#(just like being a father is mysterious and unknown to his son)

[poopingonthefloor]

tsssk tsk I need more Henry fr the way you draw him is so bbg

his beauty is mysterious and unknown.

[chaoticwriting]

Lex Luthor is not an unknown name in the world, especially Metropolis. It's just that for the past half decade he has been very quiet. The cause? Maybe because he just found out that he has a son.

Enter Daniel James Luthor. A bright young man with a genius intellect rivaling his father. Daniel or Danny as he prefers to be called is very famous among the people of Metropolis. People would think as the son of Lex, he would be an arrogant young man. But he is in fact very friendly and kind. He is often seen helping some old lady's cross the street or hanging around with other kids . There are also pictures of him online, asking Cassandra Cain-Wayne, the adopted daughter of Bruce Wayne out on a date. The way he smiles nervously and blushes in embarrassment makes people laugh and sees him just as another citizen of Metropolis.

People also attributed the massive changes in Lexcorp as Danny's. Lexcorp has been climbing the worker friendly environment ranking and almost being ranked the same with Wayne Enterprise. Lex Luthor has also made less derogatory comments on aliens and metas. Of course he sometimes still insults Superman in an interview but the insults now sound more personal than before.

At the same time all of this is happening, a new hero has entered Metropolis. He calls himself Phantom. With multiple powers that might make people mistake him as a martian if not for his white skin and black and white clothing, he has helped Metropolis many times and is very popular among the people.

His first appearance was during the invasion of Darkseid and he played a major role in making Darkseid retreat back to his planet. His popularity continues to rise as he is much more friendly than other heroes in Metropolis. Unlike other heroes, he stays to chat with them whenever he helps people. It makes the people of Metropolis connect to him on a higher level than the likes of Superman.

Another thing that puzzles the people of Metropolis is the connection between Lexcorp and Phantom. Whenever Phantom fought, the property damages are never high. But if there are ever any property damages, they are often handled by Lexcorp.

The mystery doesn't last long as one day, Phantom is shot by a green energy beam by a group called Ghost hunter. When the beam hits him, Phantom screams the most gut wrenching scream anyone has ever heard. Phantom then collapses on the floor unconscious. The Ghost hunters just about to capture Phantom when thankfully Superman arrives having heard the scream from the Watchtower.

The Ghost hunters use some unknown device and teleport away before Superman can capture them. Superman turns towards the crowd as he sees them crowding the body of Phantom with some of them taking pictures. Superman freezes as he sees in the place of where Phantom has collapsed, a young very well known boy is in place.

Superman is just about to disperse the crowd when multiple cars and a helicopter flies into close proximity. He ready himself for any battle but all he gets is a glare from a very angry Lex Luthor who is screaming at his subordinates to carry Danny to his hospital as fast as possible.

As much as Superman hates Lex, he can't let personal vendetta get in his way of helping out a kid. Even if the kid is Lex's. Superman offers to fly him there instead since he is faster than even a helicopter and surprisingly, Lex immediately accepts the offers and even gives him a coordinate that he doesn't even know was supposed to be a hospital.

Superman ignores his suspicion and flies as fast as possible towards the area and lo and beholds, a small building is standing there inconspicuously. Just as Superman lands, multiple medical personnel rushes out of the door and one of them takes Danny away from him. Superman is about to follow them in since he can't see inside with the whole building covered in lead until he hears Lex's helicopter flying in. When the helicopter lands, Lex and Superman give each other a nod and Superman flies back up to the Watchtower.

Superman then reports back what happened since he kinda dipped the JL official monthly meeting to see what happened. The other heroes are kinda worried and also a little baffled because on one hand, Phantom's current state is unknown and everyone has met him and likes him one way or another. On the other hand, they just find out that Phantom is Lex's kid and has been running around helping Superman fight crimes and aliens alike.

Although Superman has vouched for Lex (which very concerns other heroes because like, this is Superman, vouching for Lex Luthor) the other heroes still decides that it is better to investigate what happens to Phantom. Especially this Ghost hunter group.

The next 6 months have been rather quiet in Superman's opinion. There is no news about the Ghost hunter (which is insane in Superman's opinion because like this is Batman investigating) and the only news that has been received about Phantom is from the Lexcorp PR group and Cass since she is the only outsider that is allowed to visit Danny.

On another news though, Lex has completely resigned from his CEO position and has been seen since he first entered the hospital that Danny is in. No one knows where, what or how he is doing. Currently the CEO of Lexcorp is his sister and the only news anyone has about him is that he is fine(He knows she is hiding something but it's more of worried lying rather than evil lying).

That is of course until a few days ago when millions of nanobots sprung out of nowhere from all across the planet. The nanobots just fly out into the sky in multiple little patches and just stay unmoved. The next 24 hours has probably been the most stressed any of the JL members has been for the past 6 months. Suddenly, just as if on a timer, all the nanobots move and swarm down towards the ground.

Mass panic happens all around the world except people realize that the nanobots don't do anything to them. They merely pass through them except a few people every once in a while. The JL members rush to stop the nanobots from whatever they are doing but no matter how they try, it is just impossible to find a way to destroy all of them or deactivate them in a short time.

Suddenly multiple screams sounded all around the world. All of them come from people that had the nanobots enter their body. The JL is powerless to stop whatever is happening and can only watch in horror as one by one people fall to the ground screaming in pain. The more proficient JL members check their condition and find out that all these people have one of their back bones broken into complete powder, making them into vegetables.

The 1 hour of horror ended exactly as the remaining nanobots declare loudly in a robotic voice

"GHOST HUNTERS EXTERMINATED"

And then, all of the nanobots just turn to dust like none of them ever existed. A few days later, the Lexcorp PR group came out to announce that Danny has successfully awoken thanks to Lex's dedicated research.

All the JL members have suspicion that Lex is behind the nanobots but they can't find any evidence that he is the one behind them. Later that month, Phantom is seen back in action and people later forget about the incident.

The underworld though never forgets and they all have reached a common consensus. Never pissed off Lex again.

[kamiraaah]

TWST PARENTS! Trappola, Hunt and Ashengrotto!!

⚠️⚠️First of all, I must warn you that these designs may change in the future, either because the game presented us with the official designs, or just because I really wanted to change... Or I could reuse these designs for these characters!⚠️⚠️ Given that warning...

Guys, gals, and non-binary pals. I present to you, the Trappola, Hunt, and Ashengrotto families!

The Trappolas it's a very common family, compared to others. Of course, Ace Trappola and his brother get into a lot of trouble and face their mother's anger very often... But hey! It's good that they have their father to calm things down when things escalate, right? It may not seem like it, but Mrs. Trappola in her youth was just like Ace, always getting into trouble and facing authorities without thinking twice… Which led to many fights with Ace's grandmother. Mr. Trappola, on the other hand, rarely started fights, at least physical ones. Since he has a sharp tongue, always with some offense or something to irritate the other person. Both Ace and his brother inherited these traits from their parents… Although the older one is a little more responsible and is sometimes the one who talks sense into Ace's head. Ace and his brother have always been close, even though they fight or torment each other, they both have great respect for each other, even now that they don't see each other as much…

The Hunt family is a mystery to many.

The members of this family are… Lively, for lack of a better description, and Rook is the best known among them, and yet he is a guy who hides many secrets.

Although they are unknown, they are apparently a family with a certain wealth, many stories surround their members about how the Hunts managed to get so much money and influence in Twisted Wonderland...

But of course none that came close to the truth.I still wonder what kind of people they are.

Mama, Papa and Grandma Ashengrotto! A very loving family that loves young Azul more than he can imagine. Miss Ashengrotto goes to great lengths to demonstrate her love for her son, even though she is a busy woman, always does everything possible and impossible to be present in her son's life. She is a great friend of the Leech family, and always gets in touch to talk or update each other on how the children are doing. Mr. Ashengrotto, Azul's stepfather, is a kind man who has great respect for his wife. At the beginning of his relationship with his current wife, he was afraid that it would end up affecting the relationship between mother and son… The last thing he wanted was to make the young man hate him, but time passed and Azul and him ended up getting very close ( and catching his stepfather off guard when he called him "papa"… who ended up crying with happiness). Unfortunately, he carries the guilt of not having noticed the bullying that Azul went through in his childhood, and whenever he can (or when Azul allows him) he helps him with whatever he can… Always trying to talk and advise the youngest. Grandmother Ashengrotto, like her daughter, is a kind but strict woman. Always wanting the best for her grandson and being one of his biggest supporters in any projects her grandson starts. Always demands that he visits her more often... And preferably with friends! She wants to make sure her precious grandson is being well taken care of!!

AND MORE FAMILIES DONE!! And I'm still going to draw pictures of other members of the TWST families, so please bear with me a little… I'm going as fast as I can!🫠

I'm not 100% satisfied with their designs... They have a big chance of being changed, but I hope you like them! 😚

[good-advice-ganondorf]

Majora's Mask and what it means to be grown up

(aka my collected analysis of the Legend of Zelda Majora's Mask)

I will say that generally I don't think Termina is purgatory, or a dream, or anything like that. To me, Termina is kind of like a Silent Hill type parallel world, where you face your deepest traumas.

