the tag “long post” I use it for walls of texts like these. 

First of all, flaws are just one of the many things that happen when someone either learns something the wrong way, spends too much time in the wrong environment, lack any decent role models... really there are a plethora of causes. What i mean is character shortcomings aren’t necessarily reasons to hate the character themselves. They’re more or less internal obstacles put there to be overcome in order to portray character growth. Of course spending an exaggerated amount of time with these characters without seeing them overcome particular shortcomings is frustrating it does not necessarily mean they will never be redeemed or developed and are/were deserving of hate.

 Except for Gabriel. That creature belongs behind bars.

 Most of Adrien’s flaws come from his toxic home situation:

The Miraculous Wiki puts Adrien at fifteen. Meaning Adrien has only been actively leaving the house (for public school and the occasional social get-together) for about a year. His fourteenth birthday was one of the earliest episodes and im assuming his fifteenth birthday happened off screen between the s3 finale and the new york special.

Regardless the majority of his life was spent in isolation and his only company was his immediate family, Nathalie, Felix and Chloe. None of whom are particularly good role models except for Emilie. Maybe.

He’s rather overworked for a 14 y.o. boy. On top of school, he has fencing, piano and Chinese lessons. This leaves him with very little time for himself. 

He lost his mother. In Feast, Adrien expresses Emilie was a source of joy in his life--”Only Mom can make me laugh like that.” Felix marked the one year anniversary of her disappearance.  Worse still, we’re led to assume all Adrien knows is that Emilie disappeared. Did she abandon him? Was she kidnapped and killed? He doesn’t know. He has no closure regarding her absence. 

On top of losing his mother, his only remaining parent is an emotionally manipulative and abusive prick. Gabriel has denied Adrien a birthday party, threatened to take Adrien out of school just because he can, never lets him have friends over for any reason, hardly ever makes time for Adrien and only once in a blue moon will actually sit and eat a meal with the poor kid.

And on top of all of this he’s not out of the woods yet. He’s still living with his abusive father. He’s still not allowed to see his friends outside of school much. He’s still got a packed schedule. He still doesn’t have closure regarding his mother’s “disappearance.”

Looking at it like this paints Adrien in a rather sympathetic light.

 Marinette doesn’t know Gabriel is Hawk Moth either, but she does understand Adrien is lonely, isolated and in need of a source of love and comfort. She also understands to some degree that his heart is delicate, so she constantly handles him with kid gloves and looks on him with a perfection filter. 

We see how Mari reacts to upsetting Adrien in Malediktator when she softly whispers an apology after Adrien expresses his sorrow over everyone celebrating Chloe’s departure. She’s seems pained and distraught over causing him to be upset. Thus the reason Marinette calls Adrien perfect isn’t that she never sees any of his flaws--she just cannot acknowledge or process them under these conditions. Shes too busy trying not to hurt him. She also has shown some signs of having extreme anxiety, which messes with ones head and makes it difficult--nearly impossible--to think straight. She wants to be the source of love and comfort he desires (and already is in a way) so his faults go unprocessed.

But what are Adrien’s flaws?

1. He has trouble standing up for himself. 

He’ll take a stand for others.

 He stood up to Chloe on Mylene’s behalf in Horrificator and on Marinette/ Cheng Sifu’s behalf in Kung Food. He stood up to Lila in Oni-chan and Ladybug. He stood up to Gabriel in Simon Says--but as Chat Noir, not Adrien. 

There have only been two-ish instances of Adrien, not Chat Noir, standing up for himself. I say -ish only because he was kinda standing up for Lila in the first and Chloe in the second. 

First in Volpina he stood up to Ladybug for how she handled the situation with Lila. He personally believed she handled the situation poorly (which she did--there were/are serious consequences for that. still) and although he was kinda wishy-washy in conveying that it was only because he was scared of sounding too much like Chat Noir. Her partner. Her chief-of-staff. Who can and will call her out on such behavior. 

Second in Malediktator, when he more or less told Marinette she was wrong to be happy about Chloe leaving. Granted this was partly him standing up for Chloe, but aside from her—he, Adrien, was deeply upset chloe was leaving on such bad terms and made sure Marinette understood that. 

