#they aren't together yet

[emthimofnight]

Stellar's first word(s)!

(alternative title: Stellar betrays Shadow in HD)

[welcometogrouchland]

No offense but I want Hunter to brag about him and willow next episode I don't care how out of character it is.

I want Eda to exorcise Belos out of puppet!Raine's body and for Hunter to stand over the shambling, melting corpse of the man who abused him and scream "you think you could hurt me? You think you could keep me down? Kill me? WELL YOU CAN'T. AND I HOPE YOU KNOW THAT AFTER I AROSE FROM THE GRAVE, I GOT A GIRLFRIEND. WE HELD HANDS FOR 3 WHOLE SECONDS. YEAH, THAT'S RIGHT, 3! YOU TRIED TO LEAVE MY BODY RIDDLED WITH SCARS??? JOKES ON YOU! SHE THINKS THAT'S HOT!!!!!! HOW DO YOU LIKE THEM APPLES, "UNCLE"???!!!!!" With Zeno doing his best unhinged hunter voice as Caleb fucking Fortnite dances in the background and Belos thrashes about in pain at the mention of premarital hand holding

[pyralart]

Just finished the two next pages!

And because you're my favorite pals here on Tumblr, you get a little extra in advance, as a treat

I'm sure nothing bad is going to happen watsoever

[hadesknockedupintheunderworld]

I have all of these extended thoughts on my head about the amazing way themes and character relationships are handled in Iruma-kun and the inclusion of queerness and the handling of the coming of age narrative in this shonen manga/anime

And every time all that comes out when I'm reccing it is "You should watch/read it"

Do it. Go watch/read Mairimashita! Iruma-kun/Welcome to Demon School Iruma-kun

Please.

[rockingpolenta]

Really dumb edit i did because i saw this video and my brain kept screaming TROD TROD until i made it.

Original video here

TROD and all drawings used belong to @bamsara

[abyssalmermaiden]

aaaaaaaaaand there it is. (MSQ: For All Turali)

"We intend to hold nothing back, and expect you to do the same." Buddy. My Friend. Better get ready to lose- you know how competitive Aryaille gets.

She's not that angry, despite grabbing his collar in a way that would seem threatening to anyone who didn't know them. (at the moment she's not sure what she's feeling)

(just picture Thancred trying to seem cool and composed as Koana's group walks away, despite how his heart is still fluttering at the reminder of how easily Aryaille could lift him off his feet XD)

[bumblingbabooshka]

I hate when Chakotay is watered down to be Janeway's yes man because their disagreements are actually very interesting. [A lot of rambling analysis of this debate in particular below]

Chakotay in Parallax is very interesting in that he has to navigate a lot of different dynamics. Balance a lot of plates while being watched keenly by everyone around him. Immediately preceding this scene we see him ask B'Elanna for her opinion on the bridge - both as a chance to show her knowledge in his bid to make her chief engineer (because she wouldn't get a chance to otherwise as Janeway has clearly indicated that at this point she views B'Elanna as a troublemaker who won't be considered for the position) and because he just thinks she's a better engineer than Carey and wants the best possible chance of them succeeding. Janeway sees this as unacceptable. Carey is the chief engineer and so he should be called and Chakotay NOT asking for his opinion is an insult to Carey, Janeway, and might make the crew doubt Chakotay (and by extension the Maquis') loyalty to the Starfleet crew.

At this point it seems that to Janeway integration ["They're not your people"] means the path of least resistance, specifically tailored towards the Starfleet crew. She wants Chakotay by her side to keep the Maquis crew calm but also seems unwilling to consider them for important positions aboard the ship. Though she says that the Maquis are not Chakotay's people, not his crew, she certainly doesn't seem to consider them hers [Compare this to later instances where she stresses 'our' crew, here she simply says they aren't Chakotay's: Whose crew are they? Are they crew at all?]. This less leaves the impression of "We need to be a cohesive team" and more "You're not in charge here." She essentially accuses Chakotay of playing favorites. In her mind Chakotay's actions are not conducive to integrating the crews which would (again, in her mind) mean the Maquis being docile and accepting, obedient and content - not making trouble for the Starfleet crew. Chakotay counters Janeway's accusation with one of his own: That he IS trying to integrate them into the crew but her not allowing the Maquis any opportunity to prove themselves or succeed, not showing any trust in any of them (except, implicitly at this point, him) is making things difficult. At this point the Maquis crew are ready to mutiny on his word at any time. He knows this for a fact. Aside from that looming threat (the threat being that tensions are high and if nothing changes and they remain high there might be a mutiny even without his word) - Chakotay knows these people and trusts them. Though Starfleet and Janeway think of the Maquis as a violent bunch of criminal terrorists, Chakotay and a good number of the Maquis joined because they believed in the cause they were fighting for. These are people Chakotay knows WILL fight fiercely for what they believe in and conversely, AGAINST what they perceive as injustice. Even if they're not in the majority - they're used to picking fights which seem impossible to win. At this point Janeway admits that she ISN'T making it easy for Chakotay to integrate the Maquis - specifically talking about practical concerns; how she doesn't feel she can let Maquis crew have roles of importance on the ship because they lack the ability to hold them. "They don't have the discipline, they don't have the training," - asserting that they just aren't prepared for any such roles and it doesn't have to do with them being Maquis specifically. Ostensibly, she's treating them as she might treat anyone unqualified for the job.

