#.*·ﾟ✧・A THOUSAND GENERATIONS LIVE IN HER NOW. — ⟨ *&. POST-CANON. ⟩

[spliffymae]

rapper!onyankopon.

just some head canons i have.

in my head im imagining a blend of dave and fridayy, where he can sing as well (he got variety!). same universe as my musicproducer!connie fic but reader is not famous here, as opposed to w/ connie’s. (lol i gave her a last name too—davis.) in my mind, im picturing ony from the uk and connie from ny.

★　*　　°　　　　🛰 　°. 🌓　•　　.°•　　　🚀

rapper!ony who first pops up on the scene in a music video of his friend connie’s song. he wasn’t featured on the track, but rather just in the background getting hype with everyone else.

but y’all know how the girlies get when a fine black man/woman/person start trending.

rapper!ony who wasn’t shy about his craft, but just wasn’t big on social media. his agent hated it, he loved it. he simply released music, let people know, and then went about his business.

rapper!ony was trending and although he didn’t take this as an opportunity to get in his social media bag, his best friend, musicproducer!connie did!

rapper!ony who goes from a couple thousand people knowing what he does to over a million people screaming his lyrics at they’re phones on tiktok in ONE night.

“bro, you can’t even get mad at me gang!” connie yelled from his shower. ony was sitting outside, accosting his friend for what he did. “you said you didn’t care what happened to the project!”

“but tell me if you gon post it and make it a whole thing, nigga damn!” ony yelled back.

rapper!ony who now has to adjust to his quickly rising popularity. he has yet to know the number of artists looking for a feature; and he doesn’t know that he secretly has some of these industry boys shaking in their boots because where the hell he come from?

no, rapper!ony is too busy focusing on whyyy they’re a million fan edits of him across tiktok and instagram. clips of him from his streams, connie’s videos, and his other friend’s content.

ony groans as connie’s message banner pops up on his phone, the message being a link to a tiktok. when he clicked it, it was a fan edit of him using his song ‘when it comes to you’. “bro, who keeps sending these to you, man?!” ony exclaimed. connie heard it from his room and snickered.

rapper!ony who had to adjust to being the attention at these red carpet events. he usually just walked behind connie and his girl, along with the rest of the entourage but now he is getting stopped for photographs.

there’s nothing like listening to music live. so rapper!ony puts on a fake smile and pushes through the crowded carpet to get inside. he waves to people he’s worked with, artists, and fans who called out to him. all so he can hear some music.

he sees connie holding hands with his girlfriend, both of them making goofy faces at the cameras. he softly smiles at the couple, but before he could make way, connie somehow senses him and turns to him “ony! ven aquí!” damn!

rapper!ony who doesn’t expect much from the awards show. just to go, support connie, and go home. he was nominated,yeah, but he was also in the category with some of the most popular artists right now…so he wasn’t feeling all that confident.

rapper!ony who is shocked as shocked can be when his name is called from the podium for best new artist.

“F**CK YEAH!” connie yelled, jumping up from his seat along with his girl and the rest of the table—aran, zora, jean, armin, and mikasa.

rapper!ony who walks up on stage with connie who is still screaming from excitement.

“uhhh, i’m not gonna lie, mans weren’t expecting to win still.” ony laughed, running a hand over his fresh waves. the audience laughed with him.

“first i would like to thank God, the most high who has blessed me with this amazing opportunity. i want to thank my people for having my back; connie—this man,” ony pointed behind him to connie, who was full out filming the moment on his phone.

“who told me on a random day when we were cleaning out our college dorm room that if we made a project together we would be the new heartthrobs of the generation. connie i thank you for being you; having my back and working alongside me. my brother for life, that is.” connie screamed, and so did his girlfriend from the audience as the claps poured in.

“and finally, i want to thank my heart in human form. the woman who made all of this possible, y/n davis. she don’t like the attention so im gonna hear bout this name drop when i get home. but babes, i love you, and thank you for being my rib. i owe you the world and more. and to her parents, thank you for my better half. thank you lot again. love!” ony raised his hand with the award, smiling and waving to the crowd and cameras as he walked to the back.

meanwhile, across the country, cuddled up in her bed was y/n, who was watching the award show before going to sleep. she had expressed to ony she wasn’t too sure about going, not liking the cameras and attention. he reassured her it was okay because there wasn’t any way he would be winning with who else was in the category.

so…safe to say when you saw your boyfriend on the stage with the award in his hand, you could not contain your shock and excitement. you jumped out of bed screaming and quickly getting to your phone camera to record the tv. squeals and “yeah baby” was all you could say as he gave connie his thanks.

but then… when you heard him say your name, for everyone around the world to hear, everything just turned to shock as your phone fell from your frozen hands, still recording. you were stunned. he said your name. your government name. on national television.

“ONY!!!”

[gyusimp]

Happy Birthday to me!

I finished what I had to do for now, and besides, I was feeling horny enough to write some smut! My birthday was 2 days ago, but here is the fic I planned to post on Feb 1st. The idea was thanks to @whisperhug97 so thank you very much for your suggestion, enjoy! 💜

⚠️WARNINGS: NSFW | Explicit content | Canon Gyutaro | Smut content | Hard s3x | A little kidnapping | Prostitution? (Just reader saving her own life) | MINORS DNI! | Read at ur own risk

You were broke, the job you currently had had caused you so much discomfort that you simply stopped coming without telling anyone. You made that decision lightly in a fit of fury thinking that soon someone else could employ you. You lived in the Entertainment District so sooner or later your skills with traditional makeup might come in handy, in a couple of weeks you'd be hired. But it had been 6 months since you lost your job and you needed the money more and more.

You got small tasks to do around the neighborhood but nothing completely stable, you only had to take care of getting money to pay the rent for your room and something that would take away your hunger during the day. You began to lose weight, the desperation of not knowing how you would survive the next day eating away at your brain until you were forced to take drastic measures. You knew someone at the Kyogoku house, where you worked temporarily some time ago, and you asked them to do you a favor. You tried to work as best as you could during that period to qualify for a permanent position but the Oiran Warabihime was too demanding and difficult to please so when you finished the agreed time they simply opened the doors for you to leave.

The plan you had now was difficult, even more so because it would have to be executed outside the eyes of the almost white-skinned girl. If she ever found out, you could imagine her tilted head looking at you with contempt and fury. Fortunately, you got the lady of the house to lend you a considerable amount of money to pay this month's rent and buy some products that you could resell to generate a little money that would help you stay stable for a while. Sales were good, but the time it took to recover the amount borrowed would not come from one day to the next and after 3 weeks, people from the Kyogoku House would knock on your door to collect the money borrowed. You explained to them a thousand times that you were still recovering it with your sales, but the same situation was repeated over and over again until 3 more months passed and the news reached Warabihime's ears.

Annoyed, she decided that you should pay one way or another, what did you think you were to steal like that with the money she earned? The next debt collector did not knock on your door, he simply entered through your window next to a long piece of fuchsia fabric with floral designs that wrapped your entire body with the necessary force to immobilize you and lose you in its folds. Everything was dark, the feeling of being swallowed and suffocated completely within the density of an unknown tunnel accelerated your breathing horribly, squeezing your eyes, you lost track of time. You didn't know if it had been hours or even days, you woke up feeling tired and with stiff joints, you tried to scream but your mouth was gagged and your eyes were blindfolded. Your waist and under your breasts were tight with something as were your hands and arms up, leaving you kneeling on the hard, dry ground. You were kidnapped, you didn't think this situation would get out of control but you should have assumed it was someone else's money.

Raucous laughter filled the room as you began to move, trying to get out of the grip of the fabric that pressed against your body.

"You look so pathetic, it's useless, any attempt is ridiculously useless." It was a male voice, shrill but hoarse at the same time, which made you feel chills down your spine. You heard barefoot footsteps approaching you, when you felt a hand pull your hair to shake your head mockingly. "Do you really think you could fool my sister? You poor stupid bitch!" He laughed again, carelessly removing your blindfold, messing up your hair.

Your vision was cloudy, not to mention everything was a little dark, but as your eyes recovered, you managed to make out a tall man in front of you, hair greenish and messy. Although he was quite strong in his arms and chest, his rib bones were visible above his thin waist. Inky black spots painted his face and body in a way never seen before in your eyes. The fear and uncertainty of what would happen now was killing you and you felt like very soon you would really be dead.

"I will take care of collecting every last cent with your blood, I will make you wish you had never set foot in this world..."

The man was approaching you menacingly, with a kind of bloody sickle in his hand while he grabbed your chin with the other. Your eyes were tearing and your mouth was sobbing under the gag, your terror of death was enormous, there was nothing more that scared you in this life than a slow and painful death and this man was willing to give it to you, but you were also willing to do anything to avoid any suffering. "Let me take this from you, pretty...I like hearing human screams as they watch me tear their stomachs open in front of their eyes." The man moved a hand and the gag in your mouth slipped, leaving your sobs uncovered. Your heart was beating non-stop and your soul was almost leaving your body when you watched the man's weapon rise above you.

"WAIT WAIT!! PLEASE WAIT!! I HAVE SOMETHING TO TELL YOU!!" You shouted desperately, catching his attention. Usually the boy never listens to the requests of his prey, but seeing a young and pretty woman like you so vulnerable before him, made him curious about what you had to say. He stopped his murderous movement and let you talk.

"Fast." He ordered. This was your chance, you had to do anything to save yourself, anything no matter what. You tried to calm your breathing and cleared your throat.

"I know I owe a lot of money to this house, I wasn't avoiding anything, I just couldn't get it at the agreed time." His yellow eyes stared intimidatingly at you. "I know I have to pay but I don't want to do it with my life...could it be...another way?" The tone of your voice changed drastically on the last sentence, still concerned but you managed to sound needy and agitated, in a sensual way. As you finished speaking, you looked the man straight in the eyes as you slowly opened your legs on your spot. Waiting for a response.

He didn't say anything, he just stuck his sickle into the ground and crouched in front of you. Your reaction worried you. But it was unpredictable when he started laughing madly.

"It's the most pathetic thing I've ever seen! Completely pathetic! Are you seriously willing to offer me your body so I don't kill you? To let someone as disgusting as me fuck you to spare your life?"

You didn't act on impulse, you had already slept with a friend in exchange for favors a few years ago so you were willing to do it if your life was at risk. The man approached you, his right hand went straight to the collar of your kimono to pull it down and leave your breasts almost completely exposed, making you gasp. This boy was not stupid, since he saw you you seemed attractive to him and he would have eventually taken you by force if his sister had not demanded that he kill you immediately, but since you were offering yourself, he was not going to waste the opportunity.

