#just little things that give characters more depth

[oristian]

THE ELUCIEN MATING BOND

This will be solely focused on the mating bond rejection, as I plan on doing an in-depth analysis later this month [possibly early June] where I break down each book and document symbolism, parallels, and foreshadowing tied to Elain and Lucien. This is just going to be my thoughts on the actual mating bond and the conversation surrounding a potential rejection.

Simply: The bond will not be rejected.

SJM being a fated mates author aside, all the reader has to do is look at, first, the set-up of the spin off series and also the timeline of the last remaining plot arcs. The spin off series is broken into three main books set as dual POV romantic pairings, and a supplemental novella. A Court of Silver Flames took two main cast characters out of the running [Nesta and Cassian] and have left us with Elain, Azriel, Lucien, Mor, Gwyn, Emerie, Eris. As Feyre and Rhysand were the main voices in the original trilogy, they will not have a major POV in the spin off series. That being said, the plot arcs are working as the drivers for the romantic pairings. ACOWAR and so forth has paired Elain and Lucien into the Koschei arc. ACOSF and HOFAS have tied Nesta and Azriel into the same plot with the Dusk Court arc—however, as I mentioned before, Nesta has already had a major POV and will not be repeated. Who else has been built up to have a POV and can also hold ties in Dusk? Gwyn.

Following up, now that we are aware of the plot arcs and the dual POVs for the following books—I surmise the novella will have Mor, Eris and Emerie—now we can get into the rejected mating bond. The main argument surrounding the rejection is broken down into two pieces: SJM speaking about choice in an interview, and Feyre and Azriel questioning the cauldron. The first argument is easy to debunk—SJM did not give a major spoiler in an interview, nor would she do so in an interview that many people would not have access to/would not watch. The second is just as easy to debunk—both Feyre and Azriel came from a place of bias against Lucien. Feyre had just left Spring and associates that and what happened to her sisters with Lucien. Azriel wants a mate and wonders why his brothers have two of the Archeron sisters, but “the third” was given to another male. If the cauldron had been questioned by a third party without direct ties to either Elain or Lucien, that would be a different story.

We do not have enough time left in the series to properly explore a rejected bond. As the rejected bond affects the males more, we would need to explore it in the long term to see how Lucien is dealing with the mental repercussions of such a thing happening. He and Elain will still always have their bond, and we would need to see how they react to that. As this is would be the first mating bond rejection across the Maasverse, a simple, “I reject you,” is not enough with such little information for the reader to understand exactly what happens in the aftereffects. That being said, we would also need Lucien’s POV immediately after Elain rejects the bond to see how he is affected—meaning, Elain and Lucien have to be within the same book. If Elain rejects the bond in a book with Azriel, and the readers have to wait until Lucien’s book, it loses its effect and becomes anticlimactic.

In order for the rejected bond to be impactful, Elain would have to fully explore the bond with Lucien, get to know him, otherwise is would be lackluster for her to immediately reject the bond and end up with Azriel. The bond is just as much Lucien’s as it is her’s.

Finally, allow us to debunk Vassien. Not only is Vassa set up to be endgame with Jurian, it is unrealistic given the circumstances for she and Lucien to be endgame. Lucien would have just been rejected and would be dealing with the aftereffects, will have to still deal with his plethora of plots and Koschei, and somehow fall in love with a human queen who will die in only a handful of decades? On top of that, there is nothing that Vassa can offer to the plot that both Elain and Lucien have not already told us, or will tell us. Vassa is a supplementary character. Elain would have to both get to know Lucien enough to reject the bond in a literary sense, and also set up Vassa to be the next FMC. On top of that, it was Elain who introduced us to Koschei and began that arc—why would Vassa get the credit for defeating Koschei?

Tl;dr — the bond is not getting rejected.

[desmaterializandose]

On living and loving.

