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venus-haze · 1 year ago

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Dawn Patrol (Homelander x Reader)

Summary: You never thought you’d see him again. Your soulmate, your other half, your partner in crime-fighting, the man you were going to spend the rest of your life with. It seems like the universe is giving you a second chance when you end up in this place with Homelander. Except, this one isn't quite like the man you remember, but he's not letting that stop him.

Note: Gender-neutral reader, and no descriptors are used. This is based on an anonymous request and also a different take on the “love of your life died and came back but something's wrong” horror trope. Title comes from the Megadeth song (which is about living in a dystopia). Do not interact if you’re under 18 or post thinspo/ED content.

Word count: 3.3k

Warnings: Extremely unhealthy relationship. Intense feelings of loss, confusion, and self-doubt on the reader’s part. Some elements of unreality? Homelander is extremely manipulative, possessive, and gaslights the hell out of the reader in this, but no physical harm is done. Do not interact if you’re under 18.

The man standing in front of you wasn’t John, not your John, at least. He acted strange whenever you called him that. Homelander felt so impersonal, though, a title and persona rather than the man you loved your whole life. You silently scolded yourself. You shouldn’t complain so much, not when he believed you, against all reason, despite never having met you before in this version of reality. If it were even real.

You had crumbled the first time you saw him. Weeks of being locked in a lab, poked and prodded and tested before he entered with an unfamiliar coldness. It had to have been a cruel trick, these people using your greatest vulnerability against you. John had been presumed dead for years. The ache that consumed you at his loss made it hard to even breathe sometimes, and you’d spent countless nights alone in your formerly shared bed, wracked by guilt for not doing more as you silently implored the universe to give you one more chance. You should have known it’d come with plenty of strings attached.

His name echoed through the room in a desperate howl. You strained against the titanium cuff you were chained to, and he froze upon hearing one of the links break. Rabid, desperate, tears streamed down your face in your delirium. You needed to touch him, to feel for yourself that it wasn’t your brain tricking you again. It has to be real this time.

His breath hitched as he approached you, the way animal control does a feral dog–cautious and gentle, but still regarding you with a level of distrust. Your struggle subsided with each step he took, until he was finally in arms’ reach. Looking into his blue eyes for the first time in years, your hand trembled as you lifted it to caress his cheek. Soft and warm like you’d remembered.

“Who are you?” he asked.

“I’m your–Gemini,” you said. “‘Cause I can–”

“Make duplicates of yourself, they told me. Who are you?”

“Not here, but somewhere else, I'm your partner in, well, everything. We grew up across the street from each other,” you told him. “Your powers showed up sooner than mine, but your mom always said we were a package deal, so when we started fighting crime together, it just made sense that we’d fall in love too.”

“My mom?” he whispered.

“She was the one who came up with the name Gemini for me.”

His gaze softened, his eyes turning cloudy. You recognized that look. Deep in thought, a million miles away, the only place John wouldn’t take you. This one didn’t seem eager to do so either. Did he and his mom not get along here? Was she dead, even?

He cleared his throat. “Go on.”

“We called ourselves Dawn Patrol because we’d get up before school to do our superhero stuff, and it stuck.”

“How did you end up here, then?”

“I already told them–”

“I want to hear it from you.”

You recoiled a bit. Your story began at the end, and while you managed to tell it to a group of seemingly indifferent white coats, recounting it to the man himself, or some version of him, was almost too much to bear. Still, you pushed through.

Phantom, that’s what he called himself, selfish and conniving with the ability to teleport in the shadows and seemingly shift reality itself. He was a particular menace that you and Homelander could never quite get the upper hand on, the situation imploding when Homelander, your Homelander, tackled the supervillain mid-teleport. The last thing you saw of him was his back as he disappeared with Phantom.

No one had seen him since. Despite Phantom’s insistence that he didn’t know what happened to Homelander, you kept an irrational, unrelenting grudge against him for taking the love of your life away from you. Guilt and rage fueled you, and in your most recent, and presumably last encounter with your arch-nemesis, you made the same mistake Homelander did, and ended up wherever the hell you were.

“Either you’re telling the truth, or you’re an unprecedented liar,” he hissed through his teeth, grabbing your wrists, “but I believe you.”

A beastial imitation of your first and only love transformed before your eyes over the following weeks. In his absence, your yearning had grown teeth, long and sharp, hungry to tear through flesh and for your flesh to be torn. This new man’s rib cage cracked open to offer part of himself to recreate you. You looked into the crimson void and saw his beating heart, a long-suffering shrine to you as yours was to his, or at least some memory of him. A loneliness you were all too familiar with was already settled deep within him. Why needlessly suffer though a monastic existence any longer?

You, in turn, indulged in him. Allowed your hunger to overtake you and break your involuntary fast as you devoured him. Insatiable, your lips pressed against the skin of this stranger that nevertheless you knew by heart. In your grief, in your anger, you’d pulled him out from the ether. You wondered if you could put him back together as the man you knew he could be, bloody your hands raw clawing back the damage that had been done to him by whoever came before you.

The first few days, you tried as much, the two of you hardly letting up from your entanglement in his bed. You stared at the mirror on the ceiling, taking him in with the attentiveness of the crowds that gathered around the tragically small Mona Lisa in the Louvre. Then, in the quiet moments, in tones hardly above hushed whispered, he’d ask you questions about this other life and upbringing he never got to experience, pensive at your answers, almost bothered at times.

Most of his questions seemed to be about his parents, especially his mother. Though your phone had been returned to you, it had no signal, but you were able to show him photos. Some of the last ones of you and John together was at a Fourth of July party in his parents’ backyard. One of his aunts had taken a candid photo of you, John and his parents sitting together at one of the patio tables, smiling and laughing. You had everything documented, from weddings to birthday parties to school days. John always poked fun at you for taking the phrase “take a picture, it’ll last longer” so seriously.

Now, reflecting on these times with his other, you clung to him as you watched him swipe through this other version of himself’s life. Studying it, silently reflecting on your stories and anecdotes as if to memorize them, be able to recite them by heart.

Despite the distorted period of reunited bliss, you could tell something was off about Homelander. He talked his way around your questions about his own upbringing, never quite giving you a straight answer and occasionally snapping at you when you pressed for more details. Your eyes widened the first time he did so, heart skipping a beat or two, you couldn’t recall John raising his voice at you like that before. Homelander noticed your reaction right away, soothing you with reassurances that he wasn’t mad at you, he could never be.

It seemed like he was mad at a lot of other people, though. He’d go on long rants about people at Vought, this corporation that didn’t exist where you were from but somehow controlled so much of his life and that of every other superhero. Walking around the tower with him, you noticed the way people’s demeanors shifted when he was there, a nervous submission he seemed to bask in but made your stomach feel sour.

His attempts not to scare you, to put you at ease with the prospect of spending the rest of your life with him were never quite as successful as he hoped. The warning voice in your brain knew something was off about him. You ignored it as best you could, figuring you could manage a way to handle him and chalking it up to the loneliness he was entrenched in before you came along. One night, a rarity wherein you were alone in his suite and finally had a chance to think the situation through, you panicked, hatching a messy escape plan.

Leaving a duplicate of yourself behind in the living room, you slipped out of the suite, walking down the long hallway to the elevator. The tower was so tall that it required switching elevators to get from the top floor to the lobby, and so you made the initial descent to the 50th floor.

The ride down was excruciatingly long, and every time the elevator stopped to let someone in, you felt yourself freeze up. No one acknowledged you at any point during the descent, filtering in and out, minding their own business.

When you switched elevators, you knew you were in the home stretch. Your heart raced as you pressed the ‘L’ for the lobby, the star next to the button assuring you that the ground floor would be your ticket out of there. By the time you were on the single-digit floors, you were alone again.

At least, you were until you reached the lobby. The doors opened, revealing Homelander waiting for you behind them. You backed into the wall on the opposite side of the steel box, as if that’d do anything to protect you.

His smile didn’t reach his eyes. “And where do you think you’re going?”

He entered the elevator, reaching over to press the button back up to the 50th floor. Silence for nearly twenty floors, though you were sure the sound of your rapidly beating heart was deafening to him.

Finally, you spoke. “How did you know?”

“Your duplicate’s pretty convincing, but they don’t have a heartbeat,” he said.

John had never told you that. Your duplicates were perfect copies of you, your abnormal physical strength sapped to create each one so that they could take damage from attacks in your place. It never occurred to you that they were so blatantly lifeless.

The doors opened on the 50th floor, and instead of going in the next one over to continue the ascent, Homelander pulled you into an empty office. He closed the door, darkness engulfing the room. When you reached for a light switch, he caught your wrist in his hand instead.

“If you have a problem, you talk to me about it. You do not try to fake me out and run,” he hissed. “Do you really think the fucking white coats I saved you from would just let you walk out of here? You’d end up right back in that room. All of those things that he had, the loving parents, the pretty suburban life with your childhood sweetheart that's straight out of a fucking romcom? I didn't get that because of them."

"I'm sorry," you whispered. "You didn't deserve that."

"No," he said, almost shocked at your acknowledgement of how horrific his upbringing was. "I didn't. You're here, now, though, so we're both getting what we want."

Not like this. Not you.

Yet, you were stuck with the hand you had been dealt. This corrupted imitation of the man you loved, who nevertheless was so desperate for the intense emotions you felt for him otherwise that he was willing to believe you despite all logic telling him otherwise.

The way he spoke about the people back in the lab you’d been held in, as if he knew, experienced what you did and even worse. Saved you from it. Maybe you could try. Maybe that could get you somewhere.

You wrapped your arms around him, burying your face in his chest. Being around him rendered you emotionally vulnerable. He looked just like him, and at times acted almost exactly the same. If you closed your eyes long enough, you could convince yourself it was him. How long could you go on doing that before you walked around blindly?

“Babe, did you hear a word I just said?” Homelander asked.

You looked up at him. “Got distracted, sorry.”

He rolled his eyes, the slightest smile on his face. “I’ll chalk it up to my good looks. I know you’ve been cooped up for a while, so I want you to do a team-up with me tomorrow night. It’ll be Dawn Patrol, just like old times.”

Old times? There were no old times. Not with him.

Nevertheless, you agreed. “Yeah, it’d be nice to get back out there. Haven’t done it in a while.”

“Once you’re back at it, you won’t even have to think about it, like riding a bike,” he paused for a moment, “I guess.”

