#second of all i have a disease and no other choice

[all-pacas]

Top 10 Chase moments.

wait it's. it's hard to think of ten. what are the criteria. wait

in no order, here's 10 things i enjoy:

whenever he bonds with a kid, especially since he does it the same way every time: give them candy and talk to them on their level (about girls with the kid in cursed, aliens with the kid in cane and able). he's sooooo big brother (you ever notice, btw, how he's not like this with teenagers. he is so dismissive of teens he hates them so much. reason #87 retcon sister makes so much sense to me)

he's lowkey such a troll? i love when he lets his inner petty self shine, making fun of cameron in spin nonstop, poking at foreman and pretending he wants to be in charge in s7, he really enjoys Instigating and it's very silly

this is turning into a personality trait list uhh another moment i like: that petty side of chase rarely manifesting into stubbornness. in cursed he's mad at rowan so he decides to brute force test for EVERY auto-immune disease out of spite. in post mortem he's mad at treiber, so he decides to lock himself in the basement and brute force symptoms out of spite. he's so lazy 85% of the time and then he gets annoyed and works his ass off and is so good at it. house absolutely must hate this about him

in "poison" there's a moment where the kid is having a seizure and the subtitles say CHASE: Stay calm, and the words that chase utters are "stay cool, mate," and i think this is so funny. inexplicably

when cameron describes his apartment as "decorated by a drunk rugby player." so specific. so mysterious. i don't know what it means but i'm sure it's atrocious.

him becoming best friends with park's grandma. incredible. a++. it's funny on the face of it, them hanging out and playing card games, but it's also both sad and heartwarming. this man just wants a family!! it took him almost forty years but he's getting there!!

i love the running joke that chase isn't just good looking, but THE most attractive human on the planet, a 15 in the world of 10s. in the world of the show, other characters are average to good-looking (not beautiful actors), but not chase. he is THAT pretty. it is so funny to me. cameron was hired for her looks but chase is the one house spends more time objectifying. incredible.

his utter lack of fashion sense. his sweater-vests are an improvement over his horrendous color and pattern coordination, but it's still such an... old man fashion choice, you know? there are so many ways to style a shirt and tie and look fantastic and chase consistently goes "no, i will dress like a 60 year old/in the dark instead."

that his retcon sister calls him robbie. this COULD be a childhood nickname, but i also absolutely believe chase is the type of grown man who, in his late thirties, would still introduce himself as "robbie." very rich kid of him. love it.

whenever, despite chase's stated desire to be distant and apathetic and aloof, he completely fails. falls over himself, dripping compassion and empathy. he hates the nun in damned if you do; the second she gets upset he trips in his haste to pray with her. he sees thirteen upset and spends all of after hours desperately trying to help her. he's mad as hell at cameron in lockdown, but the second she starts crying he drops everything to comfort her. he is so fucking bad at this!!!

BONUS, RELATED TO ABOVE: that chase is the world's worst liar. i bet house has invited him to poker night entirely to clean him out and win thousands from him. i bet chase thinks he's a pretty good liar but literally no one has ever once been fooled.

[littlebittyhollowbugs]

Me who is obsessed with Hollow and the Pale king and has been crying over the Ithica saga (from Epic the musical) this past week listening to "I cant help but wonder" and piecing together a Hollow reuniting with (spirit) pk sequence in my mind and going insane:

[dolokhoded]

i need to go to sleep right now but i've got zimon in the brain and i know i won't be able to sleep until i do something to get him out of the brain but i can't get up to draw right now and i sure as hell can't get up to write that would take me around 11 years so i'll just sit here and rotate him in my mind like a burnt chicken

[amphitriteswife]

Stay the night

Pairing: Emperor Geta x Wife reader

Warning: mild nudity, shits ass

Summary: Geta finds himself seeking your comfort once again after finding out about general Acacius’ betrayal.

Note: I love crying pathetic hurt Geta also its implied sex not the real thing yk

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Geta feels conflicted. His hands pulling on his ginger colored hair. He was pacing back and forth between his bed and the door. His robe feels sticky because of the earlier sweat that had now turned cool. What should he do? What can he do? He feels nervous. No not even. He feels afraid. Where are you? He just put Caracalla to bed after his crash out against general Acacius and he felt suspicious of the Macrinus. He doesn’t know who to trust. Who speaks the truth? Who is genuinely on his side? Who is loyal? Who is actually helping him and not planning to overthrow him? He knows his position is weak. But he’s trying! He wants to rule along side his brother, but his disease makes it very hard to. His breath took up a pace and so did his steps. He got even more impatient with every second. He can hear his heart thumping in his ears. Were you asleep? Did you talk to the Macrinus? Did you also plan to overthrow him? To betray him? To take the throne he knows he isn’t fit for? No. He can’t think of you like that. You’re loyal to him. He knows it. He’s just being hysterical. You’ve always been there by his side. You were the bridge between him and the Roman citizens, you gave him advice to keep the people happy, to make sure they’re fed and safe even if it meant that the elites sometimes disagreed. Please come soon, his head felt as if it might explode from all the thoughts.

Luckily for him he finally heard the faint sounds of rinkels. His eyes immediately reacted to the sound. They were bells. Tiny bells. He recognized them instantly. Only you wore ankle bracelets with bells, a gift you had received from him on your wedding night. You wore it quite a lot and only took it off when you went to the bed house. His eyes caught the sight of your feet. Then your ankle bracelet and then finally to your face. You didn’t wear any make up and your hair was slightly disheveled. He woke you up with his summoning. He felt guilty…he feels selfish for calling you while you needed your own sleep too.

‘I’m sorry for waking you up empress.’

‘It’s fine…did you need something from me at this hour? emperor Geta?’

Your voice was groggy. It made him feel even more guilty. He took a few breaths before he sat down on the bed. A rather vulnerable silence followed before he started to speak in a soft voice. His eyes didn’t meet yours anymore and his head was slightly turned away as if he felt ashamed of what he was about to say. The hand that was gripping his robe seemed to tremble slightly. It was pitch black and the middle of the night. He shouldn’t be having a conversation with you. The both of you should’ve been asleep. Nothing about the betrayal should’ve even existed. He wishes it was all just a cruel prank. There must be a reason. Would he rather not have known? Or is it for the better? Why is it like this? What did he do wrong? What should he tell you? The truth? But it’ll only prove that he makes poor choices as an emperor.

‘Stay…just for tonight please?’

He sounds pathetic. He didn’t mean for his voice to break mid sentence. He didn’t mean to tear up. He wanted to keep it hidden. He didn’t want to tell you what wrong. He didn’t want to feel this way. He kept his head low. The crown was missing, it was just his wavy orange hair. The robe was slightly exposing part of his chest and body. The request sounded simple. In any other moment he would’ve demanded it from you. Ordered you to obey him. But now he hadn’t. Now it sounded small as if it could break. Even after you two were wed, you stayed in different rooms. Geta never minded it as he usually found his own company with others wherever he liked. He never asked you to be in his other than having intercourse what you usually declined.

‘Did something happen my Emperor?’

The question made him sniffle a bit and wipe his face. He really doesn’t want to tell you. He doesn’t want to be weak in front of you. Both of his hands grabbed your robe. His own falling open in the middle of it. He looked at you with a rather pleading gaze. His eyes blood shot red and a his cheeks were a little glistening because of his tears. His hands were trembling slightly yet he hadn’t said a single word. You didn’t really know what is was, shame to ask for help? Embarrassment? Well, it didn’t really matter which one. As long as he didn’t cry anymore.

‘I…don’t wish to think about such matters more than I already do empress, as long as you’re here…it’s more than enough for me.’

Those words made you raise an eyebrow. So there is something wrong but he just isn’t ready to tell you now. Got it. He’s also tugging on your hand like soke kid. How cute. Despite the pathetic and disheveled state he is in, he’s rather cute. Like a puppy. You wouldn’t tell him that ofcourse. It’s not like you’re sadistic. Your hands reached out for his, letting your fingertips glide across his knuckled which made him loosen his grip. He took a few breaths before he finally let go of your robe and sat back on the bed. He guided you to also join him in his bed which was bug enough for the both if you. He laid back on the bed, his eyes looking at the ceiling and his robe still open.

‘Please make me forget about it all, my empress.’

[marsmaximoff]

🏛️ emperor caracalla ; headcanons ⋆₊𐕣˚𖤐 ݁｡☽

content warning: fem!reader. mentions of blood, killing and sickness, cheating, possessiveness, toxicity. idk if there’s anything else.

word count: 0.7k

author’s note: first time writing headcanons, so constructive criticism is welcomed. and english is my third language so please bear with me. i apologize for any mistake 🙏🏻 also, i’m unlocking a new obsession, so i needed to write for caracalla asap. i’m gonna write for other fred characters too because that man has me down bad. that’s it! enjoyyy! <3

emperor caracalla is a menace with an insane duality and you know that better than anyone

we have 1) mad ruler with an insatiable thirst for blood

you ALWAYS go to the games

he demands wants you there with him

(not like you have much choice being married to him)

but still, he loves to know you’re there. mostly because he actually enjoys sharing his passion and spending time with you. buuut, also because he REALLY likes to show you off. (you love seeing him all giggly clapping and yelling tho)

and let me tell you, he takes every opportunity to do so. to remind everyone that you’re his. and to brag in front of his pretty much unmarried brother.

i’m talking hand rubbing your thigh when sitting by his side (he does it absentmindedly, it’s genuinely cute), arm around your waist during feasts, sitting on his lap when watching combats, theatre or any sort of entertainment and a ton of PDA.

both of them are possessive, but he is more subtle, not as straightforward

regarding Geta, you two have an… odd relationship. he’s thankful there’s someone else to deal with his brother’s madness. but he’s suspicious of your intentions. tho jealous.

some would even say not only of the marriage itself…

caracalla knows, and absolutely feeds on it. he finally has something that belongs to him and only him

god forbid someone doesn’t get it

Dondus has grown to adore you. you’re like his other parent -he’s adopted you as such.

squeaks at you and happily climbs your arm to rest on your shoulder

loves using your braids as little ladders

and snuggling against your neck too

he’s just so cute can u tell i love him :3

anyways

and 2) sappy child

he follows you around like a puppy

you hate it when he gets overwhelmed, he tends to hide and isolate himself

you end up acting like his mother

gets insecure of his real face and keeps it from you

needs a lot of reassurance

the guards always look for you when he has an outburst

your touch and presence are the only things that ground him

LOVES LOVES LOVES cuddling

clings to you like he needs you to breathe

good luck waking up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom 💀

play with his hair and he’s GONE

big on pet names

to you is always “my love” “my dear” “my darling” “my wife” “my empress”

emphasis on the “my”

everything’s fine with him but “sweet boy” makes him melt

and obviously “my emperor” cause it makes him feel powerful

and compliments too

spoils and pampers the shit out of you

jewels, clothes, animals, entertainers, you name it

absolutely whipped

loves kissing

now, it can’t all be a fairytale 😞

sometimes you feel like he loves Dondus more than you

and it seems that some men being forced to kill each other brings him more happiness than you ever could

he can switch from sad to angry in a matter of seconds and sometimes his sudden change of tone and expressions startles you

🚩 🚩🚩

being married to a sick man is hard

many palace servants and guards feel bad for you

paranoid

thinks you don’t love him anymore and are going to leave him quite often

obsessive

if you say something that feels ‘off’ to him get ready for an intense interrogation

possessive and extremely jealous

cause why the fuck where you laughing with some random man?

he’d threaten to kill him and would probably get rough with you

hates other people touching you

gets violent

has hurt you before during one of his fits

regrets it afterwards but has a hard time apologizing

would probably be unfaithful. i know, i hate it too 🥲

over all i think he wouldn’t be that bad of a husband, like it could be way worse

and i say he could genuinely love you, it just wouldn’t be the healthiest of loves

but you can try to fix him girl ✨✨

[flawseer]

In your last ask, you mentioned misgivings with Book 10's ending, and especially how it pertains to Winter. I absolutely agree, and I know why, but I wanna hear your thoughts on it, too: What's up with Book 10?

