#twilight faction

[talesfromthecrypts]

Followers’ Favorite Vampire Countdown

24. Tae-ju - Thirst

I don't have faith. I'm not going to Hell.

[lost-khione]

Some Halloween headcanons for ARR

Dawn Faction

Koga

Gets invited to Halloween parties

Likes that he can attend them without having to wear a suit

He dresses up and covers his face with a mask so people don't recognize him easily

To his annoyance, Toichiro can still recognize him

Asks his maid to pack some candies for the kids who would swing by his house

Kuya

Lets his wings out on full display since people would just think it's his costume

People stare because it looks so realistic (it is real *wink wink*)

Kids would ask to touch it to which he promptly replies, "No"

Kids have to shout to wake him up since he is usually found sleeping on the veranda instead of handing out the treats at Koga's house

Aoi

Goes all out with his cooking to make sure there are a variety of sweets they can hand out

He tries to make Western sweets since it is a Western holiday - he also puts his art skills to use by designing them

Asks Yura to taste test for him. He is grateful to Yura despite his grumbling when Yura asks for more

Also decorates Raccord to give it the Halloween vibe

"Oji-san, lend me a hand!"

Ginnojo

Also packs candies at his shop

Kuro helps him out with the packing

He displays books with spooky stories since they seem to be popular during this time

"Do I really have to wear this?"

Gets this soft look on his face when he hands out treats

Yura

Volunteers to help with packing candies at Raccord since he's got nothing better to do.

Works as the taste tester when Aoi tries to recreate Western sweets.

"Pray, Sir Aoi, this "cookie" tastes good! Can I have some more?"

Eats more than the candies that he packed.

On Halloween, he takes on his child form, dresses up and lines up with the kids to ask for treats.

Twilight Faction

Toichiro

Also gets invited to Halloween parties

Dresses up like a prince

Likes to annoy Koga since he can easily recognize him

Sticks to Koga since these types of parties do not require them to make their rounds

Still as polite as he can usually be when people approach him

Shizuki

Babysits Kogare since Kogare visits on Halloween

Packs candies with Kogare

"Kogare, hide your ears and tail." To which Kogare replies, "But why is Kuya-san allowed to show his wings?!"

The one who hands out the treats at Toichiro's manor since Kogare also makes his rounds to other houses

Kuro

Helps out at Raccord and Kusanagi Books during candy packing

Also joins in on the fun when Aoi has new sweet samples

Performs in front of Raccord and Kusanagi Books on Halloween

He does it for the promotion of their Halloween show later that night

"If you like what you see, watch the show of Lorenzi Circus Troupe tonight and be whisked away to a night filled with mystery!"

Oji

Always seems to be busy 'entertaining' his customers so he barely helps Aoi with packing candies

He thought he could get away with not wearing a costume so the Raccord gang had to force him to wear something for Halloween

"Aoi-chan, 1 pack of candy for the young lady here"

Gaku

Also helps out at Raccord since Yura is there

Makes tiny trinkets like jack-in-the-box and Chinese finger trap and drops them randomly inside the candy packs

Heaps wasabi on top of the sweets so he can eat the same thing as Yura

Holds back his laughter when he sees the children find themselves trapped in the Chinese finger trap.

"Do you need help with that?"

[garden-of-omegas]

⚜ FIRST MEETING [AYAKASHI - TWILIGHT FACTION] ⚜

┌── ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ ••✎•• ──────────

characters: toichiro yuri | shizuki | kuro | oji | gaku summary: the details of your first meeting with your future mate. warnings: referenced death, hunting rating: sfw a/n: i will admit that unlike the rest which were randomized, i very much on purpose chose a tanuki for toichiro's mate. i have plans for those two, some devious plans.

~🎕

└── ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ ••✎•• ──────────

≿━━━━༺❀ toichiro yuri ❀༻━━━━≾

✿ you were the only child of a famous art-dealer and a tanuki. you were rather known around town for being a bit... dimwitted, though that was very much on purpose on your part. it's easier to make others look foolish when they think you are.

✿ you were 25, though you often pretended to be younger or older to simply fool people. toichiro was 23 and had been presiding in the capital for a few months.

✿ you'd been messing with a rather unpleasant man that you'd seen harassing a girl that was most certainly underage, when toichiro spotted you and possibly recognized you. you didn't much look like your father, but the charm on your belt that bore the art-dealerships symbol probably gave it away. so, he came over and... joined you in messing with the poor man.

✿ after that first time, toichiro would "accidentally" stumble upon you tricking people around time and generally making a fool of the public. you genuinely had no idea how he kept doing it, but you welcomed him dearly every time. soon, there was no one else you'd rather let in on the big secret that was yourself.

✿ toichiro found you magnifying in a way no one else was. he'd heard about the son of the man he did business with, a foolish young boy no one actually knew much about. but the moment he saw you, he knew that you were the exact opposite of all of that, and he didn't know how he knew. toichiro was fun. usually only people you could trick were "fun", but they got boring very fast. but toichiro, he just kept being fun. in no time at all, he was the only person besides your father you felt in anyway comfortable with. like he was always meant to be.

≿━━━━༺❀ shizuki ❀༻━━━━≾

✿ you were the only child of a famous art-dealer and a furi. nobody around town really knew you, you didn't like talking to people. the only thing anyone really knew was that you were often found in the forest, hunting.

✿ you were 12, while shizuki was 11. it had been barely a year since your mother died, in a "hunting accident". you'd just recently been able to go hunting again. shizuki was still with the senkitai.

✿ you were up a tree, surveying the landscape for your next prey. you were hoping for something small, which is technically what you got when shizuki walked into your line of sight. mistaking him for a rabbit with a winter coat, you aim your hunting wand at him, paralyzing him. thankfully, as you aimed your bow you realized he wasn't a furry little creature. you spent the next few minutes profusely apologizing while undoing the paralysis.

✿ every once in a while while hunting you'd come across shizuki. he was rather quiet, but you liked him. you liked taking him with you hunting, teaching him survival skills. you had no idea what was going on in his life, but you hoped it would help. then, one day, you just stopped seeing him around.

✿ shizuki thought you were rather cool, even if he couldn't really put it into words. you were confident, you knew what you were doing, and there was a fire in your eyes he couldn't explain. he'd never trusted someone as quickly as he trusted you. initially you were rather embarrassed, mistaking a pretty boy for a rabbit. but he did rather remind you of one, which for some reason ignited all the protective instincts in you. you had no idea why, but you didn't really bother thinking about it.

≿━━━━༺❀ kuro ❀༻━━━━≾

✿ you were the only child of a famous art-dealer and an okuri-inu. you were often found feeding the strays of the capital or helping someone home in the middle of the night. everyone thought you were quiet, but there was no one quite as helpful in the whole city.

✿ you were 18, as was kuro. technically, anyways. your mother had disappeared nine years prior, and kuro and the troupe had arrived at the capital about two years before.

✿ you came across kuro rather late at night, during your usual rounds around the capital. you'd offered to walk him home, which he eagerly took. he rambled the whole way to the troupe. you just silently listened, which is how kuro didn't notice you escorted him to his door rather than just to the barracks. and then you just disappeared, without kuro having even a change to say goodbye or get your name.

✿ kuro would sometimes on purpose stay out late, just so you would escort him home. and sometimes, he'd catch you with your furry friends and eagerly join in caring for them. you never shooed him off, but you also never really spoke to him. but kuro continued to find you, despite not knowing anything about you.

✿ kuro found you fascinating. a silent protector who appeared and disappeared as needed. once he tried calling out to you, and a few minutes later you showed up. kuro was rather certain that you were made just for him. initially kuro was just another person to protect, but when he started becoming a more permanent fixture in your day to day life, he became a comfort of sorts. there was nothing you awaited more than seeing him even for a second.

≿━━━━༺❀ oji ❀༻━━━━≾

✿ you were the only child of a famous art-dealer and a gashadokuro. this, understandably, made you a rather strange person. you really had no one in your life besides your father, which lead to you spending most of your time at the cemetery.

✿ you were, well, your body was about 28. your bones... older than you can comprehend. oji was of course around a hundred, and had been running raccord in the city for about a decade.

✿ you were wandering around town, following whatever whims your old bones had. you did it rather often, usually it lead you to places important to the people you used to be, or just interesting spots around the city. this time, they lead you to raccord. and when you stepped in, the bellflowers sitting on the counter made something inside you ache. and the eyes waiting for you behind the counter made the ache explode.

✿ you became a regular at raccord, even though you never spoke a word to oji or aoi. it hurt, coming there, but somehow it felt like you had to be there. oji, while off-put by your harsh demeanor, was patient in serving you every time you came by, expecting a day to come when you'd finally talk to them.

