#he has a complicated relationship with epithets

[officialrickshades]

finally trying to get some things together for artfight, so have this guy!!

[aroaceleovaldez]

Do you have any headcanons in regard to Cassius as a Grace sibling? Like Thalia's (and Jason's) reaction specifically?

Also just Nero's stepchildren, do you have any relationships between them that you particularly enjoy thinking about?

YES!!!! I have SO many thoughts about this. first and foremost, Cassius as a Grace sibling:

His age theoretically matches up with him being extremely young (about 1!) when Beryl died (cause Thalia says Beryl died about three years prior to TTC, at which point Cassius would be 4). Which relatively fits with what we know of the other Tri kids. It also potentially implies that the Tri intentionally killed Beryl and made it look like an accident, which is potentially very interesting particularly relating to Thalia and Jason's relationship with their mother and just Beryl's character in general.

Also interesting - Cassius would have been born after Thalia was turned into a tree!

I've mentioned before my theories about him being a child of Zeus or Jupiter, given his name being one letter off from an epithet of Zeus and his description comparisons to Jason (which could also lean into Cas as a Grace sibling!). I personally like to think he's somewhat symbolic of Zeus' childhood - being raised apart from his siblings/his siblings being taken from him before he was even born, perhaps his descriptions of being associated with having juiceboxes being associations to Zeus as Kronos' cupbearer, etc etc.

I think Thalia and Jason would be HORRIFIED about how Cassius ended up in the Tri's hands. Also just Cassius' situation in general. They both have very complicated relationships to their mother and the idea that they had yet ANOTHER long lost sibling? Who similarly up until that point had led a tragic life like the two of them and they had no idea and were thus unable to help him all this time? The DREAD!!!!

Once they find out about him I imagine they would, of course, become FIERCELY protective of him. They've both lived such brutal lives and this poor kid has already been through so much and they are going to do their darnedest to ensure this kid never has to deal with anything else like any of that ever again.

I also imagine they'd probably similarly worry over the rest of the Tri kids a bit, when it sets in that they've all lived lives like that. They're both a little sensitive to the concept of kids being taken from their families and molded into this idol of a child soldier due to Jason's experience so finding like twelve kids going through that (and one of them is their FULL BROTHER) is like a personal nightmare for them.

As for the Tri kids in general - yes!!! I have some general thoughts about the Tri kids [here] and designs [here] but some specific ones:

Lucius and the Artemis kids are bffs, for obvious reasons (Apollo and Artemis). I imagine they're both left to their own devices and encouraged to be a bit feral (Nero fostering analogies to the more wild and destructive aspects of Apollo and Artemis) so they've got a lot of issues, but they're sort of each other's rocks.

Besides Lucius, I like to think the Artemis kid's other closest sibling is the Poseidon kid (Cause moon and tides :D). He's pretty much the only other one who can get her to mellow out/calm down.

The Aphrodite and Hephaestus kids are also bffs. Intense solidarity between those two.

The Hera kid wants absolutely NOTHING to do with Cassius. I hc Nero generally tried to get the kids to replicate dynamics between the Olympians and have a few of them form little duos and such, so the Hera kid and Cassius get nudged together a lot. Cassius doesn't mind cause he's everybody's friend but Hera kid HAAAAATES it. She doesn't necessarily hate Cassius but she doesn't want to be forced into a duo.

Most of the rest of my thoughts for the Tri kids is just them being encouraged to replicate dynamics between the Olympians or the Olympians themselves and what effect that has on them.

[broken-clover]

(Over)Analyzing the Cards in Johnny’s Joker Trick (Part 2)

Part 2 of 2. Here’s the original post for the sake of a more fleshed out explanation and for the Joker/King cards, but to keep it simple this is just for analyzing the cards used for every character in Johnny’s Joker Trick Overdrive to see if there’s any sort of symbolic or spiritual meaning that might be behind the use of that particular card. A lot of this uses cartomancy, which isn’t always as straightforward and clear-cut as something like tarot, but this is jus all in good fun

-

Queens

Queen of Clubs- Shared between Sol Badguy, Ramlethal Valentine, and Bridget. And, first of all, let’s be real, Sol’s was first and foremost made for the reference. Queen is about 80% of his personality, if they didn’t use a queen card I’m sure he would have come to life and burned down the office. Outside of the Jacks, Sol is the only character who has a card that doesn’t match the character’s gender. Character-wise, Sol and Ram do have a bit of an overlap, being aloof, struggling socially, and having their interests fixate on a few things, but Bridget is a bit of an outlier here. The symbolism varies a lot, but generally is appears to lean into themes of self-confidence and self-reliance, as well as change. That is something that fits all three quite well, being powerful, independent and experiencing life changes (Sol attempting to settle down, Ram discovering more about being alive, and Bridget’s transition). In the Paris pattern, the Queen of Clubs is the only one not directly modeled after a historical figure, only being a generic queenly character. This may indicate a bit more open-endedness, as all three do care about identity and who they really are. In a more literal suite motif, Sol and Bridget do both primarily fight with blunt weapons, which could be seen as a metaphorical ‘club,’ and while Ram has swords, they often remain sheathed in battle instead of revealing the sharp ends.

Queen of Diamonds- Curiously, no character appear to be assigned to this one? Perhaps it is being saved for someone in the future.

Queen of Hearts- Shared between May and Jack-O Valentine. This is one of the more commonly-seen cards in this sort of motif, likely due to its inclusion in Alice in Wonderland. Because of this, it can have some dual symbolism, being a heart card that’s associated with a cruel, loveless, domineering figure. In a more general motif, both characters fit as being associated with romance and tying a lot of their character and plotline towards love and relationships with men (Johnny and Sol, respectively). The Paris pattern has the Queen of Hearts designed after the biblical Judith, a widow who saved Jerusalem by charming and killing a general that had previously sieged her city. Both characters have attempted to take the initiative to save a group of others (May running away from home in Xrd to keep her family from getting sick and Jack-O attempting to stop I-no at the cost of herself in Strive) which may also contribute. Both also command underlings in battle, which may contribute to the overall ‘queen’ motif

Queen of Spades- Shared between Millia Rage and I-no. This card has some symbolism directly from card games, as it is often viewed as being unlucky. It’s also given such flattering names as ‘the bitch’ in seven card stud poker and is often used as the old maid card as well. Both are characters who are frequently commented on for their beauty, yet have complicated issues with relationships in different ways. As a card it also tends to lead towards level-headed intellectualism and practicality, but is often less associated with emotions than the other queen cards. Both characters are often seen as cold and distant, intelligent and capable but lonely and closed off. The Paris pattern is designed after Pallas (Athena), goddess of war strategy and wisdom. In Greek mythology, the ‘Pallas’ epithet likely referred to the goddess’ battle proficiency, as it can be translated as ‘to brandish (as a weapon’) and while it is a fighting game, the two of them narratively encounter a lot of conflict with others

-

Jacks

Jack of Clubs- Shared between Axl Low, Anji Mito, and Sin Kiske. Jack cards, in general, tend to have less symbolic meaning, but the Jack of Clubs tends to mention witty intellect and memory. All three characters are defined by personal memories that they treasure, though to varying degrees, and have a playful, trickster wit to them at times. It can pertain to luck and charisma that may also prove dangerous, and, at the very least, Anji does tend to his his glib words to cause trouble. On a note of consistency, Sin is of the same suite as Ky and Sol, making them collectively a three-card straight flush

Jack of Diamonds- Shared between Nagoriyuki and Giovanna. Curiously, both are newcomers to the series. This card tends to have an association with messages and messengers, which in a meta sense may refer to the newness that they bring to the game. There also seems to be repeated mention of a lack of loyalty and an unfaithful assistant, which could fit both in Giovanna’s blase attitude towards her work and Nagoriyuki’s role as an unwilling underling to Happy Chaos. 

