#the main characters of this story. the women we spend the most time with in s1. like hello

[aaagustd]

room for two | jjk: prologue

a series from the "Misfit Parent Collection"

⌞banner and dividers by @itaeewon

title: room for two

pairing: heir/retired boxer!jeon jungkook x single mother!reader

genre/rating: angst, slow burn, eventual smut, strangers to lovers, ceo!jungkook, divorced!reader, aged up characters (in their mid thirties), surrogacy/pregnancy au; 18+

summary: As you signed the contract, you thought all your problems were solved—and so did he. However, no one can predict what life will throw your way. 

Despite your prejudices, this journey will reveal that the bond you share goes deeper than your womb.

wc: 1.7k

warnings: alcohol consumption, mentions a sh*tty parent, character death, borderline inappropriate workplace relationships but nothing has exactly happened, swearing, mentions boxing & knockouts, people either like jungkook or they hate him, let me know if i missed anything 

release date: april 26th, 2024; 10:50pm est

note: the prologue is here !! i hope you all are ready for this ride. it's been a two year journey for me and i'm so happy you all get to join me. we have a lot to cover and so many people to meet. i hope you're ready !!

series masterlist | main masterlist | inbox | join the taglist? | read on ao3

One year ago.

The doors open to reveal the setting sun on the horizon. Shades of orange and red paint the sky as the faint presence of stars patiently awaits the giant orb's departure. 

Jungkook steps out into the crisp evening air without regard for the gusts that violently displace his perfectly styled bangs. 

His urgent steps have nothing to do with the conditions. After a long and exhausting day, he tends to enjoy a nippy pre-spring breeze. 

When he approaches the exit, his energy is almost completely drained. The first step he takes out of the building is like an instant charge, and the wind hitting his face is like a slap that brings him back to reality.

If that isn't enough to wake up his brain, the sharpness of his security personnel's tone will surely have him alert. 

Two men of large stature guide him to his Porsche. He can only imagine the twinkle in his eyes when they land on his baby—resting idly while she waits for him to claim his rightful seat behind the wheel.

Jungkook nearly bypasses his guards as he takes excited strides toward his vehicle. However, a muscular bicep forms a barricade directly in front of the young CEO, reminding him of the dangers of wandering ahead of them in public. 

Only authorized staff are allowed on the premises. Still, even a company as large as Sport's 5 cannot dictate who stands on a public sidewalk. Fortunately, most of the people who choose to spend their time out here are harmless. However, he still understands the importance of safety.

Some people are so desperate they'd do anything to get a picture with the Big 5—a panel Jungkook used to sit on before being offered an executive position. 

Sport's 5 comprises five individuals who have had exceptional professional sports careers. These are mainly retired sportsmen and women who still love the game.

Jungkook was offered a seat at the table before he could properly hang up his gloves. Everyone wanted to know his story, his input and opinions, and his firsthand account of the KO he delivered right to Joey "The Rhino" Reese.

Although it was the best highlight of his career, he's never publicly spoken on that night out of respect for the legend and his family. It'd be pointless to keep retelling the events when they're online for everyone to see. 

Despite keeping his mouth shut about the fall of an icon, he still receives his share of hate from the boxer's diehard fans.

"Coward!"

He hears a man shouting insults from across the street, but most of his words are inaudible due to the distance. It can't be anything good because a family walking by promptly covers their child's ears every time the man opens his mouth.

Like on any other occasion, Jungkook shrugs off the spew of hate and gets into his car, wishing security a safe night. The engine roars as he pushes start. The sound of purring grasps one of the men's attention, and he turns around with a point, a silent compliment that Jungkook accepts with a nod as he speeds away.

With only headlights in his rearview mirror, Jungkook zooms through the city—wondering where his journey will take him. After the day he's had, home seems like a great option, but he isn't in the mood to spend a weeknight surrounded by silence in a large penthouse.

So, he drives downtown, aiming for any bar without a crowd. That shouldn't be too hard. Most people have work tomorrow, and they aren't in the mood for a party, and neither is he. 

A distraction is all he needs to ease his restless mind.

He reaches the heart of the city and parks near the curb. Heads turn as he exits his vehicle, wondering who he could be. With his shades on and natural hair color, it's hard for people to recognize his identity these days. 

Still, everyone is captivated by the car he steps out of. They could care less about his appearance. The real attention grabbers are the wealth that oozes from his body and his Porsche. Without money, he's just another guy.

Jungkook adjusts his suit as he scopes out the area. He notices the establishment across from him has upbeat music blasting through the speakers. Judging by the people lined up, waiting to get in—it's more of a nightclub than a lounge.

He sighs as he eliminates one place after another, eventually deciding to walk the strip and see what it offers. 

He nearly misses it as he strolls aimlessly, but tucked in the corner—dark and rustic—is just what he's been searching for.

Somewhere laid back and secluded; just somewhere you go for a drink and maybe a few rounds of pool.

He can count the number of occupants in there on one hand, so before anyone can figure out who he is, he steps inside and removes his glasses. He scans the room and acknowledges those who randomly lock eyes with him.

Jungkook can't help but admire the way this place is set up. The outside doesn't do it any justice; he can't even remember the name on the sign. He'll have to check on his way out; tell some of his colleagues to visit so it can gain some more customers.

He'll have to look into that another time, though. He wants to spend only a little time here, so he makes his way to the bar. 

Two women stand on each side; one is at the register printing someone's bill, and the other is already waiting for him to order.

The greeting he receives is warm and sincere. One you will only find in a few places. He offers a smile, the best he can give, at least.

"Hey. Just a Jack & Coke for me," he replies.

With a slight nod, the bartender begins preparing his drink. 

While Jungkook waits, he starts going through his phone, checking texts he missed while he was up to his neck in paperwork.

Most of them are from associates, his trainer, and…

His assistant?

The number isn't saved because he hasn't used it, but he sees the name in a previous message—letting him know he's speaking with the woman he hired four months ago.

6:54 pm (###) ###-####: Hi! I think I dropped my earring in your car when we grabbed lunch today. Can you check?

He doesn't have to.

Jungkook saw when the earring "fell" between the center console and the passenger seat. It happened right after its owner dropped it there. 

He can't help but laugh at the whole thing. Had he remembered, he would have said something immediately, but he has to admit that the low-cut blouse was a great choice. He can't count how many red lights he almost ran, sneaking glances.

Usually, he has no problem keeping things professional, but with all the flirting and teasing over the last few weeks, the temptation is becoming a bit unbearable. 

Maybe he should take a detour on the way home and return the "lost" item.

7:49 pm Him: I'll look in a few

After he sends the message, his drink is placed before him, and he abandons his phone without hesitation.

"Tab or no?"

"No, love. That's it for me.."

He places a twenty-dollar bill on the bar and pushes it toward the woman behind the counter.

"Keep what's left," he insists.

She takes the cash and walks to the register, leaving him alone to sip his liquor and bob his head to some classic rock.

As soon as the glass touches his lip, he takes a large sip, and regret washes over his entire body.

"What the—"

"Don't drink that," the other bartender whispers sharply.

She rushes over and takes the glass from his hand, instantly replacing it with a new one.

"She's trying, but…"

Jungkook understands entirely. She's still learning. Everyone's been there, even him.

"Don't worry about it," he insists. "Let me grab my wallet—"

She declines.

"It's on me, sweetheart."

Before he can argue, she walks away and disappears with the horrible drink her coworker made.

Despite the little hiccup, Jungkook is glad he found this little gem. It seems like a nice place for a good time, but also somewhere to unwind. There's a bar, a dance floor, a billiards table—and whoever is in charge of the music has great taste.

He'll definitely be back, maybe even tomorrow.

