#because love is immortal no matter what name it bears

[duskmachine]

Something about Zhu Bajie screaming at the Destined One, "You don't have to bear his name!" before the final fight against Wukong's shell. And right before the confrontation, he desperately tries to follow the Destined One to help him because he's, "just a kid"... Ough, it's really killing me.

Because we really don't know anything about the Destined One. Perhaps he truly only exists to fulfill his purpose of reincarnating into his "true" former identity, being Wukong. Even then, I am doubtful he is unfeeling. He's literally described as "mischievous" in the first few minutes of the game by the elder monkey because he turned into a peach purely to fuck around.

There are remnants of Wukong in him— but he's not Wukong. These characters hold out hope that he will reinvent the name to mean something better; a name carrying legends re-emerging, released of the weight of past mistakes.

"You don't have to bear his name!" Is touching, and horrifying. A mortal born anew must fight his way through to gain immortality in a completely new and unprecedented way— by reviving the dead and by shaping himself into that dead identity. Is he a replacement? Is he Wukong? Is he the Destined One? It's such an interesting crisis.

And Zhu Bajie's singular line is able to communicate this all. It's a very good line. I love it a lot. What does it mean to bear an immortal's name? What does it mean for Game Science to finally make a breakthrough in the gaming industry, not only as itself but as a Chinese game company retelling the most legendary Chinese myth?

Wukong is constantly being revived through new shows, literature, movies, and games. An immortal character shifting through the times changing with our society's values— yet we're always destined to see him once again no matter what. What a legendary story! We always make that choice: to bear his name.

[zzprompto]

☆ with you, eternally

astarion x male reader [he / him]

sypnosis: (spawn) astarion decides to step out into the sun after his partner passes away so they could be together forever. (meant to be viewed as romantic)

the lowercase is intentional !

- warnings: character death

it had been a while since all the mindflayers and the tadpoles and the brain. actually, it had been years. decades had already come and go since then, and astarion couldn't tell that so long had already passed.

yet, so many things reminded him that time was going past.

[name] was aging, gracefully in fact. astarion loved all the wrinkles that adorned his lover's skin, or the greys that streaked [name]'s hair. those small details helped remind astarion that the world was still progressing, that he wasn't stuck in one place dreading for his end like when he was with cazador. though, it did feel like he was stuck in time, but that was because he was with [name]. he always felt as if he was stuck in slow motion with him, never wanting the days, weeks, months and years to come to an end.

but, as time progressed, [name]'s health started to decline. it wasn't anytning at first, he was perfectly fine. yet, when the wrinkles started growing deeper and when he'd get ill more often astarion knew something was up. he knew that his time with [name] wasn't going to last long. it wasn't going to in the first place anyway. astarion was cursed with immortality, whilst [name] was blessed with mortality.

astarion looked over at his lover, watching as their gaze was focused on the window outside. it was getting harder for [name] to do simple tasks on his own such as walking, eating and other mundane tasks that he had brushed past during his younger years. of course, astarion helped [name] every step of the way. he wanted to spend every moment with [name], even if it could be their last one together.

[name] looked over at astarion, noticing that someone's gaze was on him. "i don't understand why you still sit and stare at me.. i'm far too old for you to still find me attractive." [name] laughed lightheartedly. he then started coughing, making astarion's eyes widen and ears perk up out of worry and fear.

once [name] stopped coughing, astarion sighed. "i still find you attractive, dear. i'll always find you as dashing as the first day i met you, even if you were a pile of mush." astarion responded, a small smile on his face even though it pained him to see what [name] was going through.

"you are too kind.." [name] laughed a little again, his breathing deep and slow as his eyes trailed back to the window. "i'm honestly.. surprised you're still here with me. i could die at any moment, yet you stay by my side even though you can live forever." [name] whispered, his voice carried with a twinge of sadness to astarion.

astarion felt himself frowning. he didn't like where this conversation was going, not one bit. he didn't like the idea of [name] leaving him so soon, he couldn't bear it. he didn't want someone to leave him, he didn't want to be alone.

sure, astarion could've always made some effort to find an immortal lover like himself. yet, he made no such efforts to do so. [name] was his, for forever. no matter if [name] was a mere mortal or not.

"my dear, i will stay by you for as long as i will roam the earth." astarion replies, his own voice coming out as a whisper. he kneels infront of [name], taking their hand in his own before he pressed his lips to the hand. "whether you are dying, or well, i will always be by your side. i could never leave you." astarion mumbled as he pressed another kiss to [name]'s hand.

[name] hummed, turning his head back so he could look down at astarion with a small smile. "thank you, my love." the man responds, voice croaky and hoarse from the old age.

"there's no point of sharing this.. immortality of mine if i couldn't share it with you." astarion whispers, trying to refrain himself from tearing up. "even if it's just for a glimpse, a brief part of my life but all of yours.. i wouldn't want it any other way." astarion admits, looking up at [name] with a smile. yet, behind the smile were broken eyes full of pain and grief for what's to come.

[name] stares down at astarion in awe from his words. he feels touched and warmed by his lover's words. "my love.. you don't know how much i appreciate your words. you don't know how much i appreciate you.. how much i appreciate you sticking by my side.." the old man speaks, voice wavering and shaking.

astarion presses his forehead against [name]'s hand, using his own hand to squeeze theirs. he tries to keep himself from letting tears spill, but it's too late. a few start to fall onto [name]'s hand, then more and more fall onto the hand the floor.

[name] takes his free hand and he strokes astarion's cheek with it, trying to get him to look up. "don't cry, my love. i'm not gone yet.." [name] adds, a small chuckle leaving his lips as he spoke to try and lighten the mood. he just didn't want to come to terms that he'd be leaving astarion so soon.

astarion looked up and he nodded, wiping his face with his sleeve. he tried to calm down before he spoke again, he didn't want to look weak now. he couldn't act weak now. he still had to be there for [name], and [name] wasn't gone yet.

"can you lead me to the bedroom, please? i think i need to go and take a nap." [name] asks, moving the topic of conversation along. he didn't want to dampen the mood any further, the air was already thick with sorrow after all.

astarion nodded and he got up, brushing the dust off of his knees. the vampire spawn then took [name]'s arms, helping him walk over to the bedroom. once they arrived into the bedroom, astarion helped his lover onto the bed. he tucked [name] in, pressing a kiss to their wrinkled forehead before he got in next to them.

"i love you, my little star. i always will, even when my candle goes out." [name] whispers, closing his eyes slowly so he could get his rest.

astarion rested his head on [name]'s chest, listening to his slow heartbeat. "i love you, forever and always my dear." astarion whispers back, a smile on his lips as he tries to not think about what the future holds for them.

a few hours pass, and astarion moves to see if [name] is awake. the man should've woken up a while ago, his naps weren't always this long. maybe [name] was just feeling extra drowsy? astarion didn't want to think of anything else.

astarion lifts his head and he sees that [name]'s chest has stopped moving up and down. surely he's just seeing things, right? astarion just stares for a few seconds and he gulps. there's no breathing.

the vampire spawn reaches out and grabs [name]'s hand. it's cold. yes, [name] had recently been growing colder and colder, not being the same firey warmth astarion was used to. but, this time the coldness was different. it was almost as if [name] was a solid block of ice. maybe it was because there was a breeze in the room? that was surely it, right?

astarion rests his head on [name]'s chest once again to confirm his suspicions. he needs to be 100% sure of something before he jumps to conclusions. and there it is.. [name] no longer has a pulse. there's no longer a heartbeat astarion can hear to remind him that his lover is alive.

"no.." astarion mumbles, lifting his head up once more to take a look at his dearest. "no, no, no.." astarion shakes his head, trying to blink away incoming tears but it's no use. his love is gone. nothing can bring him back. no tears, no cries or screams are going to bring [name] back. there was absolutely nothing. [name]'s candle had been blown out, and too early for astarion's liking. there was so much unspoken words, so many things astarion could've said and things he wanted to say. but it was too late.

astarion started bawling. he gripped tightly onto his dead lover's body, not letting it go. it was as if he was protecting it from some unknown entity, scared they were going to take away [name] from him. but, they already had.

"no.. [name] why?!" astarion sobbed into [name]'s chest. he couldn't even let out any proper tears, he was silently crying, screaming even, into [name]'s unbeating chest.

astarion's mind and heart rattle inside of him. they wrestle, trying to get astarion to listen, to do one thing that they offer. yet, astarion does not budge. he does not hear his heart or his mind. the only thing he can hear is his silent crying into [name]'s chest, the sound he desperately didn't want to hear until years into the future.

the vampire's mind screams and yells at him, telling him that astarion should join him. his mind screams that they could be together forever if astarion just joined him. but how? there was no possible way for astarion to join [name], as much as he wanted to.

yet, there was a solution. the sun.

astarion was only a spawn, he couldn't walk out in the sun without a fear of being burnt into a crisp. the only method of him joining [name] would be walking out into the sun or getting staked in the heart. astarion opted for the sun.

astarion let go of [name]'s body, running out of the house and into the sun. the golden hues kissed his pale skin, until they started to burn. piece by piece, astarion started to flow away as ash. the ash littered the sky, almost telling a story of the words astarion wanted to say, the story of his tragedy.

perhaps it was a spur of the moment thing, a stupid, silly idea that astarion shouldn't of acted upon. but it was too late now. astarion could now finally be with [name], eternally. they could finally be together until the end of time.

astarion didn't want anything else, just to be with [name] forever and always.

