#shed do it for the glory tho if anything. when i think of her i think of rtf blaze's 'when you think of me think of approximate gratitude'

[windupaidoneus]

i have such a worry with making my ocs "too important" within stories but like. my HoF is literally the main character. my hawke is too. my inquisitors as well. of course they're the most specialest babygirls. there's no shame in it

[yostresswritinggirl]

Where I Can't Follow

Vibe for sad

Icarus is flying too close to the sun. And his wings may not melt, but this time it can break. Where the wind takes him will not be enough.

Pairings -> Venti x Reader?

Word Count -> 1416

Themes -> Sad hours, Abandonment Issues, ACTUAL short fic

Series -> #Sojourner Specials (600 Followers Event)

Warnings -> I seem to only know how to hurt Venti

"Can you tell me more about Celestia?" The said island of where ancients dwelled passes over past the moon as it was noticed and mentioned.

A strum. "The land of the divine?" A nod. "Why, it's a land of bland wine!"

A chorus of their laughters passes over as Celestia once again departs from the skies of Mond.

"Come now, Venti, tell me more!" A hum.

And his demeanor changes when his teal eyes bore on yours, a smile so soft and small, almost unnatural. "Celestia takes more than what we offer, and it is those that it takes which I loathe for."

Do not praise Celestia, for one day it shall take you away too.

Venti had yearned freedom for another. And you remember this tale much more vividly than the others. About the bard, who fought valantly for freedom.

When he sings to you, despite the fact that you had lived thosands of years past the deceased you feel the remnants of the pioneer, like the enigma the Anemo Archon is that stands before you.

You've heard the tales of the bard while by the hands of the Archon's statue and he speaks fondly of him, and ever since then Venti never speaks about him beyond that area. The bard's name or tale seems like a sacred tale that can only be spoken in that divine place. When you sit next to him and watch as his eyes distantly lingers at a land far away from reach, you realized that the direction he faces was where the ruins of the old city lays.

"He was my first friend." You also notice that beyond his mantra that the rhymes loosen up, disappear in the winds when you two sit there. As if he was stripped bare of what he made himself to be. That it was not the image of the bard that he has reincarnated himself to was speaking but the sprite from the war that only wishes to dance with the thousand winds under the symphony of a human's lyre.

"But you're here now! Just like the good old times! At least now, there's nothing that can kill you."

You give him a deadpan at the humor that was not at all. Even if he makes light of the situation you knew he was still aching and trembling inside, his resolve shedding the more he thinks. The more he remembers.

The word death was a touchy subject for him despite his immortality, and he can never finish his tale despite the many times he recited the whole story to you. Why would he detest it? After all it was his sacrifice that has given thousand of years of freedom for the populace. You want to be a hero? Then you'll have to die like one.

Another icon he speaks of so fondly was that of Venessa, the flame-touched knight that became the exemplar of freedom as its hero. When he had awoken to the new age of aristocracy, it was their chance meeting that had made him aware of the changes he dreaded.

Solitude and 500 years away from Mondstadt and its people, to grow on their own without the issue of divine intervention was his recipe for the exercise of freedom. But they turned unhinged and he once again had to intervene to revert it back to its glory.

Venessa was the epitome of paradox over the concept of freedom and slavery, and that of devotion for her people and for Celestia.

"I don't see what's so good about Celestia really," Venti grumbles to himself as you two lay under the shade of the Windrise tree, "but far from this place, I see the appeal of divinity."

You've always liked Windrise for its glorious towering crown as well as the history behind it. This is where the hero ascends to Celestia, her prayers she had uttered her whole life finally received as she ascends to be one of the four winds that continues to protect Mondstadt.

The word feels distasteful on the tip of his tongue, almost spitting it with venom. And you've never seen Venti look over anything with such distaste, besides cheese. But it seems it isn't just Celestia that hurts him now.

And maybe, despite the facade he has shown as the ever-loving God Barbatos, when Dvalin begged for release and freedom from his duty as one of the four winds— despite the years that he had waited for his cleansing, singing to his friend and calling for him to keep it together.

You knew Venti had lost another friend. He didn't want to be selfish, he couldn't be selfish, for he would be a hypocrite of a god to do so.

You can see the longing in the way his eyes twinkles whenever he looks up at the skies, a third layer of masked sadness dwells within it. And when he hugs you tightly as he weeps for both the loss and unshackling, there was a desperation and silent prayer in the way he squeezes you.

You and him realized it together that day. The other side of the coin that is freedom, had taken too much from Venti. And despite being its archon, he was tied down to his city, until his non-existent death he would be there forever. Watching every person move past his life, ascension after death, and death and death.

You thought to yourself, if immortality had given you all that is forever to live it, why does it feel as tho it jails your beloved Venti?

You always knew the capabilities of Venti and his permanence in this world, but as you rush over to his slouched form by Windrise, you couldn't help but release a tear in how broken and drained he looked. You took him in your arms and he succumbs like a lifeless doll so easily.

"It's okay, I can still heal myself," the gnosis that acts as the badge of his archon status had been taken away from his forcefully, beaten by a woman to the ground, his powers yanked out by the use of forbidden power meant to deter the likes of him.

