#or if I forgot to answer to something

[daily-dose-of-bucket]

Kanna and reko :)

Day 212: happy (as per tradition) belated birthday Reko! and happy almost birthday to this ask

[myokk]

legilimency

pairing: Ominis Gaunt x f!MC

word count: 1,7k

summary: (His parents and Marvolo insist it’s a gift handed down from Slytherin himself, just like the Parseltongue Ominis despises. It is not. It is a curse.)

or: The Gryffindor student has caught on that Ominis can read her thoughts and decides to get her revenge.

(rated M for some language)

tags: I headcanon Ominis is a natural legilimens (I go into what I believe this entails in more detail in my Ominis longfic), fluff, some mature language, but mostly this is silly :)

a/n: It's the one-year anniversary of the day rode the train to the mountains and wrote this up in one sitting. This is the first oneshot I ever wrote, and my first attempts at writing Ominis POV🫶 I hope you enjoy, and if you’re rereading THANK YOU♥️

Ominis Gaunt is a lost case - lost to the whims of one very determined Gryffindor sitting at his side.

They sit in the back of the History of Magic classroom, the only two students not lulled to somnolence by their professor. He: trying his hardest to focus on Professor Binns' droning (easier said than done). She: trying her hardest to distract Ominis while not being entirely sure of being successful or not (easier attempted than understood).

Professor Binns is completely insufferable, of course. Ominis wonders if the ghost is as blind as he is: Binns willfully ignores the fact that all of his students use his class as an excuse to get a nap in (maybe he simply doesn't see them sleeping - only one of many reasons why Ominis has decided he could never be a professor), rambling on and on in the most boring way possible. As if he were trying to be as dull as possible (maybe he does it to avoid interacting with the students which...can't be to blame). In a different life, Ominis could see himself quite liking the subject, but as things stand he despises it.

Especially now.

Ominis fervently wishes that he could fall asleep.

Then, he might avoid hearing her thoughts - they're consuming him and he can't ignore them as much as he would like to.

Normally, he loves this class - not the subject, obviously - but the class itself, for the sheer fact that it is the only time where he gets some peace and quiet. Everyone's minds nice and quiet and shut off for the time being while they sleep. Although he has gotten used to ignoring the thoughts of everyone around him, their various voices mixing and mingling with each other into a dull thrum in the back of his mind, it is nice to have some quiet once in a while.

But right now with everyone asleep except for the Gryffindor at his side, her thoughts are so loud it's like she's screaming at him.

So here he is, wishing he could fall asleep, leave the class, maybe turn off the infernal legilimency that has haunted him his whole life.

(His parents and Marvolo insist it's a gift handed down from Slytherin himself, just like the Parseltongue Ominis despises. It is not. It is a curse.)

He is stuck listening to her.

It doesn't help that she seems to have caught on to him - something he had managed to avoid until now. Nobody else, not even Sebastian or Anne, has ever suspected a thing. But, in all fairness, those two are extremely loud and say every single thought that passes through their minds out loud even when they should remain quiet, and nobody else has had the opportunity to spend enough time with Ominis to begin to suspect anything.

Until her.

He had to go and let that blasted girl worm her way into his life, not leaving him alone ever, always looking for excuses to talk and ask his opinion, and being so intelligent that he wanted to invite her to study with him and talk with him and...

Since it happened a few nights ago, he hasn't stopped cursing himself for that stupid offhand comment he made. They had been studying in silence in the library together, by the history books where nobody else ever ventures (thank you, Professor Binns), and he could have sworn that she asked him if he was finally going to walk her back to her common room (he blames a lack of sleep and wishful thinking for this mishap). His traitorous face had flushed and he had jumped at the chance to escort her - maybe she would let him carry her bag, or... - only to feel his whole body go cold and his stomach drop when her response wasn't what he'd expected.

A pause: then: a confused voice: 'Ominis, I didn't say anything.'

His Gryffindor wasn't stupid like Gryffindors were normally wont to be. He knew her, and he knew that after his monumental mistake, the gears in her brain were turning and he was terrified that somehow she had figured it out.

