#said to me given the information she had at her disposal. and that i really had not done anything to her that could warrant that. etc.

[camgoloud]

you ever just. become overwhelmed by a sudden out-of-nowhere wave of tenderness and affection and longing for reconnection directed towards someone to whom you no longer speak for Very Good Reasons

[iloveyanderes]

PART 5 OF MY GENSHIN CULT AU!!!!

Getting away from the palais of Mermonia was far easier than (name) thought it would be, she said goodbye to all the melusines(somehow knowing all their names), and left. She didn’t tell anyone but did just leave a note in the room so graciously given to her.

Now that everyone knows that (name) isn’t an imposter(even if she doesn’t believe it) she can walk through Fontaine without worrying about being stabbed. Though she did grab a needle so (name) can show her blood at any time.

Surprisingly enough there was a carriage already waiting for (name), she spotted a very familiar patch of blonde hair.

“Lyney!” (name) called out, upon seeing his face. She instantly ran up to him and hugged him.

“Your holiness-” (name) felt him flinch, instantly she realized her mistake, backing up several paces.

“So sorry lyney, i should’ve asked first, i'm just so happy to see you…” feeling really guilty now, (name) visibly deflated, she’d really gotten these children into a lot of trouble.

“You got shot again” lyney stated blankly, (name) could quite tell if he was angry or disappointed.

“I did”, looking away in shame, (name) spotted some more melusine’s, which instantly lifted her shame as she waved at them enthusiastically.

Lyney was surprised when he saw the melusines wave back at her with just as much enthusiasm.

“You know them?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“No, i just know there names somehow, plus they’ve been really kind to me and remind me of the hospital i work at- or worked at, i've been gone for nearly a month now so i'm probably fired or something” speaking of that (name) wonders if there's a bunch of missing reports of her back in canada, what did they tell all the children that she treated in the past?

Those kinds of thoughts were too depressing so (name) quickly changed the topic.

“Well how is freminet? Your mother- no father arlecchino told me that she could be able to bring me too him, i heard a little bit that he was imprisoned but no one else would give me any information”

“He’s fine” ‘and ashamed’ but lyney didn’t want to say that latter half, “I think we should go before people notice your gone”

“Alright, lead the way!” (name) followed lyney to a carriage,which led them to a speedboat, which led (name) to throw up as she’d never taken a boat before and quickly found out that she gets seasickness.

Poor lyney could only stand there awkwardly patting (name)’s back as she disposed of her lunch in the weirdest way possible.

Eventually they made there way to a place called poisson, the wording of it reminded (name) of poison, it was like one s away.

“Your sure freminet is in this hole?” (name) asked, tilting her head.

“Absolutely”

“About to head in are you?” (name) nearly jumped at the sudden familiar, yet stern voice from behind them.

Seeing those beautifully threatening eyes, (name) laughed nervously before speaking, “oh- arlecchino! Sorry i got a little startled- uh hows life been treating you?”

“Quite alright, your holiness” the knave quickly linked arms with (name), then turned her attention to lyney. The action reminded (name) of a person putting a leash on a dog then paying attention to other matters- without the fear of the dog running away.

“Lyney, you took far too long getting here, your siblings have gone mad with worry” (name) could swear that arlecchino’s words had a hidden message in them, but she couldn’t tell what it was.

“Yes father” with a swift bow lyney was out of there, it was obvious he was nervous.

Glancing briefly at arlecchino, (name) couldn’t help but wonder if the white haired woman was responsible for lyney being apart of the fatui- (name) didn’t actually know what that was she just overheard lyney call himself that, it was probably the name of the gang or mafia he’s in. but thats beyond the point, is arlecchino a criminal?

“Your holiness, is something wrong?”

“No!- sorry i was just spacing out, you said i could see freminet right? I was just wondering where he is” (name) quickly exclaimed, trying to save herself.

“Alright i’ll take you to him, your holiness”

“Also can you please stop calling me your holiness-or at least when were alone” ‘and it makes me flustered when you say that’ but (name) didn’t want to say that.

“Of course my lady”

Oh gods, that was even worse!

—----------------------------------------------------------

“I’m not going” (name) said firmly, the reunion between her and freminet had been cut swiftly when arlecchino had suggested that they go to snezhnaya. Something told (name) it wasn’t exactly a suggestion but she still wasn’t going to agree with it.

“The tsaritsa herself gave you the invitation, my lady. I wouldn’t suggest crossing her” arlecchino said just as firmly back, perhaps even a bit more venomous.

“Uhuh, aren’t you the same guys claiming im a god or something. Why do i need to listen” (name) was also pretty sure now arlecchino was not a good person, sure she was incredibly hot and kind of maybe (name)’s type but that doesn’t equal trustworthy. The only reason she had wanted to go here was to make sure freminet was okay.

“It’s for your safety, who knows when you’ll get stabbed again”

“I don’t care, im still not going, this entire world is so strange and new to me, you can’t just expect me to go to a whole nother country”

“You!-” the anger in the knave’s voice made (name) flinch, seeing that arlecchino paused, almost like she regretted it.

“Fine then, i’ll give you another day to think about it, My Lady”

Watching arlecchino walk off (name) made no move, only when she was sure the white haired lady was gone did she move, facing the very scared looking freminet.

“I’m going on a walk” no one made any move to stop (name).

Plucking a sunsettia (name) mindlessly ate it while wondering through the forest, there were a bunch of ‘dangerous’ monsters around but none of them made any move to attack her, in fact a lot of them were quite friendly. Like the slimes that practically demanded head pats from (name).

“The people here are crazy” (name) rubbed her head while mumbling, feeling a headache coming. “Expecting me to act like a god then telling me what to do, the only reason i give them the time of day is because i'm worried about the children-”

“ARGHS”

Suddenly (name) heard a pained moan come from the bushes, instantly her doctor instinct forced her to go towards it, pushing the bushes away she saw a-a fluffy creature?

It looked like a tiny human with a very fluffy mask, and little horns on the top of their head. The poor thing was clearly in pain, inspecting closer (name) found it trying to shift away.

“Im not going to hurt you” (name) promised, not expecting it to understand her. To her surprise it did, because instead the strange fluffy humanoid creature clutched closer to her as if it were looking for a hug.

(name) did not give it-not quite yet. She instead looked at the wound, it was open and mangled, and covered in blood. How the hell is this thing alive? Why is it alive? All that it brings is just suffering. Shouldn’t a creature like this be allowed to die?

“Your in pain, right?”

The creature nodded.

“And you…you can’t die?”

Another nod, however the creature then pointed at (name), what does that mean?

(name) felt tears roll down her face, being a doctor she’s seen many things die so why is she so sad!? Hugging the fluffy creature (name) wished that she could help them so badly it hurt her heart.

Then, a child's voice whispered into her ear;

“Thank you sister”

Opening her eyes (name) vaguely saw the golden outline of a child ghost before it faded away for good, the body in her hands belonged to a child-and it was no dead.

Before (name) could process anything her head began to hurt, it was like a thousand different child voices were whispering into her ears all at once. Saying the same 5 things over and over again.

“SINNERS! KHAENRI’AH! ALL OF THEM!”

It hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts It hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts It hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts It hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts It hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts It hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts It hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts

“SWEET SWEET CELESTIA, SAVIOR CELESTIA! PROPHET OF OUR GOD!”

It hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts It hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts It hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts It hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts It hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts It hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts It hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts

“HERETIC, HERETIC! RHINEDOTTIR, BLASPHEMER AGAINST THE CREATOR! BURN HER!”

It hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts It hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts It hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts It hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts It hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts It hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts It hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts.

“THE TREE- THE TREE- THE TREE- THE TREE- THE TREE -THE TREE- THE TREE -THE TREE -THE TREE- THE TREE!”

It hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts It hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts It hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts It hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts It hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts It hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts It hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts

Yet despite all those voices one seemed to overpower all of them.

“ALL HAIL THE CREATOR! ALL HAIL AASHITA!”

(name) vaguely remembered hitting the ground, it was funny she didn’t remember having stood up. She felt someone pick her up and she felt the sweet caress of a bridal carry, then nothing.

—------------------------------------------------------------

When she woke up, she only asked freminet one question.

“If I got to snezhnaya will it make things easier for you?”

“Yes”

“Tell your father im going then” (name) turned away, desperate to understand what she saw.

End chapter.

Authors note: uhhhhhh, this ended up being more angstful than i wanted, but hope you enjoyed!

[heroineimages]

Weird parody idea

I haven't been able to find it again, but a while back on Tumblr there was a post going around about being the one maid in a hentai mansion who actually does her work while everyone else in the place is busy fornicating. While the maid in the post seemed grumpy about her work, I had the idea of making a cheery little ace maid who's completely nonchalant about the weird deviance she's surrounded by. I wrote this brief sfw scene that's all about making weird dialogue seem like an everyday exchange, and I have ideas for a few other scenes that are less sfw.

“Thank you for waiting, Mister Jacobs!” I called, holding my apron and skirts up as I trotted down the lane to the manor’s front gate. Without breaking stride, I scooped up a used rubber from the nearby grass with a trash-spear and deposited it in the little disposable bag I carried for that purpose. The master’s family could be so messy about that kind of thing.

“Miss Ada again, is it?” Mister Jacobs, the postman, greeted in return. “No Mister Harris again this morning?” he asked, referring to the usual doorman.

“No, I’m afraid Mister Harris the gateman is still chained up in the mistress’s sex-basement,” I informed him as he handed me the master and mistress’s letters. “I regret to tell you that he won’t be able to say ‘hello’ and give you head this morning.”

