#that's essentially how their alliance started

[faramirsonofgondor]

I also feel like it’s essential to state that while Dick is a weirdo, Bruce is just as much of a weirdo and part of the reason the other batkids are getting upset is because they don’t understand Bruce the way that Dick does.

Bruce, buying the entire batfam ice cream and staring at them expectantly: 😐

Almost everyone: Thanks, B.

Dick, who knows exactly what Bruce wants: *does six front flips followed by two backflips* You’re the best, B.

Bruce: 🙂

Jason, who just revealed he was Red Hood and is having the most dramatic crash out of all time, pointing a gun at Bruce’s head: What the fuck? What are you fucking smiling about?

Bruce, who is just happy that Jason is alive and finally emoting around him: Hn.

Jason: Ok but - but what the fuck does that mean?

Damian, watching Dick stop during patrol to talk to a bunch of different people: Father, will you not put an end to Nightwing’s foolish chatter?

Bruce, externally: Making alliances is an essential way to gain additional information about various operations. You should follow his example more often.

Bruce, internally: My baby is making more friends 😊. If only my other children had friends, they must be so lonely 😔.

Dick, who knows exactly what Bruce is thinking: *gives a thumbs up*

And then while all of this is going on Bruce and Dick are just like completely oblivious to how irritated the rest of the batfam are getting because they both forget that not everyone understands Bruce’s grunts and twitches in his facial expressions. They’re even more annoyed because it’s starting to seem like Bruce really only reacts when Dick is showing his emotions, not anyone else.

Bruce, watching Dick storm off after they had a 20 minute long screaming match where Dick started throwing shit around the cave because of how unreasonable Bruce was being: I hate it when he’s upset.

Tim, who had been subtly insulting Bruce for the past 5 days because he was mad at him, gritting his teeth: Yea, it must suck when your kids are mad at you.

Bruce: I knew you would understand, Tim. You’re so mature and helpful.

Tim, almost growling: Yup, that’s me.

Dick, doing a flip on patrol because he’s happy: Tonight was great!

Bruce, happily: Hn.

Dick: I knew you had fun!

Jason, who got stuck in mud and has been annoyed the entire night: Ok seriously fuck you guys.

Also now I’m just imagining Dick translating Bruce’s grunts for various people as a kid.

Bruce: Hn.

Dick: He said Fuck You, You Dumb Asshole

Oliver, who accidentally stepped on his cape: *surprised pikachu face*

Also Hal just trying to bring up Dick’s weirdness like ONE time and getting completely shut down

Hal, after watching Dick throw a tantrum and almost completely trash the watchtower and bite him after Hal made some lame joke about Dick being a sidekick and his bed time: Ok I feel like maybe this is a bit much and -

Bruce: How dare you try to criticize him after the way you acted. He’s a complete normal child and I will not hear you insult him further.

Hal: But I didn’t even-

Clark, disappointed: I expected better from you, Green Lantern. You are an adult and yet you have acted so immaturely today.

Hal: But he-

Diana: Your words were harsh and unnecessary. You should apologize.

Hal, realizing he’s working with a bunch of super-powered psychos: Um, ok. Sorry.

Then when the JL is making plans to help the rest of the batkids act more ‘normal’ it’s just like:

Clark: And then we show them the videos of his backflips.

Bruce: You don’t think that will be too much?

Diana: No, it would be good to give them an example of how normal children behave.

Hal: Actually, I think -

Everyone: *turns and stares*

Hal, suddenly remembering the incident: I think that’s a wonderful idea!!

ok but give me bruce holding all of the kids to dick’s standard but not as robin, just as a normal kid. like bruce has always been a weird guy even as a kid and while he has a public persona he’s incredibly awkward underneath and does not interact with many people. alfred ‘let me help train my little orphan friend in martial arts and let him loose’ pennyworth is not much better. then they get dick who, by most means, did not have a normal childhood either. his new caretakers do not have any idea what normal children are like. so when dick gets excited and does 10 back flips in a row, they think “ahhh children must do that to show their happiness”. when dick is angry and throws massive hysterical fits where he bites people, destroys shit, and climbs onto chandeliers to sulk, not once do they consider that his reaction may be a bit disproportionate. when dick has depressive episodes where he can’t get out of bed, they think that this must be what other people mean when they talk about teenage hormones. when dick makes friends with almost everyone in the entire universe and then some, they think “well who doesn’t like children?”

but then comes along jason, and jason also did not have the most normal childhood, but it was closer to normal than what dick and bruce had. bruce starts worry that he’s completely fucking up while trying to parent jason, because jason isn’t reacting like dick does. to bruce, jason hardly ever emotes around him. bruce buys him ice cream and the kid doesn’t do a single flip. bruce upsets jason and doesn’t even know it until jason starts ranting about how he’s tired of giving bruce the silent treatment. bruce starts to worry because jason doesn’t have many friends but jason yells at him that he doesn’t need to socialize all the time (bruce considers looking into therapy - surely such little socialization isn’t healthy?) at least jason does flips sometimes as robin, which must mean that it makes him happy, right?

then jason dies and bruce is alone for a long time. tim comes along and bruce is still so stuck in his grief that he’s not really paying attention to tim’s behavior. when he finally manages to get better he realizes that tim doesn’t do ‘normal’ kid things either, but bruce just settles on tim having a weird childhood and being a weirdo in the same way bruce is.

over time his family grows more and more, and yet none of them act like normal kids. bruce starts to get a little concerned - the only besides dick that emoted was damian, when he was angry, and even that went away over time. he tries to nudge them in the right direction time and time again with little anecdotes about dick but it doesn’t seem to work. he’s met with eye rolls and scowls when he talks about how dick used to do flips all the time, when he talks about dick swinging from the chandeliers, when talks about all of dick’s friends, when talks about dick diving off a roof to knee a goon in the face. bruce is just trying to give his children suggestions on how to be normal, dammit!

eventually he brings up his concerns to clark, who makes a considering noise and says “i had that same issue at first. i was waiting for jon to do flips when he got older but he never did. then i realized nobody taught him. now he does them all the time.” because while clark did have a normal childhood, he’s also an alien and did not spend much time with children as an adult (beyond saving them) until dick came along as robin. lois sighs exasperatedly from the background. bruce is incredibly horrified and sad at the thought that he had been waiting forever for children to flip for him and they didn’t know how (mind you, they all definitely know how to flip, he’s seen them all do it at least once). bruce wonders how he can broach the topic without messing up the conversation and decides to enlist the other JL founders for help. diana wants her nephews to be happy, clark was always on board, barry remembers all the weird shit wally did as a kid and doesn’t question it, oliver doesn’t really care, and hal is too scared of everyone’s wrath to tell them all that dick is just a weirdo.

Dude the last line fucking killed me “and Hal is too scared of everyone’s wrath to tell them that Dick is just a weirdo” beautiful, wonderful, excellent. Hal always thought Robin/Dick was a fucking weirdo little kid/teenager/adult but could never say it bc somehow everyone loves the kid.

And all the other Batkids feeling like Dick is just an impossible standard to live up to is so accurate. But would Dick even know about it? I feel like they wouldn’t blame Dick necessarily, but he absolutely grates on their nerves after a long lecture from Bruce about how they need to be more like Dick and now Dick is at the manor hanging out acting like nothing is out of the ordinary

[shiawasekai]

I was thinking in Samel and Nela and their relationship. Mostly wondering if I was maybe making it too... pleasant? The whole idea of "their different races should have soured their relationship beyond repair, but instead of letting their differences drive them apart they thrived because of them" is a huge part of why I chose to have them be twins, but there is also overdoing it.

Then I just realized they're simply very friend-coded kinda siblings. Like, yes, they are twins, but most importantly they are friends. Allies.