✿ oji found you strange, from the moment you stepped into raccord. your shifty eyes that looked far older than they should, the sad look you got when you looked at all the bellflowers and into his eyes, the occasional silent mutterings... but despite all that, he felt like he could trust you implicitly. looking at oji made you sad. you didn't know why, you only assumed that one of your bones knew an ancestor of his or something. but despite all the sadness and ache, you kept coming back because something in you couldn't stop.

≿━━━━༺❀ gaku ❀༻━━━━≾

✿ you were the only child of a famous art-dealer and a zashiki-warashi. people had a habit of calling you a child, despite the fact that you certainly were not. you just happened to look very young for your age. the problems with being half-spirit.

✿ you were 25, no matter what anyone might say about it. it had been over a decade since your mother left, which is when you started seemingly aging slower than everyone else around you.

✿ you rarely left home, it felt like a betrayal to do so, what with your role. but sometimes, you needed time for yourself. you were looking for something small to buy (while surveying the vendors, you're very aware that your patronage meant fortune to people), when you stepped into a little trinket shop. in there, you met gaku, who was looking to sell some stuff he'd made. and you absolutely fell in love with one of his creations, a little children's toy.

✿ you were a bit mad after gaku called you a child after you expressed a desire to buy his creation. but you still became a regular patron of his, always ordering small toys. gaku was certain they were for you, until he saw you playing with children, the toys he'd made all around you.

✿ gaku genuinely thought you were a child the first time you met, until he looked you in the eyes. they were far too old for a child, and it's then that he realized who you were. and he'd never been happier to have someone shout in his face. you were pissed off at him initially. how dare he call you a child, you were clearly an adult! but that anger didn't last long, weirdly enough. and he made such pretty things... you decided that you wouldn't hold it against him, somehow you felt that you never did.

[ketchupkio]

@wildsage00 knocked out some work tonight and Tolvar, Mizu, and I are very proud of them, so I doodled the berserker dad and them as a gift 💚

Tolvar is from FACTION, an AU of Ageless Soul AU! Please don't tag any other LOZ AUs but FACTION and ASAU :)

[psychedelic-charm]

My Ultimate Fictional Classification

Special thanks to @mkagemtr, @darkkangeel, and @unicornlandsposts for adding Grishaverse to this TikTok trend.

Hogwarts House (Harry Potter)

2. Faction (Divergent)

3. Panem District (The Hunger Games)

4. Godly Parent (Percy Jackson)

5. Middle Earth Race (Lord of the Rings)

6. Noble House (Game of Thornes)

7. Court (A Court of Thorns and Roses)

8. Intergalactic Planet (Star Wars)

9. Vampire Power (Twilight) - Beauty

10. Grisha Order (Grishaverse)

[just-somehuman]

Here they all are!!

Nahhh Night Faction is owning it AGAIN this year 😭

[artsetserpentis]

Note: There is alt text on this image! Don't be afraid to let me know if I should change it or put it in the main post.

Izin, a rogue fighter for freedom against the hostile dragons on the outskirts of an apathetic empire turned adventuring monster hunter. While at first the magic she gained from the harsh land she endured was only that of chilling ice and hard stone, the fire within her grows, burns away her past little by little. A Druid of the Mountains becomes a Druid of the Wildfire.

My Druid character for a D&D campaign I'm in! During a long hiatus from the game, our DM decided to let me change her from Circle of the Land (Mountain) subclass to Circle of the Wildfire. So far, I'm loving it.

[branchedman]

just finished listening to friends at the table twilight mirage episode 61: the restitution of all things pt. 2 (listened to part 1 when it came out 4 years ago) & i have no idea what tf is goin on but boy that austin walker sure can say proper nouns into a microphone huh

[cullen-cannons]

What New Chicago Factions the Cullens Would Be In

A/N: this got long, so it's under the cut.

ALICE: is in Candour. Her whole family has been in Candour for as long as anyone can remember. Her father was not an honest man. He cheated on Alice's mother with a much younger woman and then he and his new girlfriend conspired to force Alice's mother to leave Candour and become factionless, by threatening Alice. They intended to kill Alice's mother after she became factionless.

Because Candour's faction members are so good at detecting lies Alice realised what was going on and reported it to the authorities. Or at least that's what she told them, the truth is she had a vision about it, but was scared of not being believed, or being called crazy. Both Alice's father and his new girlfriend were put into jail after confessing to truth serum.

Because of this Alice doesn't trust easily and values the truth above all else. She stayed in Candour and passed the initiation with flying colours. She can very easily tell if someone is lying. She hates lying and people who lie. Because of this she always says exactly what she's thinking and often comes off as blunt or rude to members of other factions when she has to interact with them.

—

A/N: I chose Candour for Alice because of her pure nature, she kind of always says what she's thinking. EX: "Wow, you do smell good!" (Alice to Bella in the first book/movie.) She does hide things from Edward and the others (but only for their safety) she is generally a truthful person (in my opinion at least)

— — —

BELLA: was born into Abnegation. Rene was a Dauntless who thought she was in love with Charlie, an Abnegation. Rene transferred to start a family with Charlie but regretted it soon after they had Bella. Rene loves Bella but not Charlie. She regrets transferring and marrying him a lot. Seeing him makes her mad at herself for tying her down like that, and slightly resents him. She even sometimes privately wishes she didn't have Bella. 

Bella is more observant than Renee realises though, and she knows and tries her best not to be a burden. It's one of the many reasons she dreams of leaving Abnegation, and also the reason she doubts she'll be able to. Renee, even unconsciously takes advantage of Bella's behaviour thinking it's just Bella's nature, and treats her more like a female best friend than a daughter. Renee is unaware that Bella is just acting that way because she knows how Renee feels.

They all still live together because of the stigma around divorce in Abnegation but Rene and Charlie don't talk and Bella finds the awkwardness stifling. Sometimes she tries to fix things but it never works. Rene has actually considered becoming factionless and Bella always talks her out of it because she needs to know her mother is being taken care of before she can leave.

In order to escape her home situation she throws herself into school, studying during any free time, so she has an excuse to be in her room. She joined all the maths, debate, and science clubs just so she doesn't have to go home. Soon she realised she loved the world of maths and science and wanted to be a Biologist. She often finds she is the only Abnegation in a room full of Erudites but it hardly matters because she loves seeking learning (and Edward Cullen, an Erudite who is also in several of the same clubs).

—

A/N: I don't think I need to explain this choice, but it's basically because of Bella's martyr complex and need to feel useful.

— — —

CARLISLE: is in Erudite. His father was a priest in Abnegation who fell in love with Carlisle's mother at a young age and transferred to her faction, Amity. Carlisle was raised in Amity until he was 16 and transferred to Erudite because of his desire to study medicine.

His father's view that you should put others before yourself and his mother's view that you should be kind to everyone but also make sure that you are happy, worked well together to give Carlisle a good moral character and made him into the thoughtful generous man he is today. 

His mother taught him his desire to help and heal, but he knew he wanted to do more than be a nurse like many in Amity, he wanted to stop suffering at its source.

He loved his parents but he longed to pursue higher knowledge and work in the medical field. He wanted to be a researcher so at the choosing ceremony he chose to transfer to Erudite. Unlike some Erudite members, he still holds high regard for his former faction of Amity and his father's faction of Abnegation, even if he may not wish to live that life anymore.

—

A/N: I picked Carlise to be an Erudite with both an Amity and Abnegation background because I think those three factions best represent his character. His choice to be non-violent and refusal to drink human blood as well as his desire to help others in any way he can and his desire to gain new knowledge.

— — —

EDWARD: is in Erudite. He is Carlisle's adopted son. His mother was one of Carlisle's patients and Carlisle took over his care after her passing.

—

A/N: Again, not much explanation is needed, I think. He has an interest in literature, poetry, music, art, and architecture, all very intellectual things.

— — —

EMMETT: was born into Dauntless, but transferred to Candour after meeting Rosalie at 15. He was in love at first sight and knew she was the one. 

Because Roslaie's family was powerful within the faction, they sheltered her, and Emmett didn't see her for the first few years, despite all his searching they always seemed to miss each other. He was greatly saddened when she announced her relationship with the faction leader's son, Royce King.

While Rosalie was dating Royce, Emmett became friends with Rosalie's adopted brother, Jasper. Neither of them ever liked Royce, even in junior high. Both disapproved of the match but wanted her to be happy. 

It took her a bit to warm up to the idea of marriage after what Royce did to her, but she became friends with Emmett. He was her protector while she recovered and during Royce's trial. A while later, when she turned 18, and Emmet turned 19, they started dating.