Jack of Hearts- This card has the most people sharing it, being a four-way appearance between Faust, Goldlewis Dickinson, Testament, and Asuka R. Kreutz. This one also has a lot of heart-based themes similar to the King and Queens, often mentioning traits like kindness, good intentions, and sincerity. Though all four of them vary in many ways, their characters tend to involve sincere intentions towards others, though it might not always pan out the way they would have hoped (especially for Asuka). All four are definitely willing to show their emotions, especially when it comes to trying to bond with others, such as Faust with Ramlethal, Goldlewis with Bridget, Testament with Dizzy and Johnny, and Asuka with Raven. There is also a poetry motif with the card that depicts the Knave of Hearts as a trickster, and while all four are not necessarily trickster figures, Faust is known for his peculiarities, Goldlewis for his alien causing mischief in fights, Testament for being unpredictable in earlier games and mysteriously surviving several near-death instances, and Asuka being a mysterious and indecipherable problem-causer for most of the series. Also, in another consistency of the suites, Testament shares the heart suite with Johnny and May

Jack of Spades- Held solely by Baiken. Spade cards in general seem to veer towards more aggressive interpretations, and that definitely suits her just fine. It often mentions violence, though there is also mention of intense passion and ruthless determination, which also fit pretty nicely. It also tends to mention riskiness, either in the form of violence or unhealthy habits like drinking. Aside from the Joker and the King of Diamonds, Baiken is the only character to have a card all to herself, which may reflect the solitary nature she held onto for many years. Though, similar to the club and heart suites, she has a connection with Bedman and Delilah in the spade suite.

[moodyseal]

Tell us more abt your hyacinthus winter soldier au 👀👀

HELLO thank you for giving me an excuse to talk your ear off about it, you will probably regret it <3

To be completely honest I still haven't planned anything that's worth of an actual fic (who do you take me for? An organized person? HA) but I would lie if I said that I didn't think about it a lot, so

As you know, somehow in this AU Hyacinthus came back to life and started working for the emperors

The dynamics of how, exactly, it all happened are pretty undefined as of now, but that's secondary information and it's not really important. (Maybe.)

What you need to know though is that Commodus is the one who takes him in, because of course he does. Hyacinthus is the perfect revenge against Apollo, after all, both because he's known to be his greatest love, and seeing him side against him would hurt Apollo a lot, and because, whatever happened, Commodus would always have leverage against Apollo, in a "You don't want to do what I tell you? Well look what I can do to your precious little flower" sort of way

He also uses this as an excuse to get back at Hyacinthus himself, too—something that is a direct result his festering inferiority complex and the can of worms that are, again, his feelings upon seeing the one man Apollo's name is always associated with

Hyacinthus is a better man and fighter than him even when he's brainwashed and he just CAN'T stand it

It all worsens once he sees how much Lester is still attached to Hyacinthus, and how hard he tries to get him to snap back. He never cared that much for him after all, did he?

On Hyacinthus' end this all borders less on the side of drama and more on the side of comedy LMAO

While not being able to discern right from wrong atm, as he's been coerced into absolute obedience through very shady means, he has this unexplainable feeling inside him that he really, really doesn't like Commodus (which intensifies every time Commodus starts another one of his long rants about how bad and evil and selfish Apollo is and about how he'll absolutely get his revenge) and he expresses that through little jabs he makes in his direction that Commodus can't really do anything about because they are worded in a way that makes them seem innocuous

On the other hand, he's on civil terms with the rest of the "staff", so to speak, and some even respect him because of how skilled he is (specifically Lityerses) so he does have some allies there

They don't actually know who he is though since, while he works for the emperors, Hyacinthus is never referred to by his own name, but always by some sort of epithet

(This is why Meg never made the connection either, despite knowing the myth well enough to inform Grover that Hyacinthus was Apollo's boyfriend)

It's mostly a measure they take so Hyacinthus doesn't remember his past before they're actually done using him

As for Apollo and Hyacinthus' relationship in this, it's a bit complicated, because Apollo changes his stance and tries to get him on his side the moment Hyacinthus' disguise drops, while Hyacinthus doesn't remember him. At all. So his efforts don't really work

Which results in a lot of frustration and hurt feelings

Despite this, Hyacinthus' unexplainable feelings persist. And he's very confused :)

I'm still not sure when this would be set—I wanted to either limit this to The Dark Prophecy or make it a "he appears occasionally as a spy or something until they find out who he is" thing that spans over the five books (without actually retelling the whole story though because holy shit that would be exhausting) but that's something that can be figured out later oof

Anyway, keep in mind that this is all just a result of my daydreaming, so if I actually write something concrete about this, some plot points might change!! And also the dynamics!! And the vibes in general!!! My brain is just a dumpster fire tbh so expect a lot of mental U-turns here

[kohakhearts]

Asbel, Richard, and Lambda is along for the ride, and #50

#50: “why does anyone have to be naked?” wc: 1 631 read on ao3 here

The whole thing is starting to get sort of…strange.

Probably thanks to Asbel’s influence, Lambda’s disdain for humans has in some areas melted into a genuine, at times even rather endearing curiosity about them. It’s a bit cute, even, when the timing isn’t completely awful. Sometimes, Asbel even lets the others hold his hand and explain something that, to the rest of them, is incredibly simple—why Cheria enjoys the sound of the piano, how Lady Kerri has been teaching Sophie to tend to the flowerbeds, the compulsion Hubert has to collect figures and models that serve no real purpose beyond looking nice on a secret shelf in his bedroom—so that Lambda can interrogate them properly. This is all well and good, but when it comes to Richard, Lambda’s questions are a little bit different.

He takes some comfort in the knowledge that Asbel is as flustered by Lambda’s interjections as he is—or maybe even a little more, if only because so much of it seems to be coming directly from his own head. It’s not as if Lambda is a stranger to Richard’s feelings for Asbel, either; but they had both been rather more focussed on other things at the time, and any notions of a romantic reunion had been buried deep down long before Asbel found him in the catacombs again.

Their relationship already feels complicated enough without adding Lambda’s probing questions to the equation, but even if he has ever considered the same, Richard knows Asbel would not have entertained the thought for any longer than the time taken to disregard it completely. The last thing Asbel wants to do is exclude Lambda, even—or perhaps especially?—when it comes to matters of intimacy. Richard can understand, a bit; these are, after all, some of the biggest joys of being human. The brush of hands, of lips, skin on skin—he certainly cannot blame Lambda for wanting to understand it.

Unfortunately, it also meant that their first kiss was cut short by Lambda’s voice ringing through Richard’s head, demanding to know, “What exactly is the benefit to this action?”

So the kiss had stopped, while Richard tried to come up with a justification for kissing that satisfied Lambda, who stubbornly would not accept anything amongst “It feels nice” or “It allows you to let your guard down around someone you love” or “It stimulates physical arousal, which is a necessary biological function.”

Finally, Asbel suggested, “It brings you closer to the other person,” which for reasons far beyond Richard was enough to satiate their friend’s curiosity. Even though Richard is still fairly certain it was no better an explanation than any he had given.

That’s pretty much par for the course, though. Lambda is often calling Asbel a weak, soft-hearted fool, amongst other similarly barbed epithets, but Richard isn’t so blind to the adoration with which Lambda considers his host. Sometimes, even, he wonders if he is in part responsible for it: as if he has loved Asbel so deeply, for so long, that when Lambda left his mindscape for good he carried a fraction of the emotion away with him.

That was, in any case, one of the more mild iterations of this scene, which has played out more times than Richard could even hope to keep track of between both his hands and his feet. Some of the queries are very innocent: “ What exactly qualifies something as ‘cute’? ” or “Why is it that Asbel belives he must wipe the whipped cream from your lip, Richard? Are you incapable of such a simple action? ” Others, however…a little less so, though when they’ve been about Asbel, Richard can’t deny they’ve had their own enjoyability.

There was that time, for example, when Asbel reached out for his hand and said, very lightly, apparently having no idea as to the nature of the question, “Lambda would like to ask you something, Richard.” And then that all-too familiar voice was in his head: “What exactly is the purpose of Asbel’s preoccupation with touching your hair? Would pulling on it not harm you? It seems unlike him to wish you pain.”

Asbel heard it, too. And pulled his hand away as if he had been burned, although Richard was mostly amused by it all. He had taken some time to think of an answer before winking at Asbel and answering, “I don’t believe his intentions are to harm me, Lambda. As it turns out, pain and pleasure run on a parallel spectrum for us humans. I believe, in a roundabout way, what Asbel really wants is to make me feel good.”

He thought Asbel might melt into the floor, then. It was painstakingly cute.

There had also been that time when they had been kissing on Asbel’s bed and Lambda had spoken up to wonder, “Why does Asbel keep thinking he wants you on top of him? Would he not suffocate?”

They haven’t expressly given Lambda “the Talk,” if only because his questions about intimacy come at such inopportune times. In this case, for example, Asbel had pulled away from Richard and thrown his face against the pillow instead in a show of adorable despair. This may be another reason why Asbel has yet to broach the subject with him: he himself is still too embarrassed by the very idea of sex that any time he has grown hard under Richard’s ministrations, he has put a stop to them and excused himself to deal with the problem on his own.

