#you may be the commander but she's the one who is actually in control

[serpentface]

Omg, is there any more about Odonii battlefield performance?

Faiza giving a full battlefield performance, which includes grimacing, sinister looks, letting out terrifying war cries, and banging on her shield with her dagger's pommel. She's wearing a full set of armor, which is functional but highly decorative. A squire will be present somewhere nearby to carry the rest of her weaponry.

As mentioned in the other post, Odonii generally do not actually Participate in fighting. Their perpetual armament and training to correctly Use this armament has predominantly symbolic functions, with their bodies as vessels for state and military empowerment and integrity.

Their normal role on the battlefield is:

a) Spiritual protection for their associated warriors and intimidation of enemies.

Their role is partially to be the ‘guardian lion’ figure in human form, their presence and performance in of itself is considered metaphysically protective. This guardian lion nature is played up and reinforced with their dress and behavior- they wear lion skins over their armor, paint their faces red to obscure human features, perform war cries tailored to sound inhuman (not like lions, just a very shrill and frightening sound). They perform ‘frenzied’ movements that intend to evoke an enraged animal- pacing, banging on their shields, biting their weapons/shields, baring teeth, exaggerated glances that emphasize the whites of their eyes, etc. This can be a disturbing sight- reassuring to their allies who know a frightening spiritual guardian figure is on their side, and demoralizing to an enemy (the latter especially in conjunction with common beliefs that Odonii are witches/shapeshifters)

b) A motivating factor to get the men to fight more bravely.

This is partly out of religious belief (you will probably be a little bolder if you feel reassurance that God is very much present and on your side, via Its priestesses), partly out of esteem for the order (you are highly motivated to perform for their recognition and protect them from harm). In a way, their role on the battlefield is the Least masculinized aspect of their performance- they are in part there to remind men of their mothers, wives, and daughters, who they are supposed to be the protectors of and whose benefit they are ultimately (at least deemed to be) fighting for.

In some cases, this is taken to a (cultural relative) extreme wherein they will expose their breasts towards their own men as a part of battlefield performance, in the form of a supplicatory gesture (bearing the breasts and thumping on the chest with a fist). (The Odomache’s nude body should never be publicly seen under any circumstances, limited and controlled exposure by Odonii Can be appropriate). Breasts are not sexualized in this cultural sphere, but are not treated as neutral body parts either, instead having values of motherly nurturing and feminine vulnerability projected onto them. Odonii showing tits will be a DISTINCT reminder of the ‘vulnerable female’ elements that the men should be protecting, and can be highly motivating (especially in the context of a figure who is otherwise behaviorally ‘masculinized’, it’s jarring and can have useful emotional impact).

c) General spiritual leadership (in connection to a & b).

Weapons dances are an aspect of military training and the kagnoma odo dance is always performed prior to conventional battles, Odonii lead these dances. This has multifacted functions- it is believed to spiritually bless the troops, it is a means of practicing with weaponry/limbering up, it is a psychological rallying point and good for morale, and it may intimidate your enemy who can see it happening from a distance (by displaying readiness/eagerness to battle, good discipline, unity, and physical might). Odonii also perform personalized blessings of soldiers, weapons, and armor.

c) Filling gaps in the command structure or acting as commanders

Odonii are involved in strategic meetings, and ones who receive battlefield roles are very well studied in military tactics. As a matter of technicality, their commands to the body of Imperial Wardi troops do not override those of generals or other ranking soldiers (though they will often be deferred to regardless), but they can fill in gaps in the command structure in case of death of high ranking soldiers or if lines become scattered and communication breaks down.

Additionally, there are two elite warrior orders presided over by the Odonii priesthood (the rest answer directly to the Usoma's court appointed general), with senior Odonii as their commanders and the Odomache as their general. (This is one of many political tension points between the priesthood and monarchy, given that the Odonii have managed to get themselves about 200 high skill, firearm'ed warriors that are separate from the normal military structure, only as loyal to the Usoma as their current general is, and Very beloved among the public so you can't just like, outright kill or disarm this very obvious threat.)

d) A strategic flexing of eastern seaway honorable combat norms

Conventions of honorable warfare have broad commonalities across the eastern seaway peoples, one of which is that noncombatants (by default- women, girls, prepubsecent boys, unarmed elderly men) are not legitimate targets in the normal process of open war (but are fair game in contexts like sieges when a foe has refused to surrender on behalf of their population). Odonii being armed throws a wrinkle into this - they are still effectively ‘noncombatants’ by virtue of being women, but if they actually Engage in fighting they do present a threat that could be justifiably neutralized.

If they do not actually Use their arms they are not legitimate targets, and an enemy concerned with honorable combat will have to work around their presence (or risk social/retaliatory consequences if he does not). They are thus effectively human shields- at the very least introducing an additional layer of difficulties for an opponent to navigate, and sometimes actively putting their bodies between their men and their opponents.

e) as a factor of D, potential mediator figures.

When in conventional battles, Odonii on losing sides are usually expected to allow themselves to be captured without resistance. They stand a very high chance of being taken alive and remaining unharmed due to a combination of factors- baseline honorable warfare practices (which are ABSOLUTELY not always followed, but at least Influence behavior), fears of material consequences in retribution for harming the priestess, fears of spiritual consequences for harming a potentially powerful witch, knowledge that releasing an Odonii unscathed may give the captors a better negotiating position down the line, or knowledge that an Odonii is a very valuable hostage and can make for a good bargaining chip.

Because of this element, captured Odonii are expected to perform mediation roles, negotiate the release of hostages, carry messages from their captors, or bravely tolerate hostage conditions (ideally while gaining intelligence on their captors)

---

Odonii very, very rarely actually participate in combat (and are in fact not Supposed To in the vast majority of circumstances).

They are, however, fairly well equipped for it. Their perpetual armament is symbolic in nature, but its intended function of empowering their bodies and the state by proxy additionally requires them to know how to Use It. They are trained and regularly drill and engage in mock battles in each of their key weapons/defensive combinations (sword, sword and shield, spear, spear and shield, longgun, handgun) and are expected to be adept at their use. Odonii who attend battlefields, while not being directly engaged, are still in very high-stress and dangerous environments and will have to learn to stay calm and collected under duress. All this doesn't mean every Odonii would be a skilled warrior in an actual combat situation (given that most will have no experience fighting someone who is actually trying to Kill Them), but it does mean they have enough technical skill and mental fortitude to stand a decent chance.

The only times where they are SUPPOSED to actively engage is when a battle is deemed as an existential struggle and is being lost (in practice, the main context for this is a siege), or losing against a foe deemed so thoroughly depraved that they won’t even slightly follow wartime conventions. The idea in these situations is that they are most likely already doomed, and that they should die protecting their people in battle.

Wardi history is filled with stories of Odonii fighting and dying in desperate conflicts (particularly against Imperial Bur), but this is at least Partly historical revisionism (there WERE some women in proto-Odonii roles involved in these conflicts, but these retellings project the modern Odonii order onto its multiple progenitor practices).

Odonii are frequently present on battlefields, but there are only two major instances of modern era Odonii participating in battle as full combatants, both involving conflict with Finnerich

---

The fully modern incarnation of the order can be defined as starting in the late period of Burri occupation, in which multiple Wardi city-states and kingdoms allied against a common foe, and the separate progenitors of the Odonii tradition began to coelesce into a single practice. These alliances were mostly dropped after Burri withdrawal, and the immediate post-withdrawal period was a chaotic scrambling to politically stabilize and assert old territorial claims- thus most Wardi states resumed hostile or indifferent relations with one another. (The one exception is that Wardin and Ephennos remained allied, which shortly would become a Big Deal). Forms of early Odonii now existed throughout most of these states, just not united under a single banner.

The city of Godsmouth was blockaded and besieged by Finnerich during this period (taking advantage of its historical rival’s weakness in the political chaos of de-occupation and hoping to capture or at least maim the city), and some of these early Odonii were involved in this conflict and are known to have engaged.

Godsmouth was a rival to its neighboring states more than anything else- there was little reason for others to send aid in the conflict, and it was left to fend for itself. It was and is a heavily fortified city, and thus the siege lasted for months, with the strategy turning to starving the population out rather than the risky maneuver of throwing troops at well-defended gates to force entry. The Finn forces never managed to breach the inner walls, but were very successful at starving the city's population, raiding its farmlands and villages, and destroying its ports and capturing or burning its ships, all with minimal casualties on their side.

The strategy of the siege finally turned to a risky push to breach and capture the city (due to Finnerich’s own dwindling resources and logistical difficulties in restocking due to storms at sea, and news that an allied Wardin and Ephennos had, in an unprecedented move, been persuaded to send reinforcements (in return for Godsmouth's sworn fealty and absorption into their alliance)), and Finn forces succeeded in breaking through the outer walls. This developed into a very dramatic standoff in which the remaining warriors and/or civilians of Godsmouth attempted to fend off the attack long enough for reinforcements to arrive (which would take days by sea).

Odonii are very famously known to have fully engaged in this stretch of the conflict on the front lines, as it represented an existential threat to the city-state (it’s a fortified settlement, if it was captured, reinforcements would not matter). Some of the recountings are distinctly fanciful (describing Odonii and noblemen leading Siege Of Helms Deep style khaitback charges into masses of enemies, or SWEARING that one of them actually did turn into a lion and ripped apart a hundred Finns before she succumbed to her wounds). An At Least Partially True Story With Exaggerated Elements of the final days of the siege describes the Odonii priestess Hibrides Odiboe rallying a group of elderly men into battle by baring her breasts and scratching deep, bleeding wounds into her chest, declaring herself as 'your mothers, your wives, your daughters, and look how I bleed while you hide behind your walls and wait to die.' While accounts have fantastical elements, it is factual that Odonii priestesses fought and died defending the city's inner walls, notably filling command positions left vacant by slain or starved leaders and rallying citizens to the front lines.

The end of the siege was ultimately a pyrrhic victory for Godsmouth- the city was never actually taken but its population was starved and riddled with disease, its farmlands were burned, and its ports were destroyed. Finnerich forces retreated before reinforcements arrived after failing to break through the inner walls in time, but had succeeded in most objectives of severely wounding their historical enemy. It has been a source of collective trauma in Godsmouth since that point (it is now out of living memory, but vivid stories remain of seeing the dead eaten by dogs and the starving eating the dogs that ate the dead, watching family members succumb to disease and starvation, all while hearing the sounds of fighting draw closer and closer with no reason to believe that any help would ever come), but ultimately recontextualized as a victory, a turning point in the arc of modern history. (The Wardin-Ephennos-Godsmouth alliance, which formed in full as a result of this conflict, would become the triple state that conquered the rest of the region and formed Imperial Wardin).

The direct participation of Odonii in this conflict is heavily played up in the narrative as the order in its purest form as sovereignty incarnate, the priestesses bravely fighting for (what would turn out to be) the beginnings of the Imperial Wardi state. The 11 Odonii who died fighting in the siege have been bestowed sainthood and are memorialized in a series of guardian lion statue-shrines overlooking Godsmouth’s ports (in which their ashes and bones are stored).