You slip down to the grassy bed, his head laid on your lap as Venti tries to regain his strength without the help of the device that contains a huge chunk of his divine power. The hands on his cheeks tremble and he smiles to himself, nuzzling it. Silly human, he mumbles, I'm not going anywhere.

You were not knowledgeable on his capabilities without his gnosis, and you were scared that like the tales of the end of gods, he'd slip from your hands in the form of a fleeting somber wind. His element.

You squeeze your eyes shut and pour out all the desperation and pleas in your loud mind, please don't take him away, please be safe, please make him come back to how he was before.

In the dead of night with only the sound of the breeze lulling your silence, way above towers—

Celestia listens.

To the heavens may you fly.

Venti's glare was much, much harsher than the biting frost that threatens to tip him over back to the snow hundreds of feet below. The tip of Dragonspine's mountain held no regards for those who need to breathe, a crown of swirling clouds shying it away from distant and prying eyes.

He strums his lyre fiercely as a gale current of the same intensity manifests around him, his wind glider manifesting and instantly opening at the force. He managed to lift himself high enough to break through the clouds and it was a magnificent, magical sight of dazzling blue.

And yet his hand can only reach out at the dot of an island that was thousand of years away from his grasp, his weakened powers dissipates and he floats back down the winter land on his knees.

Venti bangs his fists against the snow as hard as he can and sobs, his tear immediately freezing over before it even passes his cheek. He can't reach that high up, he can't fly over in such a weakened state, despite being the archon of the winds himself.

Curses, he screams at the vortex that eats it whole, the divine has taken from him once again.

"I told you, not to go, where I can't follow."

Now he is alone, stuck in the city of freedom. Maybe he has been awake for too long.

@ellitx @zelos-simp @legionqueensav @snackgod @rxsalinee @cala-ran @wind-wheel @moaa @dandelion-dreams @witchsungie

[drabbleoclock]

The Villains Daughter pt.1

Summery: The daughter of a villain hears she may be able to shed some light on the USJ attack.

TW: mentions of abuse (not in any detail tho)

Id love any feedback :)

“Did you hear about the USJ? There was this crazy group of villains that got in and attacked! The news says they snuck in when all those reporters did. Says the main guy was some dude from the League of Villains, whatever that is.” The boy gossiped in the hallway like all the other students did. The USJ was big news, and not good news at that. But the League of Villains? It can’t be them. They said they would not be ready for another few years. He must have gotten his hands on another useful quirk. One that really sped up the process. I have to tell them what I know, I have to tell him what I know.

I pivoted on my heel and walked in the opposite direction of the exit of the school. It was the end of the day and most people were already gone, except a few stragglers. Not many people really wanted to be here after the attack anyway. Once I reach the teachers office door I give it a tentative knock which I could hear reverberating in the room. After a moment the door opened to reveal the man himself in all his glory. All Might.

“I am here… at your service young one!” His voice boomed around me as I peered into his office. It was dark, the shades were drawn and it didn't really have any sort of decor that stood out.

“I have some information for you.” I said getting nervous, I was going to have to tell him everything. I don’t know if I'm ready for that, but if the heroes don’t know this information, I could really be helpful. “About the USJ attack.”

All Might immediately lets me into the room, directing me to the couch, also occupied by a blond boy who looks to be older than me. All Might comes back to sit on the couch opposite us.

“Sorry young lady, I'm afraid I do not know your name.” he said more seriously than I had ever heard him. Even when faced with unexpected, and important information he is still so chivalrous and polite. What a cool guy.

“My name is Chiyo, and I know who attacked the USJ.” I said, I suddenly stopped looking between the boy next to me, who now had just a serious of a face, but still a slight smile resting on his lips, and All Might across from us.

“He is alright, this is Mirio, one of UAs top students, no need to worry about saying anything in front of him. He knows how to keep things to himself.” All Might said with a mighty laugh at the end, quickly returning to his serious demeanor. “Please continue.”

I took a deep breath readying myself to be run out, or worse returned to my father once they found out who I am. But it would have to be done. They need to know. Now is not the time for childlike selfishness. “His name is Tomura Shigaraki, the one with the blue hair and the hands. I assume if he was there the Warp Villain Kurogiri was there as well. He is Shigaraki’s… caretaker of sorts.”

All Might sat back on the couch looking at me, trying to piece together how I knew these things. I only stared at my lap trying not to shake as much as I was. I did not want to leave UA! I love it here. I want to become a hero and fight the people like him, not join them, but I would have no other choice if All Might were to decide I was too much of a danger to be here.

“And how do you know these things young Chiyo?” All Might asked, not unexpectedly. I took another breath trying not to break in front of the two men. Tears pooled in the corners of my eyes as I looked at my hands, grasping at each other to try to calm me down. “Well?” He pressed further, obviously getting irritated at my lack of cooperation.

“I- I know because they work for my father. They work for-” I tried to say his name but it got stuck in my throat. Tears spilled from my eyes as I realized what this meant for me. It finally sunk in that they were going to kick me out. I don’t blame them. They can’t have the daughter of the most dangerous villain in their school. But it is too late now, too late for me to go back and pretend that I knew nothing, to pretend that I am just as clueless as everybody else.