His excitement the following day was infectious. You hadn’t done any crime-fighting in a long time, and doing so with him would surely help you ease into it again. He was always the best of the best, but it seemed like here, not only was he deified, but he reveled in it.

When he brought you to his superhero team’s private gym to train, he was almost shocked at how well your powers and fighting style seemed to compliment him. Elation filled your chest. Maybe you’d jumped to conclusions too soon about him. You just had to be more flexible, willing to compromise to make it work.

You were thrown off upon being presented with a crime-fighting schedule that night. A self-professed crime analytics team explained their methodology to you. When you looked to Homelander in disbelief, he seemed unfazed by the information. Being able to predict crime down to the minute just to bolster careers and social media followings seemed far from ethical, but from what little you’d learned of Vought in the weeks you’d been there, that wasn’t a concern of theirs.

Flying with him again was almost too overwhelming, bringing back memories of you and John in your teenage years. Instead of partying with your peers, the two of you would pick up fast food late on Saturday nights, sitting on suburban rooftops with your police scanner, eating burgers and listening for trouble. He’d grab you by the waist, flying off with you to stop some bad guys. Of course, people complained to your parents that you’d leave chicken nugget boxes and ketchup packets on their roofs in your haste.

By the time Homelander landed in an alley just a block away from where the crime would supposedly take place, you were crying.

“You okay? I thought you’d be used to it.”

“I am. It’s just been a while. Brought back a lot of memories.”

He smiled, kissing your forehead. “You won’t have to go so long without flying with me again. I promise, babe.”

You sniffled, giving him a weak smile. “Let’s go get some bad guys.”

“That’s the spirit!”

The next few minutes were silent as Homelander listened for the sound of a bank alarm. Late-night robbery, the crime analytics team had told you, it couldn’t be easier. You weren’t sure what time it was when Homelander grabbed you, the familiar gesture of his arm around your waist making you feel overwhelmed again.

When he landed, you could see the glass doors leading into the bank had been smashed, leaving shards of glass scattered on the sidewalk that crunched beneath your boots. There’d be three bank robbers, one lookout while the other two took what they could from the vault. You and Homelander already agreed that you’d take on the lookout and then join him in subduing the others.

You hesitated for a moment when you and Homelander split up, but you didn’t let it distract you too much. The lookout froze upon seeing you duplicate, his hand shaking as he pointed the gun between you and your temporary clone. Whichever one he shot, you’d heal fast enough, though you’d get less damage if he shot the duplicate rather than you.

His impulsiveness proved to be his downfall, as your duplicate began to walk toward him, and he pulled the trigger, nearly passing out when the clone de-materialized before him.

In his moment of distraction, you knocked the gun from his hand, grabbing a nearby desk phone and hitting him in the temple with it. You kicked the gun to the other side of the room before he could reach for it and hit him in the head again. He dropped to the ground, unmoving on the floor.

You set off to find Homelander. The vault was empty when you got there, a mess of valuable and still smoldering scorch marks in the wall where either the thieves had used explosives to break their way in, or Homelander had lasered them into oblivion. Regardless, there was no sign of anyone.

“Homelander?” you called out.

No response. You looked around frantically for any sign of him.

You couldn’t lose him again, not even this terrifying version of him. “Homelander, where did you go?”

Silence again. Your pounding heart rang in your ears as you turned around, setting off for another part of the building in hopes of finding him. There wasn’t anyone else you could count on here, and for all his faults, he was the only person you trusted.

Just when it felt hopeless and your brain was about to implode on itself at the sinking notion that maybe he was gone, a loud bang came from the other side of the bank where the vault was. You rushed over without a second thought for your own safety. Besides, the injury your duplicate had taken on your behalf was already healing. You'd do it a thousand times over if it meant keeping him safe.

Homelander stood in the middle of the previously empty vault, the two thieves knocked out, or maybe they were dead. It didn’t matter, because he clearly wasn’t.

“Where were you?” you asked, your voice cracking.

“I’ve been here the whole time.”

“No you haven’t. I came over here and there was no one. I called out for you and—“

“And what?”

“I wanna go home,” you cried, clinging to him. “Please, let’s just go home.”

He nodded, his superhuman strength allowing him to scoop you up in his arms with ease. You always felt safe in them, and you pressed your head to his chest, trying to focus on the sound of his heartbeat as he flew back to his suite at the tower.

His heart always beat faster than anyone else’s, having to maintain the life of the most powerful superhero to ever live. It was a heavy burden, though you tried your best to offset it, you sometimes felt too reliant on him. He never made you feel bad for it, neither version of him did.

You were still a bit dazed when he landed, shuffling into his living room and leaning against the back of the couch. He said he had been in the vault, but you knew it had been empty when you walked over to it. You knew what you saw.

“You did great with the lookout. I can help you train more, and we’ll try again in a few days,” he said. “I’ll get the crime analytics team to find us another softball one.”

“Homelander,” you began tentatively, “back there did you–did you do that on purpose? Disappear on me?”

“Of course not, darling, why would I do something like that after everything you've been through?” he asked, his voice soft enough that if you let yourself, you could pretend for a few moments he was your Homelander. “I told you, I was in the vault the whole time.”

“I can’t lose you again,” you said, your voice cracking. “I can’t—“

“You won’t. I’ve always been here. I love you.”

He’s lying, the voice in your head screamed, he’s not your John. There’s something wrong.

You ignored it, choosing instead to kiss him, to drown out the rational with the feeling of your lover’s lips again. You would take this Homelander over none at all. “I love you too.”

#homelander x reader #the boys x reader #homelander #the boys #the boys tv #the boys amazon #homelander x you

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therealslimshakespeare · 4 months ago

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https://www.tumblr.com/precious-little-scoundrel/756658824654520320/marina-do-you-think-smith-has-any-lingering

Apologies in advance for this rant I am an absolute nerd about this topic as someone who’s completing a masters in women’s health

I LOVE this ask because menstrual trauma is a topic that is not focused on enough and it is so important to me. I will be talking about this specifically through Lu because I really do relate to her baptist upbringing and just due to thinking about when I was a young girl. I also think it’s so interesting to see this evolution of Ida helping her through her first period, and it being a not so terrible experience just because of Ida’s involvement, to her having to deal with it in the stalag. Because in some way, I do feel that her experience with menstruation would be unique as someone who’s had her period for such a short amount of time (I love what that anon said about her cycle being more crazy and irregular which causes Ida to fret about pregnancy). Anyways I think people underestimate how traumatic and difficult it is to menstruate in a situation such as this one. And we’ve seen some of it, like Gale hanging the clothesline for her which I loved and thought was very very sweet. But just the act of dealing with a period on top of everything else is no small feat. And I think of Smith specifically because the entirety of her introduction to menstruation has essentially been rounded out throughout the war. Like she has just begun to experience this and as a young girl who is just getting used to dealing with having a period, having to navigate all that in this sort of situation is so mentally and emotionally difficult. So I definitely think that she would have some trauma related to menstruation as a whole, I think it’d absolutely be something she dreads in the stalag and I think post-war, she could have some issues with her period returning/ going back to normal because again, her whole experience with menstruation thus far has been throughout the war. I think it’d take her some time to have it be something that she doesn’t struggle with.

Also, there are so many other complexities and nuances of menstruation that are so interesting to think on. I loved what that other anon said about the reasoning behind WHY women lose their periods in traumatic situations. It really is a survival mechanism because it allows your body to redirect nutrients and energy towards other bodily functions that are more essential for survival such as basic metabolic processes and supporting organ function. Those things are just more likely to be prioritized by your body compared to the functions of reproduction. But, also like that anon said, these sort situations are always nuanced and unique amongst individuals and as horrifying it is to think of these women in conditions that are so awful that they are losing their periods, the opposite is absolutely terrifying as well. Continuing to menstruate in a situation like this one is so concerning because your menstrual cycle would deplete your body of nutrients that are needed to maintain your overall health. Your immune system would already be weakened so you would already be more susceptible to illness and infection but if your body is expending resources to continue menstruation your immune function would be even further depleted.

I also started to think of this when I read those asks about Smith and Brady being sick. IF you do choose to go the route of Smith being malnourished instead of being hurt by the strafing during the forced march I will say that that would be interesting as well because younger girls are far more likely to continue menstruating in stressful situations. Their hormonal systems are still developing and maturing and so their hormonal regulation of their menstrual cycle is less responsive to external stressors, compared to older women who have been menstruating for longer. Also since your younger years are a time period of rapid growth and development it’s more likely for a younger body to prioritize maintaining the menstrual cycle to support further reproductive capability, even at the expense of other bodily functions. AND the health impacts of continued menstruation would be even more detrimental to a younger individual.

Anyways, I say all this because that anon asking about issues thst Smith may have with her period after the war really got me thinking. I feel like a big source of menstrual trauma for her could be that almost all the other women lose their periods and she just doesn’t. I find that interesting because for people who don’t know the health effects, this could be seen as a good thing, but it could be a big issue for her personally. Loathing menstruation is such a big issue for young girls, whether it’s due to stigma or discomfort or what have you, and it can have a lot of psychological effects. I think that if she continued to menstruate in the stalag it could be the source of a lot of distress for her and just have her caught in a bad relationship with her cycle.

THAT IS SO LONG SORRY.

OH MY WORD, the literal geniuses that adorn my inbox 😭🤯 I read this, mouth agape, devouring it. This is fascinating. And so helpful for crafting the story but also just enlightening in general.

This makes a far more compelling argument for her continuing to have her periods. Like, all of it makes sense, and adds to her having trauma with it, as you said. Coming from someone who often had and has them very ten days or so, can affirm stress only brings them on more often, which in a scenario when you’re trying to blend in as much as possible? I can see her literally beside herself with aggravation and embarrassment about it. Poor thing.

Thank you for taking the time to share all this, it was amazing! If you have more thoughts about these please do share again!

#Tallulah smith #proposals #those who can

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quiteliterallyilliterate · 11 months ago

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I saw your post and I think to ask you for a Yandere! Wild but Imagine this, isekai! Reader doesn't know anything about him or his game, is only a confused person who doesn't know how he got to this place.

Anyway, thanks for read this and sorry for my bad English, My first lenguaje is spanish and I'm not very sure for my English.

Order up!

I genuinely really like this idea so this was a lot of fun to write.