The following is a (very long) examination of my personal feelings with regards to the WoF second story arc finale. While it is based on what is in the text, this analysis will be interpretive and fill in blanks with my own thoughts. Keep that in mind.

Hahhhh... okay. Since mentioning it in my last post I’ve gotten several requests to talk about my feelings regarding the second arc finale. There’s probably no way around it then.

If you haven’t read that last post (it was admittedly very long, and so will this one be), I talked briefly about why I didn’t like that part of the story. I have to warn you now, this will likely be the most negative and dour post in the history of this blog. In a few parts it will sound like I hate Wings of Fire, and I want to say now, while I still have the chance, that I don’t. I love this series, thinking about its setting and characters brings me joy.

I also—very emphatically—want to make it clear that I have no ill will against Tui T. Sutherland. I’ve looked around other people’s stuff a bit and there are a huge number of posts wishing violence upon her or threatening her for doing things to her series that people don’t agree with. That is NOT what I am doing here, shit like that is NOT okay! While I will be critical of her choices, I still respect her effort of bringing this vibrant, wonderful world of dragons to all of us.

Also, obligatory last disclaimer: If you liked the finale, that is okay. You are valid for feeling that way. I’m here to share my point of view, not to demand people agree with everything I say. Just be warned that you most likely won’t enjoy what I have to say. If you don’t think you can handle that kind of criticism, this is your guilt-free opportunity to stop reading.

Otherwise, let's get into it.

CW: Discussion of parental abuse, depression, disease, and extreme acts of violence.

In defense of the finale

Before I start to systematically disassemble this narrative and get lost in a quagmire of negativity, let’s talk a bit about the circumstances that brought forth this part of the story. The plot of this arc was a mess from the moment animus magic was unshackled from the restrictions it had in the first arc, and from then on there was no longer any conceivable way to end this story in a clean way. Sutherland had created an invincible, unbeatable, omnipotent villain; he could read minds, see the future with perfect clarity, and anything he could imagine he could conjure into existence at any time with no cost to himself and no drawbacks. She was likely wracking her brain about how to resolve this impossible conundrum. What we got wasn’t good, but I believe nothing could have been. The foundation was rotting and by the fifth book it couldn’t bear the weight of the plot anymore.

The thing about animus magic in arc 2 is that it is so potent, so all-powerful, and so free of restraint that everyone who uses it also HAS to be a simpleton, or they would be able to break the plot immediately and become god. From the moment Darkstalker broke out of that mountain, he could have said “Any and all spells that are cast with the intention to harm me, interfere with my plans, or do something I don’t consent to will not work, from now on until forever”, and he would have instantly won. The strawberry would have fizzled out. The Darkstalker-blocking earrings would not have been created, and no one could have saved the Icewings. On the flipside, Turtle or Anemone could have said “I enchant the concept of animus magic itself to no longer obey Darkstalker”, and his threat would have been neutered. Point is, powers as potent and easy to use as this really need limitations, or they will quickly eat your plot alive.

I don’t envy the situation Sutherland was in at the time at all. If you’re an author, that kind of thing is a nightmare. It really is no wonder she decided to blow up animus magic for good in her next arc, even if I would have preferred it to get more healthy restrictions instead of killing it outright.

The Darkstalker age regression thing

Everyone has talked this part to death already, but if I am to write a thorough analysis of my feelings regarding this finale, I’m going to have to talk about it as well. I’m sorry if I end up repeating a lot of things you’ve already heard.

This final fate of Darkstalker, to have his memories wiped and be reset to an infant, is really uncomfortable. As far as I am aware, though correct me if I’m wrong, Sutherland said in an interview that she didn’t want Darkstalker to die because, in her view, he did not deserve to. We can debate here about the philosophical question of whether anyone is truly deserving of death, and the merits of “justice” and “punishment”, but in general, Wings of Fire did not seem to have any issues killing off its villains prior if they committed suitably terrible acts. That makes this moment stand out as noteworthy.

Who is Darkstalker then--and if we assume villains can be “deserving” and “not deserving” of death--what about him speaks in his favor, or against? The guy had a pretty crappy childhood, coming from a broken home (there is that inadequate parent theme again). He genuinely loved his sister and felt protective of her, and whenever he liked someone he wanted them to be happy and feel affirmed. The thing that Queen Diamond does to his mother is awful and he is justified in hating her for it. He is also portrayed as rather sympathetic in Moon Rising. When he asks Moon to find his scroll for him and not to leave him, he is not manipulating her, he is sincerely begging for her help. He is stuck somewhere underground, trapped in darkness, in a space so tiny that he can’t move. He remains that way for months, lonely and sad. If you just focus on these aspects, it’s easy to understand why he has so many fans who want him to see healthy and happy.

On the flipside, while he is dedicated to the happiness of his friends, he doesn’t always go for the most ethical way to achieve it. He tries to brainwash said friends without their consent whenever they exhibit behaviors he doesn’t like, or when he thinks he knows better and wants to “fix” them. He has very little regard for other people’s autonomy, lies to his loved ones with alarming frequency, and is unhealthily attached to the idea of power. Those things are certainly not good, but they are his character flaws. These are his demons; everyone has them and they make him a person. If this was all there was to it, he might still be a villain, but I’d argue he’d not be wholly irredeemable.

But there are things about him that take him beyond the pale. Things that go beyond the realm of just being misunderstood, or easily excusable.

He is possessive. He wants Clearsight and Fathom for himself, and for them to listen to him primarily. When Indigo makes it clear she doesn’t like him and cautions Fathom against trusting him, he deceives his friends and traps Indigo in a wood carving, just so he can isolate Fathom from his support network and manipulate him easier. He alters Clearsight’s mind to make her more agreeable and stop her from holding him accountable for his actions; while he thinks he loves her, he only loves an idealized version of her that is wholly devoted to and unquestioning of him. This is why, when he later forcibly overwrites Fierceteeth’s existence to recreate her (which is another horrific thing), he tries to excise the parts he finds undesirable to create a perfect version of his lover. But this caricature he has created in his head is not and can never be Clearsight, which frustrates his attempts.

He is vengeful. Not against people who have actually wronged him, like Queen Diamond. That would be questionable, but understandable. What makes this unacceptable is his frequent targeting of innocent people who just happen to be related to the person who wronged him in some esoteric way. He enchants a secret murder knife that kills random Icewings regardless of who they are or what they think about the Queen, just because the one who took his mother from him happened to share their tribe. He hates Turtle and wishes death upon him in Moon Rising just because he is a green Seawing, like Fathom was. And then there is the big one: He tries to kill all the Icewings who are alive in the present day, where Queen Diamond is long dead and none of them have ever even met her. Even his mother, who suffered from Diamond’s actions the most and has the most reason to hate her, is horrified and calls him out on that one.

And lastly, he is sadistic. He revels in torturing those he hates. He forces his father to disembowel himself, while the latter is fully aware and powerless to resist AND the man’s traumatized daughter is watching. Later he sends a magical plague to kill every single living Icewing sans one.

It should be noted that Darkstalker possesses virtually infinite magical power; whatever he declares, with very few exceptions, will happen. Even if he wanted them dead, he had the power to prevent unnecessary suffering. He could have said “Arctic, fall dead instantaneously”, or “Every Icewing will fall asleep and pass away peacefully,” but he didn’t. He wanted them to feel pain and pass away in the most wretched, agonizing ways he could imagine.

So what he chose to do instead is—and I want you to picture this for a moment—Darkstalker sat down, calmly, and said “Henceforth every living Icewing, excepting Prince Winter and those of hybrid blood, will fall ill with an incurable disease. This disease will cause heavy internal bleeding and make its victims cough up blood and waste away for a few days, followed by certain death.”

This spell does not discriminate with regards to who its victims are. The book glosses over the implications, but imagine the ramifications. Young children are notoriously frail, how many newborns got infected and died because of this? How many families were torn apart because they couldn’t get the magic earrings fast enough? Or accidentally got one earring less than there were family members and had to decide who has to die?

Most of the Icewings were physically cured by the earrings, but an experience like that sticks with you for the rest of your life. Somewhere surely, a dragonet watched as his mother put the earring on him and then slowly wasted away because she didn’t have one for herself.

It’s really easy to overlook how horrific this spell is because it isn’t shown or dwelt on. But the trauma, grief, and suffering it caused must have been immeasurable.

And none of those victims have ever even met the person Darkstalker wanted to get revenge on. None of those deaths meant anything to anyone.

The attempted death toll and scale of the calamity here puts even Scarlet to shame. The ones who come closest to it were Queen Battlewinner and Morrowseer with their attempted Rainwing extermination. All three of those died for what they did. Gives you some food for thought for sure.

Peacemaker’s burden

Despite just airing all of his dirty laundry and declaring him an irredeemable villain, I actually do have a lot of sympathy for Darkstalker still. His story is really sad. He was a child born with an amount of power that nobody should possess, and it corrupted him to the point where it destroyed his life before it began. His parents were always fighting and no matter how good his intentions were, he was unable to understand why he couldn’t hold on to his friends and relationship. He kept making mistakes, then made bigger mistakes to fix those, until his hands were covered in blood and he couldn’t stop anymore. My belief is that, after he wakes up in the present and realizes Clearsight is dead, he loses his reason for living and becomes completely lost in his grief.

Therefore, my opinion is that it would have been appropriate for him to die. If not to punish him, then to finally grant him reprieve from all that rage and pain, and let him rest. I think that would have been a dignified end.

But instead he got turned into a baby. ... And then they decided to magically erase his father’s blood from him? I don’t know what it is, but something about that Icewing erasure makes my skin crawl?

The thing that turns this baby twist from weird into highly unsettling is the context. Darkstalker’s mind is erased, then modified into a new person via animus magic. This is the technique a lot of this arc’s villains used to victimize Hailstorm, Queen Ruby, Peril, Kinkajou, Fierceteeth, and Winter. The same technique is now used again, by the heroes, which is a dangerous thing to have your protagonists do if you want them to remain morally upright.

It is also very reckless, because in almost all of these instances, animus mind alteration has been shown to be very unreliable. The spells seem to wear down over time and are susceptible to partial breaking upon encountering certain strong stimuli. Hailstorm—while trapped as Pyrite—seems to retain trace amounts of his former memories, which is why Pyrite is subconsciously drawn to Winter and clings to him all the time. Ruby is able to ignore half of her conditioning because her familial love for her son partially overpowers the magic. Qibli is just straight up able to reason his way out of it.

The thing to note here is that spells of this nature require a very meticulous approach; you can’t half-ass your reprogramming or the victim will just think their way past it. If you alter someone’s mind, the wording of the spell must be ironclad, lest you risk it wearing down over time and even break.

Luckily we have nothing to fear in that regard, because the spell that created Peacemaker was written by a Rainwing with a total of four days of literacy training. No one better mention the name Clearsight to the new baby Nightwing, or next month is going to be rather interesting.