Abused children tend to be somewhat submissive/agreeable/etc. They have trouble speaking out when they’re uncomfortable or don’t want something or think a particular action is wrong. Usually because they are anticipating some kind of punishment for speaking out or afraid of offending the other person to the point that said person wants nothing to do with them anymore, or both.

 For Adrien to fix this particular flaw, he needs to prioritize himself and his own wants more. However he also needs someone who doesn’t chastise him for doing things he likes, tending to his own needs and setting boundaries. Kagami is not that person--she’s actually quite demanding of him and cold. Her understanding of relationships isnt great either, which is why these two really aren’t that great for each other. 

2. He puts his faith in the wrong people

  Adrien’s fucking household is about as toxic as it can get (please don’t take this as a challenge, S4). On top of his immediate family consisting of his abusive, toxic, terrorist father, there’s his cousin Felix. Felix who squished cheese under Adrien’s pillow, stole his phone, pretended to be him and sent an outrageous and awful video to his friends. 

 There’s also his mother Emilie whom, despite his love and adoration of her, lied to him for who knows how long and messed around with a broken miraculous to the point it forced her into an indefinite coma and left Adrien at his father’s mercy. There are theories that she did this for her family but nothing concrete or canon has been proven--all we know is that Emilie had been having frequent dizzy spells while she was still awake and using the peacock miraculous, and that she anticipated her fate and Gabriel apparently promised to save her.

There’s Lila, as well. “She’s not dangerous. She just craves attention.” Wrong, Adrien, she’s very dangerous. She is conspiring with your father to spy on you, attempted to get Marinette expelled from school, tricked you into leaving Ladybug alone with a supervillain whom she personally requested to kill Ladybug, pinned Marinette against a bathroom wall and almost got her akumatized, actually got Marinette akumatized and nearly cost you both the Ladybug Miraculous and TIkki. She isn’t just dangerous she is an actual threat, whether or not she is the future Hawk Moth who sent Timetagger after you when you were children with time-sensitive powers. Adrien has a slightly better understanding of that after the events of Ladybug and Oni-chan, so hopefully he will be on his guard at least in regards to Lila.

 The reason for Adrien’s overly trusting nature may lie in the fact that literally everyone closest to him, everyone for the first thirteen years or so, was toxic and/or a liar. You know what happens when you can’t trust anyone around you? You live with it. You accept all these bad people as they are, without making any effort to establish healthy boundaries. Adrien certainly lived with it--how’s an abused, isolated boxed-and-sheltered son supposed to know what healthy boundaries are when he’s lacking any healthy connections? I bet he can just barely endure all the anguish but he can’t stand to be alone so he just tolerates it. Not to mention the most guilty is his father. Where else is he supposed to go?

Like a frog sitting in a pot of water, you don’t realize you’re in trouble until the water is too hot. So you just accept it--all the bad feelings--you accept it, live with it and it still hurts but you rarely complain. Because anything is better than being alone. 

I think Adrien understands, deep down, that the love he is clinging to, the love provided by his relatives, isn’t really there. But if he looks at it too long and lets this knowledge sink in he’ll lose it. He really did lose it in Chat Blanc-- just that sky-crashing-down-on-him realization that he didn’t have his fathers love, hadn’t had it for a long time, just completely ruined our boy. 

 Of course the knowledge is there. It’s literally right there in front of his face and it’s only a matter of time before he is forced to turn and look and face the music. At which point I hope Marinette knows who he is and has a plan to save him otherwise Chat Blanc is just going to happen again. 

3. Yes, he takes the flirting too far sometimes

No--that doesn’t make him toxic.

Yes, Adrien overreacted to Ladybug never showing up in Glaciator. He shouldn’t have been upset with her in Frozen for not accepting the rose. He should have told her the damn truth about being forced to leave the city at the same time she was in the New York special. 

 However, he also apologized for overreacting in both Glaciator and Frozen. And again, abused kids live in anticipation of punishment for their mistakes. Adrien’s father has taught him that the slightest mistake can result in loss of freedom or trust, even if its circumstances beyond his control. And he now understands that Ladybug isn’t going to blindly punish him for being honest with her, which he now knows to do. 

