#utterly facinated

[sevastiel]

Learning blender in a college class, and We were told to build a character. I've never used blender before this class but you bet your ass I am forcing myself at gunpoint to learn every system possible. Right now? Modeling! Good thing I have that cool Dax Meteora design that I made for GS...

Progress is slow, but we're getting there eventually! :D

[brbgensokyo]

learning about early statecraft is so facinating because you begin to see the threads of ambition behind every project especially in the feint and odd details

[brunhielda]

Fun part of this post-

Playing the “I know what post THAT one is from” game.

How many did you have?

shorthands for dumbassery that i have grown to love deeply

"how dare you say we piss on the poor" in response to someone misinterpreting your post

"_ isnt gonna fuck you" for suck up behavior

"woah. should we tell everyone? should we throw a party?" for who the fuck cares

"and what if the world was made of pudding" for when would this ever matter.

"and sharks are smooth both ways" for a group of people heatedly arguing with 1 guy who is fucking with them all

".. but its about a witch in the alps finding her lost cat" for someone trying to sanitize something to the point of absurdity

[c0sm1cp0tat0]

Yandere! Saja Boys x Reader

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5.

When you lost your boyfriend, you hadn't known how to cope. Thats why you resolved for everything to stay just how it used to be. But no matter how much you had tried, it never worked. If anything, it just highlighted his absence in your life even more.

And this...your current predicament, was throwing you even more off track.

You were drowning. Not in water, but in silken sheets. The one called Roman had your waist in an arm, effectively pressing you down. You hadn't actually said anything much, just a 'Wow, your hair's pretty,' in a passive attempt to butter up your captors. As soon as you said that, however, it was like a fucking dam had broken.

It had the opposite effect of what you were hoping. He was pressing into you. His lips, peppering kisses all over your small face. You were being squeezed like a squeaky toy. Some of the kisses were so hard you thought they would bruise. Mustering all your remaining breath, you squeak out in utter disbelief,

"This is-- assault!! Lemme go!!"

Baby burst out laughing, observing all your passing emotions and expressions as if gazing at a particularly facinating sample under a microscope. The others stared at him. Beni, if anything, was the most moody of their group. Nothing, no-one had ever made him laugh like this.

Romance couldn't hear you, mumbling to himself incoherently between kisses, "So-- small-- so fucking-- soft--"

He was smothering you in his scent. It was sweet and intoxicating; cedarwood and roses. You hated it. When he nuzzled your neck, his pink hair tickled. You vaguely caught sight of a poster on the wall. Romance was his stage name? Yeah, no shit.

"Off her, Roman. We need to figure shit out."

You refused to thank Jinu for getting the lovesick, oversized man-pup off of you, though you really wished to when Roman reluctantly released you. You sat up, dizzy and reeling. Eyes wide as you stared into space, traumatized.

However, you were soon caught in the grasps of another. The Mysterious guy had you now, and his arms were just as strong as the others'. You tried kicking, even throwing your head back as abruptly as you could. He dodged it smoothly. Unable to help it, you helplessly whimper, "Are you even human?"

You were using your whole body weight to try heave him away and he still didn't even budge. As if their bodies were made of lead. They surely could not be regular boys. No matter how much they danced and worked out, this level of strength should be impossible.

"No." The court, quiet response tore through you. It was from Mystery. Rasped in your ear, the croon of a fallen angel. It should have been a joke, so why'd you flinch?

You broke out of your stupor and continued struggling. He grabbed your small thigh and eased it upwards, adjusting himself into a sitting position and now it looked like you were sitting in his lap.

Jinu smiled that pretty smile again. An act you were now growing to hate, "Well, well, I was going to tell you to make yourself comfortable but now I see, there was no need."

You were about to blow a fuse, when suddenly Jinu dropped his smile. He brought up a large hand, and cupped it as if wielding something for the world to see.

And then, you saw.

Fire. It was fire. Purple though, various shades of violet flickering and overlapping. Born of golden embers. It didn't have an unpleasant smell like regular man made fires, and was captivating to the eye. Where was it coming from? His palm. You opened your mouth to scream, but Mystery covered it easily.

"Malak is right, though. We're not human. We're demons. You knew that, didn't you?" You definitely should have. Afterall, the way you looked at them that time. You saw everything that was within them and felt it.

Utterly appalled, you shook your head. You were a vision. Eyes wide, jaw dropped. Cheeks flushed in shock. Fear in your gaze. You were stunned. Completely dumbfounded. They loved it.

Seeing your reply, that fucker, he smiled even wider, hand brushing through his dark hair, "Well now ya do. And now that you know, you see, we just can't let you off our radar."

The other boys slowly grinned as they realised the plan of Jinu. He had been conspiring. Just to tie you to them like this. A secret could sometimes be the greatest shackle of them all. This one would have a considerable weight on you. And no matter where you ran, where you would hide, it would cling to you. You poor, poor thing.

The silence was broken by your small burst of forced laughter. "Haha-- wait-- is this some sort of organized prank?"

Abby, who had been leaning against the door, teleported so that now he was seated upon the bed. Right. Next. To. You. You squealed, the sound muffled against Malak's palm.

The rest of them were this distinctively strong. But this guy, who was so clearly built and possessed such defined tight-packed abs? You couldn't fathom his strength. You cowered away the best you could. He saw it, flashing inhumanely sharp canines at you as he smirked.

"Does it still seem like a prank?"

"Are you going to kill me now?" You weren't going to lie and say that you hadn't been practicing your facial expressions in the mirror since your boyfriend had died, just so that you wouldn't be percieved as completely emotionless. But this did strike shock in you. Demons, ghosts and supernatural abilities and things like that were beyond human understanding, afterall.

But that ebbed away now. You were still submerged in your sorrow. Handsome demons threatening you now wouldn't change that.

Before Jinu could open his mouth to reply, you continued, subconsciously slouching against Malak. "You can't; it would be too difficult to hide. There are CCTVs everywhere on that street the police would see how you escorted me away last night. They'll trace my dissapearance back to you all somehow, and even if you avoid it, you can't afford the suspicions. It would leave too much of a mark on a debut band like yourselves."

Your voice was cool, calm and collected. Even if you didn't mean to, you occupied Malak's lap like a queen. Their queen. His hand that once covered your mouth now in your smaller one. You let go of it abruptly once you noticed.

