#anons will be turned off following this post

[muppetebbtide]

trojan war tumblr simulator

🌊 is-the-sea-wine-dark-today

YOU BET IT IS

#the wine dark sea!!!!!!!!!!!! #wine dark sea #wine dark sea posting

108 notes

✌🏻 ajax2electricboogaloo follow

why is achilles the only demigod who's Like That? like he's my boy but u don't see memnon or aeneas or sarpedon acting like him on the reg. why is he so maladjusted? like specifically? I saw his mother once and was so terrified by the sight of a goddess I flung myself to the ground and hid my face in the dirt til she left but I still don't think that accounts for it idk

🏘️ nobody1020

it's blonde man syndrome hope this helps

340 notes

⚔️ sonoftydeus

opening my askbox so that we can discuss strategies on taking troy!

3 notes

anonymous asked: we should all go home :)

⚔️ sonoftydeus answered:

FUCK OFF AGAMEMNON I WANT REAL SUGGESTIONS

50 notes

nobody1020 asked: do u like..... horses

⚔️ sonoftydeus answered:

odysseus do I even wanna know where this is going

45 notes

⌛ isthetrojanwaroveryet?

year 9, day 234: still no....

#all our admins keep DYING

500 notes

‼️ trojan-confessions follow

I think my wife might be sending me anon hate :/ keep getting asks like 'hope u die on the battlefield tomorrow silly slag' and 'menelaus should have curbstomped you' and in her big tapestry of warriors she made me look stupid

🐴 horsetaminghector follow

lmaooo is this paris??

🔮 cryinglikecassandra follow

kinda think helen should send MORE anon hate idk

600 notes

❓ myrmidons-confessions

I was the one who wrote the achilles/agamemnon 100k slowburn enemies to lovers rpf and put it on the group chat but now patroclus is calling me 'agachilles boy' and laughing about it and asking if I can proofread his mock bardic epic where all his dogs are heroes and killing people, so I fear I've made a mistake. I also can't look achilles in the eye anymore... but honestly I've never seen proof he can read so I might be safe

❓ myrmidons-confessions

5000 notes

👑 kingofmycenae

👍🏻 ajaxthegreat

achilles is DEAD and ur posting CRAB RAVE?????

🏘️ nobody1020

I think that's why he's posting it ngl

300 notes

😹 deiphobus42069

imagine being the achaeans and your best warrior gets killed by PARIS, after everyone else had awesome deaths at the hands of sarpedon or hector or memnon... like that's literally so embarassing I just know achilles is fucking fuming down in hades rn. I bet the achaeans are gonna put around that paris was guided by apollo, or that paris happened to hit his only weak spot..... anything 2 try and make it less cringe.... lol lol we're popping the biggest bottles tonight. hope helen's there

🐆 leopardskiniscool

???????????????

#I mean. yeah. but also. #deiphobus wtf I thought we were chill

240 notes

#hope everyone can be normal about the outcome!!! :)

340 notes

🧑🏻 randotrojansoldier-deactivated-8578543

so excited to go back onto the field of battle tomorrow! sure hope I don't encounter any of the big-name heroes

🗣️ homer follow

I hope you don't too! I'm sure you'll do great!

🐎 antilochussss

not the direct address????

✌🏻 ajax2electricboogaloo

direct address got him :(

3000 notes

💂🏻 trojanguardtales follow

fuck my job so much I hope that this wooden horse tribute to the gods turns out to have some guys inside or something just so I can DO something rather than standing here like a twat with my spear

💂🏻 trojanguardtales follow

by ares this can't be happening

345 notes

⚔️ sonoftydeus reblogged menelauskingofsparta

do NOT order achilles from shein!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

#oh yeah #I was stuck with temu achilles in the trojan horse for six hours #and by hour two agamemnon had suggested killing and eating him #and odysseus was threatening to 'send him to meet his father' #and it's not even like there's any kleos in killing priam!!! #anti neoptolemus #neoptolemus defenders dni #vent tags

100 notes

[c-u-c-koo-4-40k]

Recalling Gold

Warning: Nsfw Brief description of fingering, Night terrors, neck injury but its a dream, panick attack, Khopesh doesn't understand how to comfort, he's doing his best though. Hurt comfort

Tags: @kit-williams @bispecsual @egrets-not-regrets @bleedingichorhearts @gallifreyianrosearkytiorsusan @barn-anon @sleepyfan-blog

Another follow up this time to Saving Water, which itself is a follow up to Severe Miscalculation. Both found here.

After a Massive acceleration in your relationship with the neighbor's Nightlord, you have to come to grips with some painful memories.

After Khopesh had thoroughly "cleaned" your insides...

-

You groaned as your Nightlord went from petting your damp flesh to pumping three fingers inside your gummy walls. "! Khope-AH!!" It was so wonderful! But also too much, causing you to wriggle and squirm against Khopesh's unyielding chest.

He took exceptional glee in watching you convulse between grinding on his hand, and trying Desperately to get away from the overstimulation.

"MmmMm....ahhhp." He laved his broad tongue up your neck, sampling the taste of your skin dappled with water.

"Mm-MM! T-too much I-"

He nipped at his Lullaby's earlobe, Just sharply enough before pulling the soft delicate flesh into his mouth.

His actions sent tremoring shivers down your body as his fangs and tongue continued to lavish it inside his hot wet mouth!

"AH!" The tremors enhanced the pleasure rippling out from his fingers, and you reached your peak.

Breathlessly whimpering with a voice only he could hear, the tension in your body reached its apex. Your muscles straining and trembling against the hard wall of muscle and flesh behind you, as the aftershocks slowly ebbed.

As you lay there panting, with the overstimmulated half numb sparks still twinging from you core, Khopesh languidly removed his hand from your thoroughly used insides.

"Hmmm~" The Nightlord hummed, bringing the hand up to his face.

Tired as you were you did Not want him to smell it. The thought made you mortified with embarassment. "Please don't-"

Too late, but not the way you thought.

Khopesh proceeded to run his long tongue over the three fingers he'd just fucked you with, as if he was licking stray icing and not the acidic natural lubricant your body produced.

