#since that doesn't seem worth it if there was even a CHANCE he would bond to a dragon and become rlly powerful

[kazz-brekker]

me reading a romantasy that is mean to mostly be a exciting and sexy read: don't overanalyze the politics and world-building don't overanalyze the politics and world-building don't overanalyze–

[part-time-zombie]

Does anyone else talk about how the different ways the sides names were revealed can often be analogous to the different ways folks come out about their queer identity?

Logan didn't reveal his name by choice, patton did it for him. Thomas was surprised by logans name, mostly by the implications of the sides having names instead of just titles and nicknames. Patton didn't seem to think too much about revealing logans name, and logan didn't seem too worried/upset about it either. His relationship with his name seems awfully casual, like it doesn't bother him if people know his name or not.

Patton in turn waited for a little later to reveal his name, finding the best timing. He even took advantage of the opportunity by using his name reveal as pun ammunition, reveling in the chance to now make more puns based on his name. He was excited to reveal his name, especially now that it can pave the way for more fun and bonding with the others now that they know more about him.

Roman kept it quiet for a bit, holding it close to his chest until he was ready. When he and thomas were alone, sharing their thoughts on self worth and value, he revealed his name so as to help them both get closer. This was a private, emotionally intimate moment where they were opening up about sensitive topics, and roman figured there was no better moment than this one.

Virgil was scared about the whole thing. It was a huge step for him to be so open about such a personal secret, and he avoided it for as long as he could. But when the others reached out to him and made him realize his importance with the group he's grown to call a family, he knew he was ready to share this with them. It was a big step and he was clearly scared, but his trust was well placed.

Remus came into the scene loud and clear. He was ready for people to know and see him, because whatever they thought about him was their problem. He played along with the nickname game for a bit, but when the others expressed confusion about exactly what he is supposed to be/represent, he gave them the answer, bluntly and clearly. His lack of tact and fear actually surprised everyone, since the others were more reluctant to share their names, but remus didn't care about keeping secrets.

Janus loved to keep secrets, especially his own. The less people knew about him the better. He knew more than anyone that people can be gossipy, judgemental rumor mills that spread sensitive secrets like pollen in the wind, and he wasn't about to let himself get caught up in the drama of it all. Besides, with how the others have been treating him, why should they know anything about him? He felt that they didn't care about him, so a name reveal would be unwarranted. When it was proven that he had a seat at the table like the rest, and that his input was indeed wanted, he knew they would be willing to trust him. It would only be fair to trust them in return, starting with his name.

Idk where I was going with this, something something signs of trust and openness with the group and the complex relationship people have with a secret that they feel can define their identity.

[saltyb0ba]

im soooo normal about ezran callum sibling relationship

the little kid who had to grow up too fast, leaving stolen jelly tarts behind for clean hands on the throne and the big kid who never got a chance to play house with his younger brother before worries took the place of imagination. the kid king who seems to be handling things well, but no longer laughs at jokes with his kind of humor, and would rather get to the point than have a bit of fun with finding out the answer.

ezran luckily has a strong support system and a brother that will be there for him no matter what, putting himself in danger just to ensure ezran's safety. he's bonded with zym on a psychic and emotional level, and can talk to animals with relative ease. making the burden of the crown just a bit lighter. he knows he has people he can reach out to and lean on, and takes advantage of that when the offer is handed to him. growing up hurts, but with loved ones surrounding him, it was okay. as okay as it could be.

callum is his own support system. soren's called him step-prince for as long as he could remember, and though it was never explicitly shown, it's not hard to infer the amount of damage that can inflict on someone's mind. he already was second in line to the throne despite being the older sibling, and to just have it drilled in your head again and again that someone doesn't want you there just hurts. and it forms an unhealthy mindset that sticks with him for a while.

soren's insisted that it was a joke, but it's not wrong for callum to take it personally. especially with how many times soren's repeated it. claudia lost his respect a long time ago. callum isn't really shown to have the same amount of familiarity with the royal court as ezran does, and his office is a bit isolated from the rest of the castle. it isn't where he sleeps (though sometimes falls asleep in), but even in his own quarters he's separated from ezran. that bed's either filled by rayla or just empty moonlight at this point.

callum's always taken his own path whereas ezran followed in his father's footsteps.

that's naturally led to callum exploring a new future alone (or at least, with minimal support) vs ezran having the entire castle staff to rely upon with centuries' worth of experience in handling the rule of a king.

and proven in the series, it's caused ezran to detach from callum a bit himself. how he thought callum's upset post-possession was about rayla and not the literal puppeting that had been going on. he was never able to see through his brother the way callum could see through ezran and that's likely intentional.

bait and zym are also like parallels to their relationship in a sense; ezran had accidentally batted bait away in his sleep and bait left, upset and a little angry -- until callum saw him and invited him to hang out with him. they don't have a connection like ezran and zym have (unless you wanna get super meta, since bait's sounds are made by jack desena), but they understand each other just as much as the king and dragon prince do. before that happened, however, bait was very clingy with ezran. see the connection?

they haven't abandoned each other, far from it. they've gotten more aggressive in their love, especially with the stakes raising and callum extremely prone to becoming a weapon. ezran would prefer to talk things out, though something tells me aaravos would rather have fun with his toys instead of discussing things. maybe the way they show brotherly love is different now, but callum knows what sacrifice he would have to make to protect his family, his brother. ezran doesn't want to lose callum, and is determined to find a solution that doesn't involve the loss of his brother. his only brother.

thank you for coming to my ted talk this was a massive brain dump that i just needed to get out haha! i'm a sucker for sibling relationships and theirs draws me in like no other.

[another-lost-mc]

Hi, just want you to know I have Michael Brainrot bc of your works with him…. I’m not asking for more or anything, i love everything you do anyway….. but damn your Michael hits different….

Oh, thank you so much! I love Michael. Even in NB he still seems a bit underdeveloped and we don't even know what he looks like yet. (I've talked a lot about my personal headcanons about his appearance and at this point I stubbornly accept the likelihood that he's going to be a tall, long-haired and blue-eyed blonde instead. lol)

When I first started playing OG, he was one of my favourite characters even though we knew next to nothing about him. Some of my first fic ideas were about Michael, if you'd believe it. Maybe that's why I liked him so much? I treated him like an OC before Nightbringer came out because I took quite a few creative liberties exploring different versions of him.

I've mentioned before that I treat angels and demons in this game (and Father and the Demon King) as fantasy races rather than religious beings. To me, Michael is a leader - a flawed leader, sure - but he has so much personality and friendship and affection to give. He loves sweets and he's fashionable and even though his bond with Lucifer is undeniable, I think he genuinely cares about all his celestial brethren too.

Unfortunately for Michael, he seems like the type of angel that wants to be everyone's friend, but the problems arise when he has to stop being a friend and start being leader of the angels. We've seen him make difficult choices and we've seen evidence that he's struggled with the consequences of those choices. I think he has a lot of regret and unresolved trauma/guilt from things he's done, especially when it comes to Lucifer and his brothers.

I have no idea what the original plan for OG was after Season 4. My rough guess (or at least how I hoped it would play out) is that:

Season 5 would involve MC at least talking to Michael directly again (re: Simeon) and visiting the Celestial Realm on his behalf.

Season 6 would be the point when new angels visit the Devildom, including Michael (think of it as a diplomatic visit with higher-ranking angels making the CR's peace with the Devildom "official").

A lot of my Michael x MC/Reader stories assume that he and MC would've met in-person for the first time in Season 5. MC deserves a proper visit to the Celestial Realm (overnight, at least one week but preferably two or three) and a chance to meet Michael and the other important angels that help him run things. So many of my Michael blurbs are just him and MC interacting during that first meeting together because the first meeting trope is one of my favourites.

