#part of their argument is interesting but like.

[anghraine]

It's interesting (if often frustrating) to see the renewed Orc Discourse after the last few episodes of ROP. I've seen arguments that orcs have to be personifications of evil rather than people as such or else the ethics of our heroes' approach to them becomes much more fraught. Tolkien's work, as written, seems an odd choice to me for not wrangling with difficult questions, and of course, more diehard fans are going to immediately bring up Shagrat and Gorbag.

If you haven't read LOTR recently, Shagrat and Gorbag are two orcs who briefly have a conversation about how they're being screwed over by Sauron but have no other real options, about their opinions of mistakes that have been made, that they think Sauron himself has made one, but it's not safe to discuss because Sauron has spies in their own ranks. They reminisce about better times when they had more freedom and fantasize about a future when they can go elsewhere and set up a small-scale banditry operation rather than being involved in this huge-scale war. Eventually, however, they end up turning on each other.

Basically any time that someone brings up the "humanity" of this conversation, someone else will point out that they're still bad people. They're not at all guilty about what they're part of. They just resent the dangers to themselves, the pressure from above, failures of competence, the surveillance they're under, and their lack of realistic alternative options. The dream of another life mentioned in the conversation is still one of preying on innocent people, just on a much smaller and more immediate scale, etc.

I think this misses the reason it keeps getting brought up, though. The point is not that Shagrat and Gorbag are good people. The point is that they are people.

There's something very normal and recognizable about their resentment of their superiors, their fears of reprisal and betrayal that ultimately are realized, their dislike of this kind of industrial war machine that erases their individual work and contributions, the tinge of wistfulness in their hope of escape into a different kind of life. Their dialect is deliberately "common"—and there's a lot more to say about that and the fact that it's another commoner, Sam, who outwits them—but one of the main effects is to make them sound familiar and ordinary. And it's interesting that one of the points they specifically raise is that they're not going to get better treatment from "the good guys" so they can't defect, either.

This is self-interested, yes, but it's not the self-interest of some mystical being or spirit or whatnot, but of people.

Tolkien's later remarks tend to back this up. He said that female orcs do exist, but are rarely seen in the story because the characters only interact with the all-male warrior class of orcs. Whatever female orcs "do," it isn't going to war. Maybe they do a lot of the agricultural work that is apparently happening in distant parts of Mordor, maybe they are chiefly responsible for young orcs, maybe both and/or something else, we don't know. But we know they're out there and we know that they reproduce sexually and we know that they're not part of the orcish warrior class.

Regardless of all the problems with this, the idea that orcs have a gender-restricted warrior class at all and we're just not seeing any of their other classes because of where the story is set doesn't sound like automatons of evil. It sounds like an actual culture of people that we only see along the fringes.

And this whole matter of "but if they're people, we have to think about ethics, so they can't be people" is a weird circular argument that cannot account for what's in LOTR or for much of what Tolkien said afterwards. Yes, he struggled with The Problem of Orcs and how to reconcile it with his world building and his ethical system, but "maybe they're not people" is ultimately not a workable solution as far as LOTR goes and can't even account for much of the later evolution of his ideas, including explicit statements in his letters.

And in the end, the real response that comes to mind to that circular argument is "maybe you should think about ethics more."

[k-atsukibakugou]

it's all in your head, i'm inside your head and you're never gonna get me out

pairing: hitoshi shinso x f!reader w/c: 2.1k warning/s: DUBCON/NONCON, brainwashing, female!reader, prohero!mindjack, just a lot of staring lmao, please lmk if i missed anything notes: based on this thirst inspo/acknowledgements: MY LOVER @definitelynotsaint FOR ALL UR HELP I WOULD BE NOTHING WITHOUT YOU MARRY ME PLEASE <3 + earworm by cottontail

crossposted to ao3 • masterlist • wip updates & voting • kofi • askbox

"you seriously think you could beat him?!"

"you act like he's huge, kami, i have more chance with brainwashing than electrification. if i stay quiet, what's he going to do?"

"have you ever fought the guy?"

the argument had been going on for about… twenty minutes now, most of your other friends already filtering out of your place, but you'd trapped the blond, and subsequently shinso with your argument over the hypothetical: would you rather fight kaminari or shinso?

this was by far the most passionate you'd been so far, answering earlier versions of the question effortlessly: would you rather wear kirishima or mina's costume to a wedding (mina's), have an uncontrollable quirk with raw power or a perfected, slightly below average quirk (master of one). the moment sero proposed the final question, your eyes landed on his, your eyes glowing with smugness when they met his bored amethyst iris's, a spark of interest when you parted your lips to argue your point.

shinso remained reserved throughout your argument with the blond, studying a chip in the deep purple paint on his thumb idly, breathing slowly, evenly, apathetically despite his ears burning any time you'd say his name (his heart rate spiking every time, even with each word out of your mouth being a teasing jab of his lack of sheer power in comparison to you).

"why don't you test it sometime?" his voice is gravelly, nearly cracking after sitting in silence for so long, quietly nursing the last few mouthfuls of his drink while he peered at you; the animated way you spoke, the sparkle in your eyes every time you'd tease him, the curve of your neck when you'd toss your head back at something someone said. swallowing the final drops of the amber liquor, your attention is drawn back to him, proud smirk and all.

"what? you don't think i could fight you?"

shinso quirks an eyebrow at you, an uncontrollable, self-assured grin lazily gracing his lips, "i don't think you could keep quiet."

your mouth drops open to defend yourself, your glare growing more and more fiery as you spin to face him. he could prove it right now, brainwash you the moment the first syllable leaves your mouth, command you to remain completely still while he binds you, leave you wrapped neatly in the binding cloth to wake up in, leave you stuck while he revels in his victory. he could do it right now, annul your challenge before it could become anything, before your ego could swell even bigger.

"is that a challenge, mind jack?"

no, it's no fun to melt your wings before they're built, not until you're halfway in the air, dangling precariously over the raging sea, completely ignorant to the dangers below, complete trust in your makeshift wings.

offering you his hand, he ignores the apprehension in kaminari's golden eyes, "you wanna make it official?"

patience is a virtue, something hitoshi has to remind himself of frequently; patience, hitoshi echoing in his mind when you patrol by his side, promising to protect him from any villains, pulling him behind you if even a mouse came across your path. patience, hitoshi when you mock kaminari for fearing the muscular mans brainwashing, asking if he feared the boogeyman, too. PATIENCE, HITOSHI, it's like a mantra when you smirk up at him, your unspoken promise of beating him hanging in the air between you before you'd even part your lips to greet him.

a virtue, a true miracle he was blessed with such patience.

so, he waits, biding his time until the perfect moment, the absolute perfect time. it was spring now, weeks after your proposal, the scent of pear blossoms beginning to float through the sky. along with the sweet scent in the air, humidity made it grow thicker and thicker, as his patience grew thinner and thinner with every step closer to you.