First, the parallels between Majora's Mask, and the child section of Ocarina of Time.

The first dungeon for both games is in a vast wooded area, there are woodland races inhabiting both areas, the Kokiri for Ocarina of Time, and the Deku for Majora's mask. The second dungeon is in a great mountain, inhabited by the Gorons. The third dungeon is in a vast body of water, inhabited by the Zora.

Then, things split. After Jabu Jabu, Link becomes an adult. After Great Bay, there's Ikana Canyon. A land of nothing but Death.

Who caused the death of Ikana? Who else but the king, Igo Du Ikana. Ikana was plunged into disrepair, after Igos started a war with a clan of Ninjas, to receive a powerful artifact, in a great and mysterious temple. Sound familiar? It should, this is exactly what Ganondorf did, after Link was sealed away for seven years. But Ganondorf was successful.

But Ikana isn't completely occupied by the dead, no. Pamela remains, with her father, turned into an undead monster. Much like Sheik, the last Sheikah, who is revealed to be Zelda. And her father? He's never seen, but I'd imagine it would be easy enough for Ganondorf to become king, if the other one was no longer around. From a man, to a corpse.

So, if Ganondorf is a parallel to Igos, and Zelda is a parallel to Pamela, what about Link? He's a little different. I believe that, along with Kafei and Tingle, all three of the transformation masks are a representation of Link, and his feelings towards being forced to grow up.

Tingle is, as we know, a 35 year old man who thinks he's a fairy boy. Similar to how link was a 10 year old boy, who thought he was a fairy boy. I believe Tingle is a reflection of what Link could have been if he never left Kokiri Forest. An adult hylian man, thinking he's a Kokiri.

On the contrary, Kafei is distraught at the idea of becoming a child again. He's weaker, he can't marry his fiancee, and everyone treats him like well, a child, despite his maturity. I believe this is how Link feels after becoming a child again. He used to be a strong adult, and even if he's not as mature as Kafei, he still went through a lot, and knows a lot more about life now. Kafei even reuses Link's model and animations.

There's a reoccurring theme in Ocarina of Time where Link just doesn't belong anywhere he goes. He's an outsider to the other races, because he's a hylian, but he's also an outsider to the hylians, because he was raised as a Kokiri. I think the transformation masks reflect that.

The Deku Butler's Son is what he could have been as a Kokiri. He could have been a happy little boy, living with his father, and his community. But Link and the Deku butler's son both left home to explore, and as far as both the Kokiri and the Deku are concerned, neither came back.

Darmani is what he could have been as a Goron. A powerful hero to the Gorons, celebrated by them for clearing Dodongo's Cavern. A close link between the goron elder, Darunia, and their sons. Both him and Link remain after death, lamenting on their histories as heros.

Mikau is what he could have been as a Zora. Maybe not a cool as hell guitarist, but a husband to Ruto, and Prince of the Zora Who would stop at nothing to keep her happy and safe, like infiltrating a fortress, or climbing inside of a whale.

Even the Fierce Deity is just Link, but back as an adult. As if so much changed so rapidly, he felt like he transformed into something less like himself, and more like a powerful god. He could have continued being strong, and powerful, the defeater of Ganon, but he had to become a child again. He has to stay as a small, and unknown child.

The ages of the masks even match the human life cycle. According to the debug menu (and if you subscribe to the theory that Link and DBS's ages were swapped), DBS is 5, Link is 12, Darmani is 30, Mikau is 78, and, Fierce Deity is 17, likely due to his model being recycled from adult Link's. Link starts the game in the body of a 5 year old, then a 12 year old, then a 30 year old, then a 72 year old, and finally, a God.

We don't exactly know how Link feels. But I can't imagine it would be easy to go from a child, with no concept of death, to be thrust into a position where he's forced to fight and kill an adult man so much stronger than he is. And then everything was just reversed. Like that. As if it never happened. And only Link remembers the impending doom he faced. All he can do is remember Ganondorf's reign. Almost like he's reliving the same few days, again, and again, and again.

[starcurtain]

More Phaidei Fics I Want to Read (Part 2)

1. The outsider POV one where the other members of the Kremnoan Detachment notice Phainon's... attention toward their prince much more than Mydei himself does. The absolute audacity of this so-called "Deliverer"! That's not just the Detachment's ruler, that's their pride and joy! If some upstart foreigner thinks he's going to be allowed to make eyes at their prince as if Mydeimos were a war prize to be won, Phainon's got another thing coming, prophecy be damned. If it means protecting Mydei's honor, the Kremnoan Detachment can be, and certainly will be, Amphoreus' most immovable wall. Unfortunately for them... Phainon is an unstoppable force. (Or: The one where Phainon gets cockblocked by an entire army, and no one thinks to ask Mydei his opinion on the matter until he finally has to settle the issue himself.)

2. The very silly comedy one where Mydei suffers a string of embarrassing accidental deaths in Okhema that wound his pride much more than they wound his body. In fact, the person most upset by the whole thing is (predictably) Phainon. Determined to put a stop to Mydei's streak of terrible luck, Phainon insists on forming the official "Mydeimos Protection Squad." Member Count: 1.33. (Trianne is helping.) In Nikador's damn name... It's going to be hard enough to recover his reputation after it gets out that Mydei actually managed to drown in one of the baths--does Phainon really need to act like this about it? And since when does being on a "Protection Squad" require Phainon to move in with him???

3. Beauty and Beast meets Mydei's Howl's Moving Castle AU: Okhema is a prospering magical city ruled by its beautiful and charming demigoddesses Aglaea and Tribios; however, their otherwise peaceful paradise has been haunted in recent years by a ghostly specter: a mysterious floating fortress that periodically darkens the skies, an unknown threat looming overhead. Rumors begin to spread of a terrifying "god of war" in the castle, one that devours beautiful maidens and lads without a hint of remorse. Curious and determined to solve the mystery of this castle in the air, Tribbie goes to investigate--and gets herself in terrible trouble when she discovers the rumors are seemingly true: the castle is ruled by a monstrous-looking beast calling himself the "soul of strife." Sealed away for trespassing, the only thing Tribbie can do is send out a desperate call for help through her other selves. Rallied to his leader's aid, Phainon, swordmaster of Okhema, steps up to help. There's no way he'll leave poor Tribbie to her fate--even if it means he has to exchange her freedom for his own. But there's more to this "beast" than meets the eye, and with both a powerful prophecy and the threat of a mad ancient god's legacy impending, it's up to Phainon to break a seemingly unbreakable curse--and secure his own happy ending.

4. The "in another life" one, but Phainon has all the memories--not just of the warm, golden days with Mydei in Okhema, but of everything that happened after, of the ultimate betrayal of trust, of the cold steel he plunged into Mydei's back... Their reunion in this new era was unintentional, unavoidable, and aching. The happy ending Phainon desperately desired all along is here, within his reach--and in danger of being ruined all over again. What horror will he bring to Mydei's life this time? Convinced that he doesn't deserve a second chance at happiness in their new life, Phainon does everything in his power to avoid Mydei. But even without all the memories of Amphoreus, Mydei has always been unstoppable when he sets his mind to something--and there's no way Mydei is going to let Phainon screw this up. (Not again.)

5. The canon divergent AU: Mydei's father King Eurypon avoids the trap of a self-fulfilling prophecy by refusing to throw his child into the sea, so Mydei is instead raised a beloved son of Kremnos by both his father and mother--but the kingdom's ultimate fate of destruction cannot be changed. Nikador still goes mad, and Eurypon and Gorgo's deadly duel still plays out when Gorgo rejects Eurypon's plan to use the mad god's power. But before a furious Mydei can avenge his mother, Nikador fully succumbs to the corruption of the dark tide and launches a brutal massacre against their own worshippers, claiming the lives of the king and half the castrum's populace. Forced to flee with the tattered survivors, grieving everything he knew and loved, Mydei is hurled into a role of leadership he is hardly prepared for and never truly wanted.

Only Kremnos's history has left them with no allies, and Okhema's Council turns away Mydei's every attempt at diplomacy. Desperate, with the weight of his entire people's safety on his shoulders, Mydei and the Kremnoan army lay siege to the holy city. If words alone cannot win them sanctuary, then it will be blood and blades that throw open the gates. But Okhema has a new champion, a swordmaster from afar who will stop at nothing to prove his worth to his new people, and it turns out this "Phainon of Aedes Elysiae" might be Mydei's only match--on the battefield and elsewhere.

(tl;dr: Enemies to lovers, meet-on-the-battlefield romance.)

[greenglowinspooks]

consider: danny son of Joker

All Sharp Angles

—

Danny had always known that he was adopted; far before his parents had actually up and told him, anyways.

He’d just never looked like his family.

Where his parents were soft curves, he was all hard angles. He was lean and slender, almost willowy once he got his growth spurt, where his parents were broader and thicker-built.