“Who?” It rang out in the air like a bullet headed straight for me. I had never heard All Might speak like this, not even to the villains on the street. He always had a cheerful tone to his voice but now it was gone. More tears stream down my face as I do everything I can not to look at him.

“I doubt you know his real name,” I said furiously, wiping the tears from my cheeks. “Even I haven't heard it said in a long time, but you do know him.” I took a deep breath to gather the courage to say the name of the man that locked me away for years, the man who beat me everyday, the man who I tried everything to forget. “All-For-One.”

Silence hung in the air like lead. There was a pressure on my chest that I could not relieve no matter how hard I tried to breathe. My hands were now bleeding where my nails were digging into them. I glanced up to see All Might’s face in shadow. Not a clear look into what he was feeling.

“One-For-All is your father?” He spit the question at me like it was a betrayal. I knew this would happen. I knew he would blame me. Why wouldn’t he?

“Why are you here? At UA?” The question caught me off guard, not the question itself, but the voice that asked it. It belonged to Mirio, the boy that was sitting next to me, honestly I kind of forgot he was here. But why did it matter why I was at UA? My father is still my father, nothing can change that. I looked to the boy to see the curiosity in his eyes, and back to All Might whose face had softened to a slight, strained smile.

“I don’t know if you remember, but I was there that day. The day you fought my father. He wanted me there, he wanted to show me that no matter what you would always be there to thwart our plans.” I breathed out looking at my hands again.

“You were hiding behind those dumpsters” He said quietly, thinking back to the day that ruined his life. I nodded.

“I did learn that lesson, but I learned another one as well, something you said something in the middle of the fight that has stuck with me to this day. You said that anybody could become a hero, as long as they learned to love the world. You said that even he could become good if he tried. Of course you were wrong about him. I don’t think he could ever change his ways, not now. But you showed me I didn’t have to be like him. You showed me I could be better than him.” I finished with even more tears streaming down my face, only realizing now that the man had to be talking to me that day, not my father. Frozen with the prospect of All Might knowing how I feel about him, how he had saved me that day.

Nobody said anything for a long time. The air was heavy and silent as tears streamed. I look up after about a minute and see something that truly shocked me. All Might was crying, not just a few tears but tears were streaming down his face as well.

“After all these years, here you are! Better than he could ever be. I always wondered what had happened to you. I tried to find you after the fight but I couldn’t.” He said, wiping the tears and putting a hand on my shoulder.

All I could do was stare at him. Where was the yelling? The beating? I was the child of the man that ruined All Might's career and here he is telling me he had worried over me.

“I had hid. I-” I stopped not wanting to tell the rest for fear of retribution, but I had come this far, I may as well tell him the rest. “I had to help him. He may have been awful, but he was still my father, ya know?” I said gritting my teeth. “If it weren’t for me, he wouldn’t be here today… I'm so sorry!” I said going into a deep bow, my hands bleeding harder as I pressed my nails harder into the soft flesh.

“Hush now child. I do not blame you! He is your father, of course you tried to help him!”

“Was.” I corrected it immediately.

“Huh?”

“Was my father. He is no longer anything to me but my abuser.” I said, wiping my tears away. “I'm sorry I don’t mean to sound harsh but that man is nothing to me now.” The two men looked at me with a mix of pity and something else I couldn’t quite make out. Hopefulness? Fear? I don’t know. All Might gave a gasp as he looked at my hands. “Goodness young Chiyo, you have really done a number on your hands.” All Might exclaimed, moving to grab them. I flinched back holding them in my lap. He hesitated then moved slower to grab them again. This time I let him take them and examine them. They were worse than I thought. Blood was now running down the palms of my hands, nail marks red and swollen right above where the blood starts. “We should get you to recovery girl, she would make quick work of this. Mirio, would you take her please.” He said with a tone that said it was not really a request. He and Mirio shared a strained look before Mirio looked at me and smiled.

“Of course” Mirio led me to the door of the office.

“Before you go, I have one more question.” I looked back to find the serious look back on All Might’s face. “Do you have any idea where your father may be hiding?” I looked down and shook my head.

“No, I left him a few years ago. I have no doubt he would have changed location once he knew I was entering school here.” I said, disappointed in my own lack of useful knowledge. All Might nodded and let us walk out of the room.

[fae-fucker]

Zenith: Chapter 6

We get some more hints about Dex’s and Andi’s past together.

Their last meeting hadn’t exactly gone over well, what with the whole, Andi soaring away with Dex’s ship, leaving him bleeding and dying on a fire moon thing.

Who edited this?

Update: Someone finally did, it seems, because this has been updated to:

Their last moments together hadn’t exactly gone well, what with the whole “Andi soaring away with Dex’ s ship, leaving him bleeding and dying on a barren moon” thing.

So uh. Better, I guess.

As with any shitty book with a STRONK FEMAIL CHARAKTOR, we must -- MUST -- wank on about how fucking amazing and hot she is, because she can’t just be brutal and off-putting and human, she has to be HOT while she’s doing physically exhausting shit that can both get bloody and sweaty, so let’s take a look at this garbage, shall we?