"W-What's your name?" you asked. He hesitated a little before answering.

"Gyutaro...why the fuck do you want to know that?"

"To know whose name I must moan and beg for more."

A smile formed on your opponent's face, but not just any smile, it was a dark and selfish smile, full of lust and mockery. With a single movement of his hands, Gyutaro made the obi around your body loosen to open your clothes and admire your naked body under your kimono, two other pieces of cloth adhered to your thighs to lift your legs and keep them open. It seemed like he was able to control that flowery obi.

"The amount you owe is very large girl, your payment will be according to that."

Gyutaro approached you, you could see the large bulge that had quickly formed between his legs under his pants, he moved his face towards you and began to lick and suck your neck vigorously making you moan as you felt his hot and wet touch. He continued with your shoulders and collarbones while massaging your thighs vigorously until he brought one of his hands to one of your breasts, squeezing the fat roughly making you moan loudly.

"Do you like it, you little slut?" He said, looking at your entire blush but you were nodding frantically.

"Y-Yes...continue."

Gyutaro squeezed both of your breasts, massaging your skin and positioning himself between your legs, he pulled down his pants and let his erect, wet tip rub sloppily against your lips and your wet center. His smile widened when he noticed your back arch slightly as you felt his member on your clit, making your juices begin to wet it. His hands squeezed harder until he left red marks from his fingers on your tits, your nipples were hard and rigid under his touch so he couldn't help but bend down and take one of them between his teeth to play with it and stimulate it with his tongue. He had his eyes fixed on your body, reveling in your soft but needy moans as he sucked and scored you hard. Your arms were still, bound tightly by the obi over your head, suppressing any urge to tug on his hair to signal him to continue.

The moment Gyutaro opened your labia with two fingers and started playing with your clit with his thumb made you close your eyes and tilt your head back.

"Aaah!! Yes, there, there Gyutaro....k-keep touching me there mmmhh..."

His touch continued and sped up, his short nails sliding between your hole making you clench and buck your hips. You felt the obi on your thighs move to spread your legs wider and you looked down immediately when you felt Gyutaro's tongue wrap around your clit, playing with it between his teeth, looking at you with a lascivious smile. The sight of him wedged between your open legs, with your pussy in his face and your face between your two breasts showing off your hard nipples was priceless. With his two thumbs, he took your lips and parted them to highlight your bulge between your wet and slippery folds, to fuck you needily with his tongue, making your hips stutter and your knees bend even more. Your taste was incredible, he had never tasted anything like it.

Gyutaro continued licking and sucking each of your folds while you melted between moans and obscene pleas to want to cum.

"AA-AAHHH!! Gyu-taro-oo-aaah! So, keep it up...you fuck me so good, so good! I wanna cum, I wanna cum...would you like me to cum now? Over, all over your face? Aaa-aaah- that I covered your mouth with all my orgasm?" You said, moving your hips up, bringing your pussy closer to him.

Gyutaro looked at you and wiped the remains of your juices from his chin before speaking. "Of course I would...but I would like more to feel you covering my cock, honey."

Gyutaro immediately got on his knees and without thinking twice he spread your legs wide open and spat on your pussy in a contemptuous manner, and then entered your hole without warning, in a single movement. You moaned loudly and obscenely when you felt his length pass through you, you could intensely feel how your walls stretched to try to take his size and contracted back around him to suck him hard. You knew your pussy was doing a good job when you saw him moan and curse, tilting his head back.

"Fuck...mmmhh, what a good cunt..." Gyutaro said, thrusting into you again to get deeper.

He loved the way you were moving and how submissive you were being underneath him. Gyutaro started touching your tits again as he bent down to suck your hard nipples and make you moan. His body trembled as your hole surrounded him tightly, so tight, making ropes of cum begin to leak into you, approaching his orgasm. That sensation led him to move faster inside you. It wasn't being so bad after all, you could be screaming and dying from the pain, maybe you wouldn't even be alive anymore, but now you were safe, being fucked by a demon but at least you were screaming in pleasure and not pain. This man had something special, you knew he was very dangerous but that idea was only turning you on even more, and even more so seeing yourself in this situation. You looked down and could see your open legs and lips receiving Gyutaro, watching your clit outside of you being pressed against his cock with each of his thrusts, hitting your most sensitive spot again and again until you were completely wrapped around him and you began to move vigorously, making your breasts bounce on you and letting all your juices come out on him, bathing him with your orgasm, forming a thick, white ring around his penis, dripping between your legs.

Gyutaro couldn't help but smile at having that thick, wet feeling on him, which led him to cum almost immediately the moment your walls clenched intensely and you milked him completely. Gyutaro covered you with his seed from the inside out, making you feel wet and slippery from the hot, white liquid poured into you, leaking out little by little through the folds of your center, arching your waist.

"AAAHH G-GYUTARO!!" You moaned, almost screaming. Your hips continued to move almost instinctively until he was satisfied and stopped using you. It seemed like he would never get tired but little by little his pace slowed down until his breathing calmed down.

"W-what...what's your name?" He asked.

“Y/n…” you answered tiredly.

"Well, Y/n, your debt has been settled..." At that moment Gyutaro pulled out of you without warning, making you moan as you felt his member rubbing along your walls until the exit, leaving you wet and empty beneath him.

The obi that was restraining your arms and legs was completely removed from your entire body, leaving you free. You thought Gyutaro would finally let you go or something, but instead of doing that, he grabbed your kimono and took it off completely. Even though he had just fucked you relentlessly, you noticed that his erection was not disappearing, actually, his tip was beginning to leak as he ran his fingers over his slit in a dirty way in front of you looking at your body. "But the interests are still missing..." he said, laughing with desire and taking your arm to turn you around and hover over you like an animal in heat.

Gyutaro inhaled your scent and began to rub his tip on your ass, pressing you to the ground. He would make up a valid excuse for his sister later, informing her that you were his new toy and she shouldn't kill you.

[sexiestpodcastcharacter]

Sexiest Podcast Character — Scripted Bracket — Round 4

Propaganda

Hera (Wolf 359):

I don't care if she's an AI with no physical form, she is HOT

my digital wife <3

oh it's always "i want a hot computergirl with poor cable management to glitch on my shit" and "i want to fuck her until she bluescreens" on this website until it's time to put your money where your mouth is. i have a post about usb penetration with tens of thousands of notes. i see the things you all say. you have a hot computergirl in front of you and this is how you all repay her? you would abandon her? prove yourselves as the computer sex website; vote for hera NOW!!!

Renée Minkowski (Wolf 359):

killed a man with a harpoon while bleeding from a gut shot. you can't argue with that kind of sex appeal

There is a scene where the main character Doug Eiffel expresses his surprise at the fact that Minkowski, his commanding officer, has a husband. It's probably intended to be read as "Oh wow, she's such an uptight and boring stickler for rules, how could she have found someone to marry", but in my heart it is because she's so butch that Eiffel's brain is short-circuiting trying to figure out how it's not a wife back home. That is sexy!

Commander Renee Minkowski didn't survive for five years on a collapsing space station where the LEAST of her problems were a mad scientist using her coms officer as a petri dish and a plant monster living in the walls, memorize all 1001 rules of Price and Carter's Deep Space Survival Procedure's and Protocols AND manage to gain Communication Officer Douglas "Dougie Fresh" Eiffel's respect to lose to some "sexy" British man. Go my followers! A vote for Minkowski is a vote for all women stuck in sci-fi horror space stations!

Vote Minkowski! What's sexier than a woman of authority? They call her "Sir" and they MEAN IT. She is in charge of this disaster. She IS the very model of a modern major general. She is everything to me <3

How dare you not add Renae’s monster hunting a plant monster for a month canonically in the sex appeal. For shame. Jk jk.

[educatingmerlin]

Hi and thank you if you answer this one!

Is it just me or does any content with Gwen/Elyan/both of them gets so much less attention from fandom?

ArWen is much less popular than Merthur, despite it being canon. As an artist, who loves drawing Gwen, it's sad to say that Gwen/ArWen arts don't get as much likes and reblogs than Merlin/Arthur. I don't even want to start on Elyan.

And I wanted to know what if it's about art quality? I tried many different stuff with Gwen. Fast and lively sketches, full rendered arts I spent hours and hours of my life, etc etc. Many experimental things to see if there's any difference. But a simple sketch with Merthur gets much more attention in just minutes :/

I can't understand if that's racism towards the character? Or people in fandom just generally love gay characters, absolutely ignoring one of the main characters who IS a female? ://

It really is frustrating to see. As an artist I, of course, love attention (there aren't much who doesn't). But I also don't want to be stuck drawing two same white dudes just to get more likes&reblogs, considering that I myself AM NOT a white man and I do want more diversity in art.

And there's this dilemma in what should I draw to satisfy fandom's needs or should I draw for myself only and suffer from no attention

Thank you for your submission and for sharing your experience.

I am sorry that you have had to go through this, especially with working countless hours making artwork only for it to go unappreciated.

First of all, it is important to know that this is not due to you personally or the quality of your artwork, but it is an issue with the fandom and how they interact with certain content. So please do not blame yourself!

What you have said is right. The fandom is largely dominated by fans of the white characters or non-canon ships (who are mostly white themselves). Whilst there are fans of Arwen/Gwen/Elyan, there are not nearly as many fans for characters such as Merlin, Arthur or Morgana.

Of course the racism has affected the situation too.

It is likely a mix of both things. As there are more fans for the white characters, they are only interested in seeing content of the people they love. This is not a bad thing, but it does impact the way they interact with content. And with racism they usually do not want to see any content of the Black characters.

With the fandom being majority Merlin/Arthur/Merthur fans it is pretty easy for them to gain a lot of interactions with their content and it has often led to certain posts becoming viral (or at least semi viral with thousands and thousands of reblogs).

It is a really difficult situation to be in when you are constantly trying to get your work out there and appreciated. The fandom needs to be a lot more welcoming to content which celebrates a wider part of the show and the characters.

I have a post about this planned which I will share soon but I am striving to do this within this page. It is so important to support creators and artists of color in the Merlin fandom.

For now, there are a few things that I would suggest:

Try to follow and interact with artists who also focus on Gwen/Elyan. Finding a circle where you are on the same page as other fans may be helpful in building up your page and interactions.

