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hxney-lemcn · 8 months ago

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Jealousy is a Bitter Look — Overblots x gn! reader

summery: how the overblots react to being jealous (some are a bit more jealous than others, but they all have their moment).

tw: unhealthy attachments (Malleus, but he's working on it). ngl this shows a bit of their flaws so its not complete fluff and a bit of a character study.

a/n: so I can't make a fluffy/cute jealous fic cus I find jealousy an emotion to work on? Like its not terrible to be jealous, it happens to the best of us, I just don't wanna romanticize it? 'Cus if left unchecked it can lead to toxic relationships so that's why I wrote this in a more uplifting manner (?). Idk, I'm weird ik.

wc: 1.5k (~200 per character)

Master List

❥ Riddle Rosehearts

Riddle tried not to get jealous. He trusted you wholly. But sometimes his insecurities got the best of him. Cater was more affectionate, did you wish he were more affectionate like that? Trey was kind, did you wish he would give you more? Ace and Deuce were stupid, but it was undeniable how well you got along, did you wish he were more carefree? Those feelings would tug at his heart, but it was something he needed to work on himself, it wasn’t your problem. That’s what he kept repeating in his mind as he watched you have fun with your friends. Lips downturned hidden behind a teacup, ocean grey eyes sharply watching the scene before him. He thought he was hiding it better, but it was clear to you with how he pouted. Excusing yourself from Ace and Deuce, you made your way to the ruby haired housewarden. Riddle greeted you, eyes softening and frown lifting slightly. You tell him that he could’ve just told you if he was jealous. Unlike some, he won’t deny it fully, instead explaining his reasoning. Work on it with him, reassure him that you like him for him. If you wanted someone else, you wouldn’t be with him, and he takes that to heart.

❥ Leona Kingscholar

Jealousy is Leona’s middle name. After everything he’s been through, constantly being in second place, never getting what he truly wants…he feels like having you will slip through his fingers as well. Being with you, creating all those happy memories…it scares him. That one day you’ll find someone better and all he’ll have left of you are memories. So yes, he does get jealous, quite easily, and he masks it with his ego. He’s the best, don’t look at anyone else, he’s a prince, why would you settle for less? It’s quite clear that he’s jealous, his tail flicking, ears twitching, the sharp glare. When you confront him he won’t tell you the full truth, that’s a step too far at the moment. Be gentle with him, if someone flirts with you, tell them you have a boyfriend. Leona gets this smug smile and a warmth in his chest. As much as he won’t hesitate to claim you if someone won’t stop their advances, he loves it when you claim him. After all, it shows how much you care for him, how much you want him, and even the big bad lion needs a bit of reassurance.

❥ Azul Ashengrotto

He’s actually quite similar to Leona in this regard. Azul was bullied when he was younger, which led him to having an inferiority complex about almost everything. He is bad at hiding it as well, clearly needing to be reassured that he was doing well and he was a good partner. It was just hard for him to comprehend that someone as amazing as you was actually with someone like him. He loves you so intensely, he can’t help but let his insecurities get the best of him sometimes. He thinks you’d hate his mer form or that someone that could offer you more will swoop you away from him. He wouldn’t even blame you, he’d just be hurt he couldn’t do more for you. (He’s thinking all this even though he would and could offer you the world if you asked). When someone is trying to flirt with you outright he’s trying to mask his insecurity with his suaveness, asking if the person needs anything and if you're uncomfortable he leaves in a small threat about Floyd not being in a good mood (if you’re really uncomfortable he might use Jade as the threat instead). Azul checks in on you, but if you're smiling he might die a bit. Please just reassure him that you only have eyes for him.

❥ Jamil Viper

Unlike Leona and Azul, Jamil doesn’t get that jealous or has an inferiority complex. No. Instead, he knows you wouldn’t go behind his back, after all, you managed to become his partner and that’s a feat in itself. He does get smug when you tell someone off, or politely inform them that you have a boyfriend. Jamil reveals in their look of defeat (he is a bit of a sadist in that regard). The time his jealousy truly shines is when Kalim is in the equation. He refuses to allow Kalim to take anything else from him, never mind you. The way Kalim easily makes you smile, steals your time with frivolous parties, puts his hands on you…yeah it's a feat that Jamil didn’t snap. Jamil is very good at masking his feelings, but the facade unravels when you both are alone for once. Give him your attention, affection, love, reassure him through touch that you want him. If you poke and prod enough he’ll admit he’s jealous, how it just reminds him that Kalim always takes and takes, afraid that you’ll fall for the charm (that Jamil couldn’t understand) of Kalim and fall into his arms instead. But when you soothe him, tell him that you see Kalim more of a brother if anything…Jamil will calm down and realize how foolish he’s being.

❥ Vil Schoenheit

Vil, jealous? Yeah no. Not normally at least. Have you seen him? Vil is one of the fairest of them all. If someone tried flirting with you he’d laugh in their face if that wasn’t disgraceful. If anything, you were the lucky one in this relationship…he does cherish you though, and he loves you more than he’d like to admit. You may be a lucky potato…but he was one lucky man as well. He managed to snag your heart without the flashing lights and fame, you loved him for who he was and he was grateful. So when Vil watches Neige talk to you with no care in the world, hearts practically in the boy’s eyes…yeah it's the one scenario you’ll witness a jealous Vil. He’ll perch himself by your side, arm slung around you as he greets you with a kiss to the cheek. A pleasant surprise as Vil isn’t this affectionate in public usually. Neige doesn’t seem to take the hint, so Vil ups the ante, talking about your last date and how he’s lucky you chose him. It’s an obvious change (and everyone knows the vitriol Vil holds for Neige). You eat the attention up, but after you're alone in his room, give him a ton of kisses, teasing him about how sweet he was, he doesn’t like to admit his jealousy, but he loves your affection.

❥ Idia Shroud

I’m noticing a pattern. Most of these guys have an inferiority complex. Idia’s is the most obvious. He barely believes you actually like him, so him being jealous is more common than not. Depending on how long you’ve been together he’ll react differently. If it's in the beginning, he’s blaming and degrading himself for not being good enough, that you deserve better and he locks himself in his room. He needs a lot of reassurance in this stage, lots of quality time. The longer you are together the more confident he gets. Someone tries to flirt with you; he's dissing them with his chronically online lingo. Doing that little giggle when you elbow him trying not to grin. Although those self-deprecating thoughts still swirl in his brain, he’s learned to trust and believe you, after all you decided to stay with him for how long? Not to mention that your reassurances made him feel better and trust you. You’ve seen his worst multiple times and you’re still by his side. Besides, if anyone dares insults Idia in their attempt to woo you you go crazy, insulting them which makes Idia want to melt, die, and kiss you all at once.

❥ Malleus Draconia

Malleus is a bit confusing. On one hand he 100% trusts you, on the other he can be a bit childish. You spend too much time without him or go out to something he wasn’t invited to and you’ll find him pouting upon your arrival. He doesn’t mean to, he’s glad you have others to have fun with and he doesn’t want to restrict you in any way…but he is a bit needy when it comes to your affection. He is so touch-starved and isolated that he can’t help but cling to you, feeling a bitter pang when you have to go. If anyone dares to flirt with you it's when he isn’t by your side and you're declining them instantly. If someone is actually insane and tries to flirt with you when Malleus is present either 1. Malleus watches on trying to hide his smugness as you decline or 2. Sebek is shouting insults at them before you even get the chance. All in all, Malleus isn’t too jealous, and when he is he tries to work on his possessiveness. He wants a healthy relationship with you after all, and he’d do anything to make you happy, even if that means letting you go for a day to hang out with your other friends.

