#prince of meltdowns

[comicwaren]

From Ultimates Vol. 4 #006

Art by Juan Frigeri and Federico Blee

Written by Deniz Camp

[ghastlyaffairs]

for something as trivial and simple those feelings sure are hard to get rid of

also made a gif a version for fun + alt version with no tears under the cut

the gif is in very low resolution...this is a feature (i could make it bigger but that would require saving each frame individually and than glueing it all together. also i feel like low resolution suits it better. aesthetically and fits the mood)

[bruciemilf]

The justice league taking pictures with Bruce like men do with fish

[halyasgirl]

Something I can't put my finger on, and might be reading too much into, are (lack of) choices and the relationships between Rayla, Runaan, and Lain and Tiadrin.

A slight undercurrent of tension in Bloodmoon Huntress is Rayla feeling like Runaan doesn't really love or want her. While Ethari readily professes to love her and assures her Runaan does too, Rayla sometimes gets the impression Runaan's taken her in more as a favor to Lain and Tiadrin. He's defensive of them, and some of Rayla and Runaan's early clashes occur when Runaan puts down her resentment toward her parents and dismisses her feelings of abandonment. (Their relationship improves by the end of Bloodmoon Huntress though, and by Lunabloom Runaan’s become more patient, empathetic, and open with his affection, and we see how much they love each other).

While Rayla considers Runaan and Ethari to be her family, Tiadrin and Lain aren’t pushed aside in their roles as her parents. Bloodmoon Huntress and Rayla’s birthday profile show that Rayla was brought up to love and take pride in her parents, both because Moonshadow culture values duty and self-sacrifice, but also because Runaan and Ethari raised her that way.

Runaan, Ethari, Lain, and Tiadrin were very close; Rayla describes them as best friends, they spent major life events together, and Tridrin and Lain chose them to raise their daughter. Runaan is visibly shaken when he realizes what’s happened to them and his P.O.V. passage in the Book One novelization outright says he loves them.

But he Ghosted them. We don’t know what the exact circumstances were, what evidence was presented, or what Ethari and Runaan discussed behind closed doors, but they broke faith. This can be attributed to the Silvergrove’s pack mentality, but I also wonder if their decision had something to do with Rayla.

We know Moonshadow society subscribes to Sins of the Father, where children can be blamed for their parents' wrongdoing, because Ezran was targeted for assassination. We know they have an extreme form of shame/honor culture, and that Lain and Tiadrin’s (alleged) desertion of the Dragonguard brought so much shame on their people and their daughter that Rayla preferred to say they were dead. And we also know that Rayla’s Ghosting was biased by her parents’ reputation.

Rayla’s standing in the Silvergrove was damaged, maybe even more than she realized. Once the Silvergrove had turned on Lain and Tiadrin, Runaan and Ethari may have felt they had no choice but to disavow their closest friends if they wanted to protect their daughter, to publicly draw her closer to them and away from her parents and their dishonor. (Of course, the hard truth is that they might have stopped the Ghosting had they spoken up, but they didn't).

And maybe this is why Runaan brought Rayla to Katolis that night, why Ethari agreed despite his misgivings. Rayla may have been a prodigy, but she shouldn't have been sent into the field so soon, and for such an important mission. But by putting Rayla on a mission that directly avenges the wrongdoing her parents (allegedly) committed, Runaan may have believed this to be Rayla's best and only chance to restore her honor. Given how harsh Moonshadow society can be, from this warped perspective Runaan may have considered this the best thing he could do for his daughter.

But it wasn’t. And after everything came crashing down, Runaan failed his mission, his child, and his dearest friends.

In Bloodmoon Huntress Runaan sees no conflict between duty and love, viewing the former as an expression of the latter. Rayla thought her parents chose duty over her, and thinks Runaan chose them, and duty, over her too.

By The Dragon Prince, Runaan chose Rayla over her parents, then realized he had to choose between Rayla and duty. He couldn’t, failed both, and spent the next two years in a hell of his own making because of it.

I don't see Runaan “I do what I must so those I love don’t have to” coping well knowing Rayla paid for his life with Lain and Tiadrin's— if he even knows. He’d betrayed his dearest friends by Ghosting them. Now he’s taken their chance at life and reuniting with their daughter, and he’ll never get to make amends.

