#kae does crime

[send-me-a-kae-via-subspace]

this is their vibe right

joe is just a little guy. to me

[hymnoire]

Wanted plot :    Together, we conquer, we reign.

Looking for a companion/cult leader associate/king for Kaeleeana ( Tag / Bio ) . Plot inspired in an original lore from midsommar roots to a bene gesserit spirit, in modern times/near future. Transhumanism/dune coded core.

Kaeleena Nara, Mother Supreme of the Church and Sisterhood of Misericorde. The time has changed and so did the world. Now, forces are colliding. She raises daughters, mutated humans of great abilities with the purpose of making the world theirs. A cult, some would ask? A family, she would answer. The sisters of the Sisterhood of Misericorde then find their way to the arms of powerful men, human men, to bare their child and extend their reach. She too, the Mother Supreme, seeks such a partner—but not just any man. Only the strongest, the most formidable of all. He will be her equal, a reflection of the power she wields. A partnership. Should they take the world in their own hands together now? With what he is capable of, what she is capable of as well, if a war between humans and mutants arise, they shall win.

"I promise to never use my abilities on you and to honor our partnership," Kaeleena says, her voice a smooth lullaby. "My daughters, the Sisterhood of Misericorde, will serve our common interest, just as you provide your weapons and soldiers for our shared conquest. I also promise to cherish and love you through this union of ours." Her intense eyes lock with his, a silent challenge in their depths, burning with the weight of her words.

He smirks, his fingers gripping her chin as he tilts her head toward him. "Is such a sadistic, cold heart of yours even capable of love?" he murmurs, his tone dripping with dark amusement.

Kaeleena's lips curve into a wicked smile. "Doesn't that make us perfect for each other, my Sovereign of Terror?" she replies, her voice velvet.

[chococustard]

Your Genshin kids are adorable! I love the Priscilla/Yuying/Claire friendship you alluded to in the last art dump (poor Diluc… your daughter just has an instinct for divine beings)

But on the topic of poor Diluc, how do their parents react to the friendship? Diluc and Wriothesley seem like they would be good friends since they have a lot in common but everyone else basically represents every faction in the game.

You got Neuvillette, a dragon sovereign seeking to judge the archons for their crimes; Zhongli, an archon who presumably destroyed Khaenri'ah 500 years ago; Kaeya, a Khaenri'ah spy who is a descendant of the man who founded the abyss order; and Childe, a fatui harbinger who fell into the abyss.

Would they try and keep it together for the sake of their kids? (I love the idea that the three girls are there going :3 while their parents are glaring daggers at each other) Would they find some sort of common ground? Would they recognize each other immediately but think the others don’t know so they come up with increasingly ridiculous ways to hide it? How did Wriothesley and Neuvillette react to the incident with Claire and Yuying? (Can you tell I like the angst?)

hi hi!! thank you so much im glad you like them!!! bc we have limited knowledge atm there's a lot of questions posed that cannot be answered and considering how new fontaine is idk anything for sure //shakes hoyo

they try to keep cordial for the kids tm or at least not to be bad influences in front of them. extra notes under the cut:)

diluc met nv first when he brought claire to fontaine for a business trip and she just, drags in a half dragon to him yelling "i made a new friend!:D" then he met nv and he knew. just knew, these people ain't human. found out they're dragons. "great," he sighed once more.

kae plays his quartermaster persona to a t. when he first meets wriolette he puts on the charm. nv only knows him for via the knights and wrio rarely goes above ground. so like, they're cool with him. mostly. they both do questionable shit that nv can't personally approve of but hey. they ain't his problem. (on that note i like to think he'd be good friends with jean:)) (does nv know about kaeya's khaenrian blood? does he know about khaenri'ah in general? i dont have him)

kaeya and wrio has this, kind of friendship that's like, there's a tension there. they're both people with reputations, but also, like that tm. they're cordial and they get along but there's. SOMETHING.

meanwhile diluc meeting wrio? he's ELATED. man has good taste in tea. they spar sometimes. FINALLY, SOMEONE NORMAL.

wrio is happy in general his baby is making friends meanwhile nv is: to claire: good child:) to yuying, the daughter of one of the usurpers: hmmmm :| (he knows the child did nothing wrong and she's a good kid in general) contrast to diluc he actually LIKES childe. for one he helped with the narwhal thing, and the fatui helped during the crisis and childe himself never did anything bad personally so they're chill. he will sometimes humor his requests to fight if he's free. then decks him. the adeptus power up juice doesn't help much rip. the girls like to play with his hair.

zhongli knows kaeya's khaenrian. kaeya at some point finds out zhongli is rex lapis. they. they have to keep it together. one of them is under nda. outside of that, there's a reason kaeya is liked by the old timers of mond.

zhongli and nv:

nv finds out eventually. and for the sake of his daughter, dont worry about it. they'd bond over old people things probably. nv should meet yanfei and they should be friends if anything cause zl is a menace and they'd be passive aggressive w each other. (i need info but it would be so funny for their kids to go my dads stronger! and make them fight each)

via claire, AGAIN, she invites her bestie yy and the new friend from fontaine to her bday party cause SURE WHY THE FUCK NOT. and those 2 non humans meet and GASP, you're just like me!

post accident tm, what do you even say to that. how do you even react to that

early on in yuying and claire's friendship, on a windy summer day, diluc slowly gets used to having to be cordial with a harbinger. a harbinger who who married a god. someone who will live longer than him. he spoke to childe, as they watch their daughters laugh and run through the grapevines, "one day, when i'm no longer around, please look after my daughter."

[deathsbestgirl]

have you ever written about irresistible specifically about scully's reaction to how gruesome the crimes are despite being a medical doctor? idk i'm just curious about your thoughts

no i don't think i've written about it, and forgive me because i haven't watched in a little while. but there are two posts i think about all the time.

i think @cosmicouroboros really nailed it here

and i think about kae's post on mulder's vs scully's reactions to cases involving violence against women here

like i think about these all the times and i just don't think i can say it better. irresistible is one of my favorites for so many reasons. i always love episodes that put the characters in scary, heart wrenching, painful situations. this one was hard for scully before pfaster ran her off the road & kidnapped her. she's so deeply disturbed by the desecration of the dead when they've been laid to rest. scully has an intimate relationship with death, and with victims. she does what she does to speak for the dead & seek justice. to protect others from the same fate. she does autopsies to honor them, and pfaster does it to take trophies & defile them. with a deep, twisted hatred for women. she understands cutting into dead people, but she can't fathom ever doing it for cruel, evil reasons.

i don't think scully wants to understand it like mulder does. (but sometimes she's forced to consider it, like in unruhe & orison.) in many ways, she already does. some of them may think they're doing it for "good" reasons, some of them may be deeply damaged from abuse & trauma, some of them are just like that. there are so many people with trauma who don't do these cruel things, a number (hopefully) far outweighing the number who do.

i think a huge reason scully was so drawn to mulder is because he loves the world, he wants better for everyone. and she does too. he's the first person to show her how to give that love in a way she understands, that she feels is important. i think it's a core part of their beings, wherever it comes from.