You were too drained to argue. So you settled for letting out the most disappointed embarassed groan you could muster while laying against the living mountain behind you with a huff.

"You're so gross..."

"Pfft," Khopesh snorted, but took no offense, instead gingerly lifting you from the floor, and finally turning off the shower.

You'd been hoping to get more time with him, but your raisin hands told you that you'd probably need to choose a less...wet setting for your next encounter.

Or at least one where your family wouldn't be footing the water bill.

"I am merely returning the favor." He stated, as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

He strode out and placed your limp spaghetti body on the toilet. He then snatched fluffy towel, and wrapped it around your body, followed by another coming over your head.

"Besides..." He spoke softly, using the towel to frame your face like curtains as he brought his face close to yours.

"What kind of man would I be if I flinched from my Lullaby's scent? Not like I would anyway, your odor is not terribly pungent compared to the air of Nostromo, in fact it mostly smells like protein and flesh."

You felt his...compliment?? Scent description?? Reassurance?? But it also caused a new blush to erupt over your already heated skin.

His intense focus and proximity didn't help.

"D-dont just say that kind of thing!" You squeaked, pulling the sides of your face towel in and cutting you off from his dark eyes.

Not like it helped you could still feel his twinkling amused gaze and hear his low chuckling as you flusteredly dried your hair.

-

You both settled into bed. Not your regular twin, but the larger guest bed that could accomidate the both of you. (You texted your father to let him know you'd be sleeping in here, and wouldn't panic when you weren't in your normal room. You...simply omitted the full reasoning for it.)

Though you said he needn't feel compelled, he Insisted on remaining at your side for the night.

"Isn't Gary going to be home soon? I'm sure he'll wonder where you are..." Gary and Nancy being your elderly neighbors, one of whom was on a trip to see family.

Khopesh's expression took on an...exasperated air. "Vada has left on an overnight fishing trip with an old acquaintance...who's own space marine is apparently ludicrously territorial." He huffed. "And Muti's travel plans could not accomidate me easily. She preferred I stay home to watch over things...and make sure you did things properly." He added the last bit, with just a slight snide edge.

"You sure they didn't make you stay just so you wouldn't spook their company into cardiac arrest?" You responded dryly, knowing Full well Khopesh's propensity for pranks.

The ceiling drop voice mod combo that got you into this track of events being his favorite tactic.

You actually saw his cheeks darken a bit. "N-no! I would be perfectly behaved if either of them brought me! There was simply things to tend to here!"

"Like pranking then fucking me in a stall?"

"As if!" Khopesh harumphed. "That was not a duty, it was a pleasure." He growled pulling you closer. "A surprise one at that. One of the few boons of being stuck here alone."

Alone...ah, that made sense.

"Well," You adjusted yourself a bit. Honestly surprised this much physical contact was coming so naturally. "Just be careful when dad gets home. He'll probably be here late, but he always checks on me. I want to introduce you two....properly."

You could see the gears turning in his devious head.

"And No, you are not allowed to scare my dad."

"I wasn't going to..." He assured followed by a much quieter. "much."

You narrowed your eyes.

He averted his gaze, then sighed. "...Fine."

You let the disapproving look melt of your face. Replacing it with a slightly smug. "Good boy."

You saw another slight blush raise in his pale skin and he grumbled before turning out your light.

He kept one arm on you, and despite not sleeping with others often, (Most recent time you could remember was your mother comforting you during a panic attack, and you didn't stay the whole night.) You slotted yourself into his side, and the exhaustion from the days excitement was quickly pulling you under.

Your last thought was that you'd wished you'd grabbed some of your comfort items from your bedroom. But that was quickly forgotten as you drifted off.

...

You often dreamed.

Sometimes you didn't even remember what occurred when you woke.

Other times it came like fragments, all shifting colors and odd nuances from the day previous. Manifesting as brief glimmers of realities where you could be fully clothed at an aquarium one minute, then exposed in front of an auditorium of people where you were accepting your PhD in Medieval Weaponry the next and Nobody seemed to notice.

However, even those stress dreams paled in comparison to your true nightmares.

Odd landscapes where logic dictated you run through an obstacle course to earn points that would extend the life of a beloved pet, only for the mechanism to stop working and you watched helplessly as the numbers ticked down.

Only able to hold your sweet friend, and cry, until you woke and remembered they'd passed months to years ago, leaving you to actually start weeping.

Grief, trauma, it was funny like that.

Funny in how it could manifest despite years going by.

Especially if something lay...unresolved.

You were outside, fixing a leaning fence panel with your trusty elven rope, hay twine.

Your mother, who was somewhere in your peripheral, had always told you how she loved hay twine. How like elvish rope in stories it would hold strong, but could always be untied.

At least...you should be able to. This patch was giving you trouble.

Sweeeeetiebiiiiiiird

Your moms nickname, she was calling you, you swiveled your head around. It sounded like it was coming from the house but you couldn't be sure-

Something bright in the distance caught your eye, something that twinkled and reflected the light of the sun.

Sweetiebiiiiiiiird

Your mother's voice called again, slightly more insistent, definitely coming from behind you. But where?

'Mom?'

No answer...

Dread filled your soul as you frantically looked for your mother.

You glanced back to the field, you saw the silhouette behind the sun's glare, it was coming closer.

'No!...NO NO NO! MOM! MOM!'

You cried but your voice was hollow and dry. You wanted to run, but your legs felt like they were sinking into the earth, your hands now tangled and bound in the rope that was your tool.

Trapped, as the golden beast strode closer and Closer!

Sweetiebird? Come on, dear, we need to go...

If you don't come I'll have to come find you...

What!? No, NONONOON O ONONONO!

'He's here! He'll kill you! Run, run away! RUN AWAY!!' You begged with your ashen, volumnless voice, trying frantically to turn, to move, anything anything but this!

Crack!

A sickening sound echoed and your gaze fell to the ground below. Everything going sideways.

You saw your body slumped to one side. You smelled burning ozone and static.

You saw a pillar of shining gold, standing like an obelisk, in each massive hand it held one of your parents.

Strung like dolls, held by the necks like hunting trophies.

It's soulless red gaze turned to your removed head.