"You've got some brains on you." Jinu finally spoke, voice breathy. Visage collected as if he didn't have a raging boner that he was thankfully successfully able to hide beneath baggy blue joggers.

"No, I just don't care. You can kill me if you want. Maybe I'll be able to meet him then atleast." Malak's arms tightened around you at the mention of your death. The way your voice softened, became that lovely, vulnerable melody as you mentioned your late lover.

Roman's eyes were wide. He pulled the blanket up over his lower half. "She's smart."

Abby leaned closer, grabbing part of the blanket for himself "She's stunning,"

Baby huddled in, doing the same. "And she's brave as shit."

You could only vaguely hear their musings in the background. Didn't pay any mind to it. Waited for the ravenette man's reply in particular.

"You make a good point. But we weren't planning to kill you in the first place," Jinu couldn't suppress his smirk. They didn't want you dead. They wanted you between them.

They wanted you wrapped in silk and kisses and themselves, to rever and worship you. But look at you right now. If you were to know how they felt you would run for the hills, let alone understand. How five men, no, demons, could be all over you within days of meeting. Or, according to you-- minutes of meeting.

The Baby-looking one couldn't give a shit about the technicalities. He grabbed you by the shoulders, yanking you from Malak. "Beni." The curtain-haired man hissed under his breath.

Beni held you down, his aquamarine locks swaying at the action. "Who's he and why are you so obsessed with him? What does he have that we don't?"

You were getting annoyed. They were manhandling you without any effort whatsoever. And you still just wanted to go home. Their words at this point, in the most respectable way possible, was mere noise to your ears.

"We have the money." Jinu furrowed his brows.

"The muscles," Abbott added, stretching and involuntarily almost snapping the top button of his sleep shirt. You eyed it cautiously, paranoid it would come shooting at your face.

"The looks," Malak brushed back the thick curtain of hair over his eyes and you gasped at the beauty you saw.

"The fame," Beni flipped his hair again, practically staring you down at this point.

"The chivalry," Roman eyes you down in a way that made you shudder.

His long, slender finger guided a line down your forearm, before he interlinked your hands again. Maybe if it was any other girl who actually enjoyed being surrounded by attractive men like this, she would have passed out in bliss

You were perplexed with their little monologues, but replied nonetheless, "It's not the same. You can have all of that and crank them up to the max but you'll never be him." Your words broke between grunts of effort of getting out from under Beni's grip.

"Can't be everyones type, no matter how hot you are." You couldn't help but add in the tiny little taunt. In your defense, your tone was literally monotonous; not too provoking. You just really wanted to get outta there.

By god, was that a mistake.

Within seconds, you were pressed into this weird weird, weird position with Beni between your legs, hands held above your head in just one of his. His face in your neck. You were too confused, shocked to even holler.

He was sucking. Your hand was in his hair, scrunching, tugging the brightly-colored locks to get him off of you. He moaned in that slutty deep voice of his and rutted down like an animal in heat. With every pull of his hair, his flesh became hotter and hotter. These guys were a diverse group. You feared they had some pretty diverse kinks as well.

For the next minutes, the room was filled with the sound of Baby's lips against your skin. Wet and intense. And the sound of your angry and slightly scared grunts and groans-- winces of effort of escaping from this. All in futility.

Knowing how much it riled him up having his hair pulled, you'd learnt your lesson. You were tugging on the back of his shirt now, tiny legs squirming and kicking around his muscular thighs.

"We-- were-- having-- a conversation!!" You choked out between grunts of effort of pushing him off.

Vaguely, you could hear the sound of Jinu's tuts. "We can't even have a conversation without you riling up one of our boys, [Y/N]," wait a minute, OUR? You cringed.

Beni heard this and gave a frustrated huff before he removed himself. Pass all the dumb technicalities, and he could pounce on you however, whenever he wished as many times as he liked. He smiled to himself. Even wider when you shot him a murderous glare from the bed.

You shot up, and you felt the humiliating sting of tears in your eyes from having your neck sucked so hard, being pressed in such a helpless position for minutes on end. Horrified, you wipe them harshly with the back of your hand. This was traumatizing to say in the least.

"It's not my...he just attacked me!! And how do you know my name??"

Jinu solemnly held up the identification card he nicked from your purse and dodged when you launched yourself at him. He caught you in his other arm instead, holding the card in the other hand well out of your not-so-long reach.

"We'll be holding onto your documents for now." The card dissapeared from his hand before your eyes in a puff of red smoke.

You still couldn't quite believe it. You waved your hand above his palm a few times. It had really dissapeared. Jinu chuckled at your unwitting cuteness. You stumbled back. You were screwed.

"My little soda pop~" Abby chuckled, pulling you close by the waist and nuzzling your waist. You went rigid. This guy was huge. At the same time, you really didn't want him to know how terrified you were of him.

"Pull your top down it's making me nervous." You finally said, making your little wincing noises as you tried to pull away. They held back coos at the adorable noises. His cropped top rested just above his navel, showing a teasing hint of his abs. And you should have found it sexy like all other chicks, but it was really just intimidating as hell right now.

No doubt, he took this the wrong way. He let go of your waist. You hadn't even taken a step and you were yanked right back by your wrist.

There, in front of everyone, he lay back and pulled your small form effortlessly atop him. "Wah--!" Your voice had gone high pitched, using your hand against his right chest as an anchor as you tried to pull your hand away. Your knees on either side of his huge thighs.

"All yours," He winked. He had your hand against his unyielding abs. Bare abs; his shirt hooked up in his other thumb.

He was utterly and completely shameless. Poor you, you didn't even know how to voice your surprise. It came in the form of hiccups. "Hic-- h-hic...lemme go.. let my hand go-!!"

You didn't notice but they all marvelled at the way your small body twitched with your adorable little hiccups. The way you helplessly tried to muffle them and failed miserably.

"What, [Y/N]? Too much for you to handle~?" He was so mean, the way he was taunting. He punctuated his question with a upwards roll of his hips. It caused your small hand to unwittingly slide downwards and elicited an excited moan from his throat. The action was so obscene, you stopped breathing for a moment in mortification.

"I-- I don't understand-- why are you...why are you all acting like this? Why not just let me go-- hic--peacefully?"