The next sip he takes does exactly what it's supposed to do. "Goddamn it."

The liquor makes his mouth and throat tingle as it travels into his body. He can feel his body relaxing already. Now, all he needs is a shower and—

His phone buzzes in his pocket, snapping him out of his thoughts. 

Once again, the number is unknown. 

Jungkook intends to ignore it, but his thumb accidentally presses accept. He stares at the screen in disbelief as he hears the faint sound of someone's voice on the other end of the call.

Slowly, he brings it to his ear and acknowledges the caller.

"Hello?"

"Hi, son."

Great, this is just what he needs right now. A call from his father, someone who basically disowned him for chasing the same dream that led to his wealth and success. 

"Yeah, I'm kind of busy. Can I call you back?"

He lies so he can end the call. There isn't a drink here that can give him enough strength to put up with this man. He can't deal with this tonight, and he won't.

"Hold on!" he shouts through the phone, making Jungkook release a defeated sigh. 

He's entirely prepared to hang up in his father's face if he has to, but he'll entertain him for a few more seconds.

"Look, I don't know who pumped your balls up so large that you have the audacity to call me, but—"

"It's your grandfather, Jungkook."

There's a pause.

There is a long, dreadful pause. It's as if Jungkook already knows what he's about to say, and unfortunately, his instinct is right.

"He's dead."

thanks for reading !!💕 now that you've read the prologue. check out this poll.

[kissingagrumpygiant]

"I thought the story was about aegon and rhaenyra why is alicent still here :(" are u dumb in the head geniune question

[squash1]

THREES THREES THREES:

Oh hello. I want to talk about the stylistic/textual role of Threes in The Raven Cycle.

Threes – as a general concept and as a number – are a major symbol and motif in the series. Maggie tells us that threes are important from the very first book: from Maura’s favorite saying being “good things come in threes” to Persephone telling Adam that “things are always growing to three or shrinking to three,” threes are discussed at length in the text of the narrative. Maggie also shows us that threes are important as a motif/symbol for important aspects of the story: three Raven Boys, three Fox Way women, three Lynch brothers, three main ley lines, three sleepers, etc. Threes are, textually, incredibly significant in The Raven Cycle, and we know this because we are shown AND told it throughout the entirety of the books. 

We all know the significance that is given to threes in the story itself, but what I want to talk about is the usage of a thrice-repeated word or short phrase (going forward I’m referring to this as “Threes” or “a Three”) as one of Maggie’s writing signatures (across the series, there are 65 Threes). This creates a meta level to threes being an important aspect of The Raven Cycle universe. A classic example of a Three (one of my favorites, in fact) is from The Dream Thieves: 

“As they walked, a sudden rush of wind hurled low across the grass, bringing with it the scent of moving water and rocks hidden in the shadows, and Blue thrilled again and again with the knowledge that magic was real, magic was real, magic was real.” (TDT, 12)

In a way, the Threes join the intradiegetic (what is happening within the narrative itself) with the extradiegetic (what the narration is communicating solely to the reader). The reader and characters are told explicitly that the number three is significant, important, notable, and powerful. In using Threes as a writing signature after giving the reader that information, the Threes are designed to signal to the reader that this line, this moment, is important.    

So the question is: What Are The Threes Trying to Tell the Reader??? 

Amazing question. 

In my recent TRC reread, I was already keeping track of Threes, because I was curious to see how many times they appeared. And then my sister, who was also rereading, said something interesting (after reading this Three from The Raven Boys):  

“He was full of so many wants, too many to prioritize, and so they all felt desperate. To not have to work so many hours, to get into a good college, to look right in a tie, to not still be hungry after eating the thin sandwich he’d brought to work, to drive the shiny Audi that Gansey had stopped to look at with him once after school, to go home, to have hit his father himself, to own an apartment with granite countertops and a television bigger than Gansey’s desk, to belong somewhere, to go home, to go home, to go home.” (TRB, 370)

My sister said: “Adam’s like Dorothy.” And then she said: “Wait. Do you think the Threes are like a spell? Or… a wish?”

Which was……. Interesting. 

What I have determined, after completing my reread and spending way too much time analyzing this, is that a Three is either a wish, a hope, a longing, a prayer – or, alternately, a warning, a curse, a negative promise. 

In either sense, Threes are a foreshadowing of what is to come – whether it be good or bad. Threes exist to signal to the reader that they should be paying close attention to whatever is being said or observed.

Threes in….. Everything Else: 

Before we get too far into TRC Threes, let’s talk about the precedent for three being an important number in art, math, storytelling, etc. I found some interesting information about how three is a satisfying number for the brain: 

Grouping things in threes leverages the power of repetition to aid memory; denote emotional intensity or importance; and ease persuasion (research by Shu & Carlson (2014) found that three positive claims is the most effective for persuasion).

Three is the smallest number that the brain can still recognize as a pattern, and the brain loves pattern and repetition. This is true in visual art – having three main compositional figures to create a pleasing image – and also in storytelling and narrative. Using threes for repetition in storytelling is a very common occurrence. 

Some classic examples of repetitive threes are Shakespeare’s “tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow” or Lincoln's “a government of the people, by the people, for the people.” In each of these examples, a repetition of three is used to create pleasing auditory rhythm. There is something inherently memorable about literary Threes. 

Perhaps the most interesting information I found while digging into the precedent for threes is about the rule of threes in folktales. This information happens to come from Wikipedia (side note: Wikipedia is a modern tool of collective consciousness and we should utilize it more). This page describes how in its most basic form, the rule of threes in storytelling is just beginning, middle, and end. Because this is such a common convention, writers tend to “create triplets or structures in three parts.” It then talks more directly about the use of threes in folktales: 

“Vladimir Propp in his Morphology of the Folk Tale, concluded that any of the elements in a folktale could be negated twice so that it would repeat thrice.”

This is especially interesting to me. The idea that an element of a folktale “could be negated twice so that it would repeat thrice” shows up prominently in the plot of The Raven Cycle – a book that is heavily influenced by folktale motifs – but also in so many of the folktales/fairytales we all know. A classic example of this would be Goldilocks and the Three Bears – Goldilocks must try porridge that is too hot, too cold, and then, finally, just right. The journey of these three actions is satisfying to the brain because it is a complete pattern: the third and final result of “just right” porridge is only satisfying because of the two “not right” porridges that preceded it. 

Getting back to Stiefvater Threes:

For anyone who’s seen The West Wing (and even those who haven’t), here’s a good way to explain what I think the Threes are doing. You know that thing they do during a The West Wing “walk and talk” where two characters will be throwing information and little quips back and forth at each other rapid-fire, and then suddenly, they will both stop walking, and the camera will stop moving, and they’ll say a line that contains really important information that you need to know to understand the storyline of that episode? That’s what Maggie’s Threes are doing for the reader. That’s what 6:21 is doing for the characters. It’s intentional: the writers/directors/actors/camera operators on The West Wing know that they’re throwing a lot of information at you, and know that they need to get you to pay attention to the most important parts somehow, so they do it by forcing the viewer to lean in and listen. It changes the focus and energy of the scene from something with momentum to something that pauses, and therefore makes you pause. 

The Threes compel the reader to pause and consider the information being delivered as more important than they might consider it if it was not written as a Three. “Maura’s expression was dark” does not read the same as “Maura’s expression was dark, dark, dark.” And in a text where characters directly state the magical importance of threes, compounded by three as an overarching motif, there is clear intention and meaning behind these written Threes.

In the context of TRC, Threes act as a fourth-wall break.

They are essentially a way to poke the reader and say: “Are you paying attention? Because you should be.” 