I must do well and be kind, at least for thy who have done it for me; cherishing and bringing a smile to nature, for someday I laughed and felt loved when useless. Things could be better, but only by improving it in the sake of others; and the distance that I stretch my endearment and efforts, devotion that I gave to the garden, is equal to the meaning it gathers. Essentially, caring for those that are still to come is the ultimate state of realization. It isn’t because our eyes stare at this starless sky, that no eye shall ever be flooded by the mesmerizing waltz of galaxies. The proportion in which we complain about and loath existence is the exact same proportion by which it gets more and more dreadful. Although experience have a deep and long-lasting suffering possibility, it still one flavor of the substance from what we extract all the succulence and peace reachable; by itself, being is no more than the capacity of being, therefore it has no moral, only perspective and perception. Strong enough to love being hated, receiving hatred without passing it along. Picture turning forgiveness in armor and joy as weapon. Don’t blame the cosmos for its traumas, heal it. The improvement of life is achievable, and it starts by dealing with its aggression, handling its blows and all the feelings that arise from it without hurting it back. We are the world, and, to me, the world is you too. Seeking well-being, choose the lesser evil and the greatest good; this is not summarized on loving everything, neither trying to hurt nothing. The pleasure or pain that comes from a smell is dependent on the nose that it arrive. Don't try to make all your fruits sweet for every taste, but take care of the fruition by the sake of those that will rejoice in its flavor, and be respectful about the danger it delivers to the wrong appetites. I don't really know why I love, and maybe that is love. There are causes, otherwise we won't have the effect, but its unpretentious and self grateful state reach the peak of grace and sublime, because it only gives and manifest, and doesn't have the slightest need. Having good and evil in our own way of being, anger really show up together, like two faces of the same coin. Some species of it hurt the beloved, and also the other way around. It is a complex and emergent feeling, which the definition shouldn't be held by something simple as that fairy alike tale of flowers and springs. It has its shadows. On its depths, come from the happiness of having others in spite of the reality not being what we want it to be. Satisfaction that arises from being exactly what we are in the place we live and surrounded by what we have, even if it hurts, and sometimes we wander lost. Nexus in coexisting, while we feel it on ourselves, it's also an experience shared with between all stuff, and through which we share a little of our souls. This connection is what attach all inside the same event-horizon, and make the whole bigger than the sum of its parts. If we see fire, ignore or spread it and all we see turn into smoke. To receive, we give. Lacking and thirst is crucial for growth, and to evolve. What is already full can't be fulfilled. No matter what, we are living, breathing through all souls, in spite of all the ways that we could be not; my issues, human troubles or life on earth adversities; we are along with us, including animals, trees, bacteria and whatever more hide on the ground or beneath the stars. Gigantic universe, within where energy beat hearts and matter do poems. Nerves are a gift for those who seek enlightenment. We are between immeasurable possibilities. Infinity is more than enough to stack adventures and happy encounters. There's just too much to not smile any. Ain't exit to dying, so living is our own sacred ritual. We are not the main characters of the story, as there is none, all interact as supporting roles. Everything that can, will happen. The emptiness of the universe is room to nurture endless forms. The soul garden.

[thatchubbypillow]

What might Dan's characters smell like?

Gosh I can't believe I'm writing this😂Idk...this idea of imagining how different characters smell like just hit me today and I thought I should write it down. Well, it's probably because recently another fellow Dan fan asked me when I met him did he smell like anything and I couldn't give an answer...So umm...here we go.

※I'm a fragrance enthusiast so this is gonna involve a LOT of notes/ingredients...

※Imma just write my favorite characters first...

David Collins

Oh my...David. My favorite David. A mixture of light and dark. I love designing note pyramid for character like this. In the beginning of the movie he's...citrus, extremely fresh, bright, uplifting, probably bergamot and bitter orange, a tad bit of neroli for the gentleness. But then, also lavender and musk, for the universal charm.

When the suspense kicked in, there's wormwood...and oakmoss, maybe galbanum too. Just the hint of coolness that send chills down your spine. But on the surface florals aren't completely gone. Louder lavender with subtle, powdery orris root are still covering up the others.

Then finally, the identity was revealed, the florals gone, oakmoss grew stronger, vetiver and dark, damp patchouli took over. Patchouli was always there but you couldn't see it in the beginning. It's determined to stay. It'll haunt you on your sleeves and shirt collar for many days.

