#Naga's position is a complicated one

[randomnameless]

I might have missed it, but is there anything in that timeline book or the game that frames Duma destroying Thabes as bad? "He destroyed it because he feared humans in Thabes were growing too powerful" seems like a pretty neutral and vague statement to me, being just as easy to interpret positively as it could be negatively.

Iirc Naga was so pissed at him for doing this that she kicked him out (and lost some tooth in the process)

Duma's resentment at having been exiled is the reason why he built the tower, and it's also the reason why he started to value strength.

Naga seems to have a pretty hands off approach regarding humans (in Jugdral she gives weapons to humans but asks dragons to not interfere ? And Forseti doesn't listen ?) which has its merits, no midget can accuse her of controlling the world in the shadows if she doesn't participate in human affairs she only does so when other dragons are involved and when Humans cannot win, but also its defaults, dragons exist in the world, if they cannot interfere with humans, are they still living or bound to live in isolation (Tiki ?), only to pop up when humans fuck up too much ?

In Jugdral, without Forseti's intervention, Julia most likely would have died when Deedee warped her "somewhere" and the continent would have been a second Loptyr Empire.

And yet, Valentia and Fodlan taught us what happens to dragons who live and help periodically humans : they're used as scapegoats for everything.

Back to Duma, the supplementary materials are busy retconning Rudy to make him the chadest Emperor who ever Emporered and refuse to commit on Grima being the reason why Duma attacked Thabes... Even if they remind us he's called the Kingshield !

[ro-botany]

What was Freddie's reaction to finding out Robin and Grima was the same? Did he feel he was paid enough for everything? How much did he want to say, "I told you so" to Chrom?

(Hi, this is Robot from the future after writing the post. This is a long and unorganized stream of conscious disaster. Please bear with me. I promise I have an actual point to make lol.)

---

In my mind that was a pretty complicated moment for Frederick. In part because the reveal of Robin's nature happens very late in the story, long after Frederick has become friends with Robin and come to trust them as a commander... and in part because depending on which shipping AU I'm in, Robin is likely to be Chrom's partner in marriage, by that point.

Frederick is responsible for the safety of Chrom and Lissa. Whoever those two marry becomes a part of Ylisse's royal family, and thus, Frederick's duty to safeguard the royalty extends to them. If Robin is exalt-consort of the realm, then Frederick is going to protect them. Perhaps not as fervently as he does Chrom and Lissa, given that he hasn't known them since childhood, but it's Frederick, so you know he's putting his full effort into it. The man does nothing by halves.

What happens if the exalt-consort of Ylisse is also the fell dragon? What do you do, what do you even think, when your dear friend's partner, your own close friend, the commander you've trusted your life with for years, the royal you're duty-bound to guard the life and health of... is bringer of the apocalypse?

Oh, he's certainly vindicated in his initial mistrust of Robin, but it's a bitter victory.

And it's made yet more bitter by the fact that Robin was as unaware of it as the rest of them, and as horrified. It wasn't even a betrayal on their part; he can't even direct his anger their way.

I think that at first, and similarly to Chrom, Frederick probably took it at face value that Robin and Grima must be separate entities. From the way Validar talks about it, from the ravine of difference between the Robin he knows and the monstrous fell dragon, it doesn't make sense for them to be the same.

But by the time the Shepherds reach Naga, I think he's clued in to the fact that Grima and Robin are the same person on different paths. He's seen Robin's work firsthand, worked under them for years. He remembers how they defeated the Valmese fleet. He's seeing how they're changing as a person as the battle with their other self draws nearer. He heard Robin exclaim that they are the fell dragon -- not its vessel, but it in its entirety -- and heard the other Robin confirm that. He's the one who calls out the concept of defeating Grima with his own power as suicide, too.

Whenever I think about this I keep coming back to Frederick's pyromanic tendencies, and the fact that he has them so effectively controlled that he can be trusted to set up all the campfires for the Shepherds early in the mornings. Clearly being the reincarnation of the fell dragon god Grima is at a COMPLETELY different scale of severity from his issues... But I think he can relate, to some degree, to having some inherent destructiveness in you, inextricable from you, and how scary it is to face the severe and immediate risk that you may hurt or even kill people you care about, and not necessarily be able to control those terrible actions. He's come to terms with and leashed his demons. But he can also see the world where he failed to.

---

...I guess to answer your first question, about what Fred's reaction would be... Ime Frederick's in a better position than most of the cast to understand the conflict of self Robin is dealing with, and he has a lot of reasons to worry about their fate and to work towards reaching that understanding of them. The initial shock might lead to him trying to soften the reality to preserve his opinion of his friend, but I think he would come around to genuine understanding of their nature faster than many. And that he would ultimately want them to get out of this alive. The reveal of this aspect of their nature doesn't change the fact that they've fought long and hard for what's right.

He would absolutely think "i told you so", but with the amount of trauma the whole plot point deals to the gang, and especially to Chrom, I don't think he would ever seriously consider saying it. Just silently soak in the irony. Stare into the camera like he's on the office.

He absolutely does not get paid enough for this and he knows it. Obviously he cares too much to sit any of this out but gods above, when he signed up to be a knight he didn't think he would be fighting a whole ass deity by the time he was 30.

[yusuke-of-valla]

Off the top of my head, Gangrel says Grimleal inquisitions forced people to worship Grima under his reign, the Art of Awakening also said similar happened when Gangrel made Plegia a theocracy for Grima. The regular villagers state in several chapters they hate and fear Grima.

Combined with brainwashed Aversa's dialogue about needing new recruits for Grima's snacks & all the people on the table using good villager portraits as opposed to the "ugly/evil" portraits used by the regular Grimleal, it seems like only the new recruits were sacrificed as part of a con.

That said it is a little less explicit than I thought checking it. Still its implied that the big Grimleal was gangpress a bunch of people into the Grimleal with Gangrel's reign and then use them as a human sacrifice.

Ok are any of these what you’re talking about? Also found this in Gangrel’s support:

Robin: You once worshipped Grima, correct? As a member of the Grimleal?

Gangrel: Pah, those wrinkled old warts with their dusty tomes? I was Grimleal in name only. Course, it was the faith of the realm, so I knew most of its rituals.

Robin: Religion can be a powerful tool for uniting people behind a single cause. I wager Aversa used it to convince your subjects to take up arms?

Gangrel: ...Perhaps. But in the end, I'd say she used me as much as anyone.

Robin: And what did the people of Plegia really think of the faith?

Gangrel: Think? Ha! They DIDN'T think! Between my iron-fisted rule and Aversa's inquisitions, they had no choice about it. ...But as I said, it was a cruel time.

Robin: Your people were cowed by your political might, but the temples offered solace...

Gangrel: Ah, yes. The solace of the damned.

Robin: Thank you, Gangrel.

Gangrel: Hmm? What for?

Robin: We can't help the people of Plegia if we don't understand their situation. Our cause is simple—to save this world and all the people in it. And that includes the poor wretches of Plegia who remain in the thrall of Grima.

Gangrel: ...You are an odd one. Plegia has given you hardship and horror, and yet you would fight to save us. I'm almost impressed.

Robin: Now is not the time for recriminations or revenge. If we are to save the world, we must band together with every willing soul. We must be prepared to offer forgiveness.

Gangrel: Gwa ha ha! I see it's not just barbs on your tongue, but honey as well! You are right. There'll be time aplenty for judgment in the next life.

Robin: Exactly.

Gangrel: If I want to right past wrongs, how better than to save my own people? Gangrel will return, not as a tyrant, but as a liberator!

Robin: Indeed. The road to redemption is long, but it begins with a single step.

Basically it seems like faith is really complicated? But it doesn’t mean none of those people are true believers in the faith and nothing says “none of the people sacrificed were true believers they were all good guys press ganged into it”

Plus using the villager portraits could mean “HEY SOME OF THESE GRIMLEAL ARE INNOCENT PEOPLE” like we can’t interrogate how all of them came about their faith.

Also given the game doesn’t really go into why any antagonists are Like That outside of Walhart and Gangrel, I will reiterate:

Your position seems to be “the game always portrays Naga worshippers as unambiguously good and Grima worshippers as unambiguously evil and anything straying from that is reading too much into it,” but what about the priest guy who sells out Emmeryn and Chrom. If most of the Grimleal who are sacrificed were forced into it doesn’t that also mean they’re not unilaterally evil? I don’t understand your insistence that the game HAS to be as black and white as your insisting and anyone digging further is wrong.

[laslow]

a kiss placed on the back of the hand as a greeting !

" no, you're mistaken, " jakob speaks as if he were instructing. little does he know, he is the one without the expertise here. "i want you to correct my form, you see. i know dancing may not be your forte, but it's been some time since i have truly done anything remotely traditional to nohrian dancing. i hadn't even participated in the ball. . ."

a dismissive wave. "i will not ask for you as my partner," in fact, it's far easier to practice the motions by yourself. who knows if laslow knows how to dance ? "but, surely, you know a thing or two about what looks awful or not ? i really can't fathom being less in any form of etiquette. i'll begin."

hand takes ahold of laslows wrist gently, a quick peck on the back of his hand - before taking a few paces back. "and immediately after that, i suppose it was . . . ah ! right," a nod of affirmation. "you side step here, and then . . ."

it looks very average, but he's trying!

international kiss day 2024!

He bites the inside of his cheek, hard, doing his utmost to remain professional. Jakob so rarely asks for help--scaring him off by gloating would be a poor reaction.

But maybe Laslow can get away with a little teasing. As a treat.

"Why, Jakob, is there a special lady you're eager to impress?" Laslow waggles his eyebrows, uncrossing his arms as Jakob speaks. "And not to worry! I happen to know a few things about dancing. One picks up so many tidbits in the pursuit of love."