---

The other instance of modern era Odonii engaging in conflict is significantly less romantic, occurring in the context of the Extremely failed second invasion of Finnerich.

During and after the rout that resulted in the Odomache's capture and killing, it became exceptionally clear to the Imperial Wardi forces that They Were Fucked. The conflict veered with REMARKABLE speed from being an attempt end the state's civil war between the Imperial Wardi-loyalist provincial puppet government and its rebelling northwest population, to a desperate struggle for Wardi forces to get out of Finnerich Alive. At this point it was assumed (fairly accurately) that any defeated party would be summarily executed, so most Odonii present ended up directly engaging in battle. Two are known to have died leading soldiers in a bid to retrieve the Odomache's body, others fought and/or died while defending the retreat.

A few Finn Odonii (women appointed as a local sect of the priesthood after the initial takeover) remained in the capital after the Wardi forces fucked off overseas, and were executed along with the rest of the installed loyalist government and priests (though it's unlikely that they were involved in any fighting, as the provincial government surrendered after the withdrawal).

Odonii veterans of the invading force have not fared well in the aftermath. Most of those who survived the ambush in which the Odomache was captured have ended up committing honorable suicide due to breaking vows in abandoning their leader in retreat, failing to retrieve her body, and/or being assaulted in capture. More have committed (ostensibly ritual, probably emotionally driven) suicide in the years that followed, with the knowledge that their leader's death and defilement and this severing of God's spirit has brought doom upon their land in the form of an unbroken drought and famine, and that they failed to prevent this. The priestess who was captured alive to witness the Odomache's death and released unharmed to report it was the first.

All this has opened some vacancies in the order's leadership, and given things a very somber tone. It is currently in debate as to whether the ones who died on Finn soil (particularly those who died attempting to retrieve their leader's body) should be canonized as saints or if it's a little too soon for all that.

[lu-is-not-ok]

Regarding Hong Lu's Lasso EGO. The abno of Rose Hunter in its MD event actually has two 'parts', of the apple and the hunter. Given how he shares this one with Faust of all people, I do think it may be referencing how they are both the one forcing the story to go on and the one being forced to go along with it. This is about Hong Lu I swear its just the more you dig the more he somewhat parallels her. One vs two blue eyes I guess.

For Faust this is via the Gesellschaft. Her as the apple in the way she must bend to the will of the collective Faust as one with a defined role to play. And as the hunter with how she - for the sake of someone else just the abno has its 'client' (there's a few who could fit this description, like Limbus Company as a whole, whomever is financing the whole operation, the Gesellschaft again) - ensures via various methods like keeping certain things from the sinners that things go according to plan.

Her passive is 'sprawling lasso' is possibly a reference to just how many she has, must, encircle for things to keep going. Plus this EGO is Fatal to Wrath and Gloom. This Wrath as her weakness ties into how this is the first time her voiceline, for corrosion, has expressed proper anger and desperation in her voice as far as I remeber. And Gloom I don't quite have a real reason for, perhaps her lament at not doing things of her own will? At being ensared as all others were?

But to loop lasso it back to Hong Lu, for one his awakening voiceline says to 'run along the flow' which has been causing me normal reactions for several weeks now. Regardless, this does tie into a mini theory of mine that the 'flow' followed by Vergillius is in fact one of the subterranean rivers, though I don't have the mythological knowledge to try and pinpoint which one.

And if we do take the stretch of a river = the flow then it connects to what Xichun was doing in Canto 7 and is yet another reference to water, just like in his base ego and in his promo image. This EGO is also weak to Gloom, funnily enough. Sloth too, though I have never had solid thoughts on that sin past it representing acceptance of sorts, typically to a status quo that hurts them. The corrosion line is presumably a reference to him probably just running away from his family the first chance he got, which was probably Faust.

Onto my thoughts on the illustrations, which was meant to be a minor note but we all know how these go. The thorns in Faust’s EGO illust are thinner and look more like rose branches, with one notably going over her leg as she looks up, seemingly about to get on the horse.

Whilst Hong Lu's has much thicker brambles around the edges - though the rose branches do appear near the bottom - striking me as similar to barbed wire, though thicker than in the base EGO illusts (speaking of, in his the wire seems much fuzzier than say, Yi Sang's). He's already saddled the horse and is looking down(?) At something that has already been entangled in thorns, the abno looking over him and who/what has been ensnared in a way that reminds me of judgement.

Ensnared itself, mind, seemingly lacking an arm, having another mangled and literally no legs to speak of, and no rose on its scarf. A drastic departure to how it was in Faust’s EGO, laying traps on the ground with all its limbs freed and intact, with a sunray to its side and a rose placed neatly upon itself, much more alike its MD self. Hong Lu's awakening is not lacking in the scarf rose, though.

Other rapid-fire thoughts: (corrosion) the rose petals on the horses look like it's bleeding as if being slashed from the stomach. (corrosion) Faust still has the reigns and very much uses them which provides her a degree of separation and control over this. Hong Lu does not. Most notable in both of their hurt sprites, Faust’s horse stands on its hind legs on her (or the Gesellschaft's, depending on how you think on it) command, Hong Lu's horse wants to run away and it turning to do so. (corrosion) Hong Lu's noose/lasso arms both have 2 loops each, unlike the one round his neck that has 3. Faust has red laces.

To close this off: I have been switching between their lasso sprites on the wiki and have one question: is Hong Lu smaller on his horse or had my brain made that up, thank you.

Hilarious thing to see before scrolling down and seeing all of this. Anyway. Let's pick this apart a little.

First things - the apple might not actually be a part of the Abnormality itself.

We know from Ebony Queen's Apple's Observation Log that Abnormalities that are conceptually connected through what they represent are in some way able to be aware of each other's existence - Ebony Queen being aware of 'Snow White', aka LobCorp's Snow White's Apple.

Considering that Rose Hunter is seemingly likely connected to the same fable of Snow White as Ebony Queen's Apple and Snow White's Apple are, specifically in that he represents the huntsman sent to kill Snow White on the Queen's orders, and that the way Rose Hunter describes the apple perfectly matches Snow White's Apple ("an apple that will become a princess, not knowing its rightful place"), it's possible that the apple in question *is* just straight up Snow White's Apple, or a representation of it.

I do agree that it's important to keep it in mind when interpreting Lasso, but I believe it's pretty clear that the apple itself might not inherently be a part of Rose Hunter itself.

After all, Lasso isn't the first E.G.O we've seen where the Sinner is shown to be both the victim and the perpetrator. See AEDD and Capote as the major stars of this trend.

I don't have much to comment on regarding your interpretation of Lasso for Faust - I think that works pretty well with what we know. Faust has to follow what the Gesselschaft and Limbus Company tell her to do, and she herself is responsible for keeping the Sinners on track - keeping them ensnared and following the predetermined path of their stories.

I'll touch upon the points you bring up with regards to Sin Weaknesses (and also bring up Sin Resource Costs, which I believe are a bit more important to E.G.O) a bit later.

Because, here's the thing about the Flow Vergilius talks about - we already kinda know what it is. We see it in Leviathan Book 16.

Vergilius's narration describes the Flow as a "shadow hovering over his back". A sort of insight, or pressure that drives him to make specific choices or move in a specific direction.

He also explains how the Flow isn't one singular force - in fact, he explicitly mentions seeing at least two Flows during this chapter. One brightly colored but slow moving Flow that he could see ahead (which he feels would lead him to actually changing the City), and one darker but faster moving Flow that clung to his back. Every time he tries to avoid following the bright Flow, the shadowy Flow always leads him to ruin, to a point where he's inevitably forced to come back to the bright Flow, as all shadows naturally come from light.

It reminds me a lot of "Gravity" from JJBA, in a way. A supernatural force that drives extraordinary people towards each other and towards their inevitable fates, and every attempt to counteract it ends up making things worse for them when it finally catches up to them.

It's also, like, Heavily implied that Carmen is in some way directly involved with what direction the bright Flow takes, as there's an implication that it's trying to direct Vergilius to his inevitable meeting with Carmen that happens in Book 18, considering how much her trying to get Vergilius to distort is telling him how it would give him the ability to change the world to how he sees fit, matching what he believed the bright Flow was leading him towards.

So like. Flow isn't exactly directly related to the Rivers. But it's also not not related, considering the Carmen -> Light -> Cogito -> Rivers chain.

I don't think the "flow" Hong Lu is referring to is the exact same Flow that Vergilius can see and talks about, at least not entirely. I believe it's also meant to be a reflection of the reason why he's initially willing to follow his story, similarly to how Faust's awakening line does for her.

While Faust wholeheartedly believes that following the story laid out before her and the Sinners is the "correct" thing to do, Hong Lu simply follows along because he just Goes Along With Whatever He's Told. He figuratively goes with the flow, just agrees and follows until things turn out okay in the end. To quote one of his Base Identity's voice lines: "When you’re distraught, simply remember that life goes on even if what you’re doing now doesn’t work out. Then, you’ll be free of worries." As long as he just keeps moving forward, things will be fine in the end.

So, if the Awakening lines are a reflection of why Faust and Hong Lu would feel like they should follow along the path their story is taking, then I believe the Corrosion is a reflection of the "punishment" that awaits them if they are to stray from it. To quote Rose Hunter's MD event, "Ah... If, however, the course was derailed by your actions, you will be held accountable."

Hong Lu's Corrosion line here is the easier one to read - it's meant to be a reflection of his Family's reaction when they catch up to him after he runs away. Outright calling out that he ran away, calling him a fugitive, and the very clear threat of punishment.

For Faust it's actually a lot more interesting, because she clearly brings up the apple and the idea that whoever she caught is hiding it, rather than implying that whoever she caught is the one she was looking for. Perhaps because that's a reflection of how Faust will disobey the Gesselschaft. While Hong Lu disobeys his fate by running away from his Family, Faust would disobey her fate by hiding something from the Gesselschaft. A Golden Bough, perhaps? Instead of bringing one back to the Company, she could keep it hidden for herself, effectively disobeying her orders and the path she was put on. And an act like that would Anger Them Severely.

The thing you point out about the differences in how the Rose Hunter itself is depicted is fascinating. The one depicted in Faust's illustration seems like a direct parallel to how Faust has acted towards Sinners - she's been trapping them with Limbus Company, using their own wishes as bait and the contracts they sign as the snares.

But then there's Hong Lu's Rose Hunter, itself trapped by the snares and mangled to the point it seems there's only half of it clearly there. Half destroyed... I don't have an exact thought in my head regarding that, but you could definitely interpret it with a Two in One angle. How whoever is resonating with Rose Hunter is only Half There, and how that half is inherently trapped within themself, as the vines ensnaring it are also its own snares. Hong Lu is, in part, trapping himself, specifically Baoyu and Daiyu are unwillingly keeping each other trapped by the circumstance of their current situation.

Now. Let's talk Sin Resistances. I'm going to be using the names for the Floor Theme Packs based around the relevant Sin Weaknesses as a base here, since that's the closest thing we have to a canon confirmation of what the Resistances could mean.