(His Gryffindor?)

She had been unusually quiet around him since then, although he bitterly noticed that she was still acting normally with everyone else. Still finding every opportunity to punch Sebastian in the shoulder and laugh with Anne, still whispering with Natsai about Merlin knows what, still...

But she had been avoiding Ominis. He couldn't stand it.

Well, avoiding him right until this stupid class, when she had to go and sit right next to him (ignoring the fact that she always sits next to him in History of Magic, that everyone already has and adheres to their unofficial seats), and he can't ignore her.

She's pretending to take studious notes, but he knows better. The scratching of her quill blending with the droning of Professor Binns' voice but not drowning out her thoughts. They float above the other noises, her voice sweet and piercing. Ominis wonders vaguely what she's actually writing, because he's positive it isn't notes.

Professor Binns looks so sexy right now with his medieval hat, talking about...whatever it is he's passionate about. I wonder if he would let me talk to him after class without floating through me like he normally does...

Ominis is determined not to react. She's obviously trying to bait him. But...what if she is attracted to Professor Binns? Is he an attractive man? At the thought, the fist that's resting on top of his desk clenches, but he works to make sure his face remains impassive. Apart from a twitch of his lips, he thinks he's been quite successful.

She: huffing and shifting in her chair, her robes rustling as she crosses her legs. He: keeping his head facing forward, steadfastly ignoring her.

She changes tactics.

Maybe she's just as insufferable as the other Gryffindors, after all.

I wonder what Ominis would say if he knew I woke up moaning today after a dream about him -

He shifts slightly in his seat, hoping that she's so busy taking notes (who's he kidding) that she won't notice his discomfort as his trousers tighten -

...the girls in my dorm have been bothering me nonstop about who I've been mooning over but I don't want them to...

His hand is in such a tight fist it's a wonder he's not breaking any fingers as he tries to remain as still as possible, but his traitorous arousal is making her thoughts harder and harder to ignore. Had he ever been able to ignore her?

...his tongue was deep inside my cunt as I screamed his name...

He feels his face heat up at the thought - where had she learned such vulgar language? - and his whole body stiffens. He's sure that she can feel the tension and warmth radiating off of him in waves but that...she...his insane little lion keeps shouting at him in the silence of the classroom. She's now stopped all pretense of taking notes and is sitting stock still.

...his cock deep inside of me as...wait...what else did I hear Garreth say to Leander that night?...um... She shifts uncomfortably, her knee grazing Ominis's as she moves to squeeze her legs together. It's all he can do to not groan and remain impassive. Oh god...I...what's that feeling? This was just supposed to get back at him for probably - maybe - reading my thoughts and I'm officially insane because how would he even be able to do that?...his ears turning red from embarrassment are so adorable and I can't stand this anymore and...

Ominis tries his hardest not to move his head in her direction. His jaw flexes. Maybe he can drown her out if he starts reciting potions ingredients, or if he focuses on what Professor Binns is saying, but even he knows its futile. He's hanging on to her every word - thought? - and his head slowly turns in her direction as she keeps going.

...does he know how much I think about him? Oh god, what if he dreams of me the same way I...

He slams the open book in front of him shut, the loud noise causing Sebastian to jerk awake and babble incoherently for a moment before slumping back over his desk, drooling and snoring lightly. Nobody else in the class seems to notice except her of course. Blissfully, she has stopped talking - thinking - and he can finally -

It's no use. He needs to get out of there. She has invaded his mind and...What if she starts up again with her filthy thoughts that are bleeding into his own and -

Did he hear me? I didn't actually think...oh god, can he hear me now? What have I done?

Ominis very slowly brings his hand over to where he knows hers is. The quill falls out of her hand and he hears a sharp intake of breath at their contact. His fingers trace her knuckles and then he slowly trails them up her arm. His fingertips are so sensitive that he could swear that he feels every thread that he passes, her skin warm and alive underneath the fabric. Then to her neck, her throat bobs and he feels her erratic heartbeat. Finally, he reaches her face. She remains very, very still as his fingers brush over her features for the first time.

