#subjected to his boss' tragic love life

[blogoftheendless]

At some point after they’ve started hanging out in the Waking more, Dream gets fed up with watching random people hit on/ flirt with Hob, and he decides the solution is (obviously) to put a ring on it. 

He doesn’t get there on his own, Matthew helps. Unwittingly. A little bit wittingly. Look, he just needs these two idiots to get their shit together sometime this century, okay? So Dream asks Matthew how humans in the waking ward off the unwanted advances of others. For Hob, because Hob always turns down these hopeful humans with their lurid daydreams, so wouldn’t it be easier if he had some sort of way to make sure everyone knew that he wasn’t interested? It’s for Hob’s convenience only, and in no way about his own inappropriate possessiveness. Hob was HIS, and everyone needed to know that. 

So Matthew is like... uh, I guess a ring on his left hand fourth finger would do that? But that has a really specific meaning that you might ant to talk over with Hob first, boss, okay? 

Dream obviously does NOT talk it over with Hob first, just sweeps in and slips the (beautifully crafted) ring on his finger and says it’s to protect him from unwanted attention.

So Hob thinks it’s some kind of supernatural protection thing and that Dream doesn’t know what it means to humans. After all, the idea of wedding rings is relatively new, right, to a being as old as Dream? So he wears it, wanting it to mean something it doesn’t and knowing it will make it impossible to move on for as long as he does, because everyone thinks he suddenly got married and is off the market. 

Dream is very smug at first, but then nothing in their relationship changes despite Hob’s acceptance of his suit. (Alright, now that it went well and was accepted he can admit that’s what he was going for the whole time. Wedding rings have been around for 3,000 years and feature heavily in a lot of dreams, he knows what they are.) SO basically they are both idiots thinking their love is unrequited.

[serenityfails]

part two of my DATV thoughts, now that i've finished the game. i think i'm gonna focus on my feelings about specific character arcs in this one.

VARRIC: i touched on this in my previous post but varric isn't really a character in this game, it's just rook and solas's shared projection/idea of who varric was. which i do think is actually an interesting concept. i just think it's noticeable, once you learn that fact, that everyone just moves on instantly. i don't need the game to indulge me with hours of clothes-rending mourning, i just don't believe his death would go totally un-remarked upon.

HARDING: i need a lot more selling on the idea that she cares really deeply about her dwarven heritage. it's possible i missed some important banters or something on this subject from her, but as it stands i didn't feel, based on who she was before, that it really mattered to her that much. she's a surface dwarf, born and raised-- she certainly had some thoughts about that in the descent DLC, but the vibe i got was "yeah those guys don't associate with the likes of me, but fuck 'em, I'm Fereldan", not "gee i wish i could reconnect to The Stone". even just some tidbits about her family. she brings up her mother all the time-- something about her mother feeling a sense of loss there, or something emotional to link her thematically to the titans.

lacking that connection, it felt even more glaring that they straight up PUT VALTA IN THE GAME, because that's HER story, not harding's. it just doesn't line up for me personally.

i like the idea of anger vs joy in concept, and i liked the idea that harding actually had a lot of animosity towards solas that she felt ashamed of. but i think that animosity should have started from a more personal place (maybe what happened with corypheus and the inquisition, then varric) and blossomed from there into the wider question of the titans. if that was the intention, i didn't really see that in the final version.

BELLARA: She's Fine.jpeg. i think it would have been good to get a clearer idea of who/what Anaris is, because i did feel like that aspect of her story was underbaked and her brother's death was foreshadowed so hard it was basically haus of decline's "i think we're gonna have to kill this guy, steven" comic, but that was an issue i had with multiple character plotlines. i like her and Neve's relationship and i will be sexualizing it. thank you.

NEVE: i can't really take her Dark Knight bit seriously but that's okay. (she's Crime Boss Batman in my game now, and her boyfriend is the leader of the Crows, so good for her.) I like how she plays off the other characters more than I think I like her in isolation. i also feel like i was missing some of her backstory, but maybe you get more if you romance her?

LUCANIS: i want him to be a bigger mess. he's too well-adjusted. i say this having hardened him in my game... i was cut off from romancing him but i still feel like he was taking everything too well and being too reasonable about everything. i want a bitch with messy hair and yellow teeth scrabbling around like a fucking goblin okay he's been imprisoned under the ocean for a YEAR and he's POSSESSED make him get FREAKY WITH IT. he lives in a pantry but he always looks like he just stepped off a magazine cover. i can't jerk off to this

DAVRIN: they could not possibly have told you any more clearly how precisely his entire plotline will play out from mission one, so it was boring in that respect, but i enjoyed all the Wardeny lore of his questline so i'm okay with it. I also called the monster being Isseya so i get a gold star for being a big fucking nerd. His romance has moments of juice and then peters out a lot at the end, which is tragic. I actually enjoy his perspective as a Dalish elf that felt confined by that life and left it on purpose, but I think we don't get enough of a sense of the Regular Old Dalish vs. the weirdasses in the Veil Jumpers to feel the weight of that choice.

EMMRICH: i love this bitch he's so fruity and fun. it's deeply cute that he's genuinely shocked and hurt people find necromancy creepy and weird. i razzed him about it once and he got so genuinely sad about it i was like omg... baby.... i'm so sorry peepaw!!! Hezenkoss is the best villain in the game because she's just like what fucking ever no relatable motivation no grey morality it's mad science time!!!!!!!! my friend said she "made a bone Jaeger out of rich people" and you know what. she was right to do that. #womeninSTEM #supportwomenswrongs

i let manfred die. in the moment, i was actually just super mad at the game for so blatantly foreshadowing WE ARE GOING TO KILL THE CUTE LITTLE SKELLINGTON that i was like fuck you, the skeleton dies. i felt bad about it after. but also emmrich becoming a lich was REALLY funny so i don't feel THAT bad.

TAASH: there is a good character in there underneath the corporate mandated HR meeting. another point where the script needs less handholding, more time to breathe, and more in depth exploration of the qun's take on gender, which in the past games i have found genuinely compelling, and gender in thedas in general (which the games already have a patchy track record on).

i was also mad at the game for so clearly flagging their mom's death, and it seemed so reversible because like... hi we have a party full of mages with healing magic what exactly is the issue here, BUT WHATEVERRRRRRRRRRR. (mommy, why didn't aerith use a phoenix down?)

i also have to apologize to Taash for completely ruining their life and making it hard to connect to anyone ever again by killing off Harding. i think it's crazy Harding got to spend her last months on the planet getting the daylights fucked out of her by someone who is at a rough estimate ten years her junior and twice her size, though, good for her.

post is already too long. i will post about my feelings on Solas, Lavellan, and Mythal some other time.

[bokettochild]

Color me curious about the Fable side of things with Dusk in the Opera House!

I feel like Fable knew more about Dusk thanks to having grown up with Raven a bit, so she knows that Dusk never wanted to give her and her twin up

But i wonder if she figures out Dusk's her bio-mom on her own? Puts clues together and realizes it, but doesn't know how to broach the subject?

I do reckon that regardless how the truth comes out, Fable handles it better then Legend simply because she grew up with context that he didn't

Fable spent the first ten years or so living with her dad, then ended up under the care of his boss and her husband when Raven started having to travel more for work. It wasn't too bad, since their son, Ralph, was around her age.

She did hear a lot about her mother from her dad, and he told her the full story once he was sure she was old enough to understand it. Before that though, he still answered all her questions as best as he could, trying to keep it age appropriate of course. So yeah, she has a rather favourable impression of her mother, having been raised by a man that loved the woman, rather than by a man with a heck-ton of abandonment issues from his own mother, like Legend was. (Twilight needs therapy so badly, guys)

As such, she views her mother as the tragic victim of circumstance and of her parents; something like a damsel in distress from one of the operas they perform so often. She harbors love for the woman she's never met, but unlike Legend, she never tried to find her mother. Her dad said that her mom couldn't be part of their life, even though she wanted to be, so while there's certainly a part of her that longed to meet her, there's also the more prominent part of her that says that she can't, so she should just accept it.

If you can't tell, she's a lot more well adjusted than her twin.

As for if/how she figures Dusk out, she hasn't yet, and I don't know when/how she will...

Dusk has some things in common with the stories her dad told her about her mom, but hey, so does her co-worker Legend! And he's obviously not her mom! It's just coincidence! Unlike Legend, she didn't get a disk of her mama's music to grow up with. Raven gave his only copy to Twilight for his son, because unlike Fable, he wouldn't grow up getting to hear about his mom all the time, and Raven wanted both of them to have something at least! Technically he could have just made a copy of the CD or something, but he only realized that a few months after he didn't have it anymore LOL

Anyways, Fable isn't actively trying to find her parents like Legend once did, and she doesn't guess that it's anyone in her workplace. She followed her mama's footsteps to become a performer, so of course people in an opera would remind her of her dad's stories about the woman! But yeah, no, it'd be far too great a coincidence for her to be working with her long lost mama who was going to become an heiress!

As for whether or not she and Legend figure it out, no they don't. Even Dusk and Twilight, who have more details about the situation, don't realize it. Like, yeah, they look similar, but Wild does too? They pass as triplets on stage all the time! Fable knows she has a twin, Legend doesn't (Twilight wasn't sure how to broach that topic and the longer he took the harder it became) but she never supposes that the sad looking kid who works props could be her twin! That'd be crazy!

This is where, if I was really mean, I'd make her think Wild was her lost twin instead, since unlike Legend, few to none of them know much about him, so there's a whole lot more room for guessing. That would be kinda weird for her though, considering Wild has the biggest crush on her LOL

[beevean]

Top 10 favorite CV characters!

I remember when you sent me this ask a year ago! I was in the middle of playing CoD and I still had other games to go lol. Well...

10) Julia. She deserves more than for being remembered for an awkward romance plot :( I like her coy attitude towards Hector, and I'm intrigued by the implications that she's repressing her pain for the Isaac situation, for the sake of assisting the man who wants to kill her brother.

9) Walter. Honestly for a guy just meant to be Beta Dracula, the dude is very fun! He's like a Dracula if he didn't even pretend to have a shred of decency or justification :P dude just wants to play with his food because he's bored, and he's entertainingly cruel about it, from deliberately turning the women he kidnaps for shit and giggles to subjecting Joachim to a fate worse than death. Proof that villains don't always need a tragic backstory, as long as they have style.

8) Joachim. I warmed up to the guy! He reeks of "cut from development", because his concept is very fascinating and he's so wasted as a random boss. He's antagonistic to Leon because he's a haughty vampire who clearly thinks he deserves at least his castle lol, but also to Walter because holy shit the dude really punished him in an exemplary manner. That art of him looking out of his mind says a lot. Also he has very cool powers that make him a joy to use in Joachim Mode.

7) Leon. A pure, noble-hearted knight, so honest that he won't even take a sword that didn't belong to him, who only wished the wellbeing of his fiancée and his best friend... and oh. Oh how he paid for it :) Leon's story is utterly miserable, made even worse by how he ends his game with the most depressing canonical ending imaginable. My man has immense mental fortitude, and I love the scene where he angrily rejects Mathias' offer of immortality because he'd rather honor Sara's dying wish, unlike a certain vampire we know... but he didn't know that, by swearing revenge on the newly-turned Mathias, he'd doom his own lineage to a lifetime of terrible pressure...