That doesn't mean they don't get on each other nerves or anything, or have more stereotypical sibling arguments. But the way they're close to each other is very much alike that of very intimate friends.

The one thing they always have is each other's back.

[spidermanifested]

heres MY rambly black sails analysis for the day, after watching the show twice in as many months i wholeheartedly believe in the "long john silvers quote unquote missus in treasure island is max, not madi" theory

the most obvious thing, as others have pointed out, is that in treasure island long john silver runs an inn with his wife, a black woman, in bristol, which is absolutely not madi behavior-- i cannot imagine madi would take him back in the first place much less move with him TO ENGLAND-- but IS maxs exact area of expertise. but theres so many other things that cement it for me

as early as episode 2, max tries to convince eleanor to buy out the inn and run it together with her when england takes nassau back. this is her dream-- to share power over her life with a woman she loves, free of the pressures of the outside world. (youll note this also happens to be silvers dream for himself and madi. the parallels)

in season 4 shes faced with the suspiciously similar option to take a husband to be the face of her business, completely on paper, for the sake of the public eye. and she refuses! she doesnt want to give a man that kind of power over her. not only that but she desperately wants to retain some kind of truth in her identity-- she admires anne for her honesty, her courage. these are things she can rarely afford to express. in refusing a marriage of convenience, she asserts her autonomy.

But. black sails tells us over and over again that an oppressive society will always find ways to batter down these private boundaries. there is no island safe from colonial rule. mirandas peaceful house in the interior is burnt to the ground. the maroons are forced to accept a freedom that comes at the price of abandoning those still enslaved and taking part in their continued subjugation. the things it takes to make these spaces are terrible, and unsustainable, and when it comes to being gay in the 1700s there is a tightrope to walk between privilege and privacy, one that destroyed flint and the hamiltons, thats even narrower to max as a self-made woman of color.

given all that, i do not believe she can girlboss her way out of her circumstances no matter how many lessons she took from what happened to eleanor. nor do i think the show believes it. i think the political-marriage-offer plot point is another illustration of that theme-- maxs desire, and silvers desire, to build a warm, happy room in the middle of the imperial machine, without meaningfully striking out against the machine itself, is destined to be futile no matter how strong they are as individuals.

max and silver are mirror images of one another. each of them is essentially the narrator of one half of the story. it is absolutely agonizing how BOTH of them tried to convince their lovers to abandon their ambitions, to settle for a quiet life with them, and in doing so saw that relationship destroyed by their own fear of an uncertain future....

....And its even MORE agonizing to imagine them finally securing the trappings of a domestic life... but without the love. and they know the love was what mattered! theyre always going to know!!!

it bookends PERFECTLY with their alliance at the start of the series. theyre right where they started, trusting no one, pretending to be humble and harmless, planning to steal the EXACT SAME TREASURE, except now theyre 50 years old and jaded and bitter and both pining after their lost loves. silver probably pictures madi whenever he tells people about his wife. when he and max have time to themselves they talk solely about finances and nothing else. its honestly impressive how miserable this is for every single person involved. im losing my mind

[mavihuzun]

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[tarysande]

There are a couple more Garrus-Vakarian-related hills I'm willing to die on.

Maybe this particular bit of fanon has faded over the years, but there used to be a lot of insistence that Garrus is young and somehow inexperienced when he meets Shepard. Canon doesn't really support this. Turians start their mandatory service at 15. Garrus has at least a decade of experience. Even if he's 2-4 of years younger than Shepard (according to Patrick Weekes), he's got at least as much field experience as she does by dint of the difference in turian and human "enlistment" ages.

Garrus is really damn good at his job at C-Sec. You don't give the Case of Investigating the Rogue Spectre to a greenhorn. You give it to your best, most tenacious agent. Pallin may not always approve of Garrus's actions, but that doesn't actually stop him from putting Garrus on the tough case. Also, we don't know much about how C-Sec works but we do know a bit about how the turian hierarchy works, and we know C-Sec was essentially a turian initiative. That means it's a meritocracy where failure reflects on the superior, not the one who failed. So, in roughly a decade (Shepard's 29 in ME1; I always think of Garrus as about 27), Garrus has not only done shipboard military service, but he's also risen to be one of C-Sec's top investigators; Pallin wouldn't risk having Garrus's "failure" reflect poorly on HIM otherwise. I'd say that actually makes Garrus as remarkable in civilian law enforcement terms as Shepard is considered to be within the ranks of the Alliance military.

Of course Garrus was scouted by the Spectre program. And honestly, if his dad hadn't stepped in, I think Garrus would have become a Spectre, no problem. Especially for a turian, he's cut from precisely the cloth the Spectres would be looking for: extremely skilled, extremely capable, and--most importantly--he's a turian not just able but willing to work outside the chains of command that turians are taught from birth to revere and be loyal to above all else. This is the reason Pallin is leery about Spectres: he's a good turian. Good turians follow straight lines; they don't carve out their own paths.

Garrus's dad's not dumb, and he's not cruel, and he, too, rose to the top of the C-Sec hierarchy. He took one look at his kid, I think, and said, "I love my child, but I'd say it's a 50-50 chance he ends up a shooting-first-asking-questions-later Spectre like Saren Arterius, and I don't want to see that happen." Yeah, he uses his parental influence to try and jam square-peg-Garrus into round-hole-C-Sec and Garrus resents him for it, but there's no way he did it just to stop his son from getting his way or because he doesn't like Spectres. I expect Vakarian Sr. had to clean up more post-Spectre-interference messes than we can possibly imagine. But we also know he and Alec Ryder were pals later.

So the importance of what Garrus learns from a Paragon Spectre Shepard is this: You can't just do what you want and claim the ends always justify the means. That's what Saren does. Over and over again. Garrus's code and his idealism and his sense of justice and his ability to work alone should make him a great Spectre, actually, but he needs Paragon Spectre Shepard's actions to show him the lesson he tells her he's learned during ME1: "If the people I'm sworn to protect can't trust me... well, then I don't deserve to be the one protecting them." (And the seed of Archangel was planted.) I think for the first time he realizes that even though he believes his sense of justice to be correct, it doesn't matter for shit if he can't show others why that's so. And that's where the trust comes in. (Also, ow, the extra level of importance this gives their exchange where she tells him she trusts him and he tells her she's about the only friend he has left is... a lot. Cool, cool. I'm totally fine. Nothing to see here.)

When Shepard asks him what happened on Omega, he replies, "My feelings got in the way of my better judgement." Something tells me that this never happens to "good" turians, which just makes the line so much more devastating. And although the lesson some might take away from this is "feelings bad; no feelings ever," the "grey" that Garrus has to learn to deal with is precisely the grey of recognizing feelings, validating them even, but not acting on them until they've been examined. (Which is why my Shepard stands between him and Sidonis; she doesn't give a shit about Sidonis. But Garrus has refused to process his own feelings of failure and self-loathing, so they have to take the therapy session to the Citadel and deal with it there.)

Ahh yes. The mountain range of character analysis.

[beforetimes]

Okay I lied about going to bed. Don’t tell my cat. He’ll be disappointed in me for skipping snoozles and snugs

ANYWAY, further question about the Shizun!LBH and disciple!SQQ au. Does Shen Yuan still blow himself up?? Because I feel like he would (he would it’s canon) and also, so much more ✨ a n g s t ✨ here.

Like yea, canon events were angsty. But in this universe, Luo Binghe was convinced Shen Yuan was dead for years where as Shen Qingqiu always knew Binghe would come back.

And then said disciple suddenly shows up alive in Jin Lan City. They get into situations and misunderstandings. Things happen. Things go wrong.

