#Even though it applies to literally every character and relationship

[albinokittens300]

The second season being described with the word 'forgiveness' has me hanging on to hope by a thread ngl.

[mikkeneko]

In various places -- here, the bird app, even YouTube comments -- I keep running into people with some variation of the same question:

"Does Scum Villain have a teacher/student romance?" And every time I want to answer with: No, But Also Yes, But Also Not Really, It's Complicated (And That's On Purpose.)

Which is an answer that's too long to fit in a tweet or a YT comment, but fortunately tumblr has no (effective) post limit! So here I go.

1 - No

In the very straight forward porn cliche sense of "oh but professor, I really ~need~ to pass this class or my life will be ruined, can't I do ~anything~ to get you to change my grade?" *bats lashes* and "Hoho, my pretty young teen student, I've got your good grade right here in my pants, if you ~apply~ yourself..." then no.

No sex or romance between a teacher and their student in the bounds of a teacher-student relationship happens in this book. No deliberate grooming of an underage student on the part of a teacher occurs in this book. No sex or a romance between an adult character and an underage character occurs in this book, nor is the adult 'waiting' for the minor to reach adulthood to initiate one.

2 - But Also Yes

No sex or romance between a teacher and their student in the bounds of that relationship happens in this book. Two people who were formerly in a teacher and student relationship do enter into a sexual and romantic relationship by the end of the book. Also the nature of the society they're in further means that even though they are no longer in the schooling environment, it is socially assumed that the deference owed by a student to their teacher lasts forever, even after the student leaves that environment, and they continue to regard themselves and refer to themselves in those roles even though the teacher no longer strictly speaking has authority over the student.

Also, the student was really hot for his teacher even when he was still a student. (The teacher was oblivious to this fact.)

3 - But Also Not Really

By the time sex and romance is even on the horizon for these characters, their relationship has so drastically changed from that of a "teacher and student" that it is barely recognizeable as such. The power/authority dynamic between a teacher and their student is subsumed pretty much entirely by the facts that:

A. The 'student' has become a medeival fantasy warlord of such unsurpassable magic and might that literally no other person in this world can stand up against him, 'teacher' included, and the 'teacher' is well aware of that.

B. Also, the 'student' is metaphysically endowed (heh) with the Protagonist Halo, a literally active force within the setting they're part of, which means that not only can he not be defeated, he ontologically cannot be denied anything that he desires; what he wants, he gets, and what he doesn't want, cannot be forced on him.

C. ...But also, the teacher in this setting is a metaphysical outsider to the world order the student is part of, which means that he is aware of all of the above, and can and does manipulate it to suit his own agenda, which may or may not align with giving the student what he wants at any point in time. Assuming that the teacher has the correct understanding of what the student wants. (He doesn't.)

D. ........But also also, for all his power, one harsh word from him can destroy him. For all his knowledge, one tear can devastate him. (Which one? Both.)

4 - It's Complicated (On Purpose)

*throws the chalk against the wall*

Between a teacher and their student, who has the power? Between an emperor and a scholar, who has the power? Between a hero and the villain he is predestined to destroy, who has the power? Between a character and the reader who's read ahead to the end of the story, who has the power? Do we find some of these power imbalances more acceptable than others? And if so, why do we?

Trying to track Who Has The Power or Who Has An Unfair Advantage socially, physically, and metaphysically between this particular pair of characters is damn near impossible and that's on purpose.

The Scum Villain's Self Saving System is a lot of things, but one thing that absolutely defines it is that it is a parody. It's a parody and a deconstruction of a lot of things -- the 'stallion' genre, the 'isekai' genre, the 'pay-per-chapter webnovel' genre, the 'gay drama' genre and, most relevant to this conversation, it is a deconstruction of teacher-student romance.

What kind of a teacher-student romance has a clueless, fish-out-of water NEET in the role of the Wise Old Mentor? What kind of a teacher-student romance has a black-hearted, demonic, domineering feudal warlord in the role of the Blushing Virginal Student? What kind of a teacher-student romance has the two principals so close in age -- by the end of the book, they may be as little as a year apart -- that they're more like peers than teacher and student? What kind of audience are we, going into a story like this one and finding ourselves cheering for the teacher to fall in love and lust with his student, only to be disappointed when that doesn't happen because the teacher fails for three books straight to recognize love and lust when it's literally looking him in the face and crying?

Asking "does Scum Villain have a teacher-student romance?" is sort of like asking "does Galaxy Quest have a lot of high science fiction concepts?" No, but also yes, but also not really. It's complicated, and that's on purpose.

[blossomthepinkbunny]

I think one of the main reasons why people feel upset at Stella's writing and how she's portrayed is because she is treated in literally the opposite way to Valentino. Like, if you ask some fans for why Stella shouldn't have positive traits, good relationships (that aren't her fucking incestuous brother) or just in general humanizing moments, it's because she is an abuser and doesn't need to be a layered character. A lot of times people who come to Stella's defence, or just imply, that she should be written more complex (not just being an evil bitch just for the sake of it) are labelled abuser defenders.

However, when people imply that Valentino shouldn't have the amount of positive recognition he does (fanart, canon ships, merch, cosplays etc.) and how he is a lot of times downplayed even though he is a pimp and serial rapist(!), people say that abusers and rapists also need to be portrayed as complex people, or it wouldn't be realistic otherwise. Because abusers can be charming and funny and have good relationships with others and still be abusers (a statement I agree with in theory).

The issue is just that you can't have it both ways. Most shows who talk about abuse in some way choose one way or the other to portray their abusive characters. Either making them layered people with goals, ambitions, positive traits etc. or making them more one note bad guys. While the first approach is more realistic, there are pros and cons for either portrayal. The main fear of humanizing an abuser is, that their abuse might be overlooked or downplayed by the fans, which you especially wouldn't want of course with a rapist. It's a discussion that can't be applied to every show or movie and not one approach is definitely better than the other (imo).

But Viv seemingly can't or doesn't want to make a choice. And so we end up having Valentino, who gets regularly babied by the fandom, his sexual assaults being ignored because "he's just a fictional character, why does it matter if he's my favourite" and Stella, who ends up a comically over the top villain, who has always been an irrational abuser since the day she was born and always will be.

And I don't want to make huge assumptions, but I'll just say that I do think Stella would overall be perceived differently by the fans if she was a man. I'm saying this because while I mentioned Valentino being more complex as a character, if I remember correctly that's mostly the fandom's perception. In the show he is more flatout bad, but the fandom really likes him and Viv never positions herself in either direction, making some demeaning comments about Stella fans while posing with Valentino cosplayers and defending people who ship Valangel.

And don't even get me started on that stupid owl

[angelshizuka]

"Verosika has every right to be angry at Blitz" and "the anti-Blitzo party is extremely unhealthy and Verosika is a hypocrite for telling Blitz to move on when she clearly can't do that herself" are statements that can co-exist. I love Verosika, but acting like she did 0% wrong isn't good either.

This entire show and the relationships between the characters are build on nuance and complexity. Even characters who are mostly right will always have a little bit of wrong in them. And during AT Blitz is mostly wrong and a little right, and Verosika is mostly right and a little wrong.

And this applies to literally every character. Acting like they have literally 0% blame in 100% of the things they've said and done makes them extremely boring and bland at best. Characters need flaws and things they technically shouldn't have said or done to be well-rounded and interesting.

Speaking of, this is one of the reasons I love the Stolas and Via scene in Sinsnas so much. Though Via is mostly right and is justified to feel the way she feels, it was still wrong of her to use someone's medication against them and that's a mistake she seriously needs to learn from.

[o-sachi]

Niko Ikki ₊⊹ Relationship Headcanons + mini scenario

ଳ Character; Niko Ikki (Bllk)

ଳ Tags; fluff central, sfw, gn reader, no y/n

ϵ( 'Θ' )϶ had to repost because tags aren't working sobbbb

— Niko is a quiet and gentle kind of lover. While he may not express his affection that much verbally or physically, he makes it up for quality time. He looooves spending time with you and would even go out of his way to clear as much of his schedule as possible if it meant having more time with you.

— But definitely the love language the he likes to receive from you are is words of affirmation. Even small compliments about his clothes or his smell can make this boy incredibly happy. But if you express admiration for his football skills... oh boy. You'll have him wrapped around your finger in no time.

— HE IS THE BEST LISTENER OUT THERE. If you are a certified yapper, then consider yourself lucky. It doesn't matter how ridiculous your story is; if it's coming from you, then best believe he's all ears. His gaze will never leave your face as he nods along to every arc of your tale. He has the best reactions as well. Please share with him the juiciest tea that you have.

— While we're on the topic of listening, Niko's always up for a late night conversation. It hardly matters to him if the convo is happening in person or through text. Any form of communication with you is valuable to him. Late night conversations usually conclude with you falling asleep first because Niko's a night owl.

— One of the reasons why he loves you so much is because he feels as though you encourage him to come out of his shell a bit. The more you spend time with him, the more comfortable he is to show off more of his personality. Seeing as how you gracefully accept every bit of him makes him more willing to let loose. Butttt don't expect him to become an extrovert any time soon.

— He's very much willing to do those tasks that you don't like. It's one of the subtle ways he shows his devotion to you. Too lazy to brush your own hair? Don't worry 'cuz he already has a comb ready for you. Too lazy to fold your laundry? He's already folding them as you share another mundane story about your day. You always insist that you'll do it yourself some other time, but he's absolutely going to ignore your protests.

— I think his soft spot are his eyes. I mean, he developed a crush on you simply because you complimented how adorable his eyes were once. With that said... he is a sucker for eye contact. Look him straight in the eye and smile a bit, and oop; there he goes. He's now a puddle on the floor. HE LITERALLY MELTS UNDER YOUR GAZE.

ᯓ Skin Care scenario

"Okay, close your eyes for a sec."

Niko happily does what he’s told and screws his eyes shut. He places his warm palms on your thighs for balance as you sit atop the bathroom counter with him between your legs. Several skin care products were scattered to your side and it took you a while to find the exact bottle of product that you needed.

You squeeze a dollop of product on your fingers before gently massaging it on his cheeks. You couldn't help but smile at the sight in front of you—your boyfriend with the most adorable expression wearing your fluffy headband to keep his hair away from his face.

"What step are we on now?"

"Hmm... step four," you softly reply.

"And how many steps are there in total?" You giggle, already knowing what reaction you'd receive once you answer his question.

"There are twelve."

"Twelve?!" he exclaims and his eyes shoot open. But he quickly closes them again once he realizes you were still applying the product to his face. "Sorry, sorry, continue."

Truth be told, he was only surprised at the absurd number of steps because who needs 12 steps of products to get nice skin? But he would never ever complain about spending more time with you. Niko loves skin care night routines with you because of the close proximity it offered. It was incredibly intimate and he adored every moment of it.

But the real kicker was the eye contact. You'd get lost in each other's eyes while he patiently waits for you to accomplish every step. He barely notices when his skin starts to sting from the product when he's so engrossed in studying every feature of your face. He was head over heels in love with you.

"Oookay, you can open your eyes now~"

He smiles a bit as soon as he is met with your toothy grin. This activity never gets old, but it doesn't mean that it couldn't be spiced up.