beyond that, i love irresistible for all the sides of scully we see. she goes to therapy because she's struggling with the case. she hasn't recovered from her abduction because nothing has been resolved. she doesn't want mulder to worry, so she thinks there's reason for him to worry & she doesn't want to burden him. she wants him to see her as capable (which she always does, but she's a woman in a male dominated field. mulder may not be like other men, but she can't just break down those defenses. it takes her years and i feel like we don't really see it until the revival.) duane barry may be dead, but whoever took her is still out there and she's yet to learn all the consequences. scully pushed on. she wants to do her job and this is the first case that really bothered her. when she talks in second person about herself and karen kosseff brings it to her attention, we see a level of self awareness & understanding of the human psyche that i just love. that's not her field, if she studied any psychology it would have been the basics. but scully absorbs everything. her mind may not be the same kind of steel trap as mulder's but she incorporates all information into her worldview and understanding of people. (at least when there's enough evidence & science to back it up, and even when she isn't sure about it, like with melissa in tfwid, she acts as if it is. scully isn't always open minded but she is compassionate. she could see how melissa was struggling and i believe she really didn't want to make things worse for her.)

like i think about the way she followed mulder because of his passion & compassion, because he was so sure the truth was out there & he was determined to find it, because she could see his drive & how he'd never give up. how in conduit, she tells him to stop looking for his sister (because no one ever has) and she follows him when he can't/won't stop, and she listens to his regression tapes. scully never forgets this, and until his mother does, she never tries to tell him to stop again. and she's the one who solves her abduction, as much as she could. and then i think about when skinner tells scully they won't be investigating her sister's murder anymore, it's gone cold. and she goes into that basement and mulder has dug up a case that everyone else is ignoring, people who need help & aren't getting it. she's constantly amazed by him.

their work is why she keeps going, despite how personal it becomes, how it has hurt her. scully understands it isn't the fault of the job, or mulder, or her choices. it's these terrible, awful men committing the most heinous crimes against women & children & people. she can't sit idly by knowing what she knows.

scully is just. one of my favorite characters. she's so open & light in the beginning. i don't think she's ever been open to just anyone, but with mulder, she shares little pieces that first year, and she won't let go of him when they're separated. mulder has always been special to her. after her abduction, things change. she changes. she softens in a different way, and we see how things actually hurt her. i love the sensitivity she harbors, that she doesn't let just anyone see. (i think the only times we see her fall apart are in irresistible, milagro, without, this is not happening/deadalive and the truth. at least in front of someone.)

anyway. this became more about scully in general. but genuinely, those two posts say the most important things.

[shuvva]

Alien Roundup: Legitimate Business Incorporated

(Aka. Legit Inc, Babyface's gang)

The Apixverse's local petty criminal gang. Jules's old crew. They live in a warehouse haunted by the ghosts of some 30's bootleggers. They do various crimes (burglary, chop shop, hacking, art forgery), and I'll probably have them (or at least Babyface) get into landlording once I buy that pack.

Wil "Babyface" (He/Him): The leader of the gang. Sees himself as some kind of 30's gangster kingpen. Considers Vyk his arch nemesis (she sees him as a worm). The ones that he should really be worried about are Kae/Zane/Anders (agents investigating him) and Evi (lawyer).

Tomas (He/Him): The art forger/computer guy/master of disguise of the gang. His non-trenchcoat-and-sweats outfits tend to be costume-adjacent. Currently dating Jue'li but given his personality traits they will break themselves up eventually, so I'm just playing with them until that happens.

Dani (She/Her): Jules' younger sister and the muscle/thief of the group (Jules used to be the main thief and she's taken over the role). An absolute shitbird who likes cats more than people. Adopted a stray black cat named Myrtle who loves her and attacks everyone else. Would probably become a vet tech if she ever went straight.

Jue'li (She/Her): The gang's paranormal investigator who deals with the ghosts in their haunted warehouse. Also does some of the chop shop work due to her connections to the Scrapper Guild, a group of hippie scavengers who provide scrap to the Legit Inc gang. Is the least evil member of the gang - she just works there.

[misericordiah]

a highly selective, private, mutuals only rp blog for 𝐅𝐘𝐎𝐃𝐎𝐑 𝐃𝐎𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐄𝐕𝐒𝐊𝐘 from the series 𝐁𝐔𝐍𝐆𝐎 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐘 𝐃𝐎𝐆𝐒. i follow canon as closely as possible, but due to a lack of content on the muse, i am heavily 𝐇𝐂 𝐁𝐀𝐒𝐄𝐃. following themes from the book 𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐌𝐄 & 𝐏𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐒𝐇𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓-- of which his power and much of his character are based.

i do not intend on watering down this muse much, as such the content here may be quite triggering. some of which will include: 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐇, 𝐌𝐔𝐑𝐃𝐄𝐑, 𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐏𝐔𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍, 𝐆𝐀𝐒𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆, 𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐒𝐔𝐈𝐂*𝐃𝐄, 𝐌𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐋 𝐇𝐎𝐑𝐑𝐎𝐑, 𝐏𝐒𝐘𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐋 𝐇𝐎𝐑𝐑𝐎𝐑, 𝐁𝐎𝐃𝐘 𝐇𝐎𝐑𝐑𝐎𝐑, 𝐀𝐁𝐔𝐒𝐄 and a lot more. please, remember i do not at all condone any of the choices my muse has made. he is an awful human being who has committed countless crimes. read my rules BEFORE interacting.

𝐏𝐈𝐍 ° 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍 ° 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐃 ( wip )

due to the content here, and the nature of the muse, i ask that 𝐍𝐎 𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐎𝐑𝐒 follow me, or interact. 𝐍𝐎 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐒 either, i will block them on sight.

my activity is extremely slow. i have a lot going on in my life, and i struggle a lot with my mental health and physical health. so i ask you be patient with me.

i do not associate with the fandom at all

i will not tolerate those who write triggering content and media including p*dophilia, or inc*st. anyone who does will be blocked on sight.

asks and threads do not always stick. i love writing with people, i love getting asks, and i love threads. but sometimes im genuinely not sure how to reply to it right away. it isn't a lack of interest, i promise. if i'm following you, then i do want to interact and write. again, just be patient, rp is an outlet for me, and a hobby. i don't force myself to write if it just wont come to me.

please, if you write or interact with saccharot ( kae ), do not follow me or block me or whatever. likewise, if you write with kiingsroar ( dia ) or any of their other blogs, i ask you do much the same. i'd be more than happy to explain what happened and why i'm uncomfortable with these users. but please, i just don't want them on my dash.

on shipping. i really have no intention of exploring any shipping outside of heavily- and i mean heavily plotted dynamics. it's important to note fyo/dor is incredibly manipulative, cruel, and toxic. and nothing matters to him, not truly, beyond his own goals and desires.

that said though, i do practice ship exclusivity. which is pretty self explanatory.

[caaaatoad]

Heyyy may I request some reverse comfort for kaeya?? I really love him and this dude needs a big hug:3

A/N: OO FIRST REQUEST 🥰 Hello hello thank you for your request I LOVE KAEYA TOO and facts he does deserve all the hugs😩😩 thank you so much for requesting!! Enjoy!!<33

“LET ME TAKE CARE OF YOU” (Kaeya x gn!reader)

Pairing: Kaeya x gn!reader

Genre/format: angst to fluff, reverse comfort (drabble)

Warnings: Crying, stress, kissing, established relationship, mentions of drinking.

Summary: Taking care of him when he needs you to<33

“You don’t have to tell me anything,” you said. “But please do let me take care of you.”

You rub your hand up and down his back. “Do you want to talk about it?”

He shook his head. “I… I thought of swinging by the tavern to fix my mood with a few drinks,” he admitted, pausing to sigh softly as you ran your fingers through his freshly combed locks.

You lean down slightly to kiss his brow, your lips curled into a smile against his skin.

“Prefer this?”

