#doesn't seem fair to everyone in his realm

[professorsta]

People misunderstood Dream when he kept refusing Roderick Burgess thinking it was out of selfish arrogance when truly it was pure selflessness in his intent that led him staying in that fucking fishbowl. To have gotten caught in the first place was a huge source of shame for Dream, so to be selfish enough to allow a man as cruel as Burgess such powerful gifts that he was demanding just to rectify a mistake that never should have happen would seem like an unworthy reason to spit upon the rules he abides by so strictly. It would be an embarrassment to become imprisoned and then shamelessly pursue his own well-being over the rules and traditions of their world. To put his safety and freedom over the possible repercussions he could bring by premising Burgess a chance to toy with death, power, or immortality (outside of what's being forcibly taken from him) which could for-see damages far worse than what rejecting him would cause. Couldn't imagine the laws and rules Morpheus would have to follow and what control Roderick would have if Dream were to trade his "freedom" for whatever he demanded. How much longer the effects would have lasted comparability to the sleeping sickness if Morpheus accepted? Dream refused Burgess because he knew his entrapment and subjugation wouldn't see as horrible consequences as allowing Burgess anywhere near the power the endless held would

[aphroditelovesu]

Hello. Can you write yandere husband Jaehaerys i Targaryen ?

❝ 🔥 — lady l: I got a little carried away, I'm not going to lie. I hope you like it and forgive me for any mistakes! 💚

❝tw: none, just fluff and soft!yandere.

❝🔥pairing: yandere!jaehaerys i targaryen x female!reader.

Jaehaerys married you before he became King. He had known you for a long time and your house was noble enough that he could marry you without any problems or many complaints and he did so as soon as you were both old enough to do so. He couldn't wait any longer to have you for himself.

Normally he should marry his sister, but he didn't want to. He wanted you. You had known each other since childhood and Jaehaerys knew that he could not marry any other woman but you. Not when he already loved you from that time. And you were perfect for him, not only was your lineage noble and good but you were good for him.

Jaehaerys had made all the right preparations. He had checked your background and was always meticulous about you. He loved you, but he would be King one day and he needed to be careful about his marriage and his future Queen.

He wanted to establish a bond with you, something emotional so that your marriage didn't depend solely on politics. Jaehaerys used to send you letters, telling you stories about the Targaryens and about him. And in return, you were give him letters about yourself and stories that you read in books.

Once the arrangements were made, he was very satisfied. You could become his wife and he your husband. He was eager for you to officially become his. He couldn't wait to start having children with you.

The wedding was grand, as expected of a future King and you looked absolutely stunning. As a future Queen should be.

Handmade, your dress was made with lush fabrics and intricate details, it exuded an aura of romance and tradition. Delicate embroidery adorned your bodice, reminiscent of the patience and skill of dedicated artisans. Your skirt flowed like a dream, with layers of tulle and lace that danced in the wind, while your train dragged along the floor, leaving a trail of stories of eternal love wherever you went.

The wedding night had been good and pleasant for both parties. Jaehaerys delighted in taking you as his wife, in touching you and giving you pleasure while also hoping to impregnate you. The way his kisses were sweet and his fingers touched you left you breathless.

The marriage with Jaehaerys was pleasant and you learned to love your husband despite his possessive and protective behavior. You assumed this was how a husband who loved his wife was supposed to behave, so you didn't mind. You were happy and your husband seemed perfect.

So kind and passionate, there wasn't a day that went by where he wasn't looking at you with heart eyes, his purple eyes sparkling when you caught him looking at you. He loved it even more when your face was red, not knowing what to do with the looks of your husband. So innocent and so his.

You were spoiled and pampered to no end, he doesn't have any kind of financial care to spoil you, you were his wife, nothing more fair than fulfilling all your desires and whims. Everyone must obey your orders without blinking or they will have to deal with Jaehaerys.

Once he became King and you officially received the title Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, you played a large role in his politics. You presided over his council and gave your opinion, to the chagrin of some lords and the delight of your husband who trusted you completely.

You were not only his wife, someone who was only supposed to bear him children, but also an advisor, a Queen, valued by Jaehaerys, collaborating with him in matters of state and being a shrewd mind behind the important decisions of the realm.

Jaehaerys showed his affection in subtle ways sometimes, such as leaving little surprises for you at unexpected times, like flowers in your chambers or gifts made especially for you, showing his affection in subtle and discreet ways.

You took time to travel together, exploring the lands of the Seven Kingdoms, strengthening your bond not only with each other, but with the other Lords, and creating precious memories outside of royal compromises.

Jaeherys was your perfect husband, he put you above everything else and did whatever you wanted. He loves you deeply and just wants you to be happy. He trusts you like no one else and you have all the power over him. Even more so when you get pregnant with your first child.

You have the King on his knees for you whenever you want. He is yours and you are his. He was always yours.

[anghraine]

Ok, I've been thinking about this question a lot and there's not enough evidence in P&P to fully support any answer, but I wanted to hear yours: What is the Gardiners' economic status/How rich are the Gardiners?

Obviously, Mr. Gardiner is a tradesman, but I'm desperately curious to know the extent of his wealth. Does he have a similar income to Mr. Bennet but is just more frugal? Would he have been able to take in his niece(s)/sister when Mr. Bennet died? Does he have Bingley-level tradesman wealth without the massive lump sum Bingley inherited from his father? Darcy assumes that Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner are gentry - but like, Bennet gentry or Woodhouse gentry or Lucas gentry. JANE SKIMPED ON THE GARDINER INFORMATION AND NOW WE'LL NEVER KNOW. So what are your headcanons surrounding the Gardiners' wealth?

Really, the most important Gardiner headcanon that the Gardiner children are immediately charmed by Darcy and think he's like ~the coolest~

thanks queen <3

Six months later: hi!

My opinion is that the Gardiners are very well-off in terms of the usual incomes of the gentry. It's difficult to pin down an exact income range because I'm not a historian or economist, but the literary evidence is pretty suggestive IMO.

For one, Mr Bennet has no trouble believing that Mr Gardiner could have shelled out ten thousand pounds for Lydia; the problem is the struggle of repaying him, as Mr Bennet would feel morally obligated to do. The impression I get is that this would be a lot of money for Mr Gardiner to come up with, but everyone accepts that he could quickly do it, where Mr Bennet could not. And Mrs Gardiner does insist that Mr Gardiner would have paid the money if Darcy had let him, which again suggests that it was reasonably doable for him.

When Elizabeth and Jane first pass the news to Mrs Bennet and try to express the debt of gratitude they all owe Mr Gardiner, Mrs Bennet's response is a bitter remark about how if her brother had not married and had children of his own, "I and my children must have had all his money, you know; and it is the first time we have ever had anything from him except a few presents."

Aside from what this reveals about her character (especially given the remarkable understatement of "a few presents" given everything they've done for Jane and Elizabeth), I think "all his money" suggests an awareness that there would have been quite a bit to inherit if Mr Gardiner hadn't had the temerity to, uh, have children.

The summer tourism journey also doesn't seem to represent a severe expense for the Gardiners, though it would be outside the realm of possibility for some. They're not super frugal, but they're also not going to pull a Sir William Lucas and abandon the source of their income, or take an estate or something to distance themselves from trade, and end up unable to provide security for their children or any significant luxuries for their loved ones and themselves. So the Gardiners do make practical decisions like living near Mr Gardiner's warehouses and continuing his business in town.

Darcy (in Elizabeth's opinion) mistakes the Gardiners for "people of fashion" rather than gentry per se. This is interesting because Darcy originally considered the entire Meryton neighborhood, including the local gentry, as people noticeably not of fashion. This concept of people of fashion is typically more about fashionable high society than trade vs gentry IMO.

For instance, Mr Hurst is described as "a man of more fashion than fortune"—i.e. someone with high society credentials from his family, but not a lot of money, though he has enough to maintain a house in Grosvenor Street. (I think the implication is that the Hursts considered their status and Louisa Bingley's 20,000 l. from trade a fair exchange.) So likely, Darcy is not confusing the Gardiners for minor rural gentry, but even higher-status people if Elizabeth is analyzing his reaction correctly, based on their appearance, apparel, demeanor, etc.

This is definitely a time when wealthy people in trade could pass for people of fashion, but I think it would ordinarily take some doing, and though the Gardiners are stylish and relatively young, they aren't trying hard in the way that the Bingleys are. Yet Darcy, who went on a whole tangent about trade cooties during his proposal, can't even identify the Gardiners as people in trade upon meeting them—that's important.

(It's also significant, of course, that he's surprised to discover their exact connection aka that they're Mrs Bennet's relatives, which is honestly pretty fair. In any case, he evaluates Mr and Mrs Gardiner on their own considerable merits by this point.)

So again, I get the sense that the Gardiners are quite well-off people who spend their money on nice enough things that they can be mistaken for a completely different class than their own, but are not specifically aiming for that or super extravagant, either. Their habits seem rather similar to Darcy's, actually—I don't think they're anywhere near as wealthy, but they're wealthy enough that they can approach major expenditures fairly casually, as he does. But unlike Darcy, it will always be contingent on Mr Gardiner's business success and they have to plan around his work and the possibility of sudden changes in terms of his work.