"How about I do your skin care next time?" he suggests. The prospect of smooshing your cheeks without any fuss from you sounds like a good thing to him.

You smirk at him. "Do you even know all 12 steps?"

Niko pouts and eyes the plethora of products on the bathroom counter. "Uhhhh..."

A giggle escapes your lips. You can tell how hard he's trying to find a way to convince you. "Fine, babe. You can be in charge next time. I'll guide you."

And you swore his eyes just lit up.

ε( ε ˙³˙)ɜ ｡° ⚬ ｡ Likes and reblogs are appreciated

o-sachi © 2024

[casscainmainly]

as much as it's fun to play around w the kids' different relationships to bruce in fanfic, I pretty much agree with your assessment as far as canon goes. im sure at some point there'll be variations because there's so much that goes under the umbrella of canon but yeah, so far your graph makes sense. (also despite the fact that I love 'batfam' fics, fandom has a habit of taking "found family" literally and applying familial labels to every relationship, even though like you said, duke and steph's relationships to bruce are more friendship and mentor/mentee-esque)

Yeah I don't mind people messing around with the dynamics, especially in AUs, but I just have my own preferred takes. Bruce being Duke's dad is just a pet peeve because I think a lot of people believe that's their canon dynamic, when that erases Duke's real dad and also a lot of his personality. But I've read great Duke fics with Bruce as a father figure too, so it's all about the execution.

HEAVY agree on the 'applying familial labels' to everything. I think the main problem (and this is in canon too) is trying to tie everyone to Bruce. That's why we have the belief that Bruce is Steph, Babs, and Duke's dad, because that's the easiest way to be 'in' the Batfam. But this is so much less interesting than having a character's relationship to the Batfam be inherently messy and non-nuclear-familyfied.

Like, my ideal Duke dynamic is him being the brother of Cass and Damian, but not being Bruce's son or Tim's brother. Just like Cass is Babs' daughter and Dick's sister, but Dick and Babs are together, and Babs is also somewhat Tim's older sister, but she's not Jason's or Damian's sister; Damian sees Steph as a sister figure, Dick is kind of a father/brother/everything figure, but Bruce is also his dad; etc etc. I don't think these are incompatible, and when people try to narrow down the Batfam into 'mom' 'dad' 'children', it loses a lot of what makes the Batfam interesting. (Even I'm simplifying the relationships a lot here).

Honestly it's not a problem if people prefer different familial dynamics to the ones I like. It's only the insistence that they have to be a certain type of family that rubs me the wrong way, because then we get things like 'TimSteph and DickBabs are incest', which is just a complete misreading of what the Batfam is.

[nolanfa-fanart]

Gen (non-romantic) fics recs: DC, the Batfamily has Issues

Fandom: DC, batfam Theme: The Bat family has Issues This is the place for comically bad at communication!batfam, oh gosh you have so many issues (affectionate), trauma, etc. Please assume that every "Why I love it" summary is prefaced with "This is one of my fave DC fics. First, it's very well-written. Second, ". List under the readmore.

I'm a Good Pretender, by shipNslash ( https://archiveofourown.org/works/45598369 ) 7/7 chapters, 40.416 words G, No Archive Warnings Apply Main characters: Dick mostly, and Bruce

Official Summary: “You’re doing it again,” Bruce says, tone accusatory. “You’re faking.” “It’s not faking,” Dick snaps, a little more aggressive than he means to be. But he doesn’t like that word, doesn’t like the connotations. (Especially when he knows Bruce is lying about something, too.) “Then what is it?” “It’s called being charming and it’s nice.” -_- Dick’s mother raised her son to be a star. Dick’s father raised his son to be an athlete. Bruce's new ward is charming (manipulative), dedicated (obsessive), and way, way too smart for either of their own good.

Why I love it: This is peak Performer Dick. Smart kid Dick who knows how to make people like him. Hyperactive Dick. And Wet Cat Battinson. Who wouldn't want to see them interact?

Excerpts: "Oh. From the- That is, yes. I'm, uh, I'm Richard's case worker." The boy visibly twitches and she redirects her attention. "Hello, Richard. Are you al- um, How are you feeling?" Alfred almost winces but, instead of withdrawing again or lashing out, Richard does something much, much more distressing. Right in front of Alfred, the boy transforms into someone totally different. His posture shifts, from despondent slackness to a sort of tense hunch, making him look far younger and in much more distress. His expression loses the blankness of shock as his bottom lip wobbles and his eyes well up with big, fat tears. "I wanna go home,” he cries out. “Please, I just wanna go home!" - And Dick is glad that this isn’t their first meeting, because Mister Wayne is painfully, intolerably awkward the whole time. He flinches every time someone addresses him, only makes eye contact with the toes of his scuffed converse shoes, and sneaks out the back door halfway through with Mister Pennyworth when he is very obviously losing a battle against an oncoming panic attack. How did this guy survive being famous, Dick wonders, watching him creep back in like he won’t be noticed if he’s quiet enough.

-- By Any Other Name, by ManURonaldo, part of the Like Father Like Sons series https://archiveofourown.org/works/40244490 1/1 chapters, 4.569 words (part of a 55k series) T, Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings (brief mention of Jason's mom) Main characters: Jason and Bruce (decent Dick, Steph and Tim presence in the rest of the series)

Official Summary: “Have you seen Bruce recently?” Dick asks one night. “Haven’t seen Bruce since the last time I saw you,” Jason responds. He can feel the weight of Tim’s eyes on him though, and it’s grating. “WHAT, Tim?” “You saw him last night,” Tim responds after a moment, flicking his eyes towards Dick. “Literally last night, man.” “Yeah,” Jason responds without thinking, because he hasn’t slept in 58 hours, “I saw Batman last night. I haven’t seen Bruce in a month.” For a moment, there’s complete silence. And then, in an exasperated whisper, Dick says: “what the fuck, Jay?” OR: Jason picks up a little bit more from Bruce than he means to as Robin. It doesn’t go away, not even when he’s Hood. OR: Jason watches Bruce. Tim watches Jason. Dick watches Tim. They all need therapy.

Why I love it: I love that one. I love the way it features Identity Issues. The first story in the series is about Jason and Bruce, and following ones are also about Jason's relationships with Dick, Tim, Steph, and the way those different relationships interact. The Tim and Jason part (in the following stories) in particular goes way deeper than the usual dynamic of resentment for taking Robin / for past violence, and looks at why, now, they might or might not like / understand each other. Each of the batfam members is fucked up in different ways, which I love.

Excerpts: Jason is six years old and sometimes he feels like his dad is two different people in one body. There’s a person in there that loves him and holds him even though he’s too big to be held and makes him breakfast in the morning. And there’s another person in there, too, who thinks Jason is annoying and spoiled and always in the way and a problem. There are signs, is the thing: Jason can figure out who he’s talking to, if he’s quiet enough. It’s about the way the footsteps in the hallway sound, it’s about the label on the bottle in his dad’s hand. Sometimes when Jason enters a room he makes a noise just to see: if he squeaks his shoe and his dad doesn’t notice, it’s his nice dad. If his dad grimaces or glares, it’s the dad that doesn’t like him, and Jason needs to leave. It’s all about knowing who he’s talking to, Jason learns. If he knows who he’s talking to, he can be better about making mistakes.

-- May Tomorrow Never Come, by @lurkinglurkerwholurks https://archiveofourown.org/works/43606872 1/1 chapters, 3.580 words G, No Archive Warnings Apply Main Characters: Jason and Bruce

Official Summary: Jason clawed his way out of the nightmare like a drowning man.

Why I love it: First, I think it is very good, as a fic specifically. All fics live in the soup of canon and fanon facts we absorbed along the way, and you knowing who the characters are and what happens to them in different iterations informs your understanding of them, but this one does it particularly well. Second. It broke my heart. It talks about trust and intimacy and kid/parent relationships and fear and nostalgy and love and. I love it.

Excerpts: The Manor waited outside the door, exactly like it should be. The hallway was quiet and dark, the darkness tight and full, but not scary. He hadn’t been scared here since those first few months, when this place was only a place. He couldn’t be scared at home, no matter how his head spun and his nerves jumped and jittered.

-- Red Letter Day, by @silverwhittlingknife https://archiveofourown.org/works/28988874 9/? chapters, 41,819 words (technically part of a series but can be read as standalone) - WIP, last updated july 2022 G, Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings (some oblique references to the blockbuster plotline) Main Characters: Dick

Official Summary: Dick Grayson, stressed pseudo-parent to a preteen assassin, tries to solve the case of Damian’s Mysterious Wednesday. He never expected it to help him fix his relationship with Tim, too. (… Though only after everything fell apart first.) Eventual fix-it for Dick & Tim’s Red Robin fight, but other rocky relationships - Dick & Jason, Tim & Damian, Damian & Bruce, Dick & Bruce - wow, this family is dysfunctional - might improve too. Eventually. They just have to, y’know, work through All of Their Issues first. XD

Why I love it: The characterization is delightful. Dick tries to hold the world on his shoulders, scrambling to hold everyone together; he's also very much not perfect, and biaised and petty against specific other people. Jason is an antagonistic asshole but he tries. Tim doesn't understand boundaries but means really really well. They love each other very much but they're afraid and they just talk over / through / just to the left of each other. This is a dumpster fire. Also the end notes of each chapter include interesting tidbits about what is canon (with specific runs/issues) which I personally find super interesting.

Excerpts: This is out-of-character: deliberately unprofessional. And it’s definitely deliberate. Dick doesn’t want to second-guess Tim’s first amicable overture in what feels like years. He catches himself doing it anyway. When Tim was fourteen, the faceplant comment might have been spontaneous - just a wry observation, maybe with a quick grin, sharing the joke. But Tim’s older now, and a lot more serious. So this casual remark is actually calculated. So what is this? An attempt to recapture an old camaraderie? Or is Tim covering up a bad mood with a chipper attitude? Or is this another manifestation of Tim’s concern, a test to gauge Dick’s mood? Argh. Or maybe Tim is just being friendly, Grayson.