“Oh, naturally.” He was sure you could hear his smirk through his tone. “How could I not with your hands all over me?”

You gently pinched his cheek, and he cutely complained as he gently swatted your hand away.

Bringing him closer, your warmth breath sent a shiver down his spine—your lips were now hovering just above his ear.

“Come to me, next time. I’ll always take care of you.”

Your words were simple, and maybe that’s what it was. Your smile was your smile devoid of any artificial lace or craft, a subtle tilt of those soft lips he knew you only kissed him with. He knew you only spoke to him like this.

No one else knew better than Kaeya that words were weapons, like hidden knives in the dark or a dagger in the back. He was forced learned to sharpen them as such behind smiling lips and velvety tones.

People’s eyes always betrayed them. Learn to read them and their crimes were as clear as blood over white gloves. Be forced to read them, and you’d never let your blood stain their hands.

He squeezed your hand gently, protectively. He had more important things to protect now than himself.

He had you.

You drew random shapes onto his back, humming a tune meant to weigh on eyelids and bring them to a close. His eyes were shot awake - overwhelmed with the softness of your touches.

“Are you hungry, Kae?” You asked him. He knew you were worried, but stress had devoured his appetite and your embrace was so warm he couldn’t bring himself to leave.

He blinked hard. Even if it risked crying in front of you.

“I’m alright,” he answered, his voice cracked slightly as you cooed and brought him even closer.

You were so good to him he wouldn’t deserve you if he was an angel - let alone the sinner he was. You always radiated a light unlike the reflective cast of the warm lamp and the stars out the window.

Your eyes said what you told him. He didn’t understand how he could break, no- melt so easily under your soft gaze. Your love was as clear as the ice you melted him down like.

“I love you, Kaeya.”

Tears brimmed his, as he mumbled into your chest the same words back to you.

“I love you too, darling.”

[firstpuffin]

BBC America’s The Watch characters: what’s been “reimagined” pt 2

Lord Vetinari, the Patrician, “architect of the city’s normalized wrongness and ramshackle system of governance.”

Alright. I’ve had a little cry, and gone out to grab a beer. I’m ready now.

  The hardest part of about this is how it’s not technically wrong. The city’s normalised wrongness? Well, yeah, he legalised crime after-all; once he dies then the system of governance will be ramshackle as no-one else will be able to maintain it.

  I really hope this is just badly written, as the Patrician has taken all the unavoidable aspects of a city and made it work to become a positive. Unfortunately, it does look like BBC America has made Lord Vetinari less of a genius self-proclaimed tyrant and instead into either an incompetent leader, or a mob-boss.

 The- Archchancellor…? “a wizard, magical advisor, and the Head of the Unseen University.”

  So, is this Ridcully? Or just a nameless wizard? Because that does matter.

  Well, I’ve not seen a picture of James Fleet in character so we’ll see.

 Cut-me-own-Throat Dibbler, “the city’s best snitch, with a gang of freelance henchmen at her beck and call.”

  Um, why? I mean seriously, why? Sure, this works as nobody bar the beggars or Gaspode knows the going ons of the city like Dibbler, but snitch? Gang of henchmen?

  Dibbler is a hot sausage salesman with a knack for selling even his sausages (100% pig. not pork, but pig) and whose schemes for bigger business goes wrong because- well mainly because he accidentally always gets involved with the main story. But he’s harmless as long as you don’t buy his dodgy sausages.

  Surely that’s just as useful as a gang boss? And we know it is because it is in the source material.

  Can’t really comment on Ruth Madeley in the part, simply because the part sounds so generic that my beer bottle could do the job.

 Captain John Keel, “former leader of The Watch and mentor to Sam Vimes, determined to save the corrupt and chaotic city.”

  Once again, not quite accurate. Keel never rose above Sergeant-at-arms before he died, and transferred from Pseudopolis shortly before that without any apparent aspirations towards anything more than doing his job.

  I was tempted to say that Vimes pretends to be Keel in Night Watch which might be difficult with Hakeem Kae-Kazim in the role, but given I doubt they’re going down the time-travel route from that book I also doubt they’ll be bothering with that either. I wonder if they’ll give him an eyepatch…

  We don’t actually see the man, except as a corpse, so there’s not much to say about who he is as a person except for Vimes’s memories, so there’s not much else to say here.

 Wonse, “a wizard hopeful in waiting that is frequently underestimated.”

  A wizard only in the loosest sense in that he summons a dragon, but he’s actually the patrician’s immediate aide. The antagonist in Guards! Guards!, Wonse is aiming to put a puppet-king on the throne that he can control. Potentially there is some emotional conflict between Wonse and Vimes, given they grew up together with very different levels of success. I wonder if he’ll die in the same, grimly humorous way…

  Not much to say about Bianca Simone Mannie in the role, or even the role itself at this point. I dunno how charismatic she is, but Wonse in the books needed at least some, although that may not be needed here.

 Carcer Dun, “the wounded and wronged Carcer Dun, out to hijack destiny itself, take control of the city and exact a terrible revenge on an unjust reality.”

  Fuck. Where to begin. Carcer is- Carcer- well he’s fucking terrifying and not at all wronged; that’s why he’s terrifying. Carcer isn’t a relatable character, he doesn’t have valid justification, he’s just a monster who always has one more knife and will cheerfully protest his innocence while the blood on the blade drips onto the still warm body. Carcer gives me shivers exactly because he is so wrong.

  I have nothing to say about Sam Adewunmi except that I hope he has an innocent smile, because that makes Carcer worse.

  I’m going to pass on Ingrid Oliver as Doctor Cruces. I liked her in Doctor Who, but the description given here provides nothing towards the character.

 So there is a lot to say here, hence the reluctant 2-parter and my late dinner, but I can’t help but notice some rather worrying absences from this list. Where’s Sergeant Colon and Corporal Nobbs? Detritus the troll (who appears in pictures) and Constable Cuddy? Gaspode the talking dog or Foul old Ron, always being dragged about on a lead?

  How about Wilikins the violent butler, or the Librarian?!

 In all fairness there are many characters we needed to hear about before bloody Wonse or Doctor Cruces.

[wetalkinboutbooks]

Realm of Ash by Tasha Suri

Summary:  The fate of an empire rests in the hands of a young woman with magical blood and nothing left to lose, and an outcast prince determined to save his family at any cost, in this "dark, melodious, and memorable" new fantasy (Library Journal, starred review) from the author of the award-winning Empire of Sand.

The Ambhan Empire is crumbling. A terrible war of succession hovers on the horizon. The only hope for peace lies in the mysterious realm of ash, where mortals can find what they seek in the echoes of their ancestors' dreams. But to walk there requires a steep price.

Arwa is determined to make the journey. Widowed by a brutal massacre, she's pledged service to the royal family and will see that pledge through to the end. She never expected to be joined by Zahir, the disgraced, illegitimate prince who has turned to forbidden magic in a desperate bid to save those he loves.

Together, they'll walk the bloody path of their shared past. And it will call into question everything they've ever believed...including whether the Empire is worth saving at all. (Taken from Goodreads)

Our Ratings:  

 → Geena:  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

 → Kae: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

Overall: Realm of Ash is a great follow-up to Empire of Sand, where we follow Arwa who was introduced briefly in Empire of Sand. There is quite a bit of political intrigue in the first half which sets the pacing a bit slow but picks up quickly once the characters go through big revelations. The characters and their motivations draw you in, and overall it was a good read!

