#so much to do… so much to plan… muahaha

[brainman1987]

OHOHOHOHOHOH!

A little teaser and/or sneak peak! For Of vagabonds and vagrants >:3c

[strwberri-milk]

Muahaha, empty queue, time to strike! I'd like to request giving Kaeya, Thoma and Alhaitham massages! Those poor handsome men work so hard, their poor sexy backs and shoulders must ache from carrying so much sexiness, they aught to be nicely rubbed & massaged!

Can be SFW or NSFW, honestly, whatever you fancy!

Kaeya doesn't try to let his pain bother you. He doesn't want to make you feel bad considering how much you already worry about him due to the nature of his job but sometimes he can't help the way he winces as he moves around the room. You notice immediately that he's in pain and wait until the time is right to strike.

He doesn't notice you sneaking behind him until it's too late, lightly pushing him against the bed and straddling his back with the weight of your body. He's forced to lay beneath you, about to ask what you're doing when he suddenly feels your hands on his back.

You start pressing into his muscles insistently, the relief so immediate that he can't bite back the yawn that it pushes from him. Your hands are like magic on his skin and thanks to the fatigue of the day he might accidentally fall asleep without thinking about it.

When he wakes up the next morning he'll pull you closer and whisper an apology into your ear. He promises to make it up to you by returning the favour, giving you a massage that's just as good as the one you gave him.

Thoma is always sore and it's become a part of your routine to give him a massage when he gets home. He doesn't ask for it but you've started doing it and now you don't want to stop. Even if it's a shorter session you don't want to leave him without, worried that it'll just make him even more sore.

He's always very thankful for the way that it gives you time to spend together. He likes being near you and whenever you give him a massage it gives the two of you time to catch up about your respective days.

He also likes physical touch so to him receiving a massage basically does everything for him! He gets so many of his love languages fulfilled just by being near you like this and of course returns the favour by cooking and taking you out for special meals to remind you just how much you mean to him.

Al Haitham is a little surprised when you shrug off some of his outer layers to start running your hands on his body. He lets you do as you please, even more surprised when he realises just how nice it feels to have your hands working on his shoulders.

He doesn't say much but you can tell that he likes it by the way he sinks into the couch and closes his eyes. For the first time in a while his mind goes completely blank, focusing only on the relaxing feeling smoothing out his tense muscles.

When you're done he pulls you into his lap and gives you a kiss to your temple, his soft display of affection making butterflies dance around your stomach desperately. You know how much he appreciates it by how handsy he gets with you, not wanting to let you go and being a little chattier than usual as well. You don't mind at all, responding to him animatedly and mentally making plans on how to give him a better massage in the future.

[twinklecupcake]

I know it’s no longer ‘cool’ to talk about/critique Frozen, but my friend Cait and I were talking about twist villains and how Hans was a bad example, and how he didn’t even need to be a twist villain for it to still work and yeah no I’m still thinking on it.

Because no, really… why did we need Hans to be a twist villain? Why did he have to actually be playing a long con and be all ‘muahaha, actually I don’t love you.’ We already had the threat of the eternal winter, the fracturing relationship between Elsa and Anna, and if you needed another outside force to be the villain, Duke Weselton was right there.

You wouldn’t even need to change much, really.

Instead, have it so Hans and Anna do kiss… and nothing happens. They’re both shocked and upset - not by the implications, those don’t hit them yet, but because they had an idea on how to save her, and it failed. Meanwhile, Duke Weselton is shit-stirring and going after Elsa.

You bring Olaf in at some point, and while he and Hans are trying to keep Anna warm, it comes out that maybe it didn’t work because Anna doesn’t love Hans. And, similarly, Hans doesn’t really love Anna - their ‘true love’ was based on infatuation after knowing each other for less than one night, while they mostly just goofed off and had fun, and neither of them actually know much of anything about the other.

(It wouldn’t just be Anna not knowing anything about Hans, you make it so Hans doesn’t know much about Anna either. Neither of them know each other’s favorite foods or colors or best friends or bad habits.)

Scene keeps going til it comes out that the one Anna really loves now is Kristoff.

And yeah this still raises a problem in that Anna and Kristoff didn’t know each other that long either, but it’s a Disney movie, people get married after three days, whatever.

So now the plan is for both Olaf and Hans to get Anna to Kristoff and protect Elsa from Duke Weselton. Make Weselton the guy about to cut Elsa’s head off.

The movie then proceeds like canon, up to the point where Hans is punched out. Now instead Weselton is publicly exposed for his shit-stirring, it’s declared they will no longer be in a trade relationship with his duchy, and Elsa instead turns to Hans and he’s made Ambassador of Southern Isles. Hans and Anna part on good times, agreeing to be friends, Hans and Kristoff are also friendly with one another, and the takeaway is “Sometimes relationships don’t work out and that’s okay, it’s neither person’s fault.”

And instead of “Don’t marry a man you just met because what if he’s evil?” it’s actually “One great date does not guarantee a great relationship, relationships/love is based on mutual experiences and trust, not a sudden burst of attraction and infatuation.” Which honestly is a much better message for the kids.

��why did Hans need to be the villain?

[cambion-companion]

hiiiii I really love your stories and side note it’s my birthday, first one on my own so I plan on just having a chill day with my dog indoors, halfway through rereading your master list already, could I make a request or suggestion for something kinda angsty, like someone’s jealous or something? Thank youuuu

I am writing a continuation of reader wife going to that brothel we see in episode 9 and fucking that bitch up having words with the landlady. ALSO HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Prepare for some Robin Hood type shit from reader

These two fics go serve a good backstory for this fic.

Aemond x wife!reader | protective/jealous/possessive reader | reader sneaks out to go the Silk Street brothel | violence | strong language | Aemond finds out and intervenes

Yes I had fun creating this banner muahaha

The night was young.

The wind chill on your face as you snuck outdoors, careful to not rouse your sleeping husband.

Aemond must not know what you intended; he would never allow it.

You had taken a moment to observe his sleeping form, his beautifully carved face relaxed in slumber, a stray strand of silver hair falling across his high cheekbone. You swept it away with a delicate touch and he smiled in his sleep.

The image of him fresh in your mind, the man your heart and body belonged to, in such an intimate and tender moment only stirred your anger to greater heights. You seethed; it was passed time you had words with a certain Madam of the Street of Silk.

You had your short bow with you, in case sharp words turned to something worse. You had wrapped your hands and wrists in fabric, as your father had once taught you, so in the event of a brawl you would be prepared to throw punches.

You knew just where to go, it was a well-known brothel, serving only higher-end clientele. Padding down the street with booted feet you made your silent way, not quite knowing what you were going to say or do upon arrival. So focused were you on your goal you took no notice of the shadowy figure following you down the steps of the Red Keep.

The women loitering outside the establishment, trying lure passing men inside, watched you approach with interest.

"'Tis not often we get ladies in here." One spoke, you valiantly tried to keep your eyes on her face.

"I'm here to speak to your Madam." Your voice was terse even to your own ears.

The courtesan frowned, her red lips pouting. "Mistress Trolunda is inside, though she's not entertaining guests personally tonight."

"No weapons allowed." The girl closest to the door held up a hand as you made to enter, her eyes were on the bow and quiver on your back.

"Bullshit." They gasped at your rude language, but your patience had taken leave this evening. "I'm sure you don't enforce that rule on your male customers."

You pushed your way passed, not a difficult feat and the women didn't put up much of a fight to stop you. Their glowering glares burned into your back as you walked through the doorway into a wide room lit with rosy fireglow.

The men inside did indeed carry weapons, those who were dressed anyway. It wasn't terribly busy inside the main room; several intertwined couples took up spaces by the several lit torches. You didn't look too hard at them, their states of undress and groping hands making your cheeks flush despite yourself.

"To what do we owe this pleasure?" An older woman approached you from behind a clerical looking counter. She had light auburn hair and light eyes that looked you up and down calculatingly.

"Mistress Trolunda I take it?" You tilted your head, your hands clenching into fists at your sides.

She gave your garb an appraising glance, a flicker of recognition crossing her froglike features. "I am she. If you're hear for business and pleasure you've come to the right place."

"Just business." You stepped forward, pressing into her space, pleased to note you were taller than her squat form. "To make sure no other children are victim to your debauchery."