And you saw its golden helm split into a horrific grin, filled with sharp nashing mutilating teeth, and dripping half coagulated chunky blood.

Then you felt the ground below what was left of you give way, as the monster spoke.

"The Emperor Loves You."

"GASP!"

You shot up.

Which greatly confused the Nightlord residing on the other side of the mattress.

Beneath you was the spare bed. The pressure both comforting and smothering, the familiar contours of your guest room met your rapidly adjusting eyes.

But you still felt...you felt-

You needed water.

You clambered out of bed much to the surprise of Khopesh.

Your hands trembled as you ran the cold water. Cupping and splashing some onto your face.

Applying some to your neck, even splashing some up your arms and rubbing them up and down as you tried to regain control of your breathing.

"It was just a dream...just a dream..." You repeated, over and over, splashing water and running your hands over your neck. "Just a dream, you're alive, you're Fine, it was Just a dream..."

"Lullaby?"

You whipped your head around to see the huge figure of Khopesh still in the dark hallway.

Even without his armor you marveled at how you hadn't heard him move. But that thought was quashed when you saw your frazzled state in the mirror.

Red faced, still trembling with hard breathing, dripping with water and sweat.

You were a mess.

"Ah, I'm- I'm fine!!" You quickly tried to pull yourself together. Grabbing a hand towel to both dry and hide your face. "I just...had a bad dream. You don't have to be worried."

Khopesh did not look convinced. He leaned down to meet you at eye level, and his gaze was disturbingly serious.

"I do not believe you." He said flatly. "And I do not Like liars."

Embarassment burned and you felt frustrated and slightly hurt tears budding at your eyes.

"I'm Not Lying!" You shot back, your voice totally not wavering or cracking at all. "Maybe I just don't want to tell you about the awful shit I just had to relive-"

"SNRK-KK-Kk"

Khopesh whipped his head with a barely suppressed snarl on his lips at the interruption.

You recognized the sound and immediately hissed "Shut up!"

The Nightlord was stunned by your abrasive tone. But you continued before he could retort.

"It's just my dad, you idiot! Haven't you ever heard somebody snore before!?" You chewed him out at a whisper, before pushing past him and into your parents room.

Inside your father slept, naturally keeping to his side of the bed, even without your mother present.

"Snk! Kr krk krk kk..." You felt your coiled awful tension slowly unwind as you examined your father's breathing.

It was fine. He was fine.

Khopesh meanwhile was confused. Had you not told him to Avoid being seen by your father together?

You had to know he'd follow you, but...you seemed utterly distracted by something else.

Ever since you woke suddenly.

You strode past him back to the guest room and picked up your phone. Scrolling through the recent texts you saw one recently from your mother to the group chat for your farm.

She was fine, you were Fine. You finally let a shaky exhale leave your mouth, and slumped to sit in a heap on the bed.

Khopesh meanwhile stood awkwardly in the hallway, unsure of what to do next.

But seeing you look so...small, so alone in that room...he felt compelled to follow.

He took a seat next to you, and waited.

...

...

...

"...i'm sorry..."

Khopesh cocked his head, why were you apologizing?

"...i shouldn't have called you an idiot." You explained, meeting his dark gaze. "But I Wasn't Lying. I had a bad dream. Then I had a panic attack. It happens sometimes..."

The awkward silence drew out as Khopesh thought over his next words.

"I...was not referring to that." He responded.

Now you looked at him with confusion, he elaborated.

"You said you were 'fine' when you clearly weren't. I did not like that you were trying to hide your pain from me."

Khopesh brought his large pale hand to your face, gently thumbing the tear tracks still present.

"How am I to care for and protect you if you are not Honest with me?"

You-You felt the awful scrunching sensation in your face. The one that always preceeded tears that you did Not want seen.

"Snff! I just...I don't like people seeing me cry...I'm-im supposed to be the strong one you know?" You gestured vaguely, as he brought your face into both hands.

The floodgates were opening. "I've got to keep this place going, and my actual job, and housesitting and its tough! But...I love it! I wouldn't trade it for anything! You know Maybe I'd like some extra help..."

"But what really scares me, is that I almost Lost it all. I just...I just want my family to be safe..."

Safe?

"What do you mean?" Khopesh asked, this place was exceptionally safe, and that was not him shooting his own bolter, though he did contribute.

When he first came he faced veiled threats from no less than three white scars, outright threats from an Iron Warrior, And disturbing riddle speak from a wandering Death Guard.

It was only his devotion and bond with his Vada and Muti that gave him a pass.

His Lullaby averted their gaze, he may not be the Most emotionally intelligent, but he could tell when someone was recalling something discomforting.

"Something...bad happened." They said simply. "It was before you came here. And it involved...a Custodes."

Khopesh saw and felt your shudder.

A Custodes?

When he'd first arrived he'd made it a point to at least learn the basics of the different factions that were beyond his time period and scope of knowledge.

But even the most well traveled of his fellows had only cursory knowledge of the Emperor's golden elite.

He knew they were powerful, dangerous, but if one had caused problems there shouldn't Be any neighborhood left.

What in the Blasphemous Bowels of Nostromo had happened?

"Snff." Khopesh was pulled from his pondering as he noticed your fear and turmoil were ebbing into exhaustion. "I just wish it'd never happened...I don't understand Why it happened. It was so...senseless. And even though I know it wasn't my fault, in the back of my mind I'm still scared that someday he'll come back and...next time I might not be the only one who gets hurt..."

"He hurt you."

You glanced up into your Nightlord's face, and your heart iced over.

His eyes, they were completely still and dark. A sneer pulled at one side of his mouth exposing his sharp teeth.

He was furious.

Khopesh felt a bubbling growl form in his chest, building up with the incredible amount of rage boiling in the dark pit of his soul.

"Khopesh NO!" You cried.

"SNRK KR K kk kk"

You both froze until the snoring died down. Your hands had flow up to pin his own where they held your face.

As if that would stop him.

But he allowed you to hold him in place. Even as his rage was seething.

"You can't!" You hissed into the quiet.

"Why not!?" He growled back.

"Because you could die!"