I personally think that Mr Gardiner would undoubtedly have been able to take care of his sister and nieces in the worst case scenario. Six women used to a high standard of living (we know Mrs Bennet is extravagant; it's only Mr Bennet's frugality that keeps the Bennets out of debt as it is) would probably be a strain, but I don't think beyond the income level indicated, even accounting for the needs of his immediate family.

When Mrs Bennet is dramatizing herself during the Lydia disaster, she tells Mr Gardiner, "if you are not kind to us, brother, I do not know what we shall do," and he assures her of his affection for both her and her entire family. This could be seen as a sort of empty redirection that avoids promising anything, especially given that her catastrophizing fantasy scenarios are extremely unlikely, but I think that's a misread of his character.

I see his reply as a tactful assurance that, in the (improbable) event of Mr Bennet dying in a duel, his affection for her and her daughters would indeed ensure his protection of her and her daughters. There's no doubt from anyone that he's capable of doing this, though it would certainly mean a change in their style of living that Mrs Bennet would vocally resent.

So while this isn't super-specific, I hope it helped!

Normally I don't need to do this, but I would like to add a sort of credit/disclaimer: I didn't initially notice all these signs and my understanding of the Gardiners' standard of living and general circumstances was, I believe, strongly influenced by JulieW of the Life and Times board at Republic of Pemberley back in the earlyish 2000s (maybe about 2006?).

The L&T board is sadly gone (or was the last few times I checked), though ROP clings to life, but she knew a lot more about Georgian history and culture than I ever will, and these references to the Gardiners' prosperity seemed really glaring once she pointed them out.

(Her analysis of Pemberley's age, architecture, and general class significance was also really influential and I'm still really sad that I have to rely on the perfidy of memory about it.)

[sleepy-writes-stuff]

DP X DC WRITING PROMPT #20

(#) = Notes at the end of post

(*) = Other ideas relating to the prompt

✦

To Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

Jason stayed dead for about six months before he was resurrected. That left his spirit plenty of time to fully manifest in the ghost zone, but time flows a little weird in the Infinite Realms so it feels like he's been dead a lot longer.

Regardless, six months is enough time for him to make plenty of friends and enemies alike. Enough to fall head over heals for the white-haired boy named Danny who just so happens to also be his king. Enough time for Jason and Danny to finally confess their feelings for each other and form a relationship. Enough time for them to grow to adore each other down to their very cores. Enough time for Jason to become the King's consort and earn the title of Prince of the Infinite Realms.

Not enough time, however, when Jason's spirit is unwillingly dragged back to the broken husk of his body buried in a coffin six feet under. Not enough time when the sheer amount of trauma his body and mind suffered causes his memories of the afterlife to sift out like grains of sand through a colander, mindless in his continued existence and search for a man named Bruce that he only half recalls.

Not enough time for when his body is stolen and dunked into the foulist pools of ectoplasm to ever surface in the living world and he comes back with unbridled rage he only half understands. Where is he? Where was he? Why does green flood his vision? Something is missing but why can't he remember? He shouldn't be here. Why was he here?? (1)

Jason tries to navigate his way through the world he'd previously left behind and discovers what happened after his death. The Joker was still alive. Another child was running around in a traffic light costume in the dead of night. Bruce had replaced him, seeming to forget he ever existed and the consequences of training a child to be a vigilante. That just won't do. He cries. He rages. He plans.

Meanwhile, the King of the Infinite Realms is apocalyptic over the fact that his lover was ripped from his arms, their kingdom, their home. He can sense Jason's torment like echoes in a cave. Can sense when his body enters the fringes of his territory when dunked into the toxic Lazarus waters created by the previous king. How dare they taint his lover's spirit with such filth?! Danny's core rears its head, chanting, growling to protect his soulmate.

Danny is beyond unhappy and he's about to make it everyone's problem.

✦

Notes:

(1) Jason forgets everything he experienced in the afterlife with Danny and is even more confused than he previously would have been when resurrected. Memories only come back to him in bits and pieces when he comes into contact with beings of the supernatural and Danny himself or possibly when he sleeps.

(*) I believe an interesting way to show the events and progression for this prompt would be to switch back and forth between the current events of Under the Red Hood/Phantom's anger and the days they spent together in the Infinite Realms before they were literally torn away from each other. Either as standalone info or through the dreams Jason has as he sleeps but doesn't remember when he wakes.

The events of Under the Red Hood still happen, there's just the question of where he even was for the six months that he was dead added into the equation. Dead on Main tossed in there for flair, because why not? Been seeing a lot of "Jason becomes Danny's Fright Knight" fics, but I wanna see one where they're literally just a royal couple who rule the Infinite Realms with a just and fair hand.

[inactivewattpadauthor]

Liu Kang x Friendzoned Reader: Saving Kotal

This could be a sequel to the chapter you get friend zoned, idk ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Standing aside from the group of Outworlders, you all waited for the three to come back: Liu Kang, Kung Lao, and the one that secretly makes you spite everything, Kitana. Maybe it was a good idea you stayed back. It would've been a shame if the pettiness inside you acted on the intrusive thoughts. You kept everything down though, knowing your feelings weren't important in this matter.

Kitana was to convince Baraka to side up with her to rescue Kotal and defeat Shao Kahn, hopefully all of them weren't shredded down there. It felt awkward being around all these Outworlders too. But no worries, they all return with the allegiance of Tarkata.

Letting out a small smile you went to them. "Glad you guys are back." Glancing mostly at Lao since you were still bitter about the other two. Liu sensed your vibe, awkwardly nodding at Lao before walking off with the princess.

The hat wielder pulls close to you, wrapping an arm around your shoulder as you two walked closely. "So we all are going to the Kolosseum," You already were aware of the next dangerous leap. "Liu wishes for me to tell you that you don't have to go. It is very dangerous."

You scoff and push away from Lao. "So what? He couldn't tell me himself? Maybe he actually just doesn't want me to go because... of her."

Lao grimaces. "See, this is why he made me speak to you." He murmurs before clearing his throat. "No. He just thinks it wouldn't be fair for you to risk your life for something mostly for Kitana. Though the realms are at stake. But it's up to you if you wish to not participate. He understands."

"I'll go." You sigh. "And Lao," You place a hand on his shoulder. "Don't be his messenger. You're too much of a good friend for that." You walk off.

He smiles at you when you walk away and as you go completely out of sight, his face drops into a frown. "Shit."

---Time Skip To Kolosseum---

You stood far back as Kitana lead the large group to the doors of the caged battle arena. As they were forced open, you could tell any second late, Kotal would've had his head bashed in. Standing back, you could barely hear what the princess and Shao Kahn spoke of.

"-exactly like you, 'father'." That's when the battle began, Kitana striking Shao with her fan blades and everyone else getting into it. You fought smoothly, knocking any foe that approaches off their feet with easy defeat.

Turning your head, you see Liu fighting honorably as well, but it would seem he didn't hear the enemy approaching behind him, readying his sharp weapon. Without any hesitance, you rushed to that swine, heart pumping in fear he would strike him.

You deliver a strong high kick to the back of the opponent's neck, sending the heel of your shoe through, making the swine choke up on his own blood. The sound made Liu jump back and his eyes widen as you pull your heel out, watching in despise as the Shao Kahn follower collapse dead, blood seeping from the hole you caused.

"You came!" Liu looked at you with warmth. "Why?"

"I'd give my life for you." You cross your arms, looking away blankly. You said it so simply, he stands there confused. He always sort of thought you disliked him ever since he had to put you down. The champion would've understood if you resented him all the way, but he was happy you came through.

"I owe you mine's now." Liu bows gratefully to you.

You scoff and roll your eyes. He is confused to why you step towards him until you wrap your arms around him, his mind fading out as everyone else was dying in the background and the audience cheers with glee.

But he smiles and returns your embrace, resting his chin on your head.

You two hugged it out for long up until you hear a pained yell from Kotal. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ I do a little trolling in this chapter lol

[winterlogysblog]

4KOTA FANFIC | Based from @crystaldrops20 's idea💡

I finally finished it lol

Note: My grammar still sucks so bear with me

Nasiens is tasked with one thing. One important thing, and that is, to bring Percival back. It's not a simple task, it's a quite complicated one that might take years to accomplish but Nasiens won't give up, producing medicine is the one thing that he knows and he'll do the best that he can to make the medicine that will wake him up. They took him to the Fairy Realm, it was Lancelot's idea, and Meliodas approved of it.

With Lancelot's guidance, they traveled towards the Fairy King's Forest with Anne and Donny tagging along. Lancelot seems quite familiar with the place which isn't too surprising since he's half-fairy. Nasiens is optimistic but nervous, he's presenting himself to royalty after all. Lancelot must have noticed this and reassured him. "Don't worry too much, you'll be fine in there."

"What is he even like?" Donny asked. "You mentioned him before, you said he taught you a few spells, right?"

"Yeah, Tristan even said that he made you your clothes," Anne added. "Which isn't really something he would do to just anybody given his status."

Lancelot sighed. "Might as well... You see, the Fairy King... he's my uncle."

"What?!" The three erupted

"It's not that big of a deal okay." Lancelot shrugged.

"What do you mean not that big of a deal!!!" Donny shouted. "This is really important information!!"

"Listen... don't think about it too much all right. Uncle isn't the type of person who cares about these things, and since you guys are my buddies I guarantee you he'll just make you call him by his name."