It absolutely needs to come out publicly at some point (maybe during Luo Binghe’s “trial” I proposed in my last ask 🤔) that Shen Yuan is a demon and probably the new demon emperor everyone’s been hearing rumors about (the system would make him put together an empire like the og did or something probably to make him appropriately villain like). And the ensuing chaos and backlash and controversy of the scandal all culminate into Luo Binghe having a qi deviation driven from his depression the past few years and his grief he never got over and Shen Yuan being right there in front of him but still so far away.

And Shen Yuan, who is absolutely convinced Luo Binghe doesn’t care about him at all, tries to save his Shizun from a deviation and sacrifices himself instead of letting the original goods death catch up with him (he really doesn’t want to die tortured by Luo Binghe). And Luo Binghe can do nothing but watch in helpless horror as his disciple actually dies this time in his arms. And this time, there a body. And no escape from the fact that Shen Yuan is deaddeaddeaddeaddeaddea—

…and yea I just think it’d be neat to watch a human Binghe seeing his disciple die for a second time (he only had him back for a few days was it even real? Did Binghe dream it? Maybe he’s just in a nightmare and he’ll wake up in the morning and Shen Yuan will still be alive and the Immortal Alliance never happened) and loosing it. Like, yea demon!Luo Binghe stole his Shizun’s corpse and slept next to it for five years while fighting the war god, which was a kinda weird, but he at least had the excuse of being a half demon going crazy from Xin Mo.

What’s human!Binghe’s excuse?

dw we'll keep it btw us. your cat will never know.

and oughhh. see i wasn't sure about the stuff that'd go down post-abyss when i initially started posting about this au but!! the way you describe the way the plot would twist to suit shen yuan and luo binghe's new roles are. so good. and makes me actually want to look more in depth at that period of time instead of staying in the perpetual pre abyss limbo (which happens to be my favourite part of the book if i'm being honest. LOL.)

love the continued emphasis on the fact that luo binghe thinks shen yuan is dead especially because i don't think shen yuan, with how oblivious he generally is, would realize why this seems to be such a big deal to luo binghe. or why he seems so constantly surprised and speechless around him. to him this is just going through the motions of the story but he's not like. 10% in the front of his mind aware that everyone else doesn't know what to expect.

and ouh the qi deviation. i'm slightly torn between whether or not it should be shen yuan or luo binghe who essentially blows themselves up. because i can see the argument for luo binghe, since they're changing places and the amount of stress from the past few years definitely would've gotten to him but!!! i think the angst potential with shen yuan—very confused from the back and forth luo binghe's been putting him through, weilding xin mo, losing grasp of the plot he's spent more than a decade obsessing over, waiting for his inevitable death only for the rug to be pulled out from under him—i think he'd lose it! i think he'd self destruct and think the world better for it because then he doesn't have to die fighting his shizun; he doesn't want the last thing he has to do on this earth be hurting luo binghe after everything. so he implodes, almost, expecting to fall apart alone and hated.

but luo binghe! steps close to him, takes the sword away, "dies" in the process. because like. i love the idea of luo binghe dying while knowing he loves shen yuan. while shen yuan is left behind to process for however long it takes to realize that as well. all the while left searching somewhere for luo binghe's body. (in my minds eye, luo binghe disappears due to the system's intervention; they can't let their main character die! so he's whisked away for his body to heal in a sort of limbo before he's returned to the world again).

i also think it would be soooo fun for shen yuan, during the years where he's alive while luo binghe is presumed dead to grow intensely obsessive / possessive of just the idea of him. sort of turning the tables on their first dynamic where luo binghe saw shen yuan as a puzzle to solve that he got somewhat obsessive over. but that's just my idea for the implosion thing. as for the trial and water prison—! i will figure that out some other time i think. smile.

masterpost

[honourablejester]

I was watching a video on top battlefield moments from science fiction, and I was delighted to see included the moment from the Babylon 5 episode ‘Severed Dreams’ where Ambassador Delenn of the Minbari shows up to the Battle of Babylon 5 to invite the enemy Earth Alliance ships to run the fuck away. Because yes. That moment is always a correct choice.

“This is Ambassador Delenn, of the Minbari. Babylon 5 is under our protection. Withdraw, or be destroyed.”

“Negative! We have authority here. Do not force us to engage your ships!”

“Why not? Only one human captain has ever survived battle with a Minbari fleet. He is behind me. You are in front of me. If you value your lives, be somewhere else.”

Followed by the EA ships proving that they did, indeed, value their lives. Heh.

With no context whatsoever, this moment is still boss as hell. One lady shows up with three cruisers and a dinky little White Star warship, and she makes the opposing side, which two seconds ago had the station and all its exhausted defenders dead to rights, literally run away. She says go and they do. Immediately, no questions asked. And she implies why, she implies that Minbari are people humans just don’t want to fight, but if you don’t have context, it might not be clear to you the scale of what she’s talking about.

Which is that, fifteen years ago, Ambassador Delenn of the Minbari, in her fury and grief over what she saw as the murder of her mentor, cast the deciding vote that lead to the Earth-Minbari war, which is a nice thing to call what was essentially a genocidal religious crusade on behalf of the Minbari to completely annihilate the human race. And they damn near succeeded. She regretted her decision almost immediately, but by the time she managed to halt what she’d started, it was during the Battle of the Line. The final annihilation of Earth itself. Earth, humanity, fought them for every inch of space in between, but they lost every single fight. All the way to Earth. No one, except Sheridan, the man behind her, survived battle with the Minbari. And Sheridan, it has to be said, basically cheated, to almost war crime levels, by using a distress call to lure a Minbari ship into a nuclear minefield. That was the only victory humanity eked out. The Minbari just steamrolled them, an implacable tide of annihilation that literally nothing they had could stop. The Earth-Minbari War was not stopped by anything humanity did, it was stopped by Delenn herself showing the Council of Nine that humans had Minbari souls (aka that humans and Minbari could reincarnate as each other, making them in religious terms the same species), granting the Council a religious ground to halt the war. Humanity was, essentially, annihilated by Delenn’s fury, and saved by her compassion, and there was nothing they could do to influence either of them.

That, in this moment, is what just appeared on this battlefield. Embodied in this woman. A fifteen year shadow of the end of their race. The Battle of the Line is etched in every human memory in this setting, the moment when they evacuated their homeworld, evacuated Earth, while every fighting ship they possessed died in orbit trying to delay, not stop, just delay, the implacable tide of the Minbari onslaught.

When Delenn shows up and, in cold, quiet fury, says ‘withdraw or be destroyed’, she fucking means it, and there is not a single human being in this galaxy (or, to be fair, anyone else either) who doesn’t believe her. The Minbari have proved it. You can piss off anyone else in the galaxy you like, you can fight gods, but you do not, ever, piss off the Minbari. Especially not this Minbari.

Because she’s learned since then. She has seen the horrors of war, she has felt the almost incomprehensible stain of blood on her hands, she has fought to stop what she started and realised how infinitely more difficult it is, and she has learned. So if she goes to war now, it is with full knowledge of the cost and the consequence. If you tip her over that line, woe betide you. Because it means she’s decided that your death is worth whatever she can’t stop in the aftermath, and if your death is worth that much, then there’s nothing in this galaxy that will prevent it.

God, but Delenn was such an absolute tour de force of a character. This quiet, gentle, soft-spoken woman whose fury had destroyed races and whose compassion had saved the galaxy. She’s not even warrior caste, she’s religious caste. She’s not, technically speaking, a fighter. But hers is the voice that starts and ends wars, and she has never once flinched from personally standing in the face of annihilation to do so.

If she told you to stop being silly and go home before something bad happened, I promise you, you would listen too. Heh.

(Also yes, I’m aware I’ve posted pretty much exactly this several times before, but literally every time I rewatch that scene it brings this wave of giddy awe and wild ferociousness back. Literally. It’s a scene that makes you want to fist-fight god, and a scene that makes you think you could maybe win too. If Delenn is behind you, then even if you don’t win, you will mess them the fuck up in the process. She’s inspiring that way. Heh).