[aibouart]

one of those work days you know how it is

(he/they/it)

[redr0sewrites]

i havent really posted any art on here but here r some silly and stupid doodles that i did on the airplane except it's mostly aaravos and i changed artstyles every 10 seconds bc flying is scary and i was having a meltdown

oh and heres dipper too, plus some silly drawings of myself

anyways im finally home!!!!!1!1!1!!?!1!!2 i missed my bed sm kajskd im gonna start writing again soon, but i'll need to recharge for a day lmao- i have a kimdael smut coming and then some more aaravos ideas and a lot more hsr writing, along with ideas for eris vanserra week so stay tuned!!!

[theokusgallery]

There aren't enough toxic sunflower AUs. I need to make another one. I have so many ideas

[catcas22]

Rykard facecast

So over the course of writing Prince of Death, I think that Rykard has become, as they say, a blorbo. And I was thinking about who I would cast as Rykard in the theoretical Netflix adaptation of Prince of Death.

Then I remembered that I used to watch Once Upon a Time.

You'd have to put him in some pretty tall shoes, but I think Robert Carlyle would absolutely kill as pre-snek Rykard.

[shiroi---kumo]

As I'm working on the final post in the collection of Faces of the King my brain thought to stop for a moment to explain something. I have previously mentioned it in other posts but I just wanted to point it out again and everything else it is effecting.

You see in the world of FF:U there are two major elements and they are Soil and Mist.

Most beings in the Universe (yes probably your muse too) are what would be known as "Beings of Soil" even if they cannot command it as Windarian Soil Mages can. (Staring hard at Kaze right now.)

Kumo refers to these beings as "Soil Souls" because that means their soul is comprised of Soil.

Soil is the crystalized souls of the dead composing a color of varying hue post-mortem.

so humans, and most other beings are beings of soil.

On the other side of the Universal scale sets Mist or "Mist Souls" - meaning their souls are comprised from the magical substance known as Mist and these beings are largely beings of the Sky or the Sea. Mist Souls all possess a color within their soul as well, but Mistericans were the only beings that actively produced it within their bodies and could harness it's magical abilities.

I am telling you all this because Kumo is a Mist Soul (obviously) and there are very few of them left in the universe.

I am telling you this because Soil and Mist both have a governing force. That being that Soil is governed by the Spiral or Spiral Motion

While Mist is governed by The Straight Line or Linear Motion.

I am telling you this because in recent days in writing this man I have made observations and laughed because he does it so naturally.

Kumo is:

straight to the point when he speaks

someone who says exactly what he means

straight forward with his needs and wants

straight forward with thoughts and opinions

straight forward with his intentions

His thoughts follow a linear path

Kumo is very "point A to point B" in his thinking

blunt and direct

planned and organized

orderly with a place for everything

systematic and he will meltdown without them

rigid in the way he does things

Kumo gets:

annoyed at side paths

annoyed with conversations that go in circles

annoyed with topic or question dodging

frustrated with convoluted answers

annoyed with trips that take him all over the place instead of just from one place and to the other

frustrated when his systems are disrupted

[generationa1trauma]

just watched narnia 2 for the first time many thoughts

[solxamber]

This is quite a silly holiday event ya have there..😼 Diasomnia, 2 comedy?please and thank youu!!

Have a great dayyy!! 😸

Culinary Fear || Lilia Vanrouge

For the Holiday Event! || Theme: Baking/Cooking together ; Genre: Comedy

The kitchen is a war zone. Flour dusts every surface like freshly fallen snow, splatters of vibrant, unidentifiable liquids cover the counters, and there’s a distinct smell of burnt… something.

“Ah, doesn’t this just scream holiday cheer?” Lilia exclaims, holding up a bowl of what might once have been dough. Now, it’s a questionable neon green, with little black specks swirling ominously. “This will surely bring joy to everyone!”

You glance at the bowl and then at Lilia, who looks positively radiant with pride. “Lilia… what exactly is in that?”

“Oh, just a pinch of everything that felt festive!” He winks, sprinkling what looks like crushed candy canes into the mix. The bowl fizzes slightly. “Cooking is about creativity, my dear!”

“Cooking is also about not poisoning people,” you mutter, grabbing the bowl from him before he can add anything else to his holiday concoction of doom.

