#which incidentally is exactly what he does just before he…

[y-rhywbeth2]

Incidentally, if you've ever wanted your Durge to fight like Bhaal for some reason - or would like to have Bhaal hunt them down in person if they resisted him - Bhaal's usual in-person tactics are wandering the area in stealth assassinating a bunch of guards (usually sowing panic, sometimes allowing them to scream leaving the bodies on display or even giving them a slow death so their comrades can watch them die) and then entering open combat with what little is left and then just really casually killing them all.

Knives is good, but killing people with your bare hands is best. Never be ashamed to just fucking punch people.

Bhaal also flat out doesn't care about healing, as you may have seen in the feral ending, and will keep fighting until the physical body collapses. Also gets more aggressive when an opponent manages to land a hit: he kills you, not the other way around.

Furthermore: be unkillable. Just fucking refuse to die no matter how many killing blows your opponents give you until they're literally yelling 'why won't you die??' at you. So ultimately all hitting Bhaal back does is make him murder you harder.

For textual illustrations, I collected some sections of Bhaal's fight/assassin scenes because I could. Also Cyric and his beloved pony:

"There's something beyond the outer curtain," he said, trying to gain Cyric's interest. He removed his scabbard and placed it upon the dusty banquet table. "Or so the watch says." Cyric had little concern for what lurked outside the walls to frighten his men. He decided to change the subject and asked, "How is my pony? That fellow carried me well, considering how hard I rode." "With rest it'll recover - provided someone doesn't kill it first," Dalzhel said, returning to the fireplace. "There are those who grumble that it has eaten better than the men." "It's proven more use!" Cyric snapped. The pony had carried him nearly one hundred and fifty miles over the last three days. A war-horse could not have done better. He considered threatening death to anyone who touched the pony, but rejected the idea. The order would breed resentment, and someone might take up the challenge.

You hear that, Cyric. 'Someone.'

I like to imagine Mask is laughing her head off in this scene, considering she's almost definitely aware of Bhaal lurking in the shadows spying for Myrkul and murdering two guys and listening to this conversation, and she knows exactly what he's going to do having heard that.

Sometimes Bhaal doesn't even kill them. Immediately.

Two of the men were pointedly looking away from the well. Since it still provided water, it was the one item the castle's periodic inhabitants kept in good repair. A moan, low-pitched and feral, issued from the well's depths. Tied to the blood-smeared crossbar was a gray cord that descended into the dark pit. Dalzhel stepped forward and grabbed the cord. Without speaking, he began to pull. An anguished scream rang out deep down the well. Dalzhel allowed the cry tocontinue for several seconds before dropping the cord. "What was that?" Cyric asked, peering into the black depths. "Edan, we think," Dalzhel reported. "He's still alive," Fane added informatively. "Every time we try to pull him up, he screams." Though he had seen many slow deaths, and had caused one or two himself, Cyric's stomach turned as he tried to imagine what had happened at the other end of the rope.

Cyric peered inside. Alrik faced the corner, kneeling in a pool of his own blood. He held his hands cupped in front of his stomach. A barbed, wooden tip protruded from his lower back, suggesting that a stake had been driven through his body. Because of the barbs, the stake could not be removed without dragging Alrik's intestines out with it.

"No!" A high screech followed. It did not fade, even after the man's throat should have gone hoarse. Cyric turned toward the gatehouse, unsure of what he would find. Few humans were capable of the efficient brutality with which Alrik and Edan had been tortured. Still, the thief moved at his best pace. If he appeared frightened of the murderer, his men would no longer be afraid of him - and that was an invitation for mutiny - Dalzhel and Fane followed close behind. By the time they reached the gatehouse, the scream was no longer audible. A dozen men had gathered in the stairwell, standing in a line running up to the second floor. Their torches cast a flickering yellow light on the walls. The men did not even notice Cyric when he arrived, so Fane bellowed, "Out of the way! Stand aside!" When the onlookers made no move to obey, Fane muscled a path up the stairway. Cyric and Dalzhel followed, eventually reaching a doorway. Five men stood inside, staring at a crumpled form in the center of the room. A dark pool was spreading about their feet, and the barest whisper of a croak came from the shape on the floor.

-

Cyric and his lieutenant were thinking along the same lines. During his life, Cyric had known many evil men. Not one was capable of what he had seen tonight. "Have the men gather in groups of six," the thief ordered. "One group in the great hall-" A terrified whinny sounded from outside, interrupting the instructions. "The stable," Dalzhel observed. The men mumbled, but stood still and waited for their orders. Again, the pony whinnied, this time sending chills down Cyric's spine. "We'd better have a look," he said, cringing at the thought of what they would find. The men on the stairs reluctantly started to ward the stable, Cyric and Dalzhel close behind. By the time the hawk-nosed man reached the ground floor, the pony was quiet. As Cyric stepped into the courtyard, a ghostly wail whistled through the castle. Outside the stable, ten men stood with their swords drawn, peering inside and clearly reluctant to enter. Cyric slopped his way across the ward and pushed them aside. Grabbing a torch, he entered the stable, his sword arm aching with the desire to lash out at something. The pony lay dead in its stall, a withered and puckered hole over its heart. The lips of its muzzle were twisted back in horror, and one eye stared directly at Cyric. Dalzhel approached and stood next to his commander. For a moment, he observed in silence, wondering whether or not Cyric was mourning the beast's death. Then he noticed something on the beam over the stall. "Look!" A circle of drops had been drawn in blood. Cyric had little trouble recognizing the Circle of Tears.

This is exactly how I play BG3 from the perspective of areas full of not-yet-hostile enemies:

"Milord, Captain Beresford bids me inform you that two guards are absent from the outer curtain." Deverell frowned then asked, "Is it still raining?" The page nodded. "Aye. The drops are as red as blood and as cold as ice." The boy could not keep his fear from showing itself in his voice. Deverell stopped whispering. "Then tell Beresford to worry no more, and we'll discipline the derelicts come morning. I've no doubt the guards are hiding from the strange weather." [...] The page entered again and approached Lord Deverell. In the room's silence, it was impossible not to hear his whisper. "Milord, Captain Beresford orders me report the absence of three sentries from the inner curtain." "The inner curtain?" Deverell exclaimed. "There, too?"

-

The halfling had no idea what it was that the guards were fighting, but he knew that it had torn through them with frightening speed. [...] The guards knew little more about their opponent than Sneakabout. Orrel had seen something crawl down a dark corner of the inner wall. A moment later, a timid-looking man had stepped out of the shadows and walked nonchalantly to the keep's entrance. Orrel and another guard had stepped out of the foyer to challenge him. He had knocked their halberds aside, then slipped a dagger out of his sleeve and killed them both with a single, long slash. A third guard had yelled an alarm, which had also proven fatal. The stranger had thrown a dagger through the guard's throat, silencing him in midscream. Fitch, the sergeant, had ordered the survivors to retreat inside. He felt foolish for running from a lone attacker, but the smooth efficiency with which the man killed left no doubt that he was no ordinary assassin. Because their assignment was to protect the keep tower, Fitch thought it wisest to retreat and bar the door, then send a man to call for help. His strategy didn't work. The doors were thick and heavy, designed for strength instead of manoeuvrability. As the sergeant and a guard pushed them into place, the stranger stepped out of the foyer. The guard died an instant later, the attacker's fingers wrapped around his larynx. Brandishing his sword, Sergeant Fitch yelled his last order to the men on the stairs. "In Azoun's name, keep him downstairs!"

To Adon's left, the stairs descended in a gentle, clockwise spiral. Five feet down, another torch hung in a sconce, casting its dingy light upon the cold stone steps. Where the stairwell curved out of sight, the shadows of four Cormyrians were retreating up the stairs. Each silhouette held a polearm. Judging from the shadows, it appeared a single man was pursuing them. One of the Cormyrian silhouettes lunged. A flurry of activity followed then a weak chuckle rolled up the stairs. An instant later, a man screamed in agony. The other three guards retreated another step. Their chain-mailed backs were visible to Adon now, but the attacker remained unseen. Adon could not believe a single man pressed so fiercely, but the shadow appeared to be nothing more. [...] A clamor arose outside the tower as word spread that the keep was under attack. The tattoo-headed man turned to listen for an instant then calmly returned his gaze to the two guards in front of him. The stranger stepped forward, slapping their halberds aside as if the weapons were no more than sticks.

He also has stupidly high AC:

The remaining live soldier shifted to the other side of the landing, then raised his sword. The guard was deliberately giving the god an opening so Adon could attack. Heedless of the trap, Bhaal stepped forward, and Adon swung his mace at the avatar's head. The god easily ducked the blow. Before the Cormyrian could slash, however, the Lord of Murder punched him in the abdomen. The man barely retained his balance and stumbled back on the landing [...] The Cormyrian obliged with a vicious overhead slash. Bhaal sidestepped it easily, moving backward toward Midnight's chamber. The magic-user's door flew open. Midnight stood in the entrance to her room, dagger in hand. She had been watching the battle in silence, cursing the loss of her spellbook and waiting for an opportunity to strike. Finally, it had come. She thrust the blade into the avatar's back. Bhaal's eyes widened in surprise. He started to turn, and Adon seized the chance for an easy attack, smashing his mace into the avatar's ribs. The god's knees buckled and he tumbled down the stairs, roaring in a rage. The avatar came to rest six steps down, Midnight's dagger still planted in his back. "Is he dead?" Midnight asked. Bhaal rose and glared at the magic-user, cursing in a language no human could duplicate. Without paying any attention to his wounds, the Lord of Murder jumped for the landing. The Cormyrian yelled and leaped to meet the avatar, blade flashing. Bhaal met the guard in midair, blocking the soldier's swordarm with a bone-crunching blow and simultaneously driving his fingers into the man's throat. The avatar reached the landing with the guard's gasping body in his hands, then dropped the corpse down the stairs without a second thought.