[roiswit]

Making a Shang siblings au because I saw a few of nibbelraz’s art of their au!

So my idea is Shang siblings a few years apart but like legit 4 who came to the sect at slightly different time the OG! Shang Qinghua being the older one who was there plotting sooner than airplane (Shang Feiji (I’m feeling lazy today)). Anyway Shang Hua (OG) is, at the point Shang Feiji joins, head disciple of An Ding (did I misspell this I can’t type or think that well rn) and Shang Feiji is like “I don’t want to screw my brother over plus he’s the one meant to be Shang Qinghua so I can just be a hall master!” Beg to the system, which works and he works (nepotism baby’s) his way to hall master after the Qing generation ascends.

Well, after becoming hall master Shang Feiji takes most of the peak lord paper work stuff and shuts himself away in his own leisure house. He works very fast and efficiently through the paperwork so his brother and most other An Ding hall masters go to him, but he has no issue working through it (the other peak lords have no idea he exists). He agrees to do the paperwork he does with the amount he does so long as he doesn’t have to talk to or teach anyone which is quickly agreed too.

Essentially what I’m getting at is that Shang Feiji becomes a huge shut in that in his free time is back to writing a lot of porn, but he also writes other things! And reads, draws, plays games on the system essentially anything he can do and is highly enjoying this life. This is until his brother comes in to talk one day and briefs him on (complains about) Shen Qingqius attitude change and poisoning, which obviously confuses Shang Feiji.

So he for the first time in years travels out and just really unmade (like showing a fuck ton of skin) and impropriety traverses the peaks to look around Qing Jing and Bai Zhan to find either Liu Qingge or Shen Qingqiu. He ends up finding Liu Qingge who is very shocked to find a half dressed drowsy looking beauty in the middle of Bai Zhan and is like ???? But offers him his top layer to cover up, without word. Which airplane just looks at and uses to sit on, bringing Liu Qingge down and bombarding him with questions to figure out what’s going on.

Liu Qingge gets overwhelmed, but then asks who he is, before find out he’s an An Ding hall master Shang Feiji, and airplane gives over his address and is like I’ll do all your paperwork but you have to tell me everything I want, and I want to go do stuff (get artifacts) so you have to protect me when I do! Liu Qingge ends up agreeing, and goes over there a lot to talk about all sorts of things with someone who has no sense of shame or feelings of having to put up a front or an idea that isn’t him. They go around adventuring drawing Shang Feiji out of being a shut-in. Shang Qinghua has some mixed feelings on this because he doesn’t like their relationship, but is glad for the way it’s helping his brother.

Eventually his brother jumps ship after whole immortal alliance fiasco (or whatever it’s called when Luo Binghe got abyssed) and brings Shang Feiji with him separating the couple and Shang Qinghua keeping his brother locked up to “protect him.” So now Liu Qingge feels an extra sense of loss and betrayal until he finds out he was locked up and couldn’t get out and vows to rescue him.

Mobei-jun is preventing him because of demonic courting and his mission to prove himself to Qinghua as a good husband (it works). So it causes him issues which are later resolved by Bingqiu get together. Shang Feiji going back to the sect for Liu Qingge and helping him because he thinks Lqg is in love with Shen Qingqiu (he’s wrong) anyway blah blah blah the oblivious idiots realize how the other feels after communicating and get together. (Also they’re freaky just because I think that’s a fun addition)

Anyway have a good day/night this is probably incomplete and incomprehensible but idc and wanted to type something but my visions starting to go now so yeah

[tryingahandinholdingapen]

unless explicitly stated otherwise, please assume that all my warring clans era aus include Hashirama and/or Tobirama working towards overthrowing Senju Butsuma and being absolutely justified in doing so

anyway. tobiizu au in which they're both sort of using each other but they both benefit so it's fine. specifically Izuna is like wow I'm so good at this we'll totally be able to defeat the Senju with this info/help! we've already managed to separate them from some of their allies! meanwhile Tobirama is there like I'm going to get a good mark in betraying my clan, something that is normal to want and possible to achieve-

(He's using Izuna to get rid of Butsuma's loyalists and/or members of his clan that can't be trusted/are far too casual about committing crimes that Tobirama and or his brother are Not Cool With. The allies that Izuna destroyed Senju relations with were actively betraying the Senju clan anyway but Tobirama hadn't been able to convince Butsuma that a) he was telling the truth about the betrayal and b) they should break that alliance off before it irreparably fucked them over)

Arguably Tobirama is kind of winning at the whole game of manipulating each other because like he's getting everything he wants, politically speaking. The Senju aren't exactly in a better situation than before he started leaking info to/helping Izuna (Butsuma's loyalists + war criminals or not, fucking over or outright killing members of your own clan is still not optimal) but nor are they in a worse situation (a lot of problems are being solved. mostly by telling the Uchiha "look at this shiny important thing" to get them to destroy whatever the problem is, admittedly). When Tobirama's finished with Izuna, Butsuma will be dead, Hashirama will be able to smoothly take over the Senju clan without significant loss in power/resources/reputation, and then Hashirama will be able to properly seek peace with the Uchiha who might even accept because they probably feel like they're winning/the Senju are losing

This isn't to say that Izuna is LOSING at the manipulation game, exactly? Like he may be unknowingly helping the Senju clan, but he's also NOT in any way fucking over his own clan, if anything he is also helping his own clan and like once they make peace (he will probably pitch a bit of a tantrum about this and possibly have to be bribed with a marriage to Tobirama or something, but it WILL be happening Izuna get over it-) any advantage the Senju have will kind of also be the Uchiha's by extension. So as far as the political + resource etc side of things go, Tobirama is definitely winning, but Izuna isn't quite losing

Also I think Izuna is definitely winning on a more personal level lmao he essentially has Tobirama wrapped around his finger by the end of all this. He's getting a lot of wins as far as their relationship kind of stuff and also getting Tobirama to do random tasks for him/his clan and prove his devotion/loyalty like noooo of course Tobirama isn't secretly a double agent for the Senju whatttt look he did all your random tasks and he loves you so much! So yeah Izuna is winning on the personal front. Though at least some of the time I think Tobirama definitely knows that Izuna is like, blatantly angling for something and plays along anyway despite not actually falling for it, which actually pleases Izuna even more

Hashirama does not know any of this is happening btw. Madara does, and most of the Uchiha for that matter (Izuna couldn't avoid fessing up to where he was getting all the info/how he was achieving things at a certain point) but Hashirama? Hashirama is in the middle of staging a coup + building up his own power base whilst simultaneously trying to convince Butsuma he's totally still loyal to him. Hashirama trusts Tobirama entirely so when Tobirama was like "don't worry Anija, you focus on our allies and I'll focus on dealing with our enemies" Hashirama essentially just went "okay <3 yay <3" and didn't think of it again for just, ages. If his brother says he's dealing with it he will! Tobirama is so smart and sneaky after all-

Can't decide if it's funnier if in the end it comes out that Hashirama had absolutely no clue what Tobirama was doing for him or if he's in like peace negotiations with the Uchiha and just rolling with it like yes obviously I knew about that thing my baby brother did last summer he acted with my full authority at all times (has no idea what event Madara is even referring to)

It's important to me that at some point when they're still Very Much at war and the Uchiha don't yet know what's going on with Tobirama seemingly switching sides, Izuna goes on a solo mission. Tobirama is also on a solo mission (may be a fake self-assigned mission or he may have just completed the actual mission way faster than anticipated and then not gone back to the clan yet after finishing) so he could meet Izuna. A couple of Uchiha had had another mission in vaguely the same area as Izuna and so decided "hey since we're meant to finish our missions around the same time why don't we find Izuna and all go home together?"

