#I love a evil Peacemaker but you know what I mean. Hes not getting character development or anything hes here because | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

i-make-fun-of-spn-characters · 4 years ago

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I feel like you've given most spn related things some lil spice but I always love the spice on this : hot spicy take on the "Dean is the most horrible character and ruins everyone's life and Sam and Cas are poor little meow meows who only do bad things sometimes because tyran Dean farted in their direction" takes that are not really only said by anti-Dean peeps ? Obsessed with that incredible thesis and would love the added spice ❤

SPICY HOT HOT GHOST PEPPERS CAROLINA REAPERS HELP I'M BURNING

I really try to respect other people’s opinions, and I believe there are a wealth of ways to interpret a story, and I think that’s a deeply beautiful thing. This applies to interpretations I don't agree with and outright dislike as well. That said, some opinions are simply and objectively bad, dishonest, and/or demonstrably false, and I truly do not believe you can sit down and honestly watch through the show with an open mind about all the characters, truly pay attention to what they do, say, and believe, and come to the conclusion that this show is about an evil manipulative abusive man terrorizing his pure and sinless brother and friend. It is an interpretation built from cherry picking facts to suit an ugly, miserable theory, making Mount Everest out of a bunch of the tiny mole hills, making the worst possible presumptions of feelings and intentions, and holding characters to completely different standards in order to neatly divide them into "abused" and "abuser" in a way that, frankly, fetishizes the abused person. I despise this interpretation of the story with every fiber of my being, and I have absolutely no respect for the opinion of anyone who peddles it, regardless of who they cast as villain/victim (because people have also done this with the others—it’s just more “popular” to do it with Dean... I mean... does anyone else remember how people were shitting on Sam after his emotional reaction in 14.12? Calling him an evil abuser? Because I do).

The thing that always gets me about this take isn't just how dishonest, unfair, mean-spirited, and compassionless it is in its treatment of Dean’s feelings, circumstances, and intentions... but how deeply reductive and offensive it is toward Sam and Castiel, sucking away their identities to turn them into effigies to mourn for their sad, Stockholm syndrome-esque attachment to their "abuser". Further, it grips the heart of the show—the relationship between Sam and Dean, and then the relationship among TFW as a whole—in a tight, uncompromising fist and pulverizes it. It literally rips out the heart of the show (the RELATIONSHIPS) and replaces it with something unprepossessing of any merit: A miserable, 15 years long story about a malicious abuser getting away with terrorizing those closest to him for his entire life, while his poor abuse victims suffer through until they die for him/happy to be reunited with him because they “don’t know any better” and never ever learned better, I guess. What a stupid, sad sack of a story.

Castiel is a thousands of years old celestial being who has literally beaten Dean into the pavement under no form of mind control, and has shown over and over again that he will do whatever the hell he wants, regardless of whatever Dean thinks about being sidelined. If he thinks whatever he is doing is in Dean's best interest, he literally does not care how Dean feels about it. He will nod and smile and then fly off and swallow thousands of souls with Dean begging him not to, shove Dean out of the way to attack the big bad, leave Dean alone in Purgatory, refuse to come out of Purgatory so he can self-flagellate, fly off with the angel tablet, help Sam with the Book of the Damned, let Lucifer possess him without anyone's knowledge or agreement, come into Dean's room under the guise of apologizing for ghosting him so that he can steal The Colt out from under his pillow and murder someone, decide not to murder that person and still prevent Sam and Dean from helping by knocking them both unconscious, get himself killed, make a deal to trade his life for Jack's and never tell anyone, hide information and worries and ignore phone calls, ghost Sam and Dean, and bicker and fight with Dean as if they are a married couple. Love sickness and feelings of worthlessness (which Cas has a wealth of reasons to feel—many of which aren’t even related to Dean but to his heavenly family) are reinterpreted as the result of some sort of constant, terrorizing emotional abuse. Power and authority that Dean does not actually have is forced into his hands by these fans. Maybe listen when Cas says, “Hey—not everything is your fault.” Maybe listen when he says “I loved the whole world because of you”, calls Dean a role model, says he enjoys their conversations, offers to die with him and dies for him multiple times. Maybe treat these feelings as genuine and valid and HIS and not as the delusions of some poor manipulated baby.

Sam is framed this way even more often than Cas, and it's a damn shame, because what I typically see is this: Sam’s development into a mediator and peacemaker is twisted and reinterpreted as coming from a place of weakness and/or fear. Rationality, maturity, wisdom, and compassion are not the traits of a scared, powerless child. They are the traits of a mature adult, who has been beaten down by life, and fought and raged against his circumstances, and somehow come out of it with more kindness and understanding and strength instead of less. He has made his own decisions whenever it was possible, within the set of circumstances doled out to him. From telling his dad to go fuck himself and going to college, to getting back into hunting to avenge Jess (NOT because of Dean—Dean took him home without complaint at the end of the woman in white case), to continuing to hunt after their father died because he wanted to feel close to him (Dean was actually weirded out and sort of disgusted by this), raging and fighting to save Dean from his deal against Dean’s wishes, continuing to hunt and working with Ruby (directly against Dean’s dying wish), drinking demon blood, jumping in the cage, leaving hunting to go be with Amelia, coming back to hunting to save Kevin, fighting with Dean over what he had with Amelia and threatening to leave if Dean didn't shut his mouth, leaving Amelia to go back to hunting (Dean ultimately suggests he go back to her—Sam chooses to stay), trying to kill Benny, demanding to be the one to do The Trials and saying he is going to SURVIVE them—that being the ENTIRE POINT, losing that resolve in a fit of depression but choosing to drop the knife, demanding space from Dean (and being given it), fighting to save Demon Dean who didn’t want to be found or saved, using the Book of the Damned against Dean’s wishes, telling Charlie that this is what he wants—that he used to want normal but now all he wants is to hunt with Dean and that he doesn’t know what he’ll do if he can’t have that, unleashing the Darkness in his desperation to keep Dean with him and even saying, “I would do it again” in the aftermath, saving the town being destroyed by Amara, getting into The Cage with Lucifer, leading a team against the British Men of Letters, nurturing Jack, punching Dean in the face when he was going to sacrifice himself, leading more hunters, wielding a gun against Chuck... and that’s just some highlights. Sam Fucking Winchester does not need your bullshit about him being some sad, scared, helpless baby lorded over by mean old Dean who has never let him do anything he wants.

Yes, in the text itself, there is jealousy and resentment at times, and there is legitimate and righteous anger on Sam’s part on a few occasions. There is blame cast on Dean by Sam for some of these choices/circumstances. Some of those moments where Dean is blamed are legitimate, and some of them... frankly, are not. Within the framework of the fucked up dynamics of the way they were raised, Sam and some fans bristle when they feel Dean is casting himself as the parent he is not, but Sam also has been guilty in the past of trying to reframe himself as Dean’s child when things got tough. Neither of them is responsible for the origin of that dynamic, but they BOTH have responsibility to change it, and they both, ultimately, succeed in doing so. For Sam, his part comes in recognizing and learning to fully own his own choices. Recognizing that he is not a child, and he is certainly not Dean’s child, and it isn’t just “Mummy—loosen the grip”, but Sam has to too—not claim independence only to blame Dean for his choices when his own decisions have an ultimate outcome he is unhappy with. That is a legitimate arc that Sam goes through imo, but he comes out the other side of it, and he and Dean relate to each other much better as peers from then on—and I’d like to note that throughout the entire series, when they don’t relate as perfect peers and teammates, it isn’t always Dean “bossing Sam around”, but Sam also trying to sideline Dean and yes—boss him around. And when they lied and hurt each other and yes, even manipulated each other, Dean most certainly wasn't always the one doing the lying and hurting and manipulating. Always, always, ALWAYS, they both had an understandable point of view, and it was complex, and you could understand why they made the choices they did, even if you thought of those choices as being wrong ones.

I also would like to point out (because this is basically what I see all of the time) that Dean being hurt by someone or simply voicing his feelings or opinion is in no way abusive or manipulative. Dean is certainly charismatic and loved and his returning love and respect is often deeply desired, but he is not an actual siren, who bends people to his will simply by speaking or being. People are, in fact, able to tell him “no”, and frequently FREQUENTLY do. Further more, no one is owed his affection, his unwavering loyalty, or his trust. He has a right to his boundaries, regardless of if it makes some poor sad sap feel deprived of the “wellspring of coveted love” while he works through things. He can be hurt and angry, and he can wear his heart on his sleeve at times, and he can be flawed, and broken. [Insert Castiel's speech from 15.18 here]. So can Sam. So can Cas. None of them are manipulating each other by virtue of getting angry, feeling hurt, being traumatized, needing space, or having differing opinions or feelings. Sam didn’t punch Dean in the face in 14.12 because he's a cruel, manipulative abuser trying to force Dean under his thumb. He didn’t work behind Dean’s back with Ruby, insist on doing The Trials, beg Dean to use Doc Benton’s alchemy, use the Book of the Damned to cure Dean, pump him full of blood to cure him of being a demon despite the fact that it might kill him, or scream at him and fight him for wanting to get in the Ma’lak box because he “doesn’t respect his autonomy” and “wants to control him” and “doesn’t respect his right to his own body”. He did it because he loves him desperately, and Dean could stand to fucking hate himself less, and he fiercely wanted Dean to live even when Dean didn’t want to or couldn’t picture what that could be like. He didn’t force Dean to do anything simply by opening his mouth to voice disagreement and swaying Dean when he did so. Now reverse that.

Cas didn't beat Dean into the ground in season 5 because he wanted to terrorize him into never going against Castiel ever again. He didn’t go behind his back dozens of times, sideline him, go MIA, all because he wanted to manipulate and control Dean and punish him. He didn’t throw sassy remarks at him to shatter his self-esteem. Now reverse that.

*Breathes*

Anyway, fuck "X is abusive” interpretations.

#being serious for 5 seconds #RANTING RANTING RANTING #spicy spicy ghost pepper extract #mail

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balillee · 4 years ago

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my unpopular dsmp opinions, some of which genuinely should be popular

c!dream has crossed the moral event horizon and is irredeemable. once you cross that threshold, you're no longer a 'morally grey' character.

pre-recorded, heavily produced lore killed the lore. it was cool, sure, but you completely misunderstand the magic that the smp had when people watched it initially. the story is improv and that's how we like it. we can tell the cc's have lost interest in it, you can admit that to us, we'll understand, just stop lying to me.

c!dream's pov isn't necessary to understand his character or his motivations. if you've watched literally any c!primeboys stream he's basically spelled it out for you.

i don't understand how fans can dislike l'manberg or have claimed to be against it since the beginning. i honestly don't get it. what's so bad about wanting your own spot where you make your own rules and skirt accountability that has been used to technically oppress you before - and, before someone who never saw the earlier streams tries to disagree with this, the og l'manberg crew were imprisoned for shit that everyone else on the server was practically encouraged to do. also, what do you have against fun and happiness?

i think some of you forget that 'hybrids' aren't a thing, discounting c!ranboo. there's no piglin hybrids, c!techno is just a pig. there's no avian hybrids, c!phil is just a man with wings. there's no creeper hybrids, c!sam is just a creeper who's indecently exposed from the hips down. canonically there's no hybrids, and therefore no hybrid discrimination. people ran with that concept too much.

the loss and the fanon rewriting of the early lore up until pogtopia has ruined fandom perception of c!dream and the og l'manberg boys. c!tommy is more morally white than you think he is, and c!dream has always been a villain - he massacres and he kills and he destroys and he schemes and he always has broken his own rules. no wonder the boys wanted their own space after how they were treated.

i think ranboo oftentimes forgets his own lore. he brings stuff up that c!ranboo may have done, such as exploding the community house to frame c!tommy, holding onto Cat, and it goes absolutely nowhere. we've gotten all of these developments in his story but they have never been expanded on, and we're nowhere closer to figuring out his relationship to c!dream and what his other side is and honestly i see no hope that we'll be any closer to knowing even by the end of the year.

your characters don't all have to be morally grey for the story itself to be morally grey. this is fiction - some people can be nothing but evil and others can be nothing but good. being purely good or evil doesn't mean that you're one dimensional, either.

c!dream apologists have ruined c!dream for me. he's not a good person. how about you let me enjoy a villain for who he actually is, rather for than your percieved woobified ragdoll you pass off as c!dream.

the story was better when there was a central writer. it was brilliant back when wilbur wrote it to be that the environment drives the characters and the story, and it was really good in early s2 up until techno's execution day when it was more character driven. since then, the amount of autonomy people have over their characters without any central 'director', as it were, has been a detriment to the story overall. there needs to still be one overarching figure or director or writer.

not everyone is a main character. just because they have a pov, doesn't mean they're a main character. some characters have such little impact on the overall plot and describing everyone as a main character oversaturates the story and makes some characters seem more important than they are.

the egg lore had so much potential up until it didn't. all that built up threat that we were expecting and we still don't even know what the egg wants really other than just controlling people. does it hatch?

genuinely, if there's no major plot developments by the end of the year (and let's be honest, it's a very big possibility at this point), a few of the more prominent members of the server should do a podcast style stream talking about where the story would have gone, because at least then we would have gotten somewhat closer to a conclusion.

c!techno is a villain and an asshole and a bad person. he stops caring for people once their interests don't align with his or if they look at him funny. he makes meta-jokes about his own tyrannical and oppressive nature. stop taking that away from him. he's a bad person. cc!techno does a fabulous job portraying that in a comedic manner and the balancing of him being a deeply flawed person with deeply flawed morals and ideas with his comedically-portrayed stubbornness and lack of willingness to hear out opposing viewpoints is incredible. i want to like characters who are arseholes for the sake of being arseholes, and who refuse to take into account the hurt they've caused either out of self-righteousness or because they don't care, so let me. he's the anti-peacemaker, LET ME HIM ENJOY HIM FOR THAT!!!!

i think tommy and wilbur's way of doing lore is my favourite. relies heavily on improv, voice acting, sprite acting and facial expressions. really shows off the acting props and they pull off the emotional moments well for the insanity of the creative medium.

i'm not a fan of fan-music. i find songs about media i'm into difficult to listen to. coincidentally i'm also not a fan of shit like slam poetry or live music/musicals/pantomimes.

the death of l'manberg killed people's motivation to go on the server casually. i've talked about it more in depth before, but destroying what was a central, driving environment for the story killed momentum and motivation. imagine in an episode of she-ra, the princess alliance just nuke the freight zone and all of the members of the horde just have to deal with it. that would be shit.

until season 3 has some momentum, i'm counting the end of the smp as january 20th. that had a conclusion. season 3 has... whores, technoblade and tommyinnit. that's about it.

i wasn't a fan of the development of c!tubbo joining las nevadas. i preferred snowchester and the walled city conflict. give c!tubbo some backbone and some badassery. also tubbo where's the fucking nuke bro if you're shelving that plotline just tell us on like an alt stream what the plan was i beg

add like 2 or 3 new people to the server so that michael mcchill has someone to talk to and so that there's something always happening on the server. it gives the og's more motivation to return if things are happening in and out of canon and it'll help with momentum, and who knows? maybe they can write their own story/stories.

i really think that c!sam is an underrated character. he's multilayered, extremely interesting, and the dichotomy of his loyalty to his job and how far down the rabbithole that's taken him versus the genuine love he has for his friends that drives him to do what he does out of wanting to do right by them is brilliant. i don't talk about c!sam enough.