Godstars, she was magnificent, a creature that deserved to release her wrath on the world. It would be worth every drop of blood about to be shed to bring her to Cyprian’s feet.

So she’s so cool that ... she deserves to murder people, just because how cool she is? And capturing her is totes worth letting people get murdered?

I would maybe understand it if she was a massive threat to all intergalactic civilization and that throwing armies at her is the smaller price to pay, but she’s just one schmuck who does petty smuggling and escort jobs. Or does Dex just want his ex back and he’s ready to let people die for it? Because these are just space cops she’s killing and he’s ready to sacrifice, they’re just dudes doing their jobs.

What the fuck am I reading.

Update: This has been changed to:

Godstars, she was magnificent; a creature who had released her wrath on the world. It would be worth every drop of blood about to be shed to be the one who finally brought her to the general’s feet.

Oh, so now she already has released her wrath on the world, regardless of whether or not she deserved to? 

So Dex is happy to let other people die for him just so he can brag about capturing his ex? 

I’m glad we cleared that up. What a guy.

He hadn’t seen her in years, but he’d heard the rumors. He hadn’t truly known if she truly could wield those weapons with the a glory and grace that drew blood and split bones.

Why was he even questioning this? He’s been bragging about how he’s trained her and taught her everything she knows, and now he’s wondering if she could wield her own weapons?

Is Dex an idiot?

*looks at art* Forget I asked.

Gone was the girl young woman he’d once known, that shivering thing he’d found bruised and broken in the wilderness of Adhira in the markets of Uulveca.

In her place stood the warrior he’d trained and hardened and turned into something devilishly delicious.

He Dex reached for his gun as the Bloody Baroness attacked.

Devilishly. Delicious.

Shinsay. “Bloody Baroness” isn’t intimidating, alright? It’s not scary. Please stop this nonsense.

Andi and Dex have themselves a fight. Well, Andi kills a buncha dudes (+10 points to Gryffindor, Sasha managed to do what her hero SJM couldn’t, and that’s having her killer character actually kill someone on-screen) and Dex just kinda stands around in the background thinking about how hot she is.

We get a pointless POV switch.

The world slowed, but Andi moved like a flash of light.

Uh-huh.

“Take out her crew!” Dex shouted. “I want her alive.” 

“Take them out!” Dex shouted. “Save Androma for me.”

His words sent a spike of rage straight to through Andi’s heart.

Spike of rage.

A ball of white light shot past Andi’s shoulder. An enemy was blasted backward, already a corpse as he slammed into the door frame.

“Oh, that was a good shot,” Gilly said, giggling and brandishing her double-trigger gun.

Weren’t you just weeping and losing your shit four seconds ago?

I’m loving this mood dissonance. 

“I want the floor stained with their blood!” Andi yelled to her crew above the chaos.

This book is sending a blade of edge into my heart, I’ll tell ya that.

Update: If any of you were wondering where this comes from, this sequence has been updated to include Breck and her BULLETPROOF SKIN. The girls hide behind her and there’s emphasis on how USELESS the bullets are, because apparently these Patrolmen not only have Stormtrooper aim, they also haven’t heard of the concept of surrounding their target or moving a little bit to the side to get an angle on it. Or maybe Breck also has the ability to expand her physical form and encase her crewmates like a living hamster ball. 

Hey Shinsay. This doesn’t in any way justify your characters using swords and fists and whips in a fight. If anything, it just draws more attention to how fiking stupid it is. 

If you’re wondering how the fuck Andi survives this fight without being blown to bits while using katanas against dudes with guns, here’s where I admit and brag about the fact that I totally predicted that she’d deflect or slice through bullets, which yes, she actually does that.

Andi lashed out as a Patrolman shot at her, her sword barely cutting through the bullet before it could hammer itself into her throat.

You know, you’d think that Sasha, who supposedly reads a lot, would be aware of dumb shit like this and know not to do it, but alas.

This might work in anime or video games, but try to avoid this kind of garbage nonsense when you’re writing, because it’s so dumb that it takes the reader out of the experience. Unless you’re writing a comedy, just ... if you have someone slice through bullets, please reconsider.

Usually I’m not one to tell people not to do something, especially when it comes to writing, but sometimes you just gotta take a step back and look at the sins of humanity.

Also ... and I don’t know shit about physics, but if Andi has enough strength to cut through a fired bullet and her sword withstands this process without breaking, and the bullet clearly isn’t deflected but cut through, meaning its momentum is still carrying it forward and the impact of the sword didn’t slow it down, Andi just made two fucking bullets, or one bullet with its butt cut off.

She didn’t even deflect the thing.

She should be dead.

Oh my god.

Update: She now deflects the bullets with the cuffs on her wrists that “protect” her burned skin. So that’s why they were written in! This smells very much of Wonder Woman but it’s better than SLICING BULLETS IN HALF.

Seriously, Shinsay, did you read my snark? You’ve edited out all the best bits that I’ve complained about while leaving the bland and boring garbage intact. Why didn’t you hire ME as your editor? I could’ve made this GOOD. Or at least passable. But I’d charge you more than you could afford, because I’d have to rewrite the whole book for you.

