#which are half devoted to action scenes

[merakiui]

[0] 𝔭𝔯𝔬𝔩𝔬𝔤𝔲𝔢.

yandere!twst x (female) reader cw: yandere, unhealthy behaviors/relationship, non-consensual touching, power imbalance, abuse of power, descriptions of religious imagery, attempted non-con, hypocrisy, solitary confinement, rollo is immensely creepy, archaic mindsets and logic masterlist // prologue (you are here) // one

Without a shred of sympathy, discarded like dross, you are thrown before Father Flamme’s feet.

You have enough grace and dignity to resist the urge to grasp at his robes and beg for forgiveness. Instead, you condemn yourself to silence, allowing his piercing stare to stab through you with a judgment so precise it might just slice the skin from your skeleton. Your tongue darts out to wet your dry lips, and you can almost taste his disapproval, much like a snake might parse chemical witchery in the air.

“Lift your head, if you would,” he commands gently, and you do as you’re told. He folds his arms over his chest and looks on, cold as winter’s frost. You watch his finger tap out a soundless rhythm. “I must ask of you, Sister, to provide reason to your recent absences. As a child of God, you have taken oath to follow His wise teachings and devote yourself to serving this church. Am I wrong?”

“You speak wise and true.” You rise to your feet and, ignoring the brutes who so rudely cast you forward in the first place, bow your head in apology. Father Flamme waves them out without sparing so much as a second glance. “You are right that it is my duty to serve the church. I ought to be doing just that and yet I have failed to do so. Undeserving I may be, I ask that you pardon my negligence.”

Father Flamme hums. Standing in front of the altar, backdropped by a stained glass depiction of the crucifixion, he is bathed in a colorful, angelic array. He strides towards you, covering the short distance in just a few clicks, and places his hand upon your shoulder. You’re led from the steps and down the aisle. It feels more like you’re being brought away for slaughter, a lamb primed for punishment.

“There is no doubt you are genuine in all that you do,” he notes, sliding his hand down your arm. Those slender, spidery digits curl into your woolen sleeve. “You are impartial and well-bred, a woman of impressive patience and virtue. Qualities of which arouse an admiration most potent.”

You know the rest of your convent is much the same, which is why it puzzles you that Father Flamme should praise your humble name in such a sickeningly fond manner.

“You are too kind, Father,” you acquiesce. “As a modest servant of God, it’s my pleasure to devote myself to Him, the church, my fellow sisters, and the community.”

“Hmm. A laudable outlook.” His lips quirk up in a smile. Strangely, it looks sharp and predatory. It does not reach his eyes.

Father Flamme steers you in the direction of another stained glass window. This scene is of The Resurrection of Christ. You gaze at His face and wonder if there truly is something up there, watching over the world’s sheep as they live out cyclical days in their pastures.

Immediately, you realize you should commit yourself to writing lines to chase that doubtful notion away.

Father Flamme rests his hand on your other arm to hold you in place. “A quote paraphrased from the Gospel of Matthew, chapter twenty-two, verses thirty-six through thirty-eight, if you’ll listen: ‘When asked which is the great commandment of all in the law, Jesus would reply, ‘You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment.’”

You nod mechanically, only half-listening. After observing you closely, he frowns.

“What troubles you, Sister?”

“It is hardly a burden worth shouldering. I assure you I’m of sound health. My recent habit of absence is most unbecoming of a sister. I should sooner confront the great shame of my actions than let it fester within.”

“There is still time to atone. You must seek counsel and, having taken it in your arms just as God embraces all, you will know forgiveness.”

You rest your hand upon Father Flamme’s, which has somehow found its home at your hip. “And how do you suppose I do that?”

He smiles that empty smile again. “If He is to provide for you, you must first lay yourself bare before him. I am no fool, Sister. There’s something you’re not telling me.”

“I have been truthful, Father. I would never lie under this sacred roof, nor would I have the gall to do so in your presence. It would be an offense so beastly I could not bear to let it weigh heavy on my heart.”

“Yet, rather than scorch your tongue with a dissolution of the truth, you evade the simplest of queries.” His fingers toy with the knots of your cincture. “What manner of tale will you spin to mystify me next?”

Reacting on instinct, you rip yourself from his immoral grasp. The nave is as silent as the grave, so stuffy it’s suffocating. Father Flamme narrows his eyes at you. His gaze cuts through you like blood swirling through the cracks in ice—like a scalding brand pressed onto flesh.

A thick tension blankets the air. You merely stare at him, and he levels you with the same calculating intensity. Both of you are searching the other’s face, hoping to find an explanation for such polar opposite behavior.

You’re courageous enough to break the quiet first.

“If it would please you, Father, I will graciously offer myself up for confession. There is no reason or need to circumvent the Lord.”

“Sister (Name), if you may spare the time, I entreat you to take a short stroll with me.” Before you can object, he offers his arm. “All children are lost lambs who will soon find their way when following the path illuminated by God’s brilliant light. You are no different. It is my duty to see that you are no longer led astray by temptation and the litany of filth propagated by the fiend.”

Sensing no other option, you link arms with him and subject yourself to his whims. “I’ve a frightful feeling. Most frightful indeed.”

“By all means, confide in God and trust that He will provide shelter. Under His sacred roof, He will lend an ear just as I am doing now.”

You inhale a steadying breath. At this moment, Father Flamme is all you have. In the depths of your heart, you’re aware he’ll never understand. He will never know the morbid secrets that dwell in darkened corners, swept expertly away. And if he knew, you would never be welcome in the church again. Your fellow sisters would certainly turn their noses up at you, loathing the sin of your very existence.

Even as you walk alongside the righteous bishop, you feel an overwhelming itchiness.

“Recent events have led me to believe—though I pray it isn’t true—that my heart has been possessed with a ghastly malady. Umbras waltz in my peripheral—no trick of the light, I assure!”

“Perhaps it is merely a case of wicked dreams?” he posits, leading you through the aisle like a father might accompany a bride on her wedding day. You shake your head insistently, and so he holds his hand up to soothe your frazzled disposition. “Peace, Sister. The songs of night are naught but whimsical folly weaved from the silk of zealous minds. You would do well to shake yourself free of their deceitful shroud.”

“I shall do so most ardently.”

“To rectify this trouble, might you consider attending evening mass? It can only do you good.”

You step up towards the altar, keeping pace with Father Flamme’s casual gait. “Oh, I couldn’t. As of late, I’ve felt uneasy in my solitude. I fear my shadow is not my own…”

His verdant eyes are so stark against the pallor of his face that it reminds you of coins placed over those of the dead. His arm slips away from your waist and, gathering your hands in his, he assesses you more carefully. Under the watchful stare of both Father Flamme and a crucified deity, you feel as if someone has taken a spoon to your soul and scraped it out. And then, for extra, unnecessary measure, they’ve flattened it out on a table for dissection in hopes of picking apart each of your dirtiest secrets.

“Oh? Do elucidate.”

Hazarding a glance at the cross situated grandly in multicolored glass, you lower your voice so as to not be heard by any outside parties. Paranoia grips you in a clenched fist.

“Something—what it may be, I could not begin to form ample conjecture—is hunting me.”

He does not grace you with a reply, and this only incenses the unrest bubbling within you.

“How say you, Father? What is it that causes me such nocturnal torment?”

His features are set in perfect neutrality; it’s impossible to glean any sort of emotion from the way he acts. He coaxes you closer, pulling you along towards the altar. 

“It is with great devastation that I must behold you as you are,” he says, breaking the suspense. “Tainted with the despicable sins of the world outside, young and promising as you are… I shall remedy that.”

You open your mouth to voice concern, but in one swift motion he shoves you against the altar. You land with a thud, your back colliding against sturdy mahogany. It happens in a flash, like the final expulsion of breath from your lungs in the wake of the end. He’s between your flailing legs, pushing you up and onto the cloth-covered surface. Brass candlesticks scatter in a haphazard clatter. Globs of wax bespatter stone floors.

In the quaint tranquility of the church, the struggle is louder than a newborn’s cry.

Your chest heaves in a panic. 

Gracious God above, I implore you—save me from this wretched devil!

Your pupils flit wildly, assessing every area within your range. There must be a means to escape! Above the ornate display, his head hung, your god looks on silently. He does not offer a whit of protection.

“Father—”

Frigid fingers crawl upon your legs like a flurry of scurrying rats. You blink up at him, helplessly hopeful.

He inhales a long, steadying breath and shuts his eyes. “God, have mercy. Have pity on this wayward soul. May she be cleansed beneath my fingertips, pure as freshly fallen snow, and may you forgive her every transgression.”

You sputter an incoherent noise.

He opens his eyes and smiles serenely. “Amen.”

Squirming beneath him, you resist his touch like it’s flickering flame. “Father, I beg of you… Quell your frustrations and release me at once. I am innocent.”

He sighs, unconvinced. “You are exquisitely venust, Sister. As sweet as the first buds of spring. You must know it is impossible for beauty to exist freely when there are fiends who wish to tarnish it—who will trample upon the virtuous garden in which you bloom and pluck you by the root, rough as barbarians. Thus, it is my duty to see that you are scrubbed of their detestable influence. May God pardon my iniquity.”

His hands slide up your calves beneath your habit. You watch, prickled with horror, as he parts your legs. 

“Belle chose, unfurl your petals so that we may make feet for children’s stockings.”

He leans over you, reaching to secure your wrists with one hand. The other climbs higher in its rapacious pursuit of a place most sacred. In the midst of your ferocious thrashing, you espy His divine eye once more.

I adjure you, Lord… Save me from this demon. You must. Please, Lord…

Silence. A haunting, engulfing silence. 

There is no salvation to be found beneath the cross. None for you, as it appears so disturbingly clear.

“Unhand me! Unhand me at once!” you snap, tearing your arm free. “You would allow yourself to fall lower than the ground you trod upon—to so flagrantly commit sacrilege in His hallowed home?!”

“It is not I who is to be scorned so. I am guiltless,” he sneers. But then he smooths his scowl into that of pristine, practiced patience, and he speaks in a soft, pitying tone. “Oh, Sister, you have allowed them to tip poison into your precious ears… Your perception is clouded with the cobwebs of that uncouth crowd.”

“To stand at his feet and reveal your malice in such a grotesque manner… You are no better than swine!”

“You shall see there is no better solace to be found than with me.” Tenderly, he fits his hand, cold and skeletal, in yours. “I shall shelter you from all that is cruel and unjust. You need only take my hand.” His fingers flicker at your inner thigh, waltzing in circles. His incessant petting sends a shudder wracking through your body. Paralyzed as you are, you recognize the monster lurking just beneath human flesh. A demented desire flashes in his eyes. You’ve never felt more lost. “And your sins shall be forgiven.”

Father Flamme leans down, chancing to catch the scent at your neck. You reach between your bodies, searching for the garter secured around your thigh, and unsheath the dagger from beneath your habit. It’s thrust at his throat, the sharpened edge pressed close enough to pierce through the collar of his alb and draw the slightest pinprick of blood. Clasping the ivory handle in a trembling fist, you face him with a fire burning in your fear-filled visage.

Perhaps it is his own disbelief that prompts the rattle in his chest—an ominous chuckle. 

“You are a bride of Christ, yet you dare turn a blade on me?”

“You’re a man of God, yet you besmear His holy name with the sin of your incorrigible lust?”

“You are mistaken, Sister.” He grabs hold of your fist with both hands and folds his fingers over yours in mock prayer. As if intending to stoke your ire, he tilts his head in taunt. “Let my blood run red on this altar and you shall know of my humanity.”

“Defile the Lamb of God and you are no shepherd but, rather, the wolf who adorns himself in woolen mendacity.”

Before he can utter a response, the doors burst open. Father Flamme releases your hand and climbs off of you, brushing the wrinkles from his robes. An icy gale claws at the interior, and with it two men arrive in a whirlwind rush.

“Your Excellency, forgive our intrusion!”

Your arm falls to your side and, with a mounting sense of defeat, you gaze at the ceiling. You don’t feel soothed, but you must compose yourself. And so, shoving your frenzied emotions to the side, you sheath your blade and scramble to make yourself presentable once your feet are back on the floor. Brightening at the sight of the two villagers, you cradle your rosary and pray silently.

Dear God, may you smite he who spreads abhorrent rot with his fingertips and, in witnessing a most magnificent death flail, gralloch him without mercy.

“Ah, gentlemen, what fortuitous timing,” Father Flamme greets them, smiling. “Do come in. I’ve a task for you, if you would be so inclined.”

You linger behind, cautious like a gare-fowl often is when at the receiving end of a hunter’s rifle.

“Your Excellency, you need only ask and we are at your service.”

“Before that, you must accompany us to the hogs,” the other interjects. “Death has soiled these grounds, Your Excellency. A sight so barbarous it forebodes only the worst! You must come—come and behold the infernal darkness which has cursed this village!”

Father Flamme glances between the both of them, assessing the urgency of the situation that has been so cryptically illustrated.

“As you have described, the present circumstances appear dire. Oh, but I do require your assistance before that, gentlemen. It shan’t be too arduous a task.” He turns on his heel and indicates you with an outstretched hand. “Sister (Name) totters at the precipice with her fickle faith. As it is my duty to ensure all are well in the arms of God, I must take…caution—you might say—in sorting such a sensitive matter.”

The men exchange bewildered looks.

“You imply…punishment, sir?”

“Nay, I think not!” you interrupt, striding forwards. You’re stopped by Father Flamme’s arm, held just in front of your chest to keep you in place. “Father, I am steadfast in my faith. I have—”

“If such were the truth, you would not speak nullifidian filth.”