But that’s just speculation on my part. Let’s assume that, somehow, this spell isn’t as unstable as all the others. Somehow Kinkajou threaded all the needles, and masterfully dodged every conceivable pitfall to pen the perfect incantation, despite having been illiterate just a few weeks prior. This one is built to last and Darkstalker is sealed away really thoroughly, for good.

That is still absolutely terrible and morally dubious, because now you have Peacemaker, who for all intents and purposes is a COMPLETELY innocent little kid, saddled with this huge burden of being the certifiable reincarnation of a genocidal ancient wizard. He’s gonna grow up thinking things like “Mommy gets real quiet whenever the topic of the Icewing tragedy is brought up,” and “Why does Auntie Moon look at me like that? One time she accidentally called me a weird name, who is Darkstalker?” “What is this ‘Clearsight’ name my mind-reading friends from the village found in Mommy’s mind?”

In a village that will be full of mind-readers soon, eventually the secret will come out, and Peacemaker is going to learn what was done to him. A huge, messy load of undeserved baggage was forced onto this completely separate, innocent entity. He will be devastated. Whether he then chooses to forgive them for this remains to be seen. To be honest, he would be well within his right not to, and turn resentful.

Poor kid.

Qibli’s callousness

I love Qibli, he is one of my favorite characters. This happens to be his book, and the fact that I fundamentally dislike half of it makes me rather sad. If anything, I hope this tells you that I’m not just hating on it for my personal amusement. I really wanted to like this. I tried to, and I couldn’t.

Qibli is really weird in this one, to be honest. He is suddenly made to be co-dependent on Moonwatcher, fawning over her every third paragraph, saying how much he loves her, how he is an incomplete and dysfunctional wreck without her, how it physically pains him to be apart from her, oh if only the stars would grant his wish and split the mountains apart so that he may fly to his princess, his muse, his goddess of ebony wit. It gets so old.

And it’s not Qibli. He never acted this clingy towards Moonwatcher. It’s more intense than even Winter gets about Moon, and Winter was actually depicted with a crush on her in book 6. Qibli was always just a supportive element, eager to befriend Moon but never desperate, like he is going to keel over if he is separated from his true love five minutes longer. These very frequent love declarations feel so forced coming out of him. It strikes me like it was just written in service of the love triangle. Maybe if we make him confess his love every four seconds readers will overlook the fact that they had no proper romantic build-up.

You might rightly accuse me of bias. I have previously admitted I am fond of Qibli/Winter as a romantic pairing, on the surface this seems like I am just not happy with my pet ship being blocked by Moonwatcher. But I assure you, I am actually pretty flexible and accommodating even towards pairings that contradict my preferences. I have no issues with Winter/Moonwatcher, for example, because the possibility was properly established and they have good romantic chemistry in Winter Turning. In theory, I would have no problem with Qibli/Moonwatcher either if it was ever set up as an interesting romantic dynamic. But to me, it seems like Qibli is written as a good, supportive friend to Moon for four books, only to pivot hard into “Moon moon moon moon moon moon swoon” at the last second, and it just reads to me as obnoxious.

I got distracted. This section is called “Qibli’s callousness”, and I haven’t even talked about the main part.

Qibli and Winter have excellent chemstry together, whether you read it as romantic or platonic—both of these interpretations have merit and are set up. They’re always the highlight of any scene they’re in. Throughout the story arc you get the impression that these two really get on each other’s nerves, but they bond and grow into really strong friends who bicker a lot but have each other’s backs when it counts.

Then there is a scene where Qibli casually tells Winter that he wouldn’t object if someone wanted to mind-control away some of Winter’s more objectionable traits.

This is genuinely a terrible thing to say to your friend. Like, it crosses a line and ceases to be harmless banter; you’re just telling them that there is something you hate about them so much that you wish they were someone else. Winter actually WAS mind-controlled earlier and felt (and proably still feels) guilty about having attacked Qibli in that state. And now Qibli says “Hey, I wouldn’t mind if someone did that to you again! Hue hue!”

It is awful, BUT I don’t necessarily object to Qibli saying this here. Qibli is in the middle of his character arc at this moment, so he is expected to be flawed. He is making a mistake by thoughtlessly telling Winter this horrid thing, and it seems like a believable continuation of his current character track. This is a reasonable development as long as the plot acknowledges that it’s a mistake.

Spoilers: The plot doesn’t acknowledge that it’s a mistake. Qibli never has a scene after where he reflects upon what he said and apologizes to Winter. When Darkstalker has Qibli trapped in his mountain jail and mind-wipes Qibli’s grandfather into a toddler (hey, wait a minute), Qibli gets visibly disturbed. Like, this is so off-putting to him that he gets queasy and Darkstalker hastily changes the spell. That could have been a great way to bring this back. Like in the epilogue, have Qibli track down Winter and tell him about disturbing baby grandpa theater and how he realized that wiping people’s minds is actually messed up and should have never said that to him.

But he doesn’t. He just lets Winter go, allowing him to believe he is broken and needs magical intervention to be tolerable. It leaves me to think that maybe he’s still okay with it, and fantasizing about rewriting his friend’s mind. Great.

Moonwatcher’s character death

You will find as this goes on that, I get the impression that the second half of this book takes all of the wonderful, endearing characters I have learned to love throughout the story and replaces them with really mean, or stupid, or otherwise inaccurate caricatures.

Moonwatcher’s relationship with Darkstalker gets plenty of setup and development in Moon Rising. You get the sense that these two could be great friends if their circumstances were a little different. It does a great job at making you think maybe Darkstalker is just misunderstood; maybe Moon should free him from his predicament.

Then at the end of Escaping Peril comes the emotional gut punch. Darkstalker actually IS a villain. He callously admits to Moonwatcher that he used his magic to make his own father gruesomely disembowel himself. Moonwatcher is horrified and disgusted that he would do that. There is no circumstance in which something like that would ever be okay. She ends the scene awash in tears because the person she thought was her friend is a murderer and a sadist. This is good, that is a natural reaction to what she was just told.

A few hours from there, in Talons of Power, Turtle finds Moon again and she is completely cool with Darkstalker walking free, despite crying her eyes out after feeling so betrayed earlier. That may seem strange, but this is still good because later, Darkstalker’s mind control plot is discovered. This scene was obviously written to set that up, Moon is mind-controlled into forgetting that Darkstalker could do something that morally reprehensible, and thus forgives him. This is also completely in line with his characterization in Legends: Darkstalker. It’s a kind of stunt he would pull to get Clearsight to shut up about him slipping into villainy.

In my earlier post I alluded to a moment where Moon is set to narrative auto-pilot and says something so rampantly off-kilter that it does irreversible, permanent damage to her character. It happens here, in the second half of book 10. Qibli gives Moon the Darkstalker protection earring, and Moon, somehow, says “I’m not being mind-controlled, Darkstalker really is my friend.”

I get what the plot tries to do here. It’s taking this concept of mind-control and adding a nuance, in an attempt to flesh out Darkstalker and give his character depth. He is ready to control everyone in the world, but for Moon, who is his best friend in this era, he wants her to remain herself. Perhaps this is his attempt at attonement for playing with Clearsight’s mind and driving her away from him. It is very touching in a way, viewed in isolation.

Unfortunately, it does not work with the full context of all the books. Because Moon is in auto-pilot mode right now, her main character trait is “Darkstalker=Friend,” so naturally she would speak in support of him. But this revelation has devastating retroactive consequences. The earlier scene that was written with Moon under mind-control is now altered into her having been in her right mind! She is completely okay with Darkstalker’s admittance to cold-blooded torture and evisceration, within hours of being so shocked by it that it made her cry and ready to denounce him. That is such a quick turnaround it’s giving me whiplash. And what’s more it turns Moon from a principled, upstanding girl into a sociopath who casually accepts gruesome torture and murder if it is committed by someone she likes.

Did Sutherland forget about the scene two books ago, where Darkstalker’s actions were so inconceivably horrid for Moon to learn of that she started crying? It baffles me that this made it into the final version. Her saying she was never mind-controlled makes Moon come off as so awful. This torture-excusing lunatic is not the same kind-hearted and insightful character I followed in all the other books.

Kinkajou’s character derailment

The world is a sad place when I have to question the way Kinjajou is written. Fortunately she is mostly fine, despite her having the biggest excuse to act out-of-character since she’s the victim of a mind-altering spell. Her only real moment of “what!?” comes at the end.

I already talked about her role in casting the spell that regresses Darkstalker into an infant. But I didn’t mention how her being the source of it is questionable in itself.

The clue is in the first paragraph of this section: She herself has experienced the effects of invasive mind-alteration. She was cursed by Anemone in the previous book to be in love with Turtle, and kind of half-struggles kind of not with it, it’s really strange. Turtle is appropriately horrified and acts like really awful things are happening, but then it’s mostly played lightly for some reason. My assumption is that Sutherland introduced this plot point, but then realized how uncomfortable this premise really is and tried to downplay it until the story got to a point where it could get done away with.

But I think the takeaway is still supposed to be that this was a horrid thing to do (which it absolutely is), and that Kinkajou will have to spend a lot of time trying to untangle her real emotions from the fake ones the spell created.

The point is: Kinkajou knows first-hand how awful it is to do something like that to another person. Ideally she should never even conceive of the idea to cast a spell like that, but if we’re really set on this Darkstalker baby thing and it has to happen, she should at least be a bit hesitant about it. And afterwards she should struggle with the guilt of having resorted to it. Not celebrate it and be proud, like it’s funny.

The assassination of Winter’s future

Now we come to the part I’ve alluded to previously; the part where all of these threads converge to utterly destroy one character and drive him to the brink of ruin. Let’s talk about Winter.

Prince Winter is the son of Tundra and Prince Narwhal, hatching in the same clutch as his sister Icicle. He spent his formative years being unfavorably compared to said sister—who easily took to traits that Icewing royalty considers desirable—whereas Winter struggled greatly to embody those same ideals. He was just a little too kind, too merciful, too gentle. As a result he often had to endure abuse from his parents, who made him feel like he was defective.

Because he was young and didn’t have any other frame of reference, he embraced this abusive narrative and began to drive himself with a vigor unreasonable for someone of his age. He scraped and cloyed for every bit of credit he could get, obsessing over advancing up the circle rankings in an attempt to “purge” the wrongness out of himself. To make his parents as proud of him as they were of Icicle.

This never worked. He was always seen as the runt, poised to embarrass the family name. Whatever he did, no matter how hard he strived, there was always something he could have done better.

The only real source of love and affirmation in his life was his older brother, Hailstorm. Where everyone else only saw what Winter wasn’t, Hailstorm embraced his brother despite of his “failings” and was openly affectionate with him. When Winter was with him, it was okay to not think about rankings all the time, and just be himself for a bit. I assume Hailstorm fulfilled a similar role for Icicle as well, which is why both of them love him dearly, and Icicle destroys her own life to bring him back.

Winter also has a fascination with scavengers, possibly because they are small and perceived as useless, like he himself is. He likely feels a kinship with them and observes them being craftier and more adept than everyone else sees them. This is therapeutic for him, to see that a thing can have merit even if no one wants to see it.