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wannaeatramyeon · 25 days ago

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Gun Park x Reader: Passing notes

G/N. Cute, short, fluffy!! HNH-Days. Masterlists

HNH Exec meetings are luckily few and far between.

Yet everytime the traumatic hours-long event arrives, you can't help but wish for someone to fatally maim you just so you have an excuse to not go.

These corporate freaks, to your complete non-surprise, love the sound of their own voice. They talk about grand plans and takeovers and quarterly results and four-year-ops and you can feel your brain cells dying in real time.

Perhaps you can throw yourself out the window instead. That would be a far better alternative to having to sit through this.

As someone launches into yet another presentation, you glance around at the attendees. You're in terrible company.

Professional, business-driven psychopaths who will stab you in the back just to climb the corporate ladder, and actual psychopaths that will literally stab you and enjoy it.

You're sandwiched between the worst of both worlds.

To your left is a Charles Choi sycophant with too big an ego and an inferiority complex, and bursting at the seams to talk about how well his division is doing and annual turnover and all the people he's fired to increase the share price.

To your right is... Well, it's Gun Park.

How he has the patience to sit through this, you'll never know.

Though as you watch Gun, you realise that even he is human. His eyes are glazed over, his concentration having lapsed about twenty slides ago, and he fails to keep up with this bullshit.

You nudge him with your knee and he flashes you a look.

Shaking your head in faux disapproval, you scribble a note and slide it over.

'You should be listening.'

His eyes flicker to read your words but he ignores you. Bastard.

You jot down a few more thoughts.

'It's very important.' Another glance.

'This guy certainly thinks so.' And another.

Clearly Gun is also bored out of his mind if he's entertaining your juvenile behaviour and not telling you to shut the fuck up.

Oh!

A metaphorical lightbulb goes off over your head, you have a burst of inspiration and write down your plans.

'I might kill him.'

To your delight, Gun lets out an amused huff and the edges of his lips lift.

He leans over for a brief moment, one arm circling the back of your chair and chest pressed lightly against your shoulder. Your nose is filled with the scent of sandalwood and amber.

When he moves away, you look at his chicken scratch:

'Not if I kill him first.'

You turn to Gun and he dips and angles his head towards you, reading your next move.

"Wanna kill him together?" You whisper into his ear.

Your face breaks into a grin when he nods.

#pls forgive his warcrimes. he's just a lil guy #I know I keep reusing the same images. 1 because im lazy. 2 because hes so cute here #lookism #lookism x reader #gun park #gun park x reader #park jonggun x reader #park jonggun #wannaeatramyeon

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phyllisamaryllis · 5 months ago

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HOW RICK PORTRAYED THE GREEK GODS AND WHY IT WAS SO IMPORTANT

So people are going to notice that a lot of my complaints aren't just in PJO but extend to media portraying Greek Myths in general. But I want to focus on Percy Jackson and not other media, so I'm going to focus on Percy Jackson and not other media.

Starting off.................

The way Rick portrayed the Greek Gods was important because PJO was the most read book series that heavily centered around Greek Mythology he pretty much destroyed their images at the time.

There's an entire anti Percy Jackson tag as well as an anti PJO tag for you to scroll through to see how Rick Riordan portrayal of the Greek Gods was terrible. Be my guest and treat yourself to it. Search it up.

There are also people like @alatismeni-theitsa, @margaretkart and @katerinaaqu to ask for correct information on Greek Mythology. So be their guest too.

Today, we have PJO fans running around having incorrect perceptions of the gods and flinging hate and abuse at the real Greek Gods while Greeks have to suffer through all this bullshit.

The torture is REAL. Just ask them.

I mean, you have people claiming that they are the CHILDREN of VIRGIN GODDESSES.

Artemis, Athena, Hera and Hestia don't have any demigod children. They can't have any demigod children.

If you really want to, call yourself their chosen champion. Not their child. It's disrespectful to Greek culture and religion to do otherwise.

Rick Riordan read about and taught Greek Myths in school, so he must have read the actual versions of the myths.

And knowing these, he decided to twist them into his terrible, inferior, crappy versions.

That man literally wrote Hephaestus, a rapist, as a poor guy trying to get a girl, oh, he's so sad and pathetic, and Athena's such a mean bitch for not accepting his advances even if she doesn't want it!

I'm not joking.................and I don't have words for this. I just don't.

Riordan doesn't really have any tact, does he? None at all.

And no, Greek people cannot get away from these horrible portrayals, because there are too many Percy Jackson fans clogging up the Greek God tags with their Rick Riordan written PJO versions of the gods, which is kind of terrible for people who just want to read about real Greek Mythology, not Percy Jackson. And this happens in real life, too. I mean, people using PJO as a substitute for real Greek Mythology.

Pro tip for PJO tumblr users: if you're typing about a god, use the Greek God PJO tag, like PJO Apollo or PJO Aphrodite, not just Apollo or Aphrodite, ok? Thanks for reading this.

There are many common misconceptions about Greek Mythology due to Percy Jackson. So, if you're not sure about something, please search it up on verified academic websites or ask real people-you can do this online too.

Now I am aware that Rick has the creative license to portray Greek Gods however he wants-

but let us as educated people all be aware of the fact that we should not always take portrayals of the Greek Gods in modern media depicting them seriously and if you want to read up on the actual gods, then read the myths and the Odyssey, Iliad etc.

Now, to name another shockingly appalling writing choice-

In the very first book, WW2 is atrociously used as a plot point

Yes, that's right-Rick Riordan, beloved author of a bestselling franchise for children and adults alike, reduces WW2, one of the most bloody and complex conflicts in history with a multitude of a reasons for its existence, to a fight between fictional demigods of the Big Three simply to have a reason for the Big 3 not to have children.

Do you actually know how serious this is?

Millions of people even today are affected by the WW2 due to generational trauma and abusive parents. WW2 killed millions of soldiers and civilians alike, and the Holocaust was so horrible that some people would faint just reading about what happened. I will not go into the bloody, gory details here, but if you still don't believe this, go search up WW2.

To have Rick Riordan portray it in such a callous way, to make a literal Greek God sire war criminals in modern history, when there were other methods he could have used to intertwine the mythological world and demigods and history.........it makes you wonder what was running through his mind at the time.

There were so many other ways he could have portrayed the prophecy-make it so that Big 3 children were constantly causing natural disasters and fictional wars in the mythological world, not the real world, and constantly dividing the cabins at CHB. Maybe they had their own war parallel to WW2. There were so many ways to do this- and none of them had to do what was ultimately done.

PJO WWII IS THE ULTIMATE INSULT TO THE GREEKS

What makes this even WORSE is that during World War II, the Greeks were in fact part of the ALLIES.

The Allies were fighting against the Axis powers, the latter of which contained Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy and Japan.

When the Nazis invaded Greece-well, it's never a good thing for a country to be invaded by enemies during a time of war.

At least 250,000 people died during the Axis occupation. And the country's economy and infrastructure were ruined quite horribly.

And generations of Greeks are traumatised because of this, even today. Not just Greeks-thousands of people. Millions of people all over the globe are still traumatized from this war, be it direct experience or generational trauma.

And to make ANCIENT GREEK GODS responsible for WWII is simply, totally and absolutely unforgivable on Rick Riordan's part.

To make the Greeks' enemies the sons of their ancient gods........no. Just no.

And yes, Hitler is a son of Hades in canon. Rick later changed it because of the backlash. He's absolutely disgusting.