~Check out our spoiler Full Review Below

A QUICK SUMMARY: 

So, this book picks up twelve years later from where we last visited this world in Empire of Sand. In this book, we are following the story of a once minor character, Mehr’s little sister, Arwa. Arwa has grown and married and been widowed when we meet her again. She is on her way to a widows hermitage where she is to live out the rest of her days in mourning, after losing her husband. 

Since the Maha’s death, this world had descended into chaos. The daiva, aka, eternal spirits, aka CHILDREN OF THE GODS, have been wreaking a bit of havoc on the world. If you remember, the Maha was manipulating the dreams of the Gods to favour the kingdom. When he was defeated, those dreams had begun to take their natural course. With dreams come nightmares. And those nightmares have taken form. BUT. The daiva protect their own blood, which is the Amrithi people. Arwa is half Amrithi, but she isn’t sure if the daiva are there to protect or hurt her. In addition, her mother (aka stepmom) raises her believing that Amrithi are cursed and savages, and essentially taught her to hate herself. 

In the widow’s hermitage, she meets an influential widow, Gulshera, and realizes she has connections to the imperial family and because Arwa doesn’t care about anything she offers herself up as a tool to the royals. So, Gulshera takes Arwa to serve under Princess Jihan, we’re subjected to court politics and meet Prince Zahir, aka a bastard. Together, Arwa and Zahir work together to find the Maha in the Realm of Ash (essentially a spirit world) so they can unlock a way to save the empire from ruin. Princess Jihan turns around and essentially implies that she sent Arwa to Zahir to ‘PLEASE’ him in an INTIMATE fashion. Arwa doesn’t take it and gets mad but Zahir isn’t here for it and it’s smooth sailing again. 

During a trip into the Realm of Ash Arwa realizes the truth behind her Amrithi blood and the Maha’s crimes and shares it with Zahir. They both struggle, Arwa being staunchly anti-empire and Zahir trying to do something to prove his worth to his sister. When the emperor dies, he names Zahir as the Maha’s heir and Jihan’s older brother Prince Akhtar as Emperor. A few murders later, a different Emperor sits on the throne and Zahir has a bounty on his head. Zahir and Arwa use the aid of a secret women’s society Zahir’s mom was a part of to escape to where the Maha was stationed to find the secret to the empire’s success, discovering cursed towns, ghosts from their pasts, and their feelings for one another. 

The Good:

→ Zahir

Kae:  So ZAHIR! I love him. He is as kind as a kitten. As sweet as an apple pie. But because he is a bastard, he is hidden away in tombs that were converted to be his rooms. There, he does research on how to restore peace and order to the Empire. He knows his days are numbered, being the bastard son of the Emperor, so he is essentially doing research to bargain his own life. Besides that, he genuinely likes learning and spent the majority of his days doing that anyway before he was banished to the tombs to live in secret. 

When we first meet Zahir, he is studying by candlelight in his rooms. Arwa finds a bit of power in him not noticing her, and takes the time to watch him for a moment. She thinks he’s handsome with his ‘pretty face’ and sharp, slender form. She’s like “damn he’s kinda hot… but I'm a widow… I’m not allowed to think boys are hot anymore.” But alas, she thinks he handsome. So they assess each other for a moment and agree to be apprentice and teacher.. Zahir gives Arwa poems and books to read that will help her better understand about the Realm of Ash and what he is working on. 

Geena: Arwa wears a veil for 90% of the book because such is the way of the widow, so she makes a point to stare at Zahir through her veil because she knows he can’t see her checking him out. And this boy turns around and hands her poetry, the more we learn about the nocturnal prince the more you realize he’s such a Soft Boi™ who loves literature and wants to desperately prove that his life has worth. His mother was killed because she tried to give the Emperor some advice, and the Empire of Ambha drinks the ‘women aren’t shit’ juice so she was labelled a traitor and murdered. Zahir only survives because Princess Jihan loves him, and as a legitimate spoiled princess she has to be pampered. Zahir has the ability to study and work with magic, because his mother was part of a secret women’s society that did so and it was passed onto him, so he’s been tasked with figuring out a way to stop the Empire’s decline ever since the Maha died. 

His character made me sad a little bit, because he feels like he should have died with his mother to some extent. And Jihan has led him to believe that his life being worth something depends solely on the fact if he can find the Maha’s spirit and save the empire. He’s treated like trash by everyone else because he’s a bastard and into witchcraft, even Arwa thinks he’s a weirdo in the beginning. But he’s such a kind-hearted soul?? Who btw respects women, when Arwa accuses him of tryna sleep with her, Zahir is like “MA’AM, I RESPECT YOU WITH MY WHOLE HEART IDK WHAT SHIT MY SISTERS BEEN DRINKING BUT I WOULD NEVER!” well, he’s less dramatic than that but yea he suggests laying out rules so they don’t cross the apprentice/teacher dynamic. Also, during one trip into the Realm of Ash and Arwa’s veil comes off and she literally snaps at him to not look at her face (bc it is not the widow way) he straight up doesn’t look at her face ever for a good portion of the book after that skfjdf.  

Kae: YEH HE JUST LOOKS AT HER HANDS. SOFTIE. I LOVE HIM. 

Geena: Hand fetish IM JOKING… BUT SNDKFJDNST THAT’S ALL I COULD IMAGINE.. Arwa was like “Man, my veils off but this boy is still looking at my HANDS” 

The Bad:

→ Gulshera and the Royals

Kae: Gulshera! Ohh, she made me mad at the end. But like, I get it, ya know? So Gulshera, our bow-wielding widow, was Princess Jihan’s nursemaid and confidant. So when Gulshera finds out Arwa is Amrithi (because Arwa got caught trying to rid the Hermitage of daiva) she basically goes to Arwa like “You know you gotta get up outta here right? You can’t stay here, shawty.” But she gives Arwa the option of possibly going to the Empire and devoting herself to the Princess and her cause for solving the Empires bad luck. So Arwa goes, meets Zahir, yada yada yada. 

Gulshera asks Arwa very vague questions about what she’s doing but doesn’t exactly want to know what Arwa is doing. She just a lil nosey. So after a while, the Emperor dies and the named prince is killed by his brother. Zahir is next and he and Arwa escape. Eventually, they are found in the desert where Gulshera shoots the shit out of Arwa’s shoulder. It’s such a bad blow that Arwa is pretty much bleeding out. I was like, yo what the FUCK GULSHERA. 

Geena: YEA LIKE SHE PRETENDS TO BE HER ALLY AND CARE FOR HER BUT TURNS AROUND AND IS LIKE “SORRY BABES IMPERIALISM ALWAYS WINS” 

Kae: AND THAT’S THE TEA BAYBEEEEEE. IT was such bullshit. But again, I get it. Gulshera is like “It’s either me or you… And I raised the princess so imma do what she says and also I knew her longer soooo…. Bye Arwa. This will haunt me for the rest of my days… but it be like that.” 

Geena: Kae covered Gulshera really well! But yea she was a stank old lady in the end, like you’re essentially the reason Arwa is where she is but you’re acting like you had nothing to do with anything. BUT N E WAYS, I’m gonna talk about Princess Jihan a lil bit because she annoyed me too. She was privileged and used Arwa like a ragdoll, actually not even just Arwa but her brother she claimed to love too. Jihan really guilt-tripped the FUCK out of Zahir being all “Did I save you from nothing? Do I deal with other’s scrutiny for nothing? Prove your worth to me brother, prove that I’ve placed my love in the right man” and I was like……  bitch…. She might have been a princess but she was the queen of emotional manipulation. Also, she claimed to be for the women but essentially told Arwa that one of her jobs was to fuck Zahir and like…. Hello….. What is wrong with you. 