Traditional Nohrian dancing isn't that complicated, anyway. They favor precise movements over a more natural flow, but it's still beautiful.

The kiss surprises him. It shouldn't, given that Jakob will follow etiquette unto death. Laslow just wasn't expecting the entire experience. His hand hangs in the air for another moment before he retracts it, attention now shifting to the butler.

Naga, Jakob's stiff. Even by Nohrian standards. The steps are all correct, but his timing is a half-beat off. Nothing that can't be fixed with a little practice.

"Alright, not bad at all! My first piece of advice? Relax your shoulders. Keep a slight bend in your knees, like when you're throwing a dagger." Laslow assumes first position. "You should move elegantly from step to step, like so..."

Side step, forward, back, side, forward again. He moves with the confidence of someone who isn't consciously thinking about footwork. "See? Nohrians favor posture and precision over all else. It's a little boring, sometimes, but it's never a bad thing to keep to the basics."

[dorothea-jpg]

Bleeding Heart by jewellerytuna653

Characters Used/Mentioned:

Ghorza Nargol (Orc)

Koba Harkess (TV Head)

Nestrys Aja (Naga)

Advik Musa (Tiger Centaur)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It had been at least six months since Nestrys and Ghorza began dating. If he was being honest, Koba was shocked, especially after seeing how the two started out. He thought his brother would push the muscular girl out of a five-story building before he willingly dated her. He was happy though. He was delighted that his brother was finally putting himself out there and allowing himself to be content for once but... he was also devastated because that meant he lost the bet he had going on with his boyfriend of one year.

He almost felt bad for wanting poor Ghorza to be pushed out of a window.

Ghorza and Nestrys's dynamic was laughable, to be honest. It was like watching a dog cling onto a porcupine along with heart bubbles surrounding them. They were a healthy couple though, surprisingly there were barely any arguments and they both got along with the others families and friends (Which Nestrys didn't have a lot of).

While Ghorza did get along with Nestry's family, Koba was a bit distant when they first met. It definitely wasn't out of malice or anything, he was just terrible around new people, especially people who looked as intimidating as Ghorza. It was completely fine after Koba got to know Ghorza though, she looked like she could crush someone's head with her pinky but she was really just a big teddy bear.

Koba and Ghorza started hanging out and even found a lot of common interests.

But alas, not everything was perfect...

Koba made an offended beeping noise as Ghorza asked the most ridiculous question he had ever heard.

"What's a fanfiction?"

Koba genuinely had to question their entire friendship. 

'What do you mean!? What kind of question is that!?' Koba frantically signed with his hands. Ghorza just shrugged "What?" Koba shook his head and positioned his hands so that he could reply 'You've never heard of fanfiction before? Not even crackfics?' Ghorza shook her head in response.

The betrayal Koba felt was suffocating.

'Well, this just won't do! Come here, I'll show you' Ghorza innocently hopped off of Nestrys's bed and walked over to Koba's side of the bedroom, leaning over his lanky frame to stare at his computer screen. Ghorza watched as Koba clicked on this one website that looked way too complicated to use, it hurt Ghorza's brain to look at it. 

'I'm going to show you one of my favourite fanfics, It's called bleeding heart and it's written by jewllerytuna653. It's a childhood friends to lovers type thing but I will warn you now it is really angsty, I'm talking unrequited love and major character death which isn't that bad to some people but I'm soft so it really hurt to read' 

Ghorza nodded along with everything that Koba signed. She had no clue what he was saying but she nodded along nonetheless.

Koba suggested that before they read it, they build a pillow fort on Koba's bed and hoard some snacks from the kitchen, maybe even grab some tissues. Ghorza thought that this was a bit excessive but she wasn't going to argue with snacks and a pillow fort.

...

It was around 12:42 before Nestrys came back to the house after hanging out with Advik. He expected everyone except Koba to be asleep by that time.

He climbed up the carpeted stairs and entered his room.

Once he opened the door, he immediately sensed the strange atmosphere. The room was pitch black except for a small light coming from Koba's bed. To say that Nestrys was weirded out was an understatement but he wasn't surprised, this was a common occurrence. When he pulled back the fluffy blanket entrance, he expected to see Koba obsessively reading some crap fanfic but what he didn't expect was both his brother and his girlfriend surrounded by blankets and pillows, clinging onto each other while sobbing.

"What the hell" He deadpanned.

Ghorza's head snapped towards him and she immediately sported a pitifully relieved expression. Nestrys raised his eyebrows at the condition that the taller girl was in, her face was a darker shade of green and wet from the excessive crying, she had snot dripping from her nose and all while clutching onto a tissue.

"Baby, I'm so glad you're back!" Ghorza sobbed and detangled herself from Koba so that she could get to her boyfriend. She embraced him in a tight hug and lifted him off of the floor before he could say anything. 

"O-Oi, you're squeezing too much, you fool" Ghorza didn't let go and continued to cry but she loosened her grip, just slightly. Nestrys stared at her with furrowed eyebrows before hesitantly hugging her back protectively. He snapped his head up to glare at Koba, looking for an explanation from him.

Koba didn't sign anything this time, he just showed an emoji on his facial screen of a bleeding heart.

Nestrys rolled his eyes and proceeded to comfort his girlfriend.

[onthemeander]

ACOTAR Review

I have to start off by just mentioning that this book was heavily suggested to me. I only ever heard praise of the plot, characters, and the romantic message at its core. I feel this needs to be brought up because it was the fuel for the utter frustration I felt while reading this book. A frustration at my core that drove me to write my first ever review, so thanks for that.

Let’s start with the Pros of this book.

It is an easy read. I can inhale 300 pages in only two days. It is a good relaxing read if that’s what you are looking for. The kind of book you can curl up with on a rainy Sunday and just pass the free time if you're burned out on binging Netflix.

Okay, that’s it for the Pros. Now onto the Cons.

This book, a loose reimagining of Beauty and the Beast, feels like it has been written by a 50 shades of grey fan who hates Disney princess movies because the princesses are not “tough” enough. This novel comes off as the edgy version of a fantasy world that wants to include all the dark sides of life but doesn’t want to address the life long lasting implications of those dark actions. I am looking at you Ryhsand. Oh and I will go in on him later but first let's talk about our heroine.

Feyre is a young girl whose family has fallen onto hard times and it is her single minded goal to keep them all alive. They live hand to mouth, off the game she manages to hunt in a rather inhospitable forest. One day while trying to kill a Doe she sees a massive wolf and decides to kill it as well, as it was making eyes at her doe and a girl is hungry.

She kills the massive creature and takes both animals home to skin and prepare for meals. The money and food ensuring that her family won’t starve for at least a few weeks if they ration properly. Days later another more terrifying monster comes to her cottage, a Fairy in beast form by the name of Tamlin, who says she killed his friend. Now, because she killed a fairy, she can either die or come live with him for the rest of her life. She takes the later… obviously.

Feyre is a fine enough protagonist, bland enough that you can imagine yourself in her position and fantasize about having two hot men chasing you. In my younger years, I would have happily daydreamed about being in her world, surrounded by magic but being personally skilled enough to not need the aid of magic.

A pet peeve, a totally personal bias, is that to her everything is just the worst. Her Sisters are awful, her dad useless, the cottage disgusting, hunting she hates it, the fairies vile, the Spring Court a prison, and so on. The issue isn’t so much that she has a negative mindset, that is human and that can make for an interesting shade of protagonist but in this novel, it is so one-note. Everything is described with the same level of disdain. Which makes moments where she talks about having to protect her family or Tamlin honestly confusing because with how little she seems to like them the reader is left wondering why? Because of a promise she made? To a mom she hates?

Listening, family relationships are complicated. The best line I’ve heard about a relationship similar to Feyre’s, comes from the movie Ladybird, where the titular character tells her mother “I know you love me but I don’t think you like me.” Maybe it’s the fact it’s a movie and the way it is said but it is hurt there. There is a pain in the girl’s voice that her mother and she are at odds.

Feyre at no point talks about the personal pain that comes from being so distant from her family. She just resents them. Even a short moment of remembering the better days, little memories of when her and Nestia playing together as kids or Elane showed her something in the garden. Something that shows that there is, even for the briefest moment love in these relationships.

Without those moments, Feyre’s flip-flopping between going home and staying at the Spring Court feels more like padding to extend a book that saved all of the interest for the last 3rd.My bigger issue with Feyre is she doesn’t seem to really think so much as exist and react in the world. For a series that many have commended for being about feminist agency, Feyre lacks more agency than a rock in a river. At least then the water has to move around the rock.

A story based around Beauty and Beast is always going to bring into question the nature of female agency. This French fairy tale was written in 1740, in a women's magazine, meant to help teach girls about their ultimate futures. In a society where women were the property of fathers and husbands. It urged girls to look at their “beastlike” husbands and try to find the good in them. To become okay with the fact that who they marry might treat them terribly but means well… maybe this book is a perfect adaption of that idea, but I digress.

Feyre is whisked away to this magical world and through her, we learn about the fairy world. A world of violence, court games, and so much sexual assault.

While in the spring court she is tricked by a mirage of her father, nearly eaten by Naga’s, threatened multiple times by basically everyone, sees a fairy die from its wings being ripped off, finds a severed head in the garden, and so on. Whenever she expresses confusion on what is happening there is always a Fairy there to monologue away the day with detailed pages long exposition.

She readily accepts any explanation of the fairy world a man, in particular, tells her. Its exposition for the readers but for a girl who has grown up in a world that believes fairies are violent and enslave humans she is so quick to accept everything they tell her. She doesn’t stop and questions intentions and if she does wonder about the intentions of a character she usually ends on the side of being favorable to them, l especially if they are attractive.

It's clear that Feyre isn’t there to be a character but a vehicle, an avatar for the reader to travel from point A to B. She never reacts to things in a way that a person of this world with such polarized groups would react to being forced to live in the enemy camp.