[fascinati0nstr33t]

WELCOME TO ANOTHER HEADCANON SHITSHOW🗣️🔥

ARCANE CHARACTERS AND THEIR FAVOURITE VIDEO GAMES

this was requested by @beast-master-talks 🫶, so here it is pookie

Jinx

Splatoon & League of Legends

as mentioned in my first headcanon post, Jinx would be a Splatoon enjoyer

based on her weapons, the Heavy Splatling would be her go to weapon

if not, then the stringer or the dualies

she’s a Deep Cut enjoyer, 100%

enjoys the chaos of the game itself

would spam the taunts and squid party whenever she splats someone

plays with ekko

finds the salmons ADORABLE

is a toxic player…most of the time

and that also applies in League (i haven’t played it-)

would main herself

ultimate trash talker in both games

she just enjoys a game where she can absolutely demolish anyone

honourable mention: Borderlands

Viktor

i need him-

TLOZ: Twilight Princess & Minecraft

i think viktor enjoys open-world games rather than more action packed games

(i’m pretty sure his voice actor harry lloyd said something about zelda in a video)

Twilight Princess would be his favourite out of the other games mostly because of the general aesthetic and how it’s one of the more “darker” games of the franchise

THIS MAN WOULD BE FASCINATED BY THE TWILIGHT REALM, I MEAN-

the fact you can pick up cats is also a bonus

now on the calmer side, minecraft

it’s serves as a distraction

he has a pond of axolotls in honour of rio

has banned jinx from his server cus she blew up his wolf “on accident”

has lost his mind over the redstone

Vi

Street Fighter & The Last Of Us

Street Fighter is pretty much a classic in fighting games, so i think it’s something Vi would enjoy

has had a crush on at least ONE of the female fighters

would use ryu, a known character in the game

has played against Jinx, never doing it again cus they almost tore each other apart

NOW, IN THE CASE OF TLOU-

clickers and bloaters stress her the fuck out

died around 4 times in a row during the first encounter with a bloater

even though she could have weapons or even bricks at her disposal, most of the time she fights with her bare fists

died trying to speedrun the stealth sections because she didn’t have the patience

ellie and joel’s relationship hit a bit too close to home with her

i think she would take a break from the second game after joel’s death, no literally, it would leave her absolutely broken

Caitlyn

Life Is Strange & Fire Emblem

Caitlyn would enjoy Life is Strange due to its theme of moral choices

i think she’d be a bit thrown off by the more supernatural aspects of the game, but she’d enjoy nonetheless

she’s pretty much canonically a detective figure

so i think she’d be pretty satisfied if she manages to uncover something beforehand

has talked about the game to vi, in the same way a fnaf fan would explain the lore

NOW AS FOR FIRE EMBLEM (i know, i’m hilarious-)

the overall aesthetic of her design and the Kiramman house just gave me the game’s vibes, y’know?

the customization of the unit’s skills or classes would appeal to her

the lucina allegations from vi only worsened when she started playing

Ekko

Animal Crossing & BOTW

HE WOULD HAVE THE BEST ISLAND, I KNOW IT

has invited heimerdinger over, sometimes even asked for advice when it came to designing

if he was scammed by tom nook at some point, yeah, get ready for “the boy who shattered the console”

Goldie is his favourite villager (she’s mine too)

built a community similar to the Firelights

now for BOTW, Ekko would be absolutely mesmerised by every single location and sight (minus the guardians)

Rito Village reminds him of the hideout

did try to fight Ganon without the necessary equipment but lost

dyes everything green or brown

a little timebomb thingy, he would name one of his horses after Jinx/Powder, especially if it’s one of the blue horses

gets irritated when the stable won’t accept a peculiar horse (skeleton or lord of the mountain)

bonus: tony hawk pro skater (i don’t need to elaborate)

Mel

Sims 4 & Pokémon Scarlet

she would make the most beautiful houses

her sims would have absolutely LETHAL face cards

however, that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be absolute chaos from time to time

assassinating her sims would amuse her tbh

YOURE GONNA HAVE TO HEAR ME OUT FOR POKÉMON-

she chooses either fuecoco or quaxly as a starter

her team is full of the most GLAMOROUS pokémon i just know it

gardevoir would be on there for sure

has a shitload of coins and diamonds for evolution

Jayce

(he looks like a wet dog here-)

Detroit: Become Human & FIFA

the story of DBH would have him hooked

just the entire theme of technology would have him interested

but similar to himself, he would have good intentions yet make the most dogshit choices

he would try getting the “good” ending

similar to my headcanon of him quoting Captain Falcon, he would, unironically, say “28 STAB WOUNDS” out of the blue

Jayce is a fife, i just see it that way

despite the game being far more straight to the point, he would enjoy it casually

again, COCKY

if he’s playing with other people, then things will get heated

his team is Barça, it just is

bonus: he plays minecraft with Viktor

I THINK SOME ARE MORE ACCURATE THAN OTHERS BUT EITHER WAY I HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS!

[evaslytherpuff]

Things That Go Bump In The Night

Dark!Sebastian x Dark!Ominis x f!OC

18+ MINORS, DO NOT READ!!!

!Forced Poly Relationship!

(Characters are all 20+ years of age!)

CW: Angst, Non-Con, Sexual Punishment, BDSM, Aggressive Feeding, Oral M&F receiving, Rough DP, Creampie, Blood Kink, Biting, Marking, Overstimulation, Thoughts of death, Somnophilia, Violent Magic, Bodily harm…there were a lot for this chapter! This chapter is very dark! Savage vampires and lots of blood!

If any of the above warnings may be triggering PLEASE DO NOT CONTINUE READING! Seriously, this one is really heavy!

Chapter 6

Just keep my eyes closed! Shut out everything and maybe the pain will go away! Vivian thought as she bit down on her wet gag. Nothing was working. She was a bloody, exhausted, and tangled mess. Tied up to be used relentlessly, covered in sweat and her own juices. Her cunt was weeping with every tremble of her worn out and drained body. She could feel how much had accumulated and dripped onto Ominis as he slid his shaft along her folds. Her muffled whimpers were drowned out by his heavy breaths brushing against her ear. Ominis held her bound wrists with one hand pressed between their bodies and the other he used to fondle and squeeze her blood smeared breasts, trail his fingers down her torso, then toy with her clit until she was writhing on top of him. His tongue flicked out to lap at her bleeding wounds, soothing the pulsing ache that tore through her muscles.

Sebastian was still wedged between her legs and seemed to be enjoying the fact that he was torturing her by dragging his nails, which felt more like claws now, up and down the sensitive skin of her thighs. He hummed pleasantly as he kissed every bite he left on her weak and tired limbs. Vivian didn’t even have the strength to close her legs if she wanted to which left her feeling more vulnerable than ever. She was at their mercy and they clearly weren’t done with their idea of punishment.

“How many orgasms has she had so far, Omi?” Sebastian asked as one of his claws brushed against her slit making her yelp and squirm against Ominis.

“By my count…I’d say six. She can handle more than that though. Can’t you, Sweetheart?” Ominis cooed in her ear. She shook her head and sobbed, her tears soaking her silk blindfold.

“We think you have a few more in you, Baby. You can handle it.” Vivian could literally feel Sebastian’s smirk graze her shaking leg. His breath was hot against her damp skin as his hands slid up and down her thighs. She could feel blood leaking from all the bites Sebastian had left on her marred body. It trailed down her legs to join the mess between her and Ominis. They didn’t compare to the gaping holes on her neck though. Ominis made sure to bite the same spots over and over again, making the wounds much worse and more painful than the ones on her thighs. She practically jumped out of her skin when Sebastian lifted her up to palm her arse and pressed a few kisses on her sensitive cunt. Ominis moaned loudly as he rocked his hips, his cock sliding against her throbbing heat, and started to thrust himself on Sebastian’s tongue. Now Ominis’ cock was pressed between her soaked pussy and Sebastian’s hungry mouth.

“You both feel so good…don’t stop, Sebastian.” Ominis’ head fell back against the pillows as his grasp became painful around Vivian’s wrists. Sebastian applied more pressure with his mouth causing increased friction between their writhing bodies as Ominis’ thrusts became more frantic and rough. She would have been bouncing wildly on his lap if it wasn’t for Sebastian holding her in place with his firm grip on her backside. His tongue would slip off of Ominis’ shaft and glide through her folds, dipping into her entrance. The line was obliterated between pleasure and pain and all Vivian wanted was for them to stop and give her a break. She tried to force her mind to go blank and become numb to their actions but each bite, lick, or thrust pulled her subconscious back into reality. Ominis must have noticed her attempt at shutting down so he gripped her chin with his free hand and yanked her head back against his shoulder.

“Tsk tsk, Darling. Stay with us. We are not done with you yet,” he snapped. “We are just getting to the best part.” Ominis smoothed her hair away from her face and removed her tear stained blindfold then he forced her to look down at Sebastian running his tongue all over his cock.

“Do it, Sebastian. No more teasing.” Ominis held her head in place and wouldn’t allow her to move or break eye contact as the brunet’s hands slithered around her waist to grab a hold of her hips. Sebastian chuckled deeply and it sent a shiver down her spine as Ominis moved his pelvis out of the way. Sebastian’s black eyes bore into hers as he reared his head back, his fangs glinting in the warm glow of the room, and sank them into her dripping cunt. Vivian screamed against her gag and mustered all the strength she had left to fight against their hold on her. They were simply too strong and Ominis yanked her back to his chest then bit into her sore neck once more. Another orgasm sent shockwaves through her ravaged body as Sebastian’s tongue breached her core while his fangs were still firmly locked inside her flesh. The room spun around her and became a pale swirling blur as the two of them drank from her deeply.

This is it. They are going to kill me. She thought as her eyes rolled to the back of her head. Sebastian withdrew his fangs from her first and reached up to tap Ominis’ shoulder.

“Enough! She’s on the verge of passing out and we aren’t through with our punishment just yet, Ominis. We still need to finish.” Sebastian wiped her blood and slick from his mouth with the back of his hand then moved to position himself between her bruised and battered thighs. Ominis released her neck with a huff and left a bloody kiss on her throbbing temple.

“Give me the blood replenishing potion from the night stand.” Sebastian demanded with an outstretched hand and Ominis quickly obeyed, releasing her wrists to reach for the small glass vial. He handed the potion to their lover and Sebastian took it with a satisfied smirk. He popped the cork on the bottle as Ominis reached up to remove her gag. She felt utterly helpless as Sebastian took her chin in his free hand then poured the contents of the potion into her mouth. Vivian only had a moment to catch her breath before she felt her blood rushing through her veins. Every drop they drained from her exhausted body came flowing back in an instant. Some of it gushed from her wounds from how quickly the potion had kicked in.

Ominis bit into his own wrist and brought the wound over her mouth. “Drink from me, Darling. It will help to heal you.” He held the back of her head and pressed his arm to her lips but Vivian jerked her head to the side and refused to drink his blood, smearing it along her jaw.

“Don’t fight us. Do as he says, Viv.” Sebastian reached forward, yanking her head as he pried her mouth open once more, allowing the thick scarlet liquid to drip down her throat. Ominis applied more pressure which made the blood flow from his wound even more. Sebastian watched with dark eyes as she was forced to feed from Ominis who was slowly wiggling his hips beneath her. Vivian gasped loudly as he pulled his wrist away from her stained lips. The oddest sensation tickled her skin as she felt her wounds close and heal quickly. They had sealed up on themselves making her skin as good as new. Even though she was partially restored, she still felt drained and the agony from their bites.

Her head slumped forward and tears spilled from her eyes that splashed onto her breasts, washing away some of the blood that was caked up on her chest. Sebastian moved a little closer and cupped her face in his hands. He leaned in menacingly and placed a kiss on her lips. When he pulled away he studied her expression and ran his fingers down her throat then allowed them to continue to cascade down her body. He smiled at her but it felt cold and hollow in her opinion.

“I think red is your color, sweetheart. It looks amazing on your skin.” He swiped at one of her nipples with a clawed fingertip to gather a drop of blood and bring it to his lips. Ominis released his hold on her only to begin to palm and squeeze her breasts some more. He held them in his hands as if he was offering her flesh to Sebastian’s bloodstained mouth which the freckled man greedily accepted. His fangs sank into her skin and he hungrily pulled on her aching nipple with his tongue. He was feeding from her with loud grunts and groans as Ominis toyed and teased the nipple that was exposed to the heated air of the room. Vivian whined and turned her head away but Ominis was quick to correct her and forced her head to the left as his fangs sank into her skin once more. He pierced the area between her neck and shoulder and her nails dug into his torso over the sharp pain that shot through her. Again, they stopped drinking from her when she was on the verge of blacking out.