Enjoy!~

Tw: Yandere, obsessive, mentions of murder

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝

Long past were the days Link would protect anyone but himself. In the aftermath of the calamity, villagers were weary of those who traversed the land and of good reason. Many who did were simply were insane with the thought of leaving their inconsequential little hamlet to see the shattered world. Hatred for fellow man ran rampant, but the crazed look in the eyes of few who’ve lost themselves to Hyrule, Link couldn’t blame people’s cautiousness. Besides, it simply wasn’t within in his best interest being a protector anymore. There wasn’t much to really speak about the issue— Zelda probably would have if she were here, but she wasn’t, so blissful silence stood. He held no love in his heart for the people of Hyrule, much as they had none for him. They turned their backs on him, and so he does similarly to them. But you… you weren’t of Hyrule. So it was only natural to him that you’d be the exception.

Sent to him by strings of blue light, you awoke confused at first. You knew nothing of the lands nor people he spoke of, and eventually reached the conclusion that, you too were out of place in the world that now was. He couldn’t simply leave you at Hateno —they were cautious to accept him, they would never accept you as you are— so, instead, he just had to keep you. He played knight once before, so had hard could it truly be. So while you attuned yourself to your reality —while still ripping away for a chance back home, one he simply couldn’t permit— all he had to do was kill what turned their blades on you. It was rhythmic and mindless. But, as it turns out, He found it oddly more enjoyable to play knight when there was someone to kiss his wounds better after busting ass so you’d be safe. In reality it was you that made it worthwhile, not the work. You’d brush his hair and braid it so it wouldn’t mat, whispering stories of your home. Stories that much resembled myths with how far they were out of his hands. Stories you spoke through tight lips as he smiled. Stories that filled his head long after you stopped speaking. He’s never been much keen on people —or were they never keen on him?— and yet he couldn’t grapple if it was normal to feel this much over your friends.

His devotion to you was rooted deep within him, stiff and unwavering. It wound through his battered heart, patching it whole. As time passed and the roots grew deeper and deeper, lodging themselves more and more, he found his line of work expand. Monsters caused a threat, sure, but that begs the question— what really is a monster? That man who was following you? No way to tell what was going through his head. But it was better you’d be safe rather than him being alive. The mean shopkeep, patronising you for not fitting into a tunic? She’d ought to be nicer now she has no tongue. Homeless man lunging at your ankle? Can’t beg if he has no hands. All in the matter of keeping you safe. Hyrule was a very, very dangerous place. But you were lucky to have the Hero at your bidding. He waited on your call, on your order. Especially since you always made it worth it in ways of food and whatnot. He’d have given you his heart unseasoned if it meant you’d give him a kiss on the cheek. He’d forge the ring if it’d mean you’d marry him. He’d build a house where no man nor monster could find it so you’d live safe. He’d kill ganon a million times over so long as he could fall into your arms afterwards. You must understand how much he loves you. The time and care he’s put in, the blood he’s spilt in your name, he loves you. So much. Too much. Too much to let you go home to your stories. Your home is with him now.

#link x reader #botw link #yandere link x reader #yan!link #botw!link xreader #lu wild #lu wild x reader

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dead-living-420 · 10 months ago

Text

404 - Title Not Found (Pt 3) WIP

Part 2 - Tumblr

Ao3

Summary: Jason learns just a bit more about the guy who feels familiar while doing laundry.

Danny sees Laundry Guy at the gala and wants to avoid him because it’s not everyday people from Crime Alley go to Wayne galas but amazing Fenton luck strikes.

AN PLEASE READ FIRST: As always this is crack, this is a whole crack fic; and I play fast and loose with DC&DP cannon. Ignore any out of character writing(mainly Vald and Bruce). Also this is a WIP, this is strictly a work in progress and not the final product. I just wanted to post something while working on this fic and other stuff and this won the vote.

Final things before the actual fic:

Kinda/slow Vald redemption aka still an asshole but one you can deal with

Danny - Quarter Guy

Jason - Laundry Guy

———————

Jason immediately knew that the other wasn’t from Gotham. No one just offered anything without an immediate confirmation that they would get something in return. At least that’s how it was in Crime Alley. He and the other held small talk while they were doing their laundry.

“You just offer quarters to people?” He said sarcastically only to have an actual answer in return. “Only the cute people.” The other said with a somewhat joking tone and wink.

“Uh huh. What’s ya name? I didn’t catch it.” Jason wouldn’t directly admit but this guy had peaked his interest even more.

“Well, I didn’t throw it.” The guy answered with a smile that felt sarcastic with just a bit of wanting chaos.

The topic changed to other things. He learned that Quarter Guy had moved to Crime Alley awhile back, he didn’t give a clear reason why; “Just thought it’d be a good change of pace.”

He also learned that Quarter Guy was going to some kind of event with his godfather; saying that even though he agreed to go, he could still complain. And god did he complain but nothing sounded too bad. “He’s just a fruitloop, I wouldn’t doubt him trying to use me to get secrets from the other people.”

Jason didn’t share any too personal information; besides it just being out of sceret identity and such but it would also feel weird to. Jason did complain about how he was more or less forced into agreeing to go to the Wayne gala, only not sharing that it was a gala or that it was a Wayne event.

“Maybe we end up at the same event.” Quarter Guy, who still didn’t tell Jason his name, joked. His laundry had been done before his own. Quarter Guy left with a smile that only made him want to figure out why he felt familiarly even more. Jason was more curious about this guy than before but decided to hold off on figuring out more about it.

—

It was just meant as a joke. Danny really did mean as a joke but just his fucking luck(or honestly he was expecting CW to be the cause in some way), he was now looking at the guy he gave quarters to a day or two pior. He was standing next to the snack table, avoiding Vald so he didn’t have to worry about talking to other rich people he didn’t trust. The snacks didn’t look good in any sense of the word, why did he expect rich people to know what good snacks look and taste like.

He was thinking about texting Sam to complain, knowing that she would say I told you so but he noticed the guy from his apartment building was there. It took a second to recgionze him since he seemed more put together and dressed nicer, but it was him. Danny wouldn’t have questioned it too much if the guy wasn’t standing next to Bruce Wayne but he was. Danny didn’t need to know any more rich people in his life but life(or probably CW) had other plans.

He noticed that the guy hadn’t seemed to see him yet. Danny moved away from the snack table, going opposite from Wayne and the Laundry Guy; mainly focusing on staying hidden but a voice called him. “Daniel!” It wasn’t loud, at least it wasn’t to humans. It had just enough of a hint of ghost speak to have Danny turn to look. Of course when he had his back turned, Vald had to go and speak to Bruce Wayne. The amazing Fenton luck stuck again.“Come over, I’ve hardly seen you since we’ve arrived.”

Danny held back a sigh and eye roll as he went over to Vald and Wayne; which also meant Laundry Guy. He had felt Wayne’s eyes on him as he went over, Laundry Guy hadn’t seemed to notice or frankly care enough to look. He looked at Bruce. He knew of “Brucie” Wayne and had wondered if it was just a persona like when Vald used to pretend to be niceish to his dad. He side eyed Laundry Guy, who didn’t look at him at all.

“You didn’t tell me you had a so-“ Bruce started with a hint of curiosity. Danny was quick to cut him off. “He didn’t because I’m not.” That’s what finally got Laundry Guy’s attention, he looked at Danny for a second and Danny already knew that he recognized him. “Daniel, that was rude.” Vald looked at him before going back to Bruce. “I apologize for him but he is right. He’s my godson.” Vald said, leaving it to Danny to introduce himself.

“Yes, I do apologize for cutting you off like that.” Danny started. He used the tone he would use with some of the ghost nobles. It was a bit forced but relatively kind. He’d hate to admit and never would out loud but he learned it from Vald. “It’s alright, I understand how words hold meaning.” He noticed how it sounded more real(?) than “Brucie” usually did.

He just nodded before continuing, “Okay. I’ll introduce myself before Vald tries to.” Danny made his tone sound just a bit joking. He felt Laundry Guy’s full attention on him. He smiled, a little fake and a little smug. “I’m Danny Fenton and as Vald said, I am his godson.”

#fanfic #crack fic #red hood #jason todd #ghost king danny #danny phantom #dead on main #dp x dc #dpxdc #hot mess fic #fanfic wip #current wip #as always i tried my best #404 - Title Not Found

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calware · 1 year ago

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Ok but that FMA post has got me thinking about how actually fucked up the concept of jadesprite is. Like why do we only ever see Davesprite angst, Jadesprite’s situation is equally if not more distressing. Dream selves share memories and consciousness with waking selves so from Jadesprite’s perspective she had been living her whole life, doing everything right, waiting to meet all of the friends she made over the years, and then out of nowhere and for no reason except that jade thought it’d be funny basically she is suddenly a sprite. And she just has to live like that. Dream Jade was not dead and then suddenly alive, and that’s why she got upset, jade’s one consciousness just had an extra corpse hanging around and then the sprite suddenly had to handle being an offshoot. Id be fucking pissed too, I’d flip out too. Imagine living your whole life to be a player for this game and meet your friends, you did it everything you needed to do, and then you suddenly are a sprite. You are basically no longer a person and have to just accept your life as a game construct. I think the reaction she had was incredibly appropriate. Im realizing now that the reason why we have more davesprite angst probably is that her situation was temporary cause she merged back in collide but Davesprite stayed but I still think it is not thought about enough.

plus she had started a new "life" in the dreambubbles for who knows how long before it was suddenly ripped away from her

and on top of that, she's dealing with what (i'm assuming) is similar to sensory overload after suddenly becoming a first guardian

and then once she fuses with jade it's never really mentioned again :|

#ask #Anonymous #jade

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things-arent-what-they-seem66 · 29 days ago

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Right back here watched the episode and I really liked it. One of the bests in my opinion, I always love episodes where the character’s insecurities are used through hallucinations and it was cool to have some focus on Millie for a change especially one that mirrors Moxxie and Blitz in Truth Seekers.

Also thinking the blood Blitz spilled over in the first hallucination was Stolas’ hurts my soul deeply so going to have that as my angsty hc.

Weirdly I can see the overall episode itself as Adam and Lute? -If you leave the angst- Especially Adam just goofing with a serious mission and Lute trying to get the shit together lmao

I can see that ending scene with Moxxie with Adam and Lucifer for some reason lol -only Adam stays with him- Mainly cause I think Lucifer’s a theater/musical kid

Okay now to the AU stuff you came up with.