Chakotay maintains that some of them, like B'Elanna, have the ability to be trained - challenging her point by saying that IF they're trained there's no reason for any Maquis member NOT to be given a more prominent role on the ship. He isn't suggesting they just unqualified people important jobs. If the problem is that they aren't trained, let's train them. These people have the ability to succeed if you give them the tools they need and a fair chance, he insists. Janeway then switches gears and her argument becomes not "The Maquis are untrained so they can't be given those jobs" but "The Maquis crew are unworthy of those jobs when compared to Starfleet personnel" saying that it'll cause insult and upset among the Starfleet crew if any member of the Maquis were to be promoted above them. Again, her idea of integration is based more on Maquis subservience to the Starfleet crew than it is the two crews working together. (Not that I believe she looks at it that way, it's just where her 'path of least resistance' leads) - though she accuses Chakotay of being too focused on "his" crew, she is admitting here that she believes her real crew are the Starfleet officers aboard, not the Maquis. She also admits here that the system she wishes to maintain (and is asking Chakotay to enforce) is one where there will ostensibly never be any chance of a Maquis crew member being promoted because no Maquis crew member will ever be more qualified, more worthy, than a member of Starfleet. We can see how it'd be difficult for Chakotay to convince his crew to remain calm under these circumstances. There's also Tuvok's behavior toward him at the beginning of the episode where the Vulcan nearly goes over Chakotay's head and when he doesn't do so (as Chakotay reminds him that HE'S the superior officer, the First Officer in fact,) Tuvok acts as if him backing down (partially) and conceding (partially) to Chakotay's authority is a favor to Chakotay.

Tuvok in this conversation is downright insubordinate to Chakotay. Despite Chakotay being the first officer, he doesn't take what he says seriously, argues that his own opinion on what should be done should be followed rather than Chakotay's, lectures the first officer about his conduct, and then almost seems to threaten him with a report. In Starfleet's rigidly hierarchical rules, acting like this to a superior officer (ESPECIALLY the first officer) wouldn't be tolerated and Tuvok knows this perfectly well. He isn't a rebellious character and clearly in other episodes adheres to these Starfleet hierarchies and codes of conduct very strictly. He values them highly. But Chakotay, a Maquis, shouldn't be First Officer. Why should he be given respect for a title he didn't earn? [Affirming Janeway's argument about how Starfleet officers won't be eager to follow a Maquis senior officer] Even though Chakotay tells Tuvok off for it ["I don't have to explain myself to you"] he doesn't threaten to put Tuvok on report or explicitly mention his insubordination. It's unclear if this is Chakotay's personality or if he just doesn't feel he CAN do that. Tuvok is one of the three most senior officers aboard and very close to Janeway. Chakotay has to think of the optics of any situation at all times - we see seconds after this conversation that rumors have already started swirling around B'Elanna being relegated to quarters that've fanned the flames of mutiny. Though we know Tuvok has personal reasons for behaving the way he does toward Chakotay (which he later admits), I really don't think it'd be out of the ordinary for this to be how most Starfleet personnel would treat the Maquis if they weren't outright hostile: Like they're only pretend crewmen. To a lesser extent we even see this with Janeway: In the following staff meeting, she clearly doesn't consider B'Elanna a viable option when Chakotay brings her up and almost ignores the suggestion entirely.