“Your blood is the most delectable thing to ever bless my tongue.” Sebastian panted against her damp and quivering skin as he licked his lips. He used his own fang to pierce his fingertip and Vivian watched as a small bead of blood welled up from the tiny wound.

“Suck on it.” He pressed his finger to her mouth and her lips parted reluctantly. He groaned loudly as her tongue swirled around the digit and his blood filled her mouth with that metallic savory taste. Ominis’ hand trailed down her torso and his fingers dipped inside her pulsing heat.

“You may say you don’t want this but your soaking wet cunt says something else, Love,” The blue eyed demon muttered in her ear. Was she aroused? Or was it all the blood that spilled from her wounds and traversed down her body? She couldn’t think clearly anymore and mentally she tried her best to block everything out.

“I can’t take it anymore! I fucking need you, now!” He growled as he held her hips firmly in his grasp and positioned her above his straining erection. Without any hesitation or concern he slammed her down on his cock making her release Sebastian’s finger with a scream. Sebastian quickly covered her mouth and muffled her heavy sobs. He leaned forward with a grin to kiss away the tears that spilled from her tired eyes.

“Shhh. It’s okay. Ominis was a bit rough, I know. I know. He just loves you so much. He couldn’t wait to have you any longer.” Sebastian tried to calm her down but it was no use as Ominis began to work her up and down his length. Her cries were snuffed out by Sebastian’s rough hand as he used the other to wipe at her tear stained face. He watched in a twisted fascination as Ominis fucked her relentlessly, her body jerking against the blond’s frame.

“Seb! I need you! Please! Please!” Ominis begged over her shoulder. What did he mean? She wondered. Surely there can’t be more? Could there? Ominis shifted the both of them on the bed, angling her slightly as he leaned back even further on the mattress, now her head rested against his shoulder. Sebastian released his grip on her mouth and kneeled between her spread legs. Realization dawned on her and she shook her head wildly as he grasped his cock in his claw tipped hand and pressed the head against her aching cunt.

“Don’t worry. It’s fine, Baby. We’ve got you. It’s alright.” The smile that spread across his face was menacing as he thrust his hips forward to plunge into her, joining Ominis. Her shriek echoed throughout the room but she was quickly silenced by Sebastian’s tongue delving into her mouth. The pain was unbearable. She gasped loudly as they both began to fuck her, stretching her way beyond her limit, surly something tore from the force of both men being buried deep inside her so quickly. Sebastian moaned loudly as his fangs grazed and pierced her bottom lip. Everything about this moment was too much. Too much aggression, feeding, using her body savagely. This was more than just punishment. They were beyond that now. This was animalistic behavior. Vicious predators devouring and enjoying their helpless prey. There was nothing she could do about it and she hated feeling so weak. She didn’t even have the will to summon her magic. The loss of blood left her utterly exhausted.

Sebastian relinquished his kiss and stared deeply into her eyes. The look on his face made her blood run cold and he gripped her chin between his fingers.

“Promise us! Promise us…you won’t…run away again!” He shouted between their frantic thrusts. Ominis’ whimpering grew louder as he sank himself deeper into her. Sebastian followed closely behind, pressing himself in as far as he could go. Their movements were now in sync with each other and she whined pitifully.

“Promise us, Vivian!” Ominis groaned and his hands slid up her torso to squeeze her breasts. Sebastian’s hands made their way to her hips and all she could do was shake her head slowly. Words escaped her, her mind was focused on this ending, she couldn’t seem to form a proper response. Sebastian glared directly into her eyes as they waited for her answer.

“I—I won’t run a—away again. I promise.” She blurted out with a scratchy voice.

“Good girl! You won’t, never again!” Sebastian growled through gritted teeth, his hips slamming into her in rapid succession. “You feel so fucking good inside her, Omi! So damned perfect!” Sebastian groaned and rested his head in the crook of her neck.

“Seb! I’m—I’m close! I’m gonna…!” Ominis sank his fangs into the other side of her neck as he reached his climax with powerful force, his claws painfully digging into her chest. Sebastian moaned loudly and did the same as he pressed himself into her as far as possible. Their seed mixed together inside her aching core as they filled her up. Some even spilling from her and running down her backside as they rode out their orgasms.

They were in ecstasy but all Vivian could feel was…cold. Her eyelids fluttered as she gazed up at the ceiling. The room became so bright, the light searing her dry pupils, she had to close them for just a moment. Just a moment, she told herself. They continued to feed and she felt free. The cold drained from her ravaged body and was replaced by a soothing warmth that flooded over her. Then …she smiled. She was at peace and it felt like she was floating. There was no more pain, no more confusion, nothing. Was this what death felt like? If so, she welcomed it with open arms.

Things were quiet, as if the world around her had gone completely silent. The warmth she felt still wrapped itself around her but feeling slowly bled back into her tired bones. Vivian twitched, a sure sign of life still hanging on by a thread, her fingers trembled as they slid across something soft and silky. A blanket? Was she in bed? It couldn’t be the one they all shared. This bed felt clean and didn’t smell like Ominis or Sebastian’s scent. She had to force her eyelids to open so she could finally take in her surroundings. Furniture and a dark room started to come into view as she rubbed her dry and irritated eyes. She was in a different bedroom, one that she had come across while exploring the castle, all the way in the west wing of the building. It was a room she had mentioned in conversation before. If she was awake to choose her own room then it would have definitely been this one. A tiny part of her was glad to know that they knew her so well and knew which room she wanted. The majority of her mind was wrapped around what they had done to her. Her stomach twisted and lurched as the memories flooded her mind like a tsunami.

She lifted her arm to bring her fingers to her neck and shuddered. The bite wounds were still there as well as ones on her wrists. They had healed her. She remembered Ominis feeding her his blood. So why was she covered in fresh bites? She slowly peeled the blanket from her body and groaned as every muscle ached in protest. Her brows drew together and she did a double take at her naked body. Her jaw dropped in horror as she saw wound after wound scattered across her figure. Bites on her thighs, breasts, hips, rolling over to see they were even on her arse. A strangled sob escaped her lips and she struggled to sit up. Her fingers trembled uncontrollably as she delicately touched the marks. Some of them were healed and others were still sore and tender. It made her wonder how long she had been passed out. What they had done to her after she lost consciousness.

They had used her body mercilessly, fed on her as if she were a mere animal, and discarded her in a room on the other side of the castle. She hunched over and brought her head to her knees and it was as if a dam splintered and shattered in her mind and all she could do was weep uncontrollably. She wasn’t sure if it was minutes or hours that passed before she was able to lift her head again and attempt to move. Her back was incredibly stiff as she shifted to stand and lurched forward from the bed with heavy feet. Her body felt like stone as she trudged towards an adjoining door across the room. Grabbing the handle for support, she sighed in relief when she turned the knob and saw her own private bathroom. In the center of the floor was a large square tub, similar to the prefect's bath in Hogwarts, but much smaller. It was a cozy and warm space and was a good enough distraction to take her mind off of her…predicament.

After filling the tub, she sank into the warm water with a moan of relief. The hot and soothing bubbles seemed to wash away any residual pain she was experiencing. She wasn’t sure what time it was, what day, or how many days may have passed. All she knew was that the castle seemed too quiet, like the calm before the storm. Sure it was only the three of them but you usually always heard something. The silence gave her a chance to think and figure out what she had to do next. She needed to focus on herself. Her eyes grew wide as her mind settled on a decision she knew she had to make, one that will devastatingly change things for all of them.

She pulled herself from the tub and quickly dried off before peeking her head out the bathroom door to check that no one was in her room. She styled her hair swiftly and slipped into a nightgown, not really caring how she appeared. She was only determined to get one thing done right now.

She looked around the room and noticed a large trunk sitting in the corner and smiled to herself. She dragged the case into the middle of the area and began rushing around the room, grabbing and folding all of her clothes and placing them in the trunk. She took whatever she could and shoved it all inside the large space. They must have moved her clothes from the bedroom they used to share. This made it easier for her to pack knowing that she didn’t have to enter that room again.

The door suddenly swung open and Sebastian burst into the room excitedly while holding a large book in one hand.

“I’ve found it! The next part of the ritual…” His voice trailed off and his expression dropped to one of shock and confusion when he noticed that Vivian was packing.

“Wh—what are you doing?” He asked as he tossed the book onto her bed and rushed over to try and pull the gown she held from her hands. Ominis entered the room seconds later, mouth agape, to witness Sebastian and Vivian fighting over the dress she was trying to fold and pack away.

“I’m leaving.” She said sternly as she yanked on the fabric and tore it from Sebastian’s hold. She quickly folded the gown and placed it in the trunk before slamming it shut. Sebastian looked utterly shocked and Ominis shook his head wildly, his face growing red.

“This is about the other night. You promised that you wouldn’t leave!” Ominis growled through gritted teeth as he balled his hands into fists.

“No! I promised that I wouldn’t run away again. I never said that I wouldn’t leave!” Vivian scowled as they both stepped closer to her. This time…she didn’t back away. She refused to be pushed around anymore and could feel her rage bubbling under her skin.

“Clever, twisting our words. Vivian…the other night…things were intense. Emotions were running high and we just…lost it. You running away, the punishment, trying to find more information on the ritual, it was all too much. You may not believe us but…we are truly sorry for that night.” Sebastian said softly as he tried to reach for her but she smacked his hands away.

“Don’t fucking touch me! You’re right, I don’t believe that you’re sorry, apologies won’t fix what you have done to me.” She said angrily as she stared them down. “You’re only saying sorry so I help with this ritual. I’m making this very clear. I’ll help get your magic back but afterwards I am done! I’m leaving. You want to stop me? You’ll have to kill me!” She stood her ground as her jaw clenched in fury.

“No. No no no! Vivian, please forgive us, please! We can’t lose you! We’ve lost so much already! Not you too! Please!” Ominis was beside himself as tears spilled from his eyes and Sebastian looked utterly heartbroken and at a loss for words. She shook her head with a scoff as she stepped closer to the men she didn’t recognize anymore.

“You should have thought of that before you did this to me.” She hissed as she held out her arms to showcase all the bite marks that marred her skin. Ominis flinched as if he was struck and Sebastian averted his eyes in shame.

“Vivian…you can’t leave. We’re begging. What can we do to fix this? Please tell us.” Sebastian fidgeted as his hands trembled.

“You—you can let me go.” She said flatly and blinked searing tears from her eyes.

“No! We refuse to do that! Never!” Ominis pushed past Sebastian and tried to grab Vivian and pull her into his arms. What happened next took them all by surprise.

“I said let me go!” She shrieked and a sudden blast of flames flew from her hands, striking Ominis directly in the torso. His body flew across the room and slammed against the wall, his head smacking the stone with a sickening crunch. He slumped forward, unmoving, as the smoke cleared to reveal a massive gushing wound on his stomach. Sebastian rushed to him and knelt by his side and attempted to help Ominis gain consciousness once more. Vivian stood completely frozen in place with her hands covering her mouth in horror.