"hitoshi!" you answer cheerfully, like you normally do, a bright smile on your curved lips, unfaltering even as your friend stares at you with burning eyes, costume awry and his dark hair mussed, pushed back from his forehead, "you look like shit."

the tension inside his body was ready to snap, a rubber band stretched far beyond what he could handle; hearing one too many jabs from you, (today, a text of your merch, a little plush of yourself that you offered, free of charge, to protect him on patrols when his brainwashing fails).

"you should see the other guy."

"oh, i'm sure you really showed him."

"you going to invite me in or just insult me?"

"aren't you going to make me? or not ready to accept the truth? i know it's hard."

he snorts, relaxing against the door frame, deciding today was the perfect day to claim his victory. to pop your ballooned ego.

"let me in," his voice is smooth, your eyes drawn to his lips at his low timbre, lips parting slightly. you feign stepping aside, dropping your head into an overly dramatic bow, only meeting his eyes again after a long moment, the smug sparkle still shining brightly in your pupils.

"huh, sorry, i don't think it worked," you stand straight once more, fixating on your limbs as if searching for a reason why his quirk hadn't worked, stretching each finger as if just to confirm your autonomy, to confirm his lack of reach, even into the weakest parts of yourself.

your wax wings spread wide, curling over shoulder blades, strapped around biceps, wrists and fingers, nothing but clear blue skies ahead of you, bright eyes zeroing in on the searing sun. you've forgotten all about the deep sea below, no concern for the waves crashing over the jagged rocks at the cliffs edge, of the current dragging helpless creatures further into the depths. what did you have to worry about the peril below when you could take to the sky? you wings will carry you far from the danger lurking in the murkiness.

"let me in."

like a baby bird, struggling to leave its nest for the first time, your wings fail you, cracking, burning, melting, sending you careening carelessly into the frigid depths below.

unlike your act, you can't feign when his voice, his quirk seeps beneath your skin, settling in your veins, in each wrinkle and valley of your brain, invading your nerves. your eyes go blank, inky pupils dilating minutely. no more burning hubris reflecting back at him, there's only the endless darkness he can watch himself in, the heat in his own eyes. the hunger. you obey (of course you do), your hand falling limply from the door frame as you finally step aside, welcoming him inside.

"aw, where'd all that talk go?" he grins, tilting his head condescendingly, arrogance oozing from him in waves as you stare at him, defenceless in his clutches, his hold the only thing keeping you from slipping into the depths, further from the sky you greedily sought. you're silent (of course you are, hitoshi hasn't commanded you to speak), a ditsy, dumb, blank look on your face as he steps over the threshold onto the genkan.

"close the door." you do, your arm falling back to your side as soon as the latch clicked.

"kneel." you do, heavy limbs bending and bowing until you were seated at his feet.

"take my boots off." you do, you make quick work of the hefty boots, shimmying them down his calves and over his ankles, his half-lidded stare trained on you, admiring your casual shorts riding higher and higher on your plush thigh when you leaned forward to place his boots at the edge of the step up into your home, the pair sat neatly, side by side.

"you're so good, so obedient," his voice is low, his tone would have you addicted, itching to hear his faux praise again and again if you could remember it. leering down at you, hitoshi is certain you'd snarl at him if you could, bear your fangs, bite and threaten him. rather, you're pacified staring up at him, doe-eyed like this he can imagine how you'd keen instead, how you'd lean into his touch when he pats your head, how your eyes would blur when he calls you pretty, dizzy and dumb nuzzling into his hand.

it was cute, laughable, he has to admit, studying your vacant stare with deep amethyst eyes, the way you really thought you could overpower his quirk, that you could win against him.

"such a good girl, aren't you? yeah?" shinso's thick gloves tangle your hair in tiny knots at the top of your head every time he pets you like a well-loved house dog, "how about you get me a drink, too?"

god, he wants to record you, to rub your nose in how well you behaved for him, blindly following every instruction and he didn't need to spend a single yen on training clickers or treats. shinso mulls over the decision for a second, just long enough for your chest to rise once more, your eyelids to drop in a blink; the expression on your lips when he would show you how pathetic you look is nothing in comparison to you rebuilding your wax wings every time you break out of his brainwashing, not remembering a thing; your attitude and teasing returning again and again, week after week when he knows exactly how pretty you look when your mind was a blank slate for him to carve any thought into.

by the time he's mulled over the decision, you've led him further into your home, back towards your the kitchen where the bet was born, where you began building the wings that would betray you.

opening the cupboard that housed the glasses, the tips of your fingers just bump the vessel with a light tink when his pink lips part to command you once more, "stop."

you pause, waiting oh so pretty for your next instruction.

"i could tell you to do anything right now, you know that?"

you stand like a marble statue, only blinking when your eyes burn.

"i could tell you to bark like a dog, and you would," you're silent, eyes staring forward even as he disrupts the air around you, tracing a gloved finger over the bare skin of the back of your thigh, just to watch the goosebumps unconsciously form in his wake, just to do it without your burning glare. "tell you to sit pretty, to shake, to roll over. would you like that, baby?"

shinso runs his bare pointer finger up your spine, tracing the nape of your neck until he buries his hand in your hair, tugging your head back and forth to nod along with him, "i knew it, you're just a pathetic, obedient little thing."

again, he manoeuvres your head to nod (he knows he can command it, but sometimes he likes getting his hands dirty).

"bend over," hitoshi tugs his gloves off, placing the pair carefully beside you on the counter, admiring the arch of your back as your tits squash against the stony counter. you were a fucking sight, something he'd never forget until the day he died; the image of you bent, dumb, drooling burnt into his retinas.

obsidian eyes follow every rise and fall of your chest, roaming over the expanse of your body, every sliver of bare skin catching his attention, taking his time to admire while you can't argue with his perversions. wide hands are drawn to your ass like a moth to the flame, the curve of your plush skin hardly covered by the fabric, even more so when he kneads the fat of your ass, squeezing and spreading anywhere he can reach.

"should i take these off? hm?" he toys with the waistband of your shorts, as if waiting for you to reach around and shove him away from you, to call him every name under the sun, to threaten his life if he even moves an inch closer, lays one more finger on your skin.

you don't.

"yeah, i bet you'd like that." shinso chuckles to himself, hooking his fingers under the elastic and tugging them easily down your hips, leaving them to pool around your ankles, left only in your shirt and the cutest cotton panties, marred by an ever-growing dark patch at the centre of your cunt.

"filthy little thing," his smile widens, a predatory stare locking onto the wet patch, tracing the shape of your pussy over your panties just to watch it widen, "you're so fucking perverted, huh? bet you've been waiting for me to try something like this."

his cock is aching in the tight constriction of his suit, he's acutely aware of how uncomfortable it would be to go home with cum staining his boxers, but he can't find it in himself to care, not when that would mean taking his eyes off of your clothed, drooling cunt.

"you wanna know something?" he hears the gentle buzz of a streetlamp igniting outside your window, hears your gentle breaths, you don't answer.

"i can't brainwash you into getting wet, baby, this is all you."

© all works belong to @k-atsukibakugou, @gwen0m, and dlirious on archive of our own, do not plagiarise, translate, repost, feed my works into ai or recommend my work on other platforms, or bind my fanworks for sale.