Richard doesn’t mind waiting, of course. And now, months since that first awkward kiss later, they are finally here, which Richard’s hands under the hems of Asbel’s shirt. He doesn’t speak his question, though he pauses long enough for Asbel to break their kiss and answer, which he does with a minute, breathless nod of the head.

His shirt is pulled up over his head and delicately thrown to the floor with their jackets, shoes, and Richard’s gloves. Reverently, Richard runs his hands over Asbel’s bare torso, eliciting a shiver.

“I won’t put you through the pains of undoing my clothing,” Richard murmurs at last, pulling back in order to deal with it himself. Asbel watches his deft fingers with a sort of burning desire, which only makes Richard ache all the more to continue touching him. But when finally the garment has been graciously discarded and his hands snake up around Asbel’s neck again to draw him closer, Lambda speaks up, breaking them out of their lustful stupors in record time:

“I was beginning to understand all this kissing nonsense, but this brings another question to mind…”

Asbel stifles a snort while Richard stares down at him, aghast. “Lambda, your timing never fails to impress.”

Ignoring him, Lambda asks, “ Why does anyone have to be naked?”

Now, it is Richard trying hard not to laugh. Asbel ducks his head, shame colouring his face all over again.

“Well,” Richard says, “it is rather hard to have intercourse with one’s clothes on. Not impossible,” he adds. “But I don’t particularly fancy dealing with any stains on my clothing, myself.”

“Stains?”

“Asbel,” Richard says, chiding, “don’t tell me you have still yet to explain to our friend about the birds and the bees?”

“Not…exactly,” Asbel mumbles to his bedsheets.

“Well, that won’t do.”

“What, pray tell, are these birds and bees? It seems unwise to approach monsters unclothed.”

“It’s a metaphor,” Richard explains. “Although, I must admit, I am uncertain where the idiom comes from myself. In essence, though, it is a euphemistic way people talk about sexual intercourse. And before you wonder what benefit sex has beyond procreation, which of course Asbel and myself would have a hard time with given our incompatible anatomy, I will suggest that the purpose is it feels good. Wouldn’t you agree, Asbel?”

Asbel glances up at him, cheeks burning all the way up to his ears. “I…I guess. Sure.”

“Lambda’s never going to believe in your conviction if you say it like that.”

Asbel winces. “Um, right. Yeah, of course. It feels great. Probably.”

“Is that supposed to be more convincing?”

“I don’t know!”

“Perhaps,” Richard interjects smoothly, “Lambda could better learn through a demonstration?”

As the intention registers, Asbel’s eyes widen. He opens his mouth and then slams it shut again and shakes his head. “I— You want him to take control of my body?”

“Heavens, no. Then you wouldn’t learn anything, either.” Gently, Richard sweeps his hand back to Asbel’s front and cups his chin. He leans close again, so that he can feel his own breaths against Asbel’s parted lips. “He can watch, though, can’t he?”

At once, a different emotion overtakes Asbel’s gaze. He slackens in Richard’s hold. “Well…if he wants to. What do you think, Lambda? You can stop us any time, if you feel uncomfortable.”

“Why would I feel uncomfortable?”

“Because Asbel will be making all sorts of indecent noises,” Richard supplies cheerfully. “Though something tells me you’ve heard those before, too.”

“Richard!” Asbel hisses, but Lambda tellingly doesn’t deny it.

“Then I fail to see how this will be a new experience in understanding you humans.”

“Well, I suppose you’ll see from his perspective why I needed to be naked as well.” Richard closes the gap between himself and Asbel with the swift, chaste kiss against his lips. When he pulls back, he adds, “Please save your questions for after, though. We may be a touch too occupied to answer coherently.”

Silence, for a beat. And then Lambda says, a bit sullenly, “Fine. I accept. Show me this intercourse, if you please.”

Richard grins, and pushes Asbel down until his back hits the bed. “Gladly,” he says, before descending ravenously upon them both.

[disgracefulthings]

Hello..If you don't mind me asking, can I ask, what are your top 7 (or top 10) favorite media (can be books/ manga/ anime/movies/tv series/etc) and your top 10 favorite (fictional) characters from any media? Why do you love them all? Sorry if you've answered this questions before......

Thanks for asking! Be warned, long post

For media in no particular order:

Code Geass - Great male lead and phenomenal ending. Has that anime trope of too many love interests with little personality, but still has some really good female characters (Nunnally and Euphemia are amazing). The Lelouch and Suzaku relationship is just how I like it - filled with many complicated feelings

Scum Villain Self Saving System - As someone who loves fanfiction, I think Scum Villain is a must read. MXTX really shows her understanding of fandoms in the story. Shen Yuan is an amazing main character, his chaotic thoughts and his lack of understanding of everything makes him really funny, and I love learning more about the characters around him as they become more real to him

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish - Just a really great movie. Great characters and villains, you don't need me to tell you why it's amazing

Infinity Train - Gone too soon. Therapy train that forces you to get better or it kills you, a great idea for a kids TV show! It honestly was a really good show that showed people going through realistic issues, and have them try to be better, though the protagonists are never perfect and can and will fail. I will never forgive HBO for cancelling it

Gravity Falls - Being in the Gravity Falls fandom while this show was coming out was really fun. I loved all the theories and seeing which ones came true. Great characters and villains, and I can't wait to see what Alex Hirsch comes out with next

Hannibal (TV Series) - A great rom-com with some delicious looking food. Also Will has 7 dogs, 10/10 show

The Mandalorian (First 2 Seasons) - Got me into Star Wars. Tired gun dad and little gremlin baby carry the show, and I love watching Mando slowly learn Star Wars lore

Iron Man - Favorite Marvel movie. It does so many things right, I don't care if the main villain makes their own iron Man suite and fights Tony using his own power, that wasn't an annoying Marvel trope yet, and Iron Man does that trope the best. Stane actually has a personal relationship with the main character so we can feel Tony's betrayal when he learns what Stane has done. Also it has Phil Coulson, so 10/10

My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! - This show is just hilarious, I don't care if Catarina ends up with any of her love interests, I just love all of the characters (except Keith, I'm not a fan of 'I can't believe it's not incest' type ships)

Epithet Erased - Criminally underrated. The story takes place in a world where some people have specific words attached to their souls called epithets that give them power. The series has many amazing characters, but mostly follows Molly, a little girl whose epithet is 'dumb'. She is forced to grow up after losing her mother, and is made to do things 10 year olds shouldn't know how to do, like taxes. It's an amazing series that can be very heartwarming and funny, but also very tragic. Please watch!!!

And now my favorite characters, this time in order:

1. Shang Qinghua, Scum Villain Self Saving System - I love this pathetic hamster man. You can see parts of himself in the characters he wrote, and while his backstory isn't as tragic as most of the other characters, it is still very relatable and sad. He has really great chemistry with many of the characters, so he can be fun to write. He is my best friend and I would kill for him

2. Loki, Marvel - I'm a young adult woman on Tumblr, of course I love Loki. His characterization has kinda gone out the window since Thor Ragnarok, but he's still very charming and funny

3. Sesshomaru, Inuyasha (and only Inuyasha. Final Act made some questionable choices for the character, and I refuse to acknowledge Yasahime's existence, may it burn in hell) - I love the trope of redeeming a character by giving them a child. Sesshomaru's character growth throughout the story was fun to watch, and I love the fact that even though he has 1 arm, he doesn't hesitate to punch his brother in the face. The show ends without resolving anything, but at least it doesn't ruin the relationship he had with his father, gives his arm back in a stupid way, and changes his relationship with Rin in a creepy way. Nope, none of that happened

4. Yakushi Kabuto, Naruto - I loved this nerd since he was introduced, and the fact that he was given a tragic backstory near the end of Naruto just made me love him even more. He's a healer that uses his abilities to harm others, and I love that for him

5. Pythor P. Chumsworth, Ninjago - Best villain in the show. It doesn't always handle his character well, but his motivation for revenge is very tragic and I wished the show acknowledged it. His release with Lloyd was fun in ep. 4, and I wished they had a reconciliation. Still, he was fun throughout the show

6. Natural Harmonia Gropius, Pokemon - I love the idea of a character that can understand Pokemon, and he has a compelling arc in the games and anime. I love villains who do the wrong things for the right reasons, and also have good relationships with the people he's apposing

7. Mitth'raw'nuruodo, Star Wars (specifically when he's written by Timothy Zahn) - He's too smart for his own good and can be a little shit, but he also holds importance to the life around him, even though he's on the Empire's side. I love my morally grey characters

8. Discord, My Little Pony - I watched the entire show just because I liked one character, and it was worth it. I love my chaotic gods

9. Kumoko, So I'm a Spider, So What? - I love shows where we watch a protagonist get new abilities. Kumoko is very silly and chaotic, and while she seems nice, she wouldn't hesitate to commit atrocities

10. Lan Qiren, The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation - I just think he's funny

[askingsprigattio-beepz]

what is Fred’s relationship with his sister? what is she like? (i’m talking about this oc)

i also have ocs related to car crash, so it’s interesting seeing others who also do.

