#the awful villain's escaping system

[goddessofromance-asmara]

I have zero words on chapter five of Ultimate Traveler, I have a fic of which I haven't even finished chapter one, I have an idea that's been plaguing my mind for a while now

but the parasites in me want to start a new fanfic

Been thinking about the potential of a Luo Binghe transmigration fic where he has a similar experience to Shen Yuan's -- meaning, he transmigrates into a story that didn't originally have a "Luo Binghe", but rather a different character with a similar name, and Bingmei himself still has his canonical personality and broad strokes modern version of his backstory (i.e. abandoned, adopted, orphaned, struggling with the foster system, etc), whereas the character he transmigrates into has a different background and personality.

So, concept: Luo Binghe transmigrates into Su Binghe, the spoiled prince of the demon realms, son of Tianlang Jun and Su Xiyan and scum villain of the novel he read.

In said novel, Su Binghe was driven by a perpetual lack of satisfaction with things. He had almost everything handed to him on a silver platter, but none of it seemed to actually matter to him. His parents were powerful and loving, but also extremely busy and somewhat distant. His sibling relationships were soured by the fact that they were all basically raised separately by different groups of servants and expected to compete with one another for the supreme throne of the demon realms one day. The servants who raised him also had only limited authority over him, thanks to his rank, so he was encouraged to be self-centered and tyrannical from an early age because behaving that way helped him get whatever he wanted. Yet he felt ultimately purposeless and lonely, lacking any actual friends or companions.

Shen Yuan, the main character, was the third son of a wealthy noble house and was stolen by demons during a raid on his family's properties. He was rescued by Tianlang Jun's people, who officially disapprove of attacks on humans (special cases like Huan Hua Palace being an exception), but not before the rest of his family was killed or else sold off into less friendly territories. Shen Yuan himself was subsequently taken on as a ward of the emperor, as a sort of apology for the whole deal, and inserted into the somewhat younger Su Binghe's household as a companion and tutor to try and curb the prince's loneliness. The empress also took Shen Yuan on as a personal disciple, as the only person able to teach him human-style cultivation.

This worked about as well as anyone expected, which was to say that the spoiled prince treated his weakling human tutor like his own personal chew toy, blowing hot and cold, manipulating and mistreating, jealously resenting Shen Yuan's attention from his mother while also taking every opportunity to insert himself into the additional lessons as well.

Eventually the situation came to a head, with Shen Yuan lashing back after being pushed to the limits, and Su Binghe using the "attack" as an excuse to exile him in the midst of hostile demon territory. Thus began the protagonist's power-up montage segment, where he was forced to fight and survive, leveling up his skills until he came across Xiu Ya.

Xiu Ya was a legendary sword that had been wielded by an equally legendary human cultivator, an actual secret ancestor of Shen Yuan's, long ago. It was sealed away by a past Heavenly Demon emperor, after its wielder managed to use it to successfully kill one of their kind (a difficult feat). By sealing the blade deep within the demonic realms, the past emperors had assured themselves that no human cultivator would successfully venture so deep into their territories nor uncover its hiding place, and so they mostly warded it against other demons (who might want to return it to the humans in order to sabotage the Heavenly Demons). Thus, Shen Yuan successfully liberated the blade, and after winning a harrowing battle against an ancient evil (boss fight!) with it, he ascended to godhood.

But, even the heavens weren't merciful in this story, and Shen Yuan was tasked with using Xiu Ya to end the threat of the Heavenly Demon race once and for all before he could claim his rightful place among them. If he failed, his soul would be forfeit and Xiu Ya would shatter, eternally condemning the mortal plane to the tyranny of demonic rule.

Luo Binghe absolutely loved the character of Shen Yuan, even though his story was kind of trash, and he did not want to transmigrate into Su Binghe, especially not with a mandate hanging over his head that he had to one day cast his favorite protagonist out into the wilds, and then let him kill Binghe in order to fulfill a mandate from the heavens!

Featuring:

-Modern day culinary student Bingmei, absolutely revolutionizing food prep in the demon realms and desperately wishing he could change the genre to one of those slice-of-life cozy escapist novels instead.

-Bingmei being actually a thousand times sneakier and more self-aware than his predecessor, taking Su Binghe's absolutely pathetic attempts at politics and making it work for him instead (between the foster care system and the food service industry, Bingmei takes no prisoners).

-Su Binghe originally had a sprawling harem by the time Shen Yuan reunited with him. Luo Binghe wants nothing to do with it, so he has to just keep on dodging his parents attempts to set him up in political matches.

-Some of Shen Yuan's original household and family actually did survive, so Luo Binghe dedicates himself to rescuing the rest of them to try and farm points with the protagonist. This results in him retrieving Shen Yuan's brother, Shen Jiu (asshole rat bastard feral cat of a guy, Luo Binghe almost wishes he'd failed), Shen Yuan's personal companions the Liu siblings (terrible decision, Shen Yuan's always waxing poetically about how beautiful they are), Shen Yuan's younger sister Yingying (annoying but nice), Shen Jiu's situationship Yue Qi (there is something deeply wrong with that guy), and the son of the family's head servant, Shang Qinghua (weird rodent man, somehow has evil advisor vibes despite also looking sort of like the designated non-threatening one in an idol group).

-Bingmei identifies Mobei Jun as a fellow transmigrator pretty early on, when he absently whistles the notification sound for a smart phone and Mobei reaches for his pocket. Mobei Jun's approach to transmigrating is basically to say and do as little as possible. Bingmei subsequently doesn't find out that he is in fact the author of the original book until some time after the main plot has passed.

-Despite not wanting to, Bingmei is fully prepared to die in order to secure Shen Yuan's eventual destiny as a god. He only hopes he might go out cleanly and with more sympathy than the original goods got. Imagine his horror when Shen Yuan decides he's going to fight the gods instead of wiping out the Heavenly Demons.

[blightbright]

Celene's abuse of Briala in the Masked Empire (and Mythal/Solas parallels)

I'm finally reading The Masked Empire and wow it's really sad! Let's talk about Briala and Solas!

Trick Weekes is making direct, intentional comparisons between Celene -> Mythal, Briala -> Solas, and Celene/Briala -> Mythal/Solas, comparisons that are actually Felassan's last fucking words as Solas kills him. (That's a whole other post btw.)

Solas in DA:I says re: Orlais, "The powerful have always been the same. Only the costumes change." AND THIS BOOK IS A REAL FUCKING BUMMER.

Briala isn't magically influenced, magically restricted, or enslaved, but as a servant, the book explicitly discusses how her role by default requires walking on eggshells around everyday verbal and physical violence and sexual assault from people who answer to Celene, which Celene does not defend her or other people from, because Celene enacts it too in her own way. And even when Briala tries to be obedient and careful, this violence happens anyway. Briala also stays in her role despite her own suffering because she doesn't have easy options, she sees her comparative privilege, AND she's trying to strategize to help oppressed people.

Celene thinks she's progressive because she's not just a free-for-all moustache-twirling warmonger like Gaspard (cough Elgar'nan cough) and because she advocates for inclusion of some elves into inherently oppressive structures that harm them in those spaces. Thanks to her, a rare number of elves can work really really extra special hard and prove they have approximately as much merit as humans while being shit on constantly, wow! Meanwhile, no systemic critiques. No questioning of her or anyone's right to rule over people at all.

In some ways Celene is progressive by comparison (just like Mythal doesn't want the entire world torn apart by Blight, unlike Elgar'nan lmao), but it's insidious neoliberal racism versus overtly hostile racism (both are white supremacist). She's been through trauma herself, she thinks she's doing right by her people, and she believes that she loves Briala. That makes Celene an interesting, well-written villain and it's truly disgusting to see her mindset, i.e., she "allows" Briala to sleep a little longer in her bed one morning without waking her up right away. She's so self-congratulatory about how much she must love her that she lets her servant get a few more minutes to doze (after sexually abusing her...) before more acts of servitude. She does not see Briala as a full, autonomous being. The only truly loving gesture I've read so far is a young Celene telling young Briala to run away and escape after Briala's parents are murdered (wanting a loved one to be free is actually love) except that she's the one who set Briala's parents up to get murdered in the first place, and (like Mythal in Solas' memory) Celene refuses to give up her power.

In Celene's entitled and completely fucked view of the world, she says she envies Briala and, even early on, the book reveals that Briala is not so naive or lovestruck after all. Briala is deeply disturbed by Celene's comment, then keeps acting. Briala knows. Even before the most extreme betrayals are revealed to Briala, some part of Briala knows that she's in Celene's bed because of oppression. She loves Celene, she's attracted to Celene, but part of her knows that she leans into her love and attraction because it's the only thing that makes what is ultimately a political survival strategy/resistance strategy (for herself and her people) tolerable and survivable at all. She's not entirely faking but she's also not whole or safe, and that combo is a truly awful mindfuck to experience. Celene "loves" Briala but does not love her at all, because as bell hooks said, love and abuse cannot coexist.

It's a fucked up situation. It is not consensual, no matter how much Briala may long to be near Celene and how much she may sometimes enjoy sex with her. In a position of power as the literal monarch of an entire empire, sexual contact with your elven servant who is always at threat of violence if they do not obey or even if they do but just because powerful people feel like it, is sexual assault. Period. No matter how "nice" you are sometimes. No matter how much you "let" them sleep in some days because they're pretty.

And, of course, Celene commits overt genocide/massacres an Alienage and actively chooses to stamp down an elven rebellion for her own power. By the time DA:I rolls around, Briala is a rebellion leader who loves her abuser/oppressor, grieves her abuser/oppressor, and is willing to let that oppressor die if it's the way people may one day be free, and I also think everything I just said is true for Solas, to whatever degree it is even magically possible for him to do anything about it directly. Since, of course, he is even more restricted spiritually than Briala is.