[sereh624]

redacted characters w kids 💥💥

not to be mistaken for dad!redactedboys

david :

gets clung to at every pack event. something about the nonchalant, reserved man with the cute partner who gives them candy is extremely alluring. he’ll be sat in a chair, arms crossed with a “😒” expression as he has like 4 toddlers screaming in his ears, pulling on his hair, little hands iron-clad around his arms.

asher :

is “the fun one”, but not in the way he would have liked. the pack children definitely bag on him (obviously lovingly), milo acting as their little (literally) leader. outside of the teasing, asher is truly well-loved amongst the children.

milo :

picks fights w the teenagers LMAO. he sees them like a different species; how could someone be so intelligent yet incapable of basic manners and maturity? it makes his head spin. at the end of every argument (which he inevitably loses, because he is arguing with pre-teens who don’t quite grasp his large words yet), milo will be rambling to sweetheart during the car ride home about how he was never like that (he most certainly was).

darlin :

unlike milo, they get along well with the teenagers. it's a mix of their relatability and strong sense of personal justice, which aligns closely with them. unfortunately, the curse of having an older southern partner is all too real, so their name in their phones in meemaw/peepaw. it made their eyes roll the first time they saw it.

sam :

while i don't think he'd be super popular amongst the pack kids, he'd definitely be a safe space for the quieter teens to hang around. sam doesn't speak to them unless spoken to, which they like. every pack gathering, sam will have like two teens glued to their phones just following him around, avoiding smalltalk.

porter :

idk this man's an enigma. he either hates kids or is really good with them (maybe both lmao). it's not often porter finds himself in an environment where there would be children, but in the off-chance that he does, i think they'd find him funny. his wit is great for all audiences, and he doesn't even have to try. or he pisses them off. again, probably both.

vincent :

good with kids in a big-brotherly way. i picture him (headcanon alert) as having had a sibling or atleast a younger friend before he was turned, which gives him this brotherly vibe. nice for the most part, but again, i don't imagine vincent would find himself in a place that involves kids. unless he like. hangs out near playgrounds at night now cause he isn't in the house 😭😭😭

gavin :

pretty good. gavin doesn't mind entertaining them for a while, but he finds his humour is better suited for adult audiences. he could listen to a kid ramble all day, (interested “hmm?”’s and “ohh, is that right?”’s are his specialty) but when it comes to making conversation himself AND cracking kid-friendly jokes? yeah he's lost. short-lived social battery.

@skunkox @vividmilk @definitelynuwonhere

hi evie yes u got added to the taglist no u wont be removed i lvoe you

ir’as 12a,wm ngoomdight

[pilot-boi]

White Knight Time Travel idea : People are suspecting..

Jaune and Weiss are at the Vytal Festival , each one with their respective teams , their mission has gone..well.. so far. Even without trying to change so much some things never change like Team CVFY and Prof.Port saving the city or Ruby meeting Penny...

But that doesn't matter compared to the titanic work they would have to do during this specific moment..it was now or never

~Weiss Side~

Ruby:WE DID IIIT!!!!....Anyone esle is starving?....

Weiss listened to Ruby and Blake's chat from the side , each time they have this small moments the more she thinks how everyone took Beacon's days from granted

Having to relieve the fight against Team ABRN made her notice how..unprepared they were ; even herself with her "Competent" perfomance wasn't still not enough to face that monster..

Weiss..

The Grimm entering Beacon..

Weiss..

The Witch's inner circle playing right under their noses..

WEISS..

Pyrrha and Penny along many other students being casualties of the..

WEISSS!

Weiss:W-W-What?!

Yang: Your scroll is ringing , shouldn't you answer it?

Weiss noticed her scroll , the contact named "FATHER"..

Right..her time at Beacon was almost up..

Weiss:I will call him later , thanks for making me know Yang..

The Blonde Brawler has noticed her friend weird..this last few day , she can't say why..but it's there , spacing out of chats most of the time or reacting to certain words like Destiny , Maiden or even mentioning locations like Haven Academy can get her all shaky

Right now Ice Queen is looking at her Sis talking with Emerald and her silent friend like she's trying way too hard to keep herself civil , her face may not show it but that tense posture and hands behind shouted something was wrong

And to say the last person she saw acting this way her Dad after..her Supermom left was all she needed to know , Ice Queen's hiding something and she will find out

~Jaune's side~

Jaune did miss Beacon , the academy.. , but coming right back wouldn't make it any better..quite the contrary it shows him how somethings must remain as memories..

The Vytal Festival just started and the mood seems festive enough for him to enjoy a little. Children playing around , teens being themselves truly a moment to breathe fresh air

Miss : Gather around as I tell the story of the Girl who fell through the World!

Jaune tenses hearing that , it's just a woman reading a story to a bunch of kids..nothing dangerous..

Yet..

He takes a look at his armour , clean not rusted..his face is still young and Crocea Mors is still complete..

Ren: Jaune?

Jaune:W-What?!

Nora: You have been standing there for a while , did the story peak your interest? Alyx's story is a classic! The Curious Cat is my favorite character! So mischevious!

If looks could kill , Nora's smile would have been erased a while ago..

Jaune:That Cat is nothing but troubles..

Nora:What? Don't tell me you are a fan of the Red Prince? Or the Rusted Knight?

Sensing hostility , Ren tried to change the topic..

Ren:Why don't we go with Pyrrha? She's saved us a nice spot in that Mistralian restaurant.

Both teammates agree , Nora leaves because she has won another petty argument..but Jaune seemed so personal about it..The Girl who fell through the World is just a Children's story..why is he so defensive about it?

Lie Ren is someone who can read the room quite well and to his knowledge..there's something wrong with Jaune..

He acts like..an adult sometimes , there's nothing wrong with that but it seems off..

Even their stategies , they are a group of Four , Team JNPR..but Jaune always acts like only Nora and him are part of the team

Ren even hears his silent sobs when he has nightmares , the words "Cinder" "Kill" "Penny" "Pyrrha" is all he has as evidence , trying to make sense of said word it would be something like

Cinder will kill Pyrrha and Penny

That sounded so..dumb , Cinder is a student along her team but he would ask Jaune later right now they have a fight to win

👀👀👀

So many of these WK Time travel asks are from their POV, I LOVE this look into their friends’ view

[dreaming-medium]

Animals Without Direction

Chapter Thirty-Nine: By The Six

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Masterlist

There are six deities that most, if not all, of Olera worships. ‘The Six’ watch over the world and everyone on it. But, their responsibilities did not start with the life that litters the world.

In the beginning, it was much simpler than that. 

Four deities ruled the elements.

Osren controls the winds that blow through the trees, kicking up leaves and spores to spread wildlife all throughout the lands. Sailors sing his praise and always carve his sigil into the hulls of their boats for his good graces.

The calmest of the gods, he comes and goes, just as the wind does. His soft spoken nature often leaves him in the middle of arguments he wants no part of. 

Davita, the water goddess, is often seen to his right. Her sigil is oftentimes carved directly next to the wind deity’s as well. The two of them are attached at the hip in every legend and fable. Even in ancient drawings, you will always see Osren and Davita standing side by side. 

