#but the disastrous end of his previous relationship still affects him

[lieutenantselnia]

More f/o thoughts (this time with Davy) because apparently I'm in the mood for writing them down today, and also I actually realised something just now:

So with Davy and Selena, it actually takes them a considerable time until they become a couple, and I realised one of the reasons for that might be a particular issue that they both have: Neither of them can bring themselves to confess😅 Despite having feelings for each other, they are just stupidly oblivious about it. Though not necessarily in the classical sense of "oblivious" that they don't notice the other's behaviour around them at all, they do pick up the signals, but brush it off as "I'm just seeing the things I want to see", "it's just my wishful thinking making me see ghosts" because they can't fathom the thought that the wonderful person they've fallen for feels the same way about them. It's probably painful to watch for Maccus and the rest of the crew at this point xD

[wthtorke]

Cultural Differences

One shot commission for @scallopedsuitcase ! Thank you! 

You didn’t know what to do anymore.

When you heard that the Yautja-Human peace treaty was finally up and running and that not only that meant everyone was safe and sound but also that the galaxy’s greatest and sexiest species was to roam free within your planet. You were proudly part of a small community that wasn’t opposed to...engaging-, with such creatures.

It didn’t take long for you to find your Yautja of interest. He was tall. Taller than any other partner you ever had before. That alone did things to you. Their ships had taken residency in whatever forests seemed best to them. You’d never thanked the skies more for living right outside a reserve in your life. 

The first thing you checked was his wrist from afar. To make things easier for everyone while they sorted out yautja translators for humans, yautjas interested in human contact wore different colored lights on their wrist gauntlets. Some of the colors were; red for ‘No Contact’, yellow for ‘formal contact only’, blue for ‘Friendly contact’, and purple for ‘Accepting of human advances’.

Now, while the term was awkward at best, but you were the happiest human on earth when your crush showed up on your street with that purplish wrist gauntlet. it’s lights dancing, glowing brighter and then darker again in an endless cycle.

He was everything you’ve ever dreamed of physically and after some time observing and building up your courage-, you found that his personality was just as much endearing as his physique. 

You’d taken to hiking, something you didn’t exactly have the habit of doing, all in hopes of spotting him by his ship, and so you did. So, there began your mission. While you didn’t have a translator on your person, there was one language that was known to all the galaxy.

Flirting.

Flirting was supposed to be exciting, charming, and well, what better way to let someone know you were totally into them, right? Surely, some winks and gestures here and there would pass him the message loud and clear.

2 weeks in of hiking and you could feel your muscles hardening up. The way your body responded to this new routine spoke volumes of your previous sedentary ways, never really having a reason to leave the house if it wasn’t for work or well, buying what you needed. So far, however, your flirting had brought you no results. The times you could make out his expressions when he saw you were...not pleasing. He looked...confused, at best. 

So, you sat at home on a particularly cold night, holding a warm mug of hot chocolate to keep the shivers at bay, wondering what could you possibly be doing wrong. You bit your lip, winked, wore your best clothes, and still, nothing. It was frustrating.

You checked on your translator order situation, refreshing the page now and then as you knew they were updated at night. When the peace treaty was first announced and the ‘requesting’ system was up, you hurried to place your order. The translator wasn’t cheap, and it would only be one of the very prototypes, meaning it wouldn’t be able to translate everything at once so fluidly, but at least you’d be able to communicate faster before most of the people could, and that alone made you very happy, it was exhilarating. 

The translator had been ‘In Confection’ for months now, finally coming around the expected date of postage as your page told you. 

Another hour went by before you refreshed it again, the yellow dot becoming green with the text you had been waiting for underneath it. 

“In Transit.”

Finally.

With newfound excitement and determination, you pulled up the weather report for tomorrow’s morning and afternoon, sighing as you thought of your Yautja crush yet again.

The next morning came as fast as your head hit the pillow as you jumped up and out of the bed, ready to start your day with your morning jog, hoping to see him either on the way up or down the trail. Teeth brushed, hair tied up, and a water bottle filled, you made your way out the door, feeling the chilly morning air fill your lungs, wiping away the last remains of sleep from your body.

While jogging, you fell in thought. 

The translator wouldn’t take more than 3 days to arrive. In little time you’d be able to communicate with him...but what if he didn’t like you? 

Your jogging slowed down to a walk as this hit you hard in the head.

What if he had already rejected you and you didn’t catch it? You thought about it further and so came the odd looks he gave you, the puzzled stares, and more. You made your efforts well known and well shown as well, and he didn’t growl or try to move away, so it couldn’t have been that bad, right?

You looked at your feet as you walked, lost in those thoughts as you hit something hard, making you stumble back a couple of steps. You looked back up in surprise only to find out it wasn’t something but someone.

“Oh, hi! Sorry, I um, I didn’t see you,” You said, doing your best to gesture to him, and then your eyes, trying to tell him what you said.

As always, he stood there for a second, slowly nodding afterward. He tilted his head to the side a bit, getting a little closer to your person as if inspecting your face. His tusks were close to your face, so close you thought he was going to kiss you. Or well, try to, given he didn’t have lips.

“I-,” was all you managed to get out before he stepped back, shaking his head slightly before reaching behind his back, where his pouch usually was. Hands coming forward again, he extended his arm, opening his palm to present you with something.

You gasped at the notion of receiving a gift from him, this could only mean courtship, right?

Looking down at his hand, you were more than confused to see a very human-made looking pill bottle. “What?” You said, picking it up from his hand.

‘Melatonin. Sleep aid.’

“Sleep aid?” You questioned, looking back up at him, “Are you saying I look tired?!” You said, shaking the pill bottle towards him, the yautja raising his hands a bit, the universal sign for ‘hey calm down’.

But what could this possibly mean?

“I tried so hard! And you say I took tired? I’ve been coming here every day to see you! You-!” You sighed, shoulders slacking a bit after your outburst. “Okay, okay. You know what? Fuck-, I get it, I’ll let you be,” You said, turning right back around, deciding to end your exercise right there when the biggest hand you ever felt closed around your arm, making you look back again.

You had heard the Yautja language before, but hearing it live was just as foreign. He was speaking fast, the clicks and guttural growls making absolutely no sense to you.

He still, somehow, managed to look confused while speaking such a harsh tongue.

“I don’t understand!” You exasperated, yanking your arm free and sighing again. You put your hand up, “Wait.” you said. 

He looked at your hand, which accompanied with the word made something light up in his face as he nodded this time. “Good, I’ll um, see you later,” You said, waving and making the rest of your way back to your house.

You couldn’t stop thinking about it. Sitting on your couch while staring at the pill bottle on the table. It was what it was, you supposed. It was truly melatonin. 

But what did he mean with it? Did he want you to sleep well? Why did he think you weren’t getting enough sleep?

“Where did he even get this?!”

The pill bottle was sealed still, just like the ones you’d buy at the drug store. Could you imagine? A Yautja walking in a drug store and purchasing melatonin? If you told that to someone, they’d think you were crazy, even with the whole peace treaty going on.

Another day went by and you didn’t go jogging anymore, afraid your ‘relationship’ could turn sour if you saw him again without your translator. Still, the pill bottle haunted you, sitting in the exact place on your table.

On the second morning after your disastrous encounter, the doorbell rang. And you knew exactly what it was for. Sprinting for the door, the mailman was different, clearly a private company worker, holding your package with both his hands, looking around as he waited for you to come up.

Package picked up, opened, and fiddled with. After 15 minutes, you sat in your living room muttering words into your translator, watching as it came to life, making some odd sounds in what you knew was the yautja language.

Now you could go talk to him, for real.

Picking up the pill bottle from the table, you sprinted up the trail again, regretting not bringing your water bottle as you reached the place where you last saw him, panting and a little red in the face.

You looked back up when you heard soft purring, a sound you hadn’t heard before but wished dearly to.

‘It means affection’ you recalled reading once from the article the first human to mate a yautja wrote, ‘Fondness’.

You straightened yourself, clearing your throat before looking up at him, “Um, hi, I- ah fuck,” you fiddled some more, producing your translator from your pocket, getting a curious look from the yautja before you.

“I hope this works” you muttered before lifting the device closer to your mouth and taking a deep breath. “Hi, I hope this translates what I’m saying decently, now, I’d please like to know what did you mean with this?” You said into it, waiting a second before it started its clicking noises.

The Yautja’s expression changed instantly, his eyes widening as he leaned forward to the sound of his language. He squinted as he kept listening, making you blush in embarrassment. God, was the translator that bad?

Upon hearing the last of the clicking, you lifted the pill bottle to him for emphasis, waiting for him to react.

He stood up straight again, eyeing the bottle he gave you a few days prior, still unopened. He extended his hand, shaking his head when you offered him the bottle, pointing instead to the translator in your other hand. “Oh, of course!” You handed it to him, watching as he had a look at the digital screen, apparently switching its mode from ‘Human to Yautja’ to ‘Yautja to Human’ seeing as the translator worked with just about every human language around the world.

Satisfied with the settings, he started speaking into it himself, gesturing to the pill bottle while he did so and then, to your surprise, to your face. This made you gasp a bit, your mind jumping to the worst conclusions possible. Did he think you were ugly? Well, you’d have to wait and see.

As he finished speaking, you both gave the translator a couple of seconds when a male voice spoke up, making you jump a bit, hands shaking in anticipation. “Hello. I thought you were sick. Whenever we had an encounter, you would make these strange expressions. I searched for them, the results were that what could be possibly making you have these...tics, was lack of sleep. The excessive blinking, biting your lips, involuntary facial pulling, all are the result of sleepless nights, excessive exhaustion, and the medicine for that is...that, for humans anyway.”

“WHAT?!” You yelled, snatching the translator back from his hand as he stared at you with yet another confused expression. “I was flirting with you! Flirting! I’m not sick!” You said, holding out the translator as it did its thing.

Confusion melting away into realization, he spoke again, not bothering to hold the translator but simply stepping closer to you.

“You were trying to court me?”

“Yes! I was winking at you! It’s a human thing!” You said, then realizing your mistake, “Oh...human thing...Ah fuck” You covered your face in embarrassment, “God, that’s why you always looked at me like that, I-”

“Would you still like to...court me?”

“Yes!” You said, head jerking up again so fast the yautja before you flinched a bit. “I-, yes.” You cleared your throat, a hard blush creeping its way across your face again.

“Good, it was my plan to court you too...after you had healed of your...sickness.” He said, chuckling, “Which apparently was no sickness at all.” He cleared as you squinted at him, “Well, I’m Yeyinde.” He said, “I’m glad we can finally communicate, always wanted to ask you a few things.”

You smiled, feeling that blush coming back again, “How about we go on a walk? Then we can talk about anything you want” You said, holding out your free hand for him to take.

“Of course,” He rumbled, massive hand closing gently around yours as you started walking up the rest of the trail.

[selenityshiroi]

So two weeks ago I caved to the cute images on my dash and sought out Toilet Bount Hanako Kun to read.

I’ve since read it through twice.

I have no idea where the kids do all their theorising and discussions nowadays (probably discord...which is better for live discussions and not cataloguing previous discussions) but I have THOUGHTS I need to put to page.

Spoilers for up to chapter 79 because I had the misfortune of reading it just after the chapter came out and am stuck waiting for a month with the existing fandom

So...Yashiro becoming Hanako’s assistant and being sacrificed to disrupt supernaturals was part of a long term plan, right? Which went disastrously wrong when he caught feelings and couldn’t bear to sacrifice her any more? (a sort of ‘well, if she’s gonna die anyway I might as well make her last months easy/fun and then at least her death has a purpose sort of thing’)

That’s my assumption following the severance.

(not sure WHY he needed to disrupt the supernaturals but I think Hanako (pre Yashiro feelings) was still a ‘does questionable things for the right reason’ boy and not doing it for anything shady)

But...the latest arc gives me more thoughts with regards to Hanako/Amane and Tsukasa.

First of all, I think the manga will end (or maybe not...it could come earlier than the end) with both Amane and Tsukasa returned to mortal form because whatever entity took Tsukasa and has apparently replaced him has kind of stolen their real futures from the both of them (which seems to be a supernatural distortion that can be corrected if they want). I think defeating it/destroying it will return their futures to them. BUT I also think Amane will be returned at age he died and Tsukasa will be returned at age 4 (the age he was stolen away). Mostly because Tsukasa has apparently spent the last 50 odd years stuck in a cursed house as a young child and isn’t really in a state to be returned as a teenager.

(also I think it’ll be less traumatic for Hanako to have a baby brother back that never hurt him and that he remembers fondly instead of the image of whatever took his place)

I also think that Amane will be as ill as he was when Tsukasa wished him better (because defeating the wish dealer will reverse Tsukasa’s original wish) BUT I do think the words of the doctor (along the lines of ‘we can’t heal him with the medical knowledge we have right now’) will be relevant and modern medicine can heal whatever his illness is quite easily.

(Amane and Tsukasa’s parents may also return at the same time because whatever killed Amane apparently involved his parents, too, because of the news reports of a family suicide...plus someone would need to look after baby Tsukasa and give Amane a home)

I DO however think that Amane/Hanako would still be supernatural (maybe aborbs the full powers of whatever the entity is...I currently believe he has half of it’s powers which is a) why he is so powerful for a ‘simple toilet ghost’ and b) why their powers seem to be mirrored/paralleled (also he probably got them when he killed ‘Tsukasa’)). Mostly because I can’t see him ever being just a normal kid again and also because it would be far more interesting and give further plot potential.

Now...Yashiro...I know she can see ghosts because of her near death and now she’s connected to the supernatural because of the mermaid scale blah blah blah.