No doubt you are doing this already but make sure that you are tagging correctly. For example on Gwen artwork, do not solely tag Gwen related things. Often the hashtags for Black Merlin characters get bombarded with non-Gwen related posts. Many fans follow Gwen tags to see Gwen content but end up unfollowing as posts about her are usually lost in a sea of white Merlin characters.

Make sure you are on different social media platforms. I have spoken about this before but on each site, the fandom is different. One site may be more welcoming and supportive of your artwork than another.

I know this is difficult as this is something which is out of our control and we have to rely on others to support us. It would not surprise me if you have already tried these things, but if you have not, I hope that they do help.

I also hope that other artists share their own tips about this!

My future post will be asking artists what this page can do to help other artists (of color) in supporting them so please look out for it or feel free to submit something here.

[juni-ravenhall]

long post about ydris & circus worker / traveller / romani stereotypes (+ unrelated but related heterochromia)

(.... and sse's behaviour around one traveller-coded character and then of a masc-ish woman of colour while they dont do this with their plain white toast characters)

yasmin told me to write a post about this after i was telling her about it, so here it is.

first for canon: ydris is obvs pandorian, non-human, and his human form does not necessarily read as a specific ethnicity or cultural belonging (but i will get back to his looks later in the post!). he throws in french words but he is pandorian. why he speaks french (or uses it for flair?) is not clear from the lore afaik.

anyway. there are stereotypes about people who work in the travelling circus (or in any circus at all, depending). these stereotypes often go hand in hand with stereotypes about romani people and other travelling people. (im talking both about circus people of the past and present.)

here are some examples of harmful stereotypes about travelling people, circus people, and romani people (often these are founded in being an "outsider", people dont like to trust outsiders and consider them strange for not being exactly the same as themselves, aka xenophobia):

thief, criminal, dangerous

trickery, lying, cheating

seduction, enchanting (can come back to ^ trickery etc)

unreliable, untrustworthy

immoral, and/or follows other morals/laws than "the norm" in the places they travelled to [and this is seen in a negative way]

promiscuous, unfaithful

mysterious, intriguing

using magic / reading fortunes (these can be connected back to trickery, mystery, seduction...)

wild, untamed

"are they good or bad?"

speaks a foreign language or a secret language (and may use this to talk behind the backs of locals / to trick locals)

sexualised on behalf of above points (immoral, mysterious, seductive, enchanting, wild, untamed...)

objectified and/or dehumanised on behalf of above points (i think you get it by now.)

these stereotypes can affect people who are, for example, european or american white people who work in a travelling circus. however, romani people, on behalf of their ethnicity, can be affected by these stereotypes about nomadic people even if that romani person doesn't live a nomadic lifestyle, because these stereotypes about romani people persist as racist and cultural stereotypes even when you take the travelling out of the equation. (i think irish travellers also face the stereotypes regardless of if they live as settled or as nomads?)

now, i want to say some things about ydris looks before i move on with the topic of these stereotypes, but first its important to note that sso is a swedish game made by swedish people, and whats considered "white" or "white passing" in the US is not the same as what it is in scandinavia or northern europe (i cant speak for other parts of europe well enough so i wont). its also more like "what part of europe"-passing rather than just "white" passing.

in sweden, you're not going to meet hispanic americans or african americans, for example, but you will see romani people and kurdish people, for example, and ofc, polish people, estonian people, people from around the area.... the minority groups are different in europe vs the US (vs anywhere else ofc. i hope USamericans learn that nowhere else is the US and you need to stop projecting shit on other places). the idea of whats "swedish ethnicity" or "scandinavian ethnicity" or "european ethnicity" and so on are not equal to "white american ethnicity". remember that many white ppl here can trace back their history like a thousand years in the same country, while white ppl in america are generally like, "my great grandpa came from germany, my great grandma from poland, and my girlfriend's family came from ireland" and so on. theres a mash of different cultures and ethnicities, which isnt the average case for white people in europe. (please: obviously im not saying "everyone is this" just on average. plenty of ppl are mixed here, or have grandparents who moved here, etc.)

i am a swede with dark brown hair and dark brown eyes and i have experienced white ppl colorism (im still not sure if colorism is the right word, but i think so. however its mostly harmless idiocy, but frustrating to hear over and over). i dont mind it anymore, i just think its stupid, now, as an adult. and colorism(?) within white people is not at all as bad as racism that poc experience in the same country - just to be clear. the reason i bring it up isnt to say "boohoo me", but to try to explain what "white passing" or "swedish passing" is in sweden, from a person who literally is white but is not considered swedish enough due to having darker eyes and darker hair.

anyway! ydris has black hair. from a swedish developer and swedish audience perspective, black hair is enough to make a character read as "foreign". (thats why we had this whole tangent ^ above.) but, we also dont need to rely on a vague hint of foreignness, because he throws in french words, and he's from pandoria. and a lot of people will associate the travelling circus and ydris' wagon with romani culture to some degree, whether or not that's accurate (again, circus culture and romani culture and other nomadic cultures can become mixed up). the black hair ties well into the image of a travelling circus person.

ydris is a sort of "chaotic neutral" in the story so far. he has different intentions than the "heroes" and "villains" both, and he is largely self-centered (focusing on his own desires - tho he seems to care about pandoria as well - and he likely experiences different feelings than the average jorvegian does, and his sense of morals and social rules are different). now, im sure you can see how that ties back into some of the stereotypes ive listed: he's a foreign outsider who cant be trusted, he is mysterious, is he good or bad?, he tricks people, he behaves chaotically (wild)...... etc

he also comes across as flirty towards the player, which im sure you can see, ties back in to things from the stereotype list like seduction, enchantment, and being promiscuous. if it helps, consider Esmeralda from Hunchback of Notre Dame, as an example of the harmful stereotype of seductive romani. (i loved disney hunchback when i was a kid, and i also want to point out that that movie handles the topic of how esmeralda has to do things just to scrape by, and she is demonised in the eyes of a rich white religious man in power, who is evil, while she herself is a good person and being oppressed and dehumanised. just leaving that here as food for thought, not to really defend or cancel anything, but to encourage ppl to view things in a nuanced way. the stereotypes are harmful and disney is an evil company, but there are also parts in that story that are criticising the right things. then theres other parts that are just ??? )

also, there is a significant population of romani in france, but ofc there are romani across many countries. yasmin pointed out when we talked that french is also seen as a "sexy language" - so it kind of both ties into the "foreign traveller from further down in europe" and "seductive romani" by having him use a language considered "sexy".

ydris also has heterochromia (one light blue eye and one dark blue) which isnt related to the idea of the traveller, but it *is* considered "mysterious", "strange", and potentially "untrustworthy". this is ofc really weird - heterochromia is a real life condition that completely normal people have. having heterochromia shouldnt be portrayed as anything weird or special - there is nothing mysterious or strange about it, or something "untrustworthy" (playing into things like being two-faced).

if you go back up to the list of harmful stereotypes, keeping the things ive said in mind, and how ydris behaves in the game..... im sure you can understand what im saying about the bigger picture. the combination of living in a circus wagon, being mysterious and flirtatious and living by his own rules, being untrustworthy, having black hair, throwing in french words, theres a lot of things that maybe seem okay out of context, but when you put them together, to me, it makes it clear that ydris is like.... romani coded, or something close to romani coded, despite, yes, technically being pandorian, i get it, thank you, its not relevant, he is not real, the staff at sse are real and their biases are real.

theres nothing wrong in itself with being flirty or promiscuous or seductive and whatnot - or with fictional villains, or chaotic, untrustworthy characters - the problem is the stereotype of a group of real people. especially when you're passing these stereotypes on to an audience of impressionable children. why is ydris the character being handled this way? why is sabine the character to be handled this way? why dont they handle plain white toast characters this way?

an important point is that i dont think neither ydris or sabine are really sexualised within the game itself - the more blatant stuff happens on sse's official social media. ydris is sexualised to some degree in the way that he flirts: again, it alludes to the seductive romani person, even if its very mild flirting (the stereotype is still perpetuated). sabine is mostly not sexualised in the game, just hyped up in general, but the social media team keeps milking the fact that ppl are thirsty for sabine. the post is not really about sexualisation as the focus. its about general questionable or outright harmful design choices, that sometimes also has to do with sexualisation and objectification.

this, as usual, isnt about cancelling sso or sse. its about being analytical and critical about the media you consume, and about biases both from creators and from audiences. its about learning how to be more understanding and respectful towards other people. and about raising your voice and holding ppl accountable when they perpetuate harmful things (esp if its people in power, like companies, celebrities, and politicians).

personally, i dont think you arent allowed to think ydris or sabine are hot. its okay if they are your type or if you relate to them or whatever, because like, ultimately we're surrounded by all these characters and real people everywhere in media that are affected by biases. but i DO think you need to actually think about this shit if you are thirsting for sabine or thirsting for ydris. i dont think its great to just be like, omg, typical ydris, he tricked me again and then he seduced me, typical circus people. or to be like, wow, sabine is so hot and should step on me, beefy women of colour are scarier than beefy white women, thats so hot. do you get it? you can be attracted to these charas without being racist or xenophobic or misogynist or whatever, they just happen to be your type, and thats nice, but you do need to think about how you view them and why, and how you talk about them and why, bc a lot of people have biases they arent even aware to, and might not understand what kind of biases you perpetuate. example: how apparently most ppl didnt think about the romani / traveller stereotype implications of ydris so i had to write this post. stay woke and pay attention to potential harmful stereotypes in media, so i dont have to write this shit anymore

[novantinuum]

An outfit/height ref thing I did for fun, for a post canon OC riddled thing I've dubbed "Echoes of Chalcedony" that lives eternally rent free in my head and probably will stay there forever, barring the occasional art or lore post I make about it

Featuring:

Adult Steven and Connie- Steeb's like 20 and some change, and Connie is 19. Steven's now living somewhere out on the west coast of the country and Connie is neck deep in college. They still visit Beach City and are involved in Gem related matters/politics sometimes (the formal outfits are for an Era 3 anniversary ball, which Steven begrudgingly attends), but they have their own lives to live too.

A Gem-human hybrid OC I have named Jean Maverick. They're 18- and lived a very sheltered human life for all that time before seeking out the Gems at Little Homeworld... craving more understanding about the Gem half of their ancestry. The Crystal Gems are very baffled at the notion that another Gem-human hybrid existed on Earth this whole time, and they never knew about it.