And true to Lancelot's words that is exactly what happened. And that is how Nasiens got himself into the Fairy Realm and it was filled to the brim with various things he could use, and it made him hopeful that he could actually do this. The Fairy King placed Percival inside the Cave of Whispers, he didn't get the chance to ask him the reason for this since he was still quite unsure of how to approach the monarch.

Everything is as it should be, he is given the opportunity of a lifetime to explore a realm that is perfect for his abilities and with a goal in mind, there is nothing that should stop him. During his time there, he made good friends with Tioreh, the Fairy King's youngest daughter and her other siblings seem to like him as well, except for their eldest. From time to time Lancelot would visit and would bring Anne and Donny with him.

"How's everything?" Donny asked him as they gathered inside the Cave of Whispers.

"The usual, although my experiments keep on failing." Nasiens lowered his head.

"Come on man. It's only been what? a couple of months since you got here. I'm sure there are tons of things you haven't tried yet, you'll find a way." Donny patted him reassuringly on the shoulder.

"How is it living here then?" Anne asked.

"It's fine. I'm still easing up on the whole thing. Sometimes, I still get quite nervous around them even though they're so friendly." Nasiens answered. "I got used to being with Tioreh though, I'm not quite sure about the others."

"That's good at least." Lancelot nodded. "Out of everyone, Tioreh and Belte are the easiest to get along with, Sixtus is a bit tricky but I'm sure he'll like you."

Nasiens can't help but chuckle. Lancelot turns into a different person when he's around his family, he gets so giddy and fun like he finally gets to loosen up a bit.

"I mean when I first met Sixtus you're the person who came to mind. You two are quite a lot alike." Nasiens said.

"Fair." Lancelot nodded.

"Mertyl doesn't seem to like me all that much, to be honest," Nasiens added.

"I guess I can see why." Nasiens heard Lancelot said. "He's always been so insecure."

"What would Mertyl be insecure about?" Nasiens asked.

"What?" Lancelot raised a brow.

"You said something about how you can see why Mertyl doesn't like me because he's insecure about something. I wanna know what it is about."

"I didn't..." Lancelot mumbled under his breath.

"Lancelot didn't say anything like that."

"I'm pretty sure he did, I heard him."

"Nasiens... You just read my mind." Lancelot breathed out.

"What?! You're joking, right? You're the one who can read minds around here Lancelot."

"I'm not kidding, I can guarantee that you just read my mind just then."

"All right, even if I did, how is that even possible?"

"Nasiens... have you been taking any Mullein pills since you got here?" Lancelot asked.

"Mullein pills? No. I haven't, and what that has to do with anything?" Upon Nasiens' answer, Donny and Anne were taken aback, a small gasp escaping their mouths.

"I've been giving these two Mullein pills every time we visit because the atmosphere of the Fairy Realm is toxic to humans, it causes dizziness and asthma if they're exposed for too long."

"What?" Nasiens gasped. "But how come I experienced none of that, in fact, my health actually got better ever since I got here."

Lancelot sighed heavily. "Oh dear."

"Lancelot... you know something don't you." Donny turned to the blonde but he stayed silent, his head stayed low. "Hey! Say something!"

Lancelot simply chuckled. "So it is true."

"Nasiens... you're smart, you could put two and two together, right?"

Nasiens lowered his head. "I'm... I'm a fairy, aren't I?" Anne and Donny's eyes widened. "How long have you known?" Nasiens asked Lancelot.

"I have my suspicions, The ability to be immune to poisons is quite rare for humans but is natural to the Fairy Clan, that was my first hint. But, you never exhibited anything else other than that so I suppose that was just a unique thing that you could do because of your magic." Lancelot explained. "Then... this happened."

"I see." Nasiens nodded.

"Hey! Don't be upset!" Anne rushed over to him. "No matter what you are, you're still Nasiens, nothing will change."

"She's right!" Donny added. "I'm sure Percival will say the same thing, know what I bet he'll be super excited to know that you're a fairy this entire time."

Nasiens smiled as they comforted him, truthfully, he wasn't all that upset, he was actually glad that he got to know more about his origins and slowly he gets to hear what's inside their hearts, he gets to hear their love and care for him.

"Lancelot! Aren't you gonna say anything?! You're the one who dropped this on him! Be a little considerate come on!" Anne scolded Lancelot.

"Could you two wait outside for a bit? I need to speak to Nasiens alone." Lancelot said, his voice low, his bangs covering his eyes.

"Don't give us that! If you have anything to say to him, you can say it to us! We're all friends here!"

"Fine." Lancelot sighed, slowly walking over to Nasiens as he spoke.

"I had another cousin, his name is Galehaut. I've been told that he was taken away, a changeling a prank, a stupid and cruel prank where a fairy and human baby were switched. Uncle and Auntie were absolutely devasted at the time, I couldn't even comprehend it myself but I was told that the fairy who did it wasn't a part of the forest, it was someone from the outside, which made it even more impossible to find him. They tried their best but they couldn't and they had to accept the fact that they ultimately lost their firstborn."

"Lancelot... where are you going with this?"

"Galehaut has brown hair and amber eyes, that's what I've been told." Lancelot continued. "Nasiens... when I first met you... you reminded me so much of my uncle." A small tear escaped Lancelot's eyes. "From the way you look to your determination to save the Gorge." Lowering his head he chuckled."It's crazy that I only realized this just now... I can't believe it has been you this entire time."

Nasiens is stunned. Lancelot, he's crying. He's overwhelmed with emotions, he can hear it, he can hear it perfectly. There are no lies to what he said, everything is true and genuine. A small tear fell from his eyes as well, soft sobs escaping him.

"I know you have questions, rightfully so, but I can't answer all of them," Lancelot said. "We'll talk this thing through with everybody, it won't be easy but... I'll be there. We're family now after all."

Donny and Anne were left dumbfounded by what just occurred, everything just seemed so crazy that it couldn't be true, but it was. For the first time, Lancelot is clean. Anne can see it, he's not hiding anything, and everything he has said is true.

Unbeknownst to them, some are looking in and listening in to the conversation. Two fairies, one boy and one girl.

"Hey! Did you hear that!" One whisper yelled.

"Yeah! So... Nassie is our brother." The other one responded.

"That's what Lancelot said, besides you heard all those rumors. They couldn't just come from anywhere."

"What about Mertyl then?"

"Come on! He's still our big brother, and I highly doubt this will change anything. Think of it like we'll have another sibling but instead of having a younger one we'll have someone older."

Amidst to their whispering, another voice joined in.

"What are you two doing here sneaking around for?"

The two fairies turned around and flew upwards in shock and held each other.

"Sixtus!" They cried in unison.

"Well... Tioreh is about to visit Nasiens and she mentioned that Lancelot would be here so I tagged along." Belte explained. "Then we just so happened to overhear their conversation and..."

"Sixtus... Nassie is our brother." Tioreh spoke softly.

"What!?"

"Dude, you must have heard the rumors right? You know about the name every elder refuses to talk about." Belte flew over to his brother.

"Galehaut," Sixtus spoke softly. "It's the name of Mom and Dad's firstborn."

"How did you know?"

"I asked Dad about it years ago, his answer did not match what his heart said. I don't know why they kept it from us but I suppose it's for Mertyl's sake. He has always been insecure about his standing."

"We heard it. Lancelot said it himself. Nasiens is Galehaut!" Belte shouted a little too loud.

"Hey!!" It's Lancelot. "Belte!! It's rude to spy on people."

"Now you've done it!" Tioreh glared at her brother.

"You too Tioreh!!"

Sixtus rolled his eyes and sighed. "Just go inside."

Upon entering, Tioreh and Belte hang their head low not wanting to see Lancelot glaring at them which he really isn't.

"Seriously." Lancelot raised a brow. "You too Sixtus."

"As if." Sixtus scoffed. "I'm the one who caught these hooligans."

"On a serious note, is it true?" Sixtus asked for confirmation and Lancelot affirmed it with a nod.

"I see."

"That's amazing!!" Tioreh cheered and flew over to Nasiens to give him a hug. Flabbergasted, Nasiens stayed still. "I have a new big brother!!"

"Come on man! Loosen up a bit!!" Belte laughed without a care in the world.

Lancelot just chuckled at his cousins' antics and Sixtus smiled.

"Don't worry, I'll talk to Mertyl." Sixtus said.

"Thanks." Lancelot smiled.

"Did you seriously just realize this now?" Sixtus chuckled, deciding to be a bit playful.

"Oh shut up! You guys didn't realize this too." Lancelot exclaimed.

"Well... I did." Sixtus smirked, flipping himself upside down.

"Me too!!" Tioreh added, clinging onto Nasiens.

"I mean, I kinda got it." Belte shrugged.

"Hah! Liar!!"

"What do you mean!! He looks a lot like them. Anyone would have guessed!!" Sixtus chuckled. "Especially me, I've been told that I'm the spitting image of my father."

"I still can't get that one." Belte shook his head.

"Uncle looks different when he's younger. Just imagine Sixtus with his hair and eye color and you got it." Lancelot replied.

"Quick! Change! I wanna see it." Tioreh squealed.

"What?! No!!"

"Do it!!" Belte insisted. "It's not that hard."

"Still a no." Sixtus shook his head.

