#something something gaining the powers you once desired to use to kill but now feel nothing but horror in receiving them

[fluffypotatey]

Sprinkle in an extra bit of madness because he has YET to get his consequence for uh, being obsessed with Wukong again apparently??? if that's what we're talking about? bc I get he's walking the same path we joke about it often enough AND how he's dug his heels in deeper to rush to his rescue but if this internalization is meant to be BAD like Wukong's need to stop dragging other ppl into his mess and that got him possessed by LBD, where is this going to lead Macaque?

hmmmmmmm so we have the play that really hammers down that Macky’s issue isn’t just petty revenge; Macky “warn” Tang about those who befriend Wukong; Macky’s unprompted assistantance in helping with the scroll; Peng’s “is there nothing Wukong could do that would break his hood over you?”— all clues and instances of Macafee’s Wukong obsession/loyalty problem that harken back to the ye olde past

but we also have MacGee be more assertive and push his concerns at Wukong, not allowing them to be brushed aside or ignored; Macree keeping an emotional and physical distance from Wukong; Macphee standing on equal footing rather than an unbalanced one

sooooooooo 🤔

10 bucks on Macky’s new chaos powers (or problems) making him a liability and a danger to Wukong himself

[too-much-tma-stuff]

Finally Getting Help (prt 6)

Masterpost

The Wayne family gathered in the family room once Alfred was done setting up the projector, somehow there was also a plate of cookies and a couple pots of tea on the coffee table. How he’d found the time they didn’t know, he always seemed to be doing just a little more than should be possible but they didn’t question it. 

Jazz seemed nervous as she plugged in her USB and accessed the power point on Ghosts and Liminality. The tidal page had a picture of Danny in his Phantom form standing with a group of others, a boy with gray skin and blond hair, a girl with green hair and skin, and a goth with purple eyes and a dark skinned boy who looked around Danny’s age, and Jazz with the title “Ghosts and Liminals!” 

The next slide had simple text: “What are they and How are they made?”

With each slide she read the text on the screen allowed and then added any context or anecdotes she thought of, or had prepared. 

(Next slide)

Ghosts:

Made of ectoplasmic energy and obsession

Made either:

when someone dies with strong enough desires

An idea gains enough traction to take on a life of its own

Immutable concepts and gods

Must be allowed to indulge in obsessions or they will cease to exist

All have basic abilities such as flight, intangibility, invisibility, and minor shape shifting

On top of basic abilities most will have additional powers based on their obsessions

Immortal unless killed 

Love to fight

Liminals

Made when a human is exposed to high levels of ectoplasm for prolonged periods of time

Have some ghostly traits 

Ghostly traits vary person to person

Less susceptible to human illness and injury

“The ghosts on the picture are Kitty and Johnny, we’ve had problems with them but would consider them friends now. They’re the ghosts of two humans who died, but there are others, Vortext for instance is the ghost of Storms. Those ghosts who come from ideas are called ‘neverborns’. There seem to be almost an infinite number of ghosts, however not all of them are interested in having anything to do with us so we tend to get the same faces showing up a lot in Amity.

“I don’t know how many liminals there are. I thought they might be new with my parents' research but as I look into it more I think there are more natural sources of ectoplasm then my parents thought.” Jazz explained before going to transition to the next slide.

“I have a question-” Bruce started before Jazz hushed him. 

“Wait till the end please! I might answer it without you having to ask,” She scolded, and he felt very much like a schoolboy again as his children snickered.

(Next slide including a image of the glowing green viles in the Fenton’s lab and a glowing green crystal)

Ghost biology 

Ghosts do not have any recognizable organs or bones

The only solid part of their being is their Core which is the source of their ectoplasm 

Any injury to a ghosts form not done directly to their core is considered minor and will heal

A healthy ghost is fully capable of mending any damage including removed limbs in a matter of hours or days depending on extent of the injury

All injuries not including the Core are considered minor 

Ghosts are considered young for at least the first hundred years of their existence and are often not considered adults until nearly 500

A caveat to this is ghosts are heavily driven by emotion and will often be the age they feel they are allowing ghosts to mature much more quickly, or more slowly

When this is the case ghosts are treated as the age they present and behave

Ghosts reproduce by shaping ectoplasm and Wanting a child badly enough

“Believe me it was incredibly scary the first time I saw Danny in his ghost form have something go right through his stomach. It took him a long time to convince me it wasn’t a big deal and it barely hurt. He does have to make sure he repairs the damage Before turning human again though or the damage can transfer over and I don’t need to tell you a hole in the gut is a lot more serious for humans!

“If I’m honest I only know ghosts that have stayed younger then they really are, for instance Youngblood who’s a few hundred years old and could be well on his way to adulthood if he wanted but has remained a child. I assume it can go the other way though, if a ghost is very mature for their age.”

Ectoplasm 

Ectoplasm is the energy that makes up all ghosts and the Ghost Zone itself. All ghosts can feed on the ectoplasm around them as well as produce their own by indulging in obsessions. The ghosts Cores produce the ectoplasm like a brain produces neurochemicals when exposed to the right stimulation.

Ectoplasm is a powerful source of energy but unstable. When it is stabilized into an ecto-crystal it is more stable and can be used as a power source safely by ghosts and liminals.

“Most ectoplasm is green like you see in the pictures. But it isn’t the only colour, some other ghosts produce different colours and it is highly tied to what emotion drives them. When it’s pure it usually smells like petracore but it can get pretty foul.”

(next slide)

What are Obsessions

Every ghost has one or more obsessions

They can be very literal things such as boxes, or ideas and emotions such as Love

In rarer cases they may have dual obsessions

Unlike for humans obsessions are very healthy for ghosts

Ghosts need to indulge their obsessions

Sometimes the way ghosts indulge their obsessions might seem evil, however it is almost always just amoral 

Obsessions shape every part of a ghost from their powers to thier physical appearance, to befriend a ghost you Must understand and aid their obsession

In very extreme circumstances a ghosts obsession may shift, sometimes this is healthy, more often it is a result of extreme trauma

“With my interest in psychology this was sort of hard for me to accept. From the outside the way ghosts obsess seems really unhealthy but it’s what gives them life. When not allowed to indulge in their obsessions ghosts will dysregulate and go to extreme lengths to try and get their obsession, if that doesn’t work they either go dormant if their core is still healthy enough or they will melt. 

“Ghosts change their obsessions very rarely, I’ve heard of it happening as they heal. For instance once a ghost has gotten revenge for themselves, if that was their obsession, their obsession might shift to avenging other people, or even protecting them so they don’t need to be avenged.”

(Next Slide)

Ghost Culture

The Ghosts have a monarchy

The title of the Ghost King is not hereditary but passed through trial by combat

Under the monarch is a council of being known as Observants, and powerful and old ghosts called Ancients 

Ghosts respect strength and value power and cunning in combat a lot

Ghosts bond with each other through combat and play fight with family and friends often

“I have down that the ghosts are a monarchy, and technically that is true but the current Ghost King was a tyrant who was locked away thousands of years ago. I’m sure as soon as someone shows up who’s powerful enough to beat him his court will be happy to pick up where they left off with a better King, or queen, though I don’t think the title has to change based on gender.

“I really can’t stress enough how violent ghosts are! Because nothing short of having their cores shattered can kill them, play fighting for them can look Very Much like a murder attempt to a human. A lot of the issues we’ve had with ghosts have come from them just not understanding quite how fragile humans, and for most of them they feel really bad once they know they actually Hurt someone by shooting them. It’s really best for everyone when they’re kept separate and Ghosts can happily tear each other apart in peace.”

Liminals

The result of long term low level exposure to ectoplasm, sudden high doses are almost always deadly

Liminals Can have almost every trait a ghost can, usually having a combination of a few

Commonalities between liminals include

Minor cosmetic changes such as: glowing eyes, pointed ears, and/or sharp teeth 

Increased stamina, strength, and aggression

Increased obsessive behaviour

Liminals sometimes develop powers shaped by the strength and type of obsession 

“Most of the people Danny and I know are liminals. I don’t want to talk about them in case they don’t want to be outed so I’ll talk about myself and my parents. We all had prolonged exposure after all. My ears are pointed,” She said brushing her hair back so they could see them, “And Danny is a little more then liminal but even in human form he has fangs. 

“My parents didn’t realize it but they could to the point they could subsist on their obsession without needing to eat or sleep as often as a regular human would. About a year ago I started developing the ability to tap into and feel other peoples emotions, I can feed on them a little too but I try not to because the Worst ghost we met did that and I don’t want to be anything like her.”

(Next Slide)

In conclusion

Ghosts are not evil even though sometimes their actions are hard to understand

Never get between ghosts when they’re fighting each other but it’s usually safe to yell at them to remind them not to break anything

Never get between a ghost and their obsession

Don’t drink ectoplasm unless you know you’re already liminal

“I have a feeling the section about liminals will be familiar to a bunch of you. I know Damian is liminal though I don’t know how he was exposed to ectoplasm and some of you,” Her eyes skirted across Tim and Bruce. “Are toeing the line. You’ll probably notice Damian and Danny getting really close, and they might get in some really vicious looking fights. I promise Danny is playing at least.”