And as much as I love Michael, visiting the Celestial Realm wouldn't be complete with some more angels to liven things up. We have other established canon angels - Simeon, Luke and Raphael - but Uriel's been mentioned twice I believe, and I doubt he's the only other angel worth meeting. (OC Angels like Metatron and Gabriel help fill in the gaps so that my CR-based writing doesn't feel so empty.) We just need more angels in general - how else will a MC goes to the CR for the exchange program AU play out if there's only like, two angels there? >_>

Anyway. I try not to think about the implications of Michael's involvement in NIghtbringer since it took an odd turn with HM Lesson 20. I did outline some possible story ideas based on that particular plot point but I still prefer to write Michael in the OG setting for obvious reasons.

As a side note - I know I keep talking about it, but the OC story I've been working on features Michael as a major character in Part 1 that takes place in the Celestial Realm. We get to see him interacting with Lucifer (who is still an angel then) and other angels of various ranks, and the two main characters of course. We see Michael who tries to be a friend, who tries to be supportive and balance out Lucifer's different approach to handling things...and we also see Michael who abides by the rules angels are meant to live by and expects everyone else to do the same. I could've made him the "bad guy" in this, but I didn't. He has his good moments and his "omg you're such an asshole" moments, but no more or less than the other characters. It's very exciting.

......................yikes, that was a lot of words to say, "Thank you, fellow Michael fan! I also enjoy his character a lot."

[taffywabbit]

Favorite blorbo?

hmmmm... I haven't had a LOT of blorbos I've been particularly fixated on recently but I am always and forever at least mildly fixated on the narrative themes that surround BotW Link (and by extension Zelda, who kinda helps put his whole deal in perspective through her own struggles with her dad and her role as the princess).

I've realized in the past year that I have kind of an obsession with impostors and doppelgangers and the struggle of a character trying to pretend to be someone else who they don't fully understand or identify with, and the way BotW plays with that through the whole amnesia angle is always really interesting to me. like here's a guy who was supposed to be an unstoppable badass 100 years ago, was basically killed, and then suddenly revived with no firsthand memories of his past heroics or relationships. nearly everything he learns about himself is through the external lens of other people's stories, so he can't really tell how his past self felt about the pressure he was under. and yet, because he is essentially a fresh new person in the same body, people who recognize Link still expect him to live up to that standard and pick up his heroic quest where he left off a century ago. he finds himself in the unique position of living in his OWN shadow, and it makes him a really interesting stand-in for the player (who ALSO only learns about Link's pre-amnesia life via scattered short flashbacks and the words of strangers, and is left to decide how much of that reputation they actually care about).

there's a scene in one of the memory cutscenes where Zelda asks Link (heavily paraphrased probably, it's been a while) if he would've chosen a different path for himself, had he not been expected since childhood to become a famous knight like his dad. and I like to think about how badly that memory would mess with post-Calamity Link's head if he was stressed, or tired, or scared, or depressed when it resurfaced. it's been 100 years, nearly everyone he knew before is dead, and as far as most people are concerned he's dead too. if he wants - if the PLAYER wants - Link could just fuck off to some remote corner of Hyrule and build himself a house and live a quiet life, leaving the heroics to someone else. the world seems pretty fuckin doomed regardless and he already failed once, so it wouldn't be that hard to choose a different path this time and try to enjoy the second chance he's been given. and in a sense, if you don't finish the game, or if you spend a hundred hours piddling around cooking fish and chasing dragons and practicing rock-climbing, that IS kinda just what happens. the player is just as free to refuse the call as Link is. the point where YOU decide that the role of the pre-Calamity hero is a role worth stepping into, is the same moment he puts aside any personal fears and misgivings he has, and decides that he has to try, even if these memories and stories feel like they belong to someone far more capable and courageous and difficult to kill. even if he doesn't fully remember Zelda or any of his other old friends, he decides at some point that he would LIKE to remember and claim those bonds for himself, and that this land full of strangers whose faces he doesn't recognize are worth sticking his neck out for. BotW, in spite of its shortcomings, is a game where you get to grow and learn and choose to be The Hero You Keep Hearing About right alongside Link himself, in a way that pretty much no other Zelda game allows for, and I think that's really cool! and sad! but mostly cool!

(I also think Link and Zelda both need therapy really really badly but OOPS sequel there's no time for that when we have gimmicks to introduce and storytelling mechanisms to clumsily reuse and character development to casually reset/ignore hahahaha..... 😭)

[caliburn-the-sword]

more cress thoughts and reactions (if i wasn't lazy i would start numbering these)

WHAT is with this lunar guard and WHY would he randomly choose to help these guys. since he's a Named Character (but i already forgot) i'm demanding a pov chapter immediately. probably won't get one until we trust him tho rip

NO WAY SCARLET CAN'T DIE OMG - oh thank goodness she's been taken hostage. that's better because it means she has a chance

what is it with cinder and her tendency to pick up strays?? first thorne now the blondie

cinder got that medical rizz (got blondie to take his shirt to staunch blood)

wait how does blondie know that cinder is the lost princess?? did i miss something??? maybe it was something cress mentioned

"Thorne thought maybe it was best for her to practice (cutting bonds) on herself anyway" DAMN BRO COLD

i wonder if the programming making the sat invisible still applies now that it's crashed. if not we're about to have a big problem on our hands

"somehow she’d never worked the sensation of prickly facial hair into her fantasies. She would amend that after this." MISS GIRL WHAT???? that said i find the diction of 'amend that' there's just something so detached about it lmao

OMG THORNE LOST HIS VISION YES THIS IS MAKING ME NUTS

no i agree cress WHY would you give a newly blind man a knife

her hair is getting cut off <3 "It felt as though twenty pounds had been cut from her head" probably because it HAS girly. haircuts are literally magical. feel sad?? get a haircut

"It's not your fault" damn thorne i really appreciate how conscious he is of cinder's and now cress' self blaming problem even though he doesn't act like he's all compassionate. softie

grossed out by thorne kissing a 16 year old even if it was just her hand (someone play sixteen by ayesha erotica)

omg i thought the kids were talking about PRIZE MONEY for a BOUNTY and that we were about to see someone properly threatening appear, not just gummy worms fkshfsdkh. LOVE erland for indulging the children. he seems like a fun uncle type figure to have. i wonder how much those kids make him grieve for his daughter. OMG CINDER MENTION IT I NEED ERLAND'S REACTION

omg cress' descriptions of earth make me feel like i've been taking it for granted <3 i love her to death and i wish her all the happiness in the world

i LOVE thorne's no nonsense attitude, especially when it conflicts with cress' fantasies. yeah!! shake her!! wilderness survival king

tf??? i've never heard of a green sunset????? i'm assuming that this is a rural thing or i'm just gonna pin it down to random radioactive scifi reasons

thorne you know what OTHER than constellations would rule out australia?? THE SAND WOULD BE FUCKING RED. i would know because i did a 6 week cross country road trip across the desert from east to west and back again. i get that he's blind but surely cress would have noticed and thought to mention it (catch me looking for the southern cross constellation whenever i go to the northern hemisphere since it's the only one i can consistently recognise)

whenever cinder gets glamoured she always snaps out of it immediately. even kai, the few times it's happened to him. it's honestly VERY disturbing to read it from scarlet's perspective where she's completely unable to (also now i'm finding kai sus. does he have the implant against his knowledge?? he got out of it with pain but wolf literally got SHOT and stayed glamoured)

LANDED IN AFRICA OMG THEY'RE GONNA REUNITE WITH CINDER. I BET ERLAND HAS ALREADY HEARD NEWS ABOUT THE DROPPED SAT

cress' backstory is intriguing, ESPECIALLY because idk how she's alive. does experimenting really make her THAT worth keeping before her hacking skills came to light?? why does sybil want to keep shells alive in the first place?? she seems very down with eugenics

holding onto neurodivergent coded cress and defending her with my life. of course some traits overlap with her trauma and being isolated for so long

only just remembered this but i guess now my theory of cress not being fully lunar doesn't hold up now that i know her parents. but with what she's saying about her backstory, makes sense why she doesn't identify with lunars that much

maybe it was thorne that i decided was bi??? just by seeing this line about blackmailing a hot pilot if he were in her position??? now that i think about it he had a similar line about kai or something. anyway with thorne saying he would have blackmailed someone i reckon he's just putting on a facade so no one sees him as a softie. but it's still funny to just make characters queer. it's a coping mechanism