- author's note: hope you guys enjoyed :)

- navigation ; masterlist ; requests

[white-wolf-buckaroo]

In his own twisted way: Prologue

So here it is! First part of my new daughter of Ares fic! I hope you love it as much as I do <3

Word count: 2100 ish words

Warnings: mention of character death

Fic masterlist here!

Ares hated children.

He hated their whining, their crying, their clinging. He didn’t care for the drawings they did, or their “cuteness” or their wonder for everything new around them, and he hated when they cried like babies because of a scrape on their knee, or when they had nightmares and wanted to be held.

He didn’t like them, not even his own.

He hated how they reminded him of his own weaknesses. He hated how they made him feel something other than anger, something he couldn't name.

But he couldn't hate her.

Not entirely. Not when she looked at him with those big eyes, so much like her mother's, and a grin every time she saw him at her doorstep. Not when she smiled at him with that gap-toothed grin, so innocent and trusting, a polar opposite as to how everyone else looked at him. Not when she held his hand with her tiny fingers, so warm and soft, completely trusting him to lead the way.

She was his youngest daughter. Her name was Emily, and just as his other children, he hoped she would grow up to be a troublemaker, a rebel, and a fighter. Someone like him. He had hoped she would make him proud, or, maybe more fitting for him, at least amused. Useful for his battles.

And at barely six years old, she was a true daughter of Ares: she loved adventures, exploring the wild, she didn’t mind getting messy or dirty, and she stood up to whoever opposed to her. However, she was also gentle, kind, curious. She loved nature, and stories, and the stars, and learning. Her little soul was still pure… something Ares bewondered, even if he wouldn’t admit it to himself.

But she was a mistake. A mistake he had made with a mortal woman, which he had tried to ignore, and he almost succeeded at it; he had visited her very few times, enough for her to know who he was, but not sufficient for him to get attached.

Until the day he found out she was dead.

Her mother, not the girl. The woman he had once loved… or, more like, had had a relationship with, was dead. The woman who had birthed and raised their daughter alone, without his help, without his care. She was now gone, leaving their daughter orphaned, alone, and unprotected.

Ares had been fond of her. He hadn’t loved her, no, not really, or at least, not in the romantical way. She had been someone he shared interests with, with whom he formed a connection with, and as a result of that, came Emily. As an immortal being, he was more than accustomed to death (it kind of came in the job description for being the god of war), and especially the death of mortals; their lives were brief, like the blink of an eye, and it rarely affected him anymore, if ever.

But Emily was alone now, without any family left, and even if he was the god of war, and all the brutality and horrors that came with it, he wasn’t exempt of having feelings (on the contrary of what he said about himself). They were the reasons why he found new lovers from time to time, and had children with them every once in a while.

Even the god of war longs for some sort of connection and human emotion.

So he had no choice. He couldn’t have Emily live with him, for obvious reasons, and he also didn’t want that. No, he’d take her to the only place where she would be safe from the monsters that would end up eventually finding her: camp Half-Blood. The camp for demigods, where his other children were. The children he hated, and who hated him back.

He was sure Emily would end up hating him as well. They all did… it was only a matter of time.

So there he was, driving a car towards Long Island, with little Emily sleeping in the backseat, her head leaning against her teddy bear, breaths even and rhythmic. He tried to not pay attention to her wet cheeks, still glistening with tears shed for her mother, or how she had raised her arms up at him upon seeing him when he picked her up, wanting to be comforted by her father; Ares tried to not think about how much she trusted him, with his rough exterior, and without really knowing him, and most importantly, he tried to not think much about how moved it made him feel.

The car stopped in the middle of the road, not too far away from the entrance to camp, hidden in the heart of the forest. Ares reluctantly turned off the engine, and silence followed, only broken by Emily’s breathing, and the faint sound of morning rain falling on the roof of the car.

Ares took a deep breath, pushing back the conflicting emotions that surged within him.

He didn’t know why he was feeling like this. It made him extremely uncomfortable in his own skin, and that was something he didn’t experience often. Perhaps Aphrodite had played some trick on him… making him actually feel something at the prospect of leaving his young daughter all alone at camp half-blood. Something like… dread, and pain, and not the one he was used to. This was pain that came from other feelings he had, that usually blossomed in his chest the few times he visited Emily, or when he looked at her from the rearview inside that car, watching her sleep soundly.

But he didn’t know how to do it. He didn’t know how to be a father, he’d never really had good role models to learn from. He didn’t know how to comfort children, talk to them… or hell, love them. And he didn’t want to even try to… because that wasn’t like him. He hated children. Why even care about his own? He was an Olympian, and Olympians didn’t do that.

When the rain stopped, Ares stepped out of the car, and went to the backseat; Emily only stirred in her sleep when he fumbled with the seatbelt, the unfamiliar task more challenging than he’d like to admit, and she kept on sleeping when he took her into his arms out of the car.

She had with her only her teddy and a small backpack filled with her essentials; Ares hadn’t grabbed more of her stuff when retrieving her.

On top of the hill, where the whole expanse of Camp Half-Blood could be seen for those who had divine heritage, Ares stood, listening: it was very early in the morning, the sun hadn’t risen yet, and the few people at camp were still sleeping; in a few weeks, most of the cabins would be full of demigod children, running around, training, and relishing in the beginning of summer. Emily would have settled until then, and she’d be ready to begin her training alongside her half-siblings to become a warrior, just as every Ares kid did.

His daughter woke up before sunrise, while he was still standing at the same spot. She mumbled something, her little eyes fluttering open, cheeks warm against the skin of his neck. She clutched her bear tighter, tired.

“Daddy?”

Ares hummed, not used to a small child talking to him in such tender voice. Like everything involving Emily, it made him feel that unfamiliar warmth he was uncomfortable with… but that he longed for when he didn’t have it, missing it.

Emily raised her head, slowly starting to look around, and at Camp Half-Blood. Her new home.

“This is where you’ll be staying from now on” he said, watching her. Her little eyebrows frowned, and then she looked at him, directly in the eyes.

“With you?”

“With people like you” he clarified, making sure she understood it “Demigods. Half-bloods. Remember what I taught you about the gods?”

“You are one. It’s your job”

She didn’t really get it, that was obvious. But she was still very young, and he didn’t really expect her to do so. Compared to him… well, his life had been already so long, that her presence in it was like a single grain of sand in the beach: small and imperceptible.

And yet, she was the only one of his children he had brought to camp himself. The only one who he had stayed around enough time for her to call him daddy to his face. The only, and first one, for many things.

At sunrise, a centaur emerged from the big house at camp, and noticed pretty quickly the silhouette of the god on top of the hill, and the small child in his arms.

Ares watched Chiron make his way slowly up to them, and he set then Emily down to the ground, helping her put her backpack on (which looked comically enormous on her little form); she grabbed his hand when she spotted the centaur, tiny fingers clutching his own, nervous. He couldn’t really blame her: she was facing many changes in a very short period of time.

“Ares” greeted Chiron, reaching them. The god acknowledged him with a nod, watching the centaur shift his gaze from him to the little girl by his side, trying to hide behind his leather coat “Hello there, young lady” Emily shyly waved back at him, and introduced herself after Chiron did “I assume… she is yours?”

“My flesh and blood” answered Ares “She will be staying at camp from now on, permanently”

Chiron nodded, and stretched out a hand for her; Emily, encouraged by a nod from her father when she looked up at him, went to the centaur, still uncertain.

“She will be taken care of here”

“I sure hope so”

Chiron looked down at Emily again, smiling at her, trying to ease up her nerves.

“Let’s go to your cabin then, young lady”

He gently guided her to the pathway that led to camp, Ares still standing there, watching them go. But Emily turned back around before leaving, searching for his eyes.

“Daddy?” she asked, with the same small voice from minutes before when she woke up “Aren’t you coming with us?”

He wouldn’t. He knew it from the beginning, of course, and Chiron also knew it. The pain in his chest, however, was unknown.

Ares told her no, and he bit the inside of his cheek when he saw sadness invading her gaze. She ran up to him, raising her arms up again, reaching for him with tears in her eyes. She was all alone, and he was abandoning her as well.

Chiron looked away, his heart breaking silently for the young demigod, while Ares stood there, conflicted by his feelings (those damn feelings he couldn’t handle).

“Listen kid” Emily still had her arms raised up, not budging, and he gave in, picking her up “You’re gonna stay here, you like it or not. Don’t go soft on me now”

Emily pouted at her dad, sniffling.

“But I want to stay with you”

“Yeah, but you can’t. You’ll stay here. That’s final”

She made a mad face at him (which made her look more like an angry kitten in his eyes, actually cute, but he wouldn’t admit that), frowning.

“You’re a meanie, Daddy”

There it was. She was starting to hate him too. Yep… All of them did.

“Sorry to break it to you, kid, but life isn’t fair”

He set her down, but she didn’t move, instead looking up at him with her big eyes. She looked like him, he noticed then, very much so in her way of staring at his face: she was fierce, but also vulnerable.

“Will you come visit me?”

Ares sighed, waving his hand as if to shrug it off.

“Yeah, yeah, sure. Maybe sometimes. Now go”

Emily sighed, mirroring him perfectly, and obeyed, going back to the centaur. She did look back at him one time before leaving, though, waving at him.