STOP HAVING FUCKING VILLAIN ARCS!!! I'M FUCKIN SICK OF IT!!!! i want to see more characters who see everyone else being absolute selfish, abhorrent cunts and go 'if nobody else is going to be a good person, i fucking will'. GIVE ME SOME MORAL WHITENESS!!! IT'S INTERESTING AND MORALLY GOOD CHARACTERS ARE FUN!!!

let tommyinnit build cobblestone towers. everyone bullied him too much for how ugly they were and the one he built outside of the prison looked genuinely really nice. it gives the boy something to do.

i'm a fan of the revive book and the canon lives system. don't ask me why, but i think it might just be the morbidity of it. it adds to c!dream's god complex persona, and i think the fragility of death itself is a really fun concept. not enough fan cc's have made connections with that and c!mumza, and it could make for cool fanfic.

ranboo your house is fucking ugly. it's an eyesore

c!niki, and to some extent now c!jack and c!fundy, are boring me and ruining my mood. i think c!jack is the closest to being an actually interesting sympathetic villain, mainly because nobody else seems to realise that c!niki is a villain. not a good one imo, but she's a villain. c!jack just has the problem of starting a new project over and over and over and over again and because of the slow in momentum for the primary cast, there hasn't been a lot of recent development for him.

not really a dream smp opinion, but if philza went full geordie accent, i would love it. i want him to, in canon, say shit like 'me n ye' instead of 'me and you' and use geordie dialect. i want him to be physically unintelligible because it's funny.

i don't really know what's up with c!foolish but i think he's a dumbass. he had a while to think about c!q's proposal and then changed his mind about joining the guy to admitted to letting him die just because. moron

i wish there was more c!eret lore. i wish he was an actual king with an actual kingdom and actual subjects and royal advisors. c!eret is far too fucking cool to be the king of nothing and nobody. fatten up the kingdom and the castle with people who work with c!eret, and don't just make it tyrannical and dictator-y to prove the point of the server's 'anarchists'. make it a healthy working environment, please - if you want moral greyness, have 'anarchists' who claim to care about the welfare of the server oppose a kingdom of happy people under a fair and just ruler because their ideologies clash.

the server needs more characters who oppose anarchy in more peaceful ways, or passively wish for systems to be a part of. i think a chaos vs order conflict ending only in mutual understanding where everyone understands that they should just leave each other alone would slot nicely into the story that's been created so far.

you need to have watched all of the previous arcs to understand the story. i've seen people argue that they don't need to know about earlier lore to understand the prison, but that's the equivalent of only watching the final season of pretty little liars and expecting to understand the context of what's going on.

some characters aren't that morally grey. some characters, take c!tommy for example, are definitely on the whiter side for the morality scale, he's just an asshole. he's abrasive and rude and a dickhead but he also doesn't agree with terrorism, he's patriotic, he strives for a better world, he's apologetic, but he's also a fucking BITCH.

you can add onto this if you want, but not if you're a c!dream apologist. nobody likes your opinions

#dream smp #dsmp #esclaposhitpost

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f1nalboys · 3 years ago

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Peacemaker Season 1, Episode 1 Live Post

(this is just a collection of my thoughts as i watch through peacemaker <3)

-the recap of the movie after i put off watching episode 1 so i could watch the movie

-i will start this by saying i did not like him in the movie, he was sorta funny but he’s so fucking douchey which i suppose is the point HOWEVER here’s hoping he’s at least funny or the side characters and plot r good enough for me to power through (spoiler it is and also he’s growing on me)

-john cena ass

-“aqua man fucks fish? I DONT BELIEVE IT” JDJWONCKS ok fine FINE . this is a little funny

-ok this opening scene is funny hehe

-the way he’s walking out of the hospital is so fucking funny like a kid who just stole a toy in a shop and is trying to get the hell out

-HES DANCING

-THE OPENINF CREDITS???,,,,,

-i see my man Adrian in the background tho 🗣️🗣️

-these opening credits are. something fr….i enjoyed it tbh IFNWKDNSJD so fucking dumb i love

-DANIELLE BROOKSSSSS!!!! my beloved

-IS SHE GAY IS SHE GAY GUYS

-SHES GAYYYYYYYTYT OH MY GOD 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️

-HE TOOK HIS HELMETJSJXJSJDJD deserved

-the vigilante voicemails JFKWODNKWJD i’m giggling hes <3

-“my life fucking suck!” me core

-i love superhero movies/tv shows where they can curse

-peacemaker winking at harcourt (? is that how it’s spelled) and her flipping him off <3

-john eating his food <3

-LEOTAAAAAA love her she’s so :,) she just has so much love HER LONG SPEECH ABT HOW EXCITED SHE IS TO BE WORKING W THEM JDJDIDJSJD IM GIGGLING

-she is the love of my life

-“how the FUCK am i supposed to fight a mothra without a jet pack?”

-he has a side kick named eagley

-i like the soundtrack

-THE AMEIRCAN FLAG CARRRR IM SICK

-his dad being robert patrick

-NOT THR FACT ATTACK FOX NEWS BULLSHITTTTT

-oh so his dads a cunt got it

-don’t make me feel bad for this mf GOD DAMN KT every time a man has daddy issues i’m like :( i could fix him :(

-EAGLEYYYYY

-EAGLEY IS HUGGING HIMMMMMM :,)

-man FUCK auggie smith

-they’re being mean to leota. i will be killimg james and emilia.

-“nice gaslighting” shut uooisnfownfiwnf

-men bonding with their evil dads 🙄

-IS HE DYING I HOPE HES DEADDDDDDD

-he’s alive.

-u want to spoil myself and see if he beats the fuck out of his dad i hope so 🙏🙏 need someone to edit christopher to that modern baseball song

-“i never gave you a second thought while you were in there” ok and if i kill you, then what????

-ok so his dad is racist got it

-stop everyone is so mean to him why do i feel bad for him

-them being mad he called her sweet cheeks JFJWIFJJWD

-ADRIANNNN

-HES HEREEEEEEEE

-DYE BEARDDDD

-giggling

-“you always gonna be this difficult?” “yep!” MEEEE

-ADRIANS DANCEJDIDNJEJD TWEERK IT AND TWERK IT

-HIS BUTT DANCEDJWIDNIWJDJS

-oh i’m in love with him….

-HIS EXCUSESJSNFKWNDKSNDN oh he’s so funny

-i have feelings for him.

-leota and christopher r gonna be besties <3

-I LOVE HERRRRRR

-“you hubbed up” SHUT UPPODNSIWND

-him explaining HFKWICNWJ

-sorry he just said they called his dick chimp arm

-anyways leota calling him sweet cheeks :,) BESTIESSSSS

-EAGLEY EASILT BEST CHARSCTERRRR HES STICKINF HIS HEAD AND TONGUE OUT THE WINDOWWW

-ew tell me he and emilia aren’t gonna have a weird love interest thing

-OH ok she’s a girlboss

-him falling in love w her like get in like bitch

-“that was so fucking hot” me

-me when women are cunty >>>>>

-“no touching past here….no fuck it it’s gotta be here i have to touch your boobs sorry” JFKWOFNWODNISDB

-major tits

-HIM SCREAMING FREEDOM AS HES HAVING SEXX SHUT UPIDBDIANC

-oooh leota is working double time w amanda waller

-OH

-AMANDA IS HER MOMMMMMNNN

-OH SHIT

-this man and his tighty whities 😭

-“this is back to when men were real men because they weren’t afraid to be women” oeriod peacemaker

-the amount of veins on thid man is crazy

-guys is there a sex scene with adrian i wanna see that man’s dick 🗣️🗣️🗣️ i know he fucks good

-sorry

-IM FISNXOWNDONS

-“i gotta thank you you for tonight. i was having a crazy fucked up day, but when i was in your pussy back there, i felt, i don’t know, fucking hope!” IM IN AWE AT THIS SHOW

-him singing into the vibrator ENDIWNDONW

-oh she’s gonna try to kill him

-HES HOLDING IT ON HIS FACE STOPSBDISND

-the soundtrack once again is rlly good

-kick her ass chris 🗣️🗣️

-GOOD LORD WHI IS THUS

-WHAT THE HELL JS SHE

-SHES TRYINF TI BREAK HIS SKULL

-no bc i’m so confused 😭😭😭

-EAGLEYYY

-OH MY fucking GODDD

-he sonic boomed her ass to a pulp

-AWESOME

-eagley bringing him a dead animal to make him feel better :(((

-ok end credit scene and then final thoughts

-SCABIES

-“this one will give you scabies” “scabies? why would i want scabies” “to challenge urself” BFIWJCOJS

-ok snort that was fun OK FINAL THOUGHTS OF THAT EPISODE

THIS WAS A GREAT FIRST EPISODE!!! they had everyone introduced in a good way, gave some characterization and backstory to everyone without it being too heavy handed, the fight scenes were fun, the characters are all interesting so far!!! 8.5/10 only bc i need more adrian 🙏🙏 OK ONTO EPISODE 2 >:)

#peacemaker #peacemaker 2022 #s1 ep1 a whole new whirlwind #christopher smith #b reacts live

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getting-used-to-different · 4 years ago

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Can you please talk about the Beatitudes scene because it was the highlight of the finale for me and I can't stop watching it

YES YES YES YES YES

(I was trying to avoid talking too much about the finale for a bit but it's been over a week now, I'm not worried about spoilers anymore)

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs in the Kingdom of Heaven: Nathaniel under the fig tree - My boy Nathaniel! I've always been a bit iffy on what "poor in spirit" means, but if it means "in desperate need of God" like some people say, then Nathaniel definitely fits.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted: Simon P comforting Andrew - Poor Andrew... I know a lot of people are upset at him right now (and I kinda am too) but his faith is going through a test and he's grieving. Doesn't mean he's right, but you know why he's so on edge. On another note, I love media that shows men crying and hugging and showing emotion!

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth: Thaddeus and Little James - Finally, The Unproblematic Duo™ getting the recognition they deserve. Much as I love the 2 Crazy Simons and the Sons of Thunder, I appreciate a few characters that stay calm in tough situations and treat others (*cough* Matthew *cough*) with kindness. They totally exemplify meekness and I think they are supremely underrated.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy: Mother Mary and Ramah welcoming Mary back - Aw, yes. Just a beautiful moment all around. Plus the significance of Mother Mary giving her a new headscarf aka protecting her honor and welcoming her back into her cultural community. Like I mentioned in another post:

Mother Mary immediately has a head covering for Mary m, which means that either a) Mother Mary can create head coverings out of thin air or b) she believed in her heart that Mary M was coming back so she had a covering/veil-thingy on hand.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God: Thomas and Ramah - They are so sweet! And pure in heart definitely applies. While other disciples come from dark pasts (and Jesus completely loves them anyway), these two just saw who Jesus was and knew they needed to follow him. And that particular moment - both of them unsure, both of them taking a step to leave behind all they know - is so beautiful.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God: Philip making peace between the disciples - This one was my favorite. Maybe it's because I've always like this beatitude, maybe because I liked Philip's character from his first appearance. His interactions were a breath of fresh air honestly and he's probably the best "role model" among the current cast of disciples (except for Jesus, obvi).

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven: John the Baptist - This one made me gasp out loud the first time I saw it. I was near tears. I don't know whether he's still in jail or if we're supposed to assume that he's dead at this point but either way it hurts. I know that technically John the Baptist died over 2000 years ago but it still feels too soon.

Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you: Matthew - Gosh, this one really broke me. It wasn't the Matthew/Jesus moment I was expecting but it was the moment I needed. It's not "hey, everyone, stop being mean right now, ok?". Jesus tells him that life is going to be like that - people will be cruel for no reason, and we're going to be persecuted because of Him. He sees it and He knows and He wants us to rejoice. It's definitely a harsh reality but I love it. Also, the shift from "Blessed are they..." to "Blessed are you" is chilling in a good way.

Best scene of the episode in my opinion.

#the chosen #the chosen tv series #the chosen season 2 finale #the chosen season 2 #Jesus #beatitudes

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padawanlost · 4 years ago

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the clones were essentially slaves and the jedi allowed it. they are in fault for accepting the army in the first place; and for those who think this is a hard pill to swallow; apathy by not calling out they were slaves. i really think this shows the corruption in both the republic and the order itself but most people defend the jedi for some reason. the jedi weren’t the only victims of order 66; the clones who got their free will overridden were somehow always out of the question. having a inhibitor chip that somehow can control your actions is a scary dystopian-ic sort of concept.

and yet, the clones had to go through this but no one acknowledges that because they don’t want to blame the jedi for accepting what essentially is a slave army 🤷

yeah i have a lot of feelings

I think we live in age where being fan means refusing to acknowledge we don’t like. sure, fandoms are supposed to be fun so it’s normal for us to want to engage only with the parts that make us happy. However, I’ve been noticing with growing concern a new trend where only the parts we want to engage are welcomed as valid fandom community.

The Jedi Order is prime example of this. We have fans who love them, fans who hate them and fans who enjoy them in parts. All are fans, all are valids. But I’ve noticed that, tumblr at least, is no longer a safe place for fans who want to discuss topics that ‘jedi stans’ find unflattering.

Not to sound all fandom-elder but back in my day when someone said something like ‘I think the Jedi did something wrong’ someone would disagree and life would go one. now it seems people who want to talk about anything beyond the ‘I love this and everything about is perfect’ mentality is considered a fandom-terrorist. Someone who is actively ‘ruining’ the fandom experience for everyone else, even if said ‘hater’ is not engaging with anything, even if they are simply posting their opinion on their own blog. Considering we are talking about a platform where performative wokeness is the norm, it’s not all that surprising that people will resort to self-victimization when arguments fails them.