(Visualized in the second image) One of the unique Gem abilities Jean harnesses over time is dubbed 'palette swapping'- in which they can consciously shift the hue of their features into a more Gem-like appearance, according to their gemstone type. This is likely caused by projected hard light from their gem snugly wrapping around their form like a glove. There is no practical benefit to this ability (in fact, it actually drains Jean's energy pretty fast), and it's theorized that it was born out of Jean's deep alienation from their human ancestry and their intense desire to shed this and simply be a Gem.

Past and current forms for my Gem OCs Tourmaline and Morganite! In the past, these two were highly respected on Homeworld and a romantic item. Tourmaline was an aristocratic Gem in Blue's court in charge of managing whole cuts of Gems for special functions and balls, and Morganite was a young general bequeathed to Pink Diamond at the start of her Earth colony. Thousands of years later, the two found themselves fighting on opposite sides of the same conflict... with Tourmaline defecting and becoming a Crystal Gem, and Morganite remaining loyal to her Homeworld to the very bitter end. There's... some feelings of intense betrayal here.

In the present day, Morganite ends up as an antagonist in Jean's story, unhappy with the status quo of this new era and prepared to tear it all down to the ground- although the particulars of her actions suggest she has some... alternative motives here, too. What could they be?

[itsclydebitches]

As usual I'm not saying anything new, but a comment @lazodiac left on another post of mine about Ruby's memorial helped me realize why I find that image frustrating. Putting aside everything in Volume 7 and 8, those debates about how RWBY is defining heroism and whether Ruby has lived up to those standards, even if I agreed with her every choice 100% I'd still have trouble swallowing that characterization.

Because of Ozpin.

I've talked a lot about how giving him the godly quest and personal motivations (curse + formerly married to Salem + dead kids + Maiden origins) severely undermines Ruby's position as the protagonist, but a side consequence of this is that every victory Ruby secures begs the question, "Why hasn't this happened before?" We're supposed to believe that a teenager almost no one knows said, "Please come together" after dropping the scariest shit imaginable—information that has canonically, consistently left characters broken with pessimism—and people just did that. The ships arrived, Vacuo is letting the refuges stay, people are mostly getting along despite Winter claiming otherwise, etc. It's already hard to swallow, but given that RWBY is fundamentally a show about that hope and shonen-esque inspiration, I could kinda buy it... If it weren't for the fact that Ruby apparently succeeded in thirty seconds where Ozpin failed over thousands of years.

The problem with Ozpin as a character is that he not only has the quest that should have gone to our protagonist, but he's had a staggeringly long time to make headway on it. We know thanks to WoR and Jinn that he was out there creating the Maidens, defending villages, waged a war, rejected being King, founded the huntsmen schools, created a secret group dedicated to fighting this war... and he was still met with unimaginable setbacks. People refuse to trust one another, his allies betray him, and Salem continually inches towards victory. That right there is a damn compelling setup. After so long and so much effort, how in the world will they finally make a difference by the end of the series? Is it simply a matter of minuscule progress over many more generations, or—as we expect from the show named RWBY—does Ruby Rose hold the key that will make all the difference?

But she doesn't! Ruby is in no way unique, except for in the ways that the story has come to ignore. It would make sense if Salem was introduced as an evolved grimm, or irrevocably grimm-esque due to her fall into the pool, and the world rallies behind Ruby because of her super duper rare silver eyes (best to get rid of the other characters who have them). They never had a weapon against Salem before, but now they do! Huzzah! All praise the chosen warrior who will deliver us from this evil! But obviously that didn't happen. There's no reason for the people to believe in her, especially when we compare Ruby's efforts to Ozpin's. Does the world know who she is? No, she's a virtual stranger. Do they know Ozpin? Yes, he's a renowned huntsmen and headmaster. Does Ruby tell people to trust each other in a way that's inspiring and reassuring? No, she leads with information that, again, consistently makes people give up for a long stretch of time and turn on one another. Does Ozpin? Yes, as a teacher he's specifically working to instill this message in each new generation of huntsmen. Is Ruby an inspiring martyr? Sort of, but she died falling off a magical bridge while everyone was too busy running for their lives to pay attention. Was Ozpin? Yes, he died in a crucial battle that the whole world learns about and responds to in a variety of different ways.

There's simply no persuasive reasoning here. Ruby inspires the world because she "has" to as the protagonist, not because that's in any way consistent with canon. This isn't a case of, "Oh, RWDE is upset that a woman is the hero." No, I'm upset that Ruby was cheated. She's supposed to be the star of the show! Give the girl a story that makes a lick of sense and allows the audience to feel like she's earned this moment of messiah-like devotion please. Ruby as a character deserves better than to make all those mistakes and then come out the other side successful only because her writers are retconning things like crazy behind the scene.

"Remember her message" is absurd when Ozpin has been preaching that exact message for multiple lifetimes. It's literally his goal and his primary motivation, something he's been working at for so long that you've GOT to do more to explain how Ruby managed to succeed in a matter of days.

Like, on a funnier note can you image wtf could be going through his head right now? "Oh, so I spend centuries doing everything within my power to bring humanity together, shouldering the backlash as people realize the secrets I keep, and then this kid keeps the exact same secret, looses two Relics, destroys an entire Kingdom that I helped BUILD... and the people start listening when she says to trust one another? Okay. Sure. I'm COMPLETELY cool about this. Hey, Oscar? How do you feel about screaming at the top of our lungs for the next three hours straight?"

[multiversal-madness]

Marcy and Simon Au - General Info

I’ve had many thoughts about this au so here’s a collection of some of those ideas.

Simon’s Kingdom is known as the Lost Kingdom, or Kingdom of Lost Things. It’s located in the same place the Ice Kingdom is in canon and is the oldest Kingdom in Ooo

It had started out as a museum of sorts where Simon, as an archeologist and antiquarian, began collecting things from before the war to preserve them. As time passed his collection grew and so did his ‘museum’, then he started letting people with nowhere else to go stay/work there and one thing led to another and the Lost Kingdom was founded

Unlike most kingdoms where the citizens tend to fit the element (fire, candy or slime people) or ‘theme’ (berry, hotdog, glass, etc people) of their respective kingdom, the lost Kingdom’s population is made up of a vast array of different species from all over Ooo

A few notable citizens include Gunter, Rattleballs, Tiny Manticore and Magic Man (I have an idea for how he changes in this au, but I’ll get to that in another post)

There’s also quite a few Ice/Snow people who live there since there isn’t an ice kingdom for them to live in (since the ice elemental wasn’t around for Ooo coming to be and Frostbite Queen not making a fully fledged kingdom)

Speaking of the Frostbite Queen herself, similar to Ice King, she doesn’t remember who she once was. The only thing she knows about ‘Marceline’ is that it’s what Lost King calls her, and she isn’t very fond of him

She doesn’t have her own kingdom, rather she tends to travel around Ooo and settle somewhere for a bit before moving again over the thousand years from when the crown fully took over her mind to the time the show takes place

Frostbite Queen had lived in the treehouse for a while before going elsewhere and eventually ending up in her cave

She doesn’t have an obsession with kidnapping princesses like this Ice King, instead she has the strong urge to protect what she thinks needs protecting and destroying any perceived threats to what she’s protecting

But she does tend to go overboard and see things in a very black and white way, you either need her protection, you’re a threat, or she doesn’t care/know about you

That’s it for now but I’ll probably post more info and art about this au sometime in the future. I’ve admittedly worked out Simon’s side of things more so than Marceline’s so things may change on her end of things. Feel free to send in asks about this au!

[sunnysssol]

🌙🍯🧀 for suzie!!! (from the oc ask :3)

Thank you for the question, friend (^-^)/💖 didn't expect anyone would ask for Suzie LOL but do remember I take them for canon characters too !!

🌙 (crescent moon) - Does your character have a moral code or a set of rules they have for themselves? If so, what made them adopt these morals or ideals? If not, why?

Not to ASOIAF-post but someone clocked Suzie as a Tully of Riverrun before and it's so real I fear. ISTJ Suzie sticks to "Family, Duty, Honor" as their morals, specifically the "duty" part even if the other two get a little murky at times. When they first became an Assistant, they were beholden to serve England and America (then the Thirteen Colonies). That was their duty, not just to themselves but their family. But eventually, when it became clear to them that they can't have both, Suzie chose the one they had always felt more personally towards rather than the one laid out by all those who came before them. They stopped spying on Alfred for Arthur, basically. And up until now, Suzie lives with duty as the double-edged sword in their hand. Family is more than just the people related to them by blood (hell, even Uncle Wilfred is 40 something generations apart from them, making the blood relation very, very thin), and honor is subjective.

🍯 (honey) - What are some reasons someone would like or get along with your oc? Are these positive traits something your oc is aware of?

Suzie is highly competent and sensible even when she ought not to be and even when she doesn't feel like she is. I feel like I've mentioned it a few times here but Suzie really just has a lot of common sense and that's a rare enough thing (at least in Clownville, Hetalia LMAO) that people naturally gravitate to them to take charge 😭 she won't be patronizing– she won't coddle you either and while I think it can come across as a bit harsh in the beginning, it's clear to see that's just how she cares for people. It's not hard to like somebody who consistently and reliably has your back :'] I think Suzie is aware of it, but she doesn't really know that it's the reason why people like her so much. She thinks people like her because of her connections and/or the fact that she's always "prepared for bullshit". Is it willful ignorance, or does she really not know? Who knows ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The question asked for traits and I focused on just one LOL but, here're a few quick others:

"Prepared for bullshit" — a thousand back-up plans, their car loaded with everything one could possibly ever need and a general sense of "I'm here, demons. Come and get me." are the building blocks to one Suzie.

Practical, but supportive — will honestly tell you if an idea is bad and could be asked to give you some ideas, but won't try to take control away from you.

Prudent and punctual — If they say they'll be there, they'll be there and be on time. Even if they said it was a bad idea or even if they'd feel out of place there because they show up for the people they care about :'3

🧀 (cheese) - What’s the funniest thing that your character has ever done? Alternatively, what’s the funniest thing that’s happened to them?

Aahh i'm weak with comedy auwhshdh but I feel like Suzie is somebody who isn't necessarily funny, they just become funny through sheer coincidental comedic timing or just on principle with how unbothered they can be when something may or may not literally be on fire just a few steps behind them 😭 maybe their very blunt and colorful way of speaking or the faces they pull after they promise not to judge? Suzie Live Reaction type beat. And she has called people "cunts" to their faces multiple times in various professional and non-professional settings despite her very businesslike personality. Suzie never gossips, if she has a problem with someone, they'll know almost immediately 😭

[2:38 AM] Everything and nothing is funny when your life and everything you have ever stood for and cherished is a joke 👍

[2:40 AM] you good baby???