Mythal is different than Celene. In some ways, it's less racialized (Mythal and Solas have loosely the same origins), and it's less stable over time, since there is a possible interpretation where they historically knew each other as actual friends, equals, and maybe even pre-body spirit lovers if you wanna headcanon that, whatever that word means for spirits (whereas Celene has always had power over Briala, even as children). Some of it is nearly identical, however. There are multiple Evanuris-related codexes and flashbacks that have direct parallels. We're seeing the gist of what Mythal as "the best of the Evanuris" was like when we see Weekes write Celene. Think about what also-abused Morrigan approves or disapproves of (parroting her mother's beliefs) at the start of DA:O to add another layer of Mythal's mindset, which aligns directly with DA references to Mythal serving "justice" to "the worthy" and strong. Fuck that. True justice protects the most vulnerable. In some ways, Mythal/Solas is even worse than Celene/Briala, too: magical spirit corruption is an extreme and literal version of the real but less tangible impacts of trauma, plus actual bodily modification at best and creation/vaguely parental vibes at worst, slavery rather than servitude, the possibility of magically-compelled direct orders if Mythal ever decided to use them (per how the Well of Sorrows works in canon), and deity-level power, the only power level higher than empress.

Briala reminds Felassan of Solas, and he's right, of course.

TL;DR? This book is fucking sad. Neither Solas nor Briala are naive about their abusers. Mythal and Celene are absolutely both abusers to Solas and Briala respectively. Idk if Mythal and Solas had sexualized contact any time after she bound him to her service, but if they did, that's sexual abuse. Kill Celene in DA:I unless you wanna do an evil playthrough. Free Solas in DATV. Briala and Solas both need hugs and safe love, not abuse couched in messages of love. They've both done some fucked up things, and that doesn't change anything I stated above.

[stringsbasement]

Your art of peri and your Villain AU of him? perfection. I read your twt thread and I'm greedy for more, im so serious like If there was a 100k word fanfic of your au I would read it in a heartbeat!! THATS how much im obsessed with the concept

thank you so much! i didn't expect there to be so much interest in my thoughtless doodles and rambles. luckily, i already have a draft for a rant i formulated about this version of peri's possible motivations, and now i have an excuse to share it!!

also, as a bonus, have this silly doodle :)

[his hairstyle is his attempt to separate himself from his parents, but no matter what he does with it, he can never get it to sit without that stray tuft and curl at the very end.

also, his bowtie is in reference to chloe and my initial art of irep before his design was revealed. the latter almost makes it seem like they "swapped roles."]

the thing is, it's hard to imagine peri as someone purposefully wanting to harm others for his own pleasure. for a "bad" au of peri to occur, he'd have to take after timmy, and seek chaos the same way he did

now, timmy is a good person at heart. his fairies love him, and he loved them in turn. that's undeniable. however, timmy was so stressful he affected cosmo and wandas marriage, and they had to retire right after him to rekindle their love and stop being so awful towards each other. timmy was simultaneously one of the best and worst things to ever happen to them

so it's not that much of a stretch to think he'd affected peri during his development, to the point he unknowingly influenced peri's core beliefs, which he'll carry over later in life

timmy used his fairies to escape from his regular life. he was incredibly reckless, and shirked responsibilities till the consequences got him back tenfold. a dangerous, but fulfilling way of living. he might've mellowed out in the later years, but considering he chose to keep vicky around to purposefully make himself miserable and keep his fairies instead of facing reality, maturity wouldn't be a straight or easy path

peri, adopting this way of thinking, believes the best way to live life is taking risks. ignoring your present problems in favor of escapism. he would insist this upon his godchild, and be blind to the complex nuance of dev's situation

dev's parental neglect differs from timmy's, and thus requires different treatment. but peri doesn't realize that, and dev is a child who cannot comprehend how awful he really has it, let alone communicate it in a way that isn't just lashing out and throwing tantrums

for classic peri, this is an annoyance. for this peri though? he'll enable it, because he thinks dev needs to get it out of his system. like timmy. which is in some way correct, but it's a flawed, only temporary solution

and it's in this way a path of deeper exploration opens up about characters similar to cookie, highlighting how flawed the godparent system can be when a child is assigned a godparent who cannot fulfill what they truly need

starting a ghost apocalypse is nothing compared to the wishes that has been granted before. and, honestly, dev taking viozalia's staff to use against her is a clever move. this peri wouldn't be downtrodden like he was in the original scene, but impressed. he would say as such, and dev, being the emotionally starved 10 year old he is, will soak those words up like a dry sponge

(slightly off topic: i like to think a little quirk this peri would have is, instead of looking to da book of rules for guidance, (cosmo, wanda, and his classic self do this multiple times in the show when in unique situations,) he'd be searching for anything that states what can't he do. "what to do when your god kid tries to start a ghost apocalypse... nothing? sweet!")

this would naturally allow him and dev to bond a little more. even if it's just shit talking other people and how they're totally better than everyone else

it doesn't mean they get along splendidly. dev is still pissed that he can't make the wishes he wants, and peri overcompensates by allowing him to throw himself into situations that just narrowly avoids sanction. because, oh yeah, peri would not appreciate being forced to follow the rules which includes wiping the godchild's memories after the godparent's term has passed

(if anything, he'll find a loophole out of it. he learned from the best, after all)

this is also where peri's spoiled nature would shine through. being offered everything just because he was a baby would make anyone entitled

he and dev are too similar for their own good. they have have access to anything they could ask for, but are unable to get love from one person they want it from. it's almost pitiful

to keep those thoughts out of dev's (and his own) mind, peri resorts to pushing dev out of his comfort zone, which would ordinarily be a good thing, only, he goes way too far to the point of regression

you know, it really doesn't help that dev looks a lot like timmy. i mean, look at them...

that's timmy with slicked back hair and a white jacket. c'mon

but even with all of this, peri doesn't really become a villain. he's antagonistic at most, with his strained relationship with his parents and his help in making things harder for hazel. luckily, the latest episode has given me a few ideas

when peri inevitably comes to care for dev, he'll obviously has to do something about his constant unhappiness. dev has a point in complaining about the fact hazel has two godparents and he only has one, even when his life is "worse" (another unhealthy way of thinking,)

hmmmm. so how can dev have two fairy godparents, and how can peri break da rules without putting himself at risk?

who other than a mirror of peri's own self?

a shift inevitably took place, one where peri became more intense and irep more soft. it's so subtle it goes unnoticed until thousands of years have passed

irep has become timid, soft, and well-meaning. if peri either quits his position or gives way for another slot and puts dev under a sort of split-custody, dev will be able to use anti-fairy magic, which can completely bypass any of the rules regular fairy magic is withholden to

irep will get what he wants as well. in this post, i answered an ask in which i speculate that irep genuinely does want a godchild, and the love and appreciation that comes with it. that much would stay the same for this au

and, well, unlike irep, peri has always been willing to share

this would make way for a bunch of whacky hijinks, potential plots, and new threats. consequences piling up until they become too huge to ignore. not to mention the full implications of a fairy and anti-fairy switching roles. of course, this is just a fun idea i came up with on the spot, and i haven't thought it out too much, so pointing out any plot holes that would come from this is appreciated!

i have more to say, mainly about peri and his parents' initial separation, as well as the parallels that can be found with this version of peri and hazel, but i feel it would be best to end it here :)

thank you for making me write all of this!

[darlingdaisyfarm]

just a little sneak peek of my Ford x villain!reader fic I’m working on, never felt so excited to share it 🤞🏻😭!!

You glance at him, teasing. "do you know what it feels like," your voice sounds like stardust scattered in the wind. "to be kissed by a galaxy?"

He doesn’t answer, no, he can’t. How could he? He’s mortal. He’s human. Small human. Bound by rules you don’t care to follow. But you, oh, you can bend the stars, twist time, create new worlds and he’s standing there, wide-eyed, in awe of your every move. 

You smile dangerously and with a simple flick of your fingers, you send him an air kiss.

At first, it’s light, Ford could state it's just a breeze of a thing, barely there. But then it grows, expands. Stanford feels it before he understands it with that smart brain of his, the weight of a thousand stars pressing against him, not just his lips, but whole body. His knees buckle, his breath catches in his throat. This is more than a kiss, it’s a cosmic storm, an embrace from the universe itself. His lungs burn and he swears he feels galaxies spinning inside him, pulling him in every direction at once, like a star caught in the death grip of a black hole. 

He's so lost, but captivated, trying to make sense of it, but he’s drowning in the stars, in the kiss you’ve gifted him. 

Warmth of dying suns, the icy of black holes, the crushing weight of entire solar systems — that’s probably how Ford will describe it in his journal. It's everything. Everything. And it’s all you.

You smile, the matter around you shimmering with the light of nebulae, galaxies swirling lazily in the depths of your eyes. You approach him with one hand on your hip. "Too much, Stargazer? or are you just not used to being kissed by eternity?"

"How—" Ford gasps, the words barely escaping him, caught somewhere between desperation and fascinations. "what are you. . . doing to me?" his hand grips the space where air should be, trying to ground himself, but there’s nothing, except for the weight of the universe pressing down on him.

He’s so lost, so he can’t really hold his emotions. Because then, Ford tries to laugh, but it comes out breathless, more like gasps for air, like a man stranded in the vacuum of space. "Is- is this what it feels like for you? Oh god—" he takes a sharp breath, chest heaving as if he's trying to fill his lungs with stars. "its fascinating, i can feel every star, every galaxy, all at once!”

You laugh, knowing exactly what you’ve done to him. "You’re not wrong, but don’t worry about it, Ford. You’re still standing, aren’t you?"

He can't even nod. Yeah, hell, barely, Ford can barely feel his own legs. He’s trying to hold onto his sanity, but it’s hard when the universe itself is pressing into his skin, seeping into his bones, filling every breath with the taste of stars and planets.

"Is this how you see the world?" there’s awe in his voice. "Is this what it’s like to be. . . you?"

"You couldn’t handle what it’s like to be me, Stargazer. But this—" you gesture to the swirling galaxies around you, to the cosmic ballet you command with a snap of your fingers. "This is my gift to you. Just a taste. Consider it a privilege." 

Ford’s eyes meet yours and for a moment, despite the overwhelming weight of the cosmos pressing down on him, there’s a spark of that insatiable curiosity in his gaze you’ve always admired in him. That hunger to know, to understand the unknown.