WHY THE HELL ARE THE GREEK GODS IN AMERICA?

Now.........the Greek Gods are in the USA!

But..........they're Greek, right, which means that they should be in Greece! So why now are they in the USA?

Well.........here's Rick's explanation for it.

Apparently, the Greek Gods started with the fire of the Western Civilisation and then moved onto other places.

'Flame of the West' crap my ass. Search it up-there's this great article called the Whitening Thief. Read that.

Apparently, without the flame of Westernisation, there would be only darkness and chaos. As someone who's not part of a Western country, this is pretty racist to countries like mine and I'm pointing it out.

@margaretkart

@alatismeni-theitsa

@katerinaaqu

These are all good blogs to disillusion yourself with Percy Jackson and learn about what really happened in Greek Mythology.

And I just want to say-Percy Jackson is an ok start for venturing into Greek Mythology as long as you've read up some basic background beforehand, but-

But-

Do NOT, under ANY circumstances whatsoever, take RICK RIORDAN'S portrayal of the Greek Gods as the REAL Greek Gods.

Never do that. That is the one thing that must not be done.

Hera doesn't just love perfect families. She literally lives in the most dysfunctional family to ever exist. And she loves you if you try. She really does.

Hades would not threaten to eternally torture literal children just because of what their parents did to him. His literal job is to uphold justice in the underworld, and sending a child to Tartarus just because her father angered him and he couldn't punish the father isn't justice now, is it?

Ares loves his children and as for why Rick made him hate them-

Rick has a hate boner against the war god, that I will swear on. Read this post and the explanation for why Rick shouldn't have done it.

And the gods are actively depicted as cruel, neglectful, abusive parents, when in the myths they are quite the opposite.

Real Aphrodite loves her son Aeneas and frequently comes to his aid on the battlefield. She also tells him to not marry a woman (TO GIVE UP LOVE, HER LITERAL DOMAIN) so that he can fulfil his destiny of becoming a king.

Real Ares loves all his children. He tries to avenge his son Cycnus when Heracles kills him with good reason for being a cruel tyrant-and they were even riding chariots together when Heracles came across them. He avenged his daughter even at the cost of being punished by Poseidon and Zeus, neither of whom liked him.

Now, what I want to tell you is that the PJO Greek Gods are Rick's interpretation of them.

An interpretation of a Greek God by a modern author (who isn't Greek, by the way, please take note) is not the same as the real Greek God. Please understand this and accordingly adjust your views.

This also goes for Madeline Miller, Rachel Smythe, etc.

And lastly, one of the most ironic things is that though Richard uses the Greek Gods in his books, he has never ever added a single Greek character in it.

I'm talking about a modern Greek demigod who comes from Greece. Imagine them teaching the other demigods Modern Greek and Greek culture, language and traditions!

It's very ironic that he includes Chinese, African and Native American culture in his works and then turns around and pretend that Greek culture doesn't exist.

The demigods are in Athens, but for how much time before they go back to America? Barely any at all. And nothing learnt about culture while they're there.

(No hate to his already shitty representation. I'm merely making a point that there should have been a Greek character in a book that heavily centers on Greek Gods and their children, even if it's in America.)

RICK DOESN'T USE GREEK CULTURE OR RELIGION AND IN FACT INSULTS GREECE IN HIS WORKS

So, if you've read the title, let me tell you something-

Do you know that Greek Gods are still worshipped?

Some of you do, some of you don't, but let me tell you, they are still worshipped.

And accordingly, you must respect them and their worshippers, just like you would do for Christians. You cannot maliciously ridicule and condemn Hellenistic Pagans who worship Greek Gods just because they are a minority.

And if you've read the myths and think that the Greek Gods being cruel......

They're not, actually. I mean, yes, you think they're cruel, but most of the myths aren't taken literally by Hellenistic Pagans who worship Greek Gods.

What the Greek Gods do is supposed to be symbolic.

Hades kidnapping Persephone symbolises death ripping children from their grieving parents' arms. It's an explanation for the seasons and it finally represents the fact that daughters could be given away by their fathers with the mother having no say in it whatsoever.

Demeter's grief and her actually being able to do something about her daughter's marriage and Persephone being returned to her is supposed to be a comforting tale for grieving mothers who have lost their daughter.

Artemis' cruelty towards certain people? It represents the cruelty of nature towards humans and what it will do to humans if they provoke it.

Zeus' infidelity and abuse of his power? Well, it represents what kings do. Zeus represented the kings of Ancient Greece, and kings abused their power and had many mistresses besides having a wife.

Many Greek kings also claimed to sons of Zeus or descendants of the gods, so it the idea that Zeus had many affairs with ladies and princesses of royal lineages was conceived.

The link above provides many good reasons for why the Greeks wrote Zeus having many affairs with mortal women, so check it out.

Also, Zeus is symbolic of storms. Storms are volatile and raging, and so was Zeus at times. He was a god of storms and as such symbolised them.

Hera punishing the mistresses and children in a jealous rage to bother Zeus? That's what queens did back in the day since they couldn't directly punish their husbands.

Dionysus being charming and fun but also being mad and wild? Well, he represents breaking away from social norms and going fully wild. Also, wine can make people fun and charming, but at the same time, it can turn people into mad, raging creatures.

The point is, most of what the Greek Gods did was symbolic to their domains. And no, contrary to popular thought, Greeks did not live in fear of their Gods striking them down every moment. In fact, many of them genuinely devotionally loved their gods.

And Greek Gods themselves are very kind and benevolent to their devotees, even today, as long as you don't provoke or seriously insult them. Just ask Hellenistic Pagans who are their devotees and you'll be surprised at the results. I'm serious.

The problem here is that we're trying to moralize divinity.

According to the Greeks, gods weren't humans. They were modelled after humans, but they were above humans and human flaws.

And the Abrahamic gods do terrible things too, but do we mock them? No, we don't, because their worshippers say that they are above humans and human flaws, so similarly, the Greek Gods are above humans and our flaws.

CONCLUSION

And no one cares about the fact that a guy is objectifying and making money off a culture all the while removing its significance and turning it into a joke.

Even though Greeks have a millennia old and rich culture, people are always bastardizing it. Non-Greeks really must stop doing this. It's very culturally disrespectful.

I've also seen grown adults saying that the Greek Gods are American so they're allowed to do what they want with them now, and that's absolutely disgusting. They literally stated that the Greek Gods were American now, right out in the open on Twitter.

Let me add one last thing here.

Rick Riordan has a series called Trials of Apollo in which Apollo is cast down to Earth as a human for the third time to defeat Python.

What I want to talk about here is Apollo's human name-Lester Papadopoulos.

Papadopoulos is a common Greek Christian surname that means 'son of a priest'. One of Apollo's domains in prophecy and he has many priests, so maybe this is a reference to that.

But what is most upsetting is that this name is used for comedy.

It's belittled, laughed at and ridiculed for its longevity and hard pronunciation when it is in fact a very normal Greek surname. Even if it's not an American surname, even if it doesn't sound normal and sounds ridiculous to you, it's not ridiculous to others and you should respect it.

Can you imagine how Greek people with that last name read the books and felt bad about their last name? Or felt furious. I know that I would be FURIOUS if my last name was used like that.

And the fact is that Papadopoulos isn't even that hard to pronounce! It's literally just 5 syllables that you can repeat a few times until it doesn't twist your tongue.

And if you can't repeat this simple name, then you need to go back to kindergarten. Hell, go back to preschool even.