She had performed wandless and wordless magic. It instinctively surged forward to match her rage and now Ominis was paying for it. She was mad, furious even, but she never meant to brutally harm anyone. Even after everything they had done to her she still couldn’t bring herself to hate them.

Sebastian scooped up Ominis in his arms and gently laid him on Vivian’s bed. He made quick work of his tattered clothes to fully assess the damage to Ominis’ body. Vivian felt as if she could vomit when her eyes landed on the gaping hole covering most of his stomach. The room seemed to spin around her and she grew woozy as Ominis remained perfectly still.

“Viv, get me the potions I need to help him! You know which ones we would use, get them from the other room!” Sebastian shouted but his voice sounded so far away and her feet refused to move. Her heart felt as if it were in her stomach as tears rolled down her cheeks.

“I—I didn’t…” she muttered. “I—I killed him.” She cried. “I killed Ominis!”

I am so sorry my Omi girls!😬 This chapter was a doozy!

Also…Merry Christmas if you celebrate!🎄❤️

Tag list: @littletealight @somethingiswrongwithme @wynterjai @dangerousdreamkitty @myrachondria @connorsoddsock @hotcinnam0n @localravenclaw @fym-miso @froggyinaspen @underthenightskydreamsneverdie @moongurl95 @that-supernatural-world @pity-those-who-live-without-love @sevprince-91 @helendeath @felixthemochicat Thank you all & If you would like to be tagged, just let me know. If I have missed anyone in the tag list, please comment & let me know.

[shslbunnylover]

Could you do a chessy X reader where the reader is the ranch hand/horse caretaker for the vineyard and one day the reader has an accident with one of the horses and chessy is the only one around to save her? Fluff and angst would be perfect!

★ ★ ★ Kiss it better ★ ★ ★

Character: Chessy

Summary: When a particularly difficult to handle horse knocks you unconscious, Chessy can't help but fuss over you, leading to some new developments in your seemingly platonic relationship

Taglist: @inlovewithgreta @lilfartbox1

Trigger Warnings: Horse accident, blood, unconsciousness,

Genre: Hurt/Comfort

Author's Note: LET'S GO ANOTHER REQUEST DOWN!! >:3

Word Count: 3.23k

Working at the Parker Knoll Vineyard definitely had its upsides, great pay, working with your favorite animal all day, and the nice solitude that came with working alone on the long acres covered in grapevines (Seriously, this dude is loaded, how does he not have more hostlers??).

“Bye Chessy!” You heard a voice come out from the mansion, whom you assumed to be Annie by her British accent.

And there was your favorite part of working on the Parker Knoll. The housekeeper.

Chessy, to you at least, could be described as one of the most beautiful people you've ever met both inside and out.

No matter how much you'd try to deny yourself of your crush, it never seemed to work, and you'd always end up dreaming about the brunette.

“Alright, you four have fun!” You heard Chessy exclaim, waving the kids and their parents away as they walked out the door with their suitcases

You looked back at the mansion that was about an acre off from the area you were standing in before turning back, laughing to yourself as you saw Chessy chasing after the twins while their parents packed up.

Jesus Christ that woman was cute.

Turning back, you put the music back on your walkman before continuing your work on changing the horseshoes for Nick's steed.

You had been hired at the Parker Knoll Vineyard around 5 months after you graduated college with your bachelor equine degree, and when you moved to Napa, you began applying for as many jobs as possible.

When you found an advertisement in the paper for a job at a successful winery a few weeks later, specifically looking for a hostler and stable caretaker, you were overjoyed to find yourself beginning the application process.

Always being a horse person, you found your comfort in the stables of every ranch you had ever worked at starting in your mid-teens.

Sure they smelled like literal horse shit, but you loved to see how free spirited these creatures were. You were pretty much convinced that they were ethereal beings when they were left off the reins for a minute.

You had gotten into a few minor accidents in your early years of being an equestrian and a hostler (even though they weren't really minor and ended up with you getting a sprained ankle), but you'd learned from those mistakes, and now considered yourself well acquainted with the creatures you adored.

To you, finding your equestrian themed job at the Parker Knoll was the true start of your independent life, and you wouldn't have had it any other way.

“Where the hell did Nick put the horseshoes?” You looked around, attempting to find the object as Nick had rearranged the entire stable, leaving you confused as to where everything was.

You sighed, finally picking up the metal horseshoe to place them on the horse, who always gave you a pretty hard time when it came to changing his racing plates.

“Settle down boy…” You pet the much larger creature, trying to soothe the frazzled horse as you tried to pick up his leg.

The horse neighed violently, his tail swishing up and hitting you in the face.

You sighed, still trying to calm the creature.

“Come on sweetheart, I need you to work with me,” You cooed, petting the horse as you went to bend down.

But before you could even get fully to your position to change the plate, a hard force slammed straight into your face, knocking your body to the ground with a broken nose and definitely some other injuries.

You hit the ground, your breath being knocked out of you from the force of the creature's hoof shoving you to the dirty floor.

You cried out in pain louder than you thought, your body laying on the ground as your nose bled violently down your face. Your eyes began to go blurry, and you gripped the ground.

Your nails dug against the finished wood, your mind trying to fight the overcoming blacked out state. You had handled this before, you could do it again. It's not like this horse was pretty much 3 times your size. You could handle it.

Attempting to tilt your head up, a sharp pain shot through your body starting at your nose and spreading to the rest of your form.

“Fuck!” You cried, beginning to feel your body succumb to unconsciousness as the paralyzing feeling coursed through your blood and muscles, leaving you to pass out on the hay covered floor of the stables.

You weren't sure just how loud or for how long you'd cried out, but you knew it was loud enough for someone to hear, because just before you passed out, you saw a flash of brown and blue over your body before it all went black.

Chessy stood over you, freaking out as she propped your body up onto her own, her hand that wasn't holding your back up moving to hold your legs.

When she heard you scream from inside the house, she had dropped everything and ran to the stables to find you.

“Y/N??” She tried to wake you up, holding your nose with the sleeve of her jacket she had taken off to try and stop the bleeding. “Y/N wake up!” Chessy exclaimed, beginning to tear up as her breathing increased.

She already had shaky breathing from her running all the way to the stables from the house in less than 2 minutes, and now her upcoming panic attack over seeing you knocked out only caused her heart and breathing to race even more.

She moved her hand from under your legs and placed two fingers on your neck, a small cry of relief leaving her lips as she felt your pulse.

You laid in her arms, your body limp with shaky breathing, you looked so small in her arms even though she herself was smaller than you.

“Fucking Christ-” She held you tightly, hyperventilating beyond belief at the mere thought of losing you. God she couldn't lose you. “Stay with me sweetheart, please-”

She held you tightly in her arms, and it felt like her world was collapsing. She was terrified of losing the people she cared about, but if she lost you…she wouldn't know what to do with her life.

She loved you dearly, even if she didn't think you felt the same way.

Chessy scooped you up fully into her arms bridal style, and she kept trying to wake you up for a few solid minutes through choked out sobs.

When she saw your body begin to twitch, she stood up with you in her arms, making sure the horse was locked up before rushing you into the house.

A course of pain flushed through your body as you woke up, and a small grunt escaped your lips.

“Shit-” You grimaced, your hand sliding against the surface beneath you, your eyes widening when you felt the fabric of a bed instead of the furnished wood that you had collapsed onto.

You looked around, your eyes scanning your surroundings.

This wasn't your room.

“What the…where am I…?” You muttered, recognizing the land out the window, knowing you were back in the mansion, but where in it?

“Be careful sweetheart,” You saw Chessy immediately run in, her eyes red and puffy from what seemed like crying, she had a bottle of water in her hands with a corresponding bottle of medicine.

“Chessy?” You muttered, your head tilting to face her.

“Oh thank God you're awake,” Chessy sat on the bed, kissing your forehead before picking you up with surprisingly strong arms.

Your cheeks scattered a bright red, and you barely managed to stutter out a response.

“W-Where am I?”

Chessy propped you up onto by far the largest amount of pillows you had ever seen, allowing for your body to sink softly as if it was on a cloud.

“You're in my room, hon,” Chessy caressed your cheek. “I heard you scream and…” She trailed off, trying to remove the image of the person she cared about so much in that much pain out of her head. “I took you back to my room after I found you so I could take care of you,”

Your head turned to the right, and you noticed a whole tray of supplies on her nightstand, the books previously there now thrown onto the floor next to it.

The tray consisted of a fresh ice pack wrapped in a soft white towel for your nose, cotton balls to soak up the blood escaping your nostrils, band-aids for the scratches on your body you had suffered from the fall, and a bottle of cold water and some fruit in a bowl.

A small cold drop on your nose knocked you out of your small daze, and you realized that your nose wasn't in as much pain as before, which you realized was the case because Chessy had another towel-wrapped ice pack in your nose already.

“Chessy- You don't have to do all of this, I'm fine,” You murmured, still in a lot of pain and in no mood to actually stand up and protest, so you just let whatever the woman do what she wanted to your injured frame.

“No, you're injured, and you scared the shit out of me,” She shot a small glare, causing the blush on your cheeks to darken. “I'm taking care of you,”

You sighed, leaning your head back, too tired to fight.

“Fine…if you say so,” You grimaced.

Chessy’s glare softened, and she moved a few strands of hair away from your face and kissed your forehead.

“Oh hon, I'm so glad you're okay…I don't know what I would have done if I lost you,” The brunette sniffled, wiping her eyes with the non blood-covered sleeve of her jean jacket.

You blushed at her concern, your lips forming a small smile.

“I was going to be fine, just a little accident,” You chuckled.

Chessy frowned at you.

“Y/N, you were unconscious,” The shorter woman said sternly, pulling her glasses back on top of her head.

“I know- But I didn't die?” You attempted to assure her, cursing yourself when she only teared up more.

“I can't lose you sweetheart, I love you too much,” The brown eyed woman blushed, cupping your chin.

A small stutter escaped your lips at the mention of the word ‘love’.

“You're not losing me that quickly,” You chuckled, trying to dismiss the words that left Chessy's mouth.

Chessy smiled back at you.

“I know…” She chuckled, looking down at your form. “Oh hon, why don't I get you all cleaned up?” She cooed, placing a hand overtop of yours.

Your eyes widened, and you stuttered.

“H-Huh?”

“Can I change you out of these clothes hon?” The brunette asked.

“N-No, Chessy it's okay, I can go back to-”

You're cut off by Chessy crossing her arms and looking down at you with a raised eyebrow.

“That wasn't what I asked, I asked if I could change you into something comfortable,” She then put her hands on her hips.

You bit back a blush, and you simply nodded.

“Please…” You murmured.

Chessy smiled softly, walking out of the room and returning with one of her hoodies and pairs of sweatpants before stripping you of your uncomfortable riding gear.

Your cheeks heated up at the exposure of your skin, and you let out a sigh as Chessy took off your knee and elbow pads.

She looked at you with a smile, laughing at your relaxation.

“I knew you needed a break from the gear,” She chuckled, taking a few baby wipes and wiping down your body with them.