6) Rosaly. girl <3 I once again have to thank Ayami Kojima and Kou Sasakura for breathing life into this character, especially the latter. She's just an aggressively kind girl who will love you to death. Even if others think she's too nice or too trusting, she stubbornly helps people because she likes to do so. And I find it a very interesting detail that she seems absolutely unconcerned with Hector's past: she only sees the good in him, without the baggage. I find her endearing :)

5) Trevor. He's the Sonic of Castlevania. He's shaped like a friend <3 I like what personality we can glean from CV3: that despite being shunned by people for his powers (now where did I hear that before) he was ready to accept the quest of slaying Dracula - he didn't even do it for the Legacy, he's just that much of a brave guy! - and he was able to easily befriend and lead all sorts of people, hinting at his charisma and at his good heart. And of course in CoD he's just sass central :P I forgive his weird hostility against Hector because, despite his cockiness and ferocity, I like how he still takes the time to give credit to his friends for their victory <3

4) Dracula. The bastard himself :) I really like how, by being the most recurring character in the series, he ended up being quite fleshed out. His tragic story does little to justify how much of a hypocritical asshole he is. He loves so intensely, yet so selfishly. He wants his son by his side, but only after cutting his human heritage. He takes two abused boys under his wing, but only to raise them as his loyal knights and forgerers of armies. And overall, you can see the degradation of his morals and even his personality through the centuries, as he loses a piece of his humanity with every resurrection... not that he was a saint as a human, either.

3) Shanoa. Things Shanoa deserved: the world. Things Shanoa did not deserve: all the shit that happened to her :) it's hard to make an interesting character out of an amnesiac without emotions, yet Shanoa is intriguing. This girl who was taken in by Ecclesia as a young child, raised to become a weapon to vanquish all evil yet constantly protected by Albus... even when she loses everything, even when she learns that her entire life is a lie and for her beloved mentor she was nothing more than a lamb to the slaughter, she still wants to fight, she still chooses to sacrifice herself. And by the end, she finds a place to live in Wygol Village, after rescuing and befriending all the villagers. also she kitty :3

2) Isaac. A pathetic wet cat of a man <3 just terrible in every way <3 miserable and bitter and ready to make it everyone else's problem <3 genuinely tragic backstory of terrible loss that makes you pity him but never to the point of excusing his terrible actions <3 how much he strives to be nothing but a tool and dying as one (and a defective one too) <3 absolute banger of a theme too <3

Hector. I just think he's neat.

:P

I talked enough about the guy. I know that he's basically a smoothie of Alucard and Guts. But something about his journey of self affirmation, how he chose to serve Dracula out of a need to belong somewhere then chose to put his principles above his trauma but still paid the consequences for his past alliance and betrayal, the parallels with Isaac and Dracula showing that yes you can fall into evil but you can rise again as many times as you want, his development thanks to Rosaly, his struggle with his own humanity and powers... It just speaks to me, what can I say.

[fantomette22]

Alright, let’s talk about your blorbos—Gehrman and Ranni!!

Alright let’s talk about Gehrman and Ranni ! 

Send me a character ask game here

Gehrman

You know I will have a ton of stuff to say on the first hunter!

First impression

Weird old man who’s really pessimistic and kinda gave up on everything. 😕 (Why don’t you explain stuff?! Why aren’t you useful pls. What's up with the doll too ??)

Impression now

Well… do I really need to explain ? Ah yes I need. I should for people who don’t know. Ok. I really like him! My interpretations made me like him, a lot. It’s like that, that’s how I feel I can’t changed that. I am touched by his tragic and nuanced story. I might have a severe brain rot on him to help

I love him ok, he’s one of my favs after all. I joke he’s the little blorbo meow meow of my heart but in all seriousness.. I really like the character he’s really interesting and intriguing. Yes he screw up and found out the hard way but I think he’s such a tragic and misunderstood figure too. LOOK AT HIS BOSS FIGHT AND THEME too ! Omg and everything really. 

Also I used to found funny, people who have the most depressive guy as their comfort character ahah Well guess what 😅 I mean I’m probably still in denial but bro literally appear 5s in one of my nightmare to comfort smn so hm… I guess my brain is trying to made me understand smt.

Hm sorry I got a bit absorbed hm I will finish by saying that it took me quite some times to end to this impression. It din’t happen overnight for sure. I really I asked myself lot of questions. I spend lot of time doing research and having long reflexion on everything and particularly on him. 

Favorite moment

His freaking boss fight ! Ahhh (yeah after finishing the game I listened to his theme for like 1 hour at 2am. Yep normal bloodborne experience 👍) I really love it I feel like I can imagined all his life with his theme (same with Laurence’s theme too)

Idea for a story

I have too much. Most of my stories are focused on more than 1 characters so with only him or really focused on him ? Oh well…

-His childhood/teenage years/ young adult years + how he ended up at Byrgenwerth (Kinda angsty in the middle but hey it’s « soft » compared to the rest 😭😂) I won’t tell too much on that but I already share some hehe

His life after Maria passed away and before the hunter dreams…. (Divided in 2)

Really angsty dark and depressive part not long after that … :/ want to make me cry really…

When he’s older and  calmed down a bit, still hunts a bit, help new hunters, (rip og group of old hunters there’s not much anymore) have a dog and all 🥺 try to you know, live a normal life again  until well you know… Cainhurst & the church… the dream…

-(Bonus Gehrman lil adventures in the nightmares/dream but it would feature other characters a bit too much perhaps)

Unpopular opinion

Well… I don’t think he’s that creepy, fucked up and sexist old man many people depicted him to be. I won’t dive into that too much now. It would be long and I don’t have the time. Another day perhaps + I already try to talk about it I think. And there’s really good stuff on the subject around. I think he’s a really nuanced and maybe really loose it after some point but not that badly. With all the clues I got in the game : the mistranslations (+ I didn’t played in English originally too!) + the differents interpretations on so many things + his presentation & ending it just don’t feel right for me to categories him that way. (+If he was really the biggest asshole don’t you think he would have end like Seluvis or Gideon in elden ring? Like shit? I feel many bloodborne characters are way way worse and no one fight over it too XD)

So yeah that's It I don't thins he's that bad 😐 that's it

Favorite relationship

Hm I’m not sure… I don’t remember, what was the character that have my favorite relationship with him again ?

I think it was a hunter too ? An old hunter hm… oh a lady hunter perhaps ? Hm… oh yes the person the doll is based on maybe ? Oh who was it again… ? 🤔

Ok I’m so sorry that was a really poor taste joke… Of course it’s Lady Maria.

I’m not sure how to describe it. Might feel insane perhaps but I have just so many thoughts and feels on those 2.

Even if I have interpretations I prefer and I’m a bit biased because of some of my taste & main hcs cough I love so many interpretations of their relationships as well.

What was their relationship exactly, where they just close friends, master/apprentice, coworkers,  platonic? romantic feelings? Oneside/both sides? Did smt happen between them ? Never happened ? Was it smt really weird on fence or in the contrary nothing weird at all ?? Or were they maybe related from the same family ? Father/daughter (figure). Since when do they know each others ? How did they meet ?! 

Even if I tend to share more of one specific headcanons of mine (the more developed one and version of bloodborne lore that I have) I have so many ideas clashing in my heads and I love seeing unique and interesting takes on it. We can’t denied this 2 are strongly link together and have such a unique bond that transcend death and dreams themself.

Of course my fav one being the one where/when they were (just) close friends that relate to one another a lot and believed they understand each other really well (for some times at least) idk but I cannot, not imagined them being all silly and doing really silly things back at Byrgenwerth. 

So anyway I wish we had more and my brain is crazy trying to fill the gasps.

Also I wish we knew more on his relationship with Laurence & Willem but also Ludwig & the doll and  other characters as well.

Favorite headcanon

Oh wow I would have too much so I will just stick to a few ones

He was byrgenwerth groundskeeper 

He made the mercy blades + it was his originally (so he had a grand and smaller weapon too)

The weird half hidden note in the hunter dreams about ending the nightmare/dream is from him

He can sew really well and fixed the old hunters clothes who were damaged (people skins too 💀)

He used too/could make really great wood figures + toys

He made all the old hunters badge himself and they’re made out of siderite too (but I think it’s a bit oblivious) 

He did some study at Byrgenwerth and do know quite a lot of things (all the books at the workshop, blood gems etc)

Oh wait it’s just A favorite one ?! (I’m bad a choosing ahhh hm idk he would make a great house husban- I mean the mercy blade hc ! Maybe)

Ranni

(rest undercut because it's a long post)

First impression

Really intrigued but I also knew many people love her quite a lot XD

Impression now

Well I love her of course (my tarnished is her consort so a bit biased sorry). But I’m quite critic of her too. What I mean by that is that I perhaps expect more things about her too you know ? 

Favorite moment

Do i need to say anything…

And 

And also when she talk to is in the form of the mini Ranni (that might be one of my fav moments yep)

Idea for a story

Euh… hm idk either her time with the witch Renna or what lead to the night of the black knife (that remember I have pics to read !)

Unpopular opinion

I don’t think it’s really unpopular but she’s quite a really gray characters too. I wish we knew more about her motivation and what she really wanted. Like did you really wanted to kill Godwyn and do a giant mess or was it circumstance hm? I found some other characters way easier to like than her too. Sorry 😢

Favorite relationship

With Blaidd of course (but also Iji and Rykard, her mother etc). (And the tarnished XD) and I wish we had info about her relationship with other characters (like all her siblings and half siblings)

Favorite headcanon

Hm… idk XD she really liked her mentor drip ? When I grow up I wanna be like her ! A old and ice heretic witch ? Ok sure Ranni x)

She wanted to escape her fate and all and she said she don’t want smn (a consort) to share her burden but she still deep inside i think she really wish to have someone 

[lemonhemlock]

People act like parent-child relationships are super simple when Alicent is involved.

1) Otto:

Bit of a tangent but in my country (Spith Africa) when you're in grade 9 you u choose your subjects for grade 10 and maths is a must however you can choose which maths uore doing maths literacy or maths core. People who arent the best at maths should do maths literacy but you come across do many who choose maths core and other subjects they hate/have extreme difficulty with/zero interest in because of parental influence. They don't want to disappoint their parents and go against their wishes.

Now back to the show Otto tells Alicent to endear herself to Viserys in order to become queen. Otto is her father, ultimately he has a say in who she marries. She lives with him. We also see she struggles with anxiety. How exactly will she stand up to him in an epic girl boss move, in a medieval setting, when people these days struggle to do so with their own parents. It's not easy to go against your parents wishes and its especially not easy to disappoint them. What would Otto have done if she refused? If he was willing to pimp her out yo a man old enough to be her father, who basically killed his first wife would he sell her to a Ramsay Bolton type if it benefited him? Better the devil you know right?

2) her children.