"Sixty... Please..." Tioreh pleaded. "Do it for Nassie." She shoved Nasiens who is getting overwhelmed but growing comfortable with their interactions.

"Say something," Tioreh whispered into his ear.

"Uhhh... I'm curious what His Majesty looks like when he is younger as well." Nasiens said.

Sixtus stayed silent for a while until a small idea came to mind.

"Fine. I'll do it." Sixtus smirked. "But... Call him father first."

Lancelot choked out a laugh, falling on his knees, Tioreh let out a cheer of excitement and Belte gave Sixtus a high five.

Nasiens' cheeks turned red, the very thought of it made him so embarrassed he wanted to melt into a puddle.

"Do it Nassie!!" Tioreh shook him.

"Come on, it'll be fun." Belte clapped his hands.

"You guys are vile." Lancelot laughed. "You're gonna kill the guy."

As the commotion was going on, two figures stood at the entrance of the Cave.

"They all seem to be getting along just fine, there's no need to worry your Majesty."

[genericpuff]

don't you love how LO and its fanbase have a double standard when it comes to how minthe and persephone are portrayed in their relationship with hades

because i fucking don't, it's frustrating and goes to show how ironically far up persephone's ass everyone is

A lot of the things Minthe gets criticized for, Persephone is outright celebrated for.

Minthe is into glitzy fashion and expensive dinners and relies on Hades for all her financial help? She's materialistic and vapid and a gold digger taking advantage of Hades. When Persephone does those things? She's a confident go-getter who knows what she deserves and won't accept any less.

Minthe acts shitty and cold to the people around her? She's a cunt who doesn't deserve friends or any sort of empathy whatsoever. Persephone does it? She's a #bossbabe and the person she's snipping at "probably deserved it anyways."

Minthe displays blatant PDA with Hades? She's nasty and gross and disrespectful to the people around her. Persephone does it? The whole realm talks about it and cheers for it, with many of the side characters going so far as to try and hook them up every opportunity they can get.

Minthe acts petty to try and 'get back' at Persephone, she's seen as a petty bitch and even called out on her behavior BY THE CHARACTERS THEMSELVES. Persephone does the EXACT SAME SHIT, and people flat out encourage her.

Minthe sneaks around Hades back to hook up with Thanatos? She's a cheater and doesn't deserve him. Persephone literally flirts with and comes onto Hades when she knows Minthe is with Hades? It's fine, Minthe deserves what's coming to her and Persephone and Hades are 'meant to be'. Never mind the fact that as SOON as Minthe and Hades decided to be in an actual committed relationship, beyond just the terms of their original agreement (which was transactional) Minthe broke it off with Thanatos. What does Persephone do though when she admits to flirting with Hades knowing he's in a relationship? She acknowledges it's not fair to Minthe, but just asks to "slow down". She seems to be more concerned with breaking the terms of her TGOEM agreement than hurting Minthe or participating in an emotional affair.

Point is, Persephone is constantly being given a pass by the narrative, Rachel, and her own fanbase that she's allowed and justified to do whatever she wants, while everyone else "deserves" whatever shitty end of the stick they get so long as they're not "in the way" of Hades and Persephone's relationship. If RS ever swapped out these Persephone moments with Minthe, the narrative would spin it as a horrible, tasteless thing and the fanbase would throw eggs at her. It's wild how the narrative will try to convince us Minthe is the root of all Hades' suffering when, if anything, Minthe is a victim and Hades' relationship with Persephone has many of the same foundations as his relationship with Minthe.

Anyways, this turned into a way longer essay than I planned it to, but seriously, Minthe deserved better, and just because Rachel will bend over backwards to try and paint Minthe as the root of all evil doesn't mean she deserved to be cheated on or turned into a plant; on the flipside, just because Persephone is the main protagonist doesn't mean her actions are any more justifiable than Minthe's. You can't call Minthe a bitch for doing what she did when Persephone is given a free pass to do the same shit all the time. Context doesn't even matter in many of these cases, there is no context that makes it okay to have such double standards and almost blatantly obvious class/racial imbalances in your own narrative that claims to be 'feminist' and is being written for teenage girls.

Stop lecturing Minthe and start holding Persephone accountable.

[cookies-and-music]

Ghost. - part 2: What I knew. Part 1 here - part 3 here PAIRING: TVA!LokixOC WARNINGS: none SUMMARY: Loki meets sombody at the TVA he once knew. Unfortunately she doesn't seem to remember him. NOTE: that was supposted to be a one-shot, but I felt like writing a second part.

Time at the TVA flows differently. It's the first thing you learn arriving there. For instance, the alternation between day and night wasn't clear because there was no sun.

Loki didn't know how much time had passed since their conversation. Nor did he know how much time had passed since he sat in front of her at the desk, under the pretense of wanting company while analyzing documents. Nor did he know how much time had passed since he had stopped working to stare at her.

"If you want to ask me something, just do it. You're unsettling."

Apparently, too much time.

The truth was he had no questions.

"I was just wondering what you were working on" Loki said.

Lydia glanced up at him before returning her gaze to the documents. "The same thing as you, more or less. Dangerous variant on the run." After all, they were in the same department, so they obviously worked on the same things.

"And do you like it?"

Midgard, 2012.

"I see you wavering more and more every day" she said with a mocking smile.

"My goals have never been so clear" Loki spat.

"Oh, if you say so, great and mighty god," Lydia taunted, taking a candy from the bag she held. Loki stared, wondering what it was and where she got it.

Lydia followed his gaze, offering him a candy. "Want one?"

Loki took it and sniffed it under her amused gaze before putting it in his mouth and immediately spitting it out, making her laugh.

"But it's disgusting, I've never eaten anything so sweet and sticky."

"I bet you wouldn't want to destroy the Earth anymore if you could enjoy the pleasures it has to offer," Lydia said with a laugh, putting another candy in her mouth. "Why do you want to destroy it anyway?"

"I don't intend to destroy it, I intend to rule it," Loki narrowed his eyes.

"And what will you do with a realm you don't even like?"

Loki straightened up, looking away, but didn't respond.

Something clicked in Lydia's mind. "Ohh," she turned to him, a little too close for the god's taste, "it's your plan B."

Loki ignored her, walking toward the room where they conducted experiments on the Tesseract, but she caught up.

"It was Asgard, the one you wanted to rule. A realm of gods, full of wealth and abundance. But without candies and where everyone hates you," Lydia acidly smiled, and Loki quickened his pace. "It seems fair, everyone should have a plan B." Lydia grabbed another candy.

Loki turned to her. "And what's yours, Miss Princhett?" he said challengingly.

Lydia looked ahead, toward the end of the hallway. "This. SHIELD is plan B."

Loki turned to her, confused by the admission. "And plan A?"

"Doctor, maybe. My mother would have liked that for sure. Or a history teacher, like my other mom."

Loki stared at her for a moment, and she returned the gaze. They were polar opposites. He fiercely desired something and would do anything to get it. She, on the other hand, settled. This difference became clear to both of them in that moment. Probably, they both believed they were right and simultaneously envied each other's capacity.

"Your mouth is covered in sugar," Loki said before walking away.

TVA, 2021.

"And do you like it?"

"What a strange question," Lydia tilted her head, wrinkling her nose. "It's my job. I do what I have to."

"But isn't there anything else you'd like to do?"

Lydia opened her mouth a couple of times, then looked down before speaking. "I would have liked to be a teacher, maybe a history teacher. I've always loved the subject" she replied sadly.

"Well, I suppose this gets you close," Loki gave her an encouraging smile.

"I suppose so," she looked up at him. "And you, Loki Prince of Asgard? What do you wanna be?"

"King, of course," he spread his arms theatrically.

"Of course," she repeated with an amused air, rolling her eyes. "And what will be your first royal decree?"

"Hiring a very well-informed history teacher at court," Loki approached her, leaning on the desk as if about to confess a secret, and Lydia mimicked him, finding herself face to face with his deep blue eyes. "And I already have someone in mind," he winked.

Lydia blushed, grabbed a folder, and rolled it up before using it to hit Loki on the head.

"Ouch," he complained, rubbing his head. "That hurt."

"Oh, don't be a baby," she straightened up in her chair. "Let's get back to work before our analysts come to scold us."

Loki smiled before returning his gaze to the papers.

----

Hope you enjoyed! Feel free to leave a heart, a note or to reblog, this really helps a lot. Part 3 in a couple of days.

[coralinnii]

I had some people a little curious as to how I rated the TWST boys in my "TWST guys I would let date my niece (theoretically)" post in terms of personality only (considering they're fictional and my niece is 10). I can't completely answer everyone since there's only so many words tumblr would let me write as a reply, so here's for anyone who was curious.

The rating system was created alongside my niece on what she wanted in a partner (as much as she understood dating, anyway), compatibility with her personality, and my input as someone who has either met, known, or fortunately and unfortunately dated ppl with such personalities. With this in mind, maybe our list would be different from how you would categorize, which yea fair enough. This is all hypothetical anyway and it was interesting to see what my niece likes.

This does NOT mean I dislike any of the TWST guy. Seeing how unique each of them are personality-wise is honestly amazing and I want to believe that even if you have what people call "red-flags", "dealbreakers" or "turn-offs", that doesn't necessarily make you a bad person, just incompatible (with exceptions of like really toxic, destructive traits, like stealing someone's dog. Don't do that, guys).