Um...what about her apparent ability to move through time? Which I believe Hanako doesn’t even know about so it’s not related to her being his assistant?

There is no way that she is 100% a normal human being. She must have some sort of supernatural connection regardless of her relationship with Hanako and I hope this gets explored and developed.

Also, would a mortal/supernatural Hanako be affected by the mermaid scale differently? Just wondering because then they might have to take charge of the curse and twist it to their own purposes.

Finally...I’m, dying here. I love them so much! This art style is so cute and they are so sweet and adorable and I haven’t followed an ongoing monthly manga since FMA and I’m already impatient for more.

[villainousshakespeare]

AO3 Master List

Loki - Series

Exile’s Return: Rated M, Fluff, Smut, Romance, 16 chapters (complete)

Banished from Asgard for his various crimes, Loki seeks to use the rescue and return of Thor’s betrothed (ofc) to secure his release from exile. But he is the God of Mischief, and when the lady in question proves to be smart, caring, and lovely he can’t resist trying to slowly turn her affection away from the prince she is promised to marry and claim her for himself. My first ever (and still personal favorite I’ve written) fic!!

Loki and Kela’s Adventures on Midgard: Rated E, Smut, Fluff 8 chapters (complete)

A sequel to Exile’s Return, but not really necessary to read that first. Loki brings his love Kela to Midgard despite being wanted for war crimes by The Avengers. While attending the theater in New York they cross paths with a dangerous man with mind control abilities. Will Loki be able to keep Kela from becoming his latest victim?

In Exchange for Submission: Rated E, Smut, Fluff, Romance, Angst, 77 Chapters (completed)

Loki’s invasion of NY has taken a turn for the better, and he is now in charge of a growing percentage of the United States. During his campaign he acquired a group of hostages from resistance pockets and is keeping them captive in Stark Tower. Now, with things settling down a bit, he needs to decide what to do with them. Two of them, from a prominent family, are set to be released. One of these, a feisty, irritating, impossible woman, desperately offers to ransom the rest of the prisoners, including her best friend. Loki has no need of Midgardian coin, but the woman, who has been a thorn in his side for weeks, has something else that he desires - her submission. He offers her a bargain - every day he will require a new willing act of submission from her, and in exchange, he will release one prisoner. How long can she keep up the deal? And how much of herself will he demand she surrender?

Trigger Warnings: Dark elements, Dark!Thor, attempted rape (not by Loki), angst, tons of kink and smut

For the Price of a Book: Rated M, Romance, Fluff, Smut, Angst, 35 Chapters (completed)

In the days before the events of Thor I, Loki inadvertently comes upon a female servant being “punished” by a pair of guards. Her crime? Stealing a book from the rooms she was tasked to clean. Curiosity captured, he decides to break through the shy exterior by any means necessary. A bit of softer Loki story, as he is younger and pre-Jotunn discovery. He is still Loki though, so sass and drama will not be far away!

Christmas Mischief: Rated M, Romance, Fluff, Smut 4 Chapters (completed)

You have been dating Loki for several months, so it is only natural that he would accompany you home for a very old fashioned family holiday, right? This could be your dream come true… or your worst nightmare.

Loki - One Shots

The Rarest Flower: Rated T, Romance, Angst, 1 shot

Birthday Challenge from the prompt: Could I request the “forbidden/secret relationship” with Loki and reader? They dated back in Asgard, but with Loki as prince it was somehow forbidden so they needed to keep it secret. Someone found out and the reader was sent to Midgard and to not see Loki again and while she is there she found out she’s pregnant. Years later Loki found a way back to the reader and is surprised to see that they have a child

Retribution: Rated E, Smut, NonCon, 1 shot

Loki has just conquered two united armies on the field of battle. Now he confronts the woman who brought them together to oppose him - daughter to the proud king of one army, betrothed of the general of their ally. Angry at the challenge to his throne he decides to make an example of her, and gives her a choice: be tossed to his soldiers for their entertainment, or willingly submit to his every perverted demand as his personal slave. Basically, my attempt at a Loki/slave one shot.

Trigger Warning: VERY NON-CON! This is not the love story Loki of my previous works, but just pure, unadulterated, dark, perverted porn.

Team Bonding: Rated T, Drinking, Implied Future Smut, Drunken Silliness, One Shot

Now that Loki is a member of the Avengers, he needs to develop a better report with them. As his fiancé, you feel it is your duty to encourage him to go out for post-mission drinks with the team. What could possibly go wrong?

The Perfect Costume: Rated E, Smut

Loki needs to find the perfect costume to wear to a party with you. What will he come up with and how will you react?

Life of the Party: Rated T, Drinking, Implied Future Smut

An empath and a scientist in the service of SHIELD, you are blackmailed by Tony Stark into attending one of his parties for your own good. Expecting to have a miserable time, you instead strike up a conversation with the God of Mischeif. Written for @scrumptious-delusion 2K Writing challenge!

A Flood of Emotions: Rated M, Smut, Fluff, Set During Pandemic

As an empath living through the Covid-19 pandemic you are struggling to deal with being confined with everyone else's emotions. When Loki arrives at your door for a delayed rendezvous you are moments away from a panic attack. Can the God of Mischief take your mind off of your problems?

This is a continuation of the story begun in "Life of the Party", though it is not necessary to read it first.

You’re My Obsession: Rated M, Angst, Smut, Avenger Loki

As the head of PR for the Avengers, you are faced with a lot of problems. None of them, however, is as big as your obsession with a certain God of Mischief. While he cavorts with models and treats you as a nothing more than a close friend, you find yourself unable to control your feeling for him. Can you find a way to make him final take notice of you?

James Conrad

GIF by jeaingrey

The Mark: Rated E, Smut, Angst, Fluff, Romance, Gooey Ending, One Shot

Desperate for money in a backwater town in South East Asia after the Vietnam War, Jennifer follows a tall British man she has just seen win a roll of cash at pool. She is determined to make him her latest mark, but James Conrad is more than what he seems and not one to fall for any woman’s game.

Trigger warning: Mention of attempted kidnapping/human trafficking

Tracking the Beast: rated T, fluff, alcohol use, implied smut

James leads a group of inexperienced adventures to track a rare beast.

Sir Thomas Sharpe

In Search of Refuge: Rated E, Smut, Gothic Romance, Work in Progress

A disastrous carriage accident leaves Rose stranded in a snow storm. Desperate to find shelter from the elements, she stumbles upon a run down estate and throws herself on the mercy of its owner, Sir Thomas Sharpe.

Magnus Martinsson

GIF by littllemissmagic

Protection: Rated E, Smut, Romance, Fluff, Angst, 36 Chapters (completed)

Against his wishes, Magnus is assigned an undercover case to protect a witness and bring down a criminal. He gets more than he bargains for with his protectee. This starts with a slow burn, but I promise there will be smutty goodness in upcoming chapters!

Bunnies in the Rain: Rated E, Smut, Fluff, Romance One Shot

Birthday Challenge: Magnus and Just. One.  Bed. You and Det. Magnus Martinsson get stuck in the rain out on the job, and have to take shelter in a Bed and Breakfast. What could possibly happen?

Robert Laing

Her: Rated E, Smut, Kidnapping, Dub/Con, Nonconsensual Drug Use

Laing enjoys life in the high rise as every woman’s favorite amenity, but lately he’s been getting bored. When he sees Grace, he knows he has to have her, no matter what it takes.

Trigger Warnings: Please, please, please read the rating. This is a dark fic unlike my usual ones.

Tom Hiddleston

Kicked Out: Rated M, Fluff, Angst, Kissing,

Birthday Challenge: Tom and Just. One. Bed.On your first professional tour you are unceremoniously ousted from your hotel room when your roommate hooks up with one of the stars. It is at this point that the other lead, one Tom Hiddleston, wanders into the room. Being a gentleman, he can hardly let you drink alone!

In the Timing: Rated E, Smut, Angst, Fluff 4 Chapters (completed)

After a horrible first date, you end up at a pub filled with University students. You are feeling rather old and sorry for yourself, until a blond haired Adonis strikes up a conversation with you. Obviously he is too young for you, but what could a little flirting hurt?

Tom Hiddleston/Loki

Personalities Within: Rated E, Smut, Fluff, Angst, Loki, Oakley, Jonathan Pine, Coriolanus, Adam, tbd, Work in Progress (currently on hiatus)

Tom had been so careful for so long. He rarely got involved in relationships, and if he did he only let them go on for so long before ending them. It was the only way to be safe. The only way that HE wouldn’t come out. And while HE, among others, might make Tom a great actor, the dangers were to great. But what happens when Tom falls for someone. Someone who not only is his perfect type, but the other’s perfect type as well? Can he pursue a relationship with her while keeping his secret and protecting her? Or will the unthinkable happen?

Trigger Warnings: Mental illness

@yespolkadotkitty @just-the-hiddles @hopelessromanticspoonie @nonsensicalobsessions @toozmanykids @thecutestlittlebunbunfairy @kellatron55 @myoxisbroken @vodka-and-some-sass @arch-venus25 @alexakeyloveloki @caffiend-queen @hiddlesholic @wolfsmom1​ @wrathkitty​

[quoteablebooks]

Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Steampunk

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Summary:

Alexia Tarabotti, Lady Maccon, has settled into domestic bliss. Of course, being Alexia, such bliss involves integrating werewolves into London High society, living in a vampire's second best closet, and coping with a precocious toddler who is prone to turning supernatural willy-nilly. Even Ivy Tunstell's acting troupe's latest play, disastrous to say the least, cannot put a dampener on Alexia's enjoyment of her new London lifestyle.

Until, that is, she receives a summons from Alexandria that cannot be ignored. With husband, child and Tunstells in tow, Alexia boards a steamer to cross the Mediterranean. But Egypt may hold more mysteries than even the indomitable Lady Maccon can handle. What does the vampire Queen of the Alexandria Hive really want from her? Why is the God-Breaker Plague suddenly expanding? And how has Ivy Tunstell suddenly become the most popular actress in all the British Empire?

*Opinions*

The fifth and final novel of the Parasol Protectorate series starts two years after the end of Heartless, with Lady Alexia Maccon still living in the second-best closet in Lord Akeldema’s townhouse due to some very interesting supernatural politics that resulted in the Maccon’s living in the vampire’s home. However, after a werewolf is murdered and an invitation is extended to Alexia and her daughter Prudence that she cannot refuse, the Maccons head to Egypt with the Tunstells acting troupe as cover to see if they can take care of all the mysteries at the same time. Things are never that easy for Alexia and soon the past and present converge that will tax even Lady Maccon’s intelligence and sensibilities, especially without tea to help fortify her. This final novel keeps the lighthearted and humorous tone of the rest of the novel while also providing a nice final chapter to Lady and Lord Maccon’s story, well their story as main characters at least.

  The characters, as always, were enchanting and loveable. I enjoyed that we finally got some parts of the story from Biffy’s point of view. He has always been an interesting character from drone to werewolf and one that I enjoyed, but he was also was held at arm’s length that made it so he didn’t rise in my affections like Professor Lyall or Lord Akeldema. I found his and Alexia’s relationship very sweet and enjoyed watching him adjust to his new life while still having confidence in his abilities. I would have liked more time with Biffy and Professor Lyall before they became intimate, even though that had been set up in the previous novel, but I have always loved a slow burn. I also know that there is another novella about the two of them so I’m guessing I will get the page time in that novel. While I have always loved Carriger’s characters in all her novels, I felt as if Channing and Felicity were rather flat in comparison. I thought that both of them had flashes of brilliance and depth throughout the series, but usually, they were just present to cause an issue to move the plot along and then disappeared again. When Carriger did so well with all her other characters, even ones that had very little page time, it made these two characters stand out all the more. While I know that Channing has another story, I don’t think we will see Felicity again, which I am alright with given how dull and vicious she turned out to be. As expected with any novel that has an established relationship in it, Alexia and Conall do have a bit of a bumpy go of it during the middle of the novel. While I believe that Conall had every right to be mad at Alexia for not telling him about the Kingair plot, I also understand why she kept the secret to keep the pack together. However, what did bother me is that never once did Alexia and Conall talk about how he treated her at the end of the Changeless. Maybe it is just the petty side of me, but my temper would lead that to be brought up whenever I was taken to task over something serious. Then again, Alexia really never apologies to Conall about the Kingair information and he forgives her so I guess it’s all evened out. As always, I believe that Carriger did a good job at mixing science and supernatural in this novel and series. That being said, the threat of science became less and less relevant as the series went along. I was truly expecting that the Order of the Brass Octopus to have a much bigger part in this novel’s plot, but it continued to be relegated to the reason that Alexia doesn’t trust Madame Lefoux and little else. Even the supernatural threat was not what it was in previous novels, though both Alexia and her daughter Prudence are still considered abominations. This is not saying that the novel was boring, but something I found interesting and complex in the first two novels seemed to fall away as the series progressed. As a conclusion to a series, I felt as if the ending went a little too quickly and there was no true settling of any of the issues that hung over the Maccon clan on their return from Egypt. I know that Carriger wrote more in this universe, but the end to a series should still feel like an end. That isn’t saying it wasn’t satisfying, I loved that everything wasn’t wrapped up as that is not believable, but everything was more paused than completed. It just made it seem like there should be another book or an epilogue, something to give a feeling of finality to the ending of Lord and Lady Maccon’s story. I’m going to miss Alexia, who is up there with one of my favorite heroines, and enjoyed my time with her and her ever-changing pack. I’m in love with the world that Carriger created and I am going to continue reading my way through the whole parasolverse saga. That being said, I know that I am going to revisit this series. It’s too fun not to.