Your head leaned back, every muscle in your body relaxing at the touch of the wipe clearing off any sense of dirt.

“Thank you for this, Chess,” You hummed.

“Anything for you, baby,” The brunette smiled, placing her hoodie onto your body before sliding her sweatpants over your legs.

“Are you sure I'm not taking you away from your job?” You asked her, holding onto a pillow that was resting next to you.

“What do you mean sweetheart? I'm doing my job right now?” Chessy looked at you, taking her fingers and running her digits through your hair softly, taking it out of the ponytail it was in.

You chuckled.

“You're too good to me Chessy,”

“No I'm not, now be a good girl and stay still while I bandage you up, okay hon?” She instructed, beginning to apply some petroleum jelly onto the small scratches across your arms.

The nickname made something inside you flutter, and you immediately nodded, desperate to hear her praise you again. You just wanted to hear her want you.

“Good girl,” She repeated, rubbing in the jelly before taking the now lukewarm ice pack off of your nose and replacing it with the freshly cold one.

As she waited for the jelly to settle in, she wiped off the final remaining drops of blood off of your philtrum, tossing the last cotton ball away as the blood had finally dried up.

Another smile came back to your face as you heard her praise.

“Where did the Parker's all go?” You asked.

“They went up to that mountain cabin Nick just bought a few weeks ago, they'll be gone until around Wednesday,” Chessy replied.

“So…it's just us?” You asked.

“Us and Sammy,” She chuckled, hearing the dog bark downstairs.

“Speak of the devil,” You laughed. “I think he does need to be fed,” You checked the clock on her nightstand and saw it was Sammy's feeding time.

“You're right,” Chessy laughed, giving you a kiss on the forehead before standing up. “I will be right back, hon, and then I'll put the band-aids on now since the jelly will have settled.

You nodded at her, waving her off.

“Take your time, Chess,” You smiled.

Chessy quickly walked downstairs, and you could hear her playing with Sammy before the sound of his food bowl being filled with kibble filled your ears.

You laid in bed, waiting for the housekeeper’s return, nuzzling into her hoodie and engulfing your nose in her smell. Her hoodie smelled like fresh cinnamon and shampoo, matching the scent you had smelled when she had leaned in to kiss you on the forehead.

Her hoodie and sweatpants were warm, as if she had just gotten it out of the dryer, yet somehow it already smelled like her.

What Chessy knew that you didn't, however, was that she sprayed her perfume on the hoodie and sweatpants, secretly knowing just how much you adored her scent. I mean, she couldn't blame you, it was a nice perfume she wore, and when surrounded with literal horse shit all day, it wasn't hard to find a scent that you liked over that.

Chessy returned as you had your face buried in the hoodie, and she smiled as she closed the door.

“Aww…Sweetheart you look adorable…” The older woman cooed, kissing your forehead as she sat next to you on her bed.

She took your left arm, beginning to apply the bandages to your scratches.

You blushed at how warm and fuzzy the princess treatment you were receiving made you feel, and you laid your head on her shoulder.

“Your hoodie is so warm…” You smiled.

“I know hon, I took it out of the dryer just for you,” Chessy chuckled.

Of *course* she did. That's why you fell in love with her. She was the most considerate woman you had ever met, and she made you feel like a princess no matter how bad you were feeling that day.

“You're amazing, Chessy,” You laughed, looking at her as she finished with the first arm before moving to the next.

“Not as amazing as you, hon,” The older woman looked at you with the same pure adoration in her eyes she always showed to you every time she saw you.

When she finished with the other arm, you turned your body and cuddled into the older woman, your arms snaking around her waist as you clung to her.

“You're definitely more amazing than me,” You insisted, amused at the small banter you always ended up having on who was more amazing.

Chessy chuckled and took a bottle of water, putting it up to your lips, urging you to drink, which you did.

“Drink up sweetheart…” Chessy smiled, holding your chin up with her fingers as you drank it halfway.

When Chessy took the bottle away, she quickly replaced it with a granola bar she had opened, encouraging you to take small bites before placing the empty wrapper in the trash can before putting the other one next to the half-empty bottle of water.

“Why don't we watch some Clueless, huh? I want you to rest right here and I know that you like that movie,” The older woman suggested, scooping you up just a little and pulling you closer to her body.

“Really? You'd watch it with me?” You asked, smiling up at her with excited eyes, adjusting a bit as your body was still sore.

Chessy nodded.

“Of course, baby, hold on one second,” She picked up another instant ice pack and broke it in, placing two of them on separate sore spots of your body, a soft look in her eyes forming as she watched you relax from the ice packs soothing your pain.

“Thank you Chess…” You mumbled with a blush on your face.

“Anything for you, Y/N,” She hummed, putting on the movie and holding onto you gently.

You nuzzled into her chest as the intro to Clueless played in the background, but you were more focused on the woman holding you than the movie.

A few minutes passed and you thought about everything that had happened just in the span of two and a half hours. The accident sucked, definitely, but it resulted in you cuddling up with the woman you were so madly in love with, the same woman who you didn't know was madly in love with you too.

A sudden surge of confidence pulsed through your brain, and you pulled Chessy in for a sudden but short kiss on the lips.

“I love you, Chessy,” You blurted, sitting up a bit more now as you looked her dead in the eyes, waiting for her response.

Chessy looked at you in shock, and after a moment of silence she laughed softly.

‘Shit, I just messed it all up,’ You thought, your eyes widening in horror and pure embarrassment.

Before you could say anything however, your thoughts were very suddenly cut off by Chessy's lips on yours.

The kiss was much longer this time, and you broke away after what seemed like ages with your lips locked together.

“I love you too Y/N, since the first day I met you,” Chessy smiled, tears forming in her eyes.

You wiped her tears with her thumb.

“Do you want to be my girlfriend?” You asked with a shaky smile, your own tears starting to form

“More than anything, my love,” Chessy kissed you once again, pulling you into her body and meshing your forms together like puzzle pieces that were always destined to fit with one another, where she held you for the rest of the night.

If you enjoyed reading this, don't forget to like, reblog and comment! Thank you and you are loved <3

-Akira

[messiahzzz]

You’re one of the most annoying people on this site. And that really says A LOT because WOW! Shut the Fuck up about Gale wanting to be a father or not. He never says that he doesn’t want to be one. You projecting things onto him doesn’t make it Canon.

on a serious note: i’m certainly not the one that continuously brings up this topic unprompted. i personally really don’t understand the entire controversy around the topic or why fandom feels the need to rehash this conversation almost weekly. i truly believe that there’s nothing more of value to learn from it, to address, or add to it… yet fandom won’t let it rest.

to once again clarify: what i mean by “gale wanting to be a father isn’t canon” is that there is no evidence/neither hints anywhere in any of the dialogue that support the contrary. characters like h*lsin, w*ll and la*’zel have entire adoption subplots. all of them mention their children explicitly during the epilogue:

narrator: *your soul warms thinking of lily aurora ravengard, your adopted daughter. a treasure of a girl, found at the entrance of the open hand temple - one grey eye, one brown.* w*ll: ah, the girl could melt the staunchest heart. she might even have brought a smile to old withers' face! w*ll: but tonight is for us - and lily's only four months of age, besides. i promise, the temple will keep her in good care.

player: and our little hatchling? is he safe? la*'zel: of course. i have complete trust in our newest allies. xan is in fine hands tonight. la*'zel: what a wonder he is. he will be a fine warrior, if he chooses. or a poet, or an explorer, or a scholar.

h*lsin: being away from it... i cannot help but worry how they will fare in our absence. player: we'll be back before they know it. h*lsin: i hope so. the children shall miss their bedtime tale tonight - though perhaps i can glean a few new stories from our friends here, to make up for it.

even shad*wh*art has a line where she briefly mentions that children might be a possibility for her in the future.

shad*wh*art: and i get to see my parents almost every day - i need to make every moment with them count, after so much was stolen from us. but they're doing well, [...] shad*wh*art: who knows? perhaps they'll have grandchildren before long.

gale in comparison? he has none of that. he remains childfree during the entirety of the game + epilogue. in fact, his line in the epilogue that addresses the topic of grandkids is this one:

tara: this is why mrs. dekarios and i will be waiting an eternity more for grandchildren. nodecontext: self-pitying gale: psst! shoo, tara. nodecontext: shooing away tara like one would a naughty cat.

i already wrote a post about this entire discourse here [x] but to repeat myself once more: all of the dialogue that vaguely addresses the topic of children in any way in regards to gale are these snippets

player: gale… how would you feel about having another person in our relationship? gale: what, like a child? i’m not quite sure i’d consider myself father material, plus our current lifestyle isn’t exactly what i’d call settled…

gale, upon spotting oliver during their game of hide and seek: ah, i have you! just a shame i don’t want you.

gale treating the children the group comes across with respect isn’t an indicator either. this is a courtesy gale extends to everyone he meets. he’s a character that approves of a protagonist who systematically commits good deeds. whether it’s sparing animals, helping without compensation in mind, or aiding children. wanting children to be cared for… and you know… for them not to die is common etiquette that every adult should extend to a child in need. those are not “dad goals!!!” it’s quite literally just basic human decency. gale is genuinely kind and caring to everyone he meets, there is no reason why this also wouldn’t apply to children.

i often see fandom mention his encounter with mol at last light and how excited he is to talk to her. which i think greatly misinterprets the context of the scenario since he didn’t have much of a reaction to mol before either — gale is ecstatic about lanceboard. again evident by his reaction to the party finding the life-sized board during the wyrmway trials, and how he immediately offers to give tav pointers. explaining different approaches to them in enthusiastic detail if they allow him to. the man just really likes lanceboard… as well as being the smartest person in the room.

gale: ah, lanceboard! why, this might just be the highlight of our misadventures to date.

gale: lanceboard happens to be a game with which i have more than a passing familiarity. might i offer a suggestion? nodecontext: gale's a badass lanceboard player, anticipating showing off

if you want to headcanon your tav and gale raising a big family together that is more than fine and no one is stopping you. whatever you want to happen to these two after the storyline of the game is up to your respective fantasies. no one is policing you on what you should do with your own character. go wild and create whatever fan content you wish, no justification required.

yet once again, as there is no mention in canon anywhere — neither in the main game nor the epilogue — that this is something gale would ever want (whether that may mean immediately or somewhere down the line) gale wanting to be a father remains a headcanon. while gale being childfree is explicitly shown in the game, in strict comparison to other companions that either have children by the end of the game or voice the desire to (eventually) have them.

my personal preferences are of no relevance here whatsoever. i care about accurate and correct characterization and will point out inconsistencies/false information no matter the topic. i, for one, want to appreciate these characters in the way they're written, not how i ideally want them to be.

[mikuchan]

Fandom theory:

Most fans do not like engaging with female characters because, deep down, they haven't worked on a bias they hold in favour of male characters and against female characters. Some even view them as competition. They view female characters as obstacles and people in the way of their ships instead of their actual characters, or even what they could have been. It is why they often disengage, hate, or flanderise female characters.

It is also why they are able to see the potential of male side characters who appear for few scenes and second, but treat canon, main female interests or deurogatonists as if they never existsed or like the worst female characters to ever exist. They build such a negative rapport of them and make it seem as if they were a big villain (news flash: they are traumatised individual).

