#that she finds reasons to be in the castle to discover what he does

[sammakesart]

Solavellan, or the Tale of the Dread Bridegroom

The reason I have always been drawn to the Solas and Lavellan romance in the Dragon Age series (besides having a deep love for villains and dramatic cheekbones) is because it brings to mind my favorite type of fairytale: the animal (or monster) bridegroom. The most famous of these would probably be Beauty and the Beast. However, the Solavellan romance felt more similar to my favorite iteration of this type: East of the Sun and West of the Moon. 

In the tale, a young woman is married to a monster… or so she thinks. He is keeping his true identity a secret from her. He brings her to an enchanted castle, and everything is actually pretty great for a time. Then she grows too curious. She discovers his true identity—he’s an attractive man! And a prince! He is forced to leave her and return to his evil witch-queen stepmother. Our heroine, who has fallen in love with her revealed prince, sets out to find him and save him from his wicked stepmother. She has to make a perilous journey. She faces trials and tribulations. She frees her prince, breaks the curse, and they leave together to live happily ever after.

There is also another tale that has many parallels to the Solavellan romance. The myth of Eros and Psyche, which is the blueprint for the animal bridegroom tales. It follows the same general plot, but I’d like to highlight a few differences. This is a myth about a god falling in love with a mortal, and that mortal becoming a goddess herself in the end after proving herself and winning her god-husband back.

In the myth, Eros is sent by his mother, Aphrodite, to trick Psyche into falling in love with something hideous for a perceived infraction against the goddess. Basically, Psyche had too many admirers who were worshiping her as the second coming of Aphrodite. Eros falls in love with Psyche instead, and spirits her away to a castle. She discovers his true identity. He flees. She faces trials. Etc and so forth. Eros and Psyche are reunited. She is given the drink of immortality, and joins her husband in the realm of the gods as a goddess in her own right so they can be together as equals.

It was the kind of ending I wanted for Solas and Lavellan. A heroine falls in love with a cursed prince and saves him. A mortal falls in love with a god, a doomed by the narrative pairing if there ever was one, but in the end, she triumphs, and she joins him as his equal.

Those are very simplified synopses, but you can see the parallels. Solas, in a reversal of the beast-husband trope, is keeping half of his identity secret from Lavellan, but it’s the beast (the Dread Wolf) side of himself he is keeping a secret. He takes Lavellan to his castle, Skyhold. They begin to fall in love. They kiss in a dream. They kiss on a balcony. They dance at a ball. Very fairy tale romance. They’re happy. Until they’re not.

When our heroine discovers Solas’s true identity, that he is Fen’Harel, the Dread Wolf himself (who does indeed turn into a giant wolf monster as we see in Veilguard), he must leave our heroine, and she cannot join him. What can Lavellan do? Well, swear to save him, of course! And if that is what she chooses, she sets out on her own journey of trials and tribulations to rescue her monstrous prince. But he is not just the prince or the monster, he’s the villain as well. Delicious.

Lavellan is Solas’s heroine, his knight in shining armor. Funnily enough, you can make a joke about “riding in on a shining steed” to Solas during an early conversation with him. She can also flirt with him later during this conversation. What is that flirt option? “You can trust me.” She tells him she will protect him… however she has to. Solas here is the damsel in distress, the prince who needs saving, and she will save her prince from his tower (or his regret prison) however she has to.

What trials does our heroine have to face, you ask? Besides the tracking him down, of course. Well, let’s see. Trials always come in threes.

Three times Lavellan reaches out to him, and asks him to stop. She tells him that whatever he is facing, they can face it together. “Whatever you need, we can find together.” “Let me help you, Solas.” “I am walking the dinan’shiral with you.” And it’s like he’s under a curse to reject her, but every time he reminds her he loves her, because he wants to be saved. He wants to be with her. “I cannot do that.” He does love her. “I wish it could, vhenan.” He wants their love to triumph. “Ir abelas, vhenan. I cannot.” One more time, my heart. Ask me one more time. He is under a geas, but screaming as loud as it will let him: Save me! I love you!

(I do not think he is under a literal geas in the story. It is more of a psychological one, one he has put himself under to justify his wrongdoings to himself.)

It also is very fitting that the rule of three is what it takes to stop him: Mythal, Rook, and Lavellan. Past, present, and future. Though it was Lavellan who found the first statue which kicked off the quest, the spark of hope that he could be saved still.

It also appears that Solas reaches out to Lavellan three times on his own. He orchestrates a meeting in Crossroads to explain. He visits her in dreams, though from an endless distance. He sends her a letter, reaffirming his love for her and telling her he wanted to be with her, and that his feelings will never change.

So the fourth time she reaches out, after the (metaphorical) curse has been lifted, there is no rejection. She’s won. He only offers a warning. She must choose him freely and with full knowledge of what is to come. She does. They perform a wedding ceremony of their own making and share a bloody kiss. Peak cinema.

It’s a darker fairytale, where the heroine falls for the prince, the monster, and the evil sorcerer all in one. And she wins. She gets everything she wants.

I’m just very passionate about fairytales. I wrote many a paper on them in college. Nothing pleases me more than a good retelling that captures the essence of what fairytales are truly about.

I think too many critics are trying to view Solas and Lavellan’s romance through the lens of a real life, modern day relationship. But fairytales are the realm of allegory, not reality.

We are in the realm of the mythic. Here be gods and monsters, princes and evil sorcerers. And Solas is all of those things. Lavellan is the heroine of all time who ends the story having saved the world (again), and is now ascending to godhood (there is an Andraste and the Maker parallel here, I swear), and she’s rescued her true love to top it all off.

I see a modern trend of no longer giving heroines love stories, and I dislike it. Because love stories in fiction are rarely ever about just finding a man. It’s about accepting the whole of yourself. I think of the heroine’s journey. The reconciliation with the masculine and the darker aspects of yourself. Women are told they must always be good. Make the right choices. Nah, let her fall in love with the villain and be selfish. Let her make out with her monster covered in blood as a treat.

I think monster romance has become so popular lately because, subconsciously, women feel like there is a monster inside of themselves that they have to hide from the world, lest you be judged for being imperfect, ugly, monstrous. Monster, and by extension villain, romance lets you fall in love with the dark other as the ultimate form of self-acceptance. (This is not an experience exclusive to women by any means, but I can only speak to my personal experience as one.)

Our heroine didn’t make the polite, respectable choice. She fell for the monster, the villain, and chose herself in the end. She didn’t choose a man. She wasn’t chasing after him, begging him to love her, in the hope of getting him back. She was pursuing him in her quest to stop him in order to save the world. She was just also in love with him and hoped he could be saved. Hope is a powerful thing, but this age has made people cynical. Let her have a little hope. Sometimes it’s all we have.

I do believe she would have killed him if she had to. And he would have killed her if given absolutely no other choice, or perhaps let her kill him for an extra layer of angst. Interestingly, I think Lavellan would have been able to live with that choice, but I don’t think Solas would have been able to. It would have destroyed him, fully twisted him into Pride, and he would have lost any hope of being able to “come back.”

I am fascinated by the fact that Lavellan and Solas are quintessential hero archetypes. The type that will not sacrifice the fate of world for their love, but will sacrifice their love for the world and for the “greater good”—as they see it. Only Solas has twisted himself into the villain. He’s a dark mirror of the hero. He is the hero, reversed. Thus, he dooms the world in attempting to save it. Repeatedly. (“He’s a tragic deuteragonist!” I scream, as they drag me away.)

Lavellan is the upright hero. She will save the day, or die trying. She will sacrifice her love, which is why I think it’s incorrect to say she gave everything up for him. She says in her second conversation with Rook that she would not join him in his Fade Prison. “To give up the world for him? No. We’ve got to save it first.” She will not give up everything for him. She will not doom the world to be with him. But after the world is saved… well, then. That’s a different story. She wants to be with him. And together, they can find balance.

They were both made and shaped into figureheads. Weapons. Legends. A hero and a villain. They’ve had the fate of the world on their shoulders multiple times over. There *is* no place for them in this world. But in another world... they can find their true selves away from well-meant misunderstanding and mindless worship. 

This is an apotheosis of Lavellan’s own choosing. I will not be your Herald. I will be a god on my own terms.

Solas never saw Lavellan as anyone other than who she is. He knew she was not the Herald, and he never treated her as such. He was uniquely able to understand her plight. He too had been given a title once and was later consumed by it. Dread Wolf.

Where else can two people like them go? Especially where they can be together in peace?

However, I don’t see this as the end for them. They are just onto the next adventure, this time together. And they’ll be unstoppable. The narrative had to make them exit stage left. No enemy could possibly win against them. They are too powerful. Lavellan is stronger than the narrative itself. The narrative had doomed her love, and she went: “No, I don’t accept that. I will save the world, win my prince/monster/villain, and now we’re leaving. Thanks!”

And Solas? We saw how devoted he was to Mythal. But Mythal never chose him. She twisted him into Pride. Used him as a weapon… and he destroyed the world for her. Twice. And was trying for a third. Just imagine what he could accomplish now with Lavellan, who chose him. Who encouraged him to be Wisdom. Who does not stand above him, as his goddess—but beside him, as his wife. Yeah, the writers had to put them in the Fade Prison. Their combined power was just too strong.

And I don’t believe for a minute they’ll be trapped in that regret prison forever. Solas tells us how to escape, and now he is in the right state of mind to accomplish it. Solas will do his court-ordered therapy. Lavellan will get a much needed vacation in dream land… then they’re going to heal the blight with the power of love. Or something. They just needed to be nerfed long enough for BioWare to squeeze a few more games out of the franchise. Then Solas and Lavellan will be set free to find a secret third option for the Veil, remove it safely, and Sandal’s prophecy will finally come true: “One day the magic will come back. All of it. Everyone will be just like they were. The shadows will part, the skies will open wide. When he rises, everyone will see.”

This is not to say I don’t have plenty of critiques for how Solas and Lavellan’s romance was written and concluded in Veilguard. But I think it was always going to be disappointing in some regards because it’s very difficult to conclude your heroine’s story from a new hero’s point of view in a new hero’s story. She will lack the agency she needs in this kind of tale because she has been relegated to a minor NPC, and she (and we) can hardly get a peak into Solas’s state of mind. How I wish we could have asked him endless insightful questions, instead of just pointing fingers. How I wish while Rook was in the prison, we could have controlled our Inquisitor for a quest or two and had a private conversation with Solas. The writing overall was a huge letdown for me. But I still love my once doomed couple, now together forever. I always will. 

[asraxfile]

𝕽𝖊𝖆𝖘𝖔𝖓 𝖎𝖓 𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖗𝖞 𝖕𝖚𝖑𝖘𝖊

𝖘𝖞𝖕𝖓𝖔𝖘𝖎𝖘 once you discover a bloodsucking history of the gothic castle in your town, you and Karina seem to get closer for odd reasons. 𝖕𝖆𝖎𝖗𝖎𝖓𝖌 vampire! Karina x fem!mortal!reader 𝖌𝖊𝖓𝖗𝖊 fluff, dark themed?? 𝖜𝖆𝖗𝖓𝖎𝖓𝖌𝖘 cursing, suggestive?? kissing, slight yandere, compliments and slightly protective Karina, blood, gore 𝖜𝖔𝖗𝖉 𝖈𝖔𝖚𝖓𝖙 3.5k

“Okay class, settle down and get your books out.” the new history teacher exclaimed as he tapped on his table, repeatedly trying to calm the talking of your classmates. As everyone obeyed and took their time to take out their history textbooks and notebooks.