"You're looking down like this at me and asking that? You really don't know??" Abby raised a flared brow, smiling even more.

You squirmed some more. To no avail. "I don't know! I don't fucking know!! I don't even care that you're demons or whatever so just lemme go!!"

"Oh honey," Romance purred in your ear. He slowly pulled you off of Abby. The latter actually shivered as your touch slid off of his abdomen.

"We are never letting you go."

"I still can't believe we're not hot enough for her." Baby Saja leaned on your shoulder and looked up at you, giving you puppy dog eyes. But there was a faint shimmer that travelled over his flawless skin. A glisten, that momentarily revealed purple patterns crawling across his flesh.

You burst out crying. Not because of the patterns. "You said I could go home, you said-- *sob*-- just a few questions and I could leave--"

"[Y/N]" Jinu said your name with that honey-sweet and hypnotizing voice of this. Innocent, as if they weren't all driving you to your wit's end. His large hand went to your waist, the other cupping your cheek and flicking away the tears before they could stain.

"We like you." They said it. At the same time, five pairs of eyes all on you. You laughed.

"You don't know me." You denied. Jinu was having none of it.

"You do know us, even if you don't realize it. We know you. Better than anyone ever has, better than that dead boyfriend of yours--"

SMACK

𝐓𝐁𝐂

⌗☾︎ ‧₊˚ ︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶⋅₊˚☽︎⌗

TAGLIST--༉‧₊˚✧↳ @elevenbts @amery-benson-cvii @hornehlittleweeblet @little-ponkan @reni502 @nonetheartist

[ivilrat]

Me: Oh I should probably go to bed, I'm pretty tired.

Me, 3 hours later with a google doc multiple pages into an OC & Canon fic: Whoops

[cyacola]

bill cipher being utterly facinated by the concept of tattoos and piercings.

"you PAY to have someone stab you! to make you look pretty? facinating 🤩"

[thetinygnome]

Despite being a comparatively "godless" campaign, C2 gave a look at Faith much more relateable to modern-day audiences.

More detail under the cut

Caduceus

Caduceus's version of religion is facinating because he experiences what many would perhaps call the religious ideal. His god is real, good and benevolent. His god is has tangible reasons behind not being omnipotent (opposing gods + divine gate). He can communicate directly with his god and be heard. It is not part of a heirachal organised religion.

As such, it is completely and utterly alien.

Jester

Jester is fascinating in her deeply personal relationship with her god: her comfort and best friend. The traveler is her God in a way he was no one else's. For the longest time, her friends didn't even think he was real. Which he wasn't, but that's okay.

I do like the way they handled her disillusionment, in that it did not mean total rejection of her entire worldview for the past few years, but rather the negotiation of more open and equal arrangement.

This perhaps is one of the best ways I've ever seen a modern religious storyline portrayed in a fantasy setting with real gods.

Yasha

Yasha's relationship with her god is an elusive lifeline. She does not, cannot understand him, and that's okay. There is a certain reverence and awe in Yasha's faith which was truly captivating. The stormlord was not there to solve her problems, he was there to guide her, forge anew and redeem from her the rubble of her life under oban.

[gailhai1storm]

may i have some peterachilles thoughts/headcanons/anything 🥺

The fact that I havent read all the books that have them as central characters makes. this a bit hard, like I have thoughts but its hard to speak on a lot of it.

So im going togive you my thoughts on both of them just in stream of consciousness cause that will probably work better.

Ok so Achilles is so fucking facinating to me, cause he is absolutely masterminding things and plotting but I get the distinct feeling that he actually does overestimate people

there is hubris there but he truly thinks people are also plotting against him and thinking the same way he is, while also understanding that he is better at it than them.

I find this fucking hillariouse to put againct Peter who first off knows that Achilles could fucking destroy him and probably is trying to and is smarter than him. But Peter also has this odd confidence in himself and what he is doing that I find so utterly fascinating. I actually know someone a lot like peter and just that deep knowledge that you are missing something pared with hubris is facinating.

Thats the main place (from what ive read) that I get the ship from. It makes the trust Peter has make more sense. He wants to give Achilles freedom, and shiney things, because he enjoys him. He trusts him, but at the same time he cant.

I always imagine both of them just so paranoid about the other, Achilles more than Peter, cause peter has confidence in a way Achilles doesn't. Achilles does not understand kindness, not really.

Its part of what makes there dinamic to intesting,

Achilles wouldnt understand the kindness a first, wouldn't understand that this is admeration not pitty or groveling

cause Peter does not view Achilles as greater than him, but his equal his match, they challenge each other.

I picture them in a spiral, thinking their thoughts, pulling and pushing but perpetually funneled together and into the same place around and around.

They are infatuated with each other, and it tastes like medium rare steak, their relationship, sweat, and full, but you can still just almost taste the blood.

They are vile and put each other through the ringer but at the end of the day they love the others mind, the others drive, and they end up needing each other.

because to loose your match is to loose yourself.

[k-s-morgan]

Your writing leaves me speechless every time. It is utterly gorgeous. The writing is so emotional, and I feel like the characterizations in ATLWETD are flawless, on a whole different level. I love the shades of posessiveness/obsessiveness we're getting to see of Tom, it makes me weak on the knees. And the fact that Harry isn't just some pushover, that he's got vibrant, brilliant character that's reckless, bold, a little idiotic, and just the thing a snake like Riddle would be facinated by. I admit I was a bit skeptical last chapter on Tom breaking someone's arm just to get Harry on the Quidditch team, because I was like how is he going to get away with that, but good lord, this chapter has enlightened me. He really does have the whole school wrapped around his finger. I love the scenes in this chapter, it might be my favorite so far...

Harry projecting his love of Quidditch to Tom. Their talk about cruelty. The conversation about family, which made my heart melt. The way Harry keeps bringing up Greengrass when he wants Tom to be disgusted will never fail to amuse me... The mood gift from Alphard, which I'm betting my soul will be used in later chapters... The moral greyness of Dumbledore... The last scene. Ugh, you do such cruel and beautiful things to my heart, giving me the happiness of reading another one of your chapters while also making me crave more... I swear, you must be magic yourself; your writing is that good.

I have a few questions though. I think it's mainly just me not having all the brain cells necessary to process this story, after losing my complete mind after this chapter... but still.