These Threes use a symbolic motif – the rule of three – that is already heavily discussed in the text – to get the reader to pick up on the internal motivations of the character who is “wishing” their Three or the narration which is using a Three to foreshadow some important aspect of the plot. 

The Threes are like the literary equivalent of a record scratch. It stops you in your tracks, breaking the established rhythm and making you take notice of what is being said in a new way. 

Let’s Look at Some More Threes (but just a few don’t worry)!

1. We get a classic Three, and a very Gansey Three, right after the group comes out of Cabeswater: 

“‘What about that thing in the tree?’ Blue asked. ‘Was that a hallucination? A dream?’ 

Glendower. It was Glendower. Glendower. Glendower” (TRB, 231).

Finding Glendower is one of Gansey’s core wishes, one of his core longings. Although this line is a literal answer to Blue’s question – he saw Glendower in the tree – in making it a Three, Maggie has given it added weight and meaning. It is prayer-like in its intention. It is almost an incantation: by saying it in Three, Gansey wishes it into being.

2. In The Raven Boys, after Gansey has bribed Pinter to keep Ronan at Aglionby and has learned that Noah has been dead the whole time they’ve known him, we are given this Three: 

“The Pig exploded off the line. Damn Ronan. Gansey punched his way through the gears, fast, fast, fast” (TRB, 311). 

This moment foreshadows what directly follows: a distinct lack of fast as the Camaro breaks down and Gansey is held at gunpoint by Whelk. This Three is not a prayer, but a warning, and an indicator to the reader that something important is about to happen. Had Gansey not been trying to go so “fast fast fast,” the car might not have broken down; because the Three incanted it, disaster follows. 

3. To return to a Three I have already mentioned, but follows the typical Three structure: 

“...to go home, to go home, to go home” (TRB, 370). 

In this scene, Adam’s wish is less about actually wanting to return to his literal home, because his house was never really a home for him. Adam’s wish/longing is for a home that he could return to, that he would want to return to. He is longing for a place/feeling/experience that does not exist for him. The Three in this sentence comes after a string of active wishes/longings, and by ending with this Three, it casts a spell of sorts, honing in on the truest underlying wish that Adam has. In using the phrase “to go home” three times, the narrative is making sure you, the reader, know that this want, this need, this wish, is the most Important to Adam, and will drive his actions for the rest of his story. 

Most of the Threes feel like this. They are often tacked on at the end of a sentence or embedded in a sentence. They’re an addendum to the action of the story. They’re like casting a spell – once to manifest, twice to charge, three to cast. 

…..And Some Other Types of Threes:

Then there are the Threes that don't follow the typical pattern of the same word repeated three times one right after the other, but are still a Three in a different way.

There are short phrases/sentences that are repeated three times throughout a page or chapter. In the prologue of The Raven King, we get this: 

“He was a king…

He was a king…

He was a king.

This was the year he was going to die.” (TRK, 1-3)

In this case, the Three acts as a promise of Gansey’s kinghood, but in ending the sequence with “this was the year he was going to die,” the promise of the three is given a condition: it is not going to be a joyful kinghood, but instead a kinghood intertwined with the death we’ve known is fated for Gansey.

One of Adam’s Threes from Blue Lily, Lily Blue, uniquely breaks the mold of Threes in a format that does not appear anywhere else in the four books: 

“It was his father. 

He opened the door. 

It was his father. 

He opened the door. 

It was his father” (BLLB, 242).

❋ (We’ll talk about this one more in-depth later.)

There are also a few “unfinished” Threes: 

In The Raven King when Ronan is having a nightmare (infected by the demon) about Matthew and the mask, he has this Three: 

“Ronan’s throat was raw. I’ll do anything! I’ll do anything! I’ll do anythi 

It was unmaking everything Ronan loved. 

Please” (TRK, 96). 

With the uncompleted Three, there is an uncast wish. Ronan’s wish is about Matthew, yes of course, but also about being willing to do anything to keep those he loves (ie. Adam, Gansey, Blue, his brothers) out of the reach of the “unmaking.” This unfinished Three serves to foreshadow the harm that does ultimately befall first Adam and then Gansey as a result of the unmaking of Cabeswater by the demon: without the Three spell completed, his wish is not fulfilled.

*This is Not all the uncommon/mold-breaking Threes, just a few that are interesting!

Do All Threes Come to Fruition???

The short answer is: No. Or at least not in that way. 

Once again looking at the text of The Raven Cycle, we are given an answer of sorts. In discussing Gansey’s predicted death, Maura says:

“First of all, the corpse road is a promise, not a guarantee” (TRB, 155).

This seems to apply to Threes as well. Threes are not a guarantee. They are a promise. Not all Threes come to fruition the way one might expect – or at all, for that matter. The important part of Threes is not that they will definitely come true, it’s that they could come true, because the Three gives them the potential to come true. 

Structure, Structure, Structure:

The main Threes structures are:

Three of the same word separated by commas: 

“magic, magic, magic” (TRK, 59).

A short phrase/sentence separated by periods:

“My father. My father. My father” (TDT, 369).

A short sentence that is repeated three times throughout a page/paragraph:

“Gansey did not breathe…

Gansey did not breathe…

Gansey did not breathe” (TRK, 209).

A word that is repeated three times and is connected by “and”:

“Round and round and round!” (BLLB, 224)

Italics vs. Non Italics:

Italics in The Raven Cycle are often used for character’s inner thoughts/anxieties. This continues to be true in the context of Threes. A Three that is not written in italics indicates a promise, or some foreshadowing of a plot point being foretold through the Three – it is typically more “real” – whereas a Three that is written in Italics seems to indicate a wish/hope/longing that is unattainable in some way. Italics almost always indicate a Three that may never come to fruition, or at least not in the way the character hopes it will. 

An example of this distinction can be found in chapter three (hah) (I don’t believe in coincidences and neither does Gansey) of The Raven King: 

First we are met with Ronan wishing/hoping to return home:

“That morning, Ronan Lynch had woken early, without any alarm, thinking home, home, home” (TRK, 24). 

This home, home, home, is in reference to the idea of home rather than the reality. Ronan is wishing to return to a home that does exist physically, but is not the same as in his memory – he wants to be at the Barns as it was in his childhood. 

Then, in the very same chapter, Ronan actually returns home and we are given this Three: 

“Slowly his memories of before — everything this place had been to him when it had held the entire Lynch family — were being overlapped with memories and hopes of after — every minute that the Barns had been his, all of the time he’d spent here alone or with Adam, dreaming and scheming. 

Home, home, home” (TRK, 27).

This second home, home, home, is about the actual reality of being in his childhood home – the good and bad that has existed in the years since the childhood he longs for. 

The Addition of AND:

The most notable use of “and” is in Noah’s very last chapter:

“Sometimes he got caught in this moment instead. Gansey’s death. Watching Gansey die, again and again and again” (TRK, 416).

When “and” is added into a Three, it becomes circular, cyclical. The “and” gives the Three a sense of infinity, or creates a loop of sorts. 

This Three operates in the same way “tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow” does in Macbeth – it is meant to convey the endlessness of time, a relentless cycle of tomorrows.

❋ While there are not many of these Threes with “ands” in The Raven Cycle, there are other examples of Threes or Three-like occurrences that fulfill the same purpose as the “and.” For example, remember this Three:

“It was his father. 

He opened the door. 

It was his father. 

He opened the door. 

It was his father.” (BLLB, 242).

In this case, instead of the word “and,” the Three (It was his father) is connected by “he opened the door.” This Three is accomplishing the same feeling as “again and again and again” – the feeling of being caught in an endless loop. 