“Bye Daddy. Love you”

Ares felt that uncomfortable pressure in his chest as a response to her words, feeling like his insides tightened, constricted, twisted and turned all over. He watched her go in silence down the hill alongside Chiron, and he dared to take one last look at her before leaving for good, having completed his self-imposed task of taking his daughter to camp.

“Goodbye, little warrior”

Tough exterior be damned, Ares cared for his daughter.

In the quiet of the moment, where no one was watching him, being completely alone, he allowed himself to hope: He hoped she would be happy. He hoped she would be safe. He hoped she would forgive him for leaving her there.

And he also hoped he would someday be able to forgive himself for doing so too.

***

Taglist: @strawberryys-stuff @ladysybilchronicles

[himbo-aficionado]

I just think its interesting how at the very end of the story, we see Merlin walking past Avalon, the place where he sent off Arthur all those centuries ago. There are many different ways the scene could've went on to display his everlasting loyalty. It easily could've been a scene where maybe Merlin was with his wife and a kid who was named after Arthur, or he became a historian/scholar who kept the Arthurian legends alive after everything he went through or maybe even a physicist trying to build a time machine, find a loop in time to go back and fix the past.

But no.

We see him all alone, old and unequivocally miserable. No longer meddling with fate nor trying anything at all. Lost in a world beyond time that no man should live past or would even be able to comprehend. We see that he never moved on from Arthur, having somewhat a glimmer of hope deep within him. Nobody speaks about how insanely difficult it must have been to have hope especially when you have no end to your own life. As mortals, we can't even bear grief for a short period of time. Yet, Merlin lived the cursed life of an immortal, a life where he will only keep losing everyone he's ever loved. A life full of grief.

In the modern world shown, nobody even believes in magic or practises it and yet he...still believes that someday Arthur will return to him. In the past, he reiterates that he just wants Arthur to see that everything he does is for him. He tells Hunith that Arthur only likes him because he doesn't know him. We see he acknowledges that Arthur is doing acts of service because he likes him yet Merlin couldn't be satiated because he still wasn't his true self to Arthur. To be seen and known for who you truly are is to be loved, that is all he ever wanted from Arthur, even from the very beginning of their relationship.

"You never once sought any credit"

"Its not why I do it"

During the magic reveal, he said "I use it for you, Arthur. Only for you.", still desperately wanting it to be known that his entire life was devoted to Arthur. There was no talk about legalising magic and whatnot between them either after that. He only kept repeating that he was born to serve Arthur. We see in real time just how much he meant when he said "There will never be another like you, Arthur." Evidently, he meant that Arthur is the Once and Future King but it also plays out for Merlin, because there never was anyone like Arthur in his life after that. To the point where he could find no purpose upon losing Arthur.

And yes he keeps saying that its his destiny to be Arthur's servant, that he grew up and learned the meaning of duty but is that really all it is? Towards the end, it was apparent that Merlin's objective was no longer for magic to be accepted in Camelot (as much as he wanted it). Ever since he found out about Arthur's Bane, it was all about keeping him alive. Even when the great dragon told him that there is nothing he could do anymore, Merlin could not accept to lose Arthur. "I can't lose him, he's my friend." It didn't matter that magic isn't legal yet in Camelot. He could not give two fucks about it anymore or else we would've seen magic in the future scene. One can assume that he completely stopped trying to find a solution. Or even lost the will to live.

What I'm trying to say is that, the final scene really is more than just an epilogue to show his loyalty, immortality and despair. If you think about it for a moment, it shows that somewhere along all the fights, snide remarks, banter, and what he and Arthur think isn't exactly a friendship, - they're stupid, don't mind that - he was in love with Arthur. And Arthur loved him in return even in the face of death as the truth came crumbling down. Its not as simple as 'falling in love' because, I don't think Merlin woke up one day and realised that he was inconveniently in love with the idiot arrogant prince who was tied to him by fate.

Their love was inevitable but it definitely stopped becoming destiny and duty a long time ago, it became a choice. "I'm happy to be your servant till the day I die". Merlin was, and I quote "putting up" with Arthur not because it was his life sentence to do so; it was because he wanted to. The worst thing of all is: Merlin chose to do it for the rest of his life.

[hoppipolla]

The lover's hand: A Midnight Museum episode 4 rambling

Will GMM TV pull a If Marnie Was There card on us with Khatha and Dome? They might. They probably will, but since it hasn't happened yet, I will be in denial until the big reveal.

It hasn't escaped you that Khatha's touch grows gentle whenever he touches Dome. So far, Khatha has allowed himself to touch Dome to either protect him or make sure he is safe. But in today's episode, things have developed a bit.

The beginning and the end of today's episode confirmed that Dome (let's pretend his real is name Dome for now) and Khatha have met before, a long time ago. Khatha lost Dome however, under traumatic circumstances which seem related to the creepy seated mummy we've seen in previous episodes.

The bond they share has nothing in common with the kind of bond siblings might share. Siblings don't look at each other like that nor do they touch each other like that either. (I don't even need to add screencaps here, you know which scenes I'm talking about). The intense relief Khatha feels when he sees Dome after many years resembles the kind of relief a tragic lover would feel seeing their long lost lover again with whom they can't reunite yet. I mean look at him! That look is the embodiment of selfless love, not brotherly love.

To prove the point everyone agrees on, I'll now focus on Khatha's hand gestures in today's episode (i.e Midnight Museum episode 4).

I've said in a previous text post that Khatha does not want anyone to see he cares for Dome although everyone is pretty much aware. Even Bam. This is again proved in this episode when he doesn't meet Dome's eyes — at first — when he voices out his worry and asks Dome to stay close to him.

What's even more painfully interesting in this scene is what Khatha says next: "I will be able to stop it in time". The way he says it might hint at the fact that, in the past, he failed to stop "it" in time. However, things are different now. Dome is back and Khatha intends to have him stay by his side no matter what. "It" won't happen again, whatever that is. Not today. Not ever. His words are more than a mere statement. They're a promise.

Khatha's feelings for Dome aren't clear in the sense that they are strong emotions, all intertwined. But one thing is for certain: he deeply cares for Dome and although he wished he could hide that, his body betrays him because his hand will always reach for him. There is something achingly beautiful in the way Khatha always seem to want to be in direct contact with Dome whenever he is hurting. It's as if he wants to take his pain away and replace it with comfort. He wants to be the only one suffering and he cannot bear seeing Dome risking his life and going through the same kind of pain he must have experienced at one point during his immortal life.

Tor's way of showing how relieved his character is whenever he fears for Dome's life and realises that he is safe is beyond amazing. His eyes speak volumes and his micro-expressions make your heart squeeze in your chest. I can hear the thoughts that might have crossed his mind the second he believed Dome wasn't breathing anymore. His agony is so loud and yet Khatha remains so quiet whenever he is scared, hurt or distraught.

In the beginning of this text post, I've described Khatha's look as the embodiment of selfless love. The perfect illustration of that selfless love is when he tells Dome that his immortality is not a curse hence the fact that he doesn't need anyone to save him from it. We all know it's a lie and so does Dome who is no fool, but Dome is aware of what Khatha was trying to do. Khatha didn't want to put an additional pressure on him and so implying that he is not cursed meant that he needn't become some kind of saviour.

Dome sees that and as the empath he is, he is devastated. He feels for Khatha but he knows him not controlling his powers (or anything that's happening to him) is not helping and, in a way, he may have felt relieved by Khatha's thoughtfulness .

But Dome knows that this the face of a man made so utterly lonely by a curse so ancient that he himself has forgotten that this excruciating pain is not natural. The camera angle here makes us see Khatha through Dome's eyes and it's heart-breaking.

[ruinakete]

☽ ・WHAT MAKES A PERSONALITY.

a template ( created by the wonderful Ree ) for analyzing features of a personality beyond listing adjectives. written beneath a readmore because of length, not spoilers!

SELF-CONCEPT

VIEW OF SELF: highly upheld on a pedestal created by her late tribe and the hierarchy of Fell Churches. though clouded by a heavy sense of superiority, there is the slightest chance of self-awareness from her, though it is an introspection that takes time. what is important to her is that she, above anyone else, knows her heart and mind. no one else can claim to relate to all she has lived through and she knows this; though the level of tragedy she connects this with is debatable. likewise, her view of self is duller than her view of others, as she truly does not care for herself at her core. this is not self-deprecation, rather it is the monotonous feeling that comes from knowing that, at the end of the day, she is what her tribe and Sombron have made of her. there is nothing else and nothing more.

VIEW OF OTHERS: hardly memorable. unlike her, time will pass for them and they will die, so their only purpose is to serve until their last breath. will she remember their names? hardly, but the impact they have will outlive their body. as a direct result of her behavioral inconsistencies and traumas, she alienates herself from society and, thus, does not view humanity and other immortal beings in any positive light. they are only useful under a leash. they are only useful if they can be wielded as pawns. if they stray from their fated path, then they must be punished. it is as much a law as it is instinct. either way, none of them will equate to the space necessary in the void of her heart; what she needs is a family, and other people cannot give this to her.