What any of this has to with do with clone slavery? Everything! Because that’s a sour topic in this fandom. it’s amazing how something so painfully obvious – slavery is *always* wrong – became such controversial topic. It says a lot about the overall mentality of the fandom when people argue pro-slavery because the opposite would mean their fave character did something morally wrong.

Again, when wokeness is perfomative something as innocent as enjoying a fictional character can put a crack in the image you’re trying to sell. If you’re a victim of cruel, abusive fandom that is ‘ruining everything’ for you, of course everything you consume must be pristine as your image. On top of that, if the fans (who disagree with you) are inherently evil and wrong, you don’t have to spend as much time and energy arguing their points. You can just say they are bad people and get some sympathy points.

To make matter worse, after the ‘stan culture’, we also have to deal with racism and sexism. If you pay attention to the argument defending clone enslavement and the role everyone played in it, you’ll notice the issue is not so much that people don’t care about slavery and murder. They simply don’t care about the enslavement and murder of anyone who isn’t a (white) favorite.

For everyone fan saying Anakin was wrong in killing innocent tusken children, there’re at least 3 fans saying they deserved it because they were savages who needed to pay for their parents crimes (or that killing them made the people safer). However, these same fans will relentlessly argue that Anakin killing that cute little boy in ROTS is one of the most vile crimes put on screen because he was such innocent, pure little boy.

The same goes for the clones. Anakin and Obi-wan being enslaved for a few days was traumatizing, cruel, vile, etc; the clones being enslaved for years and used as cannon fodder is ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (the main point being that everyone, including the jedi, did everything they could to save the clones…and by everything they could, they usually mean nothing at all)

More recently, we have the clone wars finale. A heartbreaking hour of tv made to illustrate how cruel and unfair the war was *for the clones* and yet the main complaint was the show not taking its time to show the real victims of Order 66 (the jedi). We had a whole blockbuster, full-length movie illustrating the tragic end of the Jedi Order but people were still pissed Filoni dedicated an hour to show the clones were victims too.

To be honest, I’m done arguing this because experience has told me people aren’t interesting in talking about the issue, they just want their faves to look good. They don’t really care about the clones beyond their relationship with the beloved Jedi (Obi-wan’s men, Anakin’s men, Plo Koon’s men…they are never viewed as their own men, men who should be allowed a choice to exist beyond the role forced – and enforced – upon then).

I’ve said this a countless time before and I’ll say it again, there’s no justification for slavery. No righteous course action beyond doing everything in your power to stop it, and if you don’t have any power to act by yourself it’s your moral (and legal) duty to make sure people with power act on your behalf. If you’re not a legal enforces, you can still make sure you vote for the right leaders, protest, write letters, contact the government, go on strike, protests, etc. sitting on your ass because ‘there was not nothing you could do’ is not a valid (or even accurate) option when it comes to the enslavement of human beings. And, imo, it’s fucking sad this even needs to be said.

The clones, the children and everyone else enslaved in the GFFA deserved better, deserved someone willing to help them, deserved more than empty words and gestures. And that’s a hill I’m more than ready to die on.

But hey, wtf do i know?

[The Jedi] are being corrupted by this war, by being forced to be generals instead of peacemakers. – George Lucas

#ask #lukegarmadon #sw meta #meta: fandom #clone troopers #meta: clones #gffa slavery #txt #jedi order #jedi politics

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bestworstcase · 5 years ago

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i’ve been thinking about this post from a couple days ago and how i shared my four questions of character development but didn’t actually give an example of what my answers look like and it’s bugging me a bit because it occurs to me that it’s kinda just. lobbing a tool out there without documentation on how to use it properly rip

so uh. further details with examples ft. the bitter snow cast.

#1: what are they looking for?

all characters have an UNFULFILLED DESIRE that motivates them to action. the more central to the story the character is, the harder this must be to attain, as a general rule. this is, ideally, NOT an exterior goal. instead, it is the intrinsic wellspring from which the character’s goals and aspirations emerge.

EXAMPLES:

cassandra: it’s complicated. she is a character defined more by what she lacks than what she wants, per se; she does not feel secure of her place in the world, she craves trust because she feels she is distrusted, she craves respect because she feels she is overlooked, she craves love because she feels unloved. she doesn’t want to be a servant. she is terrified of insignificance, of being forgotten. she does not fit, and this hurts her. she is riddled with self-loathing and self-doubt because of the discrimination she has endured due to her saporian heritage. but if pressed to explain what she wants… she can’t summon a true answer. she doesn’t know what she wants, so what she is looking for fundamentally is to figure that out.

rapunzel: complicated again. she is a character defined in large part by what other people want from her. a people-pleaser who becomes anxious, persistent—even forceful—in her efforts to make everyone happy. she isn’t accustomed to paying attention to her own desires, and tends to neglect them unless she is acutely unhappy. i think she is looking for herself, more than anything.

varian: he is searching for answers. he wants to understand how the world works, to discover what it has to teach him. simple.

caine: she is looking for freedom. her life has been a long succession of horrific losses: her father was brutally taken from her, her mother became horribly ill, poverty and familial obligation robbed her of what remained of her childhood, she became disillusioned with the faith her aunt tried to share with her, her best friend died in her arms. she wants vengeance, and she also wants to stop carrying these ghosts with her, and she also wants to stop looking over her shoulder all the time and waiting for the next loss to catch up with her.

zhan tiri: she is looking for peace. she is the oldest living being in existence, and she came from nothing, and every single significant moment in her unfathomably long life has been soaked in blood and pain and death. her intrinsic nature is to hunger—always needing, always restless, always empty—and more than anything, she longs to break this endless circle of want.

#2: what’s stopping them?

every character must have an OBSTACLE which DISRUPTS their pursuit of what they’re looking for. it is the thing standing in their way. this is NOT the antagonist—it is the reason the character cannot easily overcome the antagonist. ideally it is something intrinsic.

EXAMPLES:

cassandra: she has, again, a complicated answer—because the very thing she is looking for is the same thing that stands in her way. how can she discover her basic, most primal want if she can’t even articulate her goals? she wants, at the beginning of the story, to join the watch—but not because she wants to join the watch, so much as joining the watch is a proxy for cassandra assimilating fully, for being coronan through and through, for scrubbing herself clean of the stain of her parents’ legacy—and that proxy is itself merely a proxy for her desire to belong—and her desire to belong is, in turn, a proxy for the agony of not knowing herself. she is piling bandaids on top of bandaids on top of bandaids on top of hemorrhages.

rapunzel: she is trapped in her own story. an evil witch kidnapped the magical lost princess, who escaped and came home; a miracle. the sundrop gifted its power to the lost princess; destiny. she a peacemaker and a mediator; it is her job to fix problems. narratives piled on narratives and she’s lost—or rather, never had—the insight to recognize that there is more to her than the stories people tell about her.

varian: his crushing need for approval is the key thing standing in his way. it isn’t just that his father’s disappointment or his village’s distrust make him warier of free experimentation; it is also, and perhaps even more so, that he is afraid of finding the wrong answers. answers that won’t help people. answers that his friends and allies won’t like. answers that change his basic view of the world in ways that feel antithetical to who he is. this fear holds him back from pursuing the truth.

caine: she is looking in the wrong direction; she is trying to not care, as if by not caring she can trick the universe into not taking anything else away. she is someone who cares so deeply trying to sever herself from everything she cares about without actually letting it go, which is of course an exercise in futility.

zhan tiri: what she wants is, quite simply, impossible. this is not a human answer because she is not human. contentment is and will always be something she is not capable of feeling, and chasing it is nothing but another exercise in insatiable hunger.

#3: what are they going to do about it?

this is about ACTION. it is not an option for a character to do nothing; the nature of the unfulfilled desire is that they are COMPELLED to seek it, somehow, by some means. if the answer to this question does not involve the character DOING SOMETHING, you need to return to question number one and fix the answer there.

EXAMPLES:

cassandra: she is going to fling herself headlong and without hesitation after whatever concrete goals feel like they might “fix” the lack she feels. even if a short term goal (like helping rapunzel sneak out) clashes or is contradictory with a longer term goal (like joining the watch). even if it is an obviously stupid idea (like her secret correspondence with rosalia morcant). even if it is an impulse with little if any rational basis (like fixating on finding varian, or joining the fight in socona). she is, essentially, throwing stuff at the wall to see what sticks, because without knowing what she wants, she can’t form a coherent “quest” for herself.

rapunzel: she is going to follow the path of least resistance with whatever narrative feels the least restrictive to her at any given time. when she is fresh out of the tower, reconnecting with her real family and throwing herself into becoming a princess is that narrative. later, taking adira’s and xavier’s advice to pursue her destiny by questing for the moonstone replaces that narrative. since none of these narratives fully suit her—they are all boxes she tries to fit into—she will eventually grow discontent and cast them aside to try something new, until she finally breaks this cycle.

varian: he is going to fall into a cycle of hesitant side-stepping leading to crisis leading to frantic charge forward until he identifies this pattern and chooses to step calmly but courageously into unknown territory. his instinct is to try to go around, to find an oblique solution, but to get what he wants he will ultimately need to just face his fear head on—and deep down he is willing to do that.

caine: she is going to run, and fight, and keep running and fighting until her legs give out beneath her. vengeance appeals to her, and she’s going to chase it with everything she’s got while trying to protect what she has; her intense drive is tempered by caution, which manifests in a pragmatic approach to pursuit of her exterior goals.

zhan tiri: she is going to continuously and experimentally refine and broaden her definition of “hunger” with the aim of hitting on something that allows her to feel satiated. she is going to line up goals and systematically chew threw them until there’s nothing left. she is, eventually, going to devour the whole cosmos and then probably die.

#4: who do they think they are?

this is a question about the character’s SELF-IDENTIFICATION. how do they PERCEIVE themselves? how do they choose to DEFINE themselves? what do they see when they look in the mirror?

EXAMPLES:

cassandra: she is untrustworthy. she is ignored. she is likable but not lovable. she doesn’t fit anywhere. she’s empty. she’s unsure. she’s drowning in doubt. she is insignificant, unimportant. she has been wronged, somehow. she wants to be a hero. she is someone who wants to do the right thing. she never stops trying. she’s stupid and reckless and incapable and doesn’t deserve any of the things she wants. she probably cares too much.

rapunzel: she is good. she is kind. (she is better than other people, in some small way. she sees the potential for goodness that other people can’t, or won’t.) she is worthless. she exists to make the world a better place. she is a princess, so she has to lead. she is the sundrop, so she has to heal. she is strong. (she is weak.) her determination to be kind and willingness to trust are her best qualities.

varian: he’s probably a lot smarter than most people he knows. he doesn’t know anything, but he wants to. he’s reckless. he’s not good enough. he can’t replace his mom. he’s accident prone. he’s a disappointment. he moves too fast. he thinks too fast. he doesn’t really need to sleep. he’s better with chemicals and formulas and machines than people. he’s not someone people want to be friends with. he could do great things if people—especially his dad—would just believe in him for once.

caine: she is an asshole and there is nothing wrong with her. she’s callous. she’s selfish. she’s out for her own interest first. she’s fine. (it was her fault cornaīn died. it’ll be her fault if her mom dies, or if neasa dies, or if any more of her crew dies, or if cassandra dies.) she isn’t afraid, she isn’t hurt, she’s angry. the only person she can rely on is herself, and the only person she wants to rely on is herself. she’s not anxious, she’s being smart.

zhan tiri: she loves, and it hurts, and she loves anyway. there is a way to break the circle and she is going to find it; it isn’t over until the end; but nothing lasts but hunger. she has done nothing wrong, ever, in her life. she has so many regrets she could drown in them if she weren’t immortal. she is beautiful, stop screaming.

…and that’s the bedrock of a character.

every individual action, every specific goal, every thought and feeling, is ultimately guided by the clash between this internal core with the realities of the setting, plot, and choices of other characters. cognitive dissonance between answers #1-3 and answer #4 is a breeding ground for inner conflict, and answers #1-3 are the raw material from which the spine of the character’s arc is sculpted.

[bonus round: this method comes from a scene in the pre-broadway houston run of the musical wonderland, wherein a character poses these questions to alice; her answers are:

#1: “i’m looking for my lost child.*”

*this being both literally her child who is lost but also metaphorically her own sense of wonder and discovery, which she has lost touch with.

#2: “i do! i keep getting in my own way, it’s all i do!”

#3: “i’m trying to figure that out!”

#4: “i’m chloe’s mother. i’m married to jack. these people are my friends. i’m a writer. i’m a teacher. i’m the dreamer of this dream. i’m lots of things; i’m my own invention!”

and when i first listened to this audio i was blown away by just how perfectly this distilled the character of alice down to her purest essentials so i immediately adopted it for character building purposes and i have never looked back because it is simple and it works.

in this scene there is also a fifth question, “what are you afraid of?” (paraphrasing: “losing the people i love”) which i have over time sort of just lumped in with how i answer the other four, because i find it to be less evocative on its own. however, it is useful information to know about a character and i recommend keeping it in mind when answering the other four.]

#[flings writing advice into the void at 5:30 am] hello

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noctuaas · 5 years ago

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AS YOU WISH

synopsis; in this tale of romance, revenge, and treason, you, a beautiful commoner, are set to become the princess of aobajousai. will your one true love be able to save you in time?

pairing; kuroo tetsurou x reader

content; princess bride au (heavily based on both the movie and novel), medieval au, torture, mild violence, drama, fantasy/adventure, murder, minor character death, fem!reader

fic navigation

02 ; THE GROOM

PRINCE OIKAWA WAS A MAN of great renown. There wasn’t a person in Aobajohsai that couldn’t recognize him in one swift glance; he walked through the kingdom with a swing in his dainty hips, which contrasted his mighty barrel thighs and broad, sinewy shoulders. His steps were surprisingly soft, and if he wanted to become a ballet dancer, he would probably find surprising success. But Oikawa didn’t want to be a ballet dancer. He wasn’t even in much of a rush to be king (considering he practically ran the kingdom anyway, what with his mother and father being too old and senile to do it themselves). Everything took second place in his affections, save for one thing.

Tracking was his love.

He made it a habit to never let more than a few days go by without tracking something down or training his hounds. It started when he was a young boy, with his parents’ two Irish Wolfhounds—off he would go with them, chasing rabbits through fields to add the stew that the palace cook was making for supper. Before long, he started studying other tracking sports, from fox hunting to coonhunting to even scenting out other humans, and became a talented tracker in each field. Once he was determined, once he focused on a target, the Prince was relentless.