OMG NOW THAT THE SATELLITE HAS CRASHED THE LUNARS ARE EXPOSED. I COMPLETELY FORGOT ABOUT THAT. but the spyware should ALSO be down unless specific feeds went directly to the palace

this read has been such a treat for me!! i mentioned this on a reblog of one of my first cress post, but for those of you who haven't seen it when i was like. 5. my library had this picture book of the biblically accurate grimms brothers rapunzel. BEAUTIFUL illustrations. i was a silly goofy little kid obsessed with morbidity and i LOVED the gory illustrations of the prince's eyes getting stabbed out by thorns and him wandering around the forest all bloody and blind. i tried to find it online but couldn't!! the closest thing to it was rapunzel by sarah gibb which isn't gloriously violent anyway. i want to see if i can hunt it down irl and let you guys know which one it is but i used to frequent three different local libraries + the school library of my primary school was basically my own playground so i can't remember where i used to read it ;-; but yeah all this is to say i'm obsessed with cress as a retelling of rapunzel by far as someone who has a long history and grew up with it <3

@eddisfargo @francforever @winterrhayle @winterpinetrees

[alittlextrathatway]

Only bought this dress so you could take it off + living room

Final part of the Football AU I started. You can find the other parts here: part one | part two | part three

***

Matt's been back in practices and games for two weeks when he finally approaches Sylvie about a date. He takes her out for dinner and a concert. Their special teams coach is in a Rush cover band and tonight was their last gig until after New Years. It was important to Mouch that they show up.

Afterward, they go out to dinner at Swift and Sons.

Sylvie calls it the best dinner she'd ever had and declares before they've even had dessert that Swift and Sons is her new favorite restaurant. To say Matt feels as if the date is going well is an understatement.

The two of them seem to have the same priorities and similar tastes. She loved spending their date supporting Mouch. Since she joined the team, Sylvie and Mouch have developed a close bond. He dotes on her as if she's the daughter he never had and Sylvie enjoys listening to him tell however many stories he wants. She appreciates his humor and his wisdom.

Watching Sylvie bond with someone who's been a mentor to him his entire career means more to him than Sylvie knows.

She cherishes the people in her life to the same degree Matt always has. To him, it speaks to her character and leaves him in more awe of her than ever.

"I can't believe you've never listened to Rush," he teases, shaking his head at her after he directs his driver to take them to Sylvie's condo.

Not one to simply sit back and take it, she dishes the teasing right back. "You'll have to forgive me for not being of a certain age."

"Did you just call me old?" Matt asks, feigning outrage. "I am not old!"

"No, but you have to admit you have suspiciously old taste in music," she says, chuckling through her words.

"Because I don't listen to Taylor Swift all the time, that means I'm old?"

"I don't listen to Taylor Swift all the time."

"No, that's true. Sometimes you listen to boybands."

"Hey! There is nothing wrong with a good boyband! We would be missing out on some truly iconic songs without them," she says, playfully smacking his shoulder.

"Okay, sure."

"Oh, I will get you to take that back eventually. Mark my words, Quarterback."

The car stops indicating they've arrived. Sylvie glances out the window but doesn't reach for the door handle. She briefly bites her bottom lip and then aims a beseeching smile at him. "Would you like to come up for a cup of coffee?"

Yes. He would like that very much. "As long as there's decaf," he jokes. "Or else I'm gonna be up all night."

She laughs and rolls her eyes at him. "Maybe being up all night might be worth it, did you think of that?"

Oh, he did. More than once. "I guess there's a chance it might, yeah."

She steps out of the car first, giving him the perfect view of her dress. It's black and backless with a halter neck. The knot holding it up rests on the nape of her neck. The minute she opened the door, he imagined what would happen if that knot came undone. He has no expectation of finding out tonight. They may have known each other for weeks now, but this is still their first date. Whatever happens, happens, but he won't put unnecessary pressure on her. Not about intimacy, physical or emotional. He knows better than most that if it's not freely given then it means nothing. Trying to force someone to do what you want them to do will always drive people further apart.

Once he's out of the car, she grabs his hand and laces their fingers together. Waving at her doorman as they pass, she makes a beeline for the elevator. Within a few minutes, that pass strangely quickly, they're standing in her living room as she drops her keys on to her coffee table.

Her condo is relatively small, but extremely cozy. She's filled it with soothing colors and personal memories. It's not just a place to live, it's a home. His condo is nowhere near this comfortable. He just never knows what to do with all the space. Aside from Football, he doesn't have many good memories to put in picture frames and use for decoration.

"I like your place," he offers, glancing around with a small wistful smile.

"Yeah, right," she says with a scoff. "It's tiny compared to your penthouse."

"More expensive isn't always better," Matt tells her. "I have a lot of space but it's all empty so it doesn't do me much good."

"Well, you can come and share my space anytime you want," Sylvie offers as she crosses the living room and heads for the kitchen. She starts a pot of coffee as she continues. "Honestly, most of the time I feel pretty isolated when I'm home. Being in a new city and not knowing very many people is lonely sometimes."

"You should call me when you need some company. I have no social life," he says with a self deprecating smirk. "You won't be interrupting anything."

“If you’re waiting for me to call and I’m waiting for you to come over then no wonder we’re both still so lonely all these weeks after meeting,” she says, laughing softly.

“I don’t want to disrupt your life any more than I already have,” he explains. It’s the first time that night that either of them have referenced their recent popularity in the press. Their affection for each other made it into Page Six and ever since the public has kept an eye on them, looking for any signs of their burgeoning relationship. “So, I’m trying to let you set the pace.”

“I appreciate that,” Sylvie says, looping her arms around his shoulders. “Most guys wouldn’t even think about that. Trust me, I know.”

His hands find her waist, pulling her closer and closer until her chest rests against his. “Yeah, well, I have a feeling you’re as private as I am. I had a hard time adjusting to life in the public eye early on in my career. I’d like to make that easier for you, if I can.”

“That’s a lot of thinking for a guy who hasn’t even kissed me yet.”

His stare roams her face and he finds a playful smile on her lips and a challenging gleam in her eyes. If he’s letting her behavior be his guide, then he’s long overdue on taking them to the next level. It’s a good thing he still has time to correct himself.

“It’s been nice to have a friend, Matt,” Sylvie tells him, letting one of her hands drift into the short hairs on the back of his head. “Especially while settling in. So, thank you for that.” He tenses for a second, afraid she might be letting him down easy, but then her eyes drift down to his lips as she keeps talking. ”But I’m all settled in now and I’d like to be more than just your friend. If that’s okay with you?”

He chuckles, holding her tighter and resting his forehead against hers. “That’s more than okay with me. Honestly, I’ve been waiting for this moment from the first minute that we met.”

She looks skeptical, unsure if he’s flattering her or being truthful, but before she can ask he swoops in and slants his mouth over hers -- sealing them together. A startled noise escapes her throat, but as her lips part and the kiss intensifies it deepens into a moan. She tries to press herself closer, but they’re as close as they can possibly be while standing up. Matt backs her up toward the sofa, pressing her down onto it once the backs of her legs hit the couch.

He’s not sure what she’s feeling but he knows for certain he’s never felt kisses like these. They’re drugging and exhilarating all at once. Goosebumps raise all over his skin and he feels overheated everywhere he hands wander. He can already tell she’s going to be an addiction he’ll never be able to quit.

This is a once in a lifetime moment and he plans to commit every bit of it to memory. The textures, the tastes, the sounds -- not a bit of it will fade no matter how long he lives.

As his kisses trail down her neck, Sylvie gently pushes against his shoulder, indicating she wants his attention. When he looks up at her, she’s grinning wickedly.