Then there is Tamlin. He is fine. Your standard brutish romantic interest that is cursed to be ugly forever, by way of the phantom of the opera mask. He is demanding and haughty and thinks he knows better than everyone. Your standard High Lord ego makes for the verbal back and forth that toes the line between sexual tension and toxic relationships.

He does that standard bodice-ripping shtick, while hopping up on fairy dust, he pins Feyre to the wall and bites her neck. She says no, he ignores and then runs off. With a lovely little moment later blaming her for leaving her room, therefore, he can't be held responsible.

While Feyre has probably never listened to a single rule in her life that is still a huge red flag.

Lucien, an interesting play on the Beast’s servants. He is torn between wanting Feyre around to break the curse but also hating her for killing a friend. Honestly, I think this could have been the most interesting relationship if there was more time devoted to it. That happens a lot in this book, interesting things happen too fast and a lot of time is just devoted to Feyres’ water bowels.

Finally Ryhsand, oh dear Rhy, how I wish I could cut you from my mind just as easily as you pop other Fairies brains. Rhys is not a bad character but his introduction into the book is right when this 400+ novel went from bland but inoffensive to outright infuriating. He is the triple threat of assault; Mental, Physical and Sexual.

We first meet the Lord of the Night Court at the Fire Festival (or in honor of Maas naming conventions Fyre) where he saves Feyre from a trio of Fairies that wanted to assault her. A fine enough intro, maybe a bit overused, but I liked the Howl’s moving castle vibes with the playboy swagger and not knowing why this guy is helping at all.

I was excited at first when he showed up, I couldn’t help but get online and see what fans had to say about the books and instantly noticed that the top pairing from the series was Feyre and Rhys. Not just a fan-loved pairing but an actual canonical couple. I was interested to see how the story went and how the author would hint at this future couple while the current story was still very much pointing to a Tamlin happy ending.

Imagine my surprise when the very next scene that Rhys pops up in, ends with him physically pinning Feyre and mentally assaulting her. I believe she refers to it as a talon in her mind ready to rip her consciousness into oblivion. What a great love interest.

To add insult to literal injury, he then mentally violates her and reveals all of her more adult desires that she has been thinking about Tamlin.

He blackmails them all, threatening to tell an evil queen, Aramantha, about Feyre’s existence unless Tamlin kneels and begs. Even then he demands Feyre’s name. She lies and gives him a girl’s name from her village.

Later we learn that the village girl, Claire, has her family burned alive in their home and is dragged to the Fairy world where she is brutally tortured, mutilated, and put on display like a bear pelt. This cruelty is all the result of Rhys not keeping his fat mouth shut about Feyre being in Tamlin’s court.

The author thinks it's okay to excuse this innocents girl's murder away and make Rhys seeming cunning, by saying that he knew that wasn’t Feyre and lied to protect her. A logic so backward I am surprised my spine didn’t snap in how far it had to bend to dodge the fact that he caused her endangerment by telling Aramantha about Feyre to begin with.

Things get darker than the night court once we enter under the mountain. There, while trying to survive Aramatha’s trials, Feyre breaks her arm to the point that the bone is exposed. A day later, bleeding out, in pain, and feverish from infection, Feyre has to talk to Rhys in her cell. He offers to heal her arm in exchange for her living with him every month for two weeks.

Feyre is not interested in his deal and tells him to leave several times. What does our future perfect mate decide to do then when denied what he wants? He grabs Feyre by her exposed arm bone and twists. This man. This sexy dream boy that so many people say is their model for relationships, grabs an injured woman’s exposed bone and tortures her. Just so she will promise to live with him. He is the little boy kicking the dog because it didn’t follow his orders.

After being physically assaulted in a way that is so painful I am sure most people would black out, Feyre agrees to his deal. However, she bargains the time down to one month. He agrees and seals the deal. Just like that Rhys becomes the male embodiment of a period, complete with all the emotional distress, muscle cramps, and blood.

So does the torture end there? Oh no. For several nights after that he makes servants strip her, paint her and dress her in fabric so thin that she is basically naked. Why paint you ask? Rhys claims it is so she and he knows if anyone touches her. Though I will say that while he states this he touches her shoulder and the paint magically fixes itself. So You know it will show if anyone but Rhys touches her.

He then parades her publicly in front of the entire court like a toy. She is forced to publicly expose her breasts and genitals to a crowd of people that from day one want to see her die. He reduces her to a sex object in a crowd that already does not see her humanity.

Then he drugs her. Not an exaggeration, he even admits to it later in the book. He forces her to drink wine that makes her blackout. The next morning she can barely remember anything and has to rely on Lucien to tell her what happened. While blacked out she is forced to dance practically naked, giving Rhys lap dances and just sitting in his lap. She is exposed so throughout that Lucien even comments that he has seen more than he ever wanted to.

All of this culminated in a moment where one-night Feyre gets a moment with Tamlin, the man she loves, and they kiss and touch each other. The paint is smeared and Rhys finds them. He tells Tamlin to leave and then pins Fyre again calling her a stupid human. Then shoves his own tongue down her throat against her will as she thrashes. Aramantha finds them then and makes sure everyone in the court gets a good laugh at Feyre’s “promiscuity”.

The act is disgusting but what really made me want to burn this book was the scene directly after this. Where Rhys shows up and gives his “reasoning” for abusing her. He was just protecting her because Aramantah would be mad if she found Feyre and Tamlin kissing. He was using her nude dances to try and anger Tamlin so he would fight back when he can. He drugged Feyre so she wouldn’t have to remember the humiliation of being someone's harlot. He did all of it to help her and him.

It's okay that he abused her because it was all for a greater plan. It's okay cause he is hot.

This is the moment when I have to step away from the book review and talk about what I have seen surrounding this novel. I have heard several fans explain away Rhy’s abuse by saying “but it was in her best interest” and “that’s what war does'”. So, let's unpack that, first “in her best interest” is basically the catchphrase of every abusive partner at this point. There will always be a reason for the abuse, it’s a gaslighting tactic that ensures that abusers can deflect any blame from themselves and onto their victim. This creates complicated emotions that will paralysis the abused person from leaving the relationship altogether.

If you find yourself in a relationship where you are always rationalizing away mistreatment then please take a step back and question why there are so many excuses to begin with.

As for the but war does that. I would like these same people to say that while looking at photos of real war atrocities. To look at images from the Nanjing Massacre or the Wounded Knee Massacre and say the same thing. Those acts of violence against men, women, and children were done during the war. Does that make it okay then if the violence was done by an attractive soldier who was deep and brooding?

I have a tendency to write my own preferred scenarios which I know is kind of pointless for a published book but fix fit fiction is a thing so hear me out.  Or don’t, that’s fine you can stop reading here as the review is over. I just have one simple idea that could fix a lot of my problems with this series.

Separate Rhysand into two separate characters.

Make the man she meets at the Fyre Festival and the guy who threatens her in the mansion and under the mountain just different guys.

You can keep the dark cunning mystery man of the Fyre Festival, maybe not even name him until he shows up again in the court to help. Have him come to her cell and offer his help. Have her say no and instead of grabbing her exposed arm bone he just says it’s the only help she will get. Hell Feyre talks herself into anyways after he grabs her bone so let's just skip that violence. Have her agree just as he is about to leave and give her the stupid arm tattoo and save her life. Then that’s it. He shows up at the end to help her but that’s it.

The man who meets her in the cell does not need to be the same man who forces her to do stripteases in front of hundreds of people. Make it Attar or some other male henchman of Aramantha who makes her do the dancing and drinking and everything else.

You still want him to be cunning and calculating? Maybe have a little bit of the grey morality that makes us all squirm?  Great than keeping the scene with the forced kiss (not great but whatever). That is easier to overlook than drugging, sexual harassment, and assault.  He can be forcibly kissing her to protect her and hell let's throw in an apology for fun.

Then you set up a situation where you have this dark and mysterious figure who we still don’t know why he helps her.

I know people say wait till book two and I do plan to read it. I got to see what excuse the author comes up with that seems to explain away so much abuse. What could she possibly say that makes me sit back and say “You know yes he pimped her out and yes he pulled on an exposed bone but you know what he just suuuuuuch a good guy.” If she is that good of an author then she should become a PR writer who makes spin articles for R. Kelly and Harvey Weinstein.

[prettypinklass]

Custom Support Seliph/Lucina

C-A

Seliph (FE4) + Lucina (FE13)

~~~

C Support

It was a sunny day in Askr. Light humming filled the air. Princess Lucina of Ylisse was in the armory, sorting through weapons.

“Hmm… No, this one is also broken… I may have to ask for some help carrying these all to the blacksmith…”

“Princess Lucina?”

She looked up, turning to look behind her with a curious frown, “Hm? Oh, greetings Prince Seliph. Did you need me for something?” Lucina stood up to face him.

“No, not at all, I was simply wondering what the noise was about,” Prince Seliph of Chalphy stood in the doorway, leaning against it with a small frown, “What are you doing by yourself? Shouldn’t you have help? I thought the summoner came up with a schedule so nobody would work alone.”

“Ah… I forgot about that. It seems my helper has ditched me then… Well, no matter. I’m sure they’re busy with something else. I can take care of it myself.”

Seliph frowned, “You shouldn’t be working alone. Look at all those broken weapons! I doubt even Prince Shannan could carry that all!” 

“Oh, it’s not a big deal,” Lucina just smiled, “I’ll make multiple trips if I need to.”

“You shouldn’t be so lenient to a slacker…”

“If they aren’t here, then I’m sure they had more important matters to attend to.”

“I… somehow doubt that.”

“What makes you say so?”

“Not everyone is as hard a worker as you are, Princess,” Seliph pointed out, and she frowned, “I understand it’s wonderful to believe such a thing, but I know many who are quite the opposite…”

Lucina hesitated, but then sighed, “I suppose you may be right… My apologies, where I’m from everyone is expected to pitch in no matter what, and if they didn’t it meant there were more important things or… something had happened. Regardless, it doesn’t matter now. I’ll just have to carry these all to the blacksmith myself.”

Seliph blinked in surprise, “What? Who said such a thing? Allow me to help you. I’m not as strong as others physically, but I’m sure between the two of us things would be much easier.”

“Don’t you have more important matters to attend to though?”

“Not at all. In fact I was just put on a mission break for the time being, so I have plenty of time. Allow me to help you.”

Seliph smiled, walking over and picking up one half of the broken weapons pile. Lucina let out a defeated sigh, picking up the other half. 

"I had hoped not to bother anyone with this… but thank you Prince Seliph."

"It's my pleasure Princess Lucina." 