— — —

ESME: was born into Dauntless, but transferred to Amity to escape Charles Evonson, the man who wanted to marry her, despite their large age gap. She works as a nurse at the hospital where Carlise works, and the two have something of a secret romance. She's the other reason Carlise volunteers at the Amity farms so often besides visiting his parents. They have to be careful though, given Erudite's policy of Faction before blood, or love. Esme wishes she could transfer, but knows it's far too late at twenty-six, and settles for what she can get.

JACOB: is in Dauntless. He's the 15-year-old son of Rene's old friend from before her transfer, Sarah Wilde, who later married Billy Black before her untimely death from one of the stunts the Dauntless are known for.

Jacob is in love with Bella and follows her around at school. His constant presence was one of the reasons why she wasn't bullied so much before she started hanging out with the Erudite.

Jacob is caught in the middle of complicated Faction dynamics. 

He resents Dauntless for being the "reason" his mother died but loves his friends there. He also loves Bella and wants to join her Abnegation. He doesn't know she plans to transfer to Erudite. He hates the Erudites because many of them are stuck up and treat him like he was dumb in school.

When he finds out Bella's plans for a transfer he doesn't understand and is angry.

JASPER: was born into Amity. He used to have a girlfriend in Dauntless and almost transferred for her, but the day before choosing day, he found out she was only using him. He was secretly glad because as a person sensitive to emotions, the Dauntless had always kind of overwhelmed him, and he sensed something off about the leader's cruelness. To this day he suspects that something not quite right is going on there, but he never engages the subject.

Angry, betrayed, and desperate for control of his own life he took the advice of a friend Peter who was a year older transferred to Candour, and followed him.

He was happy with the farmer's life and understood the value of physical labour, but couldn't stand the faux happiness and wanted something more ambitious. He wanted to study why people and why they do what they do. His parents were bought completely into Amity's bliss and he found it honestly a bit creepy, so he was okay with leaving them.

He chose Candour because he knew he could rely on people, to be honest with him there and because when not blinded by first love, he was always naturally good at telling what people were feeling or when they were lying. 

ROSALIE: is in Candour. She's a year younger than Jasper, and her family allowed Jasper to stay with them after his initiation. 

Jasper warned her to be cautious with Royce, sensing that Royce had some ulterior motive, but Rosalie was too in love with love to see it. 

Jasper, like Emmett, wishes he'd done more, but Rosalie feels like since she should have listened to the boy she considers her brother, it was enough that he was always there for her and spoke against Royce at the trial.

After everything, Rosalie was even more motivated to stay in Candor and learn not to be deceived again. She wants to be a prosecutor.

[jettermelon]

Twilight Imperium 4th Edition is the best game the human species has invented

Are there any other board games that let you play as a sexy, lesbian space pirate and steal shit from your friends all day? Exactly, this one's the best.

[physalian]

What No One Tells You About Writing Fantasy

Every author has their preferred genres. I love fantasy and sci-fi, but began with historical fiction. I hated all the research that historical fiction demands and thought, if I build my own world, no research required.

Boy, was I wrong.

So to anyone dipping their toe into fantasy/sci-fi, here’s seven things I wish I knew about the genres before I committed to writing for them.

1. You still have to research. Everything.

If you want any of your fantasy battle sequences, or your space ships, or your droids and robots, or your fictional government and fictional politics to read at all believable.

In sci-fi, you research astronomy, robotics, politics, political science, history, engineering, anthropology. In fantasy, you have to research historical battle tactics, geography, real-world mythology, folklore, and fairytales, and much of it overlaps with science fiction.

I say you *have to* assuming you want your work to be original and unique and stand out from the crowd. Fanfic writers put in the research for a 30k word smut fic, you can and will have to research for your original work.

2. Naming everything gets exhausting

I hate coming up with new names, especially when I write worlds and places divorced from Earthly customs and can’t rely on Earthly naming conventions. You have to name all your characters, all your towns, villages, cities, realms, kingdoms, planets, galaxies, star systems.

You have to name your rebel faction, your imperial government, significant battles. Your spaceships, your fantasy companies and organizations, your magic system, made-up MacGuffins, androids, computer programs. The list goes on and on and on.

And you have to do it all without it sounding and reading ridiculous and unpronounceable, or racist. Your fantasy realms have to have believable naming patterns. It. Gets. Exhausting.

3. It will never read like you’re watching a movie

Do you know how fast movies can cut between scenes? Movies can balance five plotlines at once all converging with rapid edits, without losing their audience. Sometimes single lines of dialogue, or single wordless shots are all a scene gets before it cuts. If you try to replicate that by head-hopping around, you will make a mess.

It’s perfectly fine to write like you’re watching a movie, but you can’t rely on visual tricks to get your point across when all you have is text on a page – like slow mo, lens flares, epically lit cinematic shots, or the aforementioned rapid edits.

It doesn’t have to, nor should it, look like a movie. Books existed long before film, so don’t let yourself get caught up in how ~cinematic~ it may or may not look.

4. Your space opera will be compared to Star Wars and Star Trek

And your fairy epic will be compared to Tinkerbell, your vampires to Twilight, your zombies to The Walking Dead, Shaun of the Dead, World War Z. Your wizards and witches and any whisper of a fantasy school for fantasy children will be compared to Harry Potter. Your high fantasy adventure will be compared to Lord of the Rings.

You can’t avoid it, but you can avoid doing it to yourself. When people ask about your book, let them say “oh, you mean like Star Wars” to which you then can say, kind of, except XYZ happens in my book. These IPs will never fade from the public consciousness, not while you exist to read this post, at least, but Harry Potter isn’t the only urban fantasy out there. Lord of the Rings isn’t the only high fantasy. Star Wars isn’t the only space opera.

Yours will be on the shelves right next to them, soon enough, and who knows? You might dethrone them.

5. Your world-building is an iceberg, and your book is the tip

I don’t pay for any of those programs that help you organize your book and mythos. I write exclusively on Apple Notes, MS Word, and Google Suite (and all are free to me). I have folders on Apple Notes with more words inside them than the books they’re written for.

If you try to cram an entire college textbook’s worth of content into your novel, you will have left zero room for actual story. The same goes for all the research you did, all the hours slaving away for just a few details and strings of dialogue.

There’s a balance, no matter how dense your story is. If you really want to include all those extra details, slap some appendices at the end. Commission some maps.

6. The gatekeeping for fantasy and sci-fi is still very real

Pen names and pseudonyms exist for a reason. A female author writing fantasy that isn’t just a backdrop for romance? You have a harder battle ahead of you than your male counterparts, at least in the US. And even then, your female protagonist will be scrutinized and torn apart.

She’ll either be too girly or not girly enough, too sexy, or not sexy enough. She’ll be called a Mary Sue, a radical feminist mouthpiece, some woke propaganda. Every action she takes will be criticized as unrealistic and if she has fans who are girls, they will be mocked, too.

If you have queer characters, characters of color, they won’t be good enough, they won’t please everyone, and someone will still call you a bigot. A lot of someones will still call you a bigot.

Do your due diligence and hire your army of sensitivity readers and listen to them, but you cannot please everyone, so might as well write to please yourself. You’re the one who will have to read it a thousand times until it’s published.

7. Your “original” idea has been done before, and that’s okay

Stories have been told since before language evolved. The sum of the parts of your novel may be original, but even then, it’s colored by the media you’ve consumed. And that’s okay!

How many Cinderella stories are there? How many high fantasies? How many books about werewolves and witches and vampires? Gods and goddesses and celestial beings? Fairies and dragons and trolls? Aliens, robots, alien robots? Romeo and Juliette? Superheroes and mutants?

Zombies may be the avenue through which you tell your story, but it’s not *just* about zombies, is it? It’s about the characters who battle them, the endurance of the human spirit, or the end of an era, the death of a nation. So don’t get discouraged, everyone before you and everyone after will have written someone on the backs of what came before and it still feels new.