Another example of an (implied) “and” in The Raven Cycle is: Gansey’s life. Gansey starts out alive and then dies as a child only to be reborn, and then killed again through his sacrifice, and then reborn for a final time. Gansey is Alive, Dead, Alive, Dead, Alive. And so Gansey’s life is a cycle of Three.

As with the Threes that contain “and,” Gansey starts where he ends: alive. 

Other Ways Threes Show up in The Raven Cycle:   

I will state the obvious once again: there are three Raven Boys, three Lynch brothers, three Fox Way women, three sleepers, three main ley lines (the lines that “seem to matter” to Glendower’s story), Gansey the Third (Gansey Three, Dick Three). 

There are also the more obscure: the “three kinds of secrets” in The Dream Thieves prologue and epilogue; each Lynch brother inheriting three million dollars from Niall Lynch; the three figures with Blue’s face on the tapestry and later as a vision in Cabeswater; Adam and Gansey going to DC for three days; the shield pulled from the lake having three ravens embossed onto it; Ronan having dreamt Matthew at the age of three; the door to the Demon’s room needing “three to open” it; Aurora Lynch staying awake for three days after Niall died. 

And of course, we have the ley line symbol/chapter header:

And then there are the 300 (three hundred!) Fox Way “villain” readings. (This was something that was particularly interesting to me.)

The first antagonist we meet is Whelk. When he comes for a reading at 300 Fox Way, he first pulls the Three of Swords. 

When the women all draw cards together, they pull identical cards for Whelk: three of the Knight of Pentacles, then three of the Page of Cups. After drawing, essentially, three threes (the Three of Swords, then two sets of three matching cards) in this reading, the first Three of the entire series appears: 

“Maura’s expression was dark, dark, dark” (TRB, 124). 

The second “antagonist” we meet is the Gray Man, who comes to 300 Fox Way in The Dream Thieves to “observe.” Maura, Calla, and Persephone are predicting which card is on the top and bottom of the stack and the first card, predicted by Calla, is the Three of Cups off the top of the deck that Mr. Gray is holding (a remarkably happy card in stark contrast to Whelk’s Three of Swords). 

When the third antagonist, Greenmantle, comes for his 300 Fox Way Reading he also draws the Three of Swords. The fact that each of the three antagonists come for a reading is in itself a sort of Three, but to further the importance of these moments, each of them draws some sort of three-related card. 

All of the examples I have touched on have been more symbolic references to Three as a motif of the books as a whole. However, Threes also show up in the literal number of times important quotes are said/written. 

I was tracking some of the most well-loved TRC lines to compile them, and noticed that the lines “don’t throw it away” and “safe as life” happen to appear exactly three times throughout the series. This was honestly pretty surprising based on the importance of those quotes – I would have assumed they showed up far more. Actually, they both appear twice in The Raven Boys and once in The Raven King. Threes, and the importance of Threes, is embedded so strongly into the narrative of The Raven Cycle that even the quotes we all think of as the most beloved of the series follow this rule of Threes. 

Now, could you chalk some of these up to coincidence? I guess. But Gansey doesn’t believe in coincidences so I don’t either. So what’s the point of all these Threes?

Conclusion???

In a literal, literary way, Threes are a fourth wall break to make the importance of a moment obvious, but I’m not sure what the larger “point” of Threes is. My best analysis comes from the idea of The Raven Cycle being all about time and Threes playing into the importance of time as a sort of record scratch or loop. The Threes, as a stylistic, written motif, seem to connect the time-based cycle the characters experience to the time-based cycles the reader experiences by reading the books. 

But my conclusion feels incomplete and so I would like to rely on the collective for this one – just about the most Raven Cycle thing you can do. So I’m asking you, the collective you, what conclusion would you draw? What do you think? 

What I do know for sure is that Threes are magic, magic, magic.

For Your Convenience: Here is the textual significance given to threes within the books (chronologically): 

And here are the Threes, Threes, Threes (compiled):

(If you made it to the end of all this, I love you. Have a gold star and a hug <3)

[ohtobeleah]

Bruises // Jake Seresin

Chapter Eight: [The Platform]

Summary: When Jake wakes up beside you after seeking refuge in your company, he’s forced to face a nightmare he thought would only ever exist in his mind.

Series Warnings: Heavy themes of violence, sexual assault, torture. 18+ content. Minors DNI. Mature themes. Being held in captivity. Hostage style situation. Main character death! Whump, Angst. Conversations that discuss antisocial & antisemitism views.

Word Count: 1.6k

Author Note: THIS SERIES IS CONFRONTING, FICTIONAL, AND DEPICTS IMAGES OF TORTURE. DO NOT READ PAST THIS POINT IF YOU BELIEVE THAT THIS SERIES WILL BE DETRIMENTAL TO YOUR MENTAL STABILITY. CURATE YOUR OWN TIMELINE.

Series Masterlist | Main Masterlist

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Monday - August 14th 2023. Present Day

According to Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, when we are dying or have suffered a catastrophic loss, we all move through five stages of grief. We go into denial because the loss is so unthinkable we can’t imagine it’s true. 

We become angry with everyone, angry with survivors, angry with ourselves, then we bargain. We beg, we plead. We offer everything we have. We offer up our souls in exchange for just one more day. 

When the bargaining has failed and the anger is too hard to maintain, we fall into depression, despair, until finally we have to accept that we have done everything that we can. 

We let go. We let go and move into acceptance. Or not. 

Jake didn’t know what the time was when he woke up. He didn’t want to know if it had been two hours or twenty, all he cared about was that he could feel you next to him. He could feel the weight of your bed dip next to him from where you slept soundly, peacefully. Most of it in his warm embrace, some most likely on your side. 

Jake rolled over under the sheet that kept his body from being completely exposed—usually he wouldn’t mind. He was a confident man with the women he chose to spend his nights with. Not that he had been spending nights with anyone besides you since before the mission. 

Usually he wouldn’t mind, he had a pretty good body. But now that Jake's body was battered and bruised, marked and scared beyond repair, he cared. He cared about the flimsy sheet that kept him semi-covered. He didn’t recognise himself in the mirror anymore, but with you? He felt safe, secure in his new insecurities. 

“Hollywood—“ Jake mumbled as he drew you closer. “You awake?” He mumbled into your hair, taking the moment to inhale the sweet smell of your shampoo. Bergamot and notes of vanilla. When you didn’t stir Jake kissed your shoulder. “Y/n? You awake?” Jake tried again but was still met with nothing. “Hollywood?” 

There was a sinking feeling in the pit of Jake's stomach he wasn’t a fan of when you didn’t stir, when you didn’t acknowledge him like you normally would. He took a second to realise just how cold you were to the touch. How still you were in his warm embrace. 

How there was no rise and fall from the breathing pattern Jake had become so accustomed to these past few weeks, from all the nights you’d spent in each other's arms fighting off each other’s demons. Protecting one another from the darkest corners of the world. 

It wasn’t all that uncommon for Jake to wake up for you having an all out attack. Your Asthma was something of an enigma to the doctors and nurses that had taken care of you. Some believed it was all psychological, others believed it was a combination of your deteriorating health and the conditions you were kept in. 

Regardless—it scared the hell out of Jake whenever he woke up and you couldn’t breathe. But they were always loud and terrifying attacks. They were never silent. 

“Hey, Y/n?” Jake shook you a little to see if you’d react, but when all your body did was fall limp against him? Jake sprung up as fast as he could to find his phone. “No no no no no no—!” 

Once upon a time, happily ever after. The stories we tell are all just the stuff of dreams. Fairy tales don’t come true. Reality is much stormier. Much murkier. More scarier. 