~~~

B Support

"Ugh… I swear on my father's sword, I'll make him pay for his crimes… one day…"

"Prince Seliph?" 

Seliph looked up, frowning. He sheathed his sword, "Princess Lucina… Ah, please excuse me, you shouldn't have had to see that…"

"No, no, it's fine," Lucina shook her head with a smile, "Um… Your father was murdered, correct? And his killer was summoned to Askr?"

"Yes," the prince nodded, "My only memento of my father is his sword…" 

Lucina went quiet for a moment, before speaking, "I… can't claim to understand all of your situation, but… I confess, I do know what it's like to lose your family… and be forced to face your father's murderer as an ally of all things…" 

Seliph blinked, and then gasped, "Oh! That's right, your father was also murdered… I'm sorry, I completely forgot, please forgive me if I brought up painful memories. I didn't mean-" 

"It's alright, I don't mind. Honestly, I can't really blame you… I would have the same reaction if forced to interact with Grima…" 

"Grima… That's the white haired guy with a purple aura, right? Who keeps claiming to be the fell dragon or… something?" 

"Yes, that's him," her gaze hardened, "He'll pay for what he's done to my world… I swear it." 

Seliph let out a soft laugh, "Heh… Perhaps we aren't so different after, Princess Lucina. I've also had to oppose a dragon god of sorts." 

"Really?" She blinked, "That surprises me. You may be right Prince Seliph." 

There was a short silence, and then Lucina smiled, "Hmm… What do you say to a quick sparring match Prince Seliph?"

Seliph was surprised by that, but he smiled in response, "Of course. I must warn you though, I'm no pushover in a match. Not even with my friends." 