Since your designated seat was next to a window, you gladly gazed outside whenever the lesson got boring—most of the time. Outside was a sight you always found interesting. An abandoned castle on the highest hill of the town.

A tall, dark gothic castle with large gates, 3 times bigger than an average human and larger than most cathedrals. One of the bigger towers was so high the top wasn’t even seen from the clouds. It was a magnificent castle.

Something about it was really weird, like it carries a secret nobody explored yet. An uncovered secret or perhaps—a mystery?

“In today's lesson we will talk about the great war that happened in our town many centuries ago.” the teacher announced. Showing the presentation on the projector.

Your gaze lingered around the room, but it stayed on one particular pupil that sat right on the other side of the classroom where sun never hit the corners— Yu Jimin.

You thought of her the same way as the gothic castle. Mysterious and tempting—as if something was pulling you towards her. There was always something off with her vibe. She was always so pale and nobody ever saw her eat anything from the school food. Or the fact that she never comes to school on really sunny days except when it’s cloudy or rainy.

The most fascinating thing about her were her utterly sharp teeth. When she smiled at the joke some of her friends made, her smile was the most genuine but also the most terrifying sight to see. And her eyes, they were brown—no, are you seeing a slight burgundy color in them? hazel? furrowing your eyebrows you gazed at Karina like she was the world’s miracle.

What color were her eyes again? you asked yourself before turning back to the teacher.

“...towards the eastern part of the town. Does anyone know what was also one of the most important ways our city protected itself during war?” the teacher asked, holding the dry chalk between his fingers.

Looking around, he sees a hand raised, the class nerd wanting to answer. “Anyone else?” he joked, but no one laughed. Therefore after some seconds he lets the nerd speak.

“The citizens captured the opposing soldiers and locked them up in the castle on that hill.” he showed outside the window. Everyone’s head turns to look outside as you widen your eyebrows. “Correct!” the professor jumped with his tone, walking around the classroom.

“Because of our ancestors, they believed in many folklore legends all depending on the region of living.” He turns around towards the pupils in the middle, adding a legato in his tone.

“Your grandparents or parents probably already told you who our citizens in the east believed in, any ideas?” he asks once again. You’ve remembered the words of your grandma who told you stories about those creatures who walked upon our city, immortal and bloodsucking nature.

The nerd raises his hand once again, leaving the professor with no choice but to let him answer,

“They believed in vampires.”

The room fell quiet, it all made sense now.

“and so they thought if they locked the soldiers in that castle, vampires would kill them and save the town.” The sound of the professor's ramblings and yappings felt distant.

Vampires. You didn’t wanna jump into conclusions so rushingly. Firstly, you will have to explore what there is to find out.

But those words never felt so right when describing her. Like a puzzle finding its piece, so light but right.

Later after classes you had a free period. Without further ado, you decided not to go home but to visit the school’s library— yearning for answers.

You asked the library lady to give you the book about folklore creatures and the history of the castle in the hills as you asked to extend the loan for another 3 weeks.

The books were heavy but you could handle it. As you were leaving, without watching where you’re walking, suddenly you bumped into someone. A groan of shockness escaped your mouth as the books fell on the hard floor, directly making a loud noise.

“I-I’m sorry I didn’t see you–” before finishing, you look at the person you weren’t expecting to bump into. Yu Jimin.

Your mouth stood slightly opened, speechless you blinked at her presence. The light of the sunset peeked through the windows of school, but you two were in the corridor's shadow. “Don’t worry I didn’t see you either.” she politely said, kneeling down to help you pick up your books, only to stop upon seeing the titles of them.

“Were you also interested in today's history lesson?” With visibly curiosity in her eyes, she smirks at you as she stands up. Handing you the books, you thank her. “Yeah, those things are the only thing keeping my attention in class.” Karina chuckled at your comment as she started slowly walking with you towards the stairs.

“Do you think all those creatures exist? most people don’t believe in them.” Karina starts the conversation, oddly unusual if someone asked you, but you didn’t mind. You weren’t exactly friends with Karina, but you also weren’t enemies—she was just…there at some point in your life.

“Well, if you ask me, there’s nothing to believe or not about those things.” your words made Karina tilt her hair. The locks of her dark hair falling off her shoulder in such movement. Blinking a few times you thought of the right words to explain.

“I mean like they just exist, you don’t have to believe in it or not cause they’re just real.” you started to yap as Karina listened carefully. At times adding a comment or two at your statements.

As if she wanted to listen to you forever talk about your theories, as if she was as interested as you in folklore creatures or perhaps—knew something more than you about it?

Stopping with Karina in the school’s exit, the sun was already down. The cold January fog covered the streets, sending shivers down your spine. “I’ve always liked your clear mind,” Karina stammered out, giving you a loving smile.

You could’ve sworn you saw a spark within them. “But why are you so interested in the castle?” bluntly she asks, as if she had heard this story more than a million times.

With a swift move, you turn your direction towards the dark gothic castle that could be seen from a far away place. “The castle…” you mutter out before turning back to Karina. “I know it’s a place to be explored, and I’ll find out why.” bravely you exclaimed, making her chuckle once again.

Karina whispered something out but you didn’t exactly hear what she said under her breath. “What was that?” you ask, leaning an inch closer to her. “Oh nothing,” she flinches in her trance, “I zoned out for a moment.” silence fills the air between the two.

Karina smiled at you yet again, and you awkwardly returned it. “Well, Y/n, it was nice talking to you.” she thanked you before leaving in a different direction. “I’ll see you tomorrow in school.” not leaving you a second to answer her.

She was definitely hiding something—you thought as you stared at her walking figure, the fog slowly covering her presence.

Next day in school the air was thicker than usual. The wind blew stronger and the clouds were slightly gray, but it didn’t look like it was going to rain soon. You sat still in your seat, next to the large window. Your hands roamed the old paper of the borrowed book.

Your eyes traced along the chapter list, hoping to find something about vampires during that time when suddenly someone barges its arm on the table right above the large book. You flinched at the sudden movement and looked up at the person and when you recognized who it was—your stomach flipped.

“Goshh Y/n you’re so old fashioned,” The blondie called out, her being one of the top people who made your life a little harder to deal with—Taeha.

Immediately, like lightning striking a tree, you pierced with anger through Taeha’s eyes and exhaled in disappointment. “Wait, is that…oh my god don't tell me you’re researching that fugly looking castle.” Taeha and her minions laughed like wild hyenas ready to eat a baby zebra.

Furrowing your eyebrows you wished nothing good upon her, she was truly a bitch. If only she could disappear forever, it would make most pupils ' lives better, you thought before snapping out. “Unlike you I actually wanna learn something other than picking my nose at someone else's business when bored.” The class erupted in shocking muffling, making the blond bully annoyed as she clicked her tongue. “Ugh, there you go at it again. I bet you don't even have anyone's business to poke into.” Continued Taeha.

With a slow move, she leans closer to you with a slight sarcastic face as she leans on her hands on the table. “You know, Y/n,” her voice became dead serious.

“It's honestly a miracle you even show up here every day. If I was you, I’d probably just throw myself off the nearest bridge. Not like anyone would notice. Maybe not even your family.”

The words hit like a punch to the gut. A few gasps erupted from nearby classmates and the room fell eagerly quiet. Taeha’s minions exchanged nervous glances, even though they didn't expect her to go that far.

Your heart pounded as shame and anger battled within you as you stayed speechless. You didn’t know what to think, you hated her with your whole heart but her words hurt. “Seriously,” Taeha continued, her voice dripping with cruel satisfaction. “Are you gonna cry right nowww, awhhhh” she faked the sadness in her tone as she continued.

“That’s enough, you bitch” suddenly a deep demanding voice cursed out from behind you, standing right in front of Taeha’s group across the table, obviously feeling no guilt in hurting your feelings.

“Pfft, here we go weirdos protecting other weirdos.” Taeha scoffed as you turned around to face your savior.

Karina stood still in her place as her eyebrow twitched in irritation at the brat. “You wouldn’t know what that is,” she continues, slowly walking closer to Taeha. “I bet your minions would run away if someone hurt you like that.”

Taeha scoffed again as she glared at her 2 friends who had an awkward expression on their face. Inhaling an irritating breath she turns back to Karina.

“Jimin,” she takes a step closer, tilting her head as if competing with Karina. “Don't mess with people you can’t handle.” roughly she pokes Karina’s shoulder. Earning a glare from her back. At such confident words Karina furrowed her eyebrows, death glaring at Taeha.

Taeha wouldn't admit it, but she was always kind of scared of Karina. Her eyes spoke louder than words, and right now, Karina hesitated into doing something unspoken.

“S-Stop looking at me like that” Taeha finally reveals her fear. Cold sweat dripped off her forehead. “Like what?” Karina muttered out. Taeha becomes nervous, “Like you’re gonna kill me or something.” slightly backing away, Taeha stuttered out. Her minions whispered that she should drop it and leave. Then without any response, they push through Karina and leave like cowards.

Shocked at how Karina stood up against them, you thank her. “It’s nothing, they deserve the worst anyway.” Karina responds to your thankings while still glaring at the trio's direction. After on, she turns to you with the same sly smile she gave you yesterday.

“Don’t let their words come to you, if you just died one day I know I would’ve noticed that first.” there was some kind of comfort in her voice, as if she truly cares for you—wants you.

You widened your eyes at her words, slight blush creeping on your cheekbones. “You really mean that?” you asked, not believing she actually said what she said. “Of course!!” Karina exclaimed out, holding a sweet eye contact with you.

Her gaze held yours, steady, without a slight blink. She was looking right into your soul. “You’re… different, Y/n. And I mean that in the best way.” Something in her tone made your heart skip a beat. Was it a threat or a sign of kindness?

“Different?” you repeated, trying to hide the nervousness in your voice. “What do you mean?” but Karina didn’t get to answer you due to the bell ringing. She just kept her genuine smile on her face, like a doll.

What is this weird feeling? Why is it that everytime you thought about Karina or was near her presence you felt so— af ease?

Days went on and you found out a lot about the castle and vampires overall. The more you learned about them the closer you got with Karina. It felt so odd but so right. Your theory of her being a vampire was still present even after getting close with her, but you kinda liked the mystery she held within herself. She always stood up to you whenever Taeha made a comment or two and you didn’t have the nerve to respond. As if she was your guardian and you loved her for that.

Today was the day to finally make a move—to go explore the infamous gothic castle.

The sun set below the horizon, raising the thick fog and the full moon as you approached the gigantic old castle. The cool night air was heavy with the scent of rough stone and rotten leaves.

Your heart pounded within your chest as you stepped in the territory. Standing right in front of the massive gates you take a deep breath.

Am I actually doing this? you thought, inhaling the winter air as if nothing. Walking towards the entrance the sudden opening of the gates made you shiver. Who opened them?

The loud creaking of the rusty metal roared until it stopped in its trance, wide open for you to take a step in.

Every footstep you took echoed through the floor and there was no turning back now. Slowly, the creaking started again right after you walked inside. You took a deep breath again and looked at the large door, you tried to knock 3 times on it but there was no answer until you noticed the door opened by itself again.

You swallowed a huge lump in your throat, nervousness and cold sweat covering your thoughts and forehead as you finally went inside. The air was light but extremely rotten. Revealing the large empty hall, your breath got caught as you noticed claw-like marks scarring the ancient stone walls.

Gripping the flashlight you’d brought, you walked deeper through the castle. The air grew colder, almost unnatural and an eager silence enveloped you. Then, a faint noise broke the silence—a muffled groan. As if someone was eating something?