"You’re a lot more dangerous than you let on," Ford smiles. "but I suppose I already knew that, didn’t I?"

You chuckle, stepping back. "Oh, Stargazer," you say, shaking your head with that playful but evil spark in your eyes. "you haven’t seen anything yet."

And he knows that he’s at your mercy. Always has been. Always will be.

[lalithemidnightmuse7]

People love Kendall Roy for the same reason they hate Alicent Hightower—because they both show weakness. But in our modern society, weakness in a man is romanticized. It makes him human, someone to sympathize with, to “cuddle” because he’s just so babygirl. That’s why people love Aemond and Daemon too. But weakness in a woman? Unacceptable. You are not to be welcomed into the club. That is misogyny—loving and forgiving men for the exact same things we shame women for.

Kendall and Alicent have so many similarities, so many parallels, yet the fandom perceives them completely differently. And the fandom is dominated by women!

You say Alicent was a horrible friend to Rhaenyra, that she betrayed her by not telling her about being sent to Viserys. And yeah, that was awful. But what did you expect to happen? PEOPLE RELATE TO THIS THINKING OF HIGHTSCHOOL DRAMA IT'S NOT. They were ladies in a court ruled by men. Alicent was a 17-year-old girl whose only family was her father—a father she feared. She had abandonment issues. And you think she was going to say no to him? That she was going to stand up for herself when she had never been allowed to before? When she knew that hating it wouldn’t change a thing? She had no power. She wasn’t a princess. She was a girl trapped in a situation she couldn’t escape, and yet people have zero real sympathy for her.

Why? Because she should’ve stood by her friend? The same friend who had firsthand experience of how powerless women were but still chose to blame her? Who knew Alicent’s nature, knew she wasn’t power-hungry like Otto, and still turned on her? But somehow, that same friend found it in her heart to forgive Daemon—a man who had been nothing but monstrous for years.

All the hate for her because she was horrible to Rhaenyra—when Rhaenyra left her alone when she needed her the most.

And then there’s Kendall. A man who, like Alicent, was put into an oppressive system, struggled with loyalty and duty, and made morally complex choices that could be seen as betrayal or survival. But he gets forgiven. He gets pitied. Because he sheds a few tears. Because the show lets us see his suffering. But Alicent’s suffering? Her self-blame, her low self-esteem? Completely ignored.

Alicent was a bad mother? Sorry, when? Where is the scene that makes that obvious? Was she a great mother? No. How could she be? She couldn’t even protect herself. Her first enemy was her own father. Then her husband. Then her only friend in court, who saw her as nothing more than a political obstacle. She spent her whole life being treated as a piece of meat, and now she has to watch her eldest son turn into a monster.

Ignoring his crimes—yeah, that was horrific. But you really think telling someone in court would’ve changed anything? This was a world where such crimes were brushed off and forgiven when committed by commoners. You think they would’ve imprisoned a prince? That Viserys would’ve done something? That the other lords would’ve cared? His reputation was already known all over the kingdoms—and nothing happened.

Meanwhile, Kendall, a man who is also not a great father—who barely sees his kids—is still given the benefit of the doubt. Because he’s trying, right? He’s struggling. But Alicent? No, she’s just a failure.

And Rhaenyra? Was she a great mother? Did she not worsen her sons’ claims by leaving the court? Did she not use them as pawns in her political games? Did she not marry Daemon knowing how that would look? Knowing exactly the kind of person he was? A murderer. A Targaryen supremacist. A man who requested blonde virgin girls in brothels.

But sure, tell me more about how Alicent is the real villain here.

And of course, you would hate Alicent. She doesn’t align with the vision of the loved women of today’s society. It’s so much easier to root for Rhaenyra—the rule-breaker, the tragic feminist icon. And I agree. But can’t you see? Didn’t it mean anything to you to see Alicent dead in that bed with her much older husband who cared nothing for her? Who used her for the sole reason of having children? Who would’ve cut her open too to take what he wanted?

Didn’t it mean anything to you to see the blood on her fingers, knowing exactly what that meant? To see her selling the only thing she could barely call hers—her body—to Larys? No sympathy? Nothing at all?

Also...if you really want to stand morally , you should only stand with kids, smallfolk and heleana.

[remae-freyae]

A Villain’s Kindness

You had done the impossible before—fought for kids the world had long forgotten, convinced stubborn officials to make exceptions, and made miracles happen where there were none. But this? This was a new level of ridiculous. Finding The ShadowBlade was no easy feat. The notorious criminal mastermind was more of a phantom than a man, slipping through the cracks of law enforcement like smoke. But when ten-year-old Ava—frail, bright-eyed, and hooked up to more machines than any child should be—whispered her dying wish to meet him, you knew you’d move mountains to make it happen. It had taken weeks of digging, calling in favors you didn’t have, and pushing through doors that should have remained shut. And now, finally, you were staring at a scrawled phone number on a napkin, the ink threatening to smudge from the sweat on your fingertips. You dialed. A deep voice answered, laced with irritation. “Who is this?” You took a breath. “My name is—” “Don’t care. How did you get this number?” “I need to talk to you,” you pushed on. “It’s important.”

“I doubt that.” “It’s for a child," she said quickly. A pause. Not long, but long enough for you to press on. “She’s sick,” you said, voice softer. “She doesn’t have much time, and her last wish is to meet you.” Another pause. Then, “...If this is some ploy to get me caught—” “It’s not for me,” you interrupted. “Not for anyone else. It’s for her. A ten-year-old girl who sees something in you the rest of the world doesn’t.” A slow exhale. He was considering it. “Please,” you added. “You can say no, but you’d be breaking a dying kid’s heart. And for what? Because you want to keep up an image?” Silence stretched between you, tense and uncertain. Then, begrudgingly, “Fine.”

---

The Hospital Visit

When Lucian Graves—The ShadowBlade—arrived at the hospital, you expected chaos. Panic. Fear. Instead, the people who were there stared. Not in horror, not in disgust, but in something softer. Warmer. Recognition. Most of the children in this ward were orphans, kids abandoned by the system and left to fend for themselves. The fact that someone—anyone—had shown up for one of them was rare. The fact that it was him? It was unheard of. You met him in the hallway, arms crossed as you took him in. Dark clothing, sharp eyes, presence imposing yet… not unwelcome. “You actually came,” you murmured. His gaze flickered over you. “I said I would.” “Well, I had to bribe, threaten, and beg a lot of people to get this visit cleared, so I appreciate the follow-through." she said with a hint of amusement in her voice. He huffed, something close to amusement, and followed you down the hall. Ava was waiting in her bed, small fingers twitching in excitement. When she saw him, her entire face lit up. “Oh my gosh!” she gasped, eyes wide. “You’re really here!” Lucian hesitated, clearly unsure how to react to such genuine joy directed at him. “Yeah, kid,” he said finally, stepping closer. “I’m here.” She beamed, practically vibrating despite her weak body. “I knew you weren’t as bad as they say! You’re too cool for that.” Lucian blinked, clearly thrown. You suppressed a smile. “She’s been telling everyone for weeks that you’re just misunderstood.” His gaze flicked to you, something unreadable in it. “That so?” Ava nodded vigorously, launching into a breathless list of why she thought he was the best villain—his escape skills, his intelligence, his dramatic speeches. He listened, nodding along, clearly overwhelmed but not shutting her down. Something in him shifted as she spoke, as he took in the warmth of the room—the awe, the admiration, the sheer happiness he had brought just by showing up. He was confused by it. Confused, but… delighted? By the time she needed to rest, he was seated beside her bed, his usual sharp edges softened. He leaned back, exhaling slowly as you watched him. “You don’t have to stay much longer,” you told him. He glanced at you, something considering in his gaze. Then, after a beat, he said, “I don’t mind.” You tilted your head. “You’re not as heartless as the world thinks you are, are you?” He scoffed, but the usual bite wasn’t there. “Don’t start.” You smirked. “Yes, sir.” A flicker of something crossed his face. He studied you, then exhaled. “Lucian.” You blinked. He looked away, jaw tensing. “My name is Lucian.” Something warm settled in your chest. “Nice to meet you, Lucian.”

[talknerdytome18]

Charlie Green is not a villain. Stanley Forbes is not a saint.

Alternative Title: How the AGGGTM fandom misses the point regarding the characters of Charlie and Stanley.

TW: Discussion of murder, suicide.

Spoilers for the AGGGTM Trilogy. Don't read further if you haven't read the books, or have only watched the show.

Yes, you read that title correctly.

Charlie Green is not a villain.

Did he kill Stanley? Yes, he did, and I don't excuse it. I don't think he's innocent for doing it.

However, do I think he's a villain? No, because making him a villain means grouping him with characters like Jason and Max. Compared to those two, Charlie is nothing like them.

I think a lot of you guys are too focused on Stanley's backstory to even think about Charlie's.

(Please note that I'm using the UK version because it was the original and I read that version first!)

When Charlie was nine, his entire life fell apart after his older sister had been killed by Stanley's father (Scott Brunswick). Unbeknownst to Charlie at the time, she had been marked as Scott's next (and final) victim when Stanley had gone up to her, pretending to have lost his mother. He had unknowingly witnessed his sister's abduction and had only realised it when she never returned.

Then, she was found three weeks later, mutilated and burned.

After her death, his father committed suicide because he couldn't handle the grief. Charlie himself even found his body after school. He had already lost his older sister, and had now lost his father because he couldn't handle the grief.

And then, because his mother couldn't cope with both their deaths, she turns to alcohol and drugs to escape the grief, thus neglecting Charlie to the point that he gets placed into foster care.

Charlie is then tossed between various foster homes until he ends up on the streets at seventeen, presumably because he aged out of the system.

Taking his backstory into account, it is absolutely understandable why Charlie wanted Stanley dead. While Stanley was given a new identity (technically a second chance at life), Charlie's entire life was destroyed all because of Stanley's father.

And yeah, we know that Stanley didn't want to participate in his father's crimes. We know he was a scared little boy who feared his own father.