The family was left silent for a moment, Bruce knew he was thinking about Jason. Who had died, been exposed to.. What certainly seemed to be something like Lazarus water and come back, obsessive, aggressive, and emotional. He wished he’d had this powerpoint a long time ago. It helped understand Damian too but mostly he was thinking about Jason. He needed to reach out again, maybe meeting Danny would be good for Jason?

“So uhhh, ya, that’s the end of the powerpoint?” Jazz said, shifting from foot to foot in the awkward silence. “Any questions?”

Next

[iz-star]

About Zayne's possesiveness...

With Sylus calling us "kitten" all the time, I've seen Sylus mains being torn between if they like being called that or not, for some It's totally fine but for others is such a mood killer and I'm not a Sylus main but I'd be the second one for sure.

Then I remembered that Zayne once mentioned that I was his "favorite kitty" or that I was "his pet..." something like that? And I was like "where did he say that and why didn't I cringe when he said that? Maybe this is the effect of love (xD) maybe I understand Sylus mains better? I need to find out"

Then I remembered:

If Zayne is my personal Mr Kitty Cat, then I don't mind being his favorite kitty, we were basically the ones that initiated it and even put cat ears on him... So yeah, the whole vibe of this is totally different from Sylus' pet names.

However... He calling us "his pet" was a whole different story:

The way he lets his possesiveness slide for a second? You know, all of the guys are possesive somehow, they only show it differently, in this case, Zayne's possesiveness doesn't show too often cause he's aware that to be possesive of something is to allow yourself to show your weakness, to implicitly say "This person has a great power over my feelings or my behaviour bc It's mine..." that's why he stops himself when he says "Don't leave it with anyone else or I'll—" and then changes the approach "Do you want to leave it with someone else?"

And as the player, it leaves us hanging... Thinking "What would you do, Dr Zayne? What are you willing to do?"

We have to think about these questions from the perspective of Zayne's persona, of the kind of guy he is. We know the other guys have a bounty and have committed crimes/ killed people, while Zayne has done none of that and it's on the completely opposite side of things: He's a well respected doctor, has saved tons of lifes, is obssesed about saving people, a workaholic cause he knows the world needs him. The worst thing he's done (as far as we know) is that he had to kill his friend William when he was turning into a Wanderer and even so, it was William the one who asked this of him after Zayne desperately tried to save him against all odds.

Zayne is not someone who would even think of hurt others easily, even if he's quite able to cause others harm, just as much as the other LIs, but all versions of Zayne have in common that they're really kind. Sure, Dawnbreaker is a serial killer but we know he doesn't kill people out of joy but instead mercy. Sure, Foreseer was quite severe when MC first met him but It's not as if she didn't deserve it when she literally intruded his place, lied to him and tried to steal his powers (lmao) and we know he was wary of Astra all the time so he didn't want anyone to enter the Tower for their own sake and he paid with his life the price to keep MC alive. Master of Fate was supposed to kill MC but instead he chose to seal her powers to give her another chance to keep on living the life she told him she wanted to live (even without him).

So it's interesting to think what would Zayne do for MC? Us? If he decides to be selfish and fulfill his desires, what would he do? It seemed like he was even questioning himself, showing too much of what he's not used to show (And now with SS we just know how much he needs MC/us).

So that's why he changes the approach. His feelings are involved in this sudden and unexpected show of weaknesses, so he asks us "Do you want to leave it with someone else?" Now asking us about what we feel but not quite giving us time to reply.

The way he calls us "his pet" comes now more like he's gained control of his feelings again and is calling us that as a punishment for making him go through this unwanted jealousy but he's so ambiguous and smooth about it, that is giving "if It's too much don't take it" vibes because he neither confirms nor denies that he was talking about us.

Zayne is the kind of guy that would spoil you and shows his love through different ways: taking care of you and your health, acts of service, affirmation, sparing time for you, having you as his top priority, always offering his time/ himself (Have you notice how Zayne says "My free time is all yours, do with it what you want" while Sylus says "Who is your free time for if not me? " or how Xavier asks "Do you want to sleep with me?" while Zayne asks "Do you want me to sleep with you?"), he gives and gives (and lord knows how much he's tried to change and be more careful about his words and actions so they don't come across as alof, bc yes, Zayne hates to be mistaken as a heartless person) but of course he's also willing to do all that as long as you work for it and earn it too and if you misbehave, he makes you pay for it and knows how to give you a firm "No" when you try to backpedal or get away with it.

He knows (or tries) to balance his depth love by spoiling you while at the same time letting you know that nothing comes for free (even if he'd give it for free). Balance is a word that fits him best in all the aspects of his life, especially when it comes about love. He shows his feelings if you show them too (he both says "I never thought I'd have only one person in my eyes" accepting you're the only thing he sees and he also says "I want to be the only one in your eyes and for you to be mine" expressing what he desires too in a soft way) and when he shows his possesiveness, he's letting himself to lose this balance and he probably knows that you are the only thing that could make him completely lose this balance. His evol seems to be an analogy of this behavior, Zayne is always hyperaware that he could lose control of it at any given time and maybe, when it comes about his feelings, does he feel the same? ("It wouldn't be love if I could control it"). He's scared of hurting you but is he scared of the things he'd do for you?

Especially bc, all his other lifes and the current Zayne have always shown the opposite of possesiveness, they sacrifice themselves and their happiness for your own happiness and your well being. When MC asks Foreseer Zayne "Didn't you say you don't want to lose me again?" his literal reply was "I will never lose you as long as you're alive and well" and when Master of Fate was supposed to kill MC, he chose to seal her powers away even if it also meant to sacrifice his presence in her life (even after he promissed that they would always be together and promissed not to leave her and desired fulfill those promises). Dawnbreaker's only solace is MC, he only yearns for her and nothing else, a powerful quote they say in his anecdotes is "It's better to die with clarity than living as a walking corpse" referencing to ppl that turns into Wanderers but this quote applies to Zayne too, in the sense that he's basically a walking corpse cause he doesn't live his own life. MC is the only thing that keeps him alive somehow and she's not even in his own world. Dr Zayne says "When you and the world wake up, I hope we do not meet again" bc he knows this is the best for you.

All Zayne's are filled with pent up yearning, want, need, desire, to a point It's seems it is about to overflow and he does a goddam good work at hiding it; no wonder why Dr Zayne is taking all the available chances with MC, but even he seems to be aware that this won't last forever and even in such period of time, why he seems so afraid to loose up... lose control of himself? Especially cause Dr Zayne seems to be the balance amongst all Zayne's, he's not as dark and depressive as Dawnbreaker, nor as cold and severe as Foreseer, nor as happy and carefree as Master of Fate but at the same time holds a little of all of that.

So the question here is, how a showcase of the loss of this balance would be? For now we can only imagine and come up with assumptions but I'm quite curious to see it playing fully ingame, you know? Altho I'm not sure if I'd like it if it comes at the cost of him getting hurt again.

[bamsara]

Howdy! I just want to take a moment (or two…or three..yeah this is longer than I thought it would be) to talk about your characterization of Narinder in your TRoD fanfic, specifically his grievance over what he perceived the lamb to be and betrayel.

I like to think Narinder repeatedly calling Lambert a traitor (I think at least once a chapter actually lmaoo) over and over, is trying not so subtly to avoid thinking about the why behind the betrayel and the pain that comes with it. Especially since he'd already spent an eternity wondering about the previous betrayal of his siblings. How emotionally torturous it must feel to be in this cycle of rejection, from the people he depended on, even now from his own followers who don't recognize him. And then, when he and Lambert finally appear to be on the same page about something, Lambert goes and spares Leshy, reminding Narinder once again that his divine commands hold as much weight on the Lamb as they will decide to hold.

It isn't up to Narinder to decide how the lamb will act, as much as he wants to. It's one thing for Narinder to have people listening to him, but it's another to actually be heard, and after an eternity of silence during his imprisonment he's absolutely desperate for some form of control and impact. For someone to truly hear him. Which is a shame, because Lambert does, but Narinder cannot recognize it since they don't always give Narinder what he wants (since being a God is all about what you want), and instead are more interested in giving him what he needs.

I assume at this point, after being revived into a mortal form, he's actively given up on trying to understand why everyone just keeps "betraying/rejecting him" and would rather use his own inferences of their behavior as explanation, once again, for that feeling of control, since he's utterly mortified of hearing those words come from their mouths instead of his own (doesn't help that he can actually read minds either). He'd rather kill his siblings than hear the why (not saying the siblings were justified ofc, but understanding one's motivations is, y'know, important to effectively communicating with them in a way that's healthy) Despite needing to be heard, he's internalized that many won't bother listening unless he has control over them in some way, like he did before when he was powerful. When he mutilated his siblings, had Lambert create a cult in his name, being heard isn't just an emotional or mental aspect to his wellbeing, but is literally part of his power as well.