Lucina just laughed at that, "I would expect nothing less, Prince. May the best fighter win then." 

~~~

A Support

"HYAH!" 

"HAAH!" 

The two clashed swords again, both panting, before Lucina shoved against her opponent. Seliph stumbled back, but quickly regained his balance, swinging his blade down to hit her.

The hit connected, Lucina fell. 

"Phew… Looks like I win this time," Seliph smiled, sheathing his blade and reaching his hand out towards her. Lucina took it with a smile and a soft laugh.

"Yes, that makes two wins for each of us. It seems we're evenly matched Prince Seliph." 

"I'm surprised. A swordswoman like yourself seemed way above someone like me."

"What are you talking about?" Lucina frowned, sheathing her own blade, "If I'm being honest, I'm surprised I won at all. Your skill with a sword is impressive, Prince Seliph." 

"Thank you Princess Lucina. I'm happy to hear you say that… Um… If it's not out of place for me to ask… You've mentioned before something happened to your world. May I know what?" 

The princess blinked, hesitating, but then sighed.

"I suppose it's only fair that you know… In my world, the fell dragon won. It's not much more than a barren wasteland full of risen now… A wasteland that I was suddenly forced to guide my friends through. That's why I traveled back in time to stop it, and save my father." 

Seliph's eyes widened in shock, "O-oh! My apologies, I didn't mean to bring up unpleasant memories… Wait, you traveled through time?!" 

"Yes. With Lady Tiki's help, we performed a ritual, and Naga sent us back in time to prevent Grima's rise." 

"That's… That's amazing…" Seliph was shocked, "I've never heard of such a thing being possible…"

Lucina smiled sadly, "Yes… It was a complicated ritual… But enough about me. You mentioned once you also had to face a dragon god of sorts… If it's not too much, would you tell me more about that?" 

"O-Oh, of course!" Seliph nodded, "In my world… Prince Julius, the crown prince of Granvale, is also the vessel for the dark god Loptous. He did a lot of horrible things… And the only thing that could face him was the tome of Naga, which only my sister could wield. It was terrible… As if his father massacring mine was bad enough… But as the eldest son of Empress Deirdre, I had to be the one who took the throne and faced him." 

"I see… I'm sorry for stirring up bad memories… I believe you may have been right before Prince Seliph. We aren't so different at all." 

"Heh… It's a surprise to me as well. Being forced into positions of leadership unprepared, facing off against a dragon god… I'm glad at least someone understands." 

"While it pains me to know that someone went through the same pains as me… It's strangely comforting as well. I'm glad to have met you Prince Seliph." 

"Please, just Seliph is fine," Seliph smiled, "The pleasure has been mine Princess Lucina." 

"Heh… Very well, Seliph," Lucina held her hand out, "Then please just call me Lucina. Perhaps one day… I can come help you in your world."

"Only if I may come help you in your world, Lucina," Seliph took her hand, and they shook. 

[moved99999999999]

U guys wanna know what I think about that hell hotel show

I feel like twitter’s very tired of seeing ppl talk about Hazbin Hotel, so I putting my opinions on tumblr where they belong. I’m not a “professional critic” by any means, but I’ll try my best given what I know. And don’t worry, I’ll be incredibly nit-picky to suit the internet’s needs.

I’m gonna mainly focus on HH itself instead of Vivzie’s accusations because that's a WHOLE other can of worms to open.

During the time of me writing this, I haven’t watched any YT reviews, but I’ve read a few threads criticising the show, so take that as my social influence bias.

My ted talk is allllll below the cut. Enjoy~

Context: 

My first exposure of Vivzie’s work was her “Die Young” animation that I came across around 2016. Instantly I fell in love with how “smooth” and lively her animation was, and especially the fact that it was hand drawn. Animation like that was extremely rare to come by (and still is) and seeing her execute it so well with such complexed characters was amazing to my fetus self. 

A few years later and I see the first trailer for HH. I instantly went OH I RECOGNISE THAT STYLE AND THOSE CHARACTER TYPE DESIGNS and was looking forward to what it had to offer. 

On “opening day” I watched the pilot ASAP to avoid my opinions from getting warped by all of the key-mash memes and post call-out bitching (literally the extremes of the HH opinion spectrum), and overall.....

I thought it was good. 

Not ground breakingly amazing, not horrifically terrible, but charmingly good.

(Ok now it’s actual review time)

Animation Quality:

As a hand drawn animation that has the freedom to get creative with its shots, a lot of effort was clearly put into how everything moves (it definitely didn’t take any lazy flash puppet shortcuts for the main sections of the show) and I can appreciate that. However it tends to be... rather inconsistent, most likely due to the varying skill level of the animators on the project. It’ll be nice and smooth one minute, and then awkward and choppy the next which can make the viewing pretty confusing at times. I’ll be honest I found myself overlooking these inconsistencies due to the characters and backgrounds themselves being very visually engaging, especially considering how over designed some of them can be (which I applaud the team for handling cuz wow that must have been painful). However, the needle thin and exaggerated art style makes some things incredibly hard to look at. While it helps with adding fancy details, it hurts in catching peoples eyes in the right place.

It’s also chalk full of little details, visual gags, and references that are hilarious to look at if you have the luxury of pausing every two seconds (the news segment and Sir Pentious turf war w/ Angel and Cherri are good places to look). But I feel like these lil details were put in at the cost of some some continuity errors (Charlie not wearing her coat in one shot, and having it back on in the next, papers being blank, etc.) and lip-syncing issues which really shouldn’t be happening considering all of the detail they were able to put in. There are also some shots that have just SO MUCH detail put into them, only to be shown for less than a second. I get that’s the cost of animation sometimes, but save the detail for the shots that need it, because at that point you’re just causing the animators to waste their efforts.

However, I was surprised at how professional the soundtrack and editing was. Not one but THREE songs in this single episode was really surprising, and the variation and quality of each was great (as cringy as Charlie’s song is)

But overall, the production quality is surprisingly good for a project like this, the editing, sound effects, and sound track act like a cherry on top. Of course there are some noticeable drops in quality, but given time and a budget, it has enough chops to look like an actual show.

Writing: 

As far as overarching plot goes, it seems like it’s going to be one of those procedural shows that tries to be serialised, but it’s a creative twist on hell and has an interesting premise to begin with. You can get really creative with seeing how you’d dive into getting redemption out of all of these seemingly lost causes, and I’m sure there are many people willing to know the backstories our main cast. As a pilot, it did it’s job of launching the plot very well, setting up the premise of the hotel and introducing characters in a very engaging way. I was legit really interested in each segment with who in introduced, and it didn’t feel like I was being overloaded with names to remember (which can be a problem for many medias and introductions). The cohesion between each scene is VERY smooth, and I genuinely enjoyed some of the cliché cuts/gags. 

Unfortunately I can’t extend this interest to our main character. Charlie is one of the most generic tropes we’ve ever seen. She’s a boring Disney princess who has a “cute happy positive goal to change her world” and the only thing that would make her more generic is if she wore a dress and cried “I’m tired of being so privileged”. 

(Although it’s impossible to tell, I honestly think Viv is just projecting through her, especially considering how horrifically accurate the hotel’s opening mirrors the internet’s reaction to the pilot itself)

I would be more forgiving if she was a supporting character or someone less important, but she’s the freaking protagonist, arguably the character that has to be the most interesting. Angel’s personality seems to be “flirty porn star”, and while that’s just as bad as being a boring Disney princess, at least he gets a few jokes and has a profession more interesting than Charlie’s. Around the end of the pilot he just seems like he’s getting involved because Viv likes giving him attention. If he’s supposed to be leeching off of the hotel, wouldn’t not care if it survives or not?

(There’s that whole stereotype issue that everyone keeps bringing up, but I genuinely think that’s BS because people are blatantly ignoring the fact that Angel is a porn star, Vaggie is portrayed as helpful, and that the show takes place in H E double hokey sticks.)

The transitions may be smooth, but the dialogue pacing can get really awkward at times. This paired with the animation sometimes having awkward quality drops makes some movements incredibly jagged, and has some detailed shots show for incredibly unbalanced screen time as mentioned before. 

I don’t have enough to give voice acting it’s own section so I’m just popping it down here:

The voice acting is legitimately better than several big name projects I know. It’s consistent, great at expressing the character’s mood properly, and each voice fits each character perfectly. My only gripes are that Alastor and Sir Pentious tend to grain on you after awhile due to them keeping a single tone for too long. 

Character Design: AKA the only thing I have legitimate experience with.

First thing’s first. The characters are WAY too over designed. There are so many markings and accessories that are incredibly unnecessary. I think the mindset for these characters was “the more complicated and attractive the better”, which makes them look like they’re designed by an edgy tumblr artist (heck I fall for this too some times).

Especially if a character is going to be animated, you have to keep in mind the value of simplicity. You absolutely don’t have to fill in your character with markings and trinkets to make them look unique, I mean just look at the gen 1 pokemon starters. Thanks to the limitations of the game, the sprites were forced to be simple, and it was that simplicity that made them such unique and varied creatures. You can tell Blastoise is a bulky water blasting turtle just with a quick glance. 

Many of the characters suffer from over complication, but I’ll look at Husk for example. He has these stripes all over him that do not contribute to who he’s supposed to be at all, and only look like they’re added to make him more unique. The markings that DO help are the little card suite marks on his wings, because those at least infer he’s linked to a casino/gambling type of theme. I would say his outfit helps as well, but formal wear and bowties are worn way to often by the main characters, which brings me to another problem.

They may look different, but they feel way too similar. From the same skinny body type, to generic head shapes, to outfits, the focus characters just don’t stand out amongst each other. Even the ones with interesting features still suffer from feeling generic. I’d say Sir Pentious is a good example of this. He has a serpentine/naga body and clever hair style that make his concept really creative, but his skinny body type, complicated eyes all over his tail, and generic “young but supposed to be at least middle aged” face just push him back into obscurity. He’s even wearing the SAME outfit as Alastor (who's an even worse offender of that generic face problem), and unless Viv has some plan to link the two, I’d say the characters need to stop using a dress code.

A successful character design can to tell you who the character is just by looking at them. You should be able to tell if a character’s personality, function, age, the universe they belong in, and if they’re important or not, and that’s a big problem when it comes to the background characters. If you pause on one of the extras for a minute you can see all of the effort put into designing them, and that takes away so much attention from the main cast. Not only that, but they have actual variations in their body types and outfits, which makes them more intriguing than who we’re supposed to be interested in.

Regardless, this pilot has potential, and if they can get someone to comb out the flaws, you can end up with something good. No one can deny a legitimate animation was made here, and the team successfully executed the start of a story, and that’s something anyone can look up to.

TLDR: The pilot is good. It has some major flaws, but it has potential to be a good show.

If you actually read this far epstein didn’t kill himself.

[serenamantra]

Day 4: Describe your Best Friends

I got tons of best friends. From High School and College but not from elementary which is sad because I don't communicate with them anymore. Some of them might just think we were acquaintance or far from that. It was like years ago and we haven't communicate that much. Guess we've met other people that's why we didn't had the chance to prolong the friendship. But we still follow each other on social media and I'm so proud with their life choices.

Meet, Jessa Mae Abraham.