OH AND ANOTHER THING… when it’s revealed that the Maha used Amrithi people to shape the Empire’s success, and Zahir confronts Jihan about this she’s like “Yea, and?” like she saw no problem in using a group of people and villainizing them in the same breath…  Imperialism is a hell of a drug 

The Ugly:  

→ The Nightmare

Kae: So the Nightmare was truly… A nightmare. 

When we first learn about how Arwa became a widow, we learn about an incident that took place at a military base called Darez Fort. Darez Fort is where Arwa stayed with her husband, Kamran. We learn some soldiers come back with what they think is a Daiva, trapped in a little cage/crate thing. When they open it up, it appears to be a childlike creature. But it soon reveals a face of white bone and attacks everyone in the fort. The Nightmare makes the men turn on each other as well and it’s quite literally a blood bath. Everyone is dead. The maids, the cooks, the soldiers, and Kamran. All killed. BUT THERE IS A DAIVA THERE. It’s Arwa’s litter guardian angel. She knows her blood protects her, so in a panic, she makes this big ass cut on her arm and surrounds herself with her blood. The Daiva protects her from the Nightmare and she is the only survivor of Darez Fort. 

The Nightmare leaves a sense of fear in Arwa that literally makes her shake. She can kind of sense when it’s near. So on her journey with Zahir and a guards woman named Eshara, they end up at another fort for a rest. Some soldiers are ordered by this mean ass general to stay inside the fort because they aren’t allowed to leave. This is when Arwa gets that chilling sense of fear as she did in Darez Fort. SOME EVIL SHIT IS AFOOT. 

Geena: Yesss, the nightmares are like anti-daiva essentially. I really liked their concept and how they factored in with the worldbuilding. What makes them terrifying is that the Maha spent how many centuries fending off nightmares by using Amrithi, but suddenly without him to control how gods dream, nightmares are flooding the empire. Arwa manages to defeat the nightmares by unlocking the memories of her past ancestors from the Realm of Ash and crudely dancing a rite that locks nightmares in cages. Along with Zahir, Arwa figures out that nightmares consider themselves some sort of god and love to be worshipped. Both Zahir and Arwa decide that the empire can rot, and the nightmares can do what they want but they’ll teach anyone with amrithi blood to dance the rite and worship the nightmares to prevent any more massacres like Darez Fort.

→ Maha

Geena: God….. This stankass wrinkly-ass bitchboy really sunk his claws so deep into the Ambhan people that after he died, he was thought to be a martyr. Like 12 years after his death and people still worship him, and mourn his death? Mehr and Amun went through so much to end his reign of terror yet the empire continued to worship him. I’m sure they didn’t have the time or power to go around and spread the truth behind the Maha’s work but good LORD was it grating to read people missing that disgusting man. But thinking back on it, even if Amun and Mehr had exposed him… would people have believed an Amrithi couple that killed their beloved Maha? They probably would’ve killed them instead :(

Though, this was an interesting detail that Tasha Suri included. That, despite the evil being defeated, people will refuse to acknowledge it as evil and continue to point fingers at marginalized people for the problems caused by the evil being. 

The Awesome:

→ Arwa and Mehr

Kae: If y’all could see me now, you would see me doing a little dance because BIIIIITCH. I WAS LIVIIIIING SOLELY FOR MEHR AND ARWA TO MEET UP AGAIN. EVERY PAGE I WAS LIKE “is Arwa gonna talk about Mehr? Does she miss her sister?” AND SHE DID SOMETIMES AND I LOVED IT. AND THEN ARWA SAID SHE WAS TOLD HER SISTER HAD DIED AND I WAS LIKE NOOOOO. SHE IS ALIVE, ARWA. SHE IS ALIIIIVE. 

So when Arwa was in the Realm of Ash, she had seen Mehr and was SHOOK. Because you can only see dead relatives in the Real of Ash. So she actively avoided Mehr in the Realm because it hurt too much to see her there. It just confirmed that her sister was dead. And even I was confused because I was like “Ummm, Tasha… I know you didn’t kill off my girl after she done went through all that shit.” So I started thinking…. Because in the Realm of Ash, you saw the dead as grey ash. Shadows. But she saw Mehr in colour and full of life. So I had this theory that since Mehr has Amata (Amrithi spiritual magic closer to the ancestors) that she was seeing Mehr in the realm because of how close Mehr’s amata was so the ancestors and daiva. 

GUESS WHO WAS RIGHT BITCH? MEEEEEE. I CALLED THAT SHIT. IT’S MY SUPERPOWER. So like, as Arwa is dying from that arrow bitchass GUlshera shot her with, she ventures into the Realm and see’s Mehr again. She calls out to her, and Mehr sees her. She promises to find her. 

When Zahir and Arwa escape from his sister’s claws, the daiva take them out into the desert. Mehr eventually finds them and brings them back to her home. When Arwa wakes up, she is greeted by Mehr bandaging her up. They cry and hug. I CRY BECAUSE I’M SO DAMN HAPPY. I LOVE A GOOD REUNION. MEHR LOVED ARWA SO MUCH AND ARWA LOVED MEHR. AND THEY WERE SEPERATED AND HADN’T EVEN KNOWN THE OTHER WAS STILL ALIVE. AND THERE THEY WERE. TOGETHER. AND ALIVE AND HUGGING AND CRYING. It was beautiful. I was like, ugly crying. So thank you, Tasha. Thank you for writing that scene so well because it was happy and emotional and they both deserved to see each other again. It will go down as one of my top 5 reunion scenes. 

I’d also like to say, unrelated to Mehr-- That Awra and Zahir did admit their love for each other and kissed. And Zahir was Arwa’s, and Arwa was Zahir’s, though they made it clear that they belonged to no one. They belonged to each other. And their love was so soft and built on mutual respect. They were both very lonely and longed for one another, but never pursued because Arwa didn’t want to break the honour code of the “widows way” or whatever, and Zahir didn’t want to disrespect her. BUT THEIR MINDS. THEY LOVED EACH OTHER. So they both finally gave in. And it was lovely. 

Geena: ugghh yess, Arwa and Zahir’s relationship was based on mutual respect and love (just like Mehr and Amun!). In both instances, people forced them together but it was only through their own agency that they fell in love with one another, and support each other wholeheartedly. 

ALSO, THE REUNION KSJNFKSJF I had a suspicion that Mehr was alive too based on everything that Kae mentioned too! So, when Mehr says to Arwa that she’ll come for her I sCREAMED!!!! I loved it so much, them crying in each other’s arms… Arwa seeing Mehr’s own kid… LIKE HELLO??? 

Kae: AND TASH SAID HER AND AMUN COULDN’T HAVE KIDS BECAUSE OF THE RITES SO I WAS SHOOK AND HAPPY AND OMG. literally SCREAMING. 

Geena: YEA I REMEMBER THAT, BUT THEN I ALSO REMEMBERED YOUR THEORY! Where the Maha had said that people that danced the rite couldn’t have children because he tried to impregnate amrithi women he enslaved but it didn’t work… and Kae you’d said it was probably because he was shooting dust and YOU WERE RIGHT!!!

Kae: IT’S MY SUPERPOWER. IM TELLING YOU. I CAN GUESS THE SHIT OUT OF SHIT. 

Geena: KJDSFNKSDJF I LOVE YOUR SUPERPOWER!!! My only complaint was that we didn’t get a longer scene with Mehr/Amun and Arwa/Zahir bonding :( I wanted mooorreee… other than that it was everything! 