“Ach, that makes three days in a row,” Mister Jacobs lamented humorously. He squinted a bit at me with a queer tilt to his head. “How’d you do it, lass? You told me yourself that you don’t enjoy sex much, so how do you handle working for a family as notoriously deviant as the Williamsons?”

“Oh, I really don’t mind for the most part!” I answered, blushing a bit at the bevy of spicy memories about their aforementioned notorious deviance. “The master and mistress are both kind and very respectful of my boundaries—but I understand how unlikely that seems, given how few boundaries everyone else around here seems to have!” I laughed.

“Well, do remember me to Mister Harris when you see him,” Mister Jacobs nodded, tipping his hat.

“Of course!” I beamed, curtsying. “I’ll tell him you said hello when I put fresh water in his dog-bowl later,” I promised. Letters in hand, I waved farewell and trotted back up the lane to the front door.

[gloamists]

“Will you tear down the system or become part of it?” Why Percy Jackson will always be better than Harry Potter

JK Rowlings blatant transphobia and horrible writing skills aside, Percy Jackson as a character is leaps and bounds better than Harry Potter, and it is not particularly close.

These two characters often get compared to each other, and for good reason. Both are characters under the “chosen one” archetype. Both presented as prodigies within their given stories, and both are subject to oppressive governmental type forces throughout their stories. However, one of these characters decides to tear down said oppressive force by the end of their book, while the other decides to work within it. And that, at least in my opinion, is the glaring difference between them.

If you haven’t already guessed, Harry Potter is the one that decides to work within the system rather than tear it down. At the end of his series, HP decides to basically become a wizard cop, after being completely shafted and done wrong by The Ministry of Magic throughout his story. When Harry tried to convince the Ministry that Voldemort is in fact alive and killing people once again, they brush him off and call him a liar as to not incite panic and distrust of the Ministry. When Harry uses magic in self defense outside of school grounds they decide to try and expel him instead of hearing him out. Hell, they even try to put his Godfather, Sirius Black, to DEATH in the 3rd book. But despite all of this, Harry decides to join them at the end of the final book? Why? Because Harry is not hero, and he is no revolutionary. He is the product of his own creators blatant bigotry and ignorance.

Percy Jackson on the other hand, is completely different. In the Percy Jackson series, the overarching problem really is that the Gods are not claiming their children. Leaving them to fend for themselves in a world where almost everything is out to kill them. This results in Demigods like Luke Castellan to rebel and side with the Titans to bring down the Gods. Throughout the book, Percy clashes with Luke and other like minded Demigods who want to take down Olympus. And at the end, Luke ends up sacrificing himself to save the people he loves. Due to his part in fighting against the Titans, Percy is granted 1 wish, anything he could want. The Gods offer him immortality, assuming that would of course be what he wanted. Because what could be better than being a God? What could be better than being them. But instead of taking immortality and eternal power, Percy decides to make the Gods promise to claim ALL of their kids. Pointing out that if they had done this from the beginning, Luke and the other Demigods would never have rebelled and none of this would ever have happened. Notice what I am trying to get at here. Instead of using the wish to grasp immortality and benefit from the oppressive system like another main character from another series did, Percy used to the power at his disposal to tear down the oppressive system in front of him and change it for the benefit of the future Demigods.

Both of these characters are presented as hero archetypes, but it obvious to me that only one really fits that mold. And it isn’t Harry Potter. Hell, we were shown signs of Harry’s indifference to the oppressive force in his world early on. When Hermione informs Harry that the house elves are effectively slaves working for the wizarding world, Harry tells her that because they seem to enjoy it that it really isn’t their problem. And that right there told me all I needed to know about his character.

Now it is no secret that JK Rowling herself is a terrible person. The constant transphobic rhetoric she spits out of her mouth on the internet is disgusting. Not to mention the blatant racism and antisemitism seeping out of her writing. Naming the only asian character in her book “Cho Chang” and the only black character “Kingsley Shacklebolt”. And the Gringotts Goblins are obviously jewish caricatures. This ignorance and indifference undoubtedly plays a role in how terribly written Harry Potter is as a character.

Anyways, Harry Potter is a terrible series read Percy Jackson instead it’s much better thanks ily bye ❤️❤️

[asknerdizzy]

Special Visit

Haven had been uncharacteristically terse all day, as her usual composure was slipping just enough to make her subordinates uneasy. Everyone was given clear instructions: Salvatore’s arrival was to be kept secret, the location fortified with every layer of protection Haven could muster at her disposal.

Kerberos was called in and assured her that the route was safe. “Good.” Haven said as she was smoothing her hands down her cloak, though her movements betrayed her nerves.”Salvatore’s safety is paramount. If anything happens to him…” She trailed off, but the weight of the unspoken threat made Kerberos tense. “You got it boss. But what’s the big deal with this guy? Why all the secrecy? With how big you talk of the guy no one should bother him.” Haven’s sharp gaze pierces him, her tone cutting. “Salvatore is... not what he once was. You will treat him with respect regardless. And remember, his arrival is to remain quiet.” Kerberos stayed quiet as he was dismissed but his curiosity deepened.

Kerberos was tasked with picking Salvatore up from the designated location. He was excepting someone imposing, but instead found a frail, sickly old man. The guy looked awful and more like an undead. Plus the smell…reminded him of Haven a tad, but it was overwhelmingly bad. Kerberos had to suck it up. Salvatore sat in his wheelchair, a heavy blanket on his lap obscuring his limbs that most likely couldn’t support him any longer. His skin pale with veins very much visible. His eyes are what made Kerberos think twice about him. They were behind round colored glasses, dark, sunken in and glassy. There’s something unsettling in his gaze—not power, but an uncanny depth, as if he’s already read everything Kerberos is thinking.

Kerberos hesitated wondering if this really was the guy. “You’re…Father Salvatore?” The old man lips curled into a smile. “I see you were expecting someone more…” He briefly motioned to himself showing his hands were bandaged. “Well not someone like me. But I assure you I am he. You must be Kerberos.” Kerberos shifted uncomfortably. “Yeah, I didn’t mean to offend-“

“No need to apologize.” Salvatore interrupted, his voice calm but a hint of amusement. “Haven likes to flatter me. Maybe too much. But she’s like that, so affectionate.” Kerberos looked even more confused. “Are you fu**ing joking?” He quickly covered his mouth and Salvatore merely chuckled. “I like to exaggerate too, and I don’t mind you talking informally to me boy.” Kerberos looked around before cautiously shaking his head.”I’ll stick to the formal sh-stuff…let’s head out.” Kerberos stepped forward to wheel Salvatore to the waiting vehicle. Wanting this to be over so he doesn’t screw up more so than he already has.

[8bitsupervillain]

Higurashi When They Cry Hou Ch. 5 Meakashi pt. 9

It's time for the Watanagashi festival kids! It's all uphill for everyone from here on out!

First up, Shion decides to sleep the day away. What a champ. Then we cut to Satoshi doing nothing suspicious whatsoever. Just mentally going over how he can't keep living like this, and looking at a garbage desk his aunt might want. What a sweet kid, looking out for the aunt who is a smoking terror by looking at usable furniture she might want. I'd probably use a desk I found abandoned, as long as it wasn't covered in dump gunk anyway. Hardwood or metal furniture if it was in decent condition hell yeah I'd take it. Nothing fabric though, like office chairs? No way.

I do like this juxtaposition between acting like they normally do and Rika trying her level best to try to cheer up Satoko who's in a bad situation. Also I enjoy how this section is just going through these events at a rapid pace, it puts you slightly off-balance with how it's just whipping by from scene to scene.

Like Keiichi before him Satoshi seems to have just committed fully to the now or never flashpoint of murdering one of Satoko's relatives. It hasn't given a real time of when he did the deed, but part of me suspects that this bit, where he feels like he's manamorphosed into a different person happened after he killed his aunt. This can't be before because it seems unlikely since he mentioned he had to lug home a chest for her that he'd mention the desk and she'd go off on her own, he'd probably have to go with her to verify that it is indeed a desk. My theory is, the reason for his barefoot running is because this is the time he's using to dispose of the body.

Back when I graduated from high school they did an event that had a raffle in it, there was stuff like fifty dollar gift cards to various stores, a few random other objects, and a few ipods. So, during the raffle they announced the winner of one of the ipods, it was a deaf student that won it. It was one of the most hilarious things I'd ever witnessed, and I just absolutely delight in telling this story. Cause, what are the odds! I'm pretty certain the deaf student also found it funny.

Knowing my luck I'd enter the raffle at the 1982 Watanagashi and probably win a coupon for a free ice cream or something. I never win raffles, or contests, I could enter a contest and be the only entrant and still walk away empty handed.

The Hinamizawa information network works fast, it seems they've already found the body.

Just an aside, they may have said her name before but I never really caught on how they pronounce Oryou. So every time it appeared I read it as Or-you, and in the back of my head kept to the idea that it was probably actually Or-yo. So when Kimiyoshi there pronounced it as Oreo I found that kind of funny. The great and terrible criminal leader Fig Newton.

I find it interesting that Chips Ahoy there seems to have instantly figured out who the culprit is, if not the victim. Clearly she knew it was going to happen again, but part of me wonders if she was secretly hoping that it wouldn't, that maybe the seemingly random deaths were just that, a weird coincidence, and nothing more. But alas, nothing's ever easy is it? If we're operating under the theory that the Sonozakis are actually innocent of all the various deaths and disappearances I wonder if Oryou has her suspicions about who it is that's behind the larger plot? Or if she just views this particular murder as just some rando trying to take advantage of an already confused situation?

[janeykath318]

Science Talk: TaserTorch

Prompt: “I haven’t seen you since you blacked out and threw up on my shoes at that party last year.”