 He makes mistakes, apologizes for them, and learns from them. That’s not fucking toxic--it’s natural, human and allowed. 

 He’s flirty and suggestive, yes, but the minute she signals she doesn’t want it or isn’t feeling it he stops. He has had immense trouble with not flirting with her, despite her telling him she isn’t interested multiple times. That much is true. But he truly and deeply cares for her and he would never force himself on her and it isn’t because he knows she’ll kick his ass if he does. It’s because unlike the vast majority of his family, he’s actually a decent human being. 

 He has even begun to “flirt platonically,” toasting their partnership and friendship rather than offering a romantic relationship she can never say yes to. If that isn’t the most soft and respectful fluff I don’t know what is.

 4. He is leading Kagami on

Did he cheat? I’m actually not sure. Thomas is being vague in his tweets and won’t give us a decent answer (because he likes “watching fandom burn”--i mean MOOD but clarify please). 

 Here’s what we know and have observed: 1. Chat Noir told Ladybug “I have a girlfriend” 2. He immediately followed that up with “It’s not good at all. I just said that to make you jealous”  3. He allowed Kagami to kiss him in the new york special 4. but he has trouble telling girls not to touch him--been a problem since episode one. Yes its generally cheek kisses chloe gives him but sometimes its not and he looked downright uncomfortable in a lot of cases of physical contact with her and with Lila 5. he seemed rather comfortable with kagami kissing him--except he did say no to her kissing him in the finale 6. but he’s also trying to move on from Ladybug and be with Kagami  7. If he were in a relationship with Kagami, he’d likely keep it a secret because both of their parents are controlling of them and may not allow it 8. His understanding of relationships and girls is kinda dreadful due to not having his mom around for advice and his father’s general lack of a concept of what healthy romantic relationships and boundaries are, and, as Nino put it, not being able to understand signals very well

Adrien’s current relationship status is up in the air. I’m about eighty percent certain he’s dating Kagami--but there’s still that twenty percent chance he’s not.

 Putting aside the question of whether or not he and Kagami are official, Adrien’s been attempting to move past his feelings for Ladybug. Which--won’t sugarcoat it--he kinda sucks at. At the same time, Kagami is aware he is in love with another but lacks the understanding that his moving on will take time. 

 The main issues here is that Adrien knows who he wants but can’t have her. Kagami is a wonderful person herself and he wants to get to know her better, but they aren’t really a good match and they are both going to get hurt in the end (Love Victor anyone???). Until that happens we are going to have some questionable moments in the show, and we just need to remember that Adrien is a child with a poor understanding of relationships, and not an evil person. Kagami doesn’t necessarily have a great understanding of them either--”Your indecision hurts me Adrien,” “Adrien you and I are perfect for each other!”--and she has flaws of her own she needs to unlearn. 

 For the time being, Adrien is leading Kagami on (it needs to be said--even if they aren’t dating he’s flirted with her, given her roses etc.) I say leading her on because, no matter how much Adrien believes Marinette is just a friend and they weren’t flirting in New York, loyal boyfriends who wish to be monogamous don’t dance with other women.

 Or look this happy when that other woman touches them

Does this make Adrien a deceitful and hateful character? No. Does this make him an unworthy character? No. It makes him an abused child with little to no concept of healthy relationships. 

Also Adrien’s friends, including Marinette, have no reason to believe he is dating Kagami. They know he is interested in her and she in him, but as Nino said, Adrien has a hard time picking up signals and understanding their meaning. Not to mention the boy is fifteen. Flirting skills, understanding boundaries, and other relationship concepts are a challenge even for ordinary fifteen year olds in healthy environments to grasp--case in point: Marinette.

Adrigami and Lukanette are simply not going to end well. The Love Square is the endgame and ultimately both Lukanette and Adrigami are going to fall apart to make that happen--I knew that going into the possible Adrigami and Lukanette  territory that the finale created.

 Kagami is a strong, intelligent person--she’s likely going to be the one to end it given what we’ve seen. I don’t like to think about what might happen then--she may be akumatized and Chat Noir would feel rather guilty and may not be able to fight her. But they will both come out of it with something they needed--Kagami will understand (as Marinette needs to) that Adrien isn’t her perfect soul mate incapable of making mistakes. Adrien will understand relationships better. 