"Death is not something we Astartes fear." Khopesh responded smoothly. "But your assailant Should fear...oh yes...he should fear pain...the pain of flaying, of burning, of gouging, of bones snapping-"

"ENOUGH!" You snapped.

"But-" He started.

"No! Just...no..." You sighed, and again he was reminded of your exhaustion.

Now you took his face in your hands, forcing him to look into your eyes.

"Please, please...promise me that you won't seek him out." You plead, your sincerity forcing his flame of vengeance to calm.

Only a little, but it was enough.

He sighed, clearly deflating. "Fine...I will not attempt to hunt the Custodes who hurt you..." He promised, which seemed to sooth your worry. Probably because you didn't hear the barely audible breath of "for now." That followed.

"Good...good..." You sighed. Still clearly a bit wired, but your fatigue was clearly winning out.

But you could clearly still see his dissapointment.

"Look...as far as I know, he thinks I'm dead. Or maybe he's dead. Or got zapped back to wherever he came from." You explained, trying to sooth him. "Whatever the case, he's never come back. And...and I hope he never does."

"You shouldn't have to sit still and Hope." Khopesh growled.

"You're probably right," You agreed. "But sometimes thats just how life is."

Khopesh let out a dissatisfied sound, and pulled you into his lap.

Being this close to him, pressed to his scent and his skin, hearing his multiple hearts, it was soothing. You found yourself beginning to drift again.

"Do you need to go?" You figured he'd have laid back down with you.

"We only need four hours of sleep. I have rested enough." He replied, pressing his lips and running his fingers across your scalp.

"You're going on patrol then?"

"Hmmhm," He kissed your crown. "Yes, I'm feeling the urge to do so.

"Okay...be...safe..." You requested. "And...can I go to...my own bed?"

Khopesh smiled at the adorable request. "Oh course my Lullaby..."

He carried you gently, laying you down in your own bed and linens, he wished this bed was large enough for the two of you.

It had a much nicer lingering scent, and various soft items that were also clearly well loved.

He tucked your limp form in, and settled one of your soft toys into your arms. Even asleep you snuggled into the stuffed rabbit.

Next time he'd be sure to bring his helmet so he could snap pictures of this sight.

For now he silently removed himself from the house, no matter how badly he wished to stay. Even the animals didn't notice his departure.

Truly he'd inherited his Primarch's stealth and speed in such spades.

He made it back to where he'd left his armor, and found something interesting upon activating his vox.

A message from his nearby battle brothers. Apparently one of their own from out of town was visiting while his human was visiting family nearby.

It had been a while since he last visited his Claw, And meeting another battle brother from far away could prove fruitful for information.

Not to mention Fun, as most of his nearby brothers had grown wise to his favorite tricks.

As he now stand in his full armor Khopesh glanced back to the house where his Lullaby slept. He felt a mix of emotions. Longing, apprehension, fear...

Rage.

But that could wait for later. For now he began his patrol.

He had even more to protect now.

[khaire-traveler]

It feels increasingly difficult to be transgender these days. It is considerably more dangerous, even in online spaces. I've had people wish death on me. I've had people tell me that my very existence is disgusting. I've had people physically assault me.

It's not a joke. This is serious shit. This is scary shit. And goddamn am I tired of it.

[dootznbootz]

You've been blocked so you won't see anything I post. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ You're safe from my fanfiction now. I literally tag my own silly shit with a different tag with #shot by odysseus so it won't go into the main stuff. You don't HAVE to see it. And AGAIN! This isn't constructive criticism!!! You're just saying you don't like it!

[youremyonlyhope]

In Defense of Tolya/Inej

(A long rambling essay exploring asexuality, "shipping wars," and the effect that constant cancellations has had on fandom. 4600 words. I'm not even sorry that it's long. There's a tldr at the end.)

Let's start this off by saying I am asexual. Or demisexual... greysexual... aceflux... the point is I am on the asexual spectrum. I don't know where precisely. I don't personally think it really matters for me to specifically define it. I am somewhere over there. I also consider myself to be somewhere on the aromantic spectrum (for that one I'm 90% sure I lean toward greyromantic).

All of this is to say: asexuality and aromanticism are both spectrums. They are umbrella terms. There are subgroups within them to help describe the range of the spectrum, but if people want to just use asexual or aromantic to describe themselves then they can. Where I fall is different from where someone else falls, and that's different from where another person falls, and that's probably different from the person reading this if you are ace and/or aro too. And it's different for Tolya. There isn't one aroace experience and there isn't one type of aroace representation.

A little more about me. I am also mixed race. More specifically Black and white like Jesper, but mixed people of all races know the shared experiences of feeling like we're between two worlds. It's not as obvious in the show (I can't remember if it's even mentioned but I can see that some fans don't seem to know), but in in the books Tamar and Tolya are half-Shu and half-Ravkan. Also, I am a twin. I am a girl with a boy twin. My twin brother is a foot taller than me. So, Tamar and Tolya's existence in the Grishaverse speak to MY SOUL. Tamar, Tolya, and Jesper make me feel like so many parts of myself are represented on these pages.

Moving on from my background. Just another reminder that ace is a spectrum. Aro is a spectrum. Life. Is. A. Spectrum.

Onto the actual topic: Tolya. In the books, Tolya doesn't have any love interests. He also notably says "I have my faith, my books. I've never wanted more," in Rule of Wolves. This leads many fans to headcanon him as ace, aro, or aroace. I headcanon him as aroace too. I loved that one almost throwaway line and it made me feel even more connected to Tolya. I recently reread the Shadow and Bone trilogy and it renewed my love for Tolya. The perfect casting of Lewis Tan also reignited my excitement for seeing this character that I adore appear onscreen.

It seems, from the scene of Tolya helping Inej onto the boat, that the show will explore the possibility of Tolya and Inej being together. THIS IS OK. This is ok specifically because THE STORY IS NOT OVER.

I find that when I am worried about something, going over worst case scenarios and best case scenarios can help me calm down. Let's list a few possibilities of where this will lead:

Tolya and Inej fall in love. Inej forgets Kaz exists. Tolya's possible aroace-ness is never acknowledged. They spend all their time kissing and having sex, never again hunting slavers or reciting poetry ever. If Inej and Kaz meet again, she'll break his heart because they'll never get together. Kaz dies alone. Tolya and Inej then have 20 kids.