He has never touched someone like this before.

Her skin is like velvet, soft everywhere he touches. Now that he knows what it feels like he's not sure he can go back to before. His fingers trace the curve of her eyebrows - he finds that her nose is straight before it flares up a tiny bit at the tip - his fingers ghost over her impossibly soft lips. He drags his thumb across her bottom lip as her tongue darts out to wet them. It's impossibly intimate and the world has melted away and it's just the two of them in that moment.

He leans forward.

"Ominis, I..." she whispers, stricken.

His hand moves to tuck some of her loose hair away from her face - does she always wear it like this? - and his lips brush against her ear. He inhales deeply, her sweet smell invading his senses. She shivers under his touch and he breathes, "I heard everything."

[vi050iv]

Your Rodimus ARHHHHHHHH IM NOT OKAY HE LOOKS SO SO GOOD I NEED TO EAT YOUR ART HDAKHDKSHDK

Awww thanks so much :D

[violentdelightshavevioletends]

"You sure I shouldn't ask Cuir or Chradh—"

"No." I start down the stairs. There's only one other person besides Bodhi and Garrick I can trust to prioritize Xaden's best interests, only one other person who can know the truth in its entirety. "Tell Glane I need Imogen."

— Violet Sorrengail, in the Onyx Storm prologue

"What did you do?" My head snaps toward Imogen, and a deep sense of foreboding takes root in my chest.

She slowly lifts her gaze to mine. "What you asked me to."

— Violet Sorrengail to Imogen Cardulo, during Chapter 66 of Onyx Storm

[darqx]

Aren't you tired of being nice?

[daily-awoken-vessel]

we're so back part 2

[illuminatedferret]

About TGCF Canon: I just realized that the missions Jun Wu gives to Xie Lian are very disadvantageous for Xie Lian.

He immediately butted heads with Pei Ming on Mt. Yu Jun (PM's own territory) and on Ban Yue missions, both striking where it's most personal: PM's ex-lovers and family matters.

Next is Ghost City, and I'm certain it's to sour the relationship between him and Hua Cheng with LQQ's loud righteousness right in the middle of Ghost City, infamous for its inhumane atmosphere. Additionally, "Ming Yi" was already 'a spy for the heavens' in Ghost City, so the risk of offending HC and/or Ghost City is very, very high.

I think JW's refusal to banish XL (Fangxin Guoshi) was also partially to stoke more fire between XL and LQQ (or, potentially, with everyone else as this puts distinction between XL and other gods by this point; LQQ already thought it doesn't matter if XL was banished again or not anyway)

And then Brocade Immortal; JW told XL to go with Quan Yizhen, infamous for not playing well with other gods / not sociable / fights even his own followers. I also don't doubt that this is to have XL and Ling Wen's "good coworkers" relationship go downhill.

Which means, JW tried to pit XL against literally all the major martial gods (other than FX and MQ who, logically from outside PoV, already have a strained relationship with XL), The major civil goddess, and the most powerful ghost king/supreme.

...Insane.

(Bonus: if Shi Wudu's impending heavenly calamity timing was also by Jun Wu's design, JW also managed to pit XL against SQX (friends) and SWD, both major elemental gods and also Black Water (the other calamity) in one fell swoop...

I count this separately bc we don't know if the timing is actually by JW's design. Plus HX has nothing against XL, and SQX/SWD has no prior connection to XL. In short: if Black Water Arc had happened before XL's third ascension, it'd just happen the exact same way without XL... which makes the timing suspicious, especially the closeness to Mt Tonglu's reopening. I have a headcanon about this but that's kind of a different topic)

-🍁

Yes to all of this! Jun Wu was definitely angling to create conflict between Xie Lian and his peers in the heavens, and I think he had two goals in doing so. The first was to isolate him by sabotaging his relationships, and the second was, I believe, to show Xie Lian the worst of the heavens and to encourage resentment towards them.