Alicent was a child herself when she was forced to have them. She had to grow up fast and we see her struggle with anxiety and PPD, she has little to no support system around. The servants are there to assist but its their job. She has no one to looking out for her mental wellbeing. She is isolated and trapped in a golden cage by a dragon.

With Aegon she struggles with him because he shirks his duties and doesn't take anything seriously when his situation is a matter of life and death. She is scared for him and the others but he doesn't get it. People were calling Ned an idiot for nor securing his family's safety before working against Cersei but when Alicent does exactly that she's an awful mom.

When she tells Aegon he is not her son she is struggling to reconcile the image of her little that she raised on her own, the boy she tried to impart wisdom on with someone who would commit a monstrous act, something his (absent) father did to her. But she still loves him. She might not always like him but she was willing to stand between him and a literal dragon. Everything she has done has been for him and his siblings.

Helaena

One thing I find interesting and tragic about this relationship is that Alicent's main love languagea are acts of service and physical touch.(acts of service is her trying to keep the family together and securing peoples positions and safety. Physical touch in moments where words have failed her) She used it Rhaenrya alot when they were younger and she tries to use it on her children. Helaena has a touch aversion so we see her pulling away from her touch. (Which is why thstvone scene they actually hug is so beautiful)

Alicent nevertheless tries a different method, whole spending time together she asks Helaena about bugs. Yes she looks bored because the topic doesn't interest her but she is trying to engage with her(as someone who hyperfixtates then infodumps, this is enough. "Thank you for letting me vent about this even if you don't care about it" cause it shows that you at the care about me)

Aemond is her dutiful son who does his absolute best. She was distraught when he lost an eye and we see him return her physical gestures when she needs comfort.

Her love for her children is unconditional. She would do anything for them no matter what. She's not a perfect mom, but what parent is 100% perfect, but for a single teen mother of three, whose children's lives are constantly at stake she has done a damn good job.

Thank for furthering the Alicent agenda, chaotic coffee queen. We need brave soldiers out there fighting on the frontlines!

I agree with everything you said above. People have so much energy for hating Alicent as a mother, yet so very little for hating Viserys as a father. He is a footnote in his own family, yet viewers act as if his negligence couldn't possibly amount to behavioural issues in his own children or that Alicent should have somehow made up for it. As if anyone could erase parental abandonment.

One thing I find interesting and tragic about this relationship is that Alicent's main love languagea are acts of service and physical touch.(acts of service is her trying to keep the family together and securing peoples positions and safety. Physical touch in moments where words have failed her)

^^^ This. Alicent is bone-weary and has trouble expressing her emotions, especially in a way that gets through to her children. Each of them is so different from the other and what works for one doesn't necessarily work for the other. It's hard for her to calibrate her strategies to perfectly tailor every member of her family, as she doesn't have access to the kind of resources we now have for child development.

[heleizition]

u cannot just present me with gold right when i have to go to bed. i have a sleep schedule to keep to! for health! and sanity! and brain! i love them so much. ur ocs. i love twin characters, so many dynamics and all are good. the art is also just -wants to squeeze- affectionately. who were they in their past lives? is josephines 'i failwd to protec' a thing that also happened in past life? bunny person very good. love how expressive the ears can get. also cute. i think i watched the first ep of d.gray man way way back?? or the first few? i have very little memory of it but a vague plan to get back to that sometime. angel love, angel life, angel delight. the concept of god being a baby of a big species of gods is -chefs kiss- love it. sleep tiiiime, sleep well when u do byeeeee

HEHEHEHE >:3 im evil .

i looooove siblings dynamics........... so so much ........... both chronos & nath and then nell & belly weren't even twins at first it just Happened lmao... chronos & nath were almost the same character in two different stories and i couldnt decide who to keep lmao and then belly was supposed to be nell's little sister he ran from after she saw him kill their father (to protect her) (nell is an idiot) but . it jst happened. anyway

SO THEIR PAST LIVES.

The group of oc is composed of many i havent introduced yet but the major ones are here i think except my Bad Guy. so keep in mind the story is cringy and bad lmao but i still like it to this day...

post apocalyptic earth where humans live under domes bc the outside is too toxic + technology evolved so now cyborgs exist + a while back some government doctors & scientists were working in a secret lab to implants animal genes w humans to make hybrids & something about genetic preservation whatever whatever. anyway.

eve is the protagonist. she's the only daughter of head doctor of that hybrid lab. it exploded 20 years ago which cause people inside that specific dome to mutate into hybrids (people woke up to agonizing pain bc their body was breaking and morphing and it wasn't made for that. josephine was one of those people ! she was a wolf hybrid :3)

we follow eve and her then group of friends until for some reasons (<==== guy who does not remember what that plot point was) the dome had to be evacuated. something about a deadly virus ? ofc as always the rich people got away first until the dome got closed off completely <3 . eve meets several people including chronos (human guy, future bf, hes a simp) maria & arthur (yes i will draw them at some point OTL) and they stick together to survive as the inside of the dome is becoming a battleground. doesn't help that part of the reason the dome was closed off so quick was that ~mafia~ (idk how else to call it, its not rly mafia tho oTL) boss stanislas was in here and has always escaped the government's assassination attemps thus far.

SO this virus slowly contaminate everyone but its slow and rots you from inside. terrible deadly soulcrushing. + stanislas is using every means he has to try to control the city & find a way out. except ex cop and also ex girlfriend jo (josephine) is here to basically kill him lol (he broke her trust & her heart and also killed a lot of people and revenge is her whole life). josephine at first is a lone wolf (haha) until she gets very badly injuried and ends up in a small alley where eve & her friends took quarters. they get her inside and find a way to keep her alive. also at this point the group has also met gabriel ! (bunny guy! he has a tragic past and i love him. hes my mary sue) and stephan ! (his not yet boyfriend who also has a tragic past and that jo feels very guilty about). gabriel used to be a test subject in the hybrid lab. he and eve used to know each other :] they are best friends now.

at the same time nath (who was supposed to be dead) shows up like hiiiiiiiiiiiii btw im here (hes one of stan's agent but when he was supposed to die he actually survived and got turned into a cyborg with special modification in his brain which makes him obey. but he did not Forget and he will fight what stan makes him do <3)

SO um after they all meet its basically just. a fight to survive and also moments where they're like. oh we're gonna die here. lets party so hard.

stan also realises he doesn't rly have a way out and dedicates himself to ending his and jo's fight for good this time which also put eve's group in danger since jo . stuck around . there are casualties which is why she feels she failed them..................

anyway . there are more stuff but its rly all over the place soobssss im sowwyyyy

LOOOVE D.gray man . one of my first and favorite manga if u ever get the chance to pick it up for a bit longer to see if u enjoy it ... yeah .....

[loulovingho]

#oh boy this... an entire fucking train full of this#this will sound almost entitled to some but a lot of you who hate Tommy's character and judge his every move#you're so fucking blessed that you're lucky enough to grow up in a world that is so much kinder than us elders had to endure#and like we weren't just hidden from our homophobic racist boss... we had to hide from our mothers our fathers our siblings our best friends#because to them it wasn't right to be with the same sex#it was bad and you were going straight to hell if you even thought about anything close to that#there was even a time where my church community claimed that homosexuals weren't real instead they were manufactured to fill your life with#rebellion and to upset your loved ones... punishing them because of devil music#when boy meets world had Shawn and Angela get together i remember my mother saying it wasn't right and that if i ever got with someone of#a different color not to come around because it wasn't the way i was raised#which is fucking unbearable to hear knowing that my parents were willingly choosing to try and teach me to be racist and homophobic#thankfully i never cared for those teachings and i got out as fast as i could#but i know there are others who couldn't or still can't to this day because that belief was so heavily drilled into their heads that they#either had their life end tragically or they are so miserable just praying to break free#i am so sorry for the rant

@cross-town-traffic i hope you don't mind me adding your tags to the post because, our childhoods were very similar!

The church/school I grew up in taught that anyone who identified as gay had a chemical imbalance in their brain. This thought process went outside of christianity too. I remember it coming from people I knew who were atheists even. my older sister went to a different school than i did, and even she was taught that studies had been done on gay people that proved they did not have a normal brain. that was wild to hear as a young girl who was having thoughts about other girls... i always felt like something was wrong with me.

I also had a similar experience with boy meets world! I grew up being taught that if you married someone who was a different race than you, you would both go to hell. it wasn't until I was a teenager that my church "changed its mind" on that subject and said that part of the bible had been misinterpreted. this thought process also went outside of the church. growing up in the south, racism, homophobia, sexism, and misogyny, was everywhere! in or out of the church. you'd hear slurs all day long and you knew you would not be safe if you spoke up. This goes into adulthood. This does not just leave you. it's a trauma, and you have responses to it that will never be perfect and, often, will be looked at like you agree. in reality, you're just trying to stay quiet and survive and, hopefully, be invisible.

I’m gonna try to keep this short (oops I didn’t) and not focus solely on the fictional side of things, but it’s painfully obvious some of you have never had to deal with people who make you feel unsafe with being yourself. and, I mean, good for you! but that’s not everyone’s reality. I grew up in a very religious environment with so many “gerrard’s” (but, like, Christian versions which are worse) and there is no way I, to this day, would feel comfortable being myself around those people. I saw a post saying that tommy could have had what the 118 has now if he would’ve been a better person and that’s just… not true? Not while gerrard was in charge. And it’s clear that he was a better person by the time bobby came around. He joined in on those family dinners and was close to hen and chimney at that point but it just wasn’t where he was meant to be. Whether that’s because he wanted to be a pilot or because that place held too many bad memories, it’s clear he didn’t feel like he was meant to stick around there.

I know those posts mainly come from people who only want buck and eddie together and hate on anyone else, but it saddens me that some people don’t believe that you can change. I was a crappy person when I was younger. So judgmental, stuck to the Bible word for word, and hated so many people. I was old when I realized I myself was bisexual. I was old when I started doing my own research, making sure to clear the history on my computer because- even as an adult- I didn’t trust that my privacy wouldn’t be violated and my truth be found out. There were many times things were said around me where I should have spoke up, but I didn’t because sometimes you cannot safely do so and that is just reality!

I, to this day, am working through religious trauma and guilt and self hatred. There are still people in my family that I don’t feel safe around (distant relatives, thankfully), there are secrets I will hold with me until my mother has passed away (I love her, but she’s conservative so make of that what you will).

Anyway, I definitely did not keep this short, but I’m just trying to say I think Tommy’s storyline is very important for more than him being Buck’s first boyfriend. I was who Tommy was, I am who Tommy is, and I hope I’d get the forgiveness that chimney and hen showed to him instead of whatever it is I have seen on my dash today.

[cringywhitedragon]

AlolaTale AU: Major Characters

Since I haven’t done much for this AU in a long time, here’s a brief summery of all of the major characters (Excluding the cast from USUM since they have not been changed much, I’m also not going to list the full final teams for the characters listed here since I’m still working on them)

Another thing to note: The Dark World in this AU is a part of Ultra Space and functions a whole lot differently than its original Deltarune counterpart. Dark Fountains and the reason Darkners turn to stone in the influence of them will be explained in another post.