“I don’t know where you see this night going or how far you want to take this, but you should know…I bought this dress with the intention of it ending up on the floor.”His fantasy of untying that delicate bow resting on the nape of her neck comes roaring back to him as he smiles slowly and crookedly. She’s already making his wildest dreams come true and he has a feeling she’ll bring many more of them to life in the future. This isn’t just any date, it’s the date. He knows in his bones that this is the last first date he’ll ever have.

[skania]

Replies to OnK Asks #2

I have enough for another round of replies, so let's go!

If you sent me an anon message these past two days, the answer should be below the cut! If it isn't then I either missed it or Tumblr ate your message, please don't hesitate to message me again if that's the case

Just in case, there are spoilers for Chapter 123 below the cut!

Hang in there anon! Even if Ruby has grown, Sarina's love for Goro is basically frozen in time. I'm sure that if Sarina had had the chance to grow older, her love for Goro would've naturally transitioned into something more age appropriate. As it is though, it was born within the bubble of her hospital room where Goro was one of the only two good things she had in her life, and then Ruby continued to nurture it through the years by desperately hoping she may come across him again.

For years, Goro has been her romanticized, idealized, impossible first love. So when she finds out that Aqua is Goro, she isn't thinking This is inappropriate, he is my brother! She is instinctively reacting the same way Sarina would've reacted to reuniting with Goro. Ruby needs time to process her feelings.

I also think that Sarina's feelings for Goro were the innocent kind of love where a child is like: This person makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside! I want to be with them forever! We should get married!

So eventually, I'm sure Ruby will realize that being Aqua's sister is perfect, because this way they already are forever bonded to each other.

People are saying that? They're really trying to find every possible reason under the sun to hate on her 😂 I think one valid critique would be to say that Akane made that offer while not being sure of her own feelings/thinking Aqua had no feelings for her, but... how is that worth hating her? If I didn't love Akane, I'd have just felt sad for her—hating her would've never crossed my mind lol

I mean, I'm not sure we can generalize. But from what I've seen, people ship just as hard there as we do over here, it's just that they're better at separating fandom from canon. If the ship they like doesn't happen, they usually won't go on a public tirade against the work—they may criticize it a bit in their own corner, but usually they just continue shipping their thing in peace.

All in all though, Aka doesn't seem like the type to do what people want him to do. I believe he will do whatever he feels works best for the story he wants to tell lol

Ohhh that's interesting! In the few months that Ruby spent on Revenge Mode, she did show more ruthlessness than Aqua would be capable of, so maybe you're right and Crow Girl would've ideally wanted Ruby to be the one carrying it out.

Crow Girl is 100% right though, Aqua just isn't cut for revenge. He is too soft-hearted, too kind. He may be fine with everyone hating him, but he won't be fine with anyone but him suffering, so he is doomed to fail lol

Thank you anon!! You have a good day, too!

Manga Plus!

Off the top of my head: flustered Aqua, whenever he makes Akane pout, Akane trying to feed him, Aqua getting caught-off-guard when Akane can tell he wants to talk about breaking up, the whole do-you-have-that-kind-of-feelings-for-me? talk and Akane teasing him when he comes to pick her up with the umbrella are some of their funniest moments for me 😂

Yes!! You have a very good point anon, Aqua's and Akane's reconciliation is being saved for later. It's just like the next Akane volume cover, the fact that we haven't gotten one yet shows that we will be getting some nice Akane chapters in the future.

Thanks anon, I'm glad you see it too! Maybe I'm jumping the gun, but in all honesty after Chapter 123 I now have a hard time picturing Aqua's feelings for Kana as romantic. Kana's are the wild card, since hers have always been portrayed as romantic. We'll have to wait and see but so far, she seems to be following in Maki's (Kaguya-Sama) steps lol

I'm glad that Akane Kurokawa is Akane Kurokawa. She is one and only.

Well said anon, me too!!

I think the difference is that Kana's "radiance" comes from her genuine feelings. When she feels down, she can't shine. When she is happy, she shines brightly like the sun.

That's indeed the reason why she was only able to shine as an idol while Aqua was there. He was the reason she became an idol in the first place, and he's also the one she performed for; the one she wanted looking at her.

So while Ai (mostly) shone through the character she carefully constructed for herself, Kana shines due to her true feelings.

I do think that some readers aren't particularly interested in understanding him. At the same time, I get it because not everyone is reading OnK with the desire to analyse it. Some people just read it/watch it for fun and without paying much attention, which is perfectly fine although perhaps not exactly the best approach to Aka's writing lol

It's fine though, the person Aqua is will be pretty obvious by the end of the manga, so anyone who has missed it so far will surely get it by then!

Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me, anon! I agree with a lot of what you're saying, and to answer your question:

do you really think Goro like Sarina in a romantic ways?

No, I don't! There's no chance of Goro liking Sarina romantically, he saw her like an innocent child and treated her as such. There's no ambiguity there at all, his "I'll think about it when you're 16" was just a round-about way of turning her down while gently reminding her of their age-gap. They both knew that Sarina likely wouldn't make it to 16, so I believe it was also Goro's way of trying to make both, himself and Sarina, imagine a future where Sarina was still alive. It's so sad 😭

And yes, the fact that Akane is so different is a great thing! She's also the only one that doesn't seem to have family issues, so there's even less for Aqua to project onto her. The obvious exception being when Akane temporarily lost the will to live, since Aqua likely could empathize 😭

You're absolutely right anon! For some people, it's like the Aqua/Akane relationship jumped from Chapter 30 to Chapter 98 with absolutely nothing in between—except for Chapter 81 and 87, but even then, only two panels count. The rest doesn't matter 😂

And it's not like there aren't alternative ways to interpret their relationship without ignoring everything that's happened between them and all their development. Hell, they could even say: yeah Akane almost got him, but failing to understand that Aqua just needed her by her side cemented her loss. She lost her chance—or something, and it would be a perfectly valid take! But some people just can't acknowledge that Aqua and Akane have a genuine, meaningful bond because they either a) want Aqua to be an edgelord b) want Aqua to only have eyes for their girl of choice.

Luckily, this willful denial of Aqua and Akane's bond can't change what's written in the manga lol

[sushis-brainrot]

That sounds interesting …. what kind of ideas for Basim and Eivor? And that’s alright if you ever did write it when you have time I would love to hear it and read it!

I was also a bit shy at first since my ship wasn’t popular either but once I submitted it I realised how silly and wrong I was, the community is absolutely amazing. I’ve met so many nice people through fanfiction and even made a few friends here and there. You’ll find there’s nothing to be afraid of.

The Valhalla and Odyssey community on fanfiction are absolutely amazing. As for recommendations out of all your ships I only know one (Which is Kassidas) I might inbox you privately about it. And lol there’s a chance you might have seen my fics as well since I’m on A03.

What is your username? If you don’t mind sharing it out with us. So I can keep an eye out if you do post fics. I might even add you as well on there. If you don’t mind .

I don't mind at all! :D I go by Risushi on AO3 :D But you have me much intrigued as to which fics you might have written👀

As for ideas, at the moment, I have two for some Eivor/Basim stuff 🫣 Now it remains to be seen if I ever get to write them....... 😶

Celebration Mostly fluff, maybe smut... with a drizzle of sad 🥺

During a feast in Raventhorpe sometime after The Siege of Portcestre - maybe during Yule or Ostara. Eivor finds Basim observing the celebrations and takes it upon herself to make him join the revelry. Eivor, drunk on festivities and sweetest mead, miraculously manages to convince the master assassin to join her and the clan for a dance.

The night continues its celebrations - Basim lets some of his walls drop and surprisingly enjoys himself. They talk, they bond. Basim pokes some fun at Eivor. At some point, she kisses him, to shut him up. Smirking she pulls away, "Do you taste my heart, sly-tongue? Is the taste enough to sate your hunger or does it leave you craving more?"

Basim seizes the unspoken invitation, claiming her lips with a hunger akin to a man starved.