VIEW OF WORLD: unforgiving. selfish. the world is cruel to those who surpass their fate and, thus, she bares her teeth and takes as much from the world as she thinks she deserves; which is everything it has to offer. in her eyes, the world is ever-changing and will not wait for you to mend your wounds, no matter how closely you hold it at heart. you will not survive if you are not the aggressor. her environment taught her that pain is love and such love, one strong enough to destroy what it has created, is punishment, in its own way. to love was to hurt until you knew nothing else; to grieve was to love with all your heart. if you sought love then you had to seek the pain that is obligated with it upon your faults. thus, all relationships of value between her and the world were, and will always be, transactional.

MOTIVATIONS & GOALS: serve as Lord Sombron's greatest follower until he sees her as fit to be the mother of his child. whether it be one or plenty, she hopes to bear them and give fruit to lives of her blood. upon birth, they are hers, as a mother and idol and god. and that, the idea that, one day, someone she brought into the world will revolve that very world around her, is what keeps her focused on the future. but somewhere, along the line, another motivation has formed upon her arrival; protect the Four Hounds and restore what they once were.

WHEY THEY VALUE MOST: family, both in the physical and metaphorical sense. the idea of having and taking from someone who owes you their entire life for giving fruit to theirs.

EMOTIONAL REACTIONS

REACTION TO STRESS: most, if not all, negative emotions end in her lashing out in an attempt to regain the control she once lost. so, when stressed, her composure falters; she becomes jittery, scheming, and distant. she'll refocus all of her energy on picking apart the stressor and, upon recognizing what it is, eliminating it without hesitation. this could mean directly destroying the stressor or completing it, but whichever it is, she does not ignore it. it, also, does not matter what this stress comes from; whether it be a responsibility, environment, or person. the execution, however, of this determination is usually heartless and selfish, as she will go through anything and anyone to calm the nerves of her heart.

REACTION TO FEAR: though fear, too, is a negative emotion, it does not necessarily end in an unwavering sense of hostility. to fear something is to think that it has the weight to actually affect you. and, thus, it is fine to say that fear isn't an emotion she's faced often in her thousand years of life. upon first face of this subject causing her fear, she's incredulous. confused or shocked, rather than frightful. but when the emotion sets in, she becomes quieter. curt. this silence is not submissive, lest it be in the face of Sombron. her following reaction will be to right what has been wronged; control. she will combat this fear with confrontation if the risks prove to be lesser, but she knows her limits and will not provoke the fear if it will bring her harm.

REACTION TO SUCCESS: to revel in her success is not rare. this is, usually, done in the form of taunting the losing party. however, her reaction to success differs between the success of herself and the success of those she deems as hers. for the former, she does not seek praise. it is not the acknowledgment she requires, as that is flawed and not taken at heart's value. if not from Sombron, then she does not want it. however, praise is what she requires when her pawns succeed. for them to win is a win for her, as it reinforces the greedy pride of being able to create something worth loving. otherwise, success, to her, is conditional and can always be revoked. it is not something worth celebrating by the masses. in fact, it could be argued that success makes her hungrier for the possible retaliation that will follow.

REACTION TO FAILURE: depends highly on who she fails regarding the event. in light of disappointing Sombron, her apologies are swift, curt, as there is nothing else to say. her willingness to right, again, what has been wronged is high and she will take no other answer unless she's given the other chance. there is no guilt, as she does not recognize such a feeling, but the feeling aches similarly. if in the case of failing herself, her reaction is duller. again, at her core, she has come to terms with the fate she's been given, so all she is to do is find her way back unto the path paved for her. she'll try again, more determined, but emotional reactions are little to none. she understands herself best and will right herself accordingly, aiming to engrain into her the teachings that made her who she is.

DEVELOPMENT

IDEAL SELF: is constantly changing, to the point where she cannot fully recognize where she, herself, wants to be. what amount of development would be enough? from whom would this development come from? all she knows is that the ideal life she sees fit for herself is that of a mother, as it was the only thing able to fill the void in her heart. key word: was. new events have shone a light on her ideals and hope to shift them. unfortunately, because of her lack of concern for who or what she becomes, as her fate will always be written before her, the exact ideal self is unknown.

AREAS OF GROWTH: as mentioned before, loneliness is still a factor she hopes to heal. being alienated from others, even dragons like herself, because of the behavior she adapted to in hopes of defending her heart will always prove her efforts futile. to grow requires the knowledge to understand exactly what is necessary beforehand. thus, her concept of what can heal her is false and flawed. it's simple and, if she does not recognize her emotions and pick apart the years of manipulation, all will be hopeless.

BARRIERS TO GROWTH: the inability to wear her heart anywhere that is not the steel bars of her ribcages; the continuous conquest of favor for Sombron; the inability to recognize how she has affected the world and vice versa; the inability to be truthful lest she fear bleeding out on the spot; and time wearing away at the familiarity she should have with her own emotions. there is a lot that stands as an obstacle to her development. none of it will disappear quickly, so she must approach it slowly and with patience.

[rabbitcruiser]

National Teddy Bear Day 

The teddy bear is one of the most popular toys for children, and holds a special place in many adults hearts, too. This lovable stuffed animal has a day all of its own, Teddy Bear Day. It gives a chance for people to get teddy out of the cupboard and make him the center of attention.

It’s an ideal time to get together with others for a teddy bear’s favorite activity, having a picnic, as immortalized in the classic song, ‘Teddy Bear’s Picnic.’ This was written in 1907, shortly after teddy bears were first manufactured in Europe and America. The American toy bears were named Teddy, in honor of President Theodore Roosevelt, who had refused to shoot a small captured bear on a hunting trip. Many teddy bears have become famous over the years, including Paddington Bear, Rupert Bear, Pudsey Bear and, of course, Winnie the Pooh.

Learn about Teddy Bear Day

In a world where everyone seems to be larger and louder than yourself, it is very comforting to have a small, quiet companion

Teddy Bear Day has been created so that we have a specific date whereby we can pay tribute to one of our favorite childhood toys. Most people reading this will have fond memories of playing with a teddy bear when we were younger. In fact, some of you reading this may even have your favorite childhood teddy bear today. It may be tattered and even missing an eye or some stuffing, but it will be the most precious teddy bear in the world to you!

On this date, we pay tribute to this amazing childhood toy, which has stood the test of time. It does not matter what new crazes or toys come onto the market, they will never surpass the global popularity that the teddy bear has attained. With every decade that passes by, we still see children clutching onto their teddy bears, and it is a beautiful sight to behold.

This is because our teddy bear is usually the first friend that we have. It is the first ‘person’ that we share all of our thoughts and experiences with. We even cuddle our teddy bear when we go to sleep at night because it provides us with comfort. It is only right that we take a day to reflect on just how amazing teddy bears are, right?

History of Teddy Bear Day

It’s too bad we’re not all teddy bears. More stuffing would only make us cuter and cuddlier.

To understand the history of Teddy Bear Day, we need to roll back the clock to something that happened more than 100 years ago. In 1902, Theodore Rossevelt was the President of the United States. During this year, he refused to shoot a bear cub while he was in Mississippi hunting. The incident spread around the country via the national news. There was even a cartoon of the event that was published in the Washington Post by Clifford Berryman on the 16th of November in 1902. It became a classic right away.

Morris Michtom, a store owner in New York, was inspired by the cartoon and he decided to create a new toy. He then sent a letter to the President, asking Mr. Roosevelt if it would be possible for the new toy to be called “Teddy Bear.” The rest, as they say, was history.

Since then, there have been a lot of famous teddy bear characters, and this toy has become loved by children all over the world. No matter their upbringing, culture, or any other differences, one thing that all children can agree with is that there is nothing quite like the comfort and friendship that a teddy bear provides.

We have since seen the famous teddy bears from Briton, like Paddington and Winnie-the-Pooh. You also have the famous Care Bears series. In the United States, Radar, a teddy Bear from Sesame Street that belonged to Big Bird, hit the screens. Of course, Garfield, a lasagna-loving cat was also a big hit in the United States, and consequently around the world. Plus, we can’t forget Fozzie Bear from the Muppets either!

Our love affair with teddy bears has not ended. You only need to look at the new releases on TV and at the cinema to see that new teddy bear characters are being invented all of the time. In recent years, we have seen the Ted films become exceptionally popular. While aimed at adults rather than children, these films are still based on the premise of teddy bears being a best friend. Ted may be funny, but he is lovable, as all teddy bears are. If you have never seen the film, which stars Mila Kunis and Mark Wahlberg, we would definitely recommend watching it on Teddy Bear Day if you want to have a good old laugh!

How to celebrate Teddy Bear Day

There are a lot of different ways that you can celebrate Teddy Bear Day. One option is to dig up your favorite childhood teddy bear and take some photos of it. Share the images on social media and encourage your friends, family members, and followers to share images of their favorite teddy bear from when they were a child. Even if people do not have any photos of their bear, they will enjoy sharing stories of how they used to take their teddy bear everywhere with them.

Another fun way to spend this day is to go out and buy yourself a new teddy bear. Even as an adult, there is something cute and comforting about having a teddy bear in your home. As time has gone on, there have been a number of different companies that have popped up that enable you to purchase your own teddy bear.

You are able to choose the different fur and other unique characteristics that really make your teddy bear your own. If you have children, this is definitely a fun way to spend the day, but it is also fun and exciting even if you do not have any kids. After all, who does not love the idea of building their own teddy bear? If you are a particularly crafty person, you could even make your own teddy bear from scratch.