For a while, Prince Oikawa traveled the world, acquiring hounds from the most prestigious lineages and persuading masterful hunters to mentor him. As his skill increased, he took to training and breeding his own dogs, creating Aoban pedigrees that had a name in and of themselves. Unfortunately, travelling consumed time, and the time away from Aobajohsai became increasingly worrying. Oikawa’s father was growing old, and as the only male heir to the throne, it eventually became time for the Prince to return home.

Instead, he took to roaming the Aoban countryside on weekends, accompanied by Count Iwaizumi on the horses he trained. (The Count always was a better horseman than the Prince.) Sometimes they paid visits to the far corners of the kingdom, but more often they stuck to day trips near the castle.

Prince Oikawa was walking out of the barn, two horses in hand, in preparation for one of these trips when news of his father’s health taking a turn made its ultimate intrusion. The sun hadn’t been up long, dew still heavy on the grass, when Count Iwaizumi made his appearance.

“There you are!” the Prince chided him, “You’re running behind, you know?”

(Other nobles of Aobajohsai might have gotten in trouble for such tardiness, but the Count was an exception. After he and the Prince grew up side by side, Iwaizumi was the only person that could raise his voice or lay a hand on Oikawa without consequence.)

“There is news,” Iwaizumi did not bother apologizing.

“Of?” Oikawa handed off the Count’s horse.

“I have the report of your father’s annual physical.”

A pregnant pause.

“He’s dying.”

Prince Oikawa sighed, a frown creasing his otherwise flawless cheeks. He wasn’t surprised by this news—the king’s health had been questionable for years now—but it certainly wasn’t how he would like to have started his morning.

“Well, I guess it’s about time I get married then, huh?”

“Looks to be that way, sire.”

Four of them met in the great council room of the castle: Prince Oikawa, his greatest confidante, Count Iwaizumi, his father, the aging King, and his evil stepmother, the Queen.

(She wasn’t really evil. In fact, she was actually one of the most beloved people in the kingdom, and had been married to the King since long before he began mumbling. Prince Oikawa had been but a child then, and since the only stepmothers he knew of were the mean ones from fairy tales and bedtime stories, he had decided she must be evil.)

“Alright,” the Prince began once they had all been assembled. “I must marry soon, so we have to pick a bride for me.”

“Yes,” the King said, “I’ve been thinking it was about time we found you a bride.”

(In actuality, he mostly just mumbled it, like, “Yesss, I’ve beennn thumbleee about temmmm wefumbbble bridddde.”)

“You couldn’t be more right, dear,” the Queen patted the King’s shoulder. She was the only person that could decipher his words during these little episodes.

“What did he say?”

“He said whoever we decide on will be getting a wonderfully handsome prince for a lifetime companion,” the Queen replied.

“Ah, well thank you, Father. You’re looking quite well yourself,” Oikawa chuckled back.

“It’s the new miracle maker, I’m sure of it,” the King piped in, wiggling a finger. (It came out mumbled again: “I’ssss the nmumble mumble.”)

“What did he say?”

“He said a man of your importance shouldn’t marry just anyone.”

“I suppose,” Prince Oikawa rested his chin in his hands before sighing.

“What about that Ushijima?” The Queen suggested.

“It would be a good match politically,” Count Iwaizumi admitted, though he knew how much the idea revolted Oikawa.

Prince Ushijima was from Shiratorizawa, the country that lay across the Aoba Channel. (They put it differently in Shiratorizawa; Aobajohsai was the country across the Channel of Shiratorizawa, according to them. The two countries had a history together, spending centuries warring each other. There had been the Rice War, and then the Tuna Fish Discrepancy, which nearly sent both nations into bankruptcy, the Fern Fiasco, which did end up running them fiscally dry, but it was followed by the Great Emerald Boom, during which they both got rich again.)

“He’s a handsome young man, I think we should bring him over for a discussion,” the Queen said. She was always the peacemaker in the royal family, a diplomat through and through.

“No, absolutely not!” cried Prince Oikawa. If it had been any other person, had Ushijima had a sibling or something, perhaps he would have mulled it over, but that wasn’t the case. Oikawa simply could not marry Ushijima.

“There’s no other heirs in any neighboring countries that would benefit us,” Count Iwaizumi reminded him, though he knew it wouldn’t change the Prince’s mind.

“I’ll marry a commoner before I marry that Shiratorizawa filth!”

“Boo, no Shiratorizawa filth!” the King chimed in. (“Booo, numble shumble zumfle!”)

The room quieted for a moment; they seemed to be stuck. Finally, the Count perked up.

“Maybe you can marry a commoner.”

Dead silence again.

“Look, your people have been a bit tense with us nobles the past few years,” the Count continued. “You could bridge the gap by marrying a commoner.”

“A commoner as the princess, what a fun idea!” the King said. (“Commumble as theprimmmble, whumble fum idea!” His words were becoming a tiny bit clearer; he seemed to be coming out of the episode).

“What did he say?” Oikawa still asked.

“Whoever it is must look the part of a noble. They should at least look nice,” said the Queen.

“Of course! I’ll find a commoner so beautiful that when you see them, you stop and stare, and say, ‘Wow, that Prince Oikawa must be some kind of fella to marry someone like that.’ That’s what I’ll do! Search the country, no, search the world!”

Count Iwaizumi furrowed his brow in thought.

“No, I think she is already found,” he said. An uncharacteristic smile crossed his face.

The next day at dawn, the two young noblemen reined in their horses at the hilltop by your farm. Iwaizumi rode a massive black gelding, stout and bulging with muscles. Prince Oikawa rode one of his whites, leaner and elegant. His mare made Iwaizumi’s mount seem like a lowly plow puller.

“She delivers milk from her family’s farm to the market square in the mornings,” Count Iwaizumi told him.

“And she’s truly-not-a-shadow-of-a-doubt-without-question beautiful?” Oikawa asked.

“You calling me a liar?”

“I wouldn’t dare,” Oikawa chuckled.

“She was something of a mess when I saw her,” admitted the Count, still grinning in amusement. “But she was still one of the most beautiful people I have laid eyes on.”

From the bottom of the hill, you appeared, turning your horse (whose name now seems quite ironic) onto the path to the farm. Even from this distance, Oikawa knew Iwaizumi was right.

“I must court my princess, now.”

“Good luck,” the Count teased, unknowing that the Prince might actually need it.

And so the Prince rode on, maneuvering his horse quite expertly down the hill until he was at your side.

You blinked curiously when he approached. You had never seen such a man, riding such a brilliantly shiny horse and wearing such extravagantly crafted clothes.

“Are you Miss (y/n)?”

“I am. Who’s asking?”

“Your prince,” Oikawa grinned a dazzling grin. “I’ve come to ask for your hand in marriage.”

Marriage? You continued riding, with one eyebrow quirked incredulously.

“I’m sorry, sire, but I refuse.”

“You can’t refuse.”

“I just did.”

“But refusal could mean treason, and treason means death,” explained a very confused Prince.

“Kill me then,” you told him.

“But…” the Prince trailed off. For the first time in his life, he was left dumbfounded. Speechless. Shellshocked. He had not been prepared to be turned down, not even slightly.

“But I’m your Prince! And—” Oikawa was beginning to stumble over his words. “And I’m not that bad. How could you rather be dead than married to me?”

“It’s nothing personal, sire,” you soothed his ego. “But marriage involves love, and love has never been particularly kind to me, so I’m sworn to never love again.”

Prince Oikawa’s brows furrowed, creasing his otherwise flawless forehead.

“Love? Who said anything about love?” he said. “Look, here’s the deal. There must always be a male heir to the throne of Aobajohsai. Once my father dies, there will only be a king: me. All I ask is that you marry me so that I can provide a new heir to the throne.”

You stared at him silently.

“You’ll get to be the richest and most powerful woman in the country, and give away turkeys at Christmas and meet people from foreign countries. You could even provide us nobles insight to better help commoners like yourself. So won’t you be my wife?”

You paused again, looking back over at your family’s humble little house. Your father was growing older, and milking the cows everyday was becoming difficult with his aching joints.

“I won’t ever love you.”

“If that is what you wish,” Prince Oikawa said.

“Then by all means, let us marry.”

#haikyuu #hq #haikyuu fanfiction #hq fanfiction #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu imagine #haikyuu scenario #hq x reader #hq imagine #hq scenario #kuroo #kuroo tetsurou #kuroo x reader #kuroo fanfiction #kuroo imagine #kuroo scenario #my writing

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praphit · 4 years ago

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Top Ten BAMFs of 2021

It's that time again, baby! - to honor our top BAMF of 2021

Last year's batch was a bit tainted - I mean, Laura Linney and Sacha Baron Cohen were on there, and ended with Nic Cage being the winner.

Now, I love Nic Cage as much as anyone, but he hasn't really been a bamf since "Con Air".

Let's see if we can cook up some people this year who are a little more intimidating.

Criteria:

1) Badass in power 2) Badass in attitude 3) Relevant to our culture in 2021

Honorable Mentions:

Black Messiah (”Judas and the black Messiah”) Halle Berry (”Bruised”) Taskmaster (”Black Widow”)

Vin Diesel (simply being Vin)

Peacemaker (The Suicide Squad ) Bloodsport (””)

Evil Dr. Strange (”What if...?”) Dave Chappelle - Not getting into right or wrong here, but simply the fact that he knew there was a pool filled with piranhas in it, and he still jumped in and survived... though the counter argument would be that he kinda filled the pool up with piranhas himself for some unknown reason (a la "Jackass" - the reason he didn't make the cut)

Michael Myers - LOVE, but he's like 70. I'm pretty sure most of us can out run him at this point

And probably a handful of Matrix people, but that movie hasn't come out yet.

So... here we go:)

#10 - Tyson Fury

The reason starts with whom his opponent was this year - Deontay Wilder. This guy hits harder than anyone in the game. He's the Michael Jordan of knocking people out. Tyson Fury took his best shots and kept on going. This man's story is badass and inspiring. The only thing about him that's more badass than his fighting skills might be his sense of style.

#9 - Norman Nordstrom

I know, you're probably saying "Who the BLEEP is that?!" He's pretty much blind Rambo. He buys shitty homes, people keep breaking into them (idk why... he has no valuables), and then he goes nuts and kills everyone in awesome ways. Two things to mention: He's got kind of a psycho-killer name, right?? Anyone named Norman Nordstrom is not going to be well adjusted. AND there was the whole semen in the turkey baster thing (from the last movie)... if you don't know what I'm referring to, then thank God that the scene I'm mentioning isn't seared into your memory banks as it is in mine. Can't really let that incident go, so he couldn't climb any higher than #9, but this guy is a glorious, badass, scary, killing machine.

#8 - Omni-Man

You might not know who he is (hence only #8), but he's one of the most powerful people on this list. He's voiced by J.K. Simmons. He's pretty much Superman without that lame Kryptonite weakness. Besides the general badassery of having Superman-like powers, there's a scene in season 1 that... WILL horrify you. Imagine Superman deciding he wants to take-out a bunch of people in the most gruesome ways he can think of... or imagine being locked in a room with a gorilla who has heard that you've been talkin smack about his mama; think about what it could do to you. Now, imagine your demise being animated and showing everything to an audience.... yeah, horrifying. So, if you see me crawl-up in a ball and cry whenever I hear a Farmer's Insurance commercial, you'll know why.

#7 - Harley Quinn

She used to get on my nerves; she still kinda does. Not only did I used to date someone who is as annoying as she is (don't decide who to date while you're drinking, kids), but we've been over-saturated by Harley costumes. All of these ladies trying to be sexy in this costume - it's too easy. Ladies, try a character that's not already sexy. What about sexy Prof X. Though I guess the whole wheelchair thing would be very insensitive... so in losing that, you'd just be a bald woman in a suit. You'd have to always make that "I have a migraine" look for people to have any chance of guessing who you're supposed to be...

never mind... bad idea. But, you understand... pick someone that's not supposed to be sexy AND that people hate - like the wicked witch of the West or an IRS agent. "I'm here to steal your hard earned money" - make that sexy, I dare you.

Harley Quinn has a prison break scene that is beautifully and gracefully badass. Plus, she is always ready to leap into battle against super-humans and monsters, when she herself has no powers. Whether that's bravery or insanity, it's won her a spot on this year's list.

#6 - Captain America (Falcon with the shield)

We've got to do something about that name thought, right? I mean... this is Captain America. He's still alive! He's just really old. Kinda ageist to simply give his name to someone else, especially if he's still kickin (kicking more slowly, but still kicking). The Rock is starting to get up there in age; are you telling me that one day, we'll look up and they'll be a new The Rock? Of course "Black America" doesn't really work (kinda bleeped up). "The NEW Captain America" would get old real fast. How about "Captain Falcon"? Or maybe it should simply be "Falcon with the Shield". "Falcon America"? "Capt Black Twitter"? Regardless of his name problem, he's got skills:

All of that badassery while going up against super soldiers, the racism that comes along with picking up THAT shield after Steve Rogers, learning to wield the shield, AND still managing to be a compassionate human being despite all of this - def a badass, and def worthy of the name (although I do think there's something to "Capt Black Twitter").

#5 - Shang-Chi

This guy is always ready for a fight, and has had some great ones: he beat some ass on an out-of-control-speeding bus. He beat some ass of a bunch of trained ninjas. He beat some ass outside on some scaffolding. There is no ass that will go unbeaten, if Shang feels threatened.

And he never has time to prep for his badassery. That's what people on the outside don't get - the secret to being a badass isn't prep; you either are one or you aren't. You can't ask the enemies of life to hold up while you put your BAMF face on. If you're the real deal than you're ready to go at all times, even if it's against magic, or demons, or dragons, or magical demonic dragons, or the Daddy Murder Death's of the world (movie villain), or whatever the hell this thing is

You can never catch this man off-guard. I imagine that magical, demonic ninjas could attack him while he's on the toilet, and he would still be ready to bring the pain.

#4 - Sub-Zero

Y'all forgot about that Mortal Kombat movie that came out didn't you? Lightning Guy, Laser Eye, a reptile shooting acid... there was a dude who made a dragon composed of fire, and yet ALL of these peeps and many more ran in terror at the sight of Sub-Zero. He'd walk in the room, cool as ice and people would start crying.

Everywhere he walks there's ice building up, so there are always traffic problems, you can't have no warm food around him (I can't imagine how family dinner time goes), AND he's one of the best martial artists you'll meet, who has a bad habit of freezing people until they explode. If there's a fork in the road, with Subby on one side and a pack of wolves on the other, go with the pack of wolves; they might show you mercy. I don't know what crawled up this dude's butt and died to make him so angry all of the time, but I'm glad it's there so we can all witness his BAMFness.