And that's how one or more unprepared Uchiha walk into a room only to see the White Demon of the Senju sprawled at their heir's feet on a rug by the fire, looking completely unphased by Izuna fucking with his hair/outfit whilst he recites Senju patrol routes (???) and weak points of the agreement the Senju have with an allied clan (?!?!) and their heir looks very pleased with himself but...not like any of this is a surprise occurence?...

Izuna and the Demon seem to notice them at the same time and the Senju cuts off his recitation in favour of them both staring at the Uchiha squad. Who stare back. After a few moments the Uchiha squad kind of awkwardly give a quick bow to Izuna and blurt out something about "nice to see you're fine after your mission see you back at the compound UH bye!" and just. Close the door and leave

(They can just about hear Tobirama resuming his recitation as they exit the building)

(what the hell)

This au ends with Konoha being formed partially on the basis of a marriage alliance (Izuna demands Tobirama be given to him and his request is basically immediately granted (Hashirama still doesn't 100% know all of what's been going on but he HAS managed to extract the information from Tobirama that he's been sort of kinda courting Izuna for years and the Uchiha had technically helped make peace, and that Tobirama "wouldn't object" if Izuna really wanted Tobirama's hand which from Tobirama is BASICALLY a full on romantic proposal with fireworks and all. If that's what his baby brother wants then that's what he gets!! Hashirama is so happy everyone's getting their happy ending <3) and it's all good

It should also be noted here that the Uchiha clan as a whole are mildly bewildered by this. Like they're not going to SAY anything because this works for them but... The Senju want to give them/Izuna Tobirama? Really? Are we just, ignoring the bit where Tobirama was actively betraying their clan for literal years, via Izuna? Okay then...

(The Senju don't care or are actively happy about it because at this point they're mostly composed of people who either simply do not give a shit about politics in general or the whole "betrayal" thing in particular, or like Hashirama view the "betrayal" as Tobirama actually doing the ultimate risky play to free them from Butsuma's Terrible leadership and bring them peace. The few dissidents are for the most part smart enough to keep their fucking mouths shut and those that don't learn quickly)

Anyway Konoha is set up with Senju and Uchiha being equal to each other (and other clans are also there + equal etc but that's not that important rn) and it's all good it's nice. There's actually very little trouble from warmongers or anything in either of the two founding clans? In the Senju they're mostly either afraid of retaliation (they're Aware of a tiny bit about what happened to Butsuma's followers okay) or have reluctantly been won over to "wow we're doing better than we were before, and I guess Hashirama+Tobirama aren't as bad as I thought...okay. I don't like this but I can live with it and see what they do next. On the Uchiha side of things, those who are still like "grrrrr kill all Senju blah blah blah" are mostly under the impression (due to the whole "betrayal" thing, the fact that Hashirama handed his brother over to him, etc) that they've actually successfully subjugated the Senju and the morons just don't realise it. This is factually incorrect but everyone else in the village has decided it's easier to not correct them about this because then the bitter bastards might start actually causing problems for peace; let them live in their delusions

Izuna gets Tobirama as his wife and absolutely tries to push any and every boundary and just generally get his way/manipulate Tobirama into doing v minor but vaguely demeaning or inconvenient things like, all the time. Izuna is NOT as subtle about this as he thinks he is but he will likely never learn this because Tobirama indulges him constantly; he generally finds Izuna's antics to be somewhere on a scale from "this could not matter less to me and therefore I don't mind" to "sexy" to "that's really funny actually" to "that's kind of cute in a stupid way/the same way a v small child or dumb animal is"

People who care about Tobirama (for example Mito, Hashirama, Touka) MIGHT be more concerned about the fact that Izuna and Tobirama are barely even trying to hide the fact that their relationship isn't exactly typical/normal nor healthy....except they both seem really happy? Also they RECOGNISE that look of fond/amused indulgence on Tobirama's face, tho admittedly previously when they saw it it was usually aimed at like, his summons or young students or something, but still. Clearly he's not actually doing anything he doesn't want to do or that distresses him so they'll leave their brother to his bizarre relationship

(Also the occasional sheer Glee or look of mischief or smugness on Izuna's face is kind of funny. He looks like a cat that Got Away With It it's hilarious)

People on Izuna's side of things (Madara, Hikaku, etc) are considerably less at ease about this because they do Not know Tobirama enough to fully understand his expressions or realise that half the time he's knowingly going along with Izuna's bullshit for his own amusement/pleasure/curiosity. This relationship is clearly neither normal or healthy! But like, IZUNA is clearly very, very happy and is perpetrating most of the unhealthy/obsessive/weird bullshit, meanwhile Tobirama+his people don't seem to be objecting to any of this so...uh...what can they even do here??? It would be weird to try to 'save' Tobirama from Izuna right? They shouldn't do that. Or maybe they should?... They're all kind of stressed about it and Madara in particular is also just Extremely Uncomfortable bc I've decided now that Izuna+Tobirama have not actually moved out (yet?) and so he's witness to just, so much more of their bullshit than anyone else and he wants NONE OF IT thanks

[red-garden]

Sad SJ hour </3

what if Shen Qingqiu met Binghes mom Su Xiyan and was able to rescue both her and the fetus??

he takes her back to CQMS and over to Qian Cao peak, and some people start a rumor that SQQ knocked up a disciple from HHP and is now taking responsibility.

anyways rumors aside after SXY is healed she reveals what the HHPM did and how he forced her to take a poison to abort her baby but since she didn't want to she almost died.

Therefore with the information the new SQQ has on the HHPM he starts a plan to take over HHP and eventually is recognized as genuine threat by HHP.

The HHPM attempts to kill him by sending succubus demons to drain his life force. Instead SQQ and the demons become friends and create a peace treaty between CQMS and their group. He even talks to Madam Meiyin and after she tells him about his soulmate. SQQ doesn't believe her so MMY gives him potion that essentially works as a truth spell.

So SQQ uses that potion on YQY and gets him to reveal the secrets behind Xuan Su and why YQY "abandoned him."

Through the succubus demons help, SQQ also finds out that SQH had been selling CQMS out and instead of killing him they instead marry him to the Mobei Clan for another peace treaty between CQMS and the demons.

Then SQQ reveals what the palace master did, with the help of CQMS and some demons takes it over and becomes the NEW palace master.

anyways the demon realm wants TLJ to be released from his imprisonment and so does SXY because she js revealed that TLJ is the real father so SQQ as the new palace master has the power to do that and he does.

With his power as the PM and also with his wedding with YQY he's essentially one of the most powerful men in the world.

Therefore, he uses it to get rid of slavery give women more equal rights, as well as redirects wealth from the rich and gives it to people struggling with poverty and FINALLY gets his happy ending.

Pookie, how is this sad hours???

But also fully agree, tbh I think SJ and SXY could have been the besties of all time. Like they would be talking sooooo much shit about everyone. I also think she’s probably the only one who could get SJ to reconsider his position on demons.

Also madam Meiyin? Wingwoman of all time. Shout out her and her cutting through the bullshit plot devices.

As for the arranged Moshang marriage, it would be so funny if it was like, a demon cultural difference for MBJ to be in like a sold to one direction situation. Like “uncle sold me to Peak Lord Shang to secure an alliance, kyaaa!” SQH also thinks he’s in the same situation. They were both sold to one direction.

It would be too funny if upon TLJ’s release he started hitting on YQY, like “ohh you’re soooo strong mister cultivator, you beat me soooooo well” And it’s quietly driving SJ to deviate. Eventually he snaps infront of god and everyone “HE BELONGS TO ME. MINE ONLY.” And YQY gets so hard he passes out.

Lastly, shoutout comrade SJ. I want to see him become the people’s hero so bad

[crazy-ache]

ACOTAR 5 and the matter of urgency

Urgency. Urgency drives plot forward and provides stories with momentum. Without urgency, stories have no stakes and lack intrigue to the reader. It drives characters to act, it makes events unfold, and it builds conflict. SJM has weaved several instances of urgency into ACOSF that signal to us what is important NEXT and what needs to be deal with now—meaning it cannot wait.