I haven't read the original novel but I'm just gonna write this part according to the tv series I watched. Edward is very reserved, so definitely not something too loud. Aromatic green/floral, possibly.

Edward Ferrars

But the first impression he gave us was...quite refreshing, and..."balmy"? Idk if I'm using the right word but...sort of like that. His scent must open with adorable grapefruit and yuzu notes.

Then heart notes...maybe honeysuckle and narcissus. Please don't be mislead by their names, I only meant the scent themselves. Maybe a bit of jasmine as well, but very light, only a trace underneath other florals.

There should be the scent of grass. Or just the faint smell of freshly crushed leaf from a bitter orange tree. You know, the kind of scent that make you feel like "there's still good things on this world"...

Base notes are also very modest. Probably cedarwood. Plus a bit of sandalwood and vanilla perhaps. But the vanilla is very soft, not sweet at all, just smooth and creamy.

David's personalities and "aura" changed quite a bit through 3 seasons...I'm just gonna pick the Season 3 cult leader David.

David Haller

I usually don't prefer amber/resinous stuff but for this setting I might pick some...

For starters I think his cult base should smell like a mixture of incense, sandalwood, myrrh, oud, maybe some sweet smells like honey, benzoin, vanilla or even some spicy notes like cinnamon...just to make people feel "at home". And then for himself...

He's a cult leader after all. So there should be some...blue chamomile, chrysanthemum, possibly iris and violet too...added to a very smooth, soothing sandalwood base. But of course he has a pretty dark side. So let's say...a bit of leather and civet and castoreum and patchouli too. Not too much animalics though, just giving some depth to the leather note.

Sir Lancelot

A charming knight on the outside but a clueless cute little cinnamon roll on the inside. Man, this one is quite hard to imagine with scent...hmmm...

I'd say rose is his core note. Like, not the modern kind of overly sweet feminine rose, but more like, rose water mixed with scent of leather and herbs...However, if we took it out of the historical context, and focus on the character himself's personality, I would say that he just really reminds me of lychee and raspberry, especially lychee, like it's a bit of tart at first but mostly very sweet and juicy, and it matches perfectly with rose note...

Alexander Lemtov

Well, I think for such a glamorous and fabulous character the answer should be quite obvious...still lavender. But this time lavender is mixed with more sweet and alluring note, like vanilla and tonka bean, cinnamon and tobacco, and warm amber notes and musk, probably a dab of civet as well...oh and rose should be there too...

Lemtov is also extremely wealthy so who knows, maybe he'll just drop in some carnation and saffron just for fun...and it's not like they don't suit his vibe, he's quite spicy after all...🌶️But, well, even though oud is also very expensive, I personally don't think Lemtov is "the oud type of guy", it's too straight for him🤣

Well, that's uh...five Dan characters that I'm most familiar with, I might write more but I'm not sure how many people will be interested in this weird sort of fantasy-diary-essay-whateverthisiscalled-thingy so Imma just leave it here...😅

(Also I'm not familiar with Downton Abbey so I'd rather skip it...🤨)

(Do you guys wanna read Frank's version? I wouldn't say he's my "favorite characters" but it could be fun😂)

[lloydfrontera]

why did bkmoon make Lloyd and Javier so infuriatingly gay. like what was the reason ??? and then he made Lloyd marry Alicia???? what ???? i want to dissect his mind and thought process because what the hell ????????

i am on the exact same boat as you nonnie i wanna take a peek into his brain so bad. gimme ten minutes in the same room as him and google translate i can get it out of him i know this.

of course it could simply be that he's a straight author raised in a misogynistic amatonormative culture that places higher emphasis on the importance of the male pov who simply didn't consider how giving the relationship between his two male protagonists more depth and relevance to the plot than to the actual romantic relationship between the main character and his love interest could be misconstructed and interpreted. i mean. that's very much a possibility. wouldn't be the first time unfortunately lol

[leviathiane]

doodling while rotating the wing au in my head

[woolydemon]

i am so apathetic to popular male transformers characters, but i have a simple trick to make me care abt them: i turn them into robot women then i suddenly start seeing their appeal

[rawliverandgoronspice]

I just: finished my translation work 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

[waywardsalt]

Have you ever thought about how Linebeck describes Jolene as "crazier than a rabid squid"- only to then be possessed by a literal rabid squid later in the game?