I don't think the /timing/ of Shi Wudu's Heavenly Tribulation is suspect, just because we're never given any suggestions in-novel that it's possible to manipulate the timing of Tribulations like that (and I think it would have come up), but He Xuan finding out about the fate swap was definitely Jun Wu's machinations! Hualian talk with Mei Nianqing a little about this- holding onto that piece of information until he wanted to get rid of Shi Wudu, then letting He Xuan discover it. In the end it's getting rid of two birds with one stone- remove the Water Tyrant, who was getting a bit too big for his britches, and Shi Qingxuan, who was Xie Lian's only friend in the heavens.

Also, you may not want to go into the opening of Mount Tonglu, but I do! Jun Wu absolutely timed that. I don't care how bad of luck Xie Lian has, that the ghost rut started right when Xie Lian was alone with a Supreme ghost?? He was definitely hoping Xie Lian would get hurt in some way, and his relationship with Hua Cheng would be ruined. No way that wasn't him. There's this ongoing reflection I have with TGCF after reading it for the first time where I look back and realize how much of Xie Lian's 'bad luck' is actually Jun Wu. When you learn about the second shackle, you think it's just that, but no, it's the all-powerful man in the sky who's obsessed with you and wants you to suffer and be his Junior. It's fucked up.

[cajunfoxnight]

babe wake up new gender envy just dropped (zatanna)

Aw come on! No need to be envious!~ (ok, maybe a little ;3)

[rendevok]

The feeling of butterflies 🦋💕 - my piece for the @unfoldingmelodyzine, a kapollo charity zine

Also please check out the fic, of metamorphosis and butterflies by cosmicpoet on ao3

IDs in alt texts. More deets & a breakdown under the cut! ^^

This zine also offered a separate, behind the scenes breakdown of pieces; so you can see my thoughts & step-by-step process here!

It was a real honor to be a part of this project, as well as collab with Gabe on this very romantic scene for klapollo; we even made a playlist together (which u can enjoy)! There are so many things about this work that really pushed my skills and made me really proud of it, but i have to say… my favorite detail is the butterflies! If you can find all 29, then bravo!

[aquanutart]

She is offering water to any lost travelers! However, it's so hot that the water has become tea, so she's adjusted accordingly!

[tridentkickflipper123]

Hi triad i just felt like letting you know this:

Finding you(and @/jaggybot3000) in my activity like twice shocked me becuz i love your/yalls arts so so much like youre also one of my biggest inspirations in this fandom dkdjjsjdjs. Really i love your artstyle, its so scrumptious to look at.

Im also gonna take this an opportunity to ask,,, do you have a cccc lore planned out in your head/written? Idk if this has been asked before—if it did i havent seen it... just curious, i like seeing different people's interps

hi hi!!! this honestly means so much <:} thank you!!! you're a very talented artist and you deserve to have your art seen, I'm happy to be able to share it ^_^ keep up the great work!!! (also Jaggy mention yesss. I love Jaggy's art too YAY)

also I do, in a way! I don't post about it as much since I like to express it through art instead… and I haven't been able to draw as much lately due to lack of time :'D and I also don't want people to confuse it with my personal interpretation of the album or my analyses of the album itself… I try to keep my personal 'verse' of the album (aka how I lay out the 'lore' into an actual more tangible storyline in my head) and my personal interpretation of the album (aka what I think the album is trying to say) separate… I try not to conflate the two, though my interpretation of the album does inform my verse, but not the other way around. I hope that makes sense :P

I don't have eeeverything figured out as far as events go, so I'm not going to mention every story beat, however I will mention certain stray concepts for some major events. I'll talk about it more under the cut for anyone who's curious ^_^ (WARNING: huge walls of text)

so first thing, in my personal 'verse' the story isn't a literal timeloop… (sorry timeloop fans). however it still is very much a 'cycle' of sorts. since the album's message of mental health being a cycle in itself with its ups and downs is extremely meaningful (and a core theme really) so while I don't see it a literal timeloop, I do incorporate it in a slightly different way!