And there are people who have the audacity to say that the Greek Gods belong to America and are American. Grown adults, actually, on Twitter, no less. Tweeting it for the whole world to see their absolute foolishness and audacity.

They're pretty tactless, huh?

The Greek Gods were and always will be GREEK. Foreigners are not their rightful descendants-the Greeks are (Greek immigrants included). I mean...........this is bizzarre.

To conclude, (really conclude this time) though it's a series heavily entwined with Greek Gods, the only Greek thing about the series is the Gods. There's no Greek culture, religion or language, and even the Greek Gods are heavily Americanised, which is pretty disappointing.

(Side note: If you think anything I've said is wrong, tell me. I'll correct it immediately.)

@fandomloverangel

#percy jackson #pjo critical #rr crit #percy jackson critical #pjo discourse #percy jackson crit #pjo #rick riordan critical #rr critical #pjo crit #anti pjo #anti rr #anti percy jackson #anti rick riordan #pjo meta #PJO ultimate

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hotdaemondtargaryen · 1 year ago

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EWAN MITCHELL TALKING ABOUT AEMOND TARGARYEN IN EPISODE 4 FOR NUEVA MUJER MAGAZINE.

(video of the interview comes out this week)

AEMOND, AT THIS POINT, IS THE MOST INTERESTING AND COMPLEX CHARACTER IN THE ENTIRE SHOW. AT THIS POINT IN YOUR HISTORY, WHAT ARE YOUR INTERESTS?

"I love exploring the dark side of Aemond and delving deeper into his vulnerability."

"At the end of season 1, with his dragon, Vhagar, he knows he's made a mistake and lets his emotions get the best of him."

"It's good to see that feeling again and it breaks down and takes away that one-dimensionality: there's something more underlying beneath the surface that, in part, motivates it."

IT IS CLEAR THAT AFTER WHAT HAPPENED, A CONFRONTATION BETWEEN AEMOND AND DAEMON IS GOING TO HAPPEN. WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THAT?

"Sure, but at what cost? Everyone saw the damage the three dragons did in the battle."

"After that moment, all of Westeros already knows what it is to fight with dragons and what they can do."

"Now, with Aemond and Daemon, if they sat together in a room, any item in it would be a deadly weapon."

HOW DO YOU DEFINE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AEMOND AND AEGON? IT IS VERY CLEAR THAT AEMOND IS INFINITELY SUPERIOR THAN HIS BROTHER AND HE KNOWS IT.

"Yes, I think he has always seen Aegon as someone who is inferior to him."

"He feels like he doesn't have the drive to be a king and the perseverance to be a leader."

"While Aemond was training with the sword and studying with the masters, his brother was probably in some Flea Bed brothel squandering his inheritance."

"So Aemond, although he was the second son, always felt that he should have been treated as the first and always prepared himself for that."

"He also feels that he would probably make a better king than Aegon."

"He hates his brother, but he loves him at the same time, because he is his brother."

"They share a heritage."

"He wants to love him, but Aegon gives her plenty of reasons not to."

BUT DID AEMOND WANT TO KILL AEGON?

"When we are in the battle scene, and when Vhagar attacks Aegon and Rhaenys, the question arises as to whether he intentionally tried to hurt his brother, or if he was in his way or if he was just collateral damage."

"I think it goes back to the previous answer: I think of them as Michael and Fredo Corleone, at the time when the latter betrayed his brother and plotted against him."

"This is because although they hate their enemies, there is a deeper hatred towards someone who should protect and care for you."

"And Aegon never did that. In fact, he led the bullying. Aemond “forgives”, but never forgets."

NOW THAT YOU'VE ALSO RECORDED 'THE LAST KINGDOM', AND, COMPARED TO YOUR CHARACTER, OSFERTH, AEMOND TARGARYEN IS CRUEL AND RITLESS. WHERE DID YOU GET INSPIRED FROM TO INTERPRET IT?

"It's interesting that you mention Osferth, because in many ways he is the antithesis of Aemond, in the sense that they are children of royalty who were marginalized and have been treated unfairly by their brothers."

"Aemond himself, because he has been sidelined, has a lot to prove."

"He is the second son who will inherit nothing and recognizes that whatever he wants in this life he will have to go out and get it himself, by hook or by crook."

"He has tremendous power in Vhagar."

"And, of course, he recognizes that he can do things that no one else in the kingdom can do."

"And that's why he sees it as a call to greatness, to write his name in the history books."

AEMOND IMPOSES FEAR. IT HAS A DANGEROUS AURA. HOW DO YOU TRANSMIT THAT SENSATION TO THE SPECTATOR, THAT SOMETHING TERRIBLE CAN HAPPEN TO SOMEONE LIKE THIS IN A PLACE?

"I think that in the first four episodes, Aemond is still not very much at the center of the conflict."

"You see it with Criston Cole plotting and trying to manipulate the council because they know war is inevitable."

"Now: Shakespeare said the eyes are the windows to the soul, but in Aemond's case, what does it mean to have one and the other a safari? Do you see less of his soul? There is silence."

"A lot of silence on your part and in those moments you say a lot without saying anything."

"I love those moments, because as a viewer, you can project your own interpretation on the character about what is happening through his or her gaze."

BY THE WAY, WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AEMOND AND ALICENT?

"Someone asked me if I thought Aemond had problems with his mother and I don't think so: he just wanted to be loved by her a little more."

"He is an empty child and children need that unconditional love to be balanced beings and develop a vision accordingly."

"And since he never had that, he had to look for solutions in other beings. In Vhagar. At Mrs. Sylvie, from the brothel."

"Children need to be loved unconditionally: if a child is not embraced by the village, they will hug them to feel their warmth and seek validation through other means."

"In Aemond's case, it's war."

"And of course, if he finds out what Cole, his best friend, has been doing with his mother, I don't know how he would take it."

HE'S A PRETTY BROKEN CHARACTER. HOW DID YOU EXPLORE THAT?

"That's one of the most fascinating aspects of playing him."

"Because beyond that image that has been created, he is in a very different physical and psychological place from what we saw last season."

"He has cultivated this facade - almost homage - inspired by Daemon Targaryen."

"Now, there is a movie called 'Fire vs. Fire' starring Robert De Niro where he has a code to protect himself."

"Aemond has something similar."

"That's why it's so easy for him to reject the madame in episode 3, because he knows that in her world there is no place for love, since it is a weakness."

"He has to be seen as this 'Terminator' who scares everyone and is all-powerful."

"So it's interesting to see what's behind all of that, to see this abandoned boy who is still there."

DO YOU THINK THAT AFTER THIS BATTLE HE WILL HAVE SOME KIND OF GUILT LIKE WHAT HAPPENED TO LUKE AND ARRAX?

"He knows that there is no turning point this time."

"What happened with Luke and Arrax, he knows was a mistake."

"It wasn't his intention."

"He let his emotions get the best of him and lost control of his dragon."

"Here he is in complete control and knows what the dragons can do."

"In episode 5 you will see all the consequences of this."

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starry-bi-sky · 1 year ago

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"Stillborn? No, no, still born." -- DPXDC AU

Based off a comment I saw where Bruce knew about Talia's pregnancy in the earlier comivs, and was ecstatic to be a father. So much so that Talia feared he'd give up being Batman for it, so when she gave birth she put the baby (Damian) on a doorstep and (seemingly) told Bruce that the baby was stillborn.

Instead of Damian, that baby was Danny! Meet Daniel Brown, the 14 year old foster kid whose been living with the Fenton family for the last two years. He's about two years older than Damian.