“Y/n! Stay with me alright.” Jake begged as his hands shook, dialing for an ambulance as he turned back to look at you lying lifeless in your own bed, the safest place on earth. “Please don’t leave me now.” He begged, waiting for the operator to pick up. “Where the fuck is it?” He was looking for your inhaler, the red one with the warning labels on it. It was usually on your bedside table. You kept a blue one in your car and a green one in your bag. You always had one. Yet the one beside your bed was gone? 

“Hello, nine one one?” Reality, it’s so much more interesting than living happily ever after. Jake spotted the little red inhaler under your bed, the top was only just visible. Then it hit him. What if it had fallen off last night? When the bed was shaking and you were on top? The only place you deserved to be. In control and facing your fears. 

“I need an ambulance!” Jake cried. “I can’t save her.” He sobbed, it was his nightmare, the one that brought him to your front porch in the middle of the night more often than not. The one where you were taken away from him. “Please—please she needs an ambulance!” It rivaled the one where he was forced to hurt you. 

Jake gave all the information the operator on the other end of the line needed before he was back by your side. He was careful in his movements as you lifted your limp and lifeless body up off your bed and onto the ground. Kneeling beside you, Jake kept the operator on the phone while he started CPR. This he knew how to do. 

“Come on baby, don’t get off the train, stay with me.” It wasn’t the first time Jake had given CPR, but it was the first time he’d given it to someone he loved. “Please stay with me.” It was a rhythm no one wanted to fall into, that lifesaving rhythm while rib’s threatened to crack under the pressure. “Don’t you dare leave me here, not now.” One two three four and so on and so forth, Jake kept pressing the palms of his hands into your chest. “Not ever, you hear me? You don’t get to just leave me here.” 

You couldn’t die, not now. How on earth was this how you died? Why did you go through so much trauma, so much pain, so much suffering just to die silently in your sleep in your bed next to the man you wanted nothing more to love till the end of time. 

“No no no no, come on baby, come on!” Jake wasn’t about to give up on you. You’d been through too much. “Come on stay with me, just a little longer, yeah?” He wanted you to say okay. That you’d stay just a little while longer. But as Jake's cries for help echoed through your home he knew that you weren’t coming back. “HELP ME! SOMEONE!” 

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The dictionary defines grief as keen mental suffering or distress over affliction or loss, sharp sorrow, painful regret. As aviators, you’re taught to learn from and rely on the books, the tests, the science behind it all, the definitions, the definitives. 

But in life, strict definitions rarely apply. In life, grief can look like a lot of things that bear little resemblance to sharp sorrow. 

Bradley Bradshaw had known Jake Seresin for almost his entire Naval career. The two had been at odds for most of that time, both too proud to admit their own flaws. They had both been the reason behind each other's callsigns, in heated arguments at whatever bar they found themselves in or after training sessions gone wrong. 

Hangman was the stuff of every aviator's nightmares. A cautionary tale that told whoever was paired up with Jake Seresin, that they would get left behind. But Jake had proven time and time again that when it really came down to it, when it really mattered, when it was life or death and nothing in between—he wouldn’t leave his wingman behind, or his weapon’s system officer for that matter. 

And as Bradley watched Jake crumble into the chest of the doctor who’d just told him you weren’t coming back, he knew that Hangman was dead too. He’d been dead since he was shot down. 

“The asthma was new, from our best guess we’d say it was a direct result of the environment you were both held in.” The doctor had explained, he was the one who treated you initially. “She had a lot of build up in her lungs, dirt, dust, it caused an infection we thought we had combat, but it looks as if it came back stronger then the first time and she didn’t say anything to indicate otherwise.” The one who bandaged you up and put you back together enough so that your inner demons couldn’t wreak havoc on the world. “I’m sorry Lieutenant, Hollywood was a good woman.” It meant nothing to Jake—he’d stopped listening after the initial ‘Im sorry’ had come out of Doctor Stevens' mouth. There was nothing else to do but process the fact you’d left him behind. 

And it felt like you’d done it on purpose too. Because you would have told him something was wrong if you were sick, but you hadn’t said a word. 

“Hangman–” Bradley cooed from where he stood by the door of one of the empty patient rooms Jake had found himself in. He was lost, lost in a world without you. Left behind to navigate through his own trauma. “Why don't I take you home?” For Jake it had been only a few minutes since he was officially told you were dead–the last thing he ever expected to hear after everything you had survived. He thought you were invincible, his wonderwoman of unbreakable strength and determination. But in reality, where happily ever afters didn’t exist, it had been three whole hours. “Jake? I'll take you anywhere you wanna go man, but you can't stay here.” 

“I saw her tortured Rooster.” It was the first thing Jake had said since he’d been told that you weren’t coming back to him. “I saw her have her bones broken and her body used against her.” Jake's voice was far too calm for Bradley’s liking, he needed Jake to shout, to be angry, to grieve. “She fought so hard to stay alive.” Ah. There it was, the tone Rooster was looking for as he stood across the empty space, watching as Jake stood to his feet. Hands balls at his sides. 

“She did whatever she had to do to stay alive and she did whatever she had to do to keep me alive!” Jake seethed through gritted teeth as he took a few heavy steps towards Rooster. Bradley didn’t dare move. “And believe me Bradshaw I wanted to die, I wanted them to kill me just so I didn’t have to live with the guilt of knowing that everything she went through, everything she felt, everything they did to her was a direct result of my actions!” Jake explained as he blamed himself even more for everything that happened. “She begged me to kill her because she knew what they would do to her and I couldn’t, I was selfish because I didn’t want to live in a world without her and guess what they did!?” Jake growled as he punched the wall beside him, his fist went straight through the drywall. “They did exactly what she knew they would do, one by one, day after day.” 

“Jake—“ Bradley tried to intervene but all Jake did was turn around and swipe his arms across the medical cart, throwing everything that had been splayed across the top to the floor in a fit of rage. 

“And after everything! After we survived! SHE GOES AND DIES FROM AN ASTHMA  ATTACK IN HER SLEEP!? RIGHT THERE IN MY ARMS!?” Rooster knew what it was like to lose a loved one, he’d already lost far too many, but he didn’t know what it was like to lose the love of your life. 

“Jake—“ Bradley tried again but it was to no avail. Jake was unraveling at his very thin seams. “They couldn’t have predicted it.” 

“IT'S THEIR JOB TO PREDICT IT!” Jake shouted as loud as he could, so loud he was red in the face as tears streamed down his cheeks. “JUST LIKE IT WAS MY JOB TO PREVENT THIS FROM EVER HAPPENING.” He shook his head in disbelief all the while he looked up to whatever god was on deck that day. “Just like it was my job to keep her safe.” 

“None of this is your fault.” Bradley tried to reason with the shattered man who stood before him. “You can’t blame yourself for what happened man—it was an asthma attack.” 

“I was going after you.” Jake finally admitted what he’d been doing when the pair of you were struck. You knew, you were Jake's first, only and last weapons system officer. You knew what he was doing before he’d even gone ahead and executed his plan. That decision caused your pain, your torment, your death. 

“What are you doing man.” Bradley sighed at the words his wingman spoke. He’d never seen Jake so distraught before. “Hollywood wouldn’t want you to be like this.” 

“It should have been you—That SAM was yours, Rooster.” Jake hissed through gritted teeth as he stood toe to toe with Bradley. “And because you’re so full of chicken shit, I took the hit for you.” It didn’t take long for Jake to correct what he’d said as he pressed his finger into Roosters chest. “We, took the hit for you and now she’s dead.”

Jake hadn’t yet passed his psych eval, he hadn’t yet returned to work because he still took medication for his heart. He wasn’t sure if he was ever going to, but without you? There was no way in hell he was going back. He couldn’t breathe without you, couldn’t sleep, couldn’t eat. How was he supposed to ever fly again? Without his one and only WSO. 