Selene: The main protagonist for Alolatale. Selene is a young lighter human whom originally hails from the Kanto Region and was orphaned at a really young age (heavily implied to have been because of a boat accident due to a bad storm) before being found and adopted by the Dreemurrs following the death of their two children.

Currently living on Route 1 of Melemele Island with Toriel, Selene is about to begin her very own Island Challenge with her brand new partner Pokemon, a Popplio named Pearl.

Ralsei: A strange young Darkner Boss Monster whom hails from another world and acts as Selene’s main companion throughout her journey through the Alola Region.

He appears to have lost most of his memory and is unaware on how he ended up in the Light World/Alola. He also has a Cosmog of his very own, similar to that of Nebby. However, he seems to appear to have a connection to the now ruined Kingdom of Darkness, which fell following an attack by the Blinding One, plunging the once United lands into an Era of Chaos.

Zero: A mysterious shiny Type: Null that Selene encounters and catches not long after saving Lilly with the help of Professor Kukui.

Not much is known about their past other than the fact that it escaped from the Aether Foundation with the aid of someone else. They are rather timid and slow to trust, however seem to have taken a liking to Selene. Yet compared to the other three known subjects, Zero appears to have some hidden potiental that may even be greater then the others.

Toriel: Former queen of Monsterkind and current mother to Selene, having stepped down along with her husband following the Barrier being broken thanks to the help of a powerful Pokémon trainer and Jirachi to “live a more peaceful life” in the Alola Region. The two had a son and adopted a human child and lived happily for many years before the tragic deaths of their two children at the hands of a “Black Prismatic creature”. She and Asgore are currently divorced. Toriel currently works as a teacher at the Trainer’s School and is well known throughout the island for her famous Butterscotch-cinnamon Pies.

Asgore Dreemurr: Former King and adoptive father to Selene. He and Toriel are currently divorced following the death of their two children and a disagreement the two had over how the situation should be handled.

He currently works as a rather well respected gardener throughout the Alola region for his work with plants and even some unique ones he has bred himself. Asgore’s most famous flower is known as the “Ebott Buttercup”, a special variety of buttercup that can grow within low light environments such as caves.

He currently lives on a boathouse and is good friends with the owner of the Poke Pelago, Mohn. Selene does not get to see him often but the two are on really good terms.

-Sans and Papyrus: Two skeleton brothers and Pokémon trainers who both have Marrowaks. Considered by Selene to be her “honorary uncles” and well known for their goofy antics they often get up to.

Papyrus is seeking to become a trial captain like Undyne while Sans is just… Sans… lazy and loves puns as usual. Sans is also good friends with Toriel. The two are frequently encountered throughout Selene’s journey, acting like their usual selves.

The two are also shown to be on good terms with Guzma and Team Skull.

Undyne: Current Trial Captain of Brooklet Hill and mentor to trial-captain-in-training, as she calls her, Lana. Hot headed and always eager to battle, she’s well known for her “rather tough” challenges and is well loved by a lot of monsters for her bravery.

Despite her usual hotheadedness and passion and while she may come off as a little strict to those she is training, she deeply cares for those she is close to (Such as Papyrus and Lana). She loves anime like a certain other dork…

Alphys: A monster scientist working at the Aether Foundation and the one responsible for “building” Mettaton. A big dork who loves anime but also hides a troubled past involving the Chimera Expirements (the replacement for the soul experiments in this AU, the amalgamates remain the same save for two new ones.). She’s the one responsible for helping Lillie escape and aids Selene multiple times throughout the story when dealing with the Aether Foundation. She also has a crush on Trial Captain Undyne.

Noelle Holiday: A shy reindeer monster and good friend of Selene. After believing her father to have “fallen down”, she ran away from home to become a Pokémon trainer. Noelle is encountered and battled throughout the story as Selene helps her come to terms with the “loss” of her father, Rudy Holiday (Until the end of the main story, when the now amalgamated Rudy/Silent Night gets to finally reunite with his family)

She has an older sister, Dess, whom is currently out on her own Pokémon Journey in another region (Dess is alive/not missing in this AU, however will not appear physically but is mentioned to be heading home by Noelle to see their father again.)

Mettaton: A robot “built” by Alphys and a local celebrity. He currently runs a hotel on Akala Island that is in direct competition with the Tide Song Hotel.

Flowey: A talking flower encountered throughout the game. Unlike his canon counterpart from Undertale, Flowey does not play a major role in this story until the Rainbow Rocket Epilogue and also is capable of feeling emotions to some degree.

He has some sort of connection to Zero as the Pokémon seems to remember him. Flowey also is shown to have knowledge of the Chimera Experiments and seems to hold some sort of connection to the Dreemurrs .

Asriel Dreemurr: The deceased biological son of Asgore and Toriel and step-brother to both Chara and Selene. He and Chara started their own Island Challenge at the same time and traveled together with their two starter Pokémon, which were Eevees. Asriel’s evolved into a Sylveon while Chara’s became an Espeon.

The two were very close until one day when Chara was attacked by a strange creature. In a panic and bid to get help, Asriel ran home but was ambushed in Melemele Meadow where he was fatally injured. He died in his father’s arms and his dust was scattered on a memorial placed in that very meadow as a tribute.

The flower he was given to his father as a good luck token was also planted there before it was removed to be sent to the Aether Foundation. It eventually returned by some unknown means and locals claim that sometimes it disappears.

All of his Pokémon, along with Chara’s, were sent to live in the Aether Paradise by their grieving parents. However, Asriel’s Sylveon escaped one night and has been said to be roaming the Alola region looking for it’s trainer.

Asriel plays a larger role during the Rainbow Rocket incident.

Chara: The first adopted human or the Dreemurr family. Most of their past is unknown other then the fact that they used to live at an orphanage before they ran away and were taken in by the Dreemurrs.

Asriel and them were very close, even in their final moments. Chara is currently buried in Hau’oli Cemetery where a statue can be found that resembles the one found in Melemele Meadow. Both of these statues have a music box in them, yet this one is described as being much more worn with the music box only playing a few still functioning notes. Guzma will appear here and talk about the statue and the incident.

[theguildedtypewriter]

My Release Schedule for 2023! *Subject to Change* Here we go, 2023! And in case you forgot, this is what's coming in March! 𝐼𝓉'𝓈 𝒿𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝒶𝓈𝒽 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓎𝓌𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒, 𝒿𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝒶𝓈𝒽... Life's all sunshine and roses now that Marcus is dead, right? Wrong. Now that the Inferno's former boss is no more, his second command, Roger van Statton, steps up to the plate, and demons are disappearing left and right. As Ciaran's best friend, Dimitri Romanov, struggles to identify the pattern of the kidnappings and murders, a mysterious guest shows up at the front door. Dimitri knew life was a bitch, but bringing in old flames was a new low. When you're a killer, it's hard to prove you didn't, in fact, kill someone, and Red's all out of ideas. On the run from the cops who want to arrest her for the one murder she didn't commit, Reddina Leeyan decides to turn to some old friends. The trouble is, none of them want to see each other. As Roger's plans pick up new steam, Dimitri and Red are thrust into a fight they didn't see coming—and old feelings are brimming under the surface. With everything catching fire around them, Dimitri and Red have two choices: lock themselves up in cages of their own making or fight for what they love. As the second installment in the Newborn City Series, Burn the Bone forces its heroes to deal with kidnapping, torture, and, worst yet, confronting their feelings. Burn the Bone is a dark paranormal romance. The themes are suitable for adults, and you’ll find the following and perhaps more as the list is still being developed: 👥Dual POV 👄Slow-burn to high heat 💗Second chance ☑️Forced Proximity 🩹 Hurt/Comfort 😈 Morally Grey MCs 💦C*m play 💓Praise 💔Tragic Pasts 🫗Alcoholism 😔Self-hatred 🔪T0rture 🪢K!dnapping 🔫 fights #darkpnr #burnthebone #paranormalromance #romancebooks #darkfantasy #darkromance #authorsofinstagram #readersofinstagram #momswhoreadsmut #rejohnsonauthor #spicybookstagram #bookstragram #spicybookrecs #smuttbook (at The Forgotten Realms) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm9pSkHv92H/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[offscreendeath]

they hate to see a girlboss sovereign warrior queen doing an imperialism

ima's got it all: an endless army of faceless goons, a collection of rare and powerful slaves, non-stop sources of entertainment, the biggest ship, the most opulent and lavish sense of taste, she can dance and got hands too. she's the big slime. her bodies got siege warfare numbers man. not just a village. there is no dispute here. she is the biggest threat we've seen yet. and she hasn't said a damn thing.

she does what all of the real-life royalty have inevitably done in order to keep their positions and rule over their subjects. sacrificing lives, destroying and separating entire families, plundering and enslaving on a mass scale, is all part of the job. your enemies' lives are forfeit. the rules are simple: if you are of no use to the crown, you will die. resist the will of the crown, and you will die. if you're not a killer or conqueror, if you do not expand your territory, use every advantage you can acquire, manipulate your enemies and their weaknesses, you are not prepared to win a war. you will lose.

this is the kind of person who will succeed in combat, but risks everything else in pursuit of their domination, by definition. empires are lethal abominations that demand human sacrifice and warrant massive ecological destruction and disruption, all in service to the whims of exactly one person. kingdoms and military dictatorships are responsible for a scale of devastation that has never been witnessed before in human history, and has not been surpassed since. final boss shit. a true leviathan.

it makes for some compelling drama. i can't think of a better opposite for spear or fang. spear is pretty clever, and obviously capable of producing plenty of brutality on his lonely, but he's no martial artist either, as evidenced by ima, a military tactician, holding shit down and whooping his ass a good few times solo dolo. fang is a clever girl too, and also a tank, but she's clearly still not equipped to lead an army, much less fight one alone, or employ psychological warfare.

even kamau, despite his gargantuan build and resilience, will not sacrifice his love and empathy for another in order to win. he's fighting not to dominate, but to protect someone he cares about. spear, fang, and mira all know what that's like, and are all just as trapped. it's tragic -- but that's what war is like. in contrast, the queen has allegiance to no one but herself. her authority is indivisible, her rule, absolute. what weaknesses?

when people think of queens and royalty, they might think of all of the beauty and regalia, the treasure horde, various outfits and pomp -- but behind this dazzling spectacle, (which is just a distraction, really,) is the stench of death emanating from corpses piled high, trailing off miles into the horizon. yours will be next if you don't give up and become a willing thrall. if you've gotten intoxicated by the elegance and grandeur, it means you've already fallen into the trap...letting your guard down is a mistake you'll regret.

[ladyluscinia]

Honestly I'm starting to suspect the issue might be that Ed's a side character.

Like. I don't think he should be a side character. I wouldn't have deemed him such in S1. I called it "still in the setup phase of his arc" when I was writing S1 meta, because he had a lot of characterization and importance and it made sense in the story that he hadn't really begun exerting agency and experiencing consequences yet.

But if he was in setup, then 1x10 would have kicked off said arc. Yet S2 isn't interested in giving him agency for change, either.