I’M TAKING IT THANK YOU! OMG it fits so well with Adamsapple.

I know it wasn’t in the episode that he got multiple people but well this is an alternative universe so we can have him mess with multiple people’s minds -I think it’d make a really cool AU on it’s own having everyone be haunted by him but I’ll focus on Adamsapple here- And have both Lucifer and Adam see the fucked up shit they did/lived and well just be in complete trances because their lives, to put it simply, are the first true shitshows. And oh boy that possesion scene with Blitz is SO them I can’t help it. I can’t choose between who should say to who that they’ve hurted everyone they met.

I really wanna make the whole deal a seperate post/ask because you don’t know how much I’m obsessed with hallucination scenes & posessions and how far I can go lmao. But imma give one thought

Oh do I see that scene where Blitz runs to his mom with Adam running to Sera but instead of her burning Adam burns -but is still himself he’s just on fire and is slowly changing into his demon form- and she gets away with a disgusted look on her face.

Hehee

YES TO ALL!!

And I thought it would be Adam saying the stuff to Lucifer being possessed. Lucifer can’t hurt Adam or else he’d kill him so he can’t fight back.

YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH THIS HAS TAKEN OVER MY MIND!!!

And yes that but with Adam going to Sera (chefs kiss)

Maybe Moxxie in this one would be Charlie trying to figure shit out for the hotel lol

Lucifer being King he sees all the shit he did in his life but he’s too strong for the demon to possess him and now he’s listening to “Adam” say all this shit:

Possessed Adam: You really think that he forgave you after all the shit you put him through!? You should be fucking lucky he even looks at you anymore! You fucked his wife in front of him and then made him the bad the guy wow This man’s trauma is DELICIOUS!!!

#adamsapple #hazbin hotel adam #hazbin hotel lucifer #ask

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whipitgod · 7 months ago

Text

I Know You're Hiding Something.

Hannibal Lecter x Will Graham

oneshot - wc: 1.9k

summary: post fall hannigram, fits in the same universe as 'Pushed in' and 'I Panicked' but it's not necessary to read those first to understand this one. Hannibal is trying to do something nice for once and will is rightfully suspicious.

warnings: brief mentions of non graphic murder, language and crack-ish per usual

a/n: Thank you for all the support on my other oneshots!!!! This was supposed to be posted yesterday but i got food poisoning lol. This one is a little bit shorter than the past few and i apologize if it feels rushed at all, im not really feeling 100% yet but i wanted to get this posted. If you like this remember to leave a like/reblog! maybe even follow me :D! Happy reading!!

“Alright Will, I shall see you in a few hours.” Hannibal calls out from where he’s putting his shoes on by the door prompting a halfhearted affirmative noise from Will, the younger man only looking up from his book when he hears the door close. Will shoots up from the couch and rushes over to the window to get a good look at Hannibal as he gets into his car and drives off; what the hell is he hiding? Hannibal had been acting weird and Will was suspicious to say the least; the cannibal disappearing for hours on end four times in the last week with very little explanation. Will hasn’t brought Hannibal's random disappearances up to the man yet but he’s getting awfully damn close to blowing a fuse over the whole situation; what could he even possibly be doing? The nearest town is almost an hour away and Will isn’t naive enough to think that that's where the man is going every time he leaves their home, especially since he has returned empty handed every time. Will is worried that the man has already grown bored of him and their new life and Will would be damned if after only a month into their living together the man is already ready to toss him to the side.

Will’s worry had slowly transformed into anger over the course of the last week, growing increasingly more irate with each rushed goodbye from Hannibal; the cannibal returned looking disheveled each time, rushing to the bathroom to freshen up as soon as he arrived home causing even more anger to bubble up inside the younger man. Will really can’t believe the man would be able to find a sexual partner this soon after arriving, especially one that’s not Will, but all the signs are pointing to Hannibal having an affair. Will supposes it's not even an affair, given that he and Hannibal aren’t technically together; hell, the man hadn’t even touched the ex-profiler aside from when he’d stitched him up after they had pulled each other out of the ocean. Will had really expected there to be at least a little bit of physical intimacy at this point, he’d even take a chaste kiss at this point; hell, they shared a bed, but the cannibal hadn't touched him once.

Sure, Will had almost taken them out in a murder suicide a few months prior, but he reasons that Hannibal has done way worse stuff that he’d been willing to get over. Will thinks the man is being a bit hypocritical if he’s still holding a grudge over it; for fucks sake the man had gutted him, and Will had gotten over it with an alarming amount of ease. It’d be unbelievable if Will had moved on from all the things Hannibal had put him through and given up his entire life to create a new one with the cannibal and Hannibal turned around and slept with someone else, but with the way the man had been acting Will can’t help but think that’s what's happening.

Will really can’t believe this is his life, he’s sat on the couch muttering quietly to himself about the man he’d decided to share his life with while he day drinks Hannibal’s undoubtedly expensive wine like a bitter housewife; he wonders briefly if bitter housewives think about killing their partners the way he is now, this thought causes a small chuckle to leave him because, of course they do. He doubts the housewives are having fantasies as graphic as his, but he doesn't feel all that guilty about his thoughts, Hannibal had turned him into a spurned lover, and they’d only just settled in Argentina a month ago and it irritated him to no end.

Will polishes off the bottle he’d been drinking and makes quick work of opening another one, this time not even taking the time to pour himself glasses of it, choosing instead to drink it straight from the bottle. He settles back into the couch taking large gulps of wine, a little bit of it escaping his mouth and landing on his shirt, staining the material. He finishes the bottle quickly, setting it down on the floor and hearing it roll away after his failed attempt at setting it right side up, he closes his eyes and drifts off.

He startles awake at the sound of the door, groaning quietly at the dizzy feeling that comes with sitting up that quickly; he’s definitely still a little drunk. Will pushes himself to his feet, wobbling slightly as he stomps over to the door where Hannibal has just come in.

“You!” it's said with a finger pointed in the cannibal’s direction.

“Good lord Will how much have you had to drink?”

“Not important!” Will can hear the slur in his own words, “where the hell were you?!”

“I had some business to take care of,” Hannibal walks towards where Will is standing as he says this, “you should really sit down.”

“Oh, blow it out your ass Hannibal,” Hannibal looks indignant at Will's outburst, coming to a stop a couple feet in front of him, “I know you’ve been hiding something!”

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about William.”

“Don’t ‘William’ me you asshole, and don’t lie to me!” Will shouts this as he gives Hannibal's shoulder a shove that doesn't have much effect on the man, “my brain isn't melting anymore! I know when you're hiding something!”

Hannibal places a gentle hand on Will’s shoulder that takes the wind out of the younger man's sails, his shoulders deflating instantly under the cannibal's hand, “Will please calm down and take a seat before you hit the ground.”

“Fine.” Will makes his way back to the couch, sitting with a huff. Hannibal enters the room a few moments later carrying a glass of water that he sets on the end table closest to will.

“You are the most infuriating man I have ever met; I can't believe I put up with you.” It’s said in a tone that's usually reserved for when people say I love you; an overwhelming amount of fondness lacing the sentence.

Will opens his mouth ready to bite out a retort but Hannibal holds a hand up effectively silencing him before the older man starts speaking again, “I should’ve known that it would be impossible to surprise you.”

“The hell are you on about Hannibal?”

“You are a naturally suspicious person with a penchant for jealousy that usually results in large bursts of anger and violence.”

“Oh screw you, you pretentious, hypocritical-”

“Please let me finish,” Will waves a hand at Hannibal, motioning for the man to continue with a look of barely concealed rage on his face, “I was trying to surprise you with a dog.”

Will's face falls blank at this, all of the anger leaving him only to be replaced by a large amount of shock. He opens and closes his mouth a few times, eyes never leaving the man in front of him, “Are you fucking with me Hannibal? Cause I swear to God if you are-”

“I promise I am not, please stay put for a moment.”

Will watches the man walk out the door back towards his car; he really can't believe the man got him a dog, but moments later he hears the sound of Hannibal reentering the house and an excited bark. He shoots off the couch rushing over to where Hannibal is standing with a rather large dog cradled in his arms, the cannibal immediately passing the dog over to Will who immediately begins scratching at the dog's fur.

“The woman at the shelter was unsure what breed the dog is fully, but she assumes he is at least partially border collie, I am very aware of your habit of taking in strays so i figured you wouldn't mind-” the words are cut off by wills mouth pressing against Hannibal with a bit too much force, their teeth clacking together causing them both to hiss slightly at the pain. Hannibal stiffens slightly at the initial press of their mouths but melts into it quickly, reaching a hand up to take hold of the hair at the base of Will's scalp. They stay locked in the kiss until they are forced to break apart to suck in a few gasping breaths of air.

“Thank you,” it’s punctuated by another press of Will's lips against the older mans, “This is amazing.”

Hannibal seems frozen, staring at Will like he’s grown a second head and Will is starting to worry that he shouldn’t have kissed him.

“I didn't think you wanted to kiss me.”

It’s Will’s turn to freeze, his face dumbfounded as he searches Hannibal’s face for any sign that the man is joking, “Why the hell wouldn’t I want to kiss you?”

“You are a very confusing man.”

“So are you.”

“You haven’t given any indication that you wanted to have a physical relationship with me, Will.” Hannibal says this like it's the obvious thing in the world and it makes Will huff out a disbelieving noise; Will is torn between kissing him again or reaching out to throttle him.

“I've been sleeping in nothing but boxers the entire time we’ve been staying here! Not even just boxers but briefs!”

“It’s a warm country.”

“For fucks sake Hannibal,” Will reaches up a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose, he’s feeling mostly sober now and his heads starting to hurt, “It’s not like you’ve given any indication that you want a physical relationship either.”

“I don’t think that’s necessarily true I-”

“Cut the shit, you’ve all but built an anti-gay pillow barrier between us in our bed.”

Hannibal’s brows furrow at this, “What is an anti-gay pillow bar-”

“That’s what you're focusing on?” will sighs before continuing on, “Listen Hannibal, I know you’re attracted to me,” Hannibal's mouth opens to respond but will continues before he gets the chance, “You’ve stared at my ass, consistently, for the entire time we’ve known each other.”

“I don’t know-”

“You know exactly what I'm talking about! The only person you’re lying to is yourself.”