“What’ s wrong, Dex? You don’t want to come out and play with me?” Andi said, her voice a dangerous purr.

Dex chuckled, his mahogany hair falling across one brown eye as he stepped forth to meet her gaze. “You were always one for theatrics, Androma. My little bitter ballerina.”

Dex’s hair color has been changed from “midnight” to “mahogany”. What, did SJM call you and told you to tone down the Rhys if you wanted her to pretend to like your book in public?

Also, bitter ballerina? Really? Who the fuck talks like this?

“These three can live,” she said, nodding her head at the final Patrolmen. “It’s you I want a fight with, Dextro.”

Yes, his name is actually Dextro. At least the book admits it’s fucking silly.

With a crackle of her swords, she lunged forward and cut off three heads in one scissoring slice.

#edgy

Still better than Sardines tho. Andi actually DOES SHIT.

Zenith is officially better than Throne of Glass.

After a bunch of nonsense fighting that I can’t even be assed to keep track of, Andi walks into Dex’s trap. His trap is basically even more dudes with guns, except this time Andi can’t fight them, for some reason, despite doing it just now, no problem.

Plot!

Update: Breck isn’t there anymore, so I guess it makes slightly more sense this time.

Dex notices the cuffs on Andi’s wrists, just so he can give the reader some info about them, I spose:

They were unbreakable, just like her swords. But the cuffs weren’t just an accessory. They held together the burned flesh on her wrists from an accident long ago. She didn’t have the privilege of seeing a doctor at the time, so her skin had become damaged beyond repair.

Without Dex’ s gift, she wouldn’t have the full function of her wrists and forearms—likely wouldn’t have the strength to lift those swords she was so fond of.

It gave him a sick kind of pleasure to know she still had the cuffs, a reminder of his kindness to her when she was at her weakest. A part of him she could never shed from herself.

So you’re telling me that ... Not only are her wounds still open under those cuffs, but that installing those cuffs was somehow faster and less expensive than finding a doctor who could patch them up for you? 

Or that they “healed,” and then, instead of paying for surgery, Dex paid for some GLASS CUFFS to slap on the wounds instead? 

And that Andi, during all this time and after presumably getting some money, hasn’t had her fucked-up wrists fixed, and instead keeps these cuffs on her still-fucked wrists even as they remind her of Dex Dogtective?

The wording implies that she physically cannot remove those cuffs without reopening the wounds.

Why did she have ABSOLUTELY POINTLESS METAL PLATES ON HER CHEEKS INSTALLED, WHEN SHE HAS AN ACTUAL WOUND THAT SEEMS A BIT MORE URGENT? Wouldn’t fixing a burn be cheaper in this hyper-tech world than grafting fucking metal into your flesh?

WHY ISN’T SHE IN IMMENSE PAIN AT ALL TIMES WITH THOSE GLASS CUFFS ON HER BURN WOUNDS. HOW FUCKING BADLY WERE HER WRISTS DAMAGED IF SHE CAN STILL BREAK PEOPLE’S NECKS AND WIELD HER SWORDS NO PROBLEM?!

HOW EXACTLY ARE THOSE GLASS CUFFS ATTACHED THAT THEY SOMEHOW HOLD HER SKIN TOGETHER BUT ALSO ALLOW HER WRISTS FULL MOBILITY?!

AHFSJFHGDKFJHGDSKFJHGSDKJFHGDSKJHF

“If they move, my guards will shoot.” Dex waved a hand, and half the men angled their light rifles upwards, where toward Andi’s motionless crew stood motionless.

The blue-skinned pilot from Adhira, the giantess beside her. And that psychopathic red-headed child, glaring down at Dex with the cold calculation of a seasoned killer.

Dex just waves a hand. Not his own hand, just a random hand he found on the floor.

I just remembered that their crew is literally just four people and I’m so tired.

Dex Dogtective takes Andi to some room on the Marauder to talk to somebody.

Cold calculation flashed in [Andi’s] eyes.

Oh, just like the cold calculation in Gilly’s eyes barely half a page ago?

Who edited this?

Update: "Cold calculation” has been changed to “disgust.”

Also, this is in reaction to Dex telling Andi to sit. When she refuses, he’s super impressed.

Instead, she stood with her back up against the wall, her gray eyes roving left and right.

Dex had taught her well.

Did you teach her not to sit on command, like the opposite of a dog trick?

I would not expect anything less from Dex Dogtective. 

For the first time today, despite everything Dex had thrown at her, she actually looked stricken. Shocked. Pained.

“Hello, Androma,” the man on the screen said. “I’ve been searching for you a very, very long time.”

The drama!

[medschoolash]

How do U feel about D@n3ryz as a character? What about j0n3ryz?

Oh good question anon.

This might get a little long.

When I first started watching Game of thrones (picked it up just before season 4 started), I loved Dany. I found her story interesting and her character interesting. Her struggles with her marriage to Drogo and Viscerys were appealing to me. As was her dragons and her determination to get back home and become queen. I thought it was cool to see a female character as a powerful leader and Dany’s idealism as character was a welcome departure from some of the other characters on the show.