My first is about how Harry is choosing to stay with Tom at Wool's. In the pseudo alternate universe, Harry stayed with him at the orphanage too, so he "knows" the outcome of staying. Couldn't Harry then dissuade Tom's fears of dying, by saying they survived in the alternate universe?

My second is how Tom's referring to Harry in his mind. We all know Harry loves to think of Tom as "Riddle" - rather fitting lol. But is Tom opting for "Potter" or "Harry"? I cannot wait to read his perspective by the way, the way you write Tom in WHGTB is amazing. His elusiveness so far is killing me!

Third is about how genuine their fight about the Potters was. Was it a ruse to get Harry pissed enough to summon fire, or did Tom actually consciously or subconsciously think that?

Fourth. You mentioned for WHGTB, another masterpiece of course, that Tom wouldn't have been obsessed with Harry if it wasn't mutual. That he's an all-or-nothing kind of person. Is this Tom similar? I know he is much crueler, colder, etc., but this basic principle is similar, right?

Sorry for the lengthy ask and the fangirling. It's just that I've been obsessing over chapter 4 for over 24 hours, and I've been thinking about it constantly. I can't even describe how much your fics mean to me. When things are going wrong in real life, I always find solace and comfort in them. I'm even going to watch Black Butler soon, just because I want to read your fic.

I'm sorry for the pain the war has brought to you and your country. I hope you stay safe through it all, and know that I'm always thinking about you, hoping you are okay.

Ah, thank you so much for your brilliant comment, it made me so happy! I'm really glad you enjoyed this chapter. Harry and Tom refused to let me finish it when I planned to, so it went on and on))

I'm glad you're enjoying both Tom and Harry. They have such different personalities, but they really click. I think Tom said more words to Harry in these months they know each other than he ever said to his followers. 

How cults work never ceases to amaze me. I read so much about different religious cults where the leader was doing absolutely horrible things, from rape to torture to mutilations and murders, and yet the majority remained devoted him. Hell, I have a very sick neighbour called Russia where millions support one genocide after another while hundreds of thousands actively kill, destroy, and torture innocent people. These beings have no goal, no reason, they just do what their so-called leader orders even though it means becoming a monster and risking their own life and safety for nothing. 

Tom Riddle makes for a much more charismatic and inspiring leader, so I think it's realistic that he managed to wrap the other Slytherins around his finger so completely. Apart from being an actual fighter, he has much to offer in terms of power, influence, and recognition. 

I think Harry is a little jealous of Greengrass without fully understanding why and in what way. There is no doubt that Tom favors him much more, but Greengrass is his right hand, a person he'd trust in a battle, the one he'd immediately rely on, and Harry is already feeling the first stirrings of irritation and possessiveness. 

Yeah, Alphard's mood artifact is going to come in handy! Needless to say, Tom is going to be very confused by the frantic change of emotions Harry gets around him :D 

About your questions, sure!

For question 1: in Harry's story, he and fake!Tom just about finished their fifth year when Tom went insane, started sowing chaos, and they got hunted down by Dumbledore and his people. That's when Harry made his journey through 'universes.' So he has no idea what happens after their sixth year and if Tom survives it because it never took place. Naturally, in reality, Harry knows that Tom makes it, but he cannot say he's from the future, so he has to stay silent. Besides, he knows that his presence is changing things, so after they arrive to the Wool's, he himself will be unsure if everything is going to be fine.

Question 2: I think Tom is conflicted about how to refer to Harry, so he settled on "Him." His mind instantly knows who he's talking about because Harry has taken a permanent place in his mind. So it's, "I wonder what he is doing, "How powerful can he get with the right initiative," and so on. 

I hope you enjoy his POV when it comes :D We'll be stuck in Tom's head for the entire second half of the story.

Question 3: the fight was entirely genuine. Tom saw an opportunity when he saw how enraged Harry got, so he had him conjure fire, but before this, it never crossed his mind, he was too jealous and angry. 

Question 4: You know, it's a really good question! I think this Tom is different from WHGTB Tom in this regard. In WHGTB, Tom began to respond to the fact that Harry loves him. In ATLWETD, Tom is responding to the idea that in some other world, he himself loved Harry. He finds it fascinating because he cannot imagine loving anyone; at the same time, he takes it for granted that people like him and want to do things for him. So mutuality is not as important as long as he has feelings. When he learns that Harry lied to him, and if, for example, Harry didn't end up loving him at all, he wouldn't stop. He'd find a way to bind them together anyway, even if it meant enslaving Harry's mind, altering his memories, etc. It's very likely that Tom would have done anything to mold Harry into the person he was pretending to be, someone who loved him, shared a past with him, and cared nothing about the timeline. 

Ooh, if you end up watching Black Butler, I hope you enjoy it! I'm so addicted to this universe, I think it is forever. 

Thank you for your words, for your review and questions. I hope you'll enjoy the next chapter, although it won't come for a while! 

[stalwart-spirit]

🎄 Favorite holiday?

Moonfire Faire! Heavensturn is a close second for feel good reasons (getting to celebrate making it through another year), however the origins of Moonfire Faire is utterly facinating to Saeed seeing how it's celebrated now, but it's overall a wonderful holiday to take part in with the family and a great way to unwind.

Honestly he's surprised at his stubbornness regarding trying to climb the Nimble Warrior tower each year, and honestly now just uses it as a way to show that he's still quick and agile!

[brbgensokyo]

i know like beautiful dreamer is like well recognized as a prototype for alot of mamuro oshii's output but i wasnt expecting draft cuts for fucking patlabor 2

[pixelateddork]

i approach your day with flowers and chocolates in my hands. when you open it, i get down on one knee, hold them out, and manage to squeek out

"please do you have ideas on how granpa and iii would meet in your timetravel au i just saw the post and i'm so normal about it please how would each person react how would arsene respond to modern day how would iii cope with not recognizing him you have beautiful eyes i swear i'm so normal about the time travel au:

FGDShfGHDSGF Hi!! I'm so glad you liked my silly lil concept!!! I know I haven't talked about it much, so this feels like a good opportunity to talk about it again! I'm gonna assume by each person you meant the gang(if not I am sorry XD) so! Let's do a quick bullet point list! Gonna put all this rambling under a read more!