"I beg your pardon?" Trolunda's voice had taken on an icy undertone, her eyes narrowing at you. "Who are you to dictate what goes on in my establishment."

"Someone who will make your life a living hell." You closed the remaining distance with a menacing step. "Or end it altogether."

She opened her mouth, her gaze searching behind you for help.

"Call for assistance and this knife will find your heart." You threatened.

Trolunda looked down and saw the knife you had withdrawn, poised at her ribcage. Her expression was wary as she met your eyes again. "What do you want?" Despite her effort to keep her reactions hidden you could hear the tremor of fear in her words.

"Children are to be left alone, not to be touched. Any girls you have working for you under the age of seventeen you will either find new work for or different jobs."

She snorted derisively, gasping a little as you prodded her with the sharp end of your dagger. "Alright, calm down." She raised her hands in submission. "I will do as you ask."

"Should patrons come wishing to see any workers under seventeen, you are to refuse them and report them to the King's Guard."

Her eyes widened. "The King's Guard? You cannot be serious. I would lose significant income."

"Did I stutter."

"No, no you did not." The Madam looked keenly at your face, before making a curtsying gesture, right before she hefted a heavy porcelain plate from the counter and smashed it against the side of your head.

White pain filled your vision as you stumbled to the side, falling to the ground, momentarily stunned. You felt a booted foot connect with your jaw, sending you reeling against the wooden floor.

Shouts and screams sent bolts of pain through your throbbing head, you squinted through bleary eyes, seeing the Madam approaching you with a curved dagger drawn and ready to slice at your vulnerable form.

You swept your leg out, knocking against her shins enough to cause her to stagger. The working women and half-naked men fled the scene as you lurched to your feet, bracing your weight against one of the oaken walls. You held your own dagger out in front of you like Aemond had taught.

Trolunda swiped at you once, clearly inexperienced with wielding weapons of any sort. You lashed out with your foot, catching her in the sternum and sending her falling back onto her tailbone. She shrieked a curse at you, her cry cutting through your aching temples like hot iron.

"Cease this at once!"

You were about to lunge at the woman, but Aemond's commanding voice stilled the very breath in your chest.

There he stood, framed in the doorway, those who had fled could be seen cowering in corners behind him. The hood of his cloak was thrown back, his long hair shining silver in the torchlight, he had not donned his eyepatch, the sapphire gemstone glittered menacingly as his lilac eye surveyed the scene before him with displeasure. His sword was drawn, though it was currently pointed at the ground.

The Madam righted herself, brushing down her rumpled skirts as her eyes flicked from Aemond to you and back again. A knowing smile itched up her unpleasant face. "Ah. I see now." Both you and Aemond glared at her as she smoothed back her mussed hair. "You are his." Her predatory gaze fell upon you once more. "I do hope what he learned in my care all those years ago has served you well."

With a cry of incandescent fury you fell upon the woman, pummeling each inch of her your fists could find. She collapsed beneath you, shielding her face and screaming inane curses as you continued beating her about the head.

Strong hands closed around your waist and hauled you off the woman, yet you still kicked out at her with your feet, making satisfying contact several more times as Aemond dragged you away.

"You've married a little beast, my prince." Trolunda gasped, wiping the blood from her nose off her lips. Though she was injured she still looked satisfied.

"Better a 'little beast' than a fucking child predator." You snarled, still trying to free yourself. "Aemond, let me go."

"You have made your point, Y/N." He sounded strained as he kept firm hold of your writhing form.

"Throw her in the dungeons, call in Vhagar, do something!"

"She has done nothing illegal." Aemond said softly, finally releasing you but placing a warning hand on your arm. "We need to leave, now."

"Wait for me outside." You turned to him finally, aware that the Madam watched you with a derisive smirk. "Please, Aemond. If you truly care for me, give me one minute alone with her."

His eye roamed your features for a moment before he looked at the woman over your shoulder. Something in his face hardened and he sighed shortly. "Fine. One minute, and no killing. That's an order."

"Yes sir."

He turned to leave, ushering the people still within the brothel to exit as well before closing the door behind him.

You turned slowly on the spot, facing the woman who once again had the dagger in her hand.

"He is powerless to do anything, as are you." She sneered. "Just as he was when his brother brought him to me."

In a flash you had drawn your bow off your back, notched an arrow, aimed and loosed.

With a cry of fear and grunt of surprise the woman was pinned by the sleeve of her heavy dress to the wall. She raised the dagger in her free hand as if to throw but your second arrow had already flown, pinning her other arm as well.

"I do not rescind what I said." You lowered your weapon, not hiding your smirk at her helpless state. "If any other children fall victim to this establishment you will burn in dragon fire, this I promise you."

After one last withering look, you turned on your heel and departed through the main door.

Aemond saw the Madam pinned by your arrows from the doorway as you left. His brow arched and he looked down at you with an expression you'd never seen before. "Are you finished?"

"Only because you interrupted." You were still in a foul mood; striding passed him and back towards the Keep.

The streets were empty now, apparently the citizens previously present wanted nothing to do with the unfolding drama, especially after Aemond arrived.

Aemond grabbed hold of your elbow, yanking you around to face him non to gently. "What did I say to you yesterday when you were so intent upon coming here?"

"Not to?"

"Ah, so your memory still functions." Aemond was becoming angry, his gaze taking in the blood trickling down from your hairline and the bruises forming upon your jaw. "Tell me why you blatantly disobeyed me."

"Children are being preyed upon, Aemond." You matched him with your own fiery anger, prodding his chest with your finger. "You are not the only on to be taken advantage of. I shudder to think what goes on in King's Landing. Since I am your wife, I have a duty to the people."

"Throwing yourself mindlessly into danger doesn't qualify as one of those duties, Y/N!" Aemond was close to shouting now, something that you had not yet experienced from him before.

"Mindlessly?" You raised your voice as well, your nostrils flaring. "What I did was very calculated, thank you very much."

Aemond passed a hand over his face, suddenly weary. You turned your back to him and continued back to your chambers, fuming. He walked in silent contemplation behind you as you stomped down the halls.

Once safe inside the room you threw aside your weapons and cloak, kicking off your boots and slumping upon the bed, staring unseeing up at the ceiling.

A few minutes later the mattress dipped beside you and Aemond's face hovered into view. He tucked an errant strand of hair behind your ear, his expression had softened upon seeing the tears pricking the corners of your eyes.

"I do not wish you to come to any harm, my fierce wife." He spoke softly now, watching as you propped yourself on an elbow to face him.

"I want to avenge the harm already done to you, Aemond." You traced his jaw with your fingers.

"Not if it puts you at risk." He shook his head. "Nothing is worth that." He tilted your own face to the side, examining your injuries with a severe frown. "And you seem intent on suffering for my sake."

"It's not suffering. I made progress in there, believe it or not." You took his hand in yours, lowering it to the mattress. "I just need you to trust me, work with me, and together we can break the cycle."

Aemond studied you for several silent moments, his lips pursed in thought, his lilac gaze suddenly seemed far away as he stared over your shoulder.

"I will think on it." He at last spoke. "For now, I am going to help clean and bandage you. On the morrow we will speak with the council about taking further action on this matter."

"Thank you, Aemond." You gently pressed your lips to his, lingering there to breathe him in. "That's all I ask."

"And no more personal vendettas for my sake." He combed his fingers carefully through your tangled hair. "We will make use of the proper channels as duty dictates."

"No sending in Vhagar?"

"No sending in Vhagar." He chuckled, a low delicious sound. "And I will know if you go to her yourself, Y/N."

You glanced guiltily into his eye, Aemond seemed to have been reading your thoughts. "Wouldn't dream of it."

"Mmhmm." Your husband sighed, shaking his silver head before getting out of bed to prepare the wash basin. "What am I going to do with you?" He spoke as if to himself as he gathered healing ointments.

"Hopefully something to take my mind off this horrible headache." You winced as you sat up.

"I'm sure I can come up with something." Aemond graced you with a small smile, a flicker of reverence and gratitude crossing his handsome face as he held your gaze. "For now, let me tend to the injuries you sustained while fighting for my honor."

You both laughed lightly, the crackling fire illuminating the room in a cozy glow as Aemond looked after you with gentle hands and soft kisses against your warm skin.