“And now more than anything—“ Jake couldn’t drown out your screams, he couldn’t stop his brain from hearing your gut wrenching shrills of pain. He couldn’t turn it off—the guilt, the fear, the anger. But he was still here, and you were gone. Standing on the platform watching him go by at two hundred miles an hour. Begging him to get off the train and join you.

Because the farm was just perfect, and nothing hurt anymore. 

In aviation training, there are a hundred different classes that teach you how to fight off death. But in those hundreds of classes there is not a single one that teaches you how to go on living. 

Oh what Jake Seresin would give to get off the train with you.

“I wish I was too.”

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Tags 🏷️ @americaarse @blindedbythelightt @tayl0rhuynh @athenabarnes @imaginecrushes @whyareallnamesgone @mjmaximoffbarnes @amiets2 @mads-weasley @gabbyella @ephemeralninon @xoxabs88xox @pedrohoe04 @starkleila @je-suis-prest-rachel @clancycucumber230 @maisie-rebloging-blog @callsign-barbell @obiwankenobis-lap @some-lovely-day @paperbag333 @callsign-magnolia @jhiddles03 @hardballoonlove @shanimallina87 @seitmai i @abaker74 @missemrose @starset21 @kmc1989 @phoenix1388 @emma8895eb @tsofo26 @itsmytimetoodream

[xinyuehui]

I don't know if I want to write a massive essay about this, but they missed the whole point with all the characters, especially Ye Wenjie. I'm assuming everyone who said this portrayal is accurate and a raging angry Ye Wenjie is good is because they either never read the book, or non-Chinese, or both. (Or maybe projecting their own views on Maoism). Ye Wenjie received higher education during a time period where it wasn't common for women. She believed in science, she believed in people, but time and time again, the people in her life let her down and never showed any signs of remorse. What I've gathered from the text is that she isn't fuelled by rage, more so she is dead on the inside, she has lost all hope in people. Her decision to reply is not because she wants to destroy, she believes that a civilisation from a higher standpoint could save humans, and this roots in the fact that she is educated. She's not some crazy rage driving women who would ever say "time is a motherfucker", not even a Chinese equivalent.

I'm not sure why the writers decided to write Ye Wenjie and Yang Weining's relationships out of the story...Oh so she is rescued by a white man later on hmm??? (Coincidentally, all the characters driving the plot are also non-Chinese in this). Ye Wenjie marrying Yang Weining and giving birth to Yang Dong gave her a glimpse of light in the life from which she had lost hope. Spending time in Qijiatun also gave her a bit of warmth. When she pushed Yang Weining off the cliff, it marked another significant point, she was calm, cut the rope with no hesitation. She did not care to get herself entangled in romantic affairs. Making her have a child with Evans is laughable. They also dumb down Yang Weining, to the extent that Ye Wenjie had to explain 43+8=51 to him. Mind you, he was a real proper engineer. (Weirdly with all the diversifying, they did not keep a single male Chinese scientist in the main team huh)

Anyways, before I go on a tangent. The writers have fast tracked everything and left out the finer text about the characters in the book. I'm not sure if they missed the point or that nowadays the audience are ruined by fast media, something like the tencent version are simply too slow for the people in the west. Any of my moots and followers who watch cdramas will know that the real good stuff is all in the build-up. It's all the little text that adds up to a fleshed out character. If the culture difference is too much for Netflix, leading them to change all the characters and most of the plot, why not just buy a western ip. There's plenty of good western sci-fi ips.

I can't help but think they want to do this because they wanted to film the scene where Ye Zhetai is beaten to death. Have an excuse to turn Ye Wenjie an angry woman. We all know why. If they really cared about showing a true China during that time, they would have spend some care with the Red Coast details as mentioned above (we did not have screens in 1960s that display Chinese text!!! And definitely no simplified Chinese characters on computers!!!!). Instead of having her snog Bai Mulin off - unrealistic since people were a lot more conserved back then, they would not have done this and it's ooc for Ye Wenjie. Falling in love with Evans - a real blasphemy. I guess the 3 Body Problem here means 3 bodies pounding at each other. Jin-Raj-Will also seem to have their own 3 body problem going on too.

(One last tangent) Ye Wenjie and Yang Dong(Vera) as scientists not believing in god but having monks at her funeral ??????????? Not even a typical normal Chinese funeral will have monks. The stereotype enforcing is real.

[thesirencult]

ICY DIARIES 💎 "MEN FOR THE STREETS ARE NOT COMFORTABLE IN MANSIONS"

She don't want your man, she wants to be you...

Important Disclaimer : I don't advise people to endorse in celebrity culture. I believe that pop culture serves as a way for us to explore archetypical characters, it acts as a mirror and a collective pool.

A few hours ago I came across the above TikTok.

Long story short, a well known TikToker posted a couple of videos talking about the fact that a woman should keep her job no matter what and never let go of herself, because her husband could leave her for a younger woman at some point, especially when she's older. At the same time, she took down all of her videos with her husband and some people noticed that her ring was missing. Allegedly her husband had contacted a s*x worker and was talking with her. That side piece came out and said that she was the wife's fan and well... Check out the video above for more details.

Now... Onto the main course 🍽️

You have to remember one thing and one thing only. YOU are the most important person in your life.

Many people like to point out that these "dark feminine" tips are narcissistic. If you get in an airplane crash you should first put your mask on before helping others, otherwise you will all die. That's how life is.

Don't let men and nasty women play you by telling you that your value gets lower with age. If your partner would leave you for a you get woman he is not a high value man.

Now that we got this out of the way...

We are going to talk about the SIDE PIECE. I'm one of those women who believe that a man is not an infant. He is the one who decides to cheat. Same goes for women who do that. You got to take responsibility and dive deep into your soul because something is wrong there.

BUT. There are some women who are a disgrace to our gender. They take pride in seducing men who are married or in partnerships with other women. This stems from their internalised hatred towards feminine energy.

The "side chick" caught in the TikTok, drama fell onto the net all by herself. She wanted to show her face and to be known as the women who broke the famous TikTok creator.

This women don't want your man. They want to be you. They are leeches who are looking for a way into your life, be it through friendship or through other vulnerable spots like your unloyal husband.

That's why the most important decision you will make in your life is who you spend it with. You could be the most successful, beautiful and bright soul in the world, but a man could strangle that light and destroy you. Also, don't hang around people who are fangirling over you, that's internalised jealousy (haven't you noticed fans of famous boybands ?) and avoid having weak people in your circle.

Never, ever abandon yourself for someone else.

[generic-anime-boy-bracket]

Round 3, Group A: Matchup 2

Hiroshi Satou vs Tracey Sketchit

Reasons for being generic + Propaganda below

Hiroshi Satou

Reasons:

His whole thing in the series is being the most average, normal guy ever. His grades, height, weight, and bathroom time are all canonically 100% average.

The whole point of his character is that he is exactly average in everything. Looks, personality, even his friend group is exactly average.

not only does he look like that but the show is a comedy anime that uses a lot of stereotypes and his is "normal guy." he influences some plot events with the power of his average luck

quite literally the most average guy ever. every single thing about him is perfectly average 

literally everything about him is average. like literally everything. his grades, his appearance. even the amount of time he uses the bathroom. its his entire character

His whole bit is that he’s Perfectly Average. Down to his weight and height. On his wiki page his only listed ability is “normalcy.” His name is derived from the Japanese equivalent of John Doe. The main character is obsessed with him/has a crush on him because he is so so normal and that’s what Saiki wants most

The main character of this show, who stands out against his will, admires Satou Hiroshi for being perfectly average in every way, and "blandness personified." "He is completely average in everything he does. His grades, height, and weight are exactly average. Down to the millisecond, Hiroshi is timed to have the exact average times for the PE evaluation. He is also noted to go to the bathroom for the average amount of time and use the average amount of toilet paper." Basically, he is written to be the most generic guy possible.