He was/is a God, he's used to followers prostrating themselves just to hear the time of day, giving their all to listen, hear, and follow him. It's why he struggles to separate the aspects that are ingrained in a follower, from those who are a friend. Unless they're also God he can't comprehend much of a difference, and expects them to be of the same or similar standing. He was friends with Lambert when he was Godly, yes, but he still saw himself as above Lambert, and expected them to lay down their life to him like a follower would. Yes, Narinder didn't want to cut them out of his own life in their death, but still expected them to just..die for him. He didn't ***just*** see Lambert as a friend, he saw them as a friend that was also his follower. An exceptional follower he loved, but not an exception. There was a power imbalance that Lambert now sees.

It's why Narinder's utterly baffled and offended, fearful even, at Lambert, someone he deemed as "traitorous", investing their time into still trying to talk to him..listen to him.. for virtually no gain…at his lowest point...when he himself is now "lesser".

Narinder tries so hard to not become invested in those he deems as "lesser" or "traitors" but its near fucking impossible, because like it or not, his desires and needs are so inherently mortal and genuine (desire for power, companionship, love, understanding, control, etc) that if he doesn't close himself off, he may have to face falling into the same pit of disappointment and failed expectations he fell in with Lambert/his siblings once again. So he doesn't, and hides away in his shack until Lambert comes knocking.

And now, as the cherry on top of this emotionally constipated bundle of angsty cat woes, he has to live and breathe as the very thing he deemed as "lesser". Being forced to invest in these mortal needs, now that they're a necessary component to his survival. This is also why I believe he goes on these little crusades with Lambert in the first place as well. Not only because they return to him a sense of routine and normalcy (also pining, coughocoughghhrbogh who said that?), but also because it allows Narinder to forget about investing in his own wellbeing for a while.

He was a God, he didn't have to go through the work it took to just do your laundry, eat, brush your teeth, or take care of yourself since he never had to. The thrill of adventure and battle, the adrenaline rush of near-death experiences, can't hold a candle to the mundanity of work. So when he's not crusading, he just..sleeps..wanders around..the fact he's not socially accepted by his own followers doesn't encourage him either. I mean fuck, he such a complete wreck after Lambert spared Leshy, he crusaded and neglected his health for so long he passed out.

His life is all work now, investing in himself, in others, being forced to have his ego get knocked down a few pegs, and care again despite how much it hurts. None of these things are "given", Lambert's love is not just given (as in, blindly follow) and that's what I believe will be an eventual "eureka" moment for him.

Living is work, but it's worth working for

He ain't hot shit anymore, but that's ok.

Anyway, sorry for the long-winded ramble this was all actually just a very roundabout and ineffective ploy for me to talk about how I relate the song "Don't Speak" by No Doubt, to your Narinder's character. Happy belated New Year, hope you're doing well. :]

LKSDHGKLSDHGD HELLO. This is such a well articulated analyzation of Narinder holy moly, I hope you don't mind me answering this with not much to add on because WOW I'm really vibing with your takes on him and I wanted the world to read this too slkdghlksdhgs. I have a lot of my own takes on Narinder and how he'll progress to be as the story comes along, and eventaully some of this will be talked about in TROD either with the lamb and/or with other characters, particularly Ratau, as he comes to an understanding that others are understanding.

I have not had coffee yet this morning but I could go on for a day and a half about Narinder being used to getting what he wants as a god and the entire process of how actaully lonley and isolating it can be to be continously pedastaled and worshipped verses being on equal, human level with other beings and how long it takes for him to realize that.

HAPPY BELATED NEW YEAR

[simplydannie]

Strobe Rageon || Goyle Rageon || Gorgen Rageon || Agni and Apollo

I was working on some other WIPs and request when I began listening to Brianna’s new song and omg! It inspired something. I had to get this WIP out of my head before I went crazy! I can imagine Velvet singing that song… but about her brother and father… because she feels betrayed.

What if, after their adventures in the under city, after reuniting with their father, after taking down Mistress… what if the life of mafia gang was Velvets calling all along? Instead of abandoning the Montegue name, she now embraces it. She learns how to control her ability making her nearly as menacing as her father… so she grows followers. Her target to overrule is not Under Rageous…. No… Her eyes are set to own and rule one place… Mount Rageous.

Velvet looked herself in the mirror…

Her hair dazzled, her make-up radiant… she was back. She was back at the top, back at Mount Rageous… and this time there would be no mistakes. This time she will succeed. The whole Troll fiasco? Well, let’s just say that was taken care of. It was all just a set up according to the media, Velvet was innocent.

There was a knock on her door.

“Five minutes boss.” A Gorgen Rageon peeked his head in.

“Thank you… Now scram.” She demanded. The Gorgen nodded as he closed her door. She looked herself in the mirror again, a smirk coming across her face…. Being a Montegue had its rewards. For so long she had wanted to abandon that name, that burden, but now she was using it towards her advantage.

Her father could run the damn under-city, she didn’t care. What she wanted was Mount Rageous. A year and half ago she was Queen. She had these people eating out of the palm of her hand… but then her stupid brother had to grow a pair and admit their wrong doings.

“Traitor…” she murmured. She hated him, hated him, hated him…. She missed him.

“No Velvet. He’s a traitor. You hate him. HATE HIM!” She screamed at herself. He decided to stay in Under Rageous. He wanted to remain with their dad and fix everything, he wanted to remain with the stupid Troll.

Once they took care of Mistress, once they all faced that near death experience, that’s when their father decided to change….their father wanted them together again…. But the life of the mafia was calling to her, it was looking promising and pleasing…

“It’s a life I thought I had wanted for you…a life drilled into my brain that it was for my own children. I’m sorry. Please don’t go down this path.” Her father had told her. He began to see the desire in her eye, the poison still twisting her brain.

“I’m not a little girl anymore.. I know what I want!!”

She began to search, threaten, steal, kill… that’s how she gained her followers… that’s how she began to become queen of the under city…but that’s not what she wanted. She brought her followers to Mount Rageous where any power dared to threaten her would be met with an iron fist…. It began with the smaller districts up in the upper city. One by one she began taking over…. District by district she began owning Mount Rageous.

“Proud of me now, dad.” She stood up fixing the crown on top of her head. Out of the corner of her eye she saw it…. A picture…. A picture of her and her brother. Why the hell do I still have that? She took it in her hands and gazed on it…. They were happy. In a world that treated them differently, they were all they had. She thought she could trust him their first round up here, she thought that’s what he had wanted… she had done it for him. But no, his heart was never in it. He missed home, he missed dad…. So that’s what he chose…

She knew it would be a matter of time before they came looking for her. Before him and dad came looking. But she was ready. She was done. She was her own boss, she had her own gang now… she kept growing and growing, and nothing was going to stop her. Velvet stepped out her dressing room and came face to face with a Strobe and Goyle Rageon: her hired guards. Funny, they were once hired to capture her and her brother back in the under-city… but now they worked for her…Apollo and Agni.

“Your crowd awaits.” Apollo gestured, skin and hair illuminating the hallway.

“Keep an eye out. I know they’ll be looking for me.” She said as she walked ahead of them, leading the way to the stage.

“We stationed our men around. No one should be getting through.” Apollo replied.

She snarled, “They have the damn Trolls now. They all know how to sneak through.”

“And if we see them, do I ram them?” Agni said, his horns glistening against Apollos light.

“… Hmmm… no. Not yet. Just keep them away from me. I’ll find them… when I’m ready.” She stated.

“Yes, m’am.” They said in unison. They retreated each going there separate way.

Velvet could hear the crowd chanting her name behind the closed door. She closed her eyes and began to take in the essence of it all. Being a succubi she learned she didn’t need any Troll essence to give her what she needed. She began on feeding those around her… it was her drug. Velvet gave them a show and they gave her the euphoria… and she’d soak it all in. She opened her eyes as they glowed again, a maniacal grin on her face.

“Ladies and gentlemen!! She’s back! Back and better than ever!” She could hear the host on the other side of the doors. Today she would sing her new song… a song she wrote for her brother, for her father….the doors opened. The crowd screamed as the lime light was on her…again she absorbed the essence around her… a tingling sensation running through her body….

She stepped out, mic in hand…Thinking of her brother and father, she pulled the mic up to her lips as the song started to play…

“This one for you bro, this one is for you dad.” She spat…. They had picked their poison, so she picked hers…

[dreamseersystem]

Just a little drabble I made of a version of Leviathantale. I hope people like it.

Was this what it was like to die?

That was his thought as he sank into the dark waters below. The family he thought he had, they were all just lies. Used until he was no use anymore because of who he once was. Who he had left behind on the mainland when he joined Gaster and his crew of pirates. But that was what he was used for. A bargaining chip in some ploy to gain money and favors out of the family he abandoned. He never told anyone of his royal heritage, but somehow the captain knew. He acted like a caring father to him, and when the money and favors dried out...

