#it's my favorite thing to discuss anyhow ...

[xxplastic-cubexx]

I love problematic charles every now and then but I'm VEEERRRRRYY picky with how thats presented bc most of the time it feels like its an "either or" situation where he cannot ever be a good person and make stupid decisions and have "evil" tendencies. Its the same case with erik too but hes more easily forgiven since he's an antagonist.

Also how they make Charles evil is what makes or breaks it bc i love "hypocritical when it comes to how and when you use your mind control/you really are a control freak even when you're 'noble' about it" charles but hate "creepy to your own student(s) and unrepentant about being a control freak and not even trying to hide it in your actions. You also love the government's boots for some unholy reason" charles. (The comics can be varying degrees of this and its why i have trust issues with marvel bc idk if im gonna get a good charles or a stupid one. Also sorry for raving in your inbox i hope you're having a good day)

my favorite flavor of Morally Dubious charles is 'has good intentions overall but for one reason or another acts amorally'... i think id like a master list of stories like that if such a thing even exists ... when it's just 'he did something bad that was so obviously bad and hard to justify/consider acceptable under any lens' its not as fun ... not just for the sake of I Like Him but cause i like it when his actions have some room to be like 'alright well i guess i see what you were going for'- doesnt mean it was a GOOD action but yk what i mean.....

Lowkey/Unaware-He's-A Control-Freak-But-Under-The-Guise-Of-Doing-Good charles is also very good.. charles' psychology in those instances is very intriguing to me .... i need to crack his brain open like a walnut ....

[revivemyreverie]

"My hand? Why, of course you can-- Ah, wait, wait, wait, wait! I've fallen for these stupid tricks before! No more robberies, o- or I'll curse you in the process!"

Twisted from: Prince John, Robin Hood

Jules Coeur DeLion

ジュール・クール・ド・リヨン

CV: Yuma Ichida (内田 雄馬)

Technical info.

Gender: Male

Birthday: 12/24

Age: 18

Height: 176 cm

Hair Color: Wheat Blonde

Eye Color: Ruby Red & Emerald Green

Hand Pref.: Right

Homeland: Grimoire Badlands

College Info.

Class: 1-C Set 3

Club: Basketball

Favorite Subject: None*

Other.

Hobby: Talking about himself

Likes: Praise

Dislikes: Traitors

Favorite Food: Crystal Candies

Hated Food: Bell Peppers

Specialty: Identifying minerals

UM: A Golden Trap

With a simple kiss, Jules can enchant any object with a random magical affliction or charm. Whoever wields or wears the object outside of Jules will immediately be affected by said magic.

*Jules fails to shine particularly well in any subject.

The King and His Empty Crown

A set of letters meant for a Duke.

Coeur DeLion,

Regarding your sons’ education, Jules’ grades are perfectly average. This is a good thing considering the rate for many of the lower class children here, but he must apply himself harder if he is to be apart of the upper echelons of the Court as planned. A C is no better than an F, and he’s beginning to get more and more overtime. 

Oh, but your youngest, Alexander, he’s the top of the class as always. He’s even beaten me at my own questions!  I’m sure a school like Royal Sword College would have sent a letter for him the moment he turns 16. You’ve already seen the paper he’s written concerning how to approach the Grimoire Badlands’ poverty rates— he’s a genius! And at such a young age too! Ah, my time is being cut short, but we’ll discuss more about those two in-person.

-------, Royal Teacher

Sire, 

Alexander’s fighting skill has reignited the other soldiers’ passion as of late. It appears even him watching training has given them a reason to fight better! If we were at war with another country, I’m sure Alexander’s participation would guarantee us a victory! 

That said, would you mind if we took him on a bit of a joyride for his winter break? Nothing too crazy, of course, just teaching him how real warriors fight. I think it would be a great experience for him, and Alexander would get a good amount of experience with both magic and hand-to-hand combat. Plus, I think it’s better than being holed up in the house with his brother. Not to insult either, of course, you and I both know Jules just isn’t too good at using his fists, haha!

—Admiral -------

My love,

These meetings with other kingdoms are oh so very tiring, and I cannot wait to return home. That said, they also have given me a better response for your question…

So I agree, Alexander is the better fit for next in line as Duke. Still, we must allow him to continue growing, for a good leader is mature enough to handle both the court and his family. I’m sure Jules won’t mind this arrangement, it’s better for the both of them anyhow. I’d prefer to announce this on his birthday, as I feel it would be a splendid to celebrate both his coming-of-age and new title. 

This reminds me, the Queen has been looking for a special type of enchanted gemstone for her daughter, yet I’ve only found regular ones. Ah, if only the wizards were not so greedy, and I’d have the perfect gift.

We’ll talk again soon,

--Duchess Catherine Coeur DeLion

Yet, his eldest was the one to read it all.

He crumples the papers in his hand and curses. Still, even with the tears welling up in his eyes, the light behind them does not falter.

Jules Coeur DeLion is special, for he refuses to listen to those who say otherwise.

[thehoneybeestings]

𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬

𝐤𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐚 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐚 𝐱 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

‧₊˚── Synopsis: Your father has offered your hand in marriage to an insufferably arrogant Athenian Polemarch. To make matters worse... he's terrible in bed. What a pleasant coincidence that he's just so happened to hire a certain mercenary known for her excellence in the area?

Word Count: 4K Content/Warnings: nsfw, reader is referred to w fem pronouns/has fem anatomy, top!kass, bottom!reader, scissoring, oral (r receiving), fingering (r receiving), jealous!kass but she won't admit it, in love!reader but she won't admit it, ambiguous ending ooooh A/N: i am so sorry that it took me this long to post this... but it genuinely ended up being my favorite smut I've written so far. it's not even anything crazy, i just love kassandra so much and i hope this finds all my other fellow kassandra lovers out there.

𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞, 𝐁𝐞𝐞 ୨ৎ

──˚₊୨ৎ‧₊˚──

There's little that irritates Kassandra more than arrogance, so it's no surprise that right now, the look on her face clearly says she'd rather be anywhere else than sharing a meal with men who have heads as big as they claim their dicks to be. 

At least you're there to catch her humorous expressions of reproval from across the dinner table; to respond with your own, sharing a silent conversation about how ridiculous these men sound as they decide that the next best subject to discuss over roasted quail and figs is how good they are in bed.

The only reason you're attending this glorified pissing contest is because your father had offered your hand to tonight's host, Alexandros, not too long ago. You aren't naive; you understand that in this world, women don't marry for love, but for security. Alexandros was at least a safe bet; an Athenian Polemarch with plenty of wealth to spare.  He decides to chime in, raising his cup of wine in the air for dramatic effect. “One thing is for certain,” he begins with a toothy grin, “no woman has ever left my quarters unhappy…” The room explodes with cheeky laughter and hollers of praise, droplets of dark red sloshing over their cups as they toast to Alexandros’s proclaimed skills… It isn’t until their cheers die down that they realize you’ve choked on your wine.

“What’s the matter?” Alexandros asks, clearly more annoyed than concerned. 

Kassandra is slouched against the backrest of her chair. She lulls her head over to Alexandros’s direction to shoot him a glare when he takes such a short tone with you.

“O-oh!” you begin, wiping your mouth with the back of your hand and trying to conceal your laughter the best you can.

Kassandra’s scowl is replaced with a grin as she watches.

“I just, uh…”

Find it hilarious that you seriously believe I’ve ever left your bedroom pleased…

“...wine just went down the wrong way,” you say, finally having collected yourself enough to give him a dismissive wave.  “We’re running low, anyhow.” 

You stand to grab the decanter from the center of the table before excusing yourself to the kitchen to refill it. 

A knowing smirk plays on Kassandra’s lips as she watches you leave, your shoulders still bouncing with giggles all the way to the kitchen. 

She had become quite fond of you since taking this contract with Alexandros. The only reason she could stand to take contracts with men as insufferable as the Polemarch is that they were notoriously exuberant with their riches, offering her ludicrous amounts of drachmae, room, and board just to run simple errands that they just couldn’t be bothered with. Still, it didn’t make these men- or working for them- any less annoying, but this time, she found herself hoping Alexandros had one more request of her before she set off for the next job; something that would give her the excuse to spend more time with you. 

She's standing to succumb to the pull you seem to have on her before she can help it, pardoning herself for a moment and following the path to you with a wry smile. 

You turn your head toward the sound of two knocks on the open frame of the kitchen, a grin spreading across your face at the sight of the Misthios walking toward you.

“Make haste,” she playfully urges, “we’re in the middle of an incredibly insightful discussion about whether it’s better to take a woman from the front or the back. You really don’t want to miss it.”

Her feigned graveness sends you into another fit of giggles. 

“And what say you, Kassandra?” you ask playfully, hopping up onto the wooden counter behind you. She leans her hip against its wooden edge and crosses her arms. “Which is better?”

You don’t expect her to give an honest response, but when she leans in and lowers her voice, you can’t help but hold your breath.

“Whatever my lover wants,” she croons. She pushes herself off of the counter, reaching for a bowl of olives and casually popping one into her mouth as if she hadn’t just been so crass.

The exhale that finally escapes you comes out as an incredulous chuckle.

“I didn’t know there were still people who cared what their lover wanted.”

“What? No… didn’t you hear Alexandros? No woman leaves his chambers unhappy, remember?” 

Her words- saturated in sarcasm- are met with a playful roll of your eyes.

“Alexandros only believes that because he can’t tell the difference between real pleasure and a performance.” 

Her eyes are trained on you, narrowed and contemplative. 

“Then why do you sleep with him?” She finally asks.

Great question. 

You sigh. 

“It's in my best interest to get used to it; If I’m to be married to him, you know.”

A frown finds its way onto Kassandra’s face. It’s something she’d seen too many a time: a beautiful woman with so much to offer- a woman who deserves only the best- pressured into a loveless marriage to meet some arbitrary social expectation. Many of these women would end up requesting… assistance… from her while their husbands were off at war or otherwise occupied, and as much as she loves pleasing women, Kassandra prided herself on having strong moral convictions. 

She wouldn’t sleep with a married woman behind her husband’s back. It’s why she finds herself dreading the day that you do marry Alexandros, because, at this rate, she wants you for herself. 

“You haven’t accepted his hand yet, have you?”

“I haven’t,” you shake your head, eyes trained on a crack in the stone floor below you. “I just need more time to consider it, is all.”

You’re lying through your teeth. You would have accepted your fate already, had it not been for the woman standing before you and the taste she’d given you of what real chemistry feels like. 

Your gaze lifts to her own, sadness painting your features. 

“Are you still planning to set off for Argolis tomorrow?” 

She smiles softly at you. “As much as I’d like to stay… I’ve already got work lined up there.” 

You nod, giving her a woeful smile of your own. A silence settles between the two of you, but your longing gazes say everything. You want to ask her not to leave, and she wants to ask you to follow. You both know that neither can happen. 

But when Alexandros’s voice cuts through the silence from the dining room, calling out to ask what’s taking so long, a bolt of indignation strikes Kassandra.

“I’m going up to my room,” she begins resolutely, “and I’m going to leave the lamp on until the 12th hour.” 

You nod slowly, not quite understanding her message.

“If, by then, you haven’t arrived…”

Your eyes widen. Now you understand. 

“...then I’ll be off to bed tonight and on the waters to Argolis tomorrow. No hard feelings. But, if you’d like to pay me a visit before then,” 

She slots herself in between your legs, hand coming up to anchor to your thigh as she leans in to purr,

“You’ll find that the door is unlocked.” 

She takes a few steps backward before turning on her heel to head back to the dining room. Soon, you hear the idle chatter of everyone bidding her goodnight, and imagine her walking up the stairs wearing the wolfish grin she so often sported. You imagine her sauntering into her room- the most secluded space in the estate, back in the corner of the second floor- stripping layers of armor off to reveal chiseled muscles wrapped in bronze skin, undoing her braid and letting her chestnut waves cascade over her bare shoulders- 

You're pulled out of your thoughts by the burn of your thighs pressed tightly together. 