It wasn’t a romantic relationship as far as the Olera-dwellers are aware. But, it was not strange to see them depicted as such in pieces of art and stories. 

Mostly everyone saw The Six as siblings. But, there are always outliers. 

Besides, Davita was too busy with her own duties to be romantically involved with anyone, especially another deity. She controlled the land’s natural waters– the sea, rivers, ponds, lakes, streams, all of them fell under her control.

Her temperament was almost as even as Osren’s, but there are stories of her losing her calm demeanor to souls who have done her wrong. 

The only deity she loses her temper with is Ralios, the god who rules over fire.

They have your typical fire versus water relationship, but at the same time they’re just as close as a brother and sister would be. They loudly pray for each other’s downfall while also silently wishing the other nothing but good fortune.

Because they both know they would be nothing without the other.

Ralios has the exact personality you would expect; he’s loud, explosive, snarky, and is the quickest to anger out of every one of the deities. Sometimes in old legends, it appears as though he disagrees with others just for the sake of being different and difficult. 

That behavior went unchecked for a while as all four of these deities created the world we know: Addran.

Akthar is the deity who rules over the entirety of terra. Everything natural and alive falls under his umbrella. He always takes on a more fatherly role with all of the other deities. Some like to depict him as a tired uncle who is sick and tired of wrangling his nieces and nephews. 

Most other legends like to portray Akthar somewhat like the older brother whose parents left him in charge until they get back. In some moments he knows what he’s doing, but in most, it’s all an act and he’s winging every single decision he makes.

With the help of his siblings, Akthar created Addran for them all to play with.

For a while, Addran simply existed as a space for the four siblings to play in like a sandbox. Osren could experiment with wind speed, Davita could let her water flow where it wanted, and even Ralios had a grand time crafting volcanoes with his brother. 

They all loved crafting and creating new and interesting things to decorate their world.

The very first thing that Akthar created solely for himself was an Elf. A small, gentle, beautiful creature that loved the world just as much as Akthar did. And when that first Elf got lonely when Akthar wasn’t around, the terra deity made another Elf, and another, and another until the forests were full of them.

These beautiful, nature-connected beings in which Akthar could communicate with through the rocks and the trees were all over the world. The Elves thrived in areas that were more densely populated with plant life, it’s where they felt more connected to the deity that made them.

Akthar raised them to be herbivores, only eating the natural fruits and vegetables that were grown out of the soil that he personally fertilized and made rich with vitamins and minerals. He made sure that no Elf ever went hungry; they were always happy and healthy. 

The Elves worshiped Akthar in ways that he almost got a bit shy about. He did not want to be seen as a benevolent god to them, he simply wanted to be a provider, a teacher, a mentor. He wanted to teach the Elves everything he knew. 

And while Akthar was busy tending to his pets, Osren, Davita, and Ralios all watched with piqued curiosity. Their brother was having so much fun playing with these little creatures that ran barefoot through the forest. They watched him teach them which berries to eat and which to stay away from.

He taught them to stay away from poison ivy, but also that snow weed can be chewed up and used as a paste for wounds. 

And the siblings watched.

Eventually, curiosity can turn into jealousy.

Why can’t they have little pets in their lands? They want creatures of their own.

“ Fine then ”, Akthar said.

And as a true older brother would, he gave each deity their own little pets.

For Davita, he created the most diverse biome imaginable. He gave her so many different forms of creatures that thrived in water. Anything that he could stir up in his beautiful brain, he gave to his only sister. Some creatures were hostile, some were calm, others varied in between, but he gave her that gift.

For Osren, he did much the same. Akthar crafted animals that loved flying through the air just as much as him. He knew how much the wind god loved to feel that breeze on his face, so he wanted his little pets to have that same love for the sensation. He gave them all wings so that they may share the love of the air. 

It took a long time for Akthar to think of what he could create for Ralios, his most explosive little brother. He saw how much Ralios seemed to like watching the Elves, but he also knew that his little brother liked having a sense of responsibility. Ralios liked being placed on a pedestal of sorts.

So Akthar created Man– who, in many ways, were just like Elves. But they needed a lot more tending to, a lot more special attention. Man needed more coddling than Mer.

The day Ralios gave Men fire was the day Akthar saw his little brother’s face light up for the first time. The fire god craved the attention that Men gave to him.

He truly became their god in every way. He became everything to Man that Akthar did not want to be to Elves.

At first, Men had diets much like Elves did: fruits and vegetables. But, Men did not seem to crave the peace that a forest brought them like their sister race did; no, Men liked building their own homes and quite liked being by the water.

None of the four siblings thought anything of it until one day, one man ventured out to the water and caught a fish. He stayed still in the water until a fish swam by his feet and then he stabbed a sharpened rock attached to a stick through the creature. 

Now, there’s much debate in legends about if Ralios told the Man to do this in order to make Davita mad or not. Some scholars will say he absolutely did, while others will say he is blameless. It all depends on who you ask.

But, when that man brought that fish back to his campsite and roasted it over the very flame that Ralios taught him how to create, his mouth began to salivate. The smells that came from the fish were absolutely intoxicating and something you just couldn’t get from a fruit or vegetable.

The moment he took the first bite, Men were doomed.

Something happened to the magic that flowed through the entirety of Addran when Man tasted another form of life. After Man tasted life, their immortality was taken. 

Ralios watched that first man eat that fish, and another fish, and another, and another until his family and their descendants ate it too. Word spread throughout Mankind about how absolutely delicious fish was, how it made them stronger, healthier, and able to perform better in every aspect. 

They could lift heavier objects, they could work longer hours in the field, everything seemed to be better after they began eating fish. And if fish tasted this good, do other animals taste that good as well?

Do chickens taste as good? Pigs? Cows? They absolutely did.

But, slowly but surely, Men began to wither and wrinkle and age.

There is much debate on why this is. What makes animal life different from plant life? What damned them? If Akthar made them, how come he can’t just make Man immortal again. But, even gods can’t explain everything. 

The first Man died in front of Akthar and Ralios’ very eyes. And the two deities watched as his soul left his body and then… hovered. It was such a strange sight. The soul continued on with its daily activities; it went down to the water and walked along the beach, it went back to the home where it grew up, it floated around its children and grandchildren.

But none of the other Men acknowledged the soul, they could not see it. Only the siblings could. 

Pain and despair came off the soul after a while. What good is going through a world surrounded by life only to be ignored by all?

After some time, the next Man died and the entire process started again. More sadness and more despair came from them. Every single moment of it hit Ralios in the heart.

He begged his siblings for help. What could they do? What could they possibly do for these souls who are leaving Addran?

Well, if they could create one world, couldn’t they make another for these poor souls?

So, they did.

Utrium is where all Men hope to go when their souls leave their bodies. It is where their ancestors reside. It’s where all those precious souls go once their lives on Addran are over. 

The four siblings worked and worked to create this world. They wanted it to be something even better than Addran, they wanted it to be a safe haven for these tortured souls so that they can rest easy after their departure.

But then the question is raised afterwards: Do all souls deserve to go to Utrium?

The short answer is no.