Lilia claps his hands. “Nonsense! This will be a masterpiece!”

You sigh, glancing at the tray of cookies in the oven that somehow looks worse than the raw dough. The candy cane stripes have melted into a tie-dye of neon colors, and one cookie is bubbling like a witch’s cauldron. It’s both fascinating and terrifying.

“Alright, Lilia, I’m stepping in. Let me… adjust a few things.”

“You’re doubting me?” Lilia places a hand over his heart, feigning offense. “But very well. I’ll trust your touch.”

You carefully add ingredients to salvage the taste, though there’s no saving the appearance. When the cookies finally emerge, they look like creatures from a low-budget horror movie. The colors are nightmarish, some pieces are oddly misshapen, and one even has what looks like teeth (you refuse to ask how).

Just as you’re contemplating throwing them into the Abyssal Dark for safety, Sebek marches into the kitchen.

“YOUNG MASTER DESERVES THE FINEST HOLIDAY TREATS! WHAT IS THIS AMAZING AROMA?!”

You and Lilia exchange a glance, neither saying a word.

Sebek grabs a cookie that looks like it’s staring at him and bites into it. Everyone freezes, waiting for the inevitable meltdown.

But then…

Sebek swallows, his eyes widening. “IT’S… IT’S DELICIOUS!”

Lilia’s face lights up like a Christmas tree. “I knew it!” he exclaims, puffing out his chest with pride. “My culinary instincts are unmatched!”

You cough, trying to hide your laughter. “Uh-huh. Instincts.”

Sebek takes another bite, blissfully unaware of the side-eyes Silver and Malleus are giving him as they peek into the kitchen.

Malleus steps forward cautiously, his gaze fixed on the monstrosities on the tray. “Are these… safe?”

“Oh, come now, Malleus!” Lilia laughs, shoving a cookie into the prince’s hand. “Have a little faith in your old man!”

Malleus holds the cookie like it might explode. Silver steps back, looking at you with the kind of betrayal usually reserved for war crimes.

“This is your fault,” Silver mutters under his breath.

“What?! I saved them from tasting like nightmares!” you protest, though your argument falters when you remember the teeth-cookie.

“If this is what saving looks like,” Silver deadpans, “then perhaps we were better off before.”

Malleus, to his credit, takes a dignified bite. There’s a long, ominous pause.

“…It is… acceptable,” he says finally, though he places the rest of the cookie on the counter with more care than necessary.

Lilia beams. “Success!” He grabs another mixing bowl, already tossing in a whole stick of butter, an uncracked egg, and something suspiciously green. “Shall we start the next batch?”

“Wait, wait, wait!” You rush over, attempting to wrestle the bowl from his hands. “Lilia, maybe we should, uh, celebrate the success of this batch first before we make more?”

“Nonsense!” Lilia says cheerfully. “The holidays wait for no one!”

Malleus leans closer to you, his voice low and conspiratorial. “Are you certain you are not working to eliminate my lineage through unconventional means?”

Silver sighs, rubbing his temples. “I think I’ll go on patrol.”

Sebek, meanwhile, is scarfing down his fourth cookie. “YOU SHOULD BE GRATEFUL FOR MASTER LILIA’S EFFORTS! THIS IS A GIFT!”

You stare at the chaos unfolding, caught between laughter and despair. The next batch is already forming in the mixing bowl, glowing faintly as Lilia hums a holiday tune.

This… is going to be a long day.

Masterlist

[hanafubukki]

Ok, I just can't get out of my head, big brother Silver and Malleus. Maybe MC and Lilia having their own child and it's a baby girl. She'd be the most beloved little girl in the Valley. I can imagine this is Silver's first time meeting a baby that young and he'd be so soft uwu. Like, he'd be her perfect prince and he'd be more than happy to live up to her image. He takes his role as being her big brother as seriously as his role as Malleus' knight. Malleus, meanwhile. I mean, the child is the product of his favorite human and his father figure. Say no more. Man would basically ignore a royal counsel meeting if it means going to one of her tea parties. Super duper important meeting... Yeah, that's a tomorrow problem. Man has a tea party to go and a messily writter invite in glitter ink is basically on top of his paperwork so he won't forget it. Ok, sorry for the rant. It's just nothing makes me softer than Lilia being a dad again and getting another member in his beloved family. Thank you.