It also, again, leaves Chakotay in an impossible position. If he doesn't protect and fight for the Maquis crew, they won't ever be considered a true part of the crew and dissatisfaction will likely spread among them. Dissatisfaction which the Starfleet crew will then use to further label the Maquis as insubordinate, uncontrollable, unfit. Not to mention that if he doesn't advocate for them, he might lose their trust. However, if he DOES try to help the Maquis crew advance the Starfleet crew will view this as 'favoritism' and will further distrust him, won't respect the people he puts forth as worthy. Janeway seems to be intent on not advocating for any of the Maquis crew and also seems unwilling to ask that the Starfleet crew grant leniency. She implies that the Maquis crew need to learn to get in line and keep quiet and it seems almost like [we must remember the optics] she has Chakotay as the only Maquis in a position of power to facilitate that. Chakotay recognizes and pushes against that, saying that he won't just be her token Maquis - there only so she can point to him and say "See? We don't discriminate against the Maquis here." effectively a tool used to shut down any arguments of unfair treatment and a tool to quell the Maquis if any talk of mutiny DOES arise. In this model, Janeway can just tell Chakotay to calm them down and they'll listen because they trust him. She also doesn't have to really listen to anything he says: A token First Officer has no authority; his words don't hold weight. [Chakotay isn't Maquis anymore, they aren't his crew anymore - ok. What is he then? What are they? Nothing, without respect.] This plan seems untenable, as much as Janeway frames it as sensible: "I can't make it easy, Commander. Surely you can understand that," and alternatives as impossible "How am I supposed to ask them to accept a Maquis as their superior officer just because circumstances have forced us together?" - in the long run, how would this be sustainable? In any power structure, you cannot expect a group of people you're unwilling to grant trust or agency to obediently follow you forever. This proposed form of 'integration' in which the Maquis are kept on the bottom rung and told intermittently to stay there quietly by the only one of them granted permission to stand at the top would never be sustainable - especially with a group like the Maquis who again, were founded on the belief that its members should fight against inequity and are already on the verge of mutiny.

I specifically find the statement "How am I supposed to ask them to accept a Maquis as their superior officer just because circumstances have forced us together?" to be interesting because personally I'd say that being forced together for the rest of almost everyone's natural life is a pretty good reason to ask people to adapt and Janeway does understand this but only applies it to the Maquis - the Maquis are the ones who have to adapt, not Starfleet. The only thing the Starfleet crew have to do is tolerate their presence on board.

At this point Janeway again claims that if Chakotay can show her a 'qualified' Maquis candidate she'll consider them. I believe this is true but we already know that Janeway's standards for qualification will likely not fit the vast majority of the Maquis and Chakotay ignores the claim in favor of putting forth B'Elanna again, firmly. Janeway predictably dismisses her as unqualified and Chakotay disagrees, arguing that he knows her. He's worked with her. He KNOWS that B'Elanna can excel at the job even if she doesn't meet Starfleet/Janeway's qualifications. He doesn't value those qualifications over what he's observed about her - just as he didn't value Carey's title over what he knew about the gap between his and B'Elanna's abilities. Then, Chakotay switches gears. He admits that Janeway's right - he does view the Maquis as his crew but that's because Janeway (almost self admittingly) doesn't and if he doesn't, who will they have? [What kind of captain, kind of man, would he be?] "You're going to have to give them more authority if you want their loyalty." "Theirs or yours, Commander?" Janeway frames Chakotay's words pointing out the flaws in this plan which I outlined earlier, as almost a threat (if she doesn't have Chakotay's loyalty it'll most definitely mean mutiny). Chakotay asserts that it wasn't a threat, he's only trying to help by telling her how the Maquis crew will react to what she's telling him. "I'm sorry you can't see that" - not an apology for what he said but that she isn't willing to budge, not willing to listen to him and acknowledge that she might be as biased towards her crew as he is towards his. Chakotay is trying his best to acclimate his crew but if Janeway isn't willing to do the same, to talk to her people as he's talking to his, then this will not end well and that isn't a threat. It's just the reality of the situation. He then asks permission to leave, showing he is willing to observe Starfleet protocol (just as when he asked permission to speak freely), and Janeway lets him go, exhaling at the intensity of their debate when alone in her ready room.

[doevademe]

Silly idea of someone finding out how often Percy has thought about choking Nico and just Nico specifically and questioning him about it, only for Percy to go on full defense mode. Yes, he knows what it looks like, no, it's not a sex thing. Nico is just a very difficult person to deal with. The choking is wholly rooted in frustration.

Cue Nico (who definitely didn't develop an asphyxiation kink from Percy choking him in the Underworld cell) going "Well, you can choke me if you want, get it out of your system". And Percy turns meek and awkward because it's not like he would act on it, Nico. It's just a fantasy—non-sexual fantasy! And well, if it's not sexual then there's no issue in doing it in a controlled environment, right?

Long story short, Percy and Nico show up the next day, Nico looking sated and with some marks all over his neck, and Percy, through gritted teeth, admits that okay, maybe there was a kinky aspect to the choking thing... but it really isn't that big of a deal! Everyone has their quirks, he's still the most normal one of the Big Three kids!