Bhaal lifted a hand and felt the wound. His fingers came away bloody. Without so much as turning around, he kicked backward, catching the cleric in the ribs. Adon flew into his chamber, crashed into his bed, then crumpled to the floor gasping for breath and wondering how he would ever pick himself up.

If you don't have a knife at hand, stabbing them with your own broken wrist bone is fine:

Without warning, Bhaal stopped and spun on his pursuer, jabbing at Cyric with the sharp bone protruding from his severed wrist. The fallen god followed the jab with an open-handed strike from his other hand. [...] Cyric was at Bhaal's back. The thief attacked with a vicious slash he hoped would cleave the avatar down to the breast bone. But Bhaal heard him coming and, easily breaking free of Dalzhel's hold, pivoted out of the way. The God of Assassins caught Cyric's arm, then used the thief's own momentum to throw him ten feet into the brush. As Cyric sailed past, Dalzhel snatched his sword off the ground then plunged the blade into the avatar's rib cage. Bhaal snarled and kicked the Zhentish soldier in the stomach.Dalzhel fell backward and landed with a crash. The Lord of Murder casually plucked Dalzhel's sword from between his ribs and tossed it aside. Then he leaped onto his opponent's prone form, thrusting the splintered stump of his wrist into Dalzhel's throat. Dalzhel screamed once then fell quiet.

Just wholesale beating the living daylights out of an opponent is also good, and I think this might be one of Bhaal's favourite memories (and fyi Cyric did not win the fight between them. Mask did):

Cyric slashed. Bhaal easily dodged, slapping the thief's sword hand aside. Cyric kicked, hoping to keep his attacker away. The avatar blocked the foot, then stepped in close and clipped his opponent's jaw with a fist as hard as stone. Cyric's ears rang and his head swam. He tried to swing his sword, but Bhaal hit him once more. The thief felt his body going limp. The Lord of Murder struck his jaw again, then his stomach, then continued pummeling Cyric until he dropped his weapon and flopped to the ground in a half-conscious heap. While Bhaal battered Cyric, Adon and Kelemvor rushed toward Midnight.

[javelinbk]

Paul McCartney singing Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey at the Beatles appearance on Shindig!, 3rd October 1964 - part 1 (part 2)

[sistertotheknowitall]

Danny is Some Guy with a not so secret admirer.

Part four? Post #four? I don’t know, none of these are exactly in order. Post one, post two, post three.

——

By the time Tim opened the door, Danny had his coffee made and handed to Mia at the register. He resolutely ignored her smug face and went back to making the other orders.

Tim had been a regular long before Danny had started at the coffee shop but it was three days into Danny’s third week when Tim had stumbled in at eight a.m. and did a double take upon seeing Danny. A very obvious double take followed by intense staring before Mia had cleared her throat. The blush that lit up Tim’s face was only rivaled by the one on Danny’s.

He had never had anyone openly stare at him before.

Mia had been insufferable ever since.

It also didn’t help that shortly after their first meeting Tim had started taking his breaks at the little coffee shop. It’s been three weeks, nearly a month and Wayne Enterprise’s CEO went from a bi-weekly regular to an everyday one. (Danny wondered if he should be concerned for the man’s caffeine intake but he only had the one cup every time so probably not.)

Originally, Danny had no plans to talk to Tim. It seemed obvious the guy had a crush on Danny if the constant looks over his laptop were anything to go by and Danny didn’t want to encourage it. Danny barely had time to make new friends let alone start a relationship.

There was also the added problem of what was quickly becoming his bat stalkers. How do you explain to someone that you were being watched by Gotham’s vigilante’s for no reason? (Or worse because he had made a poorly timed sleep-deprived comment.) Danny didn’t think you could without seeming suspicious.

Incidentally though, Danny’s plan went out the window when on a slow afternoon as he was cleaning tables and passed behind Tim. Once he saw the article the other man was reading he snorted.

Bruce Wayne and The Batman? Could This Be A New Romance For Gothams Most Beloved Billionaire?

It was one of those gossip rags that printed things like: Elvis: alive and well and Superman: a mild mannered farm boy? It was all nonsense.

Danny asked Tim why he bothered with the site and Tim responded that he found it amusing to read and that his family had a group chat where they sent the articles to each other.

“Okay. But Batman? Really? Your dad could do so much better.”

“You don’t like Batman?” Tim asked. Danny had slid into the chair next to him and shrugged. “I respect what he does but for as intimidating as he is, he also seems a little silly.”

Tim had given him an incredulous look and Danny hadn’t given him time to ask for an explanation, “and his kids can be just as rude. Like that flying monkey one.” Tim choked on air and Danny politely waited for him to calm down. “Kids? Wait - flying monkey one? Which one -?”

“The one always doing back flips with the blue bird symbol. He’s also a dick that gives hypocritical lectures about fighting.” Danny wouldn’t say he hated the guy but he wasn’t sure how many more lectures he could endure before going ghost and fighting him.

Tim had turned to Danny completely and was watching him with a look of disbelief, “you mean Nightwing?”

“Is that his name? Imma call him Dickwing.”

Tim had started choking again, this time Danny patted his back hoping to help. Yet it was all for not once he kept talking, “I think I’ve only had positive interactions with the one who looks like a walking red flag.”

“Red flag? Do you men hood-?”

“No, although he is definitely a red flag, I mean the other Red one. I’m sorry, I don’t know all these peoples names yet.”

“Danny!” Mia called.

Danny stood and patted Tim, who looked a little shell-shocked, on the shoulder. “Well work calls, see you later Mr. Drake-Wayne.” As he walked away he heard Tim mutter “it’s just Tim.”

(Tim for his part, placed his head in his hands and thought, well at least I have his name now.)

After that first interaction Tim stopped playing the lurker and started to actually talk to Danny and vise versa. Danny never asked if he still had a crush on him, he wasn’t sure he wanted to know.

Unfortunately, their growing friendship had only encoraged Mia as she happily sang “your boyfriend’s here!”

Danny, very maturely, did not stick his tongue out at her. He did however flip her off under the counter like an adult.

[muzyoshi]

Miles Edgeworth's Secret

This post is purely for documentation purposes, and also to inform anyone who may not be aware. This post will contain SPOILERS for the end of Phoenix Wright: Trials & Tribulations, so proceed with caution.

During Case 5, Bridge to the Turnabout, while playing as Edgeworth, you are presented the opportunity to peer into Iris' heart. Specifically in regards to a secret she is withholding from Phoenix, someone she was romantically involved with. During which, if the player fails to present the correct evidence specifically for the second Psyche-Lock, an interesting conversation concerning the nature of secrets occurs.

I have seen talk of this dialogue, but no footage or screenshots, so I took the liberty of getting them myself. The full conversation and my further thoughts will be found under the cut.

You MUST present incorrect evidence during the second Psyche-Lock. This dialogue is laughably easy to miss, which is why I could find zero footage of it. (Sorry if the formatting for this sucks)

(Interesting to note: the music stops playing here.)

Incidentally, Iris' secret is that she developed romantic feelings for Phoenix while dating him in college (disguised as her twin sister). Edgeworth affirms her thoughts, confirming that he does indeed have a secret of similar nature deep within his heart and soul; "It takes one to know one." It cannot be said what exactly this secret of his is, but every real plot point behind Edgeworth has been more or less resolved by this point in the series. He found his path as a prosecutor, the truth behind his involvement in the DL-6 incident was concluded, so... What's left? Reading between the lines, this only really seems to lead us to one answer. It has something to do with romantic feelings. I truly can't see it being anything else, even with a critical mind.

Just mere moments ago, Iris had inquired as to what Edgeworth and Phoenix' relationship was. Edgeworth (famously) responds that Wright is a "dear and indispensable friend". Wonder if Iris gleamed something deeper from that comment, then? ;P Keep in mind: she makes these comments directly because Edgeworth avoided presenting Phoenix Wright's profile.

"he just like me fr" - iris probably

Now, just for completion's sake, let's see what happens when you present Phoenix's profile and break the Psyche-Lock.

I have a lot of thoughts regarding this string of text from the two of them. This is a huge reach from an admittedly shipper-crazed brain, but aren't Edgeworth's retorts here... interesting? He does not know this girl, but he knows that the two of them are important to one another. We can assume it's likely that he is pushing for this for Wright's sake, rather than Iris'. At this point it's fair to say that Edgeworth has some basic understanding of her secret (the feelings, at least), and he doesn't benefit from her telling Phoenix her secret. So why is he adamant that she does it? Especially when he's, apparently, holding a secret of similar nature himself? Projecting, perhaps?

"But it's pointless..." "Why would you say that?"

Why indeed.

(EDIT) I was thinking about this feverishly, and I had another thought. What if the "darkness in his heart" and his "secret" has something to do with jealousy? Still in context of romantic feelings... it starts to make sense that this could fit into the puzzle as well. By this point it was already established to Edgeworth that Phoenix and Iris share an intimate connection of some kind, and with all of this pressuring (including the words the two of them share before Edgeworth leaves the Detention Centre), it sort of adds up. "Uncovering the truth" in order to "get rid of the deep-seated darkness in [his] heart" - could this refer to closure? As in, if Iris comes forth to Phoenix Wright with her secret, and there is some level of reciprocation, would this make Edgeworth's own secret/feelings "pointless" to confess? I wonder.