Where his father’s hair was a warm, light black, like a cup of coffee, his was dark and cold like an oil spill.

Even his eyes were wrong; sure, his father’s eyes were blue too, but his were far darker. Danny’s were as light and frigid as arctic ice; even before he had died, they had never reflected enough light to seem alive.

So, when his parents finally told him the truth once he turned 15, it was honestly more of a relief than anything else. He wasn’t uniquely strange, he just didn’t look like his parents because he wasn’t related to them.

Still, he couldn’t help but be curious as to where he had come from. Sure, he liked his parents’ stories about the Fenton family and their rich (probably false) history, but he had roots branching elsewhere, too.

So, with money he had earned from washing cars and mowing lawns, he had bought a DNA test for 50 dollars, and sent a vial of blood in to whatever shady company he had bought it from.

The results…

He stared at the letter in shock.

He had already crumpled to the ground; luckily, he had been standing on the plush carpet of his room rather than the kitchen tile when he had opened it.

Father - Unknown

Mother - Dr. Harleen Quinzel

Fuck. Fuck.

That couldn’t be right, could it?

He checked the reviews of the company with manic speed; not a single other person had been named as being related to a rogue.

Could it be a prank?

Surely, the actual Harley Quinn never had time to have a child. Or, if she did, she would’ve been made to keep it by the Joker.

He began to google in a daze.

…

After a few minutes, he had his answer.

The longest time that the Joker had ever been in Arkham was for a year and a month.

He had gone in roughly 9 months before Danny was born, which technically gave Harley the time to have a child, put it up for adoption, and lose some of the baby fat before the Joker came back, all without him ever knowing.

Harley had also been mysteriously inactive for most of that time, too, which only gave more credibility to his theory.

What was he supposed to do with this, though?

It’s not like he could tell anyone. It’s not like it really changed anything in his day to day life, aside from his entire worldview.

Obviously he told Sam and Tucker, as well as Jazz after a few days.

Obviously he didn’t tell his parents.

…

In the end, not much came of it.

It was just another fact of life, another thing eating away at Danny’s mind. Another fear to internalize.

He had gotten so good at ignoring it, in fact, that he didn’t even remember where he came from when he was accepted to Gotham U, and drove a whole day to the only university willing to give him a scholarship.

…Well, as long as he keeps his nose out of trouble, it won’t matter much anyways. After all, what are the odds he actually meets anyone who might be able to figure it out?

[wardarose2004]

Mystery of Beatrix's Relationships

This woman is the biggest mystery to me. She's supposed to be doing her maternal duty well (MB manic epilogue Reiji) yet her sons seems to dislike her. Young Reiji was annoyed by Beatrix in MB when she tried to approach him. Young Shu was irritated by her(in his monologues in MB) yet obediently behaved. Shu answered her coldly and monosyllabicly calling her 'anta'🙃 believing this assent would suit her😔 Shu, don't be rude to your mom. Shu considered it nonsense when Carla said Karl destroyed his family.(DF Shu maniac Epilogue). In DF vampire ending of Shu, he said Karl meant a lot to him and was his family and in LE Shu maniac Epilogue Shu understood that Karl had to leave his family to maintain the balance of eden. Shu didn't say anything like that about Beatrix. But Beatrix was the one who was around him during his childhood (and gave him the most attention), not Karl🤔 Then what's Shu's problem with his mom? Even the triplets sympathesized with their mom not Shu.

Reiji is a sadist, perfectionist, values honour and status, hates mediocrity, has pride as vampire and has a desire to conquer the demon world/stand on the very top of it. He Loves expensive crockeries. He has the desire to torture his mom, wanted to show her true value of things, was upset she died peacefully and he works on potion to resurrect her to give her painful death.(HDB Reiji Maniac prologue, HDB Reiji Ecstasy 2, MB REIJI: maniac Epilogue, ecstasy prologue, heaven 2 ). In DL official fanbook of 1st game, it's said Reiji inherited Beatrix's personality. In DL MB sequel he wished to be hugged by his mom once Poor baby 🥺

Beatrix had mysterious relationship with Karl too. She admired him, mainly his status and strength (MB dark prologue Reiji) Shu had Beatrix's wedding ring (SS the night before wedding) She's lots of expensive jewelaries (HDB Shu ending 1) She's the only wife who calls Karl by his full name.(HDB Reiji Dark Epilogue, MB Reiji Dark prologue) She also sounded frustrated at Karl saying 'Karlheinz, why did you...' Perhaps Karl was avoiding her purposely

Beatrix's Mysterious Death

In MB, Reiji hired the vampire hunter Seiji for this. However, he decided to order the murder for the evening when his father was supposedly supposed to visit her. When ordering the target, he showed Seiji a photo of only his mother. According to the hunter, two were shot, but only Beatrix's body lay in the garden. Reiji was just as unhappy that she died with a smile and, realizing that it was his instigation, praised her son's abilities. At the same time, the young man did not understand where his father could have gone (MB Reiji Maniac Epilogue, Ecstasy Prologue) . Now here Seiji shot 2 people , one is Beatrix and another person.

The question arises who was shot along with Beatrix? Wasn't her husband supposed to visit her that night?🤔 What she's doing alone with another person when it was known to almost everyone that she's supposed to spend with her husband 🤨

If Karl was shot , he definitely would've died or at least lost a limb. Karl is the strongest but he's not immune to vampire bullet. Karl dies from stab through heart (DF ecstasy epilogue Ayato) or from being beheaded. Karl couldn't heal Yuma in vampire form when he's shot from bullet by Merz and turned Yuma into human to heal him.(DF Yuma vampire ending) Azusa had to ampute his arm when he got shot from bullet (DF) A shot from Silver bullet leads to necrosis of cells and then to ultimate death, no in or between.

So the person got shot is definitely not Karlheinz but the person is a man. Reiji, making an order, showed, as in the first game, a photo of his mother only. How exactly Seiji reported the two victims is unknown, but it was logical for him to tell the customer everything as is: that he killed a woman and a man. Not a maid, not some other woman - otherwise he would have reported it that way. And since a man was shot, then, of course, Reiji thought about his father: if it was the parents' date night, who else could it be? His mother, in his opinion, was distinguished by her "chastity", he had no reason to suspect her of cheating. So the moment with one photo was also not just played out.

Could Karlheinz have cast an illusion on Seiji? Most likely not. If Karl was there ,he could've at least saved Beatrix or killed Seiji. Kou's fire magic did not work on Seiji and he is also able to smell vampires(DF Kou ecstasy prologue) which is imperceptible to ordinary people - you can't fool a hunter that easily. That's what a hunter is for. Seiji is said to be a clever hunter by Laito (HDB Laito Maniac 8). Seiji was fooled to go to business trip as a trap that's why he's separated from Yui and was unable to help her(DF Azusa Maniac 8, MB Kanato ecstasy 9-epilouge) I'll currently ignore the fact that he was creepy to Yui in LE subaru brute end.😖

There's very little possibility that the body was a servant's. Because if it was a servant's, there would be no need to hide it. How could a man sneakily meet Beatrix without Karl acknowledging or anyone noticing 🤔 If we look in YB, we knew that Beatrix managed to arrange a lavish age coming ceremony for Shu and Reiji behind Karl's back so her having a secret acquaintance is not much big deal.🙂 Her plan didn't succeed due to Cordelia informing about it to Karl ,

Maybe someone who can easily go in and out in sakamaki castle without anybody noticing like Richter probably helped this secret acquaintance to meet Beatrix privately just like how Fersen helped Krone to meet Ebert secretly🤔

In Azusa DF dark 8 route , Merz tells us an interesting story. Merz had once witnessed a Vampire fall at the hands of a Vampire hunter’s bullet and was shot near the heart so all hope was lost for him as his body simply deteriorated before he eventually passed away.

There's a possibility that this vampire could be the one who's with Beatrix.

Either way Beatrix was quite satisfied with her death. Maybe due to able to see Reiji's ability to instigate/to leave the cruel world/to be able to die with her lover?

[elodieunderglass]

Hi Your Majesty Elodie! I have a somewhat amusing story for you:

So, I was at a Family Dinner just last night, and — as one does — the conversation happened to be circling the subject of Medieval Creatures. (Spit dogs, at the time.) I mentioned a bit of Horse Knowledge that I picked up from your jockeyposting, and my father casually said, "You actually have horse racers in your family."

Which. Demanded further ecplanation.

Apparently, one of my great-great-grandfathers was a harness racer. (This is also on the side of my family that includes obscenely wealthy silversmiths, a WWII airship gunner, and possibly (although this one may just be family apocrypha) Davy Crockett's sister. They're just kinda like that.)

So. Thank you, Mr. Cillian, for revealing that in an alternate timeline I, too, may have been trapped in the Horse Vortex, and a question for you: does Killie's family include any wild curveballs?

(Killieposting)

Oh my, that’s so funny and cool! I love that kind of thing! Congratudolences.