#3 - Ultron

We all know the problem Ultron was when he had his own movie. This year (in "What if..." ) he got himself a new body (Vision's to be exact), AND the infinity stones. That Thanos guy has been a real inspiration.

With all of this power he did what all A.I.'s do - try to destroy the disease that is mankind. The thing is, he pretty much succeeds. He does inexplicably leave some stragglers behind, but that's a plot hole for another day. In this series, there's a god-like being called "The Watcher". Ultron gets bored, due to accomplishing his mission of wiping out mankind, so he comes after the GOD-LIKE being, and delivers an inter-dimensional ass-whupin that I don't think you'll see anywhere else. I've seen some rough knockouts before, but to be punched through time, space, and alternate realities is a new one. They couldn't even stop him, they had to trap him! If "What if..." were more popular he'd be my number one for sure.

#2 - Wanda

You don't want to mess with witches; this is a fact of life. You certainly don't want to mess with one who's powerful enough to create her own world. Not just that, but made this world she created a Tv show. Sounds crazy when you say that out loud. She brought her dead lover back to life (Vision. He's really getting used and tossed around isn't he??). They had some magical kids that she also created.

Her power of course is badass, but more importantly, those looks she gives when you've crossed her. whew! If she gives you this look, then it's already too late for you. I don't even know how to explain what her powers are... she can pretty much do anything. The problem I have with her (and why she's not #1) is that she tortured people. She created a little world, but not the people; those she had to control the minds of, and in "WandaVision" it's said that this control was torturous. Torture ain't bad ass, especially if there's no remorse. She just strolled off. She would be so cancelled... if everyone weren't so terrified of her.

#1 Black Widow

No death in a comic book movie has ever been so beautiful - figuratively and literally. Look at her,

that picture could be on the cover of Vogue. She saved her best pose for last.

The sacrifice that saved the world.

But, before that last spread, she evaded the military, took on a league of assassins only to set them free from mind control, there was the whole sever the nerve thing (which was silly, but if I go with it, pretty badass), there was a great prison break, she got her mission-impossible-wearing-someone-else’s -face-thing on, and survived jumping out of like 20 windows. How many windows have you jumped out of recently? This was just another week for her. She did all of these things without any powers! This takes true bravery. - knowing your limits and the limits of the situation, and being able to find that sweet spot where you can kick super-villain ass and still make it home to eat some ice cream.

Now, she was an assassin, which... I would say is frowned upon. BUT, she saw the error of her ways, changed her course, and became an Avenger. Even her path of redemption was badass.

She was also in "What if..." taking on Ultron, a mass of zombies, and a Wanda Zombie!

Scarjo, inspired by her BAMF character, took on Disney this year and got a settlement. You have to be a badass to take on that mouse. Granted, she still has some deals with Disney. If I were Mickey I'd keep casting her in roles where she ends up at the bottom of a cliff. But, for now, she’s on top, and my 2021 BAMF of the Year :)

Take a bow.

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marril96 · 5 years ago

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Out of the Woods

Chapter 3: Track & Trace

Characters: reader, Sam, Dean

Pairing: Rowena x reader

Summary: An explosive argument leads to you running away and puts Rowena in danger.

Editor: @miss-moon-guardian

*****

Sam and Dean tried to comfort you on the way back to the hotel, which only made you feel worse. Only made you feel more guilty for running away, for Rowena following after you because she was an idiot who was too in love with you to realize it was a bad idea.

"She could've dropped the phone," Dean suggested, though he didn't believe it himself. "Could've cut herself on the screen."

"I'm begging you to stop," you told him, desperate for silence, for respite. As if it wasn't enough that your girlfriend — whom you'd parted with on bad terms — had gone missing. The last thing you needed was listening to Dean's purposely dumb theories.

The three of you had agreed to return to the hotel room and have you do a tracking spell. A horrible idea, really; tracking was Rowena's thing. You sucked at it. As good as you were at magic, thanks to her excellent teaching skills and immense amounts of patience, tracking was one of the few things you struggled with. Latching on to missing objects and people was difficult.

It was easier when it came to supernatural beings. They usually carried an aura, a presence that made it easy to follow to its source, a sort of string invisible to the naked eye but a perfect guide to a witch. Whenever you practiced on Rowena, it was almost a piece of cake.

But this was different. This was for real. She'd never been so far away from you. It would be difficult, much more so, to look for her in an unknown town than it was in your own neighborhood.

"You can do it, darling."

Rowena said it every time you worried about learning a new spell. Every time you feared failure. She was there, and she would guide you through every step, every single moment,. There was nothing to be afraid of.

"That's my girl!"

She was proud of you so many times. Even when you struggled. Even when you didn't do well, didn't quite meet her standards. She never made you feel inept, inadequate. You were her girl, and she was proud of your every attempt. There was no perfection in witchcraft. Only progress. And, she'd said, you were progressing more than well.

You certainly hoped so for now she needed you the most and there was no time for failure. No time for insecurity.

The brothers cleared a small space to you in the room and watched as you sorted the candles into an imperfect circle around you. Once it was done, you lowered to your knees, and, magic bursting in your veins like lava, hot and deadly, started to chant.

The town was bare of magic. Empty. Startlingly lonely. Had it always been that way, or was everyone magic, everyone non-human, killed? Maybe the victims whose deaths you'd been investigating were the last ones. Final remnants of magic, forever quieted down by a monster — a monster who didn't have claws, whose only fuel, only power, was hatred for everything different than him.

Different than it for you refused to humanize the beast who'd done all this. The beast who'd had your girlfriend and was surely doing unspeakable things to her, things you didn't dare imagine but couldn't keep your mind from wandering to.

Focus, you told yourself. Your first job was to find her. Everything else would be taken care of in due time.

Rowena was strong. Resilient. A survivor. She'd survived a brutal death at the hands of the Devil himself. A pathetic hunter was nothing in comparison. He could shatter her, break her, but he couldn't kill her. Not permanently. For the first time since you'd found out about their fate, you were grateful to know Sam would be the one to permanently kill her.

You gripped Rowena's necklace — the gold one with a circle pendant — tight as you yelled the words of magic, exactly the way she'd taught you. She used to wear it all the time, had owned it for decades, possibly centuries; it was as good of an anchor as any. Nothing stood out amidst the vast emptiness. No signal. No pull. You spat the words again, and again. Focused your mind solely on Rowena, on her power that greatly surpassed yours.

You could find it.

You could do it.

"That's my girl," you imagined her saying. The words you needed to hear. The encouragement you craved.

No beacon. No light. A vast field, a graveyard lone of magic.

And then…

"Got her!" you yelled, fingers instantly clenching around the necklace. The fragile metal burying into your skin.

"Where is she?" Sam asked, relieved. You weren't just missing a girlfriend; he was missing a friend, a good one. No matter your opinion on him and his brother, you couldn't deny they were close. That they meant something to each other — something you could never come to comprehend.

"She's…" The streak of power was faint. Blinking. But, as you closed in on it, let your own power latch on, you could see it freely. Could feel it in your veins as if it were a part of you, a limb you'd just gained. "I can take us there."

"Let's go!" Dean said.

The room was instantly emptied. Belongings shoved in the trunk of the Impala. You were glad to be away from the stinky room, to never have to go back. The three of you quickly checked out, and were on your way.

"We still don't know what we're dealing with, so be careful," Dean said, as if you were a child. As if you'd never faced danger.

"It's a witch-killing maniac," you said, annoyed.

"We don't know that."

"Oh, don't give me that shit! You can't honestly believe this is some witch offing random people. This one's on your kind."

It sounded a lot like an accusation, and it was supposed to.

Sam, ever the peacemaker, spoke up. "We're just saying, we need to be careful."

No, you thought. You needed to get there as fast as possible, kill the son of a bitch, and rescue your girl. Bursting in, guns and magic blazing, was more than okay with you, so long as it got the bastard away from Rowena. The three of you could handle him. Rowena, captured, probably bound in iron, couldn't.

The spell led you to a secluded cabin at the very edge of town. Nothing but trees and weeds for miles. A perfect little torture chamber for a deranged psycho.

Dean parked the car right before the property line, behind a thick bundle of trees. The three of you tiptoed to the cabin, slow, careful, hiding behind trees and various pieces of junk the bastard has accumulated in his yard. You were, once again, offered a gun, and, just like last time, had declined it. You had your magic on standby, ready to fire at your command. Ready to destroy, to ravage, the avenge.

Rowena would have been proud.

She would be proud.

Noise from inside the cabin made your ears perk up. It was faint, but as you got closer, you could make out familiar screams and yelling, words unknown but their meaning clear — anger. Worry clenched at your heart, dug its pointy talons deep into it. Your eyes watered; you instantly wiped at them and took a deep breath to steady yourself. There would be time for crying later. Right now, you had a girlfriend to rescue.

You looked at Dean, then shifted your glance to the door. Do it, your expression said, clear as day.

He shook his head.

You glared and mouthed, hissed, "Do it!"

He looked unsure.

You turned to Sam, who seemed to share his brother's sentiment.

"No!" The word rang loud, startling you. The voice you knew by heart, now broken, desperate. So different to the power it oozed with earlier during your argument. "Stop!"

A muffled response, then a scream.

A rebellious tear spilled down your face. The monster was hurting Rowena. It was one thing to imagine it. To hear it, to hear her cries of pain…

"Do it or I will," you said in a low voice, fixing Dean with your deadliest stare. One you'd stolen from Rowena, that left no room for argument.

Dean pondered on it for a moment, then, getting a nod from Sam, crept forward and, with all the strength he carried, kicked at the door. It fell off its hinges under the force of the strike, tumbled down like a useless sack.

"Get away from her!" he yelled, raising his gun.

Sam went in after him, and, his own weapon up, said, "Stay back!"

You followed right after.

The sight that greeted your eyes made you wish you hadn't.

It was right then and there that you decided the son of a bitch would die, and it would be far from pretty.

*****

Tags: @werewolfbarbie @oswinthestrange @songofthecagedmoose @apurdyfulmind @getthesalt-sam @metallihca @salembitchtrials @jay-eris @hellsmother @elizabeth-effie @shadowgirl-vsb @rowenaswife @wonderifshelikesroses @xfireandsin @liddell-alien @hotdiggitydammit @lae-lae @darkhumorsblog @angel7376 @cherrypierowena @evil-regal-vampiress @hellbentredhead @angel-e-v-a @a-queen-and-her-throne @carryon-doctor-lock @fangirlxwritesx67 @mintymarshmellows @midnight-lestrange @osterhagen @impala-1979 @gracib16 @feelsandotps

#rowena #rowena macleod #sam winchester #dean winchester #rowena x reader #rowena macleod x reader #spn #supernatural #spn family #angeleva #fanfiction #my fics

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gatekeeper-watchman · 2 years ago

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Daily Devotionals for November 4, 2024

Proverbs: God's Wisdom for Daily Living

Devotional Scripture:

Proverbs 27:15-16 (KJV): 15 A continual dropping on a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike. 16 Whosoever hideth her hideth the wind, and the ointment of his right hand, which betrayeth itself. Proverbs 27:15-16 (AMP): 15 A continual dripping on a day of violent showers and a contentious woman are alike; 16 Whoever attempts to restrain (a contentious woman) might as well try to stop the wind—his right-hand encounters oil (and she slips through his fingers).

Thought for the Day

Verse 15 - If a man has a good wife, he is blessed; but a nagging wife can make his life miserable. Contentious means to be quarrelsome and ready to argue. Continual complaining and nagging are as annoying as the continual dripping of water on a rainy day. We all know listening to the sound of something going "drip, drip, drip, drip" is quite unsettling and gets on our nerves after a time. Nagging wives can cause the same reaction as a dripping sound that does not cease. Since a contentious woman is very hard to deal with, it would be wise to avoid marrying a woman like that. The same is true of a contentious man.

Verse 16 - Trying to restrain a contentious woman is like trying to grasp the wind or hold on to something when your hands are covered with oil. Arguments, complaining, and nagging will crop up no matter what you do. A contentious woman is rebellious. Her character and actions are in opposition to the commandment given to wives in Ephesians 5:22-24 to submit to their husbands. The value of a virtuous woman is spoken of in Proverbs 31:10-12: "Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her so that he shall not need spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life."

Because contentious people yield to unrighteousness, they will reap indignation and wrath on the Day of Judgment and the eternal tribulation and anguish of hell if they do not repent. Christ died for our sins and can deliver us from a contentious nature. Those who yield to God will do good works, and receive glory, honor, and peace.“" But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasures up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; Who will render to every man according to his deeds: To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life: But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation, and wrath, tribulation, and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; But glory, honor, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: For there is no respect of persons with God" (Romans 2:5-10).

Prayer Devotional for the Day

Dear heavenly Father, I am thankful that when we come to You, we can be set free of any character traits that are not like You. Lord, fill me with the Holy Spirit so that I do not allow any angry words to come out of my mouth. Lord, help me not to yield to a contentious attitude or have an argumentative spirit. May I be a kind and loving person that is a peacemaker? Help me to speak gracious things and to be a good witness in all that I say and do. May I always love and do good to my husband all the days of my life? I ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen. From: Steven P. Miller @ParkermillerQ, gatekeeperwatchman.org Founder of Gatekeeper-Watchman International Groups

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rhysand-vs-fenrys · 4 years ago

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Here is a challenge for you, tell the Untamed story using Maas characters to convince me to watch it or read the book!

As with the ACOTAR as TGCF answer, please just take the character names for their personalities and ignore any ships. Had to get kinda weird with this one.

Also, spoilers and I will tell the story in a linear way. Also-Also I’m summarizing the show not the novel (there are differences). Also-Also-Also, I need to use the clan names at one point so... yeah. It was necessary.

theswordrepresentshispenis

OK HERE WE GO!

Wuxian: Dorian || Wangji: Rowan || Jiang Cheng: Aedion || Jiang Yanli: Evalin || Jiang Fengmian: Ren || Madam Yu: Maeve || Nie Huaisang: Lysandra ||Nie Mingjue: Manon || Jin Zixuan: Fenrys || Jin Guangyao: Connall || Lan Xichen: Yrene || Wen Ning: Chaol || Wen Qing: Nehemia || Wen Yuan: Evangeline || Sizhui: Elide

In the ancient past there was once an evil clan leader who massacred millions of people, soaking an amulet in the blood of countless innocents. Their bodies piled so high around him that they formed mountains of corpses and stained the land in the resentment, grief, and hatred of so many lives cut short.

This land became known as the Burial Mounds, and was further cursed as powerful warriors sent to pacify the hatred of the land were devoured by it.