Lupin: Completely and utterly baffled by the situation. His grandpa has been dead for many years at that point, and now his grandpa was right in front of him as a young man. It's weird for him, meeting what feels like an entirely new person. He really understands what his grandpa has meant when he'd tell Lupin "You remind me so much of myself when I was young", because god damn he was not kidding. Any feeling of grief or sadness however are all pushed to the back of his mind as he helps try to figure out a way to fix this rip in time. Jigen: He was the first one to encounter Arsene, mistaking the man for Lupin at first. He's got mixed feelings on the situation. he finds it kinda odd that Lupin's grandpa at 31 years old is just...living with them for the time being, and finds it kinda werid how similar the two are....But also man is it entertaining to watch Lupin to deal with someone just as smug and obnoxious(Jigen means this with love) as he is. Goemon: At first, he did not trust the guy. Convinced that it was some trick(athough this was the assumption most of the gang had at first). Once it was revealed that Arsene was indeed Lupin's grandfather from the past, he makes sure to treat him with respect, as he is techincally still Lupin's elder.

Fujiko: Probably was convinced this was a weird joke when Lupin called her to let her know, and she walks into the hideout with Lupin from her knowledge another Lupin but blonde was sitting on the couch next to him. She finds him charming, athough shares Jigen's feelings on how it's strange how similar the two really are. --- As for Arsene reacting to the modern day...well this all started with Jigen stopping the guy from getting hit by a car so...let's say his transition is a lil rough, to say the least. He'd definitely be facinated by all the modern things surrounding him though, without a doubt. He'd have some difficulty adjusting at first, but he's a smart man! He'll get the hang of it! That's all I'll say here for now though! This post is already getting kinda long! Hope I answer you questions alright! If you have anymore I'd be happy to ramble about my silly idea again!

[luxlightly]

Hi! I just came across you 'We Go There' fic and just wanted to pop in to say how much I love the descriptions that you use of how Eddie and The Other interact. The unraveling bit is utterly inspired and a invites a facinating mental image, and the body horror aspects to it are wonderfully done.

I didn't even see this in my inbox. I have no idea how long ago this was sent but thank you!

I love the idea of a character being able to unwravel into a big heap of tentacles. Untwisting like a rope. It's a power I've given to multiple ocs over the years.

I love the Other and exploring body horror through the lens of a creature that has no sense of body. Especially juxtaposed to Eddie, who is "human" and has a very strict idea of what his body should be. For the Other, emotion is a form of body horror. The fundamental change to the way it exists and process information is horrifying to it the same way the charges in his body are horrifying to Eddie, but neither has enough concept of each other's experiences to do anything but be at odds about it.

I miss that story. I miss all my stories, of course, but I hold a special place in my heart for that one.

[iturbide]

same anon as the not exaggerated joke but not joke about robbing plegia. God I love awakening, I really love chrom and robin and all that. But I am also facinated by Gangrel and Validar (and to a lesser extent Henry and Tharja (and also Mustafa and to an even lesser extent the various plegian officers you fight) Like there could have easily been an interesting exploration of any of those characters. Gangrel's a much less subtle example of how an ATTEMPTED GENOCIDE affected him. He went mad and is lashing out at those who both caused and did not take accountability. Like there's a lot there to unpack and look at, especially when you consider his general dismissal of the grimleal cult. Validar is one I really wish we saw more of (Validad wishful thinking in my brain). He was likely a part of the grimleal since before the war, being a failed vessel; how did he view the genocide, was he moved by what happened to other plegians, did that give him conviction, did he care at all? Did he see grima, or his own child as a means of retribution or even as a saviour for his people. There is so much that could have been done there. Also maybe Tharja and Henry should have more to say about their country being brutalised in 3 whole wars. Also also, please just acknowledge Mustafa he was so fucking cool and deserved a larger role in the story, I'd love them as a continuous antagonist/anti-hero who RIGHTLY points out the hypocricy of the ylisseans while still showing himself to be an empathetic and just leader. Fuck it make him in charge, put him on a council with Validar. Can you imagine the political debates between those two?

Anyway I'm gonna start reading Affectionately Yours to stimulate the part of my brain that awakening didn't

Look, I am deeply and utterly fascinated by Plegia. I have been for a long time. Roughly half my Awakening works on AO3 hinge on some extensive Plegian worldbuilding because Awakening really didn't bother with it and I'm too fascinated to leave it alone.

I have a lot of thoughts about Gangrel. I have a lot of thoughts about Validar. I have a lot of thoughts about who they could have been in different situations, and why they turned out the way they did. I honestly think that Gangrel could have been handled better in Awakening canon: I think his mother was killed by bandits when he was young according to canon? But imagine how much more potent his role in the story becomes if he lost his mother in the attempted genocide -- he was a direct victim, and that unaddressed trauma festered and turned him into the Mad King. (I have a whole post of backstory headcanons about that.) And I think that Validar is underexplored as a character, especially considering that he outright admits he's a failed attempt at creating a vessel for Grima, and what something like that would do to a person. (I have yet another post of backstory headcanons for him.)

Henry...Henry not really having something to say doesn't surprise me. Henry was a victim of basically every system he'd ever been part of. He doesn't have a stake in society, but he's culturally Plegian because it's how he was generally brought up. Tharja, though -- she I think should have things to say about the situation, because even if she does adopt a measure of disinterest in the general situation, that's her home. She's lived through these nightmares and been a witness to their aftermath. The fact that her being Plegian and how that's affected her was entirely squandered is an absolute crime.

and don't get me started on Mustafa. I love Mustafa so much. Mustafa gets a role in basically all my fics, I love him so much. He's in Affectionately Yours. He's in Cursed Fate. He's in both Crown of Shadows and Shrouded Throne. He's in my works in progress, he's in my backburner stories, he's everywhere. I absolutely adore General Mustafa and what he says about Plegia as a country, even though the game tries to pretend that people like him don't exist as soon as we finish out Chapter 11.

I have a lot of Plegia thoughts okay. And a lot of Plegia stories.

also please let me know if you have any issues getting into the fics, I locked them as a precaution against AI data scraping but I am 100% willing to unlock them if you want to read but don't have an account

[doctorizzykleiner]

I lied about that last thing being my last post; the implications that Gordon WASN'T in stasis for those 20 years is absolutely insane to me. Like what happened to him then? Where did he go??? Did Gman just send him on vacation?? I am utterly facinated by the implications, and I will be awaiting desperately to know where my dear Gordon was for those 20 years.