Conclusion

Geena: TO CONCLUDE! Tasha Suri didn’t disappoint with this sequel… and it’s so easy to write a shitty sequel but she was like nAH WE’RE NOT ABOUT THAT LIFE. And we loved it! There was a slow start as we read Arwa struggling with her internalized hate, but after she realized that she came from a people who have survived in Ambha in the face of adversity the book sped up real fast. The romance was so soft and wholesome and everything that we want in a relationship, Tasha knows EXACTLY what she’s doing when she’s writing romance. I don’t trust anyone else with a romance this soft, and I cannot wait to read her upcoming series that feature a wlw couple.  

Kae: GEENA SAID IT ALL. Tasha knows how to write a romance. I love soft boi’s that will also murder a man for you if need me. LIKE YAAAS HE’S SENSITIVE AND RESPECTS ME AND WILL BEAT SOMEONE'S ASS FOR ME. WE LOVE TO SEE IT. Honestly though, overall, this was such a stunning sequel. Because Geena and I have read some sequels that were…. How to say this nicely… fucking terrible. Tasha is a phenomenal writer and I know her upcoming series will be great too! This book was full of lessons. One being, SELF HATRED IS FUCKING TRASH. SO LOVE YOURSELF AND YOUR RICH BACKGROUND. BECAUSE PEOPLE WILL LOOK DOWN ON YOU  FOR WHO YOU ARE AND WHERE YOU COMF FROM SOMETIMES, AND YOU JUST GOTTA SAY FUCK ‘EM AND KEEP IT MOVING. 

Geena: JKSNFKJSNDSKJF YAAAS, ALSO IK IT WAS BRIEF BUT LIKE DAMN… TASHA REALLY WENT HARD WITH THE AMRITHI IN THIS BOOK AND HOOBOY… Like the insights into past ancestors? And the fact that there are so many mixed Amrithi people that have been forced to hide their heritage… once again…  I M P E R I A L I S M and G E N O C I D E… this series covered it pretty well… PLEASE READ AND SUPPORT TASHA 

[deasidarchived]

does the mun have any blog they would rec?

Um why do you need any other blogs while you have me??? JKJKJK OMG PLEASE READ THIS IN A JOKING TONE DHDJDJFG

Alright I'm answering on mobile so bear with me please!!

First and foremost, my longest and best rp partner who stuck with me on here!!

@iinauras | currently shells is taking a break so please don't disturb her. She is such a sweetheart and inspiring person who pours in a lot more effort than she gives herself credit for!! This blog of hers is of her original story and it's always a joy to learn more about the world and its inhabitants (her lovely ocs♡♡♡♡) i can gush all day about shells but that's for a dedicated post for her \uwu/

And now for my precious partners!!

@stellaknights | i LOVE nisie's cast since they can bounce off each other really well!! She just wants to have a good time and i am ALL for it!! She also does her own art and lemme tell you that takes a LOT of work!!

@fractaele | a rw/y blog but damn if she doesn't do her best to expand and branch out to other fandoms ♡♡ latte is enthusiastic about her characters and shows them the love they deserve and it's honestly contagious (in a good way!!) And makes you wanna work harder!!

@mythosbornc | my queen!!! She loves her muses so much and does her best to embody them!! She really looks into the character and is an absolutely delight to plot with ♡ she puts her all into discussing muses and threads where you can pretty much your own au at this point !!

@galaxyveind | i! Love! Josie!! Aight so don't be shy when it comes to interacting with her (she's shy too lol ilu bby) bc she's really a sweet person and gets excited for interaction and development for both writers!! It's really fun and chill to scream with her about potential threads and ideas!! She's my otome partner in crime after all uwu

@paramithi | jupiter omg... once she gets her blog off the ground-- IM KIDDING I LOVE JUPITER SO! MUCH!! Don't be fooled by any professional looks from her blog bc she's just as clumsy as the next person but damn she's tons of fun to write with and will absolutely take any excuse to show off her studies and muses she's lovingly worked on!!

@ardensfides | kAE my girl my girl from the tales of fandom holy shit?? She throws her all into her interests and she's had tessa for so long and worked so hard on her with so much love that you can make the honest mistake of her being a canon character in tales of legendia!! She's super chill so she's usually down to discuss potential aus or character dynamics ♡♡

Okay bc this is getting really long shdjfsf (I'm sorry!!!) I'm gonna give a few more shoutouts/recommendations!! ANON SEND ME A FEW MORE ASKS ABOUT RECS SO I CAN GUSH OVER MY OTHER PARTNERS/PEOPLE I ADMIRE FROM AFAR!!

@zelotae / @fabulumn / @venenorum / @lunaetis / @maljefe / @veiliisms / @altruisticandsadistic / @frostmaiden / @akhilleuskcsmcs / @starryburglar / @aiontm / @ryusci / @lcnguor / @godforsakcn / @daemonknight / @exitstageentropy / @bygonesin / @xaconite / @noircisaint / @timidplum

[send-me-a-kae-via-subspace]

saw the crane wives perform a bit ago and here r songs of theirs that i have JUST fallen in love w :}

october (safe ship, harbored) - DUDE THE HAR,ONIZATION IN "oh my love" ITS SOSO PRETTY

daydreamer (live) (single) -idk man it just. is very relatable. like,,, the world being overwhelmingly big, so many choices,,,,,,, daydreamer you r faling behind

empty page (live) (single) - ooo aa a a a a ah aho ahaooooooo for realsies

shallow river (the fool in her wedding gown) - in love <3 w how ,elamcholy it feels. such a freakim pretty song

metaphor (coyote stories) - THAT LITTLE GUITAUR THING IS MY FAVOURITE EVER. plus the line 'i keep my closet free of skeletons/because im much better @ digging graves' mmmm

steady, steady (the fool in her wedding gown) - no idea how i didn't run into this song sooner but i really like the changes in pacing

anyway!!! im really glad igot to see them live. it was super fun, and they seem super sweet. shoutout to the drummer (dan?) for telling us to howl to introduce the moon will sing that made me giggle :]]

[everybodysacritic]

Film Review: Hotel Rwanda

By: Kyra E.

My Rating: 8.5/10

This is a film that depicts the true story of a hero named Paul Rusesabagina, the manager of the Hôtel des Mille Collines in Kigali, Rwanda. Rusesbagina helped save the lives of many refugees during the Rwandan Genocide (April 7th-July 15th 1994).

“When people ask me, why do I hate all the Tutsi, I say, "Read our history." The Tutsi were collaborators for the Belgian colonists, they stole our Hutu land, they whipped us. Now they have come back, these Tutsi rebels. They are cockroaches. They are murderers. Rwanda is our Hutu land. We are the majority. They are a minority of traitors and invaders. We will squash this infestation. We will wipe out the RPF rebels.” - George Rutaganda (Hakeem Kae-Kazim)

The film begins by setting up the conflict that causes the Rwandan Genocide: between Hutu extremists and the Tutsi people. George Rutaganda, the vice president of the Rwandan Hutu militia group (a political Hutu extremist group) at the time, spread a message of hate against the Tutsi on the radio. It is important for the film to establish this character, since he was partially responsible for the Rwandan genocide. Afterwards we focus on Paul Rusesabagina, who goes to get supplies for his hotel. When he is driving back a protest lead by Hutu extremists, showing the rising tension. The tension is further explored later in the night when Paul and his wife (Tatiana Rusesabagina) witness their Tutsi neighbour being beaten by Hutu extremists.