The clan leader’s amulet allowed him to wage a bloody war against anyone who did not bow to him, until all of the clans rose as one and killed him (causing great loss of life). Knowing the amulet was too powerful now to be destroyed for good, they split it into four pieces, hiding them at the four corners of the world under powerful wards and spells.

The Stygian Metal became legend, and then even the legends were forgotten. The Burial Mounds remained a cursed land, and as time passed those piles of corpses turned into actual mountains, and a clan rose to surround the Burial Mounds and contain their power.

But this clan was made up of the remnants of the one led by that evil leader of the past, and they have slowly been subjugating others once more. This is the Wen Clan, led by Wen-Cain.

Far to the south lies the peaceful Lotus Pier Clan, home to young Clan Leader Ren. Ren falls in love with a beautiful woman. She is kind, warm, and a powerful warrior in her own right. Ren is overcome with his desire for her, but he is already married. Still, he makes advances towards the woman, but she has fallen in love with Ren’s right hand man and best friend. The two elope.

Ren is enraged, and he banishes them both from his lands. Ren’s wife Maeve has already given him one child, the lovely and warm Evalin. Ren’s desire for the other woman taught Maeve to hate her husband bitterly, and he will spend the rest of his life trying to fix his marriage.

The servant and the warrior maiden quickly have a child, little Dorian. But when Dorian is still a small child the two are killed fighting a monster. Dorian had been left safe in town, but the world is cruel to an orphan lost and alone.

Word of their death reaches Ren, but he hears nothing of their child. No matter how much it enrages Maeve- who has now given Ren a son of his own- Ren vows to scour the world in search of young Dorian.

A couple years pass, and as Ren searches a small city he sees Dorian. The spitting image of his parents, there is absolutely no doubt this is the boy he’s been searching for. Dorian has lived on the streets, fighting wild dogs for his food, and yet as Ren watches he merely takes a moldy bun from a trash bin and sits down with a bright smile on his face to enjoy his food.

Before he can take a bite, Ren gives Dorian a hot, fresh bun and brings him home to Lotus Pier.

Dorian is brought in as the adopted brother of Evalin and Aedion, but rumors will always persist that Dorian is Ren’s own bastard. The source of many of these rumors is Maeve, who hates the boy with a flaming passion. Maeve punishes Dorian, demeans him, belittles him, and hates her husband even more for allowing Dorian to hold the same esteemed place as Aedion.

No matter how hard Aedion tries, he is never good enough for Ren. Dorian, meanwhile, is praised endlessly and becomes a powerful and popular hero. Dorian is a natural talent, quickly and easily mastering anything he puts his mind to.

Aedion and Dorian consider themselves brothers, and Evalin their beloved sister who puts herself between her mother’s hateful ways and the other members of the family. Evalin has been engaged since infancy to Fenrys, who disregards and often demeans her as being ugly or stupid.

Aedion and Dorian’s favorite past time is beating up Fenrys.

One day, Ren sends all three of his children to study in a special class at the Cloud Recesses- the seat of the Lan clan. The clan is led by Yrene, an endlessly warm and kind lady who acts as the peacemaker among all of the sects (but especially the Five Great Families- among which are counted Ren’s family).

These classes in monster hunting are considered the most desired and exclusive of classes, taught by Yrene’s uncle. Any clan leader worth their throne attended in their own youth, except for Wen-Cairn, who refuses to acknowledge someone from another family being better in any way.

Dorian is excited to go (which is minorly scandalous for the son of some servant), but very quickly pisses off Yrene’s beloved younger brother. Rowan is a young hero equal in renown to Dorian, yet he is friendless, joyless, and obeys the Lan clan’s 3,000 rules strictly.

Yrene and Evalin both realize very quickly that when two boys fight it means they like each other, and they will spend the rest of the story relentlessly pushing this ship.

Also attending the lessons are Fenrys (tool), and Lysandra. Lysandra is the half-sister of Manon Blackbeak, considered the toughest warrior in the world. Manon may or may not be having sex with Yrene, it’s left up to the reader to decide that one. Anyways, Lysandra is the shame of her clan- which prides itself on brute strength and blood lust. Unlike Manon, Lysandra loves the arts and music, and refuses to ever carry a sword at all.

Accompanying Lysandra is Manon’s favorite servant, Connall. Fenrys’ father is a bit of a slut, and Connall is Fenrys’ bastard half-brother. Fenrys ignores his existence. Still, everyone whispers about Connall. He’d tried to approach Fenrys’ father to be legitimized and was thrown out of the palace bloody.

Connall is Lysandra’s best friend and confidant, but Yrene has also fallen in love with Connall. Despite the scandalous nature of his birth (son of a prostitute), Yrene sees the good in Connall, and even just seeing him in a room warms her heart.

Also sent to spy on the lessons are Chaol and Nehemia, members of the cruel and evil Wen clan (along with Cairn’s son Cain).

Dorian and Rowan soon stumble across the legend of that ancient clan leader and the Stygian metal he’d created. Wen-Cairn has found one of the four pieces, and he realizes a second must be located somewhere in Cloud Recesses. Dorian and Rowan find an ancient and hidden cave within which is Mab, an ancient leader of the Lan clan. Mab found the Stygian metal, but she thought she could purify it. Instead, it has slowly consumed her very life essence. Mab’s existence has been torturously prolonged, but for centuries on end she hasn’t been able to leave the cave, lest the Stygian iron’s power be released and call to the other pieces.

Dorian and Rowan take the iron and vow to keep it safe.

Eventually the classes end, but by now Dorian and Rowan have formed a deep mutual respect (though Dorian still annoys Rowan to death). Rowan is keeping the Stygian metal, but he wants to use it to find other pieces to keep the remaining three from the hands of Cairn.

As for Chaol and Nehemia- Chaol has become utterly devoted to Dorian. He respects him, and Dorian is one of the very few who are kind to Chaol. Nehemia doesn’t have any loyalty to her family, only to Chaol, and she low-key dislikes Dorian because she knows Chaol might be in danger for his friendship to the young hero.

Also, Aedion has fallen in love with Nehemia.

While Evalin and Aedion return to Lotus Pier after classes, Dorian slips away and chases after Rowan. He wants to accompany him on his adventures. They soon stumble across Lysandra as well.

The three follow the Stygian iron’s call to the mountain home of another clan and find only corpses. The Wen sent an assassin ahead of them who slaughtered the clan. Lysandra calls for help from Connall, who brings them to Manon’s stronghold.

While they are there discussing what to do next, the Wen Clan attacks Cloud Recesses. Yrene vanishes, and most of the disciples are slaughtered. Rowan rushes back and is captured.

Dorian returns to Lotus Pier, unaware of what has happened. A letter arrives, telling every Clan Leader to send their heirs and most powerful disciples to study in the Wen Capitol- obviously asking them to become hostages.

Aedion and Dorian are eager to go, rather than see anything befall Ren as punishment for not obeying. At the Wen Capitol, they see Rowan, who has been taken prisoner and tortured somewhat. He’s also lost the piece of Stygian metal to Cairn.

Dorian expertly pisses of Cain (remember, Cairn’s son), and as punishment is locked in a cage with a massive (minivan-sized) dog overnight. Because of his history fighting dogs on the streets as a child and often being mauled, Dorian has an extreme and uncontrollable fear of dogs.

As Dorian is screaming, young Chaol appears and manages to use Nehemia’s medicines (btw Nehemia is a doctor too) to knock the dog out for the night. He is willing to risk being beaten and tortured by Cain for helping Dorian because Dorian is kind to him.

Not long after, Dorian, Rowan, Aedion, Fenrys, Nehemia, Cain, and Lysandra are all sent to hunt a monster. It is obvious this is nothing more than an excuse to make Cain look good by killing a legendary beast as well as give them cover to execute many if not all the hostages and innocently claim their deaths as “tragic accidents”.

But there is a hiccup- the monster they were sent to hunt turns out to be the Tortoise of Slaughter (don’t laugh). This huge creature has been hidden in a deep cave for eons, and was once the pet of that evil emperor who made the Stygian metal.

Cain runs away, dragging Nehemia behind him, and uses boulders to seal the cave and trap Dorian, Rowan, Aedion, Fenrys, and Lysandra inside to die. Aedion manages to find a passage and lead Fenrys and Lysandra out, but when Dorian and Rowan go to follow the passage is sealed. Dorian was injured by Cain(’s girlfriend but we have enough characters already) and Rowan has a broken leg that Cain left untreated as a torture. His leg is also severely wounded by the Tortoise.

Dorian and Rowan work together to defeat this eons-old ancient beast, which begins with Dorian climbing beneath the shell of the beast (think house-sized carnivore turtle).

But beneath the shell of the turtle are the corpses of many it destroyed. And stabbed into its flesh is a black blade that roils with smoke.

See, when the Stygian metal was created, millions of lives were sacrificed. Their rage and hatred and power went into the metal-

-but their fear went into the sword.

Dorian grabs the hilt of that cursed blade and draws it in a moment of panic, and in his mind he hears the screams of terror as millions died.

Dorian and Rowan manage to kill the tortoise, but as blood touches the blade the screams in Dorian’s mind only grow louder, and he blacks out for several days. When he wakes he is outside the cave, his arms wrapped around the cursed blade, and Fenrys and Aedion have returned with soldiers to rescue them. Rowan is nowhere to be seen, having already headed back to Cloud Recesses to try and find his missing sister Yrene.

Aedion and Dorian run back to Lotus Pier as fast as they can to warn their families that Wen-Cairn has slaughtered one clan (the Lan) and is attacking again. The Wen clan starts a systematic antihalation of the clans, aided by the two pieces of Stygian metal they now have.

Maeve hates Dorian, and says if anything bad happens it must be his fault. She whips him repeatedly, but then Wen Cain shows up. Cain says Dorian has insulted him (by surviving) and insists Maeve punish him. She whips Dorian, but that isn’t enough. Wen Cain wants Dorian’s sword arm cut off.

Maeve might hate this boy who surpasses her son Aedion in everything, but she does have a line. She refuses to mutilate Dorian, and instead beats back Cain and drags Dorian, Evalin, and Aedion away. She puts the three on a ship and uses her whip to tie them together. It is magical and recognizes only her as its master so long as she lives. So she tells it to bind her children- tells Dorian he’s the reason everyone will die- and runs back to fight.

Ren, Maeve, and every soul left within Lotus Pier will be slaughtered by Cain and his men.

When she dies, the bonds snap. Dorian and Aedion hide Evalin in a safe place and return to try and save Ren and Maeve. They are too late. Evalin falls ill in her grief. When Dorian risks venturing out to find medicine for Evalin, Aedion follows.

He sees Dorian is about to be discovered by Wen soldiers. Knowing he has always been the lesser warrior and hero, he silently bids Dorian to protect Evalin and draws the Wen guard’s focus.

All Dorian knows is that the guards vanished, but when he returns to Evalin he finds out Aedion has gone. Dorian knows Aedion must be going after Cain.

Dorian is driven mad in grief. He slips back to Lotus Pier, and takes hostage Chaol, who was dragged along with Cain.

Chaol is a good boy though. He has Dorian wait by the boats and brings back not only Aedion, but the bodies of Ren and Maeve so that they can be given proper burials. He drugged everyone there, knowing it would put his own life in danger.

Chaol brings Dorian, Aedion, and Evalin to Nehemia’s home base. She heals Evalin, but finds out that something horrible happened to Aedion. Heroes take in power through killing monsters and also studying various techniques. This power fills a golden core inside of them and allows them to use magic and live centuries longer.

But Aedion’s is gone. It was destroyed by Cain’s minion, making him nothing more than a normal human. A disgrace among their kind. There is no way to heal him, and Aedion sinks into a horrific depression. If they cannot fix what happened to him, he will kill himself by refusing to eat or drink anything.

Dorian finds a solution, but it is a horrible one. He drugs Evalin and gives her to a hero he respects and trusts, telling him to bring her to Fenrys. Fenrys’ family is one of the absolute most powerful, so he must be able to protect her. The hero swears on his honor to deliver her safely (and does, he too is a good cookie).

Dorian tells Aedion that the immortal who trained Dorian’s mother- a legendary god-like figure- can be found on a sacred mountain. He takes Aedion there, and tells Aedion that he must be blindfolded and climb the mountain, and then the immortal will heal him.

Aedion has no idea that the immortal who greets him is only Nehemia. Nehemia and Chaol are following Dorian’s orders. When Dorian arrives, they rip the golden core out of him and put it inside Aedion.

It is like being skinned alive, as Dorian cannot even be unconscious during the two-day procedure. This will render Dorian mortal, and the pain nearly drives him mad.

But he makes all swear on pain of death that no one will tell Aedion what happened. Dorian will make sure Aedion and Evalin are alright, then quietly go off to die.

While Dorian waits for Aedion to wake, he is captured by Cain.

Cain is sick to death of this thorn in his side, so he beats Dorian half to death (not realizing Dorian’s golden core is gone) and has him flown high over the Burial Mounds nearby (yes they can fly). From a height, he has Dorian thrown into that evil and cursed land.

But beating Dorian woke something hidden in his pocket- the hilt of that cursed sword he found in the Tortoise cave (and no, it never ever tells you what happened to the blade, he only has the hilt).

The hilt wakes and screams out, and as Dorian is falling he is surrounded by screaming black mist. The mist slows his descent. Dorian lands in a black and terrifying place where even the ground itself is nothing more than ash on top of bones. A mountain range made up of corpses filled with unfathomable evil.

And in the heart of it is a single piece of the Stygian metal. One of the missing pieces, that the sword hilt reached out to.

The sword controls the Stygian metal somewhat, as the souls trapped inside were killed by the blade. With both, Dorian is able to survive the Burial Mounds. Hidden deep at its heart, forgotten by all outside, he finds the palace of the evil emperor who created the Stygian metal. And inside- a guide on how to control the souls of the damned.

These lands are so full of evil and hatred that even the plants are cursed. Dorian cuts himself a flute from a piece of black bamboo. Using that ancient emperor’s guide- mixed with the magics of Rowan’s family that he saw used in Cloud Recesses- Dorian learns to control the souls of the dead with that flute.

---

Three months later

---

Aedion and Rowan have united in their hunt for Dorian. Yrene was found alive and well- she was saved by someone she will not name and brought safely to Manon. From there she was able to regain control of Cloud Recesses and Rowan helped push out the Wen.

Fenrys, who has been taking care of Evalin for the past three months and has started to fall in love with her, has also been leading armies.