The rumors of her divinity must be true. Her allure is inhuman, and as you slide off of the counter, having long abandoned your task of refilling the decanter of wine, you realize that no human will satisfy the warmth pooling at your core.

You walk back out to the dining room, having already prepared some half-assed spiel about not feeling well and figuring that you should retire to your room for the night. Alexandros is nonethewiser; nor does he care. 

Your fist is already poised in front of the door to Kassandra’s room, where lamplight spills through the gap underneath the door, and your heart flutters in your chest as you leave two gentle knocks on its surface. 

Your breath is stolen from you when it opens. 

You'd think she'd seem more imposing donned in golden armor, hand poised on the hilt of her blade. Somehow, her rumored divinity is harder to deny when she assumes this form: wearing only a night tunic, nimble fingers mindlessly unraveling the cord from her braid.

She opens the door wider for you to enter, keen eyes darkening as you cross the threshold to her room. 

“I told you it’d be unlocked,” she muses, kicking the door closed behind her in a fluid movement.

“It was only a courtesy,” you begin, strolling toward the end of her bed, “in the case that you were… indecent.”

She chuckles, a low rumble smooth like honey. 

“I don't intend on staying decent for long.”

The cord she'd been working at finally falls free from her hair, and she tosses it onto the dresser behind her, eyes glued to yours as she begins to make her way toward you.

“Alexandros allowed you to leave?” She asks, hands shaking out her braid before they settle on your hips as she takes her place in front of you. 

You know she's trying her best to school her disdainful expression, but her words drip with it all the same. 

“I told him I wasn't feeling well,” you shrug. 

“And he let you come up to bed by yourself?” 

She doesn't bother hiding it anymore. 

You wrap your arms around her neck, placing a hand on the nape of her neck and pressing soothing circles into the muscle with your thumb. 

“I shan’t be cross. My ruse depended on his negligence, after all.” 

She sneers, rolling her eyes and shaking her head. 

“I don't understand why-”

“Kassandra.”

You stop her before she can begin yet another one of her rants about how insolent and incompetent your suitor is. You've heard it all, you know it well enough, and frankly, right now, you just want to be fucked. 

“You've already told me what I’m missing,” you purr, your hand trailing down to trace her exposed collarbone. You lean in to whisper into her ear, your voice soft and tantalizing like the patterns you draw on her décolletage:

“Will you show me?”

You feel the tendons in her neck tense as her breath hitches, but The Eagle Bearer is never caught off guard for long. 

Suddenly, her hands fly to the cord wrapped around your waist.

“Get this thing off,” she spits urgently. 

You can't help but chuckle at her uncharacteristic lack of suave. Your hands get to work helping her remove the fabric draped over your body. 

“Are you always this eager?” 

“No,” she replies earnestly, brows raised as if in surprise of her own desperation, “I’m not; but you…”

When your dress finally hits the floor, her jaw goes slack. 

“Gods, be with me.”

It takes everything within her not to fall to her knees and take you in her mouth right then and there. 

You reach out to tug at her tunic with a smirk.

“Come on,” you urge, “don't leave me alone in such a state.” 

She obliges, but not without the lighthearted roll of her eyes. She pulls the thin material over her head, tossing it aside with abandon. Now, you both stand before each other, bare and on fire with desire.

Her brows furrow curiously as you sink down onto the bed and begin to scoot back toward the headboard.

“You need not do anything but stand there.” 

She laughs incredulously at your shamelessness, but when you spread your legs, reaching down to explore just how wet some witty banter and a few lost garments have managed to make you, she can't help but fall to her knees this time. 

“You're trying to kill me,” she exhales,  beginning her trail of kisses at your ankle.

Your giggle melds into a gasp as your middle finger swipes up to brush your hardened clit.

“I’m trying to fuck you,” you clarify. 

“Oh, I’m fucked alright.” 

She makes her way up your thigh, arms wrapping around them and hands kneading their soft flesh. Her mouth comes closer, closer, closer to your center, and when she finally hovers just above your cunt, she lets out a shaky breath. 

“I’m so fucked.”

The first drag of her tongue through your slick folds already has you mewling. The warm muscle flattens to trace a long line up from your entrance, then curls to circle the swollen bundle of nerves peeking out from its hood. Your hand flies to her head, fingers anchoring themselves in her long waves, and she chuckles, the vibrations pulsing through you. 

“What, does he not use his mouth like this?”

“What do you think?” you nearly seethe, pushing her head into your core in an effort to silence her and urge her to continue. 

This time, she laughs fully, head moving against your grip to place an apologetic kiss on your inner thigh. 

“I think I should stop teasing, lest I get my head cut off.”

Your retort dies on your tongue when she delves back in with her own. Your breath stutters with each languid stripe she draws, each tight circle she makes. It nearly stops altogether when she begins to settle into a delicious rhythm. 

“Breathe, agapi,” she coos lowly, massaging the junction between your hips and your thighs, “it feels so much better when you breathe.”

You nod frantically, doing your best to follow the misthios’s directions. In through your nose, and you can feel each surge of blood that pumps through your veins, thrumming harder and racing faster as her own pace quickens. Out through your mouth- and always escaping you as a breathy moan- and you can feel yourself melt; into the soft sheets, into her firm grasp, into the pleasure that buzzes at your core.

With the sudden focus on your senses comes the realization of just how close you are, and when she circles your entrance with two of her long fingers, you're all but begging for that final push over the edge.

“Yes,” you cry out, “yes, please; want you inside…” 

She removes her mouth for just long enough to ask you how many of her digits you want, but even the few seconds of lost contact are enough to make you huff out a whine. 

“Mph, I don't care,” you complain, bucking your hips up. “Anything, just keep going.” 

She halts all of her movements, looking up at you with wide, chiding eyes. 

“You're quite demanding, hm?” 

She pulls away from her place in between your thighs completely, crawling up to place a kiss on your jaw, and then, a nip on your ear. 

“I could stop now,” she threatens lowly, “leave you laid out and desperate, just like he does.” 

You nearly sob at the thought.

“But you don't want that, hm? You want to be a good girl for me; isn't that right?”

You shiver underneath her, clenching around nothing when her middle and ring fingers begin to spread the mixture of your slick and her spit up and around your entrance.

“Y-yes,” you beseech, “I’ll be good… want to be good for you…”

She hums as if to consider giving you what you want. When her long fingers finally plunge into you, you thank the Gods she shows mercy. 

Your once airy moans are guttural now, punched out of your lungs with every stroke against your velvet walls. 

She wastes no time on a useless, repetitive in-and-out motion- she’s sure you're more than used to that- and instead, curls her fingers up to skillfully locate the ridges of nerves on your front wall and begins to massage them with the pads of her fingers.

Her thumb stretches to press into your clit in tandem with the fingers hooked inside of you. You don't have to tell her not to neglect the bud of nerves; not like you constantly have to remind Alexandros, who still fails to give it attention.

You're not even sure you can look him in the face after getting fucked this good by someone else. 

Gods, she’s fucking you so good. 

Your stomach begins to tense, your breath sharp and shallow. 

“Breathe, love. Relax and give it to me.”

One deep breath, and then another, before they're turning into heavy pants and loud cries. Your hands grab for anything they can anchor themselves to; one on the firm bicep supporting her weight, and the other around the sheets underneath you. Your trembling legs wrap around her, your chest arching up into her own, and when she leans down to request that you be a good girl and come on her fingers, you fall apart underneath her with a slew of moans and curses that you believe might have even made Aphrodite blush.

Eros would approve, at least. 

Wave after wave of pleasure rouses at your core, tightening like knots before snapping and rolling out to warm the rest of your nerves. Your hand reaches down to stop her when the pleasure begins to feel too hot- icy-hot- and the roll of your hips becomes twitching and tensing. 

When your eyes flutter open, she's gazing down at you with a look that can only be one of utter awe and pure adoration. She stares like you're the one who possesses divinity.  

You don't know this, but she's decided that there’s no way you don’t. 

“Why are you staring?” You chuckle breathlessly. 

She purses her lips and shakes her head. 

“You're gorgeous.”

You wave a dismissive hand in the air before letting it fall like lead onto the bed.

She leans down to place a kiss on your temple. 

“You alright?” She whispers into your hairline.

You nod underneath her kiss, brushing her hair back to rest behind her shoulders. 

“I’m perfect,” you croon. “But what of you? You haven't had your fill.” 

She comes back up to rest on her haunches, brows raised.

“Oh, I had my fill.”

You giggle, but she's dead serious, eyes drinking in your splayed out figure. 

“You know what I mean. Do you prefer not to receive?” 

Your question is genuine, head tilting against the pillows underneath it.

“That isn't necessarily the case,” she muses, “but I have enough fun getting pretty women off.”

Your eyes narrow in feigned jealousy. 

You tell yourself it's only feigned, that is, but truthfully, the thought of her doing to other women what she just did to you leaves a bad taste in your mouth. 

“I’m just another pretty woman, hm?”

She leans back down with a playful scoff, pressing feather-light kisses to the apples of your cheeks. 

“No woman is just another pretty woman. I take my craft seriously.”

You punch out a laugh. 

“But I will say,” she keens in between kisses that are traveling down to your neck, “I'm afraid you've made quite an impression.”

She nips at the thin skin over your pulse before her tongue darts out to smooth over it, and when she tastes the salt of your sweat, she can’t help herself from latching on. “And you’re going to leave a mark that I’ll have to answer for in the morning.” “Hush,” she mumbles, teeth trailing over your windpipe, “don’t wanna talk about the morning. Just want you.” She sits up, leaning back on her heels again, staring down at you with a wicked grin. “Spread your legs for me?” You’re not sure what she’s planning, but at this point, you’ll do anything she asks of you. “Good girl,” she coos, hand sliding up the expanse of your thigh; and when she swings a leg over your hip, her center hovering just above your own, you gasp.

“Just need you to lie there and look pretty,” she husks, eyes trained on your fluttering cunt. “Can you do that, agapi?”

“Yes,” you breathe out, your eyes wide and bright and your hands flying out to rest on the tops of her muscular thighs. 

You hiss when her center- nearly dripping- finally makes contact with your own.

“Too much?” She asks, eyes snapping up to search your face for any discomfort. “I know you’re still sensitive-” “Keep going,” you demand, fingers digging into the flesh of her thighs, “I want you to get off on me.” Her eyes flutter back into her head, your words sending a jolt of pleasure straight to her throbbing core. She drops her head down to watch as she begins rocking her hips forward, then circling them back, rocking them forward, circling back. You didn’t think you’d ever see Kassandra reduced to a whining, panting mess, but as she grinds down into your cunt, chasing her own high, you’re sure you could cum just watching her. Or maybe, it’s that her swollen clit is slipping back and forth right over your own. It’s a debauched scene: bodies impossibly tangled; the room filled with the sounds of her groans, your mewls, and the squelch of her arousal mixing with your own; the smell of sex and sweat in the air. It’s a wonder Alexandros hadn’t heard anything… A knock on the door has your eyes flying wide open, and hers clenching shut. “Everything alright in there, Misthios? It sounds like you’re in pain.” 

Alexandros. “Shit, shit, shit,” you mouth, sitting up; and inadvertantly positioning Kassandra in a manner that puts even more pressure on her clit. She leans down to bite your shoulder in a desperate attempt to rein herself in. “You have to answer,” you begin in a panicked whisper, “this is your room!”

She can’t help it; she’s so close that her hips move on their own accord, twitching forward to chase the feeling of your heat against hers, and if she were being honest, she quite likes the thrill of getting caught… Another two knocks on the door, and you watch in awe as she topples over the edge, hips stuttering, brows furrowed, and jaw slack. She’s still riding through her orgasm when she responds, her steady voice belying her current state. “I’m alright,” she calls out, “Just stubbed my toe.” Alexandros is nonethewiser, chuckling as he bids her goodnight and begins to walk, according to his footsteps, to his room; In the opposite direction of yours.