Beheehs!

Heehehe

Lore time!!

*ahems*

Her name is Bael.

Fred sorta has a rocky relationship with her to start with.

His parents adopted her when he was around 7.

She was around 4 at the time.

(3 years apart)

Around this point of time, he was quite a troublemaker, with his own parents being in the criminal business.

Plus, she has a epithet, which to him, is quite already controversial within his mind, hence he avoids her. (Her epithet is Realm.

He already knew that the sweet jazz city county had two choices in the past before his parents adopted her,

to give bael to his family(which they already did but yet haven’t done in the past.)

Or

Give Bael to Percy. (Which in hindsight, wouldn’t change Bael’s personality and bael would still be a complete asshole to Fred, either choice)

To describe him and Bael they’re the sky and the Sea. (the sky can be unpredictable but the unpredictability can be predicted. The sea is unpredictable therefore cannot be predicated)

To describe their parents, they are the sun and the moon.

Often she will go to lorelai for Roleplaying sessions, which slightly angers Fred, that’s the sister of his colleague (Aka molly) and is the person that is at fault for Giovanni’s disappearance along with Molly’s (from his Viewpoint.)

She is a captain of a banzai blaster gang within the banzai blasters group, which further complicates his relationship.

She acts like lorelai and martin, times by 100, around her family members, but acts like Giovanni around her friends which further more complicates their relationship.

Fred’s nickname for Beal is Belle or Weatherboy.

Beal’s nickname for Fred is. Car Bitch

In a nutshell.

Beal’s a bitch to Fred.

They’re like Molly and lorelai but more unstable and are ready to explode in their parents’ face as their parents slowly regret their life decisions.

[wantedbythemasters]

Aster Morrow | The Silvering Thief

Image from here

Age in 1902 (or the 3rd 1899): 37

Gender: Male, he/him

Height: 5’11’

Weight: 157 lbs

Sexuality: Gay

Race: Indian

Love Interest: May, but who knows what they actually are together

Factions: Criminals, Revolutionaries 

Open to RP: Yep!

Open to Shipping: You can try but it’ll probably take a while for him to warm up

Past Epithet: The Mercurial Thief

Desc:

Aster is a fairly successful criminal with feats such as robbing the Bazaar. He has tons of aliases, but most criminals who know him personally know him as Aster or Aster Morrow. He also lost his mind seeking for a while and ended up with a strange connection with Salt as a result. And he learned silvering from May who he has a complicated relationship with.

He’s trying to be a better person than he has been, but it hasn’t been easy for him. He tends to be pretty deadpan and pretends he doesn’t really care about anyone a lot of the time, even when he does.

He’ll probably go east eventually, but he's not in a rush. 

Parabolan Self:

In Parabola, Aster is known as the Eastbound Pirate. He often controls water and forms it into various weapons. He also has a ship called the Herald. Sometimes it has sails, and resembles a traditional pirate ship (like, with sails) and sometimes it has wings instead and flies. Aster also sometimes has wings on his Parabolan form.

Appearances:

The Star and the Candle - Major character

Tea Time - Major character

Flirting with disaster (in a different way) - Major character

There’s also an nsfw one that I’m not linking but it’s on AO3 ;)

Timeline:

1865-1869

Aster was born in the Neath to very irresponsible parents. He was often neglected while they partied and gambled. When he was about 4, his parents abandoned him at a church and an urchin gang took him in, but they didn’t treat him well.

1878-1887 

They cast him out earlier than usual, when he was around 13. But he quickly joined the Gracious Widow’s gang, and also met Maria, who he often ended up working with. Due to his past, though, he found it hard to trust her or anyone else.

Over the years, Aster also found work with the Topsy King and Cheery Man and became acquainted with their gangs as well.

In 1887, Maria told him she’d be leaving the Widow’s gang to work at the Parlour of Virture, and Aster was really upset about this and felt that she was using being a criminal as a gang and now she’d get to move on with her real family and a normal life, and he’d never be able to. She told him she viewed him as a brother and asked if he also wanted to be hired and he said he didn’t want a sister or to work with her, so she told him off. That was they saw each other for quite a while.

1898

In his early 30s, he began to experience strange feelings and visions and found himself seeking. The criminals and a certain hotel manager tried to help him break free, and seemed to be successful for a few months where Aster lived in the Flit and became close to the raggedy people, while learning silvering from May in an attempt to make it less likely he’d be tricked by Eaten again. However, Aster still had some of the same impulses and began steadily being pulled deeper into seeking, which the silvering lessons ended up exacerbating. Eventually, Aster ended up having the Shapeling Arts used on him to change his face, while Mr Eaten had him forget that anyone else had cared for him and hid his presence in Parabola so he could collect the candles with no one interfering. 

Meanwhile the actual Mr Candles, who’d been trapped somewhere in Parabola and who was REALLY TIRED of constantly being reminded of his trauma was also trying to stop this and managed to free Mr Mirrors who directed Aster in a slightly different direction which led to May finding Aster in Irem and Aster asking about Salt at the Avid Horizon.

Also, in Irem he saw a vision of the Neon Future, where he collected information for the criminals and revolutionaries to stay ahead of the masters and ensure that the Seventh City was here to stay.

[aidontdraw]

Epithets in Fan Fiction work diffrently than in Published Fiction.

One thing we have to remember with fanfiction is that its an adaptation of another popular media that the target reader is familiar with. Epithets in fanfiction work as an In Group Signifier. They are short hand to identify that you are apart of the in group, aka the fandom.

Even in an AU the reader is already familiar with the characters. When a fan fic author say "the blonde," depending on the context of the fic(the fandom), the reader has an exact image of who they are talking about.

Naruto

Bakugou

Draco

Etc.

Also, if a fan fic author is using, "the blonde" they want you to visualize the person they are talking about. It's why epithets are used a lot more in sex scenes or other scenes that require a lot of physical action. Its mostly, "hey remember this person has a body, and it vaguely looks like this."

Epithets are also used more often in queer fanfic, because it does get complicated & annoying to figure out who's who when they both have the same pronouns.

He touched his hand, promising him that he'd never do to him what was done to him.

Its also annoying to have to use their full government names every other sentence to signify whos doing what.

Blorbo touched Shitto's hand, promising Shitto that Blorbo would never do to Shitto what was done to Blorbo.

Obviously, there's ways to combine pronouns and names to make it clearer. It just gets more complicated and boring to use the same things when your doing full scenes. That's where epithets come in.

If you want to use epithets more intentionally in fanfiction, remember your reader is also a fan of the same work you are. They want to see nods to the original work they already love. Do the Marvel Cinematic Universe / Star Wars thing, and use Glup Shitto. Embrace cringe.

If you're writing fan fic, your probably reading fanfic. Start taking note of what epithets people are using in your community for what characters. The common ones in all communities will usually be hair color, age, height, and job title. Get a vibe for what each one of these mean in relationship to your community.

Some fandoms & pairings, the popular feature of it is the age difference or power imbalance of the characters. So mentioning whos older, height differences, or someone's job title is what readers are looking for.

Some fandoms & pairings, like the physical differences/similarities between the characters. Especially in AUs like the omegaverse, where the draw is the exploration of gender by using the differences between secondary genders.

The best thing about it is, the more you interact with other people in the fandom, the more you'll know what they like. You don't have to research it. It will just happen.

But ultimately, writing fanfic is for the author. Do whatever the fuck you want. You are not getting paid. This is not a job. If you want to write the most unhinged peice of garbage and call it a masterpiece, you came to the right place. That's fandom, baby.

Disclaimer: Blah blah blah, fan fic authors are often non-professional artist doing several professional level jobs to give a gift to the community they are a part of. Expecting professional level results from an amateur is not only asinine, its rude. Stop looking gift horses in the mouth. You didn't know what epithets were until someone told you to hate them. Blah blah blah.

In writing, epithets ("the taller man"/"the blonde"/etc) are inherently dehumanizing, in that they remove a character's name and identity, and instead focus on this other quality.

Which can be an extremely effective device within narration!