The immediate dynasty are portrayed here, and not finalised, there being more b-generation uncles and c-generation cousins I haven’t added. The main point is that the Properties, which they’ve fought like tigers to accumulate, and thus the influence, travels down the elder sons; Bren&Blaw thus being more influential (having more horses) than poor Bernard (practically horseless).

In this specific snapshot there’s no real surprises, as they all have done exactly what was expected and lived mostly-blameless horsey lives.

There is a mystery, in Albert’s wife Catherine, grandmother of The Boys. She came from nowhere, and there is no paperwork. She answered no questions. The kids remember being a bit of a Thing about the previous-generation’s equivalent of Bren’n’Blaw, the Family Fixers, having arranged some mildly dodgy false passport for her or something.

She said her birthday was January 1. Like a racehorse.

She was a very very pretty woman, seemingly much younger than Albert (birthdate unknown) and had been classically trained as a musician.

Charlie’s perennial distraction with music was always tolerated, and even mildly encouraged, being “just like his grandmother was.”

For a family obsessed with racehorse pedigree/provenance it was A Bit Weird and Increasingly So As You Think About It. One of those weird things that you reflect on later, adding up dots, convening with cousins. Like, it wasn’t like it was The Old Days, it was like…. The 1960s or something ??

Boring explanation: she was a Protestant from over the border who got divorced, and they buried it.

Twee Explanation Specifically for Pissing Charlie off: fairy wife from under the hill lmao

Unlikely given the circumstances but perfectly possible explanation: Traveller, no paperwork, never was.

Probable Explanation: abusive marriage, Albert and his siblings arranged a convenient death for the husband and nipped the wife away but didn’t fancy explaining themselves

Anyway, one single mystery: woman from nowhere, racehorse birthday.

[she-posts-nerdy-stuff]

Not sure I’m wording this right but I’ll try so most of the plot twists in the six of crows duology that have a large impact on the overarching plot are revealed to actually have been controlled by Kaz, such as “He was just Wylan Van Eck. He told them everything”, Inej being caught by the Ice Court guards and Heleen, the fake Council of Tides, and so on and so forth. One of the only major twists not controlled by Kaz is Kuwei’s existence and presence at the Ice Court in the place of his father. And one of my favourite things about this at that it so massively relies on perception, as is so symbolically relevant in many themes of the novels but particular in the theme of classism and how each “side” of Ketterdam views each other and themselves. Because yes, this is a plot twist that was not pre-planned by Kaz and that he did not figure out in advance of being confronted with it (he internally expresses hope that Kuwei is “a surprisingly young Bo Yul-Bayur” and not just some “hapless prisoner that Nina and Matthias decided to liberate” when they fell the ash, and later asks Nina to explain why the “illustrious Shu scientist looks like one of Wylan’s school pals” please note I’m quoting from memory there may be some mistakes and/or imperfections), but even though this is true it’s also true that in the literally third chapter Kaz immediately and correctly theories that Bo Yul-Bayur is dead. Van Eck states that they have sources telling them he is alive, and Kaz willingly accepts this - even using it to convince Nina when she raises the same assumption of Yul-Bayur’s death. This is a minor example, though of major importance, of Kaz’s ultimate failing grace in the first novel: he was willing to accept Van Eck at his word. We see him criticise and bully himself for believing Van Eck throughout the ending of this book and through Crooked Kingdom, particularly in the way he blames himself for Inej’s abduction, but that’s for the larger, intentional lie; the money. What we see in Kaz’s acceptance that Yul-Bayur must be alive is him tossing his instincts aside in response to Van Eck, essentially because he trusts the rich, respectable mercher to be honest, and to have no motive in lying to him; just as the Dregs (specifically mentioned) and the rest of the gang members (strongly implied) in Crooked Kingdom assume Kaz’s guilt because they can see no reason why a rich, respectable mercher would make false accusations like the abduction of his son. After the original assertion in chapter 3, we receive various pieces of evidence that we and the characters both take to renforce Van Eck’s claim, such as the other teams moving on the Ice Court, most notably the Shu, and (the most damning) Brum’s references to “the scientist”. And yes, if Yul-Bayur had been alive then these would all count towards evidence of that. But the tiniest hint of doubt, that you barely even register as doubt in the moment, comes from Brum when he describes “the scientist” as being “stubborn” for “still mourning the death of his father”. Matthias’ internal response is that he knows nothing about Yul-Bayur’s father so the reader is from that moment prepared to discover a mystery about the elusive father, not the unknown son. From the second we met Kuwei, the fate of the job and of Van Eck’s being a liar was sealed in an absolute excellent piece of foreshadowing. Because Kaz ignored his clear instinct, that Yul-Bayur was dead and something else was at play if the Fjerdans and Shu both truly had parem, in favour of believing Van Eck’s word. And Kaz turned against his instincts, that he shouldn’t take the job because it was a suicide mission, in favour of what he openly describes as his own greed by saying that the lever was working in Van Eck’s favour.

So I think what I’m trying to say here is that Kuwei’s appearance has a two-fold relevance as a plot twist: first in the subversion not of Kaz controlling the narrative but still having predicted some aspects of this, and second as foreshadowing of another major plot twist that Kaz had not control of, that being several aspects of the ending of the book. I hope this made sense, I’m very tired and I’m not sure that I’ve articulated this correctly, but i thought it was interesting and these posts tend to work better when I just put all my thoughts onto the page as they come instead of trying to structure it or whatever

[xjulixred45x]

Okay changing this request could I please ask for a yandere Poseidon with kianna but where

he introduces her and his son to his and Hercules( mostly Hades) and they end up seeing a woman with a 10 year old boy behind her that looks exactly like Poseidon but acts like her even the same personality just with his father's looks

(their son's name is Yui he was named kianna's sister Yui) and where they find out Poseidon actually kidnapped her but her odd behavior is what shocked him the most since she just accepted it without fighting even conceiving a child with him

and I'm not sure what else to really ask so the rest is up to you

Ohhhh this is interesting!

Yandere! Poseidon x Kianna! Reader: Sickenly Sweet Home

Even if Hercules wasn't proud of it, he didn't like having to visit several of his now adopted relatives, even if they all held him in some esteem. The vast majority of gods, with few exceptions, were quite arrogant, self-absorbed and selfish, which made him feel very uncomfortable.

There were relatives he got along with, like Ares, his brother. Despite their beginnings, they learned to respect each other despite Hercules' humble origins. Even Zeus himself respected and, in his own way, loved his son.

But then there was Poseidon. The tyrant of the seas. His adopted uncle.

One of the first things Hercules learned from his time on Olympus (and which forever marked his relationship with his uncle) was Poseidon's obvious dislike of humans, not only seeing them as inferior beings, but as less than animals. Which needless to say, caused a lot of arguments and fights in the family on the part of a very indignant Hercules.

Zeus always made sure that all conflict was dispelled at the end of the day of course (partly by watching out for Hercules so that he didn't have Poseidon, of all the gods, as an enemy), but that didn't stop the one-sided squabble from continuing to exist quietly.

When news broke that Poseidon was married, Hercules honestly couldn't believe it, he thought it was some kind of fake news that had gone too far, but no. That idea went out the window when at a meeting, Zeus announced that Poseidon and his Spouse were having a child, much to everyone's amazement. Poseidon looked very upset by what his brother had divulged, so everyone realized, it was the truth, Poseidon REALLY was starting a family.

Hercules didn't keep track of the matter for several years, only praying for the safety of that poor woman and her unborn child, hoping that Poseidon wasn't as bad a husband as he was a person (which he sincerely doubted, but he would have to have faith), and he had no further clues about this mysterious person until Hermes dragged him to a ceremony at Poseidon's palace.

Hercules didn't even know what the ceremony was about, Hermes just told him that he HAD to come, considering that he had been avoiding that family for what felt like AGES, he knew that Hermes meant it. So he cooperated and reluctantly went to his uncle's Home.

Hercules isn't a person to be swayed by luxuries or superficial things, so once he greeted Poseidon, he walked away from the rest of the gods and simply watched them interact, hoping that time would pass quickly so he could leave. However, at some point in the night, he felt a pair of eyes staring at his back, but the presence remained motionless… until-

-“Yui! What did I tell you about people- watching?”- an unknown female voice sounded in the hallway, when Hercules turned around, he saw a young woman, a goddess, rather, scolding a boy of about ten years old at most, who had a great resemblance to…

Oh hell, it wasn't just any ceremony, it was a BIRTHDAY.

-“I'm so sorry for my son, Lord Hercules, he's very curious but also so shy”- the woman caressed her son's blond hair, who was now hiding behind her, afraid of having angered the big man in front of him. Hercules smiled at him.

-“Don't worry! Children tend to be like that. I don't think we've met before, may I know your name, lady…?”-

-“reader, and you've already met my son; Yui”- the little boy shook his hand while looking at him with big blue eyes –“Poseidon is my husband”- what?! It was all that Hercules had in mind.