One day, he and Hailstorm sneak into Skywing territory so Winter can catch a scavenger as a pet. This excursion turns hostile when they are discovered by a roaming Skywing troop and faced with the prospect of capture, possibly execution. In a gambit to save Winter from this fate, Hailstorm mirrors the words of his parents, calling Winter pathetic and useless, so the Skywings will not think of him as a threat and show mercy. His act succeeds in convincing the Skywings, but it also convinces Winter, who does not understand Hailstorm only said these things to save his life. He returns home—believing his brother hated him all along—to face the wrath of his furious family for losing them “the desirable son”.

For all of his life, these themes have repeated themselves and haunted him. “I was born wrong and defective,” “I am unlovable,” “No one wants me.”

A few months after the war ends, Winter is one of the five Icewings enrolled in the newly founded Jade Mountain Academy. Shortly after departing, he unexpectedly returns home, having successfully rescued his older brother and bringing him back. He is made to believe that this erases his mistakes, his mother even pays him a backhanded compliment, an uncharacteristically “nice” gesture. He is promoted to the top of the rankings, finally his parents are proud of him.

But of course it is all a trick. The “adoration” afforded to him was all a ploy. Secretly, his parents abused power and tradition to arrange for Winter’s death. They force him into a lethal trial they intentionally rigged against him, all to finally erase that stain on their family’s honor.

Winter finally realizes the true nature of his parents’ opinion of him. Even when he succeeds, and does everything right, he is still defective, unlovable, and unwanted. He will never be anything else to his family. And so he leaves his homeland, pretending he is dead, resigned to live in hiding forever.

During this time, while at the brink of despair, Winter is able to draw strength from one source: His new friends from the academy. He vocalizes that, for all the abuse he suffered at the hands of his birth family, he fervently believes that THEY would never do anything like that to him. They chose to stuck with him, even when he was awful, and told him he was not hopeless. He was not a mistake; he could be deserving of love.

So naturally, he returns to them; they accept him readily, are willing to be his new surrogate family. When he almost burns to death at a later point, they fear and weep for him. When Qibli sets out to confront his own abusive family, Winter, despite being mind-controlled into a placid potato at the time, feels concerned enough for his friend’s safety to insist to come along (returning the favor of them accompanying him in his time of need in book 7). When Darkstalker’s mind control forces Winter to attack Qibli, he is shown ashamed and guilty of it once the control wears off again.

They bicker and struggle, and make mistakes, they break up but always come back together again. Time and time again the one thing that is always reinforced: When the cards are down, Winter loves his friends, and they love him. They would never intentionally hurt each other, or give up on each other.

I want you to keep in mind how wholesome, and loving, and mutually supportive this ramshackle band of misfits has been portrayed to this point... Because we’re moving on to the arc 2 finale, and it will do everything it can to corrupt all of it and consign Winter to a life of misery.

We arrive at aforementioned scene, where Moonwatcher receives her earring. Just a little bit prior, Winter had learned that Darkstalker unleashed a magical plague onto his people in an attempt to wipe them out. Now here is Moonwatcher, revealing that she is not under any spell, and has aligned herself with this guy willingly, speaking fondly of him as if he was a dear friend who never did any wrong. Winter takes this badly and accidentally breaks a vase; the narrative lingers on this moment and really tries to sell us on how unreasonable Winter’s reaction is, how he is overreacting, but let’s examine that interpretation for a moment.

Moonwatcher doesn’t yet know about the attempted Icewing genocide, but she DOES know about Darkstalker being okay with casting spells to inflict immeasurable torture upon those he hates. WE know that she knows this, so her stance here is already suspect. Yet she goes on to praise Darkstalker and refer to him as a friend. Look at this from Winter’s perspective. This “friend” of Moonwatcher just tried to kill his entire tribe, and he actually succeeded in killing his aunt, Queen Glacier, a person Winter greatly respects. Winter is currently unable to return to his homeland for fear of being branded a traitor. Even if he could return, he knows his obstinate and spiteful family would prevent him from attending the funeral, meaning he is not even afforded the basic dignity of saying farewell to his aunt. The aunt whom Darkstalker murdered by making her vomit her own blood until she withered away in her bed. And here is Moon, absolving the person who did this to Glacier from his appalling actions, despite knowing full well what Darkstalker is capable of and choosing to look away.

I don’t know about you, but I think I can forgive the grieving, emotionally overwhelmed boy for shattering a little pottery after hearing his trusted friend—who held his hand when he was dying—say that the guy who makes people disembowel themselves and wipes out entire countries may be misunderstood and not so bad. I think I would have a similar reaction. In fact, I would never want to talk to her ever again.

There is no way I can read this scene in which Moon doesn’t come off as either an absolute lunatic, or critically stupid and callous. In fact, based on her earlier behavior I half-expect her to get over the news of the attempted Icewing massacre in a couple hours, saying “Eh, it’s kinda bad, but you just have to do these kinds of things sometimes, you know? I’m sure he had his reasons.”

Then there is the part where Qibli makes his off-color comment about how Winter’s brain could really use a good wash. I already went into how it could have worked but didn’t. But with the timing here, we’ve already had Moon spit on their friendship, so as Winter’s other closest friend, it naturally follows that Qibli also craps on his feelings.

Consider the context: Winter comes from an abusive household where his parents forcibly tried to change him away from who he was to purge the “wrongness” from him. When they betray him and he narrowly escapes their attempt on his life, he re-affirms his belief in his friends, and the knowledge that they wouldn’t treat him like that gives him the strength he needs to keep going. But now, Qibli asserts that Winter DOES need to be altered, thereby AGREEING with Winter’s abusive parents, rendering Winter’s affirmation from book 7 erroneous. Qibli WOULD treat him like that if it made Winter less “intolerable”.

Neither Moonwatcher nor Qibli ever make an attempt to repair this rift. Winter is left betrayed and alone.

Stuff happens, and the forces of the Nightwings and Icewings come to blows over Jade Mountain. With his two closest friends having written him off and his support network eroded, Winter relapses into thinking he is worthless, seeks validation in unquestioning patriotism, and realigns himself with his abusive family by throwing himself into the battle. Nobody wants him to, in fact his parents still hate him for it, but whatever. His father dies and his mother blames him for it.

Meanwhile Turtle, Anemone, and Qibli are cooking up a solution to the battle problem. They have the idea to make everyone’s minds connect in a huge empathy wave for a few moments, which I think is a pretty interesting idea for what it’s worth. But then they teleport both armies back to their homes, and the spell sweeps Winter up with them, taking him out of the rest of the finale and bringing him to the Ice Kingdom. The characters say “whoops” but aren’t further concerned with the situation. It’s all a big laugh.

Let me remind you that Winter is currently considered not welcome on Icewing territory. His family, whom he was sent back with, is extremely abusive and vindictive. His friends know this. Said parents have previously arranged for him to be killed, and are still on record as wanting him dead. His friends KNOW this. And now he is alone with them and a gaggle of other royal Icewings who all are extremely pissed off at him for ruining their sacred trial site.

It is very possible that he is being torn apart and mauled by an enraged mob right now. He could be forced into captivity and flayed. Maybe the interim regent is sentencing him to death and getting the rope ready. There is a million different horrible things that could be happening to Winter right now, while he is trapped alone with people who hate him, things his friends would be reasonably able to anticipate. And nobody is doing anything to get him out of there, to suggest bringing him back, even though it would only take a single spoken sentence to do so! They aren’t even concerned!

Then the climax happens, strawberry thing and all, and we get the coup de grâce. After all is said and done, the group decides that Winter is untrustworthy, and that they must protect the secret of Darkstalker’s fate from him, because they fear if he knew he would kill Peacemaker.

Moon, who read Winter’s mind in book 6 and reached out to him about how the “ruthless Icewing warrior” persona in his head is a facade and how she sees he has a gentle and good heart... Moon, who in book 7 finds out about Winter’s secret deal to kill Glory and STILL trusts him, who calls out his bullshit to his face because she KNOWS how kind-hearted Winter is and that he would never resort to murder... Moon who, again, held his hand while he was dying... thinks that the dragon she has reminded of his compassionate nature time and time again would kill an innocent child.

This is disgusting. Moon believing that is so far off the mark with regards to anything this group has embodied or done for any of the last 4 books, that my only conclusion can be that these are different characters. Maybe the Nightwing library collapsed on top of original Moon, and when Darkstalker magiced her back to health she came back wrong or something. I don’t know.

So after all of this, Winter is left alone. He somehow escaped from the Ice Kingdom; luckily there is a timeskip so we can just gloss over the horrible situation he was put in by his friends. He thinks about Jade Mountain. He reflects on everything that happened, how his parents never really loved him... How they hated him so much they tried to kill him... How he despaired, but found solace in his friends who loved him for who he was.... How those friends then betrayed him too and magiced him away... How they didn’t care about what happened to him... And he decides he is done. He won’t bother going back. A few people, probably Sunny, reach out to tell him he is welcome back, but he says “it wouldn’t be fair to other Icewings if an exile took up a bed”. The decision isn’t hard to make, after all there is nothing left for him there. Everyone has written him off, moved on and left him behind.

Kinkajou visits sometimes, tries to stay in touch, but that’s just how she is. Maybe the others sent her to check on whether he’s going to become troublesome. They don’t trust him. Better to keep an eye on him, he might kill the baby.

With nowhere else to go, Winter moves to Sanctuary, a place for rejects like him. I picture him standing there, at the edge of a cliff staring blankly into the distance. He is completely alone; no one wants to go near him or talk to him beyond the bare necessities. He could probably make new friends with the Talons of Peace if he tried, but there is no point. Why should someone like him have friends? It wouldn’t work. They’d just decide he is too inconvenient to be around. Sooner or later they would just tell him to leave anyway. It's better not to try, so he doesn't get hurt again.

And slowly it dawns on him. His parents had been right all along. It was never them, or the others, it was him. He is the problem. The Icewings said it, Qibli said it, Moonwatcher said it. There is just something fundamentally wrong with him.

He is defective. He is unlovable. Nobody wants him. He will never be anything, or have anyone. And so he stands at the cliff, looking over the broken vase fragments of his life... This is who he is. Prince Winter. A mistake.

And quietly, where no one knows or cares, he does the only thing he has left to do... he begins to weep.

As it is written, the tale of Winter is the story of a boy who is told he is wrong for being alive. He closes his ears and tries to keep walking forward, desperate to prove that he is not an error, that he has merit. But this book comes out and it unmistakably says that he doesn’t. He is nothing, and he deserves to have nothing.

And I just cannot accept that.

Why did this have to happen?

I think that the author was really struggling with the ending of this book. I’ve said before how much of a corner she wrote herself into with such an invincible villain. I think she came up with the strawberry idea as a solution to this problem. But as she was writing it, the characters kept fighting her. It was not a natural solution, not a decision the characters—as they were established—would ever make.

So concessions had to be made to force the issue. Established traits had to be bent slightly to make this plot work. The farther she went, the worse it got. The concessions piled up and turned into contrivances. Eventually the characters were no longer acting like themselves. Their bonds got stretched too far and some snapped. It’s a very tragic pitfall that occurs with long-running series.

I think Sutherland must have also been tired. Writing an entire book is a monumental task, and writing 6 connected ones even moreso. She also comes out with these things really quickly. Maybe she was burnt out? Maybe she wanted to be done and her attention lapsed. Maybe that’s why she forgot that Moon knew about the disemboweling. It seems reasonable to believe when you consider that the next story arc would make a relatively clean break from the problems of this arc, especially with regards to the magic system.