The Gloom-weak floor is called Emotional Flood, the Sloth-weak floor is called Emotional Indolence, and the Wrath-weak floor is called Emotional Repression.

Both Lassos being Gloom weak could imply that whatever experiences Hong Lu and Faust have to recall to use it are heavily emotionally charged, making them susceptible to "Flooding" with negative feelings. It could be a reflection of the anxiety it causes both of them to think about - after all a major part of Rose Hunter is the punishment for not following one's path. Having to actively keep those consequences in mind to use the E.G.O would likely leave them shaken up and weak to such negative reminders.

Indolence means the avoidance of exertion or activity, and it's a close synonym to laziness. Hong Lu's Lasso being Sloth weak could reflect how emotionally numb recalling the relevant experiences leaves him. For him, following the path of the story is all about simply letting things happen and not reacting, just trying to reach the end. He's forced to become avoidant of emotional reactions through being too "lazy" to react. It's not like trying to say anything would change things for him, so why even bother trying? He'll reach the end one way or another. And so, being given even more reasons to not care and become more numb hurts all the more, ridding him of whatever little resolve he might have been holding onto.

As such, Faust's Lasso being weak to Wrath is made all the more interesting - it implies there's a level of intense emotion that the experiences bring out within her that she feels the need to repress and hide. This is different to Hong Lu's Sloth weakness, in that while Hong Lu is just straight up numb and passively avoiding feeling anything, Faust is very much feeling some sort of strong frustration that she has to actively silence. Thus it makes it far more painful to her when she's given more reasons to be annoyed - she's already struggling to keep it contained. Something about having to follow her path leaves her deeply frustrated in a way she feels she cannot let herself express, likely due to the consequences of complaining about it.

I also want to make a quick note on the Sin Resources needed to use the E.G.O, specifically the ones that differ between the two.

While both Lassos require Gluttony and Lust, Faust's Lasso requires Envy, while Hong Lu's requires Pride. This, I think, is actually reflected in their Awakening lines and thus the attitudes they have.

Faust sees following the path as something "correct", as something "right". Her own feelings and thoughts don't matter because the opinion of the story she's following is more important than hers. She's expressing Inferiority - aka, Envy.

On the other hand Hong Lu follows the path because it's something he himself believes to be the best option. He doesn't think there are better options, so he just ignores all the shit he has to go through along the way because in the end, he'll be fine. A very Pride thing to believe.

And yes, Hong Lu for whatever reason is notably smaller on the horse in the awakening sprite. No I don't know why either. It honestly might have been an oversight LMAO.

[trappedinafantasy37]

Minthara may have an 8 int stat and doesn't always consider the consequences for her actions. But you know what she does have? She's got that 15 charisma stat and that paladin rizz. But she doesn't use that rizz to flirt you up. Nah, she uses that paladin rizz to convince you to commit reprehensible moral atrocities.

Go ahead, tell me I'm wrong. We all raid that grove with no hesitation and claim the Absolute all because babygurl asked. She doesn't need to flirt with you. She knows she's got you wrapped around her finger. All she's gotta do is point and we go running to make her happy.

[sotc]

as fun as it is to talk about the sillay crow family dynamics, i'm soo interested in what this means for the crow familia going forward in a darker lens.

im mostly speaking from the perspective of a rook de riva who romanced lucanis btw <3

illario brought the axe down on his own head after failing to take first talon. he's imprisoned except to play house whenever caterina wants to see him around for family dinners before tensions inevitably shove him back into the cage he's been left to like some house pet lmfao. it's actually kinda fucked up and as a certified sicko i love it. especially considering the casualness in which lucanis describes all of this. crows gotta be a little unhinged<3

But!!! while lucanis was right that illario's reputation is ruined forever as a traitor crow beaten to his knees before every house that doesn't exactly free house dellamorte either. Talon houses will want their pound of flesh of illario for nearly trying to put antiva under venatori control. and yet lucanis refused. house dellamorte showed mercy. they are breaking the rules, making exceptions. this is not how the crows operate and there should--WILL be retaliations for it. illario left this house bleeding in his attempt to claim first talon and their blood is in the water now with house dellamorte having a sole heir who blatantly exposed a weakness and seemingly has no lineage to take after him.

and nevermind that we know murmurs amongst the crows will linger about a first talon being an abomination. i know lucanis kind of handwaves it off as at the coffee date like 'there could be worst first talons' but baby boy, you have avoidance and denial issues this WILL become worse of a problem the longer it goes on. <3

more under the cut bc i didn't realize this was getting so long lol

but in comes fifth talon viago de riva. a bastard to the king of antiva who wants to strengthen the crown. a man who has been ruthlessly exacting and meticulous to get where he is now. and the scariest part is that he has ambition, always has, and knows he has more power than the king himself to make plays if he needs to. this makes for a dangerous (and sexy) combination. in comes his protege rook. casting silly family dynamics aside, viago knows this union between house dellamorte and de riva is extremely beneficial for both houses but also very dangerous. even he knows his ties to teia show a weakness in him that other crows may seek to exploit. and while i do think he may be sincere about wanting rook to find their happiness with lucanis as he has with teia - i truly think he will not shy from showing the importance of a 'political alliance/union' especially with first talon house dellamorte struggling from the blow after all is said and done.

and of course, by extension to de riva, house cantori and the beautiful lovely miss teia, will be extending her support to strengthen their houses but also herself from any opposition. as much as i love that she's kind of the heart that brings this fucked up lil familia together, i know she is just as cunning and clever to recognize what this alliance does for her too.

and caterina.. well, without going into a whole thought piece on her, she has built her (and her grandson's reputation) entirely to instill fear in others, even command enough respect to know she's the one running things while lucanis is just a stand-in as first talon. but what happens when caterina is gone? another dellamorte dead just like all the others. all lucanis has left is himself and his traitor brother. how does he handle illario? how does he fair being a leader to the crows when he didn't want any of this in the first place and no longer has caterina to guide him? how does he wish to pursue carrying the dellamorte legacy (if at all)? does he seek a protege of his own to take on after him? i can't remember who says it (viago or lucanis) but there's a line about how saving thedas will make their houses immortal (hot and very sexy) but also how far can that reputation protect house dellamorte, really?

i don't really have a point to all of this, this is all just stuff im simply chewing on and letting out into the ether because the ripple effect of repercussions with what illario did and what lucanis now has to deal with fascinates me SO MUCH.

[mirrorcatcreditcard]

Take I haven't seen in the fandom yet:

Luka doesn't want to be freed.

"Now, MirrorCatCreditcard," you may say, "that's nonsense. Any human would want freedom from that system."

If you're thinking I'm gonna convince you that Luka doesn't know he wants freedom yet, you're wrong. I'm here to talk about indoctrination/conditioning, grooming/emotional manipulation, my own experience with those topics, and how all of the above connects with Luka as a character. If a deep dive like this is too much for you, please tap out for your own sake.

Luka's life was planned before he even existed. There has never ever been an alternative option. There is no life for Luka as anything but what Herperu chose. Everything in his life has been planned to have him be the perfect pet human idol. That is what he must be.

Fandom, I don't think most of you actually understand this and have dissected what this means (shout-out to the Luka stans who are getting there/have guessed similar things). These words we know have alternatives and are not set in stone are Luka's "gravity makes rain fall to the earth" and "water makes things wet." They are facts so deeply ingrained within him that even if shown the contrary he remarks that the person showing them is just disillusioned.

Take his commentary on Mizi and Hyun-A in the art book. He looks down on Mizi for not being able to control any of her emotions. How does he talk about Hyun-A? He has her at 70% affection yet shows a patronizing attitude—she's the one in denial at reality.

Now, how did we get here? How is a human so "delusional" and set in the control?

He's been conditioned.

Some of you don't know what I mean by this from experience and/or research, and count yourself fortunate that you don't. I pray you never experience such things firsthand. Don't worry about ignorance. Familiar or not, I will explain.

When you are surrounded by only one truth and reality, that is the way you interpret life. If a parent tells a child "the moon goes to sleep during the day," until the child learns otherwise, that's what they believe. Now take that child-like belief and add some toxic environments to the mix. With time, any other kid would learn that the earth rotates from their peers or adults around them. But if the creatures around them all say and believe the same thing "the moon goes to sleep during the day," then that is what the child continues to believe. Years of that same thing being the only truth make that false knowledge into a fact in the person's head, and everything that supports that fact is taken as truth or on the right path to truth.

"This is kinda silly though," you guys are no doubt murmuring, "All of this is a hypothetical. Give us something that makes sense or that someone could actually see happen in our society."

I'll give you my own experience then. My parents taught me that God is real. My parents taught me that I will be damned I do not follow the commandments of the scriptures. I didn't need to worry though. As long as I was obedient to the God who loved me and wanted what was best, I would be saved despite being born an awful sinful human. I was homeschooled, only interacted with people of similar beliefs, and taught that people too different from me in ideology or with radical beliefs against my own were trying to harm me and my family. I believed the people who raised me because why would people who love me lie to me? My task was simple. I needed to obey God and love everyone, especially them. Love meant giving up my entire being and living only as servant and sacrifice. After all, being selfless to the utmost was the greatest form of love.

Let's go back to Luka. His guardian, Herperu, when questioned about any surprises while training Luka, stated not only that he was the one who endured the "tough moments" but also that "(Luka) owes his success to me, and naturally, he should be grateful." This sentiment is echoed by Luka in his interview (shown on Patreon). My god, it's giving parents with disabled kids who brag on social media about how much trouble their kid is and how much they do for them. Sickening. This shows exactly what environment Luka has lived in though.

When you are manipulated into having something as your reality, everything else is fiction and delusion.

Let's review what exactly is Luka's reality.

Heperu is the one suffering if Luka has any difficulties being obedient.

Gratitude is what Herperu is owed because he goes through so much trouble to make Luka a star.

Love/care is shown by owning another's autonomy.

Emotions and bodily reactions exist, sure, but someone should be able to control them; and if they can't, someone should control those reactions for them.

Segyein are superior and the good ones for dealing with humans. Humans must be disciplined and shaped to how an segyein wants it to act to be considered deserving of this goodness.

(Luka)'s perfection is defined by his guardian.

Luka's life is directly connected to being the perfect performer. His guardian praises his abilities with the statement that no other pet human will ever be as perfect as him yet leaves an underlying threat saying that it will be no good if a pet is not trained properly. This has probably been mentally (if not physically) beaten into Luka's mind: his greatness doesn't stop him from being able to be disposed of. The human instinct to want to live has been explained to him as Heperu's wish for him to live and that has been further distorted as a duty to live for the stage he has been placed on.

Luka believes fully that there is a debt in play here. In his interview, he mentions repaying love. He thinks the relationship between fan and idol is completely normal, encouraged, and healthy. Performance is the most important thing. Being where he is is a privilege.

There's a chain here:

Heperu indoctrinated Luka into believing what he says is all true.

The guardian manipulated him easily to do what he wanted with his body and mind.

The years have been spent constantly conditioning Luka to be the god who encapsulated fantasies for the audience.