Hannibal looks like he wants to fight Will on this briefly before a look of acceptance takes form on his face, he nods slightly, “I wasn’t aware i was that obvious about it.”

“You thought you were being subtle?”

“There is no need to rub it in.”

Will lets out a disbelieving sound at the man's words, opening his mouth to continue but Hannibal presses his mouth back to Will's, effectively cutting off whatever he had planned to say. They break apart shortly after, this kiss not lasting nearly as long as the one before and will stares at Hannibal unblinking before the older man begins talking, “Surely your head hurts too much for you to continue irritating me.”

Will scoffs at this, pushing himself out of Hannibal's arms and bending down to pick up the dog that had been nosing at his legs during their interaction, “You’re right, my new friend and I should go get comfortable in bed.”

Hannibal smiles at this, watching Wills form retreat to their shared bedroom before freezing, feeling like a bucket of cold water has been poured over his head he shouts a startled, “Do not put that dog in our bed Will!”

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ddawnee · 1 year ago

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what if punkflower soulmate au . soul marks specifically . miles and hobie both didnt have one

hobie never worried too much about it but miles did . he managed and used it more as a conversation starter though

until post collider , where (according to miguel) miles basicallly still left an inter dimension opening which caused their marks to show up

cue confusion . and like let's say like directly after rescuing miles from 42 hobie is looking him over for any major damage (he knows he'll be fine but he asked to . for peace of heart) and he notices the soul mark !! and they all talk about it and figure it out . and everything ends up fine with The Plot cue first dates + domestic fluff

i love soulmate aus. so much.

miles defo stressed over his lack of a soul mark, probably even felt insecure because of it. hobie didn’t worry as much as him because he had bigger things to worry about, but he definitely thought about it time to time and what it’d be like to have one.

so when it randomly showed up out of nowhere, the two were downright CONFUSED. like, hold on, what? they do have a soulmate after all?

miles was overjoyed and super excited, because maybe he wasn’t weird after all!

hobie was more curious, wondering who it could possibly be.

after hobie and miles meet for the first time, the two noticed how well they clicked. hobie had his suspicions, but couldn’t chalk it up to anything without any proof, as miles just thought it was because of their mutual friends.

then the whole earth-42 debacle. miles is definitely in a beat up state so he asks to help him put himself together (because for some odd reason it worried him) and thats when he sees the mark, and how it mirrors his own.

immediately he understood why they clicked so well. he wasn’t sure how to break the news to miles, but he decided to just be straightforward.

hobie: “miles, your soulmark.”

miles: “what about it?”

hobie: “you’ve got the same as mine.”

so of course, they talk about it. neither of them wanted to jump into anything too soon, because even if they feel a connection and are interested, they truly don’t know that much about each other yet! they take time to go on dates and get to know more about each other, and after a little they make it official.

while typin this up, i was thinkin about what their soulmark would look like. i could make it a sunflower, but i feel like that’s too obvious. so, i decided on a graffiti music note. why?

they both love music, that’s pretty obvious loll. graffiti because miles likes it, and i feel like graffiti could also be punk inna way? i think hobie would like graffiti, too.

thats awll from me :3 god i love soulmate aus

OMG WAIT. angst potential; what if one of them dies? ouch.. imagine just finding out who your soulmate is only for them to die. it may make them believe they were never worthy of love to begin with.. :( it’d hurt for them to move on from it because it’s a devastating ending to something that could’ve been more.

#punkflower #hobie brown #miles morales #across the spiderverse #hobart brown #miles x hobie #gay #spider man #spiderman

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oakparchment · 1 year ago

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Blackpink reaction headcannon to you being in to feet

A/N: Personally, I can only get into the whole feet thing when they’re clean, pretty and pedicured; if you’re into it for the opposite reasons then my apologies, that content won’t be explored here. With that being said:

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

Lisa

Lisa is indifferent about it. She struggles getting into feet-play and doesn’t really find it enjoyable. You went at it a few different ways to see if that would change her mind: you lying on the bed whilst she gives you a footjob, her on her hands and knees while you cradle her feet together and fuck the hole that it makes, one time she even tried stepping on you (yikes!) You eventually have a healthy discussion about it and find a compromise. Whenever you get to fuck her feet, she gets to have her ass ate. This might just seem like a win-win situation for you (it is), but Lisa just loves getting rimmed so much that she’ll find any excuse to have it done more. This may or may not have induced pavlovian conditioning. For Lisa, feet play was rewarded with getting her ass eaten. Say less.

Rose

You don’t need to bring it up with Rose cause she’s the one who initiated feet-play first. It’d start with an accidental graze of her foot on your crotch when you were on the couch watching tv. Then she’d return to touch you again a short while later but this time she’d leave her feet resting on your clothed dick. The contact and her implications in this situation had caused you to grow hard under her feet. She rubbed you all over, one thing led to another and before you knew it, you were thrusting up into her tight feetussy; neither of you paying any attention to what was playing on the screen. When she sends you nudes, she now always makes sure to include some feet pics. They’re always cute and well kept. Rose could be a foot model… if that’s a profession that exists.

Jennie

Laughs at you when you first bring it up but is happy to give it a go. Her very initial reaction is a bit mean but at the same time you understand. When you first try it she pretends she’s not into it but is actually really fucking turned on by how she can get you off with just her feet. She doesn’t need to use her pussy, her mouth, or even her hands. She can make you squirm with nothing but her feet, until you’re cumming all over them. It makes her feel dominant, powerful- like she’s a level above you. One time she came home from the gym and during your post-workout fuck, had started to touch you all over with her feet (let’s just say from head to toe she was a bit sweaty and not in ‘perfect model mode’). You told her to fuck off and get in the shower if she wanted to continue with that stuff. That put her back in her place a little. She rolled her eyes and groaned at your response, choosing to let it go and got on top to fuck you as normal... but then she showered after anyways and you guys went for round two (this time with feet-play on the table).

Jisoo

Thinks it’s kinda gross and off-putting. You tried warming her up to it; getting in the bath together and cleaning her feet for her, giving her a relaxing leg and foot massage, then finally getting her to rub your cock with her feet. She gave it a good go for a few minutes, but it’s just not her cup of tea (fair enough). You kissed her in appreciation and then turned her around and railed her into the bath as a thank you for trying. Unlike the feet-play, Jisoo’s moans bouncing off the bathroom tiles let you know that your cock pounding her pussy is definitely something that she was into.

A/N: I’m sorry not sorry about the ‘feetussy’ part HAHA. Thought it’d be funny to slip that in somewhere. Everyone go take care of your feet. They deserve to be treated well too (assuming you treat the rest of your body well).

#blackpink smut #lisa smut #rose smut #jennie smut #jisoo smut #kpop smut #girl group smut #gg smut #female idol smut #kpop fanfic #kpop headcanons #kpop imagines #kpop scenarios #male reader #feet #feetish

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liketwoswansinbalance · 5 months ago

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“Salt & Storybook” Analysis and Trivia

@anobody277642 If you’re interested, I will take your reblog as an invitation to pinpoint some of the other things that went into the whump fic. Sorry in advance about the length. You can disregard this if you want.

If anyone has any questions or would like clarification, don’t hesitate to ask!

⸻

First though:

1. You were absolutely correct about Rafal’s Bird Motif! And yes, there are a few other instances wherein it appears. (I will list and explain the remaining ones later.)

(And I’ll go through everything in a vaguely chronological order after I respond to your points, because, honestly, that’s the easiest way for me to keep track.)

2. You are indeed correct about the bookcase! It was a direct callback to that TLEA moment.

3. Yes, that was intentional. I think I paraphrased a line that occurs around the point of Rafal’s return to the School in Rise, while Rhian’s in exile.

4. Interesting! I will take you at your word on this one since I’ve forgotten how exactly that happened specifically. I thought it happened at the end of AWWP, but Tedros frequently gallivants around shirtless, so I just… don’t know. I’m sure you’re right nonetheless.

5. That section was not intended to evoke the Black Swan gold, but it could. Actually, I had slightly different thoughts around it.

I just invented these hummingbirds because I thought they'd fit and they worked in line with the bird motif. Also, their being "vampiric" parallels Vulcan himself—matching types of villainy and all.

Plus, I had been thinking of the Capitol's biochemical warfare in the Hunger Games, with their Mutts. This could be a less technologically-advanced form of that, in the world of the Endless Woods.

Besides, Akgul was canonically a prosperous kingdom and did mine during the day only to carouse all night, which I think does work with this concept starting up in the first place, with these birds as their "watchmen,” to safeguard all that wealth required to maintain their lifestyles.

⸻

Additional things of note:

1. Foreshadowing of the literal salt that appears later:

“The floor crunched underfoot with every step he took, a mosaic of inedible salt and pepper,”

2. The excerpt of the Vulcan song from Rise, I decided to include:

It exemplifies Rafal’s whimsy and mockery as character traits I sometimes forget about. I do have more to say about this, but instead, it will go into a future post since it would divert too far from this.

3. The shifting frequency at which Rafal drinks and how I tried to narrow the span of time/reduce the number of words between every time he interacts with his wineglass:

Essentially, I wanted to increase the frequency of Rafal reaching for his drink or sipping it and decrease the proximity of those lines in the narration itself to do so, so it would happen more and more often, narrowing the focus as an effect. That way, it’d be as if he’s losing control in the most minor of ways to start us off, down his decline into misery.

The whole decision to try to contextualize and justify the whump in the first place was kind of an interesting phase as well since it seemed to require perhaps more actual thought and reasoning than the pure action sequence sections did? I tried to integrate the tower’s design features into the setting and incorporate nearly every one of Vulcan’s named objects, so overall I’d be accurate to canon, while attempting to sound novel in my slightly altered descriptions of them.

4. This probably unobtrusive line:

“Here, he’d remain, ’til the end of time.”

This thought is stated positively here, yet it is given a negative spin much later, and is turned on its head (around the part about the bandages and musings about living an immortal life).

5. When Rafal burns Vulcan’s things in a pyre:

Rafal burns something; Rafal gets burnt himself—it’s a really loose line of cause and effect, and a close equivalency. I wanted it to seem like it was "an eye for an eye" situation in some sense.

6. Possibly symbolic foreshadowing?:

“the deformed periscope Rafal had knocked the lenses out of,”

This was unintentional, but I realized that this line could be read as Rafal losing his physical sight later, temporarily, and also losing his rational judgment (or “foresight,”) while it's impaired by his drinking. I mean, he does it to himself. It’s not anyone else’s fault.