The only thing he's working through is being Stede's love interest.

Stede is a protagonist. His abandonment of Mary was conceived of as an essential character flaw from the initial development of his journey, and the whole of S1 was about his arc to reckon with that choice and the consequences. Similarly, while the inept and oblivious boss persona is played for laughs, it's still a point of characterization at the same time. One that develops as he goes through the story. I personally think his arc as a character stumbles pretty hard in S2 - killing Ned leads to partying it up and then saving the day by helping massacre British mooks, but also it's maybe really bad and traumatic? - but I don't ever doubt they are approaching him with the intent for character development as a main character.

I'm starting to doubt with Ed.

Yeah, all his mirrored issues to Stede's felt like the basis of letting Edward grow and change for himself after S1. He had family trauma. He has his own version of Mary and a crew he was obligated to and failing. I thought it sounded super interesting to explore Blackbonnet similarities and differences while seeing them address different versions of the same challenges and flaws... Only coming at them from wildly different directions. And just like they acknowledged Stede bore some measure of responsibility to make right with his supporting characters, I expected Edward would have to do the same.

Only... I guess he doesn't.

It makes no sense from the angle that Edward is also a main character in this show. His disregard for the people around him - most of whom are subject to his authority and whims - is not treated as a potential point of growth. It's barely even treated as an issue. But if you consider the parallels are less about establishing flaws for Edward and more about creating points of sympathetic understanding for Stede...?

If Edward is a side character love interest with no independent growth arc planned - albeit a cool one with lots of fun personality - then the important bits of echoing Stede's flaws could just be about how Stede can relate? The 1x04 lecture about a Captain's responsibility is a lesson for Stede. Being trapped in an unbearably dull life that maps near perfectly to Stede's marriage serves to highlight how perfectly in sync Ed would be for Stede. Even confessing to killing his dad... the one place that stunning moment of vulnerability goes is *checks notes* giving Ed a reason to go find Stede after Ned and level up their relationship. Again. Stede gets more development out of Edward's tragic backstory than Edward does.

If you want a really hot take, Edward's entire suicide era is pretty much just a vehicle to get mermaid Stede. Not like it gets any acknowledgement once that's past.

In S2 especially, Ed's character traits feel like romantic flavor text. They make him interesting or sympathetic or attractive. Stede is speeding through meaningful dialogue cutscenes like he's romancing a NPC in a videogame. But there's no narrative push for Edward to do anything outside that romance.

One thing I've actually been thinking about for awhile is the parallel between Mary Bonnet and Izzy Hands and, more specifically, how Ed and Stede are treated in their abandonment of them.

Izzy and Mary are mirrors of each other. Izzy is to Ed as Mary is to Stede. The one the captain is duty-bound to. The one they made a promise to stand by. Stede and Ed fail to communicate with them and when they do, they choose the wrong times and method (Ed talking around his boredom with his way of life while they are under threat of death, Stede surprising Mary with the boat). They don't listen to their respective partners (Ed basically ignoring Izzy while Izzy begs for a plan on how to not die, Stede not remembering that Mary hates the ocean). And Izzy and Mary are the caretakers for the people they're responsible for, with Ed and Stede only giving them attention when it's time to play (Ed choosing to stay in his cabin and making Izzy do most of the actual managing of the crew until Ed finds something new to be excited about, Stede being shown to ignore his children until it's time to play pirates). They also both lie to their partners about their plans when confronted (Stede claiming he'll "have it stopped" when referring to the boat before lying about having it made at all, Ed claiming he's planning on killing Stede even though he never wanted to). They both abandon their partners' plans (Ed deciding not to kill Stede, Stede running out on Mary). Izzy and Mary are both shown to be unhappy with their respective partners, but stay with them out of a sense of duty or responsibility (Izzy's threat to resign comes after he's been struggling to manage the crew and his life for some time, Mary saying straight up that she knows this isn't the life she or Stede wanted). There's like a million other things, but other people have made better posts about that

The point is that Discomfort in a Married State is about both Stede and Mary being unhappily married, but also Ed and Izzy being unhappy in the same dynamic. As much as they try, no one in either party are actually HAPPY with the way things are. Ed is bored out of his mind and feels like life is flat and has nothing to look forward to. Stede feels the same way about his life with Mary. Mary is dealing with an impulsive husband while taking care of her children and struggling to manage Stede's mood while still living her life in a way that doesn't make her miserable. Izzy does the same. Even though Mary and Izzy are upholding the relationship and staying true to their bond, they are obviously unhappy too.

What I'm interested in discussing is the way both Stede and Ed are treated by the narrative as it regards their betrayal of their partners.

Stede is shown to be in the WRONG for abandoning Mary. She's happier without him, yes, but it's pretty clearly stated that him just up and leaving her and their children was a DICK MOVE and he has to deal with that. He's made to come back to a world that no longer has a place for him in it. His children have forgotten him or resent him, his wife has found actual love with someone else, and he's no longer fit for the life he abandoned (not that he ever was, really). Stede is shown the consequences of his actions, how he hurt people by leaving and also how people are better off without him. He's punished by the narrative, made to feel uncomfortable and guilty. This makes sense!

Stede being depressed in his life is not an excuse to just... run away from it. We're shown that him leaving was a good thing, but him playing with the emotions of the people in his life by deciding when and if he wants them to be in his life at all and trying to dictate that just isn't the responsible thing to do. It's not until he finally sits and has an actual conversation with Mary where he listens to her that they're both able to move on fully. They're able to agree on an outcome, they Talk It Through and are both happier for it.

Ed imo is never treated the same way as it concerns his betrayal of Izzy. He lied to Izzy and then went back on their plan, doesn't say a word when Izzy is banished from the ship (doesn't even try to stop him from dueling Stede in the first place), and emotionally abandons him pretty much immediately after meeting Stede. Izzy is shown looking for direction and guidance from a man he trusts and who is supposed to be looking out for his best interests, only to be dismissed and mocked. Izzy repeatedly goes to Ed for direction, asks him "what do we do" or "you told me you would do this, so let's follow through" only for Ed to turn around and do something completely different. And then with the Act of Grace, he plans on running away and leaving Izzy behind entirely. Ed's betrayal of Izzy SHOULD mirror Stede's abandonment of Mary.

But Ed is never punished for it. The way Stede goes back to Mary in a time of crisis and the way Ed goes back to the crew (and Izzy) is the same situation. But where Stede has to deal with the consequences for his selfishness, Ed just... doesn't. He has to deal with his breakup, yeah, but not how he really was just going to leave the crew behind. He tortures and hurts his crew and specifically Izzy, but he's allowed back on the ship as long as he wears a cat bell. He doesn't even appear bothered by it. He never has a moment like Stede and Mary get where a conversation is had and faults are acknowledged on both sides.

Where Stede had to recognize his mistakes and grow, Ed gets off with a slap on the wrist. Mary gets better without Stede dragging her down, but Izzy falls apart without purpose until the crew give him a new purpose in being their unicorn

I don't necessarily think this is a bad thing or even poor writing if it was explored more. It mostly just perplexes me. Why make these connections between these characters at all? It fascinates me

I really wish we could see Mary and Izzy interact. Just once. So Izzy could meet someone who understands

[thebadboyfanclub]

It’s Alright Darling (Sherlock x Reader)

Ok... Was this requested? No. Am I writing it cause anything Henry Cavill related makes me feel happy? Yes. Enjoy!

Being Sherlock Holmes assistant was something a lot of people would kill for and that makes it even better if you think about the irony of it. However, since Sherlock wasn’t a normal person to mostly everything he did, he had decided to hire a woman as his assistant, Mycroft called him mad and unhinged almost every time he brought up her name. (Y/n) was one of the most intelligent people he had ever been around, combining that with a charming personality was the recipe to success.

“Well, well, well I see my brother is full of surprises”

“Hello there Mycroft is so nice to see you again as well”

She spoke in an clearly ironic tone as she took of her gloves, she was never a fan of hats other than the occasions she knew she would be under the sun for hours. As she walked in the living room area for what seemed like their childhood home, Sherlock had requested for (y/n) to arrive a day later than the brothers, knowing that her and his older brother were like oil and water he chose to “prepare the grounds” first.

“Where is the young little Holmes?”

“Inside, talking with miss Harrison”

“Alright... who is miss Harrison?”

“Miss Harrison is an excellent teacher and a friend of mine, come to think of it maybe you should go in and ask her to take you as well... you might be a bit old but I’m sure she can make an exception”

Mycroft found (y/n) intolerant, she was dismissive, unladylike, mouthy and a feminist, he still does not understand what asset do she brought to his younger brother. She only smiled while sitting at one of the chairs

“I will let you know I was an excellent student in all my academic achievements, although I suppose you were one as well that doesn’t really prove someone’s intelligence or manners, right mister Holmes?”

Sherlock let a laugh be heard at (y/n)’s quick response, even though he would never take sides and sometimes wanted them to get along, he had accepted that it would never happen and simply enjoyed the situation.

“Amused brother? Of course you are as mad as her since you didn’t only hire her, you kept her around and brought her in my home”

“Now Now mister Holmes, what type of gentleman would you be if you threaten to through out not just a lady but your younger brothers guest, unfortunately you are just further proving my point about our little quarrel”

Before he had the chance to respond a young girl walked in, wearing a white undergarment dress and looking disheveled. The girl who (y/n) could only assume was the infamous Enola didn’t even notice her being in this room.

“No, don’t do this to me. Let me remain happy, I am happy here”

“You are a young woman now Enola, you need an education”

“Test me, on anything you think I need to know in order to be sufficient for this world”

“If she taught you so well, you wouldn’t be standing in your undergarment in front of me”

Silence fell in the room for a quick second. His disgusting answer to his own sister made (Y/n) get on her feet, Enola quickly let her gaze fall on the young woman that was now in her house.

“Why is that a problem Mister Holmes? Undergarments are scandalous for the men when a woman they are interested in wears them, she is your underaged sister”

“This is a family matter, it does not- I repeat- does not concern you”

“Of course it does not concern me, but it does concern me when a young girl is being held accountable for walking in her home, to her brothers, completely covered and still being shamed for it”

Enola understood by that quick argument the lady was not here because of Mycroft, so it only meant she was Sherlocks company, she is not his wife since if not invited he would have at least informed their mother, so perhaps a girlfriend?

“Enola you have no hopes of making a husband out of your state, neither do you... miss (y/l/n)”

“I don’t want a husband”

Enola claimed, raising her voice at the ridiculous claim her brother made. Even though they haven’t been properly introduced they had developed a mutually liking for each other, at a brief look they seemed to have the same outlook on life.

“And that is another thing you need to have educated out of you”

At that Enola turned to look at her other brother, Sherlock, who had remained radio silent throughout this entire conversation. Enola kneeled in front of him, as Sherlock looked at her and then broke eye contact to look down at the book he was holding.