[aqvarius]

I hope the rmd mc for kasumi is a bit different cuz she rly be hittin on my last nerve and I don’t think she would rly v✨i✨b✨e with kasumi in her current given state

i’ve decided i need to play matsunaga and cc before getting a better sense of the eicu guys but honestly some of these recent asks feel like my own brain jumped out of my head and started sending me anon asks lmao bc i totally agree. anyway i know it’s a controversial opinion to not like the rmd mc and i’m TRYING to be fair and put aside my bias against her and try to analyse what exactly it is that i don’t like, but yeah i just don’t really find that she has romantic chemistry with the characters (that i’ve read, i.e. takado and hosho). not that anyone ever asked for this, buuuuuut this ask has basically triggered yet another mc rant so stop reading here or get ready and settle down with some popcorn lmao.

DISCLAIMER: this is all just my personal opinion! and i’m sure many of you will disagree with me. please place a “i think/believe/feel” before every claim i make as everything i say here is just my own feeling towards her. i also need to disclaim that i have only properly read takado and hosho’s routes (bc i’m still...mad at sen’s route, and i’ve only made it through one chapter of matsunaga so far) and i understand (and fully subscribe to) the idea that mcs read differently depending on the route as well. and as always, please don’t let my opinions affect your own enjoyment of any characters or titles that you love!

ALSO as i was writing this, i went back and read my previous rant about her and i realised that i’m more or less reiterating the same points i made there but in a (hopefully) more structured and slightly more developed manner whoops. 

so here’s almost 3000 words and a whole bunch of screenshots under the cut because i don’t want to spam everyone’s dashboards with my unprompted Opinions(tm).

so anyway i’ve been thinking it’s a translation/tone thing. when i have the time/energy, i might sit down and really try to analyse the actual language, but just going off my intuition, i think maybe it’s because:

1. sometimes they choose to express something idiomatically and so that tone doesn’t come across as sincere. this isn’t a real example, but let’s think about the difference in tone between “oh no!” and “yikes”. because of modern day vernacular, we kind of associate “yikes” with a sarcastic and judgmental tone, whereas “oh no!” might connote a more genuinely concerned reaction. so sometimes i think that the use of very contemporary vernacular (which, lbr, trends towards a more sarcastic tone in general bc us gen z kids are mean) results in a lack of sincerity which makes the mc come across as a little more callous and less... actually kind and nice? i did get the feeling that hlitf mc has recently swayed towards this sort of tone as well and suspected that they had the same translator (which was confirmed later in a voltage Q&A). i’m definitely #biased but i can forgive this more because we had a good amount of content with her being adorable before the tone switch so i have a pre-established impression of her in my mind. 

by the way, i just want to say that while i do have this critique, i do really admire and respect the voltage translation and localisation team (and am... super indebted to them) and i do think they do fantastic translations generally. 

anyway, i believe this linguistic issue is at least partially responsible for my personal perception of the rmd mc’s personality that i expand on in the succeeding points, but my next point has more to do with the writing and characterisation of the most recent wave of mcs.

2. rmd mc has very few visible vulnerabilities. i think this is one of my biggest qualms with the new title mcs like rmd, destind and mk but i think stories are at their best when you get to see the mc fail and be vulnerable and wallow. the reason why i love certain mcs - particularly the ones whose titles and storylines centre around their careers (hlitf, irresistible mistakes, my last first kiss, scandal, celebrity darling, kiss of revenge, sleepless, otbs, arguably msb, etc.) - is because we get to see them fail and then grow. not only that, but you often get to see the relationship between the mc and the love interest deepen in these moments. but if you have a ‘perfect’ mc, then there’s no room for growth, so plotlines are forced to fall back on drama and trauma on the love interest’s side which... is exactly what rmd and mk do. 

this is not to say that rmd mc doesn’t make mistakes, because she certainly does, but i don’t find that they’re ever genuinely serious mistakes. for example, think about hlitf mc’s repeated mistake in season 1 of going after small crimes without seeing the bigger picture and thus potentially messing up an entire investigation. they allow her that space to mess up and be completely wrong for public safety. then they give her the time to be self-reflective and run away back to nagano really think about what her mistakes are, and where to go from there. she is confronted with humbling failure, and is forced to address issues about her own pride/ego, and matures into someone who has a more nuanced idea about justice. on the other hand, rmd mc never has to (consistently, afaik) go through a genuinely humbling experience, so she her pride/ego/arrogance never gets seriously called into question. maybe this is because the premise of rmd has to do with life and death and they don’t want to make it seem like she’s directly responsible for someone’s death, but hlitf also deals with life and death issues and the mc learns that if she messes up to save one civilian, she may actually be jeopardising the lives of tens or hundreds or more. 

anyway, taking takado’s route as an example, because this was our exposure to her as a character, the most frustrating thing is the way that she tries to lecture takado that he’s wrong about his attitude towards amputations, and never actually has to personally experience the potentially disastrous consequence of putting her ideology into practice. i think i would have enjoyed the route a lot more if she had gone over his head and naively made the decision not to do an amputation and then the person ended up dying or having to have a larger section amputated all because she was like uwu we can’t just cut off people’s limbs without waiting. i think if that situation had happened, we could have seen her actually have to confront her own naiveté and realise that she’s a noob and too idealistic and that reading a lot of medical journals does not translate to having actual field experience and intuition and who is she to question him like that when she knows nothing. she only realises that omg... we may have to consider some things with something called nuance... basically when more of takado’s backstory is revealed.  

(maybe this is because i work in academia so it extra-frustrates me, but omg if i had to one-on-one mentor a student like her, i would genuinely go nuts. she reminds me of some students that some colleagues and i have had where they  “well, actually” at everything you say bc they read some stuff on reddit or twitter that has absolutely not been proven through practical application of, or research conducted through the lens of, their theory. like imagine i told my advisors “despite being experts in [their respective fields] and having written numerous very important books, you’re wrong because i don’t agree but i have never myself conducted proper research to counter that!!”)

basically i wish they treated takado’s route like kaga’s routes (bc lbr takado and kaga are maybe... the same person?). look at the self-reflection here:

and here:

she does get down on herself at times, but look at the way that she humbly accepts her mistakes. sometimes she wallows on her mistakes, as anyone would, but look at the way she examines her failures and turns that feeling of inadequacy into motivation to work harder and smarter. 

by the way, these screenshots are from his ms1 and ms2 - so pretty early on - and we get to see her learn from these mistakes because she’s allowed to make them. we also get to learn more about kaga’s strictness and his kindness because of these mistakes.

i don’t know if the whole refusal to allow rmd mc to make significant errors is a response to readers who are like “omg.... why are voltage mcs so weak, why can’t they be perfect women who never get anything wrong” but ANYWAY i just feel like they never confront or address her hubris properly. 

3. following on from point 2, i find her one-dimensional. i’ve mentioned this before in a rant, but i don’t find her to be a very deep character bc to me, she reads as mostly surface level sass. i said: “her dialogue with them often reads as like they put 100 points in “snark” and 0 points in any other personality trait” lmao. so she’s great in one-off screenshots where you can see her bite back with a very screenshottable one-liner, but i find it tiring to have 30 chapters of her just literally running her mouth. because of this constant tone that they keep giving her, i find it really difficult to see any emotional depth in her character. because she’s the perspective character, her internal dialogue is just as, if not more, important as the love interest’s external dialogue in terms of carrying the emotional weight of falling in love, and i just don’t understand how there’s any sense of two people falling in love and getting to know each other when every sentence out of her mouth is just sass. can you imagine you meet someone and you get to know them but never have any genuine conversations bc every line out of your mouth is sarcastic? like your date is opening up and telling you about some difficulties he’s going through (which i’m sure you all know is a very vulnerable and scary thing to do) and instead of being empathetic and kind and understanding, you’re just like “sucks to be you dude”. and instead of saying “you don’t need to carry everything on your shoulders”, you say “you’re STUBBORN and i’m RIGHT”. OF COURSE i’m being kind of hyperbolic here (not even that much tho, see screenshots below) but that’s basically the tone she constantly takes. 

so when takado opens up about the rina thing, instead of being like “oh shit i’ve been judging him all this time and i’m genuinely sorry because i didn’t know a thing about you and yet i’ve been running my mouth”, she says “your head is as hard as a rock ya know?” and then KEEPS GOING. 

where’s the empathy sis? where is it? i’m looking but i can’t find it.

EVEN TAKADO WAS LIKE “I WAS TRYING TO TALK SERIOUSLY ABOUT IT”

and then the writers just push off her rudeness as like “it’s okay it’s chill!! takado laughed about it afterwards and it made the issue sound insignificant!!” even tho it’s obviously an extremely traumatic thing? WHY does he even fall in love with her??? i don’t UNDERSTAND alsdkfjs she has NO FEELINGS!! i just want genuinely romantic moments... is that too much to ask... it’s called romance md...

once again, let’s compare that to hlitf mc, when she finds out about kaga’s trauma. literally the FIRST reaction she has is to consider his feelings.

without even hearing his side of the story, she defends him because she trusts him and immediately empathises with him and the first thing she does is try to understand him and where he’s coming from. 

later on, when she hears him just dismissing things and playing callous, she actually cries on his behalf, which shocks him because he’s not used to people caring about him:

isn’t that a MASSIVE difference in reaction to essentially the same character opening up about their trauma? which do you find more conducive to developing emotional intimacy? in my opinion, it’s so much easier to fall in love with someone who supports you and has your back and trusts and believes in you and tries to understand you and can have a genuinely caring conversation with you when you need it. by the way, it’s not like kaga’s mc doesn’t sass him either! they have great bantery chemistry and she shit-talks him ALL THE TIME (a lot of the time under her breath and he’s like HUH? it’s great). 

and yet... we still actively see her caring about him... instead of being like WHOOPS my tongue slipped, i can’t help that i’m naturally insubordinate ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

by the way, i’m not trying to put the onus on female characters/heroines to be caring/empathetic/kind/loving. i’m putting the onus on ALL characters to be caring/empathetic/kind/loving in their own ways if we’re supposed to be convinced that they’re falling in romantic love. sure, kaga’s mc is exceptionally loving but kaga returns that love with his own ALL the time ;~~; anyway i’m gonna stop talking about them for now bc otherwise i would just completely derail and keep going on and on about them. 

anyway, back to takado, i actually find him to be more caring and loving than his mc? i actually genuinely like takado as a character and i think that real life me and him would be great together so i’m like extra offended that he’s with her rather than ME??? i would treat him so much better. 

i consider this lack of emotional depth to actually be a bigger hindrance on my enjoyment of the game than the lack of flaws thing. voltage’s recent wave of mcs with the love choice titles have been trending towards the ‘perfect woman’ type of mc, but while i have some Thoughts(tm) here and there about the other protagonists, none of them strike me as being as hard to get along with as rmd’s mc. so i’ve mentioned my issue with the masukisu mc’s weird moral boundaries (more an overall voltage issue that manifests the most strongly in her character), but i also do find that they don’t let her make big mistakes and they present her as this perfect superwoman figure with no weaknesses which like... unrelatable. but at least her banter is flirty banter and there’s a lot of chemistry there (even if it’s sometimes lacking emotional depth, as in some of kazuomi’s scenes - and that’s not her fault, that’s 100% on kazuomi lol). you can definitely understand why they’re attracted to each other at least, and you can definitely see real, deep love form between her and yuzuru the most. even though the masukisu mc is a ‘perfect woman’, the premise is designed to spark relationship conflict and the writing really helps us understand the emotional turmoil of falling in love with a target because of how much it lets the mc dwell on it. destind too basically has a perfect mc in terms of work/career, but they let her have her very glaring weaknesses and, once again, the premise forces her to address her shortcomings with regards to her idealistic view on soulmates/destiny and explores the head vs heart thing where she has to really examine her emotions and how they potentially come into conflict with her preconceptions of and preoccupation with numerical compatibility. 

thinking about it objectively, i feel like takado’s mc and mlfk ayato’s mc have a couple of similarities in the way that they don’t realise they’re in love for the longest time (although obviously childhood friends to lovers provides a better context for not realising that love - same with my boi natsume), but there’s just something lovable about mlfk’s mc that i don’t see in rmd. without going too deeply into it bc (1) i’m tired and (2) i’ve been going on about this for WAY too long now, i think that comes back to tone or writing (and possibly translation) style. i think at some point, i might actually go and compare the language in the “omg am i in love...?” scenes between takado’s mc, ayato’s mc and natsume’s mc but uh... not tonight haha. 

actually, at some point, i genuinely wondered if rmd mc was aromantic. i really just thought she did not experience romantic attraction because i literally got no sense of it through her internal monologue bc they kept pushing the whole like “i only relate to people’s ~aesthetics~” thing. and then i wondered how they were going to make an aromantic mc fall in romantic love...? because... it’s an otome game? (btw i’m not saying that aro people can’t enjoy otoge, i definitely know people who do! but there’s a big diff between someone playing an otoge vs someone being a character falling in romantic love in an otoge. but please call me out if i’m misunderstanding aromanticism!). anyway, long story short, rmd mc (takado’s especially) falling in love is absolutely unconvincing to me because i find her dialogue - both internal and external - rather unfeeling. 

these three points (1. translation that favours colloquialism over communicating emotional tone; 2. characterisation of a hubristic mc who doesn’t need to overcome significant challenges; 3. lack of emotional depth and empathy/understanding) are basically why i don’t think that she has good romantic chemistry with the love interests in romance md that i’ve read so far. i also have some very petty personal gripes (sekai...........) but they’re not relevant to this particular topic and frankly just... really petty so i don’t want to get into them here.

so anyway, long story short: i agree that i don’t think she would really vibe with kasumi in her current given state. like, they could be friends, maybe.