Tolya develops (or has already developed) a crush on Inej. It's understandable, she helped save his life and they fought well together against Ohval. Tolya is a very outwardly affectionate person: he's open about his feelings (hence the constant poetry recitation), he loves to care for the people around him (sharing food with multiple characters, helping Jesper with Wylan), he values his blade (his hallucination nightmare is Tamar dying on his blade, he doesn't notice people ducking out of the way of his handle), and he is incredibly spiritual (praying in Shu-Han, but many more examples in the books, the show has barely touched the surface of his spirituality). He is nearly the polar opposite of Kaz, and Inej has said that Kaz cannot give her what she wants, so that probably draws Inej towards Tolya. They get closer after spending time at sea, and they start a relationship. They stay together through the end of the show. Kaz either stays alone or finds someone else. Tolya's aroace-ness is never acknowledged.

Everything from #2, except they don't stay together through the end of the show. Inej realizes that despite Tolya being able to give her what she thinks Kaz can't, she still wants Kaz. And Kaz, now having been away from Inej for a period of time and possibly working through some of his touch aversion and other anxieties, wants to try to meet Inej somewhere in the middle after knowing with it's like to almost lose her to someone else. She accepts Kaz, leaves Tolya, and Tolya is fine with it (because I can't imagine Tolya ever holding a grudge for that). Tolya's aroace-ness isn't never acknowledged, but is probably somewhat implied (something along the lines of telling Inej the "faith and books" line to reassure her).

Everything from #2, but this time Tolya is the one who realizes that this might not be what he wants. Maybe he realizes that he has romantic feelings for Inej but not sexual. Maybe he realizes that he has sexual feelings for Inej but not romantic. Maybe he realizes his feelings for Inej are purely platonic and the intensity comes from his gratitude for saving him. Or maybe the intensity comes from them connecting through their spirituality. This could either lead to Inej feeling sad and rejected and turning to Kaz for some comfort, OR she just agrees that the feelings aren't the same as what she had for Kaz. Kaz has now worked through some of his trauma. So they end the relationship, Toya is happy with his faith and books, and Inej reconnects with Kaz romantically.

The look that Tolya gave Inej wasn't from some sort of romantic interest, but instead intrigue at the chance of getting to know her better. They become best friends with their bond starting from their mutual love for blades and their spirituality. They become the blade fighting duo we never knew we needed. The show never mentions his sexuality, he just stays single.

Same as #5, but they also Tolya say the "faith and books" line and confirm he's aroace.

The show sees the negative response from some fans and does a complete 180, never addressing the possibility Tolya and Inej again. I do not want this to happen. Not because I like Tolnej, but because I hate that fan response and pandering has become a thing in the current age of social media and letting fans influence media. It completely ruined the Rise of Skywalker. I fully believe it's influenced RTD's Doctor Who (I can go more in depth on that another time). Looking at these examples, I would rather the Shadow and Bone writers continue with whatever storyline they already have planned rather than shift to appease some of the fans, even if that planned storyline isn't something I will like. People need to remember that the fans who care enough to speak on social media, both positively and negatively, only make up a small percentage compared to the entire viewership. So I definitely do not want them to take fan response into account when planning the show. Leigh is an executive producer, so I trust she wouldn't let them explore something with her characters and her world that she wouldn't mind seeing herself.

Kaz, in my headcanon, also falls somewhere on the asexual spectrum. Whether it's because of his touch aversion or if that's just a part of it, I do think he's somewhat asexual. While most of us are ace just because we're ace, there are some people who are ace due to past trauma and I've imagined Kaz falls in that category. To me, subtly in the books but definitely in the show, Inej desires a sexual relationship and she's well aware that Kaz doesn't want that. Her hallucination, which I see so many Kanej fans gif'ing and fangiring over, would never happen at this point in Kaz's life. Inej realizes it in the moment, and that's how she knows it isn't real. Tolya is literally using his Heartrender abilities to try to slow down the effects of the poison before succumbing to the horror of his hallucination, but it's Inej who snaps out of her hallucination first BECAUSE she knows what she's seeing is not possible. It's different from Jesper, who knows his hallucination isn't real since his mom is gone and yet still wants to stay in it, because Inej knows this could theoretically happen, but also knows that Kaz would never let it happen. She doesn't even let herself enjoy the hallucination the way Jesper did because it's something she doesn't think she can ever have with Kaz. There is a very real possibility that the show could ultimately decide (after some combination of the earlier scenarios in my list) that Tolnej doesn't work/doesn't happen AND then that Inej and Kaz will never have any sort of relationship either. They could all end up single or with other characters. Even at the end of Crooked Kingdom, the Kanej relationship is still somewhat ambiguous. They hold hands, she says she's not ready to give up on him, and he helped find her family, but they aren't explicitly in love. I wouldn't be surprised if the show goes the book route and leaves Kanej ambiguous yet hopeful at the end.

BONUS! Just because I think it'd be fun. Make Tolya canonically aromantic and just care deeply and platonically for Inej, but maybe he can still fulfill Inej's desire for a sexual relationship since he can be demi or greysexual or even asexual with a libido. Kaz may never fully stop being touch averse, which is perfectly fine, and he and Inej connect romantically with a fulfilling life of love. And then Kaz and Tolya get to bond deeply platonically over their mutual love for life's beauty (poetry and Inej). Make them some sort of triad that mixes and fulfills everyone's romantic, sexual, and platonic needs. It's a win-win-win for all three. It doesn't have to be a love triangle, Inej has two hands. Do I expect the show to go in this direction? No. Would I love to see it? Yes.

Obviously I'm exaggerating scenerio #1 on purpose. Because that exaggeration is what I imagine people to seem to think the show is leading to based on how intense their responses have been so far. I also tried to address some other things I've seen people freaking out about when making the scenarios, like how Kaz will react to Tolya or worrying if Tolya being aroace will ever be acknowledged in the show.