Has my seal of approval

Trey responsible, good work ethic, loves to bake + the bonus of cute glasses (apparently me and my niece really like glasses).

Kalim fun-loving, open to new experiences, optimistic, and willing to learn if you're willing to teach.

Silver kind if a bit intimidating-looking, takes care of others, family-oriented,

Jack responsible, good lifestyle, works hard, kind while kinda grumpy, family-oriented.

Vil responsible, good life habits, works hard for success, not stuck on gender norms, kind if sort of stuck-up.

Lilia mature, fun-loving, open to new experiences, loves kids, not quick to anger. He does have his secrets, tho.

Neige kind, works hard for success, not afraid to be silly,

Ok…but I’m keeping an eye on you

Ace he's kinda lazy and willing to cheat in school but not a bad person.

Cater not willing to be vulnerable sometimes but is a responsible person that respects boundaries.

Azul a bit too opportunistic (in a sense he's also judging the value of anything, first) for me and may not vibe well with my niece but not bad.

Jamil not happy with how he sometimes lies and insincerely flatters others, but I don't think he does it maliciously so not a bad guy(?)

Ortho prone to violence if he thinks that's the best logical solution (i.e, hacking into security and blowing up the school??) so kinda worried.

Chenya a little too fickle and in-and-out physically which worries me, but he seems loyal and brave.

First, you and I are gonna have a talk

Riddle mainly his temper and impatience…and the in-laws

Deuce also his temper, and my niece prefers smart ppl (ooff)

Ruggie the 5-finger discount don’t fly under my watch

Epel also temper and prone to get into fights in the beginning. Also, my niece's not into the "gotta be manly" mentality, what are you gonna do?

Sebek it's mostly the temper and shouting…and tone down the Malleus simping

Jade don’t be bringing drama into my household

Rook it’s the creepy simping

Malleus kinda seen in early Book 7 and the spectral realm event, he doesn't communicate and talk things through with others and just does things on his own because he's powerful enough to do so, which is just...something we gotta talk about, first.

Oh, you and I are gonna fight, first!

Leona spoiled to high heavens, gives up on a lot of things, and is too used to having things done for him. I'm not letting my niece become his maid!

Floyd No...just no. He's the friend that I worry my niece will someday have to pick up at the police station. No

Idia Quick to judge others, kinda thinks he's smarter than everyone, and has a hard time communicating and socializing even with his friends and partners. I know this because I used to date someone like Idia, and currently have a crush on another person very similar to him.

Rollo Also (sorta) dated someone like him which is...an experience. Treated me as someone pure and sweet, but disliked my friends because she thought they were bad influences. Also really wanted me to join her kinda sketchy religious thing which I wasn't really into.

[666writingcafe]

The Adventure Begins

Levi's overacting. Again. The only reason it wasn't obvious during the school play was because Simeon kept him reined in. Levi gets excited quite easily, and it causes him to get lost in whatever role he's playing.

I'll have to ask Simeon, but I don't think he intended the Lord of Shadow to act so...dramatically? badly? I don't know how to describe it, really. It just isn't very good.

Unlike MC. I'm not sure why I like their acting better, especially since they're currently matching Levi's energy. Maybe it's because they're intentionally hamming it up. They did mumble an apology to me before they started talking to him, after all, so they must know that Levi's acting isn't the best.

Satan's isn't much better, either. He's not as over-the-top as Levi, but I don't find him convincing as the "villain" of this story. If anything, he'd make a good anti-hero, but Solomon probably didn't want to make things too complicated.

Solomon's not a very good author.

However, I'm choosing to keep all this to myself, because the point of all this is to help MC get their first star. Lucifer, on the other hand, is having a hard time suspending his disbelief. So, I understand why MC told him to shut up. I just hope they're prepared to get their ass handed to them once Lucifer's back to normal size, because while he has a soft spot for MC, he doesn't like being silenced. Messes with his pride.

Speaking of which...the stars.

They represent the seven virtues, which are direct opposites of our sins. For me, that virtue is temperance. Solomon probably knows this, but he may not realize the full extent of my relationship with temperance.

Once upon a time, I was able to control myself and my urges. Until I wasn't. For my brothers, their sin was triggered by specific events; that wasn't the case for me. It just...happened. And I didn't realize it until it was too late.

Now, it's what most people know me for. They think I'm a meathead that only thinks about food. Even my brothers.

Which isn't fair.

Why are they allowed to have complex personalities, but not me? Why can they participate in mentally stimulating activities, while I'm cast off to the side and dismissed as too dumb to understand any of it? It's never made sense to me.

I think that's part of why I like MC so much. They're the first person in a really, really long time that sees me beyond my sin. They actually listen to what I have to say and seem to value my opinion, even if it's not related to food or sports.

Yet somehow, deep inside, I don't fully trust them. I think it's coming from my subconscious. Somewhere in there lives a hurt angel that feels like everyone he cares about will die and leave him behind. And in a way, it's true.

Lilith may have been the only person in our little family that actually lost their life, but my brothers barely resemble what they were in the Celestial Realm. It's weird. They wear the same faces, but they're completely different people. Sometimes, I feel like they're complete strangers, or perhaps taken over by aliens.

Oddly, the one person I can rely on to stay the same is Satan. Then again, he didn't have his own form until we arrived in the Devildom, so this version of him is all I've ever known.

"Beel?"

Shit.

I missed a lot, didn't I?

"Are you okay? You seem out of it."

"I could say the same to you." Why is that the first thing that comes out of my mouth? I sound like a jerk.

MC merely sighs as they sit next to me on the...bed? I take a proper look at my surroundings and realize that we're in a hotel room of some kind. Lucifer appears to be sleeping on the nightstand, using tissues as both pillow and blanket.

"Wanna go first, or shall I?" Interesting question. They don't seem upset at me.

"Your call." MC rests their head on my shoulder.

"Simeon needs my help making an important decision." Their tone indicates something serious.

"With what?" MC sighs again.

"His future." Huh? Why would an angel need a human's help with that? I know that the two of them are fairly close, but still.

"But that's neither here nor there," they quickly add, sighing. "It's not like I can do anything about it now." They glance up at me. "What's on your mind?"

"My past."

"As an angel?" I nod.

"Back then, the only thing that mattered to people was that I was strong. I wanted to be useful, so I decided to become a soldier and fight for the Celestial Realm. Problem was, I had trouble controlling my powers."

"Like I did before receiving the Ring?"

"You know, I hadn't really thought about it until you said it, but yeah. I suppose we have that in common. In your case, everyone had your back, which is good, because I wouldn't have wanted you to go through that experience the way I did." MC sits up and properly looks at me.

"What do you mean?"

"Every time I would destroy something--even though most of the time it was a complete accident--Raphael would make some sort of sarcastic remark about it. I think he started calling me the Hulk at one point, but it was meant as an insult." I pause.

"At least he had the decency to do it to my face. Lots of angels would talk shit about me behind my back. They thought I was too stupid to pick up on it, but I knew. They acted overly sweet towards me whenever I would walk in the room. Condescending, even. It was like I was a dumb kid to them." MC places a hand on my thigh and pats it.

"Sounds depressing," they remark.

"It was. Oddly enough, the one person in authority that didn't treat me that way was Lucifer. I initially thought he was too busy with his duties to really care about much else, but then one day he approached me and started talking to me. We had a legitimate conversation."

"About?"

"He told me to keep in mind that being a Celestial Realm soldier wasn't about attacking--"

"--but protecting." We must have woken Lucifer up. "You had the power to protect everyone--to keep them safe--and that you shouldn't feel bad because you were special. If you learned to control your powers, I'd recommend you to the cherubim and have you serve as a Celestial Realm gatekeeper. You did, and so I kept my promise." Lucifer beckons MC to pick him up and bring him closer to me.

"MC and I may be connected by the Ring of Light, but the two of you have a strong connection as well," he continues. "You're both motivated by the need to protect the ones you love, even if it means sacrificing yourself in the process. Drawing on that similarity is going to be the key to pass Solomon's test."

"Are you saying Solomon knew we had that in common?" MC asks incredulously.

"No. I did. I simply passed the knowledge along to him."

"How long--"

"The rooftop."

"Of Dogi Magi?" I'm glad MC understands what he's referring to, because I'm completely lost. Must have been something I wasn't involved with.

"You knew that Belphie would hurt you if you went against his order to reject me, but you did it anyway."

"I didn't want to lie to you."

"Because that would have meant hurting his feelings." Asmo may have used his powers to pick up on Lucifer's crush on MC early on, but I knew pretty much from the moment they set eyes on each other. Granted, he was more attracted to their soul initially, but who could blame him? It was bright and shiny, even back then. If we weren't under orders to not eat them, then they wouldn't have made it out of the assembly hall alive. Even Diavolo was struggling to contain himself.

Anyway, the point is MC cared enough about Lucifer in that moment to feel the need to protect him.

Just like I felt the need to protect Lucifer after I became a cherub.

MC's going to get their star.

[thatfragilecapricorn30]

I like The X-Files, should I watch Fringe?

I decided to watch Fringe because it was frequently recommended as a show for fans of TXF. I was really curious how similar it would be and would I actually enjoy it? I'm only on S2 E5, so this post will be my impressions of the first season. I'll probably write another post after watching more of the show. I'll also try to make this as spoiler free as possible so anyone can read it!