His last name, "Brown", was a generic surname given to him because the note he came with didn't have one on it. It just had the name "Danyal" on it, but albeit 'Daniel' was the one that had been put into the system for, I'll be totally frank here, racism reasons.

(I looked it up to make sure, and it's generally not permissible for foster parents to change the names of their foster kids even if it's a permanent residency, and for that reason Danny doesn't have the last name "Fenton".)

Danny's got ✨~issues!~✨ He's been through a handful of homes growing up, most of them terrible for a variety of reasons. Which has, as a result, left lasting scars. He's generally a very sweet kid, just very distrustful and jumpy. He's got the signs of a kid suffering from PTSD, and a handful of other issues including attachment and insomnia. His inferiority complex could rival Damian's, and that's going to make for an interesting mutual hatred for when they finally meet.

(something I'll get into later)

He still has the blanket he was found in. It's made of a very high quality material and is a beautiful emerald green with little golden thread accents, it's high quality as a result has Danny clinging onto a desperate hope that his bio family might be out there, and the only reason they gave him up was because of some outside factor. It's been taken a few times in old foster homes, and he's flipped out each time.

While he still calls Jack and Maddie by their names, he likes them well enough. The bar isn't that high though, and while they're some of the better foster parents he's had, "better" doesn't equal "safest". Their laboratory malpractice. Basically, C- Fenton Parents. They're negligent by virtue of being engrossed in their work, but they do care equally about Jazz and Danny. So he doesn't hold it against them that much.

He kinda prefers it that way, their loud affection is overwhelming and Danny doesn't know what to do with their attention, even if he craves it. It's a bit of a complicated situation.

They took in Danny because they genuinely wanted another child, but didn't want a big age gap between them and Jazz. It was actually Jack's idea to foster, and they discussed it with Jazz beforehand. She was all for the idea. Thus, a handful of weeks later, a ton of paperwork, and inspection later, and Daniel Brown entered their household with a trash bag in one hand and eyes like shards of stained glass.

His relationship with Jazz is kinda strained, but that's by virtue of her constant psychoanalyzing and helicoptering. Like with the parents, Danny's overwhelmed by the attention and also just, straight up doesn't like the fact that she's telling him that there's something wrong with him. He knows that, thank you. He pushes her away when she does this.

Other than that though? When Jazz isn't smothering him and is acting like an actual sibling and not a third parent, they're pretty close, and Danny really likes her. They've hung out a few times on their own volition, and Jazz showed him how to take better care of his long hair.

His school situation,, pretty similar to canon with the bullying, albeit with a few more instances of him blowing a fuse and lashing out against his attackers. He's a rather angry kid, but it's quiet. It builds up, piles on top of itself, until eventually, like a volcano, it erupts and burns everyone within radius.

Danny's got a fire core, not an ice core. Phantom's hair is made of white magma; thick and heavy, setting itself on fire when his anger runs hot. When he gets angry, his skin begins to char and split open to reveal pulsating lava underneath, and he crackles and pops like a raging forest fire.

I haven't decided yet on how he meets the batfam -- i've got two ideas but they're both in opposition to each other, and drastically alter how the rest of the plot goes. But I do know that him and Damian hate each other in the beginning. And it has nothing to do with inheritance or "being the blood son" -- although their blood relation absolutely plays the major role in their disdain for each other.

Simply put, they're jealous of each other for the same thing: thinking that the other was wanted.

Damian hates Danny because, unlike Damian, Bruce knew about Danny since conception and wanted him from the moment he heard about him. He had a whole nursery set up, and still does. He never took it down -- just locked the door. Damian was thrust upon Bruce without warning, and he feels like he forced himself into the family. And while on some level Damian knows and understands that Bruce wants him and loves him as much as his other children, that doubt and feeling of inferiority still remains. He looks at Danny and sees him with what Damian always feels he needs reaffirmed.

Meanwhile, Danny hates Damian because he looks at him and sees him with everything Danny's ever wanted. He hates him because Damian grew up knowing both of their parents, with one of them for most of his life, and then moved over to the other. There was never a moment where Damian was (seemingly) left to doubt his place within the family. Damian was raised with the very same woman who left Danny on a doorstep, with no clue to his identity beyond a little green blanket and a note with only a first name. Damian was wanted everywhere, and Danny was wanted nowhere. Damian is Danny's replacement in his eyes.

(It's the little revelation that Damian grew up with their mother that elevates Danny from being quietly envious of Damian to downright despising him. What did Damian do, that Danny didn't? He could live with Damian living with Bruce -- Bruce didn't know Danny was even alive. But him living with their mom? Are you fucking kidding him?)

Damian never outright attacks Danny physically, but it's not like he hides that he didn't like Danny. Meanwhile, Danny, in all his repressive anger, quietly despised him from a distance until finally one wrong snide side-comment has him blowing up and it becomes a screaming match. They're both just enough similar to each other that when they look at each other they really just see a mirror.

They'll work it out together, eventually. But it'll be ugly and cruel and explosive, and they'll start mending the bridge to become brothers in more than just blood relation in the end.

But yeah, stillborn Danny has... a lot going for him.

#dpxdc #danny fenton is not the ghost king #dp x dc #dp x dc crossover #dpxdc crossover #danyal al ghul au #danyal al ghul #dpxdc prompt #additions. opinions and brainstorming are encouraged!! i'd love to hear what other people's thoughts on this are and brainstorm with them.#the brainstorming is the best part.#stillborn? no still born au #poc danny fenton #stillborn au #long haired danny fenton #danny isn't surprised by the fact that the fentons were greenlit for foster parenting considering some of the foster parents HE'S had #those two ideas differed in who found out about who first. Whether it be Bruce or Danny. bruce finding out about danny first results in #Bruce seeking him out first and being able to explain his side of the story first without misunderstandings. this is the Happy Version #Danny finding out about Bruce first results in him getting an official DNA test done and intentionally seeking him out to introduce himself #except when he finds out about damian's existence his shit self worth results in him jumping to the conclusion that his bio family never #wanted him in the first place. that they weren't looking for him and instead just up and replaced him. This is the Fucking SAD Version #and includes a conversation where Danny looks Batman dead in the eyes and tells him that he was 'daddy dearest's fucking reject'#danny completely unaware that batman = bruce wayne btw. for the extra angst. bruce has to stand there and take it. rip #this poor boy needs antidepressants. therapy. and rehab. probably. i've thought about him having an old addiction that he was recovering #from prior to the fentons. but its not confirmed yet. if i go through with it its either gonna be nicotine or like painkillers. i need to #wait and think about it when i'm not on the angst train. i have a tendency to go overboard when i am. its the endorphin high #Danny calls Damian his 'fucking replacement' and Damian tackles him.#starry makes another angsty au

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fangirl-problems101 · 5 months ago

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“Earn It”

angstangstangst reader’s brother committed suicide due to bullying about being quirkless, so learning about everything Bakugo has put Midoriya through hits reader hard

katsuki bakugo x reader

CW: suicide mentions, bullying, middle school katsuki (a content warning all on its own), the word "k*ll"

wc: 601

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“I hate bullies.”

Bakugo stiffens, feeling a chill inch down every vertebra of his spine. He clenches his jaw, “…what makes ya say that, Y/N?”

Your eyes are dark, and a vacant yet haunting expression has taken over your face in a way that makes his chest constrict. ‘I don’t like this.’

“Who tells someone to take a swan dive off a roof, Katsuki?”

‘Oh.’

He takes a breath, willing himself to stay calm. “…an idiot with an inferiority complex.”