[2:40 AM] I burnt my fucking eggs, Alfred

[2:40 AM] OH LMAO

[2:41 AM] Jesus what am I, a muppet??? It was on low too. Fucking hell

[2:41 AM] it's okay baby, i'd still love you even if you were a muppet

[2:41 AM] the cutest muppet on Earth 😂❤️

[2:41 AM] Can your love for muppet me un-burn my fucking eggs???

[2:42 AM] CALM DOWN BRO DAMN 😭 i'll get you some new eggs if you want some so damn bad

[2:42 AM] Hold on just lemme get dressed

[2:43 AM] Unless you want me with no pants on

[2:44 AM] 👀?

[2:44 AM] I'm good.

[2:44 AM] I just want eggs

[2:45 AM] You and those fuckin eggs 😭 ok okk

[stellerssong]

ok sorry the OTHER thing about lucienne is like. as previously stated she is dream's handpicked emissary from the waking world to the dreaming she's the diplomat in chief she's the translator she's the bridge. because the dreaming is, in a very real way, dream's own psyche, this is tantamount to giving lucienne a tremendous degree of access to his interiority and by transitive property also tantamount to entering into a deeply emotionally intimate relationship with her (unimportant for the purposes of this post whether that relationship is platonic or romantic).

now, in general, looking at the pattern of dream's close emotional relationships—dream doesn't share himself with people as a rule (beyond the access that all things that live have to the dreaming; but i'm talking about his self here, the one he doesn't like to acknowledge he even has), but when he does share with people, it's with people who have some shadow on the soul, so to speak. just looking at attested relationships in show canon, his deepest emotional connection seems to be with death, who embodies the duality of light and dark even better than he does himself. calliope is the muse of epic poetry—heroism and tragedy—and also bears the sort of divine pride that led her to cut dream off for hundreds or thousands of years when he wronged her. the less said about that other guy, the better, but he's no sunshine-rainbows-unicorns type—he's a soldier of fortune, a bandit and a killer, a man who profits from the sale of human life. even best bird matthew, in comix canon, had a sordid past that will maybe be partially retconned for the show but has still been gestured at.

dream likes the complicated ones. he's drawn to them. they speak to something in him that he won't acknowledge in himself (he has to be Whole, fully integrated, without reservation, because he is the king and he is the dreaming and if the dreaming ain't whole then the universe is in trouble—but he feels that ache nonetheless).

all that is to say: when people try to portray lucienne as dream's Designated Well-Adjusted Neurotypical Friend, i begin to harm and maim.

[banefultyrant]

I was going to wait on this and another post until I had his carrd completely finished, but here we go.

Enver Gortash & Morality // @banefultyrant

So this has been prematurely kicked off by this post stating, "Tragic backstory explains behavior but does not excuse it."

This is so true, and especially in regards to this disaster dumpster fire of a human being. Because he isn't just a dumpster fire. He's this level of dumpster fire:

Now, to my point.

Enver Gortash—as he will absolutely refuse to acknowledge his original name because of everything tied up in it—has been through a lot. Though I can't remember if it was ever openly stated, I would absolutely agree with general fandom consensus that his mother abused him. I saw a post floating around the other day about the difference between how his parents are treated in game, and I couldn't agree more. [ If I can track the post down again, I'll link it here as well. ]

He was, seemingly at a young age, then sold to a warlock because his parents couldn't settle their debts the right way. Whether his mother is telling the truth or not, she claims she either sold him or they forfeit all of their lives over the shop debt. [ Also, who in the hell were they in debt to that their lives were at risk because of their debt??? Was it actually debt from the shop, or from drinking or gambling? Or did they take a loan from Dangerous People to keep their shop running??? ]

From there, he then ended up at the House of Hope, where he was canonically tormented and tortured by Nubaldin simply because he was 'mischievous' and because Nubaldin found it entertaining.

"I used to work in the prison, ensuring no desirable people left the House of Hope. Now, I guard the portals to ensure that no undesirable people enter." [ Why don't you work at the prison anymore? ] "I made a mistake. Raphael doesn't tolerate mistakes. We had one houseguest by the name of Gortash, a mischievous little blot of a boy, and he slipped through my fingers." [ Gortash was here? Lord Enver Gortash? ] "Lord? Is that what he calls himself these days? The sniveling little shit. He was the son of a cobbler or somesuch meagre tradesman, sold to Raphael by his loving parents to pay off their petty debt. Lord indeed. I used to bruise my knuckles on his whimpering little face. I'd like to have snapped his neck."

So he escapes that literal hell because he just can't take it anymore. He winds up on his own, with nothing but his cleverness and his drive to never be at anyone's mercy ever again.

[ A lot more below the cut. ]

Now, his mother claims he was evil from the start, but I've not once seen any dialogue options that support that. She says he was always making a racket. She says he was too clever. But she never offers anything even remotely adjacent to explain her claim that he was evil out the gate.

[ Perhaps because she was and she simply didn't care for a clever little boy asking questions, pointing out when she was being unreasonable, or saying that he didn't understand why he was being punished when he did something that he's done a thousand times before and she never said anything then, et cetera. Abusers can never have the problem. The other person has to be the problem. The villain. The complication. The scapegoat. There's something wrong with the other person and that's why they are perfectly justified in doing what they do. ]

Regardless, you have a young boy sold to a warlock and placed in the House of Hope, and was apparently a 'desirable person' based on the fact that Nubaldin was in charge of making sure none of those left and when Gortash escaped, Raphael considered it a failure.

[ Considering how foresighted Raphael is in terms of potential, it makes perfect sense to me that he might even have witnessed how clever the boy was once, perhaps he had even stopped by to make clear to his parents that their debt was owed and he would see it paid, one way or the other. Perhaps he saw how Enver was treated and found it contemptuous that such people should be able to waste so clever a mind. Or, perhaps the warlock had done so on his behalf and relayed such information to Raphael who then had them to pass along that he would accept the boy as payment.

Now, though I won't project my thoughts onto anyone else's Raphael, as for my own over at @thishouseofhope , while people claim that 'Raphael loves only himself' coughcoughHaarlepcoughcough, that isn't true. Or, at least, not entirely.

I think Raphael has a hard time connecting with others enough to care anything about them in actuality, yes. But I think where that starts to falter is in cases where he sees a bit of himself or his own situation reflected back at him. Would he admit that? No. But he sees it all the same, recognizes the similarities even if only subconsciously. And though I haven't gone into much detail with Raphael's early years over there yet, suffice it to say a brilliant, clever mind stifled by and suffering under the shortsightedness, derision, and abuse of a parental figure? It would definitely strike a nerve, whether he intended or not, whether he acknowledged it or not. HINT: He most certainly would not. ]

Within my own canon, this meant Raphael saw Enver and saw something of himself reflected in the boy and his situation, and, as such, there was a certain amount of fondness for him, particularly with the potential he could see for the boy's future with so sharp a mind. In a verse with my friend on discord who writes Enver, that included Raphael taking him on as a protege. Had it not been for Nubaldin's pointless cruelty, I have little doubt that Enver might have come to enjoy his time at the House of Hope, as Raphael would always provided new things for him to learn both of practical and educational import, and Enver, who was clever to start, would have jumped at the chance to learn anything and everything he could, particularly if Raphael caught onto his interest in mechanics. No doubt Nubaldin said that the boy simply escaped, otherwise, had Raphael realized the cause, I don't know that Nubaldin would have survived to tell the tale. ]

But, as always, because I can't help myself, I digress.

We have a young boy with promise and potential who ran because he was being abused again and was terrified of remaining where he was, who refused to be at the mercy of anyone else ever again and set his mind on making certain that it never would happen again.

At some point, he throws in his lot with Bane. He starts to accumulate wealth and power and influence through whatever means. His mind, his body, his blood and sweat [ but never tears, because he won't cry anymore, won't show that weakness ]. He will do whatever it takes to ensure that no one can ever harm him again, that no one has the power to do so. And how does one do that?

You make certain that you are the most powerful. Powerful enough that no one can touch you.

Free will, is the problem. That becomes evident to him shortly into his worship of Bane. No matter how many laws and rules and punishments exist, there will always be people who still choose to suffer them—because they could, because it was worth it, because they didn't care, because they didn't think they would be caught, et cetera. So long as free will might exist, then you would continue to have thieves and drunks and debtors and murderers and abusers.

So eventually, this plot of the Absolute is developed and! my! doesn't it solve it all! Not only does it set him in a place of power where nobody could touch him, it also solves all of those other pesky problems because there will be no more free will, only the will of the Absolute relayed to all of its subservients.

"A new age is upon us. Gods have mercy upon those who would stand in our way… I want to lead this city to glory — not scorch its earth."

When the player character approaches, Tav or Dark Urge, he talks about wanting to lead the city into an age of prosperity and safety, etc. And he isn't lying. He means every word.

Because, in his mind, this is the only way to reach that outcome. Does he want power? Yes, because, much as you hear the themes with Astarion's companion quest line: Power means safety. Power means no one can hurt you. Power means that you dictate the lives of others, rather than having your life dictated to you. To paraphrase, when the player character tells Astarion that those with power have a duty to protect those without, Astarion roughly responds, "People with power had 200 years to save me from Cazador, and no one ever did. No, it was the Mindflayers who freed me."

In all honesty, it's much the same for Gortash, except he was at an even greater disadvantage than Astarion in one respect—unless more information comes out about Astarion's past later—and that is this:

Enver Gortash has never known anything else. There is nothing before his abuse, before his servitude and continued abuse, before he set out into the world at a young age and suffered its cruelty on his own.

It is all that he has ever known.

But!

He sells Karlach to Zariel! Yes, just as he was sold, and yet, even still, this is done not out of malice or cruelty, but with the belief that he thought he was doing what was best for her. If she remained on the streets, she would either be jailed or dead in a few years, and she deserved better than that. Being sold to a devil was what set him on his 'right' path, made him who he is, so maybe that's what Karlach needed also? And, knowing her as he did, he truly had no doubt that she could be running the place in no time. She would have power enough to protect herself, just as he intended to claim for himself at the Gate, and it would mean they could be allies. He set a piece in the right place and if she would just do as she ought to have done, she could be doing so much better for herself — just as he has.