[txttletale]

could you elaborate on your thoughts on boom and 73 yards ( i agree with you i am just struggling to put into words why.)

boom was whatever. the initial conceit of the doctor being trapped and having to stay calm was really cool! i really like that. the ambulances that euthanize you if you're not deemed worthy of medical care and the tacky chatgpt hologram ghosts were both really cool ideas. it just doesn't stick the landing for me, the twists are contrived and fall apart given any thought whatsoever. like what the fuck were any of the soldiers Doing if there just straight up weren't any enemies. it's a twist that sounds cool to say more than it has any meaningful impact on the story or the stakes. i guess 'the arms manuifacturer created a fake conflict' is the intended emtional stakes there but that would hit like a hundred times harder if it was an actual conflict between two factions and people were dying, right? like if anything sending a christian militia to blow themselves up tae fuck on a nowhere planet instead of presumably killing actual living people is an improvement, surely?

also the resolution was dumb as fuck lol i am a huge hater of power of love saves the day shit not because i'm a cynical misanthrope but because it never fails to make me say 'oh so i guess nobody ever loved anybody before lol' and this is no exception like if one chatbot can shut down the whole operation beacuse he loves his daughter are we meant to believe that no other parents or hell nobody who loved anybody else for any reason died in this fake war before? it's cheap and schmaltzy and unearned. anyway the first twentyish minutes of this are all-time great doctor who and gatwa/gibson were incredible in it but it absolutely falls apart into a confused pileo f some of the worst Moffatisms at the end

73 yards on the other hand was incredible! obviously like it requires you to approach it with a different mindset to most of doctor who, right, doctor who usually furnishes you with the big explanation scnee where the doctor says 'well the ghosts were actually particle wave vectorforms created with the necros radiation from the god-king's techsceptre' or whatever--this is the usual narrative mode of sci-fi--but 73 yards is fantasy, right, this is the twilight zone, this is 'wouldn't that be fucked up?'. i interrogate the technical and logical specifics of boom so much when i think about it because that's the language boom is speaking, boom is framing itself within this logical, a-to-b worldview, the satisfying click-together puzzlebox. but 73 yards is a nightmare or a folk tale, right? kate stewart¹ says it herself, 'when faced with the inexplicable, we make up rules and apply them to it'.

so yknow reading it that way it all clicks together beautifully, right, (apart from russel t davies' embarassing swing and miss at Political Commentary in the middle. we get it davies you wrote years and years. we know. trust me we know). the doctor and ruby disrupt the binding circle, free mad jack, and are punished -- the doctor, as perpetrator, with being banished (perhaps in jack's place) and ruby with her worst fear coming true constantly, until ruby defeats mad jack, re-sealing him and fixing what she broke, at which point the circle rewards her by reversing the punishments. and the core horror i think is very effective and unsettling! the idea that there is something that someone could say to turn everyone against you, the closest people to you in your life, your own family, the institutions that are meant to deal with the exact problem you're having--that's fucking terrifying! and yknow i think especially as an autistic trans lesbian something that speaks to me a lot

so yeah. i think that boom establishes its logics and framework and then trips and falls onto its face while 73 yards does the same and then makes perfect use of them. that said i think in 20 years people who are autistic about doctor who will be like 'did you know in the 2020s there were two episodes in a row where the doctor caused the entire plot to happen by stepping on something' and thjatll be the main thing they're remembered for

[mhsdatgo]

Alicent crowing aegon exposing her children to more risk than just letting rhaenyra became queen. Rhaenyra wanted that throne, there is no way she would have accepted those "terms", and alicent is 100% aware of this in the book and in the show as well. By crowning aegon she start a war and put her children DIRECTLY on the battlefield against people who were more experienced in war like daemon or ride dragon longer like rhaenyra and rhaenys amd consequently may control their dragon better. If you didn't want to consider a crash between two or more dragons, even if they were on a dragon against an army the danger is very high, look at rhaenys the conqueror or aemon the first son of jaehaerys, they were on dragon's back and yet both of them were killed by arrow. Not to mention that both in the book and in the show alicent spend years creating animosity with rhaenyra, If you TRULY believe that someone may hurt your children you do everything you can to maintain at least a civil relationship, and not constantly provoke them and then cry about how your children may be hurt by your stupidity. Because that what alicent has done in the book starting hating rhaenyra, pray viserys to name Aegon as heir and constantly share gossip to damage rhaenyra's image (with a 10 years old girl, meanwhile Alicent was a GROWN woman), and in the show the situation is not different. The truth is that alicent’s action were based on her own ambitious in the book and on her resentment to rhaenyra in the show, but NEVER in the interest of her children. In fact aegon never wanted to be king, he was forced by her and has to endure all the consequences while watching all of his family die

Ladies and gentlemen, here we have someone who quite literally didn't get a single thing about Fire and Blood.

See, anons like these are what makes my blood boil at the writers of HotD for making Rhaenyra appear like a saint which not only made most of the decisions she'll take from this moment onward out of (show) character (as far as character building and development goes) but also fucking boring.

I'm always one to listen to different points of view and interpretations of books as complicated as these, but something that has always bugged me is the way this fandom CANNOT DIGEST the type of tragedy that is just inevitable.

It was never about picking sides, it was never about sexism, it was always about kin torn apart by kin and their own flaws dragging them down. There was no way to ever avoid that and I cannot have a proper discussion about F&B with anyone who doesn't understand this first.

Moreover, just what do you think Alicent should've done? Shut up, be quiet, sit still and look pretty while Daemon's spies turned her children into bloody shreds? Allow them to be assassinated because of the threat they pose to Rhaenyra's claim? Does everything revolve around her? Is she some kind of Twilight Sparkle?

Let me tell you this: no woman would willingly step back and leave their children to their own devices when their own lives pose a threat to someone else's interests.

I have respect for Rhaenyra and her will to fight for what she believed was her birthright (although let's be honest, it was a feeling born out of nothing but the entitlement of a spoiled brat, it turned into a war of parents after one of each faction's children was killed) but I also have so much more respect for Alicent and her courage to bare teeth and claws and plan a coup to be allowed the upper hand and more possibilities of looking after her children if one of them is ruling. It's not "stupidity" it's awareness. And acting according to it.

It's true that Alicent has her own ambitions, but to say that they started growing in her when she was nothing but an 18 year old girl marrying a 30 year old man... Do you hear yourself? That's a girl getting graduated from high school. Oh shiver me timbers, we're scared of young adults here.

Everyone likes and loves and adores to talk about the way ALICENT was having beef with Rhaenyra as a 10 year old but nevermind Rhaenyra placing a bounty on two toddlers and one of them getting ripped apart because of it. Nevermind her refusing that bastard Corlys' advice to take Daeron as a hostage and demanding that he be killed instead. (Because this bitch was the #1 threat to her rule, but y'all aren't ready for that conversation)

She never "prayed" for Aegon to be named as heir, what she DID pray for was for him and Rhaenyra to be betrothed to one another. I hate Rhaegon personally, (no hate to any Rhaegon stan that reads this ♥️) but honestly this is the only marriage that could've MAYBE prevented the Dance. It started because there were two claimants to the throne. Just marry them to each other and the issue was solved. Both of them get crowned, no Dance, peace.

But noooooo, Viserys, the incompetent twat, as always had to act like an incompetent twat and be like "lol but they don't get along". IT WAS HIM WHO DOOMED HIS CHILDREN, EACH AND EVERY ONE OF HIS SONS AND DAUGHTERS. ALL. OF. THEM.

Everyone else acted as a consequence to the cluterfuck that the sick old man created. Namely, chaos. What else did you expect?

[yumeka-sxf]

A chronological analysis on Twilight and Yor - Part 21

*This is part of an ongoing post series. If you missed the Introduction/Part 1, click here*

----------

The next morning, Twilight muses to himself that there are still things in the world he doesn't understand, but nevertheless, a spy must overcome fear of the unknown. While his face and tone are dead serious, it's comical that the thing that caused him to burst into this heavy-handed inner monologue in the first place is none other than his misinterpretation of Anya's reactions the previous day. AniTrendz described the humor of this scene perfectly by stating that "Loid really spent all morning acting dramatic when he's just sad that his daughter called him lame."

And yes, he really was bothered by the fact that he's still having trouble understanding Anya's emotions. While her mental well-being is important for Operation Strix, he also cares very much how she views him as a father. Unfortunately for Twilight, this trend will continue – after a whole day of fun activities, he's devastated to see the scowl on Anya's face when they're having dinner that evening. And, once again, he blames himself and even thinks that Anya could possibly hate him.

As I've mentioned before, Twilight is always cool and confident when it comes to his spy missions, but whenever Yor or Anya are upset, he becomes a second-guessing nervous wreck! It's telling how frazzled he gets when trying to figure out what's going on in their minds versus anyone else. If Anya and Yor's happiness is tied to a mission, and he's always calm and collected about his other missions, why would he get so bent out of shape about them in particular? I think we all know the answer to that.

It's also important to note that the couple of days on the cruise are likely the longest amount of time Twilight has been alone with Anya, without having Yor for parenting support. If she were with him during all this, there's no doubt that her patience with Anya's antics and the encouraging words she always offers, would put his mind at ease. But without her around, there's no one to buffer his constant freak outs when trying to analyze the mind of a child. His anxiety gets so bad that Anya even starts to feel bad about it.