They can work very well for characters whose names the narrator doesn't know yet (especially to differentiate between two or more). How specific the epithet is can signal to the reader how important the character is going to be later on, and whether they should dedicate bandwidth to remembering them for later ("the bearded man" is much less likely to show up again than "the man with the angel tattoo")

They can indicate when characters stop being as an individual and instead embody their Role, like a detective choosing to think of their lover simply as The Thief when arresting them, or a royal character being referred to as The Queen when she's acting on behalf of the state

They can reveal the narrator's biases by repeatedly drawing attention to a particular quality that singles them out in the narrator's mind

But these only work if the epithet used is how the narrator primarily identifies that character. Which is why it's so jarring to see a lot of common epithets in intimate moments-- because it conveys that the main character is primarily thinking of their lover/best friend/etc in terms of their height or age or hair color.

[brutal-aku]

Okay, I'm making a pinned post

BILLBERGIA

"The Pedantic Punk"

Gym Leader of Virbank City, after Roxie had to move for complicated reasons (which Billbergia holds an unfair grudge about) and Marlon was fired for running a trafficking ring out of his Gym. Also the Striaton trio came back.

She/they pronouns, transfem. Doesn't battle with her main team much due to League rules.

As her epithet says, she's incredibly pedantic. She WILL correct you if you say something wrong and she will not hold back. Has to control this behaviour around kids.

Team

Goro: Serious Nature Hydreigon. Was caught by Billbergia when she snuck past the route gate. Is her ace. The most responsible member of the team, tries to mediate with the others. Is too big and bitey for apartment privileges.

Rouge: Naughty Nature Hidden Ability Shiny Liepard, and boy does he know it. Absolute diva. Smug little bastard man. Has apartment privileges but he's on thin ice.

Goji: Lonely Tyranitar, originally her rival's. Rescued it after she discovered her rival's abusive training methods. Has had a rocky relationship, but is doing a lot better now. Falls into manholes and off of ledges because she forgets how heavy she is, at which point Goro has to rescue her. Ahe and Billbergia are trying to bond enough to safely use Mega Evolution.

Mikhail: Calm Umbreon, insists on recieving constant attention. Has apartment privileges and is generally not that bad about it. Will sit on lap for hours if allowed. Eats his teammates' food when they're not looking. Has been punted by Goji more thsn once for this, so now they eat separately.

Fiani (full nickname Fiancetto): Adamant Bisharp. Stubborn, determined, and fiercely protective. The only member of the team Goji 100% trusts. Gets frustrated if he loses. Has apartment privileges despite being made of axes. Will never be a Kingambit.

Pazu: Jolly Drapion. Play-wrestles with everyone. Enjoys ripping up toys. Does everything to the max. Has never and will never be allowed in the apartment.

[cptn-m]

One Piece 1097 Review

Back on three chapters in a row! I was starting to lose hope, so even this chapter's short length can't take the shine off this win. Ginny has to win some kind of award for being the chapter that took the shortest amount of time between being introduced and appearing on a chapter cover. Excepting maybe Luffy and Zoro at the very start of the series. It's also rare for a chapter cover not featuring the Strawhats to feel so closely connected to the content of the chapter. The last time I remember feeling that was that one time Perona showed up right at the time she made her first appearance in years for one of the Wano interludes.

The start of this chapter spends a long time building our sympathy for Kuma. We've known for a while that he would be a tragic figure, and the noble goals he expressed in a desperate situation last week made us like him, but here, seeing him take on one of the series' greatest acts of self-sacrifice again and again we really get what a good and likable person Kuma has grown to be. There's some fun lore for his fruit here as well, learning that removed suffering would eventually return to its owner. I guess it works differently for his own removed memories though. I think this development also makes it completely clear that Kuma has ended up the way he is in the present as a means of taking on a huge burden for someone else in exactly the same way. The remaining questions are 'who?' and what circumstances resulted in sacrificing his mind being the only way to save them.

Despite the obvious-seeming build-up that Kuma and Ginny's relationship will be the heart of this flashback and her inevitable death will be its climactic moment of heartbreak, Oda leans away from the romance between the pair, with a timejump and a marriage proposal, and a level of ambiguity about whether they're actually intimately involved at this point at all. Romance has never been Oda's strong suit so it's probably smart of him to emphasise the dramatic and desperate circumstances and mutual moral outrage about the state of the world that brought them together instead.

And we go a long time without Bonney here. Maybe those theories about her being mentally and chronologically a child have some weight after all. At minimum she's younger than she appears, barring a massive misdirect.

The next sequence, at 22 years ago, is peak World Government politics. Money at the heart of it all, loopholes for the ultra-rich to save themselves (or at least their wallets) and the denial of human rights all the way through. No accountability or oversight, no compassion for the common man. No wonder the world needs Revolutionaries.

And that's exactly who arrives! The drip feed of Dragon info continues with the revelation that he used to be a Marine. I'd love to see any kind of interaction between him and Garp, knowing this. There must be so many complicated feelings between the two of them. And Dragon is 100% in the right. We can see in this very chapter what the Marines defend. There is no justice there.

What surprises me is how much time we're spending away from Sorbet Kingdom. Some are lamenting the idea that Kuma's 'Tyrant' epithet is just a grandiose name, but we know outright that Kuma is recognised by the public as a ruler of the kingdom. But how (and why) does he become a king after joining up with the Revolutionaries. Does taking the position relate to whatever deal he cut that ended in his cyborg state, or did he seize the country and declare its independence to use as a Revolutionary base and solve their supply issues? Maybe not, considering they're already using Baltigo at this point in the flashback and will remain there until (almost) the present day.

The final page of the chapter, kind of like the escape from God Valley last week, really rush ahead. It's a shame not to see more of what the Revolutionaries got up to in the eight years between scenes, but as with God Valley, this is Kuma's flashback not Dragon's, and there'll be time for the important bits of that later. Still sucks to jump around so suddenly, and to feel like we're ending the chapter mid-scene. I'm glad it's not a break week, because it would well and truly suck to not know what happened to Ginny and have the last panel focus on Dragon's reaction to her predicament instead of Kuma's. Sure, it's a common Oda move to reveal something shocking out of nowhere then flashback to show how it happened, but the pacing of this one feels off. I imagine the next chapter will save it though, with the flashback and Kuma emotional beats the story needs, and when it comes to the volume read the gap between reveal and explanation should be barely noticeable.

My assumption is that Ginny's captivity will be the beginning of the end of this flashback. It seems primed to involve Kuma with the Government and manipulate him into being branded a tyrant and giving up his sense of self. This was something of a transitional week, but the next one should be a big pick up. Looking forward to it.

Old reviews and more on my Wordpress.

[the-gays-all-here]

So this is a little complicated because all of my characters do canonically interact and have found family (and real family) with each other- of course some to more extent than others. But I also have a lot of family connections to other players- specifically Henri's characters (as most of you know by now) As far as biological family with parents and those of the surface...that is also... extremely complicated.

Hero is an amnesiac, she doesn't have many memories of her family before she was in the neath- but with some prying and poking (and the addition of violant into her system) she's been uncovering a little more about who she was before the neath. She had a relatively wealthy family, he was not on good terms with his parents but he was very close to his older brother. She also had younger siblings though she doesn't recall them all to much. Her brother died in the war she lost her leg in, that's the majority of things she remembers about them.

She has her own family now in the Neath with Shiloh and their son Wesley Sawyer, and of course she is very close with Beryl and his spouses. They kind of are a little commune that go between each others suites at beth frequently.

Shiloh is much more in touch with his family, especially his mother still on the surface. He is such a Mama's boy and he writes her often! He actually ventured down into the Neath to find his sister, though she was dead and she did not come back to life. As his epithet says, he is indeed a bastard and he actually was able to find his father in the Neath (which is another players character who does not use Tumblr) and he has grown close with him. He didn't realize how much he wanted to actually have a father who loved him until he met him. He unfortunately shares his father's rage, in that you do not want to piss the man off or you will surely regret it.

Butch...his family is dead, his mother died in child birth and he does not know his father. His aunt took him in after his mother's passing and being a very religious woman, she did not like butch one bit...the devil part was only half of it. She was awful, and as soon as he could he ran away from her and the church. His found family though- those are important to him. The little street gang he joined when he was a child. There's three members other than him; Sticks, Pinkie and Jamie. Those are what he refers to as "his boys" and they are the closest he has to real family.

He also finds some sort of familial relationship with Beryl, not quite mother status but not quite siblings. He definitely is an uncle to her children though.