He was going to kill the refugee children! In his mind, most of them miserable little orphans with no prospects beyond pain and suffering. It would be a mercy to them, truly, and—as my friend, Shadow, mentioned in one of our discussions about Gortash's thoughts on this—their deaths would at least mean something in the grand scheme, rather than their bodies simply being stepped over and promptly forgotten. Their deaths would sow discord between the refugees and the citizens of the Gate, further unite those within against those without and solidify his position as a protector. With any luck, the refugees would attack in retaliation and affirm the citizens fears that they were followers of the Absolute threat after all. And regardless of how it went, it would create further chaos that he would be able to bring to Order.

This is NOT to say that his behavior should be excused.

However, much in the same way and for the same reason that I would defend Minthara and Nere both, I can fully understand his thought process, why he does what he does, though I certainly don't agree with it. Just as with them, I would question the level of accountability one can be held to when one knows no different. I would very much, in some ways, say that Gortash is nearer to having had a Lolth-sworn drow upbringing than a typical human one. His entire understanding of the world is through abuse, violence, betrayal, and transactional interactions. His solution—the Absolute religious hoax—is one that makes perfect sense within those bounds. It's logical, nice and neat. A brilliant plan, cutting the problems that plague the city—and, indeed, the world—off right at the source.

There won't be anymore murders in the streets. There won't be anymore pickpockets or petty crime. There won't be anymore gambling dens. There won't be anymore children abused or sold to settle debts. There won't be anymore crime, period.

The populace can put all of its effort and energy into making the city more unified and prosperous than it ever has been —

Because that is the only choice they have left to them.

[ Doesn't that sound familiar? "She is, of course, free to choose the only option she has left." ]

In his mind, how brilliant and elegant an answer to those pesky problems that no amount of laws or punishments have ever stopped! A villain? No! He's the savior who will deliver this city to a new age! A great age!

[ And doesn't that sound familiar, too? ]

In the words of Jason Isaacs himself, "It was a thrill to join the Baldur's Gate universe, but I fear that the magnificent Lord Enver Gortash is being mischaracterized as a villain. In a brutal world of betrayals and butchery, he's learned to lie better and backstab first. The joy in voicing him — apart from the obvious pleasure in getting to look so glorious — was that the creative team and I got to play loose enough to find ways that he could enjoy the ride and make the players hate him more!"

Enver Gortash has done terrible and unforgivable things, much as with most of the cast in the game, companions or otherwise…. but the whys. The whys are important, and the whys are what not only further show the depth of the character… but also provide interesting possibilities for futures wherein he escapes his fate in the game.

[wutheringmights]

Hey out of curiosity, I know most of the main cast in CTB is pulled from either Legend of Zelda game canons (Princess Zelda, Lana, Ganondorf in name, etc) or Linked Universe, but out of your original characters (especially Kat, Marigold, and the various Knights of Hyrule), did u give any of them symbolic or referential names?

Oh boy do I got the fun post for you:

Lincoln is straight up my Linksona. Just think of him as another version of the character Link

Marigold is supposed to be the typical red-headed love interest for a Link-like character; even her name is meant to fit right in with characters like Malon, Marin, and Midna.

Warriors's last name was originally going to be Warton, but I changed it to Walton when I learned that it meant "noble."

Meemaw is a reference to the Bertolt Brecht character Mother Courage (from his play Mother Courage and Her Children; I had just finished reading it for a seminar class when CTB first came to me). The characters even share a first name: Anna

Similarly, Kat is based off of Mother Courage's daughter, Kattrin; a famously silent-due-to-truama character

Kat's siblings also share names and fates with Mother Courage's sons: Eli is Eilif, and Cheddar is Swiss Cheese (yes, that's his real name)

Orlanda was named for Virginia Woolf's famous character Orlando; originally, I was going to have Orlanda be nonbinary, but changed my mind when I realized it wouldn't be a good idea to make your sacrificial character your nonbinary representation.

Shigeo's name was originally just going to be Shig, as a reference to Shigeru Miyamoto, but I changed it when I started to rewatch Mob Psycho 100. Shigeo is meant to be a homage to a common original character type I kept reading in Warriors-centric fics: the young Sheikah guy for Warriors to have a romance with. However, Shigeo was never envisioned with a romantic relationship in mind. He was always meant to be this cool, older guy type. However, I did almost have Warriors have a crush on him, then deleted that concept for space.

Gaudin was named after a French criminal for no reason. Genuinely, I just liked the name.

Anders was originally going to be named Betolt in honor of Brecht, but that felt heavy handed.

Jakucho is just meant to be the old woman version of the general Impa character to match the badass young woman version that is actually in Hyrule Warriors. Her name means "silent, lonely listening." I liked how it related to her role as Warriors's mentor/therapist.

Impa's real name, Chiyo, means "thousand generations, thousand worlds." I like how it related to the idea that she's always wanted to assume the same role as her ancestors.

I originally picked their surname Miyashita because the site I was on said it translated to something like "temple below the earth," which would reference the Kakariko Well. Checking now, it actually means "(one who lives) below the shrine," which makes way more sense in retrospect.

Ayane has no special name meaning, but her character... you do realize she's just Mask, right?

General Whitestone's name came from me asking myself what would a highly suspicious white guy in charge be called?

The name Nephus translates to "a God's son who will also become a God." Do I mean that literally? Who knows. At the very least, I wanted a snappy, but impressive-sounding name.

Vasileios means "royal or kingly". His middle name, Orionides, implies that he's the son of a great hunter.

Icarius's name is meant to be reminiscent to that of Icaurs, the famous mythological figure.

Philo means "lover or friend." A very cute name for a not-so-cute boy.

You probably have realized that the House of Nephus characters are heavily Greek/Roman coded. Originally, they were going to be Russian coded, but then the line about Faovaria being unable to attack some other kingdom due to their harsh winters would have fallen into question.

Faovaria's symbol being an octopus is a reference to how the octopuses symbolized immortality in ancient Greece.

Both of those were super off-topic. Sorry lol

I'll end with a fun fact you shouldn't look too deep into: the empire name Faovaria is derived from Farore. This was due to a concept I changed my mind about. Genuinely, it's not relevant anymore. Do not incorporate it into your theories, or something.

[otherworldlygate]

When planning and writing a story that takes [x] years into the post-game, the biggest challenge for me is honestly something I would call character placement: where the characters have ended up.

Now, character placement certainly isn’t unique to post-game fics; it’s something that has to be considered regardless of where in the timeline a story takes place. But for pre- or mid-canon stories, you do have canon there to act as a guideline.

Post-game, however, does not have this advantage—and the deeper into the post-game you go, the less tame and understood the landscape is. For Tales of Symphonia, I really like jumping at least a few years into the future. The way the game ended (with scenes for everyone that explain what their future plans are) lends itself toward wanting to check in and see where those characters are after some time has passed. Being able to jump into the middle of Lloyd’s exsphere hunt, for example, gives you a ton of flexibility in terms of what you present in the story, and it lets you skip the tedium of starting at the beginning of that journey (or figuring out the logistics of it).

Certainly, any of us could take the time to write out the entirety of his exsphere journey. We may instead choose to cover Raine and Genis’s attempts to stop racism and make the lives of half-elves better. What about Sheena’s position as Mizuho’s chief and the Tethe’alla + Sylvarant relationship? There’s certainly a story too, surrounding Regal as he takes over his family’s estate and company again after spending the last eight years of his life in prison.

And those are good stories…but there’s just something easy and satisfying about diving into the middle of those experiences. You can still cover the start of it in hindsight; the awkwardness of going back to Altamira and the royal court when everyone knows you’ve been in prison for murder is too juicy to pass up, and how does one even begin to gather all the exspheres? How do you convince people to stop being racist? How do you deal with the diplomacies between two worlds that haven’t seen one another (and, in fact, in general did not even know about one another) for four thousand years? These are all things that would stick with the characters, and would influence where they eventually end up, but which we as writers (or even as readers) might not want to see covered in full detail.

Anyway, the reason character placement is a challenge is because there are so many options and they are all happening at once with the cast. People can fail at their goals. They can change their minds. They can be bad at something we as an audience were led to believe they’d be good at. Their original goal might shift; their original plan might lead to them finding something better—or worse. They could stumble into hardships or find wild success.

The truly interesting thing about Tales of Symphonia when it comes to writing post-game material is that everyone is out there doing their own thing, and to get any of these characters back together requires a certain…effort, shall we say. But in doing this, you also have to consider the characters well beyond their own goals. In writing something five years into the post-game, you have to think about everyone’s ages and their relationships with one another. Did they stay in touch with all of their friends? Just a few of them? Who? Everyone but Regal and possibly Presea would be traveling often. This leaves Regal and Presea as the two people easiest to get letters to…and everyone else having to make a real effort to communicate about how to reach one another. Luckily, Sheena, Zelos, Lloyd, and Colette all have permanent addresses where mail can be sent (so at least letters to them won’t be returned, even if they aren’t received in a timely manner). Age matters in terms of people entering different periods in their lives, too. Presea aging is super meaningful to her. Genis will grow up. Regal lost eight years of his life to prison, so turning 40 will probably be hard for him.

It’s possible some of these characters will eventually lose touch with one another, or that they’ll just never stay in touch consistently to begin with, but it’s important to think about that sort of thing before it sneaks up on you. I don’t think I could write a story about Raine without considering her relationship with literally every other character. If she and Genis are trying to stop racism, they’ll need to stay in touch with Zelos, Sheena, and Regal at a bare minimum. They’re also likely to stay in contact with Lloyd and Colette to some degree. And while I don’t think Raine would know what to say to Presea exactly, Genis wouldn’t want her to feel left out (and maybe he can be more normal in a letter hahaha).

But then right alongside this comes other questions: what experiences have Raine and Genis had while they’ve been doing all this work? What triumphs? What failures? And how has this affected Genis as he’s continued to grow up? Did the work get too dangerous or too traumatizing? Did he get to go to school like he wanted? Did Raine finally learn to confide in him? What about in her friends? Have Genis and Lloyd grown closer or further apart?

Trying to determine who the character is after [x] years have passed is always a delightful exercise, but when it’s for a long-form story, it’s also a challenge (because it’s relevant and matters for longer). I’m currently working in a “10 years post-game” situation and figuring out who everyone is and where they are in their lives is difficult, but the hardest part is the world our characters have been trying to make better. Ten years is a very long time for things to change for better or worse, and I have to consider very seriously what, out of all possible options, would best serve my story.

It's a lot to think about.

[fanfic-obsessed]

Dimensional Slide

Hold onto your hats folks, this one gets a little weird. 