There are lots of different instructions online that enable you to do this, and it will be a fun way to spend the day. Plus, there is something amazing about having a teddy bear that you have made from scratch. It makes it feel even more like a real friend and companion. It is your own, and no one else in the world is going to have the same teddy bear as you. That is pretty amazing! Make sure that you share photos of your creation across social media if you’re the sort of person that uses Instagram and such like. We bet all of your followers will be super impressed!

Source

[smww4ever]

Just Nope ✋

I hold no greater ire for anything in comics than Immortal Beloved. May it rot in the depths of Asgardian sewage. Bear with me as I explain why I loathe Immortal Beloved with a passion. In no terms should this story be applauded. It is a pure insult to the SuperWonder fandom. If you can’t see it for what it is, let me explain.

Basically, it's a big f-u to SuperWonder fans. The message DC is saying with this is that it will always have Lois with Superman no matter what. They can toss out a few crumbs here and there but they will never give us the pairing, friendship or otherwise in live action or TV show.

It’s written so badly. It creates this paradox putting Superman into a cheating place in his relationship with Diana. In one instance, he gives up his life to go fight with Wonder Woman but at a minute before 1,000 years is up, it's hey it'll always be 'what's her name'. Oh and here's a trinket for you, Di. Pfffttt. Paradoxes with this story. As if he's some kind of alien pope who is infallible. We all know the pope isn't infallible. Everybody wants Superman to be more human. Humans make mistakes. I'm actually glad that the story didn't turn into one where they give in, it would mean that SuperWonder is a mistake. It's not. The only classy way I've seen SuperWonder told is through Kingdom Come. Everything else alludes to a "did they" or "are they" scenario. The nuances always point to romance between the two. Probably because they were meant to be together. Duh.

Add to that, Superman has never lived 1,000 years. Nobody who lives that long is the same person at the end. You change. You have core traits but you will be a different person. You should be a better person. Experiences shape you. There would be a high level of maturity. It’s unfathomable though to regular humans with life spans up to 80 on average to even wrap their minds around it. If he decided to go all in with Diana and have a family, they'd come back very different people having to deal with a reality that wouldn't accept them. It would be the wrong time for them to come together. In this instance, this is where Kingdom Come has no barriers to SuperWonder. The hindrances are gone.

Granted Diana has lived long. Although being that Themyscira is in another dimension so to speak. Time is different. Her longevity in the Earthly realm isn't a thousand years either.

This comic belongs in the trash bin. Full stop.

But since people like to rewrite stories, here's my idea. I would rewrite it to where Thor summons J'onn J'onzz in place of Diana. That way he can shape-shift into Lois. You’ll have Clark porking Lois, his forever love, battling side by side with superpowers. Pretty sure he’ll wonder how she got them. Maybe the Asgardians gifted them to her, and you’ll have the LGBTQ fans getting something out of it too.

Save Diana.

The woman deserves better. Why demean her like this? Who came up with the 'she's bound to help out with Asgardian affairs no matter what'. Pfffttt. And Kal?

Speaking to this version of dumbed down Kal: If Lois is that important to you, you should have asked Thor for a favor and towed her along. Maybe the Asgardians would have trained her to fight along side while reporting on it in the Valhalla Times. Then it would be a truly Lois-centric story.

All jokes aside, if DC won’t put SuperWonder together in a normal healthy romantic union then don’t do this to them either. (I know this is an old comic.)

See I blame DC for this. The gapping hole they made with eliminating SuperWonder. If we got normal interactions between the two, we could have had moments of friendship but even that wasn’t allowed.

Until next time... ✌️

🤭

I redesigned the cover btw, heh heh.

[chaoticsnowflake-ao3]

i wish to hear your thoughts about the alberich family tree (yes i saw that post about the sinners)

oh god. you’re going to regret sending this ask bc i am UNWELL. and this will be an ESSAY. but if you still wish to hear my thoughts, i’ll drop them under the cut bc there’s going to be a LOT of spoilers.

OKAY. SO. i’m gonna start by talking about anfortas.

so we know from hidden strife and the box kaeya hid on the roof of favonius headquarters that the alberich clan stepped in as regents when king irmin became indisposed, meaning they weren’t actually royalty by blood, but were high-ranking enough to warrant a position as what is essentially placeholder royalty. and then on one of the ledgers near the door to khaenri’ah, there’s a report of sorts stating that anfortas—who was a knight marshal and leader of the schwanenritter—stepped in as regent in king irmin’s place.

this lets us know that anfortas is an alberich, and once you tie that to kaeya’s myriad voicelines about himself being royalty (particularly his voiceline about fischl and the hangout ending where he taps into his theater kid roots), it can be assumed that anfortas is a very close relative of kaeya’s—i assume him to be kaeya’s father for reasons i will elaborate on next.

so in arthurian legend, anfortas is tasked as the bringer of the holy grail that will clear the wasteland and bring salvation. kaeya is heavily implied to be khaenri’ah’s holy grail, what with his being labeled as their “last hope” for reclaiming khaenri’ah’s former glory. i actually have an entire fic where i talk about this concept specifically—if you wanted to read more into it, it’s linked here. but anyway, seeing as he’s named after the bringer of the holy grail, it makes sense for anfortas to be kaeya’s—khaenri’ah’s holy grail’s—father.

now let’s get into chlothar and caribert. chlothar was able to circumvent the pure-blood immortality curse and die, which raises a question about the curse his ancestors would bear. caribert, being an illegitimate child, turned into a hilichurl, but we don’t know much about anfortas or kaeya’s heritage or their curse. this leads me to speculate that perhaps the alberich clan bears a different curse—maybe that is to produce a pawn capable of saving their homeland? i mean, kaeya has aged normally, meaning he isn’t immortal, but he has the eyes (or eye, rather) of a pure-blooded khaenri’ahn, so it suggests that his curse is something completely different.

caribert’s chosen appearance in the 4.7 archon quest was inspired by that of his father—however, he notably wore a hanging diamond earring on his left ear. obviously chlothar didn’t wear an earring, from what we saw, so this was a conscious choice on caribert’s part that raises a question of significance in my brain that perhaps the earring is some sort of hereditary thing, almost like an heirloom of sorts. i mean, kaeya has a diamond earring on that same ear—so does pierro, for that matter. and pierro was confirmed in wanderer’s voiceline to be a former sage of khaenri’ah, meaning he was highly ranked just as the rest of the alberich clan seemed to be. obviously there’s less of a foundation for these thoughts but i’m still sharing them because once i get started, i don’t stop.

another thing worth noting, while i’m still talking about caribert, is how what we see of his personality is so strikingly similar to kaeya’s. i mean, think about it—they both strive to forge connections with members of their society—whether it be vimara village or mondstadt—knowing they’ll never truly belong. and because of that lack of belonging, the people they loved got hurt in a way they didn’t understand—in caribert’s case, it was atossa, and in kaeya’s case, it was diluc. at their core, both of them are powered by love despite their circumstances and i just think that’s beautiful.

and now that i’m done typing all of this (i’m sorry it’s so long-winded), i’m going to go open a new notes doc and write a fic about all this, because i can.

i warned you this would happen, anon.

[issylra]

Tumblr dropped my ask along with a chunk of your response in my inbox, so it's at least partially salvageable. 🍀 Here's the ask: Hey

I want to dump into your head an idea for the “Nightmares” bingo square. Or just babble about dreamling in your inbox without a reason. If you don’t mind. --

I don't think Morpheus would ever suggest taking Hob’s nightmares away, ‘cause he knows better than anyone how important they are. For an immortal man to live without nightmares would mean becoming insanely miserable or a monster. Probably both.

And after 1889 one of Hob’s recurring nightmares was, of course, Morpheus leaving for good because Hob said or did something, confronted him somehow. In his dreams reasons, as well as decorations, changed. The guilt and Dream’s retreating back, though, were always a constant.

It doesn’t matter if Dream knew about these nightmares before his imprisonment. He built a wall, he never peeked into the cracks. 2022 was when things became complicated.

After the reunion in ep. 6 they started — tentatively! baby steps — to build a relationship. Friendship, most probably, but the one when people actually know each other. It's a good starting point for something more. For them, though, it was still a summit to climb.

Dream being Dream never explained what he is. However, this time he gave Hob the name — Morpheus, and when Hob asked “so, the god of sleep?” he just smirked and stated something in line with “I’m no god, Hob”. And of course, Hob interpreted it as a "no, I'm not a god and don't have anything to do with sleep, try again later".

At some point, Dream felt the pull — Hob was dreaming about him. Maybe he tried to not give in, at first. Or maybe he headed the call the first time he felt it — no matter. The part that matters is that Dream was expecting something nice, or absurd, or maybe even a wet dream — but landed in the middle of a nightmare. A nightmare, where the source of Hob’s turmoil wore his, Dreams, face.

Dream didn't stop that nightmare. He took a place of his apparition — it felt right. Or at least less wrong than just observing his friend's suffering or leaving his friend there alone. And then Dream allowed the nightmare to run its course. It was the first, but definitely not the last time it happened.

After all, nightmares are a tool for healing and growth. And however it may hurt, if Hob needed to face his fear of driving Dream away, needed to overcome that fear, then he needed to endure the nightmares. There could be no healthy relationship of any sort between two individuals if one of them is fearful of driving the other away so easily. So randomly.