By the grace of the Gods, you were in the clear. Your eyes trail from the door to the woman in your lap, her chest heaving from exertion. Divine. You’re certain that she is. Now, it was her turn to ask why you were staring. You shake your head, at a loss for words. She just chuckles, placing a kiss on your forehead and dismounting from your lap. She falls on the bed beside you, and you yelp when she pulls you down with her, planting kiss after kiss on the crown of your head, the side of your face, the tip of your nose. You make the mistake of settling in beside her, placing your head on her chest. It’ll make it that much harder to leave; to go back to your room, knowing that when morning comes, she’ll be gone. You decide not to think about that now. For now, you pretend that there is no choice to be made; that there is no Alexandros to consider. That there is no other to keep you from spending the rest of your nights in Kassandra’s arms. ──˚₊୨ৎ‧₊˚──

Her room is bare before Helios’s chariot breaks the horizon the next day. That is, save for the folded parchment resting on the nightstand. You pad across the stone floor to pick it up, thumb rubbing gingerly over your name scribbled in ink on its front side. When you open it, you read, 

I think I’ll visit the bronze statue of Athena outside of the Parthenon today…  I’ll be there until the 12th hour. You know the rest. -Kassandra.

──˚₊ 𝐄𝐍𝐃 ‧₊˚──

Taglist: @the-gender-gremlins

[toning-seros]

selfless to self-care: reki's character development summarized into one track

i think one of the most underrated aspects of sk8 the infinity is its soundtrack. as a (totally sane and normal) fan of the anime, i've been listening and relistening to its soundtrack to the point where its become a little game of mine where i guess what track plays in a portion of an episode i'm rewatching.

anyhow, the choice of music that plays in sk8 also holds a deeper critical meaning besides it sounding cool. and i wanted to discuss about that today with my home sliced bread sliced no. 1 all-time favorite redheaded kin of all time: reki kyan. because upon rewatching episode 5, i recognized a certain track that played during one scene that also plays later on during one of the most iconic scenes nearing the end of the series, and i don't think enough people are talking about it.

early on in episode 5, reki drops hints that foreshadow his disregard for his own wellbeing (that later gets addressed post-beach episode), prioritizing langa's safety above everything else, even though it was him that was physically recovering and experienced trauma from ad*m. from his unserious attitude when he exited the ER, to him just flat-out saying that his own problems don't matter, he selflessly ignores his own problems to focus on others.

then in the middle of the episode, reki reveals that the reason he's so protective over langa is because his unnamed childhood friend got seriously injured from skateboarding--an event that traumatized both of them, to the point that his friend quit skateboarding, and presumably caused their close friendship to fall apart.

judging from reki's constant need to protect others, his lack of care towards himself, and most notably what he says here as he averts his gaze with a look of guilt on his face, it can be theorized that whatever happened to his friend that caused him to be hospitalized, he was atleast in some way involved in it. maybe he pushed his friend to do a really sketchy trick or something? (i hope this gets addressed in season 2 im begging) whatever it was, it dramatically changed reki's beliefs of himself and his self-worth that made him want to completely ignore his own problems in exchange of helping everyone around him. (until they inevitably build up and come crashing down on him [i.e episode 7])

but we already knew all of that. what i'm really here for is the music that plays in the background during the flashback scene. and the track that played, interestingly enough, was none of than…

change our lives

now, for the more seasoned viewers, you might have already recognized the name of the track as it also plays in a later episode. but if you haven't, then give it a quick listen and tell me if it sounds familiar to you…

that's right, it's the same track that plays in episode 10, when reki and langa finally began talking things out with each other after falling out, and they realize how much they meant to one another in a late night skate session that is the second gayest scene to ever come in a sports anime. however, since this is a reki-centered essay(?) and i'd already yapped enough, i'm only going to explain about how this scene meant for reki (forgive me, langa).

from manager oka (the goat) telling him he was special in his own ways and how it's okay to focus on his self-worth too, even if it feels like doing so would only drag him down even further, to when reki argued with tadashi about how skateboarding is about having fun and persevering through the rough patches because the hard times are what make one appreciate the progress it took for them to get where they are now, episode 10 was about Reki coming to terms with his own problems and allowing himself to address them, and learning how to move forward from them by firstly learning how to love and take care of himself.

so why is this relevant, you may ask? why compare two drastically different scenes from the series that seem to have no connection with each other?

well, it's because the track both scenes were used in serves as a symbol for reki's arc in the series. it highlights reki's character development from being unhealthily selfless, to realizing he needed to love and prioritize himself too in a way that comes full circle. even from the name of the track itself, "change our lives", it signifies how reki's life has been changed twice, both in a harmful way and in a positive way.

in episode 5, "change our lives" marks reki's shift in his mindset pre-series, putting others first and protecting them all the while disregarding his own well being, all because of the hospitalization of his friend that traumatized them both so bad that it caused his friend to quit skateboarding entirely, and leading him to question his own self-worth.

contrastingly, in episode 10, "change our lives" marks reki's realization that his wellbeing and health (mentally and physically) matter just as much as everyone else's, leading to him being more willing to appreciate himself. and he couldn't have done that without langa shower him with compliments that affirmed his self-worth.

two scenes, two people reki loved the most who changed his views of himself, all tied together with one track.

[starlikeswomen]

LOOKING 4 ROBLOX CODERS!!!!!!

tumblr TWEAKED the first time i tried to post this so lets try now

HI CHAT!!!!

i have been. a little busy lately. very passionately working on a little project of mine!!! BUT!!! i unfortunately cannot do it all on my own.. i am. um. very dumb when it comes to computery... programming stuff..... SO!!! we are looking for some. people to help with that!!! yes

(if u guys want more bluudud posts share thsi bc the more work taken off my shoulders for this game the more work i can put into art hehe)

WHOSE OUR TEaM??!??!????!

@ssmallbox , @comicfizz , @underterminator and @astrxl-angel (as well as one other builder but they weren't here when I drew this)

we may also be taking extra music/building help but that is not as needed rn

HOWEVER!!! as you may notice. none of us know how to do the actual!! programmy stuff. THATS WHERE YOU (hopefully) COME IN!!!!!

WHAT IS URGE?

URGE (Otherwise known as Untitled Roblox Game/Experience) is a character driven, turn based RPG that sees you taking the perspective of a girl named Quyen Minh, as she travels through Robloxia looking for her lost brother. (As well as possibly getting caught up in stopping an evil scheme, or two.)

OBVIOUSLY kudos to games like block tales, forsaken and undertale for inspiration, although this is sort of supposed to be a love letter to the genre of rpgs in general. rpgs!!! my favorite genre!!!!

WHAT WOULD I BE DOING??!??!?

making the game work!!! hopefully there will be a small team of coders that can get things all sorted out umm. I'm not really sure what is needed so! things will be more thoroughly discussed when we actually. get ppl on. yeah

HOW CAN I GET INVOLVED???!??!/?!?

PLEASE!!! even if you are not a coder/programmer who can help but are interested in this idea anyhow, SHARE THIS POST!!!! the more inquiry we get THE BETTA!!!!

thank u for reading

[3447]

Methamphetamine

Let’s talk about Metheus – or who, or what we know as ‘Metheus’. Or as I'd like to call them Methamphetamine. They are the torch-bearer seen in the ancient murals and if you’d like to know more about their past and whatnot this is not the post for you.

Anyhow, one of my favorite theories or observations is that they are the one who wrote the Codex Umbra. My weakest defense? Codex’s signature on its cover is an “M” which goes with the M in Methamphetamine ‘Metheus’. William was just a sneaky bastard who took advantage of that en-carved signature and created his own (Maxwell). Or maybe, he didn't?

My better defense for this would be Wolfgang’s animated short. We know that Wolfgang only managed to save William because of shadow steroids, but if you look at the shadow you'll see a distinct silhouette of a familiar face. 

This gif is a slowed down version of the particular time frame (02:10) I'm talking about.

If you compare the still frames to What we have seen of Metheus & Charlie -- who was presumed to be possessed or in some sort of great connection with Metheus (which was later confirmed), you can recognize that same distinct pattern. A sharp, diamond face/mask that is adorned with flames on top. If you take the middle picture of Metheus as a reference, you can see the "flame" in where her cracked skull is.

On the topic of cracked skulls: both Charlie and Metheus were normal before their masks were cracked open. We don't see Charlie with a brain damage, but we do have Metheus' art in the ancient murals and their literal masks in the stage-play. (You can even say the missing piece of the mirror is similar to Metheus' damage.)

The only thing I want to see is Charlie's reaction or realization as to when its revealed that the very thing she hated is the one who 'guided' her and probably trusted more than anyone ever in the constant. She feared darkness as a child and became darkness itself, but she also holds resentment towards Maxwell and more specifically the Codex Umbra.

Whose author is the very same person that brought William and later the both of them (Maxwell & Charlie) to ruin. In its own paradox, she became the person that brought them to the constant. That's going to leave a mark on her already fractured mental health I am certain.

But alas, the constant has a history of Kings who sought power (Lunar, Shadow) that later drove them insane and distant (Crab King, The Ancient King who is possibly the Fuel Weaver, Maxwell) and somewhere along the way it affected their wives. (Hermit Crab, Metheus, Charlie).

Also you as the player are the one who kills the King (Boss fight, Boss fight, Adventure Mode) ...

There is more to this topic, but I'll leave it open for discussion just as the last post.

[wordsmithic]

Hi, sorry if this comes out as a ramble, but your Troy ask made me rewatch the movie (for the umpteenth time, lol), and it brought a lot of old feelings back, both good and bad. The good is how much I adored the Iliad as a child and that's something that still thrives today—since I was a kid, I loved Greek mythology in general, partly because I'm Palestinian/a fellow Eastern Mediterranean, so there is a lot of overlap in our histories, cultures, customs and myths, but the Iliad has always been a favorite. Hektor is my favorite character (and I love him and Andromache), but I also have an immense soft spot for Briseis... and now to get to the bad, rewatching Troy reminded me how a lot of people erase her and her role—and her romance—to Achilles in modern retellings. Now, I'm not going to argue which Achilles ship is the best (especially because that man is a hoe, if we're being honest), I don't care. My problem is the modern erasure of Briseis and the other women in Achilles's life that are romantically entangled with him being reduced to, "He's gay, actually." It reads biphobic if you believe him queer (Patroclus too, who had many named women concubines/slaves), first off, misogynist second. He has a son with his foster "sister," Deidamia, and in some versions even married. In the Iliad especially, Patroclus tells Briseis Achilles will marry her and Achilles himself refers to her as his wife/bride, stopping a whole war when she's taken, and she's even allowed to aid in Patroclus's funeral rights. In some versions, Achilles falls for Polyxena, and tries to make peace with Troy so he can marry her. In the afterlife, Achilles chooses Helen as his wife for some reason. Just... all these women, with complex situations and feelings, are all reduced or erased in modern tellings (and usually for a man/Patroclus), and it makes me want to scream. People use the excuse of, "We don't like the romantic situation they're in," but then claim to "better" it by... erasing or reducing these women and their complex roles and feelings from the story overall? Brieseis, for example, mutually loved Achilles and saw him as a husband... he also killed her first husband and brothers, and you can argue part of her love is out of the need for survival. Yet, she greatly mourned him when he was killed, too. And if exploring this complexity is still not your yum, what about Polyxena? Wouldn't she fit the girlboss archetype of using Achilles' affections to gain his trust, before stabbing him in the back (literally)? Or Deidamia, who's young and left at home, bereft of her husband and son? Heck, try and fill in the gaps how Achilles x Hellen happened, if you must. All these women have an important role in the story, and to Achilles, that could be explored—but people don't because they dismiss what's already there or don't know anything about The Iliad outside modern retellings (mainly The Song of Achilles). So, we get people claiming things that are untrue ("Achilles and Patroclus are exclusively gay!"... in some myths, they're actually relatives/distant cousins, fun fact 😭), and acting like they fixed something by "adding" onto "flat female characters" in a way that reads inauthentic and ignorant to the source material. I get wanting to prop up one's chosen ship, it's just the hypocrisy of promising to be more progressive in one area, but diminishing the progressiveness of another, that kills me. Anyway! Sorry for the rant, I just have a lot of feelings I wanted to share because of the movie and I know you've talked about all this before—it's just something hard to discuss on the internet without people coming down your throat 🥲. Anyhow, justice for Briseis, is my rallying cry, I love her so much, queen made a whole war stop for her and managed to escape from Agamemnon unscathed. Queen who launched a thousand ships to my heart 🫶🏻.