You froze, listening with your ears. Following the noise, you rushed up a winding staircase to a large room with a partially collapsed ceiling. The moonlight creeped right through the broken roof. The sight right in front of you made your blood run cold.

There kneeled Karina, a person in her arms as she raised her head to face you. Fresh blood surrounding her mouth and chin,a few drops dripping down. You hitched at the sight as Karina stared at you bluntly—as if she wanted you to see this.

Karina rose to her feet, slowly and peacefully, her movements as graceful as they were predatory. The lifeless body in her arms—Taeha—slumped to the ground with a sickening thud . Blood pooled beneath her, right from her neck, the once arrogant blonde now pale and unrecognizable.

You stumbled back, gripping your flashlight so tightly your knuckles turned white. "Karina," you managed to choke out, your voice barely understandable. It wasn’t the fact that Karina just killed your bully, it was the fact that you thought she would eat you next.

“Sur…prise?” Karina awkwardly chuckled, standing right next to Taeha’s dead and pale body. She looked at you with her famous smile but suddenly she turned around. “Just a sec,” she wipes the blood off her chin with her sleeves, making her clothes dirtier.

Slowly you took steady steps closer to her, aiming your flashlight at Taeha. “I-I’m not even sad she’s like….dead but…” You manage to stutter out, stopping mid trance. “But?” Karina asks you, now being 2 steps in front of you. Your heart beated with anticipation and fear, but something was telling you to keep steady. “Aren’t you gonna eat me…too?” your voice shakes with a slight scared tone. At your question Karina put a hand on both your shoulders, not flinching at her despite you being scared.

“Of course I won’t, silly.” she starts, leaning in closer. “Why would I eat someone I was protecting these days while getting closer?” She smiles abruptly, easing your nervousness. Karina took one of your trembling hands and held it tightly, “Believe me, Y/n, I meant my words when I said you were different.” you then remembered her words once she mentioned it. You never got an answer to your question.

“What I meant with that was…your scent is different.” she starts as you listen carefully. “You see, vampires live an eternity but all they always look for is someone with a certain scent that matches theirs— they look for a soulmate.” she explained while you listened like an obedient puppy. Were you actually—Karina’s soulmate?

Speechless you blink at her words, taking a step forward. “Are you implying that I’m…” without finishing Karina nodes at your words. Gently she traces her arms over your shoulder to your lower arm. “I had to know what was up with you and I guess fate got you closer to me too.” a teasing tone in her voice as you blush at her words. “I love vampires, what can I say?” you glance at the dark haired vampire who’s eyes glowed as red as her victims blood.

“And I love you.” Karina blunted out. As soon as she saw your eyebrows widen she then realized what she just said and immediately took a step back, embarrassed. “Waaah sorry it just slipped out I didn—” but before she could finish, she felt your arms wrap around her cold body pulling her into a tight hug.

Karina might’ve been a vampire with cold pale skin that couldn’t be warmed up—but this was the warmest she felt in centuries. She fit so well in your arms and there wasn’t a chance to be lost. You still held her but pulled away enoughly to look into her beautiful reddish eyes who dimmed with pure love.

“Maybe I love you too.” you teased, stroking her right cheek with your thumb. Karina playfully scoffed. “Prove it then.” she teased back as she playfully walked you to the nearest wall, pining you up against it. Completely trapped under her, she waited for your permission.

Suddenly you pull her into a rough kiss by the edge of her shirt. Karina gasped at the sudden reaction but she knew you liked it by feeling your sly smirk through the kiss. Her hands wandered your body.

Your hands snaked to the back of her shoulders as your breathless groans filled Karina’s ears who was busy leaving a couple of hickeys on your neck. Dropping your flashlight, your hands wandered Karina’s hips. The tension was getting hotter with each shared kiss.

Your hands gripped her hair as she kissed your lips again. As the both pulled back to gasp for air, you noticed Karina’s teeth getting sharper. Innocently you gazed in her eyes, placing a cute kiss on her nose.

Karina whispered into your ear, “You’re magnificent.” as she started kissing your neck again, her arms finding its way under your shirt, her cold skin tracing to your upper waist. Karina wanted more of you, she wanted you for herself—forever.

Then you suddenly got an idea.

"rina?” Nicknaming her, you get Karina’s attention, she looks up at you. She brushed a strand of hair behind your ear as her eyes met yours. “How about,” you start, taking both her palms, gripping them tightly. “I get to stay with you…forever,” the words made Karina tilt her head, shrugging her shoulders in confusion. “as a vampire.”

Karina widened her sharp looking eyes, her face telling you she’s either gonna disagree or she wasn’t sure about it. “A-Are you sure?” worriedly she stuttered out.

“Believe me, I trust you the fullest.” reassuring Karina you hold her palms. Looking down at them you see red veins underneath her pale breezing skin. Soon after you look up at her, “I want to get to know you more, I-I really do” you stutter out. Karina’s heart softening as well as her face at your words.

“If you completely trust me then…” she wanders her freezing fingers over the warm skin of your neck. Already knowing where to bite. “Are you ready?” she smirks upon you as her eyes start to redden at the thought. In agreement, you npdd surely, giving Karina the green light.

Gently, as gently as a vampire possibly could, she bit your neck and started to suck in your blood. The weight off your shoulders faded away the longer she was doing her job. Your hands gripped the back of Karina’s hair in desperation. When you finally started to feel weak, you dropped to your knees right into Karina’s arms. She laid you down in her lap as she brushed her mouth off with her already bloody sleeve.

She took out her pocket knife and before digging it into her skin she took a deep breath. Furrowing her facial features, she leaned her arm towards your wounded neck as you struggled to breath and your eyes rolled as if in ecstasy.

The blood off her hand met yours and the transition came to a start. “Close your eyes, ynnie, I got you.” Karina whispered words of reassurance and that was the last thing you remembered before you passed out.

A few minutes went on, 45 minutes to be exact, and you finally started to come to consciousness. Karina waited patiently and didn't rush you to things. She brushed over your forehead, as gentle as a mother tucking her child in bed.

Your eyes finally opened, but your vision was blurry. It all felt so weird but also really natural. The sounds you were hearing were clearer, the colors you were seeing were brighter and you felt—intoxicated.

“Welcome to my world, my dear” Karina kisses your forehead. “Now we can finally be together….forever”

P.S. post transition moments

The first thing you felt wasn't Karina’s words of warmth but the fresh body of your bully. When you gained your senses you ran towards it and started devouring her flesh. Karina was shocked but you earned a chuckle from her. Knowing that newborn vampires are usually really out of control.

“Eat up, darlin’ as much as you need.” Karina called out with sweetness in her tone, sparkles all around her face.

[fdeegbffi]

Sukuna x female reader.

Summary:

Sukuna was always a cold hearted king. However meeting you revealed his vulnerable side. He loves you, he really does, but he cannot let his people know he has a soft spot for a woman so he replaces you. Heartbroken you flee. What will he do next?

Inspiration from this girlie❤️:

Really loved this idea and I wanted to recreate it with a little twist.

The Cursed King’s Regret (Pt1)

I think

In a world steeped in darkness, Ryomen Sukuna ruled as an unforgiving king. His name alone was enough to send tremors through the hearts of even the bravest souls, and his power, feared and unchallenged, was the stuff of legend. But hidden away in the shadows of his imposing castle was a secret he kept from everyone—even from the woman who unknowingly held his heart.

You were that woman, a gentle presence in the cursed king's life. Sukuna had never intended to care for anyone, let alone fall in love. His life had always been one of darkness and control, his emotions buried deep hidden from the eyes of the living. But there was something about you that slipped past his defenses, capturing his attention and, eventually, his heart. He loved you with an intensity that scared him, a possessiveness that he couldn’t fully understand. Yet he never let you see how deeply his feelings ran. He wore his cruelty like a shield, hiding his vulnerability behind harsh words and a cold demeanor. Still, you could sense his vulnerability in his gaze and how you were treated slightly different from everybody else

As the months went by, you found yourself falling for Sukuna. You began to see the man behind the mask, and you hoped that one day, he would let down his guard and show his true feelings for you like you did to him. But then, something changed. Sukuna started visiting you less often. When he did, his gaze was distant, his mind elsewhere. Eventually, you discovered the reason why: he had taken in another woman. She looked so much like you that it was almost as if she were your twin. At first, you tried to brush it off, telling yourself you were imagining things, that you were being irrational. But as time passed, the truth became impossible to ignore. He WAS replacing you.

You felt your heart shatter, and the realization that you were just a stand-in for someone else made you sink in desperation. The depression settled in slowly, until the castle that had once felt like a strange kind of home became a prison. You couldn’t bear to stay in a place where you were no longer wanted, where your presence had become invisible.

So, one night, while Sukuna was away, you made your escape. You took nothing with you except some food and the memories that haunted you. Slipping through the castle’s shadows, you disappeared into the darkened forest beyond, determined to find a life far away from the man who had unknowingly broken your heart.

You wandered for days, finding temporary refuge in the solitude of the wilderness and the anonymity of small villages where no one knew your story. You tried to rebuild your life, but the ache of what you had lost stayed with you. It was a wound that refused to heal, a scar that remained tender to the touch.

Back at the castle, Sukuna returned to find your chambers empty. At first, he dismissed your absence, thinking you were simply avoiding him. But as the days passed without a word from you, a feeling of unease began to gnaw at him. It wasn’t long before he realized with a sinking dread that you were gone.

The woman who resembled you so closely brought him no comfort. In fact, her presence only served to remind him of what he had lost. Sukuna, the feared king who had never known fear himself, felt panic rising within him for the first time. He himself searched the castle, the grounds, and the surrounding lands, but there was no trace of you.

When his own efforts failed, he sent out troops to scour the kingdom, ordering them to find you and bring you back at any cost. Days turned into weeks, and still, there was no sign of you. The possibility that he had lost you forever began to weigh heavily on him.

He had been a fool, and now he knew it. His pride, his fear of showing vulnerability, had driven you away, and now the thought of you out there somewhere, heartbroken and alone, tormented him. Sukuna cursed himself for his arrogance, for his failure to show you what you truly meant to him. He would tear the world apart to find you, and when he did, he would do everything in his power to make things right—if you would let him. For the first time, he understood that all the power and fear in the world meant nothing if they couldn’t bring you back to his side.

In the quiet of your new life, you tried to move on, to forget the cursed king who had broken your heart. But deep down, a part of you still longed for him, still wondered if he had ever truly cared. As you lived day by day, unaware of the chaos your absence had unleashed, the world seemed to hold its breath, waiting for the moment when Sukuna would finally find you.

Because when he did, nothing would ever be the same.

[jaimexbrienne-fic-finder]

I would like to read more Braime fics in the style of "Brienne, Plain and Tall" of greenmtwoman (Historical AU with angst but much fluff and romantic smut too)✨✨✨

In Better Light by winterkill

Perhaps Cersei was right, and every ounce of sense and bravery Jaime possessed was lost with his hand. Sansa Stark is my last chance for honor. He really said that to her? Brienne latched onto the sentiment like a hunting hound to the scent of its quarry. 

Before dawn, Jaime rises from his bed, wide awake and with a sense of renewed purpose.

I’m going to go with her.

Yearning by doomedchickyn

Try a Little Tenderness by dreadwulf

Found Wanting by dreadwulf

Brienne is still convinced that the entire affair is a joke on her. Surely there is a real bride somewhere in the castle, who will be brought out once the crowd has had a good laugh at the cow in a satin gown. When she said as much to her intended, he said it was surely a joke on them both. Let them laugh, he said. What’s funnier is that Queen Daenerys made the match in the first place – she must have thought them intolerable to one another. The Beauty and the Kingslayer. Surely Brienne could see the humor in it?

you who know what love is by cardinalgirl75

In order to secure his brother's happiness, Ser Jaime agrees to remarry someone his father deems suitable for a man of his station. His neighbor's spinster daughter, Lady Brienne, is not one of his options.