Cause I sure have- especially after seeing a lot of your BellumxLinebeck stuff

mmmmghmm im gonna be honest i haven't thought about it much at all

linking it to my bellum x linebeck thoughts, im not too sure what to make of it in context with my other linebeck notes and w/e

there's also my idea that linebeck has a special interested in shellfish and by extension squids, and the idea of him having a weird thing for bellum, and just... enjoying sealife, and it's kinda of...

he compares her to a rabid squid to link in order to i think... offer a shorthand explanation of what she's like, and i think it (with some other stuff) is kinda just another little peek into how he might feel abt her?

i mean he also compares link to a dog in that one letter? i'm not sure where im going with that one. i dont think linebeck particularly likes dogs

i'm not sure abt the link between that and him getting possessed, jolene is kind of just... there a lot of the time and doesn't really do anything except 1) show that linebeck has enemies and 2) show that people know about link's quest by the end, linebeck generally references sea creatures a few times in ph

relating to bellum x linebeck, i dont see him comparing jolene to a squid an indicator of anything in relation to that, with linebeck having a thing for bellum its more of like. there's a lot of complicated ideas i have with what goes on between them during bellumbeck and bellum being a squid thing is more linebeck having a bit of a monsterfucker streak and having a bit of a thing for like. being tied up. as for literal squids he kinda just likes them as food and to dissect and learn about

like i think 'rabid squid' is more like linebeck just tossing out some derogatory shorthand to explain how he thinks of jolene as some fucking. violent annoyance he has to deal with that he doesn't fully understand

tbh i see the comparison but imo it comes down to a difference in characters and interactions and histories, there is the rabid squid thing (and i think in the manga too theres a vague parallel drawn ig) but im not. sure. what there is there just beyond. linebeck talks about sea creatures and wants to get the fuck away from jolene

i'm not entirely certain what you've been thinking about with that comparison, but i haven't been thinking much about it and it's kinda. eh ig???? its something

[solcarow]

.

[welcometoteyvat]

the rarepair pipeline really is just (wants to see two characters interact) (the only people who make content of those two interacting are the shippers) (doesn't mind them having a romantic relationship and thus is converted into the rarepair)

[losnordiquitos]

VERY specific hc but swe being like an elder trans gay man icon for a young budding nation like germany to look up to and admire + both of them liking more cutesy/fem guys im sorry if this is too weird or specific (;´Д`)

yes! thats wonderful! You dont have to apologize for having specific headcanons, it gives a little extra flavor to your own interpretation of a character, you know? :)

im not much of a "Germany Connoiseur" so i cant really add much to that... is fun to imagine what kind of interaction they would have, i dont wanna repeat what you already said but i quite like it ! id love to see it if you decide to add more in another ask (^人^)

It also makes me think how ts been mentioned a few times how sweden is supposed to look similar to germany, maybe swe sees a younger version of himself in germany or something i think thats could be interesting

[rhpsdys]

y’all ever write a character except ur like wow i know nothing about you

[freakyzoids]

why did you have to make Ghost such an uninteresting character? I mean 😭 you have to be pretty boring to ruin a good character with bad headcanons

???? wtf does this even mean bro 😭😭😭😭 tf do you want me to post? him doing Silly Warcrimes™️??? babygirlify him???? write about him pregnant????????

[lunataurora]

kinda funny seeing that last queued tf post with me gushing in the tags abt the comic bc i havent felt joy or even an emotional connection reading mtmte for a while

[icterid-rubus]

Two years later and I have finally watched the last episode of season one Shadow and Bone. Unstoppable resolve 😤

[chaoticgremlinbrainspace]

once I figure out how to write and draw hands? its all over

fuck having it together, im making him a cringe fail 20 year old is barely holding his Personal life together by a single thread and its his work life. im gonna fuck up his work life balance. to you hes put together somewhat to me he has a pile of dishes and the trash is overflowing. am I projecting a bit? Probably is it fun? yeah. im hitting him with my beams.