He is continually being groomed to exist for the entertainment and enjoyment of segyein.

Circle back to my first point of this post. Luka does not want to be freed. He doesn't know what freedom actually is. He sees freedom as either foolish denials of reality (and doesn't consider that actual freedom) or as controlling the song and stage when he performs (something he learned from Hyuna). He cannot want something he cannot understand. He cannot want freedom in the sense the fandom keeps speaking about.

It's funny. From the moment Luka was revealed to be hated by the fandom, I wanted to know why. Instead of digging and finding horrific deeds, I instead found a character who portrayed my own traumas and experiences. I instantly attached and delved deeply into learning about this thirty year old singer. Why does he express himself in a certain way? Where do we first see mention of him? Who does he have emotions towards? How was he trained? What makes Luka himself? I have past essays/replies to other's theories if you're interested, but in this one I got personal and didn't sugarcoat the facts. If the fandom can't handle deep thought, we shouldn't be discussing this incredibly profound and depth-filled web series.

As always, thank you for your time, and I hope my thoughts allowed you to open your mind to new things. Mostly, I hope you enjoyed them 🫶

[aetherdoesthings]

darling...

forethoughts: like i said, right after i get clorinde, new fic will drop 🤩. enjoy!

notes: fem!reader, protective possessive!arlecchino, arlecchino (alledgedly) killing a man for you

Arlecchino only had two things she kept close to her heart. The House of Hearth members, and you. Her prized lover, her world, her one and only. Hers. And she was yours. You were her other half; of course she would want to protect you until her dying breath. While Arlecchino mostly stayed silent and watched you experience life like a toddler taking their first steps, always there to give you a lending hand whenever you needed it.

“Arle! Arle!” You grabbed the Harbinger’s hand, dragging her deeper into the heart of Fontaine. “Check it!” 

The Harbinger allowed you to wrap your delicate fingers around her sleeve, following you to wherever you wanted to go. On the rare days she had a free hour or two, she’d always spend it with you doing whatever you wanted to do. 

“There’s a new restaurant that just opened! Come on!” The corners of your mouth shot up to your eyes, a sight that the Harbinger treasured and held dear to her heart. All she wanted to do was to see that smile on your face, that smile that was devoid from stress and worry, and only shined with excitement and joy. May the Archons show their pity on the ones who stole that smile. 

You wrapped your arms around the Harbinger’s, as the two of you walked up to the waitress. 

“T-The Knave..” The waitress stared at Arlecchino, who kept an indifferent and expressionless look on her face. Arlecchino knew about her status and what it meant, especially how having an energetic and passionate girl by her side looked for her. She was not that big of a fan of being in the public eye with you, but just seeing your puppy eyes was enough for Arlecchino to relent. 

“A table for two, please.” Arlecchino stated with a monotone voice.

“R-Right!” The waitress scrambled for the menus, before leading the two of you to a secluded and private room inside the restaurant. “Please enjoy yourself with the amenities in our VIP suite. I-If you need anything please call one of our staff. The buffet is outside.”

“Woah! VIP!” You explored around the room, taking pictures of the flowers and paintings, while Arlecchino took her seat, opening the menu. “Hmn. Would you like to go out to grab some food first, darling? You look ravenous.”

“What about you, Arle? Aren’t you going to get something too?” You turn around and look at the Harbinger, who was engrossed with the drinks options. 

“Of course.” Arlecchino placed the menu on the table, uncrossing her legs as she strolled towards you, placing a hand on your shoulder. Like an unspoken command, you walked out of the VIP suite, clamoring towards the buffet line, perusing all the food and dashing around. Arlecchino kept a close eye on you; you were never too fast for her crimson gaze. Arlecchino knew how you loved to have your own space and explore around, and the Knave agreed. Like any child, they needed their space to learn and grow in a new environment. She took a plate from underneath the tray of food, and strolled around the salad bar, keeping one eye on you. 

“Woah, you’re quite the feisty one, aren’t you?” Arlecchino’s ears pricked, her eyes instantly shooting over to where she captured you last. You were in the middle of grabbing food, when a random man walked up to you, no plate in his hands. She pretended to be grabbing salad from the trays, inching closer and closer to you.

“Ummmm… what?” You said, continuing to grab your food.

“What’s a gem like you doing out alone?”

“Eating. And I’m not alone, actually!”

“Yeah? Don’t see no guy around. Come on, let me treat you to a meal. Come over to my table. I’ll show you some pretty interesting things.” The man grinned at you, his hands started to move closer to your waist.

You shrugged it off, an unbothered and innocent look on your face. “I’m not allowed to, sorry.”

“Not allowed to? Who’s controlling your decisions, kitten?” The man moved closer, his hand snaking around your waist.

Arlecchino nearly grabbed her plate a little too hard, spilling salad onto the counter. Her fingers curled into a ball, her crimson eyes glowering.

“My partner!” You exclaimed with a cheerful tone, spinning out of his grasp around your waist.  “Okay, I’m going now, mister. Have a good one!”

As you skipped back to the VIP room, you noticed Arlecchino trying to melt the brie cheese with her eyes. You tapped her on the shoulder, a smile on your face. “Made new friend, Arle!” 

You extended your index finger towards the man, putting him in the spotlight in the Harbinger’s gaze. “There!”

The man locked eyes with the Fatui Harbinger, and all the color disappeared from his face, travelling down to his trousers, displaying itself with a dark spot. The Harbinger had to control herself and the corner of her mouth from flying upwards, her crimson gaze softening to a glow as she looked at you. “I see, darling. Take this plate back, hmn? Eat your greens.”

“Okay!” You smiled at the Harbinger, giving her a wink, before skipping back to the VIP suite.

Arlecchino turned her head back around, and as she suspected, the man had scurried off. The Harbinger exhaled through her nose. No matter. The man could relish the few more minutes he had on this world. After all, there was no place on Teyvat where he could ever remain safe from the Fourth of the Fatui Harbingers. 

“Darling, did you finish your greens?” Arlecchino closed the door behind her, her crimson gaze softening as she observed your messy face, sauce all over your lips and aloof smile. 

“All clear!” You beamed at the Harbinger, holding up the plate to her face. Arlecchino let out a chuckle, her eyes glancing at the small crack in the porcelain. No matter. She’ll just let the man compensate. The Knave took her seat, placing the plate of food she had taken prior to her little… trip.

“Good girl.” Arlecchino purred, her thin lips turning into a small smile as she planted a kiss on your forehead. 

Your eyes lingered on the Knave’s face, your eyebrows furrowing. “What’s that on your cheek, Arle?”

“Oh?” Arlecchino brushed her finger against her cheek, picking up the fresh blood that ‘accidentally’ splattered onto her face during her little…mission. 

“Nothing you need to worry yourself over, darling. Eat up. Eat as much as you want.” Arlecchino picked up a fork, urging you to eat as well. 

You shrugged, shoving a spoonful of chocolate mousse into your mouth. You knew better than to invoke Arlecchino’s ‘protectiveness’ of you. As long as you were hers, and she was yours, you had nothing to worry about. Never shall you worry again. 

[milkteasweetheart]

『just like heaven, introduction』

this part contains the introduction.

housewardens x reader

author’s note: i depict nrc as an actual college, so first years are 18, second years 19, etc.

summary: crowley has the bright idea of a bonding experience, specifically in the form of a dream potion.

characters: riddle rosehearts, leona kingscholar, azul ashengrotto, jamil viper, vil schoenheit, idia shroud, malleus draconia / platonic mentions: dire crowley (ew), grim

genre: romance, fluff, smidge of angst

warnings: female reader, reader is yuu, reader is around ace and deuce’s height, sappy, marriage, mentions of potential children, some suggestive themes

「introduction: dire crowley (derogatory)」

It’s not a very peaceful evening.

It started with Crowley’s bright idea of a bonding experience. That is, gather the students that overblotted (and the overworked, underpaid regular joe that got dragged into solving them) and spritz a potion that will make them see each others dreams. What kind of logic does this birdbrain operate on?

“It will help you understand each other, which will reduce conflict! And since I am oh so generous, I’ve already brewed the potion required for this occasion.”

(Y/N) had the strong feeling that Crowley just wanted to get rid of the problem of overblotting the easy way, instead of actually getting help for the housewardens (and Jamil).

When asked how it works, Crowley talked in circles to the point that it’ll be easier to just go with whatever bullshit he’s come up with instead of pulling teeth any further.

So, that leads to the Ramshackle’s lounge. Grim had willingly left to spend the night in Heartslabyul with (Y/N)’s best buddies, Ace and Deuce. “I don’t wanna hang out with those weirdos! I got better things to do!” She could only hope he’d behave for the sake of Trey.

The rocking chair and coffee table had been pushed away next to the walls to make room for the beds Malleus had kindly summoned. (Y/N) will definitely ask him if she could keep one. They’re very comfortable.

After making supper with the aid of Jamil (and Azul, who butted in, which caused Jamil to glare side-eye daggers at him) and Vil, who wanted to oversee the process to assure the food they made was healthy. Before embarking on this culinary mission, (Y/N) had tasked Riddle to distract Leona from picking a fight with Malleus so that Ramshackle could be spared for another day. Riddle had seemed excited for some reason, and took his mission seriously after giving a small, blushy nod. 

「Riddle: The prefect trusts me to keep peace. I won’t disappoint!」

The meal went by… strangely. Jamil and Azul kept slipping each other snide remarks, and so did Leona and Malleus. (Y/N) had long considered carrying around a spray bottle, and these people did not help the growing need for it. Idia wisely stayed out of it. His strategy to survive the night was to keep his mouth shut and avoid conversation with anyone else other than the prefect. When Riddle attempted to make conversation, Vil would change the subject. When Riddle eventually managed to hijack (Y/N)' attention, Vil looked at him with a freezing stare.

「Vil: Foolish ventriloquist doll potato. She's got better things to talk about.」

Despite the tension, Ramshackle had not fallen, and so the headmage descended upon them with a potion in a fancy perfume bottle.

“What are the ingredients in this, if I may ask?” Vil sensibly asked the incredibly suspicious headmage, who skillfully evaded the question with the command for the students to get comfortable.

Each of the overblotted students were confident that their dreams were not that bad. Sure, letting others see what they desired wasn’t ideal, but they can surely control what they’ll see, right? Right. 

[jsketch12]

Here's something that I'm curious about in the Timeskip Moonlilie story.

With Selene retiring as Alola's Champion to follow her surfing passion, who became the champ after her?

Also (if the current and the one who surpassed Selene are not the same), who is the current champion?

It’s Acerola, actually! While I HC Selene as mixed Alolan on her mom’s side and Kantonian on her dad’s, Selene felt that the role of representing the region would best fit someone who is both native and local, as Selene was born in Kanto. Her first thought was Acerola because Acerola is directly descended from Alolan royalty, and putting the region back into the right hands felt right to Selene. Acerola is a skilled battler, too, having beeen a member of the Elite Four as a child (in place of the kahuna Nanu, who didn’t want anything to do with the project). Most important to Selene though was Acerola’s character. She was basically a second caretaker to the Aether House kids, showing that she was selfless and responsible.