“So, is that a no to the date, then?”

“Heads up Darcy: your flaming admirer is on his way over here.”

Clint whispered a warning to his friend, who turned and sighed when she saw Johnny Storm coming toward her. The man was cute, but a walking red flag.

“Thanks, Clint. I’ll dispose of him quickly,” she murmured.

“And I’ll help you get rid of the body,” Clint muttered with a much too eager grin.

“He’s not THAT annoying,” Darcy sighed.

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Johnny said, sauntering up beside her with his usual obnoxious smirk. (Okay, it was kind of cute, but she’d be dead before she’d admit that.)

“Ugh. Storm.” She sighed. “What did I do to deserve this?”

“Nice to see you too, Lewis. Thought you might like to talk a little science.”

She didn’t believe him.

“I haven’t seen you since you blacked out and threw up on my shoes at that party last year.” Darcy reminded him, hoping he’d be a little embarrassed at his idiocy. Those had been very expensive shoes, after all.

“So, is that a no to the date, then?” he persisted, looking only slightly chastened at the memory.

“What do you think?” Darcy retorted. “If you genuinely want to talk science, we can talk right here in this semi-crowded room filled with nerds and superheroes.”

She fixed him with a challenging stare, expecting him to brush her off or double down on the flirting, but Johnny just nodded.

“Fair enough. I’m far from the level Reed or Banner or Stark are, but I’ve always found space fascinating. Your article on supernovas was really interesting.”

“You read that?”

Darcy’s eyebrows rose. She’d thought the only thing he would read would be Playboy or Popular Mechanics.

“Yeah. I had to google some terms, but it was really interesting and informative. Also, you have a very engaging way of writing that stands out among some of the dry as sawdust stuff in those journals.”

“Thanks,” she replied, with a slight chuckle. “That’s one of my pet peeves in the field. I want to make science fun and fascinating, not bore people to sleep. I could go on a whole rant about that, but that might drive you away.”

“Try me,” Johnny stated.

“You mean that? Cause we might be here awhile,” she warned him.

“I don’t mind,” he replied. “It’ll be way more interesting than dealing with Reed’s condescending attitude. He’s a good brother in law, but totally insufferable sometimes.”

“So I’ve heard,” Darcy agreed, glancing over to see Reed and Tony chatting. “Jane gets all ragey for a solid day after meeting with him. If you’re serious about listening to my impassioned rant, we’d probably better go sit down in the lounge.”

“Sure,” he agreed, happy she was willing to talk to him about it. Finally, some common ground.

Much to Darcy’s surprise, Johnny turned out to be not just a good listener, but an actively engaged one as well. He was genuinely interested in learning about her studies and asked very good questions that kept her on her toes. As a result, she let her guard down and they talked about a lot more than science.

She found herself laughing as Johnny described the pranks he’d played on Reed and Ben and the all out war he’d had against Clint, another champion prankster.

The time sped by, and before they knew it, the place had emptied out and the time was late.

“Whoa. How did it get to be 11:30?” she wondered.

Johnny looked up in surprise. “Wow. I have no idea. You needing to leave?”

She nodded.

“Yeah. I turn into a pumpkin at midnight. But it was nice talking to you. When you’re not a horn dog, you’re actually really interesting.”

Johnny turned a bit pink.

“I’m working on turning over a new leaf. Thank you for this. I’ve learned a lot tonight. Walk you to your car? I’ll behave.”

“Given how late it is, I think I’ll take you up on that,” she said, as she rose to go collect her things. “I hate going out in the dark and you have a handy built-in lighting system.”

Johnny chuckled. “Yup. Occasionally I am useful for something.”

He was as good as his word and lit the way with a flaming fireball in his hand.

“Not gonna lie, that’s really cool” she admitted as she opened her car door. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” he replied. “Maybe I’ll see you around sometime?”

“Most likely. Try not to get yourself killed in the meantime,” Darcy urged him.

Johnny smiled at her. “I’ll try. Have a nice night, Darcy.”

As she drove off, he ambled slowly towards his own car, thinking happily how nice it was to be able to be himself for once and how refreshing Darcy was. He was sick of simpering fangirls who just wanted to get him in bed and he was sick of not being a person someone like her would ever want to be with. He knew he’d have to work for it and it might take awhile, but he felt she was definitely worth it.

[lilyliesgold]

TW for vomiting, blood drawing, and general medical grossness

Ok, I just possibly has the worst night of my life. I know I told myself I'd try not to bring my personal life onto this blog, but honestly I feel the need to share this with someone. Just to get clarification, or support, or something.

Out of the blue last night, I started feeling my stomach getting upset. I have pretty regular stomach issues cause of a condition that I have, so I was pretty certain it was just gas.

I can tell you now, it wasn't.

So I went through my regular routine when it comes to this stuff. Go to the bathroom to see if that helps, if it doesn't, lay on the floor on your stomach until it goes away. If it still doesn't go away, tell a parent and get a heating pad.

The heating pad helped very little, and I was squirming around the couch like a worm on concrete cause I couldn't find a position that helped ease the pain. Long story short, I ended up throwing up, pain doubled, and after it eased a little I agreed to go to the ER.

Now this is where things get...fun. So, I'm at the desk, clinging to my mom because my legs are weak and my left, lower abdomen is really painful. It was so bad they got me a wheelchair. However, I think this is what messed up the waiting process for me.

Here's the thing, after throwing up, the pain gets really bad. Like, 9 to 10 on a scale of 1-10. But, then the pain starts dulling down and is more of a 1-2. When I was talking to the nurse who was getting my information and the guy who drew my blood, I was feeling really good, so my priority probably wasn't very high. I was just a teenager that had pain in her abdomen and threw up once at home, but is feeling pretty chipper right now.

Not even 30 min after that I threw up again, and wouldn't you guess it, my pain skyrocketed back up to a 9. That happened two more times before I was even admitted. There was just a ton of people in that waiting room, watching me periodically throw up, and then basically get incapacitated by the waves of pain that followed.

However, I'm lenient on this because the hospital was really busy, and when I was checked in I didn't really look that bad and we didn't really have a good scope of what was going on to properly inform the hospital of my condition.

I spent two hours in the waiting room, in which I threw up three times. After that they found a bed for me in the hallway that I could use while they found me a room. Same thing that happened in the waiting room, but at least I was a nice surface to lay on and blankets to keep me warm. I was given anti-nausea, but I threw up shortly after ingesting it so it didn't do much unfortunately.

Now, here comes the really fun part. When I finally get a room, my nurse does the usual. Gives me one of the arm squeezing things and an IV. (I've been going to hospitals since I was five and still don't know the name of the armband, sue me.)

Here's the thing, I already got my blood drawn was back at the beginning, but this nurse said it was better to have a few more samples so they could get a better look.

I've never had a more painful blood drawing than that one, and I've had a lot of blood drawings, whether through regular means or through an IV. Maybe it was because I was dehydrated, but she would press on my IV really hard while she drew two samples of my blood. I don't know if that's normal if you have a dehydrated patient though.

No, the kicker is that those blood samples were never even used. Instead, they sat on the desk, forgotten, FOR TWO TO THREE HOURS! Yes, you heard me right. After about three straight hours of pain, I go through the extra painful process of getting additional blood drawn, and it doesn't even get handled properly.

(The best part of this is that at the end of my visit, the nurse didn't even dispose of them properly. She just threw them away in the trash near my bed. I get having a really busy night with tons of patients, but that is a literal biohazard ma'am. There are now two vials of my blood sitting in the dumpsters behind that hospital.)

Thankfully, after about three more times throwing up, I suddenly felt better. There wasn't any pain in my abdomen and I didn't feel like throwing up anymore! Actually, now that I wasn't in pain anymore, I really had to go to the bathroom.

So, I did as my nurse told me, press the big red button and she'll come running. It took a while, and a different nurse walked by and untethered me from my IV so I could relieve myself.

You know how you have to pee in one of those cups sometimes? Yeah, that's how we found out what had been wrong with me. In the cup was a 2mm kidney stone. What a milestone to pass before even graduating high school.

After another two hours of waiting, I was finally discharged. I was just sitting in that room, in complete bliss and boredom, for two hours until my nurse finally remembered about her patient and came by to check on us.

Wonderful, I've never hated a hospital more. I understand they were busy, but all it took to get the process to get us out of there was one male nurse coming in, despite being clearly busy, and asking how we were doing.

He was a real help, urging my assigned nurse more than once to take care of getting my IV out and fish my kidney stone out into an empty jar. Honest to god, when he told her to filter the kidney stone out, she asked him if he could do it instead. I don't know if that's unprofessional, but it definitely looked like it. Let me know if that's normal though.

The thing that worries me the most about this is how my blood was handled, and I'm not sure what I should do about that, or if there's anything I can do about it.

[pyrolatta]

I decided to post my writing here, aswell!! :3 This right here is my first oneshot with ocs! Youko and Victor!

; 2141 words / finished on 19th of november 2024

She didn’t think she would miss how clean her boss’ office was. Floor covering was worn out, clearly showing paths taken to go around the furniture. A leather couch, which saw better days, had some holes visible from afar and a chair in front of the desk. It wasn’t moved for her, there was someone a bit more important before she went in. The chair behind the desk however, was taken. Its back was facing her, but the top of who she was meant to talk with was visible. These violet strands were really unfitting for someone his position. It made him look immature. Which he was, they belonged to his image.

Victor finally finished talking on the phone, turning towards her with a slight smile. – Nice to see you back, again, Youko.

– Yes, you too, Victor.

The silence filled the room again, except this time it was much more awkward for the two of them. Victor leaned over the desk a bit in a welcoming manner, putting his hands together. It made him seem smaller, which Youko did like to see, but it wasn’t the best way to appear for what she was about to ask for.