The genocide starts when Paul is driving home one night. He witnesses fire and violence in the homes that he passes. He finds a wounded child and takes him and a few others to the Hôtel des Mille Collines for refuge. The next morning there are several dead bodies outside. In order to save his family he has to bribe an officer in order to keep his family and some of his neighbors safe. Rusesabagina allows as many people into the hotel as he can. He gets some help from UN peacekeepers to guard the hotel, but not very much. Soon, the hotel fills up with refugees from overfilled UN refugee camps, Red Cross hospitals, and orphanages. When he expresses his concerns to Colonel Oliver (a character based on General Roméo Dallaire), the UN officer tells him that he is too overwhelmed with his own camp to take in anyone else.

“They’re not gonna stay, Paul. They’re not gonna stop this slaughter.” - Colonel Oliver (Nick Nolte)

Rusesabagina realizes soon that not much help will be coming from other countries after speaking to journalist Jack Daglish, who expresses his hopelessness. This is further perpetuated by Colonel Oliver telling Paul about the racist way that Western society regards black people. The white people from the UN are evacuated, while the Rwandans are forced to stay. Paul and the refugees stand outside in the rain as they watch the bus full of white people drive off.

The graphic images of the genocide are shown when Paul is going on a supply run. There is a roadblock, and when Paul steps out of the van he finds dead bodies littering the ground. The scene is dark and foggy, highlighting the horror of the scene.

“There will be no rescue, no intervention for us. We can only save ourselves. Many of you know influential people abroad, you must call these people. You must tell them what will happen to us. Say goodbye. But when you say goodbye, say it as if you are reaching through the phone and holding their hand. Let them know that if they let go of that hand, you will die. We must shame them into sending help.¨ - Paul Rusesbagina (Don Cheadle)

After the UN refuses to help, Paul urges the refugees to call anybody they know in other countries, and convince them to help. Colonel Oliver comes in the next day telling them that their calls worked. But when the UN is evacuating the family and refugees, they are stopped by the Hutu army. It is revealed that Gregoire betrayed Paul by telling the army about their evacuation plans. Since the UN peacekeepers are not allowed to take action against them they are forced to turn back.

“What are you going to do, shoot me? Shoot me. I would pay you to shoot my family! I would consider it a blessing!” - Paul Rusesbagina (Don Cheadle)

When Paul tries to bribe General Bizimungu into helping them, he turns him down. Paul does not give up however, and instead blackmails the General into helping them by threatening to get him tried as a war criminal. This convinces him, and with the help of the general they are finally able to escape with the UN. On their journey to safety they witness violence and chaos on the streets. Scenes that show some of the terrible conflict that occurred during the genocide are shown as they go. In the end, they reach safety. Paul and his family are reunited with their nieces.

“Paul Rusesabagina sheltered 1268 Tutsi and Hutu refugees at the Milles Collines Hotel in Kigali. Paul and Tatiana now live in Belgium with their children, Roger, Diane, Lys, Tresor and their adopted nieces Anais and Carine. Tatiana's brother Thomas and his wife Fedens were never found.” - End title cards

This movie is able to depict many of the historical elements of the Rwandan genocide correctly, while still being an invigorating film. The acting, especially that of Don Cheadle, is very well executed. The movie is emotional and heartbreaking, heightened by the graphic visuals and talented acting. There is quite a bit of information that did not make it into the film, and may confuse viewers who are not familiar with the genocide, but the history that is shown is accurate and impacting.

“In 2002, General Augustin Bizimungu was captured in Angola and transported to the U.N. War Crimes Tribunal in Tanzania. At the same tribunal the Interhamwe leader George Rutuganda was sentenced to life in prison. The genocide ended in July 1994, when the Tutsi rebels drove the Hutu army and the Interhamwe militia across the border into the Congo. They left behind almost a million corpses.” - End title cards

What this film does best is that it makes viewers aware of how terrible the Rwandan genocide was, and dives into what it would have felt like for the Rwandans that experienced it. It has an incredibly important message that many of us need to hear.

[jackalopey]

feel like info-dumping so here’s a post about where i put the kotor characters post-kotor & what i want to explore in my post-kotor 2 fic wrt each of them (maybe ill talk a bit about some of the ocs in it too, there are 4 main ones at present!)

the character ive put by far the most thought into is bastila. i feel like, for bastila, what’s left most unanswered from kotor is the after-math of malak’s torture & her fall. where does she stand with the jedi? where does she stand within her own sense of self? how does she feel about revan, both in their relationship & with revan having left her behind?

i dont have bastila being pregnant bc i think that was a terrible decision both narratively and in terms of bastila’s character (lol), but vaner is still a part of her story! i wont go into detail bc of spoilers, but in this story vay is bastila’s adopted son & in helping him with some of his issues she comes to term with some of her own bc im a big sucker for that shit

the next character would be the exile. something that i think’s interesting about the exile is her sense of duty. she’s gone from the jedi order, to the revanchists, to kreia, and back to revan. the only time she wasn’t dutifully working was during her exile. so i want to explore that a bit, and also of course her ptsd, and how those two things intersect. there’s also a lot to explore with regards to her relationship with revan, past present & future

another big thing i want to explore with the exile, which links in to the duty thing, is her sense of identity, especially with regards to kreia & kreia’s teachings. one of my favourite things about kreia was how she wanted the exile to improve her teachings- so i want to show that happen. i want to show the exile considering everything kreia stood for, and determining what works and what doesn’t, and forming her own identity in there. she isn’t kreia’s student and she isn’t revan’s general- she is herself, and she’s going to learn how to own that properly

next up is the war criminal themself, revan! for the first part of the story, which is what’s the most fleshed out, revan isn’t actually present much at all lmao. but the main thing i want to explore with revan is identity. they have bits and pieces of memory back, but nothing really solid. i want to explore what makes someone who they are, and if you can still be considered the same when you cant remember your past. and also, justice a little bit- should you be held accountable for past crimes when you dont even remember them?

revan’s relationships with the exile & bastila are very important ones, with the exile bein a representive of the past that revan doesnt remember, and bastila being a representive of the past that revan does remember (...but also tried to run way from). there’s one other character who’s important to revan’s story in this fic, an oc called kae, who represents revan’s present. she is a baby who can do no wrong

ive come up with where i want everyone significant from kotor i & ii to be, but those are the ones who ive got the most clear & fleshed out &, aside from visas who is Up There with them, are the ones with the biggest roles in the story

[strangcrdoctor]

Basics:

Name/Alias: Kae Handles/Nicknames: K, Kae, Kae-Face, Shark-Face Over 18?: yes | no Muse: Stephen Vincent Strange Muse over 18?: yes | no | verse dependent Blog Established: This blog’s 4 year anniversary will be this October.