Hello Anonie 🌺🌷💚

First of all Anonie, *grabs you by the shoulders* never be sorry about sending me these! I love love love fluff, especially domestic fluff! And adding on babies?! Ahsjsjjdd Anonie???? I’m the one who suffers from baby fever constantly ansjsjjdjfd believe me, I adore it. (My first fic was a lilia x reader who had a child together ahhhh💞💞💞). This is some of my faves to see in fics 💚💚🌺🌺

One of my fave ideas is a little girl being born into the Diasomnia family. I can see it change their dynamics but also not change it. Certain aspects will remain the same: teaching self defense/training, escaping Lilia’s food (unless she’s the rare one that likes it, to the detriment of everyone else haha), the pranks, etc.

But also, she’ll have these four overprotective figures in her life. Can you imagine when she dates? The sheer panic??

Malleus will eventually have to take a spouse, Silver might too, and now Lilia’s little girl? Papa is going to have a meltdown. Everyone is getting married and leaving him! (Ironic lmfaoo) But, relax, she was just born Lilia! She’s still a toddler! MC out here looking at this ex-general turned drama papa and enjoying the chaos in a fondly exasperated way.

Sebek, Sebek honey, you are so lucky not to deal with this 🤣🤣 that’s a Baul problem 😂😂

As we seen with Silver and the kids durning the bunny event, Silver is trying his best to be the best brother and Prince Charming figure to his little sister. He just…has trouble at times 🤣 But she knows her big brother Silver well just like she knows big brother Malleus, in her eyes, no one is as charming as them.

He’s going to take her and his animal friends to the meadows nearby. They’ll make flower crowns and talk about what’s for dinner as they forage for ingredients. I can see Silver teaching her to dance as Malleus taught him and Lilia.

She’ll sit on his shoulders and pick from apple trees. He’ll teach her how to pick berries. He’ll teach her about animal tracksand hunting. Of course, for now, she’s too young. But no one is too young to learn survival skills right? ✨✨

She can even train with him and he’ll carry her back when she’s tired. All tucked into him, safe in his arms.

As for Malleus? What meeting? His only meeting is this tea party that he’s been invited to. Don’t you see this messy yet glitter filled invite? How dare you try and stop him? Jkjk but at the same time I’m not. 😆

Big Brother Malleus is not going to miss out. He was late once, stupid councilmen, and the sad look he saw then had him almost burning the castle down. Lolol jkjk …maybe.

I can see Malleus getting busy with work at times, maybe so busy he late to dinner. Next thing he knows, there’s a tiny person peeking over his paperwork, giving him a look that can rival Lilia’s cute pout. (It’s even better than his in fact, no one tell Lilia but I doubt he’d mind. He’ll gladly give that mantle to his baby girl)

His baby sister asks him when he’s coming for dinner and it’s late, won’t he take a break? The way this Fae King folds? It would astound the masses. 💞

On the days where Malleus says he can’t join, oh my dear king, this baby girl is as stubbornness as her papa and brothers. She will pout and sit there, threatening not to eat until her big brother does. How can you deny that?

You know that phase that all little girls go through? The one where they want to marry the ones they really love? Watch these three just try their best to get her to choose them. 😂🤣

The winner is MC, of course, no one can beat Mama 💞💞 laughing at the thought of the three depressed in the dark corner.

Ahhh this was so cute! Thank you for sending this in Anonie 💞💞💚💚

[avatar-of-pride]

"I don't-" Lucifer grips his hair and pulls on it as tears run down his face, more than before. "I don't want to hurt anyone! I just want to be-" Lucifer stares at the floor. After a moment, he whispers, "I just want to be normal again." He breathes he heavily and his hands don't stop yanking on his hair. It clearly hurts but he won't stop. "I want to live the life I was supposed to live. Not the life of a monster."

We need to talk, Lucifer. Whether you're busy or not.