Pushing past him, you plead with the men: “Sirs, he knots his tongue and utters dishonesty! You know of my virtue—my loyalty to Him. And of my father, who has provided comfort and care, the means by which I was raised into the woman you see before you, I am justly proud. As the daughter of (Last Name), I sicken with the thought of bringing dishonor to my father, my faith—all of which I hold true in my heart. Sirs, you must believe in—”

Father Flamme lifts his hand to silence you, but you’re aware of his cunning machinations. “I ask of you this, good sirs. When sailors set out at sea, do they allow themselves to fall prey to the song of the siren? Just as those wretched sea-beasts sing, so, too, does honey pour spoiled from the mouth of a sinner. Her words serve to chart a course for ill-founded temptation.”

“Sister, your virtue I do not question.” The villager addresses Father Flamme next, disregarding your presence entirely, as if you are naught but a worthless speck. “What shall we do, Your Excellency?”

A smile curls on his lips. “Take her to the tower just beyond the village. She shall remain in solitude for seven days. That shall provide her with ample time for contemplation.”

The men approach you without a hint of remorse on their lips. Cornered, you look to Father Flamme for guidance.

“Father, I beg of you—you mustn’t send me away! I shall repent! I shall do so before you now.”

“It serves me no satisfaction to subject you to solitary confinement.” He folds his hands in front of him and observes the spectacle of your resistance. “You have proven to me your doubt in the capabilities of the Lord. It is my right to correct your contumacious thoughts. I’m certain your father would share this sentiment. No daughter should empty her mind of His valuable teachings.”

“Do not speak as if you have dined with my father,” you hiss, wriggling in the firm hold of both men.

Father Flamme steps closer and smiles. “Let us away.” 

You are dragged, struggling all the while, out of the church and down the steps. There is a ferocious bite to this year’s autumnal weather. Father Flamme is gracious enough to drape his cloak over your shoulders just before you’re lifted onto a horse. He mounts his stallion and, with the crack of a whip, the four of you are off towards the decrepit tower at the rugged foothills of the mountains. No words are exchanged. You’ve said more than enough and you still remain the accused, guilty due to distorted logic.

The tower, which had once appeared so distantly out of your mind, gains striking clarity as you approach. You gaze helplessly at the man transporting you. He offers nothing of substance, his gaze focused squarely on the dirt footpath ahead.

When you were but a babe, the tower served as a warning for all children in the village: Those whose souls are stained with the sins of their atrocities shall wither away in silence.

There was once a raving madman who was imprisoned there in your youth. A heretic, he was called. Driven to his end, his sanity thin as a hair, he scraped at the walls and pulled loose bricks free until his fingernails cracked and blood trickled down his hands in rivers. When he had created a sizable opening for himself, at the peak of his derangement, he climbed out to meet the sun’s soft rays, a singular blessing owed for years of captivity. And then he threw himself from the tower, landing in a broken spattering at the very bottom.

In the years following, the tower housed numerous prisoners. It is a cold, unforgiving place, existing solely for the ugly and the crooked. And, now, the misunderstood. The wrongfully accused.

As you’re helped down from the horse, you ponder how many have been sent here to live out time for unfair accusations.

You’re joined by the second villager shortly, and they flank you like soldiers as they shove you along.

“Have you no sympathy, sirs!” you snap, shaking yourself from their grip. “To treat me so callously when my devotion is fervent and true! I am no fabulist.”

The men say nothing and amble onwards, pushing you closer to the tower. One of them attempts to seize your wrist; you evade him gracefully. Father Flamme observes your outright stubborn refusal and hums his disapproval.

“Unhand me! I’ll go of my own accord. I’ve feet for a reason, and thus they shall work as God intended. I need not the assistance of fools. My legs shall be the ones to carry me.” Punctuating that with an indignant huff, you stride ahead.

What brutish handling… These doltish fiends sit under the tree of knowledge and yet not a single fruit falls into their laps. To think this is how they would treat someone sworn to the church—and a lady, no less!

The latch is weather-worn, and it creaks a discordant note when lifted. You peek into the shadowed entrance and frown. Before you are subjected to the impatience of the men at your side, you step into the dimness. It is alight with the red-orange slivers of a setting sun.

“You shall wait here. I will accompany this misguided Sister to the very top. After which, we shall return to the village and I shall accompany you to the hogs.”

The men nod and stand at attention.

If you’re so dedicated to foolish play, you would be wise to salute, you think with a sardonic tut.

Father Flamme offers his arm. “Shall we?”

Ignoring his attempt at chivalry, you lift your habit so as to not trip on it and begin the lengthy ascent up the spiraling staircase. He chuckles and follows your lead. Every wooden step creaks under your weight. Something brushes your face—dust, perhaps. You swat at your face, grimacing. The scent of mold and rot clings to the bowels of this tower like maggots on a corpse, impossibly redolent in ways you shall avoid giving thought to.

I must not breathe so deeply, lest I wish to savor the taste of decay and bitter rage.

You carry on, ignoring the creeping revulsion and the stench of death as it clouds the air, accompanying you on your journey. A door waits for you at the top. You note it is without a lock.

“A bird will not fly in captivity,” Father Flamme advises, pushing it open to reveal a sparsely furnished room. It’s equipped with the essentials a common prisoner would need. You can’t help feeling less than human the moment you pass through the threshold.

It is enough of a sight to wear on my eyes and render them woefully sore.

He meets you at the door and offers an embroidered reticule. “I shall retrieve you in seven days’ time.”

You eye him dubiously and, upon sensing no additional malevolence, swipe the reticule from him. “May you rest guilty on your bed of lies.”

He leans in close, his voice as faint as a phantasm. “May you reflect on what it is you hold dear, for I assure you it is well within my reach.” He pivots and begins his descent, his footsteps tapping out a resounding rhythm. “You will learn a glorious lesson here. Treasure it as you would a child.”

Minutes later, the door below shuts and the latch is dropped into place. The noise races up the stone spiral in echo, filling your ears with its haunting reverberation.

Now you’re truly alone.

“How boorish he must be to condemn me to this prison!” You slam the door in your anger and drop the reticule onto the bed. In an effort of appraisal, you feel the lumpy mattress. It’s packed full of straw. “I am not nameless, nor am I a harlot. Yet I am gifted the opulence of peasants. I can scarcely accept such generosity.”

Alas, this is your new misfortune.

To busy your idle hands, you open the reticule and peer inside at its contents. A thumb Bible rests beside a bulk of misshapen cloth. Gingerly, you unwrap it to find bread, cheese, and salt pork. Somehow—and you have every right to be fastidious—you doubt this modest portion will be enough for seven days.

“And not a drop of water!” you announce to the empty room. “He has an astounding amount of faith in me if he thinks I will surrender so simply. One day he shall get his gruel. I’ll make sure of it.”

Until then you will never know peace.

Bundling the rations, you place them within the reticule alongside the Bible. Perhaps you should have requested writing implements or a book—anything to preclude the impending accidie. 

Beyond the window, which is sized perfectly for the smallest bird, the sun disappears below the horizon. Ink spills across the sky, darkening the surroundings outside the tower and leaving room for stars to speckle the vastness. You sit at the edge of the bed and wrap your fingers around your rosary.

“Dear God, you know I am faultless and so I ask that you guide me in understanding your ways. Father Flamme speaks of protection in your home and yet when danger is knocking you are not there to answer.” You tug anxiously at the beads. “If you are there, show me… Show me that you hear my prayers. Show me that I am not alone. That even I, imperfect as I may be, am deserving of your sanctuary and forgiveness. Amen.”

Shrugging the cloak off, you fold it into a neat square and set it at the end of the bed. Your veil and coif are next to go, and you take immense care in handling both. You slide your dagger out of its sheath and set it on the bed. The night is cool and so you resolve to remain dressed as you are, in your robes and chemise.

“I will endure these seven days. Each one, night and day, I will be strong. My faith will never falter. I will never waver,” you whisper, repeating this oath like a mantra. You settle into bed, sparing a final glance at the square cut into the brickwork, where a starry sky wraps the world in a celestial counterpane. “Perhaps then you might acknowledge me.”

Clutching the rosary close to your chest, comforted with the weapon at your side, you drift into dreamless slumber.

[anakinstwinklebunny]

teen dad sam monroe and reader would definitely argue when it came to naming the baby. i’m imagining it like that one scene from glee with quinn and puck, it would be a funny imagine.

Quinn: you wanna name our daughter Jack Daniel’s? she’s a girl!

Puck: Fine, whatever, Jackie Daniel’s

Author's note: it's so sam coded I fell in love

You were sitting across from Sam in your cramped, barely-put-together living room, surrounded by baby name books and crumpled scraps of paper covered in doodles and crossed-out lists. Naming your baby girl had become an all-out battlefield—and Sam was determined that his names were the best.

“Okay, hear me out,” Sam said, leaning forward with this excited gleam in his eyes you kept seeing for what felt like hours now. “How about… Raven Storm?”

You just stared at him, pressing your fingers to your sore temples. “Sam, she’s a baby girl, not a rock band.”

He shrugged, unfazed. “Yeah, but it’s a strong name. Memorable, you know? Like, people would be talking about Raven Storm for years.”

You sighed, trying to keep your patience. “Sam… please. She’s a girl.”

“Oh, okay, I get it, I get it,” He shrugged, leaning back in his chair. “Alright, then Maximus Danger Monroe.” he grinned proudly

You stared at him, raising an eyebrow. “Maximus Danger?” you echoed in judgmental tone

“Exactly. It’s strong, it’s powerful, it's cool. Imagine her introducing herself—no one’s gonna mess with Maximus Danger.”

you bore your eyes on him, already tired (yet surprised) of all the names he had brought up over the last hours “What? It’s amazing,” he insisted, folding his arms with a pout. “You don’t get it, these are strong names! They’ll protect her.”

“She’s a baby, not an action hero!” you replied, surpassingly trying not to laugh at his pout, his incredibly devoted expression. Yet, it's meant to be a girl, not an alien. "We are the ones who should protect her, not some weird name"

Sam rolled his eyes. “Fine, if you don’t like ‘Danger,’ maybe something more classic. Chardonnay.” He smirked, clearly testing you now

You sighed, counting to five in your head to ease down. “Oh my god.." you sighed "Sam,” you began again, slowly (this time), to make sure it gets right into his head “You want to name our daughter after wine?”

“No, okay, I’m serious!” he insisted “What about… Scarlett Raven Monroe?”

You shot him an exasperated look. “Sam…”

“Phoenix Blaze?” he added, trying to up the ante. “It’s unique!”

You buried your face in your hands, half-pleading. “Please, just one normal name. Something cute, simple. Like Lily, or Emma…”

He scoffed. “Lily? She’s gonna have enough flowers in her life. I’m telling you, we’re gonna regret not picking something that stands out.”

“Fine,” you said with a long sigh, trying not to smile as you leaned over and squeezed his hand. There was no way you'd fight him about the name - not with his stubborn character “We’ll work on a compromise then”

Sam smirked. “Good. I knew you’re smarter than this. But, you know, Phoenix is still on the table…" to which you shot him a glare

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[schlong2]

latest fix rant time

none of my friends want to talk to me about monkey movies and then i remembered i have a whole blog dedicated to my latest fixations so. i've watched Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes two (TWICE ✌️) times in theaters. this was after watching the newer trilogy (Rise, Dawn & War) and the first 1968 original in prep.

things (SPOILERS!!!):

Kingdom's run time is 2 hours and 25 minutes. this is incredibly long for a movie. compared to 1968's 1 hour and 52 minutes, that's a half hour difference. Infinity War was 2 hours and 36 minutes for reference. that's a whole marvel cinematic convergence, but ape. the run time isn't exactly the issue i've seen talked about. it's the pacing. sitting twice through this movie was not a problem for me. i sat there engaged all the way through. on the second watch, i tried to be mindful of times in which it might have been dragging for the average person, and i like, literally couldn't find any. pretty much every scene had meaning and didn't drag imo. which is something these newer movies do extremely well. Kingdom is pretty equally split between verbal communication and sign language compared to the first three before it. the apes use both verbal and visual cues to talk. but because they don't talk every single time, it makes every moment that they do feel special. it reminds me of the Quiet Place concept, where most of the movie you only hear a human voice a few select times when it's safe to do so. Rise, Dawn, & War were kind of like this, as Caesar only really spoke when he was trying to make a point or communicating to humans, who are mostly speaking in those movies. he speaks more as he gets more fluent, and by War, he can speak very well. we see other apes like Koba, Maurice, Blue Eyes, and Bad Ape also speak English. these moments are rationed pretty well throughout Kingdom, making the dialog more select and meaningful. this makes every time these beasts talk feel like it means something and isn't just fluff to fill your ears. every other scene feels like it's building or showing a side of a character we hadn't seen before, and the scenes between those advance the plot or are like, really action-packed. i just don't see why some people say it has pacing problems. it's just long. i understand the average person's attention span is super short, but when you're sitting down to watch two and a half hours of movie, you gotta know there's gonna be downtime. moments where they're not fighting or advancing the plot. and i think that's GOOD man. but im also not one for action/adventures very much so maybe that's it? i think a lot of people maybe watch these apes for the violence and conflict rather than their introspection, genuinely thoughtful world building, and complex characters. and hey, that's completely fine to enjoy, but POTA is originally about morals and asking the audience questions and posing dilemmas to popular beliefs at the time. ok

Raka. he's great. Peter Macon has this butter smooth voice that's just perfect for the kind of character he plays. you can't help but like him. but he dies like 1/3 into the movie and is really only there to religion dump about Caesar (ape jesus) and then he's swept away. people are complaining that that's all he was really there for. to explain the real values of Caesar and provide a foil to Proximus. and i agree to some degree. i really hope he's not actually dead. his presence and death are felt throughout the movie, as both Mae and Noa (mostly Noa vocalizes it, Mae just silently shares in his loss and i think cries at one point?) seem to mourn him, saying shit like "if Raka were here..." and especially at the end when Noa gives the Caesar pendant to her. it's the shared memory of Raka and what he devoted his life to. but they never really like, actually linger on his death. there's a moment after he's swept away, and the shot stays on the rushing waters, Raka no longer visible and plays some sad tunes, but like. C'MON. he's not really dead. he isn't please tell me he isn't PLEASE