[livingslime]

Just finished playing the game and DAMN do I like it :3 (this is gonna be a long message hope that's okay, and discussing spoilers if that matters lol)

First, I, as a queer he/they, always appreciate a gender-neutral MC, so thank you. Also, love the design of the Doc, he's really cute, and I like how his eyes are both super big and adorable, but also really creepy when need be, good art

Second, during the first night, those eyes appearing in the door?Genuinely really scary. Like, I was expecting some level of creepiness from a game like this, but that was just terrifying. Anyway, my theory is that those eyes were the Anselm because this guy would probably freak tf out at the idea of someone else watching the MC. Bro would be possessive af (at least I sure hope he is)

Third, the endings. I liked them, yes I would love an ending with a seemingly happy life with Anselm, even if it technically isn't a good ending. I just have a soft spot for doctors. For the bad one, I don't know how dark you are going to go with the story, but my theory is that he did something to the MC's body, like their legs or something, to make them weaker so they can't escape, which is why he was so aggressive about the MC not being able to go on a walk. I mean... my body is pretty weak, but unless the MC is made of paper, they wouldn't just start bleeding out from standing up unless something was up? I'm onto you...

ANYWAYS! Excellent start! However, my one issue is the "illusion of choice" if that makes sense? Like, the little options the player is given over dialogue options don't have that much impact in the end? The only one that seemed to make a difference was choosing to accept or reject the medication. I think it would make the game a lot more dynamic and make the player feel like they have more impact in the story if the dialogue options had more branching paths. Like, if in the final product, depending on how you talk to Anselm, it affects how he treats the player or how far he is willing to try and go to keep you? I just feel like currently, the player lacks a bit of agency, but that's my only "complaint", and something that could definitely be explored in the final version! Hopefully, I'm not coming across as too mean.

I hope this game gets its final version, as I need more content with the doctor immediately! I love him!

-🐈‍⬛ (idk if you do anon tags and if you do hopefully this one isn't taken lol)

Hi hi! (°◡°♡) I'm overjoyed to hear that you enjoyed my demo! ♡

Note - I will try to be as spoiler free of the story so I cannot deny or confirm any theories ><

Hehe I'm really relieved I was able you freak you out! And yes, Anselm is certainly very possessive about you. Canonly, the MC is he first ever love, I would like to expand on this in the later chapters of the visual novel's full release!

For the neutral ending of the demo, its a continuation of the storyline! So in terms of story, there is still more to come. And of course, there will be endings for the MC and Anselm where they will be "together" (づ ◕‿◕ )づ

That's a very interesting theory! But I guess we'll just have to wait and see~ muahaha!

Yes! I actually do completely agree with you on that. This is something I wanted to touch on my next devlog.

I do plan on adding more content for day1-day3 of the demo, branching dialog, probably 2 more bad endings, CGs , Etc , before I start writing the later chapters, I do have a general idea for the story but I still need to finalize everything. I plan to have this update maybe beginning 2025 hopefully!

No no don't worry you are not coming across as mean at all I promise you ♡(◕ᗜ◕✿).

Personal note - I actually created Anselm when I was in a bad space. So every time I read how much love he gets, sometimes I feel like I might tear up... like I'm so touched (ᗒᗣᗕ)՞ ♡♡

I do hope I can bring the passion project fully to life! and thank you for loving him ♡

[thegreatzombieartisan]

Since the beginning, Amazon has been gaslighting the audience about Galadriel and Sauron. It includes dropping hints that Sauron played Galadriel like a glockenspiel from day one in effort to infiltrate Eregion.

Now Amazon made it clear story incoherence is no obstacle to the story it wishes to tell. But it if they chose this route, it would break considerable believability. It works best that Sauron was still on his repentance shtick when he meets Galadriel.

Any ways, here’s my catastrophizing rant:

If Sauron played Galadriel, it’s kinda meh and predictable

As an Galadriel x Sauron enthusiast, I admit this complaint is largely self-serving. However, even if the pair were inarguably platonic, showing Sauron on the knife’s edge of repentance and darkness makes for a far more interesting character arc, mutual arc, and storyline. It gives us a glimpse of his personality beyond “Muahaha I’m eeevil and oh so cunning!”

If Sauron played Galadriel, why would he think a banished Elf would be his golden ticket?

Would you seek a referral from a friend who got fired at the job you want? Me neither because they lack the necessary social capital.

But that’s essentially what Sauron would be doing if he planned to use Galadriel to infuriate Eregion. After all, she told him that Gil-Galad and bestie Elrond conspired to banish her from ME. Pretty serious stuff.

How would Sauron know Galadriel didn’t burn bridges with Eregion? Is it believable that Celebrimbor, Lord of Eregion, wouldn’t know about her mutiny and banishment? He attended the High-King’s super secret “Elf lords only”-council meeting; and he rules the nearest Elven enclave to the occupied Southlands. It follows that over a millennium of war, Celebrimbor and Galadriel would have collaborated considerably to protect the realm. Her triumphs and follies would be known to him.

He should at least be surprised and skeptical about a banished commander showing up with yet more claims about Sauron. But since Galadriel enters the city without Celebrimbor batting an eye, it can only mean the showrunners didn’t consider the worldbuilding politics.

Therefore, to Amazon, if Sauron played Galadriel all along, she did have the social status for Sauron to exploit and infiltrate Eregion. And I suppose it couldn’t hurt his plans. But still…

If Sauron played Galadriel, wouldn’t it make him less cunning and powerful?

By accessing people’s minds and memory, RoP!Sauron can influence them into doing his bidding. Fair enough. Yet such a capability elicits unresolved questions on usage and potency. Therefore it’s reasonable to ask: if Sauron can mindfuck people, why does he need Galadriel to infiltrate Eregion? Why go on this nearly three month adventure with her, leaving so much left open to chance? Also couldn’t he even just mindfuck Celebrimbor from afar?

In lore, Sauron simply dons his fair Annatar form and rolls up to Eregion like, “Yo, I got gifts” then kikis with Celebrimbro and his crew. Tolkien tells us Sauron possesses great cunning and deceptiveness. By seizing control of Celebrimbor’s guild, even expelling Galadriel and Celeborn, we’re shown just how much.

So if RoP!Sauron needed a disgraced Elf and mind woo-woo to cozy up to Celebrimbor, it diminishes his prowess. And you know, c’mon, man. He’s Sauron.

If Sauron played Galadriel, pray tell— where is his repentance phase?

Tolkien explicitly said post-war Sauron was improving and even performing “fair works”. This is crucial because his second fell into darkness precipitates two other falls: the Elves (second one) and Numenor.

According to Adar, Sauron’s “repentance phase” included cruel experimentation on orcs in Forodwaith. Catholic or not, torturing sentient beings does not qualify as moral improvement. We would need to be shown a true repentance phase sometime before Sauron met Galadriel or it’s dishonest writing.

But since the showrunners don’t recognize the Harefoots as (inadvertently) evil for abandoning people to die over arbitrary reasons like a sprained ankle, it’s wholly possible they also consider Sauron’s torture of the orcs for Very Good Reasons as “fair works.”

But why does Sauron really torture the orcs? For Amazon to invent Adar with a revenge motive against him. But good writing could achieve this AND maintain Sauron’s repentance arc. So if Sauron played Galadriel, then Amazon fumbled over disordered morality or sacrificed a poignant lore arc in service to their own desires.

Hopefully I’m just catastrophizing. We shall see.

[courtofcrescent]

Hi there! Gonna start off by saying that your intro post was amazing, I genuinely cannot wait to play through this story! I did have a question though: so there was a Queen Consort and a Concubine in the former royal family, and we held great respect for the Queen Consort even though the Concubine was our mistress. That fact stood out to me, since queens and concubines generally don't like each other very much. So how are those positions assigned in your world, and was there any rivalry between the two? I'm ravenous for any and all worldbuilding you can give me!

Hi there, Dear Anon!

Thank you so much 🩶 Thrilled to hear you’re excited about the story and I can’t wait for you to experience it either! Also, I'm really ravenous too for any worldbuilding asks haha!

The answer became quite long, so we’ll go under the cut!