— I want to be moved from my current workplace. With Akari not being a threat anymore, I deci…

— I know, I know. Quit the formalities, I had a feeling you were here for that. - and there his shoulders stopped being so stiff, which she just noticed now. Victor tilted his head a little, looking right into her eyes. - Alright, listen to me. - he begun. - Five years is… A lot of time, dear. - Youko clenched her teeth a bit. Being called that, especially by him, got on her nerves. She’s not whatever he thinks of her, far from that. His mind must view her as weaker than she actually is. - Lowline is not so small anymore, it was never small. Employees come and go, Elliot recruits a lot of new faces…

– Are you saying that… My lab got given to someone else? - said words got Victor to pause. His eyes not looking at Youko anymore, but through her, as if his mind was pierced by something. His body tensed up, it was visible, disgustingly clear, his body language was clearer than his windows. 

— I thought you wouldn’t come back. Akari was–

– Akari was destroyed, Vic. I had to hide them somehow, this would be treated as if I killed them. I did not want any consequences out of that malfunctioning being. Their development got out of control, they stopped doing what they were supposed to. Helping me.

– This was not my decision, Youko. Maverick did not inform me about this.

– Oh, he’s behind all this? And you, oh poor soul, didn’t know about it? - Her tone twisted to become more aggressive. Victor was weak to that, the way he sat changed. Now his back was closer to the chair, leaning on it, looking like he was ready to sink into the material.

– Yes, exactly. - he muttered, much quieter than the words he received. 

– And what am I supposed to do now? I have no reason to go back to that site I was at. I purposely avoided talking to anyone, just doing my job, in hopes I’ll get brought back where I belong. I have unfinished projects I’d like to finish.

Victor stayed silent.

– They were disposed of, weren’t they? Victor, you should have informed me about this. Notified, told. Are you even interested in what is happening here? The place which was built from your money? What if something was damaged? You’d be the one paying for it.

– Maverick took it.

– Oh! What a relief, I got worried he completely lost empathy for me! He did grow after all.

– But you seem to still hate him for what he did.

– Ah, another miracle! You listen to what's happening here! Wow, that's wonderful, Vic! What other things did they say? That it was all my fault? Okay, listen. I just need a new lab to work at, I really don’t care where it will be. I just need my things back, and I won’t bother you, or Maverick! I won’t even write an email!--

– I do think you should talk to him, yourself, Youko.

She blinked at him a few times, finally catching a breath from lashing out at him. This felt… Wrong to her.

– I shouldn’t. I’m the one who got punished for his stupidity. His… 

– He reported you for destroying a project. Shared project.

— Jus..? - Youko quickly backed out from speaking her mind, backing off from the desk a bit, taking a more serious position to talk. - Well, that is true, yes. It was purely caused by emotions, I shouldn't have done that…

— You’re not being recorded. - Vic used the pause to inform Youko. - We have full privacy.

— … I had my reasons, Victor. Maverick was too fucking emotional over my doings. It went in the way of experiments, he used that robot to get me away from discovering something great.

– Being?

Youko… Did not tell anyone about her little gorey discovery.. Looks like Maverick kept that promise too, at least.

– Engineering breakthrough. - she lied. And by Victors reaction, her lie went undetected, it went as a surprise to him. - He wanted to keep it a secret til it was ready to face the world. Didn’t he tell you? I thought filing reports required you to note every detail.

– No, he did not. All he talked about were the damages created by the robot itself. Nothing more. 

– Huh. - This caught Youko off guard. She thought Maverick has told about everything, but from what she was told…He hasn’t. She backed off once again, standing a bit straighter. 

Victor tilted his head a bit at her.

– Well, you can still work at the site you had duty at. - he finally continued. - Or we can move you into an empty one.

– Both choices suck, if i’m gonna be honest.

– Maybe it'll do good for you? You’ll breathe some new air. 

– I really don’t think I’m as young as i was before, I’m not so open to people anymore… - Youko awkwardly chuckled, turning her gaze away from Victor. - My charm has faded.

– There are no other options, I’m sorry.

– What if I talked to that guy Maverick gave the lab to? I bet its not that changed from how it was, I’ll feel right back at home! - she cheerfully suggested.

– Separating a student from its teacher? 

– Its what. Maverick took on teaching? - that surprised her so much, she approached the desk, leaving over Victor, whos face catched a bit redness as she got closer. - Him?

– Y- Yes, For a while now… Two… and a half years? - he wasn’t sure of the number. Seeing Youkos face react to given informations got him worried. 

– Now i have to pay a visit! - she bit her nail from excitement, looking straight at Victor. - Maverick being a teacher? I gotta see this! 

Victor said too much. He noticed the exact moment her plans were sure.

– You really shouldn’t, he’s not ready to see you.

– Ready? Its just gonna be a moment, i wanna talk to his student, not him! He can not even notice.

He felt a… threatening outcome from the way she was speaking. As she stepped away from the desk, he got up.

– You cannot. I cannot let you, safety reasons. 

– Safety, safety! Its just a visit, I won’t bring anything with me. 

– I cannot trust you.

– I cannot see you as an obstacle to this. You cannot forbid me from a visit! 

– You seem to have malicious intents. I cannot let you. 

– Psh, fine. - Youko took a seat on the chair that was moved in front of the desk.

Was it that easy? Something… Not seemed right. Victor took a seat back himself, glancing unsurely at Youko. But she looked Calm. At least she appeared to have calmed down. Her body language was… Vague, giving him various worries. 

– So? - She suddenly spoke. Victor jumped in his seat from how far he got into his thoughts.

– Listen… Maybe not a visit, but… You can always call him?

– Don’t you think it'd be a bit of a silly? 

– Letter?

– Don’t be ridiculous.

– I can always tell him.

– Whenever you want, huh? No, I want to do that, we need something direct. 

– Phone call is our best choice, i’ll pick the number for you.

– Now? 

– Do you not want to waste any time? - he tilted his head a bit at her.

– You’re right… 

And that signaled Victor to move a rotary phone closer to Youko on his desk. He begun to put the number in as she watched. 

– Its a bit funny to see you still have these phones. 

– They’re fun to use, I don’t like the new ones. 

Youko nodded. 

And once he finished, he gave the receiver to Youko.

Beep…

The stress was growing, Youko looked at the wheel of the rotary phone.

Beep…

Is this gonna be how she says “Hi” to him after this while? 

Beep…

He’s not picking up. But she kept the receiver close to her face.

– Youko? - Victor reached out his hand towards her, just to be met with her turning away.

– Wait. - she muttered.

Beep…

Beep…

He was right, he’s not gonna answer. But what Youko realized… She was not ready to see him. She might have seemed tough, but actually hearing his voice would break her. 

– Youko, please. Give the phone to me. He must be away, he can be busy, you know? 

Youko?

Youko?

Youko, can you hear me?

She wasn’t ready, huh? What is she, weak? He’s weak, he did this to her. Her voice will break him. In person, not through a muffled phonecall. Victor clearly wants to protect this pathetic bastard, Maverick clearly told him things, he ruined her in his eyes. He’s changed, he’s on a side and he’s showing that. And those who are fed lies, and decide on things… He’s gonna be a problem. She has to act.

A blunt sound of the rotary phone receiver hitting something went through the room. Victors chair rolled away from the desk, his head held with his shaking hands. His pathetic, weak hands. How dare he suggest this pathetic idea? Calls are for those who are weak, and she’s far from that. She’s far from anything he has ever thought of her. 

– Ghn… - Victor pulled his hand away from his head. Phew, she didn’t cause any bleeding. But looking back up… Youko wasn’t here anymore. Panic overtook him, he quickly looked left, then right. But as he wanted to get up from the chair, something pulled him right to where he was, wrapping around his neck. He began to move rapidly, pushing his hands under what was tightening around his neck, attempting to loosen it.

His body curled, legs kicked, head turned. After a while his movements weakened, but Youko tightened the wire, til Victor went fully limp.

Youko tightened the phone wire around his neck for a few more minutes, just to make sure.

– You’re not gonna forbid me from seeing him. I don’t want to lose my only opportunity get my things back. I want to see how weak he's gotten since the last time I saw him. Just like you, you promised to keep my creations where I wanted them to be kept. But oh, you broke our promise! And look how things turned out for you… Poor you, Vic. - she pulled his cheek. - Poor, poor Victor. - Her smile instantly went away, as the silence kicked back in. It was only her now. What a shame.

She placed the phone on Victors lap, placing the receiver under his head. Now, he’s calling someone! A bit funny to do it like that, but she’s not going out her way to untangle the wire. He’s staying like that.

Right, she has to take his keys too. As she reached for them in the drawer, something catched her eye.

A pair of sunglasses. Sharp, rectangle glasses. They were surprisingly thin, but she couldn’t help but find that appealing. 

– I can take these, right? I’ve never seen you in them, i doubt it'll be a bother. - She smiled at him. 

Oh, right. He’s on the phone.

[jodilin65]

I had a really weird experience. First, I had one of those classic dreams where I was wanted by the police, but I didn’t know why. I asked Tom if, given the evidence, he thought they would come after me, and he said, “Yeah, sooner or later.”

The next dream was quite freaky. It involved Rhonda and me being held hostage by her and others working with her. I don’t know why or who they were killing, but they would kill people and dispose of the bodies somehow. Because I was a witness, they wouldn’t let me go. At one point in the dream, I was talking with Rhonda, studying her, and I thought to myself how you really never know people and what they’re capable of. I considered how petite she was and career-orientated and that I would never in a million years suspect her of being a cold-blooded murderer. I saw her stabbing a man to death in another part of the dream, and to appear compliant so I could gain her trust—and that of my other captors—I asked if they needed any help when I saw her and someone else crouched over the dead body. They said they would take care of it.