Eventually, it ends on Eivor, lost in thought at Gunnar and Brigid's wedding. With heart aching, she finds herself wishing Basim was there.

Fates of Two Sometime around 861-865 - before Valhalla and during Mirage. Based heavily on a "what if" scenario. Young Basim is such a sweetheart, and I couldn't help but wonder what it might be like if he and Eivor met during Mirage.

Baghdad. Basim is a newly initiated assassin - Eivor a thrall from the North, whom Basim is tasked with freeing, and then protecting.

Eivor holds his gaze, "If you're willing to stand with me, I won't turn you away. For now." Basim answered with a smile that touched his eyes. "For now," he agreed.

Basim has no idea why Roshan wants him to guard Eivor - as the Norse seems perfectly capable of defending herself - but for now, he doesn't question his mentor.

As the assassin tasked to protect Eivor from harm, it seems like Basim continuously gets her in trouble instead.

Sometimes, Basim finds himself trying to impress her, swinging his sword with an added flair. Flashing her a grin before disappearing into a crowd. Stealing sweet apples for her just to see a glimpse of her smile. Sometimes it gets him caught.

He grabs her hand, vaulting over walls and running over rooftops, never letting go as he guides her.

Eivor laughs. Loud and free. And suddenly, it's all worth it to him.

I have a few ideas for where this one could go, but I haven't gotten to work a whole lot on them, yet 😜

I've come to realize though, that this one, on some points, can sound a little like @newengland-shrike / TheAmberOuroboros' Past Voices Call My Name/No Quiet Life for Me, so I want to check with them if it'd be okay for me to write it before I do anything 😌

But, until then, it has a little mood board that makes me very happy 🥺

[crackinglamb]

Word Search Tag Game

Tagged by @fadedsweater, thank you! 💕

Tagging @ir0n-angel, @mogwaei, @mordinette, @shretl and @lilbittymonster. No pressure.

Find the word and post a snippet containing it. Can be from published works or WIP's, or both! Then tag some folks to keep it going with new words.

Your words are: present, happy, lift, watch, ache

My own below the cut. All of these are published works, links in the titles.

From More Than Mere Stone, the word soft:

She found her rhythm again and once more fell into the motions of sliding the whetstone against the blade. The sound of it was soothing, bleeding the tension out of her shoulders and back. There was a reason she'd always done this part herself, and not just because no one else would do it for her. Care of your weapon is care of yourself, her hahren told her once. She'd never forgotten, even if it had taken her a long time to understand what he meant.

She let the memories of long afternoons in the shaded gardens of her family home wash over her. Afternoons where they'd debated, sparred or just sat to appreciate the quiet drone of bees in the flowerbeds. She missed him. She wondered what he would think if he could see her now, Herald of a religion she viewed with utmost distaste. Forced to fix all the world's problems while few knew her other than her name. She wondered if he would be proud of her.

Another pass down the blade, another soft hiss of stone on steel. Another slight catch on the edge of the nick. And then...

...the whetstone broke in half in her hand.

---

From Trust In the Time of Vampires, the word bare:

He’d locked the office door, so she didn’t hesitate to strip off her Merlotte’s tee and the skimpy shorts that were her waitress uniform right then and there. She dropped her bra too, since the dress would leave it showing. In a flash, Eric was behind her, his cool fingers tracing the length of her neck and bare shoulder. His free arm was around her waist, holding her against him. Scorching hot desire poured down her spine through the bond and she smiled to herself. There were times she thought maybe he made her go through this routine for the simple pleasure of getting her out of whatever prim and proper outfit he’d picked later.

“Don’t mess up my concentration if you want me to be useful to you.”

---

From What a Wicked Game to Play, the word sun:

She held out her hand, glowing green in the deepening gloom as the sun disappeared behind the mountains. “You want it back?”

“If you know so much, then you know I cannot take it yet.”

“It was worth asking.”

His coldness dropped away, or perhaps was compartmentalized better. He gave her an assessing look now. “Do you mean it, that you would help me? Why?”

“Because Thedas was supposed to belong to the elves. And it did, for a really long time until humans came along and mucked it up. And you had to make a choice that turned out terrible and you want to fix it.”

“You are human,” he pointed out.

“Yeah, and? Doesn't make me an idiot.” She flapped her arms and huffed. “Okay, that might be pushing it. I'm definitely an idiot."

---

From Maker Damned Fools, the word place:

“You need to get out of those clothes,” he said finally when her face was clean. She huffed through her nose and he seemed to realize what he'd said. “All right, I could have put that better. I need to see if you're injured,” he rephrased. “You know we can't take any chances down here.”

She stripped off her armor and drenched shirt, leaving her shivering in her equally as soiled breastband. Not that there was any chance she was going to just remove it in front of him. She was reckless, but not idiotic. This was not the time or place.

He moved around her, looking over every inch with clinical dispassion. He drew her arms out from her sides, running calloused fingertips over her skin when he couldn't see in the gloom. It was impersonal, but also unbelievably intimate and she closed her eyes, trying to stay silent. When he was satisfied that she wasn't tainted – or wounded for that matter – he shrugged out of his duster and draped it around her shoulders, ignoring her jolt of shock.

“Not how I wanted to get you out of your clothes,” she said, finally breaking her silence as the horror began to recede.

---

From Into the Current, the word deserve:

“Why you care, Iron Bull?” she asked again.

His head tilted towards her, giving her his full attention. This close, and no longer distracted by a bleeding series of wounds, she could take in more details on his face. His nose was sloped strangely where it met his mouth. His lips were full and mobile, able to speak volumes without saying a word if he let them. His remaining eye was a clear green, like an agate. What stubble she could see on his long jaw and scalp was dark, but held hints of silver and gray. His horns jutted out from his head smoothly, although she could see the irregular ridge where skin ended and bone began. His ears were pointed like an elf's, but looked like they'd been docked so there were no vulnerable fleshy edges. Altogether he was rather beautiful, a summation of parts that shouldn't work together, but did. She wondered if all of his people looked this way.

“Everyone deserves to be at peace,” he said softly, drawing her focus back to his gaze. His voice rumbled out of his chest and soothed something deep inside her that she hadn't even been aware was chafing.

“I tell you sometime. Not today.”

His lips quirked upwards. “All right, Chestnut. Wash your hair, we leave in the morning.”

“Where we go?”

“Orlais.”

(This one was tough to find, apparently I don't use this word much)

[ravenwitch45]

What would au Striker's background story be like?

I'm not too great at writing full alternative backstories, and the way I wrote the OG AU Striker Post, he could techinchally have the exact same backstory just with the difference Stella doesn't hire him, and he's genuinely working as a Ranch hand, not just as cover. So when Blitz offers him a job, he's happy to take it without any 'prior engagements" conflicting with that.

But considering we don't even know his canon backstory yet, guess nows a good as time as any for me to share my hc backstory for him, it's a bit sympathetic, and blurs his view on nobilty a little so I feel it works here.

Striker was born to pretty lower class family in wrath, with a good few siblings, which made money and food very tight for them even living on a farm, which he did his best to help out on. Dealing with a few snobby and self entitled demons when trying to sell crops for his family

During his teen years Striker happened to be the lucky demon (Or unlucky, he's unsure how to feel about it) to be summoned by a young warlock in a living world, despite being human, the young boy was very nice to Striker, not trying to force him at all, genuinely asking Striker if he'd like to be his bonded demon, after some explaining of what that meant Striker asked to return home to speak with his family, getting a little charm to come back if he wished.

His family encouraged him to take this chance, as the Warlock's family was well off and could take care of him, while the family stayed in Hell to keep the farm going, admitting that if one of their kids were taken care of, it'd be a bit of weight off their shoulders. Striker reluctantly agreed, not really wanting to leave but understanding, promsing to come back and visit when he could.

Despite not expecting that much of the Warlock, he quickly wormed his way into Striker's heart, and the two became inseparable friends, and while many of the human mages, called Striker nothing but a minion, the Warlock himself treated him as an equal and as a friend.