I met her when I was in 2nd year high school and she was a freshman and a transferee. Everyone were discussing that we both looked alike and has the same nickname, which is Sam. Since everyone's saying we are like twins, we immediately clicked. She was always in our home and we bonded so much it feels like no one can break us apart.

It was kind of saddening since when I got to 4th year high school, I dedicated my time to my studies since I was a graduating student. And when I graduated and started my year as a freshman in College, she was a graduating student too. So, it was so hard for us to communicate and to spend with each other more often. When she graduated, she studied in Ateneo de Naga so it made it more complicated. So now, since I got more time to communicate with her, we are both trying to strengthen our friendship. Hopefully, we'll get comfortable with each other again. Hoping.

Next is, Jenica Celine Lustre.

I remember blogging about her, Nicolle and Jhoice but reminiscing memories feels so good. So, let's blog about it again. Hoping I can make the story clearer this time.

We were in grade school when I met her. Everyone was talking about her when she transferred at our school. Everyone's crushing on her because of her physique, her fair skin and her intelligence. We were in Grade 5 and she had her own group of friends. One of her friends was Joriza. There were something I had to discuss with her when they were at the school's flag pole. After our discussion, they invited me to spend the afternoon with them. After that, I spent most of the days of my 5th grade with them. And with that, my friend Johannah spent them with us too. High school came and we were still studying in the same school. Celine was in the section where she met Maeca and still friends with Johannah. Me on the other hand, spent the school year with my classmates. The friends who matured early from others, they had boyfriends, drinks, stays outside late at night. It was a nightmare for peer pressure. When we set foot for 2nd year high school, I was classmates with Maeca and so Celine and I went friends again. And spent half of the school year with them. Then I began to be part of their group which was called Toperks. I forgot already what that meant. When 3rd year came, I was classmates with Celine. Then we started the group SGRS with Nicolle and Jhoice. Years went by and we are still best friends and I am thankful for that.

Next is, Nicolle Gomez.

The start of our friendship was so funny. I was this bully from high school which everyone hated. This strong personality of mine led me to meet Nicolle.

She was classmates with my cousin, Kaye when were at the 1st year of high school. Kaye was this lowkey probinsyana who adores people who has fair skin, modest and lives in the city. I caught her carrying Nicolle's bag one afternoon and I got mad because why the hell she's making my cousin her maid. Her sister knew about this which was like me. A strong girl who can fight independently. Nicolle already said she was sorry and said sorry also to her and to her sister. That was one of a hell ride. Hahahaha

She was part of Toperks too when we were in 2nd year. We were awkward when we started in 3rd year but went closer to each other. We had many ups and downs in this friendship because we both liked the same guy which happened twice. HAHAHA. The first guy was Dominic, the guy that I had a relationship with for 2 years. You can find blog posts about him. Hehe. The second guy was Joward. I got closer to him because in a weird sense I can understand how he expresses himself. They dated for about a year in the last years of college but that should not be talked about coz ya know, its not my story. We grew closer together when we had the same course in College. Thankful for this friendship too.

Meet, Mary Joyce Andrea Sacayan.

She was a transferee when we step in 2nd year high school. She was Ate Kia's new friend since they were classmates. They spent so much together and I spent with my new friends too. Ate Kia was a classmate in freshmen year. She's really fond of treating people with her money. Not in the negative nor positive way. I guess somewhere in between. Then she let us meet Jhoice. She was this bubbly, funny, cute and jejemon girl. She was fond of using numbers as letters in texting. Thinking of it makes it funnier because she stayed the same, jejemon in texting aside. We called each other, Tugs. See? Jejemon HAHA

We are the ones who were closer when SGRS started because we have the same strong personality. Also with group we had before Toperks, we spent night outs and drinking alcoholic beverages together. Up until now we still do but she got bored with already. I really hope for her to find a man who's really worth it.

Next is Archel Canlas.

He's a high school schoolmate. I didn't get to be classmates with him in high school but we went closer together when Dominic was my boyfriend. They were classmates and I became fond of him with his quirky stuff and how he quickly became friends with girls.

When Dominic and I broke up. Archel and I were still close. He usually made every guy problem that I have through the years easier. He's the guy I got so comfortable to share with my intimate experiences in life. Also, a one call away friend for every night out I do. We grew so close together and went best friends with Nicolle and Celine too. He's so comfortable to be with and gives respect to us girls.

Next is, Princess Carla Parra.

The first college buddy I had when I shifted to Psychology. She's this timid but funny person. I don't really remember how we got so close. Just woke up one morning and we got close already. She knows every kagagahan through my college life. All the flings and night out that I had. She was supportive nonetheless the chaos that I was having because of this. I grew closer too with every boys in our block because of her. She's a lesbian and I accept every bit of her. Not that she needed my approval or anyone else with her sexuality but I just love how she knew what she really liked in her very young age.

Many were shocked how our friendship grew since we have a totally different traits and personality. But that didn't stop our bond. We graduated college with this friendship I will always treasure. Also, very proud of her because she's slowly opening her little box. Hihi

Next is Nathalie France Ruin.

People call her Bem. She's this out-going, intelligent, has a weird sanse of humor and the weirdest laugh. One day, I came late in one of our class. She saw my sweat near my eyebrow and decided to wipe it. I scolded her since she's going to wipe my eyebrows. HAHAHA Thesis came and my group of friends decided that we shouldn't spend and be groupmates. It happened in Experimental Psychology and seen what happened. That's why it's our best decision to split since it's only a maximum of 3 persons per group. I was groupmates with her and Ate Abee. 1st day of discussing with our title, Ate Abee wasn't around so Bem and I spent talking about what I have been going through with my boyfriend. That was Kris btw. Hahaha that's when we started our friendship. And then I got to be part of their group, dreamteam. It's with Christine, Ate Pearl, Linzi, Ate Abee, Bem and me. Finally get to have a girl group in College.

After thesis, we grew closer together. She spends her day in our house and she's close with my family. I taught her so many things and vice versa. I made a good girl drink so much and spent too much time outside with my boy friends.HAHAHAHA. But I didn't make her a bitch or something. I simply made her experience these things to strengthen her immune system when it comes to this circumstances. When she drinks with her other friends, atleast she's not going to be a burden to anyone since she practiced on not getting drunk so easily. She on the other hand helped me in focusing on my acads and it really helped me graduate on time.

These are my best friends. For better or for worst, through thick and thin I will never give up in all of this friendship. I love them too much and they are my source of strength and my constant source of support in this battle field.

[perahn]

Also realistically you could do all of AE and I wouldn't cry about it

I am spending an evening doing this instead of writing baby Khem and it’s a fun change of pace.

SO LET’S DO… Katy

favorite thing about them

She has so much love to give. Just SO much, offered so freely.

(also I’m grateful she takes the rap for jumping us into so many situations that the more cautious members of the party would never touch)

least favorite thing about them

It’s a kirin not a unicorn!

(shush, Khem)

favorite line

Again, there are just so many. Any time @bettydice opens her mouth, genius nonsense comes out. Claiming to be allergic to water? The first time she called Harper her brother-dad? Explaining to Khem that all she needs to do to win an argument with Harper is to tell him to go shave?

brOTP

Apart from the party members (especially Harpy), Katy and Celeste is TOO CUTE

OTP

I don’t think she’s ever had eyes for anyone except Shay, and it’s pretty cute. But I refuse to call Kayazi an OTP until I have seen some fic from Betty and @dakoyone​, hop to it.

nOTP

It’s really funny to remember that when we began this (there’s still a reference to it in the first codex) we thought she was crushing on Harper, her asshole won’t-say-I’m-a-boyfriend.

Also Vigo was hitting on her pretty hard before she pimped Harper out to him.

random headcanon

She still sometimes misses Bob and feels a bit guilty about exorcising him, even knowing that she had to.

unpopular opinion

This is tough to come up with. hmmmmm… She should stay blonde, because when I draw the party, I get tired of all the black in her goth look and Shay’s monochrome look.

song i associate with them

I mean, Tangled is already the Harpiest movie ever (disregarding the romance) so it has to be When Will My Life Begin?

favorite picture of them

Thiiiiiiis

SHAY’S TURN

favorite thing about them

The contrast between the steadfast patience of her usual demeanor… and the way she runs headfirst into a fight, then jumps on top of the giant monsters to punch them to death.

least favorite thing about them

Her bag must stink to high heaven with all the trophies she’s taken, and our garden is probably completely overrun with screaming mushrooms by now. WHYYY

favorite line

I mean, it’s a cheap shout, but…. “You don’t have to be alone, Harper.” She meant it so well, and it landed so badly.

brOTP

Thay buddies ftw!

(also I think she should see Jeremy Bonk again)

OTP

I stand by what I said. No Kayazi shilling until I have actual fic, thank you.

nOTP

So @codenamecynic​ mentioned that the first time Shay called Khem ‘ahket’ in-game, she had no idea what it meant, and she started wondering if perhaps Shay had feelings for Khem, if they’d been a little closer on the road than we’d said previously. (for the record, it means ‘sister’, and I nope right on out of Khem/Shay)

also SHART

random headcanon

Katy has definitely cut her lip on Shay’s broken tusk while kissing at least once.

unpopular opinion

She hasn’t been cooking fantasy meth in her room all those days, but don’t ask me what she has actually brewed up.

(this one probably is unpopular… I don’t think she’s as attracted to Katy or as invested in the relationship as Katy is)

song i associate with them

I am kind of drawing a blank here, but Stand Up Be Strong, maybe?

favorite picture of them

lookit, abs

AND FINALLY KHEM

favorite thing about them

She’s a robot who was programmed to be a bitch and is slowly learning to love, and I’m so proud of how far she’s come. 

least favorite thing about them

Never again will I create a character who is supposed to be a Machiavellian genius that I have to play at 3am.

But to be a bit more fair, the paranoia. She’s her own worst enemy about 90% of the time.

favorite line

I am still pretty fond of ‘Know you are not disposable.” On one hand it’s a very dry assessment, but in context it seemed to be exactly what Harper needed to hear. Those moments are rare but they’re great.

brOTP

Thay buddies! (even if that’s a little more complicated than it used to be). To look outside the party, though, I also think Khem and Celeste are shaping up to a great teacher/student relationship.

OTP

So here’s the thing, previously alluded to when I did this for Harper: I don’t think Khem’s in a position to be in a relationship with anyone. I find it really difficult to imagine a time when she might be. But if ever she was, the person I come closest to seeing her with is Harper.

There’s just nobody else on the board at the moment who has her attention and respect in the same way, nobody else who she’s opened up to quite as much, nobody else she thinks about and worries over and takes up half of her journal as Harper. And, as I said, there is something there, which she will ferret out at some point. Don’t ask me yet what she might do about it.

I get the Khem/Jorran shipping, I really do. He’s adorable and he’s obviously head over heels for Khem, and she’s been pretty pleasant to him overall (plus Kherran portmanteaus so nicely, and every permutation of Khem and Harper’s names so far sounds dreadful) But she’s never going to take him seriously if he doesn’t take those clownshoes off, and it would take him a very long time - if indeed it’s possible - to win as much of her trust as Harper has.

nOTP

So many. So very many. Highlights include Khem/Gerald, Khem/Valas Daevin and Khem/Banelar Naga.

random headcanon

As recently mentioned to Cynic, her back tattoo is the source of her ‘Lucky’ feat (which is actually flavoured as extra divinatory insight), and represents a coautl. One of the reasons it’s on her back is that a winged-snake-Celestial was a slightly embarrassing choice of tattoo, but the magic encrypted in it was powerful enough that she said yes to her ally’s design and just asked her to put it somewhere hidden.