Queen consorts (or king consorts) and concubines generally don't like each other very much is indeed true lol. Luxendis (and many other kingdoms) have had a lot of such rivalries in the past. This is also a very expected outcome in the Imperial House. Imperial nobles would often bet on who will outlast whom, making it one of their favourite forms of entertainment and a means of gaining more wealth and power muahaha!

Regarding the former Queen Consort and the Concubine, their relationship was actually pretty chill—quite close, even! The Old King and Queen Consort’s marriage was a political one, meant to strengthen both of their houses and prosperity of Luxendis. However, they had been good childhood friends beforehand, so their marriage was very cordial and peaceful. There were times when love blossomed in their hearts—childhood crushes and first loves—but the Old King grew out of these feelings. The Queen Consort did not.

Despite her enduring feelings, the Queen Consort was not a greedy woman. Being his close friend and standing peacefully by his side while sharing royal responsibilities was enough for her. She understood the burden of the crown and wanted the Old King to be not just a happy king but a happy man as well. And the Concubine could make him happy. After her personal spies reported that nothing was amiss and there were no foul schemes surrounding the woman who captivated her husband (there were far too many snakes who tried to manipulate him for power), the Queen Consort officially granted her blessing for their union as she presented the royal decree of appointment to the Old King. Yes, in Luxendis, only a consort can grant the position of a concubine; the ruler cannot do this (but they can pressure their consort tho).

The Queen Consort then gave the newly appointed Concubine one of her most dependable noble servant in her royal retinue—MC. Giving one of the consort's noble servants is a Luxendis royal household tradition that symbolizing goodwill between the spouses (and a potential means of spying or foul schemings, though the Queen Consort did not use MC for this purpose; it was truly a symbol of goodwill). Thus, MC received a big promotion and became a high servant 😆

Through MC, both the Queen Consort and the Concubine tried to build a closer bridge between each other. And it worked! They soon became close, initially managing their overlapping responsibilities—such as planning parties and charities—with good cooperation. Over time, their relationship deepened, evolving from mere roles of Queen Consort and Concubine into a genuine connection within the treacherous world of court gilded politics.

Thank you for the ask! 🩶 Please keep them coming 👀

[panelshowsource]

yes! here it is :)

does anyone know if this is their real home? i'm sure it's a set but i love imagining this is their home lmaooo

sure here ya go :)

yes, here is the complete series!

sorry that s02 isn't in hd :( if anyone has that and wants to send it my way bless you...

i fuuucking love meet the richardsons muahaha apparently a lot of brits are sick of jon's and lucy's faces because they're on repeat so much on dave, but since i don't have that problem i have ZERO!!! richardsons fatigue and ofc can't wait to see lucy on taskmaster!!!

it's been unhinged as always but i gotta say david and georgia tennant took me OUT, russell kane shitting on lucy every time cuts to him is one of my fave running gags, and is it just me or is richard herring, like, a good actor?

YESSS here are s29 & s30 of the new buzzcocks with greg davies!!!!!!!

here's hoping they announce s31 in august since it usually premieres in september! i am actually obsessed with the reboot it is actually INSANE

ps. "Speaking about the last recommission, Greg Davies said: 'I’m delighted that Buzzcocks is coming back. I can’t wait to give more musicians the chance to increase their cool by hanging out with fat uncle Greg and his three odd children.'" 💀

i wasn't planning on it just because it's so easy to find on youtube, but would it be helpful if i made a chronological youtube playlist of the episodes? is there one missing that you need? i was planning to do this with catsdown as well...

i also wasn't necessarily planning on re-uploading taskmaster to drive, though i might throw up the 1080p files i have in case they're better quality than what's on youtube. still, with youtube so readily available, most people will stream or cast that, right? i can definitely get the extras & outtakes organised though :)

—

ps. if anything can't be streamed because it's processing, just download to watch :)

[tennisthemedhatesex]

Listen. I am just an endless death note AU generator. Currently I have the following going on:

Coffee shop AU but starting slightly before Light becomes Kira: Light meets this mysterious stranger who was tired/felt like adding weirdness to the world one morning and didn't choose a false name for his coffee orders, and it becomes this sort of running joke/game between them with Light trying to figure out his name or various lore about him and L finding this extremely amusing. But then Light finds the death note. L joins the case. Neither of them know this about each other yet, and as Light and L begin to suspect each other they're still keeping up the charade of casual friendship and a half-joking challenge while it takes on a whole additional dimension and they're catching feelings. Hell on earth for poor Light. They have chess sex at one point.

Death Note Randall and Hopkirk (deceased) AU: my personal favorite but extremely niche. Basically ghost L but. a Specific Flavor. Not only do I steal the rahd lore, but there are some Details (muahaha etc.) You don't need to have seen rahd to enjoy it. Here's a playlist but you could not get me to post the actual fic yet under torture

Modern day AU but the main way that this effects the plot is that Light is majorly into competitive Microsoft Excel and L is secretly the world champion that he's had an intense rivalry with ever since Light started.

Another ghost L thing but in this one L possesses Light's body after his death and now they have to Share

Similar to those time travel AUs where Light and/or L gets sent back and have to decide whether to make different decisions except it's the task force (excluding L and Light) and they have to decide whether to try to prove it and arrest him or try to help him and whether they should let Light know about this or if that would be a death sentence. Lots of problem solving, lots of decision making, Light gets to unmask <3 (This one was inspired by (but different from) a tumblr post I should add a link to if I can find it)

One where I mess with the lore so that Light is transforming into a shinigami due to the number of people he has killed (symbolism etc) but this starts right before his confinement so he has to try to hide it and it generally messes up his plans horribly because. Imagine being under constant observation by the world's greatest detective but you're literally transforming into a death god while trying to hide that anything is unusual about you at all.

"Characters watch the show" but it's characters get transported to this world and exposed to modern fandom. This takes place during the warehouse so Light's alive but Mikami is there. They're just yoinked out of there. There is another version of this that takes place during Yotsuba Arc instead.

Along similar-ish lines, a blatantly comedic fic where L reads explicit rpf about L and Kira in front of Light at one point during Yotsuba Arc and Light gets really mad about it leading to intense debate of what Kira would be like in bed, among other things. Keep in mind Light does not have his memories but he does have strong opinions on the topic, for some mysterious reason that Light tries really hard to justify to himself

And more. I love making things worse for my poor little meow meow specifically because I understand his brand of problem solving on a spiritual level and I like to watch it play out. But also because pushing Light to his extremes and seeing how much it takes for him to snap is like crack to me. Mentally putting this guy in saw traps.

[tonytonwy]

Answers from the Past

synopsis: where you see your ex, Ushijima Wakatoshi after two years and remember bittersweet memories.

tags: bit angsty (I'm sorry, I recommend listening to a sad song), past memories are a bit horny, good ending (maybe? depends on the reader muahaha)

You look at the two tofu’s that you’ve just bought, stuck between which one would make a better hamburger. Mhm, spicy firm or herby super-firm, I suppose super-firm would be tastier but then Shi-

“Y/N,” you widen your eyes and turn to see your ex-boyfriend, Ushijima standing there, face still as stoic as ever and a bag full of green vegetables. You suddenly remember those late nights, learning so many recipes that ‘maximised muscle growth’, perfecting ‘Hayashi Rice’ along the way. You ignore how he still uses your re-usable bag that has small cows all over it.

21st birthday, you remember that night, you had planned a surprise birthday party; everyone from Shiratorizawa and Schweiden Alders came, confetti and alcoholic air filling up the apartment. You could never forget Ushijima’s face, it was like giving 20 puppies to a spoilt child: shocked, secretly so happy, and unbelievably still stoic all at once.

“Wakatoshi oh my god,” you’ve always shown your emotions through your face and voice, something Ushijima bitterly cherished. Your voice is surprised, your cheeks slightly flushed, and you’re glad you dressed up a bit at least. “What are you doing here in Hyōgo?”

“I-”

“Wait, let me guess, ‘I am practicing for the national’s game that is in 3 months’?” You say while giving that cheeky smile and eyes shining, and Ushijima’s chest suddenly feels heavy. The last time he had seen that smile was almost two years ago, but he still felt his heart stir up the same way.

“Correct,” he gives a soft smile, and he remembers the ‘telepathy game’ you two would set up randomly where you would stare into his olive expressionless eyes and try to guess what he would be thinking.