This got long, so I'm putting it beneath a read more.

disclaimer that this is all lay opinions

deep down, they haven't worked on a bias they hold in favour of male characters and against female characters.

yes, for sure. I mean, the other options are either that the majority of media does just have awful/boring/flat women characters, or that women are just innately awful/boring/flat, and neither of those are true. In some media franchises, maybe accurate. But as a large-scale pattern?? Come on.

Some even view them as competition.

Yes. Fandom is very ship-heavy, and there is a tendency to sideline any potentially romantic competition (whether to enable a m/m pairing or to ship an OC). Ye olde Supernatural fandom was a biiig example of this lol, BBC Sherlock too. This line of thought opens up a whole other can of worms, of course, because that alone shouldn't automatically favor men -- every source but one* that I could find showed that while fandom is predominantly women, it's not predominantly straight women. We should be shipping everybody with everybody, by all rights, but every fandom-popularity metric (AO3 stats, Tumblr year in review, literally just scrolling through tags) does not reflect that at all.

(And honestly, even if it was all straight women in fandom, the whole 'it's all straight women, of course they'll focus on hot guys' excuse still leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Media and culture popular with straight men isn't often about women; not from the top and not from the audience. Men, on a societal level, are expected to read and think and play games and write about men; and they do. Consider stereotypical nerd culture -- a comic convention, a game store, an early D&D campaign -- and, yeah, female characters like Lara Croft and Catwoman were there, but by and large it was men interacting with men about men. So it feels gross when that's tossed out as an explanation, as if it's reasonable for women-heavy spaces to also revolve around men and only men.)

It's not a one note issue, though, and I don't think it's all shipping. Again, lay opinions, but I've seen a lot of rhetoric basically saying: male characters are more fun to interact and play with because they offer a sense of space, and with that, emotional safety. Bodies/body shape, emotions (and how others perceive yours), relationship dynamics, pregnancy and families...topics that can feel very loaded when applied to a woman can become more manageable when packaged in a (cis/conventional) male character.

I do think Astarion was a shoe-in for Tumblr Sexyman anyway, but his themes of being trapped and abused clearly resonate with people, too. It's not all shallow. And while Shadowheart (and Karlach, and Minthara, and others) offers very similar themes, and a similar sense of catharsis when she stands up to her abuser...she's also a woman. Maybe she hits too close to home. Maybe you can't stop comparing yourself to her (which, as a woman, you've been trained to do basically since birth. I struggle with this a lot tbh, it is hard). Maybe she presses on whatever biases and issues you have inside. Whatever the reason, it's easier for some people to work through issues via a masculine or male character and sidestep those other issues.

So like, in that sense, I don't blame people for saying if I pay attention to Orin as well then I might think about why I like her less than Gortash, and then I might realize it's because I am unhappy with myself, or because I dislike my status as a woman in society for x reason, and that hurts and it's hard. fuck this, I want to sympathize with Gortash only. I'm not here to hurt and do hard work, I want to reblog cool art and write drama. but like ! this still sucks. It's a reasonable reason, but not exactly a good one. It's just capping the lid and saying mm, not dealing with that.

And I want to make very clear that I'm not saying girls should only care about girl characters because we have super special girly issues that can only be solved by writing fanfics about Minthara not Halsin because Halsin is a yucky boy. I'm trying to say: many women hold other women, including themselves and fictional characters, to unfair standards, or hold internal prejudice against them for sexist reasons, and turn to male characters for safe catharsis instead. This is understandable, but not healthy.

(Or they see any/all women characters as a Threat to their Hawke's adoration of Anders. Similar bias but less understandable/sympathetic, super annoying.)

*and that study is from 2008 (older than some tumblr users now) with only 3400 participants; we can contrast this information with centrelumina's much larger and more recent survey.

[maxwellhauskaffee]

I was semi-joking with "Tenna so bpd" but like - he kinda' is???

I know applying dsm5 shit to fictional characters whose actions range from wacky antics to "take this shit seriously" isn't the best thing to do (because they are an exaggeration so almost any disorder can apply if you dig enough) but I mean...

[1] Frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment.

Tenna deadass instantly becomes severely depressed from the perceived threat of being abandoned. The moment you give in to what he wants, he becomes instantly ecstatic that you're not leaving and will engage in games with him.

[2] A pattern of unstable and intense interpersonal relationships characterized by alternating between extremes of idealization and devaluation.

When TFG escapes, Tenna threatens his staff by firing them. But upon seeing how they take it negatively and or how emotionally unstable he is, he immediately rehires them so they (presumably) don't leave him like TFG have. But then he breaks down further and threatens them once more upon realizing he has to find them.

When Susie becomes suss of Tenna's intent, he immediately tries to appeal to her so she and the rest of the gang don't leave.

Of course, this is part of his bigger plan, but he makes it very clear he doesn't want any of them to leave because he's afraid of being isolated again. Should note someone talking to Tenna promised him an eternal audience if he helps them (in the datamind info).

I feel like it's a more lowkey version of this since he doesn't outright devalue any of them that I recall, but it's clear he primarily puts Susie and Kris on a pedestal and becomes enraged, anxious, or depressed when they don't meet his idolation of them.

Tenna begs for Spamton to come back and even kept one of his pipis and then like - two scenes later, derides Spamton, claiming Spamton abandoned him and that everything's his fault.

[3] Identity disturbance: markedly and persistently unstable self-image or sense of self.

Tenna constantly flips back and forth from asserting he's cool and fun to stating he's not outdated, broken, or boring in a desperate attempt to remove the negative self-image from his and TFG's heads. He's constantly asking for reassurance that he's worthwhile as an appliance.

[6] Affective instability due to a marked reactivity of mood (e.g., intense episodic dysphoria, irritability, or anxiety usually lasting a few hours and rarely more than a few days).

Almost half the images I've shown and every interaction with Tenna's literally this.

[7] Chronic feelings of emptiness.

I mean - this is Tenna' whole character lol. He lacks a sense of self or purpose unless he's constantly being engaged with those he holds in high regard and or being used for his purpose (to entertain).

[8] Inappropriate, intense anger or difficulty controlling anger (e.g., frequent displays of temper, constant anger, recurrent physical fights).

Ties into symptom 1, but when TFG try and leave, Tenna traps them in gacha balls, destroys the set, becomes enraged, and tries to enslave them as his contestants for eternity.

I don't have bpd but ironically have a triad of disorders that mirror aspects of it so I'm going off my own experiences and reflection of myself and with bpd people I've known through life.

Like I said - this isn't an actual diagnosis and is just thinking / potential altu headcanon.

Tenna's a wacky fictional character so I feel uncomfortable assigning such a serious disorder as a "matter of fact", but I feel as though he'd be an interesting vessel to explore this through future fics or art of him and Spamton (who has his own issues omg).

[lunastrophe]

Drow Lore 🕷️ Drow Terms Of Address (part 2)

More terms of address for drow characters and (Lolth-sworn) drow - drow interactions. This time a few tips on how to address your drow lover in various types of relationships 🖤

🕷️ Choosing A Lover - in a Lolth-sworn drow society, a female always makes the first move. In theory, she is free to sate her physical desire with whatever partner arouses her attention. In practice, though, it is not always that simple. Sometimes things get complicated: when the person she wants has already been claimed by another female, or is subjected to someone more powerful, or is a member of a rival noble house, or (in case of females) has much higher station than her.

Drow males cannot choose their lovers, at least not female ones. In a Lolth-sworn drow society, they have no right to consent - or to refuse to consent, for that matter. They are simply taken by females and they are expected to comply and satisfy them, since rejecting (or disappointing) a female is customarily punished. It is not uncommon for females to torture or even kill their male lovers on a whim.

Typical (female) drow pickup line is probably something similar to kla'ath ussa, jaluk ('serve me, male').

🔹 Drow can refer to their lovers as: xi'hum ('pet', 'plaything'), seriso ('lover'), m'ranndii ('mate'), also mrimm d'ssinss ('female lover') / mrann d'ssinss ('male lover').

Mrimm d'ssinss means literally 'inspiration of seduction / allure / charm'. Both mrimm d'ssinss and mrann d'ssinss are terms that may indicate some dose of admiration - they also sound quite intimately, like half-purrs, half-whispers.

🕷️ Lover Of A Noble Female - matron mother's chosen mate is called ilharn ('patron'), but she is free to take as many lovers as she wants to. A male lover who is not the patron of the House, but enjoys the matron's favors, is called parzdiamo ('male playmate'). A lover of a noble female with more or less established status can be called zil ('consort').

Being attached to a powerful female is often seen by drow males as a way to raise their social status - patrons (or favoured consorts) usually have rivals seeking to undermine their position.

Males born or adopted into noble houses, especially the most talented or promising ones, are treated in many ways like their matron mother's property. Matron mother has the right to decide which females can or cannot have them, and she may even "borrow" the most valuable males to females of other houses - in exchange for favors, information etc. Such males are sometimes "borrowed" for breeding purposes.

🕷️ Lover With Feelings - developing genuine feelings for your drow lover may be a very bad idea. Such a thing is not only dangerous (according to drow, all trust is foolish), but it is also seen as unbefitting a drow and forbidden - and can be punished with torture or even with death.

It applies especially to female-male relationships (the fact that Lolth really, really hates her ex-husband may have something to do with this aspect of Lolth-sworn drow culture).

Drow do fall in love, though - very rarely and mostly with other drow, since they tend to perceive non-drow as inferior. According to Drow of the Underdark, 3.5e: "the sudden urge to consider someone else's well-being is a strange and frightening experience [for a drow]. Many drow react violently to love, seeking to destroy the object of their affections before they are further "corrupted" by the odd sensations. Those who don’t become violent usually make every effort to either impress or dominate the object of their affections, depending on their relative social standing. (...) for even the most loving drow sees little difference between intimacy and possession."

🔹 Drow can refer to a loved one as 'che ('loved one' - or at least as close as a drow term can get to the meaning of this word) or 'chev ('beloved'), or even quor'vlosara ('soulmate').

🔹 Drow can also use terms of endearment like ussta ssinssrigg ('my love / longing / passion' - ssinssrigg traditionally means all these things, also 'greed' and 'lust'), or ussta alurlssrin ('my love' - alurlssrin means unselfish, deep love; it is a term introduced to drow language by Eilistraeans, so probably not widely known in the Underdark).

🔹 (From BG2) ussta mzilst ssin'urn ultrin ('my most handsome / beautiful conqueror') - words of a female drow who has fallen in love with a man from the surface.

In a Lolth-sworn drow society, lavishing your drow lover with sweet words and tender gestures is something that should be done only in private - being discovered can mean torture and / or death for one or both of you.

For more of my drow lore ramblings, feel free to check my pinned post 🕷️

[unhetalia]

I think what's fascinating about Arthur and Alfred is that the concept of immortality plays a huge part in the relationship between them in a way that it doesn't for other Hetalia ships.

In a way, this adds to the idea that Nations are 'other', and this is actually what's made them a less popular ship in fandom over time. People are uncomfortable with the fact that they met when Alfred was a child and Arthur was an adult. They're uncomfortable with the fact that there was a time where Arthur could be considered Alfred's caretaker.