One last note I'd like to make is that this is the first time we view Edgeworth through the 'protagonist lens', and that a great deal of care was put into having the player truly feel like they are Miles Edgeworth in this moment. His mannerisms, choice of words and thought patterns are decidedly very different than Phoenix's when you are in control of them, as I'm sure most people would agree. Therefore, I feel comfortable proposing that a lot of what he says here isn't filler, and in fact is very deliberately worded.

I think this post also deserves a spot here.

Diehard Narumitsu/Wrightworth shippers are likely already aware of this conversation's existence. However, due to the circumstances necessary to see it, I wasn't able to find any screenshots. I hope this was interesting to read, at least... Thanks for reading!

[sunshinechay]

I absolutely understand why Babe would forgive Charlie so quickly. These two moments right here explains it perfectly:

And this one

Babe has spent almost his entire adult life feeling like he can’t love anyone. Feeling like he can’t, like he wasn’t worthy of that love, that he wasn’t worth it. He wanted someone who would love him uncondititionally and completely. Someone who would take care of him and not judge him. Then came Charlie. For all of Charlie’s flaws and lies, that is the one thing I don’t think I’ve ever doubted. Charlie loves Babe. He loves Babe so much but he also knows that if he tries to tell Babe who he is right away, Babe will reject him. Babe will, like he did at first, assume that it is all a part of Tony’s plan to get Babe back, to force him to go along with what Tony is planning.

With the foundation that their relationship has now, Babe knows that Charlie loves him. That everything he did, no matter how fucked up, was because he loved him. Charlie offers to die so that Babe will gets his senses back. I think that right there says a lot about how much Charlie loves Babe. How much Charlie loves period. He was even willing to lie to Tony on something easily fact checked. He lies and says he hasn’t seen Jeff. If Tony doesn’t know Jeff works at the garage I’d be very surprised. Charlie is so completely willing to put himself into harms ways for those that he loves. And Babe knows that.

So Babe forgives him. Babe forgives Charlie because Charlie disproves every single negative thing Babe has ever thought about his ability to love, about his ability to be loved. Babe is so starved for love, for touch, for someone to love him. Charlie gives it to him in spades, never stopping. Babe feels safe enough with Charlie to actually love him back. Something he has never done before, he’s never felt like he could.

This is also not so incidentally why I won’t get on the “Way might be a walking red flag but I’m color blinded” train. I have felt the exact same way Babe has felt before, something I still struggle with to this day. That kind of intense self loathing is tough to live with. Babe lived with his for years before Charlie. He never felt like could love anyone, and Way made him feel that. Way made him feel like he wasn’t worthy. It feels like an extremely fucked up version of “if I can’t have him no one can”. I do think it comes from Way also feeling similar to Babe, which is why I am still ultimately sympathetic to Way as a character, but the boy needs to step the fuck back from Babe and let the man live his life and be happy with Charlie. Babe has said so many times, including to his face, that he and Way could only ever be friends. Way just doesn’t seem willing to accept that, which a big yikes for me. Add the hypnosis on top of that and if this were in any other genre, I’d be voting for Way to get his head lopped off. Still I love Way is able to move on, whether that is with Pete or not. Hopefully his and Babe’s friendship will improve because of it.

So yeah, I don’t find it surprising at all that Babe is willing to forgive Charlie that easily. Charlie is everything he’s ever wanted on a silver platter. He was also willing to be completely honest with Babe as soon as Babe asked for honesty. He didn’t lie, he didn’t beat around the bush. He explained it all, point blank. He didn’t even lie about being the reason Babe lost his senses, even when he could have and it’s likely Babe would have never found out. Charlie proved that he does love Babe, genuinely and completely. He wants to protect Babe no matter what. He is willing to do anything. It’s exactly what Babe wants and what he needs. I have no doubt Babe will give back as good as he gets too.

This likely isn’t the end of the road for this discussion. I think they will revisit it eventually, though under what circumstances I can’t say. For now, Babe is willing to forgive him easily, because he loves Charlie and Charlie loves him. In the end, that’s all Babe wants and now that he is getting the chance, he’s going to grab it and hold on with both hands. He knows he can do that because he knows, down to his core, that Charlie will do the same for him.

[fallenhunnyapple]

After getting a bunch of questions from @ilikelookingatthings, its time to compile some more info about this AU! So here we are~ I might be rehashing some things said before for clarity and expanding on ideas

(the words are from Rule #34 by Fish in a Birdcage because it makes me insane and suits this AU a lot)

So let's break this down into separate parts.

Adam's Sexuality:

Adam is a closeted Gay man. This is something he's always been, but his pride and the enforcement of the Angels kept him from ever really pursuing anything while he was In Heaven. Lucifer was his first love and that memory is so deeply embedded into his heart that even without his memories, he still Feels the affection and attraction.

He doesn't have memories of the formative experiences that made him struggle in Eden and Heaven, but the internalize homophobia isn't going anywhere, and being the priest of a small town, he's faced with Homophobia often enough that he'll never feel safe being Out. Feeling attraction towards male constituents instead of the female ones made his sexuality very clear to him, even though he knew that if he were to feel any attraction it /should/ be towards women.

So meeting Lucifer and being faced with his ancient love, feeling unjudged by the one he's attracted to (Lucifer mentioned offhandedly early on that he's bisexual), of course he's still conflicted because this is Literally Temptation by the Devil himself, but he finds himself unable to repress everything when Lucifer is being so open and making him feel its Okay. Sure, its still to the Devil's own ends, but that doesn't make it any less supportive.

Adam's Ultimate Fate:

Adam is ending up in Hell. Whatever else happens while he's alive, there is no escaping that fact. Being in a sexual relationship with the Devil Himself is more than enough for eternal damnation. If it had been with a human, things may have been different, or they may not. He's Meant to stay celibate for this test, which incidentally goes against the very purpose of his creation, still etched into his soul despite not having the memories. And that in itself makes him more susceptible to being offered What he wants with Who he wants.

Lucifer makes it very clear to him at some point in the future that he wants him in Hell. Not as a way to spite Heaven, but because he wants _Him_, _Adam_ in Hell with him. And for the Years they have together, because Adam isn't being rushed to his grave or anything, he's allowed to live his full life, Lucifer will gladly push Adam further and further into Sin to ensure he'll come home to him in the end. Thwarting Heaven's plan is only secondary now.

Adam's Connection with the Divine:

The point of this test is to prove that Adam can be a Good Enough Person to make it to Heaven. The Angels are completely Hands Off. They're not meant to make him More than a Mere Human and interfering or speaking to him would potentially prophetize him and that defeats the Purpose. And once Lucifer gets involved, fighting over Adam's soul would make too much of a mess of things. They just have to hope that Adam makes correct choices and that ultimately, he does enough good to outweigh the bad and still ascends when the time comes.

Lucifer of course wouldn't be so keen on the idea. He probably knows that Heaven is Watching, but he would still do what he can to hide things from them. Adam is His now, he's decided, and he won't let them take him away.

Adam's Faith:

When Adam was dropped into the human world without his memories, he was more or less deposited outside a church so a priest took him in. He was late teens at that point, so he wasn't exactly Raised, but he was very influenced when the Church helped him when he was at his lowest and most vulnerable point. And he inherently had Faith because despite not having memories, he can still Feel it in his Soul that Heaven and the tales of the Bible are Real. So entering the Faith only made sense. Also as sort of a way to repay the Church for taking care of him when he needed it most.

He didn't really bother pursuing other interests or possibilities because he's fairly limited while living out of a Church, so it just makes sense to stick with what he was given instead of having to build up from Nothing.

Adam and Lucifer:

Lucifer goes into this whole thing with the plan to make Adam Sin enough to be condemned and disrupt Heaven's plans. It shifted from random impersonal sins to wanting to make Adam Sin with Him specifically when he noticed the now-human man Clearly had some feelings for him.

The thing is, Adam is at Such a base state, he's not all too different from how he was in Eden. Not exactly, of course, there are a lot of different factors. But there's still a sort of childish playfulness and naivete that is Endearing. Lucifer was Fond of Adam then and he finds himself becoming Fond of him now. Sure he's not going to jump into and real deep feelings or anything immediately, but its not /impossible/.

Lucifer doesn't hide the fact that he's The Devil for Long. Adam figures out very quickly that he's a demon and Lucifer never disputes that, letting him believe it for a time. But he doesn't lie about his name and he doesn't lie about his status. When Adam asks the right questions, he learns who exactly he's dealing with. Which would explain why he was able to walk on hallowed ground and why he could spray him with holy water from a super soaker and the most it did was tingle and sizzle a little bit.

Maybe there is some sort of Merit to Adam 'distracting the devil' as it were, but in reality, Lucifer wasn't actually... Doing anything or tempting anybody. Other demons use his name, but he personally doesn't want to deal with More Sinners in Hell, he already doesn't want to deal with the amount that's there, why would he try to tempt more? Adam is a special case because its at first to piss off Heaven and then because he genuinely just wants Adam to be by his side when he dies.

Adam will one day have his feelings reciprocated because Lucifer is a sap like that. And Lucifer will give Adam some of the first genuine affection he's ever had in his life, which only makes him fall harder. But they have plenty of time to figure themselves out.

Lucifer:

It started as a way to get back at Heaven, truly. But it didn't take long for his goals to change. Less about condemning this Holy Man and more about Keeping Adam by his side. He does spend a lot of time on Earth because of this. Which is very new to him. He hadn't really been to Earth before this, but the scope of hos exploration is very small, so he mostly just sticks to following Adam around and being a nuisance.

He doesn't spend _all_ his time on Earth, he's still in Hell. But he was rather isolated there, barely taking care of his own duties as King as it was, so his absence isn't really noticed all too much except for the people who Know what he's up to. Which basically amounts to Asmodeus and his publicist (an OC I have that's more or less a constant in every universe who has to deal with Lucifer's public image good and bad).