[cussundria-nerd-kneal]

This is so good.

I could go on with my own greivances about how Bioware handled Morrigan/Mythal's story, but it would detract from what OP here is trying to say.

Either way, if you can't understand why people hate how Mythal, Morrigan and Flemeth were handled, read through this. If you can't understand why people are fine with these woman's stories being handled, please read through it still. It's WORTH IT, for both sides of the argument. It's insightful and directly quotes Dragon Age Origins and Inquisition. It's giving VERY IMPORTANT context.

And that "What If" scenario at the end... I'm wanting to cry. That would have been perfect. It would have given closure to long time fans of Morrigan, it would have completed her story arc... and it would have been a satisfying reckoning of Mythal. I am utterly facinated by Mythal and Flemeth as characters. And this post beautifully shows just how complex these women were and how their relationship was so harmful to Morrigan, her sister.... and most likely Solas. It just adds so much context.

I want to talk a little bit about the Morrigan/Mythal situation, because I've seen a lot of people talk about how Morrigan chose Mythal and chose that power and therefore this is her life and her ultimate evolution and generally just dismissing what happens to her after Mythal rejoins her as a natural evolution of the character, girlboss, ect. I don't want to be dismissive of that take because it can be one that is easily taken without reflection, but I do think it terribly misunderstands the nature of Flemeth and Morrigan's relationship and the methods by which she was very carefully raised.

So let's talk about Morrigan, how she was groomed and abused, and the training she took great pride in that was ultimately weaponized against her by design. Let's also talk about the great pains the game goes through in order to sidestep these issues, and by doing so leaving a much better story on the cutting room floor in order to make a very tepid story of parental forgiveness that misses the depth of their relationship entirely.

I'd like to say at the jump that the fusion of Morrigan and Mythal isn't a story I'm resistant too. I assumed this was the direction they would go and I truly think there was some fascinating storytelling to be had that expanded upon the themes already present in both. But I also think the Veilguard writers either misunderstand the exact nature of how Morrigan was raised, or needed to ignore it in order for Morrigan to serve as a vessel for Mythal in order to serve Solas' story (an issue I have with her use in this game in general, but that's for another post.)

The most revealing conversation that I think Morrigan has in regards to Flemeth is actually one that occurs very early in Origins. I think it's juxtaposition with other scenes is important;

Morrigan: "My Mother has been hunted from time to time, yes. My Templar fools like Alistair, which should tell you how successful they generally were. Flemeth made a bit of a game of it, in fact. The Templars would come again and she would look at me and smile and say that the fun was to begin once more."

Warden: "You really had no trouble with them?

Morrigan: "I am unsure. I was too young to understand, and perhaps 'twas bravado on Flemeth's part. Or perhaps she was merely amused. I will never know. Flemeth would warn them, once. 'Twas a warning they inevitably failed to heed." Morrigan: "And then the true game began. Often Flemeth would use me as bait." She giggles in amusement. "A little girl to scream, and run, and lure the templars deeper into the wilds and to their doom."

Warden: "Flemeth used you as bait?"

Morrigan: "'Twas a game, and I a young girl. If I didn't get to play, I would have been very upset."

This is a really important example, not just of how callously Morrigan was trained to kill when she was challenged at such a young age, but also because it exemplifies how Flemeth taught her. There's an assumption that Flemeth simply yelled and screamed at Morrigan her entire childhood, and that was true in places, but Flemeth was very crafty in how she presented the lessons that she felt were necessary for Morrigan to have.

A bit further into the conversation;

Warden: "Do you still think it was fun?" Morrigan: "I think that my Mother made it fun so that a child did not learn to fear. And I think it was necessary."

Interestingly, if you don't agree with this assessment, Morrigan ends the conversation very suddenly.

The point of highlighting both of these conversations isn't necessarily to outline the casual and cruel abuse, but instead to show how sinister Flemeth's teaching methods were. She treated a child with kindness and the warmness of a friend or Mother when it suited the needs of Morrigan's lessons, but when she broke out and did something that would endanger those teachings, she violently lashed out, as is evident with the mirror scene.

These juxtapositions are important when you look at who Morrigan becomes as an adult, and why she's sent away during the Blight at all. As we know, it was Flemeth's plan all along for Morrigan to offer the ritual before the battle with the Archdemon, but Morrigan posits that it's now her making those decisions and not her Mother. This is highlighted by the line;

Morrigan: "Some things are worth preserving in this world. Make of that what you will."

If we jump ahead a bit to Inquisition, this thought process is expanded on a lot more, in a lot more detail, highlighting the philosophy in Mythal's temple;

Morrigan: "There is... a danger to the natural order. Legends walked Thedas once, things of might and wonder. Their passing has left us all the lesser. Corypheus would squander the ancient power of the well. I would have it restored"

Inquisitor: "I wasn't expecting your answer to be so... romantic."

Morrigan: "Trust me. Your surprise is matched only by my own." Sigh. "Mankind blunders through the world, crushing what it does not understand: Elves, dragons, magic... the list is endless. We must stem the tide or be left with nothing more than the mundane. This I know to be true."

On a surface level, this can be seen as an evolution of who she was in Origins and what she believed then. I can see how that mistake might be made, and I can see how that thought process can lead to accidentally mistaking Veilguard's reply to it as being that same evolution. But if we look at the Dark Ritual, we see this is an opinion based within the philosphy she was always taught by Flemeth.

In order to expand on that, we can actually look to the comics, in the little-explored character of Yavana, sister of Morrigan.

I want to stress first we don't TRULY know much about Yavana. History implies she's a figure out of Antivan legend going back multiple ages, but it's sort of impossible to know if that's true or if it's even her and not a previous Witch Of The Wilds, or even a previous host of Mythal. I hesitate, therefor, to truly assume what her relationship with her Mother was like, however I will very carefully put forward that, based on what little dialogue we have of her, she may be a 'failed' daughter of Flemeth that Mythal deemed unworthy, as she knows about Mythal inhabiting her daughters, see's it as Flemeth does, and seems somewhere between disapointed and jealous in the fact that Morrigan seems to misunderstand that. (I'm not really here to run back the whole Origins possession versus Inquisition's and now Veilguard's 'a soul is not hefted on the unwilling, because frankly it doesn't really weigh in on the point being made here as much as you'd suspect, as you'll see.) But this assumption is questionable, and might be both wrong and not relevant to the issue, if perhaps fairly telling.