Lastly Sticks mostly just has butch and the boys, he was an orphan and the moment he found his mom she was murdered (live laugh love nemesis). He also has been getting close to Beryl as a mother figure. He also has his husband Hermán!

#3

What is your character's family like? Do they get along well with their family, or are things more strained? How frequently do they interact? Do they have a found family? Do they have no family at all? Have they picked up any specific traits from their family?

[littlesparklight]

I really love deities with their favourites - it's such a nice show of the gods being involved with mortals, particular mortals, without it being about romance or sex.

Like with Artemis and Hippolytus - in one version of Adonis' death she takes revenge on Aphrodite and is the actor behind the boar. More than that, though, in some versions of the events that lead to Asklepios being killed, Hippolytus, at Artemis' request, is one of the ones resurrected by Asklepios. Which means she attempts to get around the more "usual"/proper (if there's any proper way at all having a dead person brought back to life) method(s) by going via this opportune "backdoor" method. Which was definitely more straightforward than how these things usually go aside from in very, very rare circumstances (Pelops for example). There's also the smaller things like the guy in the Iliad who Artemis gave a bow to. That's all we hear of him/of their potential relationship, but it's there. Phylonoe, who Artemis had made immortal (Iphigenia, too, in terms of the Cypria's version of things) - we don't know why she did this, but she does, which certainly implies much favour.

Athena basically runs herself raw for her blorbos favourites, doing a lot on hands-on/feet-on-the-ground direct intervention! And... uses her status as The Favourite to squeeze out concessions or other favourable circumstances via Zeus. Maybe not fair on anyone else, but hey, she has it, she will use it, and who can really blame her. And like, for all that she's usually associated with heroes/men, Athena does have some mortal women or nymphs she clearly closely associates with. Most specifically Teiresias' mother Chariclo, where she, out of care for Chariclo, softens Teiresias punishment of blindness as much as that's possible by giving him augury.

Apollo and Hektor. He's given him the thing Hektor has a literal epithet for, and he's there ALL THE TIME to protect him. Apollo is there until he literally, by fate and cosmos (via the golden scales) no longer can be/isn't allowed to be. Only then does he leave, and he is also there even past death, making sure Hektor's corpse is kept untouched from Achilles' misuse (along with Aphrodite), and kicks off the final conversation that finally leads to Achilles being told to suck it up and stop being The Worst basically. There's so much care and concern not just implied, but outright reflected and stated in these actions!

There's a lot less to work with when it comes to Aphrodite and Helen and Paris, which is unfortunate. You have Aphrodite straight up claiming she loves Helen. And Aphrodite then uses that to threaten terrible retribution, the effect of which would be in direct contrast to how much she now loves her, yes, which is the one time we see any such favouritism leveraged in a... if not tit-for-tat manner, then more complicated. But Helen has also insulted Aphrodite deeply right before this, so 1. I'm not sure how much we can take by it, and 2. retaliation, if only verbal, isn't very strange in the circumstances, considering the gods. Paris and Aphrodite has about as little on-screen/explicitly stated or shown, aside from her big showing of rescuing Paris off the battlefield during his duel with Menelaos, which is definitely not a small thing. And Zeus implies this (or similar things) have happened a lot. Helen's angry insults casts Aphrodite's care for Paris as both being very obvious (so, like with Zeus' intimation, there's clearly something/a lot there that we never get to really see), and then basically implies Aphrodite cares too much, so that she could/should just as well abase herself to the level of a mortal (the lowest status of mortal, even) instead of bothering Helen, because she cossets Paris so much!

Obviously, as in so many things, a god being involved in some way with a mortal might bring them to ruin (specifically Hippolytus here, who is so turned towards Artemis that Aphrodite takes umbrage), but it doesn't need to be about that, always. Sometimes it really is just a deity favouring a mortal and doing all they can to help and aid them, and the mortal does gain much by this - it's just that even the gods can't stand against fate (Hektor).

[sandsorghum]

2021 X'MAS X'CHANGE EVENT - WEEK 3

About the Event

Christmas is a time all about Giving & Receiving, so I figured, What better way to celebrate the season than to write about the Love Languages of some of our favourite Jujutsu Kaisen guys?

What's their default way of demonstrating love, and how do they want it reciprocated? In this series published over the next few Tuesdays, I'll be posting analyses + headcanons/mini drabbles of these four characters:

Week One - Gojo Satoru Week Two - Geto Suguru Week Three - Nanami Kento Week Four - Choso Kamo

And now for the man who turns my irises heartshaped

N A N A M I K E N T O

Both Giving and Receiving: Quality Time

What else would you expect from the sorcerer with an obsession about Overtime? Especially when you’ve become the reason he’s obsessed.

Nanami gets even stricter about knocking off the clock promptly, and has even less patience for Gojo's frivolous antics. Ironically, he's surprisingly lax if that time is spent with you; think lingering in bed for a few extra minutes in the morning, even if that means risking being late for work, or having to skip breakfast in order to be punctual.

Initially, he makes it a habit to see you at least once a week, no matter how busy he gets. Nothing agitates him more than having his plans to spend a whole Saturday or Sunday with you get interrupted, even if it's only by a phone call (if he sees the caller ID is Gojo he won't even bother picking up until the third time he rings, and if it's not an emergency the conversation rarely lasts longer than 10 seconds).

When you two become stable you'd think he'd be okay going a little while without contact, but nope, if anything his desire to meet up only doubles - and if he can't visit you in person, then expects lots of FaceTime (he's not much of a texter, but likes to hear your voice so you can ramble on about anything). He really detests long-distance missions now, and in his case the "Absence makes the heart grow fonder" epithet is 101% true.

For him, there's something sacred about your time together, and Kento favours activities where he has an "excuse" to extend the duration you're together; it starts with something simple like wanting to test out a complicated cake recipe that takes a few hours to make, (you're keeping an eye on the oven but he's happy just watching you).

Or think half-day craft workshops, wine tasting events or taking long drives to scenic destinations where there isn't anything to distract him from just being in your presence.

Nanami would cherish and closely guard the comfortable stages of your relationship. He's more than happy to simply spend an afternoon reading on the couch, with you nestled in his arms while you binge watch a series or pretend to listen to a podcast. Heck, he'd be delighted even if you just fell asleep against him, with nothing more than shared silence, the occasional flick of a page and the steady rhythm of his heartbeat surrounding you.

And because I am absolute S I M P for this man, I've written an entire drabble of how that Quality Time looks in a domestic setting below:

Nanami counts down the hours till he reunites with you, the moment he steps past the threshold, every minute melts together, slow and syrupy with the scent and feel of you. You’ve gotten good at giving barely apologetic “welcome back” pecks, because if you linger in his embrace longer than ten seconds, dinner will burn on the stove. He has a way of forcing you to focus on the fire in his eyes instead, and the gentle, roiling boil in your belly.

But he lets you get on with the meal, he understands sating this one type of hunger serves as an appetizer for another. He knows it won’t be long before you’re whet and wet… (I make no apologies)

You consider yourself quite a competent cook, and you tend to be pretty proud of and pleased by what you plate up, until of course, Nanami emerges, merely towel-clad from his shower; steaming, smelling and making your mouth water more than anything you’ve spent the past two hours preparing.

Who - I mean what’s the main course again?

This time, you want to avoid the embarrassment of him having to ask twice as you’re staring at his lips, the way they twitch up, amused and perplexed that he has to prompt you more than once for such a simple question. (Back then he definitely noticed your distraction, and thought it was adorable but he’ll never tell you that or how it made another part of him twitch)

You do a quick Google to remind yourself what the menu you’ve been fussing over for the past couple of hours is, before Nanami pulls up a chair - disappointingly, decently dressed.

You fell in love with a foodie, and the way he eats is so appreciative, it’s one of the first things (of the innumerable) that attracted you to him. He’s entirely engaged with the meal, analyzing aromas, asking about recipes, how you adapted it with your limited (yet steadily growing) arsenal of equipment, commenting about the freshness of the ingredients and inquiring which market or supplier you sourced them from. One of the hallmarks of your relationship is that he’s become more honest with his feedback, instead of being blithely complimentary about your culinary standards (which have improved since you started cooking together. He’s a little too exact, you were more "Just go with your gut and if it stays in the stomach, it’s good!")