Charlie and Lilith are not really on his radar. Sure he misses them both, but neither of them are actively in his life at that point, so his energy and mind are focused on Adam instead.

Adam's loneliness:

While his loneliness is certainly pronounced in the way he doesn't really have friends or true connections at the Church he lives and works at, it something much deeper than that. Adam has Always been isolated. Heaven was very isolating for him in ways he wouldn't know or think to express.

Adam was the first Human Soul in Heaven, but he wasn't Quite a Winner either. He was something More. He's in a position between the two that meanst he inherently felt Othered by both. That, plus his behavior and attitude made it incredibly difficult to make any real connections on Heaven. The closest was with his Exorcists, who respected and cared for him still as a superior so it never really went beyond that. Even Lute was still subordinate to him, even though he treated her most as his equal. But ultimately he was very lonely.

So that loneliness pervades into his Human life. He doesn't know how to connect with people, not really. And again, being in a position of authority over others makes him feel isolated again. He's the only priest at his church, so he doesn't have someone of his same rank to connect with either. And he's never had parents or siblings or any of those built-in relationships that teach you how to connect to people. He's a grown man who has always had to start from scratch.

And that makes it all the easier to fall into it when Lucifer offers him companionship. Not even sexual but just... Someone willing to talk with him and be silly and hang out.

[just-orbiting-you]

hi:) totally agree with your post. I guess I don’t understand why Tae posts what he does, when he does. It always seems semi calculated. He can’t *not* know that a lot of his fans are tkkrs. He even reposted something on his IG from a massive tkkr account, like? And it just always seems to divert the tkkrs attention back to him and jk in very calculated ways. Posting a travel pic and long caption just before the jikook travel show teaser is pretty on the nose lol. but I don’t understand, also he gets to have his nice time with his (was?) girlfriend and then also feeds the tkkrs(& of course gets jm hate in the process) the best of both worlds for him? strange.

hey anon!

i've had feelings about this for a long time. and i think you're exactly right: he has to be aware of his fan-base's preferences. of course this is just a theoretical idea but i think the conversation is worth having.

and going back to in the soop one, when he is talking to jungkook, tae says that he wants to know army loves him, he craves it (paraphrase). i would like to hazard a guess that he has searched for what will give him the exact attention he wants, and that is posting about jungkook.

i thought the shirtless facetime call pic was weird to post to back in december, with the caption "hyung is going in first, go safely tomorrow." jimin went too, you know, but no post for him. and taehyung playing the hyung card feels abnormal; i have not really witnessed that as a part of their dynamic. all of this to almost drift the conversation away from jikook enlisting together.

and OH MY GOD. the caption over jungkook's face today that says "so pretty i could die." that is like a t@ekook victory for them, but to me it screams fan service-y vibes. jikook are as close as they are and they're not running around instagram posting like that. sometimes other members would make comments on posts hyping each other up, but not to that degree. on a picture where you can barely see his face wearing a neon tracksuit, he's so pretty. good god. it just feels overly exaggerated for fan reaction.

with how he posts about jungkook, it just feels like 🙋‍♂️im here too!! 🙋‍♂️. i travel with jungkook too!! 🙋‍♂️ look at us.🙋‍♂️ im his hyung too!🙋‍♂️

and its kinda sad. because i think jungkook has made it clear who he chooses and i think it is purely incidental from him since he has other interests at heart.

and yeah, a lot of tae's behavior i am deeming as attention seeking jimin does the same in his lives, on his instagram, in regular conversation in other videos specifically about jungkook. BUT. the catch is, that there's a similar amount of video evidence that jungkook does the exact same thing about jimin. there's the reciprocation in jikook that t@ekook just do not have. point blank. which in itself, debunks the whole ship.

so the evidence is piling up around tae that he has a flippant, spontaneous, almost irresponsible facade, but actually could be choosing to purposefully attract attention to himself for his own benefit through the use of his younger bandmate. again, a theoretical, but thanks for joining in on my thoughts.

[borntolurk]

OKAY SO I have a theory about the Aziraphale/Crowley relationship progression but it is going to have some pretty significant SPOILERS for E1-2 of Good Omens S2 so be warned!

By significant spoilers I mean that I will be describing some specific moments across both episodes (which I saw at the NYC screening).

Theory is below the line-

Alright, so as most people already know- I think from an interview- in the opening scene where Crowley and Aziraphale are both angels, Aziraphale notices Crowley before Crowley notices Aziraphale, and Aziraphale is clearly struck by Crowley. I don't know that I'd say "in love" but I think that it's somewhere in a range from "admiring" to "infatuated."

There are a lot of people theorizing about how that could possibly mesh with the S1 truism that Crowley fell fast for Aziraphale and Aziraphale kind of ignored him but I actually think it works perfectly well if you look at it this way:

Aziraphale fell for (for lack of a better term lol) the angel Crowley had been before.

So when he’d have seen Crowley in Eden, Crowley would recognize him as he looks exactly the same and really it's only been seven days, but Aziraphale would see a demon who COULDN’T POSSIBLY BE THE SAME BEING HE FELL FOR!

On rewatching the Eden scene, I think that Aziraphale does recognize Crowley as the angel who fell- he just doesn’t know his new name- and while obviously this is basically just me projecting back on performances that didn’t have ANY of this in mind, he seems very on edge when talking to Crowley. It’s like he knows EXACTLY what led Crowley to fall (asking questions and criticizing God), Crowley’s doing more of it now, seemingly to tempt Aziraphale into falling (especially now that he’s a demon and that’s what demons do, it’s what Crowley just did to Eve), and so Aziraphale is trying to be very careful. It’s why Aziraphale is so freaked out when Crowley points out that maybe he shouldn’t have given away the flaming sword, and that it wouldn’t be good if actually Aziraphale did do the bad thing and Crowley did the good.

Aziraphale needs to have done the good thing so that he doesn't fall and end up like Crowley, the angel who he fell for (figuratively....) and who has met this fate and turned into a totally different being! He’s seen exactly what happens when you’re a powerful and well meaning angel who just has some questions about god’s plans! I believe strongly that Aziraphale had believed that Crowley AS AN ANGEL was good and worth falling in love with, but that Crowley AS A DEMON is a different being who cannot be seen in the same way.

Then at the ark, its Aziraphale’s side that is doing the atrocity so it’s the typical defensiveness, continuing with the whole “well he’s a demon and even if I kind of agree with him he can’t be GOOD the way he was when he was an angel, and that means he must be bad and wrong even if his points make sense.” Crowley is a demon now, and demons are bad, even when they FEEL right- and if Aziraphale goes after his natural inclination which agrees with Crowley, especially if part of that is because he remembers what he felt about that angel of years ago, it just means that he's being tempted by a demon...

AND THEN we get to the Job minisode. I loved the minisode and so I'm hesitant to really spoil it but basically Crowley yo yos back and forth- first he seems very happy to do terrible things to Job, then it turns out he's been partially defying that order (which incidentally means going against God's plan, which is a VERY big problem for Aziraphale!), then he concocts a plan that requires Aziraphale, for good reason, to lie to the other angels, including some archangels, thereby counteracting God's plan. Afterward Aziraphale freaks out because he thinks that lying in order to trick Heaven and God means he’s fallen, and Crowley has to explain that that’s not how it works and comforts him.

Aziraphale is conflicted, of course, because Crowley is confusing and can't really win- on the one hand, it's bad if Crowley listens to God and kills Job's kids, but on the other hand it's bad if Crowley DOESN'T listen to God and DOESN'T kill Job's kids! So Aziraphale is expecting much more than Crowley is ever able to live up to- he's muddled about his purpose, and Aziraphale doesn't know how to interpret that.

I feel like this would kind of put the tin lid on it. Crowley is a different being now, one who may still have merciful qualities that Aziraphale likes and agrees with (and may remind Aziraphale of that angel of long ago) but is still a demon and against everything that Aziraphale is meant to stand for. And while the minisode ends with Aziraphale understanding that he's not quite like the other angels, he is still very clear- he is an angel and Crowley is a demon. They aren't just enemies, they are incompatible. The Crowley in front of him and the Crowley (or whatever his name was) that he remembers from heaven are different and he can't trust the one in front of him.

Because it feels like that's the main barrier here- Aziraphale can't trust Crowley. Crowley is a demon and his object is to tempt humanity to its downfall, even if Crowley himself isn't always so into that. Aziraphale may like Crowley, but it's against his better judgment- every bone in his body tells him not to trust him. He can't trust that Crowley's intentions are genuine- also in the minisode, Crowley tempts Aziraphale to try food (or as Gabriel would call it "gross matter") for the first time, and Aziraphale is somewhat disturbed by this in part because he knows that he is susceptible to Crowley's temptations! How can he trust after this that anything that Crowley does for him or says to him is done with good intentions rather than to bring him down from where he thinks he should be?

It's the Arrangement that ends up changing this. Having an agreement where they each do things for each other, each against their own better judgment, slowly but surely encourages Aziraphale to trust Crowley and his intentions. And it's during the Blitz, when Crowley puts himself in danger to help Aziraphale (danger that is specifically caused by the fact that Crowley IS a demon- otherwise the church would hold no danger), that Aziraphale really realizes that Crowley does have good intentions. He put himself at risk, which is the furthest thing from trying to get something for himself. This allows Aziraphale to trust Crowley that he really does need the holy water for a good reason, among other things later.