Then I woke up and made my online rounds as usual, checking various sites I frequent, one of them being Facebook. In the feed, there was a post from someone in the park group showing a forensics vehicle along with three or four cruisers parked outside the entrance of the park and just down the street. There was a place that had been a real eyesore for the longest time. I don’t know if it was some kind of junkyard or what, but it’s been slowly cleared out. I think the place in question was next to it. It was hard to see from the street because of all the vegetation, but you could tell it was quite dilapidated with junk strewn about. I guess the guy who lived there at one point was a shrimper. I don’t have the full report yet, but I’m getting the impression the place was empty. There was a recent stabbing in Port Richey, and someone first said it might have been connected to that, but now they’re saying there might have been a dead homeless woman in there. The timing of the dream and this incident is quite coincidental. I can’t wait to find out how she died once more information becomes available.

After nearly two weeks of being consistent, it’s definitely time to skip a dose again. It’s nice that my weight went back down (faster than I could lose it when I was young and healthy), but I’ve felt warm and wound up. I took half a clonazepam and it didn’t do much, but when I took another half, I felt better. The only problem was that it made me drowsy. So, I have to take enough to make me drowsy in order to take the edge off the anxiety, which sucks. If this were something I could take every day, it could really help conquer my fear of losing more weight because then I wouldn’t have to worry about the Levo as much. I can totally see how, if I ever made it to 150 lbs, I would have to drop back to 75. As it is, I’m right in the middle—88 is too much but 75 is not quite enough. I was really hoping I wouldn’t need to lose much more weight before feeling its effects and needing my dose decreased. I thought I would have to lose 25 or 30 lbs, yet every 5 lbs I lose means I won’t need as much thyroid.

Tom and I were talking about how it would not only be nice to have a bigger living room for the VR and a bigger kitchen for all our gadgets, but nowadays, you also need much bigger bathrooms! We could practically use a lot more counter space and drawers in there, too, because even bathroom supplies have expanded. Back in my twenties, when I was less needy and many gadgets hadn’t even been created yet, all I had in my bathroom was my toothbrush, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, a small pouch of makeup, a few bottles of nail polish perfume, nail clippers, polish remover, and feminine supplies. But now, both bathrooms are chock-full of dozens and dozens of things that either didn’t exist back then or that I just didn’t need.

Even just my hair products have expanded. I used to have just a brush and a blow dryer—straightening irons hadn’t hit the scene yet, and I certainly didn’t need a curling iron. Now, instead of a handful of barely coated elastics, I have tons of scrunchies, headbands, clips, conditioners, a straightening brush, Turbie Twists, hair-cutting tools, and more.

My ‘80s kitchen had just a few dishes, cups, mugs, pots, silverware, a toaster, and a coffeemaker. Now, on top of that, I have a microwave, a Keurig machine, a couple of slow cookers, a toaster, an air fryer, a popcorn maker, an electric potato peeler, slicers, a steamer,  colanders, a large wok, a mixer, and tons of other things.

[despair-to-future-arcs]

Now that I have some more time in my hands I should respond to what you told me about the afterlife teather stuff when I send in my review for last episode; I'm aware we're yet to see everything this piece of the story has to offer, but the issue I have with it, and by extension the other ghostly interactions here, is how the ghosts meddle with the humans as it is the trope itself that annoys me greatly.

My biggest issue with it is that I feel like oftentimes it makes the living characters feel like complete idiots that can't solve anything unless they speak to a ghost, even though the clues do exist in their disposal. But nooooooo, we need to talk to this dead guy so he can confirm what we already knew from our own, living world, investigation. This trope just annoys me to no end as I believe the living characters should always take priority in actions over deceased ones, since, well, they're dead. This is the whole reason why the WOH's parents ghost channeling segments are my least favorite parts in the blog, since they're literally just that.

This isn't to say I hate it everytime the ghosts interfere, as I don't have a problem when it's done in a way where it was actually needed to pass some information, as it validates the otherworldy intervention, like with revealing that Iroha took the luck that was meant to be Akemi's or how Satoko deleted any footage of her SAing Yukio herself and not the steering comitee trying to cover up her tracks. These are instances where it HAD to be the ghosts revealing it since there's no living person to tell that or much concrete evidence left behind, and if the other things the afterlife teather will do in-story are in this same vein, then I won't mind them at all, but knowing how the WOH's parent channeling goes here, I'll remain wary so that I don't get angry later down the line if they turn out more similar to it than Akane and Nagi's dream conversations.

With that being said, again, please don't take it upon yourself to alter what's planned due to my opinion on these matters, since it's all 100% personal taste from my part and not at all an objective critique of your writing.

-Critic anon

//Right, I had a feeling it would be related to this and thank you for typing, while I do understand that the ghost channeling stuff might not be enjoyable for everyone and I know I had some concerns about them talking to ghost or it becomes overpower but the reason I had this is that in Danganronpa canon ghost do exist and Komaru did talk with Monaca's father and DR3 had the after life theater.

//Plus if we are to include Fanganronpa's side of things, well Mikako is the Ultimate Exorcist aka she has a talent in channeling spirits which Hope's Peak Academy scouted for it so pretty much it's why we got ghost stuff going on.

//As for the stuff with the WoH, a reason I have that happening is mostly because of the characters that are investigating; Aside from Sunako who is collecting, gathering and getting evidence - the others aren't exactly levels of Kyoko or Masa because Toko didn't exactly lead a investigation or most time Syo was in the trial and since Toko and Syo don't share the same memories that means she would know somethings but wouldn't be able to lead an investigation and Komaru didn't really investigate at all in Towa City, she gather stuff and even Hiroko was the one finding those on the hit list.

//I know that people could suggest Takaaki or Fuhito to help with this given ones a police officer and the other is a detective but the reason those 2 aren't is due the WoH's themselves, remember that most of them don't trust adults, view them as demons and while sure they did give up on the Children's Paradise plan - they aren't comfortable around adults and understandably so which Sunako is trying to avoid.

//Also another reason for this is to show how Komaru and Makoto both differ in what they experience during the tragedy, the 2 aren't going to behave or act the same, how they operate is different so how they investigate is going to differ.

//Also if worry about the ghost stuff, don't worry - I think when we get to the After Life Lore Bit; I'll be sure to write down about ghost and the nature of them. ^^

[360iris]

someone’s ACOTAR hot take was that Feyre’s title as High Lady was only given to her like one would give a turned off game controller to a toddler so that they feel included, as though they’re doing something when it ultimately serves as a illusion to keep her complacent and generally happy—

one of their examples being how the healer decided to tell Rhysand over Feyre when disclosing the information about the fact that her pregnancy was going to kill her if she tried to give birth in her High Fae body

If her bodily autonomy was truly respected. If her choices always mattered… and if she was truly respected as High Lady, she would’ve gotten that information immediately, which she was wholly and non-negotiably entitled to.

Seeing as their bargain was going to take Rhys’ ass out too, he had ample time to, at the very least, prepare to die.

He had the time to settle his affairs between himself and others. He had a choice on how he’d go out.

And yet he robbed Feyre of that and fully intended to what? let her die unaware as to why her pregnancy magically became complicated and she was in searing pain?

But putting that dumpster fire of an arc aside…

I think Feyre’s inexperience and lack of proper preparation leading up to/and after she was given the title of High Lady of the Night Court is why she isn’t actually viewed as true equals in POWER/OVERALL AUTHORITY to Rhysand.

SJM fully keeps Feyre’s mind and plans purposefully underdeveloped.

When in actuality, what 19-22 year olds do any of us know that don’t have a literal list of 1,000,000 ways they’d better and change the world they live in?

So many of us would be visionaries, artists, and groundbreaking activists if we had even an ounce of the physical, magical and POLITICAL POWER that Feyre is given.

Hell… give me three months, all the power at Feyre’s disposal ALONG WITH the devoted magic tank that is Rhysand and I’d be ushering in a new world order within the next year and six months. LIKE COME ON.

You’re telling me that her grand ideas are:

1. rebuilding Velaris after the one singular attack,

2. rehoming civilians,

3. buying an art studio and giving free painting lessons to the survivors as therapy…

which are all fine but WE NEED TO BE REWRITING LAWS!? Actively! Even if Prythian is still at large, there’s plenty of work to be done within the Night Court.

And I know at it’s core, it’s just a faerie smut book but if SJM wants to really talk politics,

then I personally need Feyre to turn into Malcolm X and start commanding the fucking room.

Bitch, unite the people. Have your main character build better, genuine relations with the other Fae courts.

Get to work in Parliament, make that mfing quill and ink SING !!! lmao

She and Rhys said no more masks, and yet Keir and The Court of Nightmares are still allowed to be in power?

There are still women being trapped and used as pawns for their breeding potential.

The Hewn City is still a den of hedonism, debauchery and cruelty.

There are still children being abused the same way Mor was, and yet they’re still doing nothing about it ultimately. Like… free them !?? 😭🤚

Do something other than yapping and thinking about fucking for FIVE MINUTES !! ​

We’re five or six books in at this point and all these motherfuckers do is

1. fuck/

2. think about when they’re gonna fuck next/

3. be sad bc they can’t fuck/

and 4. fight amongst themselves

like…

[acourtofthought]

Have you noticed how much page time SJM dedicates to Helion in Silver Flames? Maybe he'll be getting a book but as it stands, she's never strongly hinted at him having one the way she has for other characters.