What we DO know about her for certain is that she was raised by Flemeth, and at some point moved to Antiva in order to nurture and preserve the return of Dragons to Thedas. Her actual wording of this point, I think, is so telling of FleMythal as a character that I almost wish it wasn't hidden away in the comics;

This is, nearly verbatim, the same message Morrigan gives both in short in Origins before the Dark Ritual, and in much more detail in the Temple Of Mythal in Inquisition. I also find Alistair's response to this INCREDIBLY telling, as one of Alistair's great talents is seeing through people;

While I think the phrasing is very purposefully dismissive and flippant, I don't think the sentiment is totally off base. It actually leads me into the entire thesis of this post, and an aspect of this relationship that some fans and even writers seem to blatantly miss;

The preservation of the old magic is not Morrigan's dream. The preservation of magic is what Morrigan was raised to value most in the world by her abuser.

To illustrate this, let's look at Morrigan's arc in Inquisition, and what it's actually saying about her and Flemythal; The cycle of abuse.

Mythal's Temple is a story about Morrigan and the folly of pride, certainly, but it's also a character arc of a woman who was very carefully raised to HAVE that pride. This isn't an assumption I have made based on evidence, Flemeth outright says it in DA2;

Hawke: "Is (Morrigan) someone I should know?" Flemeth: "She's a girl who thinks she knows what is what better than I, or anyone." Chuckle. "And why not? I raised her to be as she is. I cannot expect her to be less!"

This is, to be, the smoking gun of Flemeth's entire method of teaching and parenting. She is incredibly adept at training flaws into her daughters, pride being the greatest of them. More than that, she's very talented at imparting just enough knowledge that they think they know everything, while also holding back vast amounts of it in order to stay in control.

The Temple Of Mythal is one of the crowning achievements of that. While you can't exactly expect Mythal to have known that's where Morrigan would end up (although Morrigan certainly questions if she knew it would happen), it really hardly matters if she knew or not. Morrigan was raised from birth in order to make the exact decision she made at the Temple. The preservation of what might be lost is such a core part of her being that she can't escape it... and more than that, she can't fathom it being a negative trait. To her, it's a holy calling.

I'm going to pull out the most direct conversation of abuse Morrigan documents now, not to pile on more evidence, but instead because I think it's a more effective conversation to use as juxtaposition of why she thinks that than I could make myself;

Leliana: They say your mother is Flemeth, a witch of the Korcari Wilds. Morrigan: They also say that washing your feet in winter makes you catch cold in the head, but we all know that is not true. But sometimes they are right and they are right in this. Leliana: You know the stories about-- Morrigan: Of course. You think my mother would let me go without telling me all the stories of her youth? Leliana: My mother told me stories too. She was the one who kindled my love of the old tales and legends. Morrigan: Hmph. my mother's stories curdled my blood and haunted my dreams. No little girl wants to hear about the Wilder men her mother took to her bed, using them till they were spent, then killing them. No little girl wants to be told that this is also expected of her, once she comes of age. Leliana: I... uh... I see. Morrigan: No, you don't. You really don't.

This is the environment Morrigan grew up in. She was exposed to Flemeth taking advantage of men, she was exposed to gruesome murder both as a game and in casual moments. Any attempt she made to take self-possession or grow as a person was aggressively curtailed and broken. This was a girl so afraid of her home life that, for many years, she spent as much time as she could living amongst the animals of the forest, and escaping her home life.

Now, imagine; This same abusive woman gives you positive reinforcement. You're a child, and you crave that attention like any child would of their Mother, and you know that reinforcement comes when you're an attentive and talented student. The closest you ever are with your Mother is when you're taking in everything she has to teach you, so it becomes the center of your life. Soon, it's not just a method by which to be close to your Mother, but a core tenant in your life. They stay with you as a fascination, as something you take pride in, as a holy crusade even as you escape your abuser and move on into a happier version of your life where you've grown and matured, where you've seemingly broken the cycle.

Now, imagine the discovery that those few, core, good memories you have were horribly tainted. The lessons you were taught were cyclical, a method by which to control you and gather that which she needs. Your life goal, your career, your passion was entirely made in order to benefit the abuser you've run from your entire life. Imagine who devastating that would be.

That's what happened at the Temple Of Mythal. That was the pride that Flemeth trained into Morrigan, the path by which she wanted her to evolve. She seized that opportunity, and that opportunity either tied her to her abuser forever, and/or told her abuser where she and her son was after years of protecting him from her.

Everything you know, everything you are, everything you've protected... is based on a lie.

Morrigan's character arc in Inquisition is her breaking that cycle. 'What Pride Had Wrought' is in reference at least partially to Morrigan's personal journey, where that pride, that passion, is something she recklessly seizes on because to her it is good and right and just and hers by nature, and it is that pride that was so ingrained into her by her abuser that she watches tear her son away from her and into the hands of said abuser.

In that moment, when she's faced by everything that her pride could lose her, she is forced to reckon with everything she has ever believed, and in the face of her greatest fear... she chooses to break the cycle of abuse. She chooses to assure that her son is safe.

The most obvious quote to be in this write-up;

Flemythal: "As you wish. Hear my proposal, dear girl. Let me take the lad, and you are free of me forever. I will never interfere with or harm you again. Or, keep the lad with you... and you will never be safe from me. I will have my due." Morrigan: "He returns with me." Flemythal: "Decided so quickly?" Morrigan: "Do whatever you wish. Take over my body now, if you must, but Kieran will be free of your clutches. I am many things, but I will not be the Mother you were to me."

This is obviously Morrigan's most famous line, but I actually am not sure if folks understand the truth depth of it; This is not only breaking the cycle of abuse and freeing her son of it, but she's also going against every natural instinct that was bred into her. This woman, the girl that was raised to lure men to their deaths for fun, who's most crucial life lesson was to do anything in order to survive... accepts she will never be safe again. She accepts the possibility of constant danger just to keep her son safe a day longer, a sacrifice her Mother would have never made for her.

This was a possible full culmination of her story. And Veilguard... sort of ignores the meaning of it by giving undo attention to Flemeth's head tilt.