Urgency that signifies Elucien’s book is next:

Lucien being stationed in Spring / Elain’s consistent references to being “made for Spring” -> Lucien is in Spring now while serving the Night Court’s demands.

Koschei says, “Tell my Vassa I’m waiting.” -> This is essentially a reminder of Vassa being bound to Koschei’s curse and her time that Papa Archeron negotiated for her is running out.

“He should have asked someone before coming here how much time remained before Vassa would be forced to return to the continent—to the sorcerer-lord at a remote lake who held her leash.”

“I can delay my father from allying with Briallyn and starting this war for a little while. But not forever. A few months, perhaps.”

“You will need Tamlin as an ally before the dust has settled. Tread carefully.” -> Tamlin will return to the narrative in some form and he will be needed.

“With a new war possible and Briallyn up to her bullshit with Koschei, we need a strong ally. We need the Spring Court’s forces.”

“And though he roams these lands, he does not see or care for the neglect he passes, the lawlessness, the vulnerability. Even his manor has fallen into disrepair, half-eaten by thorns, though rumors fly that he himself destroyed it.” / “You’ve been trying to bring Tamlin back for a while. But he isn’t getting better, is he?” -> How much longer can Spring/Tamlin lay in destruction before we resolve and save the court? Especially now that Lucien is there? And Elain has been hinted towards being involved in it?

“My father is furious that his ally is dead, but he’s not deterred. Koschei remains in play, and Beron might very well be stupid enough to establish an alliance with him, too. I hope that whatever Morrigan is doing in Vallahan will counteract the damage my father will unleash.” -> This tells us that Beron is a ticking bomb ready to go off any second in alliance with Koschei.

“Lucien stared out the window—as if he could see the lake across a sea and a continent. As if he were setting his target.” -> Setting your target indicates you will be taking a shot soon.

“My father went to the continent again last week. He came back seeming normal, without the glassy-eyed aloofness my soldiers displayed. He did not invite me to accompany him, or explain what he discussed with Briallyn. I can only assume the fallout is approaching, though, and wanted to warn you. It was not something I could risk putting in writing. But for now … for now, it seems as if the world is holding its breath.” -> Could she be anymore clear? This shit is urgent.

“Maybe you’ll become interesting at last, Elain.” -> Is she really going to sit around and do nothing for another book? After she tried to help with the troves / fought with Nesta about being caged to their expectations but was denied?

Examples that indicate a LACK of urgency for a Gwynriel book:

Gwyn laughed hoarsely. “The Illyrians are going to be furious about our winning, you know. Especially because I have no intention of being called Carynthian. I’m content with being a Valkyrie.” “Oh, they’ll be in hysterics for decades,” Emerie agreed, grinning.

“Are there truly no female fighting units amongst the Illyrians?” She hadn’t seen any during the war. His smile faded. “We tried once and it failed spectacularly. So, no. There aren’t.” “Because Illyrians are backward and horrible.” He winced. “Have you been talking to Az?” “Just my observations.” He untied his hair, the thick, straight locks falling around his face. “The Illyrians … I told you. Progress is slow. It’s an ongoing goal of ours—me and Rhys, I mean.” -> They are not in a rush to fix this.

“So they would keep training, until they were all well and truly Valkyries. Gwyn, despite the Rite, had returned to living in the library.” -> There is no deadline, no time sensitive need, no urgent call for them to hurry and train or for Gwyn to leave just yet.

“But you and yours have more important things to think about than ancient history.” -> This is Eris referencing Mor but I do think its also SJM speaking to us directly about “ancient history” like Ramiel as he then proceeds to tell the characters to focus on BERON.

“Unsurprisingly, the Illyrians were never curious enough to see what secrets lie beneath Ramiel.” -> Again, not a current, pressing issue in the narrative.

The highlighted red words indicate actual, factual evidence of urgency. Plot points that emphasize: need, time, importance. Over and over Elucien plot points demonstrate what the story NEEDS or the consequences they will suffer (Beron/Koschei). These plots are TIME SENSITIVE. They cannot wait in suspense for another book or there would have been no point in incorporating all of this urgency. Big thank you to @acourtofthought who has discussed these points with me so many times and how important urgency is when theorizing what is next.

But the Gwynriel points in blue showcase a lack of urgency. Nothing that needs to be resolved NOW, especially in comparison to all of the plot points surrounding Beron, Koschei, and Spring which are ticking bombs waiting to go off, as repeatedly shown in the SF narrative. IF those points had been urgent, she would have written the threat of the Illyrians being angry to be taken much more seriously and much more urgently. Much of what was resolved for Gwyn/the Illyrians/Ramiel plot points can wait until later.

Urgency will drive a plot forward. That is why I believe Elucien is next.

[cocostyles]

Let her go — Naruto Uzumaki

pairing: Naruto Uzumaki x fem uchiha reader!

word count: 1457 k

summary: You decide to leave Konoha

warnings; angst, english is not my first language.

part one

The days following Naruto's betrayal were a torture. You couldn't leave your house, yet you hated it. You hated that your bed smelled like him, and that every corner of the house held memories of when you were happy, haunting you. You hadn’t spoken to anyone else, not even Sakura, your childhood friend, who you thought was one of the few people who understood the weight of what you were facing. After all, you needed space, a break from everything that reminded you of him and the relationship with the man you thought would become your husband—one that ended when you least expected it.

That’s when you decided to leave the village. Not as an escape, but as an act of self-love. You needed to rest from everything, and most importantly, from him. So, without giving yourself time to regret it, you packed the essentials and left a note for the few who needed to know, including Kakashi, who had always been a father figure and wise mentor in your life. The idea of visiting Temari, an old friend from the Shinobi Alliance, seemed perfect. You knew she would welcome you with open arms in the Hidden Sand Village.

You left the village in the middle of the night, with no turning back.

The weight of guilt began to consume Naruto the moment he heard you were gone. He didn’t understand how it had gotten to this point. He had spent countless nights thinking about how to fix things between you, but always putting it off for tomorrow, for later. And now, "later" didn’t exist, because you were already gone.

That morning, when he entered his office with dark circles under his eyes and red-rimmed lids, the first thing he saw was the note you had left. A couple of lines sealing the goodbye, and between them, a deep pain that pierced his chest like a dagger. "I need some time, Naruto. I need to heal."

The Hokage stared at the letter, his hands trembling as he held it, but he couldn’t stop. He couldn’t stay still while you were slipping away. Rage and pain merged into one feeling: desperation. He had to find you. It didn’t matter at what cost.

Without a second thought, he gave orders to use the village’s resources for an urgent mission. Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi would be sent to find you and bring you back—no matter what it took, he thought. He couldn’t lose you.

Before he could act, his three friends arrived at his office. All three looked at him seriously, their faces reflecting the same concern, though the tone of their words was something Naruto didn’t expect.

"Naruto, what are you doing?" Sasuke said firmly, crossing his arms as he approached, letting him know it was one of the stupidest ideas he had ever had, and that was saying a lot.

He wasn’t going to interfere because you had asked him not to, but the fury was boiling in his chest, ready to explode against his best friend. How dare he hurt his sister?

"What are you talking about, Sasuke? She’s gone, your sister! I need to find her!" Naruto replied, his voice shaking with frustration.

Kakashi intervened calmly, seeing Sasuke start to approach Naruto, as he always did, but this time his tone was more serious. He wasn’t happy with his student; you were like a daughter to him, and Naruto had messed up.

"You can’t use the village’s resources like this, Naruto. This isn’t an emergency mission. You need to think carefully before you act. I know lately you seem to be thinking with another head, but calm down and stop acting like a child. Face the consequences of your actions."