Much debate went into this, the siblings argued about it for eons on end while souls continued to stray on Addran. From all their bickering and arguing, without realizing it, the four deities created another, harsher, more foul world for all the darker souls to go once they have left their bodies. 

Ytrium.

Most of Addran refers to Ytrium as The Void. Souls do not really reside in Ytrium. It’s not really a physical place. 

It’s seen as more of a bottomless pit of sorts. There’s no living or residence in the void. If your soul goes to Ytrium, you no longer exist. Your soul is consumed entirely and you are no more than a memory until the last person on Addran forgets you. 

It’s cruel and terrible and not at all what any of the siblings had in mind for their creations but it was no longer in their hands anymore. Once something is created, it cannot be destroyed, that is the nature of the universe they reside in. 

None of the siblings look upon The Void favorably. But at the same time, Utrium was too much for any of them to handle.

Also, who are they to decide what souls go to Utrium and what souls go to Ytrium? 

That’s when they decided that two more deities needed to be created. But these two deities need to be on the same page about everything. They can not argue, they need to always see eye to eye, different sides of the same coin.

Akthar turned to Osren, his calmest and most soft spoken brother, and he asked him to assist with this– and his brother happily complied.

One entity was created by taking a piece of Osren’s soul. And then Akthar split this entity in half, thus creating Uddos and Ytris. 

They are identical twins in every sense of the word. The two of them are perfect, they are always in agreement, and they always do their job. Neither of them ever complain about their respective jobs or cause a fuss.

Legends like to depict Ytris as evil, as an imposing deity who takes pride in sending souls into The Void, and the Uddos is a perfect angel-like creature who never raises his voice.

But that cannot be further from the truth.

They’re both even tempered, perfect, content deities who rule judgment over each and every soul on Addran. 

These are The Six. The Mighty Six. The Holy Six. The Great Six. 

There are six deities that watch over and protect their precious souls on Addran.

And every single one has abandoned you. 

------------------------------------------

A strong, iron grip on your hair yanks your head backwards out of the large vat of water it was shoved in. Immediately, you gasp for air, the water cascades down your face and into your eyes which you can’t wipe due to your hands being bound behind your back.

“Let us try this again.” Seungmin’s voice sounds so different. It’s cruel and sends a chill down your spine. It lacks all the warmth you’ve grown to love.

You’re too busy gasping for air to notice how his hand loosens in your hair. 

“You are one of Bang’s court members, yes?”

No answer comes from your mouth. When your lips part, coughs and sputters fill the air. Your knees hurt so bad from kneeling on the stone in front of the water basin. 

The brown, murky water that he keeps shoving you into was clean when he first started. All the filth that now floats within it came from your own body.

He roughly jerks your head to get your attention. “Yes?” he repeats in a gruff tone.

“Rot in the Void,” you spit out and you swear you can hear Seungmin curse under his breath before your head is shoved back into the water basin.

There’s only just enough time for you to suck in a gasp of air before you’re plunged back into the filth below you.

This is the fifth time your head is submerged and you’re already feeling your spirit begin to shatter. 

Both of your hands clench into fists as you’re held down. Every single time he plunges your head down into the water, Seungmin manages to rip you out right before your lungs start to burn.

He’s doing this on purpose, you know this. If this was a different torturer, you would be gagging and begging for mercy already. But, right now, in this strange, demented, cruel twist of fate, you’re not the only one being tortured while your head is underwater.

Again, when you’re yanked out of the basin, you take a huge gulp of air and then quickly exhale, the water from your lips spraying out into the cell.

“You are not holding her down long enough,” Allerick says from off to the side. His voice is moving behind you as he circles around your body.

“It is plenty long given how broken her body is,” Seungmin replies to him. You can hear the reluctance in his voice, it’s a tone that you know but Allerick does not.

“All you are doing is giving her the first bath she has had in weeks.”

“We do not want to kill her.”

“Obviously. But your method is not working, Skye. She still has too much fight in her.” Allerick’s voice comes up right behind you. The heat from both men’s bodies radiate down to your brittle bones. “I thought you were an expert.”

“I am,” Seungmin growls back.

“Your methods are not working.”

“Did you think she would crack within the first five minutes? She killed half your battalion herself.” 

Allerick scoffs. “As much as I would love a show. We need information, and we need it now.”

“I told you I will get it.”

“Then prove it. Break her.”

Seungmin’s hand twitches in your hair before it tightens more.”In due time, Allerick–”

“No. Now. I need information now. ” Allerick interrupts him with a loud command and Seungmin’s hand yanks your head back sharply.

A hiss pulls from your lips at the sting and before you can even think twice, you’re plunged back into the basin.

Why is he so pressed for information? What deadline has been created for Erbus that he desperately needs you to talk?

Time ticks by and eventually your lungs let out the air that they were able to suck in before you were shoved down. The bubbles come out of your mouth and nose and pop at the surface.

It’s about thirty seconds in when your lungs start to burn.

It’s ten seconds after that when you realize that he truly has to break you now. Panic starts to set in– a natural instinct to being drowned.

As if you weren’t already broken enough.

Every single one of your limbs start to go cold, the lack of oxygen quickly spreading through your body. Instincts kick in and your body attempts to sit up. Your feeble muscles begin to push against the binds around your wrists.

Seungmin’s hand twitches on your head. He wants to yank you up just as much as you, but he can’t . You can practically feel his desperation in the way he’s gripping your hair.

Your body convulses under his hold, your shoulders shaking and chest sputtering. Underneath you, your knees jerk so violently that one slams into the metal. You want to scream, you want to move, but his hold is so firm.

Mercy. Mercy! Mercy! 

Every single one of your muscles spasms violently as you fight your natural instincts to inhale water. But it’s to no avail, your mouth opens and you gulp down a mouthful of filthy water.

That’s when you’re yanked from the water.

The sludge you inhaled is immediately vomited back up into the bin. Tears stream down your face as you cough and vomit and try to breathe at the same time.

“I will ask you again,” Seungmin’s voice wavers at the end. His hand is shaking in your hair. “You are one of Bang’s court members, yes ?”

Once everything is vomited back up, you’re coughing and heaving. The only reason you haven’t collapsed forward is because the rogue is holding you up by your scalp.

You can’t even form words, so you simply nod, drool and saliva drip from your lips.

“There it is,” Allerick says under his breath.

“Now that was not so hard, was it?” Seungmin hisses. “Now, let us start here: as a court member, you have access to the battle plans, no?”

You stay silent, your eyes slowly opening and staring blankly in front of you.

“Maybe you did not hear me.” Seungmin shoves your head down towards the water, not plunging you in yet, but close enough where you can now smell the horrid stench coming out of the water basin.

Not only does it have the filth from outside your body, but also inside.

An involuntary whimper comes out of your chest as you try to recoil away from the water basin.

“If you really did not want to go back in, you will answer the questions, Y/N. Plain and simple.”

Your energy is fading, your eyes are unfocusing on their own. Even though you’ve been plunged into water, your mouth is incredibly dry. 

Opening your mouth, you say the only thing you have energy to say.

“Fuck you.”