I want to take a moment to preface this next section by saying that I was in no way resistant to the idea of Morrigan being possessed by Mythal in Veilguard. I in fact expected it and was excited by the possibility. There was a really brilliant way to handle the situation even within the parameters of how the game handled it, but the developers chose instead to dismiss this situation in a few lines so that they could instead focus on Mythal, and her relationship with Solas.

I don't want to outright insult the writers here. Veilguard was a game I greatly enjoyed. But I do want to say this because I find it deeply regressive, and I also find the decisions that were made were a symptom of this issue; Morrigan is not in Veilguard for her own character. Morrigan is in Veilguard because she is a convenient vessel through which to explore a character that has much more importance to the main antagonist. This is already slightly regressive because it's two characters largely only serving the plot of one male character, but I find it most troubling because the character they use her for is her own abuser, and by paying as little attention to that as possible while also barely using Morrigan herself as a character, it creates a very tepid story of parental forgiveness that... doesn't work as presented.

From her scene in the Crossroads after finding all of Solas' regrets;

Morrigan: "When I learned she intended me to become the next receptacle of an ancient god's soul, I feared naught would be left of my own. It inevitably came to pass on a deep night: I was awakened by the presence of a blaze of magic in the shape of a woman who both was, and was not, my Mother."

Rook: "I don't think I'd recover from that."

Morrigan: "Neither did I, at the start. Mythal's memories were both gift and burden, this blazing woman told me, but I must accept them of my own accord. The decision was paralyzing. What would it mean to become such a host? What would be lost if I refused? In the end, 'twas something in my Mother's voice which guided me."

Rook: "What was that?"

Morrigan: "Regret. Not the regret of a God, but of a Mother who knew she would never see me again. And so my mind remains my own. What I gained was knowledge... both Mythal's, and of those who bore her."

I think you can see where the problem lies, but let me reiterate:

Morrigan was a child of abuse. That abuse was calculated, both in how she treated her aggressively and how she gave her affection. Her methods of teaching, of raising a child, were there entirely to teach that child to continue on the legacy of Mythal. The preservation of magic was imbued very carefully into Morrigan and Yavana both in order to gather and save aspects of the ancient elves, and in order to prepare them to carry Mythal's soul. Pride was a weakness trained into them from childhood, and their lofty goal of protecting ancient magic was a weapon to be wielded in order to control them. This was a cycle Morrigan first discovered in Inquisition and began to fight against, because she wanted to break the cycle of abuse for the sake of her son.

In this game, Morrigan took on the memories of Flemythal... in order to preserve ancient magic that must be protected so that it is not lost. An instinct given to her by her Mother... in order to be used as a weapon... so that one day she would take on the soul of Mythal.

I want to be clear, I am not opposed to this storyline. I'm not going to yell 'That's problematic, you can't write that!' or 'That's a regression of her character!' because I think it's a fascinating direction to take both their characters.

The problem to me isn't that they went down this pretty natural path, the problem is they did it by... sidestepping any negative parts of how this would affect Morrigan. They sidestepped the fact that the reason she accepted her was largely because of something that Flemythal trained into her and weaponized against her, and the writing treats it as... a difficult moment that eventually brought her peace.

I think this is most exemplified in the aspect of Mythal's soul that remains in the Crossroads. As a concept some are saying it's arbitrary considering how Flemythal saved herself inside of an amulet in Origins/DA2, but I think that's lacks context. It's clear Mythal couldn't prepare this time, because she didn't expect Solas to murder her. Her soul, while saving itself, fractured into pieces. I'm definitely willing to defend that choice.

The problem, I think, is more that the fracturing is seemingly mostly used as a way to sidestep how Mythal's soul fully joining Morrigan would change this scenario. Morrigan's ultimate fear was becoming one with the soul of Mythal, so in order to avoid that they've attempted to only give Morrigan the memories of Flemythal while also seemingly leaving her unchanged as a character.

My issue with this thought process, first and foremost, is that it prevents them from exploring a much better story that has the chance of presenting a much better payoff as a story of an abused child coming to terms with her Mother. It removes the chance of Morrigan's possession being a major character arc, one that would further what she went through in Inquisition while also offering Flemythal a pathway toward an understanding with her daughter so that that ending could still be explored, in order to get to where they want to truly get to as fast as possible, which is using Morrigan as an agent for Mythal's forgiveness in order to fulfill Solas' character arc.

Imagine a more fleshed out version of this story, one where Morrigan had more of a presence within it. Over time, as you discover more about Mythal out through those flashbacks, you begin to realize something is... off about Morrigan. Her unique way of talking has slowly changed, her more sarcastic and poetic tone drips away in favor of Flemythal's more loose, jovial, sometimes playful but always pointed and aggressive tone. The player is prepared to pick up on that, but Rook isn't. Things eventually come to a head where Mythal has to reveal herself, likely as an aggressor similar to how she's handled in the Crossroads, and Morrigan is actually allowed to exist within this presentation. She sneaks through occasionally. The magic of the crossroads allows her moments of clear headedness. She reflects that she accepted her Mother's soul out of that fear, and that it's begun to change her, that she's scared of what she's losing, and even more frightened of how she's coming to understand her Mother. Conflict occurs and if you've reached Morrigan, she fights against Mythal's influence and regains control enough to fracture them just enough to have to come head-to-head, where you can guide them through decades of conflict to a mutual understanding or forgiveness through this bond they have, help Morrigan fully overcome Mythal, or help Mythal dominate Morrigan. Ideally, you'd have the ability to either remove Mythal's essence from Morrigan forcefully with an 'I reject you!' scene, or you can have your moment of forgiveness where the Flemeth side of Mythal removes herself from Morrigan, perhaps into the idol you use for Solas at the end.

But that's not what they did. What they chose to do, I think, is to sidestep a difficult issue, a problem this game does tend to have. I'm not entirely sure if they didn't quite grasp Morrigan's relationship with her Mother, or felt they were forced to gloss over it either because of the world state issue or their need to use Mythal, but the decision they came to is not an acceptable payoff to that story.

The truth of the matter is, this version of the stories' either inability to explore this issue in full or it's misunderstanding of it greatly hurts the characterization and misses a massive chance at more impactful storytelling. And that, to me, is the most damning creative decision of the entire game.