But I don’t know what ultimately happened, so I can only speculate. I reiterate, I bear no ill will against Sutherland for writing this. Even if I kind of hate everything about this finale, and very vocally wish it would be different, I don’t want this examination to generate (or reawaken) any hatred towards her, or to attack her personally. I understand the pain of an artist who gets trapped with something for too long and has to find the means, any means, to see it through to the end. I criticize the story, but I could never hate anyone for that.

But for me, I do not consider this half of the book as part of the story. The characters act too unnaturally for it to have happened. So to me, it didn’t. We don’t know what happened, maybe Darkstalker is still out there. Maybe they dealt with him. Maybe what actually happened is my crappy and self-indulgent rewrite of the ending which I will never show to anyone because it would be really embarrassing.

But whatever actually ended up happening, I am sure Winter never ended up at that cliff, pondering how worthless and meaningless his life was. He is currently at Jade Mountain, surrounded by friends who love him, and bickering with Qibli about the correct solution to their advanced calculus assignment that is due tomorrow.

Is there anything left to say?

Probably.

I didn’t talk about Anemone yet. You know, in the epilogue she enchants herself a bracelet that makes her “not be so mean all the time”. I find that creepy. To me it reads as Anemone voluntarily brainwashing herself with magic to erase her negative traits instead of growing past them naturally because she finds them undesirable and wants to work to change for the better. I would ordinarily assume that this is an overreaction on my part, and I’m just reading the scene wrong. But no, we just got through a part where the heroes brainwashing someone is treated as an unequivocal good and worthy of celebration, so I think my reading may actually be spot on. Why are we letting the little kid alter her own brain without supervision? Hello? Tsunami? Someone intervene maybe? This cannot be healthy.

Turtle stands out to me as the one bright spot in all of this. He (and Peril, but she’s mostly out of focus) remain as the only main characters of this arc who don’t have any mind-boggling out-of-character moments or sudden streaks of uncharacteristic callousness. I really like the part where Qibli goes to free Turtle from his captivity and plans to give him an earful about the comically unhelpful messages he’s been sending him. But when Turtle asks if what he did was helpful, Qibli sees how beaten down and exhausted Turtle is, and wordlessly drops his frustration to tell him “Yeah, they were helpful.” That is the true Qibli shining through for a moment, showing that he cares about the well-being of his friends.

Do I hate the pairing of Qibli/Moonwatcher? No. Well, I DO hate how it happened in the book, and how the story tried to assassinate Winter’s character to resolve the love triangle and make it happen. I don’t hate it on principle though. If you are a fan of Qibli/Moonwatcher and want to write fanfics about it, please do! I absolutely encourage you to do that! Maybe you can fix this mess and turn it into something that’s actually properly handled!

Mightyclaws keeps the power that Darkstalker granted him past the finale. That means all the spells that Darkstalker cast are technically still active. Does that mean the Icewings have to wear earrings for the rest of their lives? Do they get sick again if they take them off? Is Peril forever cursed to think of Darkstalker as a cool old uncle and has to somehow reconcile how everyone else thinks of him? How did the Nightwings relinquishing their powers work, do they have to wear the earrings forever too now?

And there is one more thing to mention.

My confession

You may have already intuited this, if you’ve been following the content of my blog. It is very heavily skewed towards the first and second arcs of the series. I would now like to confess something.

When I read the second half of book 10, I found it so disillusioning, Winter’s fate so upsetting... that I put down the series then and there. And I haven’t picked it back up since.

That’s right, I have not read arc 3. I don’t know if that makes me a fake fan. I know pretty much everything that happens in it, the controversial twist at the end, Pyrrhia coming back into the story later, Snowfall getting brainwashed by a piece of jewelry until she cares about a plot that had nothing to do with her or the fate of the Icewings, etc..

It’s not out of malice, or because it’s a new continent. The opposite in fact; I would have greatly prefered a clean break with a new setting—Bug-themed dragons in a slightly more contemporary, developed environment sounds fascinating and full of potential. I don’t hate Pantala or the new characters.

I just... I can’t really do this again. I can’t handle the thought of Pyrrhia coming back post-Darkstalker, with Winter showing up and talking to these guys again like nothing happened, seeming like a different person, joking around with them like his entire character wasn’t dragged through a mountain of manure to make the plot bend a certain way. I think as long as this is the ending that the story is continuing from, seeing that would just make me miserable.