-“Poseidon and I are married”- it seemed that he said it out loud…

-“excuse my reaction, it's just that—Poseidon and I don't have the best relationship and I--I didn't think he could be married to someone so nice!"-

The woman just smiled a little, amused. –“they tell me that often. It seems that Poseidon acts very differently with the rest of the gods than when he's with us”-

-“really?”-

-“that's right. He has always been a gentle, loving husband to me, not very wordy obviously, but he genuinely loves me and our Yui very much” – a part of Hercules wanted to burst out laughing. Poseidon and gentle in the same sentence? Yeah right.

But on the other hand, he was very intrigued by this woman, or rather, the idea that this woman had been able to find not only positive aspects in his horrible uncle, but that she had somehow managed to tame him, for lack of a more eloquent word.

- “Of course, we had some rough times”- Hercules felt his hearing sharpen at this. Of course, not everything could be so good –“but that was when we first met anyway, problems from the past”-

- “What kind of problems--if I may ask obviously! Has…uncle Poseidon…mistreated you?” —“-

-“Gods no! He never did anything like that. The only time he had to put his hands on me roughly was when he brought me here”- the woman exclaimed, laughing a little.

What?

-“our romance wasn't like any other”- she leaned a little on the demigod's shoulder-“like your story of how you became a god. You weren't always like that, but someone special helped you to be better”- Hercules felt a chill when he realized what that suggested.

-“But?”- he had so many questions, but was cut off again -“Poseidon did what was best. Now I live among gods, I have luxuries, a loyal and loving husband, we even have a son together...”-

The woman stopped talking when she saw her husband in the crowd, looking at her. She just smiled with some malice, taking her son's hand to go greet his father. But not before giving a few last words to the demigod.

-“Don't worry about me, I'm happy, this is what I want”- she said while turning her back on him -“Worry about yourself…”-

Shares, reblogs and comments are very welcome!

GOING BACK AT WOOOOOORK

I just put Hércules bc lets be honest, Hades would be just fine with this situation. Poor Hércules is traumatized.

[jon-sedai]

The thing about Jon that a lot of people forget is that he is actually a rather well known figure all around Westeros. I don’t think it’s incorrect to say that he’s Ned’s most famous kid by a large margin, and perhaps even one of the more famous teens in Westeros; especially now that he has become Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch and his reputation has began to stretch to a different continent. Because of his very unusual origin - being honorable Ned Stark’s bastard son by an unknown woman - his name has been passed around in noble houses across the entire continent. He’s not some random kid from the North that no one has heard of. The majority of people may not have seen him, but they have at the very least heard of him.

I bring this up because people tend to act as if Jon would be automatically scoffed away by just about everyone if his true parentage ever came to light. After all, they say, why would anyone believe that some random kid from the north is a Targaryen prince? But this is not really true. Jon is not a random kid. His father was one of the most powerful men in the entire land. And not only that, but Ned’s reputation as an honorable man with no fault ensured that the scandal of begetting a bastard was known by everyone who is someone. The thing is, readers tend to ignore a very large gaping hole in the story when it comes to public perception of Jon’s parentage. People all over Westeros have been talking about Ned and his bastard, but no one can agree on the mother - this is actually important!

Most people would not have questioned Ned to his face, but they too want to know who Jon’s mother was, even if it’s just for a little bit of gossip among nobles. Jon’s parentage is a mysterious puzzle that a lot of people have tried to solve themselves. Catelyn hears one answer in Winterfell, but Davos hears another on his way to White Harbor. Edric Dayne from Dorne says a different name to Arya, while Cersei and Robert (who both live in KL) hear different things. That there’s so much variation all around Westeros is actually proof that a lot of people are talking about this one issue. And Ned’s refusal to name a woman may actually end up having unexpected consequences when someone finally mentions the name “Lyanna Stark”.

So I would like to push back on the belief that no one in Westeros would care about the R+L=J reveal or that they would immediately write Jon off. GRRM deciding to keep Jon’s mother an in universe mystery that is the topic of constant conversation will have major payoff. While I could see some being incredulous, it’s absolutely not a foregone conclusion that most people will choose not to believe it. And it’s not a foregone conclusion that this reveal will only matter to the Stark kids and no one else. Sure GRRM is playing with fantasy tropes, and Jon squarely falls under the hidden prince/king. But something that makes Jon quite different from a lot of his genre counterparts is that he’s not an unknown figure who shows up at the last minute to claim the crown. Jon is not an unknown entity. He is well known, it’s just that very few people have dared to think too deeply about the very large elephant in the room regarding his origin. But I’d imagine that if R+L=J was to be revealed, it wouldn’t be too shocking for a lot of people. It’s not so far fetched that honorable Ned Stark actually chose to protect his sister’s son.

And in regards to GRRM playing with fantasy tropes, Young Griff always comes up in conversation as Jon’s foil. People say that he will be the one to be believed because he looks the part of a Targaryen, whereas a random kid from the North won’t be believed because of his brown hair and grey eyes. Jon doesn’t look like some random unrecognizable Northman. He very specifically looks like a Stark! And anyway, is Jon’s story - that Ned took him in after his sister died and raised him as his own under the protective banner of House Stark - any less believable than Young Griff’s - that Varys had the foresight to save him and whisk him off to Essos before the Mountain bashed his head in? Until now, people have never heard of Young Griff so they’ve never had the opportunity to ruminate over and gossip about his origin story. But they know Jon. And they know about Rhaegar and Lyanna. And Jon looking so very undeniably like a Stark (like Lyanna Stark!) could perhaps work in his favor.

[walkingnearfoxes]

The Space Between the Lines (Homelander x Reader) - Chapter 7

2.2k words. NSFW. Warnings for the Homelander being who he is, mentions of smut, and quickly more questionable relationship dynamics. She/Her Teacher Reader.

There are a dozen teachers who would kill for this job. You’re just not sure that you’re one of them.

"Hey...are you okay?"

You were unaware you had company in the ascending elevator. You turn and nearly choke on the air when you see it's Starlight. She's looking at you as if concerned you may collapse at any moment. You don't blame her. You don't recall sleeping last night and barely remember your trek to Vought Tower. You had spoken to Addie at one point, presumably - though what she had said and what methods she used to try and get you to quit this job are a mystery. It didn't matter. It hadn't worked. You were here and going to the Homelander’s floor on autopilot.

If the last few weeks hadn't happened, you would have been over the moon sharing the same space as Starlight. Even though she was still new to the scene, she had quickly became one of your favorite heroes. She was powerful, she was sweet, and most of all, she was real. She was the only hero whose speeches didn’t sound like three-quarters of nonsense.

You try to put on a friendly face for her. "I'm fine, thanks...long weekend."

She gives you a smile that's about as convincing as yours. "Yeah..." She looks away for a moment, then back at you with renewed purpose. "I'm sorry if this is too much, but...I saw you on the news. Wanted to check in."

What bizarre dice had the gods rolled for you to have Starlight checking in on your social media fiasco?

You let out a long sigh that comes out shakier than you had intended. "It’s honestly kind of a blur at this point." You murmur. After that phone call with him, Addie and Penny forced you away from all technology. Back-to-back calls with your mother and the Homelander were a punishment they could not let slide. Sadly, a Jane Austen movie marathon did little to help. Your friends inevitably fell asleep, and you found your phone. 

The pictures from the cafe were everywhere. It took social media no time at all to find out who you were. No name Internet vigilantes connected the dots to assume that you were teaching the Homelander's mysterious son, Ryan; the Homelander, kind father that he was, had gone to great lengths to keep his son's privacy. Most speculators had concluded that what started as a professional relationship sparkled into you falling head over heels for America's favorite hero. It was all sickeningly romantic.

You return to reality with Starlight resting a gentle hand on your arm. She smiles carefully at you. "Hey...if you ever need someone to talk to...hang on, actually."

You watch in shock as she pulls out her cell phone - how did these hero costumes work with pockets? - and glances at you. "What's your number?"

You're too stunned to question this development and ramble off your digits. Starlight types them in, puts the phone back to God Knows Where, and the elevator doors open. She steps out onto her floor and keeps looking at you. Her smile widens as she returns to Vought’s reality, but her eyes have a glint - and you get the feeling she knows.

"Have a good one." She says, her voice perfectly cheery as the doors shut. You glance down at your phone. Sure enough, there is a new text from an unknown number.

Starlight :) <3

Your eyes are still glued to the simple message as you reach the appropriate floor and walk toward the Homelander's door. You hear a familiar voice calling your name. Luckily for your rapidly declining emotional capabilities, it was Ryan. He is standing in the middle of the hallway, his hands tucked into his jacket pockets. He looks different outside of the penthouse - smaller, more innocent. His smile even looks a bit wider.

"Hey, buddy." You use your best friendly teacher facade to greet him. Once again, you are grateful that years of education have taught you to mask your feelings around children. "I'm glad you're so eager to learn, but you don't have to meet me in the hallway."

Ryan laughs. "Oh, no. Dad wants me to get more of your tea. We just ran out."

You keep on smiling but detect the lie immediately. If there were indeed a world where the house had coincidentally run out of tea today, Homelander would have sent some underpaid assistant to do it. He wouldn't send his flesh and blood like an errand boy. He wants Ryan out of the apartment, and putting that thought together makes your stomach backflip.