To be fair, you got it right about 99% of the time, and the 1% percent you never got was because Ushijima would, weirdly, sometimes get sappy.

You stare into his intense eyes, slowly going closer to his face, lips millimeters away, your smile growing. You were teasing him.

“I bet…” you see how his eyes perk up a bit, interested in your answer. You’re in his bed, sheets messily covering some parts on your body, however Ushijima’s muscular chest is out, shining with the early sun. “Right now, you’re thinking about how you can improve your serve reception.”

You see how his eyebrows slightly twitch and you think you’ve got him again. However, Ushijima shakes his head, a smile peeping through. It’s almost weird how you can read his mind, because he was literally thinking about his serve reception about 2 minutes ago.

“Incorrect.”

“You’re lying.” You look dramatically shocked, and you’ve pulled your face and body away much to Ushijima’s distaste.

“Incorrect as well,” he gives a deep laugh as you punch his chest playfully. “I was thinking about my serve reception a few minutes ago, yes, but now,”

His strong arms cage you in and you’re suddenly being pulled towards him, face to face with this beast, lips once again dangerously close, your eyes are shining with the soft sunlight and your cheeks are unapologetically pink.

“I’m thinking about you.” He swiftly kisses you, hands roaming all over your body, giving random squeezes. You give a pleased hum, letting yourself be loved by this man who, years ago, would never say such a thing.

“That was such a dirty move, Wakatoshi,” you get on top of him, straddling his waist while giving a small glare but he’s immune to such childish things. You get down and kiss him all over; neck, collarbone, cheeks being attacked by your overflowing affection.

“I learnt from the best.”

“I guess I’m still pretty good at the telepathy game, huh?” You laugh and hope he doesn’t hear the bitter-sweetness in your voice or how you’re fiddling with the plastic packaging of the tofu. Your shoulders feel heavy and despite how calm you appear, you feel a hurricane of butterflies in your stomach, it’s almost nauseating.

This feeling reminds you of the lonely nights when he would stay late training, dinner getting cold and ending up in the fridge for him to warm up, the endless trips and the helpless agony of loving someone who didn’t love you as much as you thought they did.

It was exhausting, loving Ushijima. You gave everything you had, and you loved it, but, one day, it just all came down.  

“I want to apologize,” Ushijima looks at the floor, embarrassment in his tone. “What I did yesterday was incredibly selfish and disappointing.”

“I understand that you’re sorry, but,” you sigh, a headache coming through. It’s hard to breathe, it feels like a knife going in and out of your throat and you want your mum to hold you, tell you it’s okay like when you were a child.

“It was my birthday, Wakatoshi. I just,” you have no words to express how used you feel, how stupid you must’ve look, how absolutely foolish you must be. “I booked the dinner, I invited my friends, I thought you were in an accident because, of course you didn’t go on your phone at all at practice!”

Ushijima winces, not having enough shameless pride to look at you.

“I will try harder to pay attention to your needs,” you know he just speaks like that, it’s his way of communicating that is 'efficient' and it’s usually endearing but right now, it’s annoying, its fatiguing and most of all, it’s not enough.

“My needs?” You feel your voice raise up slightly, “forgetting your partner’s birthday is a basic human thing. I have never once, forgotten your birthday, your mother and grandma’s birthday, our anniversary but it appears to you that, that ‘need’ is a chore.”

“It’s not a chore.”

“Let me finish, please,” you can’t help but let tears stream down your cheeks and your face feels hot with anger, embarrassment, and sadness. You feel so insecure, the fat on your body feels more gross, more heavy, more disgusting, your eyes feel puffy and hurt already from crying last night and your hair feels dry yet oily at the same time.

“I know that volleyball is your life, and I love that aspect of you, but,” you choke a sob and feel Ushijima’s hand on your shoulder but you swat it away.

“I can’t do this, I’m sorry but,” you see his pained look, his eyes still stoic but you see the tinges of sadness, anger, and disappointment. Your fists are white with anger, “I don’t want to be a second priority anymore, Wakatoshi.”

His breath is staggered, as if he’s just played nationals and is on the last point to lose.

“You’re feeling a lot of emotions, I understand that, but can we talk this through?” He puts his hand out, hoping you’ll take it. He needs this, he knows how much he’s messed up.

“What is there to talk about?” You say, your shoulders that were so tense before, falling in tiredness. “You will never love me as much as you love volleyball, you never will love me as much as I have loved you, that’s it. You’re too busy for me, that’s fine, but what else is there to talk about?”

“I,” Ushijima stays quiet. You want him to deny it, to profess his undying love for you, that he’ll train less, but what would that do? He would just resent you for limiting his chances to be the best. Really, you want him to cry and suffer but you’re pretty sure that’s due to the anger.

But he doesn’t, he’s quiet, stoic, and calm and you hate it. The air is thick and suffocating with silence.

“I’m going to my place for today, I’ll pick my stuff tomorrow, or Monday. I’ll see.”

“Is this it?” His voice slightly wavers.

“I think so. I think, we shouldn’t together.” You sigh, more tears coming out. “I need time, to heal and love myself because I’ve used up all my love and energy on you. I’m sorry, Wakatoshi.”

You get your phone, keys and shoes and walk out, those sad, quiet, olive eyes following. You remember the walk back to your house, realizing that fresh air has never felt so cold, revolting, and lonely.

You wince as you remember that moment, looking back, you felt a bit bad for how harsh you were with him. Despite your friends saying that you ‘should’ve broken his heart more’, or ‘hurt him the way he hurt you’, or even, ‘why do you feel sorry for putting yourself first?’.

Ushijima feels the regret and guilt on the back of his neck, like an uncomfortable sweat, the break-up affected him, of course, but he had no idea how much he missed your jokes, your smile, and your accurate guesses. You look healthy at least, for some reason, you have this radiating aura about you. He feels the need to apologize, to redeem himself, anything at this point.

He wants another chance.

“Are you busy now?”

“Are you excited for Nationals?”

You both stare at each other before you laugh a bit, awkwardly but its endearing in Ushijima’s eyes. He’s always found you endearing, even when he told you it was annoying; your loud singing in the shower, the way you had to stop to pet each dog in the park and even when you would tickle him despite his immense hatred for it.

“Sorry, I’ll answer your question, I am very excited for Nationals, I think we will win.” You laugh at his confidence, hands going through your hair and that’s when Ushijima feels his heart drop.

The gold ring shining through your hair.

“You’ve always been so confident.” You say but drop your smile as you see how his face has contorted in a way you can’t really read.

“You’re married.” You’re shocked and confused by his accusation but then your shoulders jump, and you realize what he means.

“Oh yes, well, no, I’m engaged.” You smile as you look at your ring, a small tear-drop diamond. You remember your fiancé's face as you both had breakfast, his big eyes staring at you with such an intensity, you thought you had done something wrong. Only for him to propose. “I’ve been engaged for about, 3 days now. Still not used to it.”

Ushijima, for maybe once in his life, wants a hole to swallow him up. He was about to ask you out, only to find out you’re engaged with a man who, he hopes, is a good one, or better than him at least.

“Did you move on fast?” Ushijima’s says the question quickly, his face serious yet you can see that he’s hoping you say ‘no’, and you give a small smile, his honesty was always one of your favorite things about him. You also think about your fiancé's sense of honesty and realize you might have a type.

“No, after we ended things, it took me a while to start dating again. I couldn’t see a couple and not cry.” You laugh at your pitiful past. “But he became my friend, and I told him, well, about us, and he patiently waited for me,” Ushijima ignores the painful thumping in his chest and how your face flushes a bit, it reminds him of when you two first started going out. Sure, Ushijima has gone out with a few girls but he would mentally compare them to you and break it off before it would get too serious.

“I see, are you his main priority?” He wants to know everything about you guys, for some reason, he wants to see how good this guy is.

“Please don’t compare yourself to him, Wakatoshi.” You say, again reading his mind perfectly without him even knowing. “You were amazing in your own way, but I think it was just bad timing between us, you were so busy with volleyball, and I was so enamored by you, I neglected myself.”

“I-”

“Y/N!” Ushijima sees how a small girl, with grey hair and big yellow eyes comes up to you. “Uncle Shin is wondering what present we should get Mummy and he wants your input!”

His heart shatters harder as you squat down to the girl’s height, giving a big smile. Your motherly instinct coming out as you fix her dress and tie her shoelaces while talking.