7. I wanted the thermal imagery I deployed to parallel the state of the plot:

“The rising heat was hellish.”

Like: rising heat? Rising stakes. It’s the start to all the rest of the Hell references since what he goes through is obviously hellish in its own right.

8. Overall, how unreliable Rafal’s narration is:

“Then he set to work, freeing the storybooks.”

Yeah right. He’s an oppressor if anything. Again, true enough yet horrendously biased, acting as if he's the savior, which, that’s fair. He sort of was for a short run in Rise. But still. It's another instance of: look how full of himself this man truly is.

Another such instance of his own biases:

“charting such a course for the students once again under his eminent tutelage.”

And then, there’s several other instances of unreliability in which he either believes he’s shouldering all the responsibility, or in which he devalues Rhian directly and/or makes false statements about Rhian.

The truth is, Rafal won't let anyone else clean up the literal and plot-level messes. He thinks everyone else is incapable, when they're truly not. Except, he's rather earned the right to think that way, given the catastrophes he's had to deal with in the past, only to unfortunately be proven right by his false belief, time and time again, effectively reinforcing it—all due to horrific happenstance. Thus, from a more sympathetic angle, I don't 100% blame him for thinking that way. The problem is: he’s just handicapping himself doing it all solo.

9. These lines and the irony:

“He wasn’t Rhian’s personal manservant. What a degrading role that would be.”

Is he not though? Truly? And yet, Rhian implicitly expected Rafal to clean up for him later on. Well, I’d like to think Rafal’s just in denial about his “role.”

10. Parallel sentence structure:

“He and he alone would restore the storybooks to their former, casual glory in their places of honor, just as the brothers themselves had been restored by the Pen.”

I suppose you could say this relates to the Meleager reference (coming up soon, wait a bit) about lives tied to the storybooks. Thus, the storybooks and the brothers have the same fates. Both fall. Some from the shelves. And those two from power, from the Storian's grace.

11. Reference to how Rafal did this once before in Rise:

“Naturally, Rafal stacked all of Evil’s tales at the top of the tower’s shelves, for his own reference.”

12. A double meaning:

“That batty substitute had no place in his School.”

13. This parallels Rhian's small cut later:

“his pale hand was dotted with pinpricks of blood.”

14. In my opinion? This bit is massively ironic (or that was my intention, at least):

“Rafal tended to cast off pain with ease, like it was just another one of his overcoats.”

15. Could be interpreted as an appearance of the bird motif:

“In a glaring, grandiose script, the tale’s cover read: THE UGLY DUCKLING.”

But actually, it's simply a reference to Vulcan calling Rhian "duckling," which I assumed would and could enrage Rafal.

16. More of Rafal’s bird motif:

“as if he were plucking feathers from a wild fowl to be cooked”

17. This next one, which you pointed out, does a few other things, too:

“It caught on the fireplace’s grate, angled like a broken bird.”

It’s not only the bird motif but foreshadowing. Rafal himself becomes the “broken bird,” of course.

To some extent, what he does to the storybook happens to him. Again, it’s the fairy-tale element of karmic equivalencies, of deeds being paid back or paid forth to the next in a sequence (or there’s Newton’s third law). I just felt like it could be a law of their world or of classic fairy tales as a whole. The balance.

Also, this may be a stretch—but you could view the storybook as functioning like a sinister talisman of a certain kind. It being tossed into the fire right before Rafal’s torture began could be read as similar to Meleager's life being tied to a piece of wood, in classical mythology. He died when it was burnt.

In Rafal's case here, the burning storybook could represent how he's brought punishment onto himself, marking himself as not wholly a victim but as a deeply flawed vandal.

And, fun fact: in the myth, when Meleager's prophesied death came true, his sisters were turned into guineafowl. So, more birds!

18. The Storian’s pov leaking through, taking over the narrative momentarily, at various times, just as it overpowers Rafal:

“The Pen’s tip brightened to a blinding, radiant, white pinprick, as if it were readying itself to defend its tales from the scourge of Evil it had allowed to take up residence in its tower.”

This also serves as one of the demon references, even if it’s indirect. We know Rafal calls the Pen “the little devil,” but what if that sentiment were mutual? Could it be applied in the other direction? Like: that demon! That monster of the School Master! All he does is wreak havoc!

19. Rafal is light-averse and thus, “dark:”

“Rafal squinted at the light.”

Yes, this is only justified situationally in the fic, by the sheer brightness of the Storian in that one moment. I’m fairly sure it’s not actual canon that he avoids bright lights, but it could explain why Evil’s castle was dimly lit, and that could serve as a counterpoint to his typically being insensitive toward most stimuli, however implicit it may be. (Maybe, I’m just projecting because I avoid bright lights under certain circumstances, haha.)

In fact, this was not intentionally set up in this way for the sake of the fic, but I figured it would fit my case to point it out now. The same thing happens later with Rhian’s gold light anyway.

20. Bird motif again:

“The storybook’s binding rocketed out from its resting place, where it had nested in the grate, flying at him like a missile, sizzling through the air, like a shot bird with its flaming wingspan spread, its front and back covers open, its spine cracked.”

21. A distorted view of himself:

“Yet first, Rafal strained his neck and examined his distorted, many-eyed reflections in the shards beneath him,”

For all the eyes present, he truly lacked the foresight that could’ve saved him here. And, his self-image changed, especially after the Rise morality-reversal plot twist and his supposed “Goodness.” So, this is a lead-up to that since that event hasn’t happened yet, considering where I would hypothetically insert this fic into the duology’s timeline.

The reflections could also be read as an indirect reference to the mythological figure Argus Panoptes or to the structure of a panopticon in a prison.

Like: Oh, you live in a tower cell? Isn't that basically a form of imprisonment, aside from the imprisonment of an eternal life?

For reference, here is a definition of “panopticon” from the internet:

“The concept is to allow all prisoners of an institution to be observed by a single corrections officer, without the inmates knowing whether or not they are being watched.”

This would imply the Storian is the brothers' prison warden. And, of course, Rafal didn’t know he was being watched earlier, by the Pen.

22. Evil thorn motif:

“thin rivulets of blood trickling down his neck, criss-crossing in a fine, thorny latticework, ultimately staining his starched, white shirt collar.”

This motif is just common imagery in the series, and I wanted to imitate it here, without the use of literal thorns.

23. Signaling Rafal’s personality through a kind of visual shorthand:

“he unbuttoned the top button of his shirt, the one, restrictive one that always pressed against the base of his throat, so he could breathe properly and catch his breath.”

He's often so stiff and buttoned-up in demeanor, so I wanted to make that literal.

24. Every time a thought like this crosses his mind:

“He’d served the absurd, seemingly arbitrary punishment the Pen had dealt him and it was now well over with.”

Every time he thinks it's all over, it's actually the start of a new wave of pain. For the dramatic irony, I just wanted him to be wrong, haha. “Arbitrary” is also incorrect; he’s just not self-aware enough to see everything for himself.

25. Light and dark imagery:

“As it neared, the bookcase grew larger and larger in Rafal’s sightline, rushing forward rapidly, encroaching on him, almost eclipsing him.”

It could connect to Rhian’s light later, the moment Rafal was discovered in the dark.

26. Bird motif:

“his vision dimmed, turning to a feathery blur.”

27. The “suffocating weight of history” fits the Nevers themselves in general, past their not-yet-existent 200-year losing streak. Thus, this could be considered foreshadowing on a larger scale.

28. The final bird motif:

“The structure of the shelf collapsed further, the more he struggled beneath it, like a snare closing in on a bird, threatening to cut off its circulation—”

And this one is specific. It could be considered my very niche reference to the “springes to catch woodcocks" moment in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Huzzah!

29. The Milton reference:

“His students would dance over his grave—dancing in the chequer’d shade… come forth to play, on a sunshine holiday—how’d that line go? And which tale was it from?”

As I was thinking about this line while writing, I realized I had made a mistake, and yet, the mistake actually served to further the story.

First, John Milton was a poet from the 17th century and the most recently dated tales in the world of SGE are from the early 1900s (Peter Pan), meaning, Milton’s body of work could plausibly exist in the Endless Woods, depending on how loose the Woods’ parameters of what a “fairy tale” could cover are.

Here’s the catch though:

As a writer, Milton was hyper-literary, and I’m not sure if he ever did write for children, seeing as there were many fairy tales that were eventually sanitized and assigned morals for children’s consumption. (Back in the day, fairy tales were once considered more low-brow literature, being as scandalous and riveting as they were, like their time period’s “thriller films” or “commercial/genre fiction,” even if a lot of them were told through oral storytelling that could be modified when there were children in the audience.)

Moving on, Milton references classical mythology a lot in his work, which is, in a way, a close relative of fairy tales, or at the very least, part of humanity’s collective folklore. Therefore, could Milton's work exist in the Endless Woods? Quite possibly.

Ok, this part could be controversial, but Rafal literally works in academia, so I think he’d be familiar with some poets. Then, to elaborate on his confusion: he conflates two, entirely different poems while drunk.

And, that line, “[...] dancing in the chequer’d shade [...,]” from the poem “L’ Allegro” stuck with me. Something about it, the imagery probably, just made it take root in my head, so I had Rafal make the same mistake I had momentarily made, attributing that line to the other, second poem, the epic “Paradise Lost,” that recalls the “tale” of Satan's fall.

Here's an excerpt from “L’ Allegro”:

“When the merry bells ring round, And the jocund rebecks sound To many a youth, and many a maid, Dancing in the chequer'd shade; And young and old come forth to play On a sunshine holiday, Till the live-long daylight fail;”

30. The recurring demon, “heathen,” or “monster” in the dark comparisons and more of the Storian’s pov dominating for a second:

“Wrapped in a delirium, he thought of the sprawling tale of Satan’s fall. Demon, chastened and exiled. Hell. What had he gotten himself into? Hell.”

“That was the moment the Storian chose to attack with a new vengeance, redoubling its efforts against Evil incarnate.”

31. The same material the plates in TLEA were made of, which Sophie commented on—a call forward in time (since I can’t call it “foreshadowing” in any meaningful way):

“His ears rang with the strident sounds of shattering bone china”

So, I assumed the brothers would have those plates now since why not?