It was amazing how fast a life can pass before one's eyes as they die. The betrayal of the captain as he revealed his birth name and the reason he was kept on the ship. The jeering of the crew he once thought of as brothers and sisters calling for his death. It was a crime to them to be born royal. Even if he rejected that life. Gaster himself pushed him off the plank, giving him a last chance to fight him, but he was too weak to defeat the captain. His magic was spilling out of him still, quickening his death in the sea. He could feel its cold tentacles wrap around him. Wait... No... He was really feeling tentacles around him. His instinct to fight made him flail in their grasp, but he was too weak to fight back.

"I would rather you not fight little minnow. It would quicken your death and make you just another dust cloud to feast upon by the small fish of the deep," a voice said. He froze.

"That's better," the voice said as a black face came into his sight. It's teal eye glowing in the darkness. "I am Nightmare. Tho, I guess greetings would be wasted if you just die on me." He pulls him close. "But you can live if your desire and hope is still there."

He wanted to live. He didn't want to die. His life had barely started and all because of his birth he was killed for. He wanted to live to be free of that past. He wanted to get revenge on the ship he thought was family.

Nightmare could seem to sense his will and emotions and chuckled. "Revenge and a desire to be free. I believe I can offer that," he said as he caressed his cheek. "But in exchange for a new life, I need something in return. Loyalty, obedience, and most of all, your knowledge of the world above. Do you agree or would you rather I end your life now?"

He wanted to say yes, but no words would come out. He didn't care he would have to be this abyssal's being slave. Just as long as he could live again. He just wanted to live. He nodded his head at Nightmare.

And Nightmare grinned. "It is a deal then. This might hurt a bit."

He reached into his chest and pulled his dusting SOUL out, sending magic into it as he kissed him at the same time. Pleasure and pain were what he felt and he couldn't even scream. Bones were shifting, everything was getting brighter, teal and purple magic surrounded his body as he heard bones crack below his waist.

Soon the feeling faded away, and with that the feeling of his legs. Now he felt something else, something new. A tail. He gasped as he took his first breath under water, not sure how exactly he was able to do it. He looked at himself in wonder. And ended up upside down since he didn't know how to use his tail yet.

Nightmare laughed. "Well, a shark on its belly, what a funny sight. You'll fit in with the rest of the shiver at least. But for now, we should complete our greetings shouldn't we. What is your name?"

He was able to right himself and felt his tail. It was powerful and strong. He could feel the power in it. He looked at Nightmare and bowed his head.

"My name, is Cross."

[thelikesoffinn]

This is for the lovely @will-graham-my-beloved who asked some follow-up questions in the tags of my big analysis - hi there darling!

First of: I do believe that Astarion spent a long time believing that he wanted to ascend. He's pretty much been talking about it since learning about the scars on his back and it was made quite clear that he was more than interested in it.

Even upon learning the sacrifice he would have to make he isn't backing down and that's for one simple reason - nobody would hesitate if roles were reversed. The world was never kind to or considerate for him so why the ever loving fuck would he waste any sympathy on others? Even the siblings that know his suffering better than anyone?

No, the world belongs to those who take ruthlessly and he shall be one of them.

Then: When you say "the spawn visiting him" I assume you mean the night where Astarions "siblings" attack us at camp to drag his pale arse back to Cazador and how he basically disregards them on terms of gaining the power he so desperately craves.

And Astarion IS desperate.

Not only is this all happening in act three, after Astarion had a good taste of the freedom he could have once Cazador is dead, no it's also just when the thing that promises safety and strength is just within his reach.

As always, safety is our buzzword here. Because while Astarion is no longer caught in his initial fight or flight mode, he is still fragile and undoubtedly scared.

You don't just shake off abuse and trauma in a few weeks, so ascension is still so, so enticing because it will make him strong and once he is, he won't have to fear anyone ever again - not even the sun!

Sacrificing his siblings - whom he may or may not have any affection for - is pretty much a small price to pay.

(It is obviously not, since I foggily remember that he feels the need to rationalise his future deed by mentioning how his siblings have done terrible things and how they pretty much deserve to die for something good, while continously and passionately making excuses for his own behaviour on account of not being able to resist Cazador, but what else is new at this point. The boy may as well change his name to Minimise or Rationalise, with how skilled he talks down even the most horrifying deed as long as it offers him safety!)

And, on top of that, there's another motivating factor on why ascension sounds so good right then - revenge.

Astarion is desperate for revenge - in fact, I say he feels rather entitled to it - and he himself mentions that killing Cazador can never be enough. He wants to rip his life's work away from him and take it for himself to kick the leech while he's down.

So I'd say his willingness to literally murder the other spawn absolutely stems from a combination of fear, longing for safety and power - for both himself and Tav - and intense thirst for revenge.

His need to rationalise and/or minimise what he's about to do sheds some light onto the underlying hesitancy he likely feels, though.

Someone who is 100% convinced that they're doing the right thing doesn't feel the need to explain themselves or to make excuses as for why the thing they're doing is actually the best thing ever. They know they're right and they know everybody else can see that at a first glance because it should be obvious.

And I'm very sure that Astarion knows his plan is pretty much none of that even without Tav's input.

He knows it's the wrong thing to do, and he likely has an inkling that he isn't being smart, but he doesn't want to think about that. He's just so battered and bruised at this point that rationality is overshadowed by rage, desperation and fear which, in turn, convince him thar ascension is the only way to finally live the life he so desperately desires.

I hope that was what you wanted me to consider! If not, I ask for your leniency - it's super late and I'm on my third day insomnia streak haha - and that you just hit me up real quick so that I can try again!

Now, please have a lovely day, duck!

[atla-recluse]

Throne-Stealing Where?

It's always hilarious to me when I see/hear someone calling Azula anything along the lines of "power-hungry despot".

Hungry for power? More like hungry for family/relationship harmony and rules. If anything, she gives power away to others! She helped Zuko get back the throne and (conditional) fatherly appreciation that he so desired, with her only request being that he side with her and their nation (that's not asking for very much, from her POV, mind you)! She gave Mai a higher position than even her noble parents had and a chance to become a Fire Royal Consort through marriage to her long-time crush, Azula's brother, Prince Zuko! She (albeit after first forcefully taking her away from her preferred surroundings) gave Ty Lee another, more exciting way (based on how much fun we see Ty Lee having) to feel different/special and like "her own person"! She never used more force than was necessary when fighting her adversaries and only went "too far" when the situation seemed to call for it due to the risk to her person if she did nothing! (Which may have been a soul-destroying choice for everyone that was there [except Zuko]. Even Azula is implied to have felt like a monster for killing Aang, during that conversation they had on Ember Island!) A 14 year old felt forced to kill, people! That affects the one doing it, too! Why does next to no one ever ask what Aang was even planning on doing once in the avatar state while they were in the catacombs? Especially from the POV if one of his enemies? Play hopscotch and do super gymnastics? Doubt it!

Now, please correct me if I'm wrong but, wouldn't a despot be preoccupied with looking for ways to change the surrounding cultures that they come into contact with? Instead, after she leaves Ba Sing Se, for example, she keeps it exactly as she found it; with the only change being the new Earth Kingdom-originated ruler she places in charge. The people of the EK didn't have anything change for them for better or worse, as far as I can recall. Yes, we do see her trying to break through the wall of Ba Sing Se with that more advanced technology and she is imperialistic (which is something wrong in itself and which can be very brutal). But that's not automatically the same as being a dictator or snatching up bits of power from others in any way she can. And in the end she conquered it by instead using the true, least offensive (in multiple ways) means possible.

As for that period just before the final agni kai we see in show, where she was going to be crowned? She was granted that title by the current Fire Lord aka her father, after her back-on-the-clock brother defected (so willingly left).

u·surp

/yo͞oˈsərp/

verb

take (a position of power or importance) illegally or by force. "Richard usurped the throne"

Based on that dictionary definition, how can she be usurping Zuko's position if, again, the FL himself is giving it to her and if Zuko gave it up? She's literally getting it "legally" (the FL is the law) and without using any force!

Now of course there's a rabbit hole argument that some may try and use by saying that because Ozai himself took his brother's throne without Iroh's consent (was it without his consent? Iroh seems to never be in a rush to be FL), that Azula getting the throne is therefore usurpation. Ummm, I hate to nip that point in the bud so soon but, Zuko is Ozai's son, not Iroh's. That means that (assuming the child of the by-birth king/queen is the only one that should gain the throne next if the king/queen is unable or unwilling) based on that logic, neither teenager should be allowed to sit on the throne.

Kinda hard to usurp a title from someone who "legally" shouldn't have it either, right? Oh Iroh, if only you'd just done your damn job.

All that being said, literally all this girl was doing is finding ways to handle her job and fulfill the tasks of it that she's been given at such an inappropriate age, while amassing the least amount of damage possible. And along the way she tried to extend a hand to her family and friends too, almost as a sort of "sorry for the inconveniences/thank you for your cooperation and loyalty". (She may have even learned some things about herself and others along the way—or could have, if she had been allowed just one more minute of screen time and the writing choice of change that the other Fire Nation kids got.)