Meanwhile, the big showdown on the deck between Yor and the assassins has so far been the most gritty and violent scene in the series. Endo has stated in the fanbook that making Yor likable while also giving her a profession that involves killing people, was difficult (though I think he's done a stellar job!) A reoccurring theme in Spy x Family is how the tragedy of war has led to otherwise good people partaking in immoral acts, whether for survival or because they're brainwashed into thinking that the side they're on is the right and just one. It's not only Twilight and Yor, but other characters as well, such as Yuri, Sylvia, even the young terrorists from the doggy crisis arc, as well as the assassins on the cruise – the factions that they work for, the politics behind their decisions, and the jobs they're assigned to do, are not framed as heroic nor completely evil, only the aftermath of political turmoil that the next generation has to suffer for.

In Part 13, I mentioned an interview in the fanbook where Endo states that the Forgers should not be seen as virtuous role models…he doesn't think it's correct to only see their "nice family" side. Despite all the comedic antics in the series that sometimes stretch the veil of realism, one very realistic aspect is that none of the characters are depicted as "black and white," "heroes and villains," and their professions are portrayed as more tragic and ugly than "cool." This is in contrast to other shonen series, where the main protagonists are often portrayed as role models who fight for noble causes we can't help but support, while banishing only the most wicked of villains. And often these protagonists started out "normal" only to suddenly gain superpowers, opportunities to go on grand adventures, and have big battles against villains. But Twilight and Yor are the opposite. The series starts with them already having extraordinary abilities and exciting, dangerous jobs, so the end goal is instead for them to be able to attain a peaceful, normal life…because their professions aren't framed as wish-fulfilling but as heartbreaking, grim, and sometimes terrifying.

Twilight and Yor's professions, as well as those of pretty much every other character in Spy x Family, have a lot of gray areas on the moral compass. This is why having a balance of both fun, slice-of-life scenarios, and spy/political action and drama conflicts, brings out the true complexity of the characters. Twilight may lie and act cold as ice towards people during his missions, but because we get to know him while he's living as Loid Forger, we can see that he's doing it for a noble cause, and underneath all that callous calculating, he's a compassionate guy who cares about the feelings of others. Likewise, we see that when she's not killing people, Yor is a total sweetheart who doesn't have a mean bone in her body, is a loving mother to Anya, selfless sister to Yuri, and, like Twilight, she does what she does because she truly believes she's doing good in the world.

If we only see Twilight and Yor as a spy and assassin, our view of them could be skewed negatively. On the other hand, if we only see them as a "nice family," we would be doing exactly what Endo warned against in his interview. But because we get to see both sides of them, we're able to relate to them even more, which makes us want to root for them. Is the immorality of their jobs too much to be forgiven, or are they righteous people who are simply victims of a cold war? Obviously if you're a fan of the series like me, you're opt to lean towards the positive view that Twilight, Yor, as well as many of the other characters, have been sorely damaged by the post-war era that they live in, but the commendable things they do far outweigh the ugliness of their professions, so they deserve a happy ending. And that's really the main appeal of the series – with all the gray areas of morality, seeing whether they can truly live happily without lies is something to look forward to.

Continue to Part 22 ->

<- Return to Part 20

[aishangotome]

Ellis Twilight: Chapter 10

Chapter 9

♡———♡

Jude and Ellis, their hats pulled low and their mouths hidden behind scarves, stepped into the casino with me.

(Both of them were attracting a lot of attention because they clearly didn't look like ordinary people...)

(But they haven't been discovered yet, right?)

With two suspicious-looking men flanking me, I started to worry that they might be mistaken for kidnappers instead.

Jake: Why are you guys dressed like that?

Jude: ................

Ellis: ................

Kate: Oh, um, we were outside for a long time and got cold!

Kate: Their lips are numb and their voices are shaking, so they said they might not be able to talk for a while.

I could hear Jude cursing under his breath at my desperate excuse.

(I think I heard him say, "Ya coulda come up with a better lie...")

Jake: Oh dear, take care!

(Whew! He doesn't seem suspicious at all)

Kate: Oh, thank you. It's not that bad, so don't worry!

Jake: Are you weak? You won't be able to make it in the circus if you don't train properly!

Jake laughed cheerfully and patted Jude on the shoulder with his large hand.

Jude: ................

(Oh, he's angry... I'll pretend I didn't see that)

Ellis: ..............

Ellis winked at me as if to say, "Nice save."

Jake walked further into the casino and stopped in front of a door with two security guards. He took off his hat and bowed.

Jake: Hey there, could you tell the owner that I brought some more circus friends?

(...The mastermind behind the kidnapping might be beyond this door)

(Maybe the victims are too...)

I took a small breath and entered the room.

The eyes of several strong-looking men inside turned to us at once.

Jake: Sorry I'm late for our appointment. I had a wonderful encounter!

Man with Silver-Rimmed Glasses: I've been waiting for you, Jake! Are these people the wonderful encounter you mentioned?

Jude and Ellis: .............

(This is the casino "owner" Jake was talking about)

If our guess is correct, he's the one who orchestrated the kidnapping.

Man with Silver-Rimmed Glasses: You've brought some very... lively ones this time.

The man in silver-rimmed glasses stared at us rudely.

(This is the mastermind behind the kidnapping...)

Man with Silver-Rimmed Glasses: Miss and gentlemen, judging by your clothes and the glow of your skin...

Man with Silver-Rimmed Glasses: You don't look like you were lured to the circus by hunger for money or fame.

Man with Silver-Rimmed Glasses: Why are you interested in the circus?

(...He's suspicious...)

The moment I instinctively read the man's expression, I heard a click.

(The door to the room is locked...!)

A prickling tension filled the room.

In the strained atmosphere, Jude and Ellis calmly approached the man called the owner.

Jude: I've always admired the performances of Jake Grace, a man who made his name in a grand spectacle.

He spoke in fluent Queen's English.

His refined manner of speaking, devoid of his usual accent, was so different that it almost felt like someone else was talking.

(Wow, he's completely different... With this way of speaking, his identity shouldn't be exposed...)

Jude: However, I still have some doubts. There's always a catch to a good deal.

Jude: You're saying that you'll guarantee our food, clothing, and shelter until the circus is established. Are you the representative?

Man with Silver-Rimmed Glasses: Yes. I'm in charge of the investment in Mr. Jake. Although, there are people above me.

(So this guy isn't the top of the gang either...?)

(Is he like one of the factions within it?)

Jude: Does the "higher-up" know about this investment?

Man with Silver-Rimmed Glasses: ...I don't think it's necessary for a mere member to know that.

Jude glanced at Ellis and me.

From our experience in business negotiations and crisis situations, this meant... "Get to your positions."

(In other words...)

(It's time to start the commotion...!)

The moment Ellis kicked over a vase, I instinctively hid behind the table.

As the gang's attention was drawn to the loud noise, Jude spoke.

Jude: Restrain the guy with glasses. I'll take care o' the rest.

Ellis: Roger that.

As soon as they communicated in the brief moment the gang members were drawing their guns, Ellis lightly kicked the ground.

In the next instant, he leaped onto the table and then above the gang members' heads.

(...As always, his movements are amazing)

Before the panicked gang members could aim their guns, Ellis' long fingertips touched the owner's head... and the owner's wrists snapped together as if bound by an invisible rope, unable to move.

Man with Silver-Rimmed Glasses: Wh-What is this...?

Ellis: This one's done.

(He restrained the owner in no time. What about Jude...?)

Like a puff of smoke, Jude slipped into the midst of the opponents and touched their foreheads.

The gang members immediately collapsed to the floor one after another.

(Is that Jude's ability...?)

(The people he touched... they don't seem dead, but...)

The sight of people losing consciousness and collapsing as if their strings had been cut, without being punched or kicked, was eerie and sent chills down my spine.

Jake: Wh-What's going on? Who are you guys?

(Oh right, I completely forgot about Jake...!)

He was just being used by the gang.

If so, it would be dangerous for him to be in the middle of this brawl.

Gangster: Damn it! You brought troublesome guests!

Kate: ...!

I saw a gun being pointed at Jake in my peripheral vision.

Kate: Dodge it...!

Jake: Whoa!?

Without time to think, I threw myself at Jake with all my might.

I fell to the floor with Jake, who stumbled.

Kate: Ugh...!!?

Jake's huge body landed heavily on my leg.

A sharp pain shot through me, my breath stopped for a moment, and cold sweat broke out all over my body.

(It hurts...)

Jake: I-I'm sorry, are you alright, miss!?

Kate: I-I'm fine...

(The pain is making my vision blurry...)