Rallied by Manon, Aedion, Rowan, Yrene, and Fenrys, the Wen clan are routed. Aedion and Rowan are hunting relentlessly for Dorian. They find out Cain threw his body into the Burial Mounds and he is dead, but they refuse to believe it.

When Aedion and Rowan attack Cain’s base, they find Nehemia in a cell. She has been caged ever since she helped Dorian and Aedion, and has no idea where Chaol is.

Oh, and everyone in the fort (save Nehemia) is dead. The fort is surrounded by talismans to ward off ghosts and spirits, but someone has made a tiny extra line on the talismen which instead reverses them, making them ATTRACT evil. Someone also drove Cain’s girlfriend to scar her own face and hang herself in insanity.

Aedion and Rowan begin pursuing Cain, finding more and more corpses along the roads. Someone powerful and evil is hunting their prey, but they have no idea who it might be.

The two finally catch up to Cain and spy on him through a loose tile in the roof of an abandoned inn. But the Cain inside is not the naughty, arrogant man they both knew. He is a broken and terrified little man. Cain’s spirit is broken, and he screams at even the sound of the wind.

Then a blast of power flows through the inn and the sound of a flute is heard.

And Dorian steps into the room.

Aedion and Rowan watch as Dorian summons a demon to attack Cain. He has been killing him slowly over days, coming at night to have his creatures claw at Cain and drive him mad with fear (also the dude with Cain is the one who destroyed Aedion’s golden core).

Aedion and Rowan jump down and help Dorian kill the other dude, and leave Cain on the floor as they are reunited.

But something is wrong- Dorian is cold to Rowan, antagonistic even. Dorian dismisses Aedion, and when he is gone Dorian and Aedion torture Cain to death.

Dorian is reunited with Evalin, but something is desperately wrong. His coldness and arrogance is apparent to everyone, but he won’t talk about what happened or where he has been. He sometimes freezes, shakes, and erupts in black smoke as he struggles to control himself. Blood drips from his mouth, and he will not draw his sword like he used to. He only clutches his black flute. When Evalin tries to touch it, the flute attacks her, sending a spear of black that hurts her hand.

Still, Evalin won’t allow anyone to bully Dorian. He is obviously traumatized, and she wants to heal him gently. Rowan wants to help Dorian, but Dorian only pushes him away more and more. Unknown to anyone else, Dorian is terrified Rowan will find out he is missing his golden core and reveal to Aedion what happened.

He knows Aedion would feel incredible grief if he knew Dorian was killing himself to save his brother.

With Dorian, the campaign at last begins to succeed against the Wen. He fights beside all of their friends, while Evalin remains with the war band as a nurse. One day, Dorian catches Fenrys publicly humiliating Evalin.

For weeks, Evalin secretly prepared Fenrys’ food (as a way to thank him for caring for her when Aedion was hunting for Dorian). But the servant who delivered the food to Fenrys said SHE made it. Fenrys caught Evalin giving the food to the servant and decided Evalin was trying to steal it away to make herself look good in his eyes.

So he is humiliating her in front of everyone while Evalin stumbles and cries and tries to explain in a mumble. Dorian is enraged. His power blasts from him, knocking others down, and he punches Fenrys. His skin begins to roil with black power and it takes Rowan and another friend to hold him back from killing Fenrys. Dorian demands Fenrys stay away from his sister forever.

Ultimately, the war comes to its peak as the Wen are forced back to their city and the clans are ready to fight and destroy Cairn. The key to defeating Cairn lies in none other than Connall himself, who has been missing for a long time.

Connall was the one who saved Yrene, and Connall entered the Wen clan as a spy after a fight with Manon saw him booted from her clan. Connall might not be the angel he pretends to be though- and only Manon suspects he might be evil after all.

Dorian unleashes his greatest weapon in the final battle-- the Stygian Tiger Seal. Made up of a piece of Stygian Metal bound with the hilt of that sword from before, he can boost his own power tremendously and pull all Stygian metal under his sway. Thanks to Dorian’s tool, the Stygian metal the Wen have is completely destroyed. Not just broken apart- obliterated.

But the cost to Dorian is extreme. He vomits blood, collapses, and Connall appears to kill Cairn as Rowan catches Dorian’s body. Dorian is in a coma for several days. Evalin watches over him, with Rowan coming to sit by his side until he finally awakens.

The hatred of Dorian seems to have been broken somewhat. Rowan begs Dorian to come back with him to Cloud Recesses and hide from the world. To live in peace while they keep trying to heal whatever Dorian’s new black magic is doing to him.

Dorian has no interest, but he swears to Rowan he will be a good man and not use evil or demonic power any more.

Fenrys’ father suddenly decides to swoop in and claim the glory. He manipulates the room and tries to publicly force Fenrys and Evalin to marry, but Dorian and Aedion stand up to him against it considering the problems between Evalin and Fenrys.

Everyone goes back to their own homes to rebuild the destroyed clans, with a promise to come back together in a few months for a hunt. A sort of fun way for cultivators to blow off steam and return to a sense of normalcy. Dorian, Aedion, and Evalin return with the few survivors of their clan to wash away the blood, bury the dead, and begin rebuilding Lotus Pier.

Aedion- who has always had a vicious inferiority complex- is now clan leader, and Dorian is his right hand.

But there is a darkness inside Dorian that he cannot get rid of. He can barely sleep, he hears the whispers of the dead day and night as his control over the power he created begins to break, and he’s become an alcoholic to cope with the fear and horror inside his soul.

Yrene comes to visit, claiming she is there to speak to Aedion. In reality, Rowan has sent her to beg Dorian to move to Cloud Recesses and be cured of the curse of his powers. Yrene invites Dorian willingly. He rudely turns her down and Yrene essentially tells him that he needs to avoid Rowan, lest Dorian drag her brother down with him.

The relationship between Dorian and Aedion becomes increasingly strained. Aedion knows something is wrong with Dorian, that he’s on edge and hurt, but Dorian won’t talk and Aedion is more worried about rebuilding his clan.

Fenrys arrives one day to shyly invite Evalin (and her brothers) to the hunt. He is awkward and apologetic for what happened during the War- the whole public humiliation thing.

Ever since they were kids, Evalin loved Fenrys quietly. But he would always torment and torture her- insulting her loudly to anyone who would listen. Evalin still loves him, but she doesn’t want to be hurt anymore, so she avoids him.

Still, they accept the invitation.

Obedient to Yrene’s previous order, Dorian avoids Rowan. Still, Rowan seeks him out.

They wander the forest together, talking. It seems like Dorian might finally be willing to let Rowan try to heal him.

But then they chance across Fenrys... and Evalin.

All Dorian sees is that Evalin looks distressed and unhappy and he attacks Fenrys. In reality, Fenrys was trying to confess to Evalin that he’d grown to love her and was apologizing for being a dick.

Everyone converges on their location quickly, and Dorian is insulted by Fenrys’ cousin, called nothing more than the son of some servant.

Evalin- always kind and warm and gentle- explodes. She reams the cousin (Fenrys gets a bit of an awkward boner) and Dorian is left nearly crying in rage. Still, he manages to contain his power.

Evalin is walking with Fenrys’ mother- under Dorian’s distant guard. Fenrys’ mother was Maeve’s best friend, and she too hates Dorian. She tells Evalin that she needs to throw Dorian aside and stop treating him as a brother, because people will whisper that Dorian and Evalin are having sex. Not only is this disgusting- Dorian and Evalin consider one another siblings- it sounds like a threat. Like Fenrys’ mother will start these rumors as a way to force Evalin to Fenrys’ side.

Dorian is angry and ashamed that he could be used to hurt his sister’s reputation, and he runs off. In the city he finds Nehemia, a beggar starving and alone.

Dorian finds out that the clans have begun a genocide against anyone who followed the Wen Clan, no matter that most of them only did so because they were enslaved in the first place. Nehemia escaped, but Chaol was taken by them and she’s desperate to find him again.

Dorian blasts into a banquet and uses his power to force Fenrys’ family to tell him where Chaol is being kept- in a forced labor camp. Despite being told to stand down by Aedion, Dorian attacks the camp with Nehemia.

Inside, Dorian finds a massive field filled with the corpses of innocent civilians. Farmers whose only crime was living in Wen territory. They were experimented on, as Fenrys’ father is desperate to create a weapon to rival the Stygian Tiger Seal Dorian holds.

And in the middle of that field, impaled, is Chaol.

Dorian loses his mind. Chaol was the kind child who helped him time and again, but he was beaten and impaled, experimented on by Fenrys’ clan (at some point I should point out that Fenrys had zero knowledge of this).

Dorian kills most of the guards, and unleashes his power to fill Chaol with hateful energy, reanimating his corpse in order to let that kill those who murdered him. A sort of revenge for the dead boy.

But Dorian realizes he cannot seem to control Chaol. Nehemia screams at Dorian that Chaol wasn’t actually dead. He was still barely breathing, within minutes of actually dying. What Dorian did to Chaol locks his soul inside his body, turning him into a sentient corpse. Filling him with resentful souls of the dead magnified his power and is devouring his soul.

Rowan comes to stop Dorian from attacking the camp- too late. He tries to block Dorian’s path, to stop him from freeing the prisoners. He begs Dorian to stand down, to just obey the will of the other clans.

Dorian would rather die than stand aside and allow genocide to pass unchallenged.

Dorian tells Rowan he’s willing to fight him to the death. He knows he won’t win- no matter Dorian’s power he doesn’t have that golden core, and cannot be as strong in an honest fight. But dying at Rowan’s hands- that wouldn’t be so bad. He respects and trusts Rowan, if Rowan killed him it wouldn’t hurt as much as if others did.

Rowan stands aside and lets Dorian pass. Dorian leaves with Chaol, Nehemia, and any surviving farmers from the prison camp. Included in their group is Evangeline, a loving and warm toddler left an orphan. Evaneline is sort of Chaol and Nehemia’s cousin.

Dorian takes the group into the Burial Mounds. He can use his power over that terrifying land to keep the Wen survivors safe, and the evil power of the lands will keep out any others.

Knowing he put his brother in a hard spot with the other clans, Dorian allows Aedion to enter the Burial Mounds, to see that they are just going to live peacefully as farmers inside. Chaol, a terrifying new monster, is kept unconscious and is heavily warded against his own power. Dorian is trying to lure Chaol’s soul back to the surface, to reawaken the man before a hateful spirit takes his body and turns him into a feral zombie.

Aedion tells Dorian that for the sake of peace, he needs to draw his sword and slaughter the Wen. Aedion even offers to help- they’ll kill every last person. Evangeline included, just to save Dorian’s reputation.

Dorian rebuffs him in disgust, and Nehemia- who Aedion once loved- is also disgusted by what he’s become. Dorian tells Aedion to tell the world that Dorian defected violently, and breaks Aedion’s arm (Aedion runs him through with a sword and nearly kills him- the blow would have been healed easily if Dorian had a golden core but Aedion doesn’t know he has none).

After a while, when visiting the nearby village looking for groceries, Dorian and Evangeline find Rowan. He’s come to the Burial Mounds looking for Dorian.

Rowan hates that he stood against Dorian that day. He wants to know that Dorian is alright. Needs to know if he’s okay. Rowan falls for the charms of Evangeline too, buying her toys to play with and carrying her around as he wanders with Dorian.

As they dine together, one of Dorian’s charms burns in his hand- a warning that something is wrong at the Burial Mounds. Dorian, Rowan, and Evangline rush back and find the resentful souls attacking. Dorian was gone too long- he needs to stay there constantly to pacify the souls and maintain the peace to keep it safe for the Wen.

The disruption has riled Chaol, who is attacking as a vicious Feral Zombie. Rowan helps Dorian subdue him, and under Rowan’s calming power, Chaol is able to break past the other resentful souls inhabiting his body and regain consciousness.

He is now The Ghost General, an unbeatable force, but still very much a boy who just wants to do his big brother (Dorian) proud. Chaol is another Good Cookie. He is frequently playing with Evangeline, who calls him “uncle” rather than “cousin”.

Dorian tells Rowan that he’s fine, that nothing bad will ever happen, and he isn’t worried about the other clans. With reservations, Rowan leaves.

A few months later, while Dorian is again in town buying groceries (this time with Chaol), he looks up to find Aedion standing across from him. Aedion brings Dorian to a secluded inn with a high wall and a black-cloaked figure inside.

The figure turns around and removes their cloak, revealing Evalin in the colors of Fenrys’ clan. Fenrys has been kind and warm to Evalin, and even spoke up for Dorian a few times when his father wanted Dorian hunted. For this- and for his continued efforts to make up for the mean things he’s said in the past- Evalin let herself fall in love with Fenrys.

Now, they are to be married. Dorian and Aedion had always sworn as children that they would make sure their beloved big sister had the perfect wedding and looked like a princess. It was important to Evalin that Dorian therefore see her in her wedding dress, though it is too dangerous for him to attend the ceremony. She wants to eat with him as family, to help Dorian and Aedion bury their resentment.

Evalin also asks Dorian to pick a name for the son she will one day have with Fenrys. Dorian is touched- and then Evalin reveals it was Aedion who suggested giving Dorian the chance to name his nephew (Everyone has two names, so this would be his Formal Name used as a sign of respect). Dorian picks a name.

Evalin also gives food to Chaol, showing she is unafraid of this boy who had saved her in the past as well. She is kind and warm to Chaol, and he is devoted to her in a second.

Evalin and Aedion offer Dorian a way to return home, but he won’t abandon this new family. The Burial Mounds seem to be healing something inside Dorian that was broken. His control is improving, he is happy again, and filled with purpose.

But after Dorian returns, leaving Evalin and Aedion behind... Nehemia can see how upset he is. How much he regrets missing his sister’s wedding and how much it breaks his heart to be away from all his friends. He won’t leave their clan, he wants to protect and care for them, but it is still hard on him.

A year passes. Dorian becomes a father to Evangeline, and all the Wen love him dearly. While getting groceries in town, Nehemia picks up a letter that was left in a special location. The letter is from Rowan to Dorian- the first communication since he visited so long ago.

Evalin has been working on Fenrys, Fenrys on his family, and Rowan on everyone else (with minimum help from Aedion).

Evalin has given birth to a baby boy. Fenrys and Rowan together have managed to convince everyone to allow Dorian to attend the party to celebrate this wonderful moment. It is the first step to healing the rift and allowing not only Dorian to return to the world, but also the Wen he’s hidden away with. Everyone can be safe and happy again.

Dorian prepares a gift for the baby and leaves the Burial Mounds with Chaol. He wants to show everyone that Chaol is a warm and kind person, not to be feared. Chaol can be proof that his people are no threat, and everything can be set right again.