As you can tell, I don't actually think that Aziraphale has ever been oblivious to Crowley. He sees everything, but interprets it through his own mental lens. (The parallel that came to mind for me, weirdly, and you can ignore this if you've never seen the sitcom Frasier, but Daphne would have to be wearing massive blinkers not to know that Niles is into her- it's just that she doesn't recognize what kind of feelings he has because in her mind they are in two different worlds and so the idea that he could be genuinely interested is out of her comprehension.) To Aziraphale, Crowley is intriguing and kind and he's thought so since the beginning, but he's also dangerous. In fact that's what makes him dangerous!

Crowley is dangerous because there is so much about him to love, but he is a demon and therefore, in Aziraphale's worldview, unlovable. A demon can't love and be loved! And so Aziraphale is really also not just not trusting Crowley, but also not trusting HIMSELF. He has all these feelings about Crowley but he keeps saying that they're just Crowley tempting him or just residual feelings from the version of Crowley it WAS permissible to love, the angelic one.

I think that Crowley may genuinely be oblivious to anything Aziraphale is feeling, because in the opening scene he isn’t paying a tremendous amount of attention to Aziraphale, but I think he does grasp that Aziraphale doesn’t trust him and that’s what he’s working to change. He knows it's an uphill battle and the most important thing to do in order not just to change their relationship but to get Aziraphale out of his funk.

Now that they're both "on their own side," Aziraphale has a lot more understanding. He sees that just because Crowley is a demon it doesn't mean he is untrustworthy, and he realizes that each of them independently needs to make themselves worthy of trust and Crowley has done that again and again. And so it's almost natural for him to go back to those feelings that he had for that original angelic Crowley, but reinforced by everything he's learned since then- millennia of Crowley proving his ultimate goodness.

As a character in one of my favorite novels, Dorothy L Sayers's Gaudy Night, said of another character (paraphrased), "if I should once give way to him, I would go up like straw." And indeed she does. Aziraphale does too- once he opens himself to fully trust Crowley he can feel that sense of peace and security between them, and fall right into it, in a way that Crowley, who's been working so hard to establish it up until then, can't really. Crowley's been on edge for so long that he can't take anything for granted; Aziraphale can.

[pikahlua]

I'm sorry but what exactly did you mean in your chapter 423 tags? "People read all sorts of feelings and such into these characters"? What characters are you referring to in what feelings? Thank you

All of them. A lot of people have instilled these characters with meaning and extrapolated their predictions for said characters based on those expectations. Which is fine, we all do that. I do that. The question is, are such people open to the idea that their readings may have been wrong? And will they still retain interest at that point?

This happened a lot with Izuku and Katsuki where so many people projected a victim-bully relationship on them in a manner that wasn't there. It COULD have been there if Horikoshi decided to go that way, but ultimately it didn't pan out.

It happened with Spinner and the heteromorph plotline where people wanted an X-men-like story.

A lot of people projected a certain societal punishment they wanted for Endeavor that to them would have been justice, but that assumes what Horikoshi is trying to do is portray social justice. It also ignores how in many ways Endeavor's story runs parallel to many of the villains'. I've had some similarly weird conversations with some villain stans who just couldn't seem to wrap their heads around the idea that, even justified, their beloved favorites committed unjust transgressions against others, even if those others were nameless and faceless and just as bad and incidental to the story. There's always a reason people do things, even bad things. Does that absolve them of the crimes they've done? And even unabsolved, does that mean they will ultimately face consequences for their actions?

It's about the narrative. Horikoshi is trying to tell a story. Sure, he can put his opinions and philosophies in here and there, but is that the primary goal of making this story? I doubt it. He has a story in his heart and he wants to tell it. Is Horikoshi trying to comment on what he thinks the fate of abuse victims should be with Tomura's alleged end? I have a hard time making that leap if only because sooooo many characters are abuse victims and they all had different treatments and different fates. A lot about Tomura's story changed with the twists that have come up in the story, and AFO's reveal about his involvement in Tomura's life since before his birth does have an effect on what sort of character he is. Tomura's goal was always destruction, particularly of anything that stemmed from "that house," and AFO's trump card reveals that Tomura was also a product of that house. That raises the question: did Tomura ever think of himself as part of that house? I think it's very possible, which means in some regard he wanted to destroy himself. That makes some part of his fate self-determined. I always had a hard time predicting what would happen with Tomura because he seemed like a character whose desires were only to destroy, not to live in the aftermath. He wanted to destroy so that OTHERS could live in the aftermath, but he didn't seem to have any vision for his own future. At least in the very end his own perception of himself changed for the better. He started to see himself as more human.

[ghostlycheuwing]

The empty frame (which also became an incidental meta about portraits in Ghosts)

I find the establishing shot of the Captain reminiscing privately in Carpe Diem very meaningful.

We get this image with the music they used in Redding Weddy to introduce the flashbacks between the Captain and Havers. Interestingly, in that episode, we hear the violins twice and it's always in association with the letter addressed to William – the first time, the Captain is looking at the envelope in deep thoughts and hurriedly hides it as he bids Havers to come; the second, he looks at the envelope in deep thoughts and eventually throws it on top of the bomb (his metaphorical heart), intending to bury them forever (... or until it explodes, as it were. Of course, if you repress your feelings for too long, they tend to explode in your face).

When you hear the music, you immediately understand the Captain is thinking about Havers.

The framing (pun intended) is really interesting to me. The Captain has an expression of intense longing on his face. He seems to be in the same position as he was at the end of Redding Weddy, when he sees/remembers Havers' private goodbye from afar as he left for the front; sitting at the same window; turned the same way; a similar expression on his face; both hands on the stick again. Indeed, just after, we are shown the same view of the front gate, sans Havers. If you allow me another nod: the frame is empty.

I keep talking about frames, because I find the empty frame on the Captain's right very symbolic. The association with the next shot (the image of the front gate without Havers = an empty frame) makes it all the more poignant to me. Why is the Captain's frame empty?

Frames are shown to ornate several kinds of objects in the show:

Portraits of loved ones. Fanny's husband comes to mind. Interestingly, it is the portrait of a closeted homosexual man, whom Fanny eventually learns to accept for who he was and what society was through his portrait (while a gay wedding is about to take place).

Portraits of oneself. Humphrey and Fanny are prominent ones. I just realised that both portraits get torn during the show, which reflects their fragmented identities/sense of self. I love that Fanny's portrait gets repaired, albeit not perfectly, by Alison. I love that Fanny recognises that she is still the same girl underneath. (I love that Humphrey seems mildly disgruntled and resigned at the damage on his one? It's exactly his reactions towards his recalcitrant body, and it feels very much like his whole vibe; I adore him). Also, we shouldn't forget Thomas' portrait: slowly built until he overthinks it all, gets ahead of himself and rejects the piece before it is ready... a portrait which ends up being put aside by the woman he loves (a woman who feels slighted by his hasty words even if he only wanted to be honourable). If it doesn't parallel his relationship with Isabelle and his death, I don't know what does!

Mirrors. It is a recurring theme around the Captain of course: we see his reflection in the mirror in the intro; the picture on Alison's mirror has him reminiscing about dead seagulls and start the process of resolution which saves the day.

With that in mind, I find the symbol of the empty frame can work on several layers here:

Portrait of a loved one: the frame is empty, but not because there is no one (there is still a frame). It could symbolise an absent lover (Havers left the picture through that front gate)... or a love that never became official. No one could have taken Havers' portrait for the Captain. And Havers wouldn't have given him his picture, because everything was left unsaid. Not to mention the fact that it would have been incredibly damning and dangerous for the Captain to keep the image of the man he loved around him. It had to stay hidden, invisible. So no picture, and Havers is far away and out of reach, but he is still very much present in the Captain's mind and heart. He is able access the memory of Havers not through his portrait but through his secret memories.

Portrait of oneself: a portrait (one like Fanny's, Humphrey's and Thomas') is made with care. It takes a long time to complete and it cements the way you want to (or people want you to) be remembered through time. It is a reflection of who you are, but also the way others perceive you. Humphrey and Fanny had their portraits done because they were socially important and rich people; these are very official portraits. As I touched before, they are also a sign of their fragmented selves. Both characters want to be and get to be more than this unmoving piece of history. They both lost themselves in who they were supposed to be. Through death, they are allowed to show their own individuality. For his part, Thomas gets to pose like a romantic intellectual (or an intellectual romantic?), very much the way he wants to be seen and remembered. He has someone close to him who is willing to paint him.

Now, the empty frame could be a sign that the Captain was not considered important enough in his life or was not remembered fondly enough (by the troops, for example) to capture his image. We understand that he has never been on the front, and men like Cartwright sneer at him for that reason. In a room full of officers, the heroes whose memory the Captain never fails to honour, he is readily rejected. At that point in time, there is no place in history for the Captain to be remembered (and he believes it too: "I am no hero"). The empty frame could be a symbol of his lack of active role during the war (something that is obviously important in his own identity and the way he is perceived by people who "made history"). The absence of a portrait could also reflect the fact that no close one was there to take his picture. He was not fully seen by Havers, or, once again, it was not possible for them to carry a portrait of their loved one. It was even less possible for Havers to take the time to paint the Captain or be asked to take his picture (… although... one could dream. I mean, can you imagine Havers secretly, or not-so-secretly-but-the-Captain-is-oblivious, taking a picture of him, developing it on his own and frequently gazing at the portrait of the Captain, so focused on his image that he fails to see the seemingly judgemental old lady looking over the Cap's shoulder in the background. I love the idea of Fanny & James, the repressed siblings, having a photo taken of them together before they even got to know each other). To sum up: no official loved one to preserve the Captain's image, no place in history according to his society.