Allerick scoffs. It’s the only thing you hear before you’re underwater again.

The fear grasps your heart much quicker than it did last time. You would think after experiencing it once, you would be less afraid, but no, your body begins to shake and convulse much quicker than last time. 

You’re held down even longer this time. When the water enters your lungs, it has a moment to really sit in there before Seungmin takes you out.

Again, you vomit and cough and sputter and heave everything out of your body.

It burns.

By the Six, it burns so fucking bad. 

When did you start sobbing? 

Wails leave your throat as you cry and heave forward over the basin.

Now you’re sure that Seugmin’s hand is shaking in your hair.

“E-Enough…! Please!” Hyunjin’s voice cries out from the corner. It almost sounds like he’s sobbing too. Really, you had forgotten he was in the cell with you.

“Shut it, dagger ear!” Allerick barks at him. “Unless you want to trade places, I suggest you shut your filthy fucking mouth.”

Your chest is still heaving when Allerick leans down close in your ear. “Answer. The questions. Y/N.” His voice sends a chill down your spine. It curdles your blood and feels like poison in your veins.

Slowly, you turn your head to look at him. You’re already drained. They’ve only been at this for an hour, at most. But you can feel every single ounce of life drained out of your soul.

“Be a good girl for us, little mouse, and tell us exactly what we need.” He talks to you softly now. You watch his entire face soften and change into what you remember it looking like. The look in his eye is what you used to see every day when you were a youngling.

All those days under the sun in the back of the Fighter’s Guild come to mind. The feeling of his larger hand tightly clasped over yours as he teaches you how to hold a sword. The meals you two used to eat together at the wooden picnic table. 

“Come on, little mouse, do it for me.”

Would it be so bad to just give up?

Is any of this really worth it? What’s the point of hanging on when they’re just going to kill you anyway? If they kill you, you won't ever have to see Chan’s disappointed face when they find out you caved.

“Tell us who your allies are, Y/N.”

You blink slowly at Allerick. He’s still looking at you like you’re a child.

When you were a little elfling. And he didn’t even know it. That’s when the thought hits you: what would he have done to you if he found out you were an elf? What sort of sick torture would he have enacted upon an innocent, little being?

The very thought boils your blood. It stokes the dying fire within your soul. It creates a small spike of energy that you intend to use. 

Gathering all the saliva in your mouth, you quickly spit it directly into his face. 

Allerick recoils back. His face quickly twists and morphs into one of pure hatred . It’s a face you’ve never, ever been looked upon with before. It makes your heart stop.

He stands up quickly, wiping your spit from his face. And in one instant, he slams his boot down on your ankle. 

A scream tears out of your throat as the bone is snapped in half.

Allericks’ hand grasps the back of your head, replacing Seungmin’s and he shoves you back into the water, your body still writhing in pain and screaming in agony.

You don’t have the place of mind to not inhale the water. It happens instantly and every single movement your muscles make from that moment on is completely involuntary.

Convulsions and spasms wrack your body as you inhale water. The burning sensations from before are nothing compared to now. It’s like your entire body is on fire, right down to your fingertips.

In the distance, you can hear voices screaming at each other. 

The spasms begin to slow down as your body finally gives up. The hand on your head remains firm, but eventually, you lose all fight against it and your body falls down completely in the water as your mind blanks out.

If you’re yanked out of the water, you don’t know it. 

------------------------------------------

The burning, searing pain in your ankle is the first thing you notice. The second is the whimpering and crying coming from somewhere else in the room.

“Really? You are not going to tell us either?” 

Your brain won’t work. It;s like you’re coming out of the world’s longest nap. 

The floor underneath your slumped over body is so cold. Your body is on it’s side; underneath your face it feels wet. And it smells absolutely horrible.

“I-I am not telling you anyth- AH! ”

The scream is preceded by a snap! The very sound sends a chill down your spine and brings you further out of your stupor.

A cough tears through your chest and after a second, vomit is choked up with it. Acting on it’s on, your body turns over and you gag up water, spitting it onto the floor.

No one in the room seems to pay any mind to you.

Tiny sobs and pleads come from the center of the room.

“We will stop when you tell us what we need to know. Now, tell us who your allies are.” Each work is punctuated by the sound of punches.

More cries fill the cell. Your heart twists. No response comes out, only sobs and begs for mercy. 

After a few seconds of silence, one of the two men sigh. “We are not getting anywhere, Skye.”

“They are stubborn corpses, I will give them that.”

Skye. Seungmin. Skye. Seungmin. Skye. Seungmin.

Allerick. He’s with Allerick. Gods, you’re so confused. Why does everything feel difficult? You’re in a jail cell. You’re being tortured. You were waterboarded. 

It sounds like Seungmin turns and looks at you. Your body has already collapsed back down in the pool of your own tears and vomit. Your chest is heaving up and down, breathing in air shakily.

“I need a break. The smell in here is making me want to vomit,” Allerick grumbles and his boots walk towards the cell door. “Lock them back up. We will have to try something different.”

“Fine,” Seungmin grumbles and waits until a door opens and closes before it sounds like he falls to his knees in the middle of the jail cell. A short sob leaves his lips that he quickly muffles with his hand.

You have to give him credit. You would not have been able to keep it together if you were in his position.

“Hyunjin.. Hyunjin..” he chokes out. There’s some more movement within the cell.

“Y/N,” Hyunjin response shakily. “Check— Check on her. I am alive. Please check on her.”

There’s shuffling in the room and suddenly you’re enveloped in warmth. A trembling body lifts you into their arms with equally as shaky hands. You have no control over your muscles, they just feel like dead weight on your body.

“Y/N,” Seungmin sobs out. “Open your eyes, mercenary, please. Please open your eyes.”

A coughing fit crawls up your throat. Seungmin acts quickly and turns you on your side just in time for you to vomit once more.

He grips you tightly, you can feel his body shaking as he sobs. “Oh, gods, I am so sorry, Y/N. I am so sorry. Six, please forgive me, Y/N, forgive me,” he rambles on and on with apologies. 

After your stomach and lungs are empty, he rolls you onto your back once more.

“Please, Y/N, open your eyes. Please, Six, please,” he begs with a hoarse voice. His fingers are gripping onto you so tightly, you’re sure it’ll leave bruises in your fragile, thin skin.

With strength you didn’t know you had, you crack your eyes open just enough to look up at Seungmin’s sobbing face. His eyes fly around your features, taking everything in. His hand comes up and cups your cheek.

Once you two make eye contact, he begins to cry even harder. “Y/N, please forgive me, please. I did not want this, I did not want to do this plan. It– It is only going to get worse. You have to start answering the questions, Y/N. Even if they are lies , you need to answer them!”

Gods, your ankle is positively throbbing.

“I should never have agreed to this, The Six know I am not strong enough for any more of this.”

His face should never look like this. He’s crying harder than you thought was possible for a man like him; someone who always has a knowing smirk on his face. No, no, it shouldn’t be like this. He should be teasing you.

Shakily, you bring your hand up and hold the one he has on your cheek.

Words won’t come out of your throat right now, but more is conveyed through this little grasp than anything you could possibly say right now.