Noa isn't Caesar. i honestly do not get why you would want otherwise. of course, he isn't Caesar. we don't need another Caesar. he had a whole three movies to be the center of. i would be extremely disappointed if they just made a carbon copy of him or made Noa like a direct descendant of him or whatever. i hate that Chosen One bullshit. Caesar was just a guy that wanted peace for his people and that got him killed in the end. Noa is also a guy who wants peace for his clan. they're both leaders and have good hearts, but like. they're different characters. i LIKE that Noa has no relation to Caesar, i LIKE that he's his own character with his own ideals and purpose. Owen Teague does a wonderful job making the character his own. i mean Andy Serkis is Andy fucking Serkis. pretty big shoes to fill and i think Teague has the right foot size you know. i heard one guy say like "we've had our time to mourn Caesar" and yeah. we have. let's accept that and move on

WHERE MY APE DIVERSITY AT. we get a fuck ton of chimps, ONE orangutan, ONE gorilla, and ONE bonobo. what the hell. i mean. what is with the bonobo villian. Koba i fucks with because bonobos are some of the most playful, nonviolent apes out there. that humanity and its cruelty could twist a naturally peaceful creature into what Koba became.. i mean, that's great. but again with Proximus? maybe trying to evoke some of the same energy and nuance Koba had? ALSO. GORILLA PSA they are like so sweet. all that muscle is there to protect their families, and they're strictly vegetarians. i feel like Rise, Dawn, & War portrayed this better with most of the gorillas getting bodyguard jobs because of all their bulk. especially when Luca tucks that flower in Nova's ear. man. and Red going out like he did. gentle giants. in Kindgom we just have Sylva. gorilla henchman for Proximus. that's it. then we have Raka, the one orangutan character that i saw. wise and knowledgeable, guides and accompanies Noa and Mae then dies. at least we get one female chimp character that's more than just wife or mother. wikipedia lists Soona as Noa's love interest, which i can totally dig, like it's there. he takes her to the telescope at the end of Kingdom, which is more than what we saw romance-wise between Caesar and Cornelia. and the only other important chimp female is Dar, Noa's mom. in Rise, Dawn & War there was usually only one of each species of ape assigned a main role, but we saw much more diversity it felt like. maybe that's because there were smaller in numbers and have since spread out in the last 300 years? also like, bonobos are known for having female-female & male-male sex. dont know about the other apes. my friend mentioned that Raka said something about having a male companion and promptly searched reddit. all they had to say was: gaype?

the visuals. dear god the visuals. this movie is just visually stunning. absolutely breathtaking. they did a great job. i mean Rise, Dawn, & War are all triumphs of cgi and are excellent examples of the animation style done right. i did hear some guy say there is a loss of texture, as mostly everything in Kingdom is cgi, from the characters to the landscapes. but there's an explosion of texture in this film. there's one point where Noa is covered in the ash of his village and you can see it on his fur. there's quite a couple water scenes where the moisture clings to the apes' fur. It's all very impressive. great work

the references!! Rise especially has a ton of them (IT'S A MADHOUSE!!! & GET YOUR STINKIN PAWS OFF ME YOU DAMN DIRTY APE), and names like Nova and Cornelius, but Kingdom... i picked up on at least three main instances, but im sure there are more. there's the scene where the apes are rounding up the feral humans, and its very reminiscent of the scene from 1968 where they're doing the same thing for sport. there's the scene where Mae is running in the field, and she jumps on that log structure to get to Noa, which is nearly identical to a similar scene in 1968. the scene when Noa, Soona, and Anaya are exploring the human bunker and they come across an old classroom. one of them picks up a doll that says a distorted "Mama" which was huge in the original because that was evidence that once man did speak, why else would he make a doll that talked? superb call backs to the og. respect what was there before

SCHLONG THEORY

here me out guys. the starring ape-human relationship in Rise was between Caesar and Will. this type of love is called storge and describes the love a child has for a parent as well as the love a parent has for their child.

the starring ape-human relationship in Dawn was ultimately between Caesar and Malcolm. which i believe is truly philia towards the end, the love between friends and allies. just two dudes trying to keep peace in the world.

in War, i mean Caesar well and truly hates the Colonel. like more than he's hated any human in his life before. close to mania, obsession. anyways it's a study on this type of relationship between an ape and a human. true, all consuming hate.

SO in the newer movies we've explored familial love, platonic love, and hate, between an ape and a human.

in Kingdom the main ape-human relationship is between Noa and Mae. and their relationship is complex. not really that friendly and certainly not familial. no trust. some kind of begrudging respect maybe? i just think it would be neat if in further installments they explored a romantic love between a human and an ape. ok.

i KNOW Noa and Soona are probably going to get ape married and they're never going to touch on the subject but i just find it hard to believe that in the last 300 years or so that's NEVER been heard of. apes have the same level of intimacy between each other as humans do in this universe and can willingly consent. what are you so afraid of wes ball

after all, the whole franchise is about how apes, when given intelligence, compare to humans and begs the question: how different are we really?

is it possible for an ape and a human to fall in love?

[khattikeri]

prefacing this post by saying this is not a ship bashing post; i like all these ships; i am musing on my own personal preferences

i think the reason why i like wangxian and bingqiu just a little bit more than hualian boils down to the misunderstandings, with the sex scenes of their respective stories being insights into those misunderstandings.

in mdzs, lan wangji and wei wuxian's misunderstandings come about because 1) they were acquainted but not seriously close friends 2) they had to deal with a massive war and its aftermath. lan wangji was worried for wei wuxian's personal safety and had romantic feelings for him. wei wuxian was slowly led to believe over time that lan wangji didn't really like him much and wanted to harm him just like everyone else in spite of wei wuxian's righteous actions.

combined with their respective upbringings as a respectable second son and the dubiously accepted son of a servant who always has to watch his own back, there's a lot for them to untangle after the death and resurrection and feelings realization! but the moment they do realize that they're mutually in love, they jump on the chance to stay together, no more miscommunication, no waiting, no more turning away from each other again.

and the respective sex scene: you explicitly see the peerless illustrious hanguang-jun lan wangji straining, apologetic and still openly nervous during his and wei wuxian's first time. because they didn't talk things out! they were too excited! they were too happy and intent to have each other after all those years of pain so they rushed into it without really discussing anything beforehand. so lan wangji doesn't actually know if wei wuxian is going nooooo~ in a sexy way or if wei wuxian actually seriously wants lan wangji to stop. it's flawed and they work out each other's preferences later on, but they both enjoyed themselves and continue to do so even in future sex scenes.

in svsss, shen qingqiu and luo binghe's misunderstandings come about because 1) former is a modern day transmigrator compelled to not reveal anything about the story or what he actually feels for any of the characters 2) the latter is desperate to understand the former's contradictory actions and to not be abandoned.

combined with several miscommunications and hasty assumptions (e.x. luo binghe thinking that shen qingqiu must've harmed him because he despised luo binghe's half-demon ancestry; shen qingqiu thinking that luo binghe intends to torture him the way he tortured the original story's counterpart shen qingqiu) and you get a fascinating and heartrending dynamic where they clearly adore each other and are dismayed at the idea that it's inevitable for the other one to despise them and want to hurt them. things clear up because they show each other their devotion and intent to stay.

and the respective sex scene: their first time isn't even written to be titillating! they're still in the middle of battle. luo binghe's mind is being overpowered by the demonic sword xin mo, so even though shen qingqiu is okay with dual cultivation/sex to pacify the sword's lust for conquering, it's extremely rough and unpleasant. it is violent and painful and leaves shen shingqiu so battered he looks like he's been assaulted, which horrifies luo binghe when he finally regains his senses.

they're distraught as hell! it traumatizes them both! and yet in spite of that and in spite of their fears of being hurt they want to stay with each other and they actively choose to keep being with each other. they improve their communication and clearly seem to understand each other's quirks and sexual preferences better in the extras and after marriage.

versus in tgcf: xie lian and hua cheng got along with each other from day 1. there was a spark the moment xie lian met san lang on the back of that ox cart. they talked for ages and were endeared to each other basically immediately! even during the ghost bride mission where they didn't really speak to one another, xie lian clearly felt a connection to the mysterious groom who gently and safely led him through the blood rain.

through all their present-day adventures and the final battle, even when they separate by choice or by force of circumstance, hua cheng and xie lian don't ever have a serious falling out. hua cheng is loyal to the bone and xie lian is also deeply drawn to hua cheng; both their respective insecurities are treated seriously and with sincerity by the other. there may be some confusion about each other's feelings, but even that isn't twisted to the point that they completely misconstrue each other's intentions and characters.

there isn't a central misunderstanding or miscommunication between hualian the way wangxian or bingqiu had; just a mutual past to be unraveled, and the looming question of if xie lian will actually act upon his feelings/the fact that he's attracted to and in love with hua cheng.

and the respective sex scene: we don't have any explicit sex scenes due to censorship. everything is in xie lian's rather selective point of view (and he's the type who hides certain details from readers for entire volumes on end!) so the most we get is the skimmed summary: xie lian really enjoyed it and hua cheng is kind of rough. just the implication that hua cheng was naturally amazing and satisfied xie lian fully, without any particularly humanizing aspects or awkward/upsetting first time moments.

of course tgcf is a beautiful story and a lovely romance in its own right, but personally, i found mdzs and svsss's main pairings more compelling because of the misunderstandings and how the sex scenes tied into the characters' personalities and overall relationship arcs.

[saleeba]

comforting jules in these hard times :(( (with a bj ;))

summary ♡ what the request says! 

pairing ♡ jules koundé x gn!reader

content ♡ 18+, smut, blowjob, (untranslated) french terms of endearment, religious undertones for some reason, not proofread, hopefully quite lovey-dovey idek this was so rushed 😭

a/n ♡ hiiii my first little snippet!! these are generally going to be short ask-based fics that are one scene/one action + i hope to share more with u guys! :D tysmmm anon for this request i hope it lives up to ur expectations!!

the copious amount of condescending headlines about his football club was creating a frenzied commotion in the world of spanish sports media and jules found it difficult to dull the noise. add on top the emotional stress of his manager’s departure from the club and it was enough to make a boy like him break into a million pieces. 

yet you were like his superglue. you held him together with the mere thought of your presence in his mind and the nights spent tangled between the sheets and gasping promises of forever grounded jules to the best version of reality for him.

this night was no different, you trying your best to make it all about him (not that it was hard — you were practically devoted to the boy) after he came home close to tears, the burdensome weight of work troubles proving heavy on his shoulders. he was never one to let his professional life trespass into his personal one but you made it clear from day one that you were both a team and that yes, it may be “his problem”  but you were both going to jump over those hurdles hand-in-hand.

and the first approach in which you consoled him was with the help of your lips on his bare, sweaty skin, not sure if the subtle dampness was from a session in training or the way his skin always warmed up to the feeling of your mouth; the feeling of familiarity and of what just felt right. 

“please don't tease tonight, baby,” jules whispered in a tone close to begging, body writhing on the couch, his voice desperate for that same familiarity to save him from losing himself in the uncertainty that had tainted the past few days.

“not even thinking about it, jules,” you tongued at his abdomen on your way down to the waist of his shorts, fingers running inside the elastic band and skimming the part where he needed you the most. “wanna take good care of you tonight.”

a blissful sigh escaped from the parting of jules’ lips as you peeled the material off of him and cast it aside, the only thing left between you and his pure form being the pesky boxers that constrained his cock. not wanting to rush the events of the night, you go to mouth kisses on the imprint and the damn thing twitches, tip jerking ever so slightly as it leaks pre-cum onto the black cotton softness. 

“what was that about not even thinking about teasing, chérie?” he whined, hips raising in demand for you to do both of you a favour and free him from the restriction.

“i’m sorry, baby… can’t help myself, it looks so pretty like that,” you put on your best, prettiest pout and ran your fingertips down his length. “promise i’ll be good for you now.”

you finally granted him freedom and the way you quickly pulled down the set of underwear had the two of you so eager, your lips immediately came to wrap around half of his cock, the engulfing feeling sending jules’ mind into what he considered a premature frenzy. 

“s-slow down, baby,” he stuttered, hands gripping onto the sides of your head to pull you back to his tip where you suckled like a woman parched, unable to allow yourself to let him go completely. jules was addictive in every sense and the way his dick slid down your throat was even more so. you’d burned every part of him into your mind, making sure it was all unforgettable, all something you could never tire of.

“mm-hmm.” your response was muffled as you effectively ignored your boyfriend’s pleas, mouth taking more of him in, back and forth on repeat as the stiffness slid down your throat. it wasn’t an easy feat since the thickness of jules’ cock was siding on the extraordinary but your mouth was drenched, spit running down your chin and over the skin of your chest as the movement of your head over him became much more rapid.

jules was near to bursting, fingers gripping onto the leather of the sofa as he couldn't help but push his hips further towards you which only brought his dick further into your mouth, the weeping head barging at the opening of your throat. he wanted to grip your head in his hands – as leverage, as control, as a means to get as close to you as possible – but was scared to do so due of his iron-strong hold and the way your tongue traced that one vein on the underside of his dick, oh god, it was heaven—no, it was beyond that. you were his salvation, his saving grace, his angel come to earth; you were so, so good to him and he didn’t think he deserved you. but you were always there to shoot that idea down; it was always a collaboration with the two of you, you were always equals and you were always going to be. 