“Well honey, I think we should get her that expensive perfume she loves, what do you think?” The little girl’s eyes shine and nods enthusiastically. You get your wallet out, and hand her some coins. Ushijima can’t help but wonder what you’ll be like if you were a mum, and how you would've deal motherhood with him always away if you had stayed with him.

Perhaps it is good you ended things before things got too serious, he thinks bitterly.

“Get yourself some chocolate,” before the little girl takes it, you pull back, “share with Shinsuke, okay?”

“Of course!” The girl seems to finally notice Ushijima and makes a scared face, hiding behind you and whispering, “who’s the scary man?”

Ushijima hears this clearly, but his face doesn’t change, just staring at the girl. He’s in shock, from seeing his ex-girlfriend, finding out she’s engaged and now, an evil little girl appearing out of thin air.

“That man is my friend I haven’t seen in a long time, I’ll meet up with you guys in a few minutes, okay?” The girl hugs you tightly, while giving Ushijima a big glare. Brat, he thinks as she runs off, her pigtails flowing through.

“Sorry, she’s a bit attached to me,” you give a small smile, not sure what else to say.

“I want to say sorry again, y/n, for how I behaved in our relationship. I’ve realized I never quite apologized for how I acted, and I never thanked you for your endless patience. You said that I was amazing in my own way but that’s not true at all. I messed up, a lot, and each time you forgave me and taught me how to be a better partner.” He bows and you try to ignore other customers’ stares.

However, at the same time, you feel this bittersweet jab in your chest, despite it being two years ago, you finally feel some sense of closure as he says those words.

“It’s okay, Wakatoshi. Thank you for your words, wow, uhm, our brains are wired differently I guess, please don't put all the blame on yourself.” You want him to stop apologizing, you appreciate his sweet words but where was this two years ago, you sourly think.

“No, that’s no excuse for my behavior and how I treated you.” You feel your breath hitch, this wasn’t what you were expecting at all. “I hope your partner treasures you forever, in the way I should’ve done so. I also would like you to know that, despite the fact we are no longer together, I still have pieces of you with me, forever. I sometimes sing in the shower, I pet dogs that approach me in the park, I remember all my friends’ and acquaintances’ birthdays. You’ve taught me these things and I will always cherish these bits of you that have now become me.”

You’re not sure what to feel, but you definitely want to cry, it’s a painful nostalgic feeling in your stomach. You’ve learnt so much from him as well. You now watch volleyball matches unironically, you love eating Hayashi rice and read all the stupid ads in a magazine.

“Wakatoshi...”

“I’m not done,” you see how his face is flushed a bit, “I’m trying to amend for the things I should’ve said two years ago. I also want to apologize if I embarrass you now.”

He takes a deep breath, his chest feels so tight and tries to not think about you in a wedding dress, married to someone else, giving that big smile.

“Thank you!” Your eyes widen as he shouts it out, people now fully staring. You see how his cheeks and ears are very red now, “for loving me and giving me an opportunity to be loved!”

He stands up, straight as always, his face still slightly red but those eyes are still stoic as ever. You give a big smile, bowing back.

“Thank you as well!” You shout, not caring about people’s stares as tears threaten to come out. “For letting me love you, unapologetically and shamelessly. And, I hope you find someone who will love you the way I did, or more.”

Impossible, you loved me so much, I didn't know what to do with it.

You look up, still bowing to see Ushijima’s soft smile and a pained look in his eyes, and smile back.

“You should go, the chocolate might all be eaten by now.” Ushijima turns, he had practice in two hours anyways. He feels lighter, perhaps he'll be able to jump better.

"Thank you, Ushijima!" You walk the other way, waving to him as he gives a small wave.

fin.

authors note: break-ups are hard HAHAHA

also feel like ushijima was a bit ooc?? idk idc I wrote this last night sobbing for some reason. anyways thanks for reading:))

[hood-ex]

Sooo let's talk about Dick's various appearances for Dec. 20th. These are only my opinions, of course.

Batman/Superman: World's Finest #10

Pros:

Dick helped Bruce collect evidence at the crime scene.

Dick referred to Clark as "Big Blue."

Even with Bruce and Clark on the scene, Dick was still the one giving orders to the Titans.

He simply referred to Joker as "the clown."

Tried to stop David from killing Joker which is in character for him (though ironic for obvious reasons).

Cons: None

Overall, he knew what he was doing and I like that he was giving the Titans direction.

Batman: Urban Legends #22 "The Director"

Pros:

Dick was familiar with one of the perps and picked up on the fact that the perp's exit route seemed predetermined as a way to purposely get caught.

He apparently had tried to help the perp turn his life around in the past and he tried to help the perp again this time around by telling the perp to call the number Dick had given him previously.

Dick noticed a pattern with some of the criminal activity he's been taking care of recently. The activity felt off to him. Planned. Scripted. Same thing this time around.

Babs was in this issue and, surprisingly, her involvement/interaction with Dick didn't annoy the shit out of me like it tends to do in the current Nightwing run. I guess that's testament to how nauseating You Know Who writes the two of them together.

Dick looked like he was break dancing on the roulette table, which looked a little ridiculous, and I'm not exactly sure what he was actually doing, but I thought the visual of it was funny.

He tried to be intimidating to get information out of the perps. I give the intention 10/10 but only 4/10 for the execution. Dick's been far more creative with intimidation tactics in the past.

Love how Dick could tell that one of the perps, Marcel, was terrified of the repercussions of telling Dick any information, and because of this, Dick offered to help Marcel.

After Marcel was shot, Dick applied pressure to the wound. Love it when he shows medical competency.

GUILT COMPLEX MY BELOVED. MUAHAHA. Fucking finally! Marcel died, and out of a desire to not see anyone else like Marcel get hurt, Dick got his ass in gear and went after the main antagonist of his own accord. He picked up on the only lead he had, picked the lock on the door, and stepped into a room of trouble.

Cons:

Tbh, I'm probably just sensitive because Dick's competency has taken a hit for... I don't even know how long at this point, but it was a bit irksome for Seer to call Dick's plan "D-grade" and for her to refer to him as "Not-So-Bright-Wing." She was meant to be antagonizing though, and Dick did just come through the window all, "It's over, Director!" sooo idk. Maybe the"D-grade" remark was warranted this go around. Although, obviously, that's not the standard for Dick's planning ability.

In relation to the intimidation scenes, I felt like the art needed to show more intensity during those moments. I wanted Dick to feel more threatening.

Overall, this depiction of Dick didn't raise my blood pressure so that's a win in my book.

Batman: Urban Legends #22 "The Murder Club"

Pros:

After Thomas berated Bruce for ruining the Wayne legacy by becoming Batman, Dick once again stepped into the role of emotional support, which is a role he's filled for Bruce multiple times in the past. I love that he acknowledged how Bruce must be feeling after hearing what Thomas said, but that he tried to appeal to Bruce's logical side by telling him that Martha and Thomas haven't been around long enough to understand Bruce's crusade and the positive effects of it.

Dick helped Bruce break down a substance as well as helped him configure an antidote for it. It was nice to see Dick and Bruce working seamlessly together.

Bruce thought about how much he missed working side by side with Dick, and he also mentioned how Dick had always been the one to keep him grounded. I think there's truth to that last bit (especially in situations such as the one mentioned above where Dick acted as Bruce's emotional support), but I also think there are other people in Bruce's life who help center him as well. Bruce's family, in general, keeps him sane.

When Damian let John Starr fall off the building, Dick commented that Bruce wouldn't be happy about Damian's decision to do that, to which Damian got defensive and said he wasn't going to let John die. Dick responded by saying, "I know that. But he's still not gonna like it." Love how this shows that Dick trusts Damian.

Cons:

This isn't something I'm genuinely miffed about, but I just thought it was weird how neither Dick or Bruce noticed that Damian had hauled John away to get information out of him despite the fact that John had been standing right behind them.

Overall, I thought Dick seemed competent and I liked how he navigated the devastating blow Bruce took from Thomas.

Nightwing #99

Pros:

Babs. Wasn't. Here. Did you hear that?? BABS WASN'T HERE! For the first time in TT's run!! She wasn't here! She wasn't even in Dick's ear! Halle-freaking-lujah. So much of my ire was abated by her absence.