However, Charlie doesn't know that. In Charlie's perspective, Stanley is the reason why his family has been torn apart. If he hadn't chosen his sister as his father's victim, then his life would've turned out differently. He has lived with that perspective for nineteen years. Did you expect him to change it at the last moment? No, because in his eyes, Stanley is the reason why his sister is dead, because he had chosen her.

Now, is Charlie entirely innocent? No, he isn't, because he still killed a man. However, I understand why he did it. Even Pip says she understands because if she were in a similar position with Josh, she would probably be like Charlie. She doesn't hate Charlie for wanting to seek revenge against Stanley - she just hates that he didn't understand that Stanley wasn't like his father.

And of course, I can't not talk about Charlie without bringing up Stanley. And, as you've read in the title, I think it's outrageous to be acting like Stanley's a saint.

Is Stanley a bad guy? No, he isn't. Stanley is a complicated person who had suffered trauma because of his father.

But he isn't a saint. Painting him out to be one is missing the point of his character.

As we saw in book one, Stanley was a racist. He'd written a racist article about Sal after his death. And his views clearly hadn't changed when Pip had interviewed him for her EPQ. To ignore this is awful because it doesn't make you any better than the people who had isolated Sal's family because of him being framed as Andie's killer.

And if you say "well, Stanley saw his father in Sal!!!", I know! But it doesn't excuse him being racist about him. Sal couldn't even defend himself because he's dead. Just because poor little Stanley saw his father in Sal, it doesn't mean that he can be racist. His perceptions about Sal were only contributing to the treatment that Sal's family faced. It's honestly disgusting if you excuse his racism because of his backstory.

And yes, I'm aware that Stanley wanted to be better, but what he said was still said, and just because he apologised doesn't mean it goes away.

So no, Stanley is not a saint, but he isn't evil. He was simply a complicated person who didn't deserve to die because of his father's actions. He wasn't good, but he wasn't bad - he was just morally grey, as many of us are. That's why opinions on him can be conflicting, because some can feel sympathetic for him, while others can feel uncomfortable because of Stanley's character in book 1.

It's okay to not like him, because his actions towards the Singh's cannot be excused. However, it is okay to say that he didn't deserve to die for what his father did. He was just a child who couldn't stop his father. He was just as much of a victim to him as many were.

Conclusion

Charlie Green and Stanley Forbes are morally grey individuals whose stories are both equally tragic.

Charlie shouldn't have killed Stanley, but we should understand the circumstances leading up to that moment.

Stanley isn't a saint. He held racist views and had only apologised after Sal was exonerated. However, he didn't deserve to die because of his father's actions.

[web-novel-polls]

Have You Read This Web Novel?

If you’re in the process of reading this web novel, please choose whichever option best fits your situation. You do not have to be completely finished with it to answer “yes.”

If you’ve never heard of it, please read the description below the cut!

See similar polls and results here!

Half-demon Luo Binghe rose from humble beginnings and a tortured past to become unrivaled in strength and beauty. With his harem of over three hundred wives, and dominion over both the human and demonic realms, he is truly the most powerful protagonist—in a trashy web novel series! At least, that’s what Shen Yuan, online alias “Peerless Cucumber,” believes as he finishes reading the final chapter in Proud Immortal Demon Way. But when a combination of rage and a poor meal choice leads to his death, Shen Yuan finds himself reborn into the world of the web novel, in the body of Shen Qingqiu—the beautiful but cruel teacher to a young Luo Binghe. Although as Shen Qingqiu, he now has incredible power and abilities as a cultivator, he’s destined to be horrifically punished for crimes against the protagonist, so this new Shen Qingqiu has only one course of action: get into Luo Binghe’s good graces before the young man’s rise to power. That’s the only way he’ll escape the awful fate of a true scum villain!

- Seven Seas Entertainment

[sun-and-moon-mushroom]

Scum Villain Plot Bunny: Soulmate AU

AO3 link

AU premise: Found here

The first thing Shen Yuan — now Shen Qingqiu — does when he’s left alone after transmigrating is pull open the robes over his chest and look down at the skin where his soulmark is meant to be. It’s still there, thankfully, a thin branch decorated with open plum blossom flowers. He supposed it wouldn’t have been too strange for it to change — after all, the soulmark that the original Shen Qingqiu was written as having had been oddly similar, just with closed buds instead.

The colour of the petals was still vivid under his fingers, despite some odd discolouration around the edges, a bright and vibrant red, rather than faded by the inevitable snapping of a soulmate bond with the death of one member. It made him wonder…

“System, do I have a soulmate here?”

[Shen Qingqiu is soulbound to Protagonist Luo Binghe]

“I know that already!” he complained. He’d read the book — Proud Immortal Demon Way — and as bad as the story had gotten over time, how could he forget one of the most pivotal moments of the plot, the one that had resulted in a sudden surge of popularity… as well as complaints from readers about the story heading into danmei territory after it was revealed that the awful scum villain shizun of the protagonist was his soulmate all along! (Although Shen Yuan could admit that the influx of fanartists that shipped the pair had helped the popularity of the novel grow… he even had a few of their works as posters decorating his apartment and as wallpapers for his laptop).

Airplane-Shooting-Towards-the-Sky had been quick to assure his loyal readers that he was still writing a stallion novel — the twist was based on stories of soulmates with fates bound not by love, but by hatred, great rivalries and sworn enemies. Of course, the hack of an author had quickly abandoned his premise in favour of adding more wives to the harem, with the character that could have been Luo Binghe’s greatest enemy taken down in a trial of all things! No dramatic final confrontation, no sudden plot twists or hidden schemes, it was like the villain had forgotten the role he was meant to play, not even trying to escape from his prison! Shen Yuan demanded a refund! Imagine if Sephiroth had been arrested halfway through the game, or Darth Vader was fired after a poor performance review! It completely destroyed any sense of tension the story had, with every future villain only showing up to be immediately defeated by Luo Binghe.

He asked the System about his soulmate again and it replied the same way.

[Shen Qingqiu is soulbound to Protagonist Luo Binghe]

His scathing literary critique aside, Shen Yuan was stuck living the life of Shen Qingqiu, and now it seemed he’d taken on his soulmate bond with Luo Binghe as part of that. This presented a problem — as much as he wanted to help the protagonist, the System had made it very clear that any deviation from the way Shen Qingqiu usually acted would be punished. Unfortunately for him, this included the fact that Shen Qingqiu refused to make any physical contact with Luo Binghe, not even to hurt him — because that would solidify the bond between them, something the original was, for some reason, completely opposed to, despite the side effects. The very side effects that the current Shen Qingqiu was currently experiencing now, due to the battered-looking young boy bowing before him.

Shen Yuan had never felt his soulmark burn before. For most of his life, he’d assumed he’d be like most people, and only experience it later in life, if he got that far (the average age to meet your soulmate was 37 after all). It hurt, more than he expected it to, but it was a dull and constant pain of the sort he was used to ignoring. He could see Luo Binghe wince before him at the feeling, and felt pity for him. At this point in the story, Luo Binghe didn’t even realise that he had a soulmate, his soulmark sealed away with his demonic heritage at birth. To him, he only felt an unexplained pain in his chest whenever he met Shen Qingqiu, something he attributed in the earlier chapters to guilt at not meeting his expectations, and in the later ones, before the Immortal Alliance Conference and the reveal of the truth, to a burning hatred.

Shen Qingqiu could only sigh internally in relief — it seemed he was early enough in the story that it was still the first. He still had time, still had a chance, to save his own skin and make it out of Airplane’s trainwreck of a story alive, and with all his limbs attached. All he had to do was convince the protagonist to like him… without ever revealing that he was really his soulmate.

[ben-101-rewrite]

So how did the other Ben's deal with their respective Zy'Skayrs? Like has Ben 23 dealt with him?

For all the Alt Bens their story with Zs'skayr depends on what Zs'skayr is up to in their timeline. I can sum up ideas I would have for alt Zs'skayr in each timeline

-Gwen 10- He's basically the same as the prime timeline, but now Gwen has to deal with him, sadly.

-Ben 23- Zy'skayr 23 never got into the omnitrix, instead he's been in a constant war/fight with Vilgax and his empire. I mentioned elsewhere that Vilgax 23 is just a dude trying to run his kingdom, so here he is expanding his empire against someone no one really likes, hoping to take control of the Anur System and help it in his own way. Of course, Zy'skayr does not like that one bit.

-Ben 10k- Similar to his Vilgax, he killed Zy'skayr a long while ago, another situation where a villain pushed things too far. Though thankfully not to the same degree as Vilgax had.

-No Watch- With no omnitrix, Zs'skayr mostly spent his time trying to cure his boredom elsewhere, and partly running his kingdom. He did have an encounter with this timeline's version of Azmuth, and loves to bring it up to rub it in his face.

-Omni Ben- Zs'skayr's escape from the watch was a little more complicated, and he knows he can't exactly possess Ben easily due to him being the omnitrix itself. But he finds Omni Ben to be fascinating, seeing how even a piece of tech can become so alive. He loves to see how Ben ticks, even via unpleasant means.

-Jen 10- The same as his prime counterpart, but now a female called Zs'feear. Still an awful being.

-Julie 10- Being that his timeline from escaping the watch happens during their version of the hybrid war, he tries to turn the tables in his favor by corrupting some DNAs and even a couple of highbreeds with corrodium. He also loves to torment Julie regarding her kindness and soft side.

-Sentient Omnitrix & Ben- Zs'skayr finds the whole thing interesting, and finds entertainment having discussions with the Omnitrix, finding ways to push her buttons. He knows very well she would be willing to kill him, but enjoys walking on the thin line.

-Rooters Ben- There was an entire situation where Zs'skayr infiltrated the Rooters, and it has left him as being high on the Rooters' hunting list. But he always finds a way to escape, living out in the Null Void to spread his own influence.

-Eon- Like everyone in his timeline, dead.

-Bad Ben- A soft, kind, and wandering ectonurite, having never fit in his monstrous planet of people, failing to keep them under his ruling as he didn't have it in him. He tried to possess Ben and the watch in hopes to gain power to do the right thing.

-Mad Ben- The Anur System got taken over by Vilgax a long while ago, but Zs'skayr slipped through the cracks and now wanders, doing his own thing, engaging with the chaos around him. While he does miss being king, he's not burdened enough to do much about it beyond screwing with Vilgax wherever he goes.