Sakura, seeing the chaos in Naruto’s eyes, put a hand on his shoulder, trying to calm him. But her words were harsh, and Naruto felt them like a direct blow, as did all his friends.

"Naruto, you know. You’ve failed, and what she needs isn’t for you to chase her. She asked for space, and you have to respect that. You can’t force her to come back. Sometimes, love isn’t enough to heal what’s been broken. And that’s something you need to understand."

The Hokage was exhausted, emotionally overwhelmed. In his mind, he couldn’t stop thinking about you, about what he had done wrong, about how he had failed you time and again. But those words, as harsh as they were necessary, made him think, even though he didn’t like them. Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi weren’t wrong.

"You can’t make her come back to your side just because you want it, Naruto" Kakashi continued, his voice calmer than before but still direct. "She left because she needed space to heal. And if there’s even an ounce of affection for her in you, you’ll have to give her that space, even though it hurts."

Naruto looked at his friends, his face filled with frustration and regret. For so long, he had been so focused on his role as Hokage that he had lost sight of what really mattered. He had taken for granted that the love of his life would always be there, waiting for him. And now that he needed her, he didn’t know how to reach her.

"So, what am I supposed to do?" he asked, his voice broken. "Just let her go? Let her leave without doing anything?"

Sasuke stepped forward, his face impassive, but there was a harshness in his words that left no room for doubt.

"It’s not that you have to do "nothing." But you need to learn to listen, Naruto. Sometimes, being the best ninja in the world doesn’t make you the best man, and it certainly doesn’t make you smart. You have to understand that what she needs now is time, and you’re not going to win her back by pressuring her. You failed yourself by not being there for her when she needed you most. Now, give my sister the respect she deserves at last"

Sakura nodded firmly, looking at Naruto with a bit of sadness in her eyes.

"Do whatever it takes to show you’re capable of changing, Naruto. But don’t do it at her expense. If you really want to get her back, start by being the man she deserves, not the one you’ve been until now."

Kakashi closed the conversation with a serious but conciliatory tone.

"You have to let her go, for now. And when the right time comes, when she’s healed, that will be when you can fight for her again. But not with urgency, nor desperation, but with the maturity you’ve lacked until now."

Naruto stayed silent. He didn’t know if he could bear to wait, but he understood what his friends were telling him. He had to be strong in a different way, a way he had never considered before. And maybe that was the hardest part of all.

With a deep sigh, Naruto nodded slowly.

"Alright. I won’t look for her... but I’m not giving up. I’m going to be better, not just for her, but for me."

Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi looked at him without saying anything more, knowing this was the first step. But they also knew that, in the end, only time would tell if Naruto could truly change enough to heal the wound he had caused himself.

And as they walked away, Naruto stayed alone in his office again, staring at the note in his hands. The road to redemption wouldn’t be easy, but at least now he knew he wasn’t alone on this journey.

The desert was vast and silent, but there was something comforting in its immensity. When you arrived in Suna, Temari was waiting for you at the main entrance. Her serious expression softened when she saw you, and without needing words, she hugged you tightly.

"Looks like you need more than just a change of air, huh?" Temari said with a touch of humor, trying to lighten the mood.

"Something like that" you replied with a faint smile, grateful that she wasn’t asking too many questions right away.

Temari took you to her home and, as always, was the perfect host. For the first few days, she let you rest and adapt to the peaceful, hot rhythm of the village. It wasn’t until the third night that you began to open up. You told her what had happened with Naruto, the pain of seeing him distance himself, and finally, the betrayal. Temari listened attentively, and while she wasn’t the emotional type, her presence was a balm for your wound.

"You’re stronger than you think" Temari said in the end. "This doesn’t define you. But you need time to find yourself."

It was then that she suggested you talk to her brother, Gaara. At first, you hesitated, but you remembered that he had always had a unique perspective on life and pain. His own story was a testament to how the deepest wounds could be transformed into something powerful.

Maybe you should try it...

[cosmicjoke]

The alliance betrayed Eren. The whole world wanted Paradis killed and all Eren did was fight back. What else should he have done? It was genocide vs genocide. His friends are hypocrites and horrible characters that wanted to play moral police. Hanji and Levi were horrible mentors. Open your eyes.

If you genuinely believe any of the garbage that you just spewed, then you need mental help.

I shouldn't even take the time to point out to you what's wrong with your "argument", because honestly, anyone this stupid and lacking in self-awareness isn't worth mine or anybody's time.

But I'll just lay out a few, basic facts for your edification.

Eren betrayed his comrades, over and over, starting with his literal incitement of war in Liberio, through his purposeful elimination of any other course of action that Paradis could have taken to secure their future. War only came to Paradis in the first place, you total clown, because Eren and Zeke orchestrated it themselves. I don't know how many times this has to be pointed out to people like you before it gets through that sediment-thick rock you call a skull and into the mush you call a brain. Go read the manga again, or watch the anime, and maybe try paying attention this time past the masturbation session you engage in every time Eren comes on screen.

The Survey Corps' entire mission statement was to dedicate themselves to the salvation of humanity. Not "Paradis", humanity. And Eren betrayed that mission in the most fundamental way possible by committing mass genocide on a global scale. He literally spit on the legacy and sacrifices of every single one of his comrades, including those who had given their lives to protect his, because they believed he was essential to humanity's survival. Instead of honoring that sacrifice by doing everything in his power to save humanity, he did the exact opposite by deciding to wipe humanity out of existence because he was disappointed the world didn't look like the pictures in Armin's books. That's how shallow, pathetic, selfish and childish Eren is.

You call Levi and Hange "terrible mentors", when Eren literally did exactly the opposite of what they both tried to teach him. Levi specifically told Eren to make the choice he could live with, the one he wouldn't regret, and yet, in the end, we see Eren filled with nothing but regret, drowning in self-loathing, because he knows he made the choice which went against what he knew in his heart was right. He spurned Levi's guidance entirely. Eren knew what he did was wrong and not justifiable on any level. What Eren did didn't sit right in any way, shape or form with his own, moral understanding of the world. Nobody made Eren into what he was. Nobody made Eren do what he did. It was a situation entirely of his own making and choosing.

You call the other members of the alliance "horrible characters" because they couldn't and wouldn't stand by and allow literally billions of innocent people to be murdered in cold blood. Remind me to pray to God that no important decisions are ever left to you. The lack of self-awareness in your statement is shocking in its depth. You don't see how, if this is what you truly believe and support, that it's you who's the truly terrible and horrible person here. Frankly, you're a disgusting example of a human being.

By stopping Eren, Levi, Hange and the rest of the alliance were upholding everything the Survey Corps originally stood and fought for. You calling them traitors and hypocrites is repulsive in its stupidity.

And that's all I'll say on the matter. You can now go back to waiting in line with Floch to swallow Eren's cock, since that's clearly what you really want to spend your time doing. Try not to choke.

[burdigel]

It's interesting how like each of the winners in each iteration of the Life Series can be simplified into caricatures of themselves from the PoV of us the viewers or the deities that I'm not bothered to name but is essential to the lore (cough cough). From each victor and their tragedies forms stories intertwined across participants and other seaons.

Starting with Grian, as the first victor and the organiser of sorts he is like one of isakei tropes but he doesn't get hit by a truck. He is like the playtester or control experiment to see if the games are a success or not, and considering the amount of attention the Life Series garnered during its first season, he was the successful victor pathing for the next to come.

Scott, the winner of Last Life, is the like the poster child of rebellion to the Watcher's perspective. A nuisance that challenges the boundaries of the game but also a player who is still under their influence and can be replaceable in a way. Someone who despite keeping his alliances and promises with his the other participants still wins fairly.