Basically I used to love Dany…..but then I started to notice that nothing was changing about Dany. I like dynamic characters who evolve, characters who are allowed to have layers and flaws within the narrative….and Dany stopped doing that along the way. I felt like she was moved from one savior narrative to another. From one position of absolute worship to another. When she faced a hardship there was always an easy fix that usually entailed her amassing even more unearned worship and power than she had before. Dany stoped evolving as a character and became the epitome of a special snowflake. Every man who came in her presence loved her for some reason, every group of people ended up worshipping her greatness, every potential ally could never help seeing just how great she is. All of her extreme and selfish behaviors were applauded because it was Dany and Dany does whatever she wants because she’s the ultimate dragon flying fire immune badass and she’s the savior.

I was forced to watch her go on one slave mission after another, leaving nothing but chaos in her wake while still patting herself on the back for being a breaker of chains who brought “peace”. I was forced to watch her give the same awe inspiring speech about how she’s a amazing leader over and over and having the people fall in line with that idea despite never doing a single thing to prove it besides burning shit and riding dragons. None of this would have been a problem for me if the narrative would have addressed her worship for what it truly is….fear, but it doesn’t. Dany doesn’t truly inspire loyalty and belief based on her amazing capabilities as a leader and her honorable and trustworthy heart. She inspires fear and worship off the back of her privilege and her fear Inspiring power. This is barely truly dissected in the narrative with Dany tho. The men and women of the Dothraki just love Dany and think she’s a goddess, they don’t fear the shit it of her because she burned their holy land and all of their leaders to the ground. The Unsullied are just eternally grateful that Dany freed them from their slave masters so they happily act as slaves for her mission to win her throne back. According to the narrative people just can’t help but love and be loyal to the great Dany, even tho her antics over in Essos have been fear inspiring and chaotic. I mean we are still lead to believe that people just miraculously LOVE leaders that burn her opposition alive and let’s her dragons run loose. All of Dany’s short comings as a leader are rectified with advisors who get no credit for their work. All of her mistakes are erased with a display of her unmatched power. Everyone continues to march on to the beat of Dany’s drum just because and that’s that we shouldn’t question why. We are supposed to cheer her on because she’s our “heroine” even tho a lot of the times she feels like she has just as much of a propensity for selfish violence and destruction as the “villains.”

Take for example Ceresi….Ceresi is evil because she blew up a sept of people who humiliated her and came against her….but is what Ceresi did really that different from Dany setting fire to all the leaders of the Dothraki? They were people who mocked Dany, humiliated her and wants her to stand trial and be punished according to their customs and culture for her desertion just like the high sparrow and his followers were people who mocked Ceresi, humiliate her and wanted her to stand trial and be punished for her crimes against the faith according to their culture and customs. Ceresi seized control of westeros and its armies for herself and her selfishly driven desire to be queen and destroy her enemies….but is that different from Dany seizing control of all of the dothraki for her selfishly driven desire to come cross the narrow sea and destroy her enemies? Ceresi has been known to threaten people who will not be blindly loyal to her with death and hasn’t been afraid to take her power by force and shed blood. Dany has also been known to threaten people who will not give her blind loyalty with death by dragonfire, just as she has said that she will shed blood and rain fire down to get her throne. Dany and Ceresi share a lot of extreme behaviors but Dany is cheered on while Ceresi is admonished. Ceresi’s actions are always painted as firmly black, while Dany’s are given an easy out to keep her from looking like an truly mad queen.

After a while that sorta unearned elevation and lack of evolution, and an unwillingness to have her painted as anything other than special, good, and amazing becomes a turn off for me. I can see hints in the narrative that Dany isn’t as great and benevolent as she appears to be but the only way those hints will change my opinion is if it becomes more than hints, it needs to be a full on agenda for me to take Dany seriously as a character again. I don’t like special snowflakes, and Dany is everything wrong with a special snowflake. They always end up too grand for their own good and make the narrative suffer, they always end up with unmovable entitlement that overshadows all of their good characteristics. I can barely see Dany as the compassionate Queen who stoped the rape of women and was disgusted by slavery anymore because all I see now is a entitled woman who thinks the entire world owes it to her to worship at her feet and let her rule them.

I don’t think Dany is a bad character or person. I think she has some good qualities as a person and as a leader, but her ego, her narcissism, and her incompetence are hardly ever addressed in a truly negative light so she has never been forced to evolve beyond them. Even now, she’s in Westeros and we are supposed to believe that she is the greatest leader that the realm deserves and yet she doesn’t know anything about the people in westeros, expects blind loyalty, and It’s TYRION who is doing most of the thinking and planning for her. When you have a characters who thinks so highly of themselves, then you surround them with people who also blindly worship at their feet you get the Dany’s of the world, super special infallible characters that never evolve into anything beyond their own delusions. You get characters that embody everything wrong with privilege and power. There is nothing appealing to that type of character to me. It’s boring. It’s one dimensional, it’s unrealistic. That’s why I don’t see a lot that’s appealing to Dany at the moment.