The Rancher and the Mail Order Bride by ShirleyAnn66

For two hundred years, Medietos, the fifth continent discovered west of the Sunset Sea, was used as the dumping ground for Westeros' unwanted prisoners. The desolate and unpopulated land was intended to be a death sentence...only some prisoners survived and thrived. Now they've gained their independence and need more women to help turn the fledgling country into a home.

Brienne Tarth can find no place or purpose in Westeros and no man to wed her. With a hostile stepmother and two young sisters to protect, she agrees to marry Ronnet Connington, sight unseen, in one last attempt to find a home. With equal parts hope and fear, she sets out for Brandywine Hill, a small settlement in the western plains of Medietos.

Jaime Lannister, transported at the age of 17 for killing Mad King Aerys, may have staked a claim in Brandywine Hill but he still yearns for the woman he loves and the life he left behind, and he's willing to move all seven heavens and all seven hells to return home.

...home isn't always what one expects.

Run Mad As Often As You Choose by brynnmck

Faced with the untimely death of her brother and the resulting threat of losing her guardianship of her wards, Sansa and Arya Stark, Lady Brienne Tarth determines that she has no choice but to dress and act as Galladon until such time as she can see Sansa safely married. Enter infamous rake Jaime Lannister, Lord Casterly, sent to secure Sansa's hand on behalf of the marquess Aerys Targaryen. It should be a most fortunate arrangement, except that much as Brienne's present is not all it seems, neither is Jaime's past, and--quite inconveniently for both--they find themselves wondering whether they might have a future together.

Or: five times Brienne refused Jaime's proposal, and one time she proposed to him. (And also she's wearing 19th-century men's fashion because of reasons and fuck the patriarchy.)

The Shooting Party by sea_spirit

Scotland, 1921. When Brienne finds out her father is bringing an unwelcome guest from her past to join a shooting party at Winterfell, Sansa suggests that she ask her friend Lord Jaime Lannister for his assistance. Part 1 of The Shooting Party verse

The Arrangement by tarthiana

Recently widowed, Lady Brienne Wagstaff does not have many options. Without an heir, she will be forced to give up her home and cannot protect the staff from her late husband's cruel cousin. Brienne enlists the help of her new rakish neighbor, Lord Jaime Lannister, to help secure her future and provide a Wagstaff heir.

Heat by goldstraw

Summer, 1956. An unexceptional town, somewhere in the middle of America.

“I saw a doctor.”

“Down a back-alley? You in trouble, or something?” He shifted again, hand resting on his hat, as if he was about to run. Unease flared in her stomach. He was definitely trouble with a capital T but she didn’t want another dead person on her conscience. “Let me see your arm.”

Updates every few days.

Under My Left Ribs by SeeThemFlying

He shone. He smirked.

He's despicable, Brienne would tell herself, just so she did not forget.

Despicable.

A Jaime/Brienne Jane Eyre AU.

[patchwork-crow-writes]

I am rotating transfemme Ralsei in my head now. I knew it was a thing but your post really made me SEE IT. I’ve also been reading through your poly fun gang works and that combined with Rouxls throuple comment made me write something myself (and start… two other longer fics because my god these three)

This is a very funny ask to receive, because up until very recently I have been what you might call "transfem Ralsei-agnostic" - I saw the interpretation, it made sense to me, but it didn't really call out to me the same way it did others. My main exposure to transfem Ralsei has been through the stellar @acaciapines and xir amazing Deltarune fics - I wholeheartedly recommend you read them just for how good they are!

I want to say that, before we begin, I am a cishet, gender-conforming male in my early 30s, so if I at any point come across as insensitive or I get something wrong, please do let me know and I will do my utmost to address it and improve as I move forward. Heaven knows trans folks have it hard enough right now without ignorant or ill-thought-out comments from well-meaning people salting their wounds.

Evidence has been steadily growing for the idea that Ralsei may end up transitioning mid-story, either as a way to better assert and express her growing self-identity, or as a giant middle-finger to the Prophecy which has controlled her life up to that point. It's started in tiny trickles - the word PRINCE being highlighted yellow when he first mentions it to Kris, indicating its plot importance; his reaction to the Spamton-mannequin dress, which it has been noted was the same dress worn by Mettaton, who is himself considered an allegory for transition; and the use of the track Lost Girl when it's discovered that Ralsei's room in the castle is completely empty, which prompts a discussion where he talks about developing his own opinions and personality.

All of these point to the possibility that Ralsei could very well become a princess before the story concludes, and considering the significance of the Prophecy foretelling all that is fated to happen, gains a new narrative significance as a way for her to escape the doom set before them. These combined make a compelling case, to be sure, and I would be very happy were that to actually occur in canon.

Now, I realise I must tread quite carefully here, because I don't want to give the impression that I think the transfem interpretation of Ralsei is in any way "lesser" to the current canon Ralsei. I adore Ralsei no matter what gender he or she will choose to identify with - if indeed he settles for one gender at all. I do feel that both interpretations of Ralsei have something valuable to say, however - Ralsei as a gender-non-conforming male who is nurturing, compassionate, wears dress-like clothing and partakes in traditionally "feminine" hobbies such as sewing and baking, works as a potential role-model for young males who wish to exhibit those behaviours but fear being judged for it. On the other hand, a transfem Ralsei who chooses that identity wholeheartedly and for her own selfish reasons is also an incredibly rousing idea that could be a huge boon for those who wish to follow in her footsteps.

Both are equally valid, of course, and I would be happy no matter what Toby has in store for Ralsei... my only concern is that these clues are hinting at this grand revelation only for it to amount to nothing, and I feel that people would find themselves VERY hard done by were that to be the case. I understand the need for Toby to hint at this development, especially if it does become plot-relevant as we've theorised... but the lack of more concrete foreshadowing and evidence has me slightly concerned. I suppose all we can do for now is wait and see.

OR! Maybe they could make Ralsei multigender/genderfluid as a way to express her shifting identity as he grapples with himself. Fitting that when faced with the idea of "your choices don't matter", Ralsei might go "But what if I DON'T choose? Check and mate, prophecy!"

And with that, I, Patchwork "cisgender male" Crow, shall take my leave, before I really DO overstep my bounds and wind up being pelted with tomatoes.

...

Agh, I got so caught up in the transfem Ralsei discussion I completely forgot about the 2nd half of this ask! I'm really pleased that you liked my poly Ralsei works, and that they inspired you to write your own! I'd love to read them when they're complete, so please send me a link whenever's convenient :D

[wildflowervol6]

drarry fic recs - Hogwarts Eighth Year pt. 2

i have a lot of these hehe, so part 2

lessgoooooooooo

Written on the Heart by who_la_hoop

Harry doesn’t mind that so many Slytherins from his year have returned to finish their NEWTs, really he doesn’t. It’s just – do they have to be so friendly? He’s not prejudiced, really he’s not. It’s just – they’ve got to be up to something, right? Unnerved by the attention he’s attracting from everyone – the Slytherins are the least of it, to be fair – and struggling with a raft of changes to Hogwarts itself, Harry wishes he could be happy that one constant remains: Draco Malfoy really fucking hates him.

When he’s hit by an illegal love-spell though, Harry finds he has more to worry about than whether or not Blaise Zabini actually wants to be his friend. For if everyone affected has been blessed – or cursed, by the look on Malfoy’s face – with a magical tattoo revealing the name of their soulmate, what does it mean that Harry’s skin remains completely bare?

Ex Nihilo (And Other Feats of An Untrained Veela) by Kandakicksass

Ever since returning to Hogwarts, Harry has had nothing to do with Draco Malfoy, who exists at the bottom of the social ladder and is just trying to survive their "eighth year."

One veela presentation (and Harry's natural resistance to veela allure) changes all of that.

Lumos by birdsofshore

Harry never expected to spend eighth year listening to Draco Malfoy wanking.

Storm in a Teacup by Faith Wood (faithwood)

For reasons he'd rather not think about, Draco is obsessed with Potter's hair. This cannot end well.

Nice Things by aideomai 

The first thing that happened was Theodore Nott came back from France.

Hey, Potter by SunseticMonster

Harry returns to Hogwarts for his 8th year, determined not to let Malfoy get to him. But when the snarky teasing starts up again, Harry finds that returning the jibes with compliments has a far more interesting outcome.

Then Comes a Mist and a Weeping Rain by Faith Wood (faithwood)

It always rains for Draco Malfoy. Metaphorically. And literally. Ever since he had accidentally Conjured a cloud. A cloud that's ever so cross.

Through the Looking Glass and What Draco Found There by magpie_fngrl

Draco discovers the Mirror of Erised is a portal and he enters an alternate reality where your deepest desires come true. Or how Draco found himself in the world of his dreams and Potter had to come and ruin it.

when evil blooms by thedoomofvalyria

Harry wanted a normal 8th year, but the mysterious and beautiful flowers growing around the castle have other ideas. They're up to something. And so is Draco Malfoy.

Nyctophilia by red_leonne

Everyone's back for 8th year, and Harry and his friends seem determined to spend their last year in school running around at night, hyped up on coffee and alcohol and Honeydukes candy, doing all the childish things they didn't have the chance to do before. Draco watches as he's always watched: from afar, quiet and bitter and hopelessly in love. That is, until Pansy decides she's had quite enough of it.

Every New Beginning by fencer_x

“You curl your lip and wrinkle your nose and sneer and call me Saviour, yet you only seek my help at the eleventh hour. That’s what’s fucked up, Malfoy.” || Draco Malfoy is dead, and Harry is absolutely totally fine with that.

White Lies by cassisluna

Draco drinks a potion that makes him know if a person is lying, and Harry, apparently at fault that Draco is this way, is forced to 'help' him with the effects of the potion. For the first time, they deal with each other with no lies to hide behind.

Sod Off Potter. by Bellad0nna

When Harry wakes up to a strange voice invading his head he feels as if he should be far more surprised and concerned than he actually is. Although it's to be expected at this point, after all there is always 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 wrong and it almost always involves Malfoy.

Or that one where Draco and Harry find themselves connected through some kind of ancient legilimency bond and decide to work together to figure it out. Love ensues.

Hungry by birdsofshore

The first thing Harry knew about it was when he woke up lying on a bed in the hospital wing, with his arm firmly stuck to the scrawny, milk-white arm of Draco bloody Malfoy.

the in-betweens by derekmaliknurse

A tale of inter-house unity, Dirty Dancing, the various charms of certain Gryffindors and the Slytherins who fall for them, and Celestina Warbeck, in which Harry James Potter shares a room with one Draco Malfoy and despite seven years of past seething hatred, has the time of his life.

i have more of these, stay tuned mwah

xoxo

link to pt. 1

[batneko]

(once again working on crossposting all my idea threads from bluesky. I've got several bowuigi ones saved up so I'll space them out.)

(minimal editing sorry)

Been thinking about an angsty bowuigi idea that I probably won't write because then I'd have to have like, a plot and a resolution. but it's fun to think about.

Bowser and Luigi hooked up in the heat of the moment and have been sort of feeling things out, no labels yet but it's been nice… But then Peach gets kidnapped and everyone thinks Bowser did it, and Luigi is heartbroken because he thinks this means Bowser was still in love with her, and their fling meant nothing. Bowser DIDN'T do it, but he chases after the guy that did for unrelated reasons. He doesn't even know Peach is gone.