You raise a brow, “Mm.” A hum. The expression is still there, as well as a cold, steel glint in your eyes.

“What if he did it, huh? What if he went through with what that ‘idiot with an inferiority complex’ suggested?”

“…I–“

“Do you realize just how unheroic and idiotic that is, Katsuki? How disgustingly inhumane that is?”

The words felt like a kick to the guts. ‘What if he DID do it?’

“Heroes are protectors. People who put their lives on the line for the people around them. They don’t tear other people apart and tell them to kill themselves.” There was a twitch in the expression now. A nerve got hit, this wasn’t just about Izuku anymore.

He eyes you warily, trying to swallow back the lump in his throat and force himself to stay steady. ‘You can’t shake right now, stay still. Stay calm.’

“My brother went through with it.”

He stopped breathing, face pale and palms sweaty. The panic in the back of his throat wouldn’t go down. Fully facing you now, he knew why it hit home even more. He licks his dry lips, lets out a shaky breath, “I-I’m so–”

“Sorry?” Your dry chuckle made his eyes glance back up to your face. “Yeah, me too. He was absolutely brilliant. Quirkless, but he didn’t even need one with how sharp his mind was.” Eyes flashing, you jerk your chin up to look him in the eyes, "People like you took him, Bakugo. I'm not sure if I can forgive you for that. After all, he would've just been some useless extra to you anyway even if he were still alive, right?"

Katsuki's eyes were wide and his hands were shaking.

"So if being a hero is just some ego trip for you, stay out of my way." You turn to leave, tears burning in your eyes and a hot pain in your throat, but he caught your wrist. You didn't want to look him in the eyes.

"I'll earn it."

A scoff passes your lips, "Prove what, oh Great Explosion Murder God?" You sneak a glimpse up at him and your chest tightens.

His eyes are pitiful, teary and red around the rims, "Yer forgiveness. Respect? Approval? Whatever it is. I'll earn it, Y/N, if it's the last thing I do." He glances down at your wrist, relaxing his hold as he hesitantly takes your hand. "...really, 'm so sorry. I used to be a terrible person--man, still am some days--but I promise I'm changing, that I've been changing. Crap, I'm no good with words," he ran his fingers through his hair, and for a second he seemed much smaller than he was.

You've never seen him so... vulnerable. Almost weak.

He glances down at you through his bangs, unshed tears still lining his lids, "Whatever it takes. I'll do it. I swear to ya." His voice starts to waver and he gets quieter, "Just... please. Please don't shut me out. I'll earn it."

Tears stream down your cheeks as you choke back a small sob, shoulders shaking, "Then earn it, Katsuki."

-------------------------------------------------------

heyyy so i was feeling angsty, sorry >_< might do a part two if it gets requested, it'd be like a time skip <3 hope you enjoyed the angst, babes

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marshmallowwitharubberband · 4 months ago

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untapped crossover potential: iconic duo edition.

Xie Lian (TGCF) and Xiao Xingchen (MDZS) mostly because XXC would LOVE XL's terrible grandpa jokes. And I feel their personalities would mesh well.

Liu Qingge and Nie Mingjue. Anger management issues bros.

Shang Qinghua and Jin Guangyao. C'mon. Throw in Ling Wen and they'd rule all three universes by the power of their efficiency.

Nie Huaisang and Shi Qingxuan. Iconic, sassy besties. Also, SQX needs a friend who can warn him of others' ill intentions.

Jiang Cheng and Mu Qing. Inferiority complex bros.

Zhuzhi lang and Wen Ning. Please.

Pei Ming and Tianlang-jun. Dear god, no.

#mdzs #mo dao zu shi #scum villain's self saving system #svsss #tgcf #tian guan ci fu #mxtx crossover #crossover besties #don't take this too seriously #just for fun

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melancholicstation · 26 days ago

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SECRETARY (2002) INSPIRED BOSS!BOBBY KENNEDY AND SECRETARY!READER: a collection of headcanons!

tags: @rocker-chick-7 @ultr4v1ol3nt @violetharmonsfavgf @strip-weather-forecast @darcyspirits @fortheloveofjos @h-l-v-kennedy-blog @h-l-vlovesvintage @bluelancergirl @snowsgames @salvatoresablondie @dulcegal @kennedyism @bloxholden35 @kimcrystal123 @absurdlyvintage @jackiesgirl @remotewatch @stargiirl27 @strryhaze @bluevelvetsunset @recentremreports

warnings: reference to erotica, boss employee dynamic, secretary (2002), dominant and submissive dynamics,

authors note: in memoriam of secretary (2002) release date, 29th of may, here's some nice and clean good old freakum fun! and i tried something new with adding outfit formulas to the end of the hc's let me know if you like them and i'll continue, or you can ignore them completely! whatever you decide. much love, melancholistation ❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹 also this is not proof read hope it's legible! muah

for context i'm imagining this au to be in the timeframe of his time as new york senator!

secretary!reader definitely had no idea who bobby was prior to applying for the job listing she found in the new york times

bobby's definitely initially sceptical as reader's resume could get her a much better job that transcribing his crinkled coffee bruised notes, and re-arranging his insomnia-inducing schedule

he basically tries to make the job sound unbearably unpleasant, in a pseudo effort to encourage her towards a greater, more enlightened path with more of a future (this definitely has something to do with bobby's inferiority complex, always believing that everyone has something better to do than spend their days with him etc. etc...)

yet, reader persists. and he's a weak man... so you know how that ended up!

i'm picturing bobby really trying to be a good man and be on his best boss behaviour for at least a month but after sensing the reader's clear penchant for incessant praise and the way she stares at the sliver of arm hair peeking out of the cuff of his favoured and hallowed oxford shirt, he's a man burdened with a deep sense of yearn so profound he feels physically ill

hot take: the "courtship" era of reader and his relationship literally causes him to stress lose 2 pounds just from sheer anxiety of scaring reader off

he'll literally think reader is mad at him because she only brought him his coffee with one chocolate covered almond instead of her status-quo two... (he's literally sick in the head)

reader is literally terrible at all the transcription to the point where bobby had to bring in a second secretary that looms in the background to fill in the gaps of what you missed (which is a lot!)

your "office hours" are mostly spent picking handfuls of wildflowers that grow on the windowsill of bobby's main office (a planter box he specifically had installed upon learning about your botanist inclined natural back in preschool) and reading trashy erotica and highlighting the funny passages to read back to bobby as he drives you home from the office (you insist of your capability to get home in one piece, yet he adamantly protests that!)

notable mention that this is definitely readers choice of a type writer: either this one, or this one.

on those days where bobby is kept in the office until the sun rises on a new day you bring through a manic assortment of his most treasured delicacies (you make it a point to feed him because let's be honest that man will not take the initiative himself) which consist of: noam beer and a baker bleu baguette stuffed with an bliblical level greed amount of smoked ham and smooth dijon mustard from a local moutardier in brooklyn

literally just like this, except assorted on an old nickel-plated cloche:

readers style imagining to be quite eclectic yet refined yet haute couture... it contains multitudes

this is the exact coat (it's 100% wool with satin cupro lining and 3 bands... i need it in my armoire yesterday so this is me projecting) reader wears on all of the late night strolls she accompanies bobby on to clear his mind after a long day of being pushed from location a. to b. and being needed everywhere. reader's most definitely a calming presence, primarily for the fact that he feels she doesn't need more from him than how he comes naturally

reader would definitely pair that coat with gloves of some sort (or rather bobby would threaten to leave without her unless she was adequately dressed for the weather since he would literally never forgive himself if you contracted the slightest whiff of a cold. no mind that's he's literally only dressed in a cotton poplin shirt with a boucle knit overtop: exhibit a and exhibit b the merino mittens for the city's winter and the rick waved calfskin gloves for the everyday autumn chill that befalls midtown after ten pm.