Maybe I will just stay in the parts of the story that I fell in love with. And imagine a version of reality in which Pantala is allowed to exist on its own, where Swordtail was the fourth POV character of arc 3, where Queen Wasp stayed the villain throughout, and Snowfall got her own legends book about how she reformed Icewing society and fixed all the shit that poisoned Winter’s life, so future generations don’t have to suffer through the same stuff he did.

~~~~~

If you’re still with me, thank you for reading this far. I think this is everything I ever thought about the finale of the second story arc, so now I never have to talk about it again. Writing this was difficult. I found it crushing at times. This will probably stand as the only overtly negative post I have ever made on this blog. I love Wings of Fire, and I want to celebrate it. To add to it, not tear it down.

I hope this wasn’t too boring, or painful, or frustrating, or soul-crushing to read through. I’ll see you later, hopefully with a more constructive post.

[paranormaldorks]

Prompt #3

This was fine. Everything was under control. Nothing he couldn’t handle!

That’s what Danny had been chanting to himself for the past hour. The day had started out fairly normal. He had phased through his bed and had to crawl his way out from underneath, grateful for the soft rug Jazz had given when he moved into the apartment that he had to wiggle on top of to free himself. Once he was free, he made himself something easy for breakfast. (well- it was closer to lunch but it was his first meal of the day, so breakfast.)

He called Sam and Tuck while he was getting ready for the day, having to defend his choice of crawling instead of just phasing his way back out when questioned. It wasn’t his fault he tended to forget his own powers even after he just suffered from the effects of them. Once he had hopped his way into his jeans and haphazardly chose what should be a fairly clean hoody- he said goodbye and hung up before heading out to run by a coffee shop before class.

That seemed to have been a mistake- as he neared the door of the caffeine palace, Danny was suddenly hit with what felt like a strong gust of wind and then a very sudden cold. Now the cold wasn’t something that really bothered Danny much with his ice core- but this sudden chill felt comparable to when his core type presented itself.

That sudden cold was very quickly followed by intense vertigo before Danny realized the floor was closer. Much closer. Alarmingly close. It only took Danny a few seconds more to realize he was on all fours. Then a few more seconds to realize he wasn’t human. He had hurriedly looked around but he hadn’t seen any clue as to how he had become- well he actually wasn’t sure what he was but that didn’t matter. However it seemed that whatever it was that changed him had left already, and his skewed perspective wasn’t helping.

One hour later of struggling to get out of the way of sharp shoes and frankly terrifying rats, Danny stared down at his admittedly ugly face in a puddle. He recognized that he was some sort of cat- but he looked diseased. There was very little hair on his face and the hair that was on him was dark and sparse. The only part of him that was spared was his new silky tail.

Eventually he decided it would be best to head back to the apartment. On the way he found he could still use his ghostly abilities, although any attempt to change back human fell flat and he’s pretty sure he accidentally traumatized some poor pedestrian with a biblically accurate cat. Instead of just flying back to his run down apartment, Danny walked back- hoping to figure out some sort of solution along the way.

He was deep within his thoughts, in the midst of cutting through some damp ally to get home faster, when he walked directly into someone’s shoe. Danny stumbled back from going nose first into metal boots- wrinkling his nose as he studied the oddly armor looking shoes. His scrutinizing was interrupted as a warm hand wrapped itself around his body and lifted him.

Either whoever picked him up was massive or he was much smaller than he originally thought. Danny flailed his paws as he was cradled in one hand, his panic and frantic hissing interrupted as he looked up into the red mask of his attacker. Something softer and comforting unfurled from his core and Danny lowered his raised claws to look at the other who held him. He could faintly smell something rusty and familiar but that was thrown away when the other tucked him closer to their body and started to walk somewhere with purpose.

“If Junior can have a damn zoo, I can have one cat-“ Danny chirped as he barely caught what the masked mystery man had uttered under his breath. It wasn’t ideal to get spontaneously yoinked when he had no clue how to return to normal, he couldn’t help the way his tail looped around the man’s wrist and allow himself to get carried off.

[xiibiibby]

Vampire: Prodigy — Romance Options ❤️

Little update post!

So, as I've said, I don't want to spoil too much about the romance options in the game before the demo, but I'll give you a little peek at 'em in the meantime!

🩸 Lucan — The Untamed

Lucan is a fighter, a liar, and a walking disaster wrapped in cool leather, muscle, and bad decisions. He has no love for vampire hierarchy, but he plays along when it benefits him. As long as the ones on top keep paying him to knock heads and giving him a cushy place to stay, he won’t complain. Unlike most of the elite, Lucan never pretended vampires were noble creatures. He sees them exactly for what they are—bloodthirsty predators hiding behind their wealth and politics. Their games never interested him, only the fights that came out of them.

🩸 Marcella— The Rebel Aristocrat

Marcella was once part of the system, a high-ranking noble from one of the last great vampire houses, seated among the elite of the Vampire Council. She thrived in that world—power, luxury, and the safety of well-maintained order. It wasn’t perfect, but it worked. She had control, influence, and the respect of her peers. And then, everything fell apart.

🩸 Aldric — The Bloodsworn Knight

Aldric is a warrior first, a strategist second, and a man last. Bound by duty and unshakable loyalty to the Council and his Court, he upholds order, discipline, and strength above all else. Unlike the aristocrats who scheme behind velvet curtains or the rebels who cry for revolution, he sees the bigger picture—the fragility of vampire society, the cracks forming beneath them, and the enemies gathering beyond their borders. If vampirekind is to survive, they must be stronger, stricter, unbreakable—and Aldric will see to it that they don't crumble under their own arrogance.

🩸 Vanya— The Healer

Vanya is a medic, a scientist, and a woman desperately searching for a cure in a world that refuses to believe one exists. She was never meant to be a soldier. She wasn't raised to wield a weapon, nor was she trained to hate. But war doesn't care about her intentions, and she's seen too much blood to turn away now. Born into the Lazarus Order, Vanya was expected to follow in the footsteps of the hunters before her—to fight, to kill, to purge the disease of vampirism from the world. But where others saw monsters, she saw a sickness. A condition. Something that could be studied, understood, maybe even cured. This belief has made her an outlier, a heretic within the Order. While the rest of the Lazarus Order seeks extermination, she pursues a solution. She hunts not for sport, not for vengeance, but to gather data, to test her theories, and to prove that there is another way.

🩸 Hadrian— The Skeptic

Hadrian’s hatred for vampires isn't philosophical, not political—it is deeply personal, carved into his body and burned into his mind. As a child, his family was slaughtered by vampires, their home reduced to a nest of gore and torment. He was left alive—not as an act of mercy, but as a plaything. They toyed with him, tormented him, and fed from him for days. By the time the Lazarus Order found him, he was malnourished, broken, and barely clinging to life. But there was something still burning inside him—rage, hatred, and the will to never let himself be powerless again. They gave him a choice: become a hunter, or let the past consume him. He chose the hunt. Hadrian doesn't believe in peace between humanity and vampires. He's seen too much, suffered too much to accept the idea that these creatures—leeches who live only to feed on others—could ever be anything but an enemy. Treaties are meaningless. Alliances are temporary conveniences. The only way to ensure humanity’s survival is to eradicate the threat entirely.

🩸 Corvin— The Half-blood

Corvin is a man caught between two worlds, yet belonging to neither. His mother, a human woman, gave birth to something that should never have existed—a child with vampiric hunger but a beating heart. His father, whoever he was, left nothing but a legacy of rejection. From the moment he could understand the world, Corvin knew he was an outsider. Humans saw the hunger in his eyes and feared him. Vampires saw his diluted blood, his mortality, his limitations, and despised him. There was no middle ground—no place that would take him in as one of their own. So when the Lazarus Order gave him a choice, he took it. They didn’t accept him, not truly, but they could use him, and that was enough. Better to be a weapon than a mistake. If he could prove himself—if he could hunt vampires better than anyone else—then maybe, just maybe, he’d carve out a place for himself.

🩸 Seraphiel— The Last Bloodbearer

Seraphiel is a remnant of an age long forgotten, a being who's watched civilizations rise and crumble into dust. Older than most can comprehend, they're one of the last carriers of the divine blood—the sacred essence that birthed the first vampires. For centuries, they remained in self-imposed exile, watching from the shadows as vampire society decayed into arrogance, betrayal, and inevitable ruin. They had no desire to meddle, no reason to intervene—until now.

And there you have it~!

I've only shared little snippets of their bios since I don't wanna spoil too much about them. But if you have any questions pertaining to any of 'em, feel free to ask! I'll answer so long as it doesn't spoil anything major.

Thanks for reading <3 I'll have more to share regarding the project soon!

The wonderful character art was drawn by dariakonnova!

[sdbk-0201]

The new video has been uploaded to YouTube!

【Lobotomy Corporation | MEME】REALITY? Benjamin & Hokma-centric (ABCAn&XH)

Artist: 速冻冰块0201号 (Twitter: @sdbk_0201)

PV: Justices (Twitter: @chuxiu0153)

MEME Background: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1bY4y1g7S9

BGM: Floomin' All Day - Adrian van Sin

Although a few days late, happy birthday to Benjamin/Hokma on March 15, 2025!!!

This MEME took a long time to storyboard, but the utilization rate wasn't high (referring to three complex storyboards in just one second). There's also a significant amount of ABC content (because I wanted to see it). The MEME choice, "REALITY?," has been requested by someone via private message a long time ago, and it fits perfectly with the clock MEME for Benjamin and Hokma. I’m also extremely grateful to 沙海铩羽 for creating such impactful backgrounds!

This time, I’ve fabricated a backstory for BC, imagining them as childhood friends. Benjamin is the only son of a declining noble family, while Carmen is the daughter of a rising noble family. Benjamin carries the conservative etiquette and self-preserving sensibility of the old aristocracy, while Carmen embodies the radical innovation of the new nobility. Perhaps due to collaboration, marriage alliances, or other reasons, the two families had them grow up together. Their long history of companionship allowed Benjamin to understand Carmen's vulnerabilities and her idealism, which is why he didn’t have high hopes for her. Later, Carmen, driven by her dream of curing the City's diseases, made preparations and planned to escape her family one night. Benjamin, perhaps wanting to witness how his old friend would achieve her goals, or being half-persuaded by Carmen, or maybe even harboring a faint hope that the City's diseases could be cured (though he had no clear plan), acted on impulse and joined her on this reckless journey. Under the cover of night, they boarded Kali's car and arrived at the old laboratory—the starting point of everything.

Later, Carmen met a highly talented student, Ayin. She saw genuine potential in him, even the possibility of realizing her ideals. So, she recommended Ayin to Benjamin—a more practical, resilient, and willing-to-make-necessary-sacrifices individual with talent, potential, and a soul rooted in kindness and gentleness—hoping to change Benjamin's perspective. Initially, Benjamin might have been dissatisfied with the eccentric newcomer Ayin, to the point where Carmen had to mediate. However, as time went on, he gradually became impressed by Ayin's talent, witnessing how an unattainable ideal was being given a tangible path. Eventually, Benjamin even willingly addressed him as "Teacher."

If that period could have lasted forever, it would undoubtedly have been the happiest time for them, for everyone at the old laboratory.

But what followed was a series of upheavals and sacrifices.

When Benjamin witnessed Carmen's death, a part of him was undoubtedly torn away. This pain was different from Ayin's regret of not noticing sooner. It was the tragedy he had once foreseen but pushed to the back of his mind, now brutally laid bare before him—the death of his longest-known friend, marked with a final period.

Carmen's death and the destruction of the old laboratory dealt consecutive blows, leaving Ayin in despair and stripping him of his most crucial "potential."

Benjamin, not wanting to see his last remaining old friend die, hoped Ayin would stop, but Ayin refused to turn back. Benjamin fell silent and eventually chose to walk away. If Ayin couldn't stop, then Benjamin would use the intelligence from Binah and his own connections to give him a push, becoming a driving force in the war and breaking one of his wings. Ayin, of course, knew this was all Benjamin's doing. Becoming a Wing, remaining within the Wing—this was a sin they committed together. Two individuals, both kind at heart, would continue to bear this guilt and pain.

Benjamin's return was out of concern for Ayin, attempting to pierce the lies of the endless cage, but he ended up becoming the final actor to arrive, becoming Hokma—bestowed with the latter half of the company's motto, filling the last gap in the script: "Embrace the past, create the future."

The ten-thousand-year cycle was a process of sifting through countless tests to find the one possibility, an eternal cage, and the safest playroom. Hokma recorded everything; Hokma witnessed everything. When X repeatedly appeared before Hokma, Hokma didn’t want to see X, Ayin's legacy, die. Hokma hoped X would stop, but X wouldn’t turn back.

No longer silent, Hokma used the Core Suppression as a test to see if X had the ability to make a choice they wouldn’t regret. And of course, X succeeded. The launch of the Seed of Light on DAY50 was grand and glorious.

As he had seen, Benjamin witnessed Carmen's end, her choice to escape due to her fragility.

As he had seen, Hokma witnessed Ayin's script and the glorious achievements X brought to their ideals within the company.

The trio of ABC, once tightly knit, ultimately walked toward their respective destinies:

One ascended into the light, one fell into the depths, and the last walked the earth alone.

(As for how my version of X complements Hokma and the dynamics between X, Hokma, and Angela, I'll elaborate in my next Hokma video!)

Finally, thank you for watching till the end!! Thank you for enjoying my video!!

[deepfivetraveller]

King Baldwin iv x Time!traveler!reader

chapter 2

Chapter 1 | chapter 3

You get up from your bed and sit on the floor cross-legged. “System, I have the ability to by clothes from you right? Can you show me a few of the clothes available at your store?”

Sadly Miss Y/n, when I meant you can buy clothes through me, I meant you can buy the fabrics only. It showed you a plethora of fabrics, ranging from cheap cotton to colourful silk.

Now this is annoying. You might have basic skills to stitch a button and all but making an entire dress from scratch? Yeah, that’s impossible. Not to mention tailoring machines don’t even exist. Now you have no choice but to buy from traders