Yet SJM really hit the Rhys / Helion friendship hard in Nessian's book which is a bit strange since Rhys doesn't share a POV but through that friendship, we learn quite a bit about Helion and his powers.

I think SJM is using Helion as a way to relay information to us about Lucien.

Lucien is not really friends with the IC at this point. He occasionally works for them and his mate is living there but since he and Elain are at odds for the time being, he doesn't have many reasons to be on page in a Nessian book. But granting Helion page time means that everything we learn about him, can be passed on to the future of Lucien, being his son and Heir to Day.

Rhys is having Helion teach him about truly impenetrable shields / Feyre had muttered when Cassian asked about the ironclad defenses, so strong they even masked her scent. / “It’s all part of the same shield. Helion wasn’t joking about it being impenetrable.”

I wonder if Lucien could learn to use a shield for protection while facing off with an enemy or whether he could use one in a situation where he needs to remain hidden and would have to mask his scent.

But the male had one thousand libraries at his disposal, and had put them all to good use for the treaty.

Lucien will also have access to these libraries.

He’d wanted to enter the dark city in a golden chariot led by four snow-white horses with manes of golden fire,

What?! Tell me how there's not been fanart of Elucien on these horses! 😍

The winged horses were rare—so rare that it was said Helion’s seven breeding pairs of flying horses were the only ones left. Lore held that there had once been far more of them before recorded history, and that most had just vanished, as if they’d been devoured by the sky itself. Their population had dwindled further in the last thousand years, for reasons no one could explain. Helion’s most beloved pair—this black stallion, Meallan, and his mate—hadn’t produced offspring in three hundred years, and that last foal hadn’t made it out of weaning before he’d succumbed to an illness no healer could remedy. According to legend, the pegasuses had come from the island the Prison sat upon—had once fed in fair meadows that had long given way to moss and mist. Perhaps that was part of the decline: their homeland had vanished, and whatever had sustained them there was no longer.

Not only is Lucien going to have access to the Pegasus but the fact that they come from the land where the Prison is on provides a connection to this area for Elucien. I could also see Elain being the person to discover what brought about the decline of the food they fed on (which I'm thinking is some sort of plant) as well as helping to regrow it.

“She’s here?” Helion practically shimmered with golden light.

I can't wait for Lucien to glow from happiness! ☀️

Helion had spoken to and briefly touched the hands of the two Autumn Court soldiers chained in that room, kept alive and fed by Rhys’s magic. Helion’s face had tensed when he’d touched their hands—and he’d then murmured that he’d seen enough. I can feel spells—like threads. Ones that can enchant feel like bindings around an individual. I sensed none of that.”

Lucien should have this same ability, to simply touch the hands of someone and feel a spell. It's a total headcannon at this point but I wonder if he'll sense some sort of spell or something on Elain the first time they touch hands (oooh, this brings to mind the Pride & Prejudice scene where he touches her hand while helping her into the carriage and is affected by it). SJM had pinned an image of sleeping beauty before and in ACOWAR, Feyre tells us the gates to Elain's mind are "sleeping buds". Imagine if Lucien senses something that's been holding Elain back from "waking" and revealing her full potential, something involving her need for light (aka Spring or Day).

Nesta faced Helion again, taking in that spiked golden crown and the draped white robe

Lucien wearing this outfit is all my current fantasies.

“Doesn’t it rake its cold claws down your senses?” Helion asked. Helion shuddered, and Nesta threw the cloth over the Mask. As if the cloth somehow blinded it to their presence. “Perhaps an ancestor of mine once used it, and the warning of its cost is imprinted upon my blood.” Helion shook out a breath. “All right, not-Lady Nesta. Allow me to show you some warding tricks even clever Rhysand doesn’t know.”

It's possible that both Lucien and Elain now have a connection to the Mask (her because she's Made and him because of his relation to Helion). I had another post talking about the possibility of Lucien coming up with some sort of scheme that might at first look like he's gone rogue only to show off some Rhysand level clever plot, I wonder if it could involve the Mask. Also, the excerpt provides us with the knowledge that Lucien could too have the ability to ward things.

“I would like to remove myself from the Mask’s odious presence, and perhaps enjoy your palace, Rhysand. It’s been a long while since I was in a place of such quiet. If you’ll allow it, I’ll stay here for an hour or two.” “Something bothering you at home?” Rhys inquired, falling into step beside the High Lord.

This is interesting because it's setting up a future book for some Day Court drama which is a court Lucien will soon be part of.

I had Helion show me how to apply a shield like the one I had around Feyre to the Prison itself.” “You guessed this would happen?”. “Feyre and I were concerned that Beron would try to free the inmates to use in a conflict—just as we used the Bone Carver in the war. Give me tonight, and I’ll get the shield untangled and open for you tomorrow.” “It takes that long to undo a shield?” “It’s a combination of magic and spell work, so yes.

I think there's a few ideas floating around about Elain and the Prison considering three sisters / three mountains. What I've come up with is the possibility of Koschei's soul being hidden there so this could tell us need to know information on Elucien gaining access into it.

“No, it’s a Symphonia, a rare device from Helion’s court. It can trap music within itself, and play it back for you. It was originally invented to help compose music, but it never caught on, for some reason.”

I'm not sure this really gives us much in terms of future plot but it tells us that Day Court has cool stuff 😂

Perhaps Amren was working on some way to undo the bargain—if anyone could think of a way, it would be her. Or Helion, he supposed.

To me, this could suggest one of a few things. Cassian mentions the following in regards to bargains:

And if the bargain was broken … the magic could exact terrible vengeance.

We know Briallyn had made a bargain with Koschei however she is no longer a threat but there has been concerns over Beron working with Koschei:

do not believe your High Lord would wish me to go to other territories and ask them to help with Briallyn and Koschei. To help them remember that all it might take to secure Briallyn’s alliance would be to hand over a certain Archeron sister. Don’t be stupid enough to believe my father hasn’t thought of that, too.”

“Then you would certainly have a war on your hands. My father would go straight to Briallyn—and Koschei, I suppose—and then go to the other discontent territories, and you would be wiped off the proverbial map. Perhaps literally, since the Night Court would be divvied up between the other territories if Rhysand and Feyre die without an heir.”

“So they are trying to find this Dread Trove in order to track down the Cauldron for Briallyn, and likely free Koschei in the process. And launch a war, with Beron as her ally, that would grant them whatever territories they wish. Or give some to Koschei, depending on what bargain he strikes with Briallyn—probably one to his advantage.”

So there could be a chance that Beron makes a bargain with Koschei, maybe even one involving delivering Elain to him (his "sons" mate") who has ties to the Night Court. Having her = leverage over the NC who is aware of where the Cauldron is and Lucien would try to find a way to undo that bargain.

It could also be something that involves the bargain Elain's father made:

He should have asked someone before coming here how much time remained before Vassa would be forced to return to the continent—to the sorcerer-lord at a remote lake who held her leash, and had allowed her to leave only temporarily, as part of a bargain Feyre’s father had struck.

I don't think Lucien can free Vassa from her actual curse because we're told it doesn't seem to be a spell but there's a chance he could extend the time of Vassa's temporary freedom by breaking the bargain Papa Archeron made.

“I told you: their castle is too heavily warded, and full of magical traps that would trip up even Helion. (👀 tell me this isn't hinting at Lucien ending up sneaking in to the Queens castle on the continent in an Elucien book?)

If SJM used Helion as a tool to deliver information to us about Lucien, it's a pretty clever way of doing so. Looking back over everything has made me even more excited for what we might see in his story!

[deeplyshalllow]

I’m sorry but this is bullshit.

Let’s break this down

On Fiyero being Captain of the Guard

He is a double agent. He does not believe what he stands for and is using his position to do what he can to find and help Elphaba. I don’t know what to say to you if you missed the obvious statements about this in Thank Goodness, because I have always thought they were so obvious they really should be rewritten because I don’t know how he wasn’t found out and arrested when he said all that.

Morrible: Now you've been at the forefront of the hunt for the Wicked Witch, haven't you? Fiyero: I don't like to think of her as a Wicked Witch.

Glinda: Fiyero, I miss her too, but we can't just stop living. No one has searched harder for her than you.

I guess he doesn’t literally say “shhh I’m secretly using my position to undermine the regime” but I think the writers thought people watching the show had some basic media literacy.

Does this mean he didn’t commit atrocities? No probably not. But bear in mind if he hadn’t been doing it, someone else would have. Fiyero knows this, by placing himself here he is in the best position both to protect Elphaba but also protect the Animals in the regime. I know we don’t see him helping the Animals, but nor do we really see Elphaba doing so? Given he used the first opportunity, when they wouldn’t get in trouble, to help the Lion Cub it seems a pretty good inference that he was trying to send out warnings to Animals when he could (especially now the movieverse has made him the only character aside from Elphaba who is friends with an Animal – he probably even has a network he can tap into!).

“Searching for Elphaba did not somehow compel him to go and volunteer to follow (or to give!) orders in the name of the dictator who was trying to have her assassinated the entire time.”

IDK about you, but I think if I were to search for someone wanted and was given the opportunity to both have the best resources and information to find her and hamper people who might find her and hurt her, I would totally do it this way too.

“He didn't accomplish anything from it either, by the way”

Um, yes he did? He literally succeeded in the exact goal he was planning by joining the Gale Force: to protect Elphaba. If he hadn’t been Captain of the Guard in the throne room when the Wizard called his guards she would have been captured and killed, instead she escaped which eventually allowed the Wizard to be overthrown and Elphaba’s values to be acted on in the form of Glinda ruling.

Her position in the Wizard's regime was foisted upon her. There are things we can discuss, but I find that many folks need reminding that Glinda would undoubtedly have been disposed of (or worse) if she failed to make herself useful.