I'm glad you re-watched it! It's a beloved of many Greeks since the movie is quite epic and makes you understand some of the original's glory. Hector, Andromache and Briseis are some of my fave characters in the movie, and it made me also look out for those characters when they appear in the text.

Btw, I would love to know a Palestinian's pov on our shared traditions and myths, how do you guys learn the Greek myths, what parts of them have had perhaps an affect on your heritage and since when, etc! 😍

Briseis' situation is complicated one because many people won't catch the nuance of her living in a patriarchal society as a war captive and thus developing a strange co-dependence to her captors. In addition, the Homeric Epics are a work changed by time in the Greek society, as people added and altered stuff, so many storylines have been affected by other layers of patriarchal societies. So of course the notion of "slave girl mourning her captor's friend" would seem natural, because they probably don't consider a slave woman's POV. Or perhaps she was in the mourning because she had to be there as a woman "belonging" to the Greeks, and the text does not mention it explicitly because it a given for the era. (I don't recall the whole relevant text sorry)

I am not sure if the average author - judging by what is published in the Anglophone market - can handle the complexity of Briseis and other women in the Trojan war. For Briseis one could go for a romance there but they'd have to depict all of her psychosynthesis properly, so it doesn't come off as "Achilles killed my family but he is hot so I love him". To be fair, it is a challenging task but I am still sad that I haven't heard retellings that do this well. Such a retelling done well would be chef's kiss!

As you said, unfortunately, the writers for now focus on the couple Achilles x Patroclus which, ok, let's accept it since it's a ship and there is some background to it (although those guys are most likely 1) cousins 2) very close to each other like brethren in a way westerners misinterpret). I've enjoyed Song of Achilles and I am surely not against such works, but you are right that the female heroines are reduced to flat characters. A fandom full of women manages to be misogynistic - again. We shouldn't be surprised because misogynistic influences are very strong in our societies still, although many don't see it 😕

[yuseirra]

Season 2 Opening "Fatal" Analysis: If You Don't Understand "Fatal," You Can't Understand This Manga.

& Meaning of the Title "Your Wish to Your Idol" + Mephisto (Ai becoming the white star that keeps appearing throughout the story is correct (this was even stated directly)

Oh, I'm FINALLY getting to this analysis... I never did but, here we go.

Before we get to Fatal, I'd like to talk about Mephisto and briefly about the song "Your Wish to Your Idol" which Ruby sings as "her favorite song" in ch 160 and also what Ai sang in the official novel. That song's title also implies something.

Honestly, I didn’t read the novel version that carefully—I just skimmed through it—but it turns out the novel is full of foreshadowing.(I still didn't read it in full but I keep spotting things as I open it)

The song that appears in the novel and that Ruby sings near the end, in chapter 160, is titled "Your Wish to Your Idol" in the English version.

In my official novel version, the song’s title is "A Prayer to Your Idol", well, "wishes", or "prayers"... anyhow, this work frequently deals with the theme of wishes and it reappears in several cases. Please pay attention to this title for now and read on, I'll discuss why this title is important at the very end and why they chose THIS song, in particular, to appear in the final chapters of this manga. It implies something important.

This manga cannot even establish its premise without including supernatural elements, so interpreting it while taking those elements into account is the right approach. But no matter how many times I say this, people refuse to believe it, which is really frustrating…you have to!! You HAVE to!! This work does not stand without the idea of gods and wishes.

ANALYSIS ON MEPHISTO:

In Mephisto's lyrics, there’s a narrator who continuously wishes upon a star, hoping for the dead to return to life, right?

And in "Fatal," there’s talk about a "selfish star," right?

After analyzing everything, I’m fairly certain that the "star" in Mephisto refers to Ai. The song’s lyrics essentially hint at Kamiki repeatedly wishing for Ai, who is dead, to come back to life—until he goes insane.

Based only on the content from Season 1, it’s easy to assume that the song is about Aqua, especially since there’s that scene in the ending video where he falls into the water, which later happens in the actual story. That’s why many people probably think it’s Aqua’s song. But if you carefully examine the lyrics, that’s not the case.

I already fully analyzed this song before, but—

When you consider the lyric mentioning "stars" that are admiration for jewels, Ai is the one who directly compared Kamiki to a jewel (Volume 14 of the official release, Ch 139). That’s likely why she named their children after gemstones as well. The first person to be metaphorically associated with "jewels" was him, before the protagonists even came into the picture.

And in Mephisto, the narrator is constantly searching for something. They’ve forgotten who they originally were and need to remember whom they lived with. They were born with emptiness inside them. And their ultimate goal is to reunite with someone—they even claim they’d stake their life on it.

Let’s match things up one by one:

Searching for something → In chapter 160, it is stated that Kamiki is looking for "love (Ai)."

Forgotten who they were and whom they lived with → This character’s essence is the "god of light," Sarutahiko, who is the husband of the entertainment deity Ame-no-Uzume. They are worshipped (lived) together.

Born with emptiness → Chapter 146, Volume 15 (official release, page 78): Kamiki is described as "overwhelmingly empty."

Staking their life on it → In chapter 154, it’s stated that Kamiki loved Ai so much he’d sacrifice his life for her. In chapter 161, he says he doesn’t care if he dies if Ai’s life gains more weight from it. He also said in chapter 147 that he doesn’t mind dying.

Goals on reuniting with the dead→ Chapter 162. He desperately wants to meet and feel Ai again and that was his purpose.

There’s even a lyric in that song that says, "The sorrowful light that gathers day by day." "Light" = Hikaru (Kamiki’s name). Since Ame-no-Uzume’s husband is a god of light, it confirms that Kamiki is that god. This is his true identity.

Meanwhile, Aqua’s ultimate goal was always centered around Sarina-Ruby. (Also, I just opened the novel again, and it turns out that as Gorou, Aqua had already received his mission even then…?!). Aqua’s deeper connection is actually with Sarina, and Ai is more of an extension of that. It makes more sense to view it this way—he was already deeply mourning Sarina, and then Ai’s situation got added on top of it, leading to his overwhelming guilt. That’s why, once he realized that Ruby was Sarina, he felt saved. That’s the natural psychological flow for Aqua.

Aqua’s top priority—his most important person—is Ruby. Even in the future he envisions as a wish, things related to Sarina are at its core.

However, the lyrics of Mephisto describe someone who wants to bring the dead back to life to meet them again. And if that’s not possible, they want to become something similar to that person instead. Meanwhile, the narrator of the song appears as someone who urges the protagonist twins to come after him.(Ruby and Aqua both wanted to find this guy)

A lot of people probably interpret the first part as referring to Aqua and the last two lines as Kamiki, but that’s wrong.

If you carefully analyze the lyrics, every line in this song is from Kamiki’s perspective. All the hints are there. This is NOT Aqua's perspective. Very clever though, because it seems like it until you realize it's so.

Aqua never wanted to resurrect Ai, nor did he want to give up everything to make that happen. Aqua’s stance on revenge was that, if he could, he wouldn’t have done it at all. He just wanted peace. But he was suffering too much, overwhelmed by guilt, and he also had a mission that had been placed upon him, so giving up wasn’t an option.

He actually tried to stop, but the moment he found out that his target was still alive, he immediately set his sights back on revenge. That was Aqua’s mission— to kill Kamiki and protect Ruby.

Aqua isn’t living to bring someone back to life or to meet them again.

Even though the lyrics of Mephisto are about that. This song, from beginning to end, is about a person who feels very hollow after having lost their beloved

"This lie is love, and this lie is a gift to the world."

It's written from a person who loved Ai, who lived by embodying the idea that “lies are love.” Ai herself said, "Lies are love," yet she didn’t really lie to her own children.

The phrase "Lies are love" is a key concept that ties both Ai and Hikaru together, because Ai parted ways with Hikaru by lying out of love for him.

Ruby… aside from the very last chapter, she’s a character who generally distances herself from lies. Aqua, rather than lying, has more of a tendency to manipulate others (he doesn’t actually lie that much). But Kamiki and Ai—both are liars. And in my view, both of them lied out of love, pretending to be fine when they weren’t, claiming they didn’t love when they actually did. Ai’s case of practicing “Lies are love” was specifically concerning her boyfriend.

So, the person most deeply connected to this phrase in reality is Kamiki. I mean, Ai outright says it in chapter 154—

The entire message of that video is: "I loved Hikaru, but I lied and said I can’t." That’s what it is.

(Ai definitely loved him. If that’s not love, then what is it…? lol)

And honestly, I don’t think the authors would’ve just slapped a simple psychopath as her beloved boyfriend. Looking deeper, it’s obvious that it was mutual—intensely mutual. That’s why I got so invested in this manga!!! I feel so wronged, seriously… lol.

They’re not just a pair. They’re literally modeled after divine spouses. These two weren’t just fated to be together; even in mythology, they’d be the kind of fated couple that is bound by destiny. They’re the archetypal divine pair of entertainment gods!! That’s how destined they are!!!

ANALYSIS ON FATAL:

Now, Fatal is even more blatant.

Until now, I deliberately avoided analyzing Fatal line by line. Out of pure stubbornness…

Earlier I had received an ask asking what made me so intrigued about Hikaru and Ai as a couple! The two things that made me dig deeper into this manga and those two were chapter 154 and Fatal (though Fatal was released first, right?).

The moment I heard that song, my immediate reaction was, What is this?? This level of emotional intensity is way too high??

And then, right after that, I read the newly released chapter—

And immediately thought, This is Kamiki’s song.

And if Fatal is Kamiki’s song, then Mephisto, which tells the same story, is also Kamiki’s song.

And I was right~~~ 😭😭😭

Ugh, I kept writing on my Pixiv fanart logs, repeatedly saying Fatal is this character’s song. I wonder if anyone noticed. I was so frustrated…

Because if a song like this exists, then this person isn’t the culprit.

That’s what I believe.

Because this is a song about the psychology of someone who keeps giving and offering—it’s completely different in nature from harming and taking away. And Kamiki is a character who, from childhood, has lived by constantly giving things away to others. The thought of him trying to take something from Ai never made sense to me. And this song was exactly the same. It’s all about giving, offering, and sacrificing. The psychology fits him perfectly. This is… a song filled with unbearable suffering, agony, and sorrow.

Him?? Him, hurting Ai?? That’s the real lie. And I realized that immediately.

Honestly, I’m so frustrated. I feel like I’m going to explode.

Many seem to think he’s a complete trash psycho, and they talk about Ai and Kamiki’s relationship like it’s a portrayal of twisted emotions leading him to harm her in darkness or whatever.

But that’s just not true. And it’s driving me insane.

If Fatal is truly from Kamiki’s perspective, then this person couldn’t have done anything to Ai.

He already gave her everything and was still desperate, wondering if there was anything more he could possibly give.

If only Ai were alive, he could do anything, give anything.

That’s the kind of person he is. And I’m sure this interpretation is correct.

That’s why, seeing it this way, it’s so frustrating and upsetting!! ;; I feel so bad for him!!