“i‘m gonna cum, mon ange,” your raven-haired lover whined, back arching as you continued your assault on his sensitive dick, lips reaching all the way to his pubic bone as his balls slapped against your chin with force, head motioning up and down, down and up, any which way to make jules flood your throat with that subtly-salty fluid. “oh my god, baby, please, please.” 

there was no way you were relenting now, the sounds coming from jules only giving you the motivation to bring your hands to his thighs and push your tongue out, his cock still in your mouth, aiming to caress it with the wet muscle and rip his orgasm from him in a matter of milliseconds. 

and that’s exactly what you achieved; a myriad of sweet moans from your boyfriend as he came down your throat, the mixture of clear spittle and milky-white cum threatening to spill out from your filled mouth but you drank it all up with his dick still between your lips, even managing to swallow as you moved back so that only the tip remained wrapped with the swollenness of them. 

“was that good?” you asked sincerely once you had pulled off of his softening length and stood up before pressing the most tender of kisses to his lips which parted in sheer satisfied exhaustion. 

“good? it was more than that, baby, fuck,” he let out a breathless laugh, grabbing your face to pull your mouth to his once again, the motion more hungry than before. “you make me forget about all that’s wrong, my love, thank you, thank you…” 

you couldn’t help but let out a giggle and an aww, a promise of always being there to take care of him on your lips and he was more than appreciative.

“let me take care of you now, bébé. my girl deserves it. please?”

[ts2cambremon]

Cambremon- the events so far (pt.5)

See here for: Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3/ Part 4

Ren scolded Ivan for Galina's messy murder, but gave him the chance to redeem himself by putting him in charge of the Guards.

Bruk expressed his distate over Ivan's promotion, and his growing unease with Ren's methods, being especially shocked by Galina's murder. Ren answered by relating a story about his harsh upbringing, arguing that sacrifices were sometimes necessary for the greater good.

At a party organized by Serna, Kadja was reunited with a childhood friend, Sosina. Sosina, who'd been living in the Dantuzine hub, revealed that it was now ruled by two mages with no magical power, and was slowly being taken over by the cold winds.

Serna's right-hand, Katrina, informed her that Ren had arranged for Serf Astra, the only witness to Galina's murder, to be sent off to the Dantuzine hub. Serna swore that she would get revenge for her sister.

Inna and Marek got married.

Ren cornered Kadja into a storage room and tried to force himself on her. Kadja pushed him away, and Ren drunkenly announced that he would marry her.

Kadja confided in her mother, who advised her to make the best out of a bad situation, accept to marry Ren, and use her new position as lady of Cambremon to help the population of the hub.

Kadja asked Ren, as a bride-gift, to build a new school in the hub. Ren agreed, but imposed a condition of his own: Kadja would remain in Fort Cambremon and devote herself to him.

Ren and Kadja got married. Their relationship, deeply unequal, was doomed from the start. Ren became increasingly possessive of Kadja, and Kadja was deeply unhappy.

Ren and Kadja visited the Spirits Hold monastery to discuss the new school. Kadja spoke about new plans for the hub with Friar Marko, who told her she'd always be welcome in the monastery.

After a night of drinking, Ren and Bruk were ambushed by an assassin. Ren was grazed by an arrow, and the assassin poisoned herself before she could be questioned.

The investigations led by Ivan revealed that the assassin had been a Dantuzine Serf who'd recently settled in the Cambremon hub. Ren wanted to launch a punitive expedition against the Dantuzine, but Andra reminded him that they had a more urgent problem: finding a sacrifice for the Bone Spirit.

Meanwhile, Kadja bonded with Serf Janviya over the fact that they were both pregnant.

Unable to find any Cambremon bastards in the main hub, Ren sent Kadja on a mission to find some in the Serflands, which, as the previous Intendant, she knew very well. Kadja misunderstood his purpose and assumed that Ren wanted to reconnect with a half-sibling and turn them into a Mage.

Kadja brought back to Fort Cambremon a Serf called Tegantz, who was the bastard son of Ezber Cambremon.

Inna intercepted Andra and demanded to know why Tegantz had been invited to the Fort. Although she first pushed her away, Andra offered to Inna to join her and Ren.

The three Cambremon siblings sacrificed Tegantz to Bone Spirit.

Kadja, who stumbled on the scene, was terrified and ran away.

But Bone Spirit had sensed her presence.

Inna went after Kadja and attempted to convince her that the sacrifice was necessary. She made Kadja promise not to tell anyone about what she'd seen.

Already shaken, Kadja was upset even more by Ren's arrival. Lording his power over her, he ordered her to go back to her rooms.

Ren made up a fake story to explain Tegantz's death.

Aware that Ren was lying, Marek was furious about being kept in the dark. He and Inna got into an argument. She tried to justify the Cambremon's actions and he expressed concern over her own role in the sacrifice.

Kadja fled the Fort. Janviya declined to leave with her. Kadja told her where to find some money she had saved.

Kadja asked for, and obtained, asylum in the monastery.

[mythicalartistx]

KH3 Worlds ACTUALLY Matter and show Major Parallels and Foreshadowing through Sacrifice and Separation

The worlds in KH3 are often seen as just retelling of the Fairytales but with added Sora and his friends or Organization members. Because of this they're often disliked especially when there are some sections that are scene for scene and Sora and the others might not be present for this.

However, if you get passed the fact it's a retelling of the movie and get into how it connects with Kingdom Hearts story, they actually play a major role.

Olympus: Sacrifice

Olympus shows themes of sacrifice and love. It shows that Hercules didn't think and all he knew was that Meg was in trouble and threw himself in harm's way to save her. He sacrificed himself by doing that but also sacrificing his godhood to be with Meg. He would have to be separated from Meg and that's not the kind of life he would want to live.

Later on Riku ends up doing the exact same thing. When Sora feels powerless and all alone he sacrifices his being and life for Sora. And I could also argue he does it out of love because when he does this he doesn't necessarily think of his actions but does it to his devotion to Sora and protecting him like he always promised Terra.

Corona: Sacrifice

In the Tangled world, Rapunzel is willing to sacrifice her freedom to save Flynn's life and become separated from the outside world she's grown to love forever.

However, Flynn decides that her freedom is more important and sacrifices himself by cutting her hair which could make her lose the power to heal.

Rapunzel is also compared to Riku because they both so desperately felt trapped. Riku felt trapped at the island and wished to leave and explore other worlds with Sora and Kairi to point where if the raft didn't work out, he would open the door to darkness. I'll also like to include they both felt that someone they were close to left them for others.

Toy Box: Separation

In Toy Box, we learn of how Woody and Buzz among a few other had separated from half of their group. However, they are later seen that the world was split in half and are separated from their beloved friends. They realize at the end their friends who they've been separated from that they are always connected through their hearts.

And this goes back to how Sora will soon be separated from everyone and become stuck at the Quadratum. It also shows that he is always connected to them through his hearts and that's how he uses/and abuses the power of waking through that connection.

Arrendale: Sacrifice

When Elsa is about to get slashed by Hans' sword, Anna who is in the brink of death rushes in and saves her by taking the hit instead. She freezes at the same time and makes it so the sword shatter from her entire body becoming ice. She sacrifice her life for her. Elsa manages to thaw her and the cold weather by the act of love.

Which Riku then does the act of love when he sacrifices his life for Sora. Riku is also compared to Elsa on how they both pushed the people they loved/ cared about away to protect them.

Monstropolis: Separation

In this world, Sullie goes through separation of being away from Boo. They have to separate so Boo will be safe.

This also refers to how Sora ends up in the Quadratum from bringing back Kairi and abusing the power of awakening by using it too many times.

100 Acre Woods: Separation

In this world, Pooh talks to hope they're growing apart and that he misses Sora. Sora feels sad that they're not as close. The eventual outcome is that he'll always be in his heart no matter what.

I feel like this refers to him and Kairi not being as close as they were before. Ever since KH1 things changed between them and she changed. She's no longer the Kairi he knew and they are slowly growing apart. (Which is honestly sad). It also shows that even if he's by himself in the Quadratum he'll have everyone in his heart no matter how far away they are.

Fransankyoto: Separation + Sacrifice

Unlike the others I decided to say this world shows both. In the past, Hiro's brother separated from him when he sacrificed himself to try to find and save the teacher. This is also reflected in the past when beymax also stays behind to sacrifice himself so Hiro can then leave.

It helps shows the connections that no matter how far they are away, the people you love and care for will be in his heart. This shows that to help save everyone he used his connection to his friends to bring them that. It furthers that he won't be alone in the Quadratum and that Riku was able to go to him in MOM because of this.

PoTC: Separation

Finally in the pirates world, we show separation. After Will gets stabbed and he is made Captain of the Flying Dutchman, he faces separation from the one he loves Elizabeth. Only every 10 years are they able to see each other.

This foreshadows both being separated from the ones Sora loves and bringing back all his friends' hearts when Will's life almost gets taken when he gets stabbed. Being apart for 10 years also could lead to how it will take at least a year to find Sora in the Quadratum.

[fatalism-and-villainy]

CHIYOH: I met the beast and I saw him grow. Someone wants to kill him. BEDELIA DU MAURIER: More than one someone, I'd say. (then) What do you want? CHIYOH: I want to cage him. That makes Bedelia smile. BEDELIA DU MAURIER: I thought Will Graham was Hannibal's biggest mistake. But I have to wonder if it isn't you.

This is interesting, if underdeveloped in canon, because it’s another parallel between Will and Chiyoh vis a vis Hannibal - in this case, Bedelia attempting to take Hannibal’s influence of them and turn it back against Hannibal. This manifests much more fully in the second half of season 3, when she tries to push Will into recognizing the extent of Hannibal’s influence on him and turn against Hannibal. She tells him that Hannibal “convinced you you’re a killer” but that she doesn’t believe that he is, only that he is “capable of righteous violence” out of compassion. And of course she wants Will to crush someone instead of helping them, which certainly feels as though she’s inciting Will into violence against Hannibal.

The idea of Will as Hannibal’s “biggest mistake” here indicates that her view of Will as a potential catalyst for Hannibal’s destruction was already in place here, which is also evidenced by her dialogue in Contorno about Will and Hannibal lying in wait to kill each other. But here she also seems to pinpoint Chiyoh as a potential means of quelling Hannibal - another murder protégé of Hannibal’s where the approach didn’t quite take. (In Chiyoh’s case, this is fairly true, because she never followed through on the murder that Hannibal set her up for until Will came along.)

But Bedelia ultimately turns out to be wrong about Chiyoh, who decides not to go through with caging Hannibal. And she’s also wrong about Will, at least in terms of his ability to turn against Hannibal. She realizes this by the end of season 3 - that Will is Hannibal’s “agency in the world.”

There are some interesting fluctuating character dynamics at play here, because in the scene in Dolce, Chiyoh compares herself and Bedelia to Hannibal’s “birds” - birds that Hannibal is trying to neither crush nor rehabilitate, but cage and observe. Bedelia later casts herself as the arbiter of a hypothetical bird’s fate, the one with power, and implicitly casts Hannibal as a wounded bird who can either be saved or destroyed. And while Bedelia, like Will and Chiyoh, is herself a subject of Hannibal’s influence, she also tries to exert a similar influence over Will and Chiyoh in trying to turn them against Hannibal. Indeed, encouraging others to action seems to be Bedelia’s primary method of protecting herself against Hannibal, as opposed to trying to kill him herself. When Will asks her why she didn’t just kill Hannibal in Florence in 3.10, Bedelia evades the question and steers the conversation back towards the intensity of the bond between Will and Hannibal (“my relationship with Hannibal is not as passionate as yours”). She seems unwilling or unable to go through with the act herself, perhaps both because of her “devotion” to him in Florence and because of the horror that violence seems to stir up in her, even as it compels her.

But although she seems to be aiming for Hannibal’s attempts at influence to backfire on him, her acting indirectly through influence actually backfires on her instead, at least in the case of Will - which we all know from the leg scene at the end of Wrath of the Lamb. And while the Chiyoh angle is woefully underexplored in the show itself, this is why I maintain that it would be thematically appropriate if Chiyoh also had some role in the capture of Bedelia there.

[velvet-cupcake-games]

Made Marion Development Update, Feb 2024

Hello everyone, and happy belated Valentine's Day! Will took a moment of his time to make everyone a very special Valentine.

Darn it, Will.

The Writing Desk

I am moving into Will Chapter 2!  These first couple months of Will route development have been challenged by some unavoidable IRL issues, but those are all cleared up now and I am devoting the rest of February and March fully to writing Will's route.

Chapter 1, as predicted, will be around 20,000 words. I still have one more Chapter 1 scene to finish, but it's a big action scene, and those tend to take me forever as I figure out all the logistics. I decided that rather than delaying the rest of the adventure, I'll slowly add to that action scene while writing Chapter 2.

Will Preview Video:

In case you missed it, we created a preview stream featuring the beginning of Will's route for the Steam Storyteller's Festival in early February.  Here it is!

Art Roundup

Some backers have been curious as to the completion status of our art, so here's the roundup:

Sprites and CGs (Arrapso)

All main character sprites are complete, save for a ??? variant sprite that will only be seen in the DLC.

We have 3.5 major NPC sprites yet to be completed: Hugh, leader of the Grey Wolves (backer sprite); Issa, Lord Geoffrey's cousin in from Nibiru (backer sprite); Kafeel, leader of Nottingham's Sunjati Merchant association and Will's friend; and the final version of Thomas, a character who is only seen in Alanna's route. I will need Kafeel for Will's EA release and am hoping to have Hugh and Issa for it as well, although they are more important on the Nottingham side.

After those are complete, Arrapso's main job will be CGs. I have ordered 4/5 Will CGs and am still deciding on the design for the final one. We also still need to design the backer wallpapers (which will be available in PC and phone formats).