In the meantime, in Waking Dream made a point of softening the nighttime blows. He started visiting Hob after especially harsh ones. Not always on the same day, but soon enough that it still helped to soothe Hob's nervousness if it persisted. He didn’t want Hob to make a connection between him and his recurring nightmares, but he tried to cut the unneeded suffering when he could.

During their meetings, Dream would sometimes arrange an opening for Hob to confront him, to say something that could potentially aggravate him. And every time Hob would stop himself. He would bite his tongue, change the topic, or laugh it off. But sometimes these kinds of openings occured naturally, both of them oblivious until too late, until Dream — hackles raised, terse words on the tip of his tongue — would freeze in realization and Hob would use the pause to somehow diffuse the situation.

There's a climax, somewhere. Nightmares are an effective tool, and when paired with an anchor to remind the dreamer what's real, they could help overcome anything. __ And your reply:

This is so amazing, thank you for taking the time to send it to me! Honestly, there's so much I want to say to this, but my brain feels like soup, so bear with me. I may not manage.

I love Hob having a bit of a thing™️ about Dream leaving him. I've read a few fics that tackle it (Giving Sanctuary being the first one that springs to mind) and it hits so, so well. Hob in present day having a bit of a complex as they get closer that he might say or do the wrong thing one day, see Dream storm off again and leave him behind. Pair that with Dream being a terrible communicator, and not explaining much of anything to Hob, let alone that their missed meeting was not actually Hob's fault.

There's something also kind of funny (and sad) about Dream trying to help by giving Hob openings to confront him, but actually just making Hob walk on eggshells constantly. In the nightmare scenario, I could totally see that coming to a head. Instead of being like "so, I've realized my past actions have had a lasting effect on your psyche and I would like to reassure you that I have no intention of leaving again" it's "my past mistakes are haunting your sleeping hours so I've decided to sprinkle a bit of trauma into your waking hours too, just to keep you on your toes!"

Classic Dream in that the easiest course of action is just to talk, but let's make things needlessly complicated (and worse) instead. Even with the very best of intentions.

Anyway, I really do love this. It's exactly the kind of conflict I enjoy writing. When two people don't fit together like perfect puzzle peices, and

Very happy that this wasn't lost in the void forever.

I think the rest of what I was saying is basically that I really enjoy reading/writing about characters that don't necessarily fit together in all ways, working out how to smooth away their harsher edges for each other. This scenario would be perfect for that because it hits on so many of both Dream and Hob's character weaknesses at once.

Again I have to thank you for sharing, because this is excellent inspiration!

[ofhowlingxs]

[ lily collins | she/her ] Another face is seeking safety in New Orleans. Make sure to welcome CHARLOTTE LANGTHORNE to the home of the resilient. Rumor has it that they are an 26 year old HUMAN, who is one of the SURVIVORS but we’ll keep that a secret. They are said to be RECKLESS, but that’s all a façade to cover up their ALLURING nature. We’ve heard that they can be found listening to SO WHAT by PINK, which sums them up pretty well. Let’s hope that they can find a way to survive this harsh new world.

Basics.

Name: Charlotte “Charlie” Langthorne

Age: Twenty-six

Pronouns: She/her

Sexuality: Bisexual

Species: Human

Birthday: December 12th

Zodiac: Sagittarius

Hair color: Auburn brown

Eye color: Green / hazel brown

Relationships.

Siblings: Xavier Langthorne, Cordelia Langthorne

Parents: Nathaniel and Jaqueline Langthorne

Personality.

She is an enigma to be around. From a young age she has been loud about her opinions, always the life of most parties and not afraid to make it known when the system calls for it. She can get anyone to dance, more often than not you simply want to be around her. She’s fun, and her heart is kind despite how viciously wild it felt at times. She never settles in one place, often driving her parents and siblings grey with worry. She’s simultaneously the girl your parents warned you about, and the one you can’t seem to shake.

History.

Charlotte Langthorne was born a heiress with a temper for the dramatics. She is the youngest of the Langthorne clan, and luckily so considering if she were born first, her parents might not have been brave enough to continue. She was everything wealthy upper east side parents could have hoped for, beautiful and intelligent and full of life. Yet, she also from a young age, allowed that life to overflow. She drove the nannies mad, chasing her through their estate. Trying to keep her dresses clean, her hair less wild. And that’s exactly what she was, a wild flower growing in between cracks of concrete. She loved her life, she loved her family. And most importantly? The love she had for her siblings was unmatched. Especially her elder and only brother. She often followed Xavier around like a shadow. She wanted to do the things he did. She wanted to go the places he did. Party the way he did, when they were older. And she ran circles around him, too. She was no stranger to gasping looks, or ruffling feathers. When she was sixteen, she crashed the debutante ball her parents had her train so effortlessly for all summer, to bring her first girlfriend as her date. At the time, she hadn’t even came out to her parents yet, let alone the rest of their friends and business partners. Boys or girls though, it didn’t matter much to Charlotte.

Things changed when her brother turned, after hearing what happened. She begged to go with him, wherever he was going. She begged for him to take her with him, because the idea of being left alone in New York, without him? She couldn’t do it. And as more time passed, she had decided to drop out of University— nearly putting her father in the grave when she told him that she unenrolled from Columbia. The truth was, she was getting closer and closer to the age that Xavier was when he was turned. And the thought of living without her brother? It was too much to bear. An immortality alone? She couldn’t let him face this world and all it was, for an eternity of lonesome. She couldn’t live and grow old, while he remained the same. She couldn’t. She wouldn’t. It’s why she’s tracked him back down to New Orleans, following her sister once word got out that he’d returned to the city. And she’s determined to become a vampire, while also convince Cordelia, so they can all live together forever.

[trippygalaxy]

i feel like some of these questions conflict themselves/you've already but idk there are a lot and idk how to word them/i can't find them so feel free to ignore them

(i am dyslexic i wholeheartedly thought her love interest's name was lol nyah until i went back to reread it😭)

(i also know nothing about dnd so bear with me. this is like the equivalent of falling in love with one character but never being able actually get into their franchise)

1.) in the nicest way possible, why does grim look like that? because oh my god? that's a lil scary?

a.) does everyone who's a puppet for the voice look like that?

b.) why are the areas around her eyes charred? is it an effect caused by the puppet or was it because of something that happened to her?

c.) why that mask? do all of the voice's puppets have it or is the design specific to her? why does she take it everywhere? is it apart of the "i have no face," thing.

2.) so, in contrast to the voice, it seems that it and grim's personalities differ greatly from what i've seen of them.

a.) after the voice turns someone into a puppet, i know you mentioned they forget all their memories, but do they still have their personalities or are they like a blank sheet?

b.) do puppets have any type of autonomy outside of the voice? would grim be able to go against what the voice is telling her to do in order to help someone?

c.) "if someone is in trouble, i go out of my way to help them." does that willingness to help only extend to certain extents, or would she help anybody and everybody?

3.) because she's a puppet, would she consider the voice a tyrant? does she consider it the law?

a.) does she even remember what the voice did (i. e. the slaughter of the town, all the "horrible acts," etc).

b.) is she like a mindless follower of the voice as though it's a religion/cult, or does she treat it like it's just something she does as a job?

c.) she says no one cab get preferential treatment from the law and that no ones above it. does that extend to everyone no matter the circumstance (i. e. someone is dying but they committed an unrelated crime, it's a poor child who had to steal, etc). is the voice above the law?

4.) once again circling back to the voice being some sort of cult thing.

a.) does it have a following? if so, how big is it? are they trying to build one?

b) "the voice is my savior; i am their guardian." why would the voice need a guardian? is it being threatened by something? if so, what?

c.) can there be multiple guardians/puppets at a time?

d.) based on her backstory, are the voice's means of recruiting puppets by (doing something like) hypnotizing them only?

e.) if the voice is an angel assumedly no longer in the heavens, why does it even care about divine beings being worshipped?

f.) can the voice be killed?

5.) she has trust issues. why?

a.) who are her "allies"?

b.) does she easily make allies? does she even have friends?

c.) did she have friends prior to becoming a puppet?

d.) why can't she have a name or face? is it dangerous or is it because it'll encourage the voice's puppets to stop working for it?

e.) are statues like grim the only way the voice gets it's puppets?

6.) is ki like the mana of this world?

a.) are all puppets monks?

b.) what's (a) aasimar?

c.) she's of divine blood. does it come with other powers aside from those listed? to what extent does it make her immortal?

7.) aside from having it's own agenda, does the voice still do things under the thoughts of working for their god/s or deities?

a.) why is it using puppets to do it's bidding? are there not other ways to wreck havoc/get what it wants without them?

b.) does it still look like an angel, or has it been horribly disfigured? do they even have a face, or is it in a similar situation to it's puppets ("i have no name, no face.")?

8.) why was grim so different from the other statues?

a.) what made the sculptors design her so human?

a.) what made her so special to the voice? wouldn't the other sculptures be prime candidates as well?

b.) why was she being offered to nobles?

9.) you mentioned grim has difficulty trusting her allies. is she the same with lolnye? is their romantic interest in each other one-sided or reciprocated?

a.) is lolnye under the voice as well, or is she her own independent person?

b.) what does she look like? what's her personality?

c.) what made lolnye and grim meet? can they fall into a trope (enemies to lovers, a little more than coworkers, etc)?

d.) what was lolnye's upbringing like? did she even have one, or was she just created like grim?