Eventually Bowser agrees to work with this other villain, so the misunderstanding about the kidnapping part doesn't get cleared up. At the end of the adventure, the villain's plan is foiled, but it leads to a black hole opening up and Bowser and the other villain are both sucked in.

They don't come out again. Everyone thinks they're dead. Luigi is conflicted, because while he was mad at Bowser at the end he certainly didn't want him to DIE. Not to mention his son is an orphan now. Everybody who was involved feels horrible about how it ended. Then Luigi discovers he's pregnant.

(idk if this is omegaverse or trans Luigi, or heck, maybe babies are delivered by stork)

Anyway, although it's not a GOOD surprise, Luigi decides to keep the baby in large part because he thinks it will be good for Junior to know he still has family. It's awkward at first, but it helps them both.

Five years pass. A lot changes. And suddenly Bowser pops out of the sky with no knowledge that any time has passed at all. He manages to find out he's been "dead" for years, but he runs into Luigi before he gets back home. Luigi, who is wearing a ring and accompanied by a child that looks entirely human.

(she's actually got little horns and can breathe fire, but that's not obvious at the moment) Bowser assumes that Luigi must have moved on pretty much the moment he disappeared, which means that their fling didn't mean anything to him at all. He's heartbroken now too, and it's a lot more fresh.

So he completely dismisses Luigi when he tries to talk to him, in the cruelest way he can, and when he gets back to the castle there's so much to catch him up on that Luigi's status slips through the cracks. When someone tries to bring him up, Bowser just roars that he doesn't want to talk about it.

Finally someone does manage to talk about Luigi and be like "I'm surprised you don't want to spend as much time with your daughter as you can, since you already missed so much," and Bowser is just like, "what."

Luigi was wearing a ring because it was just easier for him and Junior to claim he was Bowser's "consort."

Junior is a preteen now and VERY conflicted about everything. Like, he loves his dad and is thrilled he's alive! But he kind of got used to being in charge. And was his dad always this childish and short-tempered? That's not how he remembered him…

The misunderstanding about the little princess is cleared up, but not about everything else. Luigi still thinks Bowser didn't care about him and had feelings for Peach. Bowser takes the fact that Luigi didn't try harder to contact him the last few days as confirmation that Luigi doesn't care.

But at the same time, neither of their feelings went away. Luigi almost wishes Bowser had stayed dead, because he'd already dealt with his grief, this is a whole NEW mess. And yet he hates himself for feeling that way.

Bowser is just miserable in general. The kingdom was fine without him. EVERYONE was fine without him. His own daughter sees him as a stranger because he IS.

That's all I got! I told you it was angsty! 🙌

If I actually wrote it as a fic somehow, probably the other villain would also come back and that would slowly start unraveling the other misunderstandings. Like, the guy would try to kidnap Peach again and Luigi would realize it wasn't Bowser before. Or maybe Luigi finally talks to Peach about the whole thing (it hurt too much before) and learns he's been wrong all this time.

Bowser would start trying to control his temper because it scares his daughter, and realize that he probably made Luigi feel unwanted just like he feels now and apologize for what he said at their reunion. Junior would realize that NOT being in charge is great actually.

But mostly I'm just enjoying thinking about all the Hurt lol.

I want them to fuck at least once BEFORE everything gets cleared up. They both still think the other doesn't care, but they want each other too bad to deny. They're aggressively pretending this is just physical and means nothing and unknowingly making it worse for themselves.

I also want there to be at least one moment where Junior takes Luigi's side in an argument, and Bowser is FLOORED. What do you mean you don't agree, I'm your FATHER. And Junior is just like, I mean yeah but you're still wrong…

[mari--556]

Cendrillon 👠🗡

Check the full mv here ! If you've already watched it, you might wonder why Cantarella Fukase and Flower appear in this one... let me explain (not) briefly under the cut ! (CW for drugging/abuse, implied SA and death)

(This storyline is inspired by own interpretation of Cantarella and Cendrillon's lyrics with a lot of liberties and stretching !)

Cantarella tells a story where Fukase is deeply enamoured of Flower to the point he's obsessed with her. They get to know each other as Fukase tries to stay modered. That's why he's wearing a mask, after all ; he deceives her by hiding his true intentions, as to not scare her off. He only removes it once, and that is when he hands Flower a red rose, showing his passion for her, as he says "捕まえて", which translates to "I'll seize you". For once, he's not deceiving her. He does love her and stands by the fact he will do anything to keep her all for himself. Flower does wear a mask too ; she partakes in that flirting game and plays hard to get as to draw Fukase's attention to her. But inside, her intentions with love are pure showed as she plays the violin in a garden full of white roses. Although that game amuses Fukase at first, the more time he spends with her, he figures he can't bring himself to wait any longer and decides to pour Cantarella (supposedly a poison) into her drink to drug her. Unless once he realises he can't have control over what Flower does and most importantly who she spends time with all the time, he drugs her again and again, fearing she might go away if he didn't do it, and he couldn't bear losing her. But his fears eventually become reality as she dies, probably from overdose. Shortly after, it's Fukase's turn to meet death. If he felt guilty or he just couldn't handle life without her anymore, no one would know.

In another world, Flower receives an invitation to Fukase's ball. She's incredibly excited to meet the prince in person after exchanging letters and hopes to dance with him. When it's time to go to the castle, she finds a lady who wears the exact same dress as her wearing a cloak over her face as she gets on the carriage. After a while, the lady removes her cloak, only for Flower to discover in shock that the lady looks like an exact copy of herself behind her mask. The lady proceeds to explain she's an apparition that only Flower can see and that they are the same person. The Flower of this world is from Cendrillon, and the other came here after dying in Cantarella. She tells her how things went with the Fukase from her world as to warn Flower of what could happen to her tonight; she and her Fukase had only spoke through letters until now. It was very easy to deceive someone through written words. Flower decides to trust her other-wordly self ; if she made her way through dimensions, it must be for a good reason... right? Cantarella Flower gives her a dagger and asks Cendrillon Flower to kill Fukase before he does harm to her or anyone else. She starts shaking, wanting to cry. She was so excited for tonight. All she wanted was to live her own fairy tale. When the carriage stops and the door opens, she's greeted by the prince himslef. Seeing her shaking, he mistakes her being cold and holds her in his arms as they climb the stairs to the castle. The other Flower disappeared, leaving Flower confused as to what to do. The night goes well, so well. She's getting along with the prince and he seems to fancy her in a timid and delicate way as much as she does. But she can't stop thinking about the dagger hidden under her dress. Everything seems so perfect, as she always dreamed. Even though she tries to conceal her tears, Fukase notices and brings her somewhere they can be alone. He tries comforting her, but she won't say anything. Cantarella Flower can't take it anymore. All the rage contained in her since the first time Fukase drugged her, the pain she felt living through every second of torture while being unable of controlling her own actions brought her to the edge. She coudln't witness being used like a doll to Fukase's liking once again. As she watched the scene, she noticed her own Fukase, standing besides this world's. He looked at her with no emotion on his face. She couldn't take it anymore, and before she could realise, she took possession of Cendrillon Flower's body and stabbed Cendrillon Fukase. When Cendrillon Flower came back to herself, she watched in horror her own hand holding the dagger piercing her lover's thorax. They both fell to the ground, apologies flowing from her lips and tears rolling down her face. Her prince didn't look mad or confused. He bit his lips from the pain, but remained eyes locked with hers. He reassured her as much as he could, knowing there was no good ending for him. He told her how deeply he wanted to learn to love her even more than he already did. She couldn't stop crying and begged the prince to stab her, menacing to do it herself if he wouldn't. Cantarella Fukase and Flower looked at each other. Before walking away, Fukase said : "We can change from an universe to another. What doesn't change is our fate. If our paths meet, we're bound to doom. We're done here. Farewell, or see you in another universe."

Never trust me when I say "briefly", "quickly" or any other synonyms.

[earthlyruins]

"beauty and the beast au where zoro's the beast and sanji's—" okay sure yeah but what about when sanji's the beast and zoro's the beaut.

zoro's good with kids and good with math. we've seen this. we've experienced it. he play fights with the kids regularly and helps out with stocks and sales of local shops

think of link twilight princess... big brother swordsman

also better than All of the knights in the village. this includes a very certain red, blue, and green haired trio. they're all very bitter about it. among other things

zoro's also the only person to ever use three swords so like. there's that. everyone thinks he has a few screws loose. he doesn't. or so he proclaims

insert kuina backstory... he makes a promise to himself to become the greatest swordsman in the world. it's just that he's, in a word, broke. and also a little sentimental but don't let nami hear him say that

judge is the head of this mini military and is very adamant on trying to recruit zoro to siege the palace on the hill. for Some Reason.

nami conspires with zoro that it's because he has some long lost enemy up there. Little Does She Know

meanwhile sanji lives alone in the castle, cursed. but not in the way you'd think. rather than a hulking beast, he's pretty much the same if not for the fact that he has a helmet on his head. thanks, dad.

thinking about the rest of the straw hats being little dancing singing objects. that was more or less an accidental side effect of the curse (sanji took off his helmet once, and it knocked luffy into a candle and ussop into a clock and well.)

he's slowly starving (hence why he tried to take the helmet off). the cook who cannot taste his food. throw in a wilting rose metaphor and when the last petal falls is when he dies

fortunately he has an old man by the name of zeff who literally won't let that happen. also all his friends that will fight death to keep sanji kicking

quite literally in some cases

so that's why when nami goes missing trying to explore the mysterious castle and zoro immediately goes to follow her, zeff practically knocks down his door to set the fear of god in him

too bad zoro doesn't believe in any god

but hey fine he won't hurt the creature in the castle. creature. period. zeff hits him over the head with a baguette

zoro finds nami and also sanji. decides in a split moment to announce he'll trade places with her. she is sitting on a couch. unharmed. she wouldn't have Been harmed. nami proceeds to call him a fucking idiot

sanji laughs at him, and zoro refuses to leave out of spite. he learns that sanji is a priss and a prince or sometimes a princess depending on the day, that he has a brilliant passion for cooking (whose skills are similar to a certain chef back in the village), and that when he laughs, zoro finds himself laughing too.

discovers sanji's dream of the all blue, and zoro finds himself telling sanji about his dream of becoming the greatest swordsman, of wado, of kuina

and eventually, Eventually, he finds out the details of sanji's curse. why he sometimes can't dredge out the energy to get out of bed (and why it's getting more and more frequent these days), and why he can't take off that helmet when the key is right there. and what the flower is all about.

proceeds to Book It when sanji tells him about judge and his brothers. except he doesn't tell sanji this, so sanji is sitting around in the castle, heartbroken and wondering Why he's heartbroken, while zoro is marching back to his village, Pissed

zeff pulls him aside though and they go and find reiju after zoro tells him that sanji's condition is worsening

zoro comes Back but this time with sanji's real dad and sister in tow and after a lot of tears and yelling (at zoro) ((and zeff)) (((then at zoro again))) they devise a plan on how to take judge down.

zoro plans on beating up ichiji niji and yonji simultaneously which sanji disagrees with. specifically because he wants to be the one to kick niji into next week

yadayadayada insert fight scene bc this is already ungodly long and judge gets exiled and imprisoned. niji gets drop kicked. the helmet comes off just as the timer runs out (thinking that the only way it could come off was to not only have someone fall For "the beast" but to have said beast love himself too. which zoro did. #love)

happily ever after. sanji eats and cooks and zoro fights and they take care of each other and find all blue. okay goodnight

[karleksmumskladdkaka]

DIABOLIK LOVERS DAYLIGHT Vol. 7 Mukami Ruki Animate Tokuten Drama CD: “Sleeping Together ★ With Vampire"

Audio

No, not that kind of sleeping together.