But unknown to anyone, Connall has been working mischief. He’s cursed Fenrys’ cousin, but in whispers framed Dorian as the one who did it (Btw, since Connall ended the war and landed the killing blow on Cairn, he was recognized by Fenrys’ father and became a member of the family).

Fenrys hears his cousin left with an army. He reassures Evalin that everything will be fine and hurries to stop his cousin, protect Dorian, and make sure this peace they are working towards will last. It’s his baby gift to Evalin to heal her family.

But Connall has also taught himself Dorian’s unique magic.

Dorian unleashes Chaol to stop the army Fenrys’ cousin sent to attack. Fenrys arrives and is talking everyone down when Connall- hidden in the shadows- uses a flute to steal control of Chaol while Dorian is distracted.

Chaol kills Fenrys, seemingly at Dorian’s orders.

Dorian is dragged back to the Burial Mounds by Chaol once he regains control of his own mind. Dorian is screaming in grief and rage. His sister’s husband- the man she loves and the father of her child- is dead at Chaol’s hands. Dorian doesn’t know what to do, he is driven mad in grief.

Nehemia realizes what happened. That it wasn’t Dorian’s fault, and not Chaol’s fault. People keep dying or being hurt because of her clan, and Dorian is willing to go to his own death protecting them. She doesn’t know about Connall, she thinks simply that it’s time to recognize that Chaol is no longer human. Before he can hurt anyone else, she needs to let Chaol go.

Nehemia drugs Dorian, paralyzing him. The Wen have a meeting, and Nehemia tells Dorian that they’ve all decided what to do to repay his love and care for them over the past year. She thanks him, and before Dorian can break through the paralysis she sedates him heavily.

Nehemia, Chaol, and the rest of the Wen go to Fenrys’ clan and turn themselves over.

Dorian wakes alone. He runs to Fenrys’ clan seat and finds his sister cradling her baby and crying over her husband’s coffin. He is chased away by guards before he can speak to her, but she shouts out for him.

Dorian loses control of his power entirely, it wraps around him and screams at him. He’s lost everything and hurt the people he loves. Everything is his fault- he was the one who lost control and killed Fenrys, he was the one who swore to Rowan so long ago that he was able to contain everything and no harm would come from his power.

Dorian knows the various clans are meeting again- all the way back where it all started. The Wen capitol, where they are gathering to prepare to hunt him down and kill him. When Dorian arrives, he sees the bodies of the Wen strung up over the gates. Despite them being innocent of any crimes- even of what happened to Fenrys, they were all slaughtered.

As for Nehemia and Chaol- they were burned alive, on display in front of everyone. Even Aedion did nothing to save her.

The loss and grief and rage drive Dorian well and truly insane. They all called him a villain for daring to stand against genocide, and in the end he destroyed everyone he loved. Even the Wen are now dead because of him- even Evangeline, that happy and lovely toddler that he considered his child.

Dorian unleashes his magic against the other clans assembled. Manon and Yrene as well- everyone is his enemy now. He doesn’t allow his spirits to attack Aedion or his clan, but other than that he invites the slaughter. They said he was evil, so he will die an evil death.

Rowan arrives late. He battles Dorian, but refuses to try and kill him as Dorian wants. He only says that there is something Dorian doesn’t know.

But then a second flute sounds. Connall (ok it’s not Connall but one of his minions who does all the flute playing but we’re condensing them all under Connall) wrestling control of Dorian and making things a hundred times worse.

As Dorian loses control (and everyone thinks he’s doing this on purpose) he hears his name screamed from the battlefield.

Evalin, who followed after him (leaving her son behind don’t worry). Evalin is struck by one of the spirits Dorian has lost control of and falls. Aedion and Dorian both reach her, and Aedion holds her up. She is grievously injured, but may be healed. Dorian kneels in front of her and begs forgiveness.

As Evalin cups his face and is about to tell him that she knows it wasn’t his fault she sees something behind him and shoves Dorian out of the way of a soldier’s blade. The strike that was meant to kill him kills her instead.

Dorian erupts.

He kills the man who killed Evalin, and rises above all the other soldiers. Their hatred for him is rooted in their desire to have his weapon from the original battle, the Stygian Tiger Seal. So Dorian will give it to them. He throws it into the crowd and laughs as these “righteous” warriors start slaughtering one another to have it. Even allies will kill each other just to be the one to hold the Stygian Tiger Seal.

As they kill each other, Dorian readies to play his final prank:: He will throw himself off the cliff. The power of the seal is tied to his life force. When he dies, it will turn to ash in their hands and those other clans will have killed for nothing.

Dorian throws himself from the cliff but he is caught by Rowan. As he is telling Rowan to let him die and be at peace, Aedion arrives.

Aedion pulls out his sword to kill Dorian, but he won’t look at his brother when he strikes. He closes his eyes, and his blade instead becomes wedged in a rock. Dorian realizes that if Aedion rips his blade free, he will slice off Rowan’s arm on accident.

Not willing to have any other sins to his name, Dorian rips his hand from Aedion’s just in time and falls to his death.

In his last moments before he hits the rocks below the cliff, Dorian closes his eyes and smiles, finally at peace.

---

The survivors of the slaughter will insist Dorian killed everyone there. Even those who killed each other fighting over the seal are added to Dorian’s body count. Fenrys’ father, without an heir, makes Connall the new Clan heir. Fenrys’ father dies shortly after, and Connall takes control.

Connall doesn’t want much to do with Evalin’s son, so he is largely raised (and spoiled to become a hateful, rotten, arrogant man) by Aedion.

Manon loses control of her power, goes insane, and her veins begin to burst. Lysandra tries to go to her but is held back by Connall to “protect her”. Manon tries to attack her, then disappears.

In reality she is captured by Connall, cut into pieces, and her body hidden in sections across the world. Despite Manon only formally being missing, Lysandra knows she is dead and is made Clan Leader (you just don’t survive publicly bursting veins, even if there is no body they know she’s dead).

Lysandra seems to accept her new role and looks like she’s failing at it. She’s kind of a weak idiot, like everyone always knew her to be.

In secret, Lysandra finds the spirit of Manon’s blade (something powerful weapons have) and realizes that Manon was murdered. Lysandra pieces together that it was Connall who killed Manon, then realizes it was Connall who also killed Fenrys’ father, Fenrys, Evalin, and many others.

During this time Connall also marries and has a child. But Connall realizes that his wife- unknown even to her- was another child of Fenrys’ father, making her his sister. Their child is born with incest-baby-mental-troubles. Realizing this, Connall kills his own child. Lysandra also learns of this.

Aedion and Rowan refuse to believe that Dorian is truly dead as no body was found (the body was found by Lysandra during the battle itself- Manon was at the fight but Lysandra was standing by and saw Dorian jump. She took his body, realized he wasn’t dead, and keeps him in a medically induced coma (sort of, this is all up for interpretation and is not addressed)).

Aedion is hunting down Dorian to kill him, fueled by his own rage and hatred after Evalin’s death.

After the battle, Rowan is detained by his own clan for standing at Dorian’s side and always trying to protect him. He is whipped 300 times, leaving his body heavily scarred, and is confined to live in the woods on the mountains for three years. Left to fend for himself and survive on his own.

Once he is free Rowan becomes a hero in the world. He throws himself at chaos, both hoping to find Dorian there saving people and also trying to atone for the incredible guilt and grief he feels towards Dorian for not standing by his side sooner.

---

Sixteen years after Dorian’s death, Lysandra is ready to take her vengeance against Connall. She teams up with yet ANOTHER bastard son of Fenrys’ father (if you haven’t figured it out, he was a womanizer and rapist), this one driven insane and dumped back at home.

They enact a curse Dorian had theorized of before he died, in which one person’s body is consumed to heal another with extreme injuries. Dorian’s body is smuggled into this man’s house and he uses the curse to resurrect Dorian, with an order that Dorian “kill him for me” (meaning Connall but he never says).

Lysandra will remain in the shadows, with no one knowing she exists. Still, she unleashes the hate and rage filled blade spirit of Manon’s sword. At the home during this time is Elide and her friends. Elide is the strongest and most beloved disciple of Rowan. His adopted daughter, in fact.

Elide is as warm and loving and kind as Evalin once was. She immediately warms to Dorian, who is pretending to be the madman who died to resurrect him, and is kind to him. Dorian helps Elide survive long enough for Rowan to show up.

Rowan realizes what the spirit is in the blade- that of the missing clan leader. In the commotion, Dorian slips away.

Dorian runs into them again not long after- and Aedion and Evalin’s son are both there too. They think Dorian is just a random crazy man (he wears a mask) and attack him. Dorian is helped by Rowan, who is there with Elide, but he quickly runs away.

A monster appears, and Dorian is forced to cut a quick flute and play to try and save everyone from being killed. Elide feels this song is familiar somehow, but cannot place it. Dorian feels a resentful spirit nearby and weaponizes it. The monster is killed, and Dorian is shocked to find Chaol standing in front of him with black eyes. Chaol is not sentient anymore, but he vanishes before Dorian can figure out what happened.

Dorian playing the flute and summoning Chaol made everyone immediately suspicious that he is, in fact, Dorian. He pretends to be the madman, and is backed by Elide and her friends. He helped them before, after all.

Just as Dorian is trying to flee, he is caught by Rowan.

Using his power to summon Chaol hurt Dorian, and he collapses in Rowan’s arms.

Rowan brings Dorian back to Cloud Recesses, removes his mask, and leaves him to sleep and recover on his own bed. Rowan will not say how relieved he is to see Dorian again, but he is forever gentle and kind to Dorian now. Rowan had realized before Dorian died that he’d fallen in love with his friend, and he has been devoured by grief for the past 16 years.

Rowan and Dorian team up and quickly start to unravel the truth of what happened so long ago- that it was Connall who killed Fenrys and Evalin, and that Manon was later killed by him too.

They realize that Connall has found a single remaining piece of Stygian iron, and is trying to recreate the Stygian seal that Dorian destroyed when he died. Dorian and Rowan work together to expose Connall to all, systematically destroying his dark forces hidden in the shadows.

Yrene refuses to believe her beloved Connall is evil, and is taken hostage because of it. Dorian grows closer and closer to Evalin’s son, the nephew he never got a chance to get to know. With Dorian as a friend, Evalin’s son becomes less arrogant, and even makes friends with Elide. Evalin’s son has been friendless, and now with friends he becomes a better man.

Dorian likes Elide- this child Rowan raised. Still, Elide reminds him of poor little Evangeline, who was murdered with her family. Dorian begins to see flashes of Evangeline’s spirit, and they make him endlessly sad.

Eventually Connall is exposed. He takes Aedion, Dorian, Rowan, and Elide, Chaol, and Yrene hostage. Yrene loved Connall, and is horrified she was duped. Aedion finally screams at Dorian, airing all the hatred he kept buried in his heart for so long.

Chaol revealed to Aedion the truth of what happened- that Dorian turned to black magic because he gave his core to save Aedion’s life. Aedion’s real wrath towards Dorian was that Dorian abandoned him for the Wen. Right or wrong- Aedion was a scared new Clan Leader, a man who never thought he was good enough suddenly had all this responsibility. He needed Dorian by his side, and admits he both hates and loves Dorian.

Collapsing in tears, Aedion says he doesn’t need Dorian’s apologies... and begs his forgiveness. The rift between the brothers is healed, though they cannot go back to the way they were before. Still, there is the peace Evalin would have wanted.

Lysandra appears and unleashes Manon’s blade again (while looking innocent, she never reveals it is her). The blade quickly loses control though and accidentally attacks Evalin’s son. Chaol grabs the blade with his bare hands, willing to die to protect Evalin’s son and Aedion.

By now they know Chaol didn’t willingly kill Fenrys, but the act of trying to save Evalin’s son earns him Aedion and Evalin’s son’s forgiveness.

Aedion also reveals that while he never found Dorian’s body, he did find something else. He throws to Dorian his flute- the one he crafted sixteen years ago. Aedion has kept it secretly hidden all these years, unable to give up his own hated hope that he would be reunited with his brother one day.

Dorian captures Connall, but that isn’t good enough for Lysandra. She pretends Connall is about to attack her, forcing Yrene to murder Connall. The man she loved. It is now that Connall realizes Lysandra orchestrated everything, though Lysandra claims he is lying.

Yrene will never forgive Lysandra for making her kill Connall. Lysandra will never forgive Yrene for trusting Connall, leading to Manon’s death. No matter how many times Manon told Yrene Connall was dangerous.

Dorian is finally- FINALLY- at peace. It is Dorian who realizes Lysandra was the one standing in the shadows all this time, and that Lysandra did it all to avenge not just Manon, but Dorian as well. Her friend she never lost faith in all those years ago.

Now that the danger is passed, Chaol and Elide come to see Rowan and Dorian. At this time they reveal what really happened in the past--- when Chaol, Nehemia, and their people went off to their deaths they never took Evangeline with them. They left her with Dorian, hoping that having his beloved daughter to protect and raise would help stop Dorian from trying to take revenge for their deaths.

But when Dorian woke he launched himself out of the Burial Mounds and never saw Evangeline sleeping twenty feet away, where she’d crawled behind a rock.

After Dorian left the Burial Mounds to find Evalyn, Rowan arrived and found Evangeline alone. At this point some days had passed and she’d grown ill eating unsafe foods (as a toddler she’d eat ANYTHING, even if it was dangerous).

Rowan took Evangeline to Cloud Recesses to be healed, costing him valuable time. That was why he arrived late to the massacre Dorian was waging. What he had tried to tell Dorian at the battle when he said something had changed-- that there was now something for Dorian to live for.

Evangeline’s memories were destroyed by the fever and Rowan raised her as his daughter Elide. When Elide heard Dorian play his flute to stop the monster when they first met, it jarred her memories and she started to remember her past. Chaol knew her on sight to be his lost cousin.

Chaol and Elide go off to return to the Burial Mounds and build a memorial to their lost family members. Dorian and Rowan return to Cloud Recesses and choose to live there forever (in the novel they are married at this point).

And as a final gift- because of the curse used to heal Dorian, he was granted a golden core as well. Not in the show but mentioned by the author, Dorian will manage to regain all the power he once had an more, until he and Rowan reach the absolute peak of their warrior kind and ascend as immortal heroes.

The two will watch over the world as husband and husband for thousands of years, in love and at peace, with Dorian never abandoning his dark power but using that darkness to bring light to the world.

Goddamn that was a long one.

#Anonymous #the untamed #throne of glass #my writing #jfc that one was hard #ask

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