one thing I'd like to explain, is that a few of the story beats / events only have happened once, rather than them being something that repeats every cycle. this is the case for my interpretation of the shot in RoE (different from the song RoE in the album… I'll explain in a minute) and Heart blinding himself. while some other story beats (pretty much the rest of cacophony) do happen every cycle, but they never happen in the exact same way. there's some variation here and there. some events happen earlier or sometime later, sometimes cacophony lasts slightly longer or slightly shorter… etc etc. also HMS generally remember the previous cycles.

so I'd like to start with the shot in RoE first. I actually think the shot happened before all the other events in the album. (this is due to the line in Mucka Blucka – 'but when he finally shot at me, lines once solid were blurred') and while I don't consider it the source of the dissonance itself (I imagine the dissonance started brewing even earlier, which slowly leads up to the shot) I do think it's the cause of the actual split / HMS seeing eachother as distinct parts rather than one single person. I don't talk about it a lot, but I do think of the shot as an actual suicide attempt rather than a literal attack. (I mean… it's very much what Mucka Blucka implies, after all) BUT, I do think that each of HMS remember the shot differently. Mind, of course, remembers it as an actual murder attempt on him, with Heart as the aggressor Heart remembers it as something done in self-defense, with Mind as the initial aggressor only Soul remembers it for what it actually was (a suicide attempt) I see it this way because I think the ensuing miscommunication would give some sense to each character being like that... they wouldn't be able to make peace with what happened until concord, where they're able to forgive eachother / themselves, only for the lingering, resentful feelings to spring up during cacophony again.

(also this should be obvious by now but of course this isn't me assuming anything about CJ's life or anything. this is me taking what's said in the album itself to form a fictionalized story in my head. I do very much hope this is straight up obvious, but I just don't want anyone to get the wrong idea or anything… orz...)

and of course after the shot, the cycle of calamity/cacophony/concord that we already familiar with begins. I always think that, once they re-split at the beginning of each cycle, the ensuing cacophony starts gradually, since Never Meant to Know and Spring and a Storm feel a lot like a 'calm before the storm' kind of thing to me, while cacophony peaks at TME/TSE/The Bidding.

now, as for the aforementioned repeating events...

I really really like to think of Spring and a Storm (and subsequently, Storm and a Spring) as something that happens each cycle... I imagine during Spring and a Storm, Soul goes outside and sits on a grassy hill somewhere until it starts to rain. Soul remains there, until Mind comes looking for him to bring him back home. I always imagine it's Mind specifically due to the existence of StaaS. in my head I've played around a lot with the idea of them having a chat under the rain, until Mind finally convinces him to come back inside. (I even have an unfinished comic about it... the unfinished comics curse...) I do imagine the talks they have during it are different in each cycle, but usually they tend to be Soul trying to remain optimistic despite him knowing what's coming, and Mind not really understanding why he's optimistic, completely unable to see things the way Soul does. <- this train of thought will come back once I get to StaaS in a bit lol

as for RoE, since I imagine the shot is something that has already happened a long time ago, what I think happens in RoE (as in, the actual song) is Mind and Heart remembering said incident, and being stuck in that mindset where they feel like they're reliving it all over again. I imagine the shot would have been very traumatic for them both (and Soul too, of course), so it'd make sense to me if the memory of it comes back to haunt them every cycle whenever tension starts up again. I think of the lyrics themselves as sort of the difference of how they cope about it? with Heart excusing himself and trying to make sense of the consequences he has (or, had) to face. while Mind... well, Mind is being Mind about it. he laughs about it as if it doesn't affect him at all, yet is adamant about how Heart should be facing the consequences for what he did. still, despite the differing attitudes from them both, I do think it would affect them both negatively equally.

after that follows Apathy, which I have a very specific perspective of (I actually have so many comic ideas regarding Apathy but... I hate drawing comics... :'D)