...And yet somehow not really the other kind either because despite it's title there is LITTLE TO NO SLEEPING TOGETHER GOING ON AT ALL except at the very end TᴖT TᴖT TᴖT My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined.

Ok ok I'm obviously being overdramatic. Misleading name aside the CD is enjoyable and cute just...not at all in the way I was expecting (that being something akin to the Sleeping Vampire Scenario from Vandead Carnival but, alas, no). But oh well, I got to hear Ruki be all deredere towards the end so it's fine I guess lol

Ideally I'd create an actual translation to go along with this (I might do so sometime in the future, unless someone more competent does it first) but for now I've put a summary of the story under the cut. I ask that you please have mercy on me though, I am not used to writing this kind of stuff and it probably shows >﹏<;

Regardless, I hope you enjoy ( ﾉ^ω^)ﾉ ��⁺₊☽⁺₊⋆

UPDATE: The CD now has an actual translation courtesy of my fellow Ruki stan @otomehonyaku o(^o^)o please go check it out if you haven't already!

[Disclaimer: I always allow my stuff to be used for translation purposes, as long as I am credited. But please do not reupload the audio anywhere]

Summary ~*×*☆*+*~

[Please note that there may be mistakes or I might've misinterpreted parts of the CD. I apologize in advance (╥﹏╥)]

The CD starts with Ruki encountering Yui, who is carrying an unusually large package. Curious, Ruki asks her what she's doing, and learns that Kou has tasked her with delivering the package to him (Ruki). Ruki is somewhat perplexed as he doesn't recall requesting anything of the kind. Yui suggests that it might be a surprise gift, but Ruki is skeptical. He wants to ask Kou directly but is reminded that he is currently away on a location shoot. With a resigned sigh, Ruki decides that he has no choice but to open the package in Kou's absence. He asks Yui to hand the package to him, and then invites her to come along to his room to find out what's inside. She eagerly accepts, and they head off together.

In Ruki's room they take a seat (on what I assume to be the sofa) and open the package. Inside, there are various wooden pieces resembling parts of something, along with a letter from Kou. Ruki reads the letter aloud and it's revealed that the package contains a (*drumroll*)... puzzle! And not just any puzzle but a ✨️3D puzzle✨️. In the letter Kou encourages Ruki and Yui to assemble the parts together to discover what they will form. Since he's got spare time on his hands Ruki decides to have a go at it, with Yui joining in.

After a while of working on the puzzle, Ruki asks Yui how her part is coming along. She shows him, and he comments that she's doing better than he anticipated. He helps her out with some difficult pieces before instructing her to continue on her own. Yui asks Ruki if this is his first time putting together a 3D puzzle, and he replies that he's tried some before, but that this particular type is new to him. Yui is eager to learn what it is they are building, and Ruki, not wanting to dampen her anticipation, pretends he still can't quite figure out what the finished thing will be either (awww ♡). Ruki suggests that rather than moving their mouths they should focus on moving their hands as with their current pace the puzzle won't be finished. He reasons that the faster they move the sooner they'll have their curiosity satisfied. Yui agrees to work faster and Ruki promises to do the same.

They pick up the pace and eventually the puzzle is done. The assembled pieces have formed a small foreign castle, and Ruki reveals that he suspected as much from the start. He surmises that Kou must have remembered their expressed desire to visit such a castle after seeing one by chance on one of his TV shows. Ruki acknowledges Kou's attempt to make the two of them happy in his own way. He praises Yui for doing a great job despite not knowing what they were actually assembling, noting that the part she made fits perfectly into the castle.

However, there is no response from Yui, causing a puzzled (ahaha) Ruki to remark on her lack of reaction to something she had been so excited about. Turning his head to the side to look at her, Ruki discovers that she's fallen asleep with her head resting on his shoulder. He comments on the privilege of such a sleeping position but acknowledges that it's understandable she'd fall asleep since it's past their usual bedtime. She had seemed so engrossed in their work that he didn't notice her drifting off.

Ruki carries Yui to his bed and gently places her there, saying that she should have just told him that she was tired. He realizes that she likely made an effort to stay awake until the end, though she ultimately fell asleep. Deciding that it would be a good time for him to go to sleep as well, he tidies up and hides the little castle under the table, so that he'll be able to see Yui's reaction to it in the morning.

Returning to the bed, Ruki asks Yui to scoot over to make room for him, but she's sleeping too soundly to hear. He lies down next to her and (in true Mukami Ruki fashion) begins observing Yui's sleeping face. He notes how relaxed her expression is and wonders if it's because she's tired out from using her brain (lmao rude). Ruki then ponders what kind of face Yui will make when she wakes up—will she feel guilty for falling asleep before the puzzle was finished, or will she be surprised and embarrassed to find him laying next to her? Regardless of what her reaction will be, Ruki knows that it'll be enjoyable to witness. But he's certain she'll be happy once she sees the completed puzzle and admits to himself that he really wants to see that expression on her face. He's aware that it's out of character for him, and thinks that he might even have trouble falling asleep from the excitement (asdfsdjfj this is too fucking cute I can't)

Ruki decides that he should thank Kou for the useful gift by making him his favorite food for dinner tomorrow. The mention of dinner causes Yui to stir (what a relatable Queen), and Ruki teases her for being greedy. He assures the still-sleeping girl that she doesn't need to worry; he'll make her favorite dish as well as a reward for her hard work on the puzzle.

The CD ends with Ruki saying how he looks forward to seeing Yui's reaction the following day.

Fin ~*×*☽*+*~

- _(´ω`_)⌒)_

[roxineedstosleep]

Kid Fic Merlín Idea!!

Arthur, watching as Merlin fell asleep on the floor after playing with Uther's decorative swords… and wondering what redeemable excuse he can create with George so that Merlin won't be the youngest person to go to the dungeon.

---------------------------

Merlin Kid Fic idea

Hunith decides to send her son to Gauis, everything follows the canon plot… until the moment where the false Lady Helen almost kills Arthur.

Instead of a dagger, she casts a spell. Merlin, noticing that he can't pull Arthur back with him, decides to push him towards Uther, causing the spell to fall on him.

And well… the false Helen dies shortly after, so there's no way to know what spell it is and everything else.

Within all the confusion and Uther trying to reward Merlin publicly, he realizes in the middle of his speech that where there was once a young man, there is a small boy - at most 8 years old, he doesn't know because of how skinny he is - trying to stand up despite the fact that his clothes are now too big for him. A boy who starts crying when he notices that he is not with his mother and that his uncle Gauis looks old and wrinkled.

And Gauis now not only has to care for a child, once his nearly adult nephew, but he can't do it at all because he has to figure out how to reverse the rejuvenation spell. Not to mention that Uther legitimately owes Merlin a life debt.

So, after much consideration, and much to Arthur and Morgana's dismay, the king makes a decision that helps everyone.

Uther decides to make Merlin an apprentice to the prince's main servant, under George's care. That, in part, covers some of the debt he owed Merlin, and helps Gauis.

Merlin is too young to do what an apprentice healer does (things like carrying the sick, going to where the illnesses are, treating broken bones or stitching wounds; which was what Gauis needed from him), not to mention that without that, he would have no one to watch over him all the time Gauis is outside the castle. Not to mention that Gauis is a bit old to keep up with a child.

But, Merlin is not too young to be part of the royal family's line of servants. Under proper care, he not only has someone to watch over him all the time and take care of him, but he would have a well-paying job when they manage to get him out of the spell.

Now. That's where the whole plot begins, with a child Merlin, under the care of George and the entire royal family's house of friends, trying to do his job.

Gauis is the first, as in canon, to discover that Merlin has magic. And, since he knows that Merlin can't fully control it, he's always on edge trying to find the cure for the spell.

George would be the second to find out, because we're talking about his apprentice. Something that makes him just as nervous as Gauis, because - albeit for the wrong reasons - he believes that the rejuvenation spell not only turned a young man into a child, but also gave him magic.

And, because George knows about Merlin's magic, ALL the servants and maids in the royal family know that Merlin not only turned into a child, but that it also gave him magic.

And everyone, because we're talking about a child, decides to act crazy and blind about it.

The last one to discover Merlín's magic was Arthur. But no so far from the tome of George's discovery. Almost at the same week, though. He was, for not say the least, terrified of the consecuences of Merlin's sacrifice. He and George think the same about the origins of Merlin's magic capacitys.

Merlin threw a tantrum, which ended with some vase exploding into thousands of strangely shaped pieces, because his flower arrangement - that ere meant for Arthur- didn't look pretty?

George and some maid make the excuse that a bird flew in through one of the windows and crashed into the vase… even though there weren't any windows in that hallway.

Do the squires and knights always complain about their armor disappearing from its place after one of them upsets Merlin?

George and some stable boy manipulate them into believing that they have left it lying there and that they do not know how to take care of their armor.

Uther asks why his boots disappear after not allowing Merlin to play with a sword?

George and Arthur lie saying that he must have left them there after staying up so late for his duties… even if the boots somehow end up on the roof.

Of course, that also makes the canon adventures a bit difficult.

We have a Tired Big Brother! George, a Near-heart attack Uncle! Gaius, a Big Brother who does not want to be a Big Brother! Arthur and all the servants and knights of the castle trying to keep up with Merlin. Who somehow or another, does not separate from the prince and seeks to protect him against all evil.

Even if it means that George, the servants and maids, and the knights of the round table are trying to hide Merlin's magic as best they can.

[icycoldninja]

Can you write a reader who’s essentially the Goddess of Rot, like Malenia from Elden Ring?

Her information on Wiki: https://eldenring.fandom.com/wiki/Malenia,_Blade_of_Miquella

She’s the Goddess of Rot, the reason why her body is constantly rotting is because of the fact that her mother and father is the same person

(Imagine having to explain to your bf that your mother and father are the same person as your father were described as your mom’s male other self. Thus the twins ( her bigger brother and her ) were the children of a single god, and they were both born afflicted: Her with rotting sickness and her big brother who looks like a 12 year old is actually much older than her with eternal childhood.)

Imagine: The boys first met her during their mission, she mistaken them as an intruder in her castle, basically going from praising them to straight up berating and mocking them for their choices before they fight. They ended up being the victor but not without having long lasting injuries due to her sickness and blade. After that, they remain civil then enter the relationship

P/S: Malenia is a very tall lady so I hope you have the reader at that height. Not much writers write abt tall ladies

Oh yes, here you go!

Sparda boys + V x Goddess of Rot!Reader headcannons

¤ Dante ¤

-When Dante mistakenly entered your castle while looking for something related to his mission, he was shocked to find a giant woman with rotting skin.

-He thought you were funny for berating and mocking him, and Dante being Dante, he decided to engage in a roast battle with you.

-He won the battle but lost the war. You ended up defeating him, somehow, but nearly lost your own life thanks to the injuries you sustained.

-After this defeat, Dante decided to stick around, help you out, and get to know you a bit more, discovering you were actually a really nice lady.

-Can't wrap his mind around how your parents are the same person. Seriously though, how does that physically work? Did your parent pull a Vergil and split itself or what?

-He does kinda want to meet your big brother, though, to see if he's anything like his brother.

■ Vergil ■

-Vergil wandered into your castle by accident and you ended up mistaking him for an intruder.

-What happened next was a battle of wits, which you won, then came an actual battle, which you won, at a terrible price.

-For whatever reason, he decided to call a truce after watching you sink to the floor covered in blood, later helping you patch up your wounds.