But I couldn't stay down any longer, thinking that they might point a gun at me again.

Kate: ...Ha...

I desperately tried to lift my body, which screamed in pain with every breath, but I couldn't stand up. I could only lift my head while lying on my stomach.

(...! Everyone except the owner has lost consciousness)

Thanks to Jude's ability, the room was completely silent, and Ellis was holding a black-bladed knife to the owner's neck.

(Ellis...)

At that moment, our eyes met - his twilight-colored eyes looking at me with concern as I lay on the floor.

He looked like he was about to rush over to me, so I hurriedly suppressed the pain and gave him a smile.

(I'm fine!)

If we let the owner escape now, it would all be for nothing.

Ellis: ......

His twilight-colored eyes wavered with anxiety, but he didn't lower the knife.

Jude: 'Ey, you.

Jake: Huh?

Jude, who had somehow gotten close, touched Jake's forehead.

Jake's consciousness instantly vanished, and his body collapsed on the spot.

Kate: Why even Jake?

Jude: This is Crowns' job now. If he saw this, we'd hafta kill 'im too.

(Crowns' job...)

In my pain-blurred vision, I saw Jude walking away.

The restrained owner glared at Jude, who stood before him, with his small eyes behind his glasses.

Man with Silver-Rimmed Glasses: That accent, the bodyguard with the black knife... You're the trader who sent one of our executives to prison, aren't you?

Jude: Where are the recruits?

Man with Silver-Rimmed Glasses: ...Even if I knew, I wouldn't tell you.

Even though there was no one left in the room to help him, the owner had an arrogant smile on his lips.

Man with Silver-Rimmed Glasses: If you kill me, you won't get away with it. I suggest you back off.

Jude: Is tha' so? Then die.

Man with Silver-Rimmed Glasses: What?

Jude: Even if ya don't talk, we can easily get the information by torturin' yer underlings.

Ellis: Wait, can we kill him?

Jude: There's no doubt this guy is the casino owna' an' the mastermind behind the kidnappin'.

Jude: From what he said earlier, the uppa' echelons of the gang aren't involved in this kidnappin'.

Jude: He's the one responsible fer the execution. If he can't give us any information, he's jus' garbage.

Man with Silver-Rimmed Glasses: Wh-What!? If you kill me, you'll make enemies of all the gangs in London!

Man with Silver-Rimmed Glasses: The "higher-ups" won't stay silent either!

Jude: Ha, ya have a high opinion of yer own worth.

Jude: The "higher-ups" dun care about a memba' who screwed up by meddlin' in shady business without their permission.

Man with Silver-Rimmed Glasses: ...!

Seeing him turn pale and lose his words, Jude twisted his lips as if amused.

I remembered Ellis saying, "I love hearing the screams of people I hate."

Jude: Let me tell ya somethin' to take to yer grave.

Jude: There's no such thing as a human bein' who can kill an' get away with it.

Jude: If ya didn' even understand that an' still went around kidnappin' an' killin' people, then you'll regret it in hell.

Man with Silver-Rimmed Glasses: H-Huh... I'll talk, I'll tell you everything...!

The owner readily opened his mouth under Jude's threat.

Man with Silver-Rimmed Glasses: The kidnapping was a plan I started for money!

Man with Silver-Rimmed Glasses: I happened to see Jake, who had fallen from grace and was drinking himself into oblivion, and I thought of using him...!

Ellis: Where are the people who were brought here as potential circus members?

Man with Silver-Rimmed Glasses: --They were all handed over to a human trafficking broker.

Ellis: Where did they go after that?

Man with Silver-Rimmed Glasses: Probably abroad. I don't know any more than that.

(So, Bill's acquaintances were all sold abroad by a shady broker...)

--If that's the case, they'll never come back.

Jude: Tch... Abroad, huh? That's outside our jurisdiction.

Ellis: Even if Victor tries his best, it'll be difficult to track them down...

Their voices deepened the sense of despair.

Man with Silver-Rimmed Glasses: Hey! I talked, didn't I? Let me go!

Ellis gave the shouting owner a cold look.

Ellis: ...I never promised to let you go if you talked.

Man with Silver-Rimmed Glasses: Wh-What...?

Ellis: Our goal is to stop the kidnapping. And then...

Ellis: To punish the perpetrators.

Ellis: We wanted information because we want to help the victims.

Ellis: Just because you gave us information doesn't mean you're innocent, right?

Ellis: That's why I can't let you go... I'm sorry.

(Ellis...)

In my fading consciousness due to the pain, I listened to their exchange.

The scenery had been distorted for a while now, and my head was getting hazy.

But even in this state, I knew clearly that Ellis was about to get his hands dirty.

For the sake of Her Majesty who ordered the mission, for the sake of the victims, and to prevent any more victims.

Even though I knew it was necessary, I couldn't help but feel my heart ache.

Kate: Ellis...

Unable to stop him or silently watch, I called out his name, and he smiled wryly.

Ellis: ...I'm sorry.

Ellis: Kate- close your eyes.

(Ah...)

Cranberry jam-like red splattered the surroundings.

Before the smell of blood reached my nostrils, my consciousness was swallowed by darkness.

---

(...Wait...)

(What happened to me...?)

I felt like I was being cradled by something warm and swaying gently.

I drifted in a vague sense of time for who knows how long... and slowly regained consciousness.

---

(This is... the bed in the basement?)

I saw a bag of ice water placed on my calf.

Roger: --There seems to be no abnormality in the bone, but judging from the swelling, there's a high possibility of a muscle strain.

Roger: She needs to avoid moving it for a few days.

Ellis: ..............

Jude: It's fine. We solved the kidnappin' case, so she can rest easy.

Familiar voices drifted into my hazy ears.

Roger: Well, that's true.

Ellis: ...Roger.

Roger: Hmm? What is it?

(Ellis...?)

Ellis's profile looked terribly uneasy, and my chest tightened.

I had seen him look worried before, but this was the first time I had seen him so downcast.

Ellis: Kate, she'll be able to walk properly, right?

(...Is he making that face because he's worried about me?)

Roger: Yeah, she'll be fine. If she rests properly, that is.

Ellis: Rest properly...

Ellis: ...Understood.

(Don't make that face. I'm fine...)

I tried to say so, but only a faint sigh escaped my lips.

Kate: Ah...

Jude and Ellis: ...!

Both Ellis and Jude looked towards the bed in surprise.

Roger: Oh, you're awake, lil' lady... Did you happen to hear our conversation just now?

Kate: Yes... I'm sorry for getting injured during the mission. And on top of that, I can't move for a few days...

My voice was hoarse at first and I couldn't speak well, but gradually I was able to move my mouth.

Ellis: ...Kate, don't worry about anything.

Interrupting my words, Ellis sat down on the bed where I was lying.

With a creak, the ceiling disappeared from my sight as Ellis filled my vision.

Ellis: It's not your fault that you got hurt or that you need to rest.

Ellis: Leave everything to me.

Kate: ...Everything?

Ellis: Yes.

Ellis: Everything.

.

.

.

.

.

Chapter 10 Premium Story

If you’d like to support my translations, feel free to buy me a coffee here! :)

[labeteenmoi]

Kings of the Subura

Part 2

Fandom : Those About To Die

Pairing : Tenax x OC

Warnings : Mentions of violence, rape and slavery

Summary : Wavering feelings and power teachings

Note : if you want to be tagged for the next chapter, just raise your finger

The bell rang.

“The race is on! Bets are over!” the man behind the counter shouted as he closed the jar filled with betting odds amid protests from the latecomers.

Another chariots race Tenax already knew the results of. He didn't even have to fix it anymore; he had the greatest power in the Subura: information. Tenax knew all there was to know about anything race related: who runs for money, who runs for glory, who runs for life. He also knew about all the power struggles involved: who owed who, who owned who, who fucked who. Incidentally, what the horses ate for breakfast and how much quality shit they had had mattered too, and he knew that too.

However, all that power, his pride and joy, mattered a little less lately. As he was distractively watching the chariots enter their second lap in a cloud of dust as they passed in front of the stable’s door, his mind shifted to the creature that roamed his house like a caged tiger, yearning for freedom, or at least for a hint of it in the streets of Rome, something he had always denied her.

Almost a month had passed since he had brought her home and the least he could say was that this woman’s pride was beyond imagination. No matter how good the care and security he provided to her, she resisted fiercely and that was probably the very reason she was growing on him. He liked it, her irrepressible spirit of rebellion—not in deed, she did what she was told, but her attitude was untamed, her eyes insolent, her repartee sharp on the rare occasions she bothered to answer him. Briga was far from purring while rubbing against his leg — she still seemed constantly tense, on alert, watching his every move whenever he got too close to her, but Tenax could see a change in the way she looked at him, a formal coldness had slowly replaced the ostentatious hatred she used to address him, and sometimes, he could swear, there was even a hint of curiosity.