OKAY SO I DEF NEED TO SLIP THIS UP INTO LIKE TWO, MAYBE THREE PARTS WHICH I LOVE

WOOOW, HOWW RUDE!! TLDR: Her Divine blood/abilities aren't made for her mortal form which...caused her to burn her! A.) No! Grim's look and appearance is unique to her and her alone! B.) Her areas around her eyes are charred because of her Radiant Consumption! The bright divine light that shines from her eyes is too much for her half mortal body! She over used her divine abilities which caused her eyes to go white and to burn around her eyes. Its hurts like a bitch but The Voice is persistent about her using it. C.) (NOT LORE: The mask is also because of her dnd SubClass as a monk.) The mask is specific to her and her alone, but Grim doesn't know that. The mask is like her face in a way, that is how she 'wants' to be perceived and it is def apart of the 'I have no face' thing! As she (and The Voice) sees it, to have a face and name means that you can be remembered and to be remembered means that youre important. She, Grim, is not important, she is simply a vessel to carry out the plans of The Voice.

Really? Hmm, interesting >:3 A.) Grim is actually the only 'Puppet' that has had their memories erased :D. B.) Grim does have control over her own body and she could go against The Voice BUT why would she? If The Voice, the 'reincarnation of mercy', deemed someone not worth saving, why should she question them? C.) If this person was a horrible person/deemed unworthy by The Voice Grim wouldn't even glance their way, other than that she's more than willing to get her hands dirty to save someone.

Grim considers The Voice the Law, cause she (Grim) isn't a person. A.) Grim has NO memory of her past. She doesn't remember her origins or the sins of The Voice, The Voice made sure of that. B.) A little bit of both! She follows the order of The Voice like a mindless follower, worshiping the divine light that is The Voice. But she also does consider this like her job! She seeks out the ills of the world and purges them from the earth. (Grim is a weird mix of The Grim Reaper, a plague doctor and a vigilante?) C.) HMMMMM TOUGH QUESTION MMMMMMMMM okay, the voice is above the Law to Grim considering that they are a....ya know a divine being! I do think that Grim has a soft spot for children and animals, so she does kinda go against The Voice when it comes to hurting one of those two!

:3 A.) It does have a following! It is was rather big before The Voice was sealed but after that it quickly dwindled. Now its just a small group of people. It IS trying to regrow its following! B.) The Voice doesn't really need a guardian but plants that seed of thought into Grim's brain to reinforce their dynamic and (toxic) bond. But there are higher beings (aka gods/deities) that go against/hate the voice. (Those are the ones who Sealed them away.) C.) The Voice considers all of their followers as their 'puppets' but Grim hasn't met another 'puppet' like her, aka a military/force/guardian. So as she (and we know), Grim is the only guardian but isn't the only puppet. D.) Its less hypnotizing and more emotional and mental manipulation! They use their heavenly status to just...be a DICK to everyone!! The Voice goes after those in need/naive or just weakminded people, they manipulate them (potential puppets) into believe that The Voice are their savoir! (The Voice isn't against blackmailing/ death threats to convert people either :D) E.) Because even if they aren't in heaven, they still SEE themselves as a divine being and despises the idea of being seen as any less than that! CLASSIC NARCISSIST MOVE!! F.) .....Hehehehehe......

[aworldforastage]

long incoherent rambling after finishing 遇蛇/Encountering a Snake by 溯痕

[unmarked spoilers ahead]

I heard about this novel's reputation as the angsty mortal/immortal reincarnation romance since I started reading danmei two years ago. I expected to it hurt, but it still took me by surprise.

It's full of every flavor of pain you can expect from regret, loss, loneliness, and pining, turns them into a knife to cut you open, and then crumbles it all to dust to rub the grains into your wounds.

Shen Qingxuan

For the most part, I don't feel like Shen Qingxuan's story is all that sad. He knows what he wants, he knows how to get it, he isn't afraid of going all-out to pursue it, and he doesn't regret the sacrifices he has to make to achieve his objectives. In the end, he gets most of what he wants. 求仁得仁也不过如此。

Shen Qingxuan never gets Yi Mo to reciprocate his love while he is alive, but all he is actually missing is a declaration. That declaration is important, yes, but in retrospect, it doesn't seem to matter much compared to everything else.

Yi Mo's name is on his headstone. Their adopted son bears his surname. All of their happy memories as a family is from Shen Qingxuan's lifetime. They all still think of that soul as Shen Qingxuan's, regardless of which body it is in.

Ji Jiu

Throughout most of the story, the arc that really got to me is Ji Jiu's story in Book 2. It manages a real "mutually unrequited love" -- Yi Mo loves a dead man reincarnated as a very different Ji Jiu. Ji Jiu falls for Yi Mo, who only wants the dead person Ji Jiu reminds him of. His life as Ji Jiu is forever changed by these people who comes to him searching for pieces of Shen Qingxuan, but it turns out they don't actually want him, Ji Jiu, at all.

And in some ways, it seems like even the narrative never quite forgives Ji Jiu for refusing to surrender his identity to become Yi Mo's Shen Qingxuan. Liu Yan dislikes him before he regains his full conscientiousness. Later, he disowns Ji Jiu's son, who is still alive, despite still granting much more patience and goodwill towards the descendants of the Shen family, because the later has accepted his and Yimo's relationship. (Never mind that Shen Qingxuan and Yi Mo both took care of the Shen family extensively, while Ji Jiu's family life is obliterated by Yi Mo's appearance.)

And it's so cruel because Ji Jiu and Shen Qingxuan are so similar -- so smart and passionate, so generous and proud. It feels like Ji Jiu is how Shen Qingxuan might have lived if he were never crippled. But Ji Jiu is allowed to be hurt and forgotten at the expense of Shen Qinqxuan's memory, by the people who would never fathom doing it to Shen Qingxuan himself.

Yi Mo has his moments, sleeping on Shen Qingxuan's headstone and cuddling up with his decaying bones to sooth his centuries-long heartache. But after all his searching and waiting and sacrifices, he gets what is looking for.

Yet Ji Jiu, the proud, brilliant General Ji Jiu dies alone on the battlefield, longing so intensely a part of his soul breaks off waiting to see Yi Mo come for him one last time -- and Yi Mo doesn't, at least, it's not for him.

Liu Yan

Liu Yan's arc doesn't hit me as hard because I was still reeling from Ji Jiu's death, but also because he never gets enough of a sense of self. He spends his early years intellectually disabled because his literal soul is incomplete. When he gets his full intelligence and consciousness back, he also gets his memories back -- and he is pretty much Shen Qingxuan again. Even though the narrative still calls him Liu Yan, he only feels like Liu Yan for a very short amount of time, and the rest of the time he is more like Shen Qingxuan's miracle second chance at life.

But soon after, still in Liu Yan's body, Shen Qingxuan and Yimo have to contend with mortality and their impending separation by death, again. Even when the family is together, so much of their energy and thoughts are taken up by "what about when this ends?" and that is just slow torture.

This is the arc that really grills you with dread and anxiety. This is everything you wanted, which you can only have for a little while, and it's here now, so what comes after? And it's brief and fleeting and so, so costly, but it's never going to get better than this bittersweet moment. How do you keep hoping and living?

Even though Shen Qingxuan and Yi Mo have the strength to keep going, to the make the best of their moment, I feel like I'm at my limit.

And so

In a genre where immortals exist, the main characters are firmly tethered to mortality. We watch their friends and family age and die, and passage of time blurring the marks left by those who came before. And not only do we have to grieve that loss, but we are also constantly reminded whatever happiness our characters find, it is limited in a similar way by mortality: short, but also capricious and fragile.

And then it ends, and there will nothing left behind, except scars and pain, and if they are really lucky, a few happy memories.

[mimirjoo]

Hi! I've been so entranced by your drawings for your story The Phantom and the Soldier, they're so pretty and I love the concept!

I'm curious for any and every detail of this beauty, it's so interesting, I don't mind if you gush about it 🥰🥰❤️

Oho, you want to hear more about my Angel of Music? My sewer woman? My drama queen?

A core part of Vesta's (my Phantom's) character is the desire to return to what once was - an angel in the heavens. What happens when an inhuman entity is placed in a flawed, mortal body (granted, to save her life)? She's spent much of her youth searching for a way to restore her previous self, but the hope has since ebbed away. She's now just Vesta, scarred. Vesta, drinking wine and hiding away in the underground. Vesta, with a face growing lined with age, brow furrowed while toiling away at her music desk.

Death hangs its shadow over her, but the arts can grant a kind of immortality, in a sense. The arts are a way for her to capture divinity, even if the product is just an imperfect copy. Perhaps if she makes something so powerfully sublime it subsumes her in the process. Her face will not matter. The masterwork will be all that remains. Nevertheless, she's also faced with human needs. Deep down, she does feel lonely, even if she doesn't directly acknowledge it much. She's secluded herself due to being used one too many times (angel blood is used to power magic, but that's a discussion for another time). So when she's faced with a person showing love and affection without any ulterior motive, how does she react?

I think a key part of the story's also about learning what it is to be human. The joy of creation in the arts. The smell of freshly-baked bread. Dreaming of glory on rooftops. A lover's smile reflected in your own. A family, found. Human life is about finite joys, but they are made precious because they end. We cherish them while we can. I hope that wasn't too sappy. I enjoy stories exploring what makes life worth living. The heart's a heavy burden, but it's one Vesta learns she'll gladly bear.