 Its unfortunate that this has to happen in order for Adrien to learn due lessons, given that he actually does have someone who can talk to him about girls and relationships and loyalty: Nino.

 Given what Nino wasted no time in scolding Mari for spying on Adrien and Lila when she confessed doing so in Chameleon, as well as how he treats Alya, I undoubtedly believe Nino would be the one to come out and say “You can’t dance with Marinette when you’re with Kagami.” 

 Assuming he is with Kagami. 

In conclusion: Adrien is flawed but not deserving of hate. He is a traumatuzed child stuck in a toxic household who lacks proper mentors. Marinette, Alya and Nino are out of the loop about his potential relationship with Kagami. And Marinette and Kagami both need to acknowledge Adrien is imperfect. Nino and Adrien need to do guy talk like two seasons ago. 

Also Marinette probably has some intense anxiety issues. But more on that later.

[lemonlushff-iy]

Had an itch....decided to scratch it....

Choices were made. 

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the Inuyasha universe, but I sure do love playing with them. The rest is mine.

Chapter One

Inuyasha sighed as his father prattled on about this and that. He knew he should probably pay more attention to the man, but he really didn't want to be there right now. Sure...He enjoyed the warm sun on his skin...Could practically taste the fresh air on his tongue…But there was just something about being here that made him feel holier than thou.

He loathed coming to the tea fields his father owned, dressed in his best, while workers toiled around him. Women's fingers stained yellow green as they plucked the leaves from the bushes. Their backs hunched over, straining to support them as they worked. Their brows beaded with sweat while he…

He walked amongst them like a god.

They controlled their pay...and thus...in a way...their lives.

He didn't like it. Running a business wasn't meant for him, and yet.

That's exactly what he was being groomed to do. His elder brother had started one of his own, leaving him as the heir to his father's throne.

And he didn't want the crown.

He continued to follow his father as they walked through the rows of shrubs, his father nodding towards the women from time to time. He caught something about a harvest...something about profits and tea cakes...But nothing really held his attention.

Not until his father uttered the words, "What do you think of Zhao Kikyo?"

He felt his throat constrict.

Kikyo was the daughter of one of his father's business associates. A relatively attractive woman...nice...They had always gotten along, frankly.

Yet there was only one reason his father would be asking him about her.

And he didn't like it.

"I have no opinion of her," he replied dryly, swallowing. He knew what was coming next. This hadn't been the first time, after all.

"Perhaps you should obtain one," his father advised. "I have a meeting with her father next week," he continued, stepping over the legs of a kneeling woman as she worked. Like she was some tree branch that had fallen in his path. He didn't even give her the courtesy of a "pardon me".

"A meeting? To discuss what?" Playing dumb was not a wise choice, and he could feel his father's ire as he stopped, giving him a knowing look.

"Business. He has no son. I have two. One who is off in the west, and the other," he paused, turning to face him and rest his hands onto Inuyasha's shoulders. He looked him dead in the eye as he smiled, "The other is my legacy. The other will take this business and make it flourish for another generation. The other...will settle down with a nice woman. A respectable, educated woman, from a good family. A woman like Zhao Kikyo."

He could feel all the blood drain from his face.

Settle down?

With her?

He didn't know her that well!

Then again, what would that matter to his father? He hadn't known his mother when he married her. Hadn't known his brother's mother either.

He treated marriages as business contracts, and Inuyasha…

Inuyasha was a modern man with different ideals. He didn't have the heart or brain of a businessman. And he was...perhaps a bit more of a romantic that he should have been. Which is why he was blanching at the idea of wedding Zhao Kikyo.

"Father, I-"

"-She will be attending our meeting. It is our hopes that you will keep her...entertained during that time. Perhaps show her the fields. Take her by the ponds. Have lunch with her there."

"But-"

"-Her father and I are hoping that in perhaps, a few months, we can announce an engagement. Expanding and combining our empires together. Just think of it, Inuyasha…"

He didn't want to think of it.