32. The lack of an apology to Rhian:

“But could apologizing be any worse than where he lay now? Perhaps, he should.”

Rafal doesn't apologize later, mainly because I realized his feeling any kind of remorse would possibly be a step too far and too sympathetic. He can't possibly be that Good, at least not at this point in time?

Also, I wanted the thrill of a potential set-up, like a red herring, only to subvert it in the end. Thus, Rhian gets no apology whatsoever and Rafal mistreats him in return with his harsh, cutting words—just after he was mistreated by the Pen! Ergo, there's an underlying cycle of abuse going on here, like they’re playing pass the parcel (pain).

33. Betrayal:

“In that instant, his vision whirled, reddening, and his body betrayed him, surrendering to the Pen as he blacked out.”

I specifically felt like I just had to use the word "betray" because it fit the recurrent "everyone is a traitor" theme in Rise. Rafal constantly and always betrays and gets betrayed, so why not have it happen on the self level?

34. Another TLEA reference:

“New, youthful skin was already beginning to pave over his cuts,”

This was a call forward to when Excalibur cleaved through his skull, except it’s a different area of his body healing.

35. TLEA zombie/necromancer reference:

“A copious number of bandages dangled from his outstretched arms as he shuffled back into the main chamber of the tower like one of the undead.”

36. Embalming and Sherlock Holmes references:

“At last, when he was partly wrapped up, he resembled a dehydrated corpse that would be preserved for the rest of time, forever bound to his duties, like one of the undead, who hadn’t the mind to know when to let go, tugged along by the colorless skein of an immortal life.”

Here, I riffed at mummification and the general concept of achieving an eternal life of the soul by preserving the corporeal body, and that all marginally related to the concept of immortality in the flesh, not just an immortal soul.

And here is a probably semi-famous Sir Arthur Conan Doyle quotation I drew from:

“There's the scarlet thread of murder running through the colourless skein of life, and our duty is to unravel it, and isolate it, and expose every inch of it.”

In truth, I haven't read much of Doyle’s work at all, yet I knew enough to twist this to fit my purposes of alluding to misery, immortality, and the banality of life, of living, of acting for nothing when everything is futile, no matter what you do in a world governed by predestination.

37. The omnipresent thematic idea of literal darkness = hopelessness and misery and Rafal’s aversion to light again:

“He didn’t bother to light a candle.”

This same idea would also apply to the “moonless night” Rhian observes later.

38. Situational/dramatic irony:

“His brother was often a spoilsport and Rhian wouldn’t have been surprised if Rafal had tossed their last bottle.”

Rhian ends up with many subverted expectations. I may’ve exaggerated it a lot, in retrospect. Yet, these expectations demonstrate how the twins aren’t actually in sync, despite being magically-inclined twins.

39. Rhian counting his chickens before they’ve hatched (not technically the bird motif though):

“Indeed, maybe the Pen really was on his side, and Rhian could check that item off his list now.”

40. A very slight nod to Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz (a “fairy tale” in the SGE world iirc):

“the stairwell was coated in dust, like it had been beset by a cyclone of some kind.”

41. Book one reference:

“Now, it wasn’t unlike the Nevers themselves to bathe in dust,”

I think Agatha lied and claimed she took dust baths, when Tedros accused her of being a witch.

42. Biblical reference/Rhian-as-God imagery:

“Rhian lit his fingerglow. It burned with warm, pure, golden light, gilding the stones around him. He would vanquish any threat that lay ahead of him.”

“a scene of total carnage flashed into existence.”

I’d like to think that this particular diction harkens back to God creating the world, like this:

"And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, and it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness."

Also, later, Rhian is backlit in the doorway and Rafal is blinded.

These bits happened sort of serendipitously while I was writing, when I realized I had a clear set-up to use with Rhian’s light, in contrast to Rafal's "heathen"/dark “monster.”

43. The curtains and Rhian’s wrong-headed assumption:

“the presumably monster-clawed, blood-encrusted, silver curtains”

I imagined that Rhian, as well as Rafal, would’ve become more paranoid about intruders after the Vulcan incident, so that’s why he jumps to the worst possible (conceivable) conclusion (aside from the inconceivable: Rafal literally being the torture victim).

But, all this goes back to Rafal, within his world’s context, being a skeptic, an “atheist,” or a disbelieving "heathen" of some kind, especially because Rhian was always more faithful with his comparatively more unquestioning belief in the Pen.

44. Rhian’s (unconscious) word choice:

“in the confines of his own home.”

Clearly, “home” and “confines” are in conflict, and besides, Rhian is confined to the outer limits of his role as a School Master, to limited human contact, relationships, and possibly, geographical areas. We could assume that both brothers were sort of supposed to remain at the School. Forever.

45. Rhian’s assumptive dialogue:

“Where’s our intruder then? Have you burnt up the corpse?”

Ideally, Rhian's first assumption was intended to characterize both brothers at the same time. I, personally, thought it was a little funny, and ironic that in Rhian’s mind, the blood could never be Rafal’s.

46. The ice:

“Ice. Bring me ice.”

My hope was that this line came across as blisteringly cold, so the ice could work a dual purpose in the story.

Rafal ices Rhian out, symbolically and literally, by not telling him a thing. He leaves Rhian in the dark about what went on while he was gone. And, by ordering him away, to get the actual ice, Rafal literally sends Rhian away.

47. “The Evil School Master” epithet:

“Now,” the Evil School Master cut out caustically. “And not a word about the Pen favoring Good.”

Using “the Evil School Master” reduced the psychic distance between Rhian’s pov and his brother. I felt as if it were a better decision than calling Rafal “Rafal” during that particular moment since he is leaning more into his Storian-given role as opposed to being his more human self.

Rhian may not be as close to Rafal anymore, with this one-day time gap in his knowledge, and I wanted to represent that state in some way, hence the use of the epithet.

Additionally, it’s also the Evil School Master, who, as an authority over his students, reinforces and perpetuates that very same cycle of violence, when he tortures them in Rise. And, considering that this fic slots into a hypothetical space in the canon timeline prior to the Doom Room’s construction, we could say that this torture event theoretically could’ve made him worse. It could’ve led him to inflicting more pain back onto his Never students.

This line is probably one of my favorites, partly because I had the idea to use the verb “cut out,” seeing as Rafal was cut up and figuratively cuts Rhian back. It wouldn’t only be the students as his victims. He dealt back the pain he received to Rhian.

48. Not-Fun Fact: A long time ago, several days or weeks after I had the initial concept for this fic, I somehow walked into and cut my shin on a sharp, metal chair edge. And the interesting thing I learned from that encounter is that certain things can cut through fabric more easily than you’d think.

49. Last line:

“Rafal hadn’t learnt his lesson and never would.”

I wanted to try to go for maximum impact with the last line, so this line played with the idea of: is Rafal more subdued or not by the end of it all? And the answer had to be “no,” which is why I hope it read as ominous or heavy.

I'd like to think nothing of him would change. He’d carry himself with the same defiant, unbreakable spirit as always (probably).

By my interpretation, the actual change in him would be that he leans into being a slightly more extreme version of himself, that he’s more paranoid. Or, at least, that’s how he’s supposed to have changed, over the course of this story.

My second intention with the last line was to allude to future Evil Rhian, worsened by Rafal’s verbal mistreatment of him. So again, we have the theme of Rafal dooming himself!

50. Absurdism and Kurt Vonnegut:

I just learned that apparently this fic could possibly fall under the category of absurdist fiction (because immortality suddenly becomes slightly undesirable to Rafal, unlike in canon):

“Absurdist fiction is often used interchangeably with ‘absurdism.’ What is absurdism? It is a style of writing that calls existential concepts (such as “truth” or “value”) into question. It portrays the experiences of characters in situations who cannot find purpose or meaning in their lives or actions.

Absurdist fiction writing leans into unconventional imagery, plot structures, and formats to convey meaning. It is a book genre defined by pervasive themes of nihilism, existentialism, and purposelessness.

While absurdism aims to derive purpose from a seemingly pointless or meaningless event, this doesn't mean the event is an inconsequential one—in fact, most absurdist fiction is about traumatic experiences.

[...] Traditional storytelling uses systems like setup and payoff, playing on audience expectation and tailoring reality to make a satisfying narrative. But life isn’t like that. Trauma isn’t like that. And neither is absurdist fiction.”

I had tried using an online writing style analyzer on the completed fic, and I got Kurt Vonnegut as a result. I had never read his work, so when I started to do some research about it, I stumbled onto the topic of absurdism, which was apparently a decent match by sheer coincidence.

Here are two sources on absurdism, style, and verbiage:

https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/slaughter/style/

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lindseybots · 9 months ago

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OHOHOHOHOHO THIS IS A WHOLE AU???? This is INCREDIBLE my heart is MELTING LOOK AT THOSE SWEETIES!!! A thought to keep Wind away from the Tower of Spirits, in the Septimus Heap books there’s a rule where “when dead you only tread once more; where living, you have trod before” so perhaps Wind being a natural ghost unlike Zelda isn’t able to go above the lobby of the Tower. Cause let’s be real, he would totally go through the dungeons but Anjean would have his hide if he tried to go up the Tower.

Also, is this LU? Totally cool if not! Just the two of them having fun together is enough to get me bouncing off the walls!

Ooooo a lot to unpack with this one!

First of all, THANK YOU! I’m so happy that you love the au!! I’m having so much fun making it, so I’m glad you’re enjoying it.

Next, I’m gonna answer the LU question because that answer is going to be shorter.

Honestly, I’m kind of glad you asked because I’ve seen people mention it a few times in comments, reblog tags, etc of some of my AU posts before, which made me wonder if there was some confusion about it. So, I’m glad I’m getting an excuse to clear this up.

While LU is super great (seriously go check it out if you haven’t) and I am incredibly honored that you think they are worthy of standing together on the same playing field, it is a separate thing.

The Wind’s Track AU is not associated with Linked Universe in any way. That is to say: in the “canon” of The Winds Track AU, the events of Linked Universe DO NOT AND WILL NOT EXIST.

Of course, if y’all want to make fan content that is a blend of the two AUs, that’s fine with me. All I ask is that, if you could, please make it clear somewhere that, normally, the AUs are separate entities to avoid any confusion for people who don’t know. Also, it’d be really nice if you’d give credit to the au creators so newcomers know where to find our AUs. (Also tag me so I can see it 👀🤭)

Again, I don’t mind if people make that kind of content to combine the aus, but I would hate for people to come here expecting LU due to miscommunication and then not get it. Y’know?