"We're all freaks, just accept it," Nico says as he leans against Percy.

[ether-nets]

Why is this fandom making me miss being late into fandoms? I want to watch the slowburn happen but not need to wait for things to come out (slash lh I just have too many feelings about it but the cc's should take their time to make it good and live their lives)

Starbirds and Rust and Gylph and Virwood have consumed my mind and I will keep consuming the content we've had of them until there is more

[agalychnisspranneusroseus]

My hot take is that marcanne has as much potential for toxic yuri as any other calamity trio ship and it's not nearly as soft and fluffy as one may think

[starmocha]

MC: I'd tell him to rest more often.

Zayne: It would be better if you told him to keep it up.

[rendnotmyheart]

Soulmate aus are so interesting in an iwtv context. Like for humans it's easy, right? They get their soulmate mark, they find their soulmate, or maybe they don't, and they live their life. For vampires though? Do vampiric soulmates even exist? How could they when the soulmate marks are relics of their human life? When the other person who has the mark will be dead before their life as a vampire has even begun? Or were they always fated to become a vampire? Did the universe take that into account? Will they have to wait some hundreds of years for their soulmate to be born? Their soulmate could be anywhere, any time. Hell, their soulmate could be the person they just drained. Who knows. Even if they were somehow able to find them, what are the chances they'd stay together for eternity? It is eternity after all. Not even the universe or fate can guarantee that.

[fake-married-my-dead-fiance]

If this lady does anything to that sweet boy... YOU KEEP AWAY FROM HIM!!! He is the rightful property of Hee-yeon!

[liyazaki]

close your eyes- I'll help you.

MY SCHOOL PRESIDENT | EP. 3 [2022-2023]

[lunarharp]

wanted to adapt the google search results a gay woman got in a japanese drama "tsukuritai onna to tabetai onna" which is good btw.

[lilbittymonster]

Day 20: Duel

Read on AO3

A dusting of snow drifted across the roof as Kitali paced listlessly along the top. The camp had decidedly wound down, efforts focusing on healing the wounded and maintaining supplies. Hardly anything she could help with. It didn’t help that the land was so barren there was almost nothing worth seeing.

She pivoted on a heel as she reached the edge of the roof to walk back the other way, and stopped just short of running into Estinien.

“D’you need something?” she asked.

“You’re getting restless,” he observed. “Come spar with me.”

“What, already run through the rest of the camp?”

He shrugged. “There’s no challenge to it if I have to worry about pulling all my punches. I know you can handle me at my worst.”

A smirk pulled at her lips. “Just out of curiosity, how many shinobi have you fought before?”

“None,” he answered. “Why?”

Her smirk grew wider. “You want a challenge, yeah?”

Estinien’s eyes narrowed in suspicion but he couldn’t hide an answering smile. “I do.”

Without another word, Kitali turned around and stepped off the roof, landing lightly on her feet and startling a nearby Serpent. She strode with haste to her quarters and began rifling through her pack for the folded set of clothes she had tucked away, just in case.

Though the cloth was heavy, it felt almost too thin in the climes of Garlemald, not that the cold could touch her as much as it should have. Compared to the weight of her armour, the air on her bare shoulders and through the thin links of the arms was freeing. Her twin daggers at her hips, she made her way back outside into the snow.

Thancred was passing by as she walked to the north gate, and he did a double take at her clothing.

“Going somewhere?” he asked in amusement.

“Estinien said he wanted a challenge, so I’m going to give him one.”

He raised a brow. “Now this I have to see,” he said, falling into step behind her.

Estinien was waiting a little ways down the hill, narrowing his eyes as he saw Thancred behind her.

“Don’t worry, I’m only here to spectate,” Thancred assured him, taking up a post against one of the nearby trees. “It’s not often I get to watch the show, as it were.”

Estinien turned to Kitali again. “Right, then. Best of three?”

Kitali laughed. “Oh, that’s going to be over far too quick.”

“That confident, are you?” he said, backing away from her and taking his lance into hand.

“I am,” she retorted easily.

“One way to find out.”

Once he was a good ten paces away, Kitali summoned up a wind to whip up the snow into a flurry around her, blowing outwards, and in the second of his blinded distraction, she surged forward to punch into his stomach.

“One,” she counted.

Immediately she spun around to tap the flat of a blade against his back.

“Two.”

Completing the circle, she held the back of a dagger up to his exposed throat.

“Three.”

Estinien stared down at her incredulously.

“How in the Fury’s-”

“I told you,” she sing-songed at him.

His nostrils flared indignantly. “So you did.”