- @https-diavolo

…why

[severussnapemylove]

Sometimes I wonder if JKR even realises she wrote Snape as a victim of sexual assault. Because he unambiguously is, and she writes him as traumatised by the incident. So it seems mad to suggest that she might not have thought through the implications of her own writing, but if she did get it, I am baffled by how sympathetic she remains to James. Harry is never really made to confront how vile his actions were, because he looks for comfort from Remus and Sirius rather than telling Hermione who would react in horror and disgust, and he gets to skip over it completely in The Prince’s Tale. JKR clearly considers James a hero, and has confirmed that in interviews. She’s even more sympathetic to Lily, who is portrayed as an absolute paragon of goodness, morality and virtue, despite her being attracted enough to James *after* he publicly commits sexual assault on a less privileged kid to marry him! What a malfunctioning moral compass. JKR also has no sympathy at all for Tom Riddle Sr, who is a victim of rape, and his rapist Merope Gaunt, who is herself strongly implied to be a victim of incestual abuse, is condemned by Dumbledore and the narrative not for what she did to Tom but for not being as courageous as nice, pretty, middle class Lily Evans because Merope committed the crime of…dying in childbirth. The only conclusions I can draw from this is that JKR is the sort of ´feminist’ who doesn’t believe men can be the victims of sexual crimes, and that deep down she thinks being a member of the underclass who can’t drag themselves out of it alone is indicative of moral failure.

This! All of this!

I don't think she puts it together at all. She's incredibly tone deaf about a lot of the abuse she puts these characters through. And with the blasé attitude she has about male victims of SA in the books definitely goes along her brand of toxic radical "feminism". It looks like she just doesn't recognise the severity of what happens to these characters. On top of Severus's attack and Tom Riddle Sr, remember that Ron was roofied with love spell that was intended for Harry, and Moaning Myrtle is incredible predatory towards the boys. Sadly, this attitude carries over from the author to a chunk of the fandom too. I've seen so much dismissiveness of the assaults against the male characters, especially Severus. And it's even more disappointing when I see people who have experienced abuse saying that what Severus endured "didn't count" as abuse. Had someone today on another platform having an absolute meltdown at me, saying that what happened in SWM wasn't sa, and that he wasn't traumatised from his abuse and if his anger was caused by trauma then why wasn't Harry the same. Seriously, you can't tell another person that what they experienced wasn't "bad enough to be abuse", that's a very warped mentality. Survivors are supposed to support each other, not belittle each other's trauma. Also, what book did they read that they think Harry doesn't have issues from the life he endured? He has different issues than Severus, yes, because he had different life experiences and everyone's reactions to trauma are different.

"Merope Riddle chose death in spite of a son who needed her, but do not judge her too harshly, Harry. She was greatly weakened by long suffering and she never had your mother's courage."

WTF is this!!!??? This is just plain victim blaming. "Your mothers' courage"? Lily had supportive, loving parents, was loved by her peers, admired by her teachers, had a very comfortable, secure life. Merope was physically and mentally abused for her whole life. They really criticized the poverty stricken, abuse victim for not being as "strong" as the Mary Sue of the Wizarding World??? Toxic as hell. Personally, as someone who has dealt with self-harm, mental illness and generational trauma in my family, this attitude of "they weren't strong enough" is nauseating and infuriating.

There really is a disturbing trend of extreme poverty equalling a dead-end life with no hope. Which is again an extremally toxic and judgmental attitude and a very dangerous message to put in a book aimed to children. The attitude towards abuse, poverty and indecent assault of men is beyond problematic, not only in the books but in far too many members of the fandom.

I could rant more but this will go on for pages.

[amirasainz]

Could do you please do amira is busy and is neglecting everyone making them have meltdowns ? ❤️

Hi guys. I hope you enjoy reading this and let me know if you have any requests.

-XoXo

No Part 2!!!

Busy Girl

It was not uncommon for Amira to be busy. Her career as an actress demanded a lot of her attention and free time. However, each time Amira declined Carlos’s invitation to one of the races, his heart broke. What do you mean his sister has to film the third season of Euphoria? Why can’t they film it at the race track? It’s not strange for high school students to suddenly spend all their time at a race track, thank you very much. Despite Amira giving him a thousand reasonable reasons why she couldn’t make it to one of his races, Carlos’s mind immediately jumped to the thought: “Doesn’t my little sister love me anymore?”

When Carlos finally ended his “short” call with Amira, which was only 4 hours long, he couldn’t stop himself from tearing up. Why does she have to work anyway? Their family is crazy rich; there is no reason for her to work. And why does she always have to show so much skin when she is playing the role of “Maddy Perez”? Why couldn’t Maddy wear long hoodies instead of bikini tops?