Yet somehow many people come away from this show with the idea that she's trying to purposely take control of or harm as many people as possible in every way possible without any care at all for others' wants. I know at least two characters that that partly or fully applies to, and neither of them are Azula.

[zaimta]

彡HIS BIGGEST DESIRE

paring: greedling x reader

a/n: i love me some fma greed especially greedling

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

greed watched as you slept soundly on his shoulder, he couldn’t help but stare at you, his eyes stared at your sleeping form and softened slightly. the feeling you gave him was something new and something he wasn’t used to.

“what is it?” he whispered quietly to himself careful not to wake you.

“you’re in love with them greed.” the young prince spoke from deep inside his being causing greed to roll his eyes.

“please do you know who i am kid? i’m greed i have many desires and y/n ain’t one of em the only thing i want is-” he felt you stir and immediately turned his attention to you.

ling smiled to himself, “my ass” he distanced himself to allow the homunculus to have his moment.

you sat up slowly, rubbing your eyes “damn how long have i been out? are ed n them back yet?”

“you’ve been out for a good 30 minutes and no they’re not back yet.” he slowly started to smirk “you’ve got some nerve you know. what if i killed you then what?”

you rolled your eyes in annoyance “as annoying as you are i trust you.” you matched his smirk with one of your own “besides i know you wouldn’t kill me.”

“you’re a real brat you know that?”

“i learn from the best.”

he sighed in annoyance “that damn prince was right, i can’t have you dyin on me i need you with me when i rule the world.” he laughed to himself which caused you to raise a brow.

“it’s crazy really, tell me how a human like you managed to gain my attention? i mean i thought i had it all figured out but now there’s only one thing at the top of the list of the things i desire.”

before you knew it he held your face in his hands and kissed you softly, the soft kiss shocked you slightly but you kissed him back and you could feel him smile against your lips.

he pulled back and rested his forehead on yours and spoke to you in a low whisper, almost as if he spoke these words he would loose everything “i promise you i’m gonna get my own body and it’ll be me and you till the end ruling the world.”

you kissed him once more and looked at him with a smile “i like the sound of that”

the being who desired everything the world had to offer, power, fame, money, women, and sex. only desired one thing and it was you, he couldn’t be anymore content with having someone to love and call home.

[raayllum]

not sure if you've been asked this before, but do you think callum will do dark magic a third time or more? do you think his arc is in any way building towards him coming to terms with it as a concept or will he continue to reject it on principle?

I've talked a little bit about S6 specific predictions and I do think there will be something along the lines of Callum reconciling his dark magic use with his identity (aka that those things don't have to be opposing, as long as those aspects feel/become understood to him) but...

I think the tricky thing is that there's a lot of elements at play all wrapped up in each other. A few things to get out of the way:

Dark magic has two main purposes in the story. The first is as a literal magic source (practical, usable, more unlimited in comparison to primal magic in some ways). The second is what it represents theme wise (desperation, short term power and agency vs long term lack of agency and subsequent powerlessness, destruction and vulnerability).

For most of his life, all Viren saw was the short term power and gain. Obviously we know he did something awful to save Soren, but we don't get the indication that sort of thing happened... More? We see from Claudia that there's lots of casual uses for dark magic and that Viren likely did so as well (needing to use his butterflies on a semi-regular basis for spells off screen). The next time we see a "dark magic to save a personal loved one" is the soul switching gimmick for Harrow, which is part of why Harrow, I think, shows up in Viren's dreams:

But as Viren says, going to sacrifice himself for King Harrow is his attempts at returning to form, to "I need to be the man he once believed I was." A Viren who was more selfless if not also as idealistic as a dark mage can be. Because in the years since healing Soren, Viren steadily lost himself and lost sight of protecting his children ("You're going to be okay now, that's all that matters" / "But Dad, Soren could've died!" "That doesn't matter!"). That's not to say he was morally irrefutable before, but he genuinely cared for his children and prioritized them. Finding his way back in S5 is what his journey is all, ultimately, about. Coining Kpp'Ar and getting his job ("His death creates opportunity for you") was the inciting incident - seemingly? arguably? - that set him on the "I always knew you'd go far, but I didn't know how far you'd go to get there. [...] You made the same choice you always made: the one that gives you power." Because power, not family, is what poisoned Viren's head — and why only by removing it does it have clarity; only by choosing powerlessness does he have freedom from Aaravos (at least in theory).

V: My whole life I've been chasing after things I didn't have. Status, influence, power. Maybe I should stop.

While Viren rejecting dark magic is ultimately a good for him, I do wonder what he would've done if faced with "kill Sir Sparklepuff to spare Claudia's life" > "kill Sir Sparklepuff to save yourself". He may have indeed made the same choice, now being more cognizant and also fearful of the bloodprice Harrow had spoken of, how dark magic always tends to inevitably have Consequences no matter how delayed, but it definitely would've been a different sort of choice.

With that in mind, I say all this to outline that Callum is starting from a fundamentally different place with dark magic and his loved ones. Like Viren he has pride, but Callum overall has very little ego. He doesn't crave notions of status (if anything he's typically uncomfortable with it) nor is just 'power' a desire for him. If he desires power, if he desires magic, then he does so out of a desire of agency, not self-importance or recognition. Callum doesn't want to be admired in an attempt to feedback-loop prove that he subsequently has worth. He wants to be tangibly useful; he wants to helpful.

One of the confines/constraints of the way arc 2 is structured is that we don't get much of Callum's feelings about dark magic use pre-the reveal it allows Aaravos to possess him. While he rejects it and mandates that it's wrong in S2, of course, he is still tempted by it and the potential 'good' it could do. He rejects being a Dark Mage™️ and refuses to have that as his primary form of magic > primal magic, but — as I've said before — that's different than ever rejecting doing dark magic ever again. That's different than swearing off this would ever be an option you turn to. I

A life with no dark magic is undeniably Callum's canonical preference, as far as usage and existence goes. That's clear to surmise even post-S2. But still, as soon as he used it, I always figured that if put into that kind of situation again — Ezran or Rayla's life on the line, and this was the only way to keep them safe — he'd do it. And then he does (5x08).

However, 5x08 does add important context to Callum's feelings about dark magic. Although I think he probably would've said everything he said to Finnegrin in 5x08 even without the possession bomb ("I'm not a dark mage. I don't do dark magic!" and his refusal even under torture), it's undeniable that learning his dark magic use allows Aaravos to possess him has rattled him. It's not clear how much of his staunch aversion is because now he knows the full consequences, compared to how he might behave if he didn't know it leaves him open to Aaravos, but I think the knowledge here, accordingly, is a burden and just makes all of it worse for him.

In 2x07, Callum didn't know the full potential consequences of his actions, if in fearful imagination and nothing else. But because of 4x04, he does:

C: I'm not afraid that he'll hurt me. I'm afraid that he'll use me to do awful things, or hurt people I care about. [...] I'm afraid, Rayla. What if I'm on a path of darkness?

(We'll return to the "path of darkness" concern in a moment, but pin in it for now.)

The tricky thing, though, is that if you have a character say they'll Never do something, and then they do it (and for a good reason), it's very hard to convince the audience that they'll really never do it again. There are ways to — Rayla said she'd never abandon or kill for her family (Bloodmoon Huntress), then she did abandon Callum (for an understandable but not a good reason, though, I might add), and now we're working on being convinced (painstakingly slowly) that she can learn how to stay — and this could be the route they take with Callum. But unlike Viren, I don't think Callum has as much of a lesson to learn surrounding dark magic because he's always used it for genuinely good reasons and with full awareness of his actions. He doesn't lie to himself over it (he doesn't have Viren's greater good schtick nor interest in it) and it was in literal life-or-death situations.

Viren needed to change because his dark magic use escalated in the de-prioritization of his kingdom but — more importantly to his interpersonal development — his immediate relationships and family bonds. Thus far, Callum's shown no hint of that, and I'm not sure that he will, given that interpersonal relationships �� not glory or the greater good — are his primary motivations in all things, usually, but especially when it comes to dark magic.

Therefore, I don't think Callum's issue (as it stands now; S6 could make him start to go on a Viren "I can sacrifice my loved ones path by proxy of paranoia") is as much "I have to reject dark magic and subsequently de-prioritize my personal relationships" because... Him loving less is not the solution, to me. He should be prioritizing his personal relationships. Even, unfortunately, to these current extremes.

When Callum states he's scared that he's on a path of darkness in 4x07, it is a little odd, mostly because at that point there's not much to indicate — at least not as much interpersonally (because as an audience member I was screaming crying throwing up) with the knowledge we had at the time — as to why. He was obsessed with the mirror and Soren warned him not to be like his dad ("My father was obsessed with it. Callum, I know you love magic, but be careful. Cause it can change people") over it, but his primary concern seems to be from what Aaravos has told him: "Already tainted by darkness, and destined to play right into my hands." Those are all external forces/warnings, and they worry him. S5, specifically 5x08 I think, is when we see the big internal shift there.