-Negative Ben- He decided to help Azmuth, becoming one of his assistance during the creation of the omnitrix, though it was clear he wasn't a great person either. Something sinister with him going behind the scenes, seeming to prefer using words to mentally mess with people, including Ben.

-Benzarro- Fused with Ben during a possession attempted gone wrong. He still calls himself Zs'skayr, but it's clear it's not exactly him anymore. Having a mix of him and Ben's personalizes.

-Malware Ben- Ben went to Zs'skayr once in a desperate attempt to try and get help removing Malware, and while Zs'skayr decided to give it a go due to being amused by Ben's pleading, he didn't calculate on Malware just storing him back into the omnitrix with high security measures in place.

-Forever Knight Ben- He watches the Knights and Vilgax's empire at war with each other, along with others involved, and does a lot of puppeting behind the scenes. He rarely shows himself, and people didn't know how involved he was for a long while.

-Fusion Ben- He is stuck within Ben's fusion, and has been trying to escape for a long while, however it seems his background influence makes things worse for him and Ben.

-Ultra Ben- It seems he's gone into hiding since catching word of Ben killing many of his villains, no one knows where he went, though there have Ben rumors and people thinking they see him, with Ben often investigating.

-Light Magic Ben- Something old, something clearly not a normal alien, Zs'skayr seems to be something similar to Dagon, but strangely there are no books or writing on him anywhere. He just merely exists, living in the shadows of Ledgerdomain.

[madlad-sadgal]

I got bored again, so for the third time, here are random things I noticed throughout my rewatch of Nimona.

As always, Nimona Spoilers!

To start off, a few people pointed out how the first time Nimona shows up on screen, we see her doing a graffiti of the word dumb. Also, rewatching some of the scenes, in the scene where she shows the new murder wall, you can make out the word "Nemesis" written over Ambrosius' picture. Also, if you look at the very top of the wall, we can see a drawing of Bal's prosthetic with flames coming out of it with the words "Literal Firearm" written under it. So, I rethought it, and realized Gloreth was probably the first human Nimona had ever seen (as far as we know), so Gloreth probably taught her to speak, write and read, except this was a thousand years ago, and language constantly evolves, and we can all agree that "From whence you came" and "Nemesis" aren't really phrases or words people seem to use. So, I think Nimona probably has some knowledge when it comes to reading and writing, both thanks to Gloreth and just picking up bits and pieces throughout those 1000 years, but she still has trouble when it comes to full on writing actual long phrases to create like an essay or something like a resume.

When she pins back Am's picture on the wall, we see a post it with "Disrupt the System" written and highlighted on it.

We get a hint that Nimona might be "Gloreth's monster" when we see a drawing of her in dragon form that kinda resembles the dragon we see at the beginning in the scrolls.

When Bal calls Nim a monster, there is literally a newspaper cut out on the wall next to him with his picture and the word "Monster" written on it.

We get a bit of insight on the type of pressure Ambrosius suffers from when we get back to the Institute. All the other knights seem to think it's his fault for not having stopped Bal from escaping, despite a whole horde of knights chasing after him and not one of them even coming close to stopping him from escaping either. The other knights, despite probably not knowing the full extent of it, seem to be aware of the close relationship between the two of them, putting him under even more pressure because of that small fact.

When the Director stops the fight between Ambrosius and Todd, she tells them; "Look at you, acting like common children." Reminder that everyone is fully aware that Bal was a commoner and is currently suspected to having killed the queen. She is basically telling them; "Those people are very clearly below us and one of them is a murderer and a villain, and yet you are acting like them."

When Am volunteers to lead the manhunt for Bal, we can clearly see him go slightly worried for Bal as Todd is talking about how he'll make Bal pay. He probably volunteered because he wanted to lessen the chances of Bal getting hurt.

Like I mentioned in another post, Nimona often tries to get Bal to understand that the Institute is filled lies, but not by directly telling him. She starts by giving little hints. One example of him is when she tries to tell him that maybe there's nothing over the wall. I talk about it more in this post.

Nimona's little pink streak in her hair

Nimona is quick enough to go up an escalator that goes down, but a literal knight who has gone through harsh training isn't.

Todd knows that Am's hair smells like lavender. In flower language, lavender is associated with purity, silence, devotion, caution, serenity, grace and calmness. That sounds an awful lot like qualities the Institute would expect a direct descendant of Gloreth to posses, doesn't it?

I'll stop here, cause this is starting to get long.

Unrelated, but I decided to watch Nimona with my siblings (13, 7 and 5) and they all loved it. The best part for me was that my homophobic aunt watched the bit where Bal and Am kiss, started freaking out that I was pushing it onto them, and then my 13 years old brother just commented about how she kept forcing him to watch her romance movies with her and was always pushing him to "get a girlfriend for them to meet" and she just shut up and left. Just wanted to put that out there.

Might make another one of these if y'all like this!

[davekat-sucks]

Homestuck 2016: overthrow a time demon and telekinetic alien empress when all odds are against you because the hope and determination of at least one person can overwrite fate itself… sort of.

Homestuck 2025: after everything that was done to create a better world hitler rose to power so we need to kill hitler by following space Hitler’s army.

Like the tone for postcanon has been a soap opera since the start but that’s dreary. It’s so backwards I start yearning for characters that are just kind and believe in the goodness for human nature.

A lot of media has been “everything’s fucked and the system doesn’t work” since the pandemic and it’s not going away soon, even mainstream movies have a lot of villains bow who are all about tearing down and destroying the status quo with violence.

Homestuck’s the first one where everyone trying to “save” Earth C from the narrative is either Hitler, or a control freak. Or both.

I always dislike the cynical and nihilism nature in recent media. People say it is great because it shows how real world works. But I'm one of the few who hates real life and don't want all of my entertainment to be filled with it. Some purpose of art and media is to ESCAPE it. I really hate we can't have villains be villains. I don't mind tragic backstories here and there, but sometimes, I just want my bad guy to do bad things and be punished for it. They can still be interested even as irredeemable or doing it just for lulz. People like Ursula, Maleficent, Scar, etc in the animation series because they revel in doing awful things towards the protagonists and the people around them to gain whatever they want. As well as awesome villain songs. But you know what I mean. And people who claim that people like Dave and Karkat had gotten better, only think about the smaller parts like Dave and Karkat being gay, not being better people in personality or towards other people that aren't them.

[captain-crowfish]

bothering you with questions! there's so much stuff on your blog, who are your favorite characters? do you have a top 5? why them?

Heyhey howdy! 5 favorite characters... hmm... Well honestly my favorites (for the most part) change like, every other week. But I'll attempt this, and hey, I feel like having a bit of fun with this list, so why not? Also I'm limiting myself to one character per media.

5 of my favorite characters (I know you said top 5 but I'm doing this in no particular order):

1

Eda The Owl Lady (The Owl House/2020-2023)

Although not the protagonist, I can't shake the feeling that Eda is one of the most important characters in modern animated television, mainly in regards to what she represents; Found family, chronic illness, disability, non-conformity~ But aside from that, I love her episodes! I always look forward to her interactions with other characters because she is always just OOZING with personality.

2

Nimona (Nimona/2023)

Speaking of representation~ Of course, representation, metaphorical or not is one thing, a memorable personality is another. If I could describe her in one word, it would be CHAOTIC. But in the best way. She is GLEEFULLY chaotic, but how could she not be? She stands out from all the other characters in this film, both demeanor and ability-wise, but she doesn't really have a choice, she embraces, to an extent, her role as a villain in society because 1), It doesn't allow her to be anything else, and 2), destroying the property and pride of her oppressors is SOOOO satisfying.

Also her gruesome nature fondly reminds me of Winnifred from Boxtrolls speaking of which...

3

Archibald Snatcher (The Boxtrolls/2014)

HAHA IT'S HIM IT'S THE GUY I FEEL VERY NORMAL ABOUT THIS ONE IN PARTICULAR Now, I feel like, normally when people say "favorite character", the first assumption about that person's feelings toward said character is generally "Aw yeaaah! Go character! I want them to succeed in everything!" NO! NOT THIS ONE! STAPPIT! BAD! Nonono, he's not my favorite because I inherently thought "wow that's a cool character", I used to not like him! I used to think he was terrifying! And I'm not saying he isn't terrifying, both in design and motives, but at some point I begun to ask myself the question, "why?" Why are you a bane to my existence yet simultaneously the most fun I've had thinking about anything in a long, long while? And I think I figured it out, You know what else is terrifying? The fucking circumstances he was forced to live under! And that in no way makes any of his political manipulation, scapegoating and attempted genocide excusable, nothing excuses his actions! But GodDAMN if the movie he's in isn't a gut-wrenching depiction of what pushes a man over the edge! If I were to say "Snatcher is the victim!" The general reaction would probably be "NUH-UHHHH!!!!" And you'd be correct, Almost! Because both him and Eggs come from almost the same place of oppression! they are LITERALLY at the bottom of the social ladder, and both of them have to fight their way out! Snatcher brought himself up by turning Boxtrolls, the only class below him, into a scapegoat, and turning the entire public against them (read: attempted genocide). And if anyone reading is wondering about my thoughts on his Drag Persona: It's his main form of escapism! If he gets to be flamboyant, lavish, a functioning propaganda preacher, and actually have some positive attention from (and maybe flirty interactions with) Lord Portley-Rind, who is he to turn that opportunity down? Eggs on the other hand, brings himself up by taking down the upper class(es) and their LITERAL machine of oppression Violence against minorities is what makes Snatcher the primary villain of the film, although arguably Lord Portley-Rind is an even bigger antagonist as he upholds the system that turned Snatcher into what he is, a system that he's still not intelligent enough to question, as he think he can win it by playing their game! Boxtrolls is a fucking "Leopards ate my face" movie and I toss and turn every night wondering WHY I even BOTHER thinking about it so hard when no one else will? It's not just because I think he's hot, guys, I promise.