I don't really see Apathy as a literal hole that Heart falls into (though the imagery of unknowingly digging your own grave really is so cool… sighs…). instead I really like the concept of Apathy taking place in what would be Heart's room. usually just a normal, albeit messy room; but the moment Apathy starts, it becomes this long, dark, completely pitch black tunnel with seemingly no end. I have the idea of Soul going in to look for Heart, despite knowing how easy it would be to get lost in there. a majority of the time in results in nothing really, as even when he does find him, Heart is completely unmoving and non-cooperative with him. Soul tries his best to get him out of Apathy, but Heart doesn't really care about what happens to him at that point, and completely dismisses Soul. and even if Soul tries to physically drag him out it just makes matters worse. eventually, Soul stops going in to look for him. Mind tends to have an easier time traversing through Apathy – his light clearing up the darkness around him. but of course, Heart isn't really ever happy to see him, and if he's already uncooperative with Soul then he's even worse with Mind, who's way of helping things is really just berating and verbally lashing out at him until Heart does something. (which of course, makes Heart want to cooperate with him even less.)

(also fun fact, this post is meant to imply they're both physically in Apathy, hence the pitch black background and white light around Mind's head. yayyy)

I imagine Heart starts to get out of Apathy around Storm and a Spring; its effects would still linger on him of course, but he's far more responsive than he was before. he goes outside for once, where it's raining and Mind joins him, and they have a conversation that mirrors whichever conversation Soul and Mind had earlier in the cycle. however, Mind twists Soul's overall hopeful words into another chance to berate Heart. that being said, considering Mind's breakdown at the end of StaaS, I imagine he doesn't quite 'win' at the end of their ensuing conversation. which would lead to Mind deciding to just dismiss Heart in TME.

... admittedly I haven't figured out how I'd lay out the next story beats... so that's all I can mention for now! :'D I will say I always imagine it's during TME / TSE where the conceptuals come into play, but that's not a hard rule by any means and just a concept I like to play around with sometimes, haha. I do have a bigger post planned regarding my conceptual and semi-conceptual designs that I just haven't gotten around to finishing due to lack of time :'D but they do play a pretty big role in how cacophony plays out in my verse!

also sort of a late addendum, but I really like the idea of the first cycle being vastly different from each subsequent one... (it's also the cycle where I think Heart blinds himself, the effect of it lasting each subsequent cycle). I imagine that, due to the shot having practically just happened, tensions are very high and as a result they treat eachother differently compared to later cycles, most noticeable with Heart and Mind towards Soul. buuut I may just make a different post exploring that concept because I have... a lot of thoughts regarding it... and this post is long enough as it is, haha. I'm also attached to the idea of HMS becoming closer as the cycles go on rather than growing distant. I feel at first they feel like they don't really know eachother... seeing eachother as almost like strangers stuck in their own body, and then, after so many cycles, they feel they know eachother a lot better and generally feel safer around the other, especially when closer to concord. and while it's never perfect, they can maybe manage to reach harmony and stability easier compared to earlier cycles, perhaps as a sign of healing after such a long time... yaaay <- if it wasn't obvious by now the overall message of healing in the album is super important to me. it's the reason I love concord art so much <:}

so yeah I think that's all I can mention about for now as I haven't figured out everything haha. apologies that this is super long-winded (and perhaps confusing?). a lot of this is subject to change since my interpretations are never set in stone, I prefer to let my interpretation change freely as I notice more details in the album and such and explore different possibilities on what certain things mean :} I think it's fun doing it that way!

(oh and thank you for asking! this was super fun to answer as I don't get many chances to talk about this stuff LOL)

[kittykirin]

Renegades by ONE OK ROCK

[jicklet]

Elemental (2023)

[ninyard]

Currently obsessed with the question of exactly when Kevin stopped thinking of Riko as his best friend.

(Don't think Riko stopped thinking of Kevin as his best friend until he walked onto the court with his new tattoo.)

I absolutely fully believe in my heart and soul that until Kevin stepped onto that court for their final game together, Riko still believed in some way that he was going come back to him. Riko still saw Kevin as his best friend until the moment he saw that queen piece on his cheek, and it was then and only then that it hit home that he'd lost him.