[booksoanahasread]

Cinci destine întunecate by Kendare Blake

I finished another fantasy series and I’m somewhat disappointed by this finale. The happy ending was perhaps too rosy and I don’t think some of the characters deserved their fates. 

This book was really hard to get into, unlike the other books in the series. It was incredibly character based which got tiresome and frustrating, who wants to constantly hear about Katharine’s battle with the dead queens? I didn’t for sure.

The whole book kept talking about a war between the queens, but one battle is clearly not a war. I feel like I was robbed of a true war and seeing the sacrifices made by the characters. The only person who seemed to sacrifice themself was Mirabella which bothers me. 

I was waiting for an epic battle, not just a slaughter because of the dead queens. It was rather anti-climatic, especially having Arsinoe leaving for most of the battle to hunt Katharine. I’m disappointed by the confrontation between Katharine and Arsinoe, it was too easy for Arsinoe. 

I feel like this whole book over-hyped the side effects of using black magic and yet there weren’t any clear sacrifices or consequences. Arsinoe didn’t even seem to understand that the consequences could be disastrous, clearly because there hadn’t been any disasters. 

Mirabella is such a complex character and I really was frustrated that she was murdered, out of all the queens, I think she deserved to live the most. Arsinoe was too impulsive and Katharine is way too childish.  She always tried to do what was best for the island, never what would keep her alive. She was incredibly self-sacrificial, she reminded me somewhat of Rhysand from the ACOTAR series. 

The one character that piqued my interest was Pietyr and I truly love him to be honest. He was almost dead for over half of the book and it was rather annoying. When he woke up, he kept dropping bombs about Katharine. It was clear that he was still infatuated with her, but he didn’t trust her and he didn’t think she was a good leader due to her corruption by the dead queens. He didn’t even try to stop Arsinoe killing his love, which takes a whole different level of maturity to handle. 

I really couldn’t stand Jules or Emilia. They were both so fixated on defeating Katharine and going after the throne that they didn’t even seem to have any other facets of their personalities. I found them to be problematic as well, especially their relationship. They have major problems communicating and it affects other people when they argue. They were constantly in that phase of a friendship where they have no clue whether their feelings are reciprocated. It got old in the previous book, but in this one it was absolutely idiotic. 

This book was so slow and melodramatic that I truly got bored while reading it. I kept waiting for something to happen. When the action started to pick up the pace, it was confusing and the writing was unclear. The lack of clarity may be due to the translation of the book, but I doubt it.

I’m not even sure what else to mention. I’m glad I finished this series and I know that the first book was the best of them all. I can’t wait to read more from this author. All in all, this is a great fantasy series and I would recommend it. It isn’t the best series I’ve read this year, but I was entertained by it most of the time. 

[himikou]

ok so it's me again and honestly im glad tumblr ate my earlier ask cause it was VERY long but essentially i dropped yoi because i was pissed jj the canadian jetplane won gold while pichit, absolute king of everything, didn't even place i think not sure i haven't watched the show since the finale

i was also mad that the writers has the perfect opportunity, SEVERAL TIMES, to address or make a commentary on the racism and colorism in the professional ice skating scene, but NoOoO we just gotta let the white man with the mediocre performance win bc of "personal growth????"

the more i talk about this the more you'd think the writers DID sneak something in and i missed it, but i'd say i had pretty good critical thinking skills 2 (3? 4?) years ago so i should have picked up on it

another point, it's anime and that garbage industry is infamous for it's racism and colorism (among other things) so. fuck it all (obv im not saying every anime is racist/colorist but like. pichits a side character, clearly shown to be important to yuuri, shown to be on par and even above in skill to yuuri, kind, compassionate, full of art and life and love and he made SIXTH despite "a near flawless performance" so.)

Hi, I’m so glad you’re back!! 💗 Also, I found the previous ask once you sent this one; I just never got any notif for some reason? I’m putting this under a cut because it’s kind of long and not bnha related lol

Yeahhh that totally makes sense. Do/did you follow figure skating? From like 2011-2017 I was really into figure skating and gymnastics, and I definitely agree with you. They’re beautiful sports, but the judging is so corrupt. (Case in point: The Sotnikova/Kim controversy in Sochi 2014) Among skaters/coaches/etc, colorism, racism, and classism are all huge problems, too. I wasn’t really thinking about that when I was watched it originally, so I’m really glad you pointed it out.

I haven’t watched YOI in a while, but I genuinely can’t remember there being any commentary on these issues in it. Which, on one hand, does make sense. It’s meant to be a pretty upbeat show that centers Yuuri’s relationships and growth; obviously they’re going to steer away from portraying major controversies. On the other hand, Phichit was robbed for no reason.

It makes no sense to focus on JJ’s development over Phichit’s, especially when his success came at Phichit’s expense. JJ’s backstory is interesting, and I did enjoy it at the end, but there’s no reason for him to have medaled. (I checked and at the GPF, JJ got bronze, while Phichit was second to last :/) Arguably, it would have pushed more character development for him to have given his best after moving on from his mistakes and it still not being enough. It would have forced a lot more self-reflection, you know?

Or, they could have kept that storyline, but had some commentary about the judges favoring certain skaters/countries and intentionally boosting their scores (ie., Lipnitskaya’s solo performance in Sochi resulting in fifth place despite a disastrous short program). Especially considering that JJ is from Canada, a country that’s fairly influentially/favored by the ISU, while Phichit is from Thailand, a country that hasn’t made any major contributions to figure skating. (Note: I’m pointing this out because judges are known to favor skaters from countries that can contribute more financially/etc to figure skating at large. Basically, there’s no benefit to boosting a Thai skater, but they would have an incentive to boost a Canadian.)

Towards the end of the series, Phichit also takes a back seat to JJ’s development. Like you mentioned, he’s actually important to Yuuri, and he’s been in the show from the beginning. It is weird that he kind of fades into the background as the series reaches its climax. It’s especially frustrating because one of Phichit’s main goals is to make figure skating popular in his country, and he knows that in order to do that, he needs to become a very successful skater. JJ’s goals are just focused on himself. It’s fine to be selfish; I’m not judging that. But Phichit’s goals are more compelling, and I wish we had seen him succeed more.

Anime definitely has issues with racism and colorism, and it’s important to point that out here. When you’re surrounded by these prejudices, it’s going to affect your work. It’s important to critique it or you’re also going to absorb those biases. It’s definitely likely that colorism had a role in Phichit’s and JJ’s placings. It reminds me a lot of how female characters are randomly deprioritized to make way for a man. The exact same thing happens with key brown/black characters being downplayed to allow a white/light-skinned character to succeed. It’s so shitty, and we do need to discuss it. You can’t do better until you’re willing to acknowledge your current and past mistakes.

I’m so glad you sent this ask anon!! Thank you for sharing your perspectives on the series. When I first watched YOI, I was definitely not in a headspace to critically evaluate it. I’ve actually been planning on rewatching YOI for a while now, though, and I’m really excited to watch it with these thoughts in mind. I do love the series, and I think it’s vital to critique the things you love. Definitely feel free to send me more asks about it, or dm if you want!! Thank you again; this was so much fun, and it reminded me of how much I adore Phichit.

[sakuhai]

From the recent events of s3 of Castlevania and the extreme reactions of part of the current fandom I assume that most people are either unaware that this particular cartoon series version is rather a almost completely "interpretation as adaptation" case and not an accurate adaptation of the Castlevania series as it has been established in multiple video games,manga and novels since 1986.

Or they simply haven't looked so deep into the previous versions and what the story and the characters originally are about.

Alucard being a quite ambiguous character who has a completely different and very complicated long story and arc of his own in the particular arc Castlevania series is at this point his character was never a main character and his appearance was more like an "easter egg" and so the scriptwriters have taken many liberties on Alucards character making him almost completely different from what he was designed and composed by his original creator.

The original Alucard would probably not seem so appealing and wouldn't had become very sympathetic popular and relatable to the modern audience.Or would he?In my opinion he would but as mentioned before many liberties have been imposed to his character and storyline in the cartoon series which doesn't claim to be an accurate adaptation.

I think it would had been more interesting if they had kept his original traits and explored those more instead of writing his character almost from scratch.But I guess that's how it works with media in order to not have legal issues or sth like that?I'm not sure but the Castlevania adult cartoon series is free adaptation almost like a licensed fan fiction so having said that I will go to the real "purpose" of this post.

Cartoon Castlevania Alucard is not the "canon" one.Is just someone's interpretation and "take" on his character.And it doesn't go much beyond that at this point.

The original Alucard is a very strong assertive individual with extreme intelligence,very strong morals and beliefs,and a very sharp perception of himself,the environment and people.

He is not affected by others,he makes his own decisions,he's well balanced and grounded.He knows what he does and why.

Being so clever with a strong intuition but also he seems to have a square logic.He is aware of himself and that as a supernatural creature with the values of his time,and the fact that he is very mature and noble he feels the responsibility of defending humans as someone who isn't directly affected nor will he ever practically have the same problems as the mortals.

Alucard with his original character is someone who has established everything inside his mind and soul from a very young age and with his mothers love and words always in his heart and mind he goes forward.

He is not vulnerable at least not in the way he is in the cartoon.He doesn't need any guidance or advice by anyone.His judgment and actions are not affected by others.Because he is sharp and can see right through other individuals and situations.He seems to be more into spiritual and intellectual paths and he has complete control of his body and mind.He doesn't get distracted and his self control is adamant.

He doesn't seem to be ever affected by his natural urge of consuming human blood.He has expressed his thoughts and misgivings that if he ever tries it he would probably want more and he understands that with that the power inbalance between him and mortals would only be stronger.He is extremely powerful being a hybrid as it is,so he doesn't seem to want to explore what his abilities would be like if he consumed human blood.And Alucard is aware of everything.He knows what s*x is and he never seems interested in it.In the graphic novel I believe he has even been approached multiple times by a lot of people for that purpose but he was never interested.He knows when he received flirting from others,he knows when humans try to seduce him.Again he never reciprocated any of those.Even in the cartoon version he says "Gross" when he sees Trevor and Sypha kissing.He tells Trevor to f*ck off and he gives him a middle finger.

Alucard knows what's up.I get that,those were probably just for laughs but still it should mean that Alucard knows what it means when people kiss like that etc..So its not like he wasn't aware of what was happening when Taka and Sumi started kissing him...

So based on how Alucards original character was established through the years and people knowing that and accepting that,it should be understandable why some of us wouldn't take his character in the cartoon very seriously and make some rather sarcastic comments and humor about it,instead of being disturbed by it.

I hope that people will understand what I mean despite my probably awkward usage of the English language.

Its just that some fans know the original Alucard and this "alien" Alucard seems borderline a caricature or we would rather the producers had chosen other things from their unlimited choices for Alucard.

It did seem ooc for Alucard to be vulnerable and naive like that.His words towards Taka and Sumi that they shouldn't be like that because the world is not against them and that they still have other options and chances to better themselves and their lives,instead of seducing and killing people and supernatural creatures does sound like something the original Alucard would say but he would say it before the s*x and not afterwards.And the original Alucard would probably even kick them out for being "lewd" if they hadn't previously understood his lecture.Alucard even in his cartoon version had very clearly warned them that they should be careful because he is a vampire after all,so his reactions a few days later seem way too weird...

Alucard is sassy and he would had denied them and tell them off pretty intensely preaching them like an older sibling or even a father figure.

Also original Alucard is someone who knows who he is and what he is.He knows that great power comes with great responsibility.He knows his abilities and that his choices are unlimited compared to humans.Even if he would give in carnal pleasure he still wouldn't chose to slaughter humans for their weak bodies and minds.As a supernatural creature he has high standards for himself and like other cases he would avoid killing humans all the more so young desperate humans.He has many skills and abilities.Subduing them would had been a piece of cake for him.Alucard is someone who can even predict somebody's thoughts and moves before they make them.

Alucard's history of murders is in its majority reported in cases of direct battle and mostly he would kill other supernatural creatures and not humans.Alucard is very responsible and operates with logic but he also has empathy.

Like in the case with his father,he didn't only blame humans for losing their composure getting overwhelmed with terror and therefore taking rashed decisions which result to catastrophic events.Alucard also seems to think that his father also bares a huge responsibility for what happened to his mother.So ofcourse if Alucard ever committed such a mistake he would definitely take the entire blame and responsibility instead of turning evil and choosing to destroy everyone and everything as a copying mechanism.

So overall the character of Alucard originally doesn't have any obvious flaws or vulnerabilities.But still one way or another he would still be interesting and have his audience/fans.Its just that unfortunately or not the producers made that decision for Alucard's character in this version of the series.

As for his very personal life and romance or s*xuality,the original Alucard never engaged into any type of s*xual activity with anyone.And his relationship with Maria seems nice but I would say its up to interpretation.It's easier to say that Maria likes Alucard and sees him as a love interest.He doesn't seem to feel that way.He likes her and respects her and they work nicely together as partners in battle but other than that he never reciprocated her love signals.

But if the story of the cartoon Castlevania continues and catches that arc and since many fans of the revamped Alucard seem to consider him a baby who deserves everything good its quite possible that the creators will hook him up with a nice girl in the end.I predict that he will be considered "morally gray" and "worthy of redemption" in the end,though I'm not sure I would stan him if he turned evil in s4 even though Im pretty sure he will get "redemption" one way or another eventually.Unlike Taka and Sumi who seemed interesting and also could be considered "morally gray and worthy of redemption" but they weren't created for that purpose.That's very unfortunate in my opinion at least.