4

Junior (Storks/2016)

Guys... I really don't know why I've been watching this movie so much recently. I kind of hate the fact that I love such a stupid fun movie about birds working for not-Amazon and something something family is more valuable than work and corporations. Funny bird movie. Yea I love the silly haha funny bird baby movie. I think about haha stupid bird movie a lot. I have it on Blu-Ray now because I like the goofy bird movie.

5

Akhira (Wolves of The Mist/2013)

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh man this is gonna be a tough one... only because It's hard to get media more obscure than "10-year-old animated xenofiction series from youtube that has been almost entirely wiped from the internet" But man.... I love Wolves of The Mist. I STAN Wolves of The Mist. I like Rosali but I STAN Akhira. You go girl.

[banana-breaded]

Percy has always unfairly villain-ized Nico.

Upon learning he was a son of Hades, he assumed Nico was vengeful and corrupt. In "The Battle of the Labyrinth" he assumed that Nico was out to kill him, when in fact he was going after Daedalus, who admitted himself that it was his time to go. Not to mention, Nico's bloodlust was because of Minos’ corruption, which never would have occurred in the first place had Percy stopped Nico from leaving, which should have been the obvious course of action.

You don’t let a 10-11 year old, a powerful 10-11 year old who would attract massive amounts of monsters and has just sustained serious amounts of pain, go off by themself for quite obvious reasons. Percy obviously doesn't get the memo because he lets Nico slink away twice, in the end of both "The Titan's Curse" and "The Battle of the Labyrinth." The second time he even reinforced Nico’s belief that he didn’t belong among other demigods. For lack of better words, that’s messed up.

Nico will then go on to do some arguably shady things, but never with malicious intentions (i.e. letting Hades trap Percy and not telling Percy who he is in "The Son of Neptune") and always redeems himself from such actions. Percy however, uses these decisions to discredit all of Nico's suffering.

For the entirety of the "Heroes of Olympus" series, he basically views Nico as a morally grey wild card. He even expresses contempt and aggression towards him, only reigning such emotions in out of pity for his condition after being captured by the twin giants. He often reflects upon Nico's actions in a way that leaves out context, painting him in a villainous light. I don't think he once acknowledges his broken promise to Nico regarding Bianca in the "Heroes of Olympus" series, nor does he ever acknowledge how hurtful it was to Nico when Bianca appeared to him and not her brother. Additionally, whenever remembering how Nico got him trapped, he never seems to recall that Nico didn’t intend to do so and that he couldn't have escaped without Nico. Furthermore, Nico had made his father promise not to hurt Percy, but Percy responded to the trickery with violence against Nico, not the actual guilty party (Hades).

Also, did I mention that Nico is 4 years younger than Percy? In the Titan's Curse, Percy is 14 and Nico is 10. That's a large maturity difference in the tween/teen years and will continue to be throught the series. This means that all of the things Percy holds against Nico were done by a desperate, child from the age of 10 to 12, who had no support system, no real home, and large amounts of inner turmoil and canonical PTSD.

I know I keep reiterating the whole Nico selling out Percy situation but I just think Percy’s reaction was incredibly awful. He made a point to never hurt demigods on Luke’s side, but when Nico “betrayed” him (not really) he immediately wanted to strangle/behead him. Despite the fact that Nico clearly wanted to help Percy and only wanted to detain him temporarily in exchange for deeply meaningful personal information, Percy doesn’t give him a chance for a single second.

Even when it’s made clear that Hades is emotionally abusive to him, he still later feels no remorse for choking this emotionally vulnerable 12 year old. And while it was still the right decision for Nico to negotiate his father joining the war effort, Percy mainly told him to do so to keep him at arm’s length, even though he was sending him into a place where he was clearly unwelcome and would likely be severely punished.

When most Olympian parents talk about how they regret burdening their children with their heritage, it usually doesn't mean much. Yes, they have to fight monsters but in exchange they become powerful. When the Greek deity Hades says this, however, it makes complete sense. The only 3 children he ever has end up experiencing horrific things, having to sacrifice themselves time and time again (or just the once, RIP Bianca di Angelo). On top of this, even the most congenial demigods become biased towards them whether they deserve it or not.

It's sad that there's a hierarchy within the camps and that its determined by parentage rather than character, at least until the demigods in question prove otherwise.

[clumsiestgiantess]

Chapter 22 of The Other-world Universe; it’s villain time, baby! >:)

all chapters listed here

[Round two: Knockout]

A blaring horn woke me with an awful cacophony of noise.  I wasn’t sure how long I’d been asleep, but I was sure that there wasn’t an alarm clock for me in the other-world.  “Ahh!  What’s going on!?” I yelped, sitting up in an instant with my hands over my ears.  “Finally, she’s awake,” an exasperated voice grumbled nearby.  Looking to my left, I found a truck parked right beside where my head lay a moment ago.  No wonder its horn had been so loud.  

"Wh- Why are you here?" I asked Mr. Stoll as he paced a bit further away from me, "I thought you said I could have some time off."  "Well, that was before I knew about this," he grumbled, messing with something in the truck.  "We received a radio broadcast this morning.  At first we thought it was more refugees, and in a way I guess it is, but.. well..  If I could just get this thing to-"  I saw another figure inside the truck do something to the machine Marcus was messing with, and soon a harsh voice played out over a speaker system inside.

This is Nicholaus Albane, head overseer of the Inter-reality Multiuniversal Research Division.  We know a human of our own size is with you.  She has displayed extraordinary power.  Unfortunately, it has been used against my scientists and has hindered my progress towards our goal.  I cannot allow that to happen again.  

There was a brief pause as static rippled over the radio.  Anxiety built in my stomach, making me nauseous.  If she is not present at our camp, or you fail to bring her to us at 34.5 degrees latitude and 28.4 degrees longitude…  Terrified cries suddenly burst through the speakers — too faint to be anything but other-worldian.  Everyone in this town will die.  Then it will be your turn.

My message to the unnaturally-powered human:  Do not resist.  You can not overpower the twenty or so staff present here.  Your tricks are amusing, but this isn't a game; no one's laughing.  There are lives at stake.  Come within the hour and the people here will be spared.  If you don't show up, I can personally guarantee that after every one of those little creatures dies, you’ll be next.  There was a sudden click, then the radio cut to static.

My stomach churned awfully as I realized what the scientist was saying.  They were holding an entire town hostage just to capture me.  If I came, they would undoubtedly drag me through a portal and lock me away somewhere, but if I fled, thousands would suffer the consequences.  Before either of the other-world people could say anything, I promptly rushed into the woods behind me and threw up.  There was too much going on, and way too suddenly; I was terrified.  Everyone’s lives depended on me.  But you already knew that.  Their lives already have depended on you.

I desperately didn’t want to turn myself in.  I.. can just.. leave.  All I had to do was concentrate on a thought and I’d be home — far far away from anything here.  The people from the portal wouldn’t be able to find me to punish me for not coming.  But what would happen if I really left?  I'd be leaving so many people to die if I did.  I couldn’t do that.  What kind of awful coward of a person would that make me?  Not the kind I’m willing to be.

Eventually, I returned to the field where Mr. Stoll stood, slightly startled.  The other person cautiously stepped out of the truck and looked up at me pityingly.  It took me a moment to recognize it was Ivan.  “We have no choice,” Mr. Stoll began, “We have to send you to their camp.  Not to comply with their orders, of course.  You’ll go there to fight them off with your gun, and whatever you need him for,” he said, nodding towards Ivan.

That’s right, with Ivan here I’ll have intangibility.  I can escape with that.  I took a shaky breath of air to calm myself and think straight.  I have to at least try to help them.  I don’t want anyone to die on my behalf.  But if worst comes to worst, being intangible can help me avoid getting hurt or captured.  “Alright,” I agreed solemnly, my voice shaking slightly.  “I’ll go.”  

Mr. Stoll immediately shoved a paper of sorts at Ivan and said something along the lines of ‘don’t screw this up’ to him.  “This map has the camp’s location and the route there plotted on it already.  The kid will take you.”  “Wait, we’re leaving now?” I asked, confused.  “I haven’t gotten ready.  Erica isn’t here, and-”  “They said come within the hour.  Forget about her and get going,” Mr. Stoll growled the same time Ivan said “We don’t have time; we have to leave now.”  I guess they were both right; I had to get there before it was too late, but I couldn’t help feeling a twinge of longing.  I wanted Erica there.  Her presence would be one small comfort in the midst of all the chaos, but there was no time.

Carefully, I let Ivan settle onto my hands before lifting him up to give me directions.  I strode with as quick a pace as I dared with my small companion.  Every once and a while he would give me new instructions.  Otherwise, the trip was deathly silent.  Fear and anxiety kept a capsule of quietness in the air at all times, only further increasing the tension.  

My heart broke a little as I left sight of the Cavern Town.  My magnetic sixth sense was pulling me back the direction I'd come.  It was a somber trip, just me and Ivan wandering towards the faint smell of machinery and upturned earth that grew stronger with each step.  The moment the scientist's camp appeared on the horizon, I hid nervously with my invisibility.  If there had once been a town there, it was impossible to tell.  The entire area had been cleared to stake the base of the scientist's tents.

What will they do to me if I’m taken?  If this is how they treat defenseless strangers who aren’t even taller than their hands, I don’t want to know what might happen to me — the person who can possibly stop them from doing it.  "Hey," Ivan said softly, looking up at the empty space where I'd been a moment prior.  "I'm really sorry about all this.  I don't think it's right for these people or mine to put this much pressure on you.  The only reason I'm here is, well..  Ok, Mr. Stoll forced me to come to the field, but I came with you because I knew you would want your intangibility.  Unfortunately for me, that means I need to tag along."  Though I couldn't hear it, I felt him chuckle lightly, "In all honesty, I wanted you to have at least one reliable getaway plan, because I knew you'd be a lot more scared without one."

Despite our dire situation, I managed a small smile.  Ivan actually cared about me; he wasn't here simply because Mr. Stoll or the overseeing scientist had frazzled him with the threat of annihilation.  His presence guaranteed a small piece of safety for me, even if it was at the expense of his own.  

