#i want this man to have destroyed that region two times; makes his actions in molaesmyr really pop

[utilitycaster]

Where in the world was Ludinus Da'leth?

With the reveal that Ludinus was indeed telling the truth about being a Calamity survivor, as well as that he "suffered a lot of trauma at the tail end of the Calamity", implying he was relatively young (and indicating he's probably not Avaliran nor Aeorian since those were destroyed at least 50 years prior to the end of the Calamity and likely more, ie, his trauma would date back to much earlier within the Calamity):

[hyrule-in-a-pokeball]

THE RE-WRITTEN TIMELINE

!!!WARNING!!!

Spoilers for Tears of the Kingdom ahead. Shut your eyes and scroll for a sec if you don't want to see.

No seriously I'm going all in.

Alright now that those nerds are gone, lets talk about how my suspicions that all past games are no longer canon turned out to be 100% correct. Also grab some coco, we're gonna be here for a minute.

At the beginning of Tears of the Kingdom, Link and Zelda are separated, with Zelda being transported into the distant past thanks to her latent time magic going nuts when exposed to a sage stone (NOTE:

Sage stones greatly amplify the holder's powers and while Zelda possessed both light AND time magic due to her ancestry, it seems her time magic was stronger and so was what the stone amplified)

Zelda finds herself in the era of Hyrule's founding and meets the first king and queen of Hyrule, her ancestors, King Rauru (A Zonai possessing light magic) and Queen Sonia (A Hylian possessing time magic). Both are not only the King and Queen, but are the sage of light and time respectively. It is made very clear that these two are the first king and queen of Hyrule. None came before them. All came after them.

Now, I hear you saying "This doesn't make all the old games non-canon!" Yeahyeah, shush, keep reading. The adversary the first king and queen face in Hyrule's first era is none other than Ganondorf, the demon king of the Gerudo tribe

Before, Ganondorf first appeared in OoT's era (which was not, nor was it ever stated to be Hyrule's founding era), but now here he is, right at the beginning of it all with the first king and queen. In fact we even get a sort of recreation/Overwrite of a certain OoT scene

A moment in both games in which Ganondorf is swearing fealty to the King of Hyrule. Of course, in OoT, Rauru isn't the current king, but an ancient sage dwelling in the light temple And also a Hylian. And also an Owl... This has been re-written, he';s a Zonai and the first king now, and also not an Owl.

Ganondorf ultimately betrays the king, echoing his actions in OoT, but in this timeline, there's no little princess Zelda, there's no Sheikah, there's no little forest boy. Nobody to meddle in Ganondorf's plans. He murders Queen Sonia and steals her stone, taking it for himself and amplifying his powers to insane degrees, and truly becoming The Demon King.

Rauru rallies the leaders of the regions of Hyrule, A Gerudo woman, A Zora woman, a Goron, and a Rito man, as well as his older Sister Mineru. Aside from Mineru, all the others remain nameless, but all wear helmets/masks that are reminiscent of the divine beasts that would be created thousands of years in their own futures and be named after them.

Thats right. I strongly believe these four to be Nabooru, Ruto, Darunia, and I guess "Medo"(?). Rauru gives them all sacred stones, naming them sages. Nabooru becoming the sage of lightning, "Medo" becoming the sage of wind, Ruto the sage of water, and Darunia the sage of fire. Mineru is already the sage of Spirit, Zelda, having a sacred stone, is named the sage of time, and Rauru, also possessing one, is the sage of light.

Together, with their own powers jacked up, they confront the demon king and his army of monsters. And lose. In a last act of desperation, King Rauru; the sage of light, uses his light powers, apparently fueled by his own life, to seal Ganondorf and drain away his magic.

Ganondorf knows this seal won't hold forever and taunts Rauru that this is ultimately a futile act, But Rauru, having knowledge of the future thanks to a time traveling Zelda, tells him that by that time, someone wielding a magic sword that destroys evil will appear to oppose him, and that person's name is JACK- I mean LINK. Ganondorf, fascinated by this prospect, says he looks forward to this, and then succumbs to Rauru's sealing magic. And there the two of them stay for thousands upon thousands of years.

This conflict between the seven sages and the Demon King Ganondorf became legend, and is known in present day Hyrule as... The Imprisoning war

Now according to all official Zelda media released before this point, the Imprisoning war happened before A Link to the Past/Twilight Princess/Wind Waker, and was the name for the events that took place in OoT. OoT and the events shown in Tears of The Kingdom cannot exist side-by-side. TotK overwrites the ancient legend that is OoT.

BUT WE'RE NOT DONE YET

OH NO

See. Ganondorf stays sealed there until present day. He doesn't break his seal and get into mischief. He doesn't kidnap girls on the high seas or puppet an idiot wannabe king. He stays sealed in that spot for thousands upon thousands of years. The event of 10,000 bbw (Before Breath of the Wild) take place while he's still sealed away. "Calamity ganon", while born of Ganondorf, is a different entity just sort of spawned from him. I have my suspicions now that Calamity Ganon is actually Ganondorf's magic that was drained away by Rauru, having coalesced and taken on a sort of conscious form. But then, how did the people of the ancient past know that "ganon" would return? How did they know they needed a hero with a magic sword? How did they know to build divine beasts to help fight this monstrously powerful foe?

Because Zelda, from present day, kept saying in the founding era "Yo this guy is gonna come back in the future and a dude named link with a cool sword is gonna fight him so be ready to throw down" She told this to each individual sage, and in turn, each sage made sure that when that time came, their people, the Gerudo, the Zora, the Rito, and the Gorons, would be there to help the hero. So for generations, they waited. They planned. And then one day, "Calamity ganon" appeared. It was defeated and sealed away by the princess of that era, a nameless hero, and big ol' mechs. And then it appeared again for the last time, because that time it was destroyed 100 years later. Then 5-8 years later Ganondorf woke up, Zelda went back in time and- Oh look a time loop

Suddenly the logo makes a lot of sense

BUT THAT REMAINS TO BE ALL, MY FRIENDS

The tapestry shown in Breath of the Wild depicting a nameless ancient hero wielding the master sword, standing against Calamity Ganon along with the guardians and divine beasts? Remember that?

We always thought he looked very odd. Very "not-Link" like. And thats because he didn't. Your reward for finishing all 152 shrines in Tears of the kingdom is an unusual single piece of armor called "Ancient Hero's Aspect"

These three pieces represent the Owl, the dragon, and the boar. In Zonai tradition, the Owl represented Wisdom, the Dragon; Courage, and the Boar; Power. This item's description reads as follows: "This item is said to contain the spirit of a hero who once saved Hyrule. That hero's aura will envelop the wearer" So what happens when you put this armor on?

Link takes on the form of that ancient hero. An individual who appears to be half Zonai (Full blood Zonai have much longer ears). Who has a snout, and long flowing red hair. And once, long ago, he wielded the master sword in opposition to Calamity Ganon.

Too long; didn't read? The events of Tears of the Kingdom directly and brutally contradict the entirety of the Legend of Zelda franchise and now only Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom should be considered canon

[twisted-lusty]

i actually forgot to request,,, i was wondering if you can write about vil+rook x virgin ftm reader? its the reader's first time being with them and hes very nervous n stuff (pretty people makes anyone nervous)

also, im not sure if you write about polyam relationships! if you dont, you can go ahead and separate them both ;;

my second time requesting somehow, yippeeee. iii also hope youre doing great today, its nice having you back again!!

Sure I can, my dearest sinner! As much I don't tend to write much poly relationships, I'm 100% confortable into writing this. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this little piece of sin. So sorry for taking so long to finally write this!

TW: NSFW content (MDI)

Female reader

You never expected that you would spend your first time with a famous actor or a gentleman that would take care of all your wishes inside the bedroom… Much less you expected that, in your first time biting the apple of sin, you would spend time with two guys at the same time. And well? Those guys were Vil and Rood.

Vil’s touches were elegant, making sure to mark your precious body with lipstick and dancing with his fingers over your delicate skin. Rook, on the other hand, seemed to be worshiping your skin, being so kind while touching those areas that made you shiver. However, something similar in both of their ways to act was how kind, gentle and sensitive they were related to you. Those two men tried their best to not fold this little flower they had in hands, to be careful in your first time face to face with somebody else’s lust.

The hunter gently removed your underwear and his fingers started playing with that region who brought you pleasure and made you squirm over his actions. Playing with your clitoris, Rook allowed a small laugh to escape from his lips, like he was enjoying such a view - and he truly was. The actor came closer to the man pleasuring you and gently started to spread his kisses over his neck, cheeks… lips. Even you being the main star of this little play tonight, it was out of question to refuse sharing some of those romantic touches with each other.

But of course, Vil also paid attention to your needs, sliding his hands over your silhouette and gently grabbing parts of it. It was a bit embarrassing to have someone looking at you like you were a prey, however, you didn’t dislike such a feeling… It was just something new.

Soon enough, you were between the two guys, being gently thrusted by Vil while Rook held you carefully on his arms, spreading bites around your fragile neck… He was glad he was able to capture you in an embrace, smiling as he heard you moaning and making the most erotic expressions possible. The dorm leader of Pomefiore wasn’t so behind his friend, also appreciating the way he was making you feel while you shared this sweet memory together.

His movements were deep but careful… and those same movements made you squirm one last time before finally reaching climax as Hunt stole a deep kiss from your half-split lips. As your body felt like giving up, Rook gently placed you on the bed, putting your legs over his shoulders… Dear, he also wanted a bit of fun as well. As much as he appreciated watching you being completely destroyed by ‘Roi du Poison’, he also had the need to satisfy himself… This night would take a long time to end, my dearest sinner.

[meatcrimes]

Nineteen years. That’s almost two thirds of my life you’ve been gone. I’ll never forget the hot pavement on that sunny, unusually humid July day. I forgave you for this years ago, but if you had known your death would have been a catalyst for so much trauma and pain for your entire extended family, would you have been more careful?

Look at us, those of us who are left. Look at your brother, your daughter, your surviving son. Look at what they’ve overcome in the past nineteen years. Look at me, your niece, and my brother, your nephew who you never got to meet. Look what we’re still trying to overcome. I no longer blame you for the actions of other people done in the wake of your death, but the timeline shifted that day, and whatever track we were on before veered into the wrong lane at 100mph and ever since we’ve been picking up the pieces. I can’t say we would have been better or worse off if we hadn’t lost you, but I can say we all wish you were able to walk your daughter down the aisle at her wedding. Walk your foster son down the aisle at his wedding, because it became legal in 2015 for him and his husband to marry. You had no idea he was gay, did you? Neither did he for many, many years. And the trauma he experienced from your death influenced his own death in his early thirties. Now, you both left widows behind. You have more in common now than you ever did in life.

Look at your daughter, you probably won’t even recognize her, and not just from the weight loss. She’s now a devout Catholic, in a loving marriage with a man who values and respects her, with five beautiful step daughters that call her “mom”. It wasn’t easy for her to get there. She went through far too long of believing herself unworthy and unloveable, and far too many boyfriends who saw her the same way.

Look at your biological son. He’s in the national guard now, making something of his life and what has been left behind. He simultaneously never grew up and grew up all too fast, a lot like me. He doesn’t remember what your voice sounds like, and I wish I could transfer my memory of your voice into his mind. It isn’t fair that I remember your voice and he doesn’t. Really, none of this is fair, never has been, never to anyone. Your generation may have said “Life isn’t fair” with the connotations of “so there!”. Often a justification of their mistreatment of others. But us, we hear it in a different pitch. We hear “life isn’t fair” with “but with compassion and community we can bridge the gaps, even if we can’t close them”.

I don’t remember where I was going with this. I’m sitting in my old room at my dad’s house that he owns, that he bought with money he earned in a career that didn’t exist nineteen years ago. We live in a small town thousands of miles from our ancestral land, in a climate my body will frankly never get used to. I was built for the desert, biologically designed for the Great Basin region. Last time I went back, my anxiety was nearly gone, my acne cleared, my hair didn’t need any styling or products beyond a brush and shampoo. My thyroid condition was getting better at a faster rate than it was before. I thrived in Nevada. I am a Western Shoshone woman. You were a Western Shoshone man, no matter how much you or anyone else ignored it, or explained our genes with ancestry we didn’t share. Las Vegas is haunted ground now. My father plans on never going back, because it reminds him so much of you. And me? No matter how badly I want to return home, it’s not home anymore. It hasn’t been since we lost you. And I don’t think I can rebuild what was destroyed.

[silentchamp]

Some time has passed since your adventure across time and space. 

Today, a letter finds you. This letter isn’t delivered by the postal carrier that you usually expect: you would be met at the front door of your dwelling by a young man dressed in white, a hat on top of his head, and a professional, kind smile on his face. Having to sign for a simple letter seems odd, but the courier assures that ‘this is standard protocol for us.’

A white envelope stamped with the familiar golden trident of the Aether Foundation is in your hands. Inside of it is a letter written with extraordinarily neat penmanship. 

Mr. Suzuki,

I hope this letter finds you well, and that you are recovering from our expedition from the comfort of your own home. 