From the wiki: "He is the epitome of an ultimate normal guy... Someone who has boring name, common appearance, average in brains and body and has no single quality to stand out. He blends into the background, so the other characters tend to lose sight of him"

Propaganda:

The main character likes him because of how normal and average he is. Also he is just a nice guy

He is the most average man in existence. He even poops for the exact average amount of time. This is the most generic background character to ever exist.

it’s literally a plot point in the show that he’s completely generic guys. he’s perfect for this

Being normal is literally his bit, c’mon guys

The whole point of his character is how boringly normal he is. The main character is super jealous because he doesn't want to stand out

Tracey Sketchit

Reasons:

He has a very "just some guy" vibe, spending most of his time as a background character quietly observing after his 30ish episodes as a main character. Former head writer Takeshi Shudo himself once said on his blog that he thought Tracey didn't have a strong enough personality. Appearance-wise, Tracey has dark hair and brown eyes and doesn't stand out all that much.

He is literally *just* a guy. The best guy, but just a guy. A little dude, little fella. The guy ever.

Tracey is an incredibly sweet respectful king who got sidelined by the anime. It’s so sad because he loves drawing and research and pokemon, but he barely got any screentime 😔 I think he’s a wholesome fun character and he deserves more love!! 

Propaganda:

Despite the fact that large swathes of the fandom either give him flak for being "boring" or completely forget about his existence, to the point that people also meme about his forgotten-ness, he has persisted. He went 17 years without a single line of dialogue due to his expensive seiyuu and then finally got to speak again in the final episode of Ash's story. He has 12 fans but we are dedicated and we are proud and we adore this sweet boy.

Tracey is king. Respects women, stays in his lane, draws pokemon. What’s not to love???

[rorimoon9597]

!Spoilers for Chalice of the Gods!

I read Chalice of the Gods and I gotta say, I loved it so much. There's just so much I want to talk about, so spoilers for those who haven't read it yet, bc I'm about to geek out over how the characters are portrayed.

Firstly, Percy. He's a veteran from TWO different wars, and the only reason why he wants to go to New Rome is because he knows that he'll be safe there, and that he can have a family with Annabeth if they live there. That's all he wants. To be safe with those that he loves, and to live his life to the fullest. New Rome is the best place for that.

He actively says that it's a nice chance of pace when he can just sleep in his room, not having to worry about his mother getting hurt by an asshole in the middle of the night. He likes being able to spend time with his family, to not have to worry about survival. He likes to feel safe.

Which is why I love how he's shown to be so tired of running around, out on quests for the gods. It's only natural for someone to want to get away from something that's the basis of their trauma, but Percy can't get away from it. He knows that.

He's also very disgusted about how Ganymede is treated, that much is clear. He decides, from looking at how Ganymede is treated by the other gods, that he made the right choice in turning down immortality. At the time, it was for a girl who he wasn't even dating yet. In COTG, he sticks to that because he does not want to leave that same girl, but also because he doesn't see immortality as a gift, but rather a curse. He's seen how it affects the gods, who think that they are all so high and mighty. There are exceptions, sure, but you gotta admit that most of the gods are narcissists.

Zeus is the largest narcissist in the entire book. He's the reason why Ganymede is scared of eagles, which are his sacred animal. He doesn't care for how Ganymede feels. He just cares about having eye candy to oogle whenever the fuck he feels like it. I think that the brunch scene, where Percy's hiding on a pastry cart and is subjected to Zeus' story of when he was younger and all alone when his siblings were stuck inside of Kronos' stomach is a very clear sign of that. He's playing it up, trying to get pity points or something, but all he's doing is annoying everyone else.

To be honest, I love how Rick showed the Big Three. We have Zeus, an obvious airhead who is narcissistic, which fits with his whole thing of being the sky god. Poseidon is much calmer than Zeus, not narcissistic like his younger brother. He reflects the nature of the sea - often unpredictable, going from gentle waves that are perfect to swim in to towering waves meant to kill. Poseidon is more fun, more caring, yet still easily angered (I think that the main reason why he was saved from being killed in one of the books is because Poseidon clearly cares about his child, and will go bat-shit crazy if he was murdered). He cares about Percy, even if he can't show it. He always watched over his son, and will continue to do so as Percy breathes.

Hades is probably one of my favorite gods out of the Big Three (I only really hate Zeus though, so that probably explains it) because, like his brothers, he reflects his domain. Sure, he's dark and gloomy, but he's more grounded than his brothers are. He doesn't kidnap pretty mortals like Zeus and he's definitely that guy who gets consent before sleeping with someone (his relationship with Nico and Bianca's mother is too strong to be something born from anything but consent, because she is shown to actually love Hades to some degree. He's not someone who does things like have children with mortal women without their permission.)

Some people say that the book is cringey, that it's not as good as Rick's other books. Those other books are about a kid thrust into war too young, his childhood ripped away from him the moment he's born. This one is about a teenager who is dealing with the after-effects of that, trying to navigate life as normally as possible when it's insanely impossible when he's a demigod. All Percy wants is peace, to live with Annabeth and grow old with her and Grover. That's why Rick wrote it. As an aspiring author myself, I can appreciate the beauty of a story where all the main character wants is to rest from a traumatic life.

Remember that this is my opinion, and that you're all free to have your own. I'd actually love to hear what you guys think of it.

[see-arcane]

Jonathan Harker: The ‘Absolute Love Corrupts Absolutely’ Villain That Almost Was*

*LONG before Francis Ford Coppola’s Cinematic Gary Oldman Fanfiction

Spoilers ahead for the Dracula Daily enjoyers, because I’m whipping out all my literary receipts on this.

I recently finished speed-rereading Dracula because I have no self-control. In doing so, I got a refresher on quite a few incendiary factors of the book that time had dulled in my memory.

1.     There’s a TON of ‘I’m not like other girls!’ and ‘men good, women dainty,’ and ‘What no I’m not projecting, honest, I just really like the words manful, voluptuous, manful, aquiline, manful, God, and manful again. –Bramothy Stoker,’ so brace for that from basically the whole cast. I’m blaming it partly on Bram Flakes’ own prejudices, of which there are plenty, and the fact that he’d clearly never met a thesaurus in his life.

(I appreciate everyone’s mental revamp of Mina as the New Woman to Lucy’s Classic Damsel, but…oof. Everyone’s in for a harsh Period/Stoker Accurate reminder.)

2.     Brammy Pajamas was either hanging around some exceptionally devout Christians to write some of the second/third act scenes with everyone basically thrashing and wailing and falling on their knees and clasping/kissing hands as they pray to/thank God, all while thinking it was perfectly natural behavior for these characters…or he legit had no clue how any kind of ordinary human being, Christian or otherwise, would react to the situations he puts them in.

(Seriously, it’s not even that everyone’s devout, it’s that they’re all written to act like they’re in a soap opera where the only direction they got was to be as hammy and histrionic as physically possible. You’ll know the scenes when you see them.)

3.     Jonathan Harker has not only been done dirty by every adaptation since the book in terms of being a main character, along with being the character to spend the most time with Dracula in close quarters, period, and being the love interest for Mina—his whole character arc by the second half of the book is the most blazing hot, “If my beloved is destined for damnation, I’m heading to Hell with her, fuck all else,” shit I have ever read in classic literature, full stop.

Not Dracula. Not any character based on Dracula.