In Batman: Year Three, Alfred mentioned that every year he would go to the Parole Board and protest whenever Tony Zucco became eligible for parole. I like that no one was there to protest against Zucco's parole this year since Alfred is dead and, thus, Zucco ended up getting parole. Not that TT made that connection to BYT in the issue or gave that exact reasoning for why Zucco got out of jail (I came up with the reasoning myself), but I'm choosing to believe that's what happened anyway.

Using the boat for the action scene was nice.

Despite wanting Zucco dead, Dick saved Zucco from what probably would've been certain death. His morals trumped his desire for revenge.

Dick and Melinda finally had a moment that felt more personal.

Cons:

In Batman: Year Three, Dick was aware that Zucco was going to walk free from jail, and you know what he thought about it? He thought that even though Zucco was going to be free, Dick's parents were still going to be dead, and that getting mad or crazy about Zucco's release wasn't going to bring his parents back. In fact, BRUCE was the one who was struggling to control himself from strangling Zucco. So it's odd to me that TT would have Dick go berserk over Zucco's release when Dick has already put all that history behind him (we're ignoring the N52 Zucco situation which TT clearly didn't take inspiration from).

Overall, I'm not the biggest fan of the liberties TT has taken with Dick's history, and this issue in general was average.

Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #7

Pros:

Dick called Slade out for his shitty parenting.

I like the nod to the history between Dick and Slade by having Robin!Dick go up against younger!Slade.

I thought it was hilarious that Bruce snapped Dick's initiation candle.

Bruce said Dick was his light and is basically a light for everyone else.

Cons:

Not necessarily a con but I can't help but notice how often writers are making Bruce use the word "son" lately. Like in this issue he called Dick "son" twice. He also praised Dick, and while that's generally good, Dick had no reaction to it. In the past, it was usually always a big deal to him whenever Bruce praised him.

Overall, this issue took a big sip of appreciation juice for Dick. I gotta admit, the praise for Dick would feel so much better if this event had occurred in the Post-Crisis era. It's kind of hard to look at Dick in the current era and to be like, yeah, that guy should lead everyone into the future.

Anyways. That's it for Dick's appearances other than Titans United: Bloodpact #4. I'm not reading that title so I don't have any thoughts on it.

[morgana-ren]

Lady Morgana, what are some tropes you really like? Not necessarily like, spicy ones- just any that you're a sucker for?

(Also happy Ides of March, the favorite holiday of the hellsite besides Halloween lol)

The absolute favorite one should be very obvious: Enemies to Lovers. Huge on that. Almost everything I write has some elements of that sprinkled (or dumped) onto it. I love high intensity emotions that are flip-flopping over that fine line over and over again. Two people that are supposed to abhor each other ending up feeling extremely inappropriate feelings for each other. Love it.

I love Machiavellian schemes. Clever bitches. They might be outnumbered, outranked, and outflanked, but they're just more clever than the opposition at every conceivable turn. The 'Ocean's Eleven' gambit. People who know what you're going to do before you do it and plan for the off occasion that you decide to be spontaneous, using your own wit against you. Difficult to write and plot out. Think what Raphael tried to do with the whole Crown of Karsus scheme.

Seductive Evil. Enough said there. Y'know, the villain that is just inexplicably obsessed with whomever is opposing them. Not in a weird 'Joker/Batman' kind of way, but in a definite sexual way.

'Monsters' as intelligent species capable of co-mingling with humans on an even tier. I don't are much for the animalistic dragon that craves gold for... some reason. But one that is hyper-intelligent? Yeah buddy.

Fighting/dancing intertwined.

Evil with... strange morality. Like, they're evil, but they aren't just unabashed, dumbass 'muahaha I am so terrible for no reason!' evil. They actually have a code they follow. Or if they are just unabashed evil, there's a method to the madness. Kind of like Reaver in that way.

Nightmare Fetishist can be really fuckin' funny when well done.

I actually am a fan of Nightmare Fuel when it is done well. A lot of it is very stereotypical, overdone, and just roasted to death. When it's cleverly executed, it can be quite good.

It's... tough to say. A lot of them fold into spicy tropes just simply because of the nature of my work. I'm sure there's a lot more, but they just aren't coming to mind right now. They usually run along this same vein.

Damn, I should have gotten myself a pizza to celebrate. I think I woke up too late for that. Happy Ides!

[desultory-novice]

MariPav Omake Ficlet - “...With Lingering Side Effects”

@driftwoodmfb drew the result(s) of what would happen if you fused MariPav's Marx and Magolor together and for some reason my mind went right to the classic "matter transporter accident" trope. 

So, I wrote a little script bit exploring that very thing...!! (It’s mostly fluffy with a side of thoughtful!)

---

<On the ship>

Magolor: "Muahaha... Now THIS is interesting...!"

Marx: "What?"

Magolor: "Did you know, Marx, that the Lor actually has a matter transportation function...for people!"

Marx: "Like a teleportation spell?" "I don't see what the big deal is. I can use teleportation magic. Doesn’t require an Ancient artifact.”

Magolor: "How wonderful for you. Have you considered others for once in your life?" "Now, what's interesting about this is that it's not listed among any of the ship's main systems. It's buried deep within the code. I'm not sure I would have discovered it had I not had to make so many custom routines to speed up data processing to deal with the extreme workload I'm putting on the ship given its power supply. Isn't life is full of little miracles?!"

Marx: "Mags...? Did you stop to consider this function might be hidden because they never got all the bugs figured out?"

Magolor: "We'll find out. As I'm testing it right now!"

Marx: "...Heh! Good luck not getting turned inside out!"

Magolor: "Same to you. Heh heh heh."

Marx: "...Huh?"

Magolor: "I'm teleporting us both! Simultaneously. For safety's sake."

Marx: "S-Safet--?! Hey, hey, hey! Hold up, you mad scient---!"

---

<BWEEM to just outside the volcano>

???: "...iiiiiist.......?"

???: "Huh. We didn't end up trapped inside a rock like I feared we would. But of course, I trusted myself the entire time. No I didn't? I thought that was insane. How long have I been living on this crazy planet that I've taken to experimenting with poor, innocent, positively-fascinating-though-often-annoying creatures like myself to... Hmm?? Why am I...both of us...?!"

Margolox: "Wha--ooh, hey, this is...fascinating!"

Margolox: "Also, I have...legs again. Except I've always had legs. Not...always...? Mostly, then. Mostly...?? Well, hmm, I'll just have to agree to disagree on this with myself, won't I? No, it's the hands are new. Are they really? Completely new? In this form? Yes, didn’t I explain that to myself? Interesting. Then I'd love to know what's different about them. Though I already know, don't I...? I know...so much... Two lifetimes worth..."

Margolox: "There are so many memories now. Conflicting ones. And ones that feel...frighteningly similar. And memories I don't want to touch. Are those MY memories that I'm afraid to revisit...or do I want to avoid them because they are MINE and I'm the one looking at them, not myself? Is it because I'm me and not me that I'm afraid to let myself get any closer to me? But...if I'd know that I was so much like me, maybe...I wouldn't have to be afraid to let myself in a little..."

---

<BWEEM to back inside the ship>

Marx: "...GAH!!!!'

Magolor: "...Ah..."

Marx: "What the hell, Mags?!" "...Huh? We're ourselves again?!"

Magolor: "...Yes. What, did you think I HADN'T planned for the possibility of this orphaned routine accidentally scrambling our data together and fusing us into an amalgamate being? (We have entertainment programs on Halcandra. I know my sci-fi tropes!)" "I set several failsafes and some very generous rollback code to restore us to our original physiological patterns after a set period of time if any of the expected anomalies occurred."

Marx: "Maybe you’re a genius after all? Doesn't make you any less of a mad scientist though!"

Magolor: "You like the fact that I play fast and loose with my morals."

Marx: "Who said I do?"

Magolor: "...Your mind."

Marx: "...!!!"

Magolor: "Though I need to correct you on your assumptions. It's not purely thrill-seeking on my part. My choices are born from necessity--"

Marx: "I know. I...saw...the the stuff you had to go through..."

Magolor: "...Mm......"

Marx: "It messes with your head to have other people's thoughts in there, I know..."

Magolor: "Yes... And yet...as galling as the invasion of privacy was..."