There is a difference between keeping quiet, not protesting a regime and actively endorsing it. Glinda was doing the latter and she was not forced into that. (She also was not helping undermine it the same way Fiyero was).

Fiyero: I can't just stand here grinning pretending to go along with all of this! Glinda: Do you think I like to hear them say those awful things about her? I hate it! Fiyero: Then what are we doing here? Let's go, let's get out of here! Glinda: We can't leave now, not when people are looking to us to raise their spirits. Fiyero: You can't leave, because you can't resist this. And that is the truth. Glinda: Maybe I can't. Is that so wrong? Who could?

Elphaba: No, of course you never! You're too busy telling everyone how wonderful everything is! Glinda: I'm a public figure, now. People expect me to... Elphaba: Lie? Glinda: Be encouraging!

I promise I do not hate Glinda, I find her character fascinating, and she is starting to make up for the awful stuff she does in act two by the end of the musical. But do not pretend for one moment that she is not actively complicit in this regime, with no real desire to stop it until it starts actively hurting her.

“He always WANTED to be self-absorbed and shallow, and all his actions are consistent with that. Elphaba saw depth and discontentment in him, yes: but (and I cannot stress this enough) when given the chance, he channeled that in the wrong direction. He didn't confront that and become a better person.”

He gave up his wealth, privilege and safety to ensure Elphaba escaped from the throne room and continued her cause (this isn’t about running away with Elphaba btw, he lost everything from the moment he pointed the gun at the Wizard). He was ready to die for her in the Corn Field scene. I don’t know what more you want him to do to prove that he was not shallow and he wouldn’t die for his cause in the exact same way Elphaba was prepared to?

“He doesn't think through the wider repercussions of anything he does — thoughtlessness is just one of his core character traits.”

I don’t think there’s anything to say here except you are just actively wrong.

Fiyero is the only character of the trio to put thoughts into his actions. He is the only one who doesn’t immediately act on his impulses.

Elphaba reacts immediately to what she thinks is right without thinking of the consequences to herself or, frankly, if it will even work. This is shown metaphorically in her outbursts of magic in early act 1 but also more literally in Defying Gravity, confronting the Wizard after Wonderful and, even in some twisted sense, in capturing Dorothy.

Glinda reacts immediately to her first instinct of what she wants and feels emotionally and regrets later (often when it’s too late to backtrack) – the hat, telling Morrible and the Wizard how to capture Elphaba, even saying she’ll join Elphaba in Defying Gravity can be seen as examples of this.

Fiyero, however, (ironically) is the only one of the group who thinks. In throne room he goes in, plays the part of a loyal guard until he’s got rid of the witnesses and neutralised the threat of the Wizard, in the Cornfield scene he realises that the only way he can get Elphaba away safely is by threatening Glinda, at the end of the show he is the one who plays along as a scarecrow for days while coming up with the plan for Elphaba to escape (and make no mistake, this is Fiyero’s plan, he’s the one who knows the water melting rumour, he’s the one who knows the secret passages in Kiamo Ko).

“But let me be frank: that is literally all he ever accomplishes in the show. He gives her dick one time, and one of his castles, and that's it. That's the culmination of his years trying to find her”

He saves her life three times in act two. What the fuck are you talking about?

Glinda who is ultimately vindicated, and has — for all her faults — made the necessary choices to fulfill Elphaba's wishes,

I will give you that. But it’s not by any foreplaning. Glinda does become a good person, but it takes the whole musical and some very horrible consequences for her actions, ones that she quite rightly will forever regret and have to spend her whole life making up for.

And none of this would have been possible without Fiyero anyway, if it had not been for him Elphaba would have been captured, executed and Glinda would have never had the courage – or possibly even the motivation to fight back.

[Wicked Act II spoilers]

[edited for tone and clarity of purpose, apologies for initial crudeness and frustration]

Okay, obviously I'm biased, but I'm gonna need the Fiyeraba shippers to please set a lot of your people straight about some things. I've seen way too many people trying to say that Glinda is just a selfish bimbo and that Fiyero is a virtuous and selfless figure more worthy of Elphaba's love. I'll set aside for now the idea of "worthiness" in this context. But let's start off with Fiyero joining the Wizard. Hoo boy...

Yes, he was initially somewhat less tolerant of the propaganda against Elphaba than Glinda was; yes, he was secretly trying to find her so he could run away with her or whatever. But honey: those facts DO NOT fully absolve his actions as the Wizard's top officer, or selfish recklessness throughout Act II. I see so many popular threads and posts romanticizing and whitewashing with "oh but he didn't REALLY join the Wizard, he just pretended so he could try to get to Elphie! It's all for love, and he sacrificed everything for her!" As if the literal captain of the literally fascist forces responsible for the oppression of Animals wasn't equally responsible for said oppression?? Hello? Fiyero really didn't think of seeking out Elphaba in ANY other way that DIDN'T involve becoming *checks notes*... the trusted leader of the troops committing all the abuses she's fighting against in the first place???? Like it's cool and all that he helped with Brrr, and it's all well and good that he planned on betraying the Wizard as soon as he found Elphaba (which took literal years, so I guess we're left to assume he was prepared to just keep doing fascism indefinitely if she didn't show up????), but uh... it's kind of concerning to how eager some of you are to make excuses for this dude volunteering as the head of the Ozian Gestapo??? smdh

He didn't accomplish anything from it either, by the way — like yeah, we get it, he did everything he did whilst silently fantasizing about running away with the Witch he was being paid to hunt. Fine. But I can't be the only one who doesn't buy that as an actual excuse???? Like, guys: nobody forced him to join the fascist army — even with crazy ulterior motives. He wasn't coerced into it; it wasn't his only choice or anything. Searching for Elphaba did not somehow compel him to go and volunteer to follow (or to give!) orders in the name of the dictator who was trying to have her assassinated the entire time. He could have just not done all that. (Genuinely so curious how the second film plans on covering that material tbh)

Glinda made several questionable decisions that can be (and have been) debated, but she is still very unambiguously a victim. Her position in the Wizard's regime was foisted upon her. There are things we can discuss, but I find that many folks need reminding that Glinda would undoubtedly have been disposed of (or worse) if she failed to make herself useful. I mean hell: she wasn't even supposed to meet the Wizard in the first place — she was only there because of Elphie. If she'd tried to resist, it would have immediately gotten her labeled the Witch's accomplice. As soon as she'd chosen not to get on the broom, her fate was out of her hands, and all available options were varying degrees of horrible.

That's not the case with Fiyero. He went to the Wizard all on his own; no one ever cornered or forced him into it. Thinking Animals are people, and having a crush on Elphaba, simply did not stop him from carrying out the regime's orders — for years. It's not clear exactly how long he's been captain at the start of Act II, but the clear implication is that he's been a soldier for most of the time skip. I've seen Fiyeraba accounts with headcanons about him acting as a double agent, secretly doing stuff to help Animals — and that's a great idea, it would indeed serve to make a lot of his actions way more palatable — but until we actually get to SEE some of that (maybe they'll add it for the movie version of Act II; we'll have to see), there is nothing in the story to suggest that. He certainly didn't do a damn thing for all those Animals who were enslaved and caged in the Wizard's palace — and we don't see a single other Animal outside of there in Act II, so as far as we know Fiyero has participated over those years in the near-total removal of Animals from Ozian society. In the name of "finding Elphaba". Not fighting for her cause. Just finding HER. For HIMSELF.

It's fine to have a ship you like, obviously — and there is genuinely a lot to like about Fiyeraba, I don't dislike the idea of them as a couple or as friends — but come on guys: please stop those out there idealizing Fiyero as somehow a clear "morally-superior" alternative to Glinda, lol. The dude had power, access, and opportunities, for years, that he could have wielded in any number of really selfless, revolutionary ways. He didn't. And I propose (apparently controversially): he simply didn't want to. And that — at the end of the day — is (much as some would like to deny it) true to his character. He always WANTED to be self-absorbed and shallow, and all his actions are consistent with that. Elphaba saw depth and discontentment in him, yes: but (and I cannot stress this enough) when given the chance, he channeled that in the wrong direction. He didn't confront that and become a better person — for the most part he just displaced and projected it onto Elphaba as an object of obsession, and put on an even thicker pretense than before.

All his actions — regardless of the complexity he has deep down — are those of a man who never gives one fuck about anything or anyone, except (kinda sorta) Elphaba. But even then: at no time does the care he has for her seem to extend to caring about any of her wants or needs outside of sexual validation from him, or how she might feel about his actions, or indeed the impacts of those actions upon her, her cause, or anyone or anything else. I don't think it should be all that controversial to say: he doesn't think through the wider repercussions of anything he does — thoughtlessness is just one of his core character traits. He doesn't think ahead or see meaning in anything outside of what can temporarily excite him, in the moment. I think people place a little too much weight on Elphaba clocking him with regard to his internal pain, and seem to expect (understandably of course) that she is not only right, but moreover that he will grow from that in a positive direction, based on her influence.

But he doesn't. If anything, we get a surprising inverse: he pretty much proves her wrong. Not to say he didn't have hidden depth and all that, like she said: but his hypothetical heart of gold proves not to really amount to much in practice. He doesn't grow out of his shallowness and his self-centeredness: he grows into it in a way that he hadn't quite yet in school. Where once he was only masking an internal listlessness, after he's been cracked open by Elphaba he decides to be genuinely self-absorbed and deeply shallow, not just coasting by. He performs in new ways — as a soldier, eventually as a "fiancé", etc. — but by Act II we meet a Fiyero who has staked the last remaining shred of humanity in him on the vain pursuit of the only object of his desire that has ever been unavailable to him, and firmly chosen to say to hell with everyone and everything else.