What is Fringe about? The main character is FBI Special Agent Olivia Dunham. We meet her when she's assigned to a case in which everyone on board a plane dies from a mysterious illness. The plane lands successfully at Boston Logan (due to some auto-landing feature - not sure if this is even real) and this is where we find out that Boston (aka Vancouver) is our setting for the show. Dunham traces the mysterious illness back to the research of a former Harvard professor (Dr. Walter Bishop), who is currently in a psychiatric institution, and she needs his son (Peter Bishop) to get him out. By the end of the episode, the three of them form the core of the Fringe division, a cohort of agents and consultants working on unexplained cases (sound familiar??).

How are Fringe and TXF similar?

Both shows center on a special division within the FBI that involve unexplained phenonomen.

Both are filmed in Vancouver.

Both feature monster of the week and mythology episodes.

Both have a strong female lead.

Both have the potential for romance between the two leads (Olivia and Peter).

How are the two shows different?

Fringe features an ensemble cast, whereas TXF was really only Mulder and Scully. I enjoy the relationships between the characters (like Peter and his father, and Walter and Astrid), but the show hasn't done a great job of fleshing out characters aside from the core three. Poor Astrid has pretty much no personality aside from performing lab work with Walter.

The show does not have the same atmosphere as TXF seasons 1-5, even though they're both filmed in the same locale. It might be because of film vs. digital, but the cinematography on Fringe is lacking compared to the beautiful forests we're used to seeing on TXF.

Fringe does a great job of tying a majority of their monster of the week episodes back to the main mythology. The problem with this is that it's hard to watch these episodes independently as they don't have a truly self-contained story.

The mythology storyline is well-developed and I heard that there's actually a plan for the plot (unlike TXF).

Fringe is sci-fi. There are no paranormal, supernatural, or horror elements.

Other impressions:

It took me about halfway through season 1 to start getting into the show, and it seems like that might be some others' experience (and why they may have stopped).

I find it hard to follow the cases sometimes, because they involve technology that is extremely advanced or currently doesn't exist at all, and it seems like the writers don't really understand it either.

I have a feeling we'll be seeing a romantic relationship between Olivia and Peter at some point and I think the show is doing a good job of slowly developing their bond. I've also heard that Anna Torv and Joshua Jackson did not get along on set (sound familiar??) but they have decent chemistry - not as good as David and Gillian but as we all know, there's not a fair comparison.

There's random things that rub me the wrong way, like Walter performing autopsies (someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think he's an MD, just has several PhDs), how every single case relates back to Walter's research (this man is like 10 Einsteins because he was conducting experiments in every field and all of it beyond the realm of known science), Walter touching dead bodies at crime scenes without gloves (I know this happens in TXF but it's so egregious in Fringe). Despite all this, I do like Walter's character and I think John Noble gives an excellent performance.

Olivia Dunham is a well-rounded character and Anna Torv is great. I really enjoy the relationship she has with her sister and niece.

So far, I enjoy the mythology episodes more than the monster of the week, which is the opposite of my opinion for TXF.

It's funny that there are 15 years between the premiere of TXF (1993) and Fringe (2008) and about another 15 years to present day (2024). But Fringe seems so modern compared to TXF. You can barely tell it's 15 years old, except for the lack of iPhones and I'm sure even that will change in the next few seasons.

Should I watch it??

If you really enjoy sci-fi, I would say definitely check it out. If you're on the fence, or don't like sci-fi at all, I would skip this one.

It probably sounds like I don't enjoy Fringe based on my above points. I think part of it is that I am comparing it to TXF, even while watching, and TXF is definitely better (imo). I also enjoy horror more than sci fi. But, Fringe is holding my interest for now and I've heard that it improves throughout the seasons, so I'm going to keep watching.

I'll definitely write an update post at some point - if I finish the show or stop watching it.

I'm so curious to hear the thoughts of others who have watched Fringe! Do you agree with my assessments so far? What are your opinions and how does it compare to The X-Files for you?

[jade-len]

hello yes i'm that one guy who was asking if people would be interested in svsss x / & gn or male reader fics (also tysm for the comments?? like i was not expecting so much support. i really appreciate it!)

i've decided on writing idea 3 first, the bingge one! ...albeit with a lot of tinkering lol. if you don't know what i'm talking about, feel free check out my last (and first) post.

however, because i am very indecisive and absolutely cannot make many decisions on my own without some guidance or opinion, i would like to ask for a little feedback!! please choose which idea you like more, and i might write that one first.

i feel like the themes in both ideas are pretty similar, though just approached a little differently. i don't really wanna spoil how it'll entirely go ofc.. but there def is more to them, i hope it'll be sorta clear once i present both routes!

i can't promise i will go with the more favored idea, but it will definitely heavily influence my final decision! please don't be afraid to ask any questions, i'll answer :)

if i end up choosing the one you were less interested in, don't worry! remember, this is what i'm going to be writing first. it doesn't mean i won't write the other one too.

route 1:

an enemies to friends to lovers type deal! a slow burn fanfic where you are pretty much the opposite of shen yuan's passive nature, absolutely fuck with luo binghe's plans (at least, the ones you know of..), and slowly find the small, bruised boy hiding under that proud front. will be rated M.

that manipulative bastard, luo binghe, hurt everyone you loved and cared about. he tarnished the sweet gongyi xiao's reputation, seduced your fiance, and shredded the small, remaining pieces of self worth you had left in your heart.

you played right into his clawed hands, believing his charismatic front and pretty lies. you were naive, downright stupid. you and huan hua palace welcomed luo binghe with opened arms after he crawled out of the endless abyss, and because of it, those you cared for suffered.

really, you were so easy to manipulate. if only you noticed earlier. you couldn't do anything. no- you wouldn't do anything. if you weren't such a coward, perhaps this would've all been prevented. this isn't fair for everyone else. why did you get to live, while those who fought back and stood up against luo binghe had to suffer?

the survivor's guilt eats you away every waking moment of your life. and, when that's not happening, your sleep is plagued with nightmares of what could've been.

it's too late. luo binghe is now the almighty emperor of the two realms. he can easily overpower anyone who gets in his way, and especially you.

while you certainly wish to beat luo binghe, you don't hate him.

maybe this is just the softer side of your brain, but for some reason, you can't shake off the empty, miserable look in his eyes. even as he's surrounded by countless of maidens and riches, luo binghe looks as though he he'll never be truly fulfilled.

what is it, luo binghe? do you need more power, more gold? a hundred more women, perhaps? do you regret killing them? do you regret not killing more? why is it that even with your intricate mask, behind it is a hollow shell?

it's strange. you should absolutely detest him, but instead, you pity the king. luo binghe is a man who has everything, yet it seems as though he cannot find any sort of happiness through it.

when you travel back in time - exactly right after the demonic invasion where luo binghe was pronounced dead - you are determined to make things right.

you won't let anyone suffer from his wrath. you'll play your cards smart with that very same poker face luo binghe uses. use your knowledge of the future to your advantage. be smart, all the way from the start.

when luo binghe enters huan hua palace, you are the stronger, better person you were too scared to form into before. "gifted with the knowledge most people can never obtain," the old palace master says. you're an essential part of the sect, whereas you were nothing before. maybe not the head disciple like gongyi xiao, or the child of the master like the little palace mistress, but definitely akin to a secretary in the disguise of an ordinary disciple. someone with very valuable information.

you'll save your dear friend, gongyi xiao. you'll save your fiance, and, hopefully have her be with someone who isn't a manipulative, two-faced asshole. you'll save everyone.

(perhaps you'll save a poor, hurt boy, too. one whose been hiding from his cruel shizun for years, using the face of a proud demon to muffle the sounds of his crying and the breaking of his already cracked heart)

you know luo binghe's advantages. you know of his plans. let's just hope he doesn't find out about yours and change up his too much.

aka, you severely confuse and frustrate luo binghe (why the hell aren't his plans working? who are you? why do you look at him as if you can see right through him?), and luo binghe severely confuses and frustrates you too (why the fuck is luo binghe doing that? that totally goes against what he was supposed to do! hold on, hold on- new plan guys!).

both of you are smartasses who are also, secretly, simultaneously dumbasses going against each other.

route 2:

this'll most likely be rated T, but it may change.

luo binghe stripped you of your very being. you were once someone who was proud and undeniable, and now, you are a person that people only pity and grimace when your name is mentioned.

you hate it. you hate him. you can't even remember what the outside world looks like anymore, you can't even remember that wretched man's face. the only thing that is burned into your mind is his demon mark and those cruel scarlet eyes. the only thing that runs through your head is revenge. the only reason why you're even still alive is because of the glimmer of hope that you'll do the exact same things he did to you.

you fought back against him early, while he was still rising the ranks. continuously, you tried warning people about his capability and evil nature. yet, no one listened to you. and then, it was too late once people realized. fuck! everyone was so stupid, believing his pretty face and lies! you'll get back at him, you'll carve his heart out and present it to his wives, the world, and everything that he has. you worked too hard to reach to where you were before luo binghe destroyed your reputation for daring to step in his way. you went from a mere nobody to a powerful cultivator, and it just all went downhill from there!! for... months? or years? you don't remember anymore - you wished to the heavens for a second chance. you'll correct his wrongdoing. only evil lies in his heart, behind his deceitful, flowery words.