reader definitely smells like harvest mouse by zoologist

i feel that in this relationship bobby really is the submissive (lee) in all non-sexual situations, he enjoys needing instead of being needed for once (in his whole life actually... but let's not talk about that...)

and i really think that bobby personally had a lot of bad habits (not specifically self-harm but he definitely subconsciously seemed things that were not always the healthiest for him) that could be solved with a girl matching his freak...

calling him a "good man" would definitely change his brain chemistry and heal some deep seeded issues inside of him... just something about him needing that validation that he is "masculine" in many ways, especially after being repeatedly emasculated by his family members, and believed to be less of a "man" (or at least not fitting into the societal and cultural standards of what is considered masculine at that time!). he would get all the way off on that...

but back to secretary!reader style (authors note: got a bit of topic there didn't i!)

her day-to-day work style is either this sweater or this sweater (there is no deviation she has a personal style and she's sticking to it. she was doing capsule wardrobes before they were even a hashtag on tiktok...) paired with either a cute pinafore: this one, or that one or a trusty pair of wool trousers

the shoes will, and will always be: rain or shine, tabi t-bar pumps in black patent

and bobby on more than one occasion fantasies about her pressing her pumps against the prominent bludge in his pants until he severely embarrassed himself in a government building and earned his new pants a much needed trip to the dry cleaners... and this is the way he's sitting while it happens by the way:

bobby definitely loves a good "care taker" role (or has been groomed by his parents to always love cleaning up other peoples messes... but lets not get into that!) so he'd definitely be a part of reader's "self-care routine"

he'd get so into french pharmacy's and always bring back the niche, hard to find skincare when he goes on international tours...

definitely loves a good bath routine and he takes such care when bathing you that your hands are always crinkled.

he's definitely humming while he washes your hair... and it's most likely some song he hears playing from your record player during office hours

and it's routine for both of you, no matter the circumstances, no matter if bobby almost got into a screaming match with a republican souther senator he still comes back in the night to repeat the routine once again. basically, your self-care is his.

he invites himself into reader's apartment one of the days where he personally drives her home and is sort of horrified yet unbearably turned on that she has acquired a left-over poster from his ny senate run and hung it on the same wall as some very suggestive if not down right erotica prints...

but that's not even the number one thing that disturbs him during that visit... ever the nepotism baby he's horrified at the lack of square footage of reader's apartment

and efficiently sets reader up in a nice townhouse in the upper east side that's coincidentally a 10 minute (chauffeured) drive to his penthouse facing the east river (true story alert: i found this nyt 1965 article which detailed him buying east river suite immediately north of the UN HQ, it's a nice short read for anyone interest in his niche realestate acquirements)

reader definitely feel guilty from him spending so much unnecessary money on her but later discovers he definitely has a thing for women using him for money... like gets off on it sort of vibe...

it's a delicate give and take... reader goes into niche grocery stores and forages for the perfect assortment of treats to greet bobby's desk and bobby buys her $28 million dollar investment property! it evens out eventually!

to be honest i don't see reader being a secretary for long after a relationship has been established between her and bobby... cause one thing about #that man is that he knows when to lock it down...

in short they have a courthouse wedding that nearly sent rose and joe sr into a grand mal seizure (they definitely loathe you but are afraid of bobby, as they should be cause he's literally a pit bull for you)

and you two live your freak lives happily ever after!

the end.

outfit formula 1: day at the office

outfit formula 2: errands running day

#rpf political #kennedy rpf #political rpf #rpf fanfiction #kennedy fanfic #kennedy fanfiction #fanfic #x reader #x you #smut #rfk headcanons #rfk fanfiction #rfk fanfic #rfk x reader #bobby kennedy x reader #robert f kennedy x reader #melancholicstation pilled #melancholicstation writes #melancholicstation

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internetgiraffekid1673 · 2 months ago

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Raven Queen's Bottomless Compassion: Exhibit Duchess

As a fandom, I don't think we talk enough about just how incredible Raven is, which is a shame because SHE'S THE MAIN CHARACTER!

And there are lots of things to like about her! She's obviously got her incredibly interesting and complex relationships with Apple and her mother and her story-driving, world-shattering actions as she rebels against an oppressive system.

But even beyond the main story beats, Raven is a delight! She's funny and has an amazing dry, observational kind of humor that makes every scene hilarious. She's creative and clever, capable of making both very well-thought out plans and improvising decisions on the fly. She's constantly in wonder of the world around her, even despite the horrible looming destiny system, and is able to find joy in things as simple as tea with her friends or playing guitar. She's relatable, and she feels like she could be a friend of anybody watching or reading the series.

But today, what I want to talk about is Raven's neverending all-consuming COMPASSION. Raven Queen is able to find the good and a reason to love every single person in her life.

This is really obvious in scenarios like Apple, who Raven considers a friend and enjoys being around, even as Apple tries to force Raven into a terrible life that she doesn't want. It's obvious in instances like Cerise, who Raven didn't know very well prior to Cerise sharing her secret, and who Raven still goes out of her way to help and love and support, to the point that Cerise joins her main friend group. It's obvious in cases like Dexter, who feels inferior and unseen around most people but who Raven values and admires from their first real interaction, and it makes him feel good about himself.

I could go on and on, but today I wanna talk specifically about Raven's compassion towards Duchess Swan. This is gonna get long, so under a cut it goes!

Now, from what I remember, Raven and Duchess don't interact much in the cartoon. When they do, it's usually with Duchess acting as part of a group of Royals, not independently. If I'm wrong, feel free to correct me and add your own examples!

But in the books? Their relationship makes me feral. Duchess treats Raven similarly to how she treats everyone else: badly. Her rude and self-absorbed attitude make her one of the first people to mock Raven, and while the books make it clear this has been happening since they were in Nursery-Rhyme school, it's clearly demonstrated in one of the earliest scenes of the Storybook of Legends (Briar's Book-to-School Bash).

After this scene, Raven goes back to her room, buries her face in her pillow, and refuses to speak to anyone. But this is how their relationship starts. Duchess is cruel and antagonistic, like she is with everyone (although moreso with Raven, since the greater royal-rebel tension is coming into play here), and it deeply hurts Raven enough that she literally explodes. Duchess knows she's made a mistake, but doesn't do much to repair things with Raven beyond avoiding her.

Duchess fades into the background for a bit until Next Top Villain, which is HER book. The premise of this book is that Duchess gets assigned to General Villainy by Headmaster Grimm who is now taking Raven seriously and is worried he can't make her be the Evil Queen for the Snow White story. Since he knows about Duchess' willingness to try to steal other people's destinies (ANYBODY's destiny, since she's got a REALLY terrible fate all things considered), Grimm puts her in General Villainy and hopes she'll go after Raven.

Duchess is at first reluctant and confused (she has the same dilemma as Raven of "which is worse, failing a class called General Villainy or acing it,"), but she overhears Grimm discussing his plans for Duchess with Badwolf, and counts that as permission to go all in.

When Blondie decides to advertise the General Villainy's latest thronework of "do a rotten and nasty plan," and turn it into a televised competition, Sparrow (who is ALSO in the class due to Grimm trying to capitalize on his less-than-heroic tendencies) gives Duchess the advice of just sabotaging all the other students plans (he's gonna double cross her at the end, but that's not important right now).