In the coming days, myself and the Aether Foundation will likely be in the international news regarding our ‘strangely timed’ decision to sever certain partnerships with fellow giants in our shared industry. Do not be alarmed by this. It is a direct response to harrowing usage of my intellectual property in another time, and another place. I, and the entirety of my team, will not allow Aether technology to cause harm to people, or Pokemon, neither by our hands, or the hands of our competitors. You may sleep soundly knowing that our collective actions will prevent an apocalypse of that magnitude happening in our home.

From my mind to yours: I wish to personally thank you for your involvement, and the tireless effort that you put into destroying Archeus. It has left a lasting impression on me, as I am sure it has with the rest of our team.

Several of the partners that we relocated from Area Zero are currently being rehabilitated in the Aether Conservation Area. We are currently zoning an area strictly for our iron partners, so that they may receive enrichment and resources whenever they need.

The Aether Foundation is dedicated to improving the relationship between people, Pokémon, and technology. Consider myself, and my foundation, as a permanent ally, and useful resource for anything that you may need. I highly encourage you to take advantage of these resources whenever necessary.

Lastly, you are cordially invited to the Aether Paradise on a later date, to be honored for your duty, for defending life as we know it, and for instilling a bright new belief in humanity– for me.

Thank you.

Do not hesitate to contact me. Attached to this letter is my business contact, and personal contact. I request that you keep it to yourself.

-President Lusamine Delacroix

At the bottom corner of the letter is a large, strange blotch of ink. A thumb print, maybe? Upon further investigation, it seems to have been left by the tip of the tail of a serpentine creature, who also wanted to sign the note.

It was strange.

It was strange, the delivery of the message, to see the familiar uniform of an Aether Foundation member in the region of Kanto seemed strange...to have them show up on his doorstep was another matter, entirely. It was bizarre, if you'd asked him about it.

He'd held off on opening the letter. Not on purpose, rather, balancing both League and laboratory duties posed a troubling task, one that required several arms, like an octillery, rather than two. If only Red could Double Team and make clones of himself.

One finger would ghost over the professional inking of the Aether Foundation logo on the front of the outer layer of the note, people ripping the envelope open--ruining whatever pristine imagery it had--and stealing the letter out from inside.

It's uninteresting, and Red deliberates tossing it out, until eyes scan over a very important sentence, one that seemingly sticks out from the rest of Lusamine's formal jargon:

"Several of the partners that we relocated from Area Zero are currently being rehabilitated in the Aether Conservation Area."

Red reads faster, quicker, skimming over the note front to back, up and down, side-to-side with a newfound sparkle in his eye as he thinks about his previous companion during everybody's time spent in Zero City.

Janus.

Getting up from the kitchen counter, the chair screeches against the floor tile, and Red would launch onto his feet, marching over to his poryphone. A smile can't help but work itself onto his face, expression glimmering with joy.

He needs to make a few phone calls.

[flame-shadow]

Got an HK oc but don’t really have anything with them aside from the concept, any pointers?

Short answer: Put them in a situation that interests/engages you as the creator.

Long answer: This will get rambly as I have many thoughts and will include personal examples. You have been warned.

First thing to keep in mind is that people often tackle their character creation/development processes differently, so while I'll offer a few thoughts and methods, if they don't work for you (or whoever else is reading this), that's okay! I hope they'll at least help spark something that will help you get there. :)

To elaborate on my short answer, there are sooooo many ways to put a character in a situation, and what situation will be most inspirational depends on the character and the creator. (note: I will conflate situation and conflict. for the purposes of this post, they mean pretty much the same thing, as a situation wouldn't be a situation if there wasn't some sort of conflict qualifying it as such)

For example, I am a fan of Man vs Nature and Man vs Self. These conflict types include a character working against some natural process (Charon vs the crystals which trap his mind and animate his body) and a character working against some aspect of themself (Koretta dealing with her guilt and self-loathing while desperately wanting to form connections with other characters). If I want to develop these characters, I would put them in situations where they must confront these things. (Charon wants to destroy all the crystals so he can die, but the more he does that, the more the crystals regrow and the less autonomy he has. Given who he is, he will not stop, and neither will the crystals because of what they are. His actions and fate are futile but inevitable)

If you haven't developed a character far enough that you know what conflicts would best suit them, then think about what they already have (any personality or physical traits, any motivations, any associations with the world/other characters) and think about how one or two of those things might be explored and elaborated on. If you're trying this out, make sure you loosen up and remind yourself that it's okay if the idea doesn't end up working out or fit the character!

Sometimes, I go, "hmm, how would Fraught deal with this? let's try...." and then by the time I finish thinking or writing about it, I decide that she would not actually do that. And guess what, that's great! I might not have figured out what she does do yet, but I now know for sure something that she doesn't do, and I likely figured something else about her during the process that'll help me build on the next exploration.

Another thing that might help is to think about how the character fits into and interacts with the world! I like to keep the scope small, associating each character mostly with one or two regions that I most enjoy (Kingdom's Edge, Greenpath, City, Deepnest. most of my HK characters are associated with at least one of these areas). What do you like about the region? What questions do you have or details would you like to explore, and can your character help you dive in? (Cyra spends a lot of time in Kingdom's Edge because it's quiet and lonely, and I really like booflies, so I gave her Jerome, a boofly who becomes a friend and helps her work on being less lonely and antisocial)

Also also also!! Don't be afraid to indulge yourself! Maybe you have an idea which really interests you but which you aren't sure if it really fits. Or maybe it's something you've seen other people express disinterest or dislike in. Well, fuck that. This is your character, and if you want to make them a character you enjoy working with, you should make them fun! Give them magic! Let them be a master at all the martial arts! Make them the baddest bug around! For a less extreme example, I know some people are iffy about making vessel OCs who can speak, and that's fine if it makes their vessel OC more engaging to them, but the vessel is already "imperfect", so why not give it an "imperfection" which will ensure you enjoy writing them? It could be a simple voice (and think about what they sound like and if they like how they sound), and then there's how they speak and where/who they learned from. Or spice it up by having them be able to mimic voices, for example, if you want shenanigans! That could be fun, especially if they manage to maintain a guise of being voiceless.

Alternatively, if you like problem solving, then explore the limitations of your character. Continuing with the vessel example, leave them mute and then explore how they might communicate with other bugs. Are they good at charades? Can they learn sign language? What if reading/writing is too hard for them? Perhaps they learn Morse code instead? Or maybe they don't give a fuck about communicating with other bugs! How do they feel about the reactions that other bugs have to this? How do they deal with being misinterpreted? How do they react when someone gets angry at them "ignoring" being talked to? Etc, etc.

I'm sure there are other things I could add, but I want to wrap this up with a synthesis using an example of a character of mine who quickly became a favorite but who I almost didn't make at all. Mossy Fool! Take a gander at this specimen:

[this ref is a few years old, so it's a little outdated, but it's a snapshot at a point in his creation while I was concluding the exploration stage and before I had fully developed him]

So, what's so special about him? Well, let's start from the beginning! I am a big fan of the Mosskin Tribe, and I love the Colosseum of Fools. Because those are often in my brain, I noticed one day that the moss knights and the shielded fools are kind of similar. In addition to general body proportions, they also both have nail and shield. So I gave myself the design challenge to combine the two. What if a moss knight joins the colosseum of fools? What would they look like?

I was just focused on the visuals. I did many sketches, came up with many ideas to combine the two aesthetics and accessories and features. Eventually, I went with one of the simpler but most cohesive designs. And then I thought that was it! I liked the design, but I didn't have any sort of personality in mind, no motivations, no skills apart from "can swing nail and block with shield" which is suuuuper basic.

But I liked the design too much to leave it alone. And so, I decided since it was already a curious premise, why not go further? What are some abilities I can give him to make it reasonable that he might survive in the Colosseum? What will be fun to me? I knew just making him Generically Good At Fighting wouldn't engage me enough (no shade on those types. I have other OCs who fill that role and whom I am happy with! but that wasn't interesting for this character), so I figured I'd explore what from Greenpath might have to offer to make this Mossy Fool fellow stand out. What charms and abilities are found in that area? I honed in on Thorns of Agony. I decided that his mossy cloak would have to adapt to the Colosseum as well as the knight, so under certain circumstances where the knight is under duress/close to death/startled severely, the cloak will lash out with thorny vines! (There were body horror aspects I explored later with the cloak, but they're less relevant to early development) Not only was it a cool way to incorporate the ability, but it made drawing the character more engaging because heck yeah vine time! It looks cool!

And speaking of looks, I wanted there to be more visual association to Greenpath than just him being a moss knight, so I thought about emphasizing his association with Unn and how knights/warriors in our world have developed sigils and symbols and clan markings and so on to signify their allegiances. And I imagine being as recognizable and iconic as one can be in a gladatorial setting like the Colosseum of Fools would encourage developing an identifiable symbol, too. So, he's a moss knight which means he serves Unn, so he paints Unn on his shield! I then decided that part of his post-fight ritual would be to repaint the symbol. This habit informs other aspects of his character, too.

And then, what about his personality? Well, I recognized at the time that I had many edgy/rude/antisocial characters, as that is one of my favorite types of character to play with. However, I wanted to go against that for this guy, so I decided to explore him being a himbo! (some friends also encouraged this choice, and we had many OOC jokes made at his expense) He's kind, he's strong, he's not bright; he loves fighting but he has a personal code and will not hurt others outside the arena unless it's self-defense. This was a contrast both to many of my other characters and also to what I perceived as the typical Fool personality type (ie. superiority, over-confidence, lofty goals, super competitive).

All of this combined was developed over, hmmm, a few months? Maybe closer to half a year. But it doesn't ever really stop! Three years since inception, and I still do stuff with him, and he's still developing as I put him in more situations and even explore his backstory, working out what factors caused him to become The Mossy Fool. (I love him a lot. He is one of my favorite HK characters)

And yeah! That is where I will stop before I go on for another ten paragraphs adksjflsajkdfld

I do hope this was helpful, insightful, amusing, or something else that elicits a positive or at least bemused reaction. Thank you for the ask, and best wishes on developing your character!

[razieltwelve]

Beyond the Western Sea (Final Effect x ASOIAF)

“Ice zombies?” Her Imperial Majesty Averia VII blinked. “They have ice zombies?”

Luxa grinned. "I know, I know. It sounds stupid, but it’s the truth. They have real ice zombies.”

“And we haven’t bombarded the ice zombies into oblivion because...?” The empress was not fond of zombies. Pretty much nobody was. Zombies that weren’t under their direct control? Yikes. The standard approach was to introduce them to the glories of Imperial plasma and be done with it.

“We’d like an opportunity to study the planet in more detail,” Luxa said. “There is a whole lot of weird crap going on that we’d like to understand. First of all, there are humans on the planet, but genetic scans have picked up a host of oddities in their genetic matrices. We’ve also found evidence of lots of other life forms including giants, creepy tree people, and dragons.”

“They have dragons?”

“Well... not anymore. But they did. There are also probably some still in the wild, but we haven’t actually sent down anyone to grab them yet. The civilisations of the world are all basically at a medieval level. Nobody has even invented a gun yet. In fact, it’s kind of bizarre.”

“Oh?”

“The peoples of this world have a history that dates back thousands of years. Heck, some of the regions of the world have been ruled by basically the same bunch for longer than the Empire has existed.”

“And they still haven’t invented guns?”

“Nope. Part of that has to do with their seasons, which make no logical sense. We’re talking about winters that go for years,” Luxa replied. “So there’s clearly some weird stuff going on. We’d like to observe the planet, maybe send some agents down and establish an outpost or two just to find out what’s going on. Our initial suspicions was a Living World, but they don’t have one. What they call magic is definitely real, but it’s not Aura usage in the way we’re familiar with.”

“Can Aura be used to interact with it?” Averia asked.

“Sure. Based on some tests we’ve already run, Aura can shield against it just fine. Combat-wise, though, their magic isn’t nearly as useful as Aura. Most of it requires rituals and the like, and it’s been dwindling for years, apparently.”

“Hmm...” Averia nodded. “All right. Build a few outposts. Make contact with the locals but conceal our true level of advancement. I’m assuming there are unexplored parts of their world.”

“Yep. We’ll be building some outposts around there and saying we’re from there. It won’t even be a lie.”

“I’ll leave it in your hands then.” Averia’s frowned. “But if the whole ice zombie thing gets out of hand, take more direct action. I want at least one cloaked destroyed on hand to glass any infected parts of the planet if necessary.”

X     X     X

Rickard Stark was an ambitious man. He had seen the wealth and plenty of the South. He wanted to bring some of that to his people. He wanted full tables even in the dead of winter, and he wanted houses full of smiling children and joyful men and women. Too many times he had seen his people suffer. He would not stand by and do nothing to ease their plight.

If raising up the North would also improve the prospects of his children and descendants, then so much the better.

So when word had been brought to him of merchants claiming to be from beyond the Sunset Sea, he had been equal parts curious and sceptical. Many charlatans had claimed to hail from those mythical lands. All had been frauds who had eventually paid for their lies. Yet these people had asked to speak to him directly, approaching his vassals in the proper manner and bringing with them gifts to prove their sincerity.