What do I think is most likely to happen? Honestly, scenario #3 or #4. Maybe #6. That's why I'm not freaking out. Yes I ship Kanej, yes I think Tolya is aroace, but I also like the idea of them exploring Tolnej and I think either #3 or #4 would be fun to see. While the show strays from the books in a lot of ways, I don't think they'll stray from the final relationships by the end of it.

At the end of Ruin and Rising, Mal and Alina get to leave, get married, and live an ordinary life full of ordinary things. I LOVE the ending (apparently that's another controversial opinion I have about the Grishaverse) but that didn't happen in the show. Yet. The show has separated Mal and Alina so that Mal can figure out who he is without his tracking and so they can find out if they love each other for each other, or if it was just destiny that pulls them together. This is not in the book at all. And yet I love it. It can lead to strengthening their relationship since I trust the show will still end eventually with them together, hopefully with their ordinary ending. I think the show is doing the same thing with Kanej. The "I'll have you without your armor or not at all" conversation actually came towards the end of the duology, but the show moved it much earlier. I like that they did because this gives them something to build up from. Another reason I like scenarios #3 and #4 is because they still give Kaz the opportunity take what Inej said to heart and try to live without his armor. At the end of Crooked Kingdom, he takes off his glove and holds Inej's hand, but he is not at that point in the show yet. He will be eventually. And knowing that Inej might move on with Tolya can give him more reason to work to get to that point. I don't think the show is telling us Kanej will never happen, I think the possibility of Tolnej is the same as them separating Malina. I believe they will all come back together.

And if any of my listed scenarios do happen: THAT DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN TOLYA'S SEXUALITY IS ERASED.

Sexuality in the Grishaverse is never defined. The fans can make inferences based on the relationships that Leigh gives her characters, but they don't define the characters' sexualities with labels in the books. This is because in the Grishaverse, labels as we know them don't seem to exist. You can kind of think of it in the way that we should treat LGBT+ people in history: we can give them labels of what we would consider them to be in our current era, but we'll never truly know what they would have labeled themselves because either they were closeted or there were just no labels for their sexualities at the time. And when they did have labels, they often called themselves things that many LGBT+ people would never use today. I look at the Grishaverse characters' sexualities in a similar way; they don't label themselves, and we can make assumptions based on the labels we would use, but they will never be explicitly canon unless Leigh puts it in the books.

For example, Hanne in Rule of Wolves (MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THIS PARAGRAPH) Leigh uses "she/her" pronouns for them up until the last part of the book, and then Leigh is careful to NEVER use any pronouns for Hanne again. The fandom assumes Hanne identifies as a transman from that point on or maybe nonbinary, but we really don't know for sure yet because it happened so late in the book. The Grishaverse wiki uses "they/them" pronouns for Hanne precisely because we don't know what they prefer. All we know is that they always felt uncomfortable when they presented as a girl, and they enjoyed Tailoring themself to be more masculine. Maybe in future books we will get a definite answer as to whether they are a transman or nonbinary, but for now we technically don't know. But out of respect, the fandom has agreed to use they/them for Hanne. (RULE OF WOLVES SPOILERS ARE DONE)

So, if Tolya does have a relationship with Inej at some point in the show, whether or not it lasts, it doesn't erase the possibility of Tolya being on the asexual and/or aromantic spectrums. The show and books are never going to give him a definitive label. He could be demisexual/romantic and figure out after forming a bond with Inej that he has sexual or romantic feelings for her. Or he could be greysexual/romantic, which has a purposefully wide definition (rare specific circumstance that he desires having a relationship, weak attraction or difficulty telling it apart from platonic feelings, etc), and his experiences with Inej could fall into one of those categories. In these cases, we'd probably get a scene where he'd say something like "I've always thought I only needed my books and faith, but after getting to know you, Inej, I have never felt this way before and I don't think I'll ever feel this way again." This would still be representation for people who fall along the middle of the aroace spectrum, but not those at the furthest edge. If the relationship doesn't last and through it he realizes that he's sure that these are things he's not interested in, then that represents every aroace person who had to go through that before coming to terms with their sexuality. It's not erasure. Maybe it doesn't specifically represent YOU if you consider yourself aroace, but it definitely represents SOMEONE who does (I'd find it very relatable).

And all of this goes back to something I mentioned at the start: the show is not DONE. If it gets renewed, which it likely will, then there is more to see. To me, the people I see freaking out about the possibility of Tolnej, whether it's because they ship Kanej and don't want a triangle or because they don't want Tolya's sexuality to be "erased," are reacting the way you'd usually see people react if the show ended at this point. But it probably will not. And then when I see posts from the people who are thinking ahead, they seem to only be considering scenario #1 and not realizing there are a multitude of directions for the show to go in. It's not worth freaking out over. Plus, there's always the saying "don't like don't read," so if you find you really are disliking even the possibility that any scenario I listed could come true, you can just not watch the show and pretend it doesn't exist. The books are never changing. Even if the show changes everything, even if they have Alina end up with Jesper or Wylan end up with Nadia or Zoya marry a volcra or any other ridiculous outcome that utterly changes the show's canon, the book's canon will never change. You can always turn to the books if things don't ultimately turn out in a way you want them to.

Also, why am I seeing people complain that fans are writing fanfiction already about Tolnej? Why are you complaining about what other fans are doing that has zero affect on you? Fanfiction is not just for the canon ships. It's not even just for shipping in general, but it's definitely not reserved to the ships that are canon. You can write fanfiction for any ship you want to. Shipping wars have never truly made sense to me, but maybe that's because my first big online fandom was Glee and the ships were constantly changing and switching around so there was no point in putting too much effort into arguing because it may all change in the next episode anyway. Yes, we had lots of ship wars, but when people shipped the most random "crackships" possible then the appropriate response for most people was "wow, they really ship that, weird" and then to move on. Let people write fanfics. That's why AO3 exists. You can just write whatever you like. And yes of course a new crop of fans hate AO3, which is a whole other issue I cannot wrap my head around, but the point is to just let people write the fanfic they want to write and make the fanart they want to. Someone has already made a Tolnej fanvid on YouTube? Wow that's incredible since they did it so quickly! Malina on the moon AU? Cool throw in some sun and moon jokes! Do you think that Wylan and Hershaw would be best friends? Go for it, they'll probably blow everything up! The Darkling and Mal and Alina incest AU fic? Not my cup of tea but you do you and I just won't read it. People will write what they want to, and they aren't hurting anyone in the process, so if you don't want to see it then don't read it.