In fact, he was finding it hard to breathe, let alone think of anything else. His father was all but forcing him into an engagement with this woman, all to expand his tea empire. He was using him as nothing more than a pawn - his own son - to get whatever he wanted.

Didn't they have enough?

Wasn't this enough? Why did they need more?

He couldn't handle more. He couldn't run more.

"I can't meet with Kikyo," Inuyasha blurted in a panic, and his father raised his silver brow at him in displeasure.

"Oh? And why not."

His mind was racing. Whirling. Why the hell couldn't he meet with Kikyo? His father would never accept anything he told him. He was single and of age and-

-And that was the problem.

He was single.

"Because I'm married," he blurted out, causing his father's face to shift in surprise.

He watched his father take a deep, slow breath before calmly exhaling.

"Married? Since when?"

"Last week," he nodded. "When you sent me to Beijing. She came with me, and we married in the city."

"Really? And who is my new daughter-in-law?" he pressed, crossing his arms over his chest. "One would have thought that their son would at least introduce him to her before now...It's a rather sudden marriage. Is there a reason for that?"

Inuyasha clenched his fists together at the implication.

"Love, father. Nothing else. You won't be a grandfather anytime soon."

"A pity since you ran off to marry this woman! Tell me, what is her name? Does she at least come from a respectable family?"

Respectable family.

Of course that's what he cared about. The family name. The family legacy.

And...he knew that he was calling his bluff. If Inuyasha said any number of the names his father would deem acceptable, he would be trapped and caught in a lie. He would be forced to marry either the woman he named, as having shown proof that he was interested in her or…

...He would be forced to wed Kikyo.

He needed someone else. Someone his father wouldn't know. Someone who would lie for him. Someone…

His eyes drifted past his father to the woman he had stepped over moments before. Her fingers moved like the wind as she plucked tea leaves from the bush before her, and her head was cocked to the side. She was trying to be subtle about it, but it was clear she was listening to them...and he found himself not minding.

Her profile was rather lovely...Familiar?

Her skin was tanned from working in the sun. Her fingers stained from the tea leaves. Her cheekbones were delicate, and her face soft...and her eyes…

It was rare to find a woman with familiar blue eyes like those. Let alone eyes that seemed so soft and caring. He felt like he remembered those eyes...She flicked her eyes up from the bush, as if she were waiting to see what he would say and do, and before he could stop himself...before he could think what he was doing, he was kneeling before her.

He took her hands and encouraged her to stand, her eyes widening as it seemed to click in her mind before it did his.

"Please," he whispered softly, so only she could hear it. "I'll repay you, I swear it."

Her jaw went slack, as he took her hand and turned to face his father.

"I'd like you to meet my wife."

His father's face was stoic, and betrayed none of his thoughts...until it slowly cracked into a wide, cunning smile. Inuyasha felt his blood freeze. He knew what his father was thinking now. This was a joke. An attempt to weasel out of another marriage...and if this was the game he wanted to play, then game on. He would smoke him out. Test him and his sham marriage...and when he emerged victorious…

He would not only be humiliated, but forced into another marriage.

A real one.

"Your wife," he all but mocked. "And what is your wife's name?"

"H-Higurashi. Higurashi Kagome," the woman replied, swallowing thickly as Inuyasha wrapped his arm around her side pulling her against his body.

"I was asking my son," he replied curtly, and Inuyasha glared at his father in return.

"And what does it matter who replies? You wanted her name, and she gave it to you. She's your daughter now!"

"A daughter who rebukes the family name?"

"I-I'm still used to saying my old one. The joys of wedded bliss seem to have made me forget that it's different now."

"Of course," his father drawled. "How foolish of me. Forgive me, Kagome. How long have you known my son?"

"A few months," Inuyasha interrupted, and his father shifted his gaze back to him.

"You seem to have a habit of answering for each other."

"Isn't that one of the joys of marriage?" He replied, trying to keep calm as his father attempted to rattle him.

"Mmm…" his father responded, his eyes roaming up and down Kagome's form, and he felt himself become a bit territorial over the small woman tucked into his side. He was weighing her. Judging her worth.

And he found her to be wanting.