Backgrounds & Creature Sprites (Sandra)

Backgrounds are almost entirely finished. I have one more major background to commission and then it'll just be the occasional variation as needed or maaaaybe one or two more major backgrounds later on to add more variation to the Nottingham Town exteriors.

All major creature sprites are complete.  I may commission one of Geoff's beloved hunting hounds during his route, but haven't decided yet. Meissa's bird friend will likely be a cut-in like our messenger doves.

Lore Intro and Cut-Ins (Lawrichai)

Lawri has been having some IRL challenges but should be back with us soon. Her main jobs right now are sexy silhouettes and the lore intro animation. We may be transforming the lore intro graphics into a full .webm animation instead of using Ren'py's built in Animation and Transition Language, as this might actually be easier for Lawri, as well as looking a lot smoother and making me pound my head against my desk less. It's a win/win/win! We'll have more on this next time.

Otherwise, Lawri's work is ongoing depending on budget and how much she is able to complete from route to route (I can always add in more cut-ins, but for now we're focusing on more critical ones as we have time after the sexy sils are complete per route).

So that's where we are with art right now!  We're in pretty good shape overall, there just might need to be some more intense art production while I complete the second half of Will's script.

See you next month!

[zoroara]

Okay you know what I wanna share another type of interaction analysis, I did this yesterday but got nervous. Anyway It's about Squalo's loyalty and then lead into just noting the reactions of Squalo being harmed by Xanxus, when and why they happen. This is how my rambling works Idk why, though the first half is definitely more interpretation the part where I get into the harming is more direct analysis. Short note: It's actually used really sparingly only really once an arc but at specific key moments. but the longer one will be below.

Squalo's intense loyalty is just an inherent trait to squalo I think it's very interesting to make it sheer willpower and drive that Squalo does most of his things, he's shown to be incredibly motivated to anything he puts his time into, to an overzealous degree. I really do think he was simply Impressed by Xanxus' ambition, strength as well as his wrath as Squalo himself claims, and wanted to see where it would go, as it presented many opportunities to improve himself further which it kind of has. He's also eternally focused on many causes, such as wanting Yamamoto to be at his best so they can fight again and he can win. He literally hates being in the same room as Yamamoto, gets pissed off at Yamamoto's light treatment of something he devoted his life to, yet just for his goals he spent an entire week alone in the forest with the kid JUST to make sure he could be ready to fight Genkishi again and take back that loss. Not only that shown to be loyal to the vongola, protecting them twice in future arc, trying to stop shimon, so on, he's an very intense and despicable man, but the things he chooses to be important to him are what he will devote himself to, no matter the cost to himself It's more to me that Squalo is willing to suffer through things to get what he wants one way, or another. So Squalo allowing Xanxus to take the leader spot isn't an act of submission to Xanxus. But he saw it beneficial to what his own wants were. it should be noted the fact that Squalo only ever really takes being harmed in the present but when then that's only because the scene moves far too much for him to stay focused and mad at Xanxus usually be interrupted by things by everyone literally having to haul ass somewhere, and when given the chance to do so in the future he has to be held back by Luss. The man is READY to at least give Xanxus what for, just more important things prevent him to doing such because unlike a good amount of other varia members, he very much focuses on what objective is most important at the moment.

Squalo's VERY first instance of being harmed is when he failed with the rings, and it's immediately "okay we need to move fucking NOW", It's not that squalo just accepts it, he just needs to move right away. plus this one specifically Squalo realizes that he failed, so of course he's a little more stunned than he usually is when it happens. he didn't KNOW and has to process he was also TRICKED.

The next, is the whiskey scene, however, in the manga it cuts off before we see any resolution, clearly more of an egg on, and we do not know Squalo's reaction after this, and honestly I would not be surprised if he kicked the shit out of xanxus. But also in this scene, both times in Varia arc Xanxus does have a clear reason for his actions. One was punishment for failure, and one was because Squalo was literally insulting him and what he was doing.

This was however changed to Squalo leaving the scene in the anime, leaving a different feel to this. Which is honestly a really good way to show how a small change can lead to a very different feeling in a scene. Because the anime version makes it seem like Squalo accepts this treatment. In the manga by having it hold on both of their eyes, the tenseness never relieves itself and makes it seem like they are prepared to clash instead. Emphasizing the next thing Dino said.

The ONLY time Squalo has time to react to this and isn't in the middle of something, is only in future that we get to see the after in the manga, and then there's someone to actually hold him back. which feels more consistent to the manga version of after the alcohol gets thrown at him. and he's ready to beat the shit out of xanxus(maybe he learned after the previous time not to throw shit at Squalo while they're alone.)

then, the last and final example, he is once again distracted because this happens in the middle of the hibari/fon fight in rainbow so he needs to focus immediately after it happens, with Mammon's little petty complaints against fon(A majority of panels being flashback panels so it feels like it takes longer) only in the middle of these two things in real time.

It's used very sparingly, usually when the viewer least expects it for emphasis which is why it sticks out so much in our minds. But not only that, there's usually some things that influence Xanxus' when and why for doing this.

As already stated, the TIMES Xanxus actually does this are usually chosen in the sense that a good 90% of the time, Squalo actually has his hands tied and can't retaliate at all, either by virture of other people being there, OR by virtue of something far more important happening there was only ONE time where it was just them But one of the most consistent reasons is that Xanxus is doing this to literally knock him down a peg(and then it doesn't work) it's not a good reason but it's still notable as a reason.

First one he's literally saying he deserves a reward for his work(without knowing he failed). Second he was telling Xanxus this was a waste of time and that he was going to win. Third he was asking if the vongola kids manages to survive and saying how they would have to help them. Fourth he literally was talking shit to hibari and Fon on how easy to beat them it would be. Xanxus is narratively used to bite down when Squalo's pride goes too far. But Squalo FAR from accepts this treatment.

Additionally, if you're choosing to count gags and such, Squalo isn't actually the only target to it. There are ones where they complain that Xanxus does this with all of them and he even blows up the whole castle because they were all annoying him. So when it comes to jokes there's more of an equality about it, just Xanxus is generally violent. Though! Even then I've noticed that he's only explicitly that violent when it won't backfire against him in non-gag scenarios. His rage is a little more tempered when you look at him, it's just when he knows it's not going to be an issue it's at 100. Xanxus is a lot more logical than even I initially realized but that's a different post.

[animeyanderelover]

Could you make Yandere Holy Knights(Gilthunder, Griamore, Howzer, Hendrickson, Guila, Jericho, Zaratras, Dreyfus and Gustaf)?

I already did Gilthunder in previous Hc's. Also, some Holy Knights didn't have that much screen time so my characterization of them might be a bit off.

Tw: Yandere themes, unhealthy mindset, unhealthy relationship, possessive behavior, clinginess, obsession, delusion, manipulation, controlling behavior, protective behavior, stalking, threats, death

Yandere Holy Knights Hc's

Griamore

🛡️Griamore is down quite bad for his darling, as loyal and devoted as a man can be with the person he loves. There’s unfortunately one big obstacle and that is the fact that he is unable to express his adoration as he’s weak with his words. Just imagine a giant of a man feeling so shy and embarrassed in front of you to the point where his thoughts just jumble together into a mix of nonsense which he blurs out then, earning a confused glance from you. His movements get all awkward and stiff too, he’s bumped into objects and people around you and has only made a fool out of himself even more in front of you. It’s gotten so bad to the point where he’s too anxious to meet you, horrified to make a clown out of himself even more. Griamore has in fact attempted to stalk you one or two times but sadly a man with a built like his is simply not suited to serve as a stealthy stalker as he’s always spotted by you as soon as you turn around. The man is probably half-delusional as he belongs into the sort that justifies more violent and morally wrong actions.

🛡️The half-delusional side probably steams from Griamore’s overprotective side. His strong sense of loyalty and devotion obviously has awoken the strong urge inside of him to protect you as it has become his most important duty. He can get very aggressive if something threatens your well-being, be it mental or physical. With his inability to tell you how he feels, he tends to get a bit depressed as you might mistake his awkwardness and shyness as him disliking you, if you aren’t already slightly intimidated by his sheer built alone. To still express his fondness and adoration somehow, Griamore has resorted to gifting you secretly things as it is one of his main ways to express his love. You receive wildflowers, jewels and even things he has knitted himself. It he sees you wearing anything he has made for you, he feels like fainting out of happiness.

🛡️It’s probably not his intention to make your counterpart uncomfortable but by god, does he still do it. Oftentimes they just catch him staring at them with a conflicted look on his face, jaw clenched and in his eyes a glimmer reminding of a sulking puppy. He just stares and stares though until you take notice of Griamore in which case his eyes automatically snap somewhere else, blood rushing to his face. Considering that Griamore is incredibly tall and muscular, almost anyone would be a bit intimidated if he would ever approach you and tower over whoever elicits again and again this uncomfortable feeling deep inside the pit of his stomach. He is sultry and unhappy until he either gets over it or his s/o somehow soothes him by reassuring him. Even if they aren’t in a relationship at that point, Griamore would still feel better in the end if you would reassure him.

🛡️I feel like Griamore would fit the classic Yandere very well in the sense that he’s very shy and careful around you but can get very aggressive and ruthless around others, specifically when your health is on the line. Even without his magic he is very strong if we’re just counting physical strength alone, he’s definitely able to murder someone with one heavy punch alone. Under normal circumstances he is sane enough to know that he should be careful because you’d be frightened of him if you would witness such a violent scene in front of your eyes. If worst comes to worst though and he knows that you’re in troubles, he loses his mind just a bit though and might focus more on getting rid of the source of harm. On the self-sacrificing side too, he shields you with his own body to save you from any blow although luckily his body is very tough and his magic allows him to create a barrier around his own body.

🛡️Considering that he can create very strong magical barriers, I definitely see him using his magic to trap you inside one if something happens and he snaps. Whilst that mostly counts for any case where your life is in danger and he wants to protect you, he could use it just as well in a case where you try to leave him or distance yourself from him and he’s reached the end of his patience. The chance of an abduction is likely in case he’s triggered, most likely the case if either your life is in danger or you ignore him and attempt to leave him, a devastating scenario even if you weren’t even his lover before. Griamore knows that he has to keep an eye on you after abduction though because even he might get in troubles if someone would find out.

🛡️Being around you is like walking on eggshells for Griamore as he does not want to embarrass himself nor displease you in any way. Most of the time he is a very tame choice of a Yandere to have though although he is clumsy to verbally express his adoration, you might even hear him stuttering. Physical affection is kept to a minimum for a while as he’s incredibly flustered with the thought at first so he sticks with gift-giving in the beginning and protecting you. Since he’s so tall and strong though, with time he grows very fond of the idea to give you a piggy back or to carry you around. It’s hard to truly anger him and he’s against the idea of hurting you yet if you do manage to displease him, Griamore does try to act strict so you know that you shouldn’t overstep any boundaries and try to fool him. His facial expression grows cold in such a case and whilst he wouldn’t dare hurt you, he will use his physique to his advantage.

Howzer

🌪️Despite Howzer's somewhat stupid and naive antics at times, it should be a mutual realization for both him and his comrades that he feels very attracted to his darling. A rather easy-going and quite optimistic individual, Howzer likes to focus on the positive instead of focusing on the negative. The same can most likely be applied to how he views the relationship between you two, or the one he hopes to have with you. He likes to only focus on the good parts instead of the bad ones and that mindset alone already classifies him as a more delusional person. Everything you might have a problem with when it comes to him or the way he behaves around you, he tries to make you dismiss by appeasing you. Let's just focus on the good stuff instead!

🌪️On a more protective side of things although it isn't that escalated as it is in some other cases. I'd feel like after the incident with Holy Knights consuming Demon blood to get stronger though and after realizing that Gilthunder was suffering because his lover had been imprisoned, Howzer harbors some sort of regret and guilt because he didn't know. That lingering feeling occasionally dwells up inside of him and leads him to acting more protective. Sure, when it comes to you having a problem with him, he'll brush it off. If it's you having a problem with something or someone else though, it's an entirely new story. He isn't necessarily as manipulative as some other characters are but if it ever comes to a discussion because you tend to have a problem with him, he will try to avoid discussing the topic any further and change the subject, doing his best to keep your mind occupied with something else and make you forget about the stupid argument.

🌪️He demonstrates a lot of self-confidence most of the time although I do think if he isn't officially your lover at that time, he has a small complex. He's never been necessarily popular with women before and even if his darling is no women, he tends to feel a bit worried that he's unpopular with them as well. Howzer is a small pain in the ass when he's jealous though as he can't stop himself from inserting himself into every interaction and trying to gain your attention somehow. That is in case you aren't his darling at the time. If you are, he's more smug although still very annoying as he basically flaunts into everyone's face that you're his s/o, emphasizing his point by throwing an arm around your shoulder or grabbing you by your waist and pulling you closer.

🌪️It's been shown that Howzer is a bit of a fight enthusiast, at least when it comes to tournaments. He's also a bit proud of the fact that he is a Holy Knight and can use his powers very good so he does act a bit like a show-off at times around you, especially during a tournament. Looking on how he is rathe laid-back most of the time, Howzer isn't someone who is very impulsive nor feels the constant need to act rather violent around others. He limits serious fighting for the amount someone actually poses a serious threat to his darling or their relationship with him. Even then it's important to mention that in most cases he will give a good and serious warning.

🌪️He brings the aspect of living together up at one point, obviously he would like to share a home with you at one point. He's usually very respectful though so if his darling asks for some more time, he will give it to them. If his wish to live together with you grows bigger, Howzer probably resorts to being more clingy as he wants to spend more time with you. It never escalates to something serious but it can definitely get a bit annoying for you as he is up your arse as soon as you two see each other. Now, obviously the Holy Knight stays on the optimistic side of things so he still keeps hope that you will agree one day. An abduction is a delicate topic to even consider after all and most likely a bigger option if his delusion and with that his optimism is somehow shattered by you.