Even though my dissatisfaction with Dany has been growing for seasons now I was still exited for her to cross the narrow sea and snatch Ceresi by her edges. But oddly enough crossing the sea has only shown me exactly why I started to become disillusioned with Dany in the first place. She’s strolled across the sea in all of her privileged and entitled glory thinking she was going to easily walk to the throne and yet now she’s looking like a selfish incompetent queen that is in over her head in a game with enemies and allies that she doesn’t understand. Ceresi is owning her at every turn and is so unapologetically evil in her victories that it almost makes you root for the crazy bitch. Meanwhile Dany is alienating people like Jon and the North and being stubborn even when presented with a threat to the people she so badly wants to rule because the extent of her diplomatic knowledge so far has been “submit to me I have dragons”. All she does is talk about how she’s entitled to power and worship and authority all while Tyrion has had to hold her hand at every turn so far. If she wasn’t coddled and propped for so long, if she had evolved beyond the girl who can survive fire and control dragons she would be more prepared for this game but she’s not, she’s not because Dany is a superficial leader just like she’s a superficial character, all shiny on the outside but terribly unevolved and ill equipped on the inside.

As far as her and Jon, many of the reasons I don’t care for Dany apply to why I don’t see any appeal in her and Jon. First, Jon is a borderline special snowflake his damn self if we’re being honest. The idea is this entire epic tale ends up being about these two super special destined for greatness people falling in love and saving the world and ruling the land in peace and harmony is so laughable and cliche I just can’t even take the thought seriously. Jon and Dany are predictable and and cliche.

The only thing Jon has going for him despite being a special snowflake is that Jon stays grounded as a character and because his personality and his narrative which is the exact opposite of Dany’s. Dany craves power and Jon usually wants no parts of it. Jon has been handed power on silver platters, but Jon has been given power because he has inspired faith and trust in the people around him based on his actions. Dany was born believing she was the most privileged of them all with her fancy last name that’s meant to rule westeros. Jon was born a bastard and believing himself to be the lowest of them all. Jon has fought and lost, Dany had fought and won at every turn. Jon sees no appeal in the life this game brings, Dany sees glory. I know some people like opposites attract but Dany and Jon are such polar opposites it would be impossible for them to ever work together, everything they are and believe fundamentally oppose each other. The only way they work is if one of them betrays their own character traits

Dany’s goals are also so singular and pose such huge threat to Jon and everything the claims to love and want. Dany wants to rule, she wants the 7 kingdoms. She believes she was born to rule, that it’s her birthright, she just told him that she’s been through a lot and that the only thing keeping her going had been her belief in herself and her destiny…..yet we know know that her entire existence is a lie. She’s not the true heir to the throne, Jon is. Once that is reveled how will it lead to anything else besides civil war with Jon? Dany didn’t come here and endure all her hardships to Marry the one true King and be his Queen, she came here to be THE Queen. That idea can’t co exist with Jon’s existence. Even if Jon doesn’t want the crown. How will she go on knowing it’s not really hers and never was? Is Jon’s magical love supposed to just erase everything about her?

And what about Jon, is he supposed to just forget about the north and his home and all the people who believed in him enough to make him King in the North despite being a bastard for Dany? The only way Jon can work with Dany is if he hands her the North and denies all that he is to give her absolute power, doing so would be a betrayal to North and to all of the things that Jon himself has said that he believes. If he doesn’t yield everything to Dany then how will a romance co exist with Jon being in power in westeros and even in the north? When Jon is standing in the way of what Dany wants? She’s already branded the north traitors in open rebellion because Jon refuses to kneel. Is Dany supposed to fall in love and just throw her want for power to the wind or is Jon supposed fall in love and throw the North under the bus?

Basically when I think about Jon and Dany what I get is two people who are incompatible on a character level and on a narrative level. Two people who are each other’s foils, not each other’s perfect partner. Two people who would make for a very boring and predictable story, and I don’t think anything about GRRMS ending will be boring and predictable.

[leeoliver]

8, 10, 16, 31 for mal and 5 for mugra pl ea se

(char dev)

8. where and when do they seem most and least at ease? why? how can you tell?

tbh…mals the west coaster from that “my body melted into the sand” post. he takes these fucking like “mal days” he calls them where he sets up a chair on the roof of the l38 and has cas mix him a drink (mal can cook but he cant mix to save his life) and tans for like 4 hrs while listening to music. and ur not supposed to bother him on mal days but sometimes rex comes up and licks his hand which he begrudgingly allows. like its terrible and boujee and his honored ancestor wu hongqi would never approve but sometimes uve gotta relajate.

ive totally talked abt this before but mals extremely claustrophobic esp w being underground so he literally cant stand it. in most cases ud have to drag him kicking and screaming to get him underground but in a situation (this is like a nightmare worst case scenario for him btw) where he just like wakes up underground hed pretty much immediately start panicking, sweating and hyperventilating and looking for a way out.

10. what energizes and drains them most?

mal lives for like adrenaline rushes in a modern au hed so be into extreme sports and shit so hes constantly looking for/setting up thrillseeking opportunities, all of which have to be approved by a council of arcade, boone, and raul (lily cant do it bcos she encourages whatever he comes up w it to see him happy, cass cant bcos shed totally say yes to something to see mal look stupid doing it, and veronica cant bcos shes right there doing it w him)

the worst thing u could ask him to do would be nothing. he cant meditate, way too restless. he needs something engaging either physically challenging or intellectually stimulating or at the very least something to fidget his hands with.