So, Duchess goes about spying on her classmates, ruining their plans, and netting them all failures while she creeps closer to an A. For the whole competition, Duchess is SURE Raven is going to be her biggest obstacle. I think this goes to show JUST how deep the brainwashing runs in EAH society.

This is AFTER Raven has very publically refused to sign her page and has become the face of the Rebel campaign. Duchess has WATCHED Raven in general villainy say that she doesn't want to be evil and would rather just be nice. And Duchess is still convinced that Raven must be a true villain at her heart and is going to do an actual nasty scheme, and she has no idea how she's going to sabotage it. So, she goes to spy on Raven to get some ideas.

And look. If I were Raven, I would still be pretty upset with Duchess at this point. She's said and done some really awful things to Raven and people Raven considers friends. Yes Raven has bigger things to worry about. Yes being hostile and bitter takes more energy than being nonchalant and kind. But I don't think I would have been able to forgive Duchess at this point.

But when Raven catches her spying (in swan form), this is how the interaction goes.

Apple was in the room with them JUST a few seconds ago. She really easily could have sold Duchess out, or at the very least ignored her. But instead, she acknowledges Duchess with her trademark intelligence and casual kindness, which Duchess has NO IDEA how to react to.

The book continues and there's some incredibly heart-wrenching and dramatic stuff where Duchess sabotages her roommate Lizzie, who she's been slowly building a genuine odd friendship with. Duchess is probably at her lowest point in this scene I'm about to share, and when Raven steps up to reveal her plan, she's thinks she's about to lose absolutely everything---her friend, her reputation, AND her grade. But Raven surprises her.

Before we get on to the next part, I want to stop and mention that not only did Raven NOT HAVE TO DO THIS, it also had to be INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT FOR HER. Remember, Raven doesn't have very good control of her magic (as seen in the party). Even when she's just trying to use small amounts to help herself, it usually ends out working not quite right (like launching herself into the sky instead of turning invisible, or making her heavy trunk trail behind her with snail slime instead of making it feather light). And in the very first scene of the books, we learn that Good Intentions + Raven's Evil Magic = Disaster (and usually fire and/or explosions).

Raven could have very easily just said "I'm not doing a scheme, leave me alone." She's under no obligation to help Duchess. She's not trying to be evil, and she doesn't want people thinking she is. This kind of blasè brush-off would be perfectly on-brand for Raven. But instead she takes a MAJOR risk using her uncontrolled magic and puts on this big show just to help someone who's been nothing but cruel to her. And why?

RAVEN QUEEN IS FULL OF NEVER-ENDING AND BOTTOMLESS COMPASSION!

She SEES Duchess in a way that literally nobody else does. She SEES Duchess in a way that she is able to SEE every single person for who they really are and what they really want. And when she realizes that Duchess is unhappy in the life she's been handed, Raven ignores ALL the horrible things Duchess has done to her to help her change it AND stops to let Duchess know "I respect your right to make your own choices, but I don't think this'll get you what you want."

And I think it being Duchess specifically in this instance is REALLY important. Apple might be trying to force Raven into becoming a terrible person and living a miserable life, but Apple does still LIKE Raven. She values Raven's skills and personality, and, as long as the subject of destiny doesn't come up, is pretty nice and polite to her. She would never consider doing the things Duchess does like insulting Raven's father.

But even when it comes to people who have been literally NOTHING but unkind and malicious to her, Raven Queen's heart is so big that she does her absolute best to love them and help them become better people anyway. And if that isn't an absolutely amazing role model of a main character, then I don't know what is.

As the book continues, Sparrow double crosses Duchess by playing his guitar really loudly and startling Lizzie's horse during their Princessology riding exam. Lizzie's horse runs off course and almost kills her Sparrow, but Duchess saves her just in time. This causes Mr. Badwolf to Fairy Fail Duchess (since, saving a Princess' life outweighs her schemes), but it does save her friendship with Lizzie.

And the people at the end of the book who comfort Duchess after her dangerous and daring rescue aren't any of the princes or any of the teachers or any of the other Royals. It's Lizzie Hearts---her roommate, the girl she just saved, and the person who is now probably her best friend---and Raven Queen.

The girl who's endless compassion and willingness to say "No, this is wrong, there is a better way" is a force for change and good so strong that it can do almost anything. From something as big as defying an oppressive system and inspiring others to do so too, to something as important as saving Cerise and Maddie from exile, to something as small and simple as inspiring someone as bitter and afraid as Duchess to be a little braver, a little kinder, and a little better.

Also, massive thank you to @athena-xox for having ALL of the EAH media available digitally for free in her pinned post, it makes analysis like this so much easier.

Give it up for Raven Queen.

#giraffe's ramblings #ever after high #eah #eah books #ever after high books #next top villain #duchess swan #raven queen #eah meta #eah analysis #raven queen appreciation

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eden-falls · 3 months ago

Text

3 rings for the elven-kings

design notes below!

annatar (sauron)

• ok i know the eye motifs are over the top. i like them

• the shade of gold at his neck is the same as galadriel's headdress, as are his flowing white sleeves of the same material as her dress. weird freak who i HATE (get a job!)

• the only one not in direct profile; he looks towards the rings rather than the people who oppose him. i originally thought about having him looking out at us but i changed my mind because his one goal is power and that's in the rings, not in us measly humans

• ears resemble wings

celembrimbor

• silver jewellery rather than gold like the others. something something inferiority complex

• blue overcoat of his own design; orange tunic to represent annatar's influence

• tassels!!! i love tassels. thats all really. i am guilty of loving witch hat atelier (best manga ever)

• he also looks down at the rings rather than the others, but with a different kind of feeling than annatar's

galadriel

• pure white dress to signify her strength and purity in the face of evil (that never sways her bless up) as well as her birthplace

• her hand is poised as if she rests it on a sword hilt, but what need is there for one when presented with ultimate power?

gil-galad

• she looks past celembrimbor and the rings at annatar

• headdress a little inspired by ancient egyptian designs because im writing about hatshepsut for one of my university modules rn and like aside from the half brother marrying im kind of obsessed with her whole deal and i think her and gal would be friends. so.

• his crown is inspired by a laurel wreath. a lot of the time i see him depicted with some kind of crazy gravity defying be-not-afraid type of headdress and while aesthetically i am obsessed with the idea i have some personal qualms with the practicality of it. also i didn't want to draw something like that because im a lazy perfectionist which is a terrible terrible combination especially for an artist. so i just did a simple little crown

• dressed in all gold and rich patterns because. u know. king and stuff

• he too is entranced by the rings. boy look up for a second!! watch out!!!

elrond (side note: i know he's not an original ring bearer. however i like him)

• slightly different look from my third age elrond design but with the same colour scheme. theres more gold detailing on his tunic

• sorry ROP fans i don't like the short hair on him or brimby. short as i'll go with the elves is shoulder length (again refer to my third age elrond)

• i tried to make an arc with the ear shapes of the three on the right. it doesn't mean much i just think it's neat

• even here his clothing style is slightly different from the others' because he is one of those darn youths.

• i like to think he stays the same height though even if tolkien describes him as tall because tolkien describes all the elves and men as tall so he can still be like 5'10 and count as tall

final note: still havent read the silm; gathered knowledge from the internet. i don't think theres any insane errors. i know better than to trust rings of power with more than a base storyline (as much as i like it. no egregious ROP slander will happen here)

#lord of the rings #lotr #lotr fanart #the silmarillion #the rings of power #sauron #annatar #celembrimbor #galadriel #gil galad #elrond

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