🌪️He likes to drink, especially after work, and every time he manages to drink a few bottles too much, he always comes stumbling to your house. He's just extremely annoying and tiring when he's in a drunken state as he essentially just clings to your side and makes constant demands. Those demands mainly include getting your attention and your affection and he doesn't stop until you've given in only to make the next request seconds after. Luckily he's a fast sleeper. Considering that this is the first time for him in a relationship, Howzer doesn't know at times how to deal with you and that is most likely a main focus if you do get into an argument with him.

Hendrickson

🔷As an experienced Holy Knight, expectations would probably be that Hendrickson would be quite level-headed and calm in his approach for his s/o yet reality often doesn't match expectations. He's never had any partner in his life before nor is he experienced in the art of courting so Hendrickson is actually rather shy and careful when in your presence. He gets easily flustered when his darling shoots him a smile and stiffens up the moment they decide to engage in a conversation with him. More than often he just stands at a decent distance and stares at you, at times follows you around and stalks you a bit. Obsessive and protective would be good words although in his case they're taken in a more harmless context as he's just for the first time in his life in love with someone. Dreyfus often teases him for it.

🔷That is if we're talking before the murder of Zaratras or after he has been freed from the corruption of darkness. If we're still talking about the days where he was his most ruthless self, things would look very much different for you. Hendrickson is in this case far more possessive, manipulative and very controlling. You're rarely allowed to leave the house without him or his permission and if you do leave without him, you need to inform him exactly where you plan to go and have to be back at a certain time. Darkness and the more twisted love of his are somewhat obvious for you even if Hendrickson isn't openly violent nor shares his plans with you. In fact he does his best to keep the image of a happy relationship and a happy marriage in tact but he's not above slightly threatening you, your social standing or even your family if you ever try to leave the suffocating relationship.

🔷Jealousy before his corruption is as awkward as it is uncomfortable for Hendrickson as he does not know by all means how he should act, only knows that he doesn't like seeing the events unfolding in front of his own eyes. At the same time he's fearful of angering you by trying to join your little discussion with your companion. After the encounter with Fraudrin, jealousy is not as much a problem for him as his possessive streak is. He expects his s/o to know that they belong to him and expects from others to know that they shouldn't even jokingly suggest anything to you. In this case going against him is just scary as he is anything but friendly to the other person and you just know that you'll get scolded from him later on too. Forbidding you to meet someone is very common during those days if you don't know how to behave yourself around others and vice versa.

🔷In a normal state of mind, killing would be the last solution if nothing else can be done. Although a young Hendrickson is still quite inexperienced and an post-corruption Hendrickson has taken too many lives to feel confident to kill once more. A prime of his killing counts is obviously during the days where he's possessed and is ruthless, cruel and even sadistic with his enemies. Everyone who gets in the way of his plans or in the way of his relationship with you will either be thrown into prison or set up with passing time. He's unforgiving and even the pleads of his darling won't do any good as he's cold to punish everyone who doesn't know better.

🔷An abduction is likely after he's murdered Zaratras and has gone down the path of corruption, although he attempts the more indirect path at first via manipulation. A marriage is always a good way to live together with someone and additionally a ring on your finger and the knowledge that he's your husband would be a very excellent way of telling others that they shouldn't try anything and you shouldn't either. This can admittedly also include subtle threats from him to you to speed up the process. Hendrickson is after marriage not afraid to lock you away in your shared house, forbid you to leave it so you can only wait at home for him. If you ever try to escape or, worst scenario, find out about his plans and how he was the one who framed the Seven Sins back then, you can expect to be imprisoned in the house for good with some loyal Holy Knights guarding you when he has to continue his schemes.

🔷If you've known him for a long time already, you've seen Hendrickson change more than just once. You get to know him as a shy man who can't look you straight into the eyes, see how he transforms into a cold, possessive and manipulative Holy Knight who pushes you into a marriage with him and doesn't allow you to leave him to a matured man full of regrets after his mind has been set free. There's a lot of conflicting feelings inside of you even after you've found out the truth from all those years agao that led to his rapid change as Hendrickson decides to tell you the truth you deserve. A part of his young self has returned to him though as you find him getting flustered when you get too close or spacing out whilst looking at you.

Dreyfus

🟣Dreyfus is with his overall behavior around his darling much more dignified than Hendrickson would be even with Fraudrin using him as his vessel,a testament to the strength of his obsession. The urge of protective and possessive feelings bleed through even when Fraudrin has full control over his body as Dreyfus has already lost his first wife Anna in an attack. Despite those emotions, Dreyfus does stay away from his darling a lot more than he is comfortable with and that is both his and Fraudrin's decision. For the demon who controls his body, you're a nuisance who always manages to throw the Holy Knight's feelings into a turmoil and giving him by extension troubles to keep Dreyfus down and Dreyfus wants to avoid you percisely because he has no real control over his own body during that time. Whilst he is more dignified and respectful, it's still hard for you to get close to him as he draws a clear line, for your own protection at that time.

🟣It's around the time where he believes that his son has died that Dreyfus shatters and loses some of his determination to keep you away from him. He grows paranoid as he believes that he has lost now not only his first wife but also his son, the last reminder she had of him. It's that certain paranoia that causes his possessive and protective side to suddenly increase tenfold to the point where even Deyfus struggles against his willpower. The man all of a sudden has lower Holy Knights looking after you and reporting on your activities, you find him approaching you in public more often as he insists on accompanying you around the city when he finds the time to do so. Even if it is all done under his paranoid mindset, it's undeniable that Dreyfus is very diligent in his task to keep a watchful eye out for you.

🟣Jealousy is a tricky topic to tackle for him as Dreyfus has his own pride and would hate to give in to such pity feelings. Jealousy can't be helped though, even if he knows that he's the one avoiding you for your own protection since he knows that Fraudrin dislikes you. His face hardens when he catches someone else with you though, someone you seem to be very open with. That prickly emotion inside his chest tainting his thoughts to do about just anything to separate them from you is almost unbearable yet he just stares for a good while, an intimidating look decorating his face. You might be a bit startled when he the Holy Knight suddenly approaches you and greets you, throwing the person with you a harsh glare as he starts a small conversation with you whilst not missing out on constantly glaring at the other person.

🟣Without Fraudrin, Dreyfus would surely be a bit more forgiving. He'd still be someone who would punish someone if they were to hurt you in any way, shape or form but it's worse when Fraudrin is possessing his body. He's far more ruthless and cold-hearted, not hesitant to kill someone if they pose a threat to you somehow. With him being a vessel for Fraudrin, there's the genuine danger that he might start mistaking his own darker moments and feelings when his obsession escalates as something that the demon inside of him triggers. I doubt that he uses it as a constant excuse to justify lives he takes for you since Dreyfus is on the more lucid spectrum but it probably happens a few times that he does use the demon as a scapegoat to make peace with what crime he has committed.

🟣I'd say that after Griamore's death, a time where he is emotionally devastated and broken, would be a potential trigger phase for him where you might get kidnapped by him. He's after all in the belief that he has lost all the people he has loved and now only you remain. He can't lose you too. There's a small part of his consciousness that still tells him that it's wrong but it is weak compared to the sorrow and the fear poisoning his mind and heart after hearing the news of his son's death. You, who were for the most part not aware of his feelings for you, are for that reason all the more terrified when he abducts you and locks you away one day. Maybe it's because Dreyfus is still able to understand your feelings that he's so calm and tries to put your mind at ease, although that is hard given the circumstances you're in.

🟣You become a weak point for Dreyfus as he crumbles under the aspect of your life being in danger. Chances are that Fraudrin, who has possessed his body for so many years, gets partially infected with this obsession as well just as much as he also feels an attachment to Grimamore, the son of Dreyfus. After Fraudrin is killed and Dreyfus has full control over his body back, he feels more secure when approaching you. That is if he hasn't done anything possibly traumatizing to you during the time where Fraudrin still existed within him. He's still rather strict and possessive with you at times but it's less intense now that he's trying to atone for the sins he has done. Most of the times at least.

Guila

💥Guila is already very dedicated when it comes to her younger brother Zeal just as much when it comes to her position as a knight so you could say the same counts when she happens to fall very badly in love with her darling. She's very dedicated. So much to the point where her normally calm demeanor crumbles with the amount of times you float around in her head. Guila is the obsessed type who is likely to memorize about everything and anything she can find out about her darling and she most likely has a diary hidden somewhere in her room, pages filled with all information she has gathered or simple rantings of how adorable you are. She really is immersed in you as discovering more about you becomes a fatal hobby of hers to the point where she threatens others around you mildly with an unsettling smile to fill her in on you. Around you, Guila keeps her sweet facade though.

💥She appears most of the time confident to the point where people genuinely believe that she's just that sure that she can court you and end up being your partner. The woman herself feels for a large part the same although this dips more into the delusional side of her than in her confident one. In reality she has deluded herself precisely because she just isn't that confident as she may look like. Additionally she isn't patient and if she wouldn't tell herself that the both of you will end up together at some point in time, she'd probably burst and do something terrible. Her impatience can show at times in which case she reveals the uglier side of herself, even to you at times. That luckily isn't a common occurrence though as she manages to keep her sweet facade up when around you. She isn't trying as hard around others though as she has less problems threatening people around you.

💥Considering that she is more inscure, jealousy is prone to hit her multiple times for the silliest reasons but feelings have rarely been something that can be tamed with logic. It truly is a hideous emotion that causes her stomach to twist and her blood to boil as she is pushed to the limits of her self-control to not lose her temper whilst you're still there as it's so important for her that you perceive her in a positive light. A twisted smile that just screams fake and stiff body movements, fist clenching and unclenching whilst she considers drawing her rapier yet doing her best to hold back. Her feelings have to be let out in some form though and even if she might not burst in front of you, she'll definitely cause a small rampage somewhere else to gain a little bit sanity back, or at least the semblance of it.

💥Guila dabbles in threats and violence here and there for numerous reasons that really only classify her more as a hopeless case. Her insecurities whether or not she can even charm you might not be acknowledged by her consciousness, but subconsciously those feelings definitely drive her possessive side up a bit higher and do tend to make her just act a tad bit unhinged. Her smile is one of the scariest things, this closed-eyed smile and the sweet facade she keeps up even whilst cornering and threatening someone before everything is dropped and an utterly disgusted look crosses her face. Long story in short, Guila isn't afraid to dirty her hands with blood here and there if it guarantees that she can be with the one person she loves the most.

💥Continuing her all so sweet act whilst still believing in her delusional hopes, you'd be surprised to find out that the Holy Knight has less qualms to be a bit more forceful to convince you. That already starts with the way she seems to worm her way into your daily life, whether you want her there or not. Guila is at one point just always there, visits the same shops as you and even actively waits for you outside only to run into you then and tag along. She often invits you over to her house too and you have not the heart to say no to her as she looks so excited. It's not like she gives you a chance either to reject her offer. I fear she's ready to use more extreme methods to have you permanently stay in her house, that might include certain accidents that make your own house for a while uninhabitable.

💥I can see her either trying to hide her darker side from her younger brother due to the last bit of awareness she has left inside of her or trying to justify everything to him and make him believe that this is still all normal. She picks up the passion of cooking and baking as soon as she starts gaining such strong emotions her you since she makes you come over to visit her so much and insists that you stay for lunch or dinner. Hearing you complimenting her food makes her heart flutter. Honestly, she's quite the two-faced person as she tends to be sweeter and to an extent even bashful around you yet keeps her calm and cold-hearted behavior around everyone who isn't you as she has little to no problems threatening them too.

Jericho

🟪Jericho is more of a Tsundere when it comes to her feelings and a rather proud individual so you can't expect a confession from her any time soon. No, she would like to keep her face and that is quite difficult when she finds herself around you as her brain basically just stops functioning and a blush is constantly covering her cheeks. So the young woman is doing her best to stay out of your way for a while as she'd be way too embarrassed to face you whilst acting like an idiot. Especially since she's a woman and aspires to be Holy Knight, something that isn't as common in the kingdom nor fully accepted. Due to her being a female Holy Knight, Jericho tends to suffer from low self-esteem at times which unconsciously serves as another reason why she's for a while so keen to avoid you. The purple-haired girl ends up being a stalker, something that still fills her with shame but it's more bearable than making a clown out of herself when around you.

🟪She's protective of her darling and her low confidence in herself at times kind of influences that urge of hers. Jericho wants to prove herself to you as much as to herself so she's taken the responsibility to keep you safe. It wouldn't be all that bad if she wouldn't be so zealous with this task which leads to her acting very overbearing at times, all in an attempt to show you what she can do for you. The girl is more possessive in certain moments too an that all is also partially influenced by her not so good view on herself at times. Even if she strays away from you for a long while, it's also safe to say that she won't let anyone else get closer to you during that time where she's just stalking you. She knows that this is quite low of her and that this probably goes against the ideals of a Holy Knight but seeing you smiling with someone else has to be one of the worst feelings ever.

🟪Similiar to Guila, Jericho is also quite open to experience jealousy thanks to her self-esteem not being as good at times despite her confident act. Differently from her fellow female knight, Jericho won't have the courage to step out of her spot at most moments. Instead she can only clench her fists and her jaw and glare daggers at whoever is the victim of her brooding jealousy in that moment. Watching you two is unbearable for her after a while and in most cases she just finds herself leaving you two with quick steps. She doesn't want to interrupt, doesn't want to cause a scene and give you the wrong impression about her but she surely will search for your partner and have a talk with them.

🟪She's brash and rude but luckily she's more barking than biting. Her possessive side leads her at times to tracking someone down and threatening and intimidating them but Jericho would rarely pick up a weapon or use her magic to injure someone seriously. She tries to not harm innocent people and hopes that her warnings will be enough to stop someone from getting any closer to you. Her hesitation to damage someone more than that gradually fades away as she grows older and gains more experience with her abilities though which does mean that she is far more stern and strict if someone doesn't head her warning.