“Sherlock, Don’t let him do this to me”

“You are his ward”

“Make me yours. Guide me. Teach me. For him I am nuisance. For you-”

“Enola. I’m sorry, but it’s out of my hands”

“Just like his cruelty to our mother was out of your hands”

Cruelty to their mother? No, Sherlock would have never allowed his mother to go through anything, he is a man of honor... isn’t he? (Y/n) felt her stomach tighten as she saw this tragic scene unravel, she hoped Sherlock would have accepted and took her in.

“She is not dangerous. She is remarkable and always has been. And if you still can’t see that then shame on you both”

“So remarkable she left you in my care”

Mycroft shot back. (Y/n) could almost feel the pain the young girl felt, you could see it in her eyes how that was an arrow straight in her heart. (Y/n) decided to step up and try to help, she approached the young girl with a kind smile and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Come on, let’s get you out of here to calm down. Seems like your brothers don’t share the same love and admiration you do for the woman that made them who they are”

“I am a self made successful man”

“but you wouldn’t be no man if the woman you frown upon had not broken her hips and went through hours of painful labor. Take that as some food for thought before you school me on my manners”

Sherlock looked at her in awe, as she stood proudly next to his sister and became the shield he should have been. Standing up for a girl you haven’t even spoken to or knew before this.

“Let’s go young Enola, seems like a woman’s presence is wanted here only when she does as she is told”

-

“Come in”

“Can I open this door and be promised that I will remain safe or are you holding a dagger and you are ready to take me out of this world?”

“Don’t be ridiculous, dagger you in your own household? I would probably wait to poison you a few days after we leave and write the paperwork of you firing me”

He smiled at her plan as he closed the door in her room. It was already nightfall and the only light here were a few candles, he had let her take a breather after the unfortunate event that had occurred previously. Even though he wasn’t the one that she went toe to toe with, his silence was as obnoxious to her as his brothers loud ignorance towards the female gender.

“You are upset”

“Of course not, why would I be? It’s not like you let that man embarrass his own sibling and talk down to his mother without her being in the room”

She had remained sited in the chair next to the table, a book open that seemed like she was writing on rather than reading it. He was aware she was holding a journal, he didn’t blame her for it, having a job like she did she was in desperate need of something to keep her sane.

“This is a very wary subject”

“I am aware of it, I just can’t seem to understand why not comfort her, try to change your brothers opinion, anything that will show you care for her, you do care for her, right Sherlock?”

“She is my baby sister (y/n), that’s a given”

She closed her book. She ran her hand through her  through her hair and got up from her sit, her hands going in front of her torso at a defensive demeanor, even when Sherlock should be cold or show his higher position to her, he couldn’t help but seek some type of truce with her, how could he not? She looked so beautiful even when she mad at him, the eyes he was so caught up in looked at him with fury, her delicate feature went harsh and she was dressed more... lightly now.

“I spoke with her earlier, she was in the garden”

“I know, I saw.”

“She asked me about you, asked me if you were my lady”

Her eyes went wide for a split second before regaining her composer and turned her back to him. She approached the window before she spoke.

“If you think of how she became familiar with me, she was probably certain I wasn’t even friends with your holier than God brother”

“You mustn't be angry at me”

“And why is that?”

“Because other than my sister and mother, I care for you and for your opinion about me”

She remained silent. Not only because she was caught off guard by his comment, she also didn’t know what he was talking about. Sherlock stepped closer to her, his steps making her heart flutter and her palms sweaty. He stopped when he was right behind her, he wanted to hug her, caress her, kiss her, still he was uncertain of how she would react.

“I still remember the night you got kidnapped”

Someone that Sherlock had helped uncover had escaped prison and kidnapped her. Luckily, she was retrieved safely yet again she was still shaken up by the scary experience, when Sherlock found her awake next to the fireplace she was so vulnerable and grateful to be alive she launched at him and kissed him passionately.

He shared his bed with her, in the middle of the night though she had gotten up and left, when morning came she acted like nothing had happened, barely even looked at him in the eyes for a week.

“Please Sherlock don’t pick at my brain”

“Why did you leave that night? Did you regret it that much”

“That night... was the most blissful I have ever been.... However you are still my boss Sherlock”

“That’s all I am to you? Your boss?”

(Y/n) turned to look at him, tears welling up in her eyes. Those eyes would be the death of him, it was with no doubt the window to her soul, that pure gentle soul of hers.

“What am I to you then Sherlock? This wasn’t just about me”

“You are.... what I never knew I needed”

His hands went up to her forearms instinctively, a soft caress that made her think his hands were made out of the finest silk, she felt goosebumps as he touched her. Her lips parted slightly as she took in a heavy breath, her eyes searching for a hint of a lie in his words.

“Sherlock”

“Shhhhh, It’s alright darling. You don’t have to say anything”

At that he slowly leaned in, his lips on top of hers at a shy and gentle kiss. Her hand went to his neck, bringing her torso to touch his as the kiss deepened, her entire body felt a rush go through it as they should the passion they held for each other with this kiss. As she pulled back her fingertips traveled to his face, taking in his attractive features

“I had almost forgotten how good of a kisser you are”

“Oh love, you will never forget it ever again”

[egcdeath]

checkmate

summary: you’ve always refused to lose, and love was no exception. (gone girl-ish au)

pairing(s): ransom drysdale x dark!reader, a special mystery guest ;) 

word count: 3.7k

warnings: 18+ because of heavy themes! faked death, framing of crimes, manipulation, alluding to sex, alluding to cheating, terrible relationship dynamic, very loose usage of the word crazy/psychotic, implied mention of self harm, brief choking & slapping (in a non sexual way lol), pregnancy trapping (idk if thats the right term), the reader is a very bad human being, overuse of italics  *please let me know if i’m missing any warnings!

author’s note: this is my 2nd submission for @stargazingfangirl18’s 5k soft dark challenge, i decided to make the reader dark >:) but ransom is also not a good person. I used these prompts: “I’ve waited a long time for this, sweetheart.” & The town golden *girl isn’t as sweet as everyone thinks.

this is definitely the most unhinged thing i’ve ever written, but blame @literate-lamb for making me write this because when i pitched this to her and said that i’d probably never write it, she enabled me. 

okay that's enough from me. join my taglist if you want :D

“I know women whose entire personas are woven from a benign mediocrity. Their lives are a list of shortcomings: the unappreciative boyfriend, the extra ten pounds, the dismissive boss, the conniving sister, the straying husband. I've always hovered above their stories, nodding in sympathy and thinking how foolish they are, these women, to let these things happen, how undisciplined. And now to be one of them! One of the women with the endless stories that make people nod sympathetically and think: Poor dumb bitch.” Gillian Flynn, Gone Girl

Your whole life, you’d considered yourself a competitive person. Constantly overcompensating for one thing or another, whether it was the chronic desire to achieve perfection that had been installed in you since you were a little girl, or your persistent internalized sense of inadequacy. You realized early on that it was much better for you to win than for you to lose, no matter the physical, emotional, or mental cost of the prize of perfection.

For the most part, this mindset worked out for you. You graduated as Valedictorian from your high school, neared the top of your graduating class at Harvard. God knew you earned it, all those tears you shed into overpriced textbooks, all the popping of unprescribed Adderall, and robbing yourself of the parties and social events that the rest of your peers gladly indulged in. 

You were just different, which was why you gained a job nearly immediately after your exit from school, quickly climbing to the top at the Blood Like Wine publishing company after only a few years of being there. 

And one night, at the party celebrating the release of A Thousand Knives when you laid your eyes on Hugh Ransom Drysdale, the grandson of your boss, you knew that you needed to have him. Rich, hot, a bit of an asshole. You deserved to finally complete your image, and that socialite flavored eye candy seemed to fit the part perfectly. Luckily for you, he was desperate. It only took a few tugs on your dress’ V-line, and a number of knowing smirks to find yourself being finger-banged in his family manor’s bathroom.

From there, you wormed your way into his life. Leaving belongings at his place as an excuse to come back, and offering booty calls in the middle of the night. Ransom must’ve been much more desperate than you originally thought, as it really only seemed to take one night of stroking his hair while he vented about his family to make him want to be with you. Men with mommy issues were always so easy. 

Except, he wasn’t that easy. The longer you got to know Ransom, the more fucked up you realized he really was. He had no boundaries at all, became jealous and enraged at the drop of a pin, and occasionally told you things that made the hairs on your arms rise. 

This of course all came to a head after the night of Harlan’s 85th birthday party. When the news broke of his tragic death, you’d immediately known it was the works of your Hugh. If your intuition wasn’t enough, his confession in the shower, where he’d demanded you take off your clothes to display that you were without a bug, certainly was. 

You were completely devastated. The man that you’d invested so much into for years had thrown both his and your reputations down the drain in just a matter of hours. Of course, you felt bad for Harlan too. He was a good guy (when he wasn’t instigating a family fight).

Still, you showed up during the funeral in your best mourning clothes and dawning your biggest crocodile tears. You rubbed Linda’s back while she mourned the loss of her father, and the new truth about her husband. You played dumb when interrogated by some Southern private investigator, even giving Ransom an airtight alibi. You testified on his behalf in court with enough conviction to grant you an Emmy. 

You’d gotten so far, devoted so much energy into him, that you simply refused to lose now. 

To your friends, you’d seemed to lead a near perfect life. Dream job, dreamy boyfriend, dream bank account, but it wasn’t enough. You wanted more, you just didn’t know what. 

It dawned on you while sipping mimosas at the country club, Ransom playing tennis with his friends just a few yards away from you while Danielle showed off her brand new engagement ring, a .59 Carat Asscher Diamond, that if you heard her speak of again, would probably make you lose your shit.

You zoned out as she droned on and on about the shape, and how Matt proposed to her in their own private room in one of the most exclusive Parisian restaurants, instead focusing on how you could find yourself in the same position as that airhead next to you. In all honesty, you couldn’t stand the idea that someone was doing better than you, let alone someone in your own social circle. Dani got all the bragging rights of being engaged to the heir of some tech giant, being the first in your friend group to get eloped, and worst of all, Matt wasn’t even making her sign a prenup. 

You blankly watched Ransom from afar, taking occasional sips from your sweet drink, while you thought of how you deserved all of that and more, and you were going to get it one way or another. 

——

It didn’t take much to come up with something, your first and most obvious plan being to simply ask Ransom when he was going to propose to you. Of course, this wasn’t the first time you’d tried to approach him about this subject, you just wondered if maybe this time things would be different.

Panting heavily after a rather rough night in bed, you rolled off of your boyfriend’s chest and gave him a messy, yet sincere kiss. You knew your man well, and if there was any time to pop the question, it was in his post-nut haze.

“Baby,” you said breathily, “I wanna ask you something.”

“Shoot,” he responded casually, glancing over at you. 

“When’re you gonna propose to me?” you hummed.

Ransom groaned and shook his head, rolling his eyes, “this is about Matt and Dani, huh?” he tutted, then extended a hand out to your warm cheeks so he could gently caress one with his thumb. “Thought we agreed marriage is just a piece of paper and it’s stupid.”

You huffed in response.

Of fucking course.

“I never said that,” you muttered, setting a hand on his broad chest. “Besides, it’ll be good if you get pissed and decide to like, kill your dad or something. Y’know, spouses don’t have to testify against each other in court.”