Selene battled Acerola first, and while Selene won, she was mainly analyzing how Acerola battled and the skill at which she commanded her Pokémon. The thing that cemented her decision was seeing how kindly Acerola treated her Pokémon after being defeated in battle. Acerola was confused why Selene was passing the title to her even though she lost, and Selene replied that Acerola was more than capable of performing the duties of Champion if she was willing.

Admittedly Selene had also been under seven years of pressure as part of the role, as with the old system it was “whoever holds the title in battle” and she wanted to retire from the role to do other things like surf and kiss Lillie, and she was always constantly on guard for whoever came in to be like “HEY I WANNA CHALLENGE YOU FOR YOUR TITLE”

She may not officially be Champion anymore, but anyone who claims she’s washed and tries to beat her soon sees that’s the furthest thing from the truth, as her Pokémon team is still strong and usually it’s Nihilego that snowballs out of control with Beast Boost and sweeps the opponent. Selene is chill, but she brooks no disrespect. She has had to stop Lillie from beating up someone who was trying to say Selene wasn’t that great a battler anymore, preferring to use her skills to shut them up instead.

[fuckyeahisawthat]

Please, talk about the Gom Jobbar scene

Oh hell yes.

So this is one of those posts that really should be a short video essay of me talking over the scene but instead it is gonna be a loooooong wall of text and screenshots. Maybe it will assume its final form some day if I'm ever in possession of the free time and patience to make video essays. I also highly recommend watching Denis Villeneuve's own breakdown of this scene from 2021. I'll try not to duplicate things said there.

We have to start with the setup, which begins with this scene:

We see Jessica on her knees, in the rain, waiting for an arriving ship. These are the first shots in the movie where we see Jessica when no one else is watching her, and this woman who stood calm and composed before representatives of the Emperor of the Known Universe is terrified. Which creates an immediate sense of dread over whoever is coming in that ship.

Whomst in the fuck now?

We also get this shot where we're alone with Jessica. It's a little hard to see in a still frame but there's a moment where she, like, steels herself before she wakes Paul up.

Holy fuck tho, I just noticed the similarities between this shot and the one of the Bene Gesserit arriving, with the almost monochromatic color palette and the shafts of white light.

Once Paul wakes up we shift to his POV. He immediately knows something is off ("What's wrong?" is the first thing he says) but gets no information about what's happening.

Then we get this short scene, where Paul is told he is going to meet the Reverend Mother and but not much else about what's going on. The whole "She wants to know about your dreams." "How does she know about my dreams?" [no answer from Jessica] exchange, I think, implies that she knows because Jessica told her about Paul's dreams, which is this little tiny betrayal of confidence that gives Paul the first inclination that his mother may not be someone he can fully trust in this situation. Which is exactly what Dr. Yueh warns him about immediately after.

We also get two new languages used in this scene. Dr. Yueh speaks to Paul in Mandarin, which he understands and presumably Jessica does not. This gives us a piece of information about Paul's curiosity toward other cultures and his facility with languages. And Jessica uses the Atreides battle sign, which Paul also understands. Outside the library, Jessica pauses to give Paul one more silent warning, although she still hasn't told him what's about to happen.

This is just the setup. So before we've even entered the room, we've created this sense of unsettled foreboding dread (the Denis Signature Vibe) without a clear understanding of why things are happening--which is exactly how Paul feels.

I should also add that in the book, this scene takes place during the day, with the Reverend Mother sitting in front of a window. Shifting it to the middle of the night not only makes it way creepier but also tells us that (1) the Reverend Mother is the kind of person who can command Jessica's attention at any time of day or night and (2) this is all somewhat illicit and possibly is happening without Leto's knowledge.

Whomst in the fuuuuuuck?

We get this sort of weird POV shot of Paul crossing the room when it's not actually happening:

which I think is supposed to suggest some subtler form of control than the Voice, which Paul resists.

Before they've even properly entered the room, Mohiam manages to insult both Paul's parents ("defiance in the eyes, like his father" and dismissing Jessica with a curt "leave us"). And the first thing Paul says is to defend his mother's place in the social hierarchy ("You dismiss my mother in her own house?") with all the haughtiness you would expect.

The power dynamic gets rapidly clarified.

Momentary aside to say that I love the composition of this shot. Neither of them are quite on the third--they're just a bit too close to each other to make the shot look balanced. But neither of them are in center frame either--the box is in the center. They're not exactly aligned to the light gray columns between the bookshelves behind them, either, and the bookshelves are just slightly asymmetrical. It all makes things feel just a little claustrophobic and unsettling. Denis Villeneuve frequently uses this technique of creating unbalanced shots and intentionally leaving too much space in awkward parts of the frame to create a sense of unease.

Paul isn't kneeling in the book either--he's standing beside the chair in a setup that I don't think would actually work given the heights of the actors here, or would look awkward as hell. So they've solved a practical blocking problem and done some storytelling with it as well.

This is where we get our first look at the Voice at full power, and it's one of only two scenes where we get some subjective POV of what it feels like to be Voice-controlled (the other one being Feyd-Rautha and Lady Margot's interaction which deserves its own post). I really like that they didn't go for Voice Slow (zombie shuffling across the room) because Voice Fast is much more disturbing. The subjective experience of it seems closest to like, blacking out and waking up in a place or doing a thing and not knowing how you got there. The camera effect is just a really fast dolly and a slick edit, but Timothée really sells it with his split-second moment of confusion and shock before he realizes what happened and gets angry about it.

So now we're here, with the poison needle and the pain box.

"No need to call the guards. Your mother stands behind that door. No one would get past her."

This is a slick fucking piece of editing. Because just as Paul is learning that his mother has not only trapped him in this situation but is ensuring it continues uninterrupted, we cut to Jessica for the first time since she left the room and we see how absolutely terrified she is.

Also from this point, the sound in the film starts crossing the barrier of the door--we hear some of the dialogue between Paul and Mohiam when we're on shots of Jessica, and when the pain sound effect starts up, we hear it continuously on both sides of the door. So even though Jessica is not literally experiencing the pain, it feels like she is vicariously.

It would be really easy to tip the balance of sympathy in this scene one way or the other--toward Paul who's realizing his mother has handed him over to a painful and potentially lethal test, or toward Jessica who is listening to her child scream in pain and not only cannot stop it but is tasked with making sure it continues. But Denis Villeneuve is an absolute master at controlling and directing your POV in a way that allows you to feel sympathy for multiple characters at once and engage with complicated, contradictory emotional landscapes, and this is a little demonstration of what he's going to do on a much larger scale later in the story.

Timothée's pain acting...is excellent, that's all I'll say about that. Love that he's allowed to get all gross and drippy with it.

Now we get to the litany against fear.

Jessica starts it specifically in response to hearing Paul scream on the other side of the door. So, practically, she is using it to control her own fear. But the way the scene is intercut, it plays as if she is almost coaching or guiding Paul into controlling his own reactions. With every line that she says, we cut back to Paul as he is starting to master the situation.

"I must not fear." Paul is not in control here and seems about at his physical limit for keeping his hand in the box.

"Fear is the mind-killer." This is the one where it really seems like he could be reciting the same litany in his head or under his breath.

"Fear is the little death that brings obliteration." We don't really see Paul's face in the accompanying shot, but the pain sound effect really goes into overdrive, like she is pushing him harder.

"I will face my fear and I will permit it to pass over me and through me." Seems like Paul is getting to some kind of Zen place or whatever where he can withstand the pain.

This is when the first flash of vision pops up and the balance of power starts to shift in Paul's favor. We realize it at the same time both he and the Reverend Mother do.

Then we have this great moment where he looks up at her and we don't quite know what is happening but somehow Paul has started to win this interaction. And we go through a whole Face Journey with him that's intercut increasingly rapidly with Jessica's lines, flashes of the visions, and Mohiam's reaction as she starts to realize she's lost control of the situation.

"And when it has gone past--"

"I will turn the inner eye to see its path--"

"--and where the fear has gone, there will be nothing--"

"Only I will remain."

This part is great because like...nothing is happening. He just looks up at her. But we know that whatever battle is going on between them, Paul is winning now.

(Side note: this is a duel, right? This is his first of three duels, and like the duel with Feyd, he wins it on his knees.)

Then as soon as she says, "Enough," the facade cracks again a little.

And then he does the thing!! That is one of my favorite Paul physicalities!! Where he tilts his chin up so he can look down his nose at someone. Which is particularly audacious when you're on your knees.

It looks arrogant but there's also something a bit...childish? about it. It's something that he does specifically when he feels he does not have control of the situation and he's trying to regain it. He does it to the Emperor at the end of Part Two.

Anyway I LOVE the whole section of intercutting between Jessica and Paul because like. They are physically separated by a door but emotionally they feel connected. She put him in this situation, but then it's almost like she is reminding him that she also gave him the training to survive it. Which like, isn't that a microcosm of their whole fucked-up relationship?

"...You inherit too much power."

"What, because I'm a duke's son?"

"Because you are Jessica's son. You have more than one birthright, boy."

Almost all the dialogue from this scene is taken word for word from the book (although sometimes condensed). This is one of the few lines that got changed. In the book, Jessica is the one who reminds Paul that he is a duke's son--not her son. In general the movie dialogue is more faithful to what's in the book than you might expect. But every once in a while there is a line that feels like it's talking back to the original text like this.

There's another little emotional reversal right at the end of the scene, when Jessica comes in and her face just floods with relief at realizing Paul is still alive. But meanwhile you can see that Paul is really processing how betrayed by her he feels.

And then, after all that, they do talk about his dreams.

Denis has said in interviews that this was one of the very first scenes they filmed. Which is. Insane to me. This is an iconic scene from the book that every fan will come to with expectations and it's a really hard acting job! For everyone involved but especially for Timothée, because so much of the scene turns on him having an intense reaction to something that's not real and generally just...doing stuff with his face, and hoping that the sound design and the score and some scenes that haven't been shot yet will sell what's going on. Usually you would want to work up to an intense emotional scene like this, give the cast and crew a little time to get comfortable with each other. Nope! Anyway Denis has also said that he knew after this scene that he had cast correctly and yeah. I would say so.

[amostimprobabledream]

Bleach Characters Who Are Into Choking

Loosen your grip before I choke~ (Warning for some mild dubcon in the last one.)

Yumichika Ayasegawa

This may be surprising, but Yumichika finds something terribly aesthetic about choking. The eroticism of it, the glassy sheen in your eyes, the way his delicate hands look wrapped around your neck…

Unlike other examples on this list, there's no danger of passing out or Yumichika getting overexcited and forgetting his own strength. He's a passionate lover but he doesn't like to cause too much pain or discomfort, even if you're enthusiastically egging him on - a little neck squeezing is mostly all you're going to get.