“And here I thought I was going to be entertained,” Thancred called sarcastically to them.

They looked at him, then at each other.

“Well, shall we give him a show?” Estinien asked quietly.

“You wanted a challenge, didn’t you?”

Kitali backflipped so there was a good amount of distance between them once more. He followed almost immediately with a leap of his own, the air whooshing by as the blade of his lance cut through it. It felt like dancing the way she would twist and dart to avoid him by ilms, the way he would leap in and away again. It almost reminded her of the way Arienne would investigate anything new brought into the house the way he seemed to be assessing her.

After several passes of her getting within reach and slipping past his defense only for him to leap upward out of her grasp, Kitali was getting bored.

“You said I could handle you at your worst,” she taunted. “I know this isn’t it.”

“Don’t say you didn’t ask for it,” he shouted back.

The outline of him shimmered before shade after shade of himself broke off and launched into the air. Kitali threw her head back and laughed in delight before summoning her own wall of duplicates before her.

“Oh, come on!” Estinien yelled in exasperation.

Kitali blinked across the field while their respective shadows battled each other into dissipation, taking advantage of his distraction to land another blow to his side. The clink of the flat of her blade skidded along his breastplate as he just managed to evade her next strike. He swung out with his arm and caught her against her chest, sending her flying. She landed square on her back, and she used the momentum to roll backwards onto her feet again.

“Got any other tricks up those sleeves of yours?” he called.

Not taking her eyes off of him she slid her body through the familiar movements. Pulling the heavens down to meet the earth was as natural as breathing by now. The bolt struck the ground directly next to him, the resounding clap of thunder stunning him into stillness.

“I see,” was all he said.

With a wicked grin, the familiar red smoke began to surround him as he leapt up into the air. Kitali waited, and waited, and at the last second jumped into the air as he impacted the ground where she was standing not a moment before. She twisted her tail to direct herself back down onto his back, but he managed to flip and roll them so she was pinned beneath him. The snow next to her neck crunched as he stabbed the blade of his lance into it.

“My win,” he said triumphantly.

Kitali gave him no time to gloat, blinking through space to several yalms above him and twisting midair again to land on her feet. He had barely turned to face her when she blew a wreath of flame from her lips, melting the snow and ice around him into a slick surface. With a flick of her wrist the freshly melted water swirled up in ropes to wrap around his legs up to his waist, and then it was frozen again in thick crystals of ice.

“You sure about that?”

He struggled against the ice, the splinters spreading as the ice groaned under the strain. After a moment, and with a sound of shattering glass, he jumped free. Kitali didn’t even bother to deflect the next flurry of blows he sent her way, only dodging and ducking away at the last second.

“Seven hells, Kitali,” he growled. “What did they do to you in Doma?”

She just huffed out a laugh as she sidestepped another thrust.

“Getting tired, yet?” she teased.

“Hardly.”

In a blink of an eye she was behind him again. She spun on her heel with an arm up to deflect the blow she knew was coming. While she had an opening, she swung around with the other arm to hit his exposed side. Estinien was quick to pull the shaft of his lance over her head and across her chest, holding her snug against him and pinning her arm.

“Got you,” he said smugly.

“Do you, now.”

In a blink she was a yalm in front of him again, already circling back around to his right, neatly dodging the butt of the spear as he swung it up towards her. With an arcing slice, he brought the lance down at her, and Kitali was forced to bring up both knives to catch the blow. The wicked red blade was mere ilms from her, and already her arms were trembling under the full weight of him. Shifting her weight to her toes instead of her heels she allowed herself to slide backwards across the frozen ground.

“You haven’t learned, have you?” she panted before quickly sidestepping out from under him, rolling him forward on his own momentum.

To her surprise, he caught himself at the last second and spun, grabbing her by the wrist and pulling her to him again.

“I learn just fine, thank you,” he said as he towered over her.

Before she could protest or move, his other arm locked behind her and he launched them both backwards into the air. Someone was laughing, and Kitali couldn’t tell which of them it was. The world tilted as they reached the apex and began to descend, and a small thrill of fear ran up her spine at not being able to see where they’d land.

Their descent was halted quite abruptly in a cloud of white powder. She kept laughing into his chest, the sound bubbling out of her with an edge of mania tinging it. Estinien’s rare gravelly wheeze of a laugh pressed against her hair as he continued to hold her.

Once the laughter and excess energy finally dwindled, Kitali rolled onto her back, a small cascade of snow falling into her face. Pushing her hair out of the way, as well as another clump of snow, she looked over to Estinien who was looking far too pleased with himself.

“You’re a right piece of shit, you know that?”