"Just how did you meet? I cannot imagine that it would have been in a...social setting."

"He was visiting us to check on our work. He wanted to see how we were fairing. He was kind," she smiled softly, looking away from both him and his father for a moment. "I looked over heated, and he brought me some water. He stayed with me as I drank it until he was sure I would be alright, and began to talk. I was sad to see him leave, but he came back the next day with more water for me, and we spoke again, and again, until he asked me to come away with him and be his bride."

He...he remembered that.

The first part about bringing a woman water. It was her, wasn't it?

It was!

How many women had blue eyes? That was why they had looked so familiar.

"Mmm...and yet, my son hasn't swept you away from your work before now? You've been married for a week, after all."

"I've been looking for her replacement, upon her request," Inuyasha explained, giving her side a small, reassuring squeeze.

"Of course," his father smiled cooly. "Wouldn't want to leave us short staffed...Why don't you take her home then? You're newly weds, after all. I'm sure you would much rather be spending the day together exploring the joys of married life than be here in the fields."

Inuyasha swallowed the lump in his throat, trying to beat back the panic he felt.

"Of course. If we can take our leave then…"

"Please," his father gestured, waving them off, and Inuyasha gestured for Kagome to turn around, exhaling a shaky breath he was sure she heard a little too well. They hadn't made it more than five feet away before his father called back out to them again.

"Inuyasha? Bring your new wife over for dinner tonight. Your mother would love to meet her as well."

He felt his back stiffen as a new panic settled over him, and he glanced down at the small woman in his arms. She was refusing to look at him, and he hated himself for doing this to her. To them both.

"We will see you tonight, father."

Inuyasha opened the door to his apartment, nervously gesturing for Kagome to enter before him. The car ride here had been quiet. She had snuck peaks at him under the fringe of her black lashes, and he her...but...he hadn't known what to say. He was still reeling from what he had done to them, and she was trying to mentally piece together what was suddenly happening as well.

She shakily nodded her head and took a few steps into his apartment, her eyes widening as she looked around. It was nice. Large. Larger than a single man would need, and it was tastefully decorated. Hardwood floors, soothing floors...His home felt warm and welcoming.

She absently wondered if his mother had been responsible for this as he closed the door behind her and slumped against it, looking down at the floor.

They hadn't spoken yet about what he had done, and she looked at the silver haired man in curiosity. She had always liked Inuyasha. Far more than his father at least...but...she also knew that Inuyasha would have no memory of her. Why would he?

They had hundreds of workers in the fields, and she was no one special. Just one of the many...and one of the many who fancied the younger man. He was as handsome as his father, but...gentler. He had a softness in his eyes that his father didn't.

But…

Perhaps that was from the war.

It changed men. Normally for the worse...but with Inuyasha…

It seemed to soften him. Give him a greater appreciation for everything, big and small.

"Higurashi," he began slowly, and she tried to not blush at the sound of her name leaving his lips. "I don't think I can ever apologize enough for what I've done. I...I wasn't thinking clearly, and I've...Well…" he sighed, running his fingers through his silver locks. "Is there anything I can even do to make this right?"

"Perhaps...this is a conversation we can have sitting?" she prompted, and he felt his face twist from confusion to horror, scrambling away from the door.

"Yes! Of course...I...Let me take you to the living room. Can I get you something? Tea?"

She nodded shakily as he took her arm, guiding her out of the foyer. He could feel the heat of his hand through the thin fabric of her clothes, and she tried not to blush. She swallowed as he led her to a couch, and gestured for her to sit, before he scampered off to boil water for tea.

When she had awoken that morning, she never would have dreamed that this was where she would find herself by day's end. Sitting in Inuyasha's home...pretending to be his wife...summoned to dinner that night with his parents. Her head was spinning a little from the thought.

She wondered if he had a plan yet?

This charade couldn't last forever...and what happened when it came time for it to end?

He had told her that he would repay her somehow for this...she couldn't help but absently wonder how?

He had all but plucked her from the fields that morning, dubbed her his wife, and now she was out a job.

Oh…

Oh…

Oh no…

She heard the door to the living room open and Inuyasha stood on the other side of it, looking guilty and remorseful as he placed a tea tray before her before pouring it for her. He sat down in the chair across from her, nervously gripping the cup in his white knuckled hands.