Despite that Castlevania has always been dark themed based on the most gruesome horror stories and creatures and things such as love and relationships are never truly touched upon.And that has never been the point or focus of the story.

In conclusion please don't get to flustered with people who are not so emotionally connected or invested to the 2020 cartoon version of Alucard.None of the things that happened to him in s3 have ever been in any of the games or visual novels.Some just may prefer his original character and original story line.And since this is only fiction and the situations during the introduction and conclusion of the TakaSumiAlucard fiasco are so ooc and uncalled for many people would approach it with skepticism or even sarcasm (because its way too ooc)and consider it just a move for shocking value and fanservice.It also should be understandable and tolerated that some people do not disregard the 2020 Alucard from his own fault and responsibility.All the skeptical comments and opinions on Alucard in s3 I don't think are more "toxic" or "nasty" and "disrespectful" than the comments and opinions saying that a good way to overcome a supposed trauma from a disastrous 3 way,would be engaging into another 3 way...

Thats my thoughts on the original character of Alucard based from what I gathered from the material I own and have experienced through the years with the series.Mostly video games and a few interviews of Ayami Kojima and Koji Igarashi who approved the "rewrite" of the story as he describes it.

[arcadianambivalence]

World on Fire, Episode 4, or How We React to “Normal” in a Crisis

Spring 1940

Months have passed since the last episode, and characters have had time to steady their nerves.  Kasia’s previous reservations about killing Germans is largely gone, Lois has decided to have the baby and not involve Harry in her life, Webster and Albert have resolved to stay together, and Nancy has repeatedly tried to sneak her discoveries into her broadcasts (or to smuggle her research out of Germany) despite blackmail.  

Other characters have started to lose their determination.  Claudia and Uwe’s marriage is falling apart over their differing ideas about how to protect Hilde, Harry is struggling with his responsibilities in combat, and Grzegorz is grappling with his empathy and endurance.

(More under the cut)

The Winter of 1939 – 1940 has ended, and with it, the illusion of peace for Western Europe.  Stationed in Belgium, Harry’s group retreats closer and closer to the French border as the German army arrives with far more resources.  

Meanwhile, the American hospital in Paris receives wounded soldiers from the front.  Refugees fleeing the war need attention too, like a Jewish emigree couple attacked by Anti-Semites, much like Albert was attacked by fascists in the first episode.  Henriette, a nurse and Webster’s friend, confides in him that she is Jewish and had hidden that fact when she applied for work at the hospital.  

Albert and Webster count their days left together.  Webster is happy just to be with him, but Alfred is afraid of being seen.  They’ve been together for half a year, and the closest Alfred can get to public displays of affection is a brief kiss after a furtive look around.  The reasons for this become all too clear when they return to his apartment to find a swastika on the door and a severed pig’s head on the doorstep.  

“I’ll never be safe anywhere in this world,” he tells Webster.  “People have got plenty choice of what they might hate me for.”

(I would like to take a moment and appreciate this show for pointing out the fascist movements and rising acts of intolerance all over Europe in the late 1930s and 1940.  This is especially visible in the Paris subplot, drawing attention to the wide swath of cultures in the city without entirely romanticizing it as a place of absolute refuge from prejudice.  It makes me think the show is laying the foundation for exploring Occupied France and Vichy France next season...)

The German gains in the invasion bring new worry to the Rosslers.  “The better the war goes, the worse for Hilde,” Claudia says.  Uwe is not happy that Nancy and Claudia continue to meet.  Claudia discovers Uwe has registered as a Nazi to cover the family after his conversation with the workers last episode.  She is horrified, and the two have a big argument with Nancy uncomfortably caught in the middle.  “The Nazis are going to win,” Uwe says.  They must appear to be on their side.

Claudia refuses to take the same course of action.  She brings Hilde to Nancy to say goodbye, perhaps permanently.  Mother and daughter will be staying in a little cabin far away from the city and its watchful denouncers.  

Uwe will not be joining them.

Nancy gifts Claudia a bottle of spirits and Hilde American candy, then asks them to listen to her radio show and toast to a better future.

The way Nancy makes sure to place her hand firmly over Claudia’s hurts.

Douglas has concern for his own children’s safety.  Tom returns home on leave and confesses that he is thinking about deserting and becoming an official conscientious objector.  His father has reservations.  Tom could be executed for desertion, and then there are the political ramifications of a pacifist letting his own son into the movement.  Hurt and betrayed, Tom leaves home as if he does not plan on returning.

Things fare little better between Douglas and Lois.  Although Lois adamantly states that she does not want Harry or his mother involved in her life anymore, Douglas tells Robina that Lois is pregnant in the hopes that Robina’s sense of social (and financial) duty to her grandson will override any qualms about class. 

(The cautious back-and-forth between Douglas and Robina is great, as always, and if Harry and Lois don’t get back together, can their parents have something?)

In the middle of these life-changing historical events, characters continue to talk about relationships and their social lives.  Lois can’t bring herself to sing one night because she’s heartsick over the realization that her feelings for Harry was a love for a person that never truly existed.  Robina and Douglas still have small talk while the latter spoons cubes of sugar into his tea.  Stan teases Harry for his two girls back home.  Thomasz and Kasia’s interactions are sweet when they get to act like two young adults who aren’t in an occupied country with their lives at risk every minute...then they casually discuss killing a soldier like it’s a fact of life.  

Moments like this feel like a kick in the teeth.  

On one hand, you could argue that the characters are too blasé about the killings and the risks involved.  At one point, Thomasz arrives late to a rendezvous and gives “There was a round-up” as his explanation, almost as if it’s a regular occurrence.  On the other hand, wouldn’t it have been?  Poland had been occupied for half a year by this point, and maybe Robina was right last episode (to a degree), you do get used to it...or at least, you continue to live alongside it.

All characters undergo a great change in this series, but it’s still startling to see how they react to their circumstances, especially when their reactions are so different from who they were before or how we expected them to be.  

Kasia, Harry, and Grzegorz are all placed in perilous situations that ultimately lead to the decision of whether or not to take someone’s life.  

Kasia lures an SS officer to a secluded part of town with the expectation that Thomasz will kill him, but when Thomasz has not arrived and the officer starts to go too far, Kasia draws a gun from her purse and kills him.  In retaliation for the death of an officer, a new raid is carried out, leading Kasia to come face-to-face with the family of an innocent woman executed for what she did.  

The moral quandary in her storyline returns: if killing the enemy results in the death of innocents, do you kill the enemy?

When Harry kills the German sniper, he does it to save his own life, but he also does it to save the lives of the men in his troop.  It is one of the few sequences in this show that has the kind of heroics expected of war depictions.  But what could in other hands be cathartic violence against non-character antagonists in battle is undercut by Harry’s emotional reaction after the skirmish and the way he freezes at the beginning of the conflict.  

He’s not calm-under-fire war hero of fiction, but he’s not exactly a romantic hero, either.  Yes, he is the romantic lead of the show, but unlike last episode, he spends his few moments of quiet dealing with his deep-seated familial issues brought out by his powerlessness.

On the run from a death squad, Grzegorz holds a German soldier at gunpoint. The soldier, barely an adult and crying in fear, lowers his jammed weapon.  But instead of killing the soldier like Kasia and Harry do, Grzegorz offers his hand.  Despite all of the atrocities he has witnessed in the past year: his father’s death, people burned alive in Danzig, narrowly escaping execution, the massacre on the farm, the starvation and sleeping in the woods...and there is still a kind little boy thrown into something much bigger and meaner than he is underneath the exhaustion and self-preservation.  

It’s Konrad who kills the soldier, to Grzegorz’s horror.

“I killed one German, just like a German killed your dad.” “Not that German.”

The landscape of the woods around them changes.  Snow dusted ground gives way to moss and mud.  A spring fog cloaks their journey.  And just as the natural landscape subtly changes, so does their luck.

The two stumble across a troop of British soldiers (wait, where are they?) and quickly join the men.  Their relief is short-lived, though, and they are soon back in combat.  Konrad is shot through the head.  

In order to air with a certain rating, World on Fire has to clean up some of the images of violence.  You don’t see blood spurt out of people when they’re shot.  The scenes of death are not drawn out. 

But the image of Konrad, dead before he hits the ground, blood covering face, with a stunned Grzegorz kneeling over him shocked me.

When Grzegorz grieves, the loss of his family comes out, too, for his father Stefan and father figure Konrad.

In Grzegorz’s final scene, he stumbles through a forest, the British soldiers long gone.  Spring is here and beautiful, the snow has melted away, the birds are chirping, and green has returned to the Earth.  Grzegorz seems unaware of the world around him, only the journey ahead in the middle of anywhere and nowhere.

Spoiler

The next episode’s promo places him on a beach.  Is he transported out of Poland by a ship on the Baltic sea?  Or are we supposed to believe Grzegorz and Konrad have spent all winter and spring walking through Poland, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and finally into France?

Notes

Konrad calls Grzegorz son...

After a disastrous cup of tea with Douglas, Robina makes sure to pay for the both of their orders before leaving

Tom brings the canary home, a visual connector between Jan and his bird in the pilot and Tom now

When Kasia breaks the news to the Polish family of the executed woman, Thomasz notices a German officer kissing a Polish woman next door, which indicates that not all Poles consider Germans the same way they do (and raises the threat of someone recognizing them later)

Robina casually mentions the newly-appointed Churchill to see Douglas’s reaction

[alvaar-aldaviir]

Wondrous Tails: First “I Love You” (replacement) / Bandaging Wounds

("First "I Love You"" is a replacement for "Going on a Cruise")

Time Frame: Post Canon (years after Shadowbringers(?)), Minimal Spoilers for 5.0 end. Notes got long so they are under the cut.

Notes:

I continue to refer to Alphinaud as a Scholar instead of Academician for no reason but laziness and bad habits.

I understand the ‘time bubble’ issue of MMO’s, but for writing I subscribe to time actually passing between expansions. I don’t keep a hard and fast rule, but sort of lean toward roughly 1 year per expansion if not longer. Otherwise everyone would be mired under so much PTSD I don’t know how the Scions would get anything done, and please let my WoL breathe?

Somehow, someway, Alvaar has gotten the better of me and it’s eventual committed relationship polygamy with the Leveilleurs up in here. After actual months of telling myself no, I give up. If you hate that, pass on my stuff and have a great day.

Just for posterity, there will never be twincest. I don’t have a personal stance on people’s fiction about fictional people, but it just doesn’t make sense for the twins to me.

   The first time Alphinaud hears Alvaar utter those words, he’s seventeen. Seventeen and full of fire and determination to help right the wrongs of a thousand-year war and maybe redeem some of his own foolishness.

Seventeen and half scandalized to catch his Warrior of Light buried against Lord Haurchefant’s chest before they readied to infiltrate the Vault after Ser Aymeric.

It wasn’t as if he’d gone looking of course. Such things would have been kept a better secret behind a closed door and not front and center to whomever strolled into House Fortemps expecting an audience. But romantic subtly wasn’t... exactly Lord Haurchefant’s forte and neither was it Alvaar’s. And it wasn’t as if he hadn’t known when it was the talk of Camp Dragonhead and the house servants anyway.

But it is perhaps the first time the Arcanist had seen any hint of the word “love” meaning something beyond dutifully repeated and expected phrases. Spoken as if it’s some personal secret, or more of a promise than just a response. Something alive and wild instead of the light and flippant ways he’d heard it used in Sharlayan and among nobility.

There’s a weight to those words that’s like aether humming in an incantation.

It means something when Alvaar says it and the Lord’s sharp features soften as he nuzzles into blond hair, and it means even more when Haurchefant answers in kind and some of the tension in the Bard’s shoulders ease. There’s a thousand words held in that phrase, like pages and pages of information distilled in a single line of arcane shorthand. History condensed into a lone footnote.

He never had to ask why Alvaar’s wails of pain as he’d held his dead lover mere hours later sounded like a heart breaking in two.

    The next time he hears them, it’s not quite the same.

He’s twenty (or was it twenty-one?) and farther from home than he’d ever dreamed. Fresh from facing off against Emet-Selch as they’d fought to save the First from destruction. Twenty and exhausted and content to doze quietly in the newly returned night alongside the beds two other occupants, arms draped over Alisaie and Alvaar both. He remembers feeling Alvaar’s knuckles brush his cheek, tiredly meeting the Bard’s gaze in the dark and hearing those words again.

They don’t mean the same thing, but it doesn’t overly bother him after the torture Alvaar had endured for the worlds. After the last several months Alphinaud had spent fighting sin eaters, stubborn short-term mindsets, and bitter loneliness in Kholusia.

Being called family, being called ‘home’ had only echoed what he’d felt too. The Scions, his Sister, and Alvaar, were what felt most like home. Not a large but empty feeling manor back in Sharlayan, cut off and indifferent to the world.

It’s a different kind of love but it doesn’t mean any less nor is it remotely insincere.

And even if there’s a faint disappointment in his heart he would never admit to, it’s fine. More than anything he’s simply happy that they’re still together. Still alive. Still able to fight and produce another miracle for the people of the First and the Source.

    He’s twenty-two and he knows Alvaar loves him deeply. He’s said it in every other conceivable way. Let poetry and sweet words fall from his lips or sent the meaning across in those brushes of familiar contact. Had the feeling burned into his body and mind more times than he could ever hope to keep track of...

But Alvaar hadn’t ever said it.