-Upon discovering the nature of your affliction, Vergil felt a great deal of sympathy for you. Yours must be a painful existence. If only there was a way to cure you.

-He was extremely confused when you told him your parents were actually one person, and that person was a god. It made no sense to Vergil whatsoever.

-He couldn't believe that the boy you brought to meet him was your older brother, that was clearly a child! It's clear Vergil will have a hard time getting used to this bizarre family.

□ Nero □

-Nero walked into your castle thinking he'd find his target in there. What he didn't know at the time was that he would find his future girlfriend instead.

-You mistook him as an intruder come to kill you and naturally went out and challenged him, as all goddesses do when their homes are broken into.

-Nero didn't really take you seriously until after you kicked his ass, though he noticed you were pretty badly injured too.

-His gut compelled him to stay and help you, which he did, and as you guys talked, you soon grew to be great friends.

-With the help of a diagram, Nero managed to grasp the idea behind how your "parents" were actually one person, but he's still a little confused.

-He gets so sad when he watches you rot away, and after a while, he decided he was gonna go out and look for a cure, no matter what you told him.

● V ●

-V got lost during a mission and somehow ended up in your castle.

-You assumed he was an inruder, and walked out to kick him out, which escalated to you scolding him for his mistake of entering your domain.

-V didn't expect this, but survival was his highest priority right now, so he summoned his familiars and began to fight.

-You won this battle, but your condition, combined with your many injuries, left you in a terrible physical state.

-V decided to stay with you for some unexplainable reason, getting to know you more in the process. News of how your were born and why you rotted away shocked him, but he also found it comforting. It seemed he wasn't alone in his deteriorating state.

-He will never truly comprehend how your parents are one person, but does it really matter? He loves you, not your "parents", whoever they might be.

[felixcloud6288]

Dungeon Meshi Adventurer’s Bible Characters Part 2

Senshi, Izutsumi, and Falin

Senshi

Senshi's birthday is October 2. He's 112 years old. I don't remember if or where it was talked about, but I want to say dwarfs can live to around 250. Laios said they live about 2.5 times longer than Tall-men, which would put their life expectancy around 150. Either way, Senshi is an older fellow.

His int should be higher. Make it a 3. And shouldn't his stamina be lower? Dwarfs having lower stamina was a point brought up in the changeling arc.

All of Senshi's keywords stem from his first time in the dungeon. He lost his parents when he was 22, which would be the equivalent of 8. And according to his timeline, he and the rest of Gillan's team spent two years trapped in the dungeon before Senshi was the only survivor. He was 38 when Gillan died, equivalent to 15.

There's that note how Senshi didn't have the same interest in ancient technology and minerals that the other miners did. He likely joined them simply because he wanted to follow Gillan rather than due to any personal desires. Any maybe that helped contribute to why he survived both his initial encounter in the dungeon and all the years since. The dungeon never had to bear its fangs at him because he didn't want to disturb it.

Senshi's life is so heavily tied to the dungeon. His past, his motivations, his skills, and his desires are all linked to it. I imagine that if he could have any wish, it would be to try again. He was young and inexperienced when Gillan's team came to the dungeon. He couldn't fight or hunt, and all he could do was read the maps and figure out how to escape. But he only accomplished that after everyone was dead.

He probably wishes he could show Gillan that he became strong and dependable and he could be useful to a group of explorers who are lost in the dungeon with no way to escape and no supplies. Laios gave him the chance to prove it to himself, as well as help him overcome the various other concerns he had about his past.

Senshi's relationship chart includes the members of Gillan's miners. Interestingly, we have Senshi's opinions on them and their opinions on each other, but none of their opinions on Senshi. He might not have ever known what they think of him, or maybe it's because there's no point in getting the opinions of the dead.

Senshi's maxims are "Hold your spoon properly", "We were already part of the dungeon's circle", and "I've always wanted to have this soup one more time." I'd summarize it as "Respect and understand what you eat because we are all part of the environment we live in."

And Senshi's first death was indeed to the dungeon rabbits.

All the comics in the Adventurer's Bible could be safely labeled non-canon but I want to point out how I cannot find any reasonable moment in the story where Marcille, Chilchuck, and Senshi could have sat down to have this conversation.

To start, it would have to be after chapter 49 because that was when they first heard his backstory. But Marcille doesn't seem to have the bangs she has from that moment in the story.

Second, they're in their casual attire so they couldn't be on the sixth floor because it was too cold.

Finally, The layout of the brick wall behind Senshi is the pattern from the Tall-man built castle and town, not the Dwarf ruins.

Senshi said he'd only started cooking monsters about 20 years ago. Until then, maybe he got by using the golems to grow vegetables and trade with the orcs.

Marcille's father's love of history definitely rubbed off on her. Look at how interested she is in hearing Senshi talk about his experience when the dungeon was discovered.

Did Thistle flood the fourth floor in response to influx of adventurers? Or does Senshi mean that most of the more dangerous monsters in the fourth floor are recent additions?

Izutsumi

Of all the things the Adventurer's Bible could reveal about Izutsumi, I was not expecting it to reveal that she has only one pair of nipples.

Her birthday is April 21. Her name is "Unknown". I guess she was never given a name and Izutsumi is what she decided to call herself.

Appropriate stats. I would have assumed strength was a 3, but I guess you need to be physically strong to be effective with throwing weapons.

Izutsumi's beast soul is a great cat. I'm going to guess it's a leopard of some kind. Those live in Africa and Asia.

"Izutsumi thinks that both her patchwork appearance and the fact that she can't build good relationships are the fault of the monster's soul." Izutsumi, that second one is on you.

That thing @eldritchsteamhearted said about how the cat form is the base for Izutsumi really flips the script about several things about her. I think it makes more sense to assume her personality is the cat's processed through a human intellect. When they were in the Golden Castle village, Izutsumi became passive and acted more like a lazy house cat. The barrier in the village overwrites monster personalities to act more like domestic livestock. If Izutsumi's beast soul is the dominant one, then it would make sense the barrier caused a sudden shift in her personality because it rewrote how her cat brain is supposed to act.

Even though she doesn't have the dietary restrictions a cat normally would have, she'd still have a natural preference to eat what her original cat body wants.

The Adventurer's Bible notes Izutsumi was happy to eat mushrooms when she got turned into an orc. When the party got transformed the first time, they were all fully capable of using their new bodies without issue. Senshi could walk with a body with long limbs, Marcille could process everything she was hearing without being overwhelmed, and Izutsumi behaved like a kobold in battle. The brain is a part of the body so if their bodies were transformed, it would make sense their brains would be altered and their brains would just be wired to handle their new bodies.

Anyway, Izutsumi cat brain tells her to avoid mushrooms but the orc brain she got would tell her mushrooms are yummy, hence why she loved eating them when she was an orc.

Does Izutsumi have just the one kunai?

Yeah, she liked the coat and backpack Marcille and Chilchuck gave her. That's why they're her favorites.

Chilchuck is the only one in the party who doesn't see her as a cat. And it's probably because his dad-of-three-daughters instincts keep kicking in.

Izutsumi's maxims are "You've got pretty decent taste", "Come on, Bring it. I can take you all by myself!", and "I take the paths I like". I'll sum it up as "Have the strength to not need to rely on others so you can do and enjoy the things you want."

Death by shock is a rather bizarre death. And it was played for laughs when it happened.

I've seen the Izutsumi comic previously. There was a little hint of her preferring to snuggle with Chilchuck back in chapter 47 when Laios saw her sleeping on top of Chilchuck (And Chilchuck being really uncomfortable because of her weight).

That comment about Chilchuck having a higher body temperature is interesting. Do half-foots have naturally higher metabolisms than the other races? And does that contribute to them having shorter lifespans? Do dwarfs and elves have lower body temperatures?

There is a little bit of copy-pasting used to make this image. I drew a line showing roughly where the first repetition occurs. Also, notice that the little triangles are her ears.

A little bit of Izutsumi trying to share a bed with people might be her feeling lonely. She'd rather share a bed with Laios than sleep alone.

And Chilchuck went full protective-dad mode when he saw Laios petting her like she was a cat.

Falin

Falin's birthday is December 1. I don't know why, but I thought she was 24. She would have loved Senshi's Man-eating plant tart.

I have to just go with what the book says on these stats since most of what we know about Falin is from flashbacks. Full agreement on the stamina though.

The keywords section actually gives a lot of details about Falin that the story never managed to. Laios's people skill is more focused on understanding their behaviour so he becomes far more anxious when he feels like people are being hostile because he doesn't know why and assumes he did something wrong. Falin doesn't seem to register people's feelings at all unless she likes them. The book says she "senses that her father is clumsy with words, and that her mother worries a lot."

Huh. So Falin is nearsighted and that's why she's always squinty-eyed. And the chimera thing fixed her eyesight. Falin had a mark on her chin from when she was little so old injuries carried over to her new body. And she squinted her eyes throughout the final chapter and MMT14 so I'd assume she didn't keep the corrected vision.

Falin was 9 when Laios left home and a year later she went to the magic academy. She was there for 8 years and ran away the moment she reunited with Laios. We don't get any first-hand accounts about her opinions and experience at the academy, so I don't know whether or not she enjoyed her time there.

Everyone is generally positive about Falin. Senshi thinks all Tall-men look feminine, hence his comment. It's also why the fake Laios he made looked like her. Chilchuck has known her probably longer than anyone else aside from Laios. Kinda surprised he's uncomfortable around her.

Falin's maxims are "Let my brother...GO!", "I'm sorry. I'm taking him back", and "Wow! Oh wow! Wow! Wow!" I'm going to summarize hers as "Care for the living, be kind to the dead, and never stop being excited about the world."

So healing magic doesn't necessarily have to hurt. But you have to use additional magic to make it not hurt.

The only other point of reference I can find of someone using healing magic is when Mr Tansu healed Marcille in chapter 19 and Marcille didn't seem to feel any pain when he did it.

Honestly, I think Marcille just doesn't see the point in spending the extra magic to numb the pain when healing someone. She just wants to blow stuff up and commit international crimes with her magic. She only knows healing and support magic because it's a practical skill to have.

You know what else fiddle's with your sensations? Ibuprofen. And if you're in a situation where numbing your teammate's sense of pain while healing them puts them in danger, then they're probably in a situation where making them feel the pain when healing them is an even worse idea.

The second Falin comic is more of a world-building addition. It tells us what a priest does if they're not an adventurer. If Laios hadn't visited Falin, she would be working as a gravekeeper which Marcille says is a stable and respected job. I'd think Falin would get bored of that line of work pretty quickly with how free-spirited she is. She and Laios are where they are because they can't sit still, they're impulsive, and they like the thrill of adventure and discovery.

But they would also love a steady income as well.

back

[zahri-melitor]

Recent Reads:

So I finished Azrael 1995. It’s…certainly a read. It has a whole bunch of high points alongside being largely unnecessary to following or understanding the Bat books.

I wouldn’t say that I like all of Azrael, or even am always compelled by it. There were definitely points where I kept going to see how it all falls apart. But I wanted to think about how it functions as a title.

It’s an interesting title in that it’s exclusively written by Dennis O’Neil for the 101 issues + 3 annuals run. And it’s written by the head editor of the Bat office, which means that simultaneously Denny is across every plotline happening in his office, but also is likely able to do whatever he feels like.

Because it’s such a long run you can see where various ‘eras’ of the writing are, as O’Neil changes the focus in the way that on a shorter run you’d see a title change with a new writer.