He glanced from his tea up to her, and she was struck by the guilt etched into it.

"Higurashi," he swallowed, "I...I'm so sorry for this mess."

"It is quite a predicament, we're in," she nodded, taking her own tea cup and sipping from it. Her hands looked so dark against the pale white and blue of the china. It was lovely. It probably cost more than what she made in an entire year.

She placed it down onto the table before her - her hands returning to her lap as he mutely nodded.

"It's my fault. I...I panicked and I seem to have spun quite the web of lies for us…"

"And you have no plan, do you," she surmised. He shook his head, looking down into his lap.

"I don't."

And it was true. God...what was he going to do? He had all but made her his prisoner.

"I...I was thinking that...perhaps we could do this for a year?"

"A year?"

He nodded, his mind slowly trying to cobble together some plan.

"We could tell my parents we divorced after, and then you would be free to live your life again. I can pay you? I know I've cost you your job...My father won't allow you to return to the fields today, or ever again..." he mumbled, running his hands down his face. "You could - should, I suppose - live here with me so they won't suspect. That...that could be nice? And...and you could cook and clean? W-wives do that…" he proposed nervously.

Wives did other things too…

"Would I...Do you expect me to…" she felt her cheeks blush bright red as he furrowed his brow. Confusion gave way to understanding and she watched his jaw drop ever so slightly.

"No! No, of course not! We're...married in the eyes of my parents only. I wouldn't...we wouldn't...I don't expect that from you, Higurashi."

She felt herself relax slightly, and she nodded, delicately sipping her tea.

"I can do that for you...but...I...I have a request to make, if I may."

"Of course," he nodded, leaning forward.

"When this is over, I won't be able to return to a life in the tea fields, but I'll still need employment. I have...responsibilities to my family that I can't overlook. I'll need something still."

She watched him nod his head, encouraging her to continue, and she took a deep breath.

"When we...divorce, I'd like your help finding employment elsewhere, and I'd like you to help me prepare for that. Whatever it may be."

She watched him relax further, a smile spreading across his face.

"I can do that," he nodded. "Something better than before...A secretary, at the least. Do you know how to use a typewriter?"

She shook her head looking down into her lap.

"I...I can't...I don't know how to read," she admitted, looking back down into her lap. "I've never received a formal education…"

His face became soft as he murmured, "Forgive me - I shouldn't have assumed. Higurashi...if you pretend to be my wife, I promise you this. I'll treat you kindly, I'll pay you, I'll get you an education, and I'll find you employment."

She looked into his eyes, and saw how genuine he was. Looking at him when he looked like that...it made her heart skip a beat. He was such a handsome man. Strong jawline. Proud cheekbones. But his eyes...those amber eyes framed by long lashes and thick brows…

She mentally pulled herself away from the man before her and focused on his words instead. It felt like a fair trade. More than fair. He was giving her a chance at a better life, and all she had to do was pretend to love him and be his wife for a year.

She could handle that.

"Kagome," she mused, picking up her tea cup again.

"Kagome?" he replied, furrowing his brow in confusion. That wasn't an answer to his proposal.

"You should call me Kagome if you want me to pretend to be your wife," she reasoned, raising the cup to her lips and taking a small sip.

"Of course...Kagome."

Wall of tags for all new fictions:

@clearwillow​, @underwater0phelia​, @keichanz​, @dangerouspompadour​, @sunsetskys​, @ajoy3fanfics​, @sangoslays​, @zelink-inukag​, @v0dka-cat​, @cloudsz04, @theinuyashareader​, @itzatakahashi​, @l-taisho29​, @lavendertwilight89​, @yurawiththegoodhair​, @saturnsilence​, @lavaffair​, @liz8080​, @blairex​, @eringobroke​, @fawn-eyed-girl​, @fandomobsessions016​, @neutronstarchild​

I know. Needs work. BUT. I feel better for having scratched the itch at least. Got the bulk of this done last night...and it kept asking me to work on it more today. 

Mother appeased. 

Hopefully the child is pleased. 

......For now.