Seungmin’s lip quivers and he rubs his thumb over your cheek, letting his built up tears from the day pour out and down his cheeks. 

There’s no other way anymore. 

He needs to do this. Hyunjin needs to do this. You need to do this. 

Right now, it’s the only way out.

“Just a few more days, Y/N, I promise. Hang in there, you need to hang in there. Live, Y/N, live. Please. You can do this. Live.”

[tom-is-online]

not to be rude but ena and akito are. completely different in terms of personality and overall character😭 maybe someone likes akito but doesn’t fw ena’s personality or whatever. it’s fine

reacting to THIS POST

I don't know what you're reading, but I would never describe them as completely different. Sure, they ARE different characters, but if anything is similar about them, it is their personalities and the role they play in the story.

They are both very dedicated and passionate about their corresponding passions despite neither of them having "natural talent." Instead of giving up, they keep working hard to show themselves that they can follow the path they want to despite what others (Vivid Street (Arata) in Akitos's case and their dad in Ena's) around them have to say about it.

They're both very blunt whether they mean to be rude or not, but they both also care a lot about the people around them, especially their units and each other even if they don't show it in normal ways.

Their inferiority in their talents also brings the fact that both of them experience jealousy for people who show they have more talent which is shown in both of their focus events a lot

Neither of them is very academically gifted mostly through a lack of interest

And theres a lot more which im sure someone less tired than me would love to tell me in the notes :)

the 4komas even riff on them often acting very similar

+ Their BNW quotes literally mean the same thing

the whole thing with them both really like cheesecake and pancakes but hate carrots is also meant to be a nod to their similarities

people have a tendency to demonise Ena for being mean or violent or whatever people want to call her. but what Ena is usually criticised for Akito typically isn't (cough cough this fanbase has a history of being very male-biased which I hate)

Akito is also mean, he was a dick to everyone in his unit in the main story at some point and he often pulls pranks on the people in his school (Tsukasa) just to highlight a few easy things

AND FOR THE VIOLENT THING.

People have a tendency to highlight Ena scratching Akito when she was stressed out in middle school. and not to generalise. but. i am convinced you people are only children AND did not read the VBS main story

siblings fight, it's normal, especially in a household like the Shinonomes with the whole emotionally neglectful dad thing they got going on, i fought with my brother a lot as a kid and it happens. I'm not saying it's great and everyone should be attacking their siblings but the people who focus on Ena scratching Akito seem to magically forget.

AKITO PUNCHED TOYA HARD ENOUGH FOR HIM TO BE BRUISED IN THE MAIN STORY.

I've seen people make the argument that Akito can be excused cuz of the circumstances it happened being stressful and made him angry. But that clearly ignores what Ena was going through in middle school.

saying "Ena scratching Akito was a common occurrence but Akito only punched someone once" just does not feel like a good enough argument at all.

the last post gave a good argument on it so just go read that to lmao

I'll say it again. stop babying the male characters. if you're gonna excuse Akito punching Toya in the head and not excuse Ena when she was in MIDDLE SCHOOL then I don't know what to tell you

anyway.

i think a large part of their dynamic is carried by their similarities - they share a lot of the same key traits and they tend to but heads due to it but they do care about each other a lot in their own sibling way. I also just relate to them both a lot lmao

if someone wants to make a legitimate argument for how the Shinonomes are very different in personality, be my guest feel free to rb with what you think

but in my opinion at the VERY LEAST they share so much of their personalities and with how much Ena is demonised by some of this fandom it's a red flag to me to like Akito and hate Ena.

but yeah please rb with anything else u wanna add cuz I've definitely missed some stuff

[theultimatenonbinarynerd]

Eurylochus's God Games

Introduction

Hello Epic Fans, I'm very excited to share with you something that's part of a Eurylochus Lives Au I'm pulling together.

Even before God Games came out I was really interested in the idea of other Epic characters having to have their own God Games to release them or let them live. Eurylochus is such a complex character and I knew right away thinking about a God Games about Eurylochus would be interesting as the arguments made for and against him would should the complex duality of his character.

So I then decided I was going to try use Jay's snippets we'd been given and conjure up my own version of Eurylochus's God Games. Honestly it was just a concept but then I wanted to use it for my au where Eurylochus gets resssurected from the dead.

Doing these snippets helped me really understand which God's should be swapped around or swapped out entirely. So I kept Aphrodite and Ares but added in Helios, Poseidon and Persephone. Ares, Aphrodite and Beaat Mode Hades were the hardest to write whilst Helios and Poseidon's were the easier parts. We are talking about the man that literally killed his cows and Poseidon would be mad Eurylochus spared Odysseus during Mutiny.

Then now with the release of The Wisdom Saga the parody has perfectly come together like glue. It was really hard though cos I didn't want all the arguments to be about what happened on Helios's island. But the Windbag and Helios's island are such important parts of Eurylochus's character arc.

Honestly it's not perfect but I'm really proud how this parody turned out. It's still got the high stakes and drama and it's super intresting. I hope I can inspire people to make their own games for other characters.

___________________________________________

___________________________________________

Conclusion

I wanted to save this for my Eurylochus Lives au but I've realised that it's too far in the future right now with how busy life is and due to how good it is I wanted to share it. Never in my life did I think I'd be writing a song parody where Circe becomes Eurylochus's lawyer but it's super cool.

I have to say Eurylochus is such a cool character and his reverse character arc compared to Odysseus is what makes him so interesting. A lot of Circes defences are what Epic fans have said and I hope the defences also humanise him a bit. Fingers crossed for that Eurylochus prequel.

Honestly it was really fun writing the parody and including other God's who don't have the spotlight in Epic. Helios is a super fun character to write and he will be in some of my other fics but in Eurylochus's God Games he is both super petty and considered about his challenging the Lord of The Underworld.

Any questions about my Eurylochus Lives au my asks are open.

I'm gonna share bits of the parody on tik tok but that's all I can do I'm afraid.

Happy reading Eurylochus fans.

-Melody-

They/Them

Tags: @tumblingghosts @caramellcandy

[commsroom]

wolf character(s) most likely to be tumblr users?

hmm. tough question. i'm not sure any of them would? minkowski would like running a well-researched niche interest blog, but it would be a blog hosted on a more typical blogging website. lovelace's social media is like, an instagram account she occasionally posts on to connect with offline friends and acquaintances. eiffel has a ton of throwaway reddit accounts he forgot the passwords for. for the most part, i don't think any of them are that online. hera is very online against her will, and getting into arguments that are detrimental to her health, absolutely, all the time. but on tumblr...? i'm not sure.

[jackklinemybeloved]

went into this episode excited to see ylfa and the beast interact and crossing my fingers for a good elody and gerard union and came out with an existential crisis about these young nihilistic women running themselves into the ground and destroying everything because they don’t know what else to do

[claraoswalds]

#mrs flood who are you: time lord edition

[iridescentmirrorsgenshin]

Alhaitham referring to kaveh in ways which acknowledge his skill, and kaveh perceiving it as sarcasm, even though alhaitham refers to kaveh in the same ways when kaveh isn’t present is driving me a little bit insane - especially what this prompts the player to question!!