When you began your mission the system gave you some money as an achievement for starting the main quest, which was more than enough to rent a room at the inn. But now that you have a place to sleep for some time you should probably start thinking about how to finish that small side quest you started.

After calculating the benefits and losses of the decision you’re about to make, you snap your fingers at the thrill of discovery and lean towards the screen. “System show me the food products you have available.” Within seconds it shows you all forms of food at the online shop. You scroll down a few times and find exactly what you’re looking for. Pepper, chilli powder, chat masala and many more spices were shown and you clicked buy,buy,buy on all of them. Considering the fact that most of the spices here weren’t even discovered in this timeline you have some faith that they will blow off in the market when you sell them.

I think I know what you’re gonna do to finish the side quest miss Y/n…

Last night

“Sadly this seems to be a bad time for you and your father to set up your shop madame.” The man held a cresset lamp, which illuminated the path while his wife helped you walk across.

“Why do you say so sir?” You’re confused. He seemed a bit hesitant to say this and signs his wife to reply.

“Many people in Jerusalem have been going sick. And it’s no ordinary sickness, no, people’s legs are getting swollen, they bleed at the slightest of injuries and the gums inside their mouth become tender to the point that their teeth start to fall off. Most doctors call it ‘The Barlow's disease’ or something along those lines but most of us just call it ‘The loosener of teeth’”

Yeesh that was a gruesome description. People here have less immunity as it is and something like this ain’t gonna help them much.

“Is it really that bad?” She nods a yes. “The sick have increased to a point where the king himself has taken notice. Although he has hired physicians from other lands to cure the sick, most of the people who have the sickness don’t have the money to visit them.” She sighs in defeat.

Wait a minute…Swollen gums? Falling teeth? Barlow's disease? You’ve studies about this before in history class, it’s scurvy! It affects people with a lack of Vitamin C in their diet that is, sailors and the poor. It can be cured simply by eating food which has the vitamin. A wave of relief washes you since you definitely won't be getting it.

“I don’t think it’ll be a problem anymore madame.” You smile softly while the screen shows a pop up.

Side quest unlocked! Cure all people in Jerusalem from Scurvy.

Present

The stall for your shop was quickly set up, partially because the last owner just left the shop as it is. Within some time, all the spices were neatly displayed. By looking at other shops it was easy to decorate your own and it’s safe to say, yours was the most organised. It was extravagant, but not extravagant enough to drive the common people away.

Good job Miss Y/n! I’ll help you in whatever way I can to make the mission easy for you. I’ll try my best to get a discount on the rates in my store so you won't have to spend too much money on this!

“Thank you screen, that’ll help a lot. Honestly I’m doing it mostly for the money I’ll get after completing the side quest.” You remark while the screen giggles with its emoticon mouth. “By the way, just refer to me as Y/n. Miss Y/n feels too formal. Talk to me casually! You’re the only person that connects me to my time anyway.” You dryly chuckle, looking at the containers sadly. Even now you’re mind is not able to comprehend the fact that you’re in the past. It’s still trying to convince you, you’re in a foreign rural village.

“Excuse me.” you look at the young girl standing in front of your shop. “Do you have any pepper available?” So cute! She has such chubby cheeks too!

But immediately you notice her teeth. They look like as if they are about to fall; multiple of them. Her gums are also swollen, indicating she has the disease. So that's why her cheeks are chubby! Now you feel kinda bad for thinking its cute. “Yes we do darling how much do you want?”

“About 2 Livre (pounds) please.” She waited as you wrapped it up for her. “Do you wish to pay with your money or win it for free in a contest?” She squints her eyes. “Contest?”

With a bright smile you say “Yes a contest! This contest is an eating contest that only the people with Barlow's disease can contest in.” You show her a plate filled with oranges. “If the person is able to eat these oranges before the hourglass stops the person gets whatever they wish to buy for free! Remember, the more you want to buy, the more amount of fruit you have to eat.” You point out. At first you were a bit worried whether the girl would openly admit she has the disease since it’s considered shameful to openly admit a person is sick, but considering how her mouth was watering when she looked at the oranges, it was quite easy to determine she’d do anything for free food.

“W-Well…” She lifts her skirt a bit to show her swollen legs. “I have the sickness. Can I contest? If so, will my name be revealed for having the sickness??” Oh my god her cuteness is crushing your heart! “Oh no dear, nobody’s name shall be revealed, winner or participant. Do you want to contest?”

The girl nods vigorously as you set up the hourglass. The moment you tell her to start, she shoves all the slices of oranges into her mouth, making her choke. You panic and tell her to spit it out but she ignores your pleas and swallows them all, making her oesophagus hurt from the pressure.

You shift your demeanour and hand the pepper over to her. “C-Congrats! You won the contest! You can have this for free.”

She however is in a state of shock. To get good quality food for free is a miracle, a gift from God really. 

“Did I…really win this?”

“Yes love you did! What you ate was quite a large amount too. Well done!” It wasn’t. You calculated time and time again this morning to get the orange slices proportional to the food they were buying in such a way that anyone with weak teeth could win it. You even used the son of the man and wife you met at first as a guinea pig, by making him eat them in the name of ‘A thank you gift.’ His sickness decreased drastically and his teeth became strong sometime after the meal, which was quite startling to see since you’ve never seen anyone recover that fast.

The little girl looked at you with doe eyes. “Can I contest again?”

“No love, a person gets only one chance per day. You can come tomorrow to try!”

“I will!” She squeaks. “I loved that fruit too. It’s flavour was unlike anything i’ve eaten, being sweet and tangy at the same time.” Damn it's hard to believe she was even able to taste it after seeing the way she shoved it in her mouth. “I’ll come again tomorrow to try nice lady!”

“Spread a good word for me!” You yell as she waves goodbye. It didn’t take much time for your shop to go popular.You told about this contest to anyone who entered your shop. Many were disgusted at the fact the sick have come here but others saw this as an opportunity to get free food. The sick came to you in disguise at first but within the span of four days they didn’t even hide  their sickness anymore. People started viewing your shop as a clinic at some point, an they started lining up, some even carrying family members who’ve lost their ability to walk.

It got to the point where all of this was happening at a loss, so the best course of action was to sell the oranges to other fruit traders. It not only gave you a huge profit but also made sure the cure was spread to all corners of Jerusalem. Your oranges were rumoured to be ‘The miracle cure’ so they sold out of shops within seconds. The poor still came to you for the free ones but the rich considered it a luxury product due to its high rates at shops. Funny how these were the same people who were disgusted at your idea at first.

Within one and a half months the sick decreased drastically. Your name became popular which worried you alot since you’re probably under the radar of assassins or someone more dangerous. Your quest too was finished, and the system gave you a heep of money which was enough to buy a moderately big home. While people were being cured, your anxiety surged more and more. You were certain your life was under a threat.

One faithful day while you were instructing the new employees on how to take care of the shop, the crowd became silent. They made way for a bunch of men on horses. It was the crusaders.

Everyone including you bowed slightly as they made an announcement.

“Madame Y/n, the king has noticed your efforts on eradicating the Barlow's disease. He has decided to meet you at the royal court to thank you properly. We shall be heading there NOW.” Two guards came up to you and dragged you inside a carriage like vehicle, which was poorly made.

This wasn’t an invitation to give you rewards. The KING himself has decided you’re a witch and has demanded your presence in court, to decide how to execute you.

[denako]

I watched a 5 hour long essay about httyd nine realms (after peacefully forgetting it existed for a few months) and the designs are so abysmal i just had to redesigned them to look more like the og dragons, + things i hate about them

The Night lights/ Thunder

His body does not have correct proportions. His face is way too human. The tail fin doesn't make any sense. The white markings, especially around his mouth make him look really weird. His wings look like they were struck by rigor mortis and they are way too small, the membrane is not connected correctly to the body.

The Mist twister/ Wu-Wei

The choice of color is horrible, but it could work wasn't it for the piss yellow they chose for their body. The design itself looks like it came from a rip-off rather than a main line show. Their heads are way too long and spherical. The fact that each wing is a different color is stupid and has never before happened in any httyd design. The hot and cold mist power is strange, instead i remade the heads so one looks more like a stoker class and shoots fire, the other is more tidal (inspired by the Scauldron) and spits water, together creating steam/mist

The Gembreaker/ Plowhorn

The pug of dragons. The face is too flat and eyes way too small and human looking. The beetle wings feel disconnected from the design, i went for more Gronkle like wings.

The Featherhide/ Feathers

The best design out of the bunch. Still feels more like a design from rescue riders (it literally looks like a songwing) than something that could be flying around with nadders and such. The head is way too round. I gave her the same head tendrils (or whatever you'd call them) like changewings have. The "feathers" are just spines that look like feathers.

The Deadly Spinner/ Webmaster

Literally the second worst design in that show (number one goes to the glass caster, that thing is literally just a goblin (why does it have a human nose and hair????)).

THE HEAD, THE BODY... Its all so cube, yet so sphere at the same time. I literally changed 3 things yet it looks like a completely different dragon. Also he's way too colorful for his design, there are 6 separate colors somewhere on him and it just makes it look like he has one million diseases and he shouldn't be allowed into public spaces.

Also the name for both the species and the dragon is stupid

[actual-changeling]

Y'know Scully needed to be pregnant during season 8 or she would have offed herself the second Mulder was dead and buried. Just leave the grave open, Skinner, she'll jump right after him and call it a day—same thing with their roles reversed.

There's only so much she can take, and finding Mulder dead in that field without a pregnancy giving her a reason to keep living would have been too much by a mile. She would have suffocated on the emptiness he left behind.

Even in canon, Skinner and her mom must have had one hell of a time taking care of her after the funeral 'cause i don't think Scully was particularly eager to go through her daily routines except to avoid not perishing on the spot.

While they were still searching for him, she was visibly numb to the world and lost the spark that had survived all the way through their numerous kidnappings, the cancer arc, Emily, Antarctica, weird brain diseases and stranded alien spaceships, and failed IVF.

No Mulder, no faith, no life. For them, it really is that simple.

And the thing is that we get used to seeing her like that! We know something is wrong, we know what is wrong—what is missing—but it only really hits you how much of a walking corpse she was once Mulder is breathing again.

Before his return, she wears exclusively dark, muted colours and high-collared shirts; a lot of the time, she's completely drowning in her black coat. Her cross necklace is invisible and hidden away, she solves cases and does her job, sure, yet there's no actual joy or excitement, no scientific wonder.

Without mulder, the x files are reduced to simply that: files. There's nothing to fight for without him.

This is the only Scully Doggett (and Reyes) get to know, their understanding of her and Mulder's relationship is based on rumours and stories, and what little they can extricate from Scully herself.

Then they find him, they bury him, they bring him back to life, and the SECOND she feels and sees him breathing, his heart beating, that spark roars back to life. There's more determination and liveliness in her eyes during this one conversation with Doggett than when some fucking cult whackos shove a worm up her spine and try to make her their worm god carrier.

But no matter what Mulder's chances are, the choice not to open up that grave was wrong.

You could have dropped her in front of his grave with nothing but her bare hands and a mission, and she would have dug him up and wished him back to the world of the living all by herself.

They're irrevocably bound together, they need each other not just to survive but to LIVE period, and god help anyone who comes between them.

[nagito-kissmaeda]

Hi I am going to complain about Eito from 100 line now. Warning for spoilers from day 98 onwards and a BUNCH of routes. Just to be clear, he is my favorite and i love him, my complaints come from love only.

OKAY SO UH, Eito 100% has a komaeda-style heel turn towards the back end of the game and reveals himself to be NOT on your side at all. Very cool very sexy. I was anticipating this, hoping for it, fingers crossed begging for it. There's a very sexy sprite where he is winking and covered in blood, it makes me insane. NOW, the reason i am MAD, is because his motive is just....lame....and dumb....and bad. It honestly kinda ruined him for me. It's nonsensical. NOW, i must clarify that i don't have the time, nor energy to finish all the routes but i have consulted a friend who has already done so, and will be leaning on him a little bit here, but even his assertions that his motive does have SOME legitimacy is not enough to make me calm down so. Eito, sees all humans as monsters. literally, visually, smell-ually (not a word). he claims this is due to a birth defect. First of all, if this is how all humans have always looked, then you wouldn't......consider them monsters? why would you be disgusted by them if you have never known any different, had no point for comparison? Second of all, how boring, how lame, how stinky. It has none of that emotional depth or comprehensive motivation that uhhhhh.....my favorite guy komaeda has. It's just "i hate all humans, they smell, i read a book about WW2 once." couldnt he have just been a regular person abandoned by the system? Determined to send a message? That would be surface level but at least it would be emotive and understandable. Now, my friend who has actually finished the routes has some clarifications, so ill be going by what he has said here, but FIRST. if you are reading this and dont already know what happens after day 98 then BOY HOWDY do i have some news for you. So. Eito fucks everything up and ruins your plans. hes so cool. you kill him and doing so gain some immense power that allows you to GO BACK IN TIME and try again. very cool genuinely very cool (would have been cooler if i didnt have to play 30 hours of pretty boring game to get to it, but okay). Here is where the routes come in. You get to redo the 100 days and each route is a different attempt based on your choices. Now my friend says, that some of these routes do contain more explanations about Eito and imply that his 'disease' was implanted into him by a group that wants humanity dead and that he is a plant. Now. i dont hate that, BUUUUUUT, why did they have to do that at all? Why not just....send down a guy who hates humans and get him to do the dirty work without having to mess around in his brain? And DONT say that they need someone with hemoanima and maybe there was no one on the team who fit the bill because NOZOMI is right there and she snuck in without hemoanima soooooo. W/e, it doesnt fix the problem TO ME, especially since you aren't always going to learn this and learning it doesnt fix the hours i already spent being angry about it lol, if it was something that could happen at the beginning of the route and actually 'fix' eito that would be interesting, but apparently you can only do this around day 60-ish in various routes. Now the reason i say these complaints come from love only, is because i really really liked eito. he was cute, i liked his design, i even support him hating and wanting to kill me. i just think his motive does the game a disservice because it just doesnt have enough interesting layers DESPITE him being otherwise very well written and fun to talk to. he can be such a little shit in the re-dos where he doesnt need to pretend to be nice anymore and i LOVE IT, i just wish it came from a place of more narrative cohesion. There were so many other ways the could have done it, and HONESTLY there are even ways they could have better resolved what they were already working with by giving more solid answers instead of just 'implying' his disease may not actually be genetic. Implication has its merits, but in a game with this many endings, you would hope that at least one of them gives a sufficient explanation, but whatever, that's just my onion.