It was only in the quiet, soothing moment of Claudia's bath that she seemed to find real comfort. The occasional glances he threw at her at that moment, a moment far too tempting for him to constantly be able to hold back, gave him the opportunity to witness a few rare moments when she let her animal sensuality express itself. In the incandescent darkness of that room, she looked something like a snake, undulating and glistening. Then she would see him and stare as if she had spotted a prey; fascinatingly deadly.

What never ceased to amaze him was how oblivious she seemed to all of this, oblivious to this aura of danger that emanated from her, unconscious to the attraction she exerted on him. Either she had no clue, or he was extremely good at hiding it. Anyway, it could be of use for his business. Not that it was his plan all along, he wasn't the kind of man to do things on a whim usually, except when it came to her apparently. Tenax could recognize an opportunity when he saw one.

The last silver fish tipped over to a cheer from the crowd announcing the final lap. Tenax's eyes widened in the ray of sunlight that streamed through the door's skylights as if suddenly coming to. The rider of the blue faction, Scorpus, had taken the lead, as usual. He didn't seem very happy about it though, whipping his horses with rage.

Tenax didn't linger after the race ended that day, each time a little less than the last. His home had gained in appeal lately, in a way, he wanted to return there more and more as the days went by.

At this twilight hour, it was bath time, so it was not surprising to find the first rooms empty. However, the quiet of the place struck him as soon as he passed through the door. No light came from the kitchen which was unusual, and the slight whispers of Claudia and Briga's conversations in the bathroom were muted.

Tenax stiffened, moving cautiously towards his room. He pushed the door open wide with a slight creak. The air that reached his face was thick, loaded with humidity and floral scents. Someone had indeed used the bathroom but as he moved a little further into his bedroom he saw the bathroom was empty.

When he turned again, peering into the darkness at the back of his room, a movement of air made the hair on the back of his head stand on end, immediately followed by the cold contact of a blade on the side of his neck. He froze for a couple of decisive seconds. Gritting his teeth angrily, he suddenly stepped back, hitting hardly the body of his assailant that he carried in his momentum against the wall behind him. The knife bearer let out a slight hoarse gasp under the heavy shock. Tenax immediately realized that this body was much lighter than he had anticipated. It was her, of course. He turned around quickly, pushing aside the hand that held the blade with one arm and grabbed the slave's neck, who didn't seem surprised.

"What are you doing?" he growled sharply.

Briga grabbed the hand on her neck.

"...You should have knocked." she muttered sarcastically under her breath.

Tenax took a breath, trying to calm down a little. He loosened his grip on her throat just enough to let her gulp.

"Drop the knife now." he snapped with a hint of worry in his wide opened blue eyes.

Her eyes narrowed as she formed a slight smirk before letting go, the kitchen knife fell heavily to the floor with a loud clatter.

Tenax sighted lightly, she could have pressed a little harder on that knife if she had really wanted to, cut just a bit at this exact point of his neck and he would have bled to death at her feet no matter how quickly he had reacted. She knew how to kill, now he knew, and it could be useful in the future, well, since she had chosen not to end his life on the spot of course. He should have felt dread but instead, he felt somehow aroused. The aftermath of gambling with his life when the odds seemed quite off. Suddenly, his thoughts interrupted: something on his peripheral vision seemed strange, there was way too much skin.

Lowering his face, his eyes fell on a damp chest to which were stuck soaked strands of her black hair that heaved with each deep breath she made. He moved away a little, realizing that he was still pressing his all body against her, and then saw her stomach and further down, her legs; she was naked and still wet. Tenax's hard gaze faded little by little, as it travelled the firm contours of her body.

The fine grain of her skin, tanned no doubt by the sun of her native province, appeared clearly to him now that he saw it so close. Claudia's care had borne fruit; she was immaculate, as if she had never been bruised. Despite the dizziness of such a magnetic vision, he began to feel observed and suddenly raised his head and met her piercing gaze. Briga was indeed watching him in silence, without any sign of embarrassment at being thus exposed to Tenax's eyes, without any sign of aggression despite his proximity and the contact of his hand on her neck, the elbow of which grazed the tip of her breast. She was too busy scrutinizing his reactions to her nudity to care much.

Briga still didn't know if she could trust him and somehow, she needed to prove to herself that he was just like these others perverted men who caused all her troubles. She needed to confront and kill this increasing attachment feeling he had awakened in her over the weeks she had spent with him. She had seen his haunted eyes when he thought he was alone in the room, the inner struggles he sometimes seemed to have when coming home. She had heard the screams at night, his wanders in the darkness of the apartment trying to catch his breath. He had secrets and dark thoughts that usually seemed to disappear as soon as he laid eyes on her. Do vile men ever feel remorse?

Maybe he was different after all, and that mere thought was enough to make her mad. More than once, she had trusted a Roman only to be painfully played in the end, how could she still be so naive? So, she often looked on his face for the same scornful looks that she had seen on the faces of her Roman delinquents. His occasional, not-so-accidental glances while she was taking her bath couldn't be that innocent.

Tenax suddenly had the feeling he was somehow being put to the test. That was some vicious way but certainly the most effective one, clever girl. He did want to feel more than just her neck under his hands, he wanted to smell these scents of rose oil all over her body which turned out to be all the more intoxicating once applied to her skin, to kiss her lips, but above all, he wanted her to want it too. He was closer than ever. So close, and yet, that enticing creature was expecting to see him losing control. He would hate not to disappoint.

He raised his head in a controlled inhale, hardening his expression.

"Where is Claudia?" he curtly asked, closing a little harder his hand on her neck.

She startled slightly, blinking at the pressure.

"She’s resting," she let out looking him straight in the eyes, "she felt ill.”

Tenax sustained her look, he wasn’t sure she was telling the truth. After all, she had just reminded him that she wasn’t as harmless to him as she had let him believe lately. He searched her face for any signs of a shifty glance but saw none, she seemed sincere enough to reassure him. He asked more calmly:

"Where is she?"

"In the guests room."

As she had answered in a soft voice, veiled by the pressure on her trachea, his eyes had landed on her lips. She talked so rarely that he had barely ever seen them moving. Fleshy velvety dark-rosed lips that never smiled, only sometimes grinned disdainfully at him when not firmly shut. But now they were parting slightly under his sudden hypnotized glance. Briefly looking up, he saw a glimpse of confusion in her eyes as she witnessed his softening mood, felt her breathing becoming barely perceptible under his hand but her pulse quickening.

Strangely, his own pulse caught the same rhythm as hers. A warm sensation invaded his own chest, a shiver ran up on his skin and before he knew it his hand was no longer holding her neck but simply laying on her collarbones, still held by hers.

It was as if time had frozen, the surroundings had disappeared, and they were all alone in the middle of an undefined mist. Their gazes travelling over their faces, he slowly leaned in, uncontrollably attracted towards her mouth that trembled a little at his approach when, suddenly, the walls of the apartment began to shake from violent blows.

Tenax and Briga opened their eyes wide in surprise, abruptly emerging from whatever spell they were under. The knocking started again, someone was banging on the apartment door with their fists and shouting "Tenax!! I know you're here!"

Tenax suddenly turned his head towards the door behind him:

"Scorpus!" he breathed shortly. "Get dressed," he addressed Briga eagerly.

She took a few seconds to react, her mind still foggy from what had just happened, then hurriedly grabbed the dress lying on the bed. Tenax opened the door without waiting and at the same time Scorpus burst into the apartment in front of a dazed Claudia who had rushed from the corridor.

With a quick glance, the man caught a glimpse of bare legs in the half-open bedroom door as Tenax was closing it.

"Scorpus! What's going on, my friend?" Tenax said hurriedly, opening his arms wide to the newcomer with a faked smile, pretending to ignore his rudeness.

The man had stopped dead in his tracks, staring at the closed door behind Tenax with a disconcerted look, before looking back at his host who was advancing. He seemed to regain his senses and pointed an accusing finger under the latter's nose:

"Where's my money?" he barked.

"Scorpus, I warned you not to bet on the lap," Tenax sighed, "the white faction has been running new horses that are younger than yours..."

"What?!" Scorpus shouted indignantly, "You didn't tell me anything!" he bellowed.

"Of course I did, you were probably still drunk…" Tenax retorted, shaking his head in disapproval.

The man sighed heavily, ostentatiously rubbing his eyes in disappointment. He looked up at the closed bedroom door, holding his hips, and seemed to ruminate for a few moments before fuming loudly:

"I lost big on that, Tenax!"