Ryan frowns and takes a step forward. "Are you okay? Your pulse just went really crazy."

Damn it. You frequently forget that Ryan has the same abilities as his father; he so rarely uses them. You shake a smile back on your face and nod. "Oh, yeah. Just tired. Long weekend. Don't worry, I'm still ready for the Constitutional Convention."

The kid doesn't look convinced but nods his head anyway. You wonder if he has any idea what happened between you and his father this weekend - though based on the Homelander’s interventions in your lessons, you assume Ryan’s social media engagement is minimal. 

"I'll be back soon,” He assures you. “I think the tea stuff is on the fiftieth floor...?"

You laugh at his furrowed brow of concentration. Even with your emotions running haywire, you like him. He’s a good kid. "You're being sent on a dangerous mission. Good luck."

"I'll need it." Ryan jokes back and gives you another polite smile before heading for the elevator.

That just leaves you with the penthouse door.

It's unlocked, and you open it without knocking. Why bother? Homelander has likely heard you since you arrived at the building. You walk to the dining room, but it's empty of faces. You place your bag down at its usual spot beside your chair, and your feet carry you to the living room. In a more aware state, you would have sat down and waited. The last seventy-two hours have made you less patient.

The Homelander is standing at the floor-to-ceiling windows in his living room, his back to you. The colors of his cape contrast harshly against the cloudy New York skyline. You notice immediately that his gloves are off. You have never seen him without his gloves on. For a long moment, neither of you says anything. You break the silence with the same exhausted confidence that brought you here.

"Is this an intimidation tactic?" 

A pause. Homelander chuckles quietly, his head falling just the slightest bit forward. "Why would I want to intimidate you?”

"I don't know." You admit. Your growing frustration makes it easier to speak your mind. "But overlooking your kingdom with your back to me? Rings very supervillain."

He lets out another snort of amusement and finally turns to look at you. He eyes you up and down as if assessing a new development in a model. "Someone's feeling bold today."

"I had a long weekend."

"Poor thing." He saunters forward and gestures to the couch facing the windows. "C'mon, sit down. Let's chat before Ryan comes back."

You sit. Rather than join you, the Homelander circles behind you. His naked hands settle on your shoulders. Even when he squeezes, you don't flinch. He lets out a huff that nearly sounds disappointed. "Have you ever gotten a massage a day in your life? The knots in you-"

"Are we just not gonna talk about it?"

There's a second long pause. His hands remain where they are, clenching just a little bit tighter. It would feel nice outside of these circumstances. "Be more specific, sweetheart."

"How long have you been stalking me?"

His hands begin to massage your shoulders lightly. He works out the tight muscles as if able to see each individual gnarl - and you remember that he can. "Let's see...just about a month." He says easily. "You think I'm gonna trust Vought to do a background check? You've met Ashley."

Your hands slowly clench on your lap. "But you're still stalking me."

"Stalking is a harsh word, don't you think?" His voice has lowered, as have his hands. One settles over your left shoulder blade while the other smoothes in a soft line down your right collarbone. His long fingers then drift lower to find the hollow of your throat. "I gotta keep my son's favorite teacher safe."

"You were there last night."

He laughs. "I was. And Christ, poor you. That little fuck played your clit like a bongo drum."

Your cheeks burn as his hand slowly settles around your neck. He applies no pressure. He curls his fingers lazily across the sensitive skin. When you breathe in, his thumb presses against your pulse. You speak carefully. "I don't understand how watching me fuck someone is protecting me."

"And that's exactly why I have to do it." Homelander says without missing a beat. "You weren't thinking clearly, teach. A one-night stand? Come on. Do you have any idea how dangerous those are? He could've been a psycho."

He squeezes your throat gently for emphasis.

"Luckily for you," Homelander continues. "He was just a lame copy of me."

Your breath leaves you quick in a huff of indignation. "That was not about you."

"Please," He scoffs, the barest twitch of anger in his voice. He’s lowered himself to speak directly behind you ear. His hand on your throat hasn’t moved. "Throw a Spirit Halloween cape on him and he'd be sucking my dick at a convention. How about we're honest with each other here?"

"Honest?" You repeat with a dry laugh. "You don't want honesty."

He hums in amusement - or annoyance. "I don't? What makes you so sure of that?"

"You've listened to the phone calls with my mother. You think I don't know a raging narcissist when I see one?"

You don't quite understand the physics of what he manages to do next, but even those laws don't matter to him. He picks you up easily with his grip on your throat, balancing the pressure off of your windpipe. You feel like a kitten lifted by the scruff of their neck. He lifts you over the couch and turns you to face him, the hand on your throat settling into your hair instead. Homelander’s lips are thin, and his glare is dangerous.

"I think you need to be a little more careful with your words, princess." He growls. "I've given you more than any teacher like you could wish, and this is the thanks I get?"

Your glare challengingly. If he’s going to fry you on the spot, you’re not going to go down without a fight - not after all this bullshit. "You want me to thank you for stalking me?"

Homelander’s hand tightens in your hair, and you can't help but wince. To him, it’s barely any strength at all. To you, it’s a good tug to your skull.

"You're real fucking frustrating, you know that?" He seethes as he brings your face closer to his. "Everything you want is right here, and you're gonna chase after nameless cocksuckers instead?"

"His name was-"

"I don't care what his fucking name was!" He snaps. "It’s not like it fucking matters. He's just a splatter over his apartment now."

Your blood seems to freeze. "You killed him?"

He looks to take your blatant fear as a win and chuckles, his expression smoothing. "It was like killing a gnat. The least I could do after having to watch that miserable performance.” His hand softens in your hair, and the new purr to his voice is more threatening than his temper. “You're gonna wake up one day, sweetheart. You're gonna realize you deserve more. And when you do, I'll be right there-"

You kiss him. With every ounce of exhaustion and frustration and rage you have in you, you kiss him. You feel him freeze. Every muscle in his face is rigid. You move your hands to cup his jaw, and he wakes up from his shock. He's slow at first, mapping out every part of your lips with his. Then, he moans.

You find your back to the nearest wall in an instant. His hand in your hair tilts your head back enough for him to deepen the kiss. His free arm curls around your waist, and he kisses you like he’s starving. His teeth nibble at your lips, his tongue soothes the burn, and your body aches with a foreign want. He is just sliding his fingers under your shirt when he abruptly pulls away, wide-eyed. Before you can even register movement he's across the room, leaving you slumped against the wall.

A moment later, the penthouse door opens.

"Dad! I wasn't sure which tea to buy, so I bought all of them!" Ryan calls from the foyer. "Where should I put them?"

"Be right there, buddy!" Homelander calls without taking his eyes off of you. His voice is calm with a neutral expression to match. The only sign that anything has even happened is his eyes, pupils blown wide and hungry. Then, he mouths a promise to you.

"To be continued."

[yohajitou]

Fanbook - Character Information

Someone sent me these fanbook pages and asked me to translate them. So I decided to follow her request. She didn't want me to tag her, so I won't say her account her ʕ⁠ ⁠º⁠ ⁠ᴥ⁠ ⁠º⁠ʔ

1. Richter

The Mysterious Uncle Of The Sakamaki Brothers.

The younger brother of Karlheinz, the head of the Sakamaki family, and uncle to the six Sakamaki brothers. Once captivated by Cordelia’s beauty and charisma, there was a time when he acted like her servant. Currently, he seems to be secretly working toward some unknown goal...

Creator Comment – Rejet (Aoki):

Though he’s the younger brother of the boys’ father, he’s a pitiful and gloomy uncle who fell completely into Cordelia’s poisonous clutches. He loved Cordelia, but didn’t have the courage to go against his older brother... Still, seeing how he worked behind the scenes for her ambitions, maybe he actually is talented (in what, though?). That said, he might just be a surprisingly loyal man. Not... a stalker... probably!

Since he’s this handsome, maybe the Sakamaki baba (1) was also good-looking...

(1) "ババ (baba)" is a rough and joking way of saying "old woman", referring here to Karlheinz’s mother — i.e., the grandmother of the Sakamaki brothers. The joke lies in the contradiction of calling a "baba" ikemen (a word used for good-looking men). Aoki is clearly being humorous here, implying: "If Richter’s genes are this good, their mom must’ve been something else too."

2. Cordelia

The Beautiful And Arrogant Empress.

The mother of triplets Ayato, Kanato, and Laito, and the first wife of Karlheinz – head of the Sakamaki family. A half-vampire born of the Demon King and a vampire, she possessed both beauty and nobility. She was feared for her beauty and prideful nature. One day, however, someone tore out her heart and killed her.

Creator Comment – Rejet (Aoki):

She lived so freely that even her own children called her a "slut ". But perhaps all she truly wanted was Karlheinz’s love. Still, there’s no denying that she was a disruptive presence. Being the daughter of the Demon King, she had special powers, and it’s said her blood tasted delicious. After Yui received Cordelia’s heart, she gained powers beyond those of a normal human, which led to her being chosen as a bride candidate. In the end, both Cordelia’s existence and her death were necessary.