A few years passed and during a ritual to summon a demonic steed, the Warlock miscasted and summoned two Hellsteeds, since there were two of them, they agreed to keep them, and the Horse Striker chose of course became his beloved Bombproof.

Striker was pretty happy with his life, keeping his promise of visiting his family who seemed well everytime he did, he even showed off Bombproof and some of the skills he gained since he left, including gun and knife work.

At one point, after they had become adults, they had moved to a very rainy place in the world, and while the warlock was fine with it, since rain was very uncommon in Wrath, Striker was often annoyed about getting wet while going out, so the Warlock knitted him an enchanted hat, that absorbs water while staying dry, a hat he wears to this day.

Eventually, after the warlock's long time lover died tragically, the warlock fell into a drunken depression, which while Striker tried his best support him softly through, Striker eventually had it and forced him to stop in order to save his friend, who in a frustrated inhibtionless state, just held Striker close and cried.

The two eventually realized they had feelings for each other beyond friendship, but in the somewhat conservative society they lived in, the Warlock insisted on hiding any attempts to explore that, and while Striker reluctantly agreed to it, it made him start to resent the secrecy.

Eventually that boiled over into feeling ignored, and not worth enough to the warlock, for him to risk rejection for loving him, A feeling that Striker bottled up until he couldn't take it and broke up with him, telling the Warlock to send him back to hell and that their partnership was done, while not explaining why.

The heartbroken warlock agreed, even if he wanted to know what happened, still caring about Striker, and sent Striker and Bombproof back to hell with a solemn goodbye that Striker didn't respond to as he left.

However Hell didn't hold much good to return to, Striker finding his famlie's farm now run by a Goetia and his workers, and when inquiring what happened to the old owners, he tracked them down to a small cabin only find his entire family dead of starvation, rotting in that small cabin that noone noticed.

After burying his lost family, he learned the Goetian lord who took their farm, had essentially driven them off it, not even giving them a penny or a bit of the grain they worked so hard to nourish, having just let them die.

Incredibly jaded and angry at how cruel the world treated his family, blaming himself a little for not being there to help. Striker started taking hitman jobs at night, which he could handle due to his knife and gun skills, having a vendetta with royals and nobles, for how they ignored and cruelly treated people like him.

He eventually got the ranch hand job, as a somewhat calmer day job that reminded him of his youth on the farm, where he eventually encountered a fun little gang of Imps, and was offered a full time assassin gig by their boss, deciding to take it, thinking some time out of wrath would do him some good. Maybe some happiness still awaits him...?

Hey, I left a lot out of that, mainly to do with the Warlock since I wanted to focus on our favorite cowboy. Hope it wasn't too disturbing, I just felt there must be a pretty big loss/trauma in order to jade Striker against Royals, and don't worry, with the AU I want good things for him ^^ Hope that was good!

[tuesdayscanons]

““I’m not doing anything! Stop being so irritable.”" Exclaimed Sebastian, already irked by what was likely to turn into a lecture from his stepfather.

He hasn't even done anyone. At least, nothing truly misbehaving, just stayed in his room too long, and maybe gave a rude look when he first saw Demetrius upon leaving said room.

Either way, he prepares himself for whatever the response is.

@roleplay-parlour

{¤} Demetrius expected some push-back from Sebastian, but it doesn't hurt any less. He knows he should probably blame himself for giving Sebastian space, but what else was he supposed to do? Sebastian seemed so miserable in his presence that Demetrius figured he'd be much happier if he could pretend he didn't have a stepdad.

Was that a mistake?

"I wasn't doing anything either, you know."

As much as Demetrius is annoyed about Sebastian assuming the worst, being confrontational would be a bad decision. He already has a reputation for giving Sebastian grief, so getting upset would only confirm Sebastian's beliefs.

Still, Demetrius has to talk to Sebastian—if not for Sebastian's sake, for Robin. Seeing his wife constantly worry about Sebastian's wellbeing hurts his heart and considering how busy her schedule is with all of the new construction work coming in, it's time for Demetrius to step up as a stepfather.

"Your mother is worried about you not leaving your room and I wanted to check up on you. I know my mental health declined during college, back when I hardly left my dorm unless I was checking up on you and your mother, so I figured your mental health hasn't been much better."

It takes a moment, but Demetrius eventually is hit with an idea. He's not sure how effective this is going to be, but it's worth a shot. Even if there's a chance Sebastian has outgrown this a long time ago, it's the one thing Demetrius remembers them bonding over.

"It's supposed to rain tonight. Did you want to look for frogs with me? It's been so long since we've looked for frogs together...do you even remember doing that with me? Your eyes used to shine so brightly..." {¤}

[phantom-of-the-ruckus]

Honestly I think Nick and Riley both need therapy. Both have issues they need to figure out.

Riley. Her urge to pleased mortimer and her anger. As well as her brainwashed mind. She needs to know also that rosco won’t be destroyed.

Nick: he….he’s a mess. He’s abused.( applied in the game). Honestly under appreciated and you can tell he has underlying anger and frustration. ( thanks mortimer) he needs

I do wonder how and when it would get better for them if they got therapy. ( or if Owen actually tried to help them)

Hi, Annon!

I very much agree! Also, poor Daisy needs therapy too and learning to love and accept her full self and stop trying to force herself into the role-model housewife that she expects herself to be (seen as refusing to accept her danger side)

I do believe Riley's behavior is like some sort of after effect of Mortimer brainwashing her. I am not sure if he guilt-trips her into feeling bad, but he manipulates into making her feel like she needs to give something back at him

But also I think this is part of their close bond. As I mentioned before, I see their relationship more like a mentoring type rather than father and daughter (which is totally valid and I respect that), so I think Riley wanting to please Mortimer is also part of her need to prove herself that she's capable of doing things in her own and

I do headcannon that Riley doesn't really have self-esteem issues per se as Mortimer pretty much made her feel like she was good, but finds herself wishing to have Mortimer give her a chance to show him that his ideas are innovative but Mortimer shutting them down does frustrate and causes her anger

Because the side that cares for Mortimer and their cause feels hurt that he's not taking seriously the warning sides and she's trying to be helpful.

It does hurt her ego a bit but does feel restrained since she respects Mortimer enough to not disobey him, which explains her creative ways of getting what she wants around the problem (seen in the first game with the sabotage)

Also yes. Riley certainly needs to know Mortimer lied to her about destroying Rosco as a way to keep her in check. As much as a special bond she has with Mort, canonically is pretty toxic (like most of the cannon bonds and relationships) and Mortimer is quite unstable.

Nick I am 100% percent with you.

Mortimer verbal and physical abuse have affected him greatly, and Nick does show to have grown spiteful and his behavior stems from an unhealthy cooping mechanism that involves his awful treatment of Daisy (I do have some headcannons involving his complex feelings for Riley but I won't touch them, but what I think are some things that made him stay at the studio worth it.)

Nick's behavior I think stems from his bitterness that the others are not getting the same treatment. I do think that he respects Riley greatly (not taking on the crush thing, but rather in general) as much as he's jealous that she's the favorite and the golden child, but I can see him understanding the pressure Mortimer places upon her.

I do headcannon that Nick years to see the real Riley (non-romantic sense too) as he's sure her hostile behavior is a mask she wears to keep herself in line.

I do think that is both partially the case and Nick being a dramatic idiot we all know and love. Riley always came across as a very transparent individual who won't hide her emotions, but I can see her hiding her respect for Nick, but this is a response of Nick's hostile behavior towards too.

Daisy, however, seems to be a character that Mortimer tends to ignore the most. We didn't really see him interact with her as much but it appears that Mortimer tries to be as patient with her as possible but nonetheless ignores her. Since Mortimer doesn't bother her, Nick is very frustrated that she gets the "easy route" so that's why he vents with her instead of Riley

I do agree that everyone (yes. Even Mortimer, but he deserves the horrible type of therapy because he's an ass and deserves the woodchopper) deserve therapy. It would take many years of healing and trust, specially with Riley who formed a close bond with Mortimer and doesn't trust Owen at all (I do feel part of her blames his existence for Mortimer changing and becoming paranoid.)