Jonathan fucking Harker is the OG archetype for Love Corrupts (Violently), and the canon story avoided him going full tragic villain by t h i s much. You want proof? Let’s go.

NOTE: MAIN SPOILERS STRAIGHT FROM THE BOOK, SHIELD YOUR EYES

Here’s the part most Harker fans scream over, myself included:

“To one thing I have made up my mind: if we find out that Mina must be a vampire in the end, then she shall not go into that unknown and terrible land alone. I suppose it is thus that in old times one vampire meant many; just as their hideous bodies could only rest in sacred earth, so the holiest love was the recruiting sergeant for their ghastly ranks.”

Good shit, good shit! Jonathan was already prepared to risk falling to his death from a cliff or being eaten by wolves rather than stay in Castle Dracula for a bloodthirsty eternity with the ladies. But now? Mina is quite literally his, “You are worth Hell,” Beloved. But there’s more. Fast forward to one of Team Fuck-Up-That-Old-Undead-Man’s first head-on encounters with the Count. As they’re waiting, Jonathan gets impatient, declaring:

“I care for nothing now,” he answered hotly, “except to wipe out this brute from the face of creation. I would sell my own soul to do it!”

He says as much in front of his Christian+ buddies who, by now, had pretty fair reasons to believe in the legitimacy of Hell and all its demons. Van Helsing is definitely startled and seemingly talks him down from such an oath. Key word being seemingly. Because we jump forward again to a point where Mina, in full saintly forgiveness mode (and apparently selectively forgetting Van Helsing’s history lesson about Dracula’s pre-vampire days being ones of a slaughtering tyrant), saying that if/when they destroy the Count, oh, how happy his soul will be to be free of his torment on Earth, et cetera. Jonathan Harker has a rebuttal to share. Namely:

“May God give him into my hand just for long enough to destroy that earthly life of him which we are aiming at. If beyond that I could send his soul forever and ever to burning hell I would do it!”

God forgives. Jonathan Harker emphatically does not.

Onward again, and he speaks volumes by what he does not say. Chiefly, there’s a point where Mina, now in full martyr preparation should the worst happen, makes the boys swear an oath to destroy her body if/when she succumbs and dies to Dracula’s vampiric poisoning so she cannot rise again as one of his ladies. The boys swear. Mostly. What we get from Jonathan is…

“And must I, too, make such a promise, oh, my wife?”

“You too, my dearest.” (Note: The rest of her paragraph here is full of the most knife-twisting, utterly warped martyr ‘pep talk’ I’ve ever read, and I have no idea how she/Bramarama thought it would remotely convince Jonathan this was all a reasonable and chill thing she was talking about. Anyway.)

It’s important to note that absolutely nowhere in the ensuing text does Jonathan ever speak the promise out loud. He does read the goddamn Burial Service at Mina’s request, which he barely chokes his way through. But he never makes the oath.

Another jump ahead. They are on the hunt for Dracula and, alas, have just missed him at a key point. Most of the gang are shaking their fists at the sky, cursing up and down. And what is Jonathan doing? Well, to quote Jack Seward, just before the epiphany…

“We men were all in a fever of excitement, except Harker, who is calm; his hands are as cold as ice, and an hour ago I found him whetting the edge of the great Ghoorka knife which he now always carries with him. It will be a bad look-out for the Count if the edge of that ‘Kukri’ ever touches his throat, driven by that stern, ice-cold hand!”

And upon discovery of the Count slipping them…

“Harker smiled—actually smiled—the dark bitter smile of one who is without hope; but at the same time his action belied his words, for his hands instinctively sought the hilt of the great Kukri knife and rested there.”

For context, by this point Jonathan had already come at Dracula with said Kukri knife a while back, having nearly landed the blow after charging out of the pack and nearly fucking gutting the Count. For extra context, this is a Kukri knife:

He’s just been walking around with that. For half the book. Plotting.

And, with all of this in mind, we can only assume Jonathan had two plans of action in mind.

Plan A, follow Van Helsing’s lead.

…Not counting the moment he almost bit the Professor’s head off for saying he had to bring Mina along with him to Castle Dracula. Another good scene which includes his very succinct reaction to Van Helsing’s suggestion, even if he does have to agree in the end:

“Not for the world! Not for Heaven or Hell!”

Anyway. If the plan works out, cool. He gets to kill Dracula, Mina is saved. Best case scenario!

But then there’s the unspoken, explicitly unwritten (in case his pages need to be read), but heavily foreshadowed Plan B. They cannot destroy the Count, in time or otherwise. Mina is now either a corpse waiting to awake as a vampire, or a vampire already. The others, true to their vow, mean to destroy her.

Jonathan Harker, true only to Mina, in whatever form she may take, still has that Kukri. And the element of surprise. And a full acknowledgment of the realities of Heaven, Hell, and his holding Mina’s continued existence above them, his friends, his sanity, his humanity, and himself.

In short, all your tragically romantic Draculas can kindly go fuck themselves with a wooden stake. Jonathan Harker is the first and best gothic horror example of a person in love to the point of madness, damnation, and willingness to deceive or destroy anyone who would endanger the one he loves. The only reason we never got to see it in action was because Stoker had to tack on a happy ending. If he hadn’t?

The census would be less four unsuspecting heroes and plus two newlywed vampires.

The End.

Suck on it, Francis.

[hp-soulmates]

💞 HP Soulmates: Fated 2 Be - Masterlist 💞

We had 47 amazing works created for the fest!!! Thanks everyone for your participation and support!

These are organized by main relationship type: F/F, M/F, and M/M and within those alphabetically by pairing.

F/F

Bellatrix/Mystery Female Character

💞 [FIC] Rubies Red  by Constella1103 | @solis-angelus 💞 (M, Bellatrix/Mystery Character, 3.2k)

 Bellatrix Lestrange’s life impacted by two people, through her eyes.  Or  ~Bellatrix Black, aged eleven and the heir to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, disgraces her family when a ruby red shield appears on her shoulder.~

Fleur/Hermione

💞 [ART] We are who we are  by digthewriter | @digthewriter💞 (G, Fleur/Hermione, Digital Art)

Fleur and Hermione try to resist the pull they have toward each other.

💞 [FIC] The Choice by otterlyblued | @otterlyblued 💞 (T, Fleur/Hermione, 2.7k)

When one soulmate dies, the other begins to see them in dreams. Except it’s not just a dream, is it?

Ginny/Narcissa

💞 [FIC] Golden Script by Herochick007 | @herochicklyrrie007 💞 (T, Ginny/Narcissa, 3k)

Narcissa hates the name on her wrist, Ginny Weasley. Ginny is nowhere to be found, so she lives her life without her, but then, Ginny finally appears.

Hermione/Pansy

💞 [FIC] Only In Dreams Do I Wake by lumosatnight | @lumosatnight💞 (T, Pansy/Hermione, 1.5k)

Pansy dreams in flowers. She wakes to the feeling of leaves in her hair and twigs between her toes. It never lingers.

Lily/Narcissa

💞 [FIC] i will love you even if the oceans turn to sawdust and the trees fall in the forest without anyone around to hear them by chipsnkayso💞 (E, Narcissa/Lily, 60k)

Anything your soulmate draws on their skin appears on your skin. And the universe has a really fucked up definition of “drawing.” The story follows Lily from childhood to early adulthood.

Minerva/Poppy

💞 [FIC] Of Kittens and Serpents by Trueliarose | @trueliarose 💞 (T, Minerva/Poppy, 6.2k)

Navigating a relationship as teachers can be taxing, more so if one of your students is Harry Potter.

Remus/Sirius (as women)

💞 [FIC] Betrothal, Brothers, and Bullshit by tofeycat | @aspiring-artist-em💞 