3. Beatrix

A Gentle But Strict Mother.

The mother of Shu and Reiji, and Karlheinz’s second wife. A kind mother who poured affection into her children though Reiji felt she favored Shu more. One day, she was killed by a vampire hunter.

Creator Comment – Rejet (Aoki):

She resembles Shu in appearance and Reiji in personality. As a mother, she tried to face her children sincerely, but because of her serious nature, she likely struggled to express emotions, so her love may not have been fully conveyed. Apparently, among vampires, killing an "enemy" (?) is considered a sign of maturity and at the moment of her death, there’s a sense that she felt proud of her son’s growth. Serious, awkward women really are quite charming, aren’t they?

3. Christa

The Shattered White Rose.

The mother of Subaru and Karlheinz’s third wife. Once known as the "white rose", she was a celebrated figure in vampire high society. But after being forced into marriage by Karlheinz, she suffered a mental breakdown. Since then, she has been confined in the stronghold of vampires by Karlheinz himself, her mind still broken.

Creator Comment – Rejet (Aoki):

She’s actually related to Karlheinz by blood. Because of that, she was exposed to his power and terrifying nature up close from a young age. She’s also such a frail woman it’s hard to believe she’s a vampire, so being forced to marry such a man and bear his child was likely unbearable. Still, perhaps because of that fragility, she was the one Karlheinz loved the most. I think that sensitivity was passed down to Subaru – along with his tendency to isolate himself...

Richter (Another fanbook page)

Karlheinz’s younger brother. He was drawn to Cordelia and repeatedly had secret affairs with her behind his brother’s back. After Cordelia’s death, perhaps due to lingering feelings, he transplanted her heart into the heroine.

[arpad-shitposting]

BONUS POLL: Slavs of the Carpathian Basin don't have their own blog, so what the hell

(Pictured: goddamned Proglas, if you know you know)

Happy Cyril and Methodius day to those who celebrate! Admin doesn't; fathers of Church Slavonic and forebearers of the Cyrillic script are certainly important historical figures, just not for the Latin Christian, Latin script using Slovaks, when you really get down to it. That said, it does give us the opportunity to have a moment of silence for Great Moravia, whose remnants did play a certain role in the creation of the Kingdom of Hungary (though details are murky and much disputed). After all, it wouldn't be duchess of Nyitra if she didn't remind everyone that while most of the historical figures we discuss here spoke mostly Hungarian and Latin, local Slavic population certainly didn't magically disappear after the battle of Bratislava (which you know, because it's called battle of Bratislava, now the Slovak capital).

Anyhow! Enough yapping, now to the main event. As you might know, this blog used to be dedicated to finding the Best Ruler of Hungary (Before Mohács). Well, we'd make just such a tournament for the rulers of Slavs of the Carpathian Basin, but unfortunately, there just weren't enough rulers of Samo's Empire, Principality of Nitra and Great Moravia together for a whole tournament, so the poor guys have to be relegated to a bonus poll. So that's what we are going to make.

In the grand tradition of arpad-shitposting bonus polls, we start with a roll call of our contestants, for those who might not be as familiar with the pre-Magyar history of the Carpathian Basin:

Samo - He's pretty fucking hilarious when you really think about it. A local Frankish merchant, who just happened to be in the area at the time, either hears that local Slavs are plotting an uprising against the Avars, or organizes said uprising himself despite (to our knowledge) not being Slavic, wins so hard he establishes his own tribal confederation, kicks the ass of his former sovereign at Wogastisburg, wherever the fuck that is, spends the rest of his life as a pagan with a harem of wives, then he dies and his confederation implodes for unknown reasons (either due to infighting or successful Avar offensive, possibly both). It's possible there is some context we are missing, and ultimately Germanic-speaking merchants establishing themselves as leaders of a Slavic-speaking tribal confederation isn't completely unheard of elsewhere, but like... Varangians were a whole ass class of people. This was just one random dude (though admittedly there is a lot of context we are missing). Anyway, he founded the first known Slavic polity ever, so that's gotta count for something.

Pribina - We know even less about this dude than about Samo, and what we do know makes him sound a lot less impressive. Basically, he was a Christian ruler of Principality of Nitra, with its seat in, where else, Nitra, where he also built a nice little church, untill he was kicked out by Mojmír I. of Great Moravia. Where did he come from? The heck I know. Where did he go? Actually, we do know that, he fled south and founded himself a nice little principality around Balaton, which survived him for at least a little bit (as it was inherited by his son Koceľ). Otherwise, he and his principality are a big damn mystery.

Mojmír I. - Another one we don't know much about, other than that he's the first known (though probably not the first period) ruler of Great Moravia, he was a successful conqueror, he might've been Christian (though it's not certain), he paid tribute to the Franks and meddled in Frankish politics, provoking an intervention from the Frankish king, who then placed Rastislav on the throne.

Rastislav - We don't know his exact relation to Rastislav, though some sources suggest he was Mojmír's nephew. As mentioned, he owed his throne to the Franks, and didn't like it one bit, hence his decision to spread Christianity with the help of Byzantine missionaries as a counterweight to the already present Frankish ones. He led repeated wars against the Franks, which eventually led to his replacement by Svätopluk (who proceeded to stab his nominal feudal lords in the back) and death in Frankish prison. For the whole Cyril and Methodius business, he was canonized by the Czech and Slovak Orthodox Church, meaning he fits in nicely with the many Árpáds who were also canonized (although by the Catholic Church).

Svätopluk - The man. The myth. The bastard. Not a king in practice (whatever the fuck that stupid statue by the Bratislava Castle claims), but he is the king of our hearts. He used Franks' dissatisfaction with Rastislav's independent streak to overthrow his uncle, then proceeded to develop an independent streak of his own. He was imprisoned by them, then released in order to stamp out a rebellion of Moravian Slavs subjugated by the Franks, promptly turning against Franks as soon as he managed to contact said rebels. He also kicked out Methodius and his Slavic-preaching heretics and became the reason (well, he and our boy Stephen I., but details) Slovaks are traditionally Latin Christian. He also expanded the territory of Great Moravia and established a Frankish-style court, moving towards becoming what Stephen I. eventually became for the Magyars. Unfortunately, the empire he built wouldn't outlast him, since a civil war seemed to have wrecked the Great Moravia as soon as he died, and by the time of the battle of Bratislava, it didn't even exist as a unified polity. Still, he did go down in history as the cuntiest monarch in Central Europe untill Sigismund of Luxembourg.

[mrkestis]

Rogue Planet - Greg Bear

A Spoiler-Free Star Wars Book Review

Summary: three years after the invasion of Naboo and the death of Qui-Gon Jinn, young Anakin Skywalker and his master Obi-Wan Kenobi are sent on a mission to find the lost Jedi Vergere. Their journey takes them to the mysterious and legendary planet Zonama Sekot, where the fastest ships in the galaxy are rumoured to be created.

On this planet Anakin will face trials that could shape the course of the rest of his life, and both master and apprentice will encounter some of the great mysteries of the known, and unknown, universe.

Rating: 3.25 ⭐️

My thoughts (spoiler-free):

Let me describe this book with one picture:

In this story we follow Anakin ”adrenaline junkie” Skywalker and Obi-Wan ”stressed parent” Kenobi, and their dynamic is the highlight of the book. Anakin dealing with his trauma by competing in all types illegal racing, and Obi-Wan patiently but exasperatedly becoming well versed in Anakin’s ”radius of potential mischief” in order to take care of him is the content I want. The angst is also never-ending because Anakin doubts his place amongst the Jedi (he thinks they don’t actually want him and just keep him around for his potential), and Obi-Wan doubts his ability to train the boy.

We get quotes like:

”He and Anakin might’ve been brothers separated by only a dubble handful of years, but Obi-Wan was the closest thing the boy could ever have to a father.”

”Obi-Wan had never felt such a strength of connection with any other being, not even Qui-Gon Jinn.”

”Are you ever cheerful, master?”

"Obi-Wan felt a strong urge not to wake the boy up, to let him sleep like this forever, to forever anticipate a great adventure, forever dream of personal triumph and joy. This feeling held too much sentiment and weakness to be allowed, but he allowed it nevertheless. This must be how a father feels, looking down on his son, worried about an uncertain future, Obi-Wan thought.”

This period of Anakin and Obi-Wan’s relationship is so underrated, and also severely under-explored in canon. I hope we get a new canon book about them with this type of dynamic soon! Another little detail from this book that I wish was explored in canon as well is Obi-Wan using Qui-Gon’s lightsaber for a significant time after his master’s death.

I’m very picky about Anakin Skywalkers characterisation in Star Wars books, and this story had both positives and negatives. I like that his extreme force sensitivity was emphasised. For example he describes that when he’s meditating it feels like plugging into a supernova, and Obi-Wan constantly mentions how Anakin senses thing more strongly and vividly than him. I also like that his childhood trauma is discussed and affects him deeply, and that it intertwines with his force sensitivity. For example Anakin describes that he dreads sleep, because ”it seemed like in his dreams that something inside was testing him. Something very strong, and it did not care wether it was loved or feared.”