Inspirations (aside from various POTO works) include Howl's Moving Castle, The Last Unicorn, and... New Capenna, from Magic: the Gathering, surprisingly enough.

Fun fact: This originally started as an AU for ocs from an entirely different project (Project: Lorn/Takipsilim), which explains why their names aren't Erika and Crispin. They're pretty different from where they started, and it's been fun to watch them change and grow. And Vesta's a goddess of hearth, home, and family.

[khaleesiofalicante]

Me: No, I will not take distractions this week. I am busy! I will read lbaf on Friday as a little reward 🥰

Also me after I saw you posted this chapter: yeah, scratch that. I don't have that much self control anyways :))

This will be all over the place bc I am experiencing a lot of emotions right now, I am running on 4 hours of sleep and I am not ok after that end :))

"That name is not cool,” Kit interrupted. “Petition to call them Power Babes. And trust me, some of them are babes.” Power babes is the best name ever and now I will never not remember it. Damnit, Kit!

Rafael made too many promises. This is going to backfire, isn't it?

The immortal gang always leaves me with an existential crisis ngl

God, Ragnor is such a drama queen and I stan him😂

LUCA!?!! LUCA?!?!

I KNEW IT!!! NICO IS LUCIFER'S HEIR!!! I am so proud of my theory dkbdkdjdk. Also Kit figuring out?? ✨Iconic✨

BEN FUCKING CLARK!!! HELL YEAH LET'S GOOO

So, it didn’t matter.

It didn’t matter that Alec Lightwood loved one man so much that he changed the world for him.

Assholes will always be assholes.

Fuck those people, honestly

The detail of Jace praying bc we know that's what he does when he is desperate 😭

How could you forget something that was the core of your existence? just stop it this is hurting so much!!!

MINA IS HERE!! FUCK YEAH, FINALLY!!! She needed to smack him on the head and get some sense into him!! God, I love her💙💙

“It’s literally just finishing one assignment and starting another. Hollywood lied to us about all the booze and the babes.” True. They got my hopes up for nothing 😔

She is a fucking genius!!!!

What a bad bitch Clary is!! It amazes me everytime😍 but also she is so scary and I am concerned:)

“Because you are known for your eloquence?” Mina asked dryly.

Max smiled. “I really fucking missed you.”

///

“Mina Carstairs,” his best friend introduced herself. “Max’s brain cell and life coach.”

Their friendship>>>>>

Ok.... That meeting could have definitely been phrased better... But I'm just too in love with Clary rn to notice 😍

“Hibernating?” Alec asked. “Like a Pola Bear?” I wanted to make fun of him but it was also my first thought 😂

Because they knew this was their truth.

And they liked their strange, painful truth.

Because it was theirs.

Malec are keeping my sanity istg-

Magnus being ready to let Alec seduce him omfg jdvskdndkd

Alec is the only one who seems to have his shit together at this time and he's so sexy for all the wise things that come out of his mouth

“You are a Fairchild,” Ben whispered. “You have the same eyes.” I KNEW YOU WOULD CONNECT THDM TOGETHER SOMEHOW!! That's why Nico told her to go😭

The man grinned over his shoulder. “Get in, losers. We’re saving Idris.” YES YES YES!!! MY MAN IS BACK IN THE GAME!!

The last fucking POV jfc!!! I... I don't know what to say other than:

I FUCKING HATE MALLORY SO MUCH I WOULD GLADLY GET HER OUT OF THIS WORLD

DONT FUCK WITH ME. THE RING. AND THE KISS😭😭😭😭 foreshadowing everywhere huh?

MAX WROTE EVERYTHING ON THOSE DAIRIES!!! FUCK!!

DAVID😭😭😭

THE LIBRARY!!!

THE FUCKING AGONY RUNE HOLY SHIT

HE NOW DOESN'T REMEMBER THEIR FIRST KISS😭😭 AND THE "louder" SCENE 😭😭😭😭

I literally felt the fear. I could feel my heart racing and my hands shaking. No book has ever made me feel it so real. You are an amazing writer💙

I will be sending you my therapy bills ;)

the fact you felt the fear has me shooketh, that's EXACTLY the vibe i wanted the readers to have when they read mallory scenes 👀

AND I AM OBSESSED WITH HOW YOU COLLECT THESE BANNERS HEHE.

i will wait for the therapy bill 💙

[rabbitcruiser]

National Teddy Bear Day 

The teddy bear is one of the most popular toys for children, and holds a special place in many adults hearts, too. This lovable stuffed animal has a day all of its own, Teddy Bear Day. It gives a chance for people to get teddy out of the cupboard and make him the center of attention.

It’s an ideal time to get together with others for a teddy bear’s favorite activity, having a picnic, as immortalized in the classic song, ‘Teddy Bear’s Picnic.’ This was written in 1907, shortly after teddy bears were first manufactured in Europe and America. The American toy bears were named Teddy, in honor of President Theodore Roosevelt, who had refused to shoot a small captured bear on a hunting trip. Many teddy bears have become famous over the years, including Paddington Bear, Rupert Bear, Pudsey Bear and, of course, Winnie the Pooh.

Learn about Teddy Bear Day

In a world where everyone seems to be larger and louder than yourself, it is very comforting to have a small, quiet companion

Teddy Bear Day has been created so that we have a specific date whereby we can pay tribute to one of our favorite childhood toys. Most people reading this will have fond memories of playing with a teddy bear when we were younger. In fact, some of you reading this may even have your favorite childhood teddy bear today. It may be tattered and even missing an eye or some stuffing, but it will be the most precious teddy bear in the world to you!

On this date, we pay tribute to this amazing childhood toy, which has stood the test of time. It does not matter what new crazes or toys come onto the market, they will never surpass the global popularity that the teddy bear has attained. With every decade that passes by, we still see children clutching onto their teddy bears, and it is a beautiful sight to behold.

This is because our teddy bear is usually the first friend that we have. It is the first ‘person’ that we share all of our thoughts and experiences with. We even cuddle our teddy bear when we go to sleep at night because it provides us with comfort. It is only right that we take a day to reflect on just how amazing teddy bears are, right?

History of Teddy Bear Day

It’s too bad we’re not all teddy bears. More stuffing would only make us cuter and cuddlier.

To understand the history of Teddy Bear Day, we need to roll back the clock to something that happened more than 100 years ago. In 1902, Theodore Rossevelt was the President of the United States. During this year, he refused to shoot a bear cub while he was in Mississippi hunting. The incident spread around the country via the national news. There was even a cartoon of the event that was published in the Washington Post by Clifford Berryman on the 16th of November in 1902. It became a classic right away.

Morris Michtom, a store owner in New York, was inspired by the cartoon and he decided to create a new toy. He then sent a letter to the President, asking Mr. Roosevelt if it would be possible for the new toy to be called “Teddy Bear.” The rest, as they say, was history.

Since then, there have been a lot of famous teddy bear characters, and this toy has become loved by children all over the world. No matter their upbringing, culture, or any other differences, one thing that all children can agree with is that there is nothing quite like the comfort and friendship that a teddy bear provides.

We have since seen the famous teddy bears from Briton, like Paddington and Winnie-the-Pooh. You also have the famous Care Bears series. In the United States, Radar, a teddy Bear from Sesame Street that belonged to Big Bird, hit the screens. Of course, Garfield, a lasagna-loving cat was also a big hit in the United States, and consequently around the world. Plus, we can’t forget Fozzie Bear from the Muppets either!

Our love affair with teddy bears has not ended. You only need to look at the new releases on TV and at the cinema to see that new teddy bear characters are being invented all of the time. In recent years, we have seen the Ted films become exceptionally popular. While aimed at adults rather than children, these films are still based on the premise of teddy bears being a best friend. Ted may be funny, but he is lovable, as all teddy bears are. If you have never seen the film, which stars Mila Kunis and Mark Wahlberg, we would definitely recommend watching it on Teddy Bear Day if you want to have a good old laugh!

How to celebrate Teddy Bear Day

There are a lot of different ways that you can celebrate Teddy Bear Day. One option is to dig up your favorite childhood teddy bear and take some photos of it. Share the images on social media and encourage your friends, family members, and followers to share images of their favorite teddy bear from when they were a child. Even if people do not have any photos of their bear, they will enjoy sharing stories of how they used to take their teddy bear everywhere with them.

Another fun way to spend this day is to go out and buy yourself a new teddy bear. Even as an adult, there is something cute and comforting about having a teddy bear in your home. As time has gone on, there have been a number of different companies that have popped up that enable you to purchase your own teddy bear.

You are able to choose the different fur and other unique characteristics that really make your teddy bear your own. If you have children, this is definitely a fun way to spend the day, but it is also fun and exciting even if you do not have any kids. After all, who does not love the idea of building their own teddy bear? If you are a particularly crafty person, you could even make your own teddy bear from scratch.

There are lots of different instructions online that enable you to do this, and it will be a fun way to spend the day. Plus, there is something amazing about having a teddy bear that you have made from scratch. It makes it feel even more like a real friend and companion. It is your own, and no one else in the world is going to have the same teddy bear as you. That is pretty amazing! Make sure that you share photos of your creation across social media if you’re the sort of person that uses Instagram and such like. We bet all of your followers will be super impressed!

Source