Carlos was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t hear his room door opening. “Chilli, are you ready to go?” asked Charles, still unaware of the phone call that happened 10 minutes before. “Whoa, hey, are you alright? You look… interesting.” Charles didn’t want to be rude towards Carlos. After all, the two were like brothers. But Carlos honestly looked like hell. Wild hair, shaking hands, and haunted eyes. Charles carefully lowered himself in front of Carlos. He gently placed his hands on Carlos’s thighs, patiently waiting for an answer. Taking one of Charles’s hands in his own, he answered, “Lord Perceval, Amira called and… and she said—dios mío, I can’t even say it. Well, she said that she couldn’t make it to the race this weekend.” Carlos watched as Charles absorbed this information. Charles looked down, his breathing becoming louder. “Charlie, are you crying?” asked a tear-eyed Carlos. “No,” Charles muttered, his voice thick. “Charles, please don’t cry. If you cry, I have to cry as well,” Carlos informed him, tears running down his cheeks. The two crying Ferrari drivers looked at each other, both unable to stop crying. It took them 2 hours of hugging each other and crying together for them to calm down.

Something similar happened throughout the week to the others as well. Kika and Lily were heartbroken when they heard about Amira’s absence. Alex even had to sleep on the couch because, according to Lily, “The only one that should lie next to me is my girl.” Not that Alex didn’t agree with his girlfriend. Amira was supposed to lie between the couple, all three of them cuddling after some “night exercises.”

George and Carmen had a completely different reaction. They believed that their girl just forgot to open her calendar to the right month and that she meant to travel there. “Our poor darling probably got confused at the airport and jumped onto the wrong plane,” was George’s reasoning. Carmen agreed with him 100%. Their silly darling couldn’t survive without the couple by her side. She was truly made for them.

The worst reaction was Lando’s. When he was informed that Amira was currently filming a new season of Euphoria, Lando fainted. The journalist joked about Amira’s absence after the Qualifying. Lando, outperformed by Charles, only got P2 instead of P1. When the interviewer said something along the lines of “Maybe the absence of your lucky charm made you miss pole position,” Lando, who didn’t know this little piece of information, went deathly pale. In front of 28 cameras, he fainted. Max F. never let him live that down, always teasing him with “You fainted like a Disney princess, waiting for her prince.”

The only one who truly did anything after hearing about Amira was Lewis. His assistant quickly packed his bags and bought a one-way ticket to America. Nothing could stop him from visiting Amira. After a full day, he finally had the chance to knock on her front door. He was met with Amira’s surprised face. Before she had the chance to say anything, he wrapped his arms around her. “God, baby, I missed you so much,” he whispered in her ear, turning his face to kiss her temple. Slowly, the couple broke the hug, Lewis still keeping his hands wrapped around her waist. “Lewis, I’m really happy that you’re here. But to be honest, I wasn’t expecting any guests. I had so much filming to do, a Vogue photoshoot, helped a friend set up her apartment, taking care of MY apartment, looking for—” Lewis interrupted her ramble with a sweet kiss. “Don’t worry, love. I’m here to help you.”

Bonus (+)

Once again, Carlos’s hotel room was filled with the other drivers, except Carlos himself. All of them had their eyes on Charles, who was breathing into a paper bag. “Charles, can you tell us again what happened?” asked Pierre, who was sitting next to his best friend. After Lando rubbed his back some more, Charles started: “When Carlos called me, I immediately went to his room. When I arrived, he showed me inside. He was busy packing his bags, muttering about finally getting his revenge. He said things like, ‘I won’t let it go this time,’ ‘No one can stop me,’ and ‘This is the last time someone will ever see him.’ When I asked him what was happening, he just took my phone, showed me an article, and left. He didn’t say anything else.” After Charles’s little speech, the room plunged into silence. Oscar hesitantly asked, “Charles… what did you see?” Charles started crying again, showing his friends the mentioned article. It was filled with pictures of Amira and Lewis, all of them just a few hours old. “Oh shit. Lewis is a dead man,” muttered George, sharing a panicked look with Alex.