It’s silly and he knows it. He has no reason to doubt Alvaar and truly he knows the way the Bard feels for him isn’t anything less than his previous lover. That there was room enough in that gentle heart for all three of them. Jealousy is a terrible thing after all, so he convinces himself it doesn’t matter. Comforts himself and chides Alisaie gently when she inquires on it herself. Alvaar had been through a great deal of hardship and pain. And as they both didn’t doubt the depth nor truth of his feelings, the specific words should hardly matter.

    He’s twenty-three, and when Alvaar finally says them he barely notices. There’s too much blood, and Alvaar’s laugh is too weak and lilting from it. His mind is too busy on spells and incantations to register it as he works quickly.

Alvaar is fine. He’s always fine. He comes back beaten and bloody and smiling and laughing and visibly delights in being doted upon and taken care of. A routine scouting of the border wasn’t supposed to be anywhere near as deadly as the hopeless situations he’d been sent into before. He’s fine.

The Scholar is internally utterly terrified of course, but he knows from too much firsthand knowledge that there’s no room for panic as a healer. If he panicked, things would quickly turn into ‘not fine’ and neither of them had time for that.

So for right now, spells and aether humming in his veins, it’s fine.

        “Did you get a haircut recently?” Alvaar asks, letting Alphinaud clean, tape, and bandage his wounds. Magic had healed the critical damage and stopped the bleeding, but it would take time to heal the rest and a few more applications of white magic tomorrow. Cleaning and bandaging would ensure a smoother transition through the process, so it’s a step he takes anyway, perched on the edge of the medical bed while the Bard sits propped up against pillows.

“You should be taking this more seriously,” the Scholar returns flatly, pushing Alvaar’s hand away from his hair gently so he can keep working.

“I am. But I’m just so... very happy,” Alvaar murmured, a smile stretching across his exhausted face. “I made it back this time, I’m here, and you’re here, and it will work this time.”

It’s said with such offhanded confidence it makes the Scholar blink. “What? Alvaar you’re delirious, stay still.”

A hum of agreement rings in the Bards throat as he nods. “Okay. Let me know when you’re done and listening. He said I didn’t say it enough... That when I made it back to be sure to tell you something.”

He wants to pay more attention to Alvaar’s curious words but there would be time for it later. Though he was comfortably stabilized and would no doubt make a full recovery in a matter of days with the Warrior of Light’s sometimes obnoxious recovery speed, it’s never something he likes to leave to chance. If he overlooked something now, it could be disastrous later.

“He?” The inquiry slides off his tongue in a distracted manner, during which his moonstone carbuncle chirps with interest where it’s bedded down along Alvaar’s legs.

“Don’t worry about it,” Alvaar replies, glossing over it as his attention shifts back to the carbuncle eyeing him expectantly. “Can I have my hand back now?”

Another deft turn of the roll of bandages, a swift snip of the medical shears, and a tidy tie off had him releasing Alvaar’s arm with a nod. “Sure. Other arm if you would.”

Swapping obediently, Alvaar quickly settled his freed hand into plush white fur, grinning brightly. “Hey Carbi... I missed you too,” he cooed, chuckling at the fond chirp and purr he got in answer. “You’re the best summon ever aren’t you?”

Snorting under his breath, Alphinaud keeps at his work until he’s finished, letting his summon keep up its job of distracting Alvaar’s focus from pawing at him so he can work in peace. Alvaar was always a good patient, but woozy with blood loss he sometimes got sillier than was helpful. It made his moonstone carbuncle an utter lifesaver, and there were few helpers he would rather have working beside him. Though he had long developed more potent summons, Alvaar’s preference and the sheer number of revisions and intricacies of its design had left moonstone as one of his masterpieces. The patient bedside manner and attentive nature had made it a nursemaid second to none, and given the way it was currently cozied into Alvaar’s side and subtly keeping him quiet and still as it soaked up affection like a sponge, it remained a staple of his repertoire for good reason.

Inspecting the last of his work, he gives a satisfied nod before starting to pack things away. After almost seven years of chasing Alvaar’s shadow and tending to his wounds, his first aid is as neat and tidy as an experienced chirurgeon. A far cry from his fumbled and panicked work the Bard had coached him through with grit teeth in Coerthas. It’s only once he sets the supplies back on the shelves that he finally gives himself leave to think about anything but healing.

He’s seated back at Alvaar’s side before he realizes he’s made the steps, a bandaged hand curling warm at his jaw and pulling him closer until they bump foreheads together. It’s a movement that he’s long used to, a familiar gesture that helps to quiet the panic that had boiled over in his chest if not the emotion that threatens its place.

“I would appreciate it if you would refrain from frightening me like that again,” Alphinaud murmured softly, a faint tremor in his voice but refusing to cry. Alvaar was fine! There wasn’t any reason to overreact!

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to. Was the best I could manage,” Alvaar replied in the stilted way he picked up when he was exhausted. Given how much harder he was leaning into the Scholar, none of it surprised him.

Making a thoughtful sound in the back of his throat he leaned the faintest bit back into the Warrior of Light, soaking up the steady warmth that wicked off him and the silent reassurance he was still there. “Just... be more careful next time. For now you should focus on healing.”

“Thank you for saving me Alphi,” Alvaar whispered with a heartfelt gratitude.

It was enough to make the Scholar flush. “I... Any other healer would have done the same.”

“Maybe. But any other healer wouldn’t be worth me dragging myself back to. Sides, Alisaie was too far,” he joked fondly.

Alphinaud tutted under his breath, pulling back to grip Alvaar’s face in his hands and press a featherlight kiss to his brow before burying his nose into soft golden strands. “Jokes aside, thank you for coming back. If scaring me half to death means that you’ll pull through, then I would take that burden every time.”

There’s something about the way Alvaar relaxes into him, the faint breath of a sigh before tension eases out of his neck and jaw, that has always meant the world to him. It was too many emotions to articulate clearly, but it always made his heart feel warm. Reminded him that even if he wasn’t able to command the same fear and awe as the Warrior of Light, to be a brilliant blade that cut through the dark and evil that threatened them, the rallying cry that brought their forces to victory, what he could do was no less important.

All great hero’s needed a home to return to, else they would eventually feel they had nothing left to fight for.

“Alphi?”

“Yes Alvaar?”

Pulling back enough to regard him a moment with scrutiny, the Bard leaned in with a purposeful ease, lips brushing against his chastely for a moment before murmuring something against his skin.

This time he heard them. Felt their movement and the warmth of them against his lips and burning against his skin. Poetry and promise and providence all in one.

“I love you.”

It was no big deal. It was a sentiment he’d always known from 1,001 things Alvaar did all the time. Something he had long convinced himself didn’t matter. A phrase used over and over until it’s meaning was practically lost.

But oh.

Oh...

How those words shook him to the depths of his soul and cut him in two regardless.

    He’s twenty-one again for just a moment. Full of questions and a heart fuller still with longing, listening to Alvaar speak of love he’d known with that easy and sincere air of his. Brutally honest as ever.

Love was ruinous. Love would destroy you in ways you didn’t think were possible. Love was thirst and hunger. And all your days, when you’d known the taste of true love, of something that clutched past your heart and into your soul, you would always want for more of it.

In the present with his face buried against Alvaar’s shoulder, tears welling over and soaking into clean white bandages, he feels like a beast half starved.

“I would really like it if you stayed,” Alvaar murmurs, still running his fingers along the Scholar’s back soothingly. He’s infuriatingly casual for having just reduced his lover to tears. If he hadn’t just spent an hour healing and bandaging him up, Alphinaud would probably have swatted him.

Instead he just nods.

He’d never been very good at refusing that particular request anyway. Even when he was the one chastising Alvaar on why sharing a medical bed was in poor interest of his health.

But it’s late, and he’s tired, and nuzzling into the warm muscle of Alvaar’s shoulder he doesn’t want to leave anyway. So, he pulls himself up onto the bed fully, curling up beside him and keeping his cheek settled against the Bard’s shoulder that’s free of bruises. He knows he won’t sleep well but the situation is unfortunately familiar enough he knows that he’ll still get plenty of rest for tomorrow’s troubles.

“Alvaar?” he asks softly after they’ve both settled into the pillows, sheets, and each other accordingly.

“Yea?”

“You really need a shower.”

It has Alvaar laughing enough to make him wince, “Brat... don’t make me laugh that hurts.”

Alphinaud just smiles softly and hums an amused note as Alvaar settles further against him.

“Alvaar?” he asks again after a few minutes, getting a soft grunt of acknowledgement.

Shifting enough to study the soft and unguarded profile he’s sketched a hundred times before from memory, he presses a brief kiss to the Bard’s jaw and settles in for sleep.

“I love you too.”

[cowtale-utau]

Hello again! You offered to "get more into the nitty gritty" of matchups and such if we'd so desire—may I ask for that? For my original matchup, please. I hope I'm not sending too much, please take as much time as you like! I know you've got a good amount of people interested in these. .u.

You’re not sending in too much at all! I’m happy you’re enjoying it this much. I feel so bad that this took so long. Every time I sat down to work on it my brain said “nope”. Anyway, finally was able to get it done. You wanted some nitty gritty, I’ll do my best to deliver. I didn’t want to do these as outright anti-matches, just a little less idealistic. Lets take a look into some hardships in these relationships.

So starting again with Calico. I mentioned he doesn't need reassurance. And this is true, when he enters a romantic relationship he's already comfortable with you and your feelings. He doesn't make that move to romance without being certain. However because of this certainty, you are also unlikely to get much reassurance without asking for it. It might seem like it shows in his actions and behaviors, but much of that is simply Calico's nature. He's naturally nurturing and tends to the needs of those around him, regardless of relationship. This can leave you feeling like your relationship isn't special. This isn't true of course, but the displays can be so subtle that they're hard to find. Luckily Cal picks up on subtle cues easily, and as long as you aren't actively hiding your discontent he'll figure it out and compensate. If you do try to actively hide your feelings, be prepared for a gently confrontation. He'll want to know why, and what is bothering you. If you open up he'll apologize, and make minor changes to compensate. He never wants you to feel unloved. If you react defensively, expect him to pull back. He wants to give you distance to cool, but can over compensate, creating a greater rift between you. Calico tends to move between two extreme ends of the spectrum. Moving slow is no problem for him, however he may move a bit too slow. Boundaries and consent are among the highest importance to him, so if you show even slight hesitance, he will back off. This sounds like a good thing in theory, but means that you'll never be pushed at all. This of course means no forward movement. On the opposite end, if you express you want him to take over, without setting hard limits, then he can become somewhat overbearing. He's a mother hen, and if you don't express any upset at his decisions or limitations, he'll move forward with them. Being clear in your communication will clear this up quickly. He's adaptable, and wants whats best for you, within the constraints that you set. You just have to set them first. He really only gives you trouble if you don't set any lines at all.

Calico is an ENFP, 9w1, Pisces. Which is actually a minor change from my original typing of him. It doesn't change anything in the original match up, as the traits I focused on are ones found in both healthy 9s and healthy 2s. The ENFP/INTJ pairing is very good at balancing each other out. You run into issues when that balance gets skewed. Maintain an even power dynamic or everything will start to fall apart. 9s and 5s are both non-demanding and want to avoid conflict. The problem here is that in being so, you can end up avoiding necessary conflict. Don't hold back when something is bothering you. Speak up, or anger/upset/hurt can be left to fester, causing irreparable damage. Pieces and Aquarius is a pairing that starts well, but if not properly maintained can sour over time. This is largely due to differences in emotional expression. Communication and compromise will be needed to see this through long term.

And now let's revisit Doc. I've gone over Doc a bit before. Loud, abrasive, he comes off as quite harsh on first. He comes off as cold and arrogant. He's blunt and articulate and can easily cut with some borderline cruel, well chosen words. Getting past that initial self-protective wall can be difficult. Despite his apparent confidence, he will need occasional reassurances of your feelings. Being a bit distant naturally is something he can get used to, but he will need occasional assurances. This is especially important early on, and if you come off as too distant he can start to fall back into previous behavioral patterns. It doesn't have to be elaborate shows of affection, but make sure he knows you still care. As more time passes he'll grow more accustomed to the ways you express your affection and the doubt will fade. Doc  is a control freak to his core. He needs control to feel safe/secure. He has no problems taking over and will do so without you're even asking. If he pushes to much too quickly, tell him. If left unchecked he can run roughshod over a partner. He doesn't mean to cause any harm, its just in his nature to take over. Make sure you express you discomfort. His paranoia makes him very perceptive to the people he surrounds himself with, so he will notice even a subtle expression, and back off. He's good at giving off the illusion he's got full control while still letting you take the lead. If this dynamic works well, he may use it to gradually push the balance. As you grow more comfortable and he learns more of your needs he'll take more and more control. Be careful however that you don't let him passed the point your comfortable at. If you let him he will take over entirely. The more comfortable he becomes with you the more he can begin to look over the more subtle hints you give off, so you may on occasion be more clear in your needs. He absolutely will not let you push your limits. He believes in hard work, but despite it being hypocritical, will not let you work until you've damaged yourself. If you push it he may physically remove you from a situation. He's gentle about it, he'd never harm you, but that doesn't mean the action doesn't potentially cross some lines. He will take your condition as a challenge. He's a healer, and although he acts otherwise, his skill is a point of pride for him. He'll want to constantly attempt healing you. Early on it'll be largely symptom mitigation. But if it goes to far, he can develop something of an obsession. His ability to separate you from your condition may get blurry. Getting to that point my prove disastrous for your relationship. You may have to get pretty firm about reminding him that your still a person and not just a medical issue to be cured.