Now, I can talk about Wind and the Tower of Spirits.

I never actually considered him NOT being involved in solving the floors. The idea that he CAN’T is REALLY INTERESTING. Ohhhh that’d kill him inside.

This boy is so used to being at the center of the adventures, and now he has to leave it to someone else? AND HIS LITTLE BROTHER AT THAT?? AND YOU MEAN TO TELL HIM HE CANT DO ANYTHING BUT WAIT??? OHHHH.

Not to mention the fact that this is the location in the game that you revisit the most for the story.

The way I can picture this poor boy ready to just race up those stairs, regardless of potential consequences. Anjean would probably be tempted to tie him down if he wouldn’t just phase through the ropes.

I LOVE THIS IDEA. Not only is it angsty, but it fixes so many of the potential issues I’ve been trying to solve within this AU.

I don’t think I mentioned this before, but I was also trying to figure out a way to get Zelda to go help in the Tower of Spirits in the first place. The only reasons she goes at first in the game is because Anjean tells them that it’s too dangerous for Link / Spirit to go by himself, and during that time, she is the only one available to fill that role. If Wind were able to go, then there wouldn’t have been any reason to essentially force her in the role. There would need to be a new reason made.

This idea, however, FIXES THAT. THANK YOU!!

I also love that it reserves a portion of the game’s events to just be for Spirit and Zelda. They have such a wonderful relationship in the game, so having the events of the Tower be for just the two of them could really help in maintaining that strong bond that helped make Spirit Tracks so special.

I’ll make a point to find ways for Wind to be more helpful in other parts of the game to make up for his exclusion from the Tower of Spirits’ floors.

#lindseybot answers #the wind’s track #the wind’s track au #wt au #linked universe #the wind's track #the wind's track au

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blazinginsquids · 10 months ago

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Utena Black Rose Arc Elevator Analysis (Case by case)

(Quick context- I’m going to do the rest of the characters, but I wanted to post what I’ve written so far. I’m going to post one character at a time as I do their analysis.)

So, i wanted to take my own jab at analyzing the elevator in Revolutionary Girl Utena. I can’t promise it’ll be the most extraordinary analysis of this scene only because it’s been analyzed a million times (As has everything in Utena, with good reason of course.) I doubt I’m the first person who’s reached this line of thought or chose to analyze these scenes this way, but I still thought it’d be fun.

So, in the black rose arc, every time somebody went down the elevator and told a confession, the picture in the frame would go from butterfly, cocoon, caterpillar, and leaf. I think this is an allegory for how the deeper into the duelist’s motives they get, the less complicated their motives are, as they become exposed as results of more raw emotions such as anger or jealousy. I also believe that the butterfly represents the way the duelist believes the situation is in the outside world, whereas the leaf represents their truest opinion of the situation, which tends to have some sort of shift from what the originally said about it. The subsequent duels are allegories for causing revolution, but rather than being about a historical revolution, I believe it’s in reference to the dilemma that the character revolves around. I thought it would be interesting to look at this case by case.

Kanae:

Butterfly: Kanae explains that she’s engaged to Akio and that she wants to love him, and genuinely likes him as a person. She feels lucky to be as well off as she is. The complication here is that there’s an exception. She doesn’t explain the exception until after the frame is changed from butterfly to cocoon, implying that she tries to hide this.

Cocoon: The only thing mentioned in this stage is that Akio has a younger sister, who Kanae believes doesn’t like her. This could be because there’s something about this information that she feels the need to filter more, whether out of paranoia or some other fear. It is the truth about how she feels, but it’s deeper than that.

Caterpillar: She gives an anecdote about a time she gave Anthy her favorite scarf, and Anthy wiped her glasses with it, despite Kanae being sure she’d told Anthy that wasn’t what the scarf was for. She had grown anxious after Anthy smiled at her, and later her father had gotten sick. She was convinced that Anthy was somehow responsible. Here we can see what seems to be the whole truth, that Kanae is paranoid regarding Anthy. While this in of itself it still very true, it is by no means the rawest layer of these feelings that Kanae has.

Leaf: In the final stage, Kanae finishes by saying she’s tried everything to get Anthy to like her. This reveals the rawest understanding. While Kanae’s reaction to Anthy could be chalked up to mere paranoia, it’s much deeper in the sense that the paranoia was not the origin. The origin seems to be a desire to gets others to like her. This tells us that Kanae is a people pleaser by nature and that her dilemma in life revolves around whether or not people like her. She fights for her desire to be a likable person to others.

#revolutionary girl utena #revolutionary girl utena analysis

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kataraslove · 1 year ago

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just saw a very strange collection of headcanons surrounding katara and lightning generation/bending, and her ability to be able to bend lightning. at first, i was curious to see what direction they were headed and why they headcanon a waterbender to be able to generate lightning. then the intention of the post became increasingly obvious; for nothing else besides the ability of katara to match zuko. their reasoning was essentially - and i kid you not - that since katara and zuko are the yin and yang of the show, and lightning bending as a technique involves separating the energies of yin and yang, this is why katara should be able to adopt lightning bending. by katara being able to lightening bend, it would somehow strengthen her bond with zuko and make the final agni kai much more meaningful. according to the user, lightening bending would be a very valuable skill for katara to have. it would solve her dilemma against bloodbending, it would reduce the burden of responsibilities she had to bear because of aang, and it would help serve as a catalyst to her forgiving zuko. since zuko helped heal katara’s trauma in the show’s canon (according to the user), somehow lightning bending (and the synchronous harmony that would tie to zuko) will help to heal it more.

the more i ponder over this headcanon, the more I realize how counterintuitive to katara’s character it is, and the more bizarre it becomes to me. now, there’s definitely a scientific reason that one can use to justify why a waterbender can and should be able to manipulate lightning in the sky. actually, we can even go one step forward and argue why it makes more sense for an airbender to be able to generate lightning and thunder, instead of a waterbender, if we really want to take into account the science. but something tells me that that user probably wouldn’t appreciate a post entirely on how aang should be able to generate lightning (which he can already redirect in the show’s canon … are you now realizing that zuko and aang are the true yin and yang of atla this whole time).

scientific purposes aside, we must bear in mind that this is a fantasy series, which has designated that firebenders as the ones to be able to redirect lightning, a rare technique prominent only in the fire nation royal family by atla canon. i don’t really know the exact purposes as to why bryke gave lightning generation and redirection to firebenders. I don’t particularly associate lightning with the element of fire (unless if operating on the assumption that lightning results in forest fires). but bryke’s reasoning may be as simple as, “we thought it’d be cool and scary for kids if the fire nation had this.”

waterbenders have a whole bunch of amazing techniques and subbending styles that katara has canonically mastered and used, all with the exception of spirit bending (but she might be able to do that too). she does not need to adapt a subbending from a whole other element (a once rare technique that only the fire nation royal family held possession) in order to display her waterbending prowess. she especially does not need to adapt lightning bending just to coordinate with zuko, just because you see them as yin and yang & because lightning bending/generation involves separating and collecting yin and yang energy. this operates on the same handwavy reasoning of zuko and katara being paralleled to tui and la (they aren’t).

moreover, op’s reasoning as to why zuko and katara are yin and yang is based on the belief that zuko helped katara let go of her anger and pain towards her mother’s death by allowing her the opportunity to confront her mother’s murder. to which i say, no he did not help her let her anger go. katara is still extremely angry at yon rha for what he did; this is the sole reason as to why she explains that she cannot ever forgive him. she feels that she is above swooping to his level by taking a life, but she does not forgive him for the pain and suffering that he had caused her entire life. she also does not get over her mother’s death after this event. using aang’s advice of forgiveness, however, she forgives zuko for the pain that he had caused her (for breaking her trust and betraying ba sing se, leading to the worst weeks in her life) and seeks the chance that the two of them could move past this to heal their friendship and begin restoring trust.

going back to katara being able to lightning bend, i fail to see how lightning bending could ever positively benefit katara, and instead only serve to make her trauma worse. it imposes the same - if not worse - moral dilemma that she has with bloodbending. having the power to strike your enemies, but not wanting to see innocent people harmed and suffered.

Hama: The choice is not yours. The power exists. And it's your duty to use the gifts you've been given to win this war.

while katara is not a pacifist and would be willing to use violence in necessary purposes as a form of self-defense, katara as a character also does not want to see suffering and brutality; does not want to mercilessly kill people in the name of freedom and resistance. katara’s honest, canon reaction to ever using lightning bending on someone would exactly be like aang’s reaction when he debated killing ozai with it.

another part of op’s argument (which I haven’t read) is how katara having lightning bending enhances the final agni kai and zuko’s sacrifice of jumping in front of lightening to save katara. now, you could concote a scenario in katara ultimately saves zuko by redirecting it away or whatever battle couple fanfiction scenario you want to create. but bear in mind that all of those scenarios will serve to take away from the purpose of the scene; why zuko jumped in front of lightning in the first place and why his injury, why him being at death’s door, offers the perfect conclusion to his character arc.

now, the most concerning matter of the post is that it is yet another headcanon that strips katara of her character traits and water tribe identity in an attempt to become a character that she canonically is not. if the ship is based on the notion of yin and yang, Fire and Water, etc; what purpose does it serve to have katara become a character identical to zuko? what purpose does it serve for katara to start adapting more characteristics associated with the fire nation, from her fire nation outfit to now being able to bend the same subelement as the fire nation royal family. do you see katara as her own character in atla? or do you see her as the fanon version that she ought to have been? because if it’s the latter, you clearly don’t like the canon character of katara when you are applying traits from other characters onto her. i’ve never seen a fanbase claim to love a character so much and then change her into a completely different character all for the purposes of a fictional ship.

headcanons are completely fine to me, but the entire post reads as if someone is berating the writers for wasting potential on katara’s ability to lightning bend. which I simply must disagree with. there’s also the notion that even if katara could lightning bend, why would that automatically enhance her relationship with zuko, and not aang, who is also a lightning bender? keep in mind that aang and katara bent clouds to take the shape of a storm. these two powerhouses could absolutely generate lightening between the two of them if they wanted to - but the most important part is, they do not canonically want to. because it does not apply to their character and is not relevant to their character arcs.

#antizutara #katara

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