I see people complaining that shipping wars will begin to start after this fandom had been so peaceful for years. Honestly, the only reason there weren't shipping wars before this was because Six of Crows didn't have enough characters and possible ships to have a war over. Mixing with Shadow and Bone earlier in the timeline has opened up the possibilities. You know how to prevent shipping wars? Just don't fight with people who ship the things that you don't ship. Don't engage. If you see a Tolnej fanfiction, don't tell the author "Ew I hate Tolnej. You shouldn't have written this." just don't read it. Or if you do read it and still don't like it, then move on. If someone who ships Tolnej comes on a Kanej post and starts saying Tolnej is better, or vice versa, you can press the block button. Or you can just not respond to them. A shipping war doesn't start if you don't fight in it. There can just be people who ship Tolnej, people who ship Kanej, people who ship all 3 of them together, and everyone can just choose what they want to interact with and scroll past what they don't.

When it comes to Avatar: The Last Airbender, I am a gigantic Zutara shipper, and the Zutara vs Kataang ship war was infamously a bad one, but I just try not to engage in it. I know my ship isn't canon. Sure, I'll complain that it's not canon, maybe say "Oh in this scene they were so in love" and think about what could have been, but then I just go read Zutara fanfics. If you don't want to see shipping wars, don't participate. Ignore it. Move on.

But you know what? I think I know what the ultimate source of this is, or at least one of the sources. I've been seeing similar uproars in the Stranger Things and Umbrella Academy fandoms this year. Both are fandoms that also tend to skew younger than myself. I think fans, especially younger fans, are now reacting in these intense ways as a defense mechanism because so many shows get cancelled early. They're preparing in advance for this to be the last of whatever media they love, they're preparing for this to be canon forever, and they aren't happy.

Using Stranger Things as my example, I saw it happen when people were mad that Will didn't come out as gay at the end of Season 4 and that Mike didn't fall in love with him. I get that you guys ship them, and I love Will and want him to be happy, but just because it didn't happen in Season 4 doesn't mean it's not going to happen. First of all, Will is a 14 year old kid in the 1986 from a small town in Indiana that can barely handle Dungeons and Dragons and he's already been bullied at school for possibly being gay, coming out is not as easy as it is today. Reagan only just acknowledged AIDS one year earlier. Even Robyn hasn't come out to anyone but Steve. If they had thrown in Will coming out amongst the chaos of Elle fighting Vecna and trying to save Max, I know people would complain that it got shoehorned in as an afterthought. And because it didn't happen at all, people are complaining about that too. I know people will always complain about something, but I'm sure that fewer fans would complain if they didn't have the fear of cancellation instilled in them. Sure, Stranger Things would never get cancelled before finishing the planned story, but these fans are just used to feeling that the end of each season of every show could possibly be The End, and then complain about the loose ends accordingly.

That's what I think I'm seeing from the people who are upset about the possibility of Tolya and Inej being together. The show will probably be renewed, but it's not guaranteed. If it were to end right now, then yeah, fans who only watch the show would assume Inej and Kaz will never be together, that Tolya is interested Inej, and they'd have no idea that he's implied to be aroace in the books. But here's the thing: if you read the books, you know none of this is true. In the books, Tolya is aroace representation. In the books, Kaz and Inej are implied to have a romantic future. Why does it matter to you and your life if some people who watch the show don't know about the parts of the books that haven't happened yet? The fans who are mad about this change are all book fans because we're the ones who know it's a change. If we don't like the change, we can always choose to only acknowledge the books. The books can't be cancelled. The books are not going to change. Even if the show goes in directions you don't like, you can always take solace in the books.

Also, I see way too many people complaining about Tolya and Inej who have only read SoC/CK but not any of the books that Tolya actually appears in.

I'm nearly done. I wanted to address the aroace fans who are sad because they saw themselves in Tolya and now feel he doesn't represent them. I'm sorry that a character you connected to doesn't touch you the same way in the show as they did in the book. But you can't say Tolya isn't aroace representation in the show, at least not yet. At this point, he doesn't represent YOU and you definitely deserve representation, but he does represent SOMEONE. And hopefully he will continue to represent someone. So many aroace people had relationships with people they cared about and thought they felt romantic or sexual love for, before they eventually realized they were aroace. If this ends up as Tolya's story, then that rings true to SO MANY people. As I keep repeating, the show is not over, this could be leading to one of the scenarios where Tolya figures out that he is aroace through pursuing a relationship with Inej. He could already be demi or grey and it just hasn't come up in the show yet, but meeting Inej is one of the few times in his life that he does feel romantic and/or sexual attraction. Or, the look he gave her was just platonic and he's excited to have her aboard the Volkvolny.

We don't know for sure. It's better to just let the show's story unfold and remember that you will always have the books you love, rather than waste energy worrying about where the show is heading.

So yeah. I love Tolya. I love the idea of Tolnej. I love any plot point that can put more Tolya on my screen. I am greyromantic and demi/grey/flux/asexual/whatever and I personally like where they're taking his character and I want to see what it leads to. I hope it ultimately leads to him staying on the asexual and aromantic spectrums, but we don't know for sure right now. We just need to wait and see.

Also, don't tag any hate posts for the ship in the Tolya Yul-Bataar, Tolnej, Tolya x Inej, and Inej x Tolya tags. That's just fandom etiquette 101.

.......................

tl;dr:

1) The show isn't done yet and we don't know where it's heading. 2) The show can be heading in a bunch of different directions, including keeping Tolya as aroace and having Kanej be canon. 3) Asexuality and aromanticism are spectrums and umbrella terms, so Tolya could be with Inej and still be considered aroace. 4) This isn't erasing aroace representation because there will still be aroace people who will feel represented by him. 5) The books are not going away so if worst comes to worst, he'll still always be aroace representation in the books.