You’d never taken him as someone effusive with his praise, even when warranted, so it’s a nice surprise to find out how unsparing he can be with his attention and passion. When he’s truly enjoying something though, he sits in complete silence, eyes involuntarily shut, fork or chopsticks poised between his lips - and you’ve never felt so goddamed envious of a bit of cutlery before. He lets out a low little hum you’re certain even he isn’t aware of, and your own reaction is Pavlovian, you can’t resist smiling at that sound. He’s caught it a few times when his eyes fly open, gaze swiftly searching for yours, eager to let you know how much he loves what you’ve done, even without words.

You’re the chef, but you feel so full, so well-fed when you see that expression. He’s nourishing, and ravishing all at once. The look he gives you promises to make good on the latter later tonight. Such in-depth conversations and moments extend the dinner hour, or hours occasionally, longer than they strictly need to be, but Nanami wouldn’t have it any other way, he wants all the time in the world at this table. But there are dishes to be done and pots to be scrubbed and matching aprons to put on.

You remember the first and so far only association between the word bashful and Nanami Kento, when he originally presented them to you It was also the first time you swore in front of him, which caught him completely by surprise. But you intended the expletive only to emphasize how endearing he was.

“Nanami, you’re so fucking cute sometimes, I -”

You couldn’t even finish your sentence before you broke into more laughter as he shrugged and started to wear the apron, ribbons and all, accessorised with his gruff and reticent charm.