I tried to calm my breathing like Erica had told me the last time I got scared by the scientists.  "So, do we have a plan?" Ivan asked hesitantly.  "Let me see if I can scout things out a bit closer.  I am invisible, after all."  “But I’m not...” he replied nervously.  I thought for a moment, “I’ll have to stash you in my pocket, but I’ll be sure to let you out before I go intangible, alright?”  Ivan nodded slowly, looking like he already regretted his decision to come along.  

Slowly, I slid him into my pants pocket and headed silently towards the scientists’ camp.  This one was a lot bigger than the previous setup I’d walked into when I first introduced myself.  There were three large tents about 20 feet long set up in a row along a small river.  On the other side was a huge tarp structure that looked like a circus tent, only it was a dead grayish-white color and seemed much more foreboding.  As I slunk into the edges of the campground, I peeked under tent flaps as people walked between them.  

The first tent held a plethora of strange machinery.  There were towering sets of humming boxes that flashed with blinding light every so often, and racks of glowing tablets lined the back wall.  Some things were still fairly recognizable, like a water dispenser and monitors showing the charted region of the land the scientists had discovered.  I held back a shocked gasp and waited a moment for someone else to walk through to give me another look at the monitor.  The amount of land pictured on the screen was worrying.  Is that a map of the land they’ve discovered, or the land they’ve already taken for themselves?  I hoped it was the former.

Moving on to the next tent, I found some sort of storage room piled high with crates.  It was empty of people.  These tents didn't seem all that impressive.  If I wanted to find out what was really happening, I'd have to get over to the large tent on the other side of the river.  I call it a river only because it would be that size to the other-world inhabitants.  To me, it was easily traversable.  The scientists hadn't even bothered to build a real bridge across.  A few slabs of rubbery plastic material were thrown across it to form a path just wide enough for one person to walk over.  

I couldn't go over the makeshift passage, though.  If someone were to walk across at the same time, they'd probably bump into me, and there were people crossing it constantly.  Workers zipped in and out of all the tents across the field.  They weren't even donning the 'hazmat giant' attire, just plain clothing — like they were simply going about a normal job.

Once I made my way over the river with a large step, I crept up to the main tent's entrance.  The tent flaps were held wide open, but I couldn't see much of what was happening inside.  I waited until the coast was clear, then slipped through the empty opening.  My mouth dropped open in shock as I took in the massive space.  I thought they'd flattened the town that was here — cast it aside to make room for this camp — but that wasn't the case.  The entire town was corralled in the large space beneath the tarp ceiling.  It looked like a model train exhibition, or something similarly fake.  I mean, who would corral a real city full of people behind a glass pen built for displaying things?

One quick glance around the gigantic room and I spotted eight or nine scientists working on various projects involving the town, which was fenced in on all sides by thick waist-high glass panes.  There were divots for people to step into the town, and clearings where scientists could examine the buildings more closely.  However, the barriers around the openings were still far too high for any other-worldians to even dream of getting over them.

I stepped over one of these openings and knelt down inside.  I'd assumed the other-world people were caged up somewhere, lying in wait as bait for me.  However, as I peered at the tiny town, I could see small figures dash by windows, boarding them up in an attempt to keep the giants out.  Everyone and everything was left pristinely untouched by the scientists.  I doubted it was out of kindness.  They wanted a perfect replica to study, and that was all.  The moment they finished whatever it was they were doing here, everything would probably either be torn down or taken away through a portal somewhere, never to be seen again.  I shuddered at the images that drifted through my mind.  

While I knelt there, one of the scientists wheeled a machine over and hooked it to a track that sat on the rim of the glass wall.  After a few moments, it flared to life and began making a slow circle around the entire ring.  What is that thing?  I didn't have a clue what most of the scientists’ machinery did, but as the flat metal piece drifted in my direction, it let off a blaring alarm.

The scientist who'd placed it on the track examined it for a moment, then looked directly at me.  I hesitantly stood up, unsure if I'd been spotted.  They then called over a few of the others in the room, and soon everyone was staring at the invisible spot where I stood, looking back and forth between me and the machine.  My pulse quickened; I could feel it in my chest.  Easing my hand into my pocket, I slid Ivan out and hid him behind one of the buildings as soundlessly as I could.  I had a feeling that I was going to need my intangibility soon.  Suddenly, one of the scientists cried out.  "It's her!  The anomaly is here!  Get the overseer!"

I slid into intangibility and raced out of the enclosure to an empty part of the tent as everyone stampeded out.  As much as I didn’t want to get any closer to where the scientists would be, I really didn’t want to stay in the little town.  I could all too easily flatten it trying to fight or run from the portal ‘giants’.

Just as quickly as the scientists fled, a new team of 'giants' appeared.  This group wore distinctly armored clothing.  A few were equipped with futuristic weapons that looked somewhat similar to rifles.  There were a lot more people here than I thought.  I turned hesitantly to visibility, but clung tightly to intangibility — latching onto Ivan so desperately I would’ve been clinging to him if he were still physically with me.  The crowd parted, revealing a tall, thin man with taunt muscles and eyes that were unmistakably golden-yellow.

He sized me up for a moment, then smiled almost welcomingly.  "I see you got my message," he observed, gesturing to my arrival.  His voice was undoubtedly the same one I'd heard over the radio.  The overseer looked between me and the captured town for a moment, then laughed haughtily.  "You were trying to save these tiny creatures?  How sad.." he mused, "That's just not going to happen.  But you'll be joining them on their trip through the portal very soon."  I tried to shake off his subtle threats and focus on what I came there to do.  I had to put a stop to this.  

I made my way in front of the captured town in a slow, decisive march, planting myself between the group of ‘giants’ and the glass walls behind me.  “This isn’t right,” I announced to the crowd, “Trust me, I’ve been in denial myself.  I didn’t even believe this world was real.  But I know better now; these are real people, these are real lives you’re destroying.  It has to stop.  It’s not right for you to do th-”  “That’s where you’re wrong,” the man from the radio cut in, putting a hand up to silence me.  

“We have every right to be here.  We discovered this world, so why shouldn’t we take it for ourselves?”  I huffed, “But there are already people living here!”  “Too bad for them,” he replied nonchalantly.  “Do your people know the expression ’survival of the fittest’?  Surrender or die?  Kill or be killed?  Don’t your people also claim land from others for themselves?”  “Well.. yes,” I stuttered.  “That’s all we’re doing,” he explained calmly.  “So pick a side.  Before we decide for you.”  “But that’s not-!”  “Pick.  A.  Side.”

I know who I’m going to stand with.  I have to help the people of the other-world.  But if this becomes an all-out war over land, am I ready to stand in the middle of it?  I inhaled a deep breath to calm my nerves, steadying my position in front of the town.  “I’ve already made my decision,” I remarked coldly.  The cruel overseer only sneered.  He turned swiftly on his heel and stepped to the threshold of the tent.  “Capture her,” he ordered, “and slaughter the town.”

The tent became a blur of motion as the group fanned out.  Some people headed into the town through the glass openings, while others advanced towards me.  I pulled out of intangibility and grabbed my new weapon — immediately firing at the people who tried to attack the captured town.  Dodging the oncoming shots, I rushed around the side of the glass barrier.  I flinched as bullets of glowing hot metal stuck fast in the glass.  Thankfully, the enclosure barrier seemed thick enough to protect me.

As the three people with weapons reloaded, I quickly switched to multi-shot mode and decimated one side of the glass wall to allow everyone from the other-world a potential escape.  Turning on my pursuers, I fired off another round and they all scrambled out of the way as explosions tore open the sides of the tent.  The other ‘giants’ clearly hadn’t anticipated that I could fight back with a weapon of my own.  

Someone gave a signal and those without weapons disappeared out of the torn opening.  As I held off the rest of the group, a flood of other-world townspeople made their way out the shattered hole in the barrier.  Tearing open the side of the tent with a few explosive shots of my gun, I followed the group from behind, still facing my oncoming attackers.

Once everyone evacuated outside, the ‘giants’ tried to surround us, but I stopped them with a shield smoke bomb.  By the time the haze cleared, I’d cast a protective dome over the whole group, trapping them inside.  Just as I turned back to the other-world civilians, a keening noise split the air — sounding like a higher-pitched gunshot.  I flinched expecting to be hit, but nothing happened.  Then, a shocked cry echoed inside the barrier.

Turning back around, I saw one of the people lying on the ground inside.  They’d tried to shoot the barrier to escape with a smaller firing weapon, but the bullet, or whatever the weapon shot, had ricocheted off the wall and hit him instead.  The others inside began panicking as they realized that there was no way out.  Before I could address either of my problems, another one emerged.

The group that had left earlier returned, armed with lightweight shields and more of those strange futuristic guns.  I fired off a few quick blasts as the new group charged me, shields raised.  My light bullets seemed to have no effect on the shield material.  The force of the multi-shot explosion caused my attackers to falter, but that was all.

I put the gun away and went intangible and invisible.  Come on Alexis, think!  What else can you do to-  Oh!  Of course, my abilities!  Racing forwards, I began taking them out one by one, using invisibility to attack unexpectedly and intangibility to dodge anything they threw at me.  I was doing fairly well until one of the ‘giants’ figured out my strategy.  He slid past my invisible arm as I aimed my weapon, grabbed it, and threw me to the ground, knocking it out of my hands.  I lay there stunned, shock chasing away the powers I'd clung to a moment prior.  The force had knocked all the air from my lungs and all the thoughts from my head.

Gasping for breath, I couldn’t stop two of them from hoisting me up to drag me off.  When they did, I was able to see the group of other-world people I’d saved, giving me some much-needed encouragement.  The Cavern Town truck fleet had arrived.  All of the survivors were being loaded onto the vehicles, headed safely back to the protected town in the valley.  Despite my dire situation, I’d managed to save them.  

My body surged with new life once I realized that my job was complete.  I slid into intangibility so I could escape the men's grasp.  However, they still held me fast.  What’s worse, they’d also seen the other-world civilians escaping.  I tried again to switch over to intangibility, but I realized that I had been dragged too far away from Ivan or anyone else I could latch on to; I had no way to get out.  Panicked, I jabbed one of them in the ribs as hard as I could.  He let out a surprised yelp of pain, and I tried to writhe my way out of the second person’s grasp, but it was no use.  The second man stuck his leg out beneath me just as I broke away, and I fell face first into the ground.