Riko's feelings towards Kevin don't make sense, they never made sense; He wanted to kill him, he loved him, he can't wait to see him, he can't look at him, he wants to make his life hell, he can't lose him. He's mine, I hate him, I love him, I want to hurt him.

Riko knew Kevin wasn't ever coming back. But he kept his bedroom untouched and undisturbed. He wanted him back, but he wanted him gone. He's obsessed with him, and he's his biggest competitor.

I don't know if he actually wanted Kevin back, either. Was it a control thing? A need to have him in arms reach, to keep him in line, to own him again, just like how it used to be? They used to be best friends. They used to laugh with each other before interviews, they used to sit next to each other on the bus and talk about exy like it was the only thing that mattered - there were only ever three things that did matter in the world: Him, Kevin and exy.

But Riko forgets how he treated Kevin, or he doesn't want to remember it, or he knows and he doesn't care, or he thinks it's only right that Kevin looks past it all. Kevin is his best friend, after all. Kevin is his brother.

Without Kevin he has nothing, but with Kevin he is nothing.

I think Riko gets a thrill out of seeing Kevin. I think his lips twitch into a smile every time he waits for Kevin to turn the corner at a banquet, or a match, or a TV interview. That's Riko's best friend, that's the only person who knows him, the only person who has ever looked at him like he was worth anything (when Kevin only looked at him like he was a monster).

Then Kevin turns the corner, and his tattoo is bigger than it should be, and then it's on every screen around the stadium. And there it is. That queen piece. Everything is ruined, everything is over, everything is different now, and it's never going to go back to the way that it was. Every little thing that he'd kept sacred, waiting for it to be okay, to be fixed, to be back to normal, just destroyed in front of his eyes in an instant (while proving that it was never, ever coming back)

[greenleaf4stuff]

I hope you don’t mind me asking (and please feel free to ignore if it’s too nosy!), but I am so intrigued by your choice to pair Adar with Celebrimbor in your fic (and did you invent SilverScars per chance? I'm not sure of the origin of this ship 🥰). 🖤✨

As they never met or interacted on screen, I'm so curious about what inspired this pair and this dynamic.... Like what made you think of it in the first place🤔💭

Excuse my curiosity getting the better of me, but I'd love to hear what sparked your gorgeous story! 💬🌿🛠️🩸

★·.·´¯·.·★⋆﹥━━━━━━━━━━━━﹤⋆★·.·´¯·.·★

Hiii and hello! Thank you so much for your question (and your kind words about my fic!), @varda-star-queen, and no worries, I am always down for talking about silverscars! :D

Starting with the easiest bit - while I am very flattered by the thought, I didn't invent the ship nor its name! The first fic that I am aware of about these two was written by @plotdesigner and is called 'Hand in Gauntleted Hand'. The shipname itself came after, I got asked this question by someone else before and collected my 'research' in this post. (situations like these are when I am glad for my tagging system! XD)

As to why I ended up thinking of this pairing and began to ship them, and write about them, I think I saw so many parallels and similarities between them that got me; they both died the same season (though of course I still hope they might bring Adar back in the future), both of them through Sauron and rather painfully and tragically. They both don't have partners, they are leaders of their people, manipulated and used for Sauron's means. They both ended up resisting and defying him in some way, too, whether by (seemingly) killing him and freeing the uruk in the past, or by refusing Sauron's demands, and even Adar's decision to turn away from war and violence can be seen as resistance imo.

There are also differences that I found interesting; Celebrimbor likely lived through a sped up version of (some of) what Adar went through in the past under Sauron. One is the sole heir of an influential, famous elven family, the last of his line, the other is a nameless, former elf with no ancestors that we know of, first of his line, with many children, whether literally or figuratively. (To me it almost feels like a 'past and future' presentation.) Celebrimbor was named by his parents, Adar chose his own name. Celebrimbor is held in high esteem and founded his own city, Adar has to fight for the right to survive and have a home for his children, leading him to found Mordor. Adar founds Mordor in s1, Celebrimbor has his home destroyed by the end of s2.