Ransom chuckled as if this whole thing was funny, like your feelings were some kind of sick joke to him. “You know my lawyers, babe. They could prove that bees don’t make honey. That bears don’t shit in the forest. I appreciate your attempt, though. This has been some really nice pillow talk.” 

“Whatever,” you muttered, pinching his nipple in retaliation before turning your back to him and yanking the blanket onto your side. 

You weren’t sure why you were so surprised that he was being stubborn, most of the time you felt like you were pulling teeth from the man. But that’s why you had a backup plan! You always had a backup plan. That’s what separated you from your boyfriend. Where Ransom was extemporized and impulsive, you were calculating and prudent. 

Although you devised your plan that very afternoon while watching your partner backhand small green balls, you were going to need some time to get everything in order, to prove Murphy and his stupid law wrong in making sure that everything that could go wrong wouldn’t. 

After all, love was a game. And you sure as hell weren’t losing to Hugh Drysdale. 

——

You sacrificed too much to have your plans ruined by some trust fund baby with impulsivity issues. You deserved your dream marriage, the stability you wished you had as a child. You wanted the white picket fence, and everything that came along with it. Your desire to be the best, to be perfect was what drove you to poke holes in every condom in the box, what led you to draw liters of your own blood in hopes of staging a fake crime scene, to buy a cheap getaway car and burner phone off of Craigslist, and reach out to a high school boyfriend who you knew was in a position as desperate as you. 

You planted seeds of doubt in your friends throughout the following weeks, feeding them lies about Ransom’s behavior, how you were afraid of telling him that you did in fact see two faint red lines on that damn plastic stick– only half of the statement truly being false–, telling them that he was behaving erratically lately.

It all was going without a hitch. Ransom didn’t seem to notice anything was off, despite your frequent visits to the bathroom and newfound affinity for true crime documentaries. 

You almost felt guilty, knowing the world of pain you were about to throw the man into. Granted, he deserved the pain. You were in a relationship with a genuinely terrible person, and that person had made a conscious effort not to commit to you. You tried to make this easy for him, give him a chance to say a few words to you and slide a ring on your finger, but no, he always seemed to take the hard route.

You slept like a baby the night before you were setting your plan in action. You made sure to uphold the facade of everything being fine, making Ransom a nice breakfast before sending him halfway across town to the hardware store with an oddly incriminating list.

Once he was out of the house, you hurried off to the fridge in the garage where you’d been keeping a small stash of your own blood. It wasn’t pretty, but it had to be done. You poured the blood throughout the kitchen, splattering bits of it on the counters and cupboards. You poorly cleaned the mess, just as he would.

You put your next move in motion, falsifying a home invasion. You tossed over a table and some chairs, throwing books and photos onto the floor, but left some aspects slightly untouched, like an upright picture frame to give yet another hint that things were not exactly what they appeared. 

You left a tiny blue post-it note on the nightstand of Ransom’s side of the bed, a quick and simple doodle of a ring along with the first initial of your name inked onto the tiny piece of paper. 

With that, you were off. Technically missing, soon-to-be presumed dead.

----

 The days following your disappearance had gone even better than you’d initially planned. Local news coverage had been all over you, search and rescue groups were assiduously looking for you, your parents had opened a tip line, and begged for you to get home safe on news segments. But the best part of it all was that Ransom had been briefly found himself in police custody, only to be released shortly thereafter. His past of an accused murder quickly made your disappearance even more of a national story, and you watched the whole thing unravel from the safety and comfort of your high school boyfriend, Andy Barber’s Newton home. 

Of course, you fed him the same lies you’d given to your friends, and seeing the rather lonely position he was in, he gladly let you stay with him. You were absolutely having a hay-day with it all, dedicating hours of your day to watching Ransom slowly unravel. Maybe it was a bit sadistic of you to enjoy torturing your partner so much, but he needed to learn his lesson. You deserved better. You needed Ransom to rise up to your level, allowing you to finally complete your image. To let you two appear to be the perfect couple. Really, this was all on him.

Andy, for the most part, had been a good host. He was gone for the majority of the day, dedicating himself to his work while you lounged around on his dangerously cozy couch. Around two weeks into your stay, you were sharing a box of pizza in the living room with your old lover when something interesting on the television caught your eye.

Ransom, broadcasted on CBS, being interviewed on your disappearance. 

You watched with wide eyes as Ransom begged for your return on national television. It was one thing seeing your mother plead for you to come back, the same woman who had installed such toxic behavior in you sob for your return, but Ransom. You’d never loved him more than in that moment.

“Hugh, if you could tell Y/N one thing, what would it be?” the interviewer asked.

Ransom turned, looking straight at the camera, directly into your soul, “Y/N, I love you so much. More than you’ll ever know. I need you to come back safely, to see you, to hold you again. I’d give anything in the world for that right now,” he looked down, a tear falling down his cheek. “I can’t live without you in my life, I-”

His sentence was cut off by Andy grabbing the remote, and turning off the TV. You turned your head and frowned deeply at him.

“Why’d you do that?” you asked with a bit of a pout.

“I just couldn’t stand listening to him talk about you like he hasn’t treated you like shit for the past few years. C’mon, let’s get ready for bed.”

Your blood boiled. Andy was once a means to an end, but now he was interfering. He was clearly much too selfish to see that you and Ransom were quite obviously soulmates. A match made in hell. 

You followed him to bed regardless, curling up on what had been your side of the bed for the past few days, and staring at the wall until Andy’s breaths moved from a soft and rhythmic pattern to loud snores. God, those snores were obnoxious. 

You slipped out of bed and to his dresser, grabbing two soft ties from the drawer, and daintily tying his wrists to each side of the bedpost.

“What‘re you doing?” he mumbled, instinctively yanking both of his wrists as he awoke.

“I’m going back home,” you whispered.

“You can’t be serious,” Andy huffed, tugging on the restraint attached to the headboard.

You shook your head, “I am.”

“I should’ve known. Why would you do something like this? Do you know how much trouble you’ll be in with the law?”

“Do you know how much trouble you’ll be in when the world finds out that you kidnapped me?” you retorted.

This threat seemed to wake him up right away, “what about this was kidnapping? I gave you a nice home, fed you, I didn’t even make a pass at you. I didn’t do shit to you,” he hissed. “You think I can’t prove that? I’m a lawyer, for god's sake!”

You nearly laughed, “Okay, Andy,” you paused for a moment, “As a lawyer, who do you think everyone’ll believe? Someone who the world was on a wild goose chase for in the last two weeks? Or the man with a family history of violence? Must I remind you that your father and your son have killed people?”

Andy shook his head, face pinched in sorrow at the mention of his deceased son, clearly a low blow. “You’re insane,” he muttered.

“Swear to god that you won’t tell a soul what happened here,” you leaned over him, getting right in his face. “Or I promise, Andrew Barber, I will ruin you. You’ll spend the rest of your life behind bars, or disbarred, or whatever the hell I decide to do with you. So keep your goddamn lips shut.” 

You pulled away and he solemnly nodded, not bothering to put up a fight. You loosened the fabric around his left wrist and walked out of the room. You picked up the keys to Andy’s Audi on your way out, checking the time as you adjusted the driver's seat. 

9:45 PM. Fatherhood really changed the man.

You pushed that thought aside and began your drive home, which turned out to be a surprisingly short trip. When you pulled up in front of your home, you were met with a slew of reporters outside of the house, along with a police car that seemed to be permanently camped there.

As you slowly got out of the car, a gasp, followed by a loud silence fell across the crowd. You limped for dramatic effect up the driveway as cameras followed you, and glanced back at them pathetically. From your peripheral view, you noticed the officers get out of their vehicle.

You finally got to your door, ringing the doorbell and waiting. You blinked harshly a few times, conjuring up the tears you needed to really make a spectacle of the event. After a few minutes, Ransom opened the door, eyes widening as he looked at you. He stepped out, and you wrapped him in as big of a hug as you could manage, genuinely missing his embrace. It was possible that you even let out a few real tears in the moment.

Your emotional embrace was interrupted by the man you recognized as Lieutenant Elliott, the same officer who’d been assigned to Harlan’s case. 

“Ma’am,” he began, only to be shut down by you. 

“Please, just let me be with my boyfriend,” you pleaded, crocodile tears streaming down your face as you spoke with the officer. You still needed time to get your story straight.

“Just give us the night, Lieutenant. We’ll come in first thing tomorrow morning,” Ransom added, furrowing his brows at the officer that he’d come into contact with far too many times. 

He looked to his partner, who shrugged, then to you, “enjoy your night.”

Cameras flashed around you as civilians, journalists, and newscasters alike attempted to catch your attention. You grabbed Ransom’s hand and dramatically pulled him inside, insincerely attempting to hide your face by ducking and covering half of your face with your arm. 

As soon as you were in the privacy of your own home, Ransom threw you against a wall. 

“Why. The fuck. Would you pull a stunt like that,” he hissed through gritted teeth, eyes wild, and a hand around your throat. 

You whimpered as he tightened his grip, rage clearly flowing through his system uncontrollably.

“Do you know what you did to me? You almost had me thrown in fucking jail. Do you understand that?”

You nodded weakly, “Ran,” you whispered, “the baby,” you glanced down at your stomach.

He paused, dropping his grip on your neck and staring at you in awe, “no…” 

You nodded again. 

“How…? You told me you were on the pill… You- you made me use protection…”

“Surprise?” you said weakly. 

“You’re a psychotic bitch.”

“I’m your psychotic bitch. And no child of mine will be born out of wedlock,” you taunted. 

“That’s what this is about?” Ransom laughed manically. “You did this all because I won’t fucking marry you?”

You didn’t even have to respond.

“I should send you to the loony bin right fucking now.”

“What happened to all those things you said to me on TV?”

“You’re fucking delusional. I can’t do this.”

“Yes, you can. And you will. I’ve had to put up with you and your stupid little antics for way too long. How do you think I felt when you killed your own grandfather?”

Ransom scoffed, throwing his hands up in exasperation, “you are so fucked up.”

“I’m the fucked up one? You killed your own blood in cold blood! You’re unhinged!” 

“You faked your own death for attention, and got pregnant while doing it! Is that baby even mine?”

“The fuck are you trying to say, Hugh?”

“I asked if it’s even mine.”

“Really. You’re accusing me of cheating on you. That’s rich considering Mia, Layla, and whoever the fuck else. You’re being ridiculous.”

“I’m being ridiculous? You couldn’t have a normal adult conversation with me!”

“Are you kidding me? I asked you time after time to marry me and it was always some bullshit excuse!” you wagged a finger in his face as you spoke. “Oh, commitment scares me, oh, marriage is just a piece of paper, oh-“ you mocked his voice in a deeper tone before you were cut off by the sting of his hand against your cheek.

“Can you shut the hell up?” he growled at you as you held your own cheek, before you reached out and slapped him back, “I can’t believe that I’m stuck with such a deranged bitch for the rest of my life.”

“Maybe work on your vows a little, dear. I don’t think that those words are as charming to me as they’d be to the rest of our family and friends.”