It starts in a world very much like canon.  Order 66, the death of the Jedi, Anakin's fall, splitting the twins, the works.  About five years after the end of the clone wars, through a series of unfortunate events; first Owen and Beru Lars, then Bail and Breha Organa both die within a few months of each other. 

Obi Wan takes Luke to the stars, without the Lars there is no reason to remain on Tatooine (Obi Wan still believes Anakin to be dead. They had only hid Luke on the desert world because he had family there and because Obi Wan was not fit to raise anyone at the end of the clown wars).  A few months later Leia is smuggled to Obi Wan by the Rebellion (Specifically Quinlan Vos who had guessed as to who Leia is). 

Now that the background is established we fast forward 10 years.  In those 10 year Obi Wan discovers the information about the chips, but unfortunately discovers this in the same breath that he found out Cody died in a suicide run (believing that he had killed Obi Wan, he took with him the remains of the 212th, four companies of post war storm troopers, and an even dozen inquisitors. He had been planning it for nearly three years).  He discovers who Vader is. The twins call him father and have developed into slightly paranoid, feral balls of pure light who are even more protective of Obi Wan than Obi Wan is of them.  Yoda has made it known to members of the Rebellion that he believes that one or both of the twins is the ‘chosen one’ and their only hope.  Obi Wan is not sure if he actually buys into the prophecy, but will not let anyone put that kind of pressure on his children(which is one of the reasons that they do not stay in one place for very long).

Luke, Leia, and Obi Wan are on a deserted world. On this deserted world with an old force temple, old enough that the exact faith is unknown, Leia touches an artifact.  It takes all three of them and plops them into an alternate timeline, in the Room of a Thousand Fountains in the Coruscant temple. 

In this alternate timeline, Anakin Skywalker never returned to Tatooine. It changes surprisingly little about the war itself, or the beginning of his slide into darkness. What it does is make Obi Wan a bigger irritant to Palpatine (as this Obi Wan and Anakin do not have the same weight of secrets tearing them apart), big enough that Order 66 is activated for the 212th early.  Early enough that this Obi Wan is killed by his Commander, shot in the back even before the Jedi Council confront Palpatine.  The breaking of their bond was enough of a shock to Anakin’s system that it halts his descent into darkness before it truly begins.  With Anakin’s help they are able to take Palpatine alive, and he sits rotting in a specially made prison, as death is considered too good for him. 

The stress sent Padme into early labor. In this world Padme survived but the twins did not. The process of saving Padme left her unable to have any more children.  The twins and Obi Wan were the only casualties of Order 66 and its aftermath.  

Any one of these events should have broken their relationship and for a time it did. Padme and Anakin divorced, got back together, remarried, and repeated the cycle no less than three times in the first five years after Clone Wars ended.  Eventually they were able to build something healthy and long lasting.  They have found that, as a couple, they are much healthier when they live apart, with lives that diverge almost completely save for a 5 week period every 4 months (5 weeks being the maximum that they can live with each other before the fighting begins).  Padme continues to be a senator for Naboo, remaining on Coruscant most of the time. Anakin continues to take missions as a Jedi, but his main job (upon gaining stability of his own) is to take missions with the 212th(generally rebuilding or rescue), with help from the 501st. It started as a way of keeping them stable, as none of them (particularly Cody) took Obi Wan’s death well. It evolved over time into a specialized unit, associated with but not fully tied to the Jedi or the Senate, who handle the most dangerous search and rescue and reconstruction after planetary disasters or wars. Though each member of the unit has found both joy and satisfaction in the job itself, it is well known that the idea of the unit is dedicated to their lost general. 

It is into this world, 15 years after the end of the Clone wars, that Obi Wan, Luke and Leia are dropped. The shift knocks Obi Wan out (as these stories always seem better if Obi Wan is unconscious at the first meet and greet), leaving Luke and Leia awake, aware and 100% unwilling to be separated from their father for even a moment. They will not give any of their names and are distressingly frantic over the fact that Obi Wan won’t wake. Like the ground around them is buckling as their force use is fueled by their worry kind of frantic. The twins do not know where Coruscant is (as in their world it is called Imperial Center), or believe that this is a Jedi temple (as to them the Jedi are dead). Fifteen years has been long enough that Obi wan is not recognized on sight, compounded by the fact that none of the people who found them were especially close with Obi wan. 

After a time the trio are brought to Healing Halls. Vokara Che is the first to see Obi Wan and blink, almost dismissing the possibility that he was anything other than a look alike, because Obi Wan Kenobi is fifteen years dead. However, she is thorough in her examination, including a genetic scan for all three. There is a gathered crowd of healers, coming to gawk at twins (who still looked about 1 moment from attacking with their teeth), when she gets the results.   Che has to sit on the floor for a moment when she reads who the genetic matches for all three of them are (by technicality the twins lived for 35 and 58 seconds, respectively,  which is just long enough to have their genetic code entered into the system). 

At that point the Master Che insists that the council be called, after she verifies that the only thing wrong with Obi Wan is Force exhaustion and that there is nothing wrong with the twins at all. 

Though Obi Wan remains unconscious though these first interactions, the twins (Luke specifically, because in this world where the twins were raised by Obi Wan; Leia is has the need to act of all three of her parents, while Luke has their diplomacy) are able to tell the council enough that they can guess what had happened.  Such an event is not common, but it is also not rare enough to be unknown. 

The council had contacted many of Obi Wan’s old friends, to tell them who had been found. When this version of Quinlan Vos arrives, the twins relax slightly as they had at least met him before. Obi Wan wakes up just as Anakin, followed by Cody, Rex, Ahsoka, and Padme, crashes through the doors to the healing halls. He does not react well, barely awake and trying to push his children behind him, to protect them.  He is a growling panicked, all but feral mess. 

For a moment we leave this scene for the original universe. Yoda and several other surviving Jedi had known the moment that the twins left the timeline. They risk a meeting and convince Quinlan Vos to investigate. He begins to make his way toward the deserted planet, all the while questioning when the universe decided to place all their hopes in two teenagers. 

Back with the new timeline, it has taken hours to calm everyone down enough to convince Obi Wan that 1)this wasn’t some kind of trick or hallucination, 2) He and his kids really had shifted timelines, and 3) they were safe, and did not need to fight or escape (it really was only luck that there was only property damage at that point). 

There is a deep, almost unending well of awkwardness on both sides. It is made up of living guilt, both deserved and not (for surviving, for dismemberment, for a shot that killed one man and saved the galaxy, for the inability to strike a final blow that doomed it, for a Fall that all parties that remember it blame themselves for), the desperate longing of all present to cling to these living images of the people they lost contrasting with the unshakeable reality of 15 years between them (even the twins had heard enough of Obi Wan’s stories of all these people that they want to know these walking, talking memories), and pulsing under all of it (popping up with a depressing speed, as there are too many practical souls in the room) is the heart shredding knowledge that they would be separated again, when Obi Wan and his twins returned to their own timeline. 

It is the twins that ease the tension in those first few days, after they reassured themselves that their father was alright.  For the people in the new timeline, the twins that died in childbirth were not wholly people, they were a potential but there are no real memories that are attached to them. So there are not as many expectations on how they would act and react as there were with Obi Wan. And though they had met variations on some of these people (Rex, Ahsoka, Vos), for most all they have is stories. 

In the original timeline Vos continues to seek the planet and temple where Obi Wan and the twins vanished. It is common knowledge amongst the rebellion that the twins have vanished. Through his travels we see some of the Rebels give up, with the ‘Chosen One’ gone. Others redouble their efforts. For a small percentage the disappearance has had no real effect.  It makes Vos deeply uncomfortable to see and realize how much of the Rebellion had largely been in a holding pattern waiting for the Skywalker twins to grow old enough to help them break free. 

There are many discussions in the new timeline, forgiveness is given (for limbs taken, for a killing shot, for different lives taken though the same childbirth) whether it should be needed or not.  Eventually nothing is left unsaid. Obi Wan feels safe for the first time in 15 years. His twins get to know their biological parents as well as the extended family that should have been theirs. They even take time to go meet both the Organa’s and the Lars’.  Cody and Obi Wan begin a romantic relationship, the relationship they had both wanted during the war (Obi Wan had been hesitant, but Cody had asked if denying themselves would make leaving easier. It wouldn’t). Everyone is very aware that any day might be the end point (they tracked down the artifact, it would need to be activated from the original universe’s end but the nature of the artifact would draw someone to activate it). 

Eight months after Obi Wan and the twins drop into their lives, Vos of the original timeline finds the artifact. He takes his time to learn about the artifact before activating it, possibly knowing more than anyone else alive. He uses it to first view where Obi Wan and the twins had been dropped, observing them for a day; he sees their happiness, sees Obi Wan actually living for the first time since Order 66. Vos makes a decision. He opens the portal, enough for him to speak face to face with the people on the other side. He chooses his moment well, as Obi Wan and the twins are gathered with members of the 212, Obi Wan’s crechemates, the Skywalkers, and assorted others. 

It’s the other Vos that notices the portal first. To the credit of everyone present, they all get pretty much immediately what the portal means. Obi Wan asks the original timeline Vos if they have time to say goodbye. Vos shugs and says that they are going to have all the time in the world, there is no way Vos will let any of them through (a quirk of the artifact, once the connection between worlds is broken twice, once in the initial use and once to return, it cannot be establish again). Obi Wan starts to object but Vos says ‘Hey, if you can tell me you have any reason to come back except for some overblown sense of duty to a prophecy you don’t even believe in and I will stand aside.’ 

Obi Wan can’t and the original Vos’s sharp grin softens, and he tells Obi Wan ‘You deserve to live, not just survive’ then he very deliberately looks at his other self and says ‘take care of our brother, yeah, he’s kinda bad at it’. The other Vos nods and the portal is closed. 

In the original timeline Vos destroys the artifact for good measure. Then he leaves to start building a better future. Incidentally this is made much easier as the minute the portal closes for good, Vader drops dead. Ironically it had been his latent bond with Obi Wan that had kept him alive all these years, and when the connection between the timelines was cut, so was the bond. 

In the new timeline things begin to settle again. Care is taken to ensure Obi Wan and the twins are given space that is shaped just for them, instead of trying to fill the space for the dead.  Much therapy is solicited (For nearly a decade after they arrive, so many of the dimensional traveling trio and their assorted friends and family each had their own dedicated therapist, who in turn had their own therapist).   

And they all found something like happiness. 

[juliansswimmingpool]

Merthur Fic Masterlist (Updating)

These are some of my favourite Merlin fics so far. A lot of these will contain spoilers for the show. They are listed in no particular order. I have also cropped some of the summaries to save people the scrolling time.