(Also, I wasn't super versed in Silm lore when I started the series, but learning more about Celebrimbor's family history has only added more points to this; both of them must have lived through countless battles in Arda, perhaps even experienced the same ones from different 'sides'? And there are multiple references to Feanor in the series, with Celebrimbor's actions and deeds often being weighed and compared against those of his grandfather. Meanwhile, Adar is held responsible for and associated with Sauron and his cruelties. Influences they, likely, cannot so easily separate from and try to overcome, by besting Feanor and disavowing Sauron respectively.)

It's an intriguing combination of similarities and differences, to me at least.

And on a more personal level, my thought was that, if they met, a post-Sauron Celebrimbor might look at Adar and see the things he himself has just suffered and survived, and might therefore find a level of understanding and empathy for Adar that other elves might not reach; after all, if he has been manipulated and driven to create the Rings of Men despite his better judgement, someone else could have similar (and worse) happen to them as well, couldn't they? (He readily worked with Elrond and the dwarves, didn't have any reservations against Halbrand, showed understanding towards Galadriel.)

Meanwhile, Adar might see (a version of) his own past reflected at him, similar to what he did with Galadriel in the tent, though with Celebrimbor's experiences being different than hers. I imagine Adar might be able to help Celebrimbor move on from and overcome his trauma and guilt due to his own experiences and knowledge, give him guidance, and an understanding other elves may not be able to give Celebrimbor, due to not having endured the same thing.

I suppose that is the main thing that drew me in - in a sense, their individual experiences with Sauron serve as a connection between them, even if the two never meet on screen. (One might even argue that Sauron pits them directly against each other, via the siege.) Therefore, these experiences might work as a base from which they could build mutual understanding, empathy, and perhaps even more.

(Which, I also like the implications of that in general - that people who come from very different walks of life can recognize their similarities, set aside their differences, find comfort and connection in, and empathy for, each other after surviving awful things, help each other heal, and become stronger through this mutual kindness, affection, friendship (and more).)

And, as for what intrigues me about them being in a relationship - I think it is again a mix of similarities and differences. They both have elven roots. They are both leaders to their people and care about them, they have their own realms (though at different states, with Celebrimbor's either being finished or destroyed, and Adar's in its infancy), they are very driven when it comes to what they consider important. Celebrimbor is a craftsman, Adar has mostly known the fight for survival and is a fighter. Celebrimbor is royalty, Adar is not. Adar might be significantly older than Celebrimbor, the two have very different experiences of what happened through the ages.

It provides a lot of potential - for growth, understanding, drama, banter, humor, fluff, angst, healing, character studies, friendship, romance...

(As a sidenote, I also gravitate more towards m/m ships, which likely factors into this. Plus I think the fact that neither of them have canon partners in the series might have made me go "Oh look, wouldn't it be neat if they had someone as well?")

That being said, I could likely ramble even more. There is just a lot about silverscars that speaks to me, both when it comes to the individual characters and their potential as a ship. I hope that answered your question? I'd love to know!

(And, if anyone wants to add onto this post with their own impressions or ideas, I'd enjoy hearing them! <3)

[dairine-bonnet]

Lord Captain and that funny moment with the book about their heroic deeds (my headcanon)

At the beginning of Ablution in Blood quest (after the blood bath), the retinue starts an investigation. One of Jocasta's subordinates (if I'm not mistaken) delightly exclaims that she (?) read a book about the heroic deeds of the Lord Captain.

Lynette is surprised and asks to skim through this book, then gives the book back after a few minutes. But later she asks Abelard to find her a copy. She reads it in her chamber and eventually feels relieved finding out there's nothing that could threaten her or her position.

I'm certain Heinrix and Abelard have already examined this book from cover to cover, though.

On the other hand, it could be like this:

Lynette: I have serious doubts about many facts in this book.

Heinrix *inperturbably*: I just had a few questions to you in connection with this book. If I may, I would like to discuss them with you in private at a convenient time.

Lynette *not fully aware of what exactly is included in the book* *hisses*: Daaaaamn...