🟪Secretly fawning over the thought of living together with you, on the outside keeping it tough and playing it off as good as she can. A domestic life with her darling sounds very enchanting, all the more since it would mean that she can protect you better. That would require her suggesting the idea to you though and before that she would have to be in a relationship with you too. Both are things that Jericho struggles with for a longer while. Differently from Guila though, Jericho is a honest soul so she wouldn't want to resort to any cheap methods to have you under the same roof as her. It would be far more rewarding if you'd feel the same as her.

🟪After drinking the demon blood, Jericho is for a while overly possessive and even quite controlling when it comes to you as this marks the darker phase for her but after she's been freed from it, she starts maturing. She slowly attempts to interact normally with you and not stalk you, gives you a chance to know her better. You don't have to know that she already knows quite a bit about you due to all of the times where she was just casually stalking you. I'd say she's quite tame overall even if she's at times just a tad bit more possessive over you. She still likes to play the tough woman and still acts overall very boyish around you but she finds herself growing more comfortable to be girlish with you at times.

Gustaf

🌨️ Gustaf is delusional and his delusion makes him quite confident when it comes to approaching and courting his lover since he basically sees them as his soulmate or something along the lines of destiny. Unfortunately that ultimately transforms him into a rather pestering and downright overbearing person at times since he won't leave you alone an won't listen nor believe you even when you reject him. Instead that only pushes him into believing that he knows something that you don't know just yet, otherwise you'd surely feel the same way about him. So there might just be something slightly condescending about the way he treats you since he thinks that he knows better and that you just don't know yet what's good for you.

🌨️ Protective and possessive and maybe just a tiny bit controlling over his darling. There's probably not much need to explain why. He's a Holy Knight confident in his skills and on top of that he also sees you as his soulmate so it should be fairly obvious why he would want to protect you and make sure that no one else tries anything with you whilst he's still working on courting you. The need to monitor you and your daily life a bit more than he should starts when he realizes that you probably don't know yet that fate has brought you two together so in his mind he's just stopping you from making a mistake you might regret later on.

🌨️ It's an uncomfortable topic to tackle, even for someone delusional like Gustaf. You can at least feel at ease knowing that he at the end of the day feels a bit more confident that even if you do get along with someone very nicely, you're still meant to be with him. So you might graciously call him forgiving when you make him jealous or someone else makes him jealous because he always tells himself that neither you nor that someone else are probably aware of the connection you have with him. Obviously Gustaf will still do something if the situation escalates, straighten up the misunderstanding and prevent you from doing a stupid mistake. That act of forgiveness is over the moment he has told someone that you two belong together though, that counts for you just as much as it counts for others.

🌨️ He's more of a risk than his younger sister is simply because Gustaf doesn't have that same hesitation as Jericho. He doesn't need to prevent to be tough simply because he's confident in his skills and in himself which makes him more threatening. Now, he does have his honor and he won't just injure and harm everyone as he only gets more violent if he perceives someone as a threat to your relationship with him or to your life. Most people who he thinks might try to interfere with his love story are often excused as not aware of the fate that ties him and his darling together, hence why he gives such people most of the time a warning, a reminder to not try to take what is meant to be his. The Holy Knight is not as forgiving when it comes to people who are out to harm you as he handles such threats much more brutally.

🌨️ He has a domestic life with his darling already envisioned and he is very fixated on making it happen as he sees this as only natural. Your own opinion and your own thoughts are dismissed in some shape or form as he once again pulls the "I know better than you" card to excuse any actions he might take. This is a guarantee that you might find yourself being forced in a situation where you have to live with him. Believe me, it will definitely happen if you deny him his request of living together for too long. Not like he would understand why you wouldn't want to live with him together as he could move in with you at any moment.

🌨️ Honestly, he does say that he respects you and your opinion but you only have to observe him for a bit to realize that he isn't speaking the truth. Whilst Gustaf might try, he ultimately fails to fully accept all of your wishes and your thoughts. He sees himself as your protector and he would like you to stay away from all sorts of fights and just let him handle the problems. This doesn't have to mean that he just thinks that you aren't strong but might rather come from his concern that you might get hurt. Gustaf wants his darling safe and sound, away from all harm so he tends to be very overprotective around his lover. He isn't the worst but the fact that he won't take you seriously if you don't feel the same as he does due to his delusional belief definitely makes him hard to handle as he's very stubborn.

Zaratras

🌩️ Upon first glance, Zaratras appears to be rather tough and serious, especially considering his reputation as the strongest knight in Liones who is even on par with the Seven Deadly Sins. Around his lover tough, Zaratras is almost a completely different person as he's soft, silly and very lovingly. He's probably a tad bit too obsessed with his darling as he deems it as very important that he knows about everything about them to give them as much happiness and treat them as best as possible. He also keeps everything you give him and treats it with utter care and whilst he doesn't have a shrine yet, Zaratras sees your gifts as lucky charms he has to polish and worship a bit.

🌩️ What starts as a lucid obsession for Zaratras in the beginning turns sooner or later into something that strays away from reality. Is he ultimately a tad bit delusional in his head? Most definitely. You see, the more this man gets to know you, the more he starts to think that he can't possibly love anyone as much as he can love you. Eventually this thought of his turns into genuine conviction that he won't be able to love anyone romantically besides you. From that moment on his eyes are only set on you and he goes actively out his way to court and spoil you. Luckily he isn't completely gone in his head though as he still knows that stealing things from you or forcing you into anything with him is still wrong and cares too much for you to harm you in any way such as this.

🌩️ Zaratras is unintentionally bound to startle people when he feels jealous but not because he tries to scare them or intimidate them. In fact he tries to stuff his swirling emotions down but the end result is that he stiffens up, his face goes all blank and that he can't help but stare rather intensely at you and whoever you're with at the moment. He feels sorry almost every time when he realizes that he has made you and your companion uncomfortable, apologizes multiple times to you. Jealousy triggers sadness inside of him though as it only becomes more obvious for him each time that he really can't love anyone besides you. At the same time it strengthens his determination to court you and become your lover.

🌩️ All his overemotional and silly behavior around you aside, there is a reason why he's hailed as the strongest Holy Knight in the whole kingdom of Liones and that shouldn't be forgotten. Zaratras is additionally very protective of his lover, only enhanced by the fact that his first wife was attacked and killed, and finds himself often making a fuss over the smallest things that either hurt you or sadden you in any way. He isn't the type to abuse his power nor his position as he's kind and refined but no one wants to make an enemy of him as it won't end well. If someone harms someone else, they should be prepared to get harmed as well, that's what Zaratras believes. So if he warns someone beforehand to not scheme anything to hurt his lover and they still do it, they should be fully aware that he will protect his darling and inflict serious damage.

🌩️ He's daydreaming about waking up in the morning with his darling in his arms and spending each day together with them under the same house and it makes him feel all fuzzy on the inside. At one point he's mentioning it nearly every day to his darling as well, observing how they react to the suggestion. I can't really see him forcing such a decision upon you though since your happiness and comfort are his priority. He's bound to turn stricter when he's in his position as a Holy Knight and has to adapt a more serious and tough side of his. This only happens when there's something dangerous going on that could harm you but in such cases Zaratras tends to startle his darling as he isn't the same silly and goofy man they normally know but fully immersed in his role as a Holy Knight of Liones in which case he won't listen to any protest from you as he is worried for your safety.

🌩️ He coddles his darling a lot since he hates seeing them sad and whilst the attention he gives them can be flattering, it can at times also be a bit smothering. If he knows that you are unhappy or unwell, Zaratras has a hard time leaving you alone which normally results in him being very clingy and staying with you. Gilthunder probably makes fun of him because Zaratras is very obviously trying his everything to impress you and to make himself look as good as possible when he's spending time with you. During Gilthunder's younger years he's often asking his darling to babysit for a bit, an excuse to have you coming over and to see you more frequently. It always warms his heart to see that his son and you get along so greatly.

[pianapplez]

Hello there 👋👀,

So I just found your blog and had a lot of fun scrolling through all the pjo show crit😂 I couldn't help but notice that one tag you left on a post where you said you had some beef with Annabeth's portrayal in the books 👀 Would you mind elaborating on that if you're comfortable with it🙈? Because I absolutely share that sentiment, but it's sooo veeeery rare that I see other people express anything like it... I've found that trying to be a part of the fandom can be pretty alienating most of the time, if you're not exactly the biggest most devoted Percabeth shipper...😅 And often any criticism leveled at Annabeth just gets you a smack with the "internalized-misogyny" hammer... it's even worse in the tv show now due to... obvious reasons...

Again just if you're comfortable with answering of course🙈 There is a reason I stayed on anon after all...😅😂

Really glad you asked because i finally get to ramble about this heheheh (going forward, know that i skimmed over The Last Olympian to have a clearer sense of what I meant because that's the book where Rick fumbles her character more than the others)

i'm gonna try to make as much sense as possible but short answer would be, she's underdeveloped. Long answer:

She really got on my nerves in the last two books, with the whole Rachel debacle and then the Battle of New York. I can't really remember a single moment in those books where she and Percy aren't bickering or having heated discussions, which really made me question their friendship status. Of course, it's not like friends can't fight and it obviously builds up the (romantic) tension between them, but it got unbearable at one point.

I understand she's a teenager in an incredibly stressful situation that didn't even get to have a normal upbringing- she grew up way too fast (run away at 7, head counselor at 12) while also not really maturing, which is not a problem for a character, if it is handled properly. Given the fact that I am writing this, Riordan did not.

On the surface, my biggest beef is that Annabeth is not exactly held accountable for her actions (ie. treating Rachel a bit like shit and going off on Percy for a bunch of stuff.) I know Percy is to blame a bit here: as far as we know, in TLO he basically cuts the greek world out of his life as much as he can as a coping mechanism. And while yes, he never apologizes either, he doesn't give her nearly half the hard time she gives him: always either giving him the cold shoulder (there must be at least one example of this in the entire series but i cant be bothered to look it up sorry) or starting an argument only to then storm off (see the "you're a coward, Percy Jackson!" scene, which is not the fairest example since she was confronting Percy about ignoring camp but also was a bit too harsh about it) (especially after finally reading the prophecy and being under the impression that he was absolutely going to die when he turned 16 lmao) or just straight up storming off (see, Annabeth reacting when Rachel shows up for the first time during the battle of new york). While most of these feel, at least to some degree, fairly justified given how the entire situation does an absolute number on her emotions, she comes off a bit brattish and like she's trying to rile Percy up, especially when it comes to Rachel, which in the context of a battle that could mean the destruction of the world.... Well, it reads as a bit childish to me, and i wouldn't exactly have that much of a problem with it if it was dealt with in some way (a two-way apology would be nice).

After that first impression, i realized that Annabeth is barely ever anything else other than a plot device (when relating to Luke) or a love interest (when relating to Percy). This might be because the books are on Percy's POV. Hell, on the third book he's even conflicted when Annabeth is considering joining the Hunters of Artemis, aka, when making a choice for herself would mean he loses her (which is fine and dandy but it feels like Percy is more upset about her choosing her own path rather than being sad about not seeing her as often); we really only get a few glimpses of her, as in, actually her when she's on her own.

Obviously it's impossible to talk about Annabeth without touching on percabeth, which also is, in my opinion, what hinders Annabeth's character the most. On paper they sound great. The guy whose fatal flaw is loyalty falls in love with a girl whose been let down by people over and over, and she decides to never give up on the boy whose always had people give up on him (can't find one of the million posts that talks about this right now but it always goes something like that) And yeah, the bickering is really well written! But that's literally as far as it ever goes: they don't ever seem to have fun together, because 8 times out of 10 the bickering ends up being passive aggressive, and mostly done by Annabeth. My biggest gripe about percabeth is that their friendship seems to be based off... shared trauma. Literally. Other than going on quests together we are given no examples of them hanging out, nor a reason why they would want to spend time together in the first place, not even a shared hobby. Yes, in the fourth book they had a movie "date" planned but of course they didn't even get to it, and surprise surprise, they had a minor discussion, and surprise surprise, Annabeth was passive aggressive again. It's hard to picture them having fun together when even the author doesn't write in any scenes in which they get along smoothly (and before you say anything, a scene in which they get along where neither of them is about to die, and they're not talking about previous adventures. Gets a bit hard then, doesn't it?) It's even harder to picture them as a couple when the moment she gets upset about something, she starts coming off as emotionally manipulative (see, again, literally any conversation with Rachel or about Rachel)

To be fair, the books are relatively short and don't allow many "filler" chapters, if you will; there's always something happening to keep the main plot or a minor plot point moving forward, but it's not like there is no room to develop the characters' relationships, especially when we're talking about the main char and what is essentially his endgame. As an example we have Percy and Clarisse, or Percy and Beckendorf. Their interactions are brief but still hold so much weight.

Worst of all, Annabeth could be one hell of a character; what's most interesting of all is how being a daughter of Athena she is still incredibly emotionally driven, which is displayed very clearly with her fatal flaw being pride: her telling the Sphynx that her questions were too easy was not smart nor strategic: it was completely impulsive. I seriously think she wasn't far from being the best character in the series had she been given more time.

I guess i have as much beef with Annabeth as i have with Rick for doing her dirty. I really could sum this up with: while her emotions are justified, she acts upon them quite poorly. And this is what i mean when i say she's underdeveloped, because it would've been nice to see her come to her senses a bit.

Would love to read anyone's opinions on her character though, feel free to comment, even (or especially) if you don't agree with me!