Doc is and ENTJ, 6w5, Leo. ENTJ/INTJ obviously have a fair bit of overlap. There's a lot of similarities, just make sure you don't allow his E to overrun you. Double Js have to be careful, as both sides are very opinionated, and don't like backing down from their convictions. Try not to allow arguments to escalate out of control. To a 6, 5's can seem impractical with frivolous, useless ideas. To 5's a 6 can seem closed minded and fanatical. Conversely, with clear, open communication they can find a deep respect of each others intellect and ability to view things from a different angle. Aquarius/Leo pairs are naturally quite compatible. Air signs tend to fan the passions of fire signs. However this can get explosive. Find ways to stay grounded, so no one gets burned.

Oof. This got absurdly long. I tried to cover a bit more of each relationship. As I do things I’m just constantly reiterating one thing. Communication is important to make any relationship work. Hope this fulfilled what you were looking for. As always I’m open to any kind of requests/questions/etc. 

[swansandslayers]

More fantastic Newtina fics list.

I had made a post like this before here, and (after coming across another patch of awesome fics) thought I would post another rec list. As I stated in the previous post, anyone is free to add other fics they like or their own written work.

Hope you guys enjoy. :)

Slow Dance written by clairelizabeth. Suddenly aware of all the affection permeating the ballroom between each dancing couple, as well as of Newt’s presence beside her, Tina began to look anywhere but towards the Magizoologist’s direction, trying to busy herself with thinking about how beautiful the ballroom looked.

Out of Step, Out of Reach written by clairelizabeth. Tina’s hair was still in the same style she’d worn it those months ago at the engagement party: short and sleek, and dark and lovely like her eyes. Some pieces had strayed from where they ought to be from all her running about, but she quickly fixed it with a brush or two of her fingers.

Fantastic Beasts and How it could have been. written by Hellodie. Another timeline in which Tina and Newt actually met in school during an event: the Ilvermorny students came in Hogwarts for a very famous and also dangerous tournament. They'll have to learn knowing each other to defeat the obstacle arising on their way to their dream. Though, it wasn't love at first sight or was it ? The rating might change.

What Newt Gives Tina written by Bellarsam_Chrisjulittle. Sequel to "What Tina Gives Newt." Nine months later, Newt's book is finished and his family throws a release party for it at their grand estate. The last person that Newt expects to see there is Tina Goldstein, the witch he is falling in love with - and whom he stopped writing to over three months ago. So Newt has more than a book to give Tina now if he wants to keep her in his life - will it be enough?

After Hours written by gnimmish. Fluff, set just after the events of COG (so will eventually be canon divergent), Newt and the gang are back at the Ministry of Magic in London, in the small hours of the morning. The Americans want whatever passes for coffee round here, Jacob wants pumpkin pie, Newt wants Tina, and Leta wants to make sure he doesn't wait too long.

Please, just be happy written by RedSnow1. After the event of Paris, Newt Scamander insists on meeting Tina’s lover : Achilles Tolliver, who happens to be a formidable man. The two of them begin an earnest friendship based on their shared passion (which involves a certain female Auror) much to Tina’s delight. Everything is as perfect as it can be : the only problem is that Newt and Achilles are in love with the same woman, and Porpentina Goldstein is torn between the love of her life and the man of her dreams.

It was always you written by Iloveyourfreckles. Spoiler : Just after the end of The Crimes of Grindelwald, Tina, Jacob and Nagini came back to London in Newt's flat. Newt decides it is time to clear the air between him and Tina...

A Moment Longer written by albinokittens300. Newt and Tina are given few more moments alone in the French Ministry of Magics Archive Room.

The Sweetest Smile and the Gentlest Hands written by clairelizabeth. “I’ve been cutting my own hair since I started going to Hogwarts,” Newt says as his wife brushes the comb over his fringe, wincing slightly as it caught on a tangle. “I realized early on that being away from my parents meant they couldn’t force me to go to the barber’s."

In Another World written by Newtina100. A Newtina AU, based off of a prompt I found! A short story of were Tina begins volunteering at an animal shelter, where she comes to meet Newt, whose older brother is the manager. Although they get off to a rocky start, what starts off as a simple friendship blossoms into a much larger relationship.

Nocturne written by ravenpuff1956. Tina tosses and turns, unable to sleep, the horrible memories of the last few days continuing to plague her.

Sleeping Beauty written by RedSnow1. Porpentina Scamander gets hit by a curse on the job and has no choice but to relive the same day everyday… a day that only ends with what she fears the most.

Deeds of Loves written by RedSnow1. After Queenie’s warning, Newt Scamander and Tina Goldstein wonder whether they should postpone their wedding and yield to the threat. They will soon realize that in this time of war, nothing is more important than love and family. This is a sequel to "Please, just be Happy"

South West written by ourladyholmes. Newt Scamander knew he had a soulmate. Had known it from the moment that the compass came to life on his wrist. He just never imagined he'd ever actually meet them... especially not in New York City. But the compass never lies.

Only Look Me in My Eyes written by emraldmoon. A Fantastic Beasts fic in which Newt finally gains the courage to show Tina the inside of his case.

A white rose and a green dragon written by ravenpuff1956. Tina curls her hands tight against the bed sheets. They are cold and newly pressed. The room smells new- without mould or dust. A foreign smell to the towers she has been used to. The cells. Tina’s throat moves shakily as she swallows, and she coughs slightly to clear it. This is not how she thought she’d be spending her wedding night.

When The Bough Breaks written by bluesquints. Newt and Tina encounter seemingly happy circumstances with decidedly disastrous timing. Will they weather the storm that follows? Will their differences prevent them from what Dumbledore has planned?

[cosmiciaria]

In defense of Detroit Become Human (spoilers marked - long post!)

I know I arrived late at the party and everything that could've been said about this game has already been said – but I do want to add some things I haven't found in some reviews I’ve come across, while addressing all the flaws and giving credit where credit is due. And believe it or don't, this game is due a lot of credit. Yes, a game by David Cage is due credit, what has the world come to?

I must admit I'm not the greatest of fans of Cage's works. I can see all the flaws and plot holes in his games/interactive movies, but unlike others, I'm not that bothered by them. Hell, there are plot holes in many good stories and even the greatest games have some flaws, sometimes it feels people like picking one director and hating on them (cof cof, Tabata from Square cof). This doesn't mean Cage is free of sins, since that's far from reality: I still remember the Ellen Page's controversy with her naked model inside the game, and the creepy things they did to Madison in Heavy Rain for no reason whatsoever. Man, I think you should revalue some of your fetishes.

But aside from that, his games are heavily narrated focus, straying too far from the ordinary hero path and 'saving the world with the power of friendship'. He's stated there are so many things we can do in the videogame industry, and that most developers stick to the usual formula, just because they know it works and it profits. And I can understand his point of view, and even support it, that's why I always try to find something good in his games, even when the dialogues are bad and some acting leaves much to be desired – that happens in every game, in every movie, in every series.

Detroit Become Human is, by far, the best work by Cage. I can say so with full confidence: it's the first of his stories whose plot seem cohesive, coherent, whose characters undergo a visible and palpable development throughout the whole game, whose decisions and paths actually cross-impact later chapters and your choices do shape the way the story unfolds. I stress this because, for example in Beyond, your choices didn't matter much – even the QTE's were pretty useless. You just decided how the game would end in the last ten minutes of plot and that was it. Detroit, on the other hand, is so well planned that things you've done in the very first chapter have repercussions later down the line, and it's not like there's just two endings, but a lot of them, and lot of combinations that I'm still discovering. Your choices affect the during of the story, not just the ending. You can have good relationship with someone, or a bad one, and that will affect each scene those characters are in. You can have a good reputation with a group, or they can hate you, and so you will be ejected from the team. You can act irrational, or stay forever a machine, and the last big choice regarding that will depend of your actions across the whole game.

Just the decision making is a huge step up from previous works. And I can only compare this game to Until Dawn, but even in there, there are less decisions and less impact. Detroit is overwhelmingly huge when it comes to different paths and different versions of the same story. So much so that I told a friend who was also playing it about a scene, and she said 'wait, when does that happen? I didn't see it!'. It was as if we were talking about different games.

Detroit is about androids. It's the year 2038 and androids have flooded the market. They're like your usual vacuum but, hey, they can cook, take care of your children and even satisfy you sexually. They are such a common thing to see in the city that people ignore them. Most families have at least one android in their household, becoming completely reliant on their features. This is a future not so far away from our present.

But, lo and behold, because this game will explore the idea of 'freedom'. And, as you could've expected, some androids suddenly realize they don't want to work for humans anymore. Some androids are mistreated by their owners and suddenly they know they're in an unfair situation. Some androids have ambitions, dreams, ideas – some androids have the desire to be free.

And so, they become deviants. An artificial intelligence, capable of billions of simultaneous operations, young forever, and with conscience. Afraid, yet?

We will follow three main characters who happen to be androids: Connor, Markus and Kara. Connor is a prototype designed to assist investigators and police officers with cases, and he comes with many features that will facilitate all the analysis of clues. Markus is an android designed to care for an old man who has lost his mobility, and lives with him and cares for him as if he were his son. Kara is a housemaid android, who specializes in cleaning and taking care of children, but her owner is a drug-addict who forgot what it means to be a father.

Markus and Kara realize their unfair situation pretty early in the game, so they become deviants well at the beginning. Connor, on the other hand… well, it's in your hands to decide his fate.

Their stories will be intertwined: Connor will investigate cases involving deviants, alongside his sidekick – I mean, his partner, Lieutenant Hank Anderson, an old, anti-android human whose past is yet to be revealed; Markus will be falsely accused of aggression towards his owner or his son (depending what you choose), and he will come back from the dead, ready to lead a revolution against humans, demanding androids' rights; Kara will realize she wants to be a mother, and she will save the daughter of her owner from that hellhole they live in, only to travel from one corner of the city to another in search for an escape route. While Connor's and Markus's stories are well entangled, Kara's always felt a bit separated from them, which can be a huge let down. Personally, Kara's story was the one I enjoyed the least, but it has to do with something that happens at the end – that stupid plot twist – besides, it's more than clear in Kara's plotline that all the BS Cage loved from his previous games makes a return in here. Sometimes it felt like he left blender open and all the disastrous ideas he had for her story were spilled all over his kitchen. I can't think of anything else for that, because her plotline is a Frankestein of a story – uneven, irregular, although it has some touching moments, and Valerie Curry, the actress who plays Kara, delivers some guuud acting and lines.

I know the main message this game is trying to send is that androids are equals to humans. This is the most controversial aspect of the game: Cage, whether he says he did purposely or not, has compared the androids' struggle for freedom to that of African-American people, mixing together slavery and segregation. It's funny because Cage stated it wasn't his plan to allude to actual historical events that did happen not so long ago, and still we can see the segregation of androids in public transport, in public places, and the fact that Markus, with a bunch of other androids as well, demand freedom and the end of slavery from the humans. I like it more when he asks for fair compensation for their work.

And I say it's controversial because it's sending a wrong message. Slavery and segregation weren't contemporary, one came after the other; and the fact that they make a clear comparison to that social movement is criticizable. I'm not the most expert on US history – hell I'm from Argentina, guys – but even I know that the bloody history behind the fight for equal rights is far from over and has put the country on the brink of breaking down many times. That someone deliberately compares the android's fight that took only a few months to develop to that monstrous side of US history is, uhm, questionable in the least.

BUT let's just say that it's an awful coincidence (I'm looking at you, Cage) and leave it aside for a moment. That's the main message the game tries to send. But I believe the game actually sends another message, that is better executed, better fleshed out.

Androids and humans can love each other.        

[SPOILER scroll down until you see the end of the spoiler section]

This is obvious at the beginning with Markus, if you decide to endure Leo's bullying. Carl, Markus' owner, dies from a heart attack, and Markus, crying, desperate, falls to his knees and embraces the man who's been acting like his father for years. He yells Dad, no! in front of the real son, provoking a reaction in him and in the player. Just in this tiny moment, which I think most people slip by without paying too much attention, is enough message. It explains everything.

If you decide to push Leo, the scene plays out differently, and we learn this message towards the end, still in Markus' branch. Later in the story you go back and visit Carl, who doesn't die, but is instead stuck in his bed, connected to cables and such. He regards Markus with love and tenderness, and holds his hand, saying You're my son, Markus. Your blood is a different color, but I know that a part of me lives in you. Thank you, you made me cry.

This message is also well developed in the friendship you can form with Connor and Hank. And notice the 'you can' because you can also make them hate each other. But why on earth would you make Hank mad, if not only for the trophy? Because I can't bear the idea of disappointing that good old man. I need him to be proud of me – I mean, of Connor! Their relationship is wholesome, with some instances in which Hank calls him his son, which melted my heart obviously. Knowing that Hank had lost his real son prior to the events of the game makes all this even more touching and moving.

This message is not well conveyed with Kara and Alice, and you might guess why – yes, the fact that towards the end we learn that Alice isn't a human but an android too, utterly destroys the whole concept the game has been trying to build up for this moment. I don't know why Cage thought this was a good idea – maybe trying to explain that androids can love each other as family just like humans do, but that kinda breaks the rules here, because the idea was an android discovering they can love thanks to a human, who has all the real feelings whereas the androids have this emulations and… alright you get me. How can we truly know if they love each other for real if they are two androids? How can we make sure it isn't just some emulation and chemicals inside their metal bodies? Alright I'm going too deep here? Maybe?