Tenax approached him, opening his arms again in a gesture of comfort as the man cast furtive glances at the door. Ignoring his friend’s approach, he kept on:

“And who’s in your room there?” he asked suspiciously, pointing toward the bedroom.

"Nobody." Tenax hastened to answer as innocently as possible.

Scorpus wasn’t listening, he walked around Tenax who didn't have time to hold him back, and pushed the door open, revealing Briga inside who suddenly sat up. Seeing that she had had time to get dressed, Tenax let out a discreet sigh of relief.

The newcomer stared at her for a few moments, stunned, while Briga, motionless, gave him a stone-hard look.

"Who are you?" he finally asked, visibly intrigued.

Briga remained unmoved, eyeing the visitor up and down.

Scorpus tilted his head, seemingly offended by the girl's silence.

"Who is she?" he insisted to Tenax behind him.

"No one," he sighed as he stamped his feet on the ground, "just… a slave..."

"A slave!" Scorpus exclaimed, a smile growing on his lips. He looked back at the girl, ogling her without shame. "What's your name?"

Silence still as the only answer, the man was starting to look seriously upset.

"Briga is her name, and she won't answer you..." Tenax intervened.

"Why? She can't talk?" he asked curiously before returning his interested gaze to the girl. "I bet this pretty mouth can do other things though..." he mumbled to Briga, whose eyes narrowed in return in a murderous glare.

Tenax heard it too and rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"Because she hates you, Scorpus. She hates all of us, don't take it personally." he sighed heavily, shooting a complicit grin at Briga whose fierce eyes oscillated between him and the visitor. It had been a while since Tenax hadn’t seen such a fierce look on her face, he could tell a cold anger was slowly rising in her, her knuckles were turning white.

Scorpus stamped his feet, hesitantly waving his body towards Briga but held back in the face of the hostility emanating from her.

"No one hates Scorpus, I'm not a fucking Roman." He retorted in a mock-outraged tone, ostensibly giving her a smile of the kind he usually gave to his future conquests. Nothing seemed to stop this rake in front of a beautiful woman.

The thought of the knife left on his bedroom floor crossed his mind; Tenax started to fear for his friend’s life if Briga ever remembered it as well.

“What else can I do for you, my friend?” he cut in impatiently, loud enough to catch both their attention.

“Oh, well…” Scorpus mumbled, trying to stall for time before being openly dismissed from the place, “you’re not going to help me, then?”

"There's nothing more I can do Scorpus…"

"You should take her to the races one of these days," Scorpus unexpectedly eluded, "I'm sure she'd appreciate seeing the great Scorpus at work!"

He puffed out his chest, a display that still didn't seem to impress Briga whose gaze had not softened one bit.

"Or else you introduce her to your debtors, Tenax, if she looks at them long enough like that, they'll quickly settle their debts!" Scorpus noisily laughed.

Tenax chuckled. Of course he had thought of it, he had realized her silent hard looking presence could indeed have a certain power of persuasion. Surely others besides him could perceive this feeling of danger that her attitude gave off, Scorpus did seem to feel it as well or he would have been closer to her already, Tenax believed.

“I’ll consider it Scorpus,” he answered, “now I have things to do.” He concluded firmly, tilting his head towards the door.

Scorpus bit his lip in frustration, nodding at Briga with a salacious look.

“Of course, my friend!" he eventually gasped, "I’ll see you at the Circus in three days!”

Slowly stepping back without taking his eyes off her, he added with a wink:

“See you soon, Briga…”

Tenax accompanied him through the entrance door, holding his breath for any new try at poking at his slave. Scorpus passed the door but suddenly turned back and whispered in his face with a dubious look:

“What were you doing in there with her?”

"Goodbye, Scorpus" he replied with a contented smile, closing the door in his face.

Tenax held the door for a little longer, taking some time to recollect his thoughts. Finally turning around, he caught eyes with Claudia, holding her hands together in a confused expression.

"I’m sorry, Master, I…"

"I know." Tenax interrupted gently, "Are you feeling better now?"

"Hum… yes, thank you, Master."

He glimpsed at Briga, just long enough to see her staring into the void, when Claudia kept on:

"I’ll prepare supper right away, Master. Briga, please come, child." She called in a still sleepy hoarse voice.

Her name came to her as a distant sound in the air, only after some instants she seemed to have heard it and raised a confounded face to see Claudia and Tenax looking at her in puzzlement.

The way this man had looked at her had shaken her core. All these weeks locked in the security of Tenax’s apartment almost made her forget what it was like to be preyed upon like this, submitted to the depraved eyes of men willing to abuse her.

Regaining her senses, she saw concern in Tenax’s eyes, and it reminded her that she could breathe, he was there. Swiftly seized by the soft and warm sensation of being so close to him only instants before, for a mere instant she wished he was holding her again, leaving her all the more stunned.

"Briga?" Claudia called gently.

She shook her head and walked across the room quickly at the renewed call, unconsciously avoiding all the eyes on her; a confusion that first left Tenax speechless. It seemed so unlike her to appear overwhelmed like that and something told him it wasn't just about him and the unexpected letting go they had experienced a few minutes before. In some way it was bothering him and that was so unlike him.

Briga had eaten with Claudia in the kitchen as usual, mostly in silence from what Tenax had perceived from his sit at the table, only to reappear in front of him for the sole purpose of clearing the table. He tried to cross her eyes that she seemed to avoid.

"That will be all Claudia, you go rest home, the cleaning can wait." He announced suddenly, staring at Briga who finally met his eyes with a hint of suspicion; it was unusual for him to send her home so soon.

Briga immediately stopped and waited by the table in silence, staring at Tenax, both wary and curious about what would happen once Claudia left. When she did, the heavy silence between them lasted for a moment until Tenax calmly ordered:

"Sit. Please."

Please? That was new and rather intriguing to her. She was more used to him showing who the master was than that. Further arousing her curiosity, she complied and took a place at the table in front of him, keeping her hands on her lap and her eyes firmly locked on his.

He took a slow sip of wine, pondering how to address the elephant in the room.

"You didn't like the way Scorpus looked at you." Tenax finally let out.

Briga took a breath.

"I've seen this filthfy look on Roman's faces before." she bitterly said, thinking back to what these men had done to her.

Tenax nodded slightly, showing he knew well what she was referring to.

"Hmm… You see, I’ve learned in the streets that rage arises from fear, it’s like a defence mechanism. As impressive as your rage mays appear at first sight, it mostly reveals weakness."

She slowly tilted her head and intensely glared at him, unsure to appreciate the direction Tenax was taking there.

He softly smiled at her expected reaction; calling her weak and getting away with it was probably a privilege all his own and he certainly appreciated the sensation it provided. But beyond that, he mostly wanted her to understand his point, it was key to the purpose he aimed for. So, he resumed, calmly but more firmly than before, imposing her to listen through.

"When men look at you like Scorpus did, it means they covet you and that, Briga, gives you power; the power to either refuse… or accept, at your own terms. In my world, that is called an opportunity. You could use that to get what you want. You could use them..."

"Refuse or accept?" she interrupted sharply with an ironic frown, his voice almost hissing, "As when you have the choice? What power do you have when you are held by both arms… or chained?"

For a split second Tenax felt his mind on the verge of wandering; finally, there was a chink in her impenetrable armour, willingly giving away an ounce of what might have happened to her. He felt the urge to know more, but now was not the time, so in a controlled inhale he simply nodded thoughtfully, holding her stare with a surprising intensity:

"We are all bound to something."

Briga narrowed her eyes, wondering in what way could a man like him ever feel restrained. It just then occurred to her that outside these walls she did not know anything about him. She didn’t know much about him even inside these walls for that matter.

She observed him silently for some time. Being used by people, using other people… This would have never occurred to her before, not in the simple life she used to have back in Lusitania. But now she was in Rome, very far from her home, her way and her life. Adapting may well be her only way out of there someday.

"So, does that mean… I could use you?" she finally addressed him, biting her lip in an equivocal way.

She was getting it. Tenax rejoiced inwardly. He grinned back and playfully answered:

"You are free to try."

"Am I? You do want something from me… but you’ve never looked at me like that." Briga dared, eyeing him up and down ostentatiously. There was indeed a shift in the balance of power between her and Tenax, she could feel it now; something about domination that felt quite pleasant.

Tenax straightened up imperceptibly, a contented pout on his face. He knew the feeling that Briga was displaying, maybe a little too much. She still had a lot to learn though, he had to put her back in her place. He stared deeply in his slave’s eyes and softly said :

"Hmm…Well, that must be because I don’t covet what I already own."