Therapy will help them heal and have much healthier interactions, but the trauma and scars will remain.

[astral-dragons]

Soo... today's session actually went better than I'd expected.

After hearing the knocking on the door, Fenro immediately sprung into action, gathering as many people as he could and herding them into the cellar to hide out until Strahd was gone. He manages to get Marcus, Dimitry, Ireena, and Ismark into the cellar, but Izek and Victor are outside.

Even after Ismark and Dimitry fuck up their stealth checks, Strahd feigns ignorance to their presence, instead going upstairs to speak to the Abbot. He ends up killing the Abbot in front of Vasilka, the party being able to hear her screams all the way downstairs.

It's at that point that the party decides to make a run for it, but quickly realizes that Rahadin was left outside the cellar door and Ismark grabs Ireena, pulling her back into the safety of the cellar. Before anyone can ask why he's there, Strahd returns. He asks the party where 'Tatyana' is, and they are unsuccessful in trying to distract or deceive him. Fenro tells him where Ireena is, but warns, "she likes to punch." Strahd takes his chances.

A few minutes later, he returns from the cellar without Ireena, and informs the party that they've disappointment him, but perhaps they could still serve as "entertainment." He instructs Rahadin to take Sylviel's corpse, and when the party asks what he plans to do with them, he just smiles, telling them they have two hours to prepare and wishing them good luck before he leaves.

Ireena and Ismark emerge from the cellar, and her immediate concern is to find Izek and Victor. Apparently they managed to hide outside in the graveyard, avoiding Strahd and Rahadin. When Marcus and Fenro explain what happened, Izek gets up onto the walls of the Abbey to examine the horizon. There is an army of undead approaching, and they now understand what Strahd meant.

The group bands together to fend off the undead, fortifying the Abbey and setting up traps. They manage to fight them all off with few complications, and when it's over, they realize they still haven't seen the Abbot or Vasilka since earlier in the day. Going upstairs towards the operating room, the party can hear Vasilka's cries, drawing their weapons as they approach.

They find her hunched over the Abbot's corpse, wailing. Seeing their weapons drawn, Vasilka begs for mercy, offering to get "the sword the Abbot hid from Strahd" for them if they'll let her live. The party's curiosity gets the better of them, and they agree, though they had no intention to kill Vasilka anyway.

She brings them the hilt of the Sunsword, though the party doesn't know what that is yet. Marcus takes it, and quickly realizes the sword is more than meets the eye, perhaps even sentient. He names it Susan. (We have an ongoing joke since the first campagin I ran where Marcus' player names all of his weapons. We've had Linda, Felisha, Karen, and now Susan.)

Meanwhile, Fenro hears a very familiar voice from behind him say, "Well, that went better than I'd expected." He looks to the others, but none of them seem to be able to hear it. He slowly turns around and sees his late adoptive father, Riardon. Guess there were consequences for taking those new eyes after all?

AND NOW WE GET TO START NEXT SESSION WITH WHAT SYLVIEL'S BEEN UP TO WITH STRAHD HAHAHA. I've been talking to their player, and we've decided that it would be fun to bring them back as a vampire. I asked them to not come to this session cause I wanted their knowledge of what happened while Sylviel was dead to be the same as Sylviel's. So I'm very excited to get to just straight up lie to them as Strahd :)

Also worth adding, Marcus' player got his first nat 20 of the whole campaign. Yes, you read that correctly: of the WHOLE campaign. His dice are really shit.

Bonus out of context quotes:

"Just gaslight Strahd Von Zarovich"

"Seduction is always an option..."

"Well my mom's dead too, sooo... trauma bonding?"

"Daddy issues intensified"

[abyssembraced]

Thinking about Ghost in Hades again lmao

There is. A very good chance that Ghost has been adopted by Nyx dgfshs. She's just. Everybody's mom. She's already got a lot of biological children, and from what it seems, if she sees someone who doesn't have a mother she'll just be like "hey I can be your mom if you want" ahsfhgh. Someone who adopts everyone and someone who is adopted by everyone. A match made in... Well, the Underworld I guess! So basically, Thanatos, Hypnos, all of Nyx's many other children, meet your new weird sibling <3 dgdshfh

Woe be upon Hades, because he is now faced with another person who refuses to stay put in whatever place they were stationed in. Thankfully, unlike Zagreus, at least Ghost isn't trying to escape the Underworld. They just wanna explore it!! And given that the entire Underworld is huge, if not infinite, they'll be happy doing that for a looooong while. It does mean, though, that they often venture out of... I guess Asphodel? Hades and the others wouldn't know enough about Ghost's past to reasonably put them in Tartarus or Elysium, so I guess the "neutral" area of Asphodel it is. Or maybe they'd just be allowed to stay in the House of Hades as long as they make themself useful, since Ghost is a Really Weird Shade and maybe the gods would rather keep an eye on them if they can.

...Or maybe Zagreus has decided to let Ghost stay in his room/training area and keeps them hidden away from Hades dgdshsh. Since if Skelly can be there and somehow go unnoticed by Hades (according to Achilles anyway), then why not Ghost too? That one recliner you can buy for Zag's room has become Ghost's Underworld bench.

But anyway yeah. Regardless, Ghost doesn't stay put in one region. I could see them spending a decent amount of time in Elysium, battling all the other shades, since constant fighting is something they're used to (and they do enjoy sparring against skilled opponents). And if they do decide to take a break, I'm sure there's some place where they could chill with all the other more peaceful shades in the area (since I highly doubt Patroclus is the only one there who isn't interested in fighting. Zagreus just doesn't run into them during his escape attempts because Hades is sending all the warriors and such to stop him).

I also imagine Ghost, upon being gifted a nectar, dumping all their charms on the ground and sorting through them as they try to decide which one to give to Zagreus in return dgdgsh. They wanna give him something useful, but not too good, y'know? Not something they'll really regret not having. Sorry Zagreus, you aren't getting Shaman Stone or Unbreakable Strength agshsgdgs. Maybe he'd get Longnail as their keepsake? A range increase would be a unique effect (though I could see it being either super op or too small of an increase to be worth using over other keepsakes), and Ghost would still have Mark of Pride anyway so it wouldn't hurt them too much to give it away. And they can't just give him Mark of Pride! That one's special! Ghost earned that charm by defeating the Mantis Lords in combat. Zagreus hasn't done that, so he isn't worthy of it!! (He totally could beat them, yes, but he hasn't, so no charm for him!)

Though also, Ghost can't actually drink any of the nectar Zagreus may give them lmao. Eventually Zag notices that Ghost is still holding onto all the bottles he's given them, and is like "aw c'mon, why don't you try one? You'll really like it, trust me. Actually, hey, why don't you share this one with me in the lounge right now?" So they go to the lounge, like what happens with most of the characters in the House of Hades. And that's when Zagreus finally realizes that Oh. They uh. Don't Have A Mouth. Even with their mask off. Ghost wasn't drinking the nectar he gave them because they physically couldn't. But maybe he decides to let them keep all the gifts anyway and also continues to give them more (so that Ghost has a longer "bond route", thinking gameplay-wise), telling them that they can regift it all if they wanted to and make their own friends. From one video game protagonist to another dgdgsh

Which, actually, gives me another cute thought of Zagreus giving Ghost an Ambrosia and explaining to them that it's a rare and special gift compared to nectar that should be given to close friends they really care about. And then later, in the last conversation of their "route", Ghost gives him the Ambrosia, because he is their Special Friend that they really care about (non-romantically obviously. I don't think I have to specify that but just in case)

Anyway, if Ghost was an npc in the actual game, I imagine they'd be a bit similar to Thanatos in the sense that they'd also show up randomly sometimes in the middle of a run. They'd have a chance to appear after a chamber has been cleared, entering the room either from the same door you entered from, or from one of the doors you just unlocked (or in Asphodel, Ghost can either ride in on one of the rafts you'll be using to move to the next chamber, or ride in on their own raft that parks near the one you originally rode in on). Their exact location is random. Upon talking to them, they'll give you some of one of the permanent currencies (darkness, gems, keys, nectar (except maybe not nectar in this case)). The type of currency you'd get would either be random or based on the region Ghost is encountered in (gems for Tartarus, keys for Asphodel, and darkness for Elysium? Based on what the fish from each region give you, but replacing Elysium's nectar with darkness). They'll never appear in the Styx though, since Cerberus would definitely attack them if they went up that far dgdgsh. Ghost can only be talked to once a run, but since their appearance might be pretty missable at times, maybe they'll have a chance to show up again if you didn't speak to them the first time? And, like Thanatos, when you talk to them during a run they'll have a chance of appearing back at the House of Hades afterward.