[itgirlzluvmoneyyy]

How to be a queen

#1 Stop being desperate. Stop acting like you can't live w/o that person in your life. Stop being desperate for people to notice you. Stop seeking external validation. There's nothing wrong w/ wanting compliments but desperate for compliments from others? We don't do that here.

How do I fix that, you ask? Shower yourself all the compliments you'd wanna hear from others.

#2 Stop toning down your character for humbling others. It doesn't mean you meet a person for the first time and be like look at my superiority complex but know your worth. You don't have to prove it anyone. You let people know your worth thru your daily actions. The way your carry yourself, the way you express yourself. Okay you might be wrong so what? The people who laugh at you for being wrong don't even have the guts to voice their opinion.

#3 Build your character. Write down your moral code and the things you stand for. Nothing is powerful than you knowing yourself. Be a baddie, voice your opinions all that but don't be a menace. Being mannerless isn't hot.

#4 Be assertive about your boundaries. Don't be like 'i'll give them a second chance and then I'll tell them. . .' No. Once a cheater, always a cheater. They cross your boundaries once, might do it again. So let them know and don't be afraid if they walk away from your life. It ain't your fault they chose trash over Gold.

#5 Thoughts -> Choices -> Behaviours -> Change. Revamp your self concept first. Once you change your thoughts everything will shift. If you keep thinking those same outdated, mediocre thoughts you're life will stay the same. People have healed themselves of deadly diseases by changing their thoughts.

#6 Prioritize your goals. Never change your work schedule for the sake of some person, especially a guy. Stop having all these crushes, it's literally embarrassing. Stop putting other people on the pedestal! You are the main character.

#7 Stop being so invested in other people's lives. Have conversations w/ yourself instead. What they do is none of your business.

[knight-of-flowerss]

BLOOD SACRIFICE

Vampire!Benjicot 'Davos' Blackwood x Septa!Reader

There will be smut so Minors DNI 18+

SNIPPET OF ONE OF THE THREE STORIES!

Synopsis: Many say the church can protect you against evil, that’s a lie. You pray to the Seven for forgiveness and protection, but they do not grant it. The stranger himself gets invited into the church, what will you do when he bears his fangs and gives you the choice between death or lust?

The stained glass shines from the illumination of the moon, the light refracting and casting shadows. My veil covers my hair, billowing down my back and coating the floor in the laced fabric.

My hand clutches my rosary, my mouth moving fast as I mutter prayers to the Seven. There had been talks of a monster amongst us. Murders of young, vulnerable women had become the new town myth, they say a Vampire.

Yes, a Vampire apparently walks amongst us. Ridiculous but precautions must be maintained.

We do not know if the Vampire is tall or short. Young or old. Pretty or ugly. All we know is that there is someone with a bloodlust amongst us.

My prayers are dedicated to the Seven, specifically the Warrior. I prayed to him for protection, to help rid us of this foul disease plaguing the Riverlands.

"I pray to the Warrior for protection and bravery, give me strength and safety and I will forever be in your debt." I mutter, my eyes closed and mind blank, only focusing on the words I’m speaking and which of the Seven I am praying to.

After praying to the Warrior, the Father, Mother, Maiden, the Crone and even the Smith, I go to pray to the Stranger, but something stops me.

I hear a scratch on wood. I stop my prayer for a few seconds, listening to hear. Nothing. So I go back to praying. "I pray to the Stranger-" scratch, scratch, scratch.

I pause, my eyebrows furrowing as I finally open my eyes, moving my eyes around the very empty church, my eyes land on nothing. There is nothing here with me. There must be rats in the wall.

I open my mouth to continue before a loud banging makes me jump and drop my rosary. I look behind me and see the door shake with the sheer force of the knocks.

Once the knocks cease I get the courage to call out in the darkness, "Who comes here at the hour of the wolf?"

Silence. "Answer me!" Silence as well.

I stand up from my sitting position, discarding my rosary as it lays neglected on the floor. I slowly walk towards the large double doors, my bare feet planting on the cold stone.

My body reaches the door, fingers instinctively reaching out and grabbing onto the handle. I go to pull it but I hesitate. What was on the other side? A cat? A person? The killer?…

You only live once, if I am to die then I am to die, it is what the Seven want.

I use a lot of my strength to pull open one of the doors to reveal the cold to the warm.

As my eyes scour as much as the darkness allows me to see. I turn my head right, nothing. I turn my head left, a shadow.

I shriek out of shock, jumping as I look at the body before me. A man. He has scruffy black hair, a cocky grin and a scar above his lip.

"Greetings, Septa." He smirks, enjoying my reaction. Who was this man? "Greetings… how may I help you?…" My tone is sceptical, unsure.

"I need a place to rest until the morrow. Well, it already is, what I mean is when the sun rises." He flashes a charming but cocky smile, stepping slowing infront of me. He was tall and lean, towering over me.

"Of course, you could have just came inside you know? Come, step inside, you are always welcome at the Church." His smile widens and turns into a smirk. His eyes flashing an emotion I cannot put my finger on. But it wasn’t just an emotion. I swear I had saw his deep, dark eyes flash a bright red, but it was dark, the hour of the wolf, I am just tired.

I welcomed the young man inside, smiling politely as I let him in. Shutting the door, I do not realise the danger I face. I have just locked myself in an isolated Church with a Vampire. Gods help me…

Tags: @thethreeeyed-raven @lost-in-fiction-like-ur-mom

[alilixx]

im obsessing with the idea of the reader having a side job at a night club and james wilson recognizes her while out with House

I'm so sorry for my non response, i wasn't well BUT, i will write ALL Fanfic of House MD for start some other fandoms!

The dim light of the nightclub flickered between red and blue neon, creating an atmosphere that was both intimate and electric. The music rumbled, a blend of vibrating bass and frenetic percussion, and the crowd seemed to move as one entity, swept away by the rhythm.

Wilson adjusted his tie, uncomfortable. "Remind me why I’m here again?" he asked, raising his voice to cover the music.

House, beside him, was casually sipping a glass of whiskey he had somehow managed to get, God knows how. He raised an eyebrow, a mocking look on his face. "Because you need to relax, Wilson. And because watching people make questionable life choices is way more fun than watching a documentary about rare diseases on a Friday night."

Wilson rolled his eyes, ready to respond, but stopped short. His gaze had fallen on someone behind the bar. A familiar figure was busy, mixing cocktails with surprising skill, juggling orders as if they had always done it.

"Is that… (your name)?" he murmured, incredulous.

House followed his gaze and squinted. "Who?"

"My assistant! Well… an assistant at Princeton-Plainsboro. (Your name)!" Wilson seemed completely puzzled. "What is she doing here? She works for us during the day!"

House smirked, his mind already finding a thousand ways to exploit this information. "Maybe she’s funding her passion for medicine by bartending at night. Or maybe she just needs an escape. You should ask her. It could be hilarious."

Before Wilson could protest, House grabbed his arm and gently pushed him toward the bar. You, on your side, had just finished a Mojito when you looked up and locked eyes with Wilson’s astonished expression.

"(Your name)?" he exclaimed, as though he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

A mix of embarrassment and surprise crossed your face. "Dr. Wilson? What are you doing here?"

"Uh… it’s a long story." He glanced at House, who was obviously having a blast with the situation.

"And you?" Wilson continued, hesitating. "I mean… I didn’t know you had a second job."

You leaned slightly toward them, the deafening noise of the music making conversation difficult. "It’s not something I shout from the rooftops. It’s just temporary. You know… student loans…" You shrugged with a nervous smile, hoping that would be enough of an explanation.

House, meanwhile, burst out laughing. "Student loans? Come on, Wilson, do you believe that? I bet she’s hiding a much more interesting secret life. Like a spy. Or a vampire hunter."

You rolled your eyes, but a playful smile crept onto your lips nonetheless. "Can I get you something? Or are you just here to analyze my private life?"

House clapped lightly, as if you had just won a debate. "A drink for my friend here. He desperately needs to relax."

Wilson, embarrassed but curious, sat at the bar. The evening promised to be… interesting.

You grabbed a clean glass and a bottle of gin, starting to prepare Wilson’s order while keeping a professional smile on your face. Despite your composure, you could feel their gaze weighing on you.

"So… how long have you been working here?" Wilson asked, his curiosity taking over.

You shrugged as you poured a splash of tonic into the glass. "A few months. It’s a good way to make ends meet. And it’s… different from the hospital."

House leaned over the bar, his mischievous grin still plastered on his face. "I bet ‘different’ is an understatement. The clients here don’t complain about the color of their pills or the temperature of their room."

You burst out laughing, unable to help yourself. "Oh, they complain. Just about different things. But at least I’m not spending my nights filling out medical reports."

Wilson, clearly uncomfortable, tried to steer the conversation elsewhere. "And… uh… does anyone at the hospital know?"

You shook your head, sliding the glass in front of him. "No, and I’d like to keep it that way. I don’t want it to affect my main job. Or for people to start judging."

House raised an eyebrow, amused. "Too late for that. Wilson is already judging you, I can see it."

"I’m not judging!" Wilson protested, almost indignantly. "I’m just… surprised. That’s all."

You smiled, almost touched by his awkwardness. "Don’t worry, Dr. Wilson. I’m used to people being surprised."

The conversation was interrupted by a loud group approaching the bar, demanding a round of shots. You raised a hand to signal them to wait a moment, then returned your attention to the two doctors.

"I need to get back to work. If you need anything, just let me know."

House watched you walk away, his contemplative expression betraying a hint of unexpected respect. He turned to Wilson, a smirk on his face. "You know what, I like her. She’s way more interesting than you, that’s for sure."

Wilson rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t help but smile too. "She’s actually working hard while we’re just hanging out here."

"Exactly. It’d do you some good, Wilson, to learn from her work ethic. Maybe she could give you some tips. In the meantime, drink your gin and tonic and try not to look too guilty for being here."

As you juggled orders and served increasingly exuberant customers, you couldn’t help but glance over at the table where House and Wilson had settled. Their presence, though unexpected, made the evening a bit more entertaining.

And you had the curious feeling that it wouldn’t be the last time they stepped foot in this club… especially with House around.

A few days passed without hearing anything about the nightclub incident. You were almost sure Wilson wouldn’t say anything. House, on the other hand… you knew he loved chaos too much to simply let that discovery slide.

Your intuition was confirmed one afternoon, as you were sorting files in the common room, when Wilson appeared at the door, looking slightly embarrassed. "(Your name), uh… House wanted to know if you’d be free tonight. Well, he mentioned dinner, but it was very vague. Like always."

You looked up, raising an eyebrow slightly. "House? He wants to have dinner with me?"

Wilson shook his head with a tired smile. "Not exactly. Let’s just say he invited me to dinner and decided it would be more interesting if you came too."

"And you agreed?" you asked, half-amused, half-skeptical.

Wilson shrugged, resigned. "Let’s say I’ve learned not to fight against his plans."

You found yourselves at a small Italian restaurant tucked away on a quiet street. To your surprise, House was in a very good mood, making his usual sarcastic remarks but strangely less biting than usual.

"So, the star of the night," he said, looking at you with a mischievous grin. "What’s it like leading a double life? Do you wear a wig to work at the bar, or do you just rely on the darkness and alcohol to keep your anonymity?"

You laughed softly, rolling your eyes. "No wig. Just a bit of makeup and a lot of hope."

Wilson, sitting next to you, tried to intervene. "House, leave her alone. She doesn’t need to go through an interrogation during dinner."

"I’m just curious! And admit it, you want to know the details as much as I do," House replied with a smirk, before grabbing a piece of bread from the basket in the center of the table.

Despite the teasing, the evening was enjoyable. You discovered a lighter side of Wilson and were surprised to find that House could be almost charming when he decided to be.

After dinner, as you were about to head home, House came up with a typically unpredictable idea. "Why go home now? Wilson has a perfectly comfortable couch. And a TV. I’m sure he still has wine, and we absolutely need to show you House of Cards. You’ll love it."

Wilson raised his hands in protest. "Why is it always my couch? I thought you had an apartment, House."

"Yes, but yours has a… warmer vibe," House retorted, already walking toward Wilson’s car.

You didn’t really have a choice and were swept along, amused by their dynamic.

A few hours later, you were settled on the couch, a glass of wine in hand, with Wilson on one side and House on the other. The show played on the screen, but most of the dialogue was drowned out by House’s incessant commentary.

"You see, this is exactly what Wilson would do if he had a bit more ambition," he said, pointing at Frank Underwood on the screen.

Wilson sighed. "Remind me why I still let you come over to my place."

"Because you love me, Wilson. And I make your life more interesting," House replied with a self-satisfied grin.

You laughed softly, feeling relaxed for the first time in a long while. This improbable moment – an impromptu dinner followed by a TV show – had created a bubble outside of time, far from the responsibilities of the hospital or your second job.

And somewhere, you knew that this strange evening would only be the first of many adventures with these two.