Writing: 

Selective about who you write with?: no (anyone) | semi (most) | yes(some) | highly(a few) | private (mutuals only) Selective about who you follow?: no (anyone) | semi (most) | yes(some) | highly(a few) | private (mutuals only)   Canon Muses, how much do you adhere to canon?: not at all | a little | some | mostly | strictly | multi-canon | canon is dead to me What post lengths do you write?: one liners | single para | multi para | novella Use icons and/or gifs?: no | icons | gifs | yes Stylize your text?: no | a little | yes | a lot Other platforms?: no | yes | discord | goggle docs | other dm Level of plots you write: un-plotted | open-ended plots | semi-plotted: 1-2 steps ahead | fully plotted epics: plotted beginning, middle, and end Speed you usually respond to threads: very slow: over 1 month (sorry but it’s true) | slow: 3-4 weeks | average 1-2 weeks | fast: > 1 week | very fast: > 3 days | depends on inspiration/irl commitments  Themes/tropes you like: (free to add) action/adventure | romance | fluff | angst | smut | violence | tragedy | domestic | family | conversational | slice-of-life | hurt/comfort | mutual pining | curtain | bodyswap | marriage of convenience | fake married/dating | soulmates | a/b/o | bedsharing | no power au | magical creatures | dark | friends to lovers | enemies to lovers | forced cooperation | unrequited love | amnesia | matchmaker | drunk confessions | undercover | bonded characters | accidental marriage | royalty   Genres you like: (free to add) fantasy | supernatural | sci-fi | historical | horror | comedy | romantic | drama | mystery | espionage | thriller | dystopian | cyberpunk | bodygaurd au | coffeeshop | magical realism | college au | hollywood au | crime/cop au Themes you’re uncomfortable writing?: (not triggers) no | sometimes | yes | Have any triggers? How do you like it tagged? no triggers | tw: trigger | trigger cw

Shipping: 

Types of relationships you’re open to: romantic | platonic | friends | familial | enemies | frenemies Types of pre-established ships you’re open to: romantic | platonic | canon | familial | chemistry-based | none Have any OTPs?: no | chemistry-based | yes | canon ship(s) Have any NOTPs?: no | yes | depends | canon ship(s) | notp faceclaims Muse’s sexual orientation: pansexual | poleysexual | heterosexual | homoflexible | homosexual | bisexual | ceterosexual | demisexual | sapiosexual | aesexual | gray aesexual Muse’s romantic orientation: panromantic | polyromantic | heteromantic | heteroflexible | biromantic | homoflexible | ceteromantic | demiromantic | sapioromantic | gray-romantic | aromantic Muse’s sexual interest: positive | variable | repulsed | uninterested | complicated Muse’s romantic interest: positive | variable | repulsed | uninterested | complicated Comfortable writing smut?: no | selectively | yes How early do you ship romantically? autoship | during plotting - if muns can see them meshing well | after a couple IC interactions | several IC interactions | after many IC interactions | slow burn | never Open to toxic ships?: no | selectively | yes Open to problematic ships?: (canon history, age difference, complicated, etc.) no | selectively | yes Open to ployshipping?: no | selectively | yes | OT3 me Are you an exclusive shipper?: never | no | rarely | sometimes | yes | has mains Does crack shipping ever happen?: no | never-say never | sometimes | yes | crackier the better

Tagging: 

Tagged by: @mistakeiwontmaketwice . Tagging: @ I’m too tired to tag tonight I’m sorry but I’m tagging you over there! Yes you!

[finishinglinepress]

FINISHING LINE PRESS CHAPBOOK OF THE DAY:

Grasp This Salt by Erin Kae

$14.99, paper

https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/grasp-this-salt-by-erin-kae/

Erin Kae’s poetry has been featured in Vinyl, Sonora Review, Crab Fat Magazine, Fugue, and elsewhere. She was recently nominated for the Pushcart Prize by Aster(ix) Journal, and was selected as a finalist for the 2017 Locked Horn Press Publication Prize for their Read: Water anthology. She currently resides outside Boston, MA, where she splits her time writing poetry and children’s literature.

“Who are we to one another? Erin Kae‘s insistent, unsettling poems find ways to listen, to imagine and care, where most of us would pass by unthinking, would make a monster of a person. An unforgettable new voice has arrived.”

–Lytton Smith, author of My Radar Data Knows Its Thing (Foundlings Press, 2018)

“What does it mean to try to understand our own mother’s experience of mothering us? Or to try to understand another mother’s experience of mothering? Erin Kae’s unflinching debut imagines what it means to be a tourist in the city of a mother’s unimaginable decisions. Through a cycle of sharply wrought elegies, Kae investigates the complexity of motherhood through the closed car windows of the Susan Smith trials. The poems deftly refract Smith’s voice through time—before mothering, in the act of mothering, in the act of watching or not watching, in the moment of inventing the black man she blames (whose own voice rises to the surface of the lake through Cornelius Eady’s rendering of this racism). Nestled inside Smith’s crime is the voice of a mother of a toddler named Erin who keeps playing at drowning, alongside a Greek choir at the trial ready to let us in on the sins of a woman who would kill her own children. The poems in Grasp This Salt are beautiful and frightening, unafraid to grasp at miscarriage, murder, and whether we can make sense of violent death—to look behind the curtains left open “for neighbors to know there is nothing to see here.” Through intricate form Kae’s collection never loses sight of the ways the public might want a mother to suffer for her decisions, but she also knows that only the Lake Birds Observing Brutal Imagination “know best, who comes and goes from the lake.” These are fierce lyrics of violence and of mothering.”

–Cori A. Winrock, author of Little Envelope of Earth Conditions (Alice James, forthcoming)

RESERVE YOUR COPY TODAY

PREORDER SHIPS MAY 10, 2019

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[babineni]

it was the photo post with the 45 questions and the caption is like "a strong character can carry a weak plot but a strong plot can't carry weak characters" so i wasn't sure, but if you did want questions for that then 4, 20, 23 for zhae and illa if you want?

thank you so much

Zhae

4. What is your character’s greatest asset?

I believe it’s Zhae sense of strategy and her understanding of various groups of people. Zhae is not that much of a people-person on a personal level (she’s a tad bit too angsty for that) but she can quickly pick up on the different cultural/sub-cultural aspects in people and use that to lead, motivate, manipulate and crush the spirits of masses.

20. Does this character have an obsession? Name it.

Zhae’s thirst for knowledge and exploration is borderline unhealthy. She doesn’t care about her well-being when she has a chance to uncover something that no one else would - either because they wouldn’t dare or because they wouldn’t even know about it. She needs to have things like this, and she never has enough of them.

23. Whom does this character wish to please? Why?

When Zhae was a young girl, idolized her masters and she was eager to be the best student she could be. But after the exile of Arren Kae, this feeling dissipated. A part of her felt betrayed by both the Council and Master Kae - she thought it was unjust that one could be so severely punished for love but at the same time she couldn’t help but be angry at Arren for risking everything, including her, for an affair.

After that she didn’t develop such needs to please for a long time. Then she started to feel guilty over certain actions and wanted to please those she had wronged, namely Malak for cutting off his jaw, Carth for what happened to his family, Illa for Malachor, and Bastila for making her vulnerable to the Dark Side through their Force Bond.

Illa

4. What is your character’s greatest asset? 

I think it would be Illa’s insistence to hold on to hope. Hope has been her driving force throughout her exile - the hope that she could adapt to a life outside the Jedi Order, the hope that she would find a way to make up for her crimes during the Mandalorian Wars, and of course the hope that one day she would feel better. With or without the Force.

20. Does this character have an obsession? Name it. 

It’s not really an obsession, but Illa fidgets a lot which can take different shapes and forms. Sometimes she tinkers with droids or other machinery, other times she finds some puzzle to solve, or she plays around with pazaak cards. And if there’s nothing else, she might chew on her hair. But as I said I wouldn’t go as far as to say she’s obsessed with doing these things and I can’t think of anything else.

23. Whom does this character wish to please? Why? 

Well, Illa really wants to give the best guidance she can to her padawans. Their happiness and well-being precedes pretty much everything else for her, and she doesn’t care that it’s not exactly the by-the-book version of Jedi education.