What I don’t like about Anakin’s characterisation in this story was the description of his dark side. It was almost portrayed like an aspect of himself he had no control over, and when it came forth he had no agency over his actions. I don’t like this because while trauma and manipulation certainly played a major part in his turn to the dark side, it was ultimately a choice he willingly made. That’s important, because it makes his choice to turn back to the light so much more impactful in Return of the Jedi.

I also don’t like when Star Wars stories hint at Anakin’s fall to the dark side being inevitable, because it wasn’t! He was steadily on that path for many years, but it was still an avoidable tragedy up until the very end.

(This following paragraph has minor spoilers so you can skip to the next if you want no spoilers at all!). At several points in this book Qui-Gon Jinn speaks to Anakin and Obi-Wan. In one scene they both have to throw things into a fire and watch them burn, and Qui-Gon starts spouting a prophecy about how this is Anakin’s fate and that there will be heat, death and resurrection… So he basically describes that Anakin will burn to a crisp and become Darth Vader, and I don’t like that this is portrayed as his predetermined destiny. However, I do like the idea of Qui-Gon’s ghost floating around and whispering prophecies to people.

The plot of the book is kinda…boring. We spend a lot of time on Zonama Sekot and explore how its inhabitants build semi-living ships, which is an interesting concept, but when most of the book is explanations of the different stages and rituals in the building process it gets very tedious. There are also so many other interesting aspects of the planet but just get brushed over. The plot with Vergere introduces a lot of concepts that I know will become relevant in later legends books, but If you read just this one it feels unfinished and very confusing.

The trials Anakin are described to go on are also just…not that challenging. The events of The Phantom Menace were a hundred times more difficult for Anakin, and yet this book tries to say that this story sets up the path for the rest of Anakin’s life. These events actually shouldn’t have any significant impact in my opinion.

One of my least favorite Star Wars characters is in this book. Tarkin…the racist and fascist with no redeeming qualities. So that didn’t really make the book more enjoyable for me. A character I did like however is one named Charza Kwinn. He’s a Priapulin (a worm basically) pilot working for the Jedi with a ship full of water and aquatic creatures. He’s a fun character that I think would translate very well into animated Star Wars content.

Overall the plot of this book was confusing and a bit boring, and while I really loved Anakin and Obi-Wan’s dynamic I had mixed feelings about Anakin’s characterisation. I would only recommend you read this if you crave deeper legends lore content, because I think it might become relevant in much later books, or if you’re desperate for more Obi-Wan and Anakin angst.

[cal-daisies-and-briars]

hiii

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🔍🔍🔍🔍🔍🔍🔍🔍🔍🔍🔍🔍🔍🔍🔍🔍🔍🔍

📸📸📸📸📸📸📸📸📸📸📸📸📸📸📸📸📸📸

Hi!

54 for 🔭:

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Not that an ambulance is likely required, but it’s the policy for the Observatory. Everything is handled. They did their jobs. No one is liable. 

The problem? By the time Eddie is done handling that situation, including blocking off that area of the dome and making sure no one walks into a puddle of vomit before the custodians sanitize everything to hell, he has missed the ending time of the planetarium show. By over ten minutes. 

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” Eddie mutters, looking at his watch. “Micah, make sure the class is okay for a minute, alright? I need to make sure my son didn’t leave the planetarium.”

He doesn’t even wait for a response. For the second time that day, he finds himself running up or down a set of stairs that isn’t probably safe for running in any direction. He hopes Chris didn’t leave. He hopes no strangers bugged him. He hopes Hank, running the show, kept an eye on him. He hopes-

“Dad!” 

Eddie looks at the entrance to the planetarium, where Chris is standing, waiting for him. He’s not alone. He’s standing with… Eddie looks at the large frame of the last person he would expect to see standing beside his child. Birthmark guy. Chris is with birthmark guy. Firefighter Buck. The person who called Eddie bitchy. 

“Christopher?” Eddie asks, confused. 

Firefighter Buck looks at Eddie and smiles, amused.

“It is you.”

What is him? He’s acting like Eddie is the surprise in this situation. Eddie works here. Eddie is standard. This guy is the anomaly.

“Dad, I waited like you said,” Chris says. “But you’re late.” 

“I know, buddy, I’m sorry,” Eddie says, stepping forward to put a hand on Christopher’s shoulder and steer him away from Firefighter Buck. “I’m so sorry. There was an emergency near the telescope.”

“That’s okay,” Chris shrugs. “Buck stayed with me.”

Eddie looks up at Buck.  

“Thank you,” Eddie says. “I appreciate that.”

Buck smiles kindly. 

“He said his dad worked here and would be back soon,” Buck says. “Wanted to make sure he found you safely. Can’t say I didn’t wonder if it would be you.” 

Eddie feels his cheeks heat a little at that. He doesn’t know why.

“Are you just a really big fan of space, or?”

---

54 for 🔍:

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“So I did some digging,” Athena explains. “Police reports and unsolved cases. That sort of thing.”

“You found them?” Maddie asks. “The people who did this?”

No one is sure how to refer to them. Or even how to feel about them, honestly. Buck’s disappearance caused a lot of pain; he knows that there’s some anger and resentment towards whatever mysterious being could snap their fingers and accomplish that. But then again, they did a lot of good. The most good. Bobby is alive, and whatever else happened, that’s pretty much still Buck’s main takeaway. He doesn’t hold any ill will against whoever did this. He’s just confused, mostly. 

“No,” Athena admits. “I didn’t find them. But I found a number of similar cases. People whose stories are a lot like Buck’s.”

“Like what?” Eddie asks.

“Like a woman in Oregon who called the police to report a possible stalking and harassment case,” Athena says. “She said an unknown caller knew too many details about her life and was claiming they could cure her sister’s cancer if she made a deal.”

“Oh,” Buck mumbles. “Guess she didn’t take it?”

“Guess not everyone would believe the offer,” Hen says. “I’d be skeptical, personally.”

Buck shrugs. He can’t say what made him believe. Maybe just desperation. Maybe they called that woman too early. 

“Another family reported their father missing,” Athena says. “A man in his late fifties. He was found, fourteen months after disappearing from their home in Cleveland, in the small town in Slovenia he’d immigrated from decades before. He had no memory of his wife or children, no memory he’d ever left the country, and no idea why he was fluent in English.”

“Whoa,” Buck exhales. 

“Thank god you guys are just from Pennsylvania,” Chim mumbles. 

“The kicker?” Athena says. “His son had been in a car accident three days before he disappeared. They were looking at needing an organ transplant, it was bad. He miraculously recovered.”

“Wow,” Maddie says. “So whoever is doing this, they are just helping people?”

Athena nods. 

“The son who would have died… He’d won awards for community service. Spent a lot of time volunteering with refugee communities that settled around him.”

“Someone who would have been a tremendous loss,”  Hen says. 

Buck can’t help but notice her eyes flicker over to Bobby. Buck feels his own pulled in the same direction. Bobby looks down. He’s not comfortable with what he’s hearing. Buck can tell. 

---

54 for 📸:

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“Well,” Eddie takes a deep breath. “Uh… Since he and I have been spending time together again, we…”

This is hard. Eddie knew it would be hard. He’s not stupid. He just… He just doesn’t know how to do it in a way that is honest, sincere, considerate of Christopher’s emotions, and also easy to say out loud.

Eddie stalls. He just stalls. Like he has an internal wiring issue.

“Dad?” Chris asks. “What is it?”

“Buck asked to take me on a date,” Eddie says, very quietly. 

It sounds like he’s ashamed. He’s not. He’s just scared.

Christopher takes a moment to process this. His face is neutral. He doesn’t look unhappy, but he also doesn’t look particularly positive.

“A date with Buck?” He eventually asks. 

“Yeah,” Eddie nods. 

“Like, romantically?” Chris asks. “Like if it went well, you’d be his boyfriend?”

Eddie’s chest tightens. 

“Yeah,” he admits. “I, uh… I think so.”

“Oh,” Chris says.

“Is that… Is that okay?”

“Uh, did you always date guys?” Chris asks. “Like did you do it before and not tell me?”

“No!” Eddie assures him, shaking his head. “This would be the first time."

Not that… Not that, like, Eddie would owe Chris or anyone that information. If he had dated a man in the past. But… But he doesn’t want Chris to think he’s lied. Or that he’s withheld a part of who he is. He hasn’t.

“Honestly, Chris,” Eddie continues. “I didn’t know it was an option for me. After everything that happened last year, I talked a lot with Hen. I had a hard look at myself. I realized there was a lot about me that I’ve been ignoring. Trying to fit into a presentable box, but… I don’t want to do that anymore.”

Chris nods, but he’s frowning.

“There’s nothing wrong with liking guys, Dad.”

Eddie smiles appreciatively.

“Thank you, Chris.”

---