He likes being choked too, he makes sure to do it prettily, throwing his head back to present the graceful arch of his throat to you, gasping thetrically and making a show of himself. Plus if you bruise him up, it gives him an excellent excuse to wear one of his many cute scarves! <3

Grimmjow Jeagerjaquez

This shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone - Grimmjow is rough, aggressive and dominant and that's only refocused and enchanced in the bedroom. He doesn't think kinks are something that needs to be hidden or danced around - if he feels like squeezing that pretty little neck, he'll do it. It's actually one of his go-to moves he likes to do, so you can expect choking to be a regular occurrence unless you make it crystal clear to him it's off the table.

He fucking loves it, loves the fluttering of your pulse against his fingers, the little gasps, the way your body writhes helplessly beneath him…

It sends his predator instincts into overdrive. He normally has excellent control over his strength but he really has to remind himself not to put too much pressure on your delicate little windpipe. He likes to tease you with it too - like a cat will bat around a mouse and then watch it while it's stunned, he'll pin you down by the neck and tighten and loosen his grip over and over, watching you splutter for air whenever he gives you a reprieve.

Cirucci Sanderwicci

Just look at her, you know this girl is into BDSM and kinks that fall under that umbrella. She differs a little in how she likes to choke you though - she puts that whip of her to good use. Especially if you're bigger than her, she doesn't want to worry about her smaller hands not being up to the job. Also she likely just got her nails done!

She's got very good command of her whip and using it like a leash just feeds into her ego. Seeing any marks on your throat afterwards gives her an extra arousal boost and you might notice her fidgeting in place as she observes you.

Though she's got a sadistic streak a mile wide, Cirucci is also up for being dominated. She won't ask that you choke her, but if you surprise her with it then she'll gasp and arch her back. It's a little difficult for her to let her guard down and be submissive but once she does it's quite a rush. She looks good with a hand around her neck too, her lips parted as she struggles for breath. Don't go easy on her or she'll get offended you think she can't take it.

Gin Ichimaru

Of course this bastard-coated bastard likes to choke you out. Those long fingers of his practically beg to grip your neck - they fit so naturally well you'd think he was created with that very intention in mind. He likes to take his time with it too, slowly increasing the pressure over time until you've got black spots dancing in your vision.

He likes to bring you just to the edge of unconsciousness before he equally slowly relinquishes his grip, likes watching the lucidity return to your eyes like you're waking up from a dream. His favourite move is choking you just as you're about to come, watching you gasp in his hold as your orgasm crashes into you as you adjust to the lack of oxygen. When he first did it you thought you were going to implode.

Don't bother trying to cover up the marks on your neck either - Gin takes pride in the proof of the act. If you're wearing a scarf he'll kiss your neck and tug it off while you're distracted, or lick away concealer. He's such a shit.

Kenpachi Zaraki

Kenpachi's whole hand can wrap around the entirety of your neck, it's inevitable that he can't resist giving a little squeeze. He prefers to do it in little sharp bursts - prolonged choking can get a little boring, since holding you still with just his hand is child's play. Instead he'll simply press down without telling you when, and for a brief second it's like all the air has vanished, before it's abruptly back again. He especially likes to do this when you're riding him.

He knows how strong he is, though, so he's slightly more inclined to be careful. Snapping your neck mid-fuck would be a bit of a buzzkill. He'll massage your throat afterwards with his long, powerful fingers.

If you want to choke him, he'll laugh at you and tell you to go ahead! You have to wrap two hands around his throat and act like you're throttling him to get your money back for him to feel much of anything. He loves it, the look of concentration on your face, the feel of your nails digging into his skin. He'll egg you on, too. "Yeah? You wanna choke me out? That the best you got, baby?"

Nnoitra Gilga

You are a brave, possibly stupid, soul if you want the praying mantis to choke you. Nnoitra's hands are just as spindly as the rest of him, but he's got some freakish strength that belies his frame. He will slam you against the wall and crush your windpipe until you black out.

Another one who does it instinctively and he'll laugh at you if you beg him to stop or slow down. He doesn't really do gentle, so he doesn't know why you think this would be any different. He especially likes fucking you while you're semi or outright unconscious - you waking up to his cock rutting in and out of you gives him a thrill, like even oblivion won't spare you from his lust.

Likes to trace his fingerprints on your neck and smirks at your bloodshot eyes. Choking him back is very difficult to do with his hierro, but you could still repay the favour by trying to smother him while he's sleeping. He'll make you pay, but it will be worth it. Hollow Ichigo

Now, Ichigo doesn't really go in for choking. He prefers to be sweet to you during the nasty, even if he will get rougher as he gets more excited, so he'd be very hesitant to choke you.

But THIS motherfucker right here? He LOVES it. Lives for it. He could get himself off solely by pinning you down by the throat and watching your hands scrabbling at him, eyes widening and your feet kicking. He loves it. Loves making you so helpless and cute beneath your king~

He likes to press the pad of his thumb against a certain dip in your throat, leaving a little circular bruise right in the centre where it's hard to cover up. He loves the thought of you washing your face and catching a glimpse of it in the mirror, knowing it's a seal, a promise of a repeat performance.

[yanderehsr]

What's up doc? 🥕. For this time may I reguest with something suprise? Basically, you can choose any four fem characters that would be the most unsettling, creepy, and controlling yandere for their yandere. Plus, which Ines would most likely break their darling?

Aight then, Hope you'll enjoy😁

Trigger Warning: Yandere, Obsessive behaviour, Possessive behaviour, Murder

Ruan Mei: She is increadibly controlling and she can be real creepy as well, before you get kidnapped by her she kinda just stares at you... all of the time, she doesn't even look away when you catch her in the act.

It is Ruan Mei's way to study you, what if you do something when she isn't looking, she could miss important details about you, detail she can use to control you better. I would rank her 3rd on this list most likely to break her darling, she actually will try to make sure you stay sane.

"I think you need to calm down, do so before I lose my patience as well, If you just do as I tell you we could skip all this"

Edelgard: She isn't the most controlling of yanderes but she's pretty high up there, but it would be rather unsettling to have her as your yandere, she tends to force herself into any conversation you have with others and isolates you from everyone else, she also tends to be rather touchy even if you aren't in a relationship, not like you can stop the future empress from doing what she wants.

Edelgard's controlling side is that she chooses who you can hang out with, she gets really mad if you ignore her commands, Hubert is fine but people like Hilda or Sylvain... yeah no, if they ever get near you their heads will be detached from their bodies, I will rank her as the 4th on how likely she is to break her darling, it's more likely for you to get stockholm syndrome with her than to break.

"It feels nice spending moments alone with you like this... I just have to ask, did I see you speak with Sylvain earlier, I hope not, that would be... tragic"

Junko Enoshima: Unsettling and Creepy to the max, she isn't very controlling tho if at all, she will openly talk with you about murder, torture and any subject you might find horrible, hell she might even kill someone in front of you to see your reaction, she loves seeing you squirm and look afraid. She makes sure you will never feel comfortable with her all so she can see your delicious despair.

Junko isn't afraid either of you telling others anout what she does, why would they believe you over her, it's almost laughable how easy it is to keep you around even with how abusive she is. Very much the most likely to break you, she might even kill you just so she herself can feel despair.

"Did you really try to rat me out, it's almost adorable, tho if you do that again I might just need to kill some of your friends, don't make me too mad darling"

Cocolia: Yup, controlling as all hell, you would also have this unsettling fear every time she looks at you, like you are a possession rather than a human, like you are hers. The sad part is that no one can deny it, you are hers and no one can help you.

Cocolia isn't afraid to get physical with you if you step out of line, she can't have you breaking her rules thats she sets for you, and in her opinion pain is the best way to learn, she doesn't really care if you break as well, if she can't get an obedient lover she would rather have a broken one. Second to most likely to break her darling due to all the physical abuse and uncare towards your feelings

"You are really testing my nerves here you know. It shouldn't be that hard to listen yet you always defy me, such stupidity needs to be punished"

[hogwartslegacyreactions2]

Hello there, glad to see you again, quick question how would the students, Professors and villains react to MC having an army of puffskein's like 27-41 puffskein's?

A/N: PUFFSKIENS ROLL OUT!! wait, wrong franchise-undercut because EVERYONE is here

HLC REACT TO MC'S PUFFSKIEN ARMY

MC had enough to swarm even the toughest camp. No one could handle the mass of cute they commanded. MC felt more powerful than if they were controlling an armada of dragons. Forget a few dozen. MC has HUNDREDS of rolly polly puff balls. They breed rather quickly

SEBASTIAN SALLOW: He finds it hysterical! Watching MC command the flood of fur to overtake any suspicious encampment they come across is extremely entertaining. The enemies never know what hit them.

OMINIS GAUNT: He's not a fan of Puffskiens. He doesn't like their fascination with his nose. And for MC to willingly capture and breed so many of them is beyond him. He will never go inside the vivarium, even when invited.

ANNE SALLOW: She really likes hanging out in the vivariums. She can just lay down and be cuddled by hundreds of walking pillows. It's rather nice, as long as you wear nose plugs.

IMELDA REYES: Are they serious? No really, stop selling her this cock and bull story of puffskiens defeating wizards. She refuses to believe it until MC opens their nabsack and releases the horde. She has to escape them via broom.

NATSAI ONAI: She applauds MC's creativity. She is sure that the villains of the valley have many defenses against wizards, but who would expect puffskiens?

GARRETH WEASLEY: Unlimited puffskien fur. That's how he sees it. MC produces so much of the stuff, they could stuff a mattress.

LEANDER PREWETT: ...hhwat? This has got to be the single most insane thing he's ever heard of. A literal puffskien army? This will go down in the history books alongside the Bard that tried to teach trolls ballet.

AMIT THAKKAR: Are they sure that's actually safe? For them or the puffskiens? He knows the little things are pretty durable to magic, but they're not invulnerable.

EVERETT CLOPTON: He begs MC to let him borrow the nabsack to use in the Ravenclaw dorm. Why? They'll see.

POPPY SWEETING: This is a lot, even for her. Is MC sure they can handle this many beasts? They may be small, and relatively docile, but they can be quite a handful even in small groups. She does love the irony of poachers and dark wizards being defeated by them, however.

~~~

ELEAZAR FIG: He'll admit, of all the ideas MC has had, this is one of the weirder ones. As long as they're sure they can actually take care of all those beasts, he won't interfere.

MATILDA WEASLEY: MC is doing what with an army of what? Nonono, absolutely not. MC getting themselves into trouble on purpose is bad enough, but she cannot allow a student to run amok with an irresponsible number of beasts in their pocket. She will confiscate that nabsack until MC can use it responsibly.

CHIYO KOGAWA: She's impressed. No matter how small, magical creatures tend to have minds of their own. One has to be a pretty strong leader to maintain control over such a large group.

AESOP SHARP: As long as those beasts aren't running amuck in the castle, he doesn't give a niffler's ass.

ABRAHAM RONEN: He is endlessly amused by MC's depth for whimsy, even in dire circumstances. Fighting off villains with Puffskiens? BRILLIANT!

MIRABEL GARLICK: Oh dear, she hopes MC is able to care and feed for all of those beasts. That seems like quite a few to take care of.

MUDIWA ONAI: Is this...normal for British wizards? Seems a bit eccentric.

BAI HOWIN: That's one way to handle the poaching problem, she supposes.

DINAH HECAT: She'll have a drink with Sharp. This isn't any of her concern. MC is doing just fine. Calm down Matilda, honestly.

CUTHBERT BINNS: He never knows the goings on outside of his classroom.

SATYAVATI SHAH: She swears on the nine realms, if she finds ONE puffskien hair in her classroom, she's taking house points.

PHINEAS NIGELLUS BLACK: A student fighting dark wizards with puffskiens? Please, don't bore him with outright lies. He's too clever for those.