[izzy-b-hands]

can we just like. leave each other alone at this point

[minbinchan]

Your gift are so beautiful! I wish I knew how to make them clear like yours are 💖

Ahhh thank you 🥺🥺

[hazbinsinners]

It was constructive crit. you're blog is an eyesore anyways

;; atp you should probably just go man idrk what to tell you 😭 sorry

[deityofhearts]

I don’t have Spotify so whenever tumblr’s full of everyone talk about they’re wrapped stuff I’m like. Woah! Happy Anniversary to that one post of yours that got really popular

AGH agdhfjtkkgkgyk shhhhh we’re free of that now, my popular spotify post can’t hurt me anymore, it can’t find me here

[piplupod]

I actually had no idea you had so many followers, didn't mean to make it feel super vague or weird I just know this person IRL so it caught my eye. my apologies for it coming off weird.

this is the link to screenshots, and the blog titles are vistorille and bloodlikefire

https://www.tumblr.com/evilios/713336133904367616/okay-im-gonna-put-this-one-out-here-and-delete

AH OKAY, yeah no we're not mutuals, idk how i started following that person to be entirely transparent fshdgjkl I recognize the url (the first url, not the second) but not the typing style of this person's original posts. the only thing I can think of is maybe I followed them way back in my witchblr days because I see they've rbed some stuff around that, and it feels like a blog I would've followed when I was 17/18/19 and waistdeep in that sort of thing (never radfeminism to be clear, just ... occultism and paganism stuff).

however yeah it looks like they've popped off on radfem/terf type bullshit recently (i did a quick blog search and scroll and everything seems to be from within the last week or two RIP and theres a bunch of trans inclusive posts before that ???) and they state they're a "trans inclusionary radfem" which is ??????

wish I'd seen this behaviour but apparently I haven't been actively refreshing my dash while they've been active or I missed all those posts in the sea of all the other posts FDSJKL

unfollowed and blocked though, thank you for bringing this to my attention! i genuinely appreciate it since I can't keep up with everything! (and obviously if anyone else sees me rbing from ppl like this lmk, just PLEASE give me a url to go check out so i can actually investigate)

also idk if it needs to be said but please don't any of y'all seeing this go send this person hate or anything on either of their blogs, just block them if you need to lmao. don't feed the trolls etc etc

EDIT: okay yeah thats a blog i followed back in 2018ish sdgjkl they changed their url but its a witchblr i followed back in the day RIP we hate to see old followings turn out to be nasty ppl :[

[angryaromantics]

Ok ok ok you guys, I'm not consistently comparing aro experiences to lesbian experiences because I'm lesphobic. It's because I'm a lesbian!!!!! These are both labels I can accurately compare because I've experienced them both!!!!

[a-dragons-journal]

hey, you got radfems following. i don't have the names, sorry, i had already blocked them when i noticed they followed you. i've seen you around alterhuman spaces and wanted to give you a heads up. might want to do a sweep of who's following if it isn't too many.

First off, thank you for the heads-up, I appreciate the thought. However -

fam, you are gonna have to give me names and evidence of claims like that, I simply do not have the time or energy. I also do not always have the time and energy to follow up on a specific accusation if it doesn't come along with at least some direct evidence, so be aware of that (nor do I think you should be making accusations like that without being willing to provide some direct evidence just on principle, generally speaking, unless it's one of those cases where it's blatantly clear from less than thirty seconds of scrolling their blog because it's all they're talking about).

Generally speaking, I... also care more about people I'm following/reblogging from than about people who are following me, because it's not like I'm platforming the people who follow me inherently in any way. I'm thus a lot more likely to follow up on that and actually do something about it.

Generally speaking, I don't prune my followers of anything but obvious bots, because I'm not platforming them in any way, and maybe if they stick around they might learn something and change their mind about some things. There are exceptions, but generally speaking, if they want to listen to the perspective of someone outside their circles, I'm not gonna refuse them that - that just forces them into the echo chamber that's just going to reinforce the bigoted opinions until there's no chance of changing their mind about it, which doesn't help anyone. The only way to change people's minds is to talk to them, and I'm of the opinion that while no one owes anyone that, of course, the world is a better place when it can happen.

(If I'm saying things that are attracting them because of those opinions, that I want to know, because it means I need to reevaluate myself about that, but that's a different story. Similarly, if they're actually starting to say that shit in my notes (or, worse, if I have reason to believe they're using the notes of my posts to find people to target for harassment), I'm probably going to block them about it, but that's also a different story.)

[zoomingupthathill-moved]

I finally have a moment to aimlessly scroll and I come back to drama. Have we not all learned to coexist by now? You don’t have to like everyone but you do have to stop sending hate. Honestly it’s almost 2023 , why is anon hate still a thing ?

[what-if-nct]

man just watched that hyunjin edit and i can’t even get my dick to calm tf down- (wow it’s so fun being male)

Do you want more? I have more? But firstly I saw a tiktok saying early skz Hyunjin was a different Hyunjin, he was Sam, which okay yes but current Hyunjin still has Sam locked and loaded.

Yes this is Sam.

But this is Also Sam.

And this is the most Sam of them all.

I think about this Hyunjin often. I hope he returns one day.

[kalloway]

apparently I never posted this here? lmao weird

anyway, sharing this now because keeping with my own lil tradition of avoiding the internet on the 14th (to keep myself sane lmao), I will be absent SO

@magthemage 's OC Cammy is still my fave girl rn so it only feels right to share it for the occasion hehe (it's a meme redraw from something i saw on twitter ofc)

I have another pic of her p much finished I just... never completed either. I guess I could do that tomorrow :') I LOVE HER A LOT AND SHE DESERVES THE WORLD (and Professor Brando be out here high-key working on it lolol)

[hypokeimena]

lol good point, that was a typo. my original point stands though. and doubling down on people who make a typo or accidentally use the wrong word when the rest of their meaning is still apparent doesn't really help. calling people who go to community "losers" is shitty and your response to that concern to say "how stupid of you to make a typo" is just adding to the classism. there, I used the right word this time. are my feelings allowed to be taken seriously now that I was smart enough?

i think you should cool off a little maybe.