The first 26 issues or so are basically the Order of St Dumas establishment arc. Jean-Paul is extremely oppressed and feels like everyone hates him after the events of Knightfall, which, tbh, is pretty accurate. He ends up on a quest to find out about the Order and where he came from. Marks of this era is everything being drafted and portrayed like it’s mythology or a tale someone is telling you from the 19th century.

Once Rollo’s temple blows up, we enter the second era. Jean-Paul is hopping around the world for a while, occasionally lending a hand to various Gotham based people (he shows up to help in Cataclysm), trying to find himself and work out what’s going on. He gets given occasional missions by Bruce to investigate things, but it’s obvious that Bruce doesn’t expect him to be successful. The hallmark of this era is JPV being very narrow focused and missing all the women flirting with him constantly (hello, 90s). This keeps going up until we get into No Man’s Land.

The central premise of No Man’s Land, from what it does to Jean-Paul’s story, is this is where Bruce decides to trust Jean-Paul again. That’s the main reason for the title switch on issue #47 to Azrael: Agent of the Bat – JPV’s redeemed himself for his actions in Bruce’s eyes by the Road to No Man’s Land issues and is now, yes, acting as Bruce’s agent. He’s given missions with the expectation that he’ll follow and complete them, rather than being regarded by all the other characters as a risk to avoid. This covers #47-61.

We go through No Man’s Land and out the other side to #62, which is a specific reset issue. JPV gets a new costume! (the fans hate it) JPV gets a new base in Gotham – a run down church he transforms into a medical clinic under Leslie Thompkins’ supervision! We spend a lot of time with Leslie’s philosophy, as Jean-Paul asks himself if he does want to actually fight as Azrael, or whether he can accomplish more as the man. We have Lilhy return (being evil for no on-page motivation) with a second Azrael as a reflection of how JPV acts. I honestly think Denny wanted to dig into Leslie’s motivations for a while, because she’s central to this section out to #75.

At the end of this, JPV gets yet ANOTHER new costume (far closer to his early title one), a random castle a short drive outside of Gotham and settles down to random heroics in the country community there. The random castle and countryside heroics don’t last very long, probably because there’s simply not a lot of scope for plot, and Jean-Paul gets dragged by the plot back to Gotham.

It is in this era - #76 to #87 – that Bruce actually tells Jean-Paul he’s proud of him (issue #79!) Harold returns on page to help JPV out with the new castle! There’s actual rapprochement between JPV and the main Bat cast characters in cameos.

And then as of #88 or so we discover that something’s wrong with JPV and he starts going off the rails again. There’s something wrong with his body that will kill him. He starts hallucinating St Dumas again for the first time in like…60 issues or so (seriously firey St Dumas hasn’t been seen since Rollo died) and getting ordered around by the ghost. He gets violent and led astray by people who want to exploit him, and Bruce (ever ready to anticipate the worst in Jean-Paul) assumed that he needs to be dealt with firmly and not trusted.

JPV’s fall from grace for the last 12 issues or so of the run from #88 to #100 is clearly Denny wrapping up the title, but it also all comes out of nowhere. Jean-Paul was doing fine! He’d reached an understanding and acceptance with everyone else! But Lilhy gets ever more evil and exploitative trying to reform the Order of St Dumas, Nicholas Scratch returns to screw up JPV’s life (typical), the demon Biis returns trying to kill him…and even Leslie takes Jean-Paul to see Dr Shondra Kinsolving to see if she can sort out his illness.

The best thing I can say about the back half here is that there’s a lot of Leslie and her philosophy, and she never ever gives up on believing in Jean-Paul’s ability to redeem himself (and to be ‘greater’ than his costume, Azrael, and violence). But it definitely takes a hard left turn into ‘fated for everything to go wrong and to die’ for the final arc, when we’d finally got things to a point where Jean-Paul could have just existed as a supporting outer Bat character. But no, cycles and narrative causality and the longterm arc of everything in the story hates Jean-Paul meant that the only endpoint was a heroic death, to wrap everything up (and presumably not to leave him around to languish unused in the background with Denny’s departure).

It's truly an odd title, because it gets quite experimental with storytelling and style in places. O’Neil is the master of letting his art team tell the narrative during combat; there’s frequently several pages just of action during fights, with no dialogue or description. The second last issue is heavily narrated by Bruce in a ‘where did I go wrong’ manner.

I don’t think it’s in any way an essential read outside of a handful of tie in issues for events over the years, but it’s definitely a story where the narrative seen from Jean-Paul’s point of view, when you’re reading it, looks very different to the narrative when you pick up the title in a crossover for an event. Which is clever writing and forces a lot of the disconnect in the conversation around JPV!

In some ways this really is the sort of run a character like Jason Todd wishes he had, because the story loves him, the story apologises for him, but it’s always very obvious the story is from Jean-Paul’s perspective and there are good fundamental reasons for why everyone else is so sceptical of him, and he feels like he has to prove himself constantly. (There is nothing Azrael as a title loves more than “Jean-Paul screws up somehow, Bruce’s expectations hit the basement and declare him not good enough again, Jean-Paul is going to himself ‘but I had to! There were situational reasons!’ and feeling silently sad and oppressed over how nobody appreciates his efforts”). The external and internal views of Jean-Paul are so strikingly different, and from the tone of how Denny has those characters talk about JPV in Azrael to how they act outside the title makes it obvious that he knows he’s writing a slanted, character-centred narrative.

[fadingstudentbananacookie]

HotD fans are annoyed about Alicent being more worried that people are going to find out she was sleeping with Cole than mourning her grandson Jaehaerys' death and comforting Helaena.

I understand that, and as a TG stan, I am also frustrated, but it also, ironically, gives us an in-depth analysis of Alicent's trauma.

Her sexual abuse at the hands of Viserys (and Larys) for years upon years has stunted her capacity for emotional growth. Her isolation in the Red Keep and her relationship with Otto, who only regards her as his pawn, worsens her mental state.

She's more worried about her teenage-era drama, shagging someone, and being scared of having people find out (especially her father) than she is about her grandson's death or comforting her grieving daughter. This is her trying to live a true life in a fucked up world, discovering her desires and allowing herself to be selfish. By no means does this validate or exempt her from criticism.

I'm pretty sure there are many noble ladies in Westeros who, after being widowed, took their husband's household guards as lovers. Most of them probably didn't feel as guilty about it as Alicent does and went about their days frolicking.

But we also need to understand that her having sex with Cole would be considered an act of high treason against the King (her son) and could call into question the legitimacy of all four of her children (as Rhaenyra's). It's a misogynistic and patriarchial world she lives in. All the suffering she's been through would be for nothing if her virtue is questioned.

In the anguish state that Aegon is in after the loss of his child, it's very likely he can order Cole's execution and put Alicent under house arrest. (Then she'll be the Queen in Chains all over again, locked up in a castle, never free to do what she wants. She's already a pawn in Otto and Daemon's games, but regained some of her autonomy after Viserys' death).

This is not good, especially during a war, where warring factions must appear as a single unit and not seem weak to their enemies, as Otto said.

So, feel free to criticize her, but let's not try to mitigate her fears and say that she's making her situation everyone's problem. It will be a HUGE fucking problem for the Greens if anyone discovers her affair.

....

In the show, Aegon being crowned King is considered usurpation, which I do NOT agree with at all. In Fire&Blood, Aegon's claim to the Iron Throne is equal to or perhaps, I dare say, more legitimate than Rhaenyra's for two main reasons:

1). He is the eldest son of the King. Therefore, it is his birthright as inheritance custom dictates.

2). Rhaenyra's sons from her first marriage are bastards. It cannot be more straightforward than that.

This raises the question of whether Rhaenyra would even make a good queen if she could not do her duty to produce legitimate heirs as her half-brother did. Are you telling me the realm will wait until Rhaenyra dies and Jacaerys ascends the throne to start a war based on legitimate bases?

[mo-nee-ta]

Please tell me what are your thoughts about Vera and Franz bonaparta relationship

Keep thinking about Vera who was introduced to us as how Franz saw her a miserable helpless beauty though his paintings about "her* but then we find out how different Vera is from Franz's Vera she was very smart,angry and furious at Franz to the point she wished her children to hate him and kill him.

This could be a reach but is it me or Franz draws Vera with a smaller nose?hmmm

Thank you, Nonnie, I’ve been starving!

This is a topic I have many, many thoughts on. It also started the whole Monita thing because my Lolita radar goes out of the charts every time I think about it. Let’s climb on the tip of the iceberg!  

Before I start, let me share a Martin Amis quote as it’s important for this post: 

Nabokov, in all his fiction, writes with incomparable penetration about delusion and coercion, about cruelty and lies. Even Lolita, especially Lolita, is a study in tyranny.

CW: CSA, kidnapping, imprisonment, misogyny

Appearance

I don’t think the nose remark is a reach at all; it’s a part of Bonaparta’s turning Věra into a piece of art. 

He changes her expression: a fierce and angry Věra turns into the mild, submissive and motherly figure holding a bouquet in her hands. Her features are also modified accordingly; we don’t like diverse nose shapes in our art, everything should be unified.

(On a side note: this is also why I think the twins have small noses—it’s a consequence of Bonaparta manipulating reality through his fiction. He wanted to create the picture-perfect twins after all.) 

Humbert Humbert does a very similar thing: he takes the ordinary little girl Lo and turns her into his fantasy girl. 

Her adorable profile, parted lips, warm hair were some three inches from my bared eyetooth; and I felt the heat of her limbs through her rough tomboy clothes.

*

What next? I proceeded to the business center of Parkington and devoted the whole afternoon (the weather had cleared, the wet town was like silver-and-glass) to buying beautiful things for Lo. Goodness, what crazy purchases were prompted by the poignant predilection Humbert had in those days for check weaves, bright cottons, frills, puffed-out short sleeves, soft pleats, snug-fitting bodices and generously full skirts! Oh Lolita, you are my girl, as Vee was Poe’s and Bea Dante’s, and what little girl would not like to whirl in a circular skirt and scanties? 

They change the appearance of their beloveds so that it fits their tastes.

Which brings us to:

Safely solipsized 

Bonaparta imprisons Věra and places his vision of her in a red rose mansion. Humbert Humbert calls Lo his princess with her bodyguard roses (while reading her class list). 

A poem, a poem, forsooth! So strange and sweet was it to discover this “Haze, Dolores” (she!) in its special bower of names, with its bodyguard of roses — a fairy princess between her two maids of honor.

The imprisonment is decorated with banalities: the roses, the princess, the castle. And it’s banal for a very good reason: both Humbert Humbert and Bonaparta don’t know anything about their beloveds. They’re too preoccupied with their visions (and these visions are influenced by external sources; maybe all they are are just poorly made copycats?) to care. 

Lolita had been safely solipsized. The implied sun pulsated in the supplied poplars; we were fantastically and divinely alone; I watched her, rosy, gold-dusted, beyond the veil of my controlled delight, unaware of it, alien to it, and the sun was on her lips, and her lips were apparently still forming the words of the Carmen-barmen ditty that no longer reached my consciousness. 

Crushed hope

Humbert Humbert and Bonaparta crush their beloveds' futures (still, both Lo and Věra fight for their freedom).

To make it more tragic, Humbert Humbert was once hope for a better childhood for Lo.

We don’t know what it looked like for Věra and Bonaparta, but I think there is a chance that there was hope once as well.

Monster is full of crushed hopes: think, for example, about Jan Suk and Filip Zeman or even about Bonaparta and Čapek. But this is something I need to think more about. And because such an important moment between Bonaparta and Vera (at least according to Tenma’s interpretation of it that is shown in the last scene of the story) is when he forces her to choose between her children, I want to read Sophie’s Choice since I’m sure I’ll find even more food for thought there!