[akirathedramaqueen]

Only one person has the power to make Stolas cry

And I'll keep the intrigue just a little bit longer so you can try to guess for yourself and experience the kind of satisfaction I had once I pieced it all together. And, oh boy, did it click!

Okay, so today, after a rather passionate conversation with @tealvenetianmask about how fandom seems to perceive Stolas as overly emotional and soft demon, we started rummaging through all the scenes where Stolas actually cried. We were blown off by some revelations.

First note: it's actually not much. Our owl appears to be very sturdy and often bites back when attacked, rather than shutting down as one might expect.

Second note... Better let me show you. Let's walk through all the 'Stolas cries' scenes and see what is happening there, and answer the question, "What, or rather who, sets him off the rails?"

This is your last chance to place your bets and educated guesses. Because below are big clues, and, eventually, answer.

Circus

We follow up on Stolas shortly after the disastrous date at Ozzie's - arguably, a couple of hours later. He looks absolutely miserable. He has boozed himself to unconsciousness. His eyeliner is ruined from earlier tears. He groans, either from headache or emotional turmoil, grabs three Happy pills, and shoves them down his throat.

Whatever happened at this club ruined our bird, to the point he's looking for anything to avoid being alone with his thoughts.

Western Energy

One shed tear. That's all Stolas allows himself. That's what I am talking about when I claim he is actually very tough. He is being tortured, mutilated, and by this point, he has a pretty good understanding that his demise is likely inevitable.

And you know what he does in response? He talks back. He cuts through Striker's bullshit about royals taking everything from him and points out that his killer took a contract from a royal. He literally humiliates Striker with sex jokes and mocks his oversized dick on the statue ego. Figuratively, he spits death in its face.

The Full Moon

Stolas is destroyed.

This meeting was nerve-wracking even before it happened - all the preparation, insecurities, misunderstandings of the past, and lingering, terrifying questions (He loves me? He loves me not?).

It takes weeks to set everything in motion. He planned it meticulously. He scripted every word, every movement of his body, every subtle tone in his voice.

But he forgot that there was another party in this play. The party who was not given the script and is burdened with his own trauma. One shitty assumption, one poorly-thought-out action, and here it is - mockery, avoidance, a fight... and tears. His first meltdown he wasn't able to conceal.

His worst nighmares came true, or so he convinced himself. He loves me not.

Apology Tour

Our last stop on our 'we-love-being-tortured-by-crying-Stolas' tour is here.

The wound is still fresh, bleeding even, and here he comes, rubbing salt into it. Someone Stolas still desperately wants. Someone who was infinitely brash, rude, and aggressive just this morning. Someone who doubled down on statements that made Stolas believe this particular someone hates him.

That someone tries to talk. To explain. To apologize. Wonders how Stolas could actually care about him. Says the prince is better off without him.

Fuck... The prince came here to forget, to wipe that someone (okay, it's getting increasingly hard to pretend it's not obvious yet) from his memory, at least for the night, and he still won't let Stolas go.

He breaks into tears, crushed, reassured he can't have anyone who would hold him, who would say he is the only one, but recuperates shortly after - he was taught better than this.

Okay, are we ready for the shocker of the year?

It's Blitzø.

It was his date with Blitzø at Ozzie's, where he was ignored, humiliated, and was told that their relatioship was only about sex, and that he was the one who made it clear.

It was Blitzø turning down (or so he thought) his distress call, leading him to believe he was left alone to die.

It was Blitzø mocking his confession and assuming it was just a fucking roleplay.

Finally, it was Blitzø haunting him since that very morning and, albeit with better intentions, still hurting him beyond his abilities to recover.

The only person who tore his soul apart enough to break his inpenetrable mask - built up by decades of gritted teeth, restraint, and bravery - was the one he probably cares about the most.

It was not Octavia, whom he holds close to his heart but couldn’t allow to see him depressed. He had to be strong for her; he needed to raise and support her.

It was not Stella, whom he endured for years, yet did not satisfy her wish to see him whimper. He talked back, argued, ignored, and seethed. But he never gave in.

It was him. An imp who stole his grimoire and gave him the best time of his life, however sad that may sound.

Now, thanks for joining this drama in four acts. You may pull out your handkerchiefs and ugly cry right here, in your places. Don't hold it in.

Because I don't.