I don’t feel bad for him in other ways, but the fact that this accusation remains unresolved is too cruel.

If Ai hadn’t died, he wouldn’t have ended up like this. He really just wanted to send her flowers, but everything spiraled out of control, and all the suppressed emotions he had been holding back just exploded. His last thread of sanity snapped.

So at least in that regard, I feel bad for him. It shouldn’t have ended like this.

I really think he was a good person. But even that—the story remains ambiguous.

It’s too cruel. His life turned out so horrifyingly tragic.

Well, here we go, Let's explain Fatal lyric by lyric:

また夢から覚める、濡れた瞼を開ける

Once again, I wake from a dream, opening my damp eyelids.

狂おしいほど思い残す、遠い日の無力さを呪う

I am tormented by memories I cannot forget, cursing the powerlessness of those distant days.

(→ After Ai's death, he keeps having nightmares and cannot forget. He curses himself for being unable to do anything at the time. This part is the same as Aqua.)

身を焼かれるような絶望も糧にはなろうか

Could despair, burning me from within, become my sustenance?

(→ In Chapter 158, Tsukuyomi mentions that Kamiki’s love is tied to the emotion of "despair.")

憧れに焦がれるまま燃やし続けている

I continue to burn as I chase after my longing.

(→ The "human drawn to Ai like a moth to flames" metaphor from Chapter 3 refers to this person.)

キラキラお星様宿したあなたのeyes

Your eyes, in which twinkling stars reside.

(→ Kamiki's company is named "EYES."

"Star" = Hoshino Ai = the goddess of dawn and entertainment, Ame-no-Uzume. Kamiki's divine wife.

Stars = gods, as explained in my previous post:

The myth of Ame-no-Uzume aligns with Ai’s narrative: she brings Amaterasu out of darkness, her husband is the god of light, and he drowns in water.

Ai is compared to the morning star and is said to be its reincarnation.

Morning star's reincarnation = Ame-no-Uzume (goddess of dawn) = star’s reincarnation = god’s reincarnation → star = god.

This is further supported by Chapter 118, where Tsukuyomi explicitly states that Ai became a star.

Thus, star = Ai = god → Ai is a god, the reincarnation of the goddess of entertainment, Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto.)

Kamiki's company, "EYES," was founded to seek the "eyes" in which the "star" resides.

カラカラ渇いて可哀想なlack of 愛？

A pitiful, bone-dry lack of love?

(→ This describes Kamiki's state—devoid of love, searching for it. He grew up starving for love and, now that Ai (love) is gone, continues searching for it (Chapter 160).)

全てを孤独から救う眩しい光

A dazzling light that saves everything from solitude.

(→ The light in his eyes = Ai.

She once freed Kamiki from his loneliness, and they were happy together.)

僕にだけ落ちる影はあなたのせい？

Is the shadow that falls upon only me because of you?

致命的な欠落をくれたね

You gave me a fatal void(flaw).

(→ But after Ai's disappearance (death), this person is left permanently broken.

His eyes turned black, and he can no longer return to what he once was.

The only time they shone again in the present was when he saw Ruby—likely because she inherited Ai’s power, which reached him.

Without Ai (the light of love), he cannot be restored as a true god of light.)

身勝手な巨星、狂わされた生

A selfish giant star, a life driven mad.

(→ "Giant star"—Ai is capricious, but in English, this line is translated as "selfish giant star, ruined lives."

We established earlier that stars = gods. If Kamiki is a god, he can also be likened to a star.

And "selfish"—Aqua explicitly calls Kamiki selfish in Chapter 159.

As a god meant to guide the future, Kamiki has ruined countless lives for his selfish wish to reunite with Ai.

His own life, too; he says he has gone mad.

This is not because he is inherently evil, but because losing Ai drove him insane.)

お願い、声を聞かせて、声を聞かせて

Please, let me hear your voice, let me hear your voice.

絡まって歪んでしまった傷さえ

Even the wounds that have twisted and tangled.

くれたのはあなただ��、あなただけ

The only one who gave them to me was you, only you.

(→ At the time they parted, Ai said incredibly harsh things, deeply wounding her boyfriend.

Yet, to Kamiki, Ai was still the only one who truly gave him anything.

For Aqua, this doesn't apply as much.

He does long to hear Ai's voice and is hurt by her death, but the song's tone carries an undercurrent of love and partial blame.

Ai never wronged Aqua in any way.

That’s why I feel this sentiment aligns more with Kamiki's emotions.)

お願い、僕を見ていて、僕を見ていて

Please, look at me, look at me.

宿命に刻まれた痛みさえ武器にして

Using even the pain etched into my fate as a weapon.

いつかの後悔すら照らせるように

So that even long-past regrets may be illuminated.

(→ The word "fate" appears.

In Chapter 161, Tsukuyomi states that Kamiki came to believe it was his duty to amplify Ai’s presence.

This part aligns with Aqua’s circumstances as well since he does have himself a mission to pursue.

Since the song is sung by two people, it likely represents both Aqua and Kamiki’s emotions.

It's a clever composition.

However, Aqua doesn’t live only to be seen by Ai.

The song’s narrator is a deranged being who ruins lives and fixates solely on one person.

That’s why, the moment I heard it, I instinctively thought,

"This is too extreme to be Aqua… this has to be Kamiki.")

あなたがいないと生きていけない

I can’t live without you.

何もかも捧げてしまってもいい

I’d give up everything.

あなたの愛がまだ足らない

Your love is still not enough.

欠けたものは何で埋めたらいい？

What should I use to fill this emptiness?

(→ Need I say more? This part is decisive.

This is Kamiki’s very psyche—his driving force in everything he’s done all this time.

If Aqua felt this way, he would be in serious trouble.

Unlike Kamiki, Aqua has Ruby, Kana, Akane, and the president’s family. He has a life.

Aqua’s death was for Ruby, not for Ai.

Ai wouldn’t have wanted things to turn out this way.

What kind of mother wants her child to kill the man who could have been her husband and die alongside him?

Ai wanted Kamiki to be saved.

This is frustrating. My head hurts...

To add, Aqua wanted to live.

Even if that moment of clarity wasn’t explicitly shown in the water, I already knew it.

Kamiki, on the other hand, has no lingering attachment to life.

He just wants to see Ai again.

The only reason he’s still alive is that he believes there’s something he can still do for her—

even if it’s something horribly twisted.

This character is completely devoted to Ai.

And given his backstory and even the mythology supporting it,

he was always meant to be a god who cherishes his wife above all else.

Aqua, no matter how much he loves Ai, cannot go that far.

As Kamiki said—he had far more reasons to keep living. He should have listened to his father.)

致命的、致命的、致命的な愛

Fatal, Fatal, Fatal Love

運命的、運命的、運命的なI

Fateful, Fateful, Fateful "I"

必然的、必然的、必然的な哀

Inevitable, Inevitable, Inevitable Sorrow

僕を見ていてね、最愛のファタール！

Look at me, my beloved Fatale!

This part... if we really analyze it, it can also be matched with mythology.

Ame-no-Uzume was truly a "fatal" existence to her husband, Sarutahiko. With her fatal charm, she seduced her husband, who was guarding the path(Ai was fatal for Kamiki), leading them to a fateful union(So Kamiki was fateful to Ai.). And following the myth, Sarutahiko eventually drowns to death, making sorrow an inevitable consequence.

"Look at me, my most beloved fatale!"

→ In this context, since Ai has died, it's a plea to see her again. It can also be interpreted as "My most beloved, fatal lover." The term "fatale" is usually used for an alluring person of the opposite sex, making it more suited for a lover. The only person who would refer to Ai this way... wouldn't Kamiki be the most fitting? After all, they even had children together.

遥か彼方から放たれた美しさに

"To the beauty radiating from a faraway place"

灼かれた眼、もがれた羽根、創造的堕天

"Scorched eyes, torn wings, a creative fall from grace"

あらゆる視界をジャック

"Hijacking every gaze"

その輝きはエゴイスティック

"That radiance is egoistic"

→ "Egoistic" can be interpreted as "arbitrary" or "selfish." Ai fits this, but isn't "radiance" also Hikaru?

Take a close look at the lyrics.

"The beauty radiating from a faraway place" → This refers to Ai, who became a star.

"Scorched eyes, torn wings, a creative fall from grace" → This lyric stood out to me when I first heard the song. In fact, it made me wonder: "Could it be that both Ai and Hikaru are gods?" I think that's the case.

These lyrics don't apply to Aqua at all, but they fit Kamiki perfectly. This is a very important set of lyrics.

"Scorched eyes" represents Kamiki’s eyes turning black (Chapter 140).

"Torn wings" could refer to Ai’s death (she was soaring high but then met her end) or it could be a metaphor for his fall into corruption.

After seeing Ai become a star, Kamiki resolved to do something in response (creativity). As a god meant to guide others, he lost his way and strayed from the right path (fall from grace).

胸の奥仕舞った感情さえ

"Even the emotions tucked deep inside my heart"

引っ張り出して昇華して

"Draw them out and sublimate them"

僕という運命を全部抱きしめていく

"Embrace my entire fate and move forward"

→ These lyrics could apply to both Aqua and Kamiki, but in Kamiki’s case, they directly tie to what Tsukuyomi mentioned in Chapter 161.

He wanted to do something related to Ai. That’s the reason he believes he is still alive (in Mephisto, he wanted to die but couldn't; he then concluded "I gave you my life, so you gave me time in return, didn't you?"). That belief pushed him forward, driving him into madness, just as the earlier lyrics describe.

あなたがいないと生きていけない

"I can't live without you"

眩しさでこの身を照らして欲しい

"I want you to shine your brilliance upon me"

あなたの愛がまだ足らない

"Your love is still not enough"

夢の中でもらうしかないのに

"Even though I can only receive it in my dreams"

→ The interpretation of "light" in the lyrics should be connected to Kamiki. This also aligns with Mephisto, where it was said that light was gathering.

Kamiki has been desperately searching for Ai’s (love’s) light, but it was never enough. He truly can only receive it in his dreams. But this man is the god of light. Light = love. (This is why Chapter 160’s discussion about starry eyes was necessary. The light from starry eyes is a medium that conveys love. And as a god of light, Kamiki needs that love. He literally cannot live without it.)

致命的、致命的、致命的な愛

"Fatal, fatal, fatal love"

運命的、運命的、運命的なI

"Fateful, fateful, fateful I"

必然的、必然的、必然的な哀

"Inevitable, inevitable, inevitable sorrow"

誰のものでもない、最愛のファタール！

"Belonging to no one, my most beloved fatale!"

→ This lyric is crucial for character interpretation.

"Belonging to no one." This is important. Kamiki never tried to possess Ai. That is the fundamental difference between him and people like Nino or Ryosuke.

What Kamiki wanted was to give to Ai. He didn't have many demands from her. He just wanted her to exist, to stay alive. If she could be by his side, that would have been even better. But after their separation, there is no concrete evidence that he ever tried to bring her back to him. In fact, Ai seems to have been the one who reached out first and initiated contact.

If this lyric reflects Kamiki’s true feelings—and it really seems to—it means his sentiment toward Ai was "I miss her existence itself."

And if that's the case, then his feelings were not harmful. It also explains why Ai loved him so much. Kamiki had a genuinely healthy view of love when it came to Ai. He gave so much but never seemed to expect much in return.

Compare this to the stance in the song "Idol." The lyrics which claim Ai cannot be forgiven unless she's perfect. The kind of possessive, warped desire that makes people think "She’s an idol, how dare she have kids? She betrayed her fans!"—that kind of toxic demand for ownership doesn't exist in Kamiki.

I've been closely analyzing him in the latter half of the story, and he really doesn’t exhibit that kind of mentality at all. This is why I ended up thinking: "Ai truly found a good person."

When it comes to love, this is the right attitude to have. There is a difference between healthy attachment and toxic possessiveness.