Mirrors: well, it's all about the reflection of the self, isn't it? We know the Captain has difficulties with his identity. He has carefully crafted his military persona and has played the role of the strict and efficient commanding officer for decades, repressing his more sentimental and less conventional side as much as he could. A crucial part of his arc is that he buried his heart and he has to learn to accept himself and express who he is without fear. I also love the idea of inversion in relation to the Captain: in a mirror, you're looking at the inverted image of yourself. "Inversion" was a synonym for homosexuality in the Victorian era (and was still in use in the 40s). Therefore, the recurring theme of mirrors makes a lot of sense around this character. Even his decorations (over his heart) are placed in an inverted way. The empty frame could represent the lingering issue around his identity. After this moment of introspection, and faced with his potentially impeding passing, he will finally tell the truth about who he is. The frame is empty right now, but he is about to leave that behind: he gets to accept who he is. He gets to share the truth about his past and his heart. He gets to be seen (and cherished) for who he is.

The Captain is gazing out of the window, but visually the empty frame is very much part of that window. Hence the Captain is metaphorically reflecting on this empty frame. A symbol for the absence of his loved one, the lack of place in history or remembrance for him, the lack of place in history and memories for his relationship with Havers, the sense of intense self-repression. (on that note, bear in mind that up until his confession, no one knew the Captain's name. It is after this deep introspection that James is able to be open about it all)

When he comes out of his reflection (... pun intended?), we can see how intense the process is for him. It is overwhelming and painful. But when he looks away from the window/empty frame, he faces forward. He turns his eyes to the room next to him - I believe it is the room where he's about to meet the ghosts, so the room where he's about to come out. This shift means that in the Captain's mind, it is not about then anymore: it is about now. Back then he couldn't be himself; he couldn't show his heart. Now, if he's brave enough, maybe he can exist as his true self.

[isolde-illustrates]

Fintan and Bronte Headcannons

Fintan:

He needs glasses ever since the ever blaze incident. Fintan is neither nearsighted nor farsighted; his vision was mutually messed up in both ways. Incidentally, his hearing has gotten sharper because of how much he focuses on using it.

He refuses to wear his glasses despite having damage due to the bright burning light.

He also cannot smell anything except smoke faintly whenever he is near a fire. All of his nose hair has literally burnt off, so he gets a lot of sinus infections, too. The ice prison does not help at all, and he constantly has a runny nose (which he cannot stand).

Fintan sometimes walks into walls and somehow manages to pull it off so no one except the doctor who took care of him right after the incident knows how bad his vision is (the doctor was too afraid of fintan).

Everyone in the neverseen is waiting for him to admit that he can't see, but then Fintan does crazy stuff that makes them think that he actually has perfect vision and is just faking it.

Fintan does not wear shirts under his hoodies or vests because he can't stand the extra heat. (tw: scar) Fintan also hates whenever his chest is exposed because of a scar he has from the accident, so he always laces up whatever he is wearing really tight, or adds more buttons to his shirts and vests so that there are not any gaps that could show his scar if he bent forward.

His scar could have been healed, but he wanted to keep one of the scars from that day as a reminder of what happened. It's close to his heart, although the worst part is near his stomach. Bronte knows about this scar because he overheard Fintan yelling at the doctor for trying to heal that scar when Bronte was on his way to talk with Fintan about the Council.

He loves elegant clothing. That was the third thing he hated most about being kicked off the Council. Not only did he lose his ability and power, Fintan was no longer allowed to buy certain degrees of fancy clothes. As a result, he now knows how to sew very well. He still insisted on making someone else do the patchwork in the Neverseen while he was there. Alvar and Ruy normally ended up stuck with the work.

Fintan is killer in heels. He can wear those bright red kinky boots and run in them (unless there is a tree root that he does not see). Still, if the ground is visible to him, or if it is fairly level, then he will sprint in those boots. He would also kill song 6 of Kinky Boots. There is no denying it.

He and Vespera were besties and he started out borrowing Vespera's dresses, but then just went ahead and made his own. They are both fragil and frail creatures, so it definitely would have worked.

Fintan used to have hair down to his waist, but after it got burnt in the accident, he swore that he would never let it touch his shoulders again because that was the version of himself that died in the fire, the young pyrokinetic who thought that he had nothing to lose in a dangerous lesson. The only times his hair has gotten long again have been when he has been in prison, both in Exile and now ib the ice prison. In Exile, it was just past his shoulders. Fintan had cut it again, but his time in the ice prison has gotten his hair almost to his bicep.

Fintan has a thing for chickens. Besides tasting good (he can't help that he tried it when Atlantis had humans), chickens seem so trusting of him and recognize him. He had a couple at his house, and they helped with his gardening (fertilizer).

Bronte:

He has perfect vision, which annoys Fintan to the extreme, especially because Fintan sometimes has to listen to the voice before knowing who is nearby.

Bronte learned how to speak multiple human languages, which is how he was able to speak with Amy (I don't care what Shannon says about the languages being the same, why should English be the one that is exactly like the elven language and not Latin, Persian, etc).

He knows all of the human curse words that Sophie switches into when things are bad and does not call her out on it unless she forgets to switch and stays in Elvish (because he thinks it's funny when she apologies and immediately says a string of human curse words, mainly English and Spanish, but whatever she heard in a high school with the ability to hear human thoughts). She was fluent in those words before becoming a polyglot, and sometimes Bronte lets a word slip, forgetting that Sophie is there. It has become an inside joke for them.

Bronte loves layers. He will bundle himself up in longer capes and procede to almost trip on them.

He would not be caught dead in heels. (Bronte would have, however, been caught alive in heels if it was just around Fintan. Not anymore though, because he no longer trust him after the whole Neverseen thing. Bronte was the Charlie of the two, and Fintan was the Lola.)

Bronte started cutting his hair short because Fintan teased him. Originally, he and Finran both rocked the long hair. Bronte had a mullet that went to his shoulders. His cropped hair and short height reminds Fintan of a little chick (which makes sense as Fintan doesn't know if he wants to kill Bronte or keep him forever).

[luveline]

For zombieau requests, before r and steve make it to the college, the story of their first kiss?

thank you for your request <3 first kisses are confusing. fem!reader 2k

The beam of your flashlight is weak and stuttering. Steve has somehow managed to fix it for you yet again, but he's no miracle worker. Or, that's what he'd said. 

It feels rather miraculous to you. Nearly everything he does delights you these days, even his chastening snips. 

"You'll run down the battery." 

You look at him through the beam. He's wearing a simple short sleeved t-shirt, much more skin than you're used to seeing on display. His muscles shift under skin as he pulls back his hair. 

You let the encyclopaedia you'd been reading shut with a soft thud. "Did you know that our solar system orbits the centre of the milky way galaxy? We're spinning double." 

"That sounds sickly." 

You smile at him and put the book back in your bag. 

You ruffle through your things to get ready to sleep and sigh, irked. "Have you seen my– uh, my leather thingy? The square?" 

He sits up. His movements are distinguished in the quiet, the cotton of his clothes shushing against hardwood floor. Steve knows exactly where the leather square is, fingers slipping inside the pocket of your bag to procure the small zip lock bag you keep it in. 

You grind your teeth in your sleep sometimes, anxiety-driven, and this is the most sanitary solution Steve had been able to think of. 

"You need painkillers?" he asks, offering you the ziplock back. 

"No, not really. Just worried, I guess." You get killer toothache from the teeth grinding, all tenderness. Some days you haven't been able to eat, which is never good in these conditions. "I don't want you to have to pull my tooth one day. That would suck for both of us." 

He claps your wrist loosely, a quick and fond squeeze that genuinely makes your night. Every time he touches you is better than the last. Sometimes, you sit next to him, and you want him to hold your hand so badly it's like you can feel his fingers between yours. 

"If something like that needed to happen, we'd take care of it." 

It's a nice sentiment. In reality, an at-home tooth removal would probably traumatise you, or kill you via infection. 

"Well," you say, softened by his closeness, "lucky you, it's fine. It aches a little, but it's not hurting." 

He reaches into your lap, which is an entire thing, your stomach twists and your eyes widen. The heat of his hand ghosts your thigh as he clicks off the torch. 

You don't put the leather square in your mouth yet. You reach out for his side and use him to navigate the dark, lying down on the blanket beside him, hip to hip. Talking to him in the dark is your favourite part of the day. 

You take your hand back and drape it over your own stomach. It isn't long before Steve's hand is on your hip, not flat or caressing, just there, like it fell there incidentally. 

"What are we gonna do tomorrow?" he asks. 

You feel your eyebrows jump. "I don't know. Same as we always do." 

"If you… wanted to stop, we could stop. We don't have to keep going."��

He sounds tentative, like he's worried about your answer. 

"I would never ask you to stop looking for your friends," you say, trying to work out his angle. 

"I'm not saying stop forever. I just figure we don't need to always be moving. Not when you're…" His teeth click together as he shuts his mouth. 

You turn your head to his face though you can't see him in the dark, not one detail. You're in a small house in the middle of nowhere and the isolation hasn't felt as startling as it does now. 

"When I'm what?" 

"I'm putting you through the wringer." 

You understand what he means. You're not the kind of girl meant for this life, and it could never be his fault, but you're constantly on the road even when there's food for weeks and shelter. He wants to find people, you would never stop him. You're sick often, injured when you're not. 

"I…" You swallow. "I didn't realise I got to call the shots." 

"You do. If you want to stop, we'll stop. We can stay here for a week or two, we have the food for it." 

You're scared of going too far with Steve. While you know he cares about you indisputably, you're afraid —petrified— of his rejection. No matter how sure you are that he likes you, that he wants you, it isn't worth messing up what you have with the wrong assumption. But if you want to stop? That feels like a confession, at least in part. 

"It never mattered to you before," you say. 

True and not true. 

"I know," he murmurs, and you swear he's looking at you too, "I made you follow me around. But I've always taken care of you, haven't I?" 

"You have." 

"And I always will." 