after suffering from a qi deviation, your wish to prevent any of that destruction is granted, and suddenly you've been transported back into the past. way, way before you've even heard of the name... wait, what was his name? fuck, fuck! you don't even remember the outline of that- that monster!

you'll still get back at him, though. you recognize your clothing and the time.. it seems as though you're still just a wandering, rouge cultivator. if your calculations are correct, then you'll have more than enough time to prepare. when you fought back, you were still weaker than him. you'll get stronger and take him down before he can even dare to lay a finger on your hard work.

on your journey to gain even more power, you come across a poor, abused boy. he reminds you all too much of yourself. luo binghe, the orphan says that his name is. your heart can't help but still at it, but it's probably for no reason, right? you're in a little shock after literally going back in time.

how could this small boy with such pure, starry black eyes, hurt you after all? how could anyone hurt such a sweet thing, too? it's a shame how monsters like that man take advantage of people like luo binghe. a white lotus, you mentally nickname him.

he frequently visits you with a wide smile and some lovely tea (where did he get that from? this is some really expensive, fancy stuff. he couldn't have gotten it without stealing it from somewhere really nice, like shen qingqiu's stash, or something... haha, he would never! that pure boy!). you keep on telling luo binghe that he shouldn't miss out on sleep just to say hi, that maybe he should be with his friends instead, too. luo binghe doesn't talk much about his life at the peak, but it's nice to chat with him.

when you realize what's exactly going on, you take him under your wing. if shen qingqiu can't appreciate the little lotus, then you will (you'll put him right under that man on your "revenge" list.. which only consists of them two). perhaps it'll be good to have a successor, a disciple you can pass your teachings down onto. it would be handy to have someone else's help once that monster's actions come into light, after all.

its then you decide, you'll protect the little luo binghe, too. the world is much too cruel, and it'll especially be under that demons' ruling. you won't ever understand how people could become so evil, downright monstrous. you swear on your life, you'll keep that man in your grasps and end his tyranny.

unknowingly, you've already stopped it the moment you held your hand out to that very same monster.

oh, what will you do once nothing happens to you or anyone? once you begin to remember more and more of that man's face and find out just who exactly you've helped?

aka, you're an utter buffoon worrying over that man, while that same man is now just a little guy wanting to please his kinder (and kind of more improper) shizun.

. . .

i've planned a little more for route 1, but i have a pretty good idea for route 2 as well. route 1 will most likely be a little longer than 2 too since it's a slow burn with scheme-y little shits. ever since i posted, i've just been trying to plan out the plots lmao. please leave your thoughts! or not, but thanks for using your time to read all of this lol.

@happycandydinosaur @tuxibirdie @wilczymotyl sorry if you guys expected a full chapter with me tagging you three but i promise after this, i'll (hopefully) have a chapter ready! tysm for supporting my last post :)

[bestworstcase]

Hm. Yknow I was thinking about your Summer theory as well as Raven and I came to a conclusion that I think is Very interesting

So Summer would've told Raven the truth about Oz, right? The fact that he's preparing the world for divine judgement? What if Raven went to confront Oz about it? It'd be in character for her to do so, especially with something like THAT hanging over everyone's heads

But um. Backtracking real quick- Raven doesn't like Oz, but she doesn't seem to HATE him. She insults Tai and Qrow more than him, she mostly seems to hate how Oz does things. Which is completely fair, some of his actions deserve criticism (and I say this as an Oz fan lol). I think this Could give us insight into how Raven confronting Oz about the mandate could've gone

Basically Raven would've confronted Oz about it, and Oz, suspicious but still choosing to answer, would say that he hasn't worked towards that goal in millennia. Raven would call bullshit, until Oz offers to use the relic of knowledge underneath Haven.

Thing is, NO ONE besides Oz knows about the password. No one besides him COULD know, so I highly doubt Summer or someone else could've used it. And they go, Raven asks Jinn if Oz is lying- and she says that Oz isn't lying.

Raven would hate Oz a WHOOOOLE lot more if Oz was still working towards that goal and she knew about it. It'd be something I'm sure would've pushed her to even join Salem. But she... doesn't hate Oz. She doesn't LIKE him, obviously, and I don't think she ever will (her interacting with Oscar would be fun), but she doesn't seem to outright hate him. This theory would figure that out AND solve the "where did the first question go" AND be another tasty reveal.

I really don't think Oz is still working towards divine judgement. He absolutely USED to, but I think by now he's stopped completely. I have multiple reasons for this, such as him saying after The Four Seasons that magic should strictly stay in the realm of fantasy (doesn't sound like someone who wants magic or the gods back), that everything he's doing goes directly AGAINST what Light wants (in Fairytales of Remnant, he actively ENCOURAGES people to question everything they see or hear; Oz focuses on the importance of individuality; he actively makes the Gods look petty and bad, and probably more I'm forgetting). Oz isn't an idiot, nor is he delusional. He's made mistakes but that doesn't mean he's dumb.

You could argue he's still working towards unity, but by itself, unity isn't necessarily a BAD thing. And Light doesn't necessarily just want people to be united, he wants to, and I quote, "But if your kind is unchanged, if you demand our blessings while still fighting amongst yourselves, then man will be found irredeemable and your world will be wiped from existence." He wants people to not question him, to never ask for anything, to follow him blindly. Oz repeatedly directly opposes this idea, and even turns away when the option to actually fulfill this task is handed to him on a silver platter (everyone kneeling to him at the end of the Great War). The options are a) he's putting in the absolute BARE minimum of effort into his task b) he's a delusional idiot and c) he's not working towards this task anymore. I think it's far more likely he's not working towards it anymore.

Granted, I genuinely don't think Salem is aware of ANY of this. They haven't exactly been communicating. Just as Oz isn't aware of Salems true goals, Salem isn't aware that Ozpin gave up his goal. Honestly, if they talk and this comes up and Oz doesn't say "Is that truly what you think of me?" I'll buy a hat just to eat it <- thinks Oz parallels Darkness (delusional).

Anyways Raven would hate Oz way way more if Oz was still working towards that goal, unless she either doesn't know (unlikely, Summer would've told her) or he's not working towards it anymore and he proved it to her via relic (bc literally nothing else short of that would work).

the problem here though is that ozpin is still trying to fulfill his task, at least notionally. he doesn’t WANT to and he may not BELIEVE in it except insofar as he believes the final judgment is inevitable, but he locked down all four relics after establishing a united global order for a reason. however reluctantly, he’s still dragging himself forward along this path one painful inch at a time.

because it’s all he has left. because he’s punishing himself for what he sacrificed for the sake of this task. because he believes there is no other choice. because he fears that doing what he wants will doom the world to annihilation and is impossible besides.

as i’ve said before, beacon academy is a replica of her father’s castle and the headmaster’s office is at the top of her tower for a reason. in his telling, the girl “writes herself out of danger” by writing a fairytale about herself and throwing it to the winds; ozpin published an anthology of fairytales about her, about him, about all his sacrifices and all his regrets, pleading for forgiveness, and the last two stories are the girl in the tower (in his commentary he says the hero who saved her turned out a villain in the end, but hopefully the villain can become a hero too) and the gift of the moon (in his commentary he writes that humanity replaced a gift of the all-powerful god of light with something better).

throwing his stories and his plea for help to the wind, hoping against hope that somehow it’ll find its way into her hands, and she’ll understand and save him from all this.

we live in fear that we might fail/fear that we’ll succeed—he’s too afraid of the consequences if he fails to ever stop, but even greater than that fear is his terror of success, because this world still isn’t as dear to him without her and to save the world he would have to sacrifice her. do exactly the thing she mocks him for not doing: hold her up as a common enemy and rally the whole world against her, then summon the brothers to condemn her.

everything else—the paranoia the zealotry the deceit the passivity—is a distortion to hide this truth even from himself. he will choose her every time. and the fundament of his character is how much he fucking hates himself for that because he’s also convinced that his love dooms the world.

so like. no he would not tell raven jinn’s name, she might find out that he’s still in love with salem. that’s his deepest darkest horrible secret and his great and terrible shame.

i’m also not sure why you think raven would go to ozpin with the spring maiden’s blood on her hands and the awful truth that summer joined salem burning under her tongue, as if raven’s whole character isn’t that she runs away when she’s afraid. be serious.

raven talks about ozpin with the same mixture of disdain and fear she does salem. as far as she’s concerned they are exactly the same—both of them use and discard people, both of them lie, neither will rest until the world crumbles at their feet because no matter who wins in the end, the gods will return to crush or destroy everyone. raven doesn’t want anything to do with either of them; her disgust for tai and qrow is predicated on their trust in ozpin.

that doesn’t require an explanation.

“who asked the first question?” is also, frankly, on a level with “what happened to the stolen dust?” in that it’s an imaginary plot hole with a very obvious answer if you pay attention to the small details: ozpin used the staff of creation to raise atlas, then sealed the relic away in its vault; the staff gives you exactly what you ask for and therefore requires very thorough, precise instructions and ideally blueprints and examples; raising a city into the sky is a task with zero margin for error; ozma as the king of vale used the crown of choice in tandem with the sword of destruction to end the great war; ozpin is the only person who knows jinn’s name; ozpin used jinn’s first question to proof his specifications for the staff.

if raven “you need to question everything because the truth is hard to come by, stop blindly trusting oz” branwen knew how to use the lamp, she would have told yang how to do it before she left.