If these two characters weren't immortal, there would be very little room for their relationship to grow beyond that of an adult and child, caretaker and charge. BECAUSE they're immortal, however, it's not only possible BUT we get to actually see it, which is rarer than you'd think in Hetalia.

Even though we as fans understand that history and time can change the relationship between two nations, we actually rarely see this in action. For example, Francis and Arthur have always been portrayed as rivals, and the intensity of that rivalry has stayed pretty consistent in canon despite the difference in their two countries' relationship. We know that Kiku and Alfred must have have had some difficulties between that first meeting and them being best friends in modern times, but we don't really see that either.

Arthur and Alfred's relationship, however, gets a really gorgeous, seriously written nod to the breakdown of the caretaker and charge relationship AND we also get to see them-as-equals in the present. When Himaruya used to do more ship tease, we even got to see it leading to a will-they-won't-they kind of thing.

So, it's really fascinating because it's a relationship where you can see that passage of time for them as Nations. I also think it allows for me to explore something that I don't believe in when it comes to real relationships - the idea that 'love is enough'.

This one can apply to everyone in Hetalia, but is particularly juicy with the canon we see for Arthur and Alfred. In real life, I stand by the adage that love is not enough. Love does not equal compatibility, it does not equal solving your relationship problems and love is not worth sacrificing yourself for. Basically - you need more than love to make a relationship work.

If Arthur and Alfred were mortal, they wouldn't have enough time to sort out all their issues in order to make a relationship work. That's my true opinion. A lot of accepting and moving on needs to happen. If they were mortal, I'd say ... just leave it. Experience the world! Find a love less intense but more healthy.

BUT THEY'RE NOT MORTAL. They're gonna get to a point where they've experienced as much world as they can, and the less intense but healthier love will literally die, and then who is left but each other, and every other immortal they have issues with? THIS is when love can be enough. This is when you can work on all the things that aren't worth working towards as a mortal. Eventually, we have a forever-young less toxic yaoi of my dreams.

And that is fucking amazing.

[theotterpenguin]

How LOK Fails to Do Katara Justice (part II)

In part one of this meta, I explained how Katara's character received the worst treatment in Legend of Korra compared to the other members of the gaang, and the sexist writing of lok!Katara so that she is only defined by her relationships to her husband and children. In the second part of this analysis, I will explain how the common arguments that are used in defense of LOK's poor writing do not provide an adequate in-universe explanation for Katara's drastic change from ATLA.

Defense of lok!Katara seems to boil down to three main points: 

1) The “leave it to the kids” excuse: Katara is from the previous generation so she shouldn’t be expected to be involved in the plot - it’s time for Korra’s team to have a turn.

2) The “old lady” excuse: Katara is too old to be fighting wars or getting involved in international politics.

3) The “people change” excuse: Katara’s character, personality, and goals would change over time because she’s older now.

I would be willing to accept these excuses under the condition that they are also applied to the other members of the gaang. Ignoring the fact that the Order of the White Lotus is literally a bunch of old guys fighting in wars in ATLA, if Toph and Zuko are also portrayed as too old to be fighting and leaving all their problems to the next generation to fix, along with Katara, it wouldn’t be as much of a problem. If Sokka, Aang, Toph, and Zuko are all portrayed as having different goals and motivations and characteristics than when they were younger, along with Katara, then again, it wouldn’t be as much of a problem. (It might be bad writing, but hey, at least it’s bad writing applied equally to every character). 

The problem is that it’s only Katara’s character that takes a complete 180 from how it was set up in ATLA, it’s only Katara’s character that is too old to fight to defend her family, it’s only Katara’s character who leaves all her problems to the kids and stays completely uninvolved from the geopolitical conflicts brewing around her.

 Returning to our original three excuses, let’s see how well they match with rest of the gaang’s portrayal in LOK:

1) “Leave it to the kids” excuse: 

I will be leaving Sokka and Aang out of this since they are dead at the time of the show (though it should be noted that flashbacks show both of them being heavily involved in global leadership roles and managing political conflicts). 

This excuse is not even close to applicable to Zuko. As soon as he finds out Zaheer has escaped from prison, he flies off on a dragon to check the other prisons. He warns Lin to look after Korra, but this doesn’t stop him from investigating with Tonraq on his own, without Korra and co's involvement. As soon as he hears his family may be in danger, he flies off on a dragon to protect them.

This excuse doesn’t apply to Toph. She does state that she agrees with Katara that it’s time to leave things to the kids, but her actions say differently. As soon as she finds out Suyin has been captured, she immediately attempts to find her - on her own, without consulting with the younger generation. When she realizes Suyin has been moved somewhere else, she works together with Korra and co to save her family - twice actually. She also involves herself in Korra’s life by helping her train and recover from her PTSD.

Meanwhile, Katara does nothing when her home is dragged into a civil war, does nothing when her family is kidnapped, and does nothing when a bloodbender is using his abilities to oppress others (despite being the one to outlaw bloodbending).

2) “Old lady” excuse:

Again, also not applicable to Aang and Sokka because they’re dead at the start of the show.

This excuse does not apply to Zuko whatsoever. He never mentions that being old prevents him from fighting or getting involved in the political conflicts that arise. He has no problem fighting Ghazan during the Red Lotus prison break-in and has no problem riding his dragon. He stays involved in international relations despite being “retired” from his position as Fire Lord - helping to track down the Red Lotus, attending important international events, and holding meetings with leaders of other nations (Tenzin, Raiko, Tonraq).

Toph tells Korra that her fighting days are over due to having back problems, but has no problem fighting Korra during training and easily takes out Kuvira’s army. 

Katara never fights during the entire show. And as far as I can remember, she never waterbends at all beyond healing on a few occasions.

I feel like it’s important to note that both excuses 1 and 2 are never even mentioned in regard to Zuko (or the Order of the White Lotus) - it’s only Toph and Katara that seem to be “too old” to fight and have to leave everything to the kids. Toph’s actions don’t align with her words, unlike Katara, but it doesn’t change the fact that these excuses are unequally applied to old women in Legend of Korra compared to the old men in Legend of Korra (and ATLA). Good old misogyny at work!

3) “People change” excuse:

Sokka: Begins his story in ATLA as son of the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe, desperately trying to fill his father's shoes when Hakoda goes off to war. He becomes the defacto leader of the gaang over time due to his fondness for schedules, his leadership abilities, and analytical thinking skills. Despite being a nonbender, he held his own with his trusty boomerang and strategic thinking. Ends his story in LOK having taken over from his father as Chief of the Southern Water Tribe, putting those leadership skills to use. His intelligence and strategic thinking made him an ideal candidate to be a Representative for the Southern Water Tribe on the Republic City Council, as he could be trusted to make smart decisions that were the best for his tribe. He was even elected chairman of the council due to these skills. A statue was built in his honor, which included his favorite boomerang.

Zuko: Begins his story in ATLA learning to heal from his father’s abuse and, in the process, slowly comes to understand the evils of Fire Nation imperialism. He replaces his father as Fire Lord and vows to start a new era of peace and harmony, ending the war and the Fire Nation’s colonialism and imperialism. He also vowed to work together with the Avatar to maintain balance. Ends his story in LOK having achieved peace and prosperity in the Fire Nation again. Turned previous Fire Nation colonies into the United Republic of Nations - meant to be a safe haven for anyone, regardless of nationality or bender status - by working together with Aang. Fights against the Red Lotus to protect Avatar Korra and his family. His statue, in contrast to Ozai’s former statue, is one representing peace and hope.

Toph: Begins her story in ATLA rebelling against her strict parents, who are overprotective of her due to her blindness. She learns to rely on and trust others over the course of the series, realizing that accepting help from others doesn’t mean she’s weak. She enjoyed pulling scams on naive civilians in the show using her earthbending seismic abilities and participated in the Earth Rumble in her youth. She also invented metalbending and worked as Aang’s earthbending teacher. Ends her story in LOK having created a metalbending academy to teach others the bending speciality, along with establishing the first metalbending police force. Metalbending is shown as having made significant contributions to technological innovation and progress in the avatar world. Helped to train Korra while she’s recovering from the her capture by the Red Lotus. Though she liked breaking the rules when she was younger, she found it more fun to be the person in charge of the rules - leading her to become Captain of the Police Force. Still suffering the consequences of poor parenting as a child, she became an overly-lenient parent, leading to problems with her daughters. She states that her fighting days are over, but still seems to enjoy fighting Korra.

(As a side note: I do not agree with how the writers chose to take Toph’s story. Do I think they should have - and realistically, could have - gone in a different direction that did more justice to Toph’s character? Yes. However, I also see how it could potentially be possible that she became a cop and uninvolved parent based on her background. I don’t like it, but I can at least see some logic behind her storyline - unlike Katara’s. If anyone feels differently, I'd love to know your thoughts.)

Aang: Begins his story in ATLA learning to become the Avatar by mastering all four elements, mastering the Avatar State, and acting as a bridge between the human world and Spirit World. Struggles with being the sole survivor of the Air Nomads and attempting to keep his culture alive. Works to keep balance in the world among the four nations by defeating the imperial Fire Nation. Ends his story in LOK having achieved his goals as Avatar, successfully keeping peace amongst the four nations and establishing the United Republic of Nations as a sanctuary for all, no matter nationality or bender status. Considered a spiritual leader and successfully kept peace between the spirit world and human world. Had an airbender child and airbender grandkids, traveled the world to spread his culture, including building a temple on Air Temple Island in the United Republic, and other characters repeatedly state that for his entire life, his dream was to revive Air Nomad culture. 

Katara: Begins her story in ATLA trying to master her waterbending abilities, trying to teach herself on their journey. Views waterbending as a way to connect with her culture. She challenges the Northern Water Tribe’s sexism for the right to learn how to fight. Famously declares, “I don’t want to heal, I want to fight!” Passionate about standing up against injustice - causes a prison riot through an inspiring speech she gives, dresses up as a Fire Nation spirit to heal sick villagers, and goes after her mother’s killer. She is forced to bloodbend, a traumatic experience for her. Teaches Aang how to waterbend and is eventually bestowed the title of “master waterbender” by Pakku. Occasionally heals others when they get injured, but main focus is on development of her waterbending fighting abilities. Ends her story in LOK known as the best healer in the world, but fails to heal Korra and Jinora. Spends her time during the civil war on the sidelines, healing the injured. Marries and has kids with Aang. She’s lonely and her family doesn’t visit much. No known achievements beyond outlawing bloodbending (which she is somehow able to do without holding any political titles beyond that of the Avatar’s wife).

Hopefully it should be clear that Sokka, Aang, Toph, and Zuko's characteristics, goals, and motivations don't change as drastically as Katara's do. The writing of Katara in LOK did a disservice to her character. I've always deeply admired Katara for never failing to stand up against injustice, for her empathy and kindness even for those who are different from her, and for her determination not to let patriarchal norms define what she can and can't do. While LOK's portrayal of other characters provides a glimpse at how their character arcs in atla influenced the way they shaped the world, we never get a glimpse of the original Katara - only a lackluster imitation of someone with the same name.

If the Avatar franchise continues to expand with more post-ATLA content of the gaang as adults, I certainly hope Katara's characterization is improved.