One such gift rested on his desk. It was a ‘pen’. His lips curled. A curious name for such a useful object. It was like a quill, only made of metal and filled with ink, so that he only rarely needed to fill it. Given the many duties he had, it had proven to be an incredibly useful device... and one whose like he had never seen or heard of before.

Thus he had given permission for emissaries of these people to be brought before him. A knock on the door of his solar was followed by word from a servant than the emissaries had arrived and were waiting for him in the main courtyard. They had been offered bread and salt as was custom and had already sworn their oaths to cause no harm to those under his protection during their stay.

With strong, sure steps, Rickard made his way to the courtyard. He took careful note of the wagons that had been brought in. They were covered, but he was already interested in them. They were of a different make to those he was used to, but there was a sturdiness about them that drew the eye. He’d have to ask about them. Better wagons would make life in the north far easier.

The leader of the delegation drew his eye immediately.

Rickard had seen many big men before. There were houses in the north that even claimed some giant’s blood. But the man before him now was different from those he had seen.

He had ice of blue ice that seemed almost to shine, and his blonde hair was somewhere between ash and gold. He stood seven feet tall with broad shoulders and a body that rippled with muscle. A massive sword hung upon his back, and the ease with which he stood spoke of a man utterly confident in his fighting ability.

“Greetings, Lord Stark,” the man said, inclining his head. “I am Orion of the House of Villiers. I hail from beyond the Sunset Sea.”

“So I have been told,” Rickard replied. “I am Lord Rickard of House Stark. I rule the North in the name of King Aerys II. Be welcome within these walls.” He glanced once again at the wagons. “It seems we have much to discuss.”

X     X     X

The tale, such as it was, made sense to Rickard. There was, apparently, an empire on the other side of the Sunset Sea. They had tried for centuries to cross the sea, only to fail time and again. Finally, though, they had found a safe route through the seemingly endless waves and reached Westeros.

However, they had not simply blundered around. After learning of the people who lived there, they had spent years bidding their time, learning the language and studying the Seven Kingdoms and even Essos. It was a cunning strategy, one that Rickard could admire. Only a fool would have rushed to reveal themselves without learning more.

“So why the North?” Rickard asked at a last. He and Orion were in his solar whilst his companions talked with others that Rickard could trust.

“We are much like your people,” Orion said at last. “We prize our families and our honour. We treasure our history and our ways. We are a hard people in many ways, Lord Stark, for ours was a hard history, full of battle and struggle. But we are not butchers or cruel men. Our agents have spent time in the south. It is... a viper’s nest.”

Rickard laughed. “Aye. It’s good to see even someone from across the Sunset Sea thinks the same.”

“We would prefer to make our alliances with people who will not simply stab us in the back at the first opportunity.” Orion smiled. “Keeping our presence secret would be difficult in the South, and there are rumours... ill rumours... about what goes on there.”

Rickard could guess what he spoke of. The king was... not well. Even a foreigner would only need to lay eyes upon the king once to know that. “Aye. There are.”

“But the north is different.” Orion paused. “I have been told many times that North knows only one king... and his name is Stark. Here, in the north, we may come and go without notice, provided you decree secrecy.”

“That is true,” Rickard replied. “But why should I do such a thing?”

“We have much to offer you... and much to gain from you as well.” Orion nodded at the pen. “We have knowledge that can aid you in farming and in war. We know how to find new mines and draw the wealth up from them. We know how to build better ships and use them to ply the bounties of the deep.”

“And what would you ask for these things?” Rickard asked.

“A share of the wealth they provide... and a base of operations in the north, a place from which we can continue to explore the lands here and to the east.”

“Hmm...” Rickard lingered on his reply. There was a sudden weight to the moment, as though the destiny of his House would turn on this decision. He peered into Orion’s eyes to better get his measure. The other man met his gaze unflinchingly. Finally, he nodded. “I believe that something can be arranged.”

X     X     X

Author’s Notes

Ah, Averia VII’s reign is full of all sorts of weirdness. Rickard is a canny operator, and this time he might actually survive. As for why they’d send a Villiers as leader, it makes sense when you consider the culture in Westeros. A seven-foot-tall man who looks like he stepped out of a comic book is exactly the sort of man who’d do well in Westeros, especially the North.

For all their cunning, the Dia-Farron would not be looked upon as favourably there. True, they would be respected as advisors, but having one in charge would make establishing relations difficult. A Villiers will have the sort of temperament and conduct that will work well in both the North and in the South.

[anonymouslosersworld]

【𝓨𝓪𝓷𝓭𝓮𝓻𝓮 𝓜𝓪𝓷-𝓮𝓪𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓭𝓮𝓻 𝔁 𝓑𝓸𝓷𝓽𝓮𝓷 】

Warnings; Yandere themes, obsessives/possessive themes, toxic actions, violence, Sexual Themes, Strong language, and smoking/alcohol

Characters; Bonten

Genre; Nsfw and smut

Summary; Your charm worked a little too well on them and now they're hooked onto you.

{Masterlist 1} {Masterlist 2}

It was so hard to concentrate on day-to-day subjects when you were away on business.

Sanzu regrets sending you away for it, he should have sent one of his underlings.

oh, how he wishes he was your target right now.

The intense rush you give is so addicting. It was better than any high he's ever experienced in his life.

Having your undivided attention was so good, it brings chills down his spine. The illusion you give of being in love and pulling your target deeper and deeper unknowingly leading them into the creps of despair.

That very feeling was ecstasy.

The mere thought of upending doom you provide made his face flush red and blood rush to his nether regions. Sanzu's teeth nipped his own lip as his hands reached for his thighs, but he was left wanting. His needy lustful stare gazed around his office and locked on a picture of the two of you.

This should suffice for now but not for long.

He wanted you to come home soon just so you could give him those sweet words you call him while you spit in his mouth for being a good loyal whore.

Oh, how the mighty have fallen,

How weak were the Bonten men to fall victim to the very weapon they'd unleash on their enemies?

Sanzu's older brother Takeomi wasn't any better.

No, he was far far worse.

He fell victim so easily and far too soon in the game to even call it a game.

He was hooked from the moment you laid eyes on him at the club they recruited you in.

That night was when he realized things would never be the same any longer. You shook him to his very core, every time you saw him you took a piece of him unknowingly (well to him). he was so lost in you he didn't realize he was rapidly losing himself to you until he willingly surrendered every part of himself to you.

But like his brother, he was your servant. with one look he'd get on his knees, caressing your legs if you gave him permission and kiss your feet just to be in your presence.

You'd smoke his own cigarettes and blow the smoke at his face and he'd say thank you.

"You like that 'Omi?" you'd say after puffing a big cloud of smoke at his face. Takeomi practically in your lap like a puppy waiting for its master.

Takeomi could have sworn you were using the same voice you used on him the night you snatched him.

"I like anything you'd give me."

"Good boy."

Sadly Mochi didn't make it far, the others made sure of it. You loved to make big muscley men into nothing but mush at your feet. But las in a home of Bonten Jealously ran hot and Mocchi fell victim to it. You couldn't get too greedy with your appetite, or else the others would get uneasy and act on their own. Sorry Mocchi

Like your bratty Kokonoi, such a pretty baby but his jealousy was one of the worst (besides the Haitani's and Mikey's). You still remember all their faces after they were finished with Mocchi. You big burly man didn't stand a chance against Koko and Sanzu. The Haitani's were sitting pretty in the same room watching them as they took turns destroying their friend turned enemy. There just wasn't much left of him after Sanzu finished up.

Kakucho fell just as fast as Takeomi because he was labeled a work husband. With your sweet words, occasional vocational escapades, and your affection you had Kakucho eating out your palm. Later on, you molded him into a pretty house husband/stay-at-home dad even though you both have no children. Kakucho would stay home and focus on staying pretty for you while attending to the house chores. You didn't allow anyone to lay eyes on your pretty husband at all, he was kept inside your home at all times unless escorted by you and only you. If on the rare chance you do let out your husband you wouldn't let him out of your sight. Kakucho is seen with so many hickeys and a collar you had made just for him. The call even has an "if found call owner @ blah blah". Kakucho gets flustered once the both of you arrive home due to the fact that you descend on him until you've completely devoured him leaving nothing untouched on his body.

Ran and Rindou is just a shadow of what they use to be. Ran was the first to fall to you, your flirting games began to go too far, and Ran desperately wanted to see how it would be if you were serious. He was powerless and very naked against you. the "whores" that surrounded him faded into the background after that night/day. He wanted to be your plaything if nothing else. How clueless was Ran being, he was losing himself so drastically to you. All his interests began fading from him. Soon Ran offered up his own brother to be yours and you gladly accepted them both after a very passionate night between all three of you. The Haitani's were very effective playthings and you reduced them into nothing but horny little sluts. your sluts.

Rindou was such a pretty sight with his hands chained up and tied together. His own tie blinding his vision heightening his other senses. Rindou's head rolled back as he gasped for air, it was too much for him

"f-fuck please!" Rindou's legs were spread wide open and nothing was obstructing the view of his naked chest. The clover-style nipple clamps you brought to punish Sanzu were being put into good use on Rindou. You pulled the chain connecting the clamps and Rindou's back began to arch.

"to-ooh much!"

You said nothing as you watched his dick getting fucked by a pussy pocket.

"Aaah! soo good!" Ran moaned as his hole was getting fucked by a machine. "mm-nggh! so good!"

You gave ran a firm slap on his ass as he fucked himself back onto the machine.

"mmm! more please! gimmie more!"

"you're so cock hungry."

After you were done with them, they've become your puppies who just want to be used over and over again by you.

Mikey was such a clingy baby, you have to take him everywhere or else he'd get sad. He needs constant attention from you and is often jealous of your targets. His jealously is an ugly feeling. More often than not he kills the thing that captures your attention. If he's left alone Sanzu could corrupt his mind despite being his loyal dog. But you keep your baby busy by slipping an egg-shaped vibrator up his ass when you take him on your business trips. It's why you made him this way. So you could have a needy little thing to take care of when off on business

"mm! T-thank yo-oou!"

Mikey's legs are wrapped around your waist as your strap pistols into his whore spot that makes him go dumb. Mikey has always preferred bigger and thicker straps even when you didn't use them. Practice makes perfect and Mikey loved it when you practiced on him.

Tagging; @1-800-cherri @yukima

@yukima your request will be posted next, later today.

[elizabethsharmon]

So. Poland has chosen its "president" yesterday - if we can even talk about real choice here when he won by approximately 422k votes. When he won in 6 out of 16 regions, all of them with significantly lower number of eligible voters. When there are huge discrepancies between the results displayed in each polling district and the ones published on the website of the National Electoral Commission. When there were recurring instances of some voting cards not having the necessary stamps which automatically classified the vote as invalid. When some people went to vote and it turned out they're not registered in their designated district because of system error. When people abroad didn't get their voting cards on time. When his party sent over 150 buses to villages in Eastern Poland to take older, conservative people to voting stations. When this is how the results map looks like - and somehow the blue wins with orange.

In the last five years, Du*a and his party PiS (literally lAw AnD jUsTiCe but believe me, they're none of these things) have completely ruined the country and regressed it to Middle Ages.The democracy practically doesn't exist anymore, not since they have the majority to rule (the opposition won the senate back in the parliamentary elections so it's a small win but it's still not enough). They started with the judicial system, appointing conservative judges who are always ruling in their favour. The courts are not independent anymore. The Constitution is being broken over and over and over again. People have been marching and protesting for years now but to no avail. 

The national television, TVP, is practically owned by the ruling party. The propaganda, fake news, hatred on the opposition and minorities is getting stronger each day. What you need to know is that this is literally the first channel on every TV set in the country. No matter where you live, no matter if you have cable or satellite, you turn on TV and TVP is what you get. Their reach is so much higher than other TV stations from the big four (TVP1&TVP2, TVN, Polsat). Poland has fallen to 62nd out of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index compiled annually by Reporters Without Borders. Before PiS took over in 2015 we were 18th. For du*a's presidential campaign now they gave TVP 2 billion PLN in order to strengthen the propaganda. There was a project to give those money to hospital oncology wards but PiS said no. TVP has only been showing him during the campaign. The other candidates have either been showed in a bad light or haven't been showed at all. Voters for whom TVP is the only source of information haven't seen other candidates nor their campaigns.

During the second round of the campaign, when another tv station, TVN, with two major Polish online media, Onet and WP, invited him and his opponent, Rafał Trzaskowski, for a debate. Du*a declined because he said he won't participate in a debate which isn't available for everyone and he asked them to reach an agreement with TVP to host the debate together. In the end there were two debates. Du*a on his own in TVP, answering predetermined questions from journalists reporting to his party and people in the studio that were paid to be there. Trzaskowski on his own in TVN and live on his Facebook channel, answering questions from the journalists from 16 independent offline and online media teams.

At the beginning of his and PiS first term of destroying the country, they started their crusade against women, because as we all know middle aged men are the most eligible people to make choices for women and their bodies. Abortion is Poland is (was? honestly who knows now) only allowed in three cases: if the woman's life was in danger, if the prenatal testing indicates severe damage of the fetus, if the pregnancy was the outcome of rape. With their pro life and anti women initiative, PiS was determined to ban abortion completely and punish it by prison. The bill was so flimsy that in some cases even miscarriage could be turned against woman. Even if the baby would've been born sick or severely disabled, even if the pregnancy could be fatal for the mother, even if it was caused by rape. We went on the streets. All dressed in black, with umbrellas in hand. Hundreds of thousands of women and allies marching and protesting together against the government. And they got scared. The bill proposal was dropped but the fight wasn't over and it still isn't. They tried to bring it back now during the pandemic just because they knew we wouldn't go out protesting. But we did, we blocked the streets with our cars.

The day after pill can only be bought on prescription. But if you end up going to the conservative ob/gyn they can invoke conscientious objection to abortion and they won't prescribe it for you. They want to ban sex ed from schools. In their opinion sex ed “demoralizes children and teaches them masturbation.” They want young people to be uneducated and have sex and get pregnant and give birth. They want to make kids have kids just so they would depend on the government and social wage programme 500+ which gives 500PLN (approximately 125€) each month to families with 2 or more children for each of their children. Right now you can be a woman raising your three or four kids and you will get the equivalent of minimum wage just for that. This program made people vote for them in 2015. First Du*a used it in his presidential campaign, then PiS was blackmailing the voters saying the program will only happen if both president and the government will be on board aka they have to get in so Du*a will sign the bill and people will get the money. People still believe only they can ensure the stability of the program even though almost all the other candidates said it will not go away.

In the last couple of weeks of presidential campaign, it became more clear than ever how Du*a is planning to win the elections - by trying to reach to the mindsets of elderly and conservative voters by attacking the LGBT community. He called us “ideological hurricane”. He said we are worse than communists. His party members have been saying we're not humans. He was saying over and over again how he doesn't care what people do in bed as long as they're not obnoxious on street and in real life about it. How sexuality is a private thing and we shouldn't be proud of it. How there's no place in Poland for “LGBT propaganda that wants to demoralize our children”. How there's no space here for unions for same-sex couples, not even mentioning marriage or adoption. How he'll do everything in his power to protect the “traditional Polish values and family model” (whatever that means). The most conservative parts of the eastern Poland has claimed their towns and villages as “anti-LGBT zone”. It's been going on since last year. After Dua's words now the hate crime is stronger than it ever was. When LGBT activists asked him to apologize for his spiteful words, showed him proofs that suicide rate among LGBT teenagers is higher than it was since his party is ruling, showed him the photographs and shared the stories of the people we lost because of the bashing they encourage and support, he said he won't apologize because he stands by his words and there's a freedom of speech in the country. Not for everyone I guess.

The journalists have been interviewing many people in different parts of Poland after it. What stuck with me were the words of some old man from the countryside who has said that “LGBT should be exterminated in Majdanek”. It's one of the places where the death camp was during World War 2. I don't think I have to tell anyone what words like this mean, how much they hurt, and how much worse it is when they’re said in the country that’s lost so so many lives during WW2. In a country that fought so hard for so many years to reclaim its freedom from the nazis and then from the soviets. In the meantime of this bashing, Du*a has pardoned a pedophile so he could return to his family (and the victim he abused). So that would be it for protecting family values.

The exit polls results yesterday were so close that they gave us so much hope that we would wake up in a new reality today but the hope died quickly. Now we're stuck again with a man who said in the middle of the global pandemic that he's anti-vaccination and he doesn't think vaccine for covid-19 should be obligatory. With a man who thinks climate change and global warming isn't real. With a man whose actions are constantly destabilitizing economy because he only acts like there is today and doesn’t look forward in the future and doesn’t know the way he and his party ruin the country will have terrible consequences in a few years. With a man who is homophobic, racist, misogynistic, xenophobic, and many, many, many other things. With a man who is a "president” of Polish people but only if you're a straight catholic man voting for his party.

Now our fear is that with him being “elected” as the “president” again, his party will try to meddle with the Constitution and try to change it so they could either extend his term for more years or extend the number of terms a president can have. And even if the change can’t happen so easily, what’s sure is that they will try to take away basic human rights from women and LGBT community. They made it perfectly clear in the last five years and during the campaign now.

So if you’re asking yourself now what can you do about it the answer is simple: spread the word. Read about it. Educate yourself. Make a buzz in the social media. We need as much help as we can get. We need foreign media to pick up the topic, we need them to talk about it and to make the noise. We need the foreign governments to know about it. European Union has already declared that if the bashing on LGBT continues, they will take away the development aid from the self-proclaimed “anti-LGBT zones”. Our country has suffered so much and somehow we’re still standing but I don’t know for how much long we will last. So please. Don’t leave us alone.

[genshinobsession]

you and me: always forever [childe x reader]

summary : “i hate you.” the words tumbled out in choked sobs, gloved hands pressed against your wet cheeks, “i hate you.”

warnings : yandere, mentions of toxic relationships, mentions of kidnapping, spoilers(?)

authors note : childe brainrot, spell-checked, not proof-read, written, once again, at three in the morning, enjoy

“I hate you.”

THE WORDS ESCAPED YOUR LIPS before you could stop them. The dead air grew tense - more than it once was - and your grip tightened around the plate.

“Oh?”

It was a simple, questioning word. Yet, the lingering meaning behind it sent shivers down your spine. Childe - or rather Tartaglia as he requested you called him - was a man with a lack of remorse. He was irritatingly smart for his age, knew easily how to manipulate and play others, and was reckless and ready for a fight. His direct nature often led to unfavorable situations but it was what drew you to the blue-eyed male from the start. He lacked simplicity, a veil of authenticity in which most had. In your line of work, liers and cheap-stacks were common and irritating. Most often than not, you were able to read their intentions with simple social cues. A brush of the coat, glance to the side, a quiver of the lip, people were like open books whose pages were inked with misfortune. But, Childe was a different case.

He was honest, yet deceiving. Every grin, every shrug, every laugh, every glance, he was a puzzle - an enigma, just waiting to be solved. Perhaps, that’s the reason you ended up like this. Maybe your talent of questioning had led you astray.

If only you had kept your pretty little mouth shut, he would say.

It was fine. There was no use in wallowing in your mistakes. Grief and guilt wouldn’t free you from his clutches. Not when there was still more you wanted out of life.

“Do tell,” his words brought you back, a teasing, yet sharp tone to his innocent words, “What is it you despise about me?”

What you despised about him? Archon, you had a whole list of things you hated about him!

You despised him - his line of work! For Archon's sake, he hurt others for a living! You hated his genuine desire to destroy anyone and everything. You despised his sugar-coated lies, his ridiculous smirk, annoying laugh, stupid face, everything about him was utterly disgusting. You hated the way he looked at you - eye glazed and bloodshot with a hint of malice and amusement. Hated the mischievous grins he passed your way, lips caked with a familiar red substance. Hated his touch, the pads of gloves brushing against your wet cheeks as he held you close...

A choked sob escaped your lips. The edges of your plate digging into your palms. Tartaglia set his hands over your trembling ones, guiding the fragile dish towards the table. His hair brushed against your head as he towered over your trembling form.

“I hate you.”

The words, no longer laced with sincerity, wilted across your lips. Tears trickled down your inflamed checks and you didn't even have the luxury to wipe them away.

The orange-haired male hummed against your scalp, fingers clenching your wrists so tightly you believed he would break them again.

“Two hundred and seventy-one,” he said and your eyes narrowed in confusion. “That’s two hundred and seventy-one days straight you’ve said you’ve hated me. When will this little act of yours end? I’m getting a bit bored over here.”

Your heart pounded against your chest. Eyes the size of dinner plates, you sat silently and your brain processed his words. You weren’t sure if you were appalled at the fact that he had counted each and every day you said those words to him or the fact that he had been counting each day he had held you captive for. You didn’t have time to answer, rather, you watched as he gently brushed his knuckles against your cheek, gloves discarded to the side. Ocean blue eyes gazed and your broken form before letting a chuckle leave his lips.

“How cute, my little mouse had gone silent.” a fox-like grin painted his face and you couldn’t decide if you wanted to curse at him or sob your heart. “Why don’t we cut this little show of yours up, hm?”

You sniffled. Taking slow, meticulous breaths to regain a sense of comfort. “W-what?”

He sighed. Eyes locking with yours. Perhaps there had been a moment in time where he had a spark - a hint of life in his eyes. Maybe, if you had met before things would have been different. Even so, a difference in actions would change the outcome.

“Face it - you don’t hate me, in fact, it’s the farthest thing from it.”

What? How ridiculous! Of course, you hated him! He was vermin, scum of region, a killer, a monster, every second you prayed for his demise. So...why? Why did the cold touch of his hands soothe your trembling heart, why did a single glance cure your rapid thoughts, why did his familiar smile bring one upon your face too-

“Ah-“ your eyes widened once more, a frantic gasp escaping your mouth.

A grin - no, smile, was plastered against Tartaglia’s pale face. Lips pressed against your neck he muttered in content, ”It seems you’ve finally realized it. You kept me waiting, little mouse”

Fresh tears escaped your tired eyes and you struggled against his tight hold. “No, no, no, no, no-“

His palm smacked against the lower half of your face, effectively shutting you up.

“Two hundred and seventy-one days - the time in which it took you to realize one, singular thing.” you let out a desperate shriek, the sound muffled against his palm. You begged, cursed, and cried, for him not to continue. Because if he did, denial would no longer be your defensive mechanic. And without your defensive mindset, Tartaglia would have complete control over you.

Replacing his tear, drool-stained, he pressed his lips upon yours. The lingering taste of tonight’s dinner making its way across your tongue. It was suffocating, his words and kisses, and you cried in despair once his lips parted with yours.

“You. Love. Me.”

He made sure to sound out each and every word, taking extra care to drink in your hopeless expression. Despair and disgust mixed in with hope and relief, all bundled up into one confused look on your face.

Tartaglia breathed a sigh of relief, arms tightened around your frame as you frantically muttered to yourself.

“I-I love you? I l-love you?! I love you! I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you-“

“There, there,” he spoke, cradling you in his arms like a mother would their child. “Now, we can finally be one.”

Your head fell limp against his chest, hands grasping at the space around you. You didn’t notice - not care - for the soft look in his dead eyes, the way his hands grabbed yours in an act of comfort. His vision dug into your back and he laughed at your shocking epiphany.

“It’s alright, love. Now, it’s just you and I. Together, we can become one. You and me - together forever, till death due us part.”

- vintage

[maxwell-grant]

Captain Fray: The Trash Superman

Look up in the sky! Is it a bird? A plane? No, it’s... an ugly, homeless bald man cackling evily while raining trash on the city with an army of sludge monsters, shortly before getting beaten up by a group of meddling kids. It’s just dumb old Captain Fray again getting foiled by Monica’s Gang, nevermind him. He does that every Tuesday. 

Monica’s Gang are arguably the most iconic of all Brazilian comic book characters, having maintained popularity for 60 years and with unmatched worldwide recognition. They’ve had cartoons, a cinematic universe of films both cartoon and live-action, plays, a long-running manga spin-off that turned them into teenagers, crossovers everywhere ranging from The Big Two’s superheroes to Osamu Tezuka’s properties (as Monica’s creator Mauricio and Tezuka were acquaintances), at least one theme park, and much, much more. Even past Brazil’s borders, where they are a cultural institution on a scale matched only by Disney, these are some of the world’s most popular characters, starring in just about any kind of adventure imaginable and then some. 

However, if you go into the world of Monica’s Gang, and look for a flying man with a chest logo, a cape and impossible superpowers, you’ll instead find their greatest arch-enemy: Captain Fray (actual name Capitão Feio, which translates to Captain Ugly), real name Feioso Araújo. Who will be happy to remind you time and time again of what a rotten, no-good scoundrel he is, even if he has to pick a fight with the Big Blue himself to prove it.

So let’s talk about perhaps the most iconic “caped superhero” of Brazilian comic books, even if he’s ultimately a long, long shot from being one.

Despite the long, worldwide spanning history of the superhero, the idea of the superhero as a cape-wearing uniformed superpowered do-gooder has remained a largely American concept, as different regions have their own unique icons. The titular 4 members of Monica’s Gang have on many occasions taken the role of superheroes, and they’ve built up a massive Rogues Gallery over decades, despite not looking like the usual idea of a superhero. Monica, Jimmy Five, Smudge and Maggy, for the most part, look and act like kids, with odd quirks. 

To briefly describe the 4: Monica is the pudgy, bucktoothed ruler of the group as well as the neighborhood, being super strong and more than willing to hit people who mock her with her stuffed rabbit “Samson”. Jimmy Five has a speech impediment, and he constantly schemes to take Monica’s role as leader, best described at times as a junior Lex Luthor to Monica’s Superman. Maggy is Monica’s friend with an uncontrollable appetite, and the witty and perpetually dirty Smudge is Jimmy Five’s friend and accomplice in schemes. Smudge is defined by his complete and total refusal to take a bath or even come into contact with water under any circumstances, and some stories play up Smudge’s dirtyness to the point of superpower.

It’s Smudge in particular who’s gonna be relevant to this post, because the first time Captain Fray was introduced, he was introduced as Smudge’s good-natured and humorous uncle, a comic book addict surrounded by piles of dusty comics, particularly those of Smudge’s favorite superhero, Captain Pitoco, a sort of Superman/Buzz Lightyear analogue. Eventually, Smudge’s uncle is surrounded by dust, and out of it, he transforms “back” into a former alter-ego, Captain Fray, a megalomaniac supervillain horrified at just how clean the world is, and who decides to sully it as much as possible, flying around the city spreading dirt rays and even transforming the population into pollution-fanatics. Eventually he’s defeated and transformed back into normal, only thinking he had a weird dream. 

Upon subsequent appearences, Fray would acquire things like sludge minions, underground lairs and ever increasing powers (like in the above sequence where he somehow destroys a rainbow and darkens the sky with a single gesture), although he would eventually gain a Kryptonite-esque weakness to water. Captain Fray would go on to become the most reocurring villain of Monica’s Gang for the next 40 years, as the former concept of him being Smudge’s uncle was dropped and he became instead the ruler of an underground race of sludge monsters created by him, who’d occasionally come on to the surface in order to engage in supervillain plots to take over the world and spread dirt and pollution everywhere, sometimes in stories with an environmental angle, and often when the story calls for superhero antics. 

Fray’s got a very standard Grinch/Captain Hook cartoon villain personality, all cackles and snarls and shaking fists at the meddling kids who ruin his plans everytime, proud of being evil and rotten, but never too rotten to the point he betrays the kid-friendly nature of the stories he’s in, nor too rotten that he can’t do something nice for a change like allow his monsters to celebrate Christmas even if it ruins his bad guy image, or begrudingly do a nice thing for Smudge. 

Although for the most part, the “mainline” comics have dropped the angle of Fray being Smudge’s uncle, the two having a particular dynamic has stayed consistent still. Sometimes, Smudge is portrayed as the only member of the Gang who’s got little to no problem with Fray, even welcoming the change of scenery he brings, although he will stick with his friends, as often he’s the only one who’s got no problem being hit by Fray’s dirt rays. While sometimes Fray singles out destroying Smudge so his claim as the dirtiest being in the universe can never be challenged, he is more often depicted as having a soft spot for Smudge, sometimes considering him a pupil or potential successor to inherit his powers, and plenty of times, Smudge has done just that, although inevitably it never sticks, partially because Fray gets jealous or misses his former life, and partially because Smudge gets bored of supervillainy and just wants to go play with his friends again. 

The dynamic between Smudge and Fray has led to a lot of adventures between the two, and it’s something that’s been played up in the aforementioned manga spin-off, Monica Adventures. In it, the cast’s all been aged up to teenagers, and the adventures they get into respectively have taken much more of a shonen manga edge, much darker and weirder than anything the original kid comics could get away with, although not necessarily to it’s benefit, because I could not begin to describe just how much grimdark nonsense is in those, let’s just call it the Monica’s Gang equivalent of Jorge Joestar in terms of lunacy and leave it at that (although, to be clear, even the original “mainline” comics could get very, very weird themselves). Captain Fray has been a mainstay of said manga from the start, going through a series of redesigns, including one where he turns into a bootleg Sephiroth, and one where he tries rebranding himself into a suit-wearing gangster named “Black Dust”, which nobody really takes seriously. 

It’s also granted Fray a backstory: As a kid, when he’d gone to the basement to read comics, his house was buried in a landslide. Afraid of death, he was met with a milipede claiming to serve “The Serpent” (the in-universe stand in for the devil, maybe, just bear with me here), claiming it would protec him so long as it returned the favor someday. He was afterwards transferred to an orphanage, teased by kids over his lack of hygiene and liking for superheroes and nicknamed “Captain Ugly” (again, his name, Fray is just the English translation), with rumors that his touch granted disease. After the orphanage closes, he’s adopted by a nurse and gains a step-brother in Smudge’s dad. 

Years down the line, and Feioso’s managed to acquire a house and make a decent living. He spends a lot of time with his nephew Smudge, teaching him how to build toys out of garbage (a habit of Smudge in the strips) and fly kites and so on. Until one day, in an update of his original story, he’s cleaning his house packed with dusty comics, and a shelf falls atop of him. The millipede from his childhood appears to recollect the debt:

"Your mission is to pollude the Earth...rot it's soil...change it's atmosphere...darken the skies with smoke...so that the sun's rays may never again hit the surface of this planet!

"No! No, please! I-I don't want to hurt anyone!"

"You think you can refuse? You think you have a choice? Do you think you can escape your destiny? Evil does not tolerate weak servants. If you don't fill your end of the bargain, if you don't pay your debt...it will be transferred to the person you love most."

"Smudge? NO!! H-How do you know about my nephew?"

"We know of all that happens. Our eyes...are everywhere."

"Smudge has nothing to do with this. Leave him alone, please...I-I'll do anything you guys want!"

"So be it...Filthy powers will corrode your soul...This is the day of your rebirth! How would you like to be rebaptized?

"The nickname I was given at the orphanage...it's perfect! Captain Ugly strikes again!"

How “canon” the events of Monica Adventures are is a question best left unspoken, since it ultimately doesn’t change anything about the original strips. But regardless of what made Fray who he is, he would spend the following decades in many, many attempts to complete his mission and defeat Monica’s Gang, to be foiled and stopped time and time again by his nephew and his friends, little more than a dumb, cartoon villain there to be smacked again and again, too dumb to quit and too mean to stop. So he was, and so he will always be.

But something interesting’s happened recently with him. As part of the Graphic MSP initiative that’s allowed creators to reinvent the many, many characters of Monica’s Gang for stand-alone graphic novels, Captain Fray’s received one in the form of Capitão Feio: Identidade, which isn’t so much an origin story as it tells the story of a homeless man with no knowledge of his past or where he acquired the superpowers that force him to be on the constant run from society, and it tells the story of how said man eventually became the infamous supervillain, despite his many attempts to be a superhero. 

The comic and it’s sequel, Tormenta, acted more of a proof of concept to test whether or not a serious reimagining of Captain Fray can work, and considering their reception and the newfound love that the Captain seems to have attained in recent years, I’d say they succedeed pretty damn well. He’s ostracized for his appearence, poverty, smell and bad manners, and there’s hardly anything he can do about it because his powers make him a toxic abomination by default. He spends portions of the book trying to create living beings with his powers, and once he succeeds in creating a Godzilla-esque monster to protect him from the authorities, he ends up having to put the monster down, before getting fed up with constant rejection and promptly announcing that, if he’s just gonna be known as an ugly monster by the people, even after he saves them, he’s gonna make it a point to be Captain Ugly Monster, the most rotten supervillain they’ve ever seen. 

The comic constantly grants upon Frey iconography of several of the biggest icons of comic books, from Batman and Superman to AKIRA, playing up not just Frey’s association with comic books but also the fact that he's been mired in that aesthetic from day one. He wanted to be a hero, he wanted to be like Captain Pitoco, and regardless of continuity, all that he ends up as is becoming a gross caricature of a superhero. And still, Frey owns it. He owns his grossness, his rage, his bitterness at everything that he understands to be the opposite of himself, everything clean and good and decent, and he tries time and time again to tear it down, even if he ultimately can never get far enough to accomplish his goals, or lose all of his humanity in the process.

I’ve remarked once that, to many in some regions of South America, the “traditional” superhero does not hold much appeal, and most of the more popular protagonists and icons tend to be outlaws far away from caped antics. Which is why it’s particularly interesting that, not only is the most famous caped superman of Brazilian comic books a villain, but also that, perhaps unintentionally, Fray has undergone the kind of development that most reocurring cartoon villains never get, and one that seems almost poised to last. In a current zeitgest of villain protagonists, it’s successes and failures, I could very easily see Captain Fray becoming the star of a popular film or series, one that takes a look not just at his personality and role, but also at Brazilian culture’s relationship with superheroes and supervillains. Maybe Fray as an anti-hero, trying to make the best of the horrendous powers he’s burdened with, could work.

So long as it’s not revealed that he likes dirt because his mom got pushed off a cliff by cleaning products, I could see it working very well.

[justcallmenikki7]

BTS Reaction To: Your Son Telling Them That A Newbie Is Flirting with You

Mafia!Au Maknae Line

Summary: having a child is a blessing, especially when it comes to someone flirting with you and them telling your husband, something that your husband loves.

Warnings: fluff, insecure Jimin, a dash of making out in Jungkook’s part (so smutish? Not really?), taehyung’s child getting confused, and Jimin’s part with his child is a little…different you’ll see what I mean, and hints at murder because what would a maifa au be without hints at murder?

W.C.: 1.4k

Request: Hi! can you please do an imagine/reaction on Mafia! bts where their child comes in during a meeting? you can make up the names for their child too if you want :) thank you!

Notes: Guys!! I am almost done with all of the requests in my inbox!! AND I AM GETTING A PUPPY!!!

Hyung Lines Part

Jimin:

Jimin has always been insecure of himself. As a young child, his parents – especially his father – have always been hard on him for his looks. Being the heir of the family business, they were constantly getting onto Jimin about his looks so they can look like the power family (even though they were already). So, when Jimin met you, his insecurities skyrocketed. You could tell that when it came to the time of marrying you, introducing you to his parents, and when someone (a male) complimented you or made you laugh. When Jimin felt threatened, he shut himself down.

After having a child, it was as if that those feelings disappeared. You assumed it is because you both are a family with a child, and nothing can separate you from that. But as your child, Jisoo, grew older and picked up on actions made from adults, it was as if those feelings came back. It started out with Jimin being in the gym longer, going on stricter diets, personality changes – not your Jimin.

After going grocery shopping with Jisoo, you both walked in on Jimin having a knife to Mark’s, the newbie in Jimin’s gang, neck.

“What the fuck is going on here?” You screeched, dropping the bags, demanding the guards to take Jisoo to Taehyung and Jungkook. Storming over to Jimin who pulled away from Mark, looking down at his feet ashamed. Looking at Mark with apologetic eyes, you silently told him to leave. It was quiet for a few moments, the silence eating Jimin alive. Sighing, you brought your hand up to your head, trying to rub the headache away. “I don’t know what the hell has been going on, but this is so unlike you,” you sighed, closing your eyes. “But it really has to stop, Jimin. You won’t talk to me, you’re acting out, and it really needs to stop.”

“Please don’t leave me.” Jimin whimpered, dropping the knife to the floor. Looking up at you with tears in his eyes, it was as if you were watching someone fall apart completely. “I’m sorry, I just, I am scared of losing you and our perfect family. I thought that if I changed, it would make things better and that you wouldn’t pay much attention to other males, and I know that we have talked about this but I’m I—”

You did not allow Jimin to finish. Pulling him into a hug, you allowed him to break down in your arms. You are not mad at Jimin because you know he has his own demons to face, and you want him to know that you are there to help him face them.

But the thing that you did not know was that Jimin was acting like this because of Jisoo telling him false information. You also did not know that Jisoo has heard the whole conversation.

Taehyung:

Rubbing her eyes tiredly, Maci walked down the steps slowly, teddy bear clutched to her tightly, tiny left hand holding onto the stairs railing securely. It was one a.m. and she was thirsty, craving a glass of banana milk, a drink that her uncle Jungkook showed her. As she was making her way around the corner to the kitchen, she began to hear voices from the kitchen. Not wanting to get caught, she hid in the shadows, listening intently to what is being said.

“But I would be much better for you! Taehyung doesn’t appreciate you at all!” An unfamiliar male voice stressed.

Hearing her mother scoff, “You’re delusional, Micha. You’re lucky that I am not telling Taehyung about your delusional thoughts and stalker actions. Now, get out of my home before I shoot you.”

Eyes wide, Maci forgot about being thirsty, the urge of getting her dad before her mom could hurt herself. Leaping up the stairs to her dad’s office, she opened the door and threw herself into her father’s office.

Shocked to see his five-year-old daughter awake at one in the morning and on the urge to cry, Taehyung abandoned his papers to get to his daughter. “Sweetheart, what is going on? Why are you shaking?”

“Mommy is going to hurt herself!” Maci wailed, hiding her face into her dad’s face. “A male said that she deserved better than you and she threatened to hurt herself!” Maci explained, not realizing she misunderstood her mother’s words.

Not wanting to ask anymore questions, scared that Maci was right about you wanting to harm yourself, Taehyung raced out of his office with Maci in his arms. Making it to the kitchen where he could hear commotion going on, he was greeted with you pointing your pistol at the newbie and the newbie lying on the ground, clutching his southern regions.

Shocked to see your husband with your daughter in is embrace, you smiled gratefully at your husband. “Thank God,” you sighed, stepping over the groaning male on the floor.

“What the fuck is going on here?” Taehyung demanded, a deadly look on his face as he stared at the now scared newbie.

Lifting her face from her dads neck, Maci smiled at her mother. “Mommy! You didn’t hurt yourself because of him!”

The statement confused you, but Taehyung now seems to understand what is going on. Turning towards you, he gave you a pointed look. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Sighing, “Could this wait until tomorrow so I could get some sleep? I’m tired and I just want to cuddle up with you and our daughter.”

Grumbling, Taehyung kicked the newbie’s side harshly, calling Yoongi and Seokjin so they can take the newbie to the dungeons. Once the newbie was taken, the three of you made your way up to the bedroom to get ready for bed. Looking down at your daughter who is now sleeping, Taehyung began to laugh.

“What’s so funny?” You asked confusedly.

“You gave birth to a detective.”

“Yeah, you’re absolutely right.” You giggled, pressing a kiss to your husbands’ cheek before falling asleep.

Jungkook:

One thing that everyone knows in Jungkook’s gang and the underworld – Jungkook is completely head over heels for you. Being together since you both turned sixteen, getting married at the age of eighteen when he got you pregnant by accident (curse that one percent of the birth control of not working) and having five year old son at the age of twenty three, Jungkook’s love for you has gotten stronger every year. With that, everyone knows not to mess with you, because that means that they will have to go through him, and no one wants to do that.

Jungkook is unpredictable. No one ever knows what is going through his head – a tactic that Jungkook loves.

So, when his son Brayden came to him with his thumb in his mouth – a sign of nervousness – Jungkook knew something was wrong. Consoling him, Jungkook listened to his son cry about how a scary man is trying to take you from him. At first Jungkook believed that Brayden was getting a nightmare and reality mixed up, but when Brayden said the name ‘Nathan,’ Jungkook knew that Brayden was not getting things confused.

For two days, Jungkook had Namjoon watch Nathan and you interact. Jungkook trusts you with his life, but he wanted to make sure that Brayden was not making stuff up. That is why Jungkook almost destroyed his office when he found out that Nathan was writing you love notes. But what made Jungkook proud was that you were burning them and rejecting Nathan each time, along with threatening him.

The one thing that confused Jungkook though was that you have not mentioned any of this too him.

When Namjoon told him that Nathan was planning on asking you out on a date, something primal took over Jungkook. The next day Jungkook found you making lunch for Brayden and you, he decided to make his move. Turning you around without any warning, his heart fluttered at your little yelp, but ignored it by pressing a passionate – possessive kiss to your mouth, pulling you into his arms tightly. He knew that Nathan was going to be walking in any time now, so he got right down to business. Picking you up, Jungkook sat you down on the counter, allowing you to pull him closer (if possible) and run your fingers through his hair, tugging on it harshly which drew moans out of Jungkook. You did not hear the footsteps that belonged to Nathan, but Jungkook did. Ironically, though, you pushed Jungkook’s head to the side to gain access to his neck so you could leave hickeys, and Jungkook’s eyes met Nathan’s and a confident smirk covered his face, and a wink told Nathan everything he needed to know:

You belonged to Jungkook, and Jungkook belonged to you.

[sometimesrosy]

Hey. It's been a long time since I had a question. Maybe the 100's demise was the reason.

Now coming to my actual query. This past year I have binged numerous shows ranging from American to korean dramas or Turkish dizis. There is certain thing that I have felt and noticed throughout i.e., the woman characters aren't given even a slight leeway by the audience. If the even make a slight mistake, the audience remembers it always to stand against that character. Whereas if there is a male villain, people gets cheerful seeing even a slight bit of humanity in him. They even wait for its redemption.

Let me take an example of a Turkish show "kara sevda(black love)". A one line synopsis can be put like- two leads who love each other endlessly but can never be together. So, the villain in that show is beyond redemption. That character has fallen so far off that there is no coming back. But still when he is playing with a baby, people's comments are like 'best moment of the show.' 'see he is such a good person'. 'the female lead should accept his love'. Am like what?

And if I tell you about the female lead. She is a good person at heart who is sacrificing love for family. And she is labelled "selfish" by audience. 'She doesn't deserve the male lead' etc. And you know I too felt like that for the majority of the show until I reached the point of self reflect.

Even Clarke from the 100 faced so much hate that there wasn't any visible backlash when in the end the makers made her a villain. The backlash was for Bellamy death and stupid end instead.

Looking through tv series, it's so easy to see why tv or films doesn't have female anti heroes. Male anti heroes are so easy to find and also widely successful like Damon from tvd or Klaus.

What is your take?

Yup!

Yes.

Definitely.

You are absolutely correct. The leeway for female characters to show human imperfection is very, very thin. Meanwhile, a guy can literally blow up a planet, kill his beloved father, have temper tantrums with kicking and screaming and torture the female main characters and fandom-- and the creators-- think that makes him a hero. And the requirements for his redemption, if there are any at all amounts to:

WOOPSIE! I'M SOWWY.

I simply do NOT understand that phenomenon.

I mean, I get the need to relate to darker characters, morally gray characters, to explore our own negative impulses...but the whole tendency is, for me anyway, given a more sinister light when you compare how the audience tends to treat these outright villainous male characters compared to even SLIGHTLY morally gray female characters. Maybe just flawed.

It also interferes with satisfying redemption arcs. Because YES watching someone face their dark past and attempt to become better and be redeemed is a great story... but if male characters only have to wear a cape and be hot to be redeemed.... then that's not a satisfying redemption arc. And if women can't do ANYTHING to be redeemed because they are considered irredeemably selfish or whatever for the same flaws someone's Hot Dark Badboy smirks about and isn't even sorry for? Then we barely even get redemption stories for women.

And that's part of the problem, isn't it? Women aren't allowed the same representation as men... even as flawed characters.

The point of good representation is not to represent only the best, most perfect, most desirable, most successful type of people. The point is to allow everyone of any sex, race, gender, sexuality, religion, class, ability, etc to take part in the full spectrum of humanity in our stories, good and bad and mediocre. A female Mary Sue is just the female version your general male hero. One is considered bad storytelling the other is taken as The Way It Should Be.

Women are not allowed to have flaws in most of our pop culture, or women are ghettoized into only women's fic or romance or YA, or women take backseat to male villains, or whatever.

I'm writing a book where the woman abandoned her child, and she sleeps around and cons people and avoids commitment. I purposely wrote her to be unlikable.... or rather, she's not unlikable, she's clever and funny and weird, but she has characteristics that women aren't supposed to have. She essentially acts like a male anti-hero, until her call to action and she is forced to face her past mistakes. But I know that these are things that audiences say are irredeemable for women. Abandon her own child?? No. Not allowed. Even though plenty of male characters go off on adventures leaving wife and child behind and it isn't even considered a character flaw, just... a male adventurer. Or honestly, just a guy. Sure one who's imperfect, but that old ball and chain was probably the worst, right? He had to move on and now he has a tragic backstory and complexity and oh the audience will probably either want to be him or want to be with him, because, that's how these things work.

Not saying that characters shouldn't be dark, do bad things, have flaws, be anti-heroes, have redemption arcs, or have a deep, multilayered villainy.

But I am saying we might want to be a little more critical about what we consider irredeemable for certain people and what war crimes and abuse we let some characters get away with in the name of bold (white) masculinity.

IS the nature of being a (white) man we look up to someone who destroys other people?

I think that toxic masculinity IS seen as sexy. Unfortunately, that's one of the reasons it's seeped into our culture. Manly (white) men who abandon kids and kill without remorse, but with muscles. Manly (white) men who murder whole regions because bad things happened to them, and smolder while doing it. Manly (white) men who commit genocide regularly, but fall for the heroine and save her once. Manly (white) men who are serial killers but with an intriguing depth.

tbh there's lots more to say on the topic, some of it very controversial. These are the stories we like to hear and the characters we love. And it might be rooted in the toxic masculinity that our society has been selling to us as propaganda for decades, if not centuries-- but we don't like to be told to examine our biases, our tastes, our preferences, or our beliefs. It's threatening to our sense of self.

However, that is how you unravel all sorts of toxic belief systems, from misogyny to racism to homophobia to bigotry of all kinds. I added the (white) to this post after I read through it, because I realized non white male characters are not allowed this leeway, either. So this phenomenon is generally (not always) limited to white men. Why?????

my theory? we're still making the colonialists the heroes of the story, friends.

[boku-no-obsessedwiththisshow]

red on red, nothing on everything - world maps

Hello hello! Welcome to the first reveal of the world of red on red, nothing on everything, my ongoing Kacchako A/B/O fantasy fanfiction. Last chapter, I asked readers if they wanted a map of the world to help visualize things, and one (1) whole person said yes, which was all the excuse I needed to clean up my already half-made maps and post ‘em. 

If you’re not reading the fic, none of what’s below will make sense. But if you’re sticking around for shits and giggles anyway, all the better - hope you enjoy! ;)

I conceptualized the world long before I made any drawings, but I have little artistic skill so I wanted a software or online tool that could make really detailed, highly customizable maps. I found and used this really cool fantasy map generator for the base; it’s probably the most complicated, but also the most effective, worldbuilding tool I’ve ever come across; and while it’s not perfect, it has some really powerful functionality especially for the physical characteristics of maps. In addition, for my own clarity I added modifications, including the colouring and political delineations of the different regions, in FireAlpaca on my own by working on top of the baseline from the map generator. 

PLEASE CLICK THE PICTURES FOR BETTER QUALITY. 

Map #1 - Big Picture, “The Land” 

This world of this story does not have a name (at least not yet; I’m not sure it ever will). There are different regions that have been referred to in the story. Clans, essentially noble families, have settled down and split the territories by grouping themselves according to bloodlines. There are multiple clans within a given bloodline region; some are made up of fewer, like Lightning, while others, like Dawn, have numerous clans. The current regions of the world include: Fire, Ice, Wind, Dawn, Stone, Lightning Dust, and Twilight Bloodlines. 

Black lines indicate bloodline borders; dark grey lines indicate a current clan border; light grey lines indicate former clan borders (for clans that do not exist at present); finally, red lines indicate the current borders of No Man’s Land, the disputed region in which outlaws and bandits thrive. 

No Man’s Land stretches all the way from the north to the south, and forms the border region between the two groupings of allies in this world: Dust, led by King Shigaraki, allied with Lightning, Twilight, and Stone; and Fire, led by Todoroki Clan, (much more loosely) allied with Ice, Wind, and as of the current story moment, potentially Dawn. 

The scale in the bottom indicates what two hundred miles is like on the map, but to be quite honest I might have changed this in the meantime and I’m really not sure if it’s accurate anymore. 

I’ve been approximating The Land as a whole to be about the same size as the US state of Texas.

Now, zooming in somewhat where the action takes place.

Map #2 - Major Clans

These are all of the clans that have so far been named in the story. From west to east:

Fire - Todoroki Clan; Dawn - Utsushimi, Jirou, Yamada, Uraraka, Yaoyorozu Clans; Lightning - Kaminari, Tesura Clans; Stone - Kirishima, Imasuji Clans; Dust - Shigaraki Clan. 

(Not Pictured is Twilight - Chisaki Clan; but it is visible in the first map in dark purple in the south-east, next to its allies in lilac). 

Capital letters indicate that that clan is the Master Clan of that particular bloodline. These clans are considered the most powerful and important, and act as leaders (or in worse cases, controllers) for the rest. At the moment, Todoroki Clan is the Master Clan of the Fire Bloodline; Kaminari Clan for Lightning; Imasuji Clan for Stone; and Shigaraki Clan for dust. (Chisaki Clan for Twilight, but it doesn’t fit on this map). Dawn is a splintered region and has no clear Master Clan. 

Getting a bit closer, we can also see that No Man’s Land eats much more into the territory of Shigaraki-allied regions than it does into the territory of his enemies. Lightning and Stone in particular have large swathes of disputed territory.

Next, looking at the relief.

Map #3 - Major Locations and Natural Features 

Starting with the major locations, we can find the cities/towns that have so far been named in the story. 

Starting in the west: Musutafu, the capital and seat of power of Todoroki Clan, the location of Castle Endeavour; Aichi, the largest city in Jirou Clan; Rozaryu, the largest city in Uraraka Clan; Shizuoka, the largest city in Yaoyorozu Clan. The Midoriya home sits on the border between Yaoyorozu and Uraraka Clans, and neither really knows to which the cottage belongs. Esuha is the largest city and capital of Kirishima Clan; Gunga is this for Kaminari Clan. Kamino (now destroyed), the city where the Bakugou Summer Estate was located. Deika, the capital and seat of power of Shigaraki Clan, where King Shigaraki and his Blackwitch reside in their castle. 

Datsugoku is the capital of Imasuji Clan. It has been referred to in the story, but has not been named (you get a freebie if you’re reading this). The name is literally just Japanese for Muscular’s second villain name (Jailbreaker); I picked it because the man has no named notable locations associated with him and I got a little desperate. Plus it sounds kind of cool. Pretend it doesn’t mean anything in the context of the story lol.

In addition to these major cities, on the map we can see the shitty town in the south of Dawn where Katsuki and his pack first spy the undercover caravan that they end up ambushing in Chapter 1. It is located in Yamada Clan, and as mentioned in the most recent chapter (7), it is where Hawks intercepted Aizawa as well. We can also see the seedy town in Tesura Clan that was mentioned in Chapter 6; this is where Dabi missed a contract, but ended up having a wonderful evening with a barmaid and bartender who skipped out on their work to get in his pants. 

The mountains are also labelled on the map. Yes, all of these names are taken from canon DnD material. They sound cool and that’s all that matters.

The majority of our action so far takes place in the Storm Horns, which curve around in Lightning territory. The three overpasses are also labelled; the eastern and western ones are well-known, while the central is not. In addition to these, several other mountain ranges are mentioned in the most recent chapter. In the far north we have the Spine of the World. Both that range and the Sword Mountains in Stone extend beyond what is visible on the map. The Star Mounts are also present in the mid-eastern region of Dust, and the Greypeaks and Cloud Peaks are in the south, going through Lightning, part of Dust, and Twilight.

Finally, I thought it might be useful to take a look at where the characters have moved thus far. 

Map #4 - Major Locations and Character Movement

I’ve split this into different sections, as labelled on the map. It might be a bit hard to see, but click for better quality. 

Part 1 (white) - Ochaco travels from Rozaryu to Musutafu for her wedding to Shouto, a trip of just over 200 miles, escorted by Aizawa and a caravan of Todoroki Clan fighters. She passes through Aichi (Jirou Clan) and several other Dawn Clans.

Part 2 (red) - The Todoroki caravan is intercepted around the halfway point with a night ambush by Shigaraki fighters. Ochaco is taken. They swing south and end up in the shitty town in the south of Dawn (Yamada Clan), where katsuki and his pack spot them. This is roughly 130 miles.

Part 3 (red and white) - Katsuki and his pack move ahead on the road, crossing into Lightning Territory (Kaminari Clan) to set up an ambush for the Shigaraki caravan. It’s about 30 miles of travel, which is also traversed shortly after by the Shigaraki caravan itself. The ambush goes well, they take the caravan, and move.

Part 4 (white) - Katsuki and the pack discover Ochaco in the caravan. They decide to move up the mountains for added safety, stopping halfway up the Storm Horns. This is roughly another 30 miles, part of which is mountainous ascent. They interrogate Ochaco, and at that point Imasuji Gouto and his warriors attack. 

Part 5 (dashed red) - After surviving the attack and spending some time separated on the mountainside, Katsuki and Ochaco meet and agree to travel together to follow the pack. Katsuki proposes they take the central overpass, move very quickly and cut the pack off on the road they will take back to Datsugoku (labeled as Planned Ambush). This would be approximately 60 miles.

Part 6 (dashed cyan) - The path Katsuki deduces Imasuji will take. Imasuji will double back, take the eastern overpass, and head straight north to Datsugoku, allowing Katsuki and Ochaco to ambush them on the way if all goes according to plan. 

Of course, all does not go according to plan. 

And that’s it! I had a lot of fun worldbuilding for this story, almost as much as doing the actual writing, and I’m glad I got to share even a part of it with you guys. My ask box is always open to answer any questions about it!

And of course (ha!), you can find red on red, nothing on everything right here on AO3.

If you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading! :)

[shadowstalker732]

ALRIGHT LETS GIVE THIS POSTING THING A GO

MY REVAN TIME (one of them at least)

Also spoiler warning a guess for a game over a decade old? (Am I meant to say spoiler warning? Who knows not me)

(Please don’t yell at me about stats I do what I want)

Anyway first playthrough where I don’t stop and hard restart Tarris or Dantooine 13 times because choice reasons and me forgetting that stealth is useless and just letting the game auto level for me (learnt that the hard way), I’ve basically done Tatooine but I haven’t beaten the dragon yet cos I wanted to bugger off to another planet first and chose Kashyyyk. And I’m down in the shadow lands now (do not worry Zaalbar I WILL GET YOU BACK) and yeah that’s where I’m at.

ANYWAY, Shay or Shar Stalker (because the game won’t let me do non-binary) is a light side Revan. Good of heart dumb of ass and yet will still rob you dry if you place bets on a strategy game against them. Height wise around the 1.6m mark (5′3″ for the Americans). Prefers the double lightsaber look (currently got a short green one and a normal blue one for amnesia version). Not a flirt but definitely had something going on with my Exile in the past but that ended in the Mando war at some point… teenagers in war don’t usually do well mentally wise.. back story and post events of Kotor under the cut (also warning it’s long, like super long, and goes into their future story? As well)

SO BACKSTORY,

Shar got some Mando blood floating in their veins from some ancestor and that causes them to go full buir sometimes hence why Mission, Zaalbar, HK-47, T3-M4 and Juhani get bed time stores aboard the Ebon Hawk and chocolate space milk whenever they stop (Rev gets some too because who doesn’t love some good old Choccy milk), droid duo get cleaned basically daily while Bastila gets the bird for even thinking that this is a waste of time and resources.

Wait I said backstory… TEMPLE LIFE!

Rascal trio with Exile and Alek at their heels. All three, good of heart dumb of ass. Shar was a prodigy and excelled in basically all Jedi subjects at the time, was pretty popular with most people and just a nice person who didn’t stand for bullshit. Got into a few “heated” (honestly that’s an understatement) arguments with council members about how some things in the galaxy were handled but mostly had a positive response from people. At this time their main saber was purple and their off hand a short cyan. Joined the Republic in the Mandalorian wars a few months before their 17′th birthday. Didn’t not return to the Temple once after leaving for war.

The War 

(I should mention I get most of my knowledge from wiki skims (not deep reads) and other Tumblr posts so if it’s off canon… it’s my story and Star Wars is my sand box so I MAKE THE RULES HERE BABY!)

After many battles and the relationship between the battle trio growing stronger with time it was also weakening. At one point Shar and Exile had a romantic relationship going but only kept that going for a few months, they both decided that this was not the time to be doing this and if they both survived would actually give the lovers thing a shot (doesn’t happen). Throughout the war all three realise that they must make sacrifices to stop the war, the old saying “sacrifice one to save the many” is said often between the three at first before it becomes second nature. During one of the battles Shar’s cyan lightsaber is completely destroyed including the crystal being completely shattered. After taking the mantle of the Revanchist only uses the name Revan and never removes the helmet unless it’s only the trio and only then will respond to their old names. All three are slipping mentally in this war but have all managed to hold onto the Light side by trusting each other. After the mass shadow generator event Revan looses all contact with Exile (force and otherwise) and assumes death, despite it being Revan’s own order it’s a major pushing point towards the dark.

The End of the War

Revan faces off against Mandalore the Ultimate and slays him, in his dying breathe speaks of the Sith Empire growing in the Unknown Regions and how this war wasn’t only about giving the Mandalorian’s a good fight but also to weaken the republic for Ultimates Empire allies. Not many Mandalorians knew of the Sith truth behind the war and just followed their Mandalor’s word that this war would bring them the honour of a good fight, and it did in a way. After Revan learns of the empire growing hidden amongst uncharted routes, knew that the council would never believe them and so took matters into their own hands. Taking a fleet and insisting it was to chase down the last of the Mandalorian high command, Revan left for the unknown regions.

The Unknown 

Yeah everything went to shit. Rev and Alek get captured and Sith tortured and kind probed by old man Sith Emperor but in that time Revan gains acute knowledge via reverse mind prob, of how the Sith empire is running, where resources are coming from and key weak points. During this time Alek falls completely and Revan fains it for now. Torture continues for a good while until Revan makes the choice that they have been making all through out the war “sacrifice one to save the many”… Revan embraces the dark side and makes a plan, a plan to empower the known galaxy enough to destroy the “true” Sith empire by uniting it as their own Sith empire. Revan knows light will always rise to face the dark and that the light side is strong, someone will rise to take them down after the “true” Sith empire is defeated and only in death will Revan have fulfilled their promise to the unknown Mandalorian and finally be able to be one with the force. Revan embraces the dark fast and is soon sent off by the Sith emperor who thinks Revan is under his control to take control of the star forge and start building the Sith army in the known galaxy, Revan assumes command with now Malek as their right hand.

Beginning of Darth Revan

Basically what is described in the first Kotor game, Darth Duo go find star maps, get to forge, start fucking up the galaxy yadeyadeya. Malek pulls a sick move and fucks up Revan’s plan to stop the Sith Emperor and boom Amnesia time baby. Oh also during Sith times used a red and their old purple lightsaber but when they got captured by Bastila both lightsaber’s goy yoinked and locked up on Coruscant for simple reasons. 

No Memory Time Baby

Council is smart as fuck and call them Shay Stalker AKA their old name to see if that will reawaken light memories or thoughts in Revan and basically try and nudge amnesia Rev to stay lightside cos they don’t want to see their lost padawan fall back to the dark, (Jedi are a complicated subject), also ONLY SHAY no mention of their other name Shar at all! So that will cause problems later for poor Rev when they start remembering things :), basically the game from here on. Memories of a calm life on a farming planet before joining the military, lost both their siblings (AKA Alek and Exile) while away on service. Joined to stop the Sith from taking any more innocent lives. Throughout the game Shay try’s to help as many people as they can and choose the option that will benefit good and innocent people, constantly says fuck to corporations and nasty people, is not afraid to kill a bitch. As I haven’t completed the game fully (but I am planing a lightside finish and I’m not exactly sure when the “I am Revan” bit comes in I’m gonna leave this as it is. Oh and blue main saber and a short green saber with a crystal they managed to purify (AKA was red but returned to its natural colour through meditation and force cleansing, also helped by Bastila)

Memories

Like I said I haven’t finished the game yet BUT after the whole “oh fuck oh stars IM REVAN?????” Lots of shit starts to make sense and the force “spell” (I’m gonna call it spell) that repressed Revan’s memories had already begun to weaken somewhat before this point but this kinda opens the flood gates but not too far just enough for it to not make any sense at all. Team is there for Rev and the game finishes lightside. (Also I know I said this rev not gonna romance but this is post game stuff now and I just don’t wanna romance Bastila in game so yeah) ANYWAY, Revan and Bastila build a healthy relationship together and Revan starts to regain a lot of memories that their friends help them through. Revan remembers why they took the name Revan and actually goes to Coruscant to the high council to explain why they put on the helmet in the first place and the Council adheres to Revan’s request and returns the original helmet. The Star forged one stays in storage for now. Revan also requests their old armour and lightsabers to help regain memories as to why they fell, the council is hesitant at this request and only allows Revan to meditate with their old things at the main temple with a council member present. Over one or two years a lot comes back but there is still a few key dates, names, moments and details missing. Oh and Revan uses force powers to make Bastila preggers. IF BOBA FETT CAN SURVIVE A SARLAC AND PALPATINE CAN EXIST IN THE SEQUELS. REVAN CAN PULL FORCE BULLSHIT TOO!

The Unknown part 2: Electric boogaloo 

Revan finally remembers what made them go dark and realises they fucked up their own plans pretty bad and the Republic IS WORSE OFF THAN HOW IT STARTED COS OPPS REVAN ACCIDENTALLY KILLED A SHIT TON OF FORCE USERS LIGHT AND DARK SO yeah. Bastila was holding the brain cell of the force bond in this moment and Revan decides the best course of action is to go face the Emperor alone… fucking brilliant Revan how the fuck did you win the Mandalorian wars again my good sir? Revan tells Bastila that they (Rev) has been assigned a mission to infiltrate the remanence of Revan’s old Sith Empire and basically destroy it from within and that this mission is basically so hush hush that Bastila isn’t meant to know but Revan thought it only fair to say that they would be gone for potentially a long time for this mission and Bastila, unaware that this would be the last time she saw them, accepted this goodbye and hoped they would return before their baby was born. But Revan has always been a good lier… even to themselves. Without anymore fuss they left the Known Galaxy leaving all their friends and family behind never to be seen again to face off against the bitch that started it all. (I haven’t read the novels or played the SWTOR game and never plan to do either so again I say this is wiki knowledge that I’m doing what ever I please with that knowledge because Star Wars is a sand pit and I’m the kindy kid that’s decided to sit and play with it today)

Mmmmm Watcha SaaaaaaaAy

Revan gets their ass handed to them and imprisoned for three hundred years and tortured and mind probed AGAIN. Also cut off their connections to any other force user to ensure old dude couldn’t get to them as well. Absolutely not having a good time here. After the 300 years of PAIN the force within Revan gets so fucked up that their physicality splits into two entirely separate beings, Dark Revan and Light Revan. When this happens the prison breaks and Light Revan makes their escape and gets out barely alive while Dark Revan hangs back and swears allegiance to Sith Empire and starts plotting to overthrow old dude cos Sith. Light Revan makes it back to the council and they heal them and have a very hard time believing they are Revan until Revan perfectly describes a gift they gave Bastila before they left that now a descendent of Revan now owns. The council doesn’t understand how Revan split into two entire different beings but accept “the force acts in mysterious ways at times”. Revan is FINALLY given knighthood and helps prepare the republic for the Sith Empire that hasn’t attacked yet but definitely will soon. And this is where Tarre comes in.

Mando Time Yeah!

My Tarre will get his own beefy post (def not as big as this one) maybe tomorrow or the next day so for now it’s just what Tarre does and means to Revan. ANYWHO, Tarre becomes Light Revan’s padawan. (I should mention that Light Revan despite being called Light Revan is leaning towards a grey area within the force but isn’t down right evil like dark Revan is. Dark Revan is killing puppies of an endangered species cos their bored evil). Tarre is Revan’s padawan and becomes a knight. Revan enjoys teaching Tarre about the force and understanding how Tarre was brought up a Mandalorian and with the peace between Jedi and Mandalorian’s at this point was welcomed into the Jedi temple later than most. Revan raises Tarre like he is their own son/little brother and they form an extremely powerful force bond because of it. I’ll go in depth on Tarre’s post but Tarre still gets Mando training for 4 months of the year but the jedi training is the rest of the year. Revan joins Tarre when he return to Mandalore to continue his Mando training and learns more about Mandalorian history and culture while there. While on Mandanlore Light Revan truely feels relaxed for once despite random Mando’s sometimes jumping out and challenging them to fights because apparently Revan is now a ghost story and a feared mighty warrior legend and when anyone finds out that Revan is “alive” immediately tries to prove that they are stronger than Revan (which they are not). A few years after Tarre is knighted the war with the True Sith Empire begins.

I don’t know what to call this bit sooooo UWU

Battles, fights, old shit, it’s a war. Revan proves to be supper fucking useful in leadership but doesn’t do as much “sacrifice one to save the many” moves anymore. Revan keeps predicting what the Sith are gonna do an THATS cos Dark Revan is leading the, and Revan knows Revan best but not the reverse. Light Revan knows how Dark Revan will act but Dark Revan doesn’t know how Light Revan will act since Light Revan technically includes Shay/Shar, Mandalorian War Revan, Amnesiac Shay, and post Amnesia. While Dark Revan is only really Darth Revan and post Amnesia so Light Revan technically outweighs Dark Revan. I’ve probably butchered that explanation or done it too late but that’s how it’s gonna be cos it’s midnight and I wanna finish this and post it today. ANYWAY, final battle between the Revan’s. They have a massive duel on the battle field and eventually Light Revan strikes Dark Revan down but also receives some pretty nasty injuries. Light Revan understands the need to be whole again and as Dark Revan “dies” reunites with that half of the force and Revan returns but Revan is so done, so fucking done with living and trying and they had a good run and now they have what was Dark Revan’s and Light Revan’s injuries all on one body and sure if Rev really tried they could probably suck the life force out of some Sith warriors to keep themselves alive but… they just don’t want to. Eventually Tarre finds the fallen Revan reunited at last and stays by their side as Revan finally lets go and becomes one with the force. After the battle Tarre brings Revan’s body back to the Temple to be burnt as Revan had requested but their armour, lightsabers, and other possessions would be taken to a place only Tarre knew of to be sealed away until a far descendent of Revan’s comes along to claim them as their own. The war isn’t over and Revan’s passing only fuels Tarre further into defeating the Sith empire that the republic eventually does after 20 years of war. 

Conclusion 

And that’s the overall story of this Revan, I know very long, very deep, wtf this is your second post after a what? 1 year break? Actually let me check… yeah nope about a year has passed since my Crash post. If you have made it this far thanks for reading my first ever “decent” post about something I’ve been developing for a while now in bits and pieces. Sorry it was so long but then again I did miss a lot of shit. If you want to interact and ask more questions about this Revan go ahead my ask box is open (don’t be weird tho and just cos I post long doesn’t mean you have to ask long unless it’s legit). I’ll try and get the Tarre post out tomorrow around this time too or earlier depends. Thanks again for taking the time to read my word vomit. Also sorry if there are any spelling mistakes I have missed.

Have a good one!

[ginazmemeoir]

Women in the Indian Epics

This post is in response to @hindumythologyevent (i won’t be able to write tomorrow)

Ramayana and Mahabharata, while being epics centred around Hinduism, are actually integral parts of Indian culture as a whole. Everyone in India has grown up knowing about these epics, but never about the women. I would like to take this moment to make people realize THESE. EPICS. WOULD. BE . NON. EXISTANT. WITHOUT WOMEN. HECK ALL OF US WOULD BE.

1. RAMAYANA: While there’ s no shift in the status of women chronologically, there definitely is a marked changed in the social status of women in the epic geographically.

  North - 

Kaushalya : Princess of Southern Kosala (modern day Bundelkhand in India), she had proposed her marriage to Dasharath, Ram’s father, to stop the war between their kingdoms. In the epics, she is shown as “virtuous” and “sacrificing”, and is Ram’s birth mother.

Kaikeyi : Princess of Kekaya (modern day Pakistan-Afghanistan border region), she had married Dasharatha of her own accord, on her own terms. She was a powerful woman, and a powerful warrior - she had saved Dasharath’s life in a war, and consequently Dasharatha had granted her two boons. She used these boons later to banish Ram to the forest for 14 years and make her son Bharata the heir. A figure of scorn in the epic, Kaikeyi was actually an independent woman, who knew her cards.

Sumitra : She just kind of exists we don’t know much about her, except that she’s the mother of the twins Lakshmana and Shatrughna.

Sunaina : Queen of Videha (modern day Nepal), she was actually the one who ran the kingdom while her husband, Janak, looked after the “spiritual” nd “philosophical” aspects. Most people don’t even know about her.

Sita : The female protagonist, she is the Princess of Videha, and thus also called Vaidehi. In fact, there is a language in her honour called Maithili after her. She is actually quite passive in the epics, shown as yet again “virtuous” and blah blah blah. A few versions also say that she was actually Ravan’s daughter, or the reincarnation of a woman who Ravan had molested and so the woman vowed that she would be the cause of his death (mmm not so much I mean the dude was asking for it). FINALLY she does something after Ram banishes her cause people accuse her of Stockholm Syndrome WHILE SHE’S PREGNANT, and then tries to take her back once he gets to know that he’s a dad - twist, Sita has to prove she’s innocent by WALKING THROUGH FIRE AGAIN (she did it once after she escaped). So instead of doing this shitty thing again, she invoked the Earth Goddess (another legend says Sita is her daughter) and went away with her.

Manthara : Kaikeyi’s nanny, she came along with her after she married Dasharatha to take care of her children. Shown as a disfigured old hunchback, she is the one who had “instigated” Kaikeyi to banish Ram and make Bharata emperor. She’s one of the most hated characters in the Ramayana.

South - (FINALLY women don’t call their husbands ‘lord’ or ‘my king’)

Tara : The Monkey Empress, Tara was a powerful individual. After her husband Bali was killed by Rama, she ran the kingdom while her brother-in-law Sugreev whored away. Really wise, and commanded respect.

Mandodari : Daughter of the architect of Asuras Mayasur, Mandodari was another powerful woman. She was Ravan’s first wife, and is often seen speaking her opinions in the epics, reprimanding Ravan and genuinely being a boss-ass bitch, which as the epics state “was unusual”. Legend also states that Shiva had made her out of a frog (manduk in sanskrit), so that Ravan could stop pestering them.

Shurpanakha : Quite literally meaning “as sharp as nails), Shurpanakha was Ravan’s sister. Also known as Meenakshi, some hold her responsible for the annihilation of Ravan as her revenge for Ravan killing her husband. She had actually tried to seduce Ram and Lakshman while they were in the forest, but instead they pranked her, and not in the nice way (people, YOU DO NOT PRANK A DEMON PRINCESS). So when she saw Sita laughing, she thought it wa sher idea and attempted to kill her. Immediately, the “chivalrous” Lakshman ran to defend Sita and cut off “the evil temptress’” nose. So anywho Shurpanakha tells Ravan to avenge her, and later she goes to Ayodhya and spreads rumours about Sita’s affair with Ravan for revenge.

Kaikesi : Ravan’s mother, Kaikesi was the original heir to Lanka before it was given to Kuber, the dwarf lord of wealth. She later married the monk Vishravas, and had almighty children (some say this is the only reason she married him). She was the one who created Mega Ravan after the war to avenge herslef.

Sulochana : The Naga Princess, Sulochana was the daughter of the snake king Vasuki. Not much is known about her, except that she committed suicide after her husband Meghnad (Ravan’s son) was killed.

other characters : Trijata - she was Sita’s bodyguard in Lanka, and also Ravan’s  niece. She was the one who consoled Sita and protected her from the other demons.

Lankini : The guardian of Lanka, she had been defeated by Hanuman.

Urmila : Sita’s younger sister, who was married to Lakshman. Later, she fell into a coma for 14 years, till the time all three of our protagonists returned.

Surasa : The Sea Dragon, she tested Hanuman’s strength on his way to Lanka by attempting to eat him.

Simhika : The Shadow monster, who ate creatures by grabbing their shadows. She was killed by Hanuman.

2. MAHABHARATA : Ok this epic is more recognized, and also the women here are SO much more badass. The Mahabharata represents a chronological change in women’s status in Indian society.

Urvashi : Queen of the nymphs (apsaras), Urvashi had married the mortal king Pururavas on the condition that nobody will hurt her pet lamb, and that nobody except Pururavas will see her naked. So the gods killed her lamb and “opened the doors with mighty winds” and “lit the skies with lightning” when Pururavas and Urvashi were having sex, so everyone could see Urvashi naked. She then left Pururavas, who grew mad. Later, she tried to seduce Arjun (Pururavas’ descendant) and when he refused, she cursed him to become a eunuch.

Ganga : The River Goddess, she married Shantanu only on the condition that he would never question her or her actions. Then, Ganga proceeded to drown all of her and Shantanu’s children. When Shantanu finally stopped her from drowning the eighth one, it was revealed that they were actually gods cursed as humans and Ganga was only doing this so that they could go back to being gods again. Anywho, since Shantanu had technically questioned her actions, she left him and took the child. This child was Bhishma.

Satyavati : She was born when a fish ingested a king’s sperm (LONG story), and the fish gave birth to her. She was known for her beauty that rivalled the gods, and also her fish stank. she had sex with the sage Parashara and gave birth on an island to Vyasa (the Mahabharata’s author). In return, Parashara granted her the boon of irresistible scent. Later, she married Shantanu on one condition - that only her lineage would rule the throne, which forced Bhishma to take his vow of celibacy. A woman of naked ambition, she made sure that it was her blood only that ruled the throne of Hastinapur.

Amba : The princess of Kashi (modern day Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh), she and her two sisters were abducted from their marriage by Bhishma on Satyavati’s order to be married to her son Vichitravirya. Amba escaped Bhishma, but her husband refused to accept as she “was now another man’s property” (BITCH). When she asked Bhishma to marry her, he refused because of his stupid vow. So she sought revenge on him and went to the warrior sage Parashuram. Parashuram was enraged at Amba’s condition, and invited Bhishma to a duel till death. However, he realized that their duel could actually end the world and stopped it. Angry, Amba burnt herself alive and promised to be reborn as Bhishma’s death. She was reborn as the transwoman Shikhandi, Draupadi’s sibling, and ultimately killed Bhishma. (more popular versions state that she actually stood in front of Arjuna, and since Bhishma couldn’t “raise a hand on a transwoman”, Arjuna could safely kill Bhishma from behind her.

Gandhari : Princess of Gandhara (modern day Afghanistan), Gandhari’s kingdom was destroyed by Bhishma and she was married to Dhritarashtra, the blind prince. To aid her husband, she also blinded herself for life by wearing a blindfold at all times. Mother of the hundred Kauravas, she had uttered that fateful curse which caused the destruction of Krishna and his empire.

Kunti : Princess of Mathura, she was adopted by king Kuntihoja. A resourceful and sharp woman, she had received a boon to have kids by any god she wanted. Out of curiosity, she tested the boon and got the son of the Sun god, Karna. Not ready to be a teen mom, she threw the baby in a river (the baby lived). Later she married Pandu, Dhritarashtra’s younger brother, and gave birth to Yudhishthir, Bhima and Arjuna from Yama (god of death and law), Vayu (god of wind) and Indra (indian zeus) respectively. She spent her entire life protecting Pandu’s five children after his death, even burning six people alive during the Varnavat incident.

Madri : Princess of Madradesh (present day Tamil Nadu, India), she was Pandu’s second wife and gave birth to the twins Nakul and Sahadeva from the Ashvini Twins (gods of healing and knowledge, she had used Kunti’s boon). She committed suicide after Pandu’s death.

Draupadi : Princess of Panchal (modern day Uttar Pradesh, India although some people say it could also be Punjab), she was born from fire. She and her brother were created to avenge their foster father Drupad. Married to all five Pandavas, she later became Empress of Indraprastha, and encouraged her husbands to fight for their rights. Molested and disrobed after the Gambling Hall incident, she vowed to destroy the Kuru dynasty - and that she would not wash her hair until they were washed with Dushasana’s blood, the man who had disrobed her. Krishna treated her like his own sister, and today she serves as an inspiration to all women.

There are a LOT more women in the Ramayana and Mahabharata, but i would have to write another separate 500 pager for that, and honestly i have run out of brain juice right now. so i leave you with this - STAY BADASS LADIES.