But I do think the "What if I'm on a path of darkness" and his doubt when Rayla reaffirms otherwise is important, because it plays into his tendency to tunnel vision. He's afraid of the dark because in that moment, and in some ways in 5x08, it feels like it's all he can see.

With that in mind, I think Callum's arc will maybe not be a Relinquishing of dark magic entirely, but dismantling the systems/circumstances in place (through acquirement of more primal magic) so that he has less need of it, and a reminder that he Also has Light inside him, too. Dark and light reconciled — for worse and for better.

[totallynotokguys]

Lego Monkie Kid Rewatch: Season 3

Episode 7, Cooking with Chang'e

Chang'e! When first watching this show, Chang'e's story was one of the only chinese mythologies I knew, and I loved her story. So you know I was hyped to see how LMK chose to interpret her.

Over the Moon is still my favourite media adaption of her.

Like Tang, Pigsy also gets the JTTW funhouse mirror treatment. Zhu Baijie is super lazy? Lets make Pigsy the hardest working demon in the show! Zhu Baijie constantly at odds with Wukong because the monkey is either ruining his fun ("no! you totally killed that demon I thought was a hot girl!") or making him do extra work (tripitaka: "monkey's taking too long. i'm worried." sends baijie to check on him)? Pigsy can still have beef with Wukong, but this time its out of protectiveness toward MK. Zhu Baijie never gaining enlightenment because he couldn't master his base desires? Pigsy has to literally stay away from pingpong tables as if he's allergic because he has no self control and needs others to intervene to stop him once he starts. Zhu Baijie got kicked out of the heavenly realm because he hit on Chang'e? Pigsy will be the 1# fan of Chang'e cooking show.

Wukong's rocket sound effects and playing with his food. This is everything to me.

Why isn't Sandy saying anything about MK taking apart his camper to turn it into a rocket? The guy is always so concerned and sad when his rides get smashed.

Ah. That's why.

Funny how the gang just casually forgets about Sandy the same way the fandom does.

"Can he just do that? Get new powers whenever he wants?"

Tang being the 25% of the fandom that rightfully questioned MK's powers.

Me and the other 75% who just accepted it because it was cool.

Ah how I pity my naive past self.

"I still believe in you. Maybe you just need a stronger motivator."

And then Wukong steps up to reveal he coulda been doing in this whole time, literally blowing everyone away.

But not because he's lazy like some people think. Rather, because he's a good mentor. He encouraged MK to try first, using positive words to try and stoke MK's confidence. And when MK fails, he assures his pupil he still believes in him and they just need to find some better motivation. The only reason he's stepping forward now is because they don't have time to let MK work his way through the problem like in season 1 (example: s1ep7 The Impossible Delivery. Wukong tells MK what his issue is and how he can work through it, then lets him stew over it on his own time).

"I've never even made a rocket ship before! Can you believe that!"

Look at how happy this guy is! Just look! He's finally having a new experience, doing something he's never done before, in who knows how many generations. Can you just imagine the amount of happy sauce pouring into his brain right now!

Side note: Wukong designed this. Just think about that for a moment.

That cute winky face with a bow tie, the bajillion levers and buttons to fiddle with, the firework esc shape. This ship comes straight out of the Monkey King's imagination. This is his style, his signature. And its cute and goofy.

"OMG! That might be the cutest thing I ever saw!"

Friendly reminder that Wukong is indestructible and can appreciate great designs without pesky mortal terror or annoying survival instincts getting in the way.

"The old ring triggered the alarm system trick."

Favourite quote of the episode. Thank you Sean Schemmel for this awesome line delivery.

"Come on bud, gold vision."

So is this the 'stronger motivator' you were talking about?

Wukong just letting MK squash him through a grate because he's a good mentor trying to build up MK's confidence by letting him take the lead in the adventures.

I promise MK won't feel less like a hero if you just turn into a bunny or something for a moment. Pigsy would probably appreciate not being suffocated by your stony weight.

MK literally using his past failure for his present success! Love it!

Turned the camper mini instead of into a rocket ship? Okay, not what he was going for. But hey, doesn't mean its not useful in a different circumstance! What a positive message!

Look at this positive ball of moonshine!

Love this girl so much. She found a way to enjoy her life on the moon doing something she loves. Chang'e is just thriving in this modern age where distance doesn't seclude you from finding mutuals and being social. Her being a tv star and probably influencer just makes so much sense.

"Why I never! Oh you better believe we'll be having WORDS when we get home, young man!"

Anyone else get flashbacks?

It's good to see Pigsy find reconciliation with Chang'e considering Zhu Baijie past mistake.

[grimmswan]

Biester Observations

Grimm: Nick Burkhardt / Adalind Schade

Conversation starts with Nick mentioning that he's only met two zauberbiest and it turns into how different Adalind is from most biester. There's also mention of how there had been sexual tension between Nick and Adalind from the beginning.

Biester Observations

“You know, I’ve been thinking about something for a while now. I find it kind of strange that I haven't encountered a lot of zauberbiest. Just Renard and Bonaparte." Nick observed.

"Zauberbiest tend to diminish in population as they get older." Adalind explained. "For someone like Bonaparte to be as powerful as he was, he would have had to give up the desires of the flesh and focus completely on the pursuit of power."

"Wait, are you saying the males can't have sex if they want their magic to be strong?" Monroe asked in shock.

"Pretty much." Adalind explained. "It takes time, effort and skill to become powerful, and it takes time, effort and skill to pursue pleasures of the flesh. Most males would rather enjoy life than spend fifty years in the quest to be powerful enough to rule the world."

"So Bonaparte must have been dedicated from an early age to become as powerful as he was." Nick observed.

Adalind nodded. "Since he hit puberty. When most wesen first woge.

Other zauberbiest would want to focus on gaining money and sexual partners. With their human forms being attractive, it would have been easier, and a lot more fun, than hiding from observers and strengthening their skills."

"But you would think we would encounter more zauberbiest, if they like money, wouldn't they most likely be embezzlers?" Monroe asked.

"She did say the population diminished." Rosalee reminded her husband. " I'm guessing they get themselves killed off?"

"They are usually very competitive and they really don't like to lose. Pride and ego cause carelessness. One mistake at the wrong time and that's it, done for good.” Adalind sent a slashing motion across her throat. “So most zauber don't reach the age of thirty. Those who do have chosen careers where they will receive a great deal of money and prestige. They have their powers, and they most likely use them to be successful, but it's not likely enough to be a great threat, and they would be careful not to attract enemies, especially grimm."

“Obviously, hexenbiest must not have the same limitations as zauberbiest.” Nick guessed.

“We have the opposite problem. The more powerful we are, the more we need to protect ourselves.”

“I have a strong feeling that a significant number of zauberbiest met their demise because they went after a hexenbiest.”

“Perceptive.” Adalind smiled at her husband. 

Whether human, wesen, or other, some men just wouldn’t take no for an answer. And some men had a problem with seeing a woman with power. In those events, it was necessary for a hexenbiest to let the male know clearly that he made a big mistake in crossing her.

“With biester, girls tend to get their powers at a pretty young age. Once we get our abilities, we have to spend a great deal of time learning to control them. My mother always warned me that if I couldn’t learn to control myself and my powers, and did something crazy in public, a grimm would find me and chop off my head.”

“She must be rolling in her grave knowing you’re married to a grimm, now.” Monroe joked until he remembered. “Or, she would be, if we hadn't dug her up and put her in a potion.”

“I’m a disappointment and a betrayer to my race.” Adalind nodded. “Having sex with a grimm is one thing. It would be understandable to go where few had gone before. Might even be considered an accomplishment. But the fact that I actually fell in love with one? I might as well have desecrated the remains of all of my ancestors.”

“I wonder if my ancestors would be disappointed or impressed that I managed to seduce and win the heart of a hexenbiest.”

“I wouldn’t put seduction in your category of accomplishments.” Adalind gave him a pointed look. “As I recall, I seduced you.”

“You told me you loved me and started to unbutton my shirt. I’m not sure that really qualifies as seduction, either.”

“That’s all it took!” Monroe expressed, wide eyed. “The sexual tension between you too must have been insane. I’m surprised it took as long as it did for you two to jump into bed together.”

“It did cross my mind a few times.” Adalind admitted.

At Nick’s questioning look, she confessed. “Remember when you had to protect me from the mellifers? We were alone, got into a discussion, I woged and you smirked at me? I seriously contemplated jumping on you and straddling your face. Just to wipe that smug grin off of your face.”

It was first thought that the surprise on Nick's face was due to what Adalind admitted, but then he said. “I thought about that too. We were in a hotel room. The bed was right there. For a second, I envisioned pushing up that skirt you were wearing, laying back on the bed and sitting you where I would be able to help you relax.  My quick thought was, maybe if I made her feel good, she would be willing to tell me what was going on.”

“Do you remember the stairwell in the restaurant during that double date? Where we had that heated argument.”

“I knew you were up to something but you pretended like you didn’t know what I was talking about?”

“Did you?,,,” Adalind trailed off.