"Is it ok to use steelwool on this?”

~~~

Long nights with Nanami aren’t always due to the conduit of food as foreplay did someone suggest swapping out the third course for intercourse? He once pitted his stubbornness against an old scorch stain on the bottom of your Dutch oven, you begged him to just leave it to soak overnight babe isn’t there another oven you might want to put a bun in but he didn’t join you in bed till late, and then only smelling of lemons and white wine vinegar. Ordinarily you’d consider the combination of those ingredients potentially delicious, potent even, a citrus twist mingling with your man’s musk - but you’re restless and annoyed, that he’d busied his hands at the sink instead of beneath your sheets and now he’s tired. Peevishly you mused that he’d happily acquiesce if you asked, even directly, but you’re no longer in the mood now to appear alluring.

Plus, as you glance over at him reaching for his earphones on his nightstand, it seemed he had other plans. You contain your sigh and turn the page of your novel. You both had your own wind-down routines before you met, and they would rarely intersect. You usually tried to finish up a few chapters, he’d be listening to a podcast. Stock market forecasts or some other obscure series that fit under the financial advice category, you assumed.

Silence settled like a duvet over the two of you, each immersed in your respective stories.

You don’t mind this at all, you realize, comfortably nestled against Nanami’s chest, his arm draped around your shoulder. His hand encapsulates yours, rubbing small circles against your thumb. You really, really like this little habit of his.You realise you’re paying more attention to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat than the progress of the plot, it would be easier to doze off to…You feel something warm brush against the shell of your ear, something so familiar.

“You asleep?”

“No, not really, though asking that question is kinda counterintuitive if I was trying to.”

Nanami makes a sound in his throat that’s not quite a chuckle, it’s lost in the ruffle of his shirt as he pulls you closer against him.

“There’s something I want to share with you.”

There’s a rustle against your ears and this time it’s a slightly more foreign sensation, plastic and pliable and the voice of someone far more predisposed to suspense than Nanami.

“Oh, this is an audiobook?”

“Sort of a radio play. It’s a different story by the same author of this.”

Nanami taps the cover of the book that he had distracted you from, first unwittingly by his heartbeat and second, intentionally, with this recommendation. You’re only a few minutes in, but this narrative already sounds way more interesting. Well, that’s an understatement, you and Nanami end up binge-listening well past 2am and developing theories. You only stop because the subsequent episodes aren’t published yet. The next update will come in the following month. You declare the anticipation is agony, collapsing against the pillows, actually tired now. Nanami smiles, amused by your insomnia-induced melodrama and abrupt tailspin into exhaustion.

He leans over, pulling the blankets over you both and giving you a good night kiss on the cheek (or is it morning, by this point?). Before you drift off, you hear him murmur, “It’ll be worth the wait. I’m happy, just sharing this story with you.”

There’s something that sounds unusually sincere about his tone, something in between the lines of Nanami's simple statement, but you can’t quite be bothered to place it as sleep claims you. It matters little; there are many more mornings, afternoons and evenings where Nanami will reveal what he means, and how much you mean to him, in his own quiet, lingering ways.

[skyeventide]

I’m really really fascinated by your interpretation of Maedhros and I’d love to read more of it, I saw your comment on the post about earlier versions and then was super intrigued

-@outofangband

hello @outofangband ! thank you for the ask, I'm going to try putting it into words, though I'm usually much better at fanfiction to explain how I envision characterisation — and unfortunately I don't have any Maedhros fanfic other than To die in the light (which is less about him per se, and more about the ex thrall who interacts with him; but there's a good swathe of Maedhros as well). still, to explain:

essentially, what I meant with that specific comment is that I don't attribute to Maedhros any personal unwillingness to follow along the rebellion, the first kinslaying, or the Oath, certainly not at early stages. what I instead attribute to Maedhros is an aptitude for politics and a willingness to attempt diplomacy routes and handle public perceptions of facts, no matter how facts actually are.

a lot of this is, by necessity, extrapolation. the bare bones of characterisation are there in the text, but the flesh that is built on those bones varies, and can vary a lot. so mypersonal construction is informed by a few external things too. I basically just... don't really vibe with restrained good person Maedhros, cause that feels to me like the easiest route to construct a narrative that's contrasting, depending: his father's; his brothers'; sometimes other characters' (e.g. Elwing). and like, to each their own, but it's not my thing, and I'm not into singling out the good guy out of the bunch as a trope, it simply doesn't call to me.

I'll try to explain my points about early Maedhros (much as I'd love to explain my headcanons for the whole character arc, that would be so long and complicated that I give up without even trying lmao); also I'd like to add that absence of evidence is not evidence of absence but that's where both "personal construction" and "extrapolation" come into place. essentially, this is what I construct and extrapolate, and I'm not really interested in alternatives, I don't like them, or I just disagree with them. and by contrast, people may think the same of this.

firstly, not against the rebellion and the Oath: the early text in @undercat-overdog's post is to my knowledge the only existing text that gives insight with regard to the state of mind with which the Oath was taken. now the Silmarillion says "a dreadful oath", but the Silmarillion has reason to do so by virtue of hindsight. the entirety of the speech to the Noldor, fear and gloom of the moment aside, is a speech that pushes to action: it seems extremely fitting to me that the taking of the Oath itself should reasonably be something with an upwards push, taken without full acknowledgement of its lines and what they may entail when it comes to other elves. because the stated purpose of moving war to Morgoth is very clear throughout, and even though the reality of the war hasn't hit them yet, the awareness of its approach is very present — there is, imo, a readiness for fight and an acknowledgement of intent: killing a deity.

I also feel that "these leapt with laughter / their lord beside / with linked hands / there lightly took / the oath unbreakable" meshes fairly well with the Silmarillion version, where some of this is not kept but the sons still leap at Feanor's side, this time with their swords drawn. Maedhros in this is not called out as any different — in fact, Maedhros is not called out as being different during the feud either: "lies came between them" with regard to Fingon paints the rumour-spreading among the Noldorin factions as affecting them equally, just as it affects Fingolfin ("grew proud and jealous each of his rights and possessions").

the first kinslaying: again maedhros is not singled out as against it. and again, absence of evidence doesn't equal evidence of absence, however, my preferred method in reconstructing my understanding of canon through the skeleton of its textuality is at times trying to make sense of drafts and grabbing the fil rouge of their logical development. and, when there is someone called out as acting against the Noldor during the first kinslaying, that is Galadriel. Maedhros never even is named in this circumstance.

I also think that the modus operandi of the whole situation is a remarkable early calque of the second and third kinslaying. first, other options are exhausted first: the noldor go north, stop in Araman by foot, and decide the crossing of the ice is too costly, not doable, or otherwise not something they're willing to do (more: people directly blame Feanor for the bitter cold they're exposed to, before they have to cross, if they wish to reach Middle Earth); second, there is an attempt to convince Olwe and the Teleri via words; third, a passage that is textually absent from later deeds of the same sort, but which might be potentially inferred, the leader (here Feanor) sits alone brooding on his options; fourth, action. this is the same as what happens with the later kinslayings, even though the first was not meant to be a deadly undertaking in its conception (it was a theft). but, what I mean is, second kinslaying: failed first option, the battle of unnumbered tears, part 2 diplomatic attempt, the message to doriath, part 3, not textually stated, part 4, action. third kinslaying is muddier and I won't attempt to map it perfectly other than: delayed attack to the havens; diplomatic attempt via message; [not textually stated, may be incorporated in the delay]; action.

either way, my point is: whether Maedhros is outright leader or he isn't, there isn't any fundamental difference in the story beats of the kinslayings. inb4 "Feanor and Maedhros have different character traits" — yes, to an extent. and this is where the early draft from that post returns to my aid in terms of personality building: "the eldest, whose ardor / yet more eager burnt / than his father’s flame, / than Feanor’s wrath". now, I feel there's an important qualitative difference in ardour and wrath, but that line exists and the Silmarillion doesn't contradict it: the fire of life burns in Maedhros, the eagerness here mentioned does not fade from this draft to later versions. (inb4 “the circumstances don’t overlap perfectly”: yes of course they don’t. I’m not trying to argue that they do)

now, what happens when it's time to depart with the ships? Feanor takes counsel with his sons, and the decision is to take the loyalists and go to the other side with them first. what happens when Feanor tries to burn those ships? Maedhros gives his famous lines, "what ships and rowers will you spare to return, and whom shall they bear hither first". my extrapolation here is this: I think it's obvious that the burning was not supposed to happen; and I think it's obvious that the joint decision of Feanor and his sons, dare say of Feanor and his firstborn heir, was to send back a group and carry the rest of the Noldor to Middle Earth. Feanor says lmao fuck you and the rest is history. Maedhros doesn't take well to that, and here comes forth what I think actually distinguishes him as a character: the cool-headed pragmatism that will imo really come forth post-captivity, the diplomatic abilities, and weighing his options with a level-headedness that his father lacks — and I would like to posit, these options are not weighed in a particularly moral way: he appeals to Feanor about Fingon being carried first because Fingon rushed in and got involved in the kinslaying on their behalf (there may be different readings, but they don't appear to me as textually supported as this — and for the purpose of this I am making no difference between feelings of romance and friendship; the quality of the relationship is here irrelevant, the strength of it has more bearing). it isn't "Fingon because he's my friend", or "Fingon because he's a good guy", it's "Fingon because he killed for us". and after he is on this side, actually keeping the rest of their army, an army they need to effectively wage the war they said they would wage, becomes a cake walk.

also, I go back and forth on this, but: it's possible that Fingon gained his "the valiant" sobriquet before the Darkening; it isn't a given that it was gained in this instance, his Alqualonde attack. but I still feel like it's quite telling, whether the epithet is gained now or before, that it's brought up under these circumstances. the last "valiant" deed from Fingon has been saving the day during the kinslaying. whether Maedhros is saying it to convince his father or because he truly feels it's currently deserved, he's nonetheless saying it.

a last point is the envoy with which he accepts to meet with Morgoh's forces: this is very shortly after Feanor's death, and Maedhros goes in with more warriors than agreed, though it's still not enough to counter Morgoth's own breaking of the terms. Maedrhos in this demonstrates that he's willing to pursue diplomacy despite his father's own words, but he is neither blindly trusting nor a good person who's simply out of his depth: he goes prepared to be the larger armed force and brings none of his brothers with him. it's not enough, but the attempt is there.

which reads to me as an ardour and eagerness that are kept in check by pretty solid abilities to plan, and that do not, really, counter his father's wishes in any truly consistent way. yes, the ship burning, but in the long run having all the Noldor in ME was going to be a benefit; I feel he could have well patched-up the problems without giving up any crown. yes, the parleying with Morgoth, but they just lost their father and despite that the Dagor-nuin-Giliath is a victory: he's coming as the winning party and newly crowned king, and he might, perhaps, find another route to proceed.

so these are more or less the salient points of my personal reconstruction of "early Maedhros". it'd be too long to get into post-captivity and this post is already long lmao, but I hope this made sense to you? and clarified how I understand his character with that early draft included as an aspect.

*all opinions and analyses are personal and are not attempting to establish a true canon. they make sense to me; I’d argue that I try to make them as textually supported as possible with a canon so fragmented. if my readers’ here are different, go on y’all’s merry way.

[busdriver-55]

Sex Worker(s) AU

- This post is inspired by the Adult Entertainment fic recs post by @areysololife all of the fics on this list I have thought of and nit seen recommendEd (only one fic is on from that post - Hands On)

Comfort Zones by @emmyjeanb: Struggling to make ends meet and saving for grad school, waitress Rey takes on a side job as a production assistant for a porn company where she encounters notorious porn star Kylo Ren. After an unexpected confrontation at the restaurant, Rey and Kylo connect over a common love of plays and literature. But their respective pasts pose huge hurdles in their budding relationship. Never Get You Right by @killtheselights and @theladyofthehouse: Rey gets more than a lap dance when her friends drag her to the Starkiller Strip Club for her birthday: she also gets a glimpse into the soulful eyes of a leather-clad hunk, gyrating for her pleasure. She finds herself returning the next night to see if she just imagined something there, or if there’s more to this dancer than there seems… Perfumed in Obsession by @secretreylotrash: Ben owes Rey a favor from a porn shoot between them gone wrong; but neither of them wants to admit it’s already been repaid in full. Because that means Ben could stop assisting in Rey’s Live CamShows any time he wanted to. But an accidental appearance during a stream has her audience demanding more of the mysterious “Kylo” and they have a new role for her assistant in mind. littlemissnobody and Kylo Ren are considered a match made in heaven, but what does that have to do with Rey and Ben catching feelings, and facing some demons along the way? Blinded By The Lights by protonwrites: Kylo Ren — The Chandrillan Stallion, the Cuntqueror, the Supreme Driller, all some of the top notch epithets his fans have given him on account of his physical size rendering anyone he fucks on camera tiny — is booked to film Kira Ryder's first anal. Hands On by KyloTrashForever: When Rey takes a job in a porn flick, she tells herself it will be a one-time thing. She never expected to enjoy it. She never expected to come back for more—but what started as a little hands on training turned out to be more than she bargained for. (A tiny bit of Preylo - but it's kylo/rey really) Bet the House by Celia_and: Rey is a sex worker who has an unforgettable night with buisnessman Ben. Unforgettable for none of the reasons rey was ever expecting (good or bad). The Escort by @grlie-girl: Rey, a college student living in Chicago, gets roped into the world of high-end escorting. It’s Thursday night and she is on her way to meet her newest client: a man named Kylo Ren.

Sugar Honey Honey by Yours_Truly_Commander_Shepard: Kylo Ren is a sugar baby, for reasons he won't explain. Rey doesn't know how to be rich, as anyone on the charity-ball circuit could tell you. Neither of them has heard the phrase "don't top from the bottom." What could go wrong?

Business With Pleasure by ishipstarwars: The one where businesswoman Rey Palpatine has a mighty need, and escort Kylo Ren aims to please.

A Study in Movement by violethoure666: Rey is a 21 year old dance major working as a stripper and Ben is the 30 something year old investment banker who keeps coming in for private dances but won't let Rey touch him. Ben's on the spectrum, Rey is a ball of energy and thirsty af. Neither one knows what to do with the other but can't seem to let it go.

Almost Perfect by LadyReylo: After recovering from a life threatening brain tumour, Ben has lost his confidence in sex and relationships. So he gets in touch with Rey, a specialised sex worker, to help him get over his anxieties. Rey has always had to fight to survive and is still struggling to get by. But when she lets her carefully built walls down around her new client, things will get far more complicated than she ever could have imagined.

Wild Love by @iliveinthemoon: Rey is the guardian of her teenage twin sisters, by day she works in a diner but by night she's a pole dancer. Ben Solo is a high school english teacher who after some persuasion from his colleagues agrees to go to an adult entertainment club. What happens when his and Rey's paths cross and they start dating? Will she find out that Ben is her sister's favourite teacher? Will Ben find out that Rey is guardian to two of his students? Will their respective worlds come crumbling down when it's parent-teacher conference time and the truth comes out? But perhaps the biggest question is: how will her sisters - who idolise their teacher - deal with the revelation that their sister is dating Mr. Solo?

Ethics of Psychology by ChibiReylo: Oddly enough, Ben is a professor, Kylo is a surgeon, and oh my... Rey is a stripper.

Bullet Pound by jeeno2: On a whim, Rey watches a porno her friend recommended. To her surprise, she recognizes one of the actors.

From A to B by Reylo (PhelfromGrace): Kylo Ren may be a top star in the adult entertainment industry, but Ben Solo knew nothing about making love. Grey-A Rey simply wants to survive her first year of college.

f*cked my way up to the top by @dankobah: Rey and Kylo are both cammers. Interesting things happen. Smutty times ahead...