[END OF SPOILER SECTION]

All in all, this is the message that stays with me after playing the game. I don't know if Cage did it purposely (suddenly all his messages are casual), but this is what I can save and treasure from this story. Oh, and also, save your fucking planet, polar bears are going extinct.

Characters are really well created. Their interactions are believable and natural, the acting (specially Bryan Dechart as Connor and Clancy Brown as Hank) is flawless, and you can appreciate when they become deviant and when they start thinking for themselves. Some lines delivered by Markus felt a bit forced, but I've heard the actor talk and he talks like that so maybe is the way he speaks. There are some secondary characters that became my favorite really quick, like Luther, Kara's companion in this journey; Simon, one of the first members of the revolution Markus meet; Hank, of course, although I deem him as a main character at this point. Others, well… Gavin is your well-known bully, whose lines are so stupid I can't believe his character made it into the game. Like really, he's taken straight out of a 90's high school movie. I could hear Henry Bowers from It laughing at his attempt of being a bad boy.

On the technical department, this game is stunning. Visuals are a delight: sometimes you couldn't differentiate if it was filmed or if it was CGI. Hint: it was all CGI! Faces, expressions, animations, I can't complain of any of those. The character's eyes, which are the only thing the motion capture can't record, were all added digitally, and I'm bound to say that they're perfect: they make each character feel real, alive. You know when you're staring at something, that your eyes regard everything and your pupils have these tiny, micro, slight movements? That was in the game, and I loved it. Clothes get wet when it's raining, they get frozen when it's snowy, and lights reflect every surface so realistically that you can tell the texture of each object and piece of cloth.

Music is also a great asset in this game. Each character had a different composer, which brought a distinct and unique aspect to each of their stories. I know I've been hating on Kara until now, but I must admit her theme song is the best out of everything in this game. Even when I watched the cutscenes back when the game was released, I had her theme buried under my skin, for it's melancholic, it reminds me of rain, and it makes me wanna cry.

Another aspect I want to address is the gameplay. You know Cage loves his daily doses of QTE's. But this time, though, they're well executed. I recommend playing the game in Experienced difficulty (which is the normal difficulty), because it truly offers a more immersive experience. The use of the controller in all this was clever, and they used everything they had at their disposal to make you feel you're there in the story. For instance, the use of the vibration system of your joystick: when you pet the dog at Hank's house, you can feel a very slight vibration in your hands, as if the dog was breathing, what you would feel when you pet a dog, of course; but when you're driving a truck that leaves the sidewalk and falls into the street, you feel the sudden rough movement and the way the engine is speeding up; or you can feel heartbeats when Markus is trying to repair himself. All these instances of breaking the fourth wall to make you feel part of the story are implemented in such an intelligent way that it works wonders.

And speaking about breaking the fourth wall… In your main menu you'll have an android that will be your hostess. She will comment on the discoveries you'll be finding in your storyline, but she will also play some tricks to you or talk to you all of a sudden. And if you reach the good ending… well, there's a surprise with her. Let's just say that she's a great addition to the game and a fan favorite.

In conclusion, this is by far Cage's most polished and well thought game to date. And I've been hiding my obsession with Connor up until now so you wouldn't think I'm crazy but, I can't believe Cage created a character like this. I love him. Protect this sweet summer child. Don't make him a machine, please :'( Connor Army here I go.

If you have doubts about this game, buy it on sale. You will at least have a good time playing it and discovering the different paths. But if you like heavily narrated games, and you have at least enjoyed some of his previous works, don't miss on this one. It's really better. And it's really more worth it.

[villainousshakespeare]

AO3 Master List

Loki - Series

Exile’s Return:  Rated M, Fluff, Smut, Romance, 16 chapters (complete)

Banished from Asgard for his various crimes, Loki seeks to use the rescue and return of Thor’s betrothed (ofc) to secure his release from exile. But he is the God of Mischief, and when the lady in question proves to be smart, caring, and lovely he can’t resist trying to slowly turn her affection away from the prince she is promised to marry and claim her for himself. My first ever (and still personal favorite I’ve written) fic!!

Loki and Kela’s Adventures on Midgard: Rated E, Smut, Fluff 8 chapters (complete)

A sequel to Exile’s Return, but not really necessary to read that first.  Loki brings his love Kela to Midgard despite being wanted for war crimes by The Avengers. While attending the theater in New York they cross paths with a dangerous man with mind control abilities. Will Loki be able to keep Kela from becoming his latest victim?

In Exchange for Submission: Rated E, Smut, Fluff, Romance, Angst, 77 Chapters (completed)

Loki’s invasion of NY has taken a turn for the better, and he is now in charge of a growing percentage of the United States. During his campaign he acquired a group of hostages from resistance pockets and is keeping them captive in Stark Tower. Now, with things settling down a bit, he needs to decide what to do with them. Two of them, from a prominent family, are set to be released. One of these, a feisty, irritating, impossible woman, desperately offers to ransom the rest of the prisoners, including her best friend. Loki has no need of Midgardian coin, but the woman, who has been a thorn in his side for weeks, has something else that he desires - her submission. He offers her a bargain - every day he will require a new willing act of submission from her, and in exchange, he will release one prisoner. How long can she keep up the deal? And how much of herself will he demand she surrender?

Trigger Warnings: Dark elements, Dark!Thor, attempted rape (not by Loki), angst 

For the Price of a Book: Rated M, Romance, Fluff, Smut, Angst, 35 Chapters (completed)

In the days before the events of Thor I, Loki inadvertently comes upon a female servant being “punished” by a pair of guards. Her crime? Stealing a book from the rooms she was tasked to clean. Curiosity captured, he decides to break through the shy exterior by any means necessary. A bit of softer Loki story, as he is younger and pre-Jotunn discovery. He is still Loki though, so sass and drama will not be far away!

Loki - One Shots

Retribution: Rated E, Smut, NonCon, 1 shot

Loki has just conquered two united armies on the field of battle. Now he confronts the woman who brought them together to oppose him - daughter to the proud king of one army, betrothed of the general of their ally. Angry at the challenge to his throne he decides to make an example of her, and gives her a choice: be tossed to his soldiers for their entertainment, or willingly submit to his every perverted demand as his personal slave. Basically, my attempt at a Loki/slave one shot. 

Trigger Warning: VERY NON-CON! This is not the love story Loki of my previous works, but just pure, unadulterated, dark, perverted porn.

Team Bonding: Rated T, Drinking, Implied Future Smut, Drunken Silliness, One Shot

Now that Loki is a member of the Avengers, he needs to develop a better report with them. As his fiancé, you feel it is your duty to encourage him to go out for post-mission drinks with the team. What could possibly go wrong?

The Perfect Costume: Rated E, Smut

Loki needs to find the perfect costume to wear to a party with you. What will he come up with and how will you react?

Life of the Party: Rated T, Drinking, Implied Future Smut

An empath and a scientist in the service of SHIELD, you are blackmailed by Tony Stark into attending one of his parties for your own good. Expecting to have a miserable time, you instead strike up a conversation with the God of Mischeif. Written for @scrumptious-delusion 2K Writing challenge!

James Conrad

The Mark: Rated E, Smut, Angst, Fluff, Romance, Gooey Ending, One Shot

Desperate for money in a backwater town in South East Asia after the Vietnam War, Jennifer follows a tall British man she has just seen win a roll of cash at pool. She is determined to make him her latest mark, but James Conrad is more than what he seems and not one to fall for any woman’s game.

Trigger warning: Mention of attempted kidnapping/human trafficking

Sir Thomas Sharpe

In Search of Refuge: Rated E, Smut, Gothic Romance, Work in Progress

A disastrous carriage accident leaves Rose stranded in a snow storm. Desperate to find shelter from the elements, she stumbles upon a run down estate and throws herself on the mercy of its owner, Sir Thomas Sharpe.

Magnus Martinsson

Protection: Rated E, Smut, Romance, Fluff, Angst, 36 Chapters (completed)

Against his wishes, Magnus is assigned an undercover case to protect a witness and bring down a criminal. He gets more than he bargains for with his protectee. This starts with a slow burn, but I promise there will be smutty goodness in upcoming chapters!

Robert Laing

Her: Rated E, Smut, Kidnapping, Dub/Con, Nonconsensual Drug Use

Laing enjoys life in the high rise as every woman's favorite amenity, but lately he's been getting bored. When he sees Grace, he knows he has to have her, no matter what it takes.

Trigger Warnings: Please, please, please read the rating. This is a dark fic unlike my usual ones.

Tom Hiddleston/Loki

Personalities Within: Rated E, Smut, Fluff, Angst, Loki, Oakley, Jonathan Pine, Coriolanus, Adam, tbd, Work in Progress (currently a little stuck)

Tom had been so careful for so long. He rarely got involved in relationships, and if he did he only let them go on for so long before ending them. It was the only way to be safe. The only way that HE wouldn’t come out. And while HE, among others, might make Tom a great actor, the dangers were to great. But what happens when Tom falls for someone. Someone who not only is his perfect type, but the other’s perfect type as well? Can he pursue a relationship with her while keeping his secret and protecting her? Or will the unthinkable happen?

Trigger Warnings: Mental illness

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[qqueenofhades]

the shadows among the stars: chapter twenty-one

Summary: Sequel to the alchemical wedding. Garcia Flynn and Lucy Preston have timewalked to 1590 London, in search of answers about the mysterious manuscript Ashmole 782. But as they tangle with alchemists, assassins, witches, vampires, daemons, queens, and emperors – and the de Clermont family themselves – they quickly realize that their quest will be far more difficult than they ever imagined, and their relationship will be challenged as never before. In the present, their formidable enemy Michael Temple is more powerful than ever, the rival creature factions on the Congregation scheme and intrigue against each other, and in both centuries, the danger and the shadows are only deepening. Rating: M Status: WIP Previous: Memento Mori

Chapter 21: Once Upon a September

London, at last. London, again, London, impossibly. London, rising out of the haze on the Thames estuary as the bargemen pole past Greenwich and mudlarks scamper on the exposed tidal flats, picking anything shiny from the weed and wrack and polishing it up to sell for a few coppers. The Palace of Placentia presides on the southern bank, though the royal standard is no longer flown from its towers; as the summer season ends and Elizabeth returns from her extravagant processionals, traveling around England and obliging her subjects to lodge and entertain her at great fuss and expense, the queen will take up winter residence in Whitehall. The thought makes Lucy remember how she and Flynn crashed in here on May Day before dawn, in the deserted deer parks of the meridian. She vividly remembers her first sight (and smell) of London, how utterly alien and overwhelming it was, a savaging, relentless assault that felt as if it could never be familiar or safe or sane. Now it’s almost a relief to see it again, something close to coming home. At least for now. The air is wet and chilly, and it is a fortnight until Michaelmas, the thirtieth of September. Six weeks left. If that.

Lucy’s hands tighten on the railing, and she tries to force down the anxiety at a constant low-level boil in her chest. They’re lucky that there wasn’t much trouble crossing the Channel, as this is the season for autumn storms, and when they landed at Gravesend, she took charge of the haggling and hiring of the bargemen. Not that they had much choice. The further they traveled from France, the more Flynn began to stir, to Lucy’s unutterable relief. But he’s still not very awake, and he hasn’t yet said anything. What if it’s Present Flynn, but with Past Flynn’s memories? Did her spell affect him too, since it was cast on his doppelganger while they were still close together? Does he remember her and what they were doing, or anything before the fire at Sept-Tours? Is there lingering physical or chronological damage from the encounter with his past self, and will he be all right when they return to the present? Or have things been changed to such a degree that Gabriel has inadvertently gotten his wish, and this version of Flynn technically never exists at all? If so, removing him from the shelter of this loophole, this bend in time that is – for now – isolating him from the effects of his own future, could be disastrous. Try to take him back to a place where he isn’t, and poof.

Lucy has mostly been worrying about this, though she is also wondering who could help her get the rest of Ashmole 782. The Knights of Lazarus sent to Prague to retrieve Agnes and Flynn’s household should – hopefully – have arrived here with them, and while Lucy is leery of renewing acquaintances with Lady Beaton, two witches alone are not enough to match with Rittenhouse. She can’t count on Flynn being recovered sufficiently to fight, and it feels like stretching her luck to an absurd degree if she risks him like that again. All the other vampires in the city are under the purview of Father Hubbard, who is as likely to help them as he is to take up competitive ballroom dancing. The School of Night is a possibility, but Walter Raleigh and the others don’t have actual powers. If they’re talking fellow creatures, that leaves only daemons. To be precise, it leaves two daemons, neither of whom are safe bedfellows or champing at the bit for further fruitful acquaintance. Guy Fawkes and Christopher bloody Marlowe.

Lucy has turned it over and over in her head, but she can’t come up with any other options. Fawkes’ particular skill set might actually be useful in this case, but the trick is how to make use of that while not burning Ashmole 782, the fate just narrowly avoided (and it’s rather arrogant of her to presume that Rittenhouse can be destroyed by anything so commonplace as fire). As for Marlowe, she can maybe leverage him with one more favor on Garcia’s behalf, insinuate that she knows the truth about Henry de Prestyn’s death and how bad it could look if that entire scandal tumbles out. But Lucy wants to avoid blackmailing Kit if she can. For one, she knows what he’s done to protect Flynn, the lengths he went to hush it up, and for another, he’s still what you would call a frenemy. Gabriel did confirm that Kit is a royal spy, and if the chips are down and exposure is inevitable, he could decide to fall on his sword and incriminate Lucy first. Between the two of them, card-playing and candied violets shared with the latter aside, Elizabeth will be far more inclined to believe the former.

[read the rest on AO3]