“You can’t be serious,” he groaned.

“But I am,” you hummed, rubbing your cheek softly once again. “Look at how fast your life fell apart without me here. How quickly the public turned on you. Imagine how upset they’d be if you left me. I love you, Ran. I really do. You and I are perfect for each other, can’t you see that now?”

Ransom took a step away from you, pacing slowly in front of you. He ran a stressed hand through his hair, and took a long and drawn out breath, clearly at a loss for words.

“So when should we have the wedding? I’ve always wanted a Spring wedding, and I know it’s a little short notice, but I don’t want to be showing too much in my wedding dress,” you grabbed Ransom’s bicep gently, as if you were just having a regular old day with him, as if you hadn’t been choked and slapped moments ago. “But we can make it work. We always make it work, right?”

Your now fiancé stared vacantly at the wall ahead of him, giving you a slow, empty nod of agreement. 

“It’s settled then,” you smirked. “I’ll start looking at venues. You find me a nice ring, okay Honey? One that puts all those other bitches’ rings to shame,” you sighed pleasantly to yourself, “I’ve waited a long time for this, sweetheart.”

You pressed a soft kiss to his cheek before hurrying up the stairs and into your bedroom. You heard a distant shriek of  “fuck,” from Ransom, but you truly could not care less. 

You hopped into bed, grabbing your laptop from its charger and promptly opening it. You couldn’t help but to smile at your own reflection on the empty black screen. This wasn’t how you imagined your engagement, but you did the impossible. You tied yourself down to Hugh Ransom Drysdale, he went down kicking in screaming, and you were likely in for a lifetime of cheating and resentment, but you did it nonetheless. 

You finally won.  

[lucky-draws]

trueee they really cant escape each other lmao. could you maybe talk a bit more about fate and how it connects to bosselot? just if you want to ofc i love how you explain things :) i think that concept is so interesting to think about in a normal way (is also insane about bosselot)

hello!!!!!! tee hee hee im glad my insane words make some sense 2 you. i can surely attempt 2 talk abt bosselot some more + specifically abt fate. hrm . mission commence.

i guess. i suppose there's an element of fate like in a cruel twist of fate way running through the whole saga of the boss, the sorrow, ocelot, snake etc; like when the boss kills the sorrow, neither of them know the other is involved, she doesn't know it's him until they come face to face etc. and they've no choice but for the sorrow to die. star crossed lovers or whatever the hell.

and then in mgs3 its the fuckin. ocelot doesnt even know who the boss is at the start. much less that she's his mother. and he falls in love/is infatuated with snake whilst being totally unaware that snake is later going to kill his mother. thats not exactly fate ig or is it idk what im saying here but like....u know??? its the cruel irony of it all basically. i suppose there's an element of history repeating itself (which is in the wider series a big element ig. never ending cycles.) one must live and one must die, first with the boss + the sorrow and then with the boss + snake.

i guess also hghgfgfm. have u ever seen that post, its in the bosselot tag i think by captmelbourne and it goes like. 'thinking abt ocelot being born from a snake shaped wound and destiny and shit.' and jhghg listen i think abt that always. idk. ocelot being fated to/born to meet snake or something. idk.

i guess actually rather than any sound analysis here i just like the sort of visuals of it. aesthetically. the scar is just a very tasty element of this all. i like the visuals of the mythological red string of fate where uve each got one end of the red string of soulmateness tied to ur finger and it never snaps etc etc EXCEPT LIKE. with bosselot its in like a bad/tragic/evil/weird way. connected by the red snake of i killed your mom fate. red snake of you were born from a snake wound and. i am a snake (???) therefore um it's ..something? (????) . ALSO. ! connected by the blood-red snake of i was literally born on a battlefield (fated to a life of conflict) and you were shaped into a soldier (fated to a life of conflict) by my mother. ..... u know??

and god like ok. big boss giving himself the boss' snake shaped scar in peace walker...... it's all the mirrors or symmetry or parallels. the repetition. ?

+ on subject of parallels: the way they see themselves reflected in each other in relation to the boss. like big boss starting off as the rookie kid mentored by the boss. and then later he then becomes the mentor to ocelot the rookie kid. oh and ocelot just happens to be the son of the boss. ! and also which i guess maybe links to what i already said before abt the coma + the 9 years bringing them equal ish idk.?

i suppose in a wider non-bosselot way maybe there's some kind of fate or full-circleness about ocelot in mgs4 being killed by solid snake. i.e. he was born from a snake shaped wound + was eventually killed by a snake. hm. ...

i guess there’s probably some other stuff im missing or forgor.,i am a little tired sorry but yeah i hope some of this made sense. and if i think of anything else or think of a better way to articulate it then u can be sure i will be inflicting another post abt it on u lol.

OHHHH before i go omg. another thing on subject of paralells/history repeating. and this isn’t an orginal thought or anything obvs everyone has talked abt this but what the HELL is up with the whole.   the boss in the ocean. (+ strangelove  pulling her out.)  and then falling into a coma.  > big boss in the ocean. (and we could choose to believe ocelot pulled him out if we really wanted to.) and then falling into a coma.     > solid snake in the ocean (and otacon pulling him out.) LIKE THIS SERIES IS JUST THE SAME THING OVER ANDOVER. ourou fucking boros. !!!!

so yes anyway!!!! thank u for indulging and allowing my bosselot insanity i am glad u are also really normal (insane) about these two. :-)))))) thank u for dropping by!! feel free to ask anything else etc etc ! o7

[sealbatross]

I ended up loving this version more, so of course its time to break down Emotions-Why in “Great Comet Original Cast Recording”™.

Disclaimer: POV of someone who has A. read the book, B. listened to the Broadway version, C. knows nothing about music, and D. is attracted to SAD.

So, uh. Long unwarranted appreciation ramble post below :’)

Prologue ----- I love Dave's voice for Pierre. It's so distinctive - more despicable (for lack of a better word) than classically noble which I find very endearing. And it makes him stand out more… (I'm dumb and only realized Pierre sang the first couple of lines after listening to this version).

Pierre -----

"I used to be better..." *CLICK* "HUUUHHHHHHHHHNNNN OHHHHHHHH PIERRE"

I love the clicking noise here so much. Like the cocking of a gun.

Moscow ----- Marya is less… dramatic (which is hilarious on the Broadway version), but having slightly less of an exaggeration helps her feel more human.

(Ok but I do love “while I Ḵ̵̘̫̋͂̅̎̃̒͛̃N̸̛̫̼͕̣͔̜̥̹̔͛̉̒̏̒̍̄̀͛̒̆̈́̍İ̵̢̧͔̩̦̯̥̉̎̐T̷̩̫̟̗̤͆̈́͊̾̔” from Broadway)

The Private and Intimate Life of the House ----- Prince Bolkonsky saying his friends are all dead hits hard. This makes the estrangement between Mary and the Prince tragic from both sides. It also further validates Mary's disgust at herself for wishing harm upon her father.

“my money, my house” - this is all that the old Prince has left from the life he's lived - “I’ll spend it how I want” he says angrily... And then the sudden turn to panic from forgetfulness and failing body. It’s easier to see where he’s coming from, and very reflective of the consequences of aging. This is played for some laughs on Broadway instead (very good chuckles mind you).

Natasha and the Bolkonskys ----- Natasha is more unsure... like she's trying to gather courage by saying

"I know they’ll like me Everyone has always liked me"

, and consequently, she is more sympathetic. Broadway Natasha is very peppy and seems to absolutely believe in “I know they’ll like me” - which makes the impending rejection humorous and more consequent.

Broadway Natasha, in contrast to Mary’s timid salutation says “Hello” happily and confidently, which gives Mary something that she can respond to with dislike (in the context of listening only to the album, no visual on appearance etc.). Meanwhile, in the Original, Mary and Natasha both have timid “hello”s and seem to be on the same page (until the inner monologue GOES OFF (the twist is wonderful in both)). This makes Original Natasha’s situation seem more tragic - Original Natasha did nothing (personality-wise) to trigger Mary's rebuke. It just happened as a consequence of their positions in life.

Original Prince Bolkonsky was more clever with his mocking of Natasha. In a way that stings poisonous due to the uncertainty, treating her like a child, mocking her intelligence in understanding his intention of offence:

“Excuse me my costume, this dressing gown— I did not know, my poor. girl.”

No one else ----- Original cast of this song holds more weight because of Natasha’s temperament (again). Broadway Natasha gets over the slight with the Bolkonskys quickly - she's already smiling one line into "No One Else" right after she supposedly burst into tears. Making this song seem a turn of mind from one subject to another rather than a consequence of the previous event.

In the Original casting, however, Natasha remained much softer and more sombre until she described in detail what she loves about Andrei - (childlike eyes etc.) like being cheered by a friend’s imagined presence... like when you’re having a horrible social interaction when waiting for a good friend - and the friend finally shows up.

The Ball ----- Bway Natasha seems very happy when she sings “I will love you Anatole” (which always hurts regardless) but the Original Natasha doesn’t seem too happy singing this - as if this is going against her will… like it’s her funeral... You’ve probably noticed a pattern - Natasha being sadder / not always smiley and peppy allows me to sympathize better with her. The more sympathy the more personally emotional her downfall = tear time.

The Duel ----- Original Pierre sounds like he really means to pour everything into his mouth. You can hear the depravity.

Pierre and Andrei ----- Original Andrei’s gentle and even tone matches the not-dwelling-on-it-too-much of book Andrei (from what I can remember). Then “coldly, maliciously” comes after like a twist. And the whole mood of the scene shifts in a neat way. That being said Broadway Andrei has wonderfully conflicted emotion in his voice that is just👌

Pierre and Natasha ----- The Original has a faster tempo and is thus happier. Less dramatized. Like a normal meeting between two people, not a finale pour-your-emotions-out moment. Yellow. Sunny. Mid-afternoon through the windows. Softer. Smiling Pierre thinking it ridiculous that Natasha would think her life over.

Meanwhile Broadway - an immediate feeling of blue and moonlight, and cold. The echo in Pierre’s voice. Pierre is very emotional, much fear, much sad. Lots of trembling and emphasis. ~did you love that BAD MAN~~ ~~ DON'T CALL HIM BAD~~~ mmmm that's good. Oh, the pacing is so good.

Anyways.

I love the Original cast Pierre's speech. It isn't so classically (I've been using this word a lot) emotional. It's… sheepish. And hits differently.

P.S. The style of this musical makes so much sense after reading the book. It's got this matching humour acknowledging the little defections of people, and how emotion and chance and misunderstanding drives our lives.

Shoutout to the music too, it bends to support the emotion of the story. If it's dissonant it's because it's portraying a conflict in these people. If there’s a boss fight, then there is boss fight music.

Also, Broadway is…. Well, better for Broadway, it's more dramatic and with a lot more funny moments. It also has a clearer and cleaner portrayal of the characters which is great for first-time viewers and group party watching. The Original is more nuanced/not as clear and good for the crying-at-home-alone experience. And I know which of these I am.

Congrats on making it all the way down here, I'd love to hear any of your thoughts!