[some-stars]

so my sister is visiting this week and ofc with all four of us here there are a lot of Feelings in the air, and apparently the way i cope with that is to dive deep into my #1 comfort fandom & pairing of all time, which is, of course, dark angel and max/alec, who i will be shipping on my deathbed. the show isn't streaming anywhere and it's never going to be, it's buried in the disney vaults (it was on fox originally) and they're never ever ever going to let it out, but it was SO good and if there were any justice in the world i'd be allowed to see 2024 fandom's take on the greatest and most important OTP of all time ever.

if you have not watched the show and are wondering how a 2 season science fiction/action show from 2000 can possibly have given us the greatest pairing of All Time, you need to think about all the ~energy that jensen ackles brought to supernatural that made destiel the force that it became, and then picture him (8 years younger than s4 of spn) pouring all that energy into depicting how his secondary character was deeply, deeply in love with the heroine of the show, and TPTB had a clear mandate to keep her with her assigned love interest but several of the writers just as clearly shipped her with alec, who was demonstrably more interesting and better to and for her. and then in the middle of all that throw an early cancellation RIGHT after setting up max and alec as the leader & lieutenant of a mutant resistance movement, in a location where the assigned love interest literally couldn't go without dying (also he and max can't touch for sci-fi macguffin reasons and have just spent a miserable season pining after never even getting to fuck once). and alec is just doing that ackles-style Quiet Self-Abnegating Devotion the entire time. it's fucking LETHAL. i never stood a chance.

(also young jessica alba was not half bad as an actor herself! but she's definitely not the driving force behind the Energy between them in every single scene, although her and jensen do have fantastic chemistry)

anyway this is i think the saddest thing in my life, that there's never going to be a second dark angel renaissance (the first was after spn got big, ofc). and since it originally aired in 2000-2001, and then had a second burst of fandom popularity from like 2007-2010, there's not a lot on ao3 either. it's basically just my one fic, a whole blessed bunch of good stuff from victoria_p, and 4-5 other stories that are decent to good. and that's it. for the most beautiful important meaningful in love pairing of all time ever forever. life is not fair. anyway it is available on various illegal streaming sites and also secondhand DVDs and you should REALLY check it out, bc there are many other things to recommend it besides the world's best ship that i did not get into here. season one is objectively better but alec shows up in season two, so i recommend watching both. and then PLEASE come talk to me, i have ONE (1) friend who's into it and i'm dying.

[moviemunchies]

GOSH it’s been a week, am I right? We had an election, the results of which were… uh, yeah, we elected a megalomaniacal senior citizen who tries flushing classified documents down his toilet. I’m going to let off some steam.

I’m here to tell you that Twilight of the Gods, despite getting a better reception than a lot of Zack Snyder projects, is hot garbage.

Sigrid is a half-giant, and on her wedding day, Thor comes and kills her family. Blah, blah, revenge quest, gather a group of outcast badasses to fight the Big Bad threat–

Wait, wasn’t the gist of it–the gathering a group of warriors to fight a bigger, institutional tyrannical threat–the same Plot as Rebel Moon? This even has a campfire sequence before the big battle where the heroes talk about the motivations and backstories. Goshdarnit, Zack. I know you’re not the only person working on this, but really?

That aside, the problem with Twilight of the Gods isn’t that the Plot is bad; yeah, it’s thin, but that’s not necessarily bad. You can have a great story with a thin Plot. Look at John Wick. No, the biggest problem I had is that so many of the characters’ actions and development make absolutely no sense. Characters will choose a path that doesn’t add up other than to move the Plot forward. Big things will happen, and revelations will drop, and the people involved do not care.

-There’s an episode where Loki tells Leif that he’s the Scapegoat God–his entire role in the pantheon is to be the douchebag everyone hates and takes the blame when things go wrong, or when people make bad decisions. And he hates it. Loki’s stuck with a role he despises. You would think this would have some reaction from Leif, and affect the interactions between the two in some meaningful way down the line. Nope!

-The dragon Fafnir used to be Andvari’s friend, another dwarf. When they defeat him, Fafnir turns back into a dwarf, and Andvari insists that they spare him. Leif kills Fafnir anyway, because he’s angsting about his lover Sigrid becoming more vicious. Andvari, nor any of the other characters, have any reaction to him killing someone who he wasn’t supposed to on a whim, much less the friend of a friend.

-Speaking of that: Andvari’s backstory with Fafnir and Loki isn’t explained by Andvari, one of the main members of the group, I remind you, but by Egil, summarizing to Leif and Sigrid the next morning being like, “Yeah, so last night he was telling us all about it!” Why didn’t you just show us Andvari telling his own story?!

-Also, Loki kills Andvari when Andvari tries to kill him. Everyone is shocked, and Leif is clearly sad when we see him burying Andvari. And then no one really cares that their ally killed one of their friends

-Hervor at one point wonders aloud if killing Thor will screw up the afterlife or the weather cycle. Hey, geez, maybe that would have been a good thing to ask before you agreed to go kill Thor? Especially as her life goal is apparently to meet up with her already-deceased sons in Valhalla. Hervor’s got no apparent motivation to be on this quest, either, other than friendship with Sigrid–I mean, hey, go kill gods with your friends amirite?

-Thyra, who was raised by the Vanir, is apparently perfectly happy to side with new friends against them when they’re framed for poisoning them. Why? I don’t know, she has a crush on Sigrid, I guess.

-Oh gosh, the Campfire Episode. Shrooms are passed away For Reasons, Thyra has a threesome with Sigrid and Leif which is apparently Oh-So-Magical for her (she swears eternal devotion to them afterwards, basically), and then Odin reveals himself there and the episode ends–and no one gives a damn about Odin appearing to Sigrid and talking to her, given they’re about to go to war with him.

The creators of this series did not care about a coherent story or cast of characters. It’s made up of moments that someone in a writing room said, “Wouldn’t this be awesome?!” (for the reveals, action scenes, and dialogue) or, “Wouldn’t this be hot?!” (for the at-least-once-an-episode sex scenes). That this has gotten a somewhat good reception is astounding to me. Castlevania, for all its flaws, had spectacular fight scenes and animation. This has even less redeeming qualities. I mean, the writers really said, “Hey, what if Jormungandr were actually a hot chick that has sex with Thor?!” and people… went along with that? And think this is good writing?

I suppose that at the very least, it’s clear that they did a lot of research on Norse mythology for this series, and people appreciate that. Then again, it makes the deviations stand out all the more. Why on Earth is Freya’s brother, king of the Vanir, Tiwaz? The 2018 God of War also made a lot of changes to the mythology, while still clearly having done tons of research as well, so those changes were done in service to the story and characters. Changes here are only there because… I don’t know why. To make it more gruesome?

And I spent the entire series saying, “Hey, I don’t know how any of this works!” We see they take quite a journey to get to Jotunheim, though apparently anywhere else in the Nine Realms is pretty easy to find, if not necessarily to get to. The crew gets god-killing weapons, and kills Vanir and Aesir mooks by the bucketload (how did they all get that good at fighting that they can wipe out gods with ease??), and yet when it comes to Thor himself, sometimes they’re god-killing weapons go through him, like he’s a boss fight and they have to wear down his first health bar before they can kill him. And Thor kills Sigrid’s family by making them explode with lightning (pretty sure that’s not how lightning works), but when fighting the protagonists he doesn’t do anything nearly as effective, swinging his hammer around wildly. He should be able to kill them at any time, and doesn’t, because Plot.

This is terrible writing. This is terrible character development. The animation’s cool, I guess, and that’s kind of it. There’s so much better fiction about mythology out there, so check that out instead of this.

[tavyliasin]

10 First lines challenge

Rules: Share the first line of your last ten published works or as many as you are able to and see if there are any patterns!

Tagged by the ever wonderful @redroomroaving

I'll tag in...ahh this is hard I always forget people's usernames so I'm just searching the @'s here... @sweetmage @thylyre @laserlope @ineadhyn @hydropyro and anyone else who would like to - also if you would like to be tagged in for future writing tag games please let me know directly too and I'll make a proper list for a change! Anyway I'm going to take mine only from published works, not WIPs, and will put them all below the cut. I doubt the lines will be spicy, but the fics almost certainly will be~

Piercing storm-grey eyes regarded you quietly, assessing your distress in mere moments. From: Abdirak - Toothache Comfort (Collection of short "x Reader" pieces)

For a rare change of pace, it seemed like the sun was shining on the streets of Baldur’s Gate. From: ATG 16 - Bonded? Thrice (Astarion/Halsin/Tav threeway chapter of the longfic)

By the time they got back to camp, Gale was struggling not to double over. From: Weaving the Blood Moon (Bloodweave entry in my Red Moons of Faerun menstruation fic series)

Sleep did not come easily to Haarlep. From: The Nightmare, The Dream, and The Spaces Between (A chapter in the Raphael/Haarlep prequel longfic series, The Scent Of Cinnamon)

Several tendays passed by in a blur. From: The Dress, The Duck, and The Cambion's Patience (Another chapter of that longfic)

Lord Enver Gortash hissed a long sigh of frustration from between clenched teeth, leaning back on the edge of his desk the moment the last of the day’s guests left. From: Bloodlust and Bhaalists (The DurgeTash entry into the Red Moons of Faerun series)

Durge. That’s what she called him. From: Two Heads Are Better Than None (A Durge/Tav one shot, written for a prompt request)

Raphael walked down the corridors of the House of Hope, inspecting all the recent renovations. From: The House Of Hooooooooohno (A cursed little one shot which pairs Raphael with the House of Hope itself...?!)

“I don’t know about this,” Gale protested, even as he kept pace with the men either side of him, the three walking with arms linked at the elbow like old comrades. From: Between a Blade and a Sharp Place (A Gale/Astarion/Wyll threeway one shot)

The moon hung precisely half full in the sky as Abdirak smiled - Selune may not have been his goddess but like clockwork her light always heralded this particular devotion to the Maiden. From: Hymns of the Red Moon (The first in the Red Moon series, in which Abdirak spends a night of worship alone)

Analysis

This is a tough one. Ideally I would've like to take the first paragraph as a few of those are exceptionally short, especially compared to my averagely very long sentence.

The Longfic Chapters (ATG, Scent of Cinnamon) are lines that have an air of continuation to them, illustrating the change of time or mood within the character or setting with a short opener. The following lines in all 3 cases are far longer - it's like giving just a quick bite first then reeling in a much longer line. It's also not doing a lot of scene setting or action, as I tend to write chapters as scenarios so they have a building pace to them. Red Moon Series each open on a clear depiction of the focus character and how they're experiencing the moment. Abdirak is seeing the signs and finding the beauty in them as the torment of his body begins, whereas both Gale and Gortash are steeped in their frustration and agony from the beginning, desperate to end the day and just not have to deal with things any more. The other one shots almost all start immediately with a name, opening on our POV character and identifying them quickly, following with either a simple action, thought, or dialogue. The character comfort short assumes you know exactly who owns those eyes and aims to pull you in to the moment without the name, to set the scene swiftly for a much shorter piece. Overall I think it's hard to really narrow down any techniques I use for openers - I vary things depending on the piece, but only very rarely do I open on dialogue or dynamic action. Whilst I love those things as tropes and as a great way to start a story, I tend to prefer to walk through the door rather than taking a running start - which is likely partially why all my works end up running longer than I expected because my natural instinct is a building pace. I enjoy taking the time to build the tension, slowly pull on that elastic until you think it can't possibly stretch any further then- SNAP let it all go as the payoff reaches a sprinting pace, preferably with that time at the end to let things cool back down rather than sprinting into a dead end wall. I'm quite tempted to do this again with last lines but not today, far too tired for that! Again if you want to tag in and do this one, use me as your tag in! Or let me know and I can actively tag you in to this one or the next~

[thelightofthingshopedfor]

okay, so after seeing the full scene from the Blu-ray I actually hate it a lot less, because it seems pretty clear that Loki and Sylvie both had the same thought of playing the situation like they were still enemies, but then Ravonna showed up and suddenly Sylvie was slammed back into the mindset of that little girl getting her life ripped away from her. She wasn't genuinely upset until then.

on the other hand, I fucking hate the Frog Thor coronation scene with every fiber of my being capable of being devoted to things that don't actually matter, to the point that I would have had a hard time not ragequitting the entire show right then and there if they'd included it in the final cut and I'm having a hard time forgiving the fact that it was filmed, let alone released into the world as a deleted scene, and I really don't think even my usual obsessive desire to reconcile all parts of canon and most parts of almost-canon is going to help here

especially if any part of fandom starts acting like this is Just Canon Now as part of Thor and Loki's backstory. can't do it, y'all, this is a bridge too far for me, I will comprehensively lose my shit

(the whole point of what happened in the first Thor film is that Loki's actions came out of nowhere!! like the entire point!! I mean we can argue for a million years if the power-hungry bullshit and the blatant usurping and the peacocking demonstrate either a huge retconning or misrepresentation of his characterization in that film--they do, so of course that's my biggest objection, but it's also not the reason the scene makes no sense and cannot possibly be canon, and the reason is, nobody else in the movie would behave the same way if Loki had already made a credible (ridiculous, but still credible) and extremely public attempt to get rid of Thor and take the throne. Sif and the Warriors would be openly distrustful of him from the start instead of mostly dismissive and only later moving to distrust (can you imagine any of them letting Loki protect their backs or Thor's during the fight on Jotunheim if that stupid coronation scene really happened? really?), Odin would probably suspect Loki's involvement in the real interrupted coronation right away and punish him as well as Thor, and Thor in particular wouldn't keep blindly trusting him, which is why Loki is able to lie to him so well and why it hurts him so much to learn the truth.)

(I'll certainly accept as canon Loki turning Thor into a frog at some point and Thor smacking the shit out of him in revenge. I don't give a shit about that part. I mean, I already accepted half of that as canon because Loki wrote it into his stupid play in Ragnarok, so I figured it must have actually happened.)