unpopular opinion

um hm hmmm she doesn’t need actual clothes, Katy, the hooded potato sack robes do just fine

song i associate with them

If non-lyrical counts, the Rachmaninov C Sharp Minor Prelude. Otherwise… Fallen, Dirt Poor Robins?

favorite picture of them

There has been some lovely art of her, and some silly things that I’ve done

but I think I have to share this Very Important Egg

[tyrannysaurusfloof]

Masterlist (Non Youtube/Star Wars Works)

Since I’ve only recently decided to post my fanfiction here as well, I figured posting one long masterlist of them was better than an individual post for each one /o/

Links and summaries under the cut due to length |D

Tolkien Verse

- TOLKIEN SENTENCE PROMPTS: A series of multi-chapter, oneshot based sentence prompts covering a variety of Tolkien characters and pairings. Ongoing.

- HIS FATHER’S SON: Post BOFA Everyone Lives AU. After surviving and recovering from his wounds at the Battle of Five Armies Thorin is crowned rightful King under the Mountain with Fili and Kili at his side. Dis arrives from Ered Luin and the family are finally reunited in their true home again. However, a family secret kept hidden for over 80 years is soon revealed and the lives of the heirs of Durin are changed forever. Complete

- TO HEAL A SICKNESS: Fili is sick and nothing seems to be curing him. At only 50 no one is convinced he will survive. Kili makes the decision to leave Ered Luin, despite Fili’s condition, to find a cure for him in the wide world of Middle Earth. He is determined to do this because if there is one thing he cannot afford to lose from his life, it’s his best friend and brother. Complete.

- DANCES WITH ELVES: Glorfindel is extremely excited about the arrival of the dwarves and yet also seems to be excited about the prospect of dancing with Erestor a midnight gathering he has organised for some reason. Kili is bored because Thorin is gone and he wants to explore so Fili makes up a reason for him to. They stumble over the little midnight dancing session of the elves and decide to join in, but only if it could be done dwarven style. Cue some fun between the heirs of Durin and Glorfindel. Complete.

- BATTLES FOUGHT BEFORE: AU where Legolas fought the Battle of Five Armies alongside Thranduil and did not go off to Gundabad. Legolas reflects on the death and destruction during the Battle of Five Armies on the eve of the Battle of Helms Deep and wonders how he had ended up in the same position again. Complete.

- BONDING: Aragorn worries about the lives of the people of Rohan but Legolas can see that his worry goes down deeper than that and he challenges him about it. The two friends discuss Aragorn’s choices and what they might mean. Eowyn’s stew features. Complete.

- ELROND’S SUSPICIONS: Elrond suddenly realises that since the elves of Greenwood (Mirkwood) have such strong magic that when he has had dealings with Thranduil in the past, after Legolas had passed his majority, it could have actually been his young son in disguise of an illusion. Thranduil and Legolas are approaching Rivendell so Elrond decides to investigate and see if he can find out if his suspicions are true. Complete.

Dragon Age

- Advice From a Ghost: Fergus and Gilmore don't exactly see eye to eye over marriage, but they don't have to worry because they both have someone looking out for them that gives the best advice. AKA Fergus and Gilmore hallucinate about their dead brother/friend after an argument. Complete

- To Be By Your Side I Would Willing Storm the Gates of the Black City: a collection for zevwarden week on tumblr /o/

- A Teryn and His Knight:  Fergus Cousland has a problem. And that problem has a name - Ser Gilmore. There's only one resolution.

- Milk Adventures:  Fenris wants milk. Hawke has no idea where to buy it. Shenanigans ensue.

- Ferelden Flowers:  Carver wants to give flowers. He has no idea what he's doing really.

Fire Emblem Kakusei/Fire Emblem Awakening Verse

- THE THIEF AND THE PRIEST: Libra is a priest of Naga and keeps to himself as well as he can. He looks after everyone that he can, but he doesn’t get too close to people. That doesn’t stop people trying to get close to him. He looks feminine and people assume he’s a woman and try to come onto him. This starts to change when he meets Gaius. Gaius is a thief from all over the place and he just happens to be in the right place at the right time to save Libra from his not so welcome admirers. That is the start of a strange relationship between them, something neither of them really regret. Complete.

- MATERIALISTIC POSSESSIONS: Four times Virion presented Libra with elaborate presents. Four times Libra couldn’t refuse. Complete.

CSI: Miami Verse

- FALLEN FROM HEAVEN: AU where Ryan Wolfe is not all he seems. Eric Delko finds many strange things start happening involving Ryan after he meets the strange man Ryan calls dad and he becomes determined to find out exactly what the reason behind all this is. Ryan however tries his best to keep Eric in the dark but when their emotions get mixed up in Eric’s search it makes it a lot more complicated. Horatio seems to know more than he’s letting on. Complete.

- PARENTAL ADVISORY: Alternate Universe. When Horatio and the team are called out to a homicide they find Ryan Wolfe, an eighteen year old boy who has been locked up for his entire life by his paranoid - and now dead - parents. As Horatio unravels the story surrounding Ryan and the death of his parents he faces a revelation unique and disturbing. Complete.

[K] Project Verse

- [K] PROJECT MURDER SERIES: A three part series revolving around Sarumi and Mikorei. The main story is a multi-chapter fic focusing on “Munakata Reisi is sure Suoh Mikoto is living on inside his head and he doesn’t quite know what to do.”

Yu-Gi-Oh Verse

- I SHALL RECOUNT TO YOU (RE-WRITE): It’s been twelve years since the fateful duel that sent Atem to the afterlife and led Yuugi to a life alone. Life carried on as normal, until a dream leads Malik to the discovery that Atem wants to return to the modern world. Cracking the mystery and bringing the Pharaoh back, Malik, Yuugi and friends, end up with a bit of a mess on their hands caused by the ancient ritual that was used. Features a lot of ships. Ongoing.

Dramatical Murder (Dmmd) Verse

- INTERESTING EXPERIMENT: (A look at what Aoba’s Dmmd Virus/Trip bad end and Re:Connect Virus/Trip route would have been like had it been Mizuki and not Aoba.) Virus and Trip have never heard of anyone recovering from having their mind completely broken by Scrap before, especially someone who was controlled by Morphine. And yet right before their eyes it was happening and they knew in that moment they would get more excitement from Mizuki than they could from Aoba. Complete.

Tales of Vesperia Verse

- WHIRRING HEART: Yuri notices that something is bothering Raven the night before Brave Vesperia are due to go to the Tower of Tarqaron. Concerned with the timing Yuri goes to talk to Raven and finds out the old man is not as confident as it seems. Yuri offers some comfort almost without realising it. Complete.

[wizardsnwookies]

TPR072318 - Rebuilding (Finale)

Zacharia marveled at what he saw before him, the strength of his people. Nearly all of them were farmers, and most had never seen any kind of hardship in their lives aside from a few dry seasons. Yet here they were, in the frigid cold with a dusting of snow already forming on the ground, working nonetheless to restore the house of Damu. It was backbreaking, dirty, work to be sure. The removal of shattered stone and jade, the dismantling of the maze, disposing of the horrific items of torture made for brows and bare chests glistening with sweat despite the bitter chill. He smiled. Yes, his people were strong.

“So many years with the Guardians, protecting the realm, I still am awed by all the things you miss by being among the people.”

Dorian smiled, looking up from the building plans spread out upon the makeshift table. “Yes, people never cease to surprise you with what they are capable of. The evil as well as the good.”

Zacharia nodded, looking up towards the sky. The clouds overhead were thick, making it difficult to find the sun, to tell how long they had been at it this morning. He wondered if he should call for a rest, or if they would even accept such a thing. The entire town had come determined to bring their temple back into order as quickly as possible. Before long, the planting season would be upon them.

“How much longer do you think it will be before we see our liberators?”

“Not long yet.” Lyliwillan dismissed the miller’s daughter to fetch the stable-master. The pile of debris had grown unmanageable and the time had come to cart it away for disposal. “Even giving them a day for complications, I would expect to see them quite soon.”

“You have done so much already brother Samaritans, I’m sure your presence is required elsewhere.” Zacharia was grateful for the assistance, but he was not about to impose upon his brothers past welcome. Although his confidence shaken at first, he now felt he had things well in hand. 

He could not be a protector to these people, a leader, not in the way he was used to. No, there was no tower for him to watch, no spear to hold, no border to maintain here. Watching them now, he felt that perhaps the answer lay instead with treating them as equals, brothers in arms. The Guardians all worked together to maintain their posts with little need for rank or positions of power over another. Working as a family, they achieved so much with so little. Perhaps that was the key to guiding Orlane into the future.

---

Killian carefully checked the wooden axle rods on the old cart. It could carry a load of hay bails just fine, some lumber for firewood sure, but a large load of stone and detrius? He hoped she would hold. Just to be on the safe side he would have likely have to make several trips. He looked towards the young man that looked a little too much like him at that age, gently adjusting the bridles of the workhorses.

“Marlene’s girl said were in need of another axe if we can spare it. Go fetch the one out back.”

“I heard her, it’s already in the cart. Figure I should grab my hatchet too?”

Killan leaned over and saw that indeed, the tool had been carefully laid in place. Lad’s got a set of ears on him, that’s for sure. “Couldn’t hurt I reckon.”

He watched as the boy leaped up the front steps and disappeared through the front door. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a familiar face making his way up the road. Galumak, strode up to the gate, leaning against the post and nodded in welcome.

“Told you I’d be back.”

“So you did. Man of your word you are. These your companions?”

Galumak motioned with the tilting of his head, pulling out a frosted bottle filled with a dark red liquid. A finer bottle than Killian had seen in quite some time. “Lash, and Raam.”

“Then I owe all three of you my thanks. You brought this town back to us all.” Killan extended a hand and firmly shook first the elf’s, than the strange tiefling’s. He did his best to compose himself, but he couldn’t help but let himself be overtaken by the relief and mirth he felt swelling within him.

“You have no idea...my children have a place to grow up again.”

“Say no more of it, it was an honor to serve my queen by helping her people.” The teifling, Raam let the faintest smile slip past the otherwise stoic demeanor. He had never met one of these creatures before, some say they were no more than devils who had fooled others into thinking otherwise. This one seemed a good a man as any.

“We just came from the Mayor’s...” Galumak let the comment hang in the air. He figured Killian didn’t have to be told what they found there.

“Aye, the town’s good to have that family. Mayor’s up there with the lot of them at the temple, and she and the youngun’s are tending to the displaced.”

“How long do you think it will take before things get back to normal?”

“Hard to tell.” Killian leaned against the cart looking up into the sky, letting the light snow fall on his face. “People feel betrayed by their own blood, their neighbors. Magic or not, that kind of thing isn’t easy to get over. It’ll take some time, but we’ll get back on our feet I reckon.”

That was good enough for Galumak, without saying a word of farewell, he righted himself and turned town the street.

“Before you leave, come back and see me yeah?”

The half-orc smiled and nodded.

---

“Well, speak of the King and he shall appear.” Dorian’s grin was wide despite himself and soon he found he was quickly making his way to intercept the small group of adventurers as they made their way into the temple gates.

“Well met Brother, well met and well done indeed!” He offered Raam a hearty slap on the back before extending a hand to the other two. “I eagerly await your stories, as I am sure it is something deserving to be sung about.”

“I shall provide the wine this evening, Dorian and I have been saving  it for something special.” Lyliwillan offered a wink, still leaning over the plans on the table, beside him one of the villagers patiently waited for his next orders.

“We won’t say ‘no’ to that, but we were just doing our duty.” Raam did his best to keep his composure, he wasn’t used to recieving such praise for his actions. Thus was the life of a Samaritan. It was a thankless job much of the time, but one did not do it for the thanks. He then turned to the Mayor.

“We left the returned with your wife and children, from what she tells us there will be an adjustment period ahead of them.”

“Yes, it is unfortunate but at the very least their minds are once again their own.”