[nanabansama]

Hello ! do you think Sakura is the real no.7 ? I just read a theory about that, in one chapter it says ”the seat for the seven mysteries will return to its formal form!” that made me feel like Sakura is the real no.7. what do you think that means ?

Hello!!

You mean the passage from Chapter 93, yes? Based on the full exchange in that chapter, I don't believe her to be Number 7. Here it is:

(Images taken from the DBS Scans fan translation.)

First, I think one thing from these pages that supports the idea that Sakura = Number 7 is that Sumire says Hakubo works for Sakura. As we know, Hanako is the leader of the Seven Mysteries. For Sakura to hold power over Hakubo could imply she is Number 7.

However... take a look at what she says next. Sumire says that Sakura gave Hakubo his position. She appointed him to Number 6. Now, to be fair, Hanako has been shown to give out interviews to aspiring Mysteries... but if that's the case, then who appoints Number 7? Personally, I find it simpler if that's only one person.

So, to me, Sakura is the one in charge of who the Seven Mysteries are. This is also how I rationalize her name being "nana"mine (seven-mine) -- she governs the seven, so seven is in her name.

Admittedly, the first time I read this chapter, I thought Sakura might be the god that the Seven are mentioned to serve... I had the idea in my head that god was the one who appointed them. But upon further reflection, I don't think Sakura acts much like a god. And if she is, then she has fallen far, far from grace...

Anyway, I think the line "return to its formal form" or whatever variant you prefer deserves our attention. This line is purposefully vague, meant to tantalize our minds and get us to imagine the possibilities of what it could mean.

First off, I will say that I don't think that it implies a nuance like "Replace the Current Mysteries with the Old Ones." Sakura says that the Sevens' jobs (to protect the Mortal Realm) are done, and that Nanafushigi are no longer necessary. For her to return some hypothetical old members to their seats only to immediately get rid of them again seems pointless.

Rather, I think she means that she wants to return the Sevens' seats so that something will occur. As if the seats were there to prevent something from happening. Such as, say... the border between the Near and Far Shores being destroyed?

(Images taken from the DBS Scans fan translation.)

Hmm... at first, I thought there was a sinister meaning here. That the yorishiro being destroyed meant that everyone would be destroyed and die. But when she says things might cease to exist, it could imply that there will simply no longer be a difference between the living and dead? (That doesn't sound so bad, does it...?)

(Image taken from the official YenPress translation.)

Hmm...

Anyway, I hope this answered your question. Please don't let me dictate how you think, though. There's no such thing as a bad theory -- so long as you're trying your best to stay faithful to the text, of course!

[ultimate-blorbo-collector]

Belos with a human who’s a monster hunter

I made an OC who’s a vampire hunter, but I’m still developing them and making changes. I don’t want to post about them yet, but here are some of the ideas I’ve come up with. Although the OC I had in mind while writing this is a vampire hunter, this could apply to any self-insert or OC that hunts creatures from folklore, beasts from the demon realm, etc.

TW and CW for manipulation, gaslighting (literally altering/destroying memories), and isolation for Belos because what post about Belos isn’t going to have that? You could also consider it yandere if you want, but it's really just him being super manipulative and possessive. Also, warning for spoilers for Season 2, I guess. There's also nothing explicitly romantic in here, so this could be platonic.

He is so excited that you have something in common, or at least he thinks you do. If you want to add witch-hunting into the mix, he’s ecstatic.

He doesn't tell you that he's a witch hunter right away, just in case the Isles has warped your mind as well. He tests the waters with you. Depending on how you feel about the witches, it could take years for him to tell you, or he might never tell you.

No matter what, he isolates you. While it varies, depending on how secure he feels with you and whether he trusts you, he's not letting anything corrupt you. At the most, he might teach you some things to keep you safe, but he would show you the glyph rather than any concepts.

No matter how secure he feels, he's convinced that it's his duty to protect you. You got stuck in the demon realm for a reason, and that reason is to either help him fight or help him remember what he's fighting for.

Depending on whether or not he’s completely honest with you, he probably tries to convince you to join him through the fact that your goals overlap. If you hunt anything humanoid, they are probably witches as well. If you hunt the beast-like demons on the Boiling Isles, he’ll probably tell you that they will die off without the witches helping them, even if that’s not true.

While he is extremely protective of you and you will have to convince him to let you continue your hunting, it is possible. He encourages and praises you, regardless of the outcome. Before you leave to hunt, he makes sure you have all of your supplies and sends you with multiple scouts to make sure you’re safe. When you come back, he showers you in affection.

If you do want to start witch hunting or at least are indifferent to the lives of witches, consider the following:

Mr. Witch Hunter General is absolutely giving you a title. It'll mostly be up to you, but he might suggest general (if you want to be considered equal), aide-de-camp, or lieutenant general.

He absolutely teaches you all the tricks he knows and asks you to do the same. Traps, general knowledge, knots, and fighting techniques are all fair game between you two.

If you want to actively help, he’s so glad, but there’s a pretty high chance that he won’t let you. He’s super protective over you and hates the idea of you doing anything without him. He has his plan figured out, so he feels the most you can do to help is to keep him company. His puritan upbringing also doesn’t help with this, regardless of your gender and whether he’s moved on from that kind of thinking.

He hopes that he can help you with your monster-hunting once the witches are taken care of. Just like your monster-hunting skills translate to witch-hunting, his witch-hunting skills should translate to monster-hunting.

If not:

If he does decide to tell you that he's a witch hunter or human, he lies to you about other things since he realizes that his methods seem extreme and cruel, despite him being absolutely right.

Depending on what he thinks you would believe, he might tell you that the Day of Unity only leaves witches powerless, that it’s simply a way to open the portal, or he could tell a modified version of the lie he tells everyone else.

Also, if you find out something you weren't supposed to, he isn't above going into your mindscape or using magic to alter your memories. He'd prefer not to, and he'll try convincing you first. If you're so cross that you won't listen to him, he'll turn to that.

This dude is manipulative and will subtly manipulate you until you’re on his side about the witches. He’ll lie to you and the witches around you, just starting shit until he’s basically the only one you have good interactions with.

Kinda obvious since he uses a similar tactic in canon, but he will get witches to attack you. Sometimes, he will "protect" you, but at other times, he'll leave you to take care of it.

[overlordraax]

I do honestly think the final villains of the Mortal Kombat franchise should have been the Elder Gods.

Like, I don't trust them. Not one bit. At best they are useless and at worst actively malicious.

Let's start off by examining the main thing they're known for: creating the Mortal Kombat tournament. This was supposedly put in as a fair way to protect all the individual realms from being invaded and taken over. Solid in theory, but in practice it's horrible and doesn't work. The problem is it's a system that only ultimately benefits those with the most might and ruthlessness. Outworld has Tarkattans, and the Shokan and Centaurs and all sorts of just really horrible beasts. No other realm can really stand against any of those. Certainly not in direct combat, so ultimately this system just leads to realms that can't withstand this sort of might getting destroyed. First Edenia and then nearly Earth. In fact consider how close Earth has gotten to losing and being absorbed several times. It's only through the skin of their teeth that Earth manages to pull out a win.

But also despite the idea of this all being to 'protect' the realms from invasion, in both MK3 and the section of MK9 that adapts those events, Outworld just invades Earth anyway. And in MK9 we have Raiden straight up begging the gods to do something about this, but they're basically like "Due to a loophole in the wording of the contract we can't be bothered to do anything", and Raiden only gets their help after tricking Shao Kahn into basically breaking yet another part of the wording in the invasion contract.

When I first saw MK9 I kind of hoped the story would develop into them realising that the Elder Gods were the real enemy and we would eventually get some narrative where they just decide to kill the gods. Like, I wanted Johnny Cage, one of the few survivors of MK9 to lead the charge and help Raiden see that being devoted to the Elder Gods was a mistake and really what we should do is punch them really hard until their skulls explode out of their heads. I'm honestly disappointed that didn't happen. (Also cos it feels like Johnny has killed several gods by this point)

Cos also just in general the Elder Gods are really underdeveloped. It's surprising how integral they are to the lore and yet it seems we only know two of them. (And it doesn't help that we mostly have Shinnok and Cetrion, so not exactly poster children for the idea that the gods can be trustworthy).

I also feel like they could have just made Kronika an Elder God. Like, honestly why couldn't she have just been the Elder God of Time? I feel like that would have worked in a way more than just adding "new thing that has never been mentioned before but is totally better than a god we swear", especially when the Elder Gods are already such blank slates. I think it could have also tied into Raiden's arc from MK9 nicely, where we can have him finally realising that putting his faith in the Elder Gods was a mistake from the start and all the gods are happy to just throw away everyone's lives for the sake of making their own little 'perfect timeline'.

But also considering in the new timeline the Gods aren't even really there. They're barely a presence and the focus is predominantly on Liu Kang's godhood. Wouldn't it have been neat if the reason why they're barely mentioned is because the cast killed them all in the last game and now we've placed someone else actually decent in charge.

Anyway, thank you for listening to my rant about how I would rewrite the MK timeline.