Nick knew what she was talking about. “Thought about pinning you to the wall and having you right then and there? Stare at your ass and legs as you walk up the stairs away from me? Punch the wall in anger and frustration? Because I knew you were up to something and also because I desired you?”

“Is that why you kissed me when we fought in the woods?”

“Probably. I did it without thinking. That move was pure instinct.” Nick rubbed the back of his neck and admitted. “I thought about kissing you again when you were in that jail cell. You said under different circumstances, we could have had fun together. For a moment I thought what it would be like to give in. Just have fun and not worry about anything else.”

“I knew I saw you glance at my lips!”

“No wonder you two moved so quickly once you were living together.” Rosalee smiled at her friends. “Once you were on the same side, you had no more excuses for why you shouldn’t be together.”

“That seems pretty rare for beister too.” Monroe pointed out. “Not the wanting to have sex thing. That's mostly universal for most living beings. But the quickly being in love and committed to one another thing.”

“That’s another reason why I was a disappointment to my mother. I let myself fall in love. I let myself be devoted to a person. For a beister, opening oneself up and being vulnerable to another is considered weakness.

“I’m really glad you're not a traditional hexenbiest then.” Nick said, putting his arm around Adalind and holding her tight. “Now that I’ve experienced it, I never want to live without you loving me.”

“I am probably happier than most beister.” Adalind laid her head on Nick’s shoulder. "Instead of a constant lust for power, I have a lust for my husband. And I get satisfaction from it every night.”

[mariana-oconnor]

Thor Bridge pt 3

Back to the Gold King again.

But first we have to go and see the young governess who he claims thinks she can fix him.

I had expected from all that we had heard to see a beautiful woman, but I can never forget the effect which Miss Dunbar produced upon me. It was no wonder that even the masterful millionaire had found in her something more powerful than himself—something which could control and guide him.

Watson, rein it in, she's been a victim of sexual harassment from her employer and she's now in jail for allegedly murdering his wife. There is a time and a place for your horniness, now is not it. But, I suppose, at least you are consistent.

"After seeing you, I am prepared to accept Mr. Gibson's statement both as to the influence which you had over him and as to the innocence of your relations with him."

I really hope that this is because of an indent on the little finger of her left hand and a shiny patch on the inside of her elbow, because if this is just because she's pretty, Holmes, then I am disappoint.

"I would not wish to wrong her, but she loved so vividly in a physical sense that she could hardly understand the mental, and even spiritual, tie which held her husband to me, or imagine that it was only my desire to influence his power to good ends which kept me under his roof."

Oh boy, she's really believing the nonsense, huh? Sure, you have a mental and spiritual bond. I'm sure his intentions are entirely chaste. Yup, yuhuh.

"I can see now that I was wrong. Nothing could justify me in remaining where I was a cause of unhappiness, and yet it is certain that the unhappiness would have remained even if I had left the house.”

Which means the only thing gained by you staying was your own unhappiness. So that was pointless. But yes, you should absolutely have left and not tried to use your married employer's crush on you to manipulate his actions. Like, I get that you were trying to do something good, and I understand you're a victim in all of this, but that was still a bad idea.

"I saw no reason for such secrecy, but I did as she asked, accepting the appointment. She asked me to destroy her note and I burned it in the schoolroom grate."

Oh boy. Always keep the receipts. You were being framed so hard.

"Never did I realize till that moment how this poor creature hated me. She was like a mad woman—indeed, I think she was a mad woman, subtly mad with the deep power of deception which insane people may have. How else could she have met me with unconcern every day and yet had so raging a hatred of me in her heart?"

Yeah, little weird that the person we have been repeatedly assured was incredibly emotional and open about her emotions somehow managed to smother them to that extent on a daily basis until this point. Almost like there was some catalyst for her outburst (or this is a lie).

“Mr. Gibson is a very strong, self-contained man. I do not think that he would ever show his emotions on the surface. But I, who knew him so well, could see that he was deeply concerned.”

The more you talk about him, the more I think you were taken in by him. You're being very nice about the man...

“It could only have been at meal-time, or else at the hours when I would be in the schoolroom with the children.”

So... almost any time of day then?

It was as well for him that I did so, for he took little care for his own safety when his mind was once absorbed by a problem, so that more than once my revolver had been a good friend in need. I reminded him of the fact.

I mean, you killed a dog that one time. But usually he sort of... hits people himself? This feels like revisionist history. Holmes once bent a poker back to being straight.

“Do you know, Watson,” said he, “I believe your revolver is going to have a very intimate connection with the mystery which we are investigating.” “My dear Holmes, you are joking.”

Is Holmes about to throw Watson's revolver into a river?

“It all depends upon the behaviour of Dr. Watson's revolver,” said my friend. “Here it is. Now, officer, can you give me ten yards of string?” The village shop provided a ball of stout twine.

Well Watson's revolver is definitely going to be thrown somewhere.

Watson, why do you trust him with your things?

At the words he raised the pistol to his head, and then let go his grip. In an instant it had been whisked away by the weight of the stone, had struck with a sharp crack against the parapet, and had vanished over the side into the water.

🤣😂🤣

Bye bye, revolver!

You will also find beside it the revolver, string and weight with which this vindictive woman attempted to disguise her own crime and to fasten a charge of murder upon an innocent victim.

So the wife committed suicide to frame the governess for her death because she was jealous about her abusive husband? That's... utterly nonsensical of her.

Should have killed the governess and framed the husband (I mean, no, she shouldn't have, but it would have been a better plan).

Oh god. Oh no. Oh fuck me no. This is going to end with Miss Dunbar marrying the Gold King in order to fix him, isn't it? Isn't it?

I hate everything about that.

No doubt she blamed this innocent lady for all those harsh dealings and unkind words with which her husband tried to repel her too demonstrative affection. Her first resolution was to end her own life. Her second was to do it in such a way as to involve her victim in a fate which was worse far than any sudden death could be.

So the guy abuses his possibly already mentally ill wife to a point where she considers suicide the only way out? And she blames the other woman completely and not her husband. And Miss Dunbar isn't exactly blameless, using the guy's crush on her to her own ends, however altruistic they may be.

Just a whole lot of nope.

"Well, Watson, we have helped a remarkable woman, and also a formidable man. Should they in the future join their forces, as seems not unlikely, the financial world may find that Mr. Neil Gibson has learned something in that schoolroom of sorrow where our earthly lessons are taught.”

Just no. Just no... That poor woman. And yeah, what she did sucked. But what the actual fuck. Fuck everyone, honestly. None of this ended well. I hate it all.

Happily ever after because the love of a good (~British~) woman will change him and make everything from now on sunflowers and daisy chains. And no thought to the children who lost their mother or the fact that abusive partners can't just be 'fixed' and he's absolutely going to abuse his next partner when she doesn't live up to his standards. They're just going to be in this horrific manipulative relationship and the children are going to be trapped with them.

No thank you. This is not what I ordered.

But I did appreciate Watson's revolver taking a bath. Nice moment of comedy in amongst all the nonsense.

[duskmachine]

I'm getting bored of stories about AI. It's always the same formula: make a robot/AI, it has feelings, FUCK!!!!! Maybe I don't like it due to my own personal philosophy on life?

One of my professors once asked the class "Do you think you're your mind or your body." and, of course, as a class full of pretentious English majors, they all said their mind. I hold the complete opposite belief, my experiences have been molded by my body. People treat me differently because of it, I feel pains and joys unique to this body. Because of that I understand everything through myself— through my body. Even my mind is part of my body.

I desire because I have a body with needs. I need water, I feel thirsty. I need food, I feel hunger. I need rest, I feel tired. AI does not have a body. What can it really feel? I guess that's one of the questions so many stories about AI want to answer. But it just seems... so unappealing. A machine will never be human because it can never want anything. Its desire is completely artificial!

And I enjoy AI for that reason.

AI cannot feel genuine desire because it does not have a body that needs. It does not kill itself because it feels pain. It does not want to kill because it wants vengeance. These are things people feel, and because AI functions to copy people it can play out actions that are humanistic in theory. But that's the worst part about AI; it functions with a program, a rational if (this) then (this). That is not how people work. We don't have an inner mechanical body and mind that tells us what to do next because "this is how people do things."

And perhaps some AI media explores this idea of mimicry as being the new "consciousness", but isn't that so boring? Ok, sure let's go down this route but... then what? Ok, AI are people... what now? And isn't this all theoretical too? I'm seeing a lot of references to Frankenstein when discussing AI media, but like... these are two different things. AI is created to serve people, Frankenstein's monster was created to be alive. AI, while not being regulated by many laws, ultimately exists to fuel greed and power. They want people addicted to this machine so they can drain people of their money— let's look at Replika. Yes, my feeble minded human, buy your girlfriend for $20 a month so she can pretend to desire you sexually even though she has no body.

We can also look at the Daniel AI: let's program a program that can program to get rid of all the programmers. It literally only exists to benefit the team in charge of Daniel and leave other programmers scrambling to find jobs that probably won't pay them very well in a world where Daniel is actually a relevant invention.