The whole idea with their meetings during runs is that sometimes, Ghost's exploration of the Underworld just so happens to coincide with the route Zagreus is taking to escape it. And upon meeting up with their friend, Ghost decides to share some of the treasure they've found with Zagreus before continuing on their way.

So actually, given that, maybe Ghost's keepsake would be the Wayward Compass? Haha funny Hollow Knight fandom memes and all, but its effect could also be somewhat in line with the ones the boon-giving gods give. It would increase the odds of Ghost appearing when equipped, and would buff the amount of stuff they give you, going from 2x, to 3x, and then 4x when maxed out. The base amount of darkness and gems they give would probably be pretty low, to keep things balanced, but since they only appear once per run and you'd have to equip a specific item to get a significant amount of stuff, I think those numbers are reasonable. Lore-wise, Ghost could be using the charm to better track Zagreus' location, so that they can actively seek him out once they've gathered a lot of treasure to give him.

Also, going back to non-gameplay-related stuff, I think it'd be really funny if, once they get their replacement mask, Ghost gets annoyed with everyone still calling them a "shade". It was fine when they were stuck in their unstable Void form, since that could be considered a Shade. But not anymore! They're back to being a stable vessel again, thank you very much! Dgsgsh

[hannaswritingblog]

'Not the One' | Gotham ficlet

Requested by anon [x/x] | requests are open!

Word count: 1.1k

Also available on AO3 [here]

Summary: Even though you come from completely different worlds, you were noticed but Bruce Wayne and asked to be his girlfriend. When you're at your happiest, things take a bitter turn after you get stood up on a date.

A/N: I know, I know. I kept everyone waiting awfully long. This one was sitting on my to-do list since the end of January and a lot has happened since then, but it doesn't really justify the wait. I absolutely love how patient the person requesting was and I hope I was able to make it up to you with this finished work.

It’s one of the weirdest feelings in the world when you’ve known someone for what feels like forever only to realize they’re a complete stranger, the stranger that they’ve always been, a person you don’t know at all.

It becomes even worse when you get stood up on a date, which is definitely a hard pill to swallow on its own, by the very same person. The trust that you were starting to build turns to dust within seconds.

Being a citizen of Gotham by birth, you’ve been hearing about the Wayne family since you can remember. This also meant recognizing Bruce, noticing him when he accompanied his parents during public events, instantly knowing who he was when you happened to pass him on the street.

Beyond the rare occasions when you passed each other in public while growing up, you’ve never really had a chance to get to know Bruce better. It probably shouldn’t surprise you, after all your family wasn’t a part of the same circles as the Waynes. Everything changed when both you and Bruce became frequent visitors to the Sirens nightclub.

It was never really clear why he turned his attention to you specifically, but you definitely felt flattered when Bruce Wayne himself asked if you’d agree to be his girlfriend. You had no idea why he would want you specifically to be his partner, but any doubts that could come with it weren’t strong enough to beat how flattered and excited you were. Even if you’ve never really strived to go up in the city hierarchy, you just couldn’t pass up this one chance.

Accepting Bruce’s courtship turns out to be a good decision as you quickly build what seems like a deep bond. It’s harder and harder to go even a day without seeing him and you feel more and more free to be yourself with him.

This was meant to be one of your ‘special’ meetings. You often go out to crowded places like clubs, but sometimes you also see each other one on one, and this was supposed to be one of the latter. Bruce has chosen a fancy restaurant you’ve never been to before; you two decided to meet at your destination and take your date from there.

You’ve been awfully long before realizing Bruce probably won’t show up at all. Showing up early yourself didn’t help, although it’s something you could blame the long wait on, but when you look at your watch and see it’s already 6:35 and you were supposed to meet at 6:00, you know it’s not worth your time anymore.

Mad at both Bruce for playing you and yourself for trusting him, you decide to spend a fun evening anyway, even if only by yourself. You opt for the safe option: the Sirens. You don’t know too many other places anyway (besides the places Bruce introduced you to and where you don’t always feel like you belong), while spending some good time there is a sure thing.

Your attitude changes the second you enter the club. It’s painfully obvious there is one person in there that managed to make themself a center of attention and it doesn’t take long to notice that this person is the boy that was supposed to meet you earlier, the one and only Bruce Wayne.

You spot him in the middle of a crowd on the dance floor, with a drink in his hand. Without hesitation, you approach him and ask:

‘What are you doing here?’

For a split second Bruce seems surprised to see you, but he quickly regains his cool.

‘No, what are you doing here?’ he asks back.

‘Trying to have fun on this beautiful evening, after my boyfriend decided to stand me up.’

You get interrupted by a girl approaching Bruce. She leaves a kiss on his lips, which he returns. You can’t help but let out a grunt of disgust and roll your eyes.

‘Hey, who is she?’ she asks him, pointing at you.

‘Oh, it’s no one, sweetie.’

It’s slowly starting to be too much for you. You scoff and turn around, trying to walk away from the conversation. At the exit Bruce catches up with you and says:

‘Why do you have to make a scene, Y/N? Get over yourself.’

‘Oh, I need to get over myself? You could’ve just been honest with me if you wanted to avoid a scene, instead of leading me on, making me feel I’m special.’

‘Look around, Y/N. Did you really think you’re special to me? With all those girls I can have… maybe you’re just not the one I want to be seeing right now.’

‘Yeah. And you’re not the one I want to waste my time on.’

You know your comeback probably didn’t do him much harm. You’re not there to see his reaction – you immediately turn around and leave the club – but you can clearly visualize how he shrugs his shoulders and goes back to his friends and his new girlfriend.

You stop right outside the club to take a deep breath and calm down a bit. It takes you a moment to realize someone has followed you out of the Sirens. When you turn around, you see Selina Kyle, one of the club co-owners and, as you have always suspected, Bruce’s friend.

‘It’s okay, you probably won’t see me here anymore,’ you say, annoyed and sure she wanted to ask you not to come back to the club after the fuss you made.

‘No, no! I didn’t mean to make you think that. You’re always welcome here. I just want to talk.’

You stop in your tracks. You must admit, this is the only thing that crosses your mind.

‘Oh. So, what do you want to talk about?’

‘Sorry for asking, but… are you the girl Bruce was supposed to meet tonight?’

‘Yes, it must be me. How do you know he was supposed to meet anyone?’

‘I might have overheard him brag about it. Don’t worry too much about what happened though. It’s not really him.’

‘What do you mean it’s not him?’

‘I don’t know,’ she says with a shrug, ‘but he’s been like that for a while and it just… doesn’t feel like him. And I’ve been by his side for quite some time now, so I think I know what I’m talking about. Maybe it’ll pass.’

‘Sure,’ you respond, wiping a single tear from your cheek. ‘Thank you.’

‘Of course.’

She disappears inside the club and you start walking home, trying to forget about Bruce and whatever was between you. It’s going to be a long process, of course, you know that very well, but since there’s nothing more to come out of your relationship, you might as well try.