Yeah, when you'd first met, alone and unhappy, he'd let you tag along with him out of duty and nothing else. If you hadn't saved his life, he probably never would have agreed to take you with him, because he has a fierce loyalty to the people he loves. If you got in the way of his finding Robin, there was a time when he would have left you behind. 

That time period was remarkably short, to his credit. He warmed to you reluctantly and then less so. And now he touches you all the time, your face and your neck and your hips. He zips up your coat for you because the cold makes your fingers shake, and he lets you sleep in the dip of his lap with your arms around his back, and he says nice things when you're not expecting them. When you lost weight at the beginning, he was concerned, and when you said you had it to lose, he was disbelieving. He keeps the good shampoo for you. He smiles when you talk, now. All these flags. 

His hand opens against your hip. You feel it unfurl, and the gentle thrust of him offering it to you. 

Steve works your hands together. Just like that. One of those perfect wood joints where the seams disappear, two hands linked together tightly, like they were made to hold one another. 

"Does the leather really help?" he asks. 

"I think so," you say, wanting more than anything to rest your face against his naked bicep. 

"Maybe you have a locked jaw, or something." 

"Maybe I do. Know any chiropractors?" 

"No," he says, tip of his thumb roving over the meat of yours, like he's marking down the lines of your skin. "I could try it." 

You laugh nervously. "I'm alright." 

"You don't think I could fix it?" 

"Not really, Steve." 

"That's offensive." 

"Letting you mess up my jaw rather than offend you, though?" you tease. 

"Is it bad right now?"

You make a curious sound as he sits up. "No, I already told you, it's fine." You feel rather than see him looking down at you. When his free hand touches your shoulder, you breathe out. "Steve?" 

"It's not gonna hurt if I try to kiss you?" 

You still under his soothing hand. His fingers brush up the length of your neck. 

"No, it won't hurt," you choke out. 

He leans down slowly, his hair tickling your forehead, the heat of his breath fanning over your lips and chin like a wave. 

"Are you sure?" he asks. 

You don't even think he's flirting. 

"It won't hurt," you say. "Please." 

He slips his fingers under your head and encourages you up toward him just a little. You close your eyes despite the pitch dark as he closes the gap, your breath shuddering against his lips as they find yours. He kisses you once and indulgently, a soft and searching thing, the pad of his thumb rubbing a  trembling arc under your jaw. 

You're still holding hands. Your fingers flex in his and reaffirm, worried he's going to pull away, that this moment will end too soon. 

He cushions your head with his hand and kisses deeper. At this angle you have to twist yourself to meet him, and you're quick to do so, kissing back with a shy ardency — you want to kiss him more than anything but you don't have a clue what you're doing. 

Like he can tell, he slows, and the tips of your noses touch as he pulls, nudging your nose until you lift your chin.

"Just–" His thumb strokes your throat again, saying more than he does physically. "Just kiss me," he encourages gently. 

You nod and almost bite him as he moves in again, too enthusiastic, maybe, your eager hand in his hair and your fizzing lips under his enough to make him smile. 

He's soft. He's warm. Your heart spins, hurtles. The earth orbits the sun, and the sun, the whole solar system, orbits the centre of the milky way galaxy at almost a million kilometres an hour. Steve's weight against your chest and his fond kisses: you swear you can feel it, you can feel the orbit, the spinning. You're dizzy with it. 

A sound disturbs the peace, ripping all the sweetness from the air in a millisecond. 

Steve flinches up, hand cradling the back of your head. He pulls the other free from your panicked fingers and grabs your shoulder like it might protect you from whatever it is that's coming. 

A silence ensues, the two of you waiting for another sound. 

"Probably an animal," he says. 

"Yeah," you say, heart racing. 

"It's late. You should try and get some sleep." 

You nod though he can't see it, heartbroken as he takes back his hands, as he settles again in the place where he'd been. Your hand feels strange without his fingers filling the empty spaces. 

"Don't forget your mouth guard," he whispers. 

You search the floor beside your impromptu bed for the ziplock bag, find it, and peel it open. You slot the leather between your bad teeth at the back and sigh, disappointed and exhausted and, somewhere underneath it all, excited.

"Steve," you mumble, disrupting the stifling awkwardness between you, "I want to keep going." What was it he'd said? He always takes care of you? "You know I'll follow you anywhere." 

"I know. I want you to have the choice." 

You do as he'd done, your open hand an offering over his hip. He draws lines in your palm with two fingertips before weaving his fingers through yours. You tighten your grip. 

If it's a choice, you’ll choose Steve. 

[joyburble]

Dongfang Qingcang asks Shangque questions a lot. It's a habit that we're shown he must have got into long ago, because he does it right from the start. He even does it with absurd hypotheticals:

(to which he realises he doesn't want an answer, and retracts the question before he gets more than a puzzled "Well …"). I'm sorry, this is going to be long, there's no way to avoid it.

He does it in cases where Shangque's common sense is practically useful:

(The answer "She's too cold" turns out to be correct).

He does it when there is a real mystery to solve. Here, Shangque's hypothesis is wrong, but it's as good a place as any to start an analysis that leads closer to the truth:

This is a good habit for a king to have. It's advised in the most famous work of the European Renaissance on how to conduct oneself as a head of state:

"... there is no other way of guarding oneself from flatterers except letting men understand that to tell you the truth does not offend you; but when every one may tell you the truth, respect for you abates. Therefore a wise prince ought to hold a third course by choosing the wise men in his state, and giving to them only the liberty of speaking the truth to him, and then only of those things of which he inquires, and of none others; but he ought to question them upon everything, and listen to their opinions, and afterwards form his own conclusions. ... he ought to be a constant inquirer, and afterwards a patient listener concerning the things of which he inquired; also, on learning that any one, on any consideration, has not told him the truth, he should let his anger be felt.

(Nicolò Machiavelli, The Prince, 1532, in my favourite translation by W. K. Mariott)

There's a very good reason why Shangque is the person chosen here. Consider this question, immediately after the last one:

That question is only worth asking because he already knows something else, in such a way that he doesn't have to think about it: Shangque does not lie. And this is not a hypothetical "would you kill me if?". It's a question about a recent manifest fact, a question to which Shangque must know the answer. Shangque does not lie. Therefore, he expects to get the actual answer.

I think it's an important character point, incidentally, that he habitually asks questions because he wants to know the answer. A lot of people in positions of authority habitually ask questions they don't want the answers to at all. It's tedious.

He gets the answer "Why would I kill you? You are the most important person for me. You are like a brother. I would never betray you."

Shangque does not lie. This answer also corresponds with what Xiao Lanhua has independently told him about Shangque: "I think he is quite affectionate towards you. He would never betray you."

Consequently, he accepts it as true. Even though he is hilariously baffled, at this point, on how to process it or what to do with it.

Black Dragon has, just by being himself in a crisis, put his shoulder to the icebreaking machine and given it a tremendous shove.

We know that the new information has sunk in, and been believed, because he acts on that belief for the rest of the story, not hesitating to show weakness and ask the questions that he really wants help with.

In the Human Realm story, Shangque is an absolute star. He does not hesitate to approach and offer support, asking what is on his lord's mind, and increasingly getting this sort of thing in response:

Shangque does exactly the right thing here and offers fellow-feeling instead of an answer he hasn't got: what he says is roughly "same here, bro, and I don't know either". The "wait, does that mean this is normal?" look he gets in response is just cute.

That look is also saying "?!? ... huh. That actually helped." And because DFQC's inner child is the kind of child who only needs to be shown anything once, he re-uses this discovery by giving exactly the same kind of support to Xiao Lanhua, not much later.

Shangque may not quite understand why all this is happening, but his observation is accurate and he repeatedly intervenes to help process the difficult emotions without disaster - even physically. And always patiently and kindly. (I found out how to GIF!!)

I especially appreciate Shangque's habit of basing his words and actions on the facts directly in front of him, rather than on speculation. He can see what is happening, and he can see what sort of support is needed, and it just doesn't occur to him to do anything other than give it.

Dongfang Qingcang continues to turn to Shangque for advice right to the end of the story, including this desperate"how can I fix this?" moment in episode 33.

Shangque continues to hold up his end of the conversation with common sense, integrity, and kindness, as best he can, and Dongfang Qingcang continues to listen carefully, apply his own, admittedly sharper mind, and draw his own conclusions - right to the end.

When there isn't a question, Shangque listens and says nothing at all. In this scene, Dongfang Qingcang moves his hands as he talks, which he very rarely does. He's being extraordinarily trusting here: very unlike his body language back in the "Why didn't you kill me?" scene.

This little movement towards him! 💔

When Shangque briefly regrets a truthful answer, and follows it with "I shouldn't have said that," it's not because he's concerned about any likely response, but because he saw that it hit home, and he felt perhaps it was unkind:

But he's right, and has very much earned the right to say "stop that". The response, after a moment, is this beautiful, wordless gesture in which Dongfang Qingcang serves Shangque's wine first, in a silent "No, you were right. I was in pain, and being a dick about it. And you're still here. I'm sorry. And thank you".

Anyway this is a beautiful relationship which develops, with some really nice writing and acting, tells us a lot about both characters, and deserves some appreciation.