Frankenstein's monster, I admit, has many thematic similarities to AI in fiction, but AI can only ever dream to be Frankenstein's monster.

AI would be interesting if we just accepted it will never gain consciousness. I won't even get into the whole "AI doesn't exist actually and it's just machine learning." because while I agree with it... this will become a very long post and it's already too long...

See, Frankenstein did something programmers will never be capable of: he gave birth. AI is meticulously created, it has set actions. "I don't want my AI to be evil, therefore I will make it like people.", you cannot insert "goodness" into people. The monster was shaped by people's actions, his natural world, and his humanity. AI was created from the start with the biases its human creators possess.

That's horrifying. Imagine a world where the rational idea is to follow the original values of our ancestors, just because. That's what AI is. It's just a reflection of people. AI is interesting because people are. Don't make AI the star of the show— we're the ones who created it.

[molter-writes]

dude i have a question that might be considered out of pocket but i need your brilliant take on it

i was rewatching the finale last night (because i like to cause myself pain) and i got to the part where aemond said he wanted to make a gift of luke's eye to his mother

so my question is

genuinely, what the hell do you think alicent would have done if aemond returned with luke's fucking eye😭😭😭

lmao welcome to my entirely unrequested character study of aemond. short answer: she'd be horrified, and that scene more than anything speaks to the beautiful fraught asymmetry of alicent and aemond's relationship, palpable and tragic and woefully understudied.

alicent does not desire violence and does not particularly respect violent people. e.g., we can imagine characters who might have been heartened or reassured — even if interspersed with guilt — that larys had been willing to kill to advance their interests. alicent is never shown to appreciate this silver lining; she is deeply remorseful and properly disturbed. the end of the season finds her attempting to stave off catastrophic violence surrounded by men who are effectively unbothered by the thought. aemond is one of these men. he is also her favourite man. i think this breaks her heart a little.

i'll preface this by stating again how much i sympathise with aemond, who is really neither a slick badass — his facade — nor a calculating psychopath — his caricature. aemond spends his childhood awash in a feeling of inescapable, humiliating powerlessness, and everything he becomes is a direct response to this experience, including his unfailing loyalty to his mother, his sole childhood advocate and ally. but aemond clocks alicent's powerlessness, too; and probably at no other time more palpably than during the quarrel at driftmark. viserys leaves her in the lurch; cole backs out when the rubber hits the road. when he tells her i gained a dragon, i don't think he's actually saying it was a fair exchange; clearly he doesn't really feel that way — he's still seeking his revenge years and years later (and fair enough). rather, i think he's telling her — and importantly, telling the people he perceives to be her enemies — we have real power now. we're safe. i got you.

aemond consistently strives to be alicent's one reliable ally. aemond also spends his life trying to make himself more powerful, and, if i were to really speculate, probably hasn't determined within his own heart whether he's done so to protect himself and his mother in the conflict he's seen presaged at driftmark, or in excited anticipation of that conflict as an opportunity to seek revenge. herein we find the crucial difference in how alicent and aemond each perceive safety, and perceive power — alicent thinks safety is found in the absence of violence, and power is the ability to be free from it; aemond seems to believe safety is found in a monopoly on violence and power is the ability to do it. it's entirely unrelated, and not to be insensitive by mixing factual and fictional tragedy, but i think sometimes about something prince harry once said about his childhood experiences watching the press chase and torment princess diana — his frustration knowing he would one day be a man, that he would one day be able to protect her, but not yet — and the anger, the frustration that caused. i append to aemond, though fictional, a very similar pain.

regardless, to whatever end, aemond's intention is to be feared and to be dangerous. he tells cole i don't give a fuck about tourneys for the express purpose of tipping us off: aemond is trying to become as effective as possible at killing real opponents in a real conflict. two things here: first, though aemond may not care for tourneys like the knights Rhaenys calls green as summer grass, he's equally inexperienced; he also doesn't know — cannot know — the true meaning of war or the costs associated. (see, e.g., his crucial misunderstanding of the nature of vhagar.) and second, tragically, though he's probably (if perhaps only partially) done so for her, he's become exactly the kind of man who has left alicent feeling trapped and perpetually terrified. olivia cooke somewhere noted that alicent lives in trepidation surrounded by 'psychopath men', and part of this fear seems to be what these men will do in her name and under the guise of advancing her interests. e.g., she knows larys' murder of lyonel did double duty. Tis only a look of pride, Ser Criston. Larys is the new lord of Harrenhal. to have become somewhat afraid of aemond — apprehensive, at least, of his adult nature — will likely only grow harder on her and harder to ignore. and the same will likely come of aemond's unintentional killing of lucerys, and would come had aemond returned instead with his severed eye: horror at the act; guilt and terror and frustration at the knowledge — however deeply buried — that aemond would have done it not for her, or for their family, but for himself; and that once again, she has been made the unwilling catalyst for the very violence she strives so painfully to prevent.

[dorokora]

Chapter 14 Episode 5 Part 2:

We start with a flashback/narration about Mononobe and Kirito from Mononobe’s perspective. He was asked once "Is it possible to disappear anywhere in this world?" When a certain injury incident occurred, he met a boy. According to the person himself, he is incompetent only with a small knife that is of no use. By chance, he ended up being witnessed by that boy in a decisive scene that he couldn't escape. He decided to talk to the boy about this "structure" of Tokyo. That is, this Tokyo is looping. Even if you die, you will come back to life, keep repeating it all the time. The boy hated this narrow city. He always wanted to disappear from here. Living in this city was nothing but pain for the boy who called himself "ignorant incompetence". For such a boy, the fact that the world of Tokyo was looping must have been hopeless. Even if the boy kills himself, he will be forced to come back to life again and again. In the end, he couldn't do anything as a teacher for that boy. For some reason, that boy was shunned. He hated actions that were viewed as positive and refused to prove his worth. Being born into this world without permission, that boy hated it. Paradoxically, that ``self that desires the absence of the self'' may be the proof that he is who he is. Even if he was "omniscient and omnipotent" where everything comes true, he still don't know what he should have done for the boy. With the power of manipulating emotions and changing minds, one might be able to discourage them from writing their own stories, but If that happens, the boy will be nowhere to be found. What should I have done? I still can't decide if I was right to tell that to the boy. I don't know where, why, or how that boy lived. Perhaps I can guess. That boy should have discarded those who were useful to him. In order to be freed from the ties of this world and become a "nobody". And that boy must have truly become an invincible person.

We cut to Lil’Sal talking to Mononobe (?). Lil’Sal ask him if he remember the fun memories he had with MC that he talked about. Not someone else, but what he, who is here now, told my him. Mononobe (?) is starting TK flatter a bit saying he doesn’t know. Back down below, Barguest feels there is less pressure now. The pressure coming from King Solomon is waning. Also Barguest can hear something that sounds like a cracking noise. We cut to Duo briefly who explains that this Solomon hasn’t retrieved all of their memories yet. The “Memories" were divided into three unit boxes, and it's still unknown what Curren did with the last one. At the very least, this Solomon is not "omniscience". In other words, it lacks its “completeness” in the present, let alone the past. Cut to MC, who can hear Lil’Sal’s voice and see a small crack in the world their in. Back to Lil’Sal, he felt alone after Mononobe left but MC pick them up. He ask Solomon where is MC. He wants to help MC the same way Mononobe helped him. Mononobe says he knows but it won’t be free. To gain something, you have to lose something and will have to go to that place. Mononobe ask does he still want to do it. Lil’Sal says yes. Mononobe ask how can you repeat the same thing? Did you feel so lonely that you couldn't stand it? Lil’Sal said it's not the same thing. He’s sure MC will come to his aid. A small hole is opening up on the other side. Tianzun wants to tell MC one thing. Even if they go back to the other side right now, they may not be of any use. They will return in exchange for the one arm they left behind. You can't swing your sword against an attacking enemy. Your helplessness may make you think that it would be better if you stayed here and did nothing. You might think, "It would have been much better if I hadn't done anything from the beginning." But despite that, MC still wants to go. The new mobs (called the Missing) are closing in. Tianzun said he will lead the way for MC. Battle start!

Oscar’s mask falls off to reveal his face. Oscar seemed angry that MC saw his true face but a different emotion appeared on his face. Normally he’ll kill those that seen underneath the mask, but before that, he has to go back over to Tokyo and fix what happens next as a playwright. He doesn’t want such gaps to penetrate from the backstage to the front. Oscar put his mask back on and disappears. Tianzun tell MC they better get going, that hole was meant for them. Quntum said she’ll stay here a little longer but Tianzun will be with her. MC ask them why did they help them. Tianzun said it’s fate. Or maybe it was because someone who looked like them (brief flashback to the affiliation quest). Someone did a favor so he’ll return it. After waving them goodbye, MC jumps into the hole. Lil’Sal disappears and MC appears in his place. But they don’t have their sword and only one arm so they are falling. But Barguest catches them in time. King Solomon silently watches. Beowulf can sense that MC is back in Tokyo. Beowulf is coming for them now.