16. do they dream? what are those dreams like?

most of mals dreams are pretty normal, talking to ppl he knows and doing stuff, sometimes w weirder elements mixed in, but the worst ones are his like memory dreams. he gets dreams where he suddenly remembers everything he forgot when he got shot, everything about his past and the people and stuff and then he’ll wake up and forget all of it. and he’ll be left feeling like somethings been taken from him all over again.

31. is there anything that counts as a “dealbreaker” for them, positively or negatively? what makes things go smoothly, and what spoils an activity or ruins their day? why?

ddddd ill get back to u on this one

5. how do they dress? what styles, colors, accessories, and other possessions do they favor? why?

ok can i just start by saying that im totally tossing out th window norn lore abt how they all wear tiny fur underwear in this freezing snowy climate. norn culture has a lot of emphasis on feats of glory and strength and honor, so i think typical clothing would be very utilitarian, blends in w the environment, doesnt make that much noise when stalking prey. i definitely think it would come in a lot of layers, given the variation in temperature we see in locations ingame and just in general the idea of adaptability in a combat environment. im totally gonna do an outfit layer sheet for her someday.

mugras a good tailor, but thats got more to do w quality of make and stitching than any real ingenuity in design. she makes really solid clothing, but i wouldnt describe her as having a real eye for fashion. she rarely dyes pelts, keeping them mostly in the shades of brown and white they come in. she really likes skirts tho, but ofc wears them like over warm leggings. shes got a giant fur coat/travel blanket w a bear head for the hood. the story of where she got the bear from changes every time she tells it.

[frenchshiro]

Tokyo ghoul for the fandom thing!

AH THANKS!! (this reminds me that i seriously… need to catch up on the manga… how many chapters have passed, im scared to find out >>;; )

the character i least understand

probably arima really (i saw spoilers that i hadnt even reached rn, so i’ve been all sorts of level’s confused by him) but i seriously didnt understand his motives for doing what he did to kaneki, like i seriously dont, and i want to but man he’s such an enigma…. (at least, rn, when i read further it’ll probs shed some light tho LOL)

interactions i enjoyed the most

between suzuya and shinohara, i just… really loved what grew between them, shinohara truly did act like a father/parental figure that suzuya had never experienced once before in his life, being around his former ghoul master and a society that rejected him for acting differently due to trauma, shinohara truly did try to teach him the values that would make him more.. “human”, and by god i sobbed so hard when suzuya saw shinohara in a coma, just…. holy shit im tearing up as i type this….. (also i really wanted to see more karren and tsukiyama… the wound is still fresh //SOBS) - and ALSO the quinx are always so endearing when its light hearted and i adore the small family they are in a way at first, it was nice (LET THEM BE HAPPY ;___; )

the character who scares me the most

dear god A LOT OF THEM….. jason ngl really freaked me, the hell out, he was absolutely cruel and merciless and that whole torture scene with kaneki was amazing but at the same time, it stuck with me in a way that it had me cringing just reading it (if anything ishida does an amazing job at getting the gruesomeness of scenes across…. )

the character who is mostly like me

OH BOY UH…. probably saiko for obvious reasons (cant get up for the life of me, gets distracted by frivolous stuff, mentally not there) but, i also relate to the fact that, she didnt have any choice in the matter of what she wanted to do, it was all dictated to her, and while she’s good at what she does, its not what she wanted , which i feel quite personally. so yes saiko _(:’3_)TL

hottest looks character

fruit-chan~ i love his looks, he’s definitely a character i find attractive (as well as karren, i love her whether she’s dressed masculine or feminine, im gay)

one thing i dislike about my fave character

(WHO IS MY FAV UH…. probably suzuya for simplicity sake) i dont dislike anything about him i dont think uh…. nope, nothing, he’s my child, i love him too much, even in his disturbed glory

one thing i like about my hated character

AGAIN I DONT HATE ANYONE (yet?) but uh, i should hate uta but i dont, i dont even hate eto, WTH WHY CANT I HATE ANYONE, but anyways uhh…. BIG MADAM, oh god yeah i dislike them, i… guess their shades are alright..? thats it. hate everything else about them. 

a quote or scene that haunts me

any scene where kaneki falls deeper into mentaly instability always haunts me, the scene where he faunt arima and saw his younger self and reflected on his mother…. all i feel is deep sorrow thinking about it. also this line really struck a chord somehow“mother, mother, im so fucked up” (im in pain)also THAT scene with suzuya’s past was utterly… disturbing enough that i remember it so vividly, so many scenes, but i remember these off the top of my head at least!

a death that left me indifferent

after a while, i think every death that isnt a character im attached to makes me indiffferent LOL (so many people die, i dont have the tears to cry over every one of them)

a character i wish died but didn’t

well, in a sense, i kinda want eto to die just for what she did to karren (tbh i’d say Big Madam but they already died so, //SHRUGS)

my ship that never sailed

MMM….. hidekane i guess?

OKAY, wow my memory of tokyo ghoul is shit too, I REALLY need to catch up now, but thanks for the ask ~ :’D it was fun