When we first meet kaveh in the archon quest the relationship between him and alhaitham is presented to us as “terrible” (courtesy of npc geoff who introduces kaveh’s return to sumeru city), and the cutscene in the house of daena demonstrates what this entails, being that the two cannot see eye to eye, and, seemingly don’t hold each other in high regard.

Alhaitham seemingly refers to kaveh’s genius in a sarcastic light and kaveh claims to despise talking to alhaitham because of his arrogance.

Looking to kaveh’s hangout, however, when the player has a one-on-one with alhaitham, the player gets a glimpse into alhaitham’s personal understanding of kaveh, and with this, his own views on kaveh.

Within this exchange between him and the player, Alhaitham uses Kaveh’s title without sarcasm, sincerely praising him and his skills, elevating him over ‘less skilled’ architects and asserting that Kaveh should have more confidence in his work.

The reason that Alhaitham does not openly praise Kaveh is stated here, being that “admonitions” will serve no purpose due to people being prone to fall into “similar pitfalls”, and that people should have the right to lead their own life, rather than have it interfered upon by others

The reading here is that even if Alhaitham did openly praise Kaveh, no difference would be made in Kaveh’s thinking. Yet, by refraining from praise, and instead goading, by this logic, this also makes no difference. Therefore, the question is raised, ‘why can Alhaitham praise Kaveh to the player, and not to Kaveh himself?’

When Alhaitham praises Kaveh’s work within Kaveh’s hangout it is through there being no record of issues in the reconstruction of port ormos, which is something kaveh states first - in this context, alhaitham notes the work as an “impressive achievement”, which kaveh assents to, as there is no standing in which this can be debated. Kaveh cannot resent a compliment steeped in fact, even from alhaitham

The problem, then, is rooted in alhaitham’s delivery, which relates to their core issue of miscommunication. Referring back to their exchange in the House of Daena, it is observed that Alhaitham uses similar descriptors of Kaveh to Kaveh, similar to the descriptors he uses to the Traveler in Kaveh’s hangout, however, Kaveh perceives these words as sarcasm.

This highlights the miscommunication between them and can aid in answering the question why Alhaitham cannot be open with Kaveh, as he will be misconstrued.

​Through Alhaitham’s repeated elusions to Kaveh when he is not present and his open esteem of Kaveh and his work to the Traveler, Kaveh’s assertion that Alhaitham holds him in a negative light is proved incorrect. This serves to highlight the miscommunication between the two, causing the player to question why they hold such contrasting views of the other.

Clearly, there is a reason why Alhaitham cannot openly express his regard of Kaveh to Kaveh, but this reason is obscure to both kaveh and the player.

In terms of queer subtext it’s pretty interesting that alhaitham’s high regard for kaveh is shown within the surface text and yet the reason for this secrecy is never made explicit within the story’s surface and is only to be inferred from alhaitham’s and kaveh’s character stories.

In terms of the two functioning as mirrors, the fact that the knowledge that alhaitham cannot outright compliment kaveh 1) is not only due to their past argument and lost friendship and 2) is also due to his awareness that kaveh cannot accept goodwill, is only obtainable by reading both kaveh and alhaitham’s character stories shows how intertwined they are as characters - you cannot fully understand one without the other

(Update: For more analyses like this, the essay this is taken from is now uploaded! It can be accessed here and here as as a pdf <3)

[wellfine]

Hey I found ur art uncredited on tik Tok

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMreQSnaw/

They said they "found it on Reddit" so they just decided to steal it and post it ig?? Ugh!!

Wow, that's a whole other repost to the one I thought it was going to be, lol. It's been reposted to TikTok once before, and I'm also not surprised this person got it from Reddit, where I doubt I was credited either.

At the end of the day I appreciate the heads up but there's nothing I can really do about it. The most helpful thing anyone can do is to leave comments on the reposts to provide credit,* because if artists ever try and comment then we pretty invariably get attacked. Don't be mean or aggressive, that just builds their animosity towards the artists, but I do think people respond positively to outside pressure to do the right thing 🤷

*Remember to make sure there's enough context - eg. something like "art by @ landegart on Twitter" is more searchable/useful than "artist is Landeg" to someone on TikTok who has no idea who I am haha

[nalyra-dreaming]

"Did that happen?"

"Not everything Louis says is a lie!"

I had forgotten about this part.

Unfortunately I could only find this quality of the video, but it's a very interesting one indeed. It is also one of the first interviews they did, and even there they made it clear that not all would be ... the truth.

Or the whole truth, at least.

[carlyraejepsans]

saw your most recent post about really good fics that contain uncomfortable kinks and i immediately thought "ah, biscia must be reading the mpreg soriel fic" and almost left a reply talking about it but i stopped myself because i realized that would be an insane assumption to make. needless to say i felt so vindicated when i saw you link it in an earlier post.

like. HELLO?

HELLO???????

[fubuwu]

Fuck it. I'm gonna bite the bait just to say that there were many instances where jc clearly trated wwx like a brother/friend in the BOOK, aka the canon text in case anyone was confused or have seemed to have selectively forgotten about.

From the part where jc scoffs at the prospect of wwx getting together with a servant. Laughing and proclaiming that he was treated better than he was (in reference to his own sister peeling his lotus seeds for him which she didn't do for jc).

Then there was him standing up for him on NUMEROUS occasions throughout the book. Such as before the LP Massacre. He could have let his mother beat wwx senseless, but he tried to stop her from doing so, begging and crying even for her to stop and take the punishment for him. Despite the risk it took to do so.

Not to mention the excuses he made to the rest of the cw after the war when he stood up for wwx and shrugged off his casual and overly familiar demeanour.

Then ofc there was the sacrifice he made for wwx (which he didn't have to do as the only male sect heir) whilst they were on the run from the Wens that ultimately led up to the events in the novel..

The Cloud Recesses era.. the part after jfm gave away his dogs and jc steadily welcomed wwx in his life, willing to scare away any dogs that threatened him..

These are all things a nasty, homophobic rich man would NEVER do for his servant if he only saw them as such.

If he was classist as you all seem to think he is, then he would never dream of doing all the above CANON EVENTS for wwx's sake. Js.

These were all in the book. To ignore them, that means you are ignoring mxtx's work and you clearly did not understand the complicated relationship wwx and jc had.

Because it was made clear throughout the text that jc never saw him as a servant. They shared a room, went to school together and made HUGE sacrifices for eachother. So much so, that their relationship pissed of jc's mother.

If you ignore that then you are ignoring a VERY IMPORTANT part of the text. And I have to wonder if y'all only came into the fandom for the mlm relationship between wwx and lwj and not the the story. Clearly, y'all are selectively ignoring some very IMPORTANT facts. Js. This book is MORE than just a bl........

And if that's the case, then you have no place arguing jc canon facts. Js.

[anotherpapercut]

today a 7 year old at work asked me if I was a boy or a girl and I said I'm actually neither and one of the other kids said "so you're nothing???" and I went "yep I'm nothing. isn't that crazy?" and I heard my coworker snort lmao