"Ai belongs to me, and I belong to Ai." (Chapter 153) → This level of exclusivity is normal and even expected in a deep, committed relationship.

But "You must be like this," or "You’re mine, and I won’t let anyone else have you."—this is harmful. And Kamiki never expressed that.

This is also why I don’t think he would have engaged in dating violence. He loved Ai too much. It seems like he loved her in an extremely pure way…

何度悔やんだだろう

"How many times have I regretted it?"

何度呪っただろう

"How many times have I cursed it?"

どれほどの幸福を注いだとしても

"No matter how much happiness I pour into it,"

満たされることのない器

"It is a vessel that can never be filled."

何度夢見ただろう

"How many times have I dreamed?"

何度願っただろう

"How many times have I wished?"

僕の胸で膿み続けている傷を撫でる手を

"For a hand to soothe

this festering wound in my chest…"

→ The reason I believe this fits Kamiki more than Aqua is that words like "never be filled" and "empty" are descriptors that belong to Kamiki. Aqua doesn’t really give off the impression of being "empty"—from my perspective, it's more like he's experiencing intense depression or guilt (though, of course, he does have some sense of deficiency).

Also… it’s not like Aqua has no one to comfort him. If he were still clinging to his mother even now, at his age—somewhere between adolescence and adulthood—then he’d just be a mama’s boy. He has people he likes, people who like him, truly precious people, and even family. He’s not in a position where he's only yearning for those things from Ai. And besides, the emotions in this song as a whole feel much closer to those directed at a lover.

This is Kamiki. He has no one in his life but Ai… If there’s anyone who would seek these things from Ai, it fits Kamiki the most.

この舞台で足掻くことをやめない

"I can't stop struggling on this stage."

Kamiki is an actor. (And there are lyrics in "Mephisto" that are very similar to this. Something about not being able to escape from the stage? This person has gone too far to turn back now.)

ただ一つのアイに近づきたい

"I want to draw closer to my one and only Ai (love)."

Kamiki’s goal is to meet Ai again (Fatale), bring her back (Mephisto), and feel her presence (Chapter 162). Aqua’s goal, on the other hand, wasn’t to get close to Ai, but to avenge her or fulfill her wish. And yet, I think even that was something he ultimately failed to do.

固く定まったこの宿命

"This firmly decided destiny."

Mentioned in Chapter 161(Tsukuyomi's statement, Kamiki came to believe what he's doing is his destiny now)

あの星の光からこぼれた闇

"The darkness that spilled from that star’s light."

Ai (the morning star = the love of Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto) gives out the "star's light". Kamiki’s black star is the darkness that spilled from that light—his fall from grace.

あなたがいないと生きていけない

"I can’t go on living without you."

何もかも捧げてしまってもいい

"I don’t mind offering everything I have."

If Aqua were like this, that would be a serious problem. He shouldn’t be like this. But this? This is exactly what Kamiki was doing.

あなたの愛がまだ足らない

"Your love still isn’t enough."

欠けたものは何で埋めたらいい？

"With what should I fill this emptiness?"

Because he lacked the light of love, he tried to fill that void by stealing the light of others' starry eyes. That’s what this is about. When he talks about how his life became heavy—that’s what he means. By taking in the light of love (Ai’s light), he convinced himself that he had gotten closer to Ai. And honestly, I think he really did feel it to some extent. He was good at finding people with starry eyes… He was searching for his godly wife.

致命的、致命的、致命的な愛

"Fatal, fatal, fatal love."

運命的、運命的、運命的なI

"Destined, destined, destined I."

必然的、必然的、必然的な哀

"Inevitable, inevitable, inevitable sorrow."

僕を見ていてね、最愛のファタール！

"Look at me, my dearest Fatale!"

最愛のファタール

"My dearest Fatale."

He’s crying out for Ai.

As a side note, the reason the song’s title uses the masculine Fatal instead of the feminine Fatale is because…

The narrator of this song—Kamiki—is also a Fatal. This is a song sung by Fatal as he longs for his Fatale.

…Wow, this is exhausting.

Seriously, does no one else interpret the song this way? Isn’t it just obvious? ;; I feel so alone but this song reveals so much...

ANALYSIS ON YOUR WISH TO YOUR IDOL:

Now, finally, I’ll interpret why the song title “Your Wish to Your Idol” appears in Chapter 160, where Ruby sings it, and why it’s also featured in the novel adaptation.

It’s simple.

In this story, who is "the Idol? It’s Ai. Kamiki’s beloved. Ruby’s beloved. Aqua’s beloved. The beloved of the masses…

So, the title can be interpreted as "Your Wish Upon Ai."

Ai is also deeply tied to Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto, who represents the “white star” in this manga (Ai was even stated to have become a star). When Ame-no-Uzume and her husband are together, they are deified as the gods of fulfilled wishes. They grant wishes together.

Think back to Chapter 147. When Ruby made a wish, both Kamiki and the white star were present. Kamiki referenced a god and asked Ruby what her true wish was. Then, as Ruby made her wish, the white star twinkled.

That wish came true because both Ai and Kamiki were there together.

Kamiki might also be able to grant wishes on his own—since the wishes made at Aratate Shrine were fulfilled. But notice that the white star wasn’t present then. And the way those wishes were granted? They went in a strange direction.

Aratate Shrine enshrines both Ame-no-Uzume and Sarutahiko, but the white star (Ame-no-Uzume) wasn’t there. So if a wish was granted at that time, it was likely Kamiki alone who fulfilled it. This was a hint that while he has power, it is distorted.

Sarutahiko is a god who guides people toward the future. He is supposed to lead them in a good direction (which is why people pray to him), but the wishes weren’t granted in a "good" way, were they?

Kamiki was in a terrible state, longing for Ai, and had fallen into corruption. But does that mean he had malicious intent? Maybe not.

This is why "Fatal" is such an important song—because it exposes Kamiki’s state of mind. He isn’t in a normal condition. He is completely broken, so consumed by his desire to see Ai that he can't even take care of himself anymore. Evil? …I don’t think so. If Ai had just returned to him, he probably would have been fine. But since that was impossible, he kept searching, went mad, and…

Going back to the song title "Your Wish to Your Idol"—why was it introduced at the end?

Because Ai does have the power to grant wishes as the "white star".

Remember the lyrics of "Mephisto"?

"I keep wishing upon the stars, I wish you had lived."

The speaker repeats this sentiment.

That speaker is Kamiki, speaking to Ai. He is wishing upon the star(Ai, who's become it), saying:

"I want to meet you again. If I can’t… then I want to become you—to become a god like you. Or to take your light for myself."

But he still has a sliver of conscience left. In the end, he tells his children, "Goodnight. Come for me." Because he cannot forgive himself.

However, by the time we reach "Fatal," he… seems to have gone beyond that. I don’t know if it happens after watching Ai’s video, but his desperation has reached another level.

"Mephisto" is driven by longing and sorrow, but "Fatal" gives the impression of blind recklessness—like he’s lost all sense of restraint.

In Mephisto, at least, he still thought about his children—his last act in the manga was visiting them, likely to grant them one final wish. That’s what I believe he did. Kamiki is a god who can grant wishes, and in his last act, he fulfilled one wish for each child. He didn’t lack paternal love—all he did was listen to them and hear their wishes. That’s what he came for.

But in Fatal… it feels like he completely lost it. The timing of this song's release suggests that Fatal is a song about Kamiki’s emotions after seeing that video. Fatal was released right before Ch 154 happened, I remember it very clearly because I encountered both nearly at the same time.

And in the final chapter, we see a star on Ruby’s fingertip and a star in the sky.

Ai, as a star, may have been watching everything—and granting wishes all along.

That’s what the title of this song hints at—Ai’s true nature and her ability.

That said, I think Ai’s power is weaker than her husband's. She seems to have a special connection to love, but…

That part is accurate to mythology as well—since Sarutahiko is an “Ōkami” (Great Deity), he is stronger than his wife, Ame-no-Uzume. He might even be stronger than Tsukuyomi and Susanoo, since he leads the gods of the earth.

If we go by hierarchy, Amaterasu-Ōmikami (Ruby) should be the strongest, but… the story ended before she could do much.

But honestly… Kamiki seems to have reality-warping powers. Maybe that’s why they avoided showing it explicitly—because his actions defy logic.

It feels like Kamiki had some immense power, but he was a devoted husband who didn’t know how to control it. His wife died, and his desperate desire to bring her back led him to completely lose himself and cause an irreversible disaster.

Isn’t that the real truth of this story?

Because if you look at the things Kamiki did, none of it makes any sense. They don’t even explain how he did it. But they don’t need to.

Because he is a god who controls fate.

Why else would they give him that name?

If that’s the case, then the story should have properly explained Sarutahiko-Ōkami. But maybe the author wanted the readers to figure it out themselves.

…Do you know how hard that was?!

I’M NOT JAPANESE!!! this wasn't common sense for me!!

I’M NOT JAPANESE, OKAY?!?! Oh my god... I struggled so much, I can't say it wasn't entirely enjoyable but when you're so alone on this, it's sad!! and I'm sure I've interpreted everything in an accurate sense.

So, here we are. I'm glad I finally made an analysis of Fatal. I've had this festering in my mind for some time, but I finally made it!

[sundogsandrainbows]

Hi, I'm sorry to write to you out of the blue, but Of Elves and Humans was the first DA longfic that got me hooked back in 2011 when I, as a dumb teen, happened to pick up DAO. Ever since then, the DA universe has been a constant fixation of mine and my admiration for you as a writer as well as someone who isn’t afraid to call out the franchise's flaws has never wavered. Now that Bioware decided to take a massive shit on everything pre-DAV and their oldest fans specifically, I'm really devastated and feel like a fool for having been so invested in DA and its lore for those past 13 years. It’s incredibly encouraging, however, to see you keep on keeping on. "So since they spat in my face like this I ignore this atrocity of a game even exists" is where I hope to be at soon, too. Thank you.

(First of all apologies for the late reply, I put it in my drafts when i was too tired to complete it, and then my adhd brain forgot it existed due to being distracted by new shinies 😂☠)

But aww omg i cannot believe i was the gateway drug into dragon age, or rather the old version of my story on FFN was. I am so very honored <3 And nonnie, I feel you. I am invested in DA as a series since DA:O's release in 2009, like I bought it on a whim for XBox because I liked Mass Effect 1 sm. So that is 15 yrs of my life i spent loving and discussing a thing while still being critical of the thing, but now i feel so very protective of the world, lore and its characters that "New Bioware" has decided to take a massive dump of shit on, and not only the games but the old fans I feel are treated with disdain too and do not matter to them any longer.

Long, subjective rant about current bioware aka the shambling corpse of its former self and talent incoming. Spoilers for Veilguard bc i don't give a fuck to avoid them :D You (general you, not you in particular dearest nonny <3) should use your time better than to play this shit anyhow 😂

It feels like calculated malice of new Bioware to apply the scorched earth tactics to offscreen destroy everything that old fans and fans of the other games in general held dear, and was supposed to suck out the enjoyment of DAO, DA2 and DAI. Like it is obvious they plan to create a sequel on DA's scorched bones, but jfc, you can do so story-wise without spitting everyone loving what old bioware has built in the face after dropkicking them. But to me that is part of the problem, since if i remember correctly and i wish i could find the bit... they praised Veilguard as "The best Dragon Age game ever", with the most interesting companions and best most improved combat system, comparing it to the other three games in a near smug fashion. There is marketing and there is putting the other games down to prop up your most favorite and only child mattering and they were definitely doing the latter. And don't get me started on the whole "Who is Zevran" debacle or we are gonna here all day.

Bottom line is new/current devs and writer do not give a shit about and very possibly have never played any other game than Inquisition, and you cannot tell me otherwise. And since a lot of devs/writer have left since the start of this project that would become this abysmal game, I also have the impression that there is a lot of underlying resentment toward what these former colleagues have created and so they piss on it in order to make it fully theirs now. Like dogs marking their territory, and well that did not work out, imo. At all.