~~~

VICTOR ROOKWOOD: This is ridiculous!! It's bad enough he's losing territory and respect within the valley, but for his gang to be dismantled by bloody puffskiens!? It's embarrassing, to put it lightly.

ASHWINDERS: They're confused by the messages sent to them by Rookwood. "Beware the Puffskiens?" What's he going on about? They find out soon enough when the earth rumbles with rolling thunder as hundreds of fur balls descend on them.

POACHERS: Interestingly enough, puffskiens have been extraordinarily hard to find as of late. Perhaps they over poached the area and now they're gone. At least that's what they think, under they're buried under a mountain of fur.

RANROK: What. The actual. Grogtash? He has seen and heard of wizards doing some wacky things to fight back, but this is a first. Even when his loyalists use dark ancient magic against the horde, their numbers are too great.

~~~

DUNCAN HOBHOUSE: Lives in constant fear of the puffskien invasion. He sees them in his sleep. Hundreds of long, hungry tongues come to eat his brain! If he sees MC in the corridors, he runs away.

[doe-eyed-fool]

Fear Of The Known

Lucifer x Fem!Angel!Reader

|Chapter Nine|

Y/n stared for a second before she finally spoke. Her voice soft, careful, as she breathed his name. "Lucifer?" The king froze, his eyes returning to their normal color, horns retracted into his head, and his wings folding away. "Y/n? Is that you?"

A small smile found it's way onto Y/n's face, tears forming in her eyes. "Mhm." She nods. "It's...It's been a while hasn't it?"

"Yeah. It has..." Lucifer mutters. "Wait. What are you doing here?" He asks hesitantly. "It's a long story." Said Y/n with a sigh. "I've got time, trust me." Lucifer says before turning his back to her. "Come with me." Y/n hurries after him as he walks.

The two walk in silence, as the walked they passed by a room with the door slightly open. Y/n took a quick glance inside, and noticed piles upon piles of...rubber ducks?

Y/n furrows her brows in confusion, but keeps quiet as the continue on.

They reached a room that looked to be an office. Lucifer allowed inside before shutting the door. Y/n stood awkwardly as Lucifer approached her. He's hardly changed physically. Still the same height as he was back then, the same rosy cheeks, and flawless blonde hair.

But his eyes had lost the innocence he once had long ago, she could see it. Innocence wasn't the only thing his eyes lacked, there was no emotion to them. They didn't shine as brightly as they once had.

There was no joy. No spark. No life.

"So. What's brought you down to the pits of Hell?" Lucifer asks leaning against the desk in front of you. "Don't tell me they kicked you out too..." There was a bit of hesitancy in his voice as he asked that.

Y/n shook her head. "No, nothing like that. I'm here to work out some sort of agreement."

Lucifer narrows his eyes. "An agreement? So you were sent here on business?" Y/n didn't miss the way his shoulder slumped in defeat.

"Uh, actually...no one knows I'm here exactly." Y/n laughs weakly. "I kinda just...left? B-But I'm going back, I kinda have to."

Lucifer hummed. "Alright…Now what exactly did you want worked out?"

"The exterminations, you...you allowed it to happen?" Asked Y/n. She knows the answer, but dreaded hearing it from him.

"Yes? I assume you want them called off? That's going to be a little tricky but I-"

"There's no point in doing that now." Said Y/n. "Heaven knows, and apparently they've decided it's useful for preventing an uprising." She crosses her arms. Lucifer looked a bit shocked. "Oh. Ok..."

"I understand that Carmilla Carmine provides weaponry of all kinds. Even angelic, it seems..." Y/n starts. "In the future, Heaven will learn of this and they will take drastic measures to make sure that comes to a swift end. After the battle tomorrow, Adam's second in command will return to Heaven and report his death, that's how they will find out about the weapons used against the exorcists."

"Adam dies? Huh, alright. Well, what then? Is Heaven going to send more exorcists, maybe with better means to defend themselves?" Asks Lucifer.

"That would be the better outcome, however, that's not what will happen. Carmilla will be the first to face Heaven's wrath, she will be killed, resulting in uproar among the Overlords of Hell. It will eventually lead to war. So, in order to prevent this outcome, I ask that after tomorrow's battle to advise Carmilla to stop all production of angelic weapons."

"Ooh, yeah, that's not going to be as easy as you might think." Said Lucifer with sigh. "What do you mean?" Y/n asks.

"The Overlords are not as...compliant as the other beings of Hell. I may be the king, but that hardly means shit to any of them. Sure, I can use the ol' royal voice and threaten to kill them if they don't obey but...That doesn't exactly mean they will."

"So...You have no control over them?" Y/n raises an eyebrow. Lucifer shrugs. "I did once. Many years go I could have been described as a ruthless king who ruled with an iron fist." His eyes fell to the ground. "But that was all before..." He trailed off.

Y/n spoke carefully as she filled in the gap of silence. "Before Lilith left?"

Lucifer nods. "I...kinda lost my touch after that I guess." He laughs weakly. "She was my everything and now...now she's gone. Then, Charlie left me too after a while. And it's just been me. For a very very long time..."

Y/n wanted to reach out and hug him, but she felt it wasn't appropriate. Nor did she have the right.

"Sorry about that." Lucifer mutters, then clears his throat. "Is there any other way to prevent that war?" Y/n pauses to think. "I...I can try to talk with Adam and convince him to call off this extermination. But it will be...difficult."

"I assume he's still a dick?" Lucifer raises an eyebrow. Y/n failed to hold back a small bit of laughter as she nods. "He's something alright."

"Mhm." Lucifer rolls his eyes. Y/n's smile dropped. "Lucifer. I'd be lying if I said I was only here to tell you all of that. Really, a part of me wanted to see you again. So I could apologize."

Lucifer shifts awkwardly. "You really don't have to do that."

"No, Lucifer I do. I said awful things to you that day. I wanted to protect you, I didn't want you to be hurt, and you were hurt anyway. In more ways than one. And for that I am sorry, I'm just so endlessly sorry." Y/n's voice cracked. "I knew what would happen to you, that you would fall, and I was so terrified of it happening. So terrified, I couldn't bring myself to say goodbye to you before..."

"Y/n, really you don't have to apologize." Said Lucifer. "You were right anyway, they didn't listen to me. Besides, it was my own fault for getting thrown out of Heaven. I should have known better...there was no way it would have worked, I see that now."

"No, Lucifer, your dreams would have come true if they had just given you a chance. I know they would have. You have a wonderful and brilliant mind Lucifer. And nothing can can take that away from you, not even those upstairs." Said Y/n.

Lucifer smiles weakly. "That's nice of you to say Y/n but...I lost my will to dream long ago..."

"Lucifer-"

"Let's not focus on that right now. You're here, and I'm glad for it. It really is nice to see you again after all these years." Lucifer tells her. Y/n sighs. "I can't stay. They'll wonder where I've gone off to if I don't go back soon."

"Do you have to go right now? You just got here didn't you?" Lucifer walks closer to her and takes her hand. "Can't you stay a bit longer? We've got ten thousand years to catch each other up on, after all."

Y/n couldn't help but grin. "Fine. Only for a little bit."

The two had taken up more time than they meant to. Y/n didn’t even realize how much time had passed since she decided to stay. She was so caught up in conversation with Lucifer, and just enjoying his company.

She was not mistaken by what she saw earlier. That room she passed was indeed full of many hundreds of rubber ducks. All that Lucifer had crafted by hand. He took her to that room, and showed off his best ones.

One in particular that Y/n enjoyed the most, was the rubber duck that looked like a cross breed of her favorite animal. She couldn’t hide her fondness of the small duck.

Lucifer took notice and gifted it to her.

“Are you sure?” Asked Y/n carefully holding the duck in her hands, as if it would turn to dust if she held it too hard. Lucifer smiles and waved his hand. “Go on, take it. I’ve got thousands of these damn things.” He chuckles. “What’s one less?”

Y/n smiles softly as she looks at the duck. “I see your creativity hasn’t changed. It’s so wonderful, all of them.”

Lucifer rubs his neck awkwardly. “Eh, I mean. It’s just ducks. There not that special.”

Y/n gives him a look. “And yet you’ve made so many.” Lucifer looks away from her, a bit of heat coming to his face. “Yeah well…I have a lot of free time.”

“Lucifer. It’s ok to like things. There’s no need to be embarrassed by it.” Y/n coots to sits closer to him. “You like ducks?”

Lucifer nods. “Since I was a kid.”

“And I never knew?” Y/n tilts her head. “Did you just not talk about it much?”

“Something like that.” Lucifer shrugs. “I was tired getting teased because of it. You couldn’t get me to shut up about it. So yeah, kinda just kept it to myself. Have been until Lilith left. I uh…kinda just found comfort in them.”

Y/n puts a hand on his. “They are wonderful creatures. What does this one do?” Y/n points to a duck on the table next to them.

“Hm? Oh that one? It does backflips…And breathes fire.”

“Breathes fire!?” Y/n gives him a bewildered and curious look. “You got it to breath fire? That’s amazing!”

“Naaaah, it’s not my best work.” Lucifer shrugs. “Not your best…you just said it breathes fire like that’s nothing! You made a flame throwing, back flipping duck!” Y/n exclaims.

Lucifer laughs. “Seriously. I can do better than that.”

“Lucifer you really shouldn’t doubt yourself.” Y/n looks down at the duck she still held. “You can do wonderful things. You always have…I wish I could have seen more from you.”

Lucifer fell silent, Y/n yawned slightly, then sighed. “I guess I should get going. It’s getting pretty late.”

“It is. Why don’t you just stay here for the night?” Asked Lucifer. Y/n smiled at the offer. “I can’t, but, thank you.” She stands and pockets the duck before stretching her arms above her head. Y/n turns to face Lucifer. “It was wonderful seeing you again Lucifer.”

Lucifer smiled warmly. “Same to you. I…Well, to be honest, I thought I’d never see you again.” His smile fell slightly. “I assume this is goodbye then?”

The pained look in Lucifer’s eyes made Y/n’s heart ache. She didn’t want to leave him, but she belonged in Heaven. But…she only just now got him back. She didn’t want to leave him again so soon…

“I…I can try and visit every now and then, I suppose.”

“R-Really?” Lucifer asks. Y/n nods. “Why not? I’ve already broken a ton of rules just by being here.” She says with a laugh. She turns and moves her hands outward and creates to portal back home.

Before she stepped in, she looked at Lucifer one last time. Lucifer waved at her, she waved back, then stepped through.

Y/n woke up early that morning, the first thing she did was seek out Adam. She found him at the very edge of the heavenly gates, there he stood among his army of angels. It seems he had just finished giving them a pep talk and was about to open the Heaven portal.

“Adam!” Y/n calls from the sky. Adam looks up at her. “Heeeey hotness! Come to see the action in person?” Y/n rolled her eyes before landing and approached him. “Adam, you need to call off this attack. It won’t end in your favor, I assure you.”

Adam groaned. “Lute you wanna deal with this? She’s totally killing my vibe.”

Lute glares at Y/n. “Gladly.” She started to approach her.