[cleromancy]

oracle year one born of hope from batman chronicles #5 (published 1996) is hands down the best defridging story ive ever read for a lot of reasons--the first being just that its such a damn good comic in the first place. but every time i read it im so struck by the way it reframes the casual *incidental* violence done to barbara in TKJ, where she's just an obstacle in the joker's way to get to jim (to get to batman) and it's not *about* her. on the very second page of OYO we have this:

the entire page (...minus bruce in the bg up there) is drawn from barbaras point of view while she recounts the incident from her hospital bed. literally recentering her and her perspective, her experience and her feelings. where TKJ sensationalizes and sexualizes the violence done to her we see an illustration of her choice--love for her father, "don't get up"--then the shock and pain of the injury, then the operating room.

and she opened the story with "i cant believe i was such an idiot," berating herself for not looking through the peephole or using the chain on the door before she opened it, emphasizing that she knew better, and its a very human response to being the victim of something like this--almost fixating on a small mistake you made. inside the story its about the grief and the sense of control bargaining gives you--"if only i had--!" and then on the meta level its actually addressing the "well why DIDNT barbara look through the peephole???" (<- the answer being that TKJ never considered whether or not she would have, bc that was less important to the story than hurting her.)

and the next page. god. its masterful:

the balance of OYO being a response to TKJ on a meta level and the genuine story-level exploration of barbaras feelings just in the first 3 pages alone... chefs kiss. the way it addresses the previous bullshit storytelling choices--but builds something new off of them, because that shouldn't be the end of barbaras story.

and its so fantastic bc it doesn't shy away from barbaras ugly feelings...

she's so angry and she's allowed to be. and thats also what makes it such a good defridging--that its a resonant portrayal of becoming disabled. anger, grief, humiliation, shame, fear, the absolute *slog* that is recovery, the realization that your independence has been compromised... it really reckons with what this means for her in that moment and moving forward.

just posting this one bc i love her...

and the crux of the story is barbara taking control back over her life, barbara not feeling helpless anymore. its a superhero origin story to its core and its fantastic at what it does.

and i mean... i do always feel iffy about this part:

the juxtaposition of her wanting to do this without batmans help with her, well, unknowingly accepting bruces help. makes seesaw motion with hand. i always feel like its a bit of a weak spot... i like elements of it, particularly *because* this work is addressing so much of TKJs bullshit; this is making bruce actually care about barbaras injury because fuck you he *should* care, he *should* do something. and barbaras need for independence and her struggles to accept help are pretty central to her character and in a story about disability... i mean interdependence is a core tenant of disability rights activism, no man is an island and all that. but btwn it being bruce who finds richard dragon for her to train with, and richard dragon both being yknow a man and not a wheelchair user himself, it falls flat. which is really something you notice bc the rest of the story is so damn good... its hard for me to put my finger on exactly what i think they should've done instead, bc they only had 18 pages for this story and like. it's incredibly tight, not a panel wasted, so it *was* important that barbaras teacher be someone we the reader already know, and there was no *time* to establish some other way for barbara to find someone of richard fucking dragons caliber on her own without bruces connections.

but that i guess does bring me to. the other thing i find frustrating re: OYO which is just that it's. 18 pages collected with two other stories, neither of which is memorable... i mean how many other year ones of a heavy hitter like barbara freakin gordon can you think of with less than a single full issue? and batgirl year one had 9 issues (9 mediocre, mediocre issues). i dont think OYO needed that much time (but hey neither did fucking bgyo)... but come on. come on!!!!!!

anyway whatever. oracle sweep

[asmo-d3us]

Sirius Black Headcannons

gay

gender-fluid

french speaking — no accent

animagus is a black dog

second-shortest marauder (much to his chagrin)

has excellent posture as a result (because if he slouches he’s the same height as peter, but it’s also bc of his family)

long black hair, grey eyes, regal/sharp features

has a leather jacket that he picked up at a juggle consignment store when he was 14. it’s worn and covered in patches, and when his mother finds it in his closet his father uses the cruciatus on him

speaks excellent french, a side effect of toujours pur

always paints his nails black or gray. when they chip, he paints over them, so it’s just layers and layers of paint

starts to grow his hair out in the summer before his third year. keeps it roughly shoulder length, and trims it himself after he had marlene teach him how

incidentally, the summer before his third year is when he stopped believing he could ever make amends with his parents. the only reason he went home after that was for reg

wants to live in london and work in a muggle garage

is very smart, but doesn’t try. can ace every test though

is particularly gifted at CoMC

smokes way more than he should

gets his first tattoo (a lion, what else) in knockturn alley when he was 15. it paces and roars depending on his mood, and is on his ribcage, protecting his heart because he’s so afraid that one day he won’t be able to protect his heart from his parents ideology

realized he was gay (and in love with remus) in the start of their 5th year

was so terrified of the fact that he went on a year-long dating extravaganza, in which he dated and snogged every girl he could get to agree to go out with him (which was, of course, almost all of them) in an attempt to find someone he liked better than remus, it failed.

ran away from home for good after a particularly brutal beating between 5th and 6th year

cried for days when he heard about reg getting marked

hates snape because snape doesn’t have the shackles of a pureblood fundamentalist family, but actively seeks that lifestyle, while he would give anything to be free of it.

sirius hates taylor swift

he chews his nails when he’s nervous

he makes your mom jokes and no one finds it funny anymore

she knocks people over by hugging them

sirius would’ve loved stalking on ao3

he’s smart but also VERY stupid

he’s great with kids he just had a fear of being exactly like his parents.

sirius does not know how to read. he does, but he just can’t??

[letteredlettered]

Re: the ask about reading -- do you have any high fantasy recs?

I think the definition of "high fantasy" is pretty loose, but I generally take it to mean heroic fantasy that's really heavy on world-building, like Lord of the Rings.

I honestly cannot say that I have recs. I liked this stuff not because it was good but because it satisfied my id; the recent thing I found was the same way. Here follows some explanations, but if you're looking for recs, I don't have them.

I grew up on this kind of fantasy and read a lot of it. I read a ton of Terry Brooks, but now I'm kind of embarrassed about it. I also read the first book in Wheel of Time, but could not get into it. It's very slow, and I like some very dense, slow things, but I am a very slow reader, so there has to be some reward for a very slow pace, which there definitely is in something like LOTR, but imo was not there in WoT. But then I got into Sword of Truth, and read like three before I had to quit because the misogyny and the writing were just so, so bad. Like, it still hits lots of my kinks! But I could not stomach it.

So then I found this guy called George RR Martin--this was long before the GoT tv show; I only knew one person who had ever heard of him--my aunt, who btw recced me Wheel of Time and Sword of Truth, and was the only person in the world I knew who read this type of stuff. (Incidentally she was the only person I'd ever met who had read LOTR when I was a kid. I did not grow up in a population that did much reading for fun. My family read a lot! But not like me.) I was quite into the first book of A Song of Ice and Fire but in the end the misogyny and bad writing were even worse than Sword of Truth. (I remember one time years later when I met another living soul who had heard of these books and it was such a disaster talking to him. He was like, "Misogyny? What do you mean, misogyny??? That world is just like that!") Anyway, GRRT was why I quit high fantasy like that. I just got very tired of these worlds that hit so many kinks of mine that also made my skin crawl and made me feel kind of dirty for reading them. (I'm not knocking on anyone who likes these series! I don't think it's misogynist to read them or enjoy them! I just got tired of them!)

Anyway so you're asking because I mentioned recently in another ask that I had recently got back into reading high fantasy because I found a series that interested me. I'm so sorry to have misled, because the series interested me but I cannot, and I can't stress this enough, I cannot rec it. It is not good. It is misogynist. It is poorly written. It is all of the things that I did not like about Sword of Truth and GoT! And Terry Brooks and whatever other series like those I read! But it has this very scientific approach to the world-building that seems very keen on explaining exactly how the magic works in a way that I'm very attracted to, and it was really different and refreshing compared to a lot of stuff that seems very hellbent on this medieval Europe dragons and sorcery vibe.

Anyway the series is The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson. I know! I know! I'm literally telling you this with my hands over my face; I'm so embarrassed. But look. Look, let me tell you, the best, the absolute best thing about reading a book by an unpleasantly conservative Mormon (who by the way, worships Orson Scott Card; now you know why I'm embarrassed) is that all of the writing comes across as deeply repressed. No one is allowed to have sex in these books, not even heterosexually. There are no ships in the first book. In the second book one ship emerges and another begins to emerge, but the one that gets realized does not have any sex scenes and also the man is deeply conflicted about having sex with the woman at all.

The result is that everyone reads as really flaming gay. Now, you might ask why I don't just go read LGBT books by LGBT authors, and let me tell you--I do! And they're good. But I think the world-building is interesting in the Stormlight Archive, and additionally--I like things where everyone is repressed and no one gets to have sex. And sometimes that happens because of censorship; witness my adoration of The Untamed. I don't condone the censorship. It sucks! But frankly, it can be hard sometimes to get media that doesn't have a lot of sex and romance but still hits certain narrative kinks, and honestly this is probably a big reason I like so many kids' shows too, because romance is often not the focus.

And I know there are now a lot more stories that feature asexuality or aromanticism! Which is great! But it's not what I'm looking for either. I'm not not looking for things that are explicitly ace or aro. I'm looking for things in which sexuality doesn't even seem to exist in that world, where everyone seems super oblivious to the idea of sex, where everyone is constantly gagging for it and does not seem to realize they could get what they wanted by just making use of their genitals. Why am I attracted to this? I do not know.

I can tell you're still looking askance at me, since I obviously like romance. I love it! But for some reason, I either don't like how lots of media does it, or I'm just tired of it, or I just want to do it my own way, so canons with intense relationships and no sex are often something I can really get into. (I still love romances as well! Variety is the spice of life!!!) Anyway, that's what I liked about The Stormlight Archives, but I definitely cannot rec them. Also while it's seems like it's trying not to be racist, it's also racist, in that fantasy racist way that claims it's not about skin color but is a metaphor for skin color and might actually be about skin color, really, when you think about it. And it's very gender essentialist. Honestly I could write a very long post about the ways in which these books offend me. But I still enjoyed reading them.