PearlescentMoon on the otherhand is a tragedy in Double Life. With a gimmick that's supposed to pair you with someone compatible and then being rejected by that one someone who was once your teammate would be the first blow to Pearl. But then been surrounded by others who seemingly have their soulmates figured out, it just emphasises the loneliness that you seem to carry. When you finally team again, it's more out of an obligation to survive and conquer over the others. Eventually ending in a dillema where it's only you can win but not both. So essentially Pearl's season was a tragedy of loneliness and isolation that caused by the distrust of others towards her being an omen of death and chaos.

Martyn's arc, compared to Scott was that he was stuck in history. From his time in Dogwarts with Ren influencing his playstyle and his clothing to his time back in Evo, his history just parts Martyn's storyline through Limited Life. Even as he slaughtered the others in the finale in a mindless bloodlust, it was because of his involvment with the Watchers and Listeners that caused him to become the poster-child for the Watchers. A moldable victor for their entertainment.

GTWScar in Secret Life is the misunderstood villian. An antagonisitc force because of the involvement of the Secret Keeper. A playtoy that the uppermanagement used and quickly discarded because of his involvement with Grian. An ever-hopeful force that drags Grian back onto the orbit and away from the Watchers. Yet to him, Grian is the Sun that he captivates him.

Finally Joel or Smallishbeans, he is the uncontrollable and rebellious comedian of sorts that did what Scott couldn't do. He was able to push and persist against the boundaries and didn't fall under the Watcher's influence. He was almost a complete pacifist towards others and his teammate and alliances and only then like the other victors, did he win.

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pt.39 lmao 13 more to go of thoeries and headcannions I haven't really watched scotts pov yet so most of my information is like hedacannons and stuff oof unfortunately idk what to write for real life as it kinda being short gives me barely enough information and I havent ven watched cleos pov so even bigger oof

[ifindus]

Would love to hear your thoughts about Norway during his peak in the Middle Ages - The old kingdom!

Thank you so much for all the top-tier historical asks you’ve filled my inbox with 🙏🥺💖 I very much appreciate it ✨

Norgesveldet, Norway at its largest and most powerful is such an interesting topic, and I’d like to take this opportunity to talk more about Norway’s character arch and his standing in Scandinavia during this time. And along this, @95jezzica’s hc that Norway is the oldest out of the Scandis, which I absolutely love.

During the 1200s Norway is at his peak. He is the largest he has ever been, ruling over land far away, a result of his exploration and craftiness at sea. He is involved with an extensive trading network, stretching from his settlements on Greenland, Iceland, the Faeroe Islands, Shetland, Orkney, and the Hebrides, as well as large areas that today belongs to Sweden, with connections to Europe through the Hanseatic League as well as his neighbours. Many of Norway’s territories are inhabited by Norwegian settlers, who all pay taxes to the Norwegian crown, accumulating a fair amount of coin to be spent on buildings and other stately projects. He has the entire North Atlantic under his control. Norway is exporting iron, furs, fish, and fish oil to the rest of Europe. At this time, Norway is the largest nation in Europe measured by land.

At home, Norway has just finished his civil war in 1240, and with a new and stable system in place, he flourishes; the Sagas are written, churches are built, and cities are founded. A sort of government is formed, and a new law is made, establishing a more developed justice system and a more effective military system. Norway was the second kingdom in Europe to be gathered under a common law (after Castille) and establishes diplomatic connections to other countries. The administration of the Norway is solidified and he really takes his shape as a powerful and well-established nation.

Based on the actual year of founding, Norway is the oldest “nation” in Scandinavia, and I want to give Jezz credit here for influencing me towards this hc. Denmark, Sweden, and Norway have all been more or less equal throughout the Viking Age, with some periods where they were in alliances and had more complex relations. Norway was allowed to grow on the basis of Denmark being weaker etc. But we essentially have three nations who grew up together here, similar in age, development, and influence. And we see Norway really grow up through his civil war between 1130 and 1240, coming out stronger as a result. In the 1200s and 1300s he is a genuine powerful nation who has powerful connections and resources.

Then, we get The Plague, The Black Death. Norway is hit a lot harder than Denmark and Sweden. It is almost fatal to him and it nearly kills him, eventually merging his royal family into those of his neighbours, and we see Denmark especially take advantage of the situation to form the Kalmar Union.

And this all makes such an interesting character development for Norway. As a slightly older nation with a rich and proud history, being an equal or maybe even more powerful than his neighbours, at his definite peak, to take such a fall. To end up being stowed away, his existence merely symbolic at times, seeing his future as uncertain and under the total control of others. He falls. He is crippled. And he ends up being tossed around for nearly 500 years before he can finally stand up as an independent nation once more.

It really makes for such an interesting dynamic between the Scandis as well. Both Denmark and Sweden knows what Norway used to be, how powerful and proud he was, and they see what he has been reduced to after the Plague and during the union. Maybe they even start to forget who he used to be. Though sometimes, in certain situations when he is fired up, they can see remnants of the nation he once was.

They are definitely reminded of his past in 1814 and 1905.

[sleeplesssmol]

New Arcana Idea to play with. Constantine included.

Arcana returns, but she's significantly weaker than before. At first she is welcome back at Manus, however there is infighting and politics now spreading throughout the order. Without Arcana as the head, Manus fractured into different smaller factions who all have different theories on how to reach their goal.

Arcana wants to retake control of Manus but in her current state she is unable to reign them in. They decide they don't need her anymore. Some also feel like Arcana's sight of her real goal since she met the Timekeeper.

With nowhere else to go, she pops up in the Suitcase. She wants to strike an alliance to take down the current leaders of Manus and start over. Vertin has no intention of letting Arcana continue her reign of terror, but she begrudgingly sees use for Arcana.

So Arcana ends up in the Suitcase but like Isolde she is not allowed to leave freely.

The only person Constantine can't stand more than Vertin is Arcana. The two are always talking in circles around each other and playing mind games. Vertin is highly amused by this until she inevitably gets dragged into it as Constantine's proudest creation and Arcana's greatest obsession.

Honestly the mind games go nowhere. They go off on tangents often since it's more about winning than reasoning. Arcana doesn't give a damn but Constantine is simmering inside because she has no idea what the hell is going on in Arcana's head.

Interestingly, Arcana is one of the few people to make Madam Z openly hostile. Granted it's still restrained but you can tell she wants Arcana nowhere near her baby.

In terms of teamwork, Arcana follows Vertin's orders without question but then suddenly pull a monkey's paw. As in, Vertin will tell her to do something and she'll get it done in the worst possible way. When Arcana's feeling cooperative, they are a terrifying duo.

It's a cycle of people using each other to reach a common goal. I feel like we can explore darker sides of the Timekeeper this way to. She's a sweetie, but she's able to manipulate and scheme just as much as Constantine and Arcana. She can see their train of thought even though she doesn't agree.

When she takes Arcana on missions she keeps in her line of sight at all times. She's afraid of what Arcana will do the moment she takes her eyes off her. Naturally, Arcana will sometimes vanish just to stress Vertin out and do the most mundane things like buy herself a drink or watch the birds in a nearby park. She hangs around and waits to see a frustrated Timekeeper chase after her.

This whole thing was created because I had a vision:

A miserable Vertin and a curious Arcana eating McDonald's in Constantine's office. Constantine is listening to Vertin give her a personal update on how their mission went. Constantine is there listening with her head in her hands and a Happy Meal on her desk.

The McDonald's was Vertin's idea. She was hungry. As much as she dislikes Arcana, she won't let people under her go hungry either. Arcana's never had McDonald's before so this is new to her. She's examining her nuggets and a VERY tired Vertin is opening the sauce to show her how to eat them.

The Happy Meal was bought for Constantine to "cheer her up" because the mission was a disaster and Vertin had to share the news. Essentially she's just screwing with Constantine because that's the only silver lining in the whole ordeal.