“Adam, I’m serious.” Y/n tries. “You won’t win this battle! You’ll die!” Lute stopped in her tracks and furrows her brows. “What did you say?” She snapped.

“Adam. If you go down there, you will not return. Please. Just call it off.” Y/n pleads.

“Look. I get it, you’re worried about me. Don’t want me to die and all that shit. I get it babe. I am the original dick, there’s not another guy quite like me.” Adam smirks. “But here’s the thing. I’m gonna go down there and fuck those freaks up. They’re not gonna get the chance to kill me, much less scratch me.”

“Adam-”

“So thanks for the advice, but also. Didn’t ask, don’t need it.” Adam opens the portal, and his angels take flight. “Ataaaaaaack!” He sings.

Y/n watched as the angels flew through the portal, followed by Adam. Lute glanced at Y/n silently before hurrying after.

Y/n groaned. “Idiot.” She quickly flew through the portal before it closed. Looks like she’ll have to figure something else out.

Y/n stopped as she saw a giant shield grow and cover the hotel before her. Looking ahead, she saw Adam, just outside of it. She hurried to catch him before he could find a way through.

“Adam, this is your last chance!” Y/n said sternly. “Call of this attack now before it’s too late!”

Before Adam could argue, Lute got in her face, her voice laced with venom as she spoke. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you want this attack called off because you actually care about those filthy demons.”

“I care about the safety of Heaven!” Y/n says defensively. Lute scoffed. “Heaven’s stayed safe because of these exterminations. You’re the only person who seems to have a problem with it. Aside from that foolish Seraphim, Emily.” She continues. “Stay out of our way, or you’ll be at the end of my blade next.”

“Couldn’t have said it better danger tits!” Adam reels back his fist and delivers a harsh blow to the shield, shattering it upon impact. The two fly down to continue their bloodshed.

Y/n watched on, furious. But her anger was overshadowed by the feeling of dread that clouded her mind.

This would only be the beginning of the bloodshed.

Tags-

@bloody-delusion-expert

@simbalioness

@annybah

@alientee

@yourmom132

[gingacat]

twisted from: no one, she's just a Brazilian piranha

name: Valesca Vêkanandre

birthday: July 11 (Cancer)

age: 16

height: 147 cm

homeland: the twst equivalent of the Amazon River

grade: Freshman

class: B

club: Film Research Club

best subject: Astrology

hobbies: Capoeira

favorite food: Acai

least favorite food: Raisins

talent: Gambling

nicknames: Val-val or Lele (Cater), Madame Veinarde (Rook), Tuna (Grim)

Personality

Valesca is someone who's easy to get along with, she's friendly, cheerful, sweet and always has a genuine smile on her face. However, despite being academically knowledgeable, she's really dense when dealing with people.

Valesca finds it very hard to not only understand what people say, but also even listen or pay attention to them. She is the kind of person that always seems to not accompany what is happening at the moment.

Her solution for this is to always guess what others wanted to say to her, since she is a proud luck relier. This can lead to a lot of confusion and a lot of headaches for Azul.

Valesca is also very superstitious and strict with her beliefs, no matter how childish they may seem to be. “No, I can't step on the lines of the floor tiles, because if I do so, I'll die!!!”

She has a specific way of doing everything, since she believes everything has their own right way to be done. For example, if she has to open a door, there is a specific way to do so, like opening and closing the door three consecutive times, and if she does it wrong, bad things will happen. (They won't, but she believes they will.)

Background

Valesca had a considerably normal childhood. Her family was a big one and she lived with her 4 grandparents, mother, father, stepmother, 3 siblings and 3 half-siblings. Well, it actually was a turbulent and chaotic childhood, but she's had happy memories and cherishes her family.

(Sorry this is lazy 😭)

Unique Magic

Fortune Telling

After picking a target, Valesca has to guess anything about them that is true at the moment and then she can add a command for the target to follow. Only if her guess is right, the command will be followed for the duration of the spell. However, for the sake of adrenaline, Valesca can only guess ONCE and if it's wrong, it's over and she'll have to choose another target.

For example, she can guess that idk Lilia is hungry and add the command that he needs to fry some eggs. If the hungry part is right, then wherever Lilia is, he'll stop doing whatever he was doing to start frying eggs.

It's like controlling people but in a very stupid and more complicated way. Valesca thinks it's fun!!!

Trivia

The name Valesca is a reference to a Brazilian singer, Valesca Popozuda. Her last name, Vêkanandre, is a reference to a Brazilian meme, Lohane Vêkanandre.

(i might add more things here later)

a/n: phew this is the right one!! for the people who replied to the previous post, sorry i made a mistake 😅, but still thank you!! 🫶

[thewertsearch]

TG: just one question TG: and please just drop your fucking justice riddles and be honest TG: do i ever make the god tier […] GC: V3RY W3LL, 1 W1LL STOP TORM3NT1NG YOU D4V3 GC: NO, YOU DONT

It seems increasingly clear that John will be the only member of his team to bear the mantle of godhood. We still don't really know what boons this grants you, but I can make some educated guesses.

I assume, at least, that your aspect powers are greatly enhanced, and you gain more conscious control over then. For John, this will mean full command over The Windy Thing, which was incredible enough to start with. He has the potential to be a serious powerhouse.

What would a God Tiered Dave look like, though? He hasn't displayed any aspect abilities yet, as all of his time shenanigans have been the result of alchemy. It's possible he'll simply unlock time travel without the turntables, but that's a little boring. There's a whole world of other time manipulation abilities out there, and I hope he'll be able to broaden his repertoire eventually.

GC: L1K3 1 S41D, NON3 OF US M4D3 1T GC: 3XC3PT FOR… OK N3V3R M1ND GC: 1T W4SNT N3C3SS4RY! W3 W3R3 4LR34DY BR33Z1NG THROUGH TH3 G4M3 4T OUR LOW3R L3V3LS

The trolls streamrolled their entire session without the God Tiers - which is kind of weird, when you think about it. If you can trivialize the game with alchemy and Echeladder levels alone, what are the God Tiers even for? They're starting to seem like overkill.

I suspect, then, that they're intended to be used in the postgame.

Even before ascending, John was able to create hurricanes on the scale of cities. As he is now, I wouldn't be surprised if he could affect the weather of an entire planet at once - which is something a God Tiered player may have reason to do, after entering their new universe.

Yup - it's the old 'Sburb is for terraforming' theory again, on a much grander scale this time. The God Tiers might just be for sculpting planets.

GC: 4ND TH3N GC: J4CK K1LL3D OUR DR34M S3LV3S GC: 4ND 1 GU3SS W3 LOST TH4T CH4NC3 FOR GOOD >:[

You need your dream self in order to ascend, which explains why John's the only one who pulled it off. Jade's is already dead, and Rose is planning on sacrificing hers to the Tumor. Dave's the only other person who could do it, but we now know that he won't.

Come to think of it, Jade might actually have a shot, since her dead Dream Self is a candidate for prototyping. The problem is that if Dream Jade comes back to life, she might not be a Dream Self anymore. Trying to perform the God Tier ritual with a sprite is exactly the sort of rule-bending that got them into this mess in the first place.

Hell, Terezi forewarned us against exactly this scenario!

[driftsart]

craving info about you AU's robo-ladies 👁️👁️

Sure ;D ⬇️

One of the main characters in my au, Hot Rod!

She's one of the younger autobots, and one of the only ones that isn't afraid to stand up to Sentinel. When she was "born," she was assigned to Ultra Magnus, taking care of her was supposed to help him have patience and calm the terrible temper he had. She's currently learning how to steer The Ark (and she's not doing so well), as well as having to deal with Sentinel wanting her to be Prime (so that he can keep her under his control). She's curious, and may be the key to stopping the war... Who knows... :)

Next one is Elita-One!

Elita-One, as awesome as she is, she can be the most annoying autobot out there. Depends who you ask. She's a skilled fighter and loyal to the autobot cause, she's saved Optimus in battle countless times, but she's always had an obsession with Optimus, even back when Optimus was still called Orion Pax.

Next up (and one of my favorite), Megaempress!

She's actually Megatron's sister! She and Megatron were created at slightly different times yet they're related! She had a way better life than him though (Her parental figure was Termagax btw), and she never met him until she headed to Earth for a "pit stop" to refill her ship with a supply of energon and other things and stumbled across The Nemesis. She's way more outgoing and energetic than Megatron, and she's tough but friendly. She's leader of a small group of bots who left Cybertron during the war, her second in command being Slipstream!

Next one is Slipstream! (Not official design, I'm changing it up a bit)

Slipstream is actually Starscream's sister! Born at different times though just like Megaempress. She's second in command to Megaenmpress and she's a tough cookie. She and Windblade had some past together but she's moved on. She may be small but she can put up a fight!

Next up is Arachnid! (I made this design a long time ago, I may tweak it around a bit)

(I may combine arachnid and arachnia into one), she's a decepticon since she had no choice but to follow them when she was rescued. She was actually a scientist, but not a good one. She experimented on other cybertronians, to see how future generations could be upgraded. One of her subjects was Blitzwing, where she was trying to upgrade the t-cogs and other parts needed for a transformation so that Cybertronians could change into more than one thing. Blitzwing was her first test for this, and it didn't end so well, he couldn't control the transformations and he was just suffering in general. But after a few more tests on other cybertronians, she was successful. Now most of the young bots can transform into more than one thing because of her.

Next up is Arcee!

A smart bot, she was destined to do great things before the war, but she followed her "heart" instead. She and Skywarp were together for a while and she was happy, but their first official date, was also the day she could've been been accepted into the academy of her dreams. She loved Skywarp so much that she let go of her dream for him, but he never showed up. After that night, she promised that she would never love anyone again.

Next up is Thrust!

Underestimated by her brothers, Ramjet and Dirge, she was abandoned inside an abandoned factory when she was just created. Luckily, Shockwave found her in time before the whole building burned down. She always works her hardest to prove to her brothers that she's just as strong as them.

Next up is Smokescreen!

She's a smart bot! She's one of Hot Rod's closest friends and very close to Optimus. Optimus wanted to give the matrix to her after him, but the matrix didn't choose her, it chose Hot Rod instead. (She goes by any pronouns technically)

Next up is Termagax! (I made this design a while ago, I may change it up a bit)

She was Megaempress's mentor and mother figure!

There's some more, like Cyrak, Windblade, Red Alert, Flamewar, Chromia, Shadow striker, Miko, Nova Storm, Nacelle, etc.