Ever since they announced respecting our past choices by ignoring them (????) it was clear to me that I would not play Veilguard but just watch a playthrough and all spoilers and then move on. And everything i saw before release was shocking... like i was flabbergasted at how baaaad the dialogue was, which as a writer myself is super important to me in my story. There was no subtext, characters just blurt out everything they think and feel, like a lifeless doll you squeeze and words tumbling out and just as natural. It is stilted, awkward and 80% of it exists for info dump or info dumb rather as they keep repeating the same shit they just told you a few seconds ago as if you as the player are braindead. Here is a good example of what i mean.

Jfc, who edited this crap? There is so much superfluous dialogue that adds nothing to a scene but annoyance for the player and says nothing at all. Just pure senseless yapping in the most cringy way. Why was no one there to trim this nonsense as you should as a writer/editor? Hell, they really disregarded every simple and basic writing rule (everything is told never SHOWN for example especially in dialogue) which really made me question their competence in what they were doing and thus the quality of the upcoming game but i still held out hope for it to not be that bad.

Well shit, it was even worse. In all regards. Especially the writing that cringed this writer into a new dimension with its incoherent incompetence. Jfc. they got paid for that? I'm convinced the majority of fandom writer can do much better, even unpaid. Hell my cat just by walking over the keyboard can manage a better draft and script...💀

But I digress. That is a rant for another time. Point is, nonny, despite my defiant words, I struggled too for days after i got to know the full extent of Bioware's spiteful fuckery to even look at anything da related, in my case my Alistair/Mahariel longfic. I was really down for a few days, ngl. Then again, there is nothing better than spite fueling my creativity to prove "i can write better" soooo in the end and with the help of the much better first version of DA4 in the artbook, I was able to exorcise the demons and feverdream-mindfuck of mediocrity sold to me as a turd with gold-glitter that is this game.

I have successfully now rejected its existence, filled the void with the version that should have been from the artbook and vowed to give no fucks what bioware is doing or saying and infinitely more fucks when writing my own version of thedas and the version of DA4 that should be. REWRITES BBY hell yeah. So OEAH:R is just the beginning of a verse-wise rewrite. But if you need a pick me up, nonny, you are very much welcome to take a trip down memory lane to Dragon 9:30 and see how much this iteration of the story differs from my first one back in the days. Because in this house of mine, we grow and learn as writers, unlike bioware where writer ego reigns surpreme (oh boy and does it ever show in VG) aka eating their own turds and tell themselves it is the finest chocolate 💀

There is still a lot of good about DA out there, but we have to accept it does not come from Bioware any longer. Instead it came, comes and will come from the fans and creators of art and texts and words defying their bullshit with their love and respect for the world, its lore and characters. Also very unlike Bioware.

As we should <3

[seirindono]

Just found out about Missing Scarf yesterday and I have to say I am already in love with this comic. I also feel like Mel has very easily become my favourite character in all Undertale's multiverse, which actually feels refreshing because I have been a huge fan of Gaster's variations for a few years now lol (consedering she seems to be related to him in someway, that might explain how I ended up liking her so much, haha). I was wondering, what was your inspiration to create Mel? Could you tell us more about her? Obviously we will learn more about her in future updates, but what about her personality, for example? I'm really loving your work, it's amazing! Keep it up, but make sure you don't overdo yourself. (english is my second language, so excuse me if something may have sounded off)

Welcome! And thank you so much for the kind words, it's never less than an honor to see readers get attached to Mel and her story, especially when she's surrounded by some of the fandom's all-time favorites (uf, us, og cast, …)

And the Gaster part...Well, yeah, I totally understand ( ´ ▿ ` )

Regarding her personality, hm there's a lot to say, and much I'd like to compile in a single post (hence this poll, but Mel can't go first for reasons).

What I can say, however, is that one thing that's important to consider when discussing Mel is her moral compass. Notion of Good and Evil, what's wrong what's right, responsibility and zeal, loyalty and instinct. Guilt.

The Mel who is excited to receive reader's gifts, banters with Blue and gives advice bc she feels bad for Axe is the same one who threatened to ruthlessly dust Rus and talks about “stalking” soul-broken fellow Monsters for duty sake all the while hiding things from everyone.

Most of Mel's actions, words and reactions can be understood or anticipated if your start considering this and where she gets her values from. You might gain a whole new perspective of her character as well while doing so.

(As for concrete inspirations, you could say she's loosely inspired by various fictional works with ambiguous/grey characters, knights, and a smidgen of irl observation.. Anyhow, Mel was initially writen to give the impression of a undertale secret mini-boss. Optional too)

[lumine-no-hikari]

Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #504

I hoped to play some Valheim today, but... I didn't. It was yet another slow day of sleeping in and derping around on the internet. That said though, I also managed to get some laundry done, take a walk with J, talk with a few of my friends who needed support, and to do a little bit of leisure writing. The results of that were... cathartic and necessary, I think; I am still trying to become someone who is not doubtful of my own worth, and... I think this shed some light on a few things.

At some point, M wanted to go to his favorite spot to eat. I... am still superstitiously nervous of anyone leaving the house. Daniel was killed 3 days after he completed his trip, and... 3 days have not yet passed since J and I returned home. I know it's silly. I know that. I do. But... still... anything can happen. Anything can take away someone you love in the blink of an eye. Anything at all. You have to be careful out there. And... you have to love the people around you properly while you have them. It's important.

J went with M to the place, and I felt a little better about that. M brought me back my favorite chopped cheese sandwich from there, and that was pretty rad. I wonder if you'd like it...

I don't have much to say; there's not much in the way of big thoughts going through my head that I feel like I have the freedom to discuss in this space without jeopardizing what I'm trying to do for you. And... it's getting pretty late anyway (relative to when I'm supposed to be going to bed anyhow...). I really wanna fix my sleep schedule. That's important, too.

So, I guess I'll just show you the pictures I got along the walk J and I took today. I got some of the sky, and... the leaves are starting to come out in my area, and the flowers, too; I know you like flowers...

...I don't know how, but... I've always known that you like flowers...

...I wish I could weave some of these into your hair. Or maybe even string some beads into braided sections of your hair. Or even ribbons, or... something like that. If you'd allow it.

I'm gonna maybe try to play some Valheim tomorrow. Tomorrow, for sure. It should work out. Probably.

I love you, and... I hope you're okay, wherever you are. I hope... I hope you can hear me, wherever you are. I hope that knowing you're precious to someone will prompt you to keep yourself safe and to treat yourself well. I hope you'll come back home.

I'll write again soon.

Your friend, Lumine

[drama-glob]

(Sorry this is a day late, but I had to leave Las Vegas early yesterday and I wasn't feeling 100% anyhow :/)

I got into the last "Helluva Boss" panel on Sunday and it was probably the least busy of the three but it still had a winding line. They opened it up with Rochelle singing "Cotton Candy" and we got to join in some too. They then had the other panelists come on stage one by one. :)

There was an extra surprise though when we heard over the speakers in an annoyed tone, "Okay Morgana," to reveal that Andrealphus's voice actor Jason LaShea was there and came up on stage. ^_^ Things were pretty packed until the crew took mercy on them and brought out another couch, which Cristina took all for herself. ;) They talked about Rochelle becoming the full-time voice of Bee, how Georgina loved getting to see the whiny, bratty side of Stella in "Western Energy" since she had only seen her angry up to that point and how Jason's first impression of Andrealphus was that he was a complicated, interconnected puzzle like "The opening in "Game of Thrones,"" but then finding some of those parts were made of Play-Doh. XD XD XD Jason also said he realized Andrealphus needs Stella because he knows that she's the star. ;)

They also got to talking about a new Beelzebub music video coming called "Buzzin'" and Sam Haft said it's his favorite unreleased song yet. ^_^ They also brought out one of the writers Lyle Rath, who wrote the next upcoming short, which he said is called "It's Orphan Time." XD XD XD I know I can't wait to see how that turns out. ;) I sadly didn't get to make it to the Helluva Show they had the night before, mainly because I was having phone issues and wanted to try and get it fixed, but oh well. :/

Monica brought up how she actually has Emberlynn's outfit in her closet even before she voiced her and after Georgina brought up seeing a slutty Stella cosplay, her, Monica and Morgana discussed the possibility of all three of them showing up next year in cosplay as their characters. ^_^<3<3<3 Eric also brought up how he's had people at his comedy shows talk about Chaz or even dress up as him and bringing them up onstage to since "Chaz Time." XD XD XD

They also got asked what kind of music they imagined their characters listened to, so Cristina said Kesha; Monica's was K-Pop; Eric's was Justin Timberlake (or any cheesy 90s stuff I believe); Jason joked that it'd be the "Frozen" soundtrack but then answered something else (I'm sorry it slipped my mind what it was :( ); Georgina said she loved the thought of Stella listening to heavy metal music; and Rochelle said Kesha again. :) Sam Haft got asked about his musical influence for writing songs for these characters and said he had several because they're all so different. :)

Viv got asked about her style such as the streaks in her hair, comfy sweaters and wearing cowboy boots, but she didn't really have a name for it, then Sam Haft thought up the term "Y'allternative" and I'm like yes! XD XD XD Viv also mentioned being a big country music fan, especially Kacey Musgraves. ^_^

They then ended the show with Cristina performing "Over You" and getting the whole panel and audience jamming out. ^_^<3<3<3

[thief-of-eggs]

HELLO LOVE <3

Brainworms have been worming extra hard since I stumbled upon your Bruce and Jay post (plus the doomed narratives one,, BELOVED), honestly those two make me so fucking ill oh my god. The tags on ur post? So true. Kith ur tags on the head. LO VE LOVE <3333 adding a little to the discussion since I am ill (and if you don't mind!!)

LOVE THE DOOMED NARRATIVE because their reconciliation is never possible imo. Grief is a wretched force that has twisted Jason's memory from the image of his beloved son into a detached, reckless amalgamation. Bruce compartmentalises to such a degree that if he has to keep functioning (both as Batman and as Bruce Wayne) that he can't possibly face the fact that his actions killed his son. His mission born out of the death of his parents couldn't have killed that bright child who was albeit a little angry at times but so full of compassion and life, right? Right?

But he has to continue. And because he does, he has to, on an internal level, make himself believe that Jason was doomed from the start. That he was too reckless. That he was too much of a mess. That he should've never been Robin (which is true in a different sense, but this line of reasoning is not it) and was destined to die. Bruce's messy cycle of grief has concluded. Acceptance comes in the form of his cherished son now being seen as 'his greatest failure, a reckless Robin, a good soldier.'

And unfortunately, the whole thing about Jason is that he is continually trying to communicate with the Bruce he remembers before he died. They're both on completely different pages in this conversation, and Jason is so mentally ill—oh my god, PTSD?—and he's trying to communicate with someone who doesn't remember him as he was. Plus, Gotham is such an intrinsic part of him that he can never pull away from it. He just gets stuck in a cycle, continually pulling away and then reaching out, and then pulling away—essentially in Limbo.

SJSJOSAOSKSOS I DO LOVE THE BRUCE AND JAY RECONCILE NARRATIVE 😭😭 THEY'RE BOTH NUANCED CHARACTERS, I BELIEVE IN THEM BUT GOD... the amount of growth they'd have to show from both their sides for that to ever happen??? YEAH. NO. 😭😭 AaaaaAAAA

ANYHOW. RANDOM WORDDUMP. U HAVE COOL AF POSTS !!!!! much love !!!!! Thank u for appearing on my tl :D !!!!!

HELLO HELLO!!! WELCOME !!

PLZ add on omg RAHHHHHH !!! Nothing makes me feel more loved as a writer and poster than seeing people get inspired by my silly little words and seeing them expand on !!!!