Formatting is as follows: [Title] by [Author] | Completion Status | Word Count (to the nearest thousand), Chapters or Parts (if series) | Rating | Warnings (if applicable) | Key Info/Themes | Summary (I did not write most of them)

Updates since first posted: 1

Under 10k:

The Tulip Thief by Polomonkey | Complete | 3.2k, 1 chapter | General Audiences | Modern setting, fluff, pre-slash, misunderstandings, hand-holding | 'Sometimes I steal flowers from your garden on my way to the cemetery, but today you’ve caught me and have demanded to come with me to make sure the “girl is pretty enough to warrant flower theft” and I’m trying to figure out how to break it to you that we’re on our way to a graveyard'

10-20k:

to go with grace by andiwriteordie | Complete | 17k, 1 chapter | Teen & Up | Post-canon, character redemption, Morgana POV, angst, introspective, forgiveness | Morgana Pendragon is dead, at Emrys’s hand. Just as the prophecies had foretold. But before she can enter Avalon and find peace, she must first pay penance for all the sins she committed in her life. Her penance is quite simple: look after and heal Arthur Pendragon, the Once and Future King, until the time comes for his return to the land of the living.

The Sorcerer and the Lionheart by just_a_wavefunction | Complete | 16k, 1 chapter | Teen & Up | Post-canon, historical references, friendship, Immortal Leon | Merlin spends fifteen hundred years waiting for Arthur's return. Luckily, he doesn't have to wait alone.

Hear Your Heart Sing (Love, Love, Love) by schweet_heart | Complete | 15k, 8 chapters | Mature | Soulmates AU, fluff, humor, angst, office romance | Merlin used to like the idea of finding The One – until he fell in love with Arthur Pendragon. Now he has a boss he can't date (but can't stop thinking about), a soulmate he can't find (who has terrible taste in music), and a best friend who can't believe he still hasn't got his act together (even though it's seriously not his fault).

From This Day On by lady_ragnell | Complete | 19k, 1 chapter | Teen & Up | modern setting, canon era (it'll make sense), mystery-solving? (idk how to describe it) | While on a hike, Merlin and Gwaine stumble upon the Lost City of Camelot, cursed to wake up every morning a century in the future, and Merlin decides it's his duty to break the spell--with help from a prince, an imprisoned seer, and quite a few others. A Brigadoon AU.

A Metaphor of Human Bloody Existence by lady_ragnell | Complete | 19k, 1 chapter | Teen & Up | Modern with magic, humour, crack treated seriously, destiny | In which Merlin and Arthur (and others) band together to fight evil on the advice of a can of peas.

21-50k:

and with my opened mouth i join the singing light by intothefirewego | Complete | 33k, 6 chapters | Mature | Graphic descriptions of blood | Heavy angst, major character injury, emotional hurt/comfort, angst with a happy ending, magic reveal | Merlin frowned, and tried to inhale, but choked on a cough. He opened his mouth, trying to speak but his mouth was sticky and full and he felt warm, warm, warm, warm spilling down down down down… The world tilted on its axis a little bit, and Merlin leant into Arthur’s body. Why was the world tilting? Arthur’s face shifted from annoyance to horror.

Destiny That Darkly Hides Us by Nympha_Alba | Complete | 40k, 7 chapters | Explicit | Angst, WWI, Edwardian era, college AU | It's 1913, the practice of homosexuality is unlawful, so is the practice of magic. When Arthur Pendragon and Merlin Emrys meet as Cambridge undergrads, they're both hungry for a real and true connection without secrets. For a short time they believe they may have found it. But war breaks out and separates them, and it seems unlikely that they will meet again. After all, what are the odds?

A.S.S. (Agents of Secret Stuff) series by supercalvin | 39k, 8 parts | Mostly Teen & Up | Mostly none, one fic is marked with Graphic Depictions Of Violence | Spy AU, modern setting, humor, crack treated seriously, BAMF characters | Merlin & Arthur are an unstoppable spy duo. Basically merthur + the knights and other characters do whacky spy shit

51-100k:

Singing Trees by aescrof | Complete | 65k, 11 chapters | Teen & Up | Canon era, different first meeting, magic reveal, fluff, angst | Arthur knew about the magic from the start.

Tributes by TheAvalonian | Complete | 88k, 10 Chapters | Mature | Graphic Depictions of Violence | Hunger Games AU, angst, enemies to friends to lovers, emotional hurt/comfort | It is the 57th annual Hunger Games, and Merlin Emrys stands at the Reaping ceremony with his best friend Guinevere Smith at his side. In a twisted game where death seems the only certainty, Merlin will find himself tested in ways no one could have ever predicted - and may even find himself fighting for more than just his own life as he enters into an unlikely alliance with Arthur Pendragon, the Career tribute poised to win it all.

Over 100k:

To Bare Our Teeth and Our Hearts by queerofthedagger | Complete | 124k, 14 chapters | Mature | Graphic Depictions Of Violence | An execution was not exactly on Merlin's bucket list, wasn't even what destiny had intended for him. Arthur, for his part, really wants to catch a break, and to stop thinking about his late manservant. Or sometimes, things have to go downhill first before they get better, and if Uther had known about the eventual outcome, he might've changed his mind for once in his life.

What I'd Have Done by Flight_of_Fantasy | Complete | 119k, 14 chapters | General Audiences | Canon era, magic reveal, heavy angst, gen or pre-slash, Arthur-centric, character study | For better or for worse, Arthur knows Merlin's secret. The problem? Merlin doesn't know Arthur knows. This leaves Arthur with a predicament… and an opportunity. A test. Three trials and three opportunities for Merlin to prove he doesn't deserve death. Arthur hopes he will pass them. Maybe then the image of Merlin's golden eyes will stop haunting him.

The Heart's Search by rotrude | Complete | 115k, 2 chapters | Explicit | Some violence | Romance, AU - dystopia, modern setting | For thirty-five girls/boys, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Arthur. But for Merlin Emrys, being Selected is a nightmare. Leaving his home to enter a fierce competition for a crown he doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

The Great Merlin Bake Off by Elizabeth | Complete | 102k, 10 chapters | Mature | Modern setting, fluff, pining, schmoop | Because someone said, "What if it's Merlin, but they're on Bake Off?" AKA: The GBBO AU. It was bound to happen at some point.

Some bonus non-merthur Merlin fics:

Everyday Destiny (ffn, ao3) by Searchingforangels (ffn) or DancingInTheStorm (ao3) | Complete (only on ffn) | 53k, 200 chapters | General Audiences | Drabble collection, golden age AU, exploration of themes, non-linear narrative | Great destinies swing of small hinges; a collection of small moments that shape Albion. A pre- and post-reveal drabble collection.

[sagemoderocklee]

Writers Truth & Dare Ask Game

🍄 🍬 ❄️ 🏜️ 🦴

🍄 ⇢ share a head canon for one of your favourite ships or pairings

got a lot of headcanon asks today in my inbox lol... uh for this ill go with my headcanon about Tenten not being without family since ive got two asks for that levels thing i reblogged earlier to answer

so my hc and how i usually approach Tenten is that she comes from a weapon smithing clan. Her clan originally came from Dragon Kingdom, but like... so, so long ago. like a thousand years ago. they were originally trading in what is now Fire, and eventually some started to settle instead of going back to Dragon Kingdom. They established themselves as blacksmiths and as times changed, became weapon makers almost exclusively. Her clan still makes other things besides weapons, but they specialize in weapon making.

Tenten lives with her grandmother since her parents died during Obito's assault on Konoha with the kyuubi. Tenten's clan lives in the industrial district of Konoha, and Neji (who is alive thank you) moves there after he and Tenten have been dating for a bit.

Tenten, of course, prioritizes fighting with weapons, but she also is a good smith herself, and does a lot of unique work with weapons.

I gave Tenten's clan a name, of course, so her family/clan name is Nie, which means 'pattern of a sword blade'.

🍬 ⇢ post an unpopular opinion about a popular fandom character

drawing a blank beyond all my usual things like gaara being obsessed with naruto being stupid or like the way ppl generally approach Gaara is ableist and disregards his history prior to Yashamaru tryna kill him or lee not being anbu/akatsuki/hokage etc and also ppl making lee sexy is stupid like he's weird looking and thats fine and i think his weird looks are charming and cute... all of which ive talked about before

um i guess ill say that sakura being self-centered is actually a really important and interesting character trait. it doesn't make her an awful, irredeemable character, it's just a character flaw and i think ppl who love her tend to ignore that about her because the people who absolutely hate her are always callin her a bitch etc. like i love sakura but she can be a bitch and i think that's interesting and okay and like if you really like a character you can lean into their flaws without that being like a condemnation of the character. she doesn't have to be like sunshine and daisies to be a good character

❄️ ⇢ what's your dream theme/plot for a fic, and who would write it best?

the dream theme/plot for a fic is one i'd probably just write myself. not like for any reason other than if i have an idea i usually wanna execute it myself, and at this point a lot of my ideas exist within the worldbuilding ive done and not that other ppl dont or cant but my interest are always gonna lean more into the political spectrum of storytelling and i think that's generally my niche and not as many ppl write those stories.

i think if there was absolutely something i didnt wanna write id honestly probably not wanna read it either, so im always like shit at answer these kinda questions cause once i have an idea im like 'ok ill write that someday'

🏜️ ⇢ what's your favourite type of comment to receive on your work?

always gonna love long comments that talk about the themes of the story, that bring up things the reader thinks is foreshadowing, direct lines from the fic, and so on. i like when ppl are like rlly analyzing what ive written and telling me their thoughts and what they think is gonna happen. i think by far my fave thing is ppl tryna guess what's coming and seeing how close or how far off they are, and when ppl do pick up on foreshadowing that is just... chef's kiss.

🦴 ⇢ is there a piece of media that inspires your writing?

i find inspiration in a lot of things and it rlly is gonna depend on what im writing at the time. sometimes i get inspired by music (a lot of my gaalee fics were originally inspired by Florence+the Machine song for instance), sometimes it's like a poem or a book, or a tv show, but it rlly is always gonna depend on what im writing.

but my perspective is that art begets art. art is always in a state of inspiring more art, whether its the originating artist being inspired by their own work or another being inspired by their work, i think art is at its core always birthing more art.

with fic i dont think i could pinpoint one single thing that's inspiring me at any given moment, but i am often being inspired by other things whether it's music or just like an article about something.