“Looks like you wasted no time getting things back to normal?” Lash looked around them, the courtyard was bustling with activity. A large pile of detrius was ready and waiting for Killian’s cart that was just now making its way up the hill. The lesser priests, free of the charm, wandered the grounds with burning bundles of sage. Murmurs of prayer drifted from their lips as the pushed away the taint that had fallen over the sacred grounds. Inside, the sounds of tools prying away more and more boards from the basement can just faintly be heard over the low drone.

“That was all their doing.” Zacharia smiled, motioning his head towards the common folk running about. “As soon as the veil lifted, they wanted return the house of Damu back into proper order. They still pray to the Queen of course but...given the circumstances.”

“Whatever helps them through this.” Raam understood, his faith had not faltered any in the past several months. He remained devoted to his Queen. He still kept her pendent around his neck, said his prayers, and made tithing to her church when he was in the larger cities. However, the feeling of her absence could not be ignored. It was as if a hole had been left in all their lives, gaping wide, all prayers echoed back to them from the depths of the void.

“This town cannot thank you enough for what you have done. I cannot thank you enough.”

“Think nothing of it.” Raam and Zacharia clasped forearms for a hearty shake that was then passed around to Lash and Raam. Each felt the warmth and strength of the man in his shake, and a deep sense of gratitude he couldn’t possibly express.

“So, where do you go from here I wonder?” Dorian asked, crossing his arms across his chest. “I imagine few things will match up to tussling with a Naga.”

“I can only hope so.” Raam laughed.

---

“I’m serious, we’ve got a significant haul here.” Lash sinched their magical bag of holding found in the hoard of the serpent God. This was the third time this morning they had opened it to marvel at the contents. Gold, silver, gems, all piled deeper than the bag should physically be able to hold. Not even with the thieve’s guild had they seen so much money.

“We should go to Hookhill.”

“’We?’“ Galumak crooked an eye.

“Why not? We make a good team I think.” They turned a head back to Raam.

“I have no orders at the moment.” Raam shrugged with indifference. Samaritans were normally a solitary lot, but if pushed, he would have to say he didn’t mind the company of these two.

“See? Raam’s on board. We can get some serious equipment in the city, stock up on supplies, maybe even have a little fun while we’re at it.”

“I’m curious to find out what you would consider ‘fun.’“ The stable master’s house was approaching quickly. Galumak had promised to return before they had left. They had stayed on for a few days to help with repairs, rest, and enjoy the company of the newly freed people of the town, but the time had come for them to move on. Where he would go next, he still had yet to decide, and Lash had yet to sell him on the idea of Hookhill.

“What most people consider fun. Inns. Inns, taverns, pubs...in other words, fresh ale and full bellies to the songs of minstrels and the jokes of jesters.”

“...how many Inns?”

“Trust me, you’ll be practically swimming in ale and wine. What we need first though is transportation if we’re going to get all that loot to the city.”

“We are going to see the stable master,” Raam offered. “Perhaps he has a horse he can sell us.”

“Not to mention a real cart.” Lash was reminded of the makeshift monstrocity they had constructed in the Naga’s lair. Really, it was nothing more than a few empty barrels spooled with a pole arm and several planks laid on top. It did the job well enough getting things back to town, but no way would it suffice for the long journey to the city.

Killian heard the murmuring of familiar voices heading down the main thoroughfare towards the front gate. Turning back from a particularly stubborn stone in the stable he smiled to see his two daughters in the front yard. As the three adventurer’s passed, once strangers, always people of races that neither of them had seen much of, they both smiled and waved. What difference a few days make. Far from the mousy young girls who fled into the house not that long ago.

“Morning, need a hand?” Galumak noticed the sweat on the man’s brow, the flush in his face. He leaned heavily on the shovel in his hands, clearly worn out from the exertion of trying to dig out the troublesome rock half buried behind him.

“Naw, just a matter of leverage. Appreciate the offer.” The man nodded his thanks, noticing the traveling cloaks resting on the shoulders of all three. “I take it you’re heading out?”

“It’s time. Orlane is back in it’s own hands.”

“Thanks to you three. Where you headed?”

Galumak looked over to Lash beside him, an almost pleading look upon their face. He heaved a sigh of resignation. “I suppose we’ll be headed to Hookhill.”

“Yes!” Lash almost exploded in excitement. “We have a significant amount of...luggage...to cart with us. We were wondering if you had a horse and carriage you can sell us?”

“Well, now.” The man smiled to the ground, plunging the shovel into the earth so it might stand upright without him. “We can certainly talk about the carriage, as for the horse...” Trailing off there, he opened the gate to the stables and ushered them in, leading the three back to where several horses were in their pens, each with a feedbag gently strapped to their head.

“Funny you mention it, remember I told you to come see me before you left?” Killian stopped at a chestnut mare with a dusty black mane. A milky white spot sat on her flank and two more on her fore legs that looked almost like stockings. “She’s not too fast, but she’s got a strong back.”

A flood of emotions welled up within Galumak he found hard to keep in check. In his years he had seen scorn, hatred, fear, and social indifference turned his way because of his blood. He found that prejudice wasn’t picky, it was found in all kinds. Rich and pore. The educated and the illiterate. Human, Elf, Gnome, and Halfling alike. Yet here in this small town in the small, old fashioned region of Sylvin, he found compassion in this man, even kindness.

He clapped the man squarely on the shoulder, unable to keep the tears welling in his eyes from trailing down his cheeks. “Thank you, Killian.”

“Galumak, you old softie.” Lash smiled, playfully offering a punch to the shoulder. The moment passed, Galumak ground his knuckles into the top of their head in return. To his surprise, Raam found himself laughing.

Buy Me a Coffee

[fe14fiction-blog]

Submission: Attempt at Pregnancy Headcannons: Azura & Selena

Hey there! Love your blog and the FE Fates games, so I decided to take a crack at writing some. Lemme know if you think I did any justice to the characters, of which I only use two of in order to work my way up (also, I tend to be a little rambly or wordy - sorry in advance XP)

Mod Lilith: Because it was very long, just to help keep the dashes alright, I put the actual headcanons under a readmore. Thank you for submitting. I am glad you enjoy the headcanons and fics. These are very detailed. You did a great job.

Azura

Motherhood was not something Azura had planned on, what with the issue of Valla hanging over her head. She’s not unhappy about bringing a new life into the world, but she IS anxious about what kind of world is there to meet them.

Azura has a surprisingly big appetite, so one of the things she secretly enjoys about her pregnancy is the free pass to eat her fill without reservation - downing a large ramen bowl in one sitting draws a lot less eyes if you’re expecting (not that she ever cared what others thought of her, but it can still get annoying when people stare; especially strangers). That being said, she balances it out by keeping active with walks and dancing - being able to indulge herself more often doesn’t mean she’s going to let her health and fitness fall by the wayside.

Being a dancer also makes her very aware of changes to her center of balance, so she’s more easily able to notice and compensate for the changes in her weight distribution. Unfortunately, it can also make her hyperaware of her state, which can lead to overcompensation - simply put, she’s much less naturally coordinated than she’s used to, which is harder to deal with if the mood swings are in effect.

Said dancing experience also makes it very disconcerting if she can’t keep track of her footwork. For instance, the day Azura realized she couldn’t see her own toes caused an abrupt burst of tears, and Corrin’s confusion on the subject doesn’t do her any favors.

Azura is used to being reserved, calm and generally in control of her emotions, so the mood swings and potential lethargy are very difficult on her for the first few months before things taper off - especially in regards to her “worst bedhead in the army” issues, which she now has dwindling patience for if she wakes up sick. Corrin’s likewise not used to being the least emotive of the pair, so having to be the couple’s sounder source of stability has a bit of a learning curve.

Azura has singer’s lungs, so it a bit easier for her to move around late-term without getting short of breath. Her calm temperament mixes with this to give a good proficiency in the breathing exercises she does in preparation for labor. 

Azura sometimes sings to her tummy in private, getting easily flustered and embarrassed if anyone sees her - even Corrin, though she gets over it with him easily enough. Interestingly, Shigure and Kana both had different responses to her singing - the former was calmed, if not lulled to sleep by it, while the latter seemed so excited by it that Azura would half-swear the unborn babe was trying to dance to her songs.

Both labors were relatively straightforward affairs, with Azura showing a model calm throughout the process - moreso than Corrin, at least. Actually holding each child brought tears to her eyes, which in turn brought tears to Corrin’s.

Kana sometimes used Azura’s hair as a blanket. That or her hair literally tried to eat her - who knows how it gets so tangled up and tussed about like that.

Selena

Kana was definitely not planned, considering Selena’s time in Nohr was always meant to be temporary. So to say she’s terrified is an understatement, no matter how much she tries not to show it, with Corrin having to make sure she takes it one day at a time.

As always, Selena is pretty insecure about measuring up to her perfect mother - something else she always tries to hide. Thankfully, Corrin can reassure her that she’s got greater experience with positive parental figures compared to him (Garon wasn’t exactly an ideal parent after all).

Having little chill at the best of times, all the annoyances of pregnancy’s first-term are magnified tenfold in Selena’s cause - and everyone is aware of it. The morning sickness and digestive trouble is bemoaned throughout the day, the aches and pains are fussed on throughout the night, the cravings are as fickle as the wind, the mood sings are borderline apocalyptic - and the order these can happen are about as reliable as Setsuna’s memory.

Even when the worst of the symptoms level off, Selena often feels torn on how to feel. On one hand, she hates feeling like an invalid that other people have to take care of and stubbornly insists on doing anything she’s still cleared for on her own. But on the other hand she really enjoys being spoiled and pampered by Corrin (no matter how much she won’t admit it or will complain outwardly about it). 

Already insecure about her body, pregnancy makes Selena even more critical of herself - except with the upscale in her bust-size, even if it mostly temporary. And Gods help you if you so much as suggest she’s forcing the buttons closed around her stomach, because you will be lectured about how said item “clearly still fits.” Even to the very end, she she never stops being annoyed at outgrowing most of her wardrobe.

Thankfully, the above also lead to one of the more enjoyable parts of maternity for her; the shopping sprees, which become both therapeutic and compulsory as she’s hellbent on Kana wanting for nothing - baby clothes, baby toys, baby food, a crib, maternity clothes, accessories for said clothes, clothes and accessories for Corrin to match hers with; you get the idea.

Selena’s competitive streak sometimes comes out whenever she thinks it’s a contest between her and the baby for Corrin’s affections (“If you’re gonna stare at my stomach so much, maybe you should have married IT instead of me!”, for instance, is one of many ill-thought-out lines she may blurt out now and again). There are also more lighthearted instances; if Kana starts kicking, Selena will sometimes push at each spot she feels a kick in what almost approximates a game.

While the childbirth itself had no complications, Selena is not at all prepared for the realities of labor - which results in no small amount of half-crazed rambling, ranging from pleas to gods Corrin doesn’t recognize (“Oh, Naga, please get this kid out of me!”) to vows against ever getting pregnant again, smattered with the occasional curse. All while crushing the hell out of Corrin’s hand while saying things like “Don’t you dare let go”.

Of course, she also apologizes for her frenzied rambling during labor in her roundabout way - which the big softie Corrin accepts - but she does reaffirm on wanting to, at the very least, wait a fair bit before having any more kids; she wants to focus her attention (i.e., love) on the one she has first.

Selena’s number-one priority is to ensure Kana never has to want for anything the way she did in the Grima Timeline - not for food, not for clothes, not for a home and, above all else, not for parents. This means that leaving Kana in the Deeprealms was completely heartbreaking for her (though she would never say so openly) and reuniting with them was hugely overjoying (which she’s a bit more likely to say in private).