Both: " "..." "

Both: ((..I found it strangely comforting...))

Magolor: "W-well...I say we break on repairs for the day!" "The one thing I hadn't planned for was the, err, let's call it a mental toll. I may need some time...to sort through things a little."

Marx: "Same."

Magolor: "...Marx?"

Marx: "Yeah, Mags...?"

Magolor: "..." "Nothing."

<They head off in opposite directions>

Both: (( ...It was maybe the first time I didn't feel so alone...))

Both: (( ...now that feeling's gone...and all that's left is emptiness...))

<Later>

Marx: (My legs...hurt. My back too. Like I could never get comfortable. It hurt the whole time we were fused together. Magolor can’t be in that much pain constantly...can he...?)

Magolor: (Marx’s mind... It was so crowded with-...I don’t even know WHAT that was... But I don’t understand how he can concentrate on anything when his brain is always screaming...)

[kientranart]

Oh no, Olympus is under threat, the gods are preparing for a great war. Muahaha, the original plan was to be like Kratos, he had chains in his arms, then for Wonder Woman, it would be “the Lasso of truth.” But that would be too much detail, so I got rid of it. What do you think, let me know in the comments, let me know if you have any ideas for the next one, maybe I can make it. Now, hope you have a nice day

[madarasgirl]

Thank you very much for the virtual hugs, all those compliments are a reality, you are simply incredible and so is your work! :)💖

I understand that you are afraid of "spoil" the story since I'm almost sure that most of us readers of your fanfic were looking for something a little spicy and romantic when we started reading the story haha, more than anything I was surprised by the level of crudeness in the one in which you wrote the chapter, I didn't expect it but that doesn't mean I didn't like it.

And yes you are right, although the world can be a beautiful place, it is also ruthless and cruel and in a war is where this dark and miserable part of the human being is most reflected, I love history in general and it is interesting study wars but it is still depressing to read all the horrible acts and consequences of war, that is something that hellsing executed very well. (Especially the Nazi issue) 😥

Wow, you really took the time, it shows that you are taking this seriously and it is admirable. I understand that it is stressful since there are many themes and historical references within hellsing, cheer up!

I hope I don't bore you with so many questions but I'm curious... Have you read the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker? I know it's a bit silly because you are literally making a fanfic of Hellsing and Dracula himself but maybe you haven't read it, I honestly haven't read it since I want to read it from the physical book haha.

Uhh last thing, I love that the reader does have a role in the story and is not just "in the way", I also like that the secondary characters also have a leading role, it was sad to read the death of the reader's bodyguard 😢, Thank you very much for answering my questions! 💖

I don't speak much English so I'm sorry if the question isn't very understandable. 😓

Never apologize for your English! I understand you perfectly well and in fact, you are more articulate than some native English speakers 😊! I think it's very admirable when people read in different languages, especially unfamiliar ones, to improve your language abilities. And I live for long questions/comments 😘.

Yes there is an element to not wanting to ruin the story when it is going well. I think the themes up until now have been generally 'safe' for a majority of the audience. However, another reader asked me sometime last year whether Millennium will feature and I decided to include them in this fic. Ever since I made this decision, the plan was always to go big with Millennium and have them do terrible things on screen. It just took awhile to get there. So the audience indeed got some of that spice and romance...and now MORE! The entire spectrum of feels! Muahaha. It probably was very surprising to see some of those less appetizing new tags, but this was how I envisioned the story going and I'm thankful for you and the other readers who are still here.

Sometimes I need a break from reading what war crimes happened. Or I do a double-take to check if I read correctly. People seriously do horrific things to each other, monstrous things. It'll be a reoccurring theme with Millennium. I also understand that some people wouldn't enjoy seeing the Reader sexually assaulted when it's technically supposed to be them. At the same time, I just can't see her getting out of this scot-free. It'd be unrealistic for nothing to happen to her as a Nazi prisoner.

Okay so funny thing is, I didn't read the Bram Stoker novel. I make fun of myself for exactly the same reason, but at this point...ignorance is bliss 😬. That saying where "the more you learn, the less you know" applies. I'm scared I'll learn something huge and feel like changing something this far into the story haha. Instead I just Google specific facts I want to know from the novel. Also, while the Reader can be interpreted as being like Mina Harker, I myself would rather not be Mina, a reincarnation of her, or any descendent of her. I am me (accidental Major quote) and I'd rather self-insert as myself. One day I'll read Stoker's novel and poke more fun at my fic.

Omg thank you so much! Technically, reader-inserts are supposed to be a 'less active' blank slate. At the same time, in a longer fic, it doesn't make sense to me for her to be completely passive with no personality, a passenger to her existence in her own story, so to say. That would make the story bland and uninteresting. It is also impossible to create a Reader who would behave as every single person who reads this fic would. Instead, I guess the audience can think of her as an OC without the physical descriptors and name? At least that is how I experience other writers' reader-inserts. She's still a little bit of a damsel in distress, but I like it and think it can be forgiven in her case, since she's just a civilian human mired in the world of the supernatural.

Gareth the bodyguard was a good guy. I'm not sure if you are familiar with the 2001 Hellsing TV series. That is where Captain Ferguson, Andrew, Gareth Henderson, and Chris Pickman come from. They are elites and 3 of them were great men. I liked how the Hellsing paramilitary from the TV series was an actual trained force that dealt with ghouls and vampires, unlike Ultimate where it felt like Hellsing's troops were all fodder besides Alucard, Seras, and Walter. It was a fun watch until the final villain, imo!

Thank you for such sweet encouragement! I do feel better about all of it 😁. Thank you so, so, SO much for these messages!!!!!

[revivemyreverie]

Chapter 5

The group, dressed for the cold weather, walk through the foggy streets of Brightinten. Despite initial excitement, the children all have grown a frown on their face.

Zackery: Hey, cheer up! We’re not the ones who told you it was too muddy at the park. Mom just doesn’t want you to break an limb. 

Gale: But the park… and the puddles…

"Hm… Maybe there’s a candy shop nearby?"

Gale: …There is, actually! Just follow me! 

The group trails the child until coming upon a colorful building, its sign flipped to closed. 

Gale: Are you kidding me?! This place is closed too?! Gah! Darn this stupid weather! 

Winston: Sorry kiddo, I can’t say we tried! C’mon, let's just head back to… Hey, what’s that building over there?

Winston points to a window behind Gale. Patterns of dancing penguins decorate the surface. A warm yellow light emits from inside. 

Gale: Oh, that's just old man’s Isaac’s antique store. He’s always open since no one buys his stuff. Well, no one except–

Zackery: Old man Isaac?! Oh, I HAVE to visit him! He’s funded most of my extremely evil plans!

Once inside the store, the group is met with stacks upon stacks of knick-knacks and old novelties. Dolls, porcelain, even a jukebox sits in the back. On the register, sits an old man who looks bored beyond belief. 

Isaac: Welcome to Penguin Antiques, where all lost things can be found… Ah! Zackery, is that you? 

Zackery: Muahaha! In the flesh! 

Isaac: And I see you’ve brought friends! Ah ah, don’t break anything in here unless you’re willing to pay for it!

Zackery: Actually, I was hoping to find something to fix! Do you have anything for kids? Like a mechanical horse or something?

Isaac: I have no clue what kind of school you’re going to that has mechanical horses, but now that you think about it… I do have a children’s merry-go-round somewhere in the back. 

Winston: That’s perfect! Crap, I don’t think we have the cash to pay you… Maybe the prefect has something?

Grim: Hey! We may take odd jobs from time to time, but that doesn’t mean we’re using our madol on you! 

Isaac: Ahaha! No need to pay, you can have it for free! It’s time I got rid of that old piece of junk anyways. 

Zackery: Gasp! Are you serious?

Isaac: Yep! I’d rather see a kid like you fix it anyways. It beats all these old folk coming in to give away their broken watches.

Zackery: That’s great! Thank you so much! C’mon dear hero, we gotta drag this thing back home before my mom realizes.

Winston and Zackery get the old merry-go-round and carry it together. The children trail behind, making sure to pick up any falling pieces. As they arrive home, they’re met with a confusing sight. A police car sits in front of the orphanage. Pat sits on the steps while a concerned Roostia talks to the officer.

TBC...