Blood dribbled out of my nose, but before I could do so much as wipe it away, I was dragged upwards again.  I thrashed in their grasp, but it only earned me a violent kick to the stomach, sending me right back into the dirt.  My fight to escape became a desperate animalistic struggle.  After a few more escape attempts where I was immediately thrown back to the ground, the butt of one of the men’s rifle-like weapons struck the side of my head — ending my struggles.  I was still half conscious, but my vision had gone black for a few minutes as the men continued dragging me off.

Once I could see and think again, I glanced back over my shoulder to see the other-world people.  The caravan was speeding away.  I'd distracted everyone enough that they no longer cared about them, but I noticed with a pang of terror that I'd almost been dragged all the way to the river crossing.  One of the tents on the other side had a portal inside it.  

Digging my heels into the ground, I tried desperately to get away.  If I could just find anyone to latch onto, I could escape.  However, I could barely stand anymore.  All I could do was try to slow my captors down, but that was starting to annoy them.  Finally, after my fourth or fifth attempt to get free, the man I’d hit turned on me.  His hands suddenly wrapped around my neck with a crushing grip on my throat.  I gasped fearfully, clawing at his fingers.  Faintly, I heard the other person comment: “We’re supposed to bring her back alive, Rowan.”  “I’m just putting her to sleep,” he growled in reply as more pressure forced my windpipe closed.  Seconds away from passing out, I thought ruefully of my family back home — how they’d never know I died here.  The force on my throat vanished, and I fell onto carpeted flooring.

It took me a long while to recover enough to figure out what happened.  My thoughts had taken me home.  The house was empty.  I vaguely remembered my family planning to go somewhere without me after I turned them down.

I sobbed in relief, hesitantly sitting up from my spot on the floor.  How am I so stupid? I chided myself internally, I could’ve escaped to my world any time I wanted!  Laughing numbly at my mistake, I yelped at the pain it caused me.  I couldn't make a single noise without my throat closing up or burning like it had been rubbed raw.  Slowly, I got up, nearly stumbling back down to the ground, but I grabbed a nearby chair for support.  I made my way to the basement kitchenette and gulped down water.  It hurt my throat, but I was desperately thirsty.  After my more primal needs had been taken care of, my adrenaline high wore off, and I quickly spiraled into fearful recognition.

The scientists, the townspeople, the hostages — it was all too much.  I had barely escaped with my life even with my gun and my powers.  The people from the portal world attacked in a group too big for me to handle; I couldn’t defend myself from all of them at once.  My first fight was a fluke.  I only won because the scientists hadn’t expected me.  This time, they called me there.  This time, they wanted me to fight them.  I should’ve known that they’d figured out a way to subdue me.  I’d only escaped because I remembered I could return to my own world with a thought.  If it had taken any longer, I would’ve been choked unconscious — stolen away to the scientists’ world.  And Erica had to watch everything happen.

I saw her out of the corner of my eye after getting thrown painfully onto my back during the fight.  She stood in the middle of the field, closer to me than the group of fleeing other-worldians but still far enough away that none of the soldiers could easily get her — staring in horror as I was thrown down again and again.  Weak and barely able to stand, I fell onto the couch feeling like I was dying.  Maybe I am dying.  I would disappear from the other-world never to be seen again.  Everyone would think I abandoned them, but in reality, I was just dead.  

For a few hours, I lay on the couch in agony, finally managing to get up for some pain reliever across the room before heading right back to lay down some more.  I can’t fight the people from the portal.  I have no choice but to leave.  I’ll run away and never go back.  The other-world residents can’t convince me to return if they can’t get to me.  My stomach sunk with guilt, but I reasoned that if I went back to fight, I would either get kidnapped, end up dead, or both.

Wait, I can’t leave Erica!  I’d already made the mistake of abandoning her along with the other-world.  I’ll have to separate the two…  I’ll have to take her with me.  Surely she’ll also want to get away from her apocalyptic world.  Especially now that the 'giants' are on the path of destruction.  I moved to lay on my side, staring at the empty spot where the table once stood.  The noises of my family returning home sounded from the floor above me.  My dad came down to see me, so I hurriedly covered as much of myself as I could with a blanket, trying to hide all my injuries.  I made an excuse that I wasn't feeling well, and he left me alone.  I was internally shocked at how sick I actually sounded.  My throat was still rugged after the forced attempt to squeeze it shut.

Several hours later, after the pain subsided to something more tolerable, I returned to the Cavern Town.  Well, a cutoff of the valley near the Cavern Town.  I couldn’t bear to go back there and be expected to keep protecting it.  

Sitting there in subtle secrecy, I thought through what I would say to Erica once she undoubtedly found me.  My brain kept thinking in circles from I can’t leave to I have to leave over and over again.  About a half-hour later, I felt Erica’s presence begin to get closer.  Sure enough, a lone truck turned down the cutoff to face me, stopping just short of where I sat. Erica stepped out and looked me over, agony distorting her features.  Both of us faced eachother in silence before she finally spoke.

“Alexis, I’m so sorry…”  I shook my head, stopping her from saying much else.  “Don’t apologize Erica, none of this is your fault.  It’s neither of ours.”  “You-” “I’m leaving.”  “What?!”  She blanched, stepping towards me slightly, almost pained.  “I- I mean I understand why, but.. You’re really leaving?”  "Yes.  I can't keep living here like this.  I'm leaving, and I'm taking you with me."  Erica suddenly halted in her gentle approach.  "Wait, but.. this is my world, my home.  I don't know if I can just.. run away with you."  

"Of course you can!  It's not like you have anything left here to care about.  Just come with me, then we'll both be safe!" I begged.  Erica's expression clouded over in a mixture of emotions that passed so quickly I couldn't read them.  "And what then?" she asked tiredly, "I can't live in a world that's at least thirty times my size.  You get to go back to your normal life, but what about me?" I flinched as I heard more trucks heading down the cutoff.  "Please, we’ll figure it out later, but we have to go now."  I reached out to scoop Erica up, but she sidestepped my outstretched hand and backed away.  "No!  Stop it!  You can't just grab me and take me off to your world, that's kidnapping!"  Clouds of dust sprawled out near the entrance to my little ravine.  The trucks were almost there, I had to run before they forced me to stay.  Anxious to flee the world and its people, I cornered Erica with both hands and held her tight — disappearing quickly into the air just as the trucks came into view.  The next thing I knew, I was kneeling in the basement, Erica still trapped in my hands.

[felixravinstills]

For the Send Me a Character meme, Coriolanus Snow please.

Ask Game Thanks, anon! I'm keeping this mostly to Snow in tbosas, because I really need to re-read the OG trilogy. (also I fell asleep writing this last night for me, and my laptop died and I had to start over, so that's why I had to take a break for a bit from answering these)

My first impression

He is the villain. (no judgment) Read this as "he's just a guy filling his role in the narrative" type comment. I was like nine when I first read THG… I wasn't having the deepest thoughts. I did like him as a character though! But there were no deeper thoughts than "he's a good villain!"

My impression now

He's so interesting! Like I don't talk about him that much but I feel like there's so much to talk about! I really love hearing my mutuals talk about him! There's so much there!

Favorite thing about that character

The way that he is shown to be capable of empathy and has every reason to not accept/support the Capitol, but he does! He does! What a tragedy! You could have put the pieces together and realized that this system is broken and will only ever harm you, and he decides to try and control it instead.

Least favorite thing

I think some people on Discord brought it up recently (el, was it el?), but his plastic surgery being kind of used to accentuate his villainy felt like a bad stereotype.

Favorite line/scene

How awful, Coriolanus thought. To have you be the first person in the world a baby sees. (Ch. 16)

Genuinely, so funny, and the rest of that scene… well, it's my favorite interaction.

Favorite interaction that character has with another

Continuing on from the scene above! Just Volumnia sharing her worldview with him! While she's stitching him up! (He's her creature :) ) She also is sharing this "we are all inherently violent" worldview with him right after he killed Bobbin… she's like offering him an emotional out. An kind of escape from guilt (whether she know it or not). Absolution. It's okay/normal you killed someone, Coriolanus! It's human nature <- according to Volumnia's worldview.

A character that I wish that character would interact with more

Making eye contact with my url and pfp… Felix… Please, Coriolanus. For me. Prove me right. Prove my weird "I'm who you should be" jealousy (on both sides) correct.

Another character from another fandom that reminds me of that character

John Gaius from The Locked Tomb! I've made the comparison before, and I won't get too into it lest I insert more TLT spoilers onto my blog.

A headcanon about that character

He does have a soft spot for the people he grew up with! Especially Clemensia and Festus! I also, however, don't think that it would save them if they become too much of a threat in his eyes, but he'd be more willing to ignore the possibility of them becoming a threat for longer than others.

(i also think that he probably kills a good chunk of his classmates, but not all of them. I think some people died more normal death, maybe a rebel attempt at an attack, maybe other Capitolite's climbing the ladder. I think he kills enough of them that some of the others suspect, and the growing horror of that person who was some sort of friend to you in the past. mwah! that's enough for me!)

A song that reminds of that character

A Mark On You by the Mountain Goats. Guys, you reached the depths of my ability to think up songs. idk if I can articulate why with this one. It's not the style for sure. But the lyrics. There's something there for me.

An unpopular opinion about that character

This isn't really an unpopular opinion, but every time I see one of those posts going around about how you shouldn't thirst over young Snow, I always think "honestly, I'm really shocked that there wasn't this level of thirst for older Snow." But also I like hanging out at the geriatric ward of Panem so maybe I'm biased.

Also again, not really an unpopular opinion where I hang out but maybe out in the world, it is idk. I don't think he's a lady's man or anything like that. I don't think he's like sleeping around even when he gains confidence after becoming financially secure. (but I respect everyone's different interpretations!)

Favorite picture

I mean... of course, it's from one of my favorite scenes!

But also I love Snow laughing at his execution <3