When put to the test, Fiyero sacrifices Glinda, the Animals, and all else that Elphaba actually cared about, to pursue his own unresolved crush from college. Mostly to get in her pants, really — as harsh as I'm sure that sounds. But let me be frank: that is literally all he ever accomplishes in the show. He gives her dick one time, and one of his castles, and that's it. That's the culmination of his years trying to find her — years in which he actively worked as one of the stormtroopers (or even the one commanding them) committing untold crimes against Animalkind (who, again, it seems have been all but erased from Oz by Act II): y'know, the very crimes Elphaba sacrificed her life to try and stop????? He spent the most important time of his life — of his own free will — being a fascist soldier, but he "did it for her" somehow, so according to some, it's perfectly fine. Heroic, even. Yikes??

But let's make something very clear (since my original version of this post caught a lot of flak, including slurs and other rudeness):

I like Fiyero. I find his role extremely interesting (I could do a whole dissertation on him, but I'm especially a fan of the way his proving Elphaba's assessment of him wrong presents a fascinating parallel and contrast with Glinda, which I think is lost on a lot of people). But PLEASE stop with all the misguided Glinda slander and idealization of Fiyero. By all means, thirst! But don't give me all this bullshit about him deserving Elphaba more, or being super deep, or being really principled or noble or whatever else. He does have layers, and quite intriguing ones, but his insides are straw — he isn't meant to have some deep, overwrought emotional core or motivations; he has passions that he acts upon when given the chance. That's it. And that's fine. Actually kind of refreshing in a story rooted in simple children's fantasy but rife with intensely complicated personalities. Fiyero makes it his mission to represent denial of depth and embrace of raw, spontaneous desire — and I for one love that, and wish others appreciated it.

And in all seriousness, shipping wars aside: by the end of the story, it's Glinda who is ultimately vindicated, and has — for all her faults — made the necessary choices to fulfill Elphaba's wishes, bring down the regime, etc. And all that despite herself. She's miserable: not just because of the mistakes she made, but because of her correct moves as well. Fiyero is simply not — and could never be — that person. And that's okay! Like I said: I am not anti-Fiyero. Fiyero's willingness to throw it all away for the sake of sheer, overriding passion is a huge part of what people like about him, of course — and it's an obvious factor in the attraction between him and Elphaba, because she has her own flavor of that impulse as well — but I'd actually argue that it's not romantic, it's his fatal flaw. And thematically that's fantastic! But I just don't believe that it somehow means he "deserves Elphaba more" because he "gave up his life for her" or whatever. In part because NOBODY truly "deserves" Elphie tbh, not 100% (and I question anybody who claims otherwise), but ultimately because I don't accept the idea that his fleeting acts of passion make up for all the shit leading up to them (or even proceeding after them tbh). At least Glinda managed to do what Elphaba always wanted in the end — but I would die on this hill even if Gelphie didn't exist.

You don't have to agree with my analysis of Fiyero and his choices, relationships, etc. — that's fine. What isn't fine is trying to portray Glinda as some kind of spineless traitor whore for the Wizard and Fiyero as a conscientious hero who earned Elphie through self-sacrifice. That's just not the story that was written. It's WAY messier and more interesting than that.

[weirdsht]

kahalangdon . 1

a/n: barely started this and there's already another fic idea on my head. i'm so good at thinking of plots but lack the skills to actually write it. Anyways enjoy and lmk what you think!

Warnings: hints of abuse, trauma, and ptsd

English isn’t my first language so there will be grammatical errors

Pls don't repost my work anywhere without my permission

If there's something missing in the warnings let me know so I can add it

Any form of interaction toward the post is appreciated <333

kahalangdon

(means dignity in deep tagalog)

Parental figure Cale Henituse, Parental Figure Alberu Crossman, Reincarnated child Reader

prev . next

masterlist

The cleanup after the battle with White Star and the Sealed God was going surprisingly well. Sure there were some difficult people that they had to deal with but it was fairly manageable with Cale and Alberu’s glib tongues. All that was left to do now was tidy up some of White Star's base that they haven’t gotten to yet.

A certain dragon half-blood must’ve gotten a whim of things as the Roan Kingdom’s crown prince is now directly talking to him.

“And what made you think that you have the basis to strike a deal with me?”

Honestly, Alberu was somewhat curious about what the half-blood had in mind but of course he wouldn’t give in immediately. The crown prince needs to think this through first as they cannot wholeheartedly trust this chimera given their history.

“You need information as to where some of the base and workplace that White Star has and I need a favor regarding one of those places”

“Hmmm, alright then speak. I’ll hear you out first before I decide on what to do.”

Alberu got comfortable on the chair as he started to listen to what the half-dragon could possibly want.

“In one of the places I can provide the location of, there’s another dragon there. I don’t really know how old that thing is but I do know she’s younger than the kid here. My request is pretty simple, get that thing out of there then dispose of it or something, I don’t care.”

If Alberu was surprised he did a good job not showing it on his face. The quarter dark elf knew that White Star has some prejudice towards dragons but Alberu never expected for him to keep one.

‘He didn’t kill it or feed it to the fake dragon slayer or this half-blood here?’

For a moment he contemplated asking that to the pile of bones in front of him but rejected it. Seeing as he was taking his time to ponder about the request the half-blood spoke again.

"I know I'm not trustworthy and you might think it's a trap but there's really a dragon younger than that kid there."

"and you're telling me this and not Cale because?"

"I don't want to see that nuisance of a kid and I'll surely see her sooner if I tell him. Do what you want with that soon-to-be chimera just keep it out of my sight"

Even the crown prince is starting to think that this half-blood is weird. It’s so obvious he cared about the young dragon in captivity but is so in denial. To be honest, the attitude made Alberu want to curse him but at the same time he understood why the chimera was acting this way.

‘Probably from what he went through under White Star’

He got bits and pieces of the story from Cale, but not the whole story. Well it doesn’t matter anyways as the guy’s sob story wasn’t that important to him or his plans.

“Elaborate on what you mean by soon-to-be chimera first then I’ll give you my answer.”

The half-blood’s explanation did the trick, Alberu agreed to ‘get the dragon out of his sight’ and he’ll compensate by providing coordinates of the other bases. After finishing that conversation the quarter dark elf promptly went to talk to Cale Henituse and the golden dragon Eruhaben.

“So that’s why you need Eruhaben-nim to go with you?”

“Yes I need someone that can confirm the child’s race as the half-blood said it doesn’t seem to be aware of what she is.”

“Just what did the White Star do for a dragon to not know that she’s a dragon…”

“Another dragon, and it’s younger than me! I wanna go! Goldie-gramps sucks at socializing so he might scare the poor baby!”

Cale and Eruhaben who were quietly thinking things through, with the latter silently setting, froze at hearing what the young dragon said. Raon may be a dragon but for everyone in the room he was a kid first. That’s why they aren’t sure how to answer as they weren’t sure if he can take it. If the half-blood’s words were true then Raon might have a hard time because he also has trauma about being imprisoned and tortured.

[ironwoodprotectionsquad]

The chess motif isn't as important in where James is places as what happens on it. The white pieces falling away into dust are supposed to be James so desperate to beat Salem that he sacrifices anything and everything to do it.

Except that's not the James Miles and Kerry wrote, it's the excuse they used to beat him with the bastard stick. The whole "fallen hero" angle is a veneer. Miles admitted that they'd been planning to kill him off since they first penned him, and they very clearly did not care that the interim material made a villainous Ironwood inexplicable.

I suppose you could argue that's the imagery CRWBY was trying to present but for me at least, if you put chess imagery where the characters are being placed on the board is just as, if not more, important as what happens to the board. Each piece has a very critical and well established role to play in the game. When people talk about a character who is easily manipulated and disposable they are referred to as pawns for example. So when two prominent characters in the show are thrown onto a chess board into the Queen slot, I am going to wonder why that decision was made. And for me at least the other pieces crumbling conveyed the imagery more of "Everyone else is crumbling under Salem with James being the last one standing against her" you know? I started to dive into this on the original post but I realized I was getting waaaayyyyy off topic so I cut that out. But your reading makes sense for what CRWbY wanted to convey but and having James not be in the king position would help sell the idea of him throwing away even the most important player to win the game imagery but they just narratively do not sell that very well.

As you said, the arc of James turning into a fallen Hero was not played out very well at all, nor the idea that he carelessly throws people away and at the war with no care for their lives. This is the man after all who created the Atlesian Knights with the goal of removing people off of the battlefield to keep deaths as low as possible. This is the man who yes made sacrifices but the narrative once again did a very poor job of selling the idea that James was wrong for making the sacrifices he did. Yes he focused on Amity tower over fixing the wall, but he thought it was critical that they restore global communication so that they could rally the people for a war against Salem who was suddenly upping the stakes and making her moves. He might have done things differently had he known Salem was immortal but that information was intentionally kept from him so he was operating under what information he had. Same with trying to flee by raising Atlas up. He really had no plan to deal with a war against Salem with an exhausted army and not even a semblance of a clue on how they where supposed to defeat Salem, especially given that we know very little about how much Oscar even told him about Salem's immortality.

We're supposed to see James as an evil and immoral monster for wanting to flee, conveniently ignoring the very real fact that Salem getting her hands on two of the relics in Atlas means she has access to three of the four items needed to end the world. Saving Mantel is meaningless if Salem destroys the whole world and the narrative doesn't do much to prove him wrong. Atlas falls and Mantel and Atlas are both destroyed. A laughably small number of people are seen escaping Atlas and Mantel implying a ton of people died, and Salem walks away with the two relics that Atlas had which only shows....James and his plan was right. The mains screwed up but the show will never admit that.