Also yes yes YES Jason Todd is one of my favorite muses for doomed narratives!! Every single goddamn relationship that kid attempts to have is destined to fail. From his mom to his short-lived time as Bruce’s apprentice/son, to his fragile and tense relationships with his almost-but-not-quite siblings.

Jaw on the floor, first off. Do you write??? Please do you write???? I need to read more of your words if so bc you understand these characters on SUCH a deep level UGH

“-he can’t possibly face the fact that his actions killed his son” - THIS THIS THIS !!!! Bruce is an immovable wall with Jason because he CANNOT accept the accountability. It’s like Jason is having a completely different battle with him, because Jason sees things for as they are, if not a little tainted by his own begrudged feelings, but meanwhile Bruce is seeing things through a clouded lens of denial. Bruce doesn’t understand the pain he caused Jason because he cannot even see it. It does not exist in his mind. Because to accept the pain is to accept WHY the pain is there, which in turn would just spiral out of control and Bruce is forced to accept that his no-kill ideal ended up digging his son’s own grave.

Ugh LOVE the idea of Bruce gaslighting himself into thinking this was how it was always fated to be. Putting the blame not on himself or Jason or the Joker, but on some higher being that he doesn’t even believe in. It’s such a Bruce coping mechanism. Sweeping everything under the rug bc now he can’t see it. IM UNWELL

YES YES THEY ARE ON SUCH DIFFERENT PAGES!!! YOU GET IT!!! They literally are having two separate conversations and neither understands why their words aren’t sinking in to the other. They may as well be talking to their own hallucinations at this point- Jason at the memory of his father and Bruce at the doomed ghost of a boy who once was.

And YUP that’s why I write little “good dad bruce” fics and read so many too, because I WANT them to reconcile but… in the actual real world reality? I think the best they could do is an uncomfortable middle ground. Where Jason is no longer antagonized, but not exactly welcomed either. He’d have an expected seat at the table, but he’d never come. He’d be on every place card, every invite, but he’d never show up. He’d be included, but would choose to stay away. And that breaks my heart but also I truly don’t think either of them can go beyond that. In an effort to cling to familiarity and sanity and a guilt free life, Bruce pushed his biggest regret away. He could have had his son back, but instead he chose to believe it couldn’t be true. And like the greatest self fulfilled prophecy, he made it true.

ANYWAY THANK YOU FOR STOPPING BY AND BLESSING MY INBOX !!! seeing so many words made my itty bitty heart so happy. biggest MWAH to you <33

[gingersnaptaff]

I hope your well Sarah anyhow the character ask rhiannon ( fuck pwyll)

I am thank u and I hope u are too!!!

Also RHIANNON? LET'S FUCKING GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

favorite thing about them

Everything!!!! She's honestly amazing and such a well-rounded character it's INSANE. Idk what Anonymous was on when they wrote her but whatever it was I want some. She's forthright, isn't afraid to fuck over Gwawl so she can marry Pwyll, loving (seriously, she goes insane and chews out Manawydan when she sees Pryderi hasn't returned from hunting during branch 3 and goes in search of him), and benevolent. She is also a goddess!!! And she loves horses. And she's also incredibly sympathetic. Plus she loves her son to the point of actively going to an ominous-looking fort and whacking her hands on a dubious-looking bowl to try and get him off it. She's my favourite character after Manawydan within the four branches and I think she's very empowering in an odd way.

least favorite thing about them

Nothing. She's great.

favorite line

WELL 'BE AS SILENT FOR AS LONG AS YOU LIKE NEVER HAS A MAN MORE STUPID THAN YOU HAVE BEEN' WE MEET AGAIN. I adore that line. It's so fuckin brutal. I bet Pwyll's heart stopped and then some. I'd fuckin turn to dust if somebody said that to me.

brOTP

I think she'd be besties with Arawn. They'd get together once a month and have coffee and discuss whatever daft bastard shit Pwyll has been up to. After he passes away they probably yap about Pryderi although I do think that that takes on the tone of two mam's gossiping about their kids. (Well, one child. Arawn has adopted him.) Also, Teyrnon for similar reasons although he HAS adopted Pryderi. And I think Aranrhod too!!!! I think they're both incredibly formidable women and they'd have an amazing time eviscerating the shit out of the men in their lives.

OTP

RHIANNON AND MANAWYDAN BABYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY. I love them so much. The PEAK couple. Ohhh, Branch 3 u sustain me so well.

nOTP

I have come around to the fact that I dislike Pwyll. I am content with this. Like bro, u made ur wife become a 'horse' but making her wear a saddle and forcing her to ferry people to ur castle after she informed them 'Oh, I cannibalised my son.' And this IS AFTER THREE YEARS OF THEM NOT HAVING KIDS AND HIS ADVISORS TRYING TO BE LIKE DIVORCE HER. THERE'S A REASON UR WIFE CALLED U FUCKIN STUPID TO UR FACE, PWYLL.

random headcanon

Her favourite food is trout which Manawydan cooks for her. After they were married he taught her how to fish and that's her stress relief.

unpopular opinion

I don't think I have one.

song i associate with them (maybe) (depends on the character)

I have two: 'Rhiannon' by Fleetwood Mac. After all, it's based on her/a book Stevie Nicks read about her, and also Helplessness Blues by Fleet Foxes because it oddly fits her story.

favorite picture of them

ITS MY FUCKIN WIFE. (THANK U, ALAN LEE. I have this copy of The Mabinogion and the illustrations are all gorgeous but this one???? THIS ONE???? HEY, PWYLL, I FUCKIN GET IT, BUDDY.)

[maniculum]

Bestiaryposting Results: Fekthrud

Happy Liminalmas, everybody! We've got fewer results than usual this week, which I would speculatively credit to a variety of factors:

Weird liminal space at the end of the year

It's Another Bird

Not a ton of fun details

It's easy to guess what the animal is

Anyhow, if you want to see the context for this, the page where I collect these posts is here: https://maniculum.tumblr.com/bestiaryposting. (Hmm -- looks like I forgot to update the page last time around. Maybe that's part of the issue too.) And the entry that people are working from is here:

So, our results, roughly chronologically:

@silverhart-makes-art (link to post here) has given us these very well-rendered pheasant-like creatures. They've given their Fekthrud a head like a Pachycephalosaurus*, which I think is a great way to interpret the whole business about the hard skull; like, that had not occurred to me when reading the entry, but now that I see it, it makes perfect sense. In general these are excellent birds here, and you can see some brief notes on design decisions in the post linked above. I like the justification that a ground bird makes the most sense if they're adapted for falling on rocks and/or running into stuff head-first.

*Proud of myself for spelling "pachycephalosaurus" correctly without looking -- being a former Dinosaur Kid pays weird niche dividends.

@coolest-capybara (link to post here) continues to impress with her medieval-style drawings. (And to provide alt-text, thank you.) I really like how colorful and generally very pretty she's made her Fekthrud. I also appreciate the decision to show them attacking someone who is trying to take that "iron rod" advice. Very correct response -- get 'em, birds. If you click the link to her post above, you can see some discussion of design decisions.

@cheapsweets (link to post here) has made the excellent decision to pose their Fekthrud like it's giving a speech. (And the generous decision to provide alt text, thank you.) This bird absolutely looks like it's saying "Ave!" -- I can clearly imagine it addressing the Roman Senate. Cheapsweets has also taken inspiration from Pachycephalosaurus, and I love that two of our artists got there independently -- like I said, it's an idea that makes perfect sense once you think of it. The post linked above contains a detailed discussion both of their design decision and of their artistic process, including an image of their tools and materials. Go read it.

@pomrania (link to post here) has decided that, rather than make the actual bone of the Fekthrud's skull thick. it should have a thick cushion of feathers. I don't know much about birds, but I feel like that makes sense: thick and heavy bone might be a weight issue if this thing is supposed to fly, so a feather cushion might be more practical protection. The goofy look with the tongue lolling out is also quite charming. In the post linked above, you can see some brief notes on design and process.

And... that's it for this week. Like I said, not a lot of people did this one. So, the Aberdeen Bestiary version:

Yeah, so, of course this one is the parrot.

The medieval illustrator is actually pretty close, I think. And they've used one of my favorite styles of Generic Medieval Plant, even though it doesn't look like it can support the parrot's weight.

The entry is broadly accurate, except for the bit about the skull and the iron rod. There are parrots in India with the coloration described -- multiple species, actually, as far as I can tell. They do talk, though I can't speak to the tongue anatomy thing.

Moreover, if you were a parrot trainer in India who wanted to impress medieval Europeans with your talking birds -- maybe so you can establish demand for them in a new market -- of course the first thing you'd do is train your parrots to greet people in Latin and Greek. Latin is the obvious catch-all, and Greek is the majority language in Constantinople, which is the trade hub you want to target. So I bet all the parrots from India that medieval Europeans saw really did say "Ave!" and "Kere!" (And we do know that people in the Byzantine Empire had pet parrots, so I guess it worked.)

I've never heard the thing about parrots having a hard skull and beak. I kind of wonder if, at some point, someone saw a parrot being struck by its owner (or the aforementioned hypothetical merchant) and asked if it was really necessary to beat the poor bird like that -- and got a line like "oh, they have really hard skulls, it doesn't hurt them as much as you think"... and then that just stuck.

Anyway, that's it for this week. Hope y'all are enjoying Birds because you're getting another one next week.

[mirchloe]

Almost certain I must have asked a similar game for Elka before, however I am hopelessly devoted to the Dooms.

BUT! If you’d rather not write about her, perchance a Kitty? <3

elka!!!

First impression: i felt she was in the same boat as nils, so i wasn't fond of her. i thought she was mean to jt and chops! and i felt it was undeserved to them, just as it was for nils to be that mean to her in return. this was 2010-ish, so elka wasn't really in my radar compared to clem like in the last ask.

Impression now: i was wrong lol. she's great! she's so complicated with her family history, the pain brought upon her by her foresight, and how she feels resigned to fate. it always comes true! and she's only eleven! what kind of life can she have when she feels it's already been decided? how she struggles with wrestling with the knowledge she feels she doomed her parents' marriage by declaring *one of them* will cheat, how she doesn't want to be like them, ooough, elka....

Favorite moment: threatening to stick the button through his eye socket and sew it to raz's brain lol. also, the entire scene before it with dogen. he's her favorite soundboard <3 (and also friend, but he's such a great listener because he's keeping up with every third or fourth word in her rapid-fire complaining). i also love elka being very...deliberate with her word choice when it comes to kitty's style. she's...unique! definitely unique. it's a little cattiness between them that i really like because their styles are so different, but they also both don't like raz, which i think they handshake on.

Idea for a story: and speaking of kitty, i think she has more apparent troubles when she's a teen. she isn't on good terms with her father, not that they were every really close, but his cash flow isn't as steady. elka foresees some vague troubles and deliberates discussing them with kitty because whenever she interferes, she often makes things worse or it happens anyway. this time, seeing how downtrodden kitty looks - a rare glimpse of misery on an otherwise seemingly perfect facade - compels elka to reach out, but true to kitty's behavior, she's not interested! she's fine! what does elka care anyhow? and they just huff and turn away, noses in the air, and elka surmises it was meant to be like that. no good deed goes unpunished in her life.

Unpopular opinion: hmmmmmm, probably not as unpopular as i think, but i think she suffers from internalized homophobia when she's a kid?? she's fine with gay people, but she's not gay, so she doesn't want to be perceived that way. they can be gay! and she'll only roll her eyes a little - i think this comes from her mom's gossip, but she gets over it when she's a little older.

Favorite relationship: elka & dogen, elka & crystal, elka & phoebe (because i love one-sided therapy sessions lol), and elka/franke/kitty! i do likethe idea of kitty and elka doing tug of war with franke's arms during the start of the poly ship tho before elka and kitty start dating and being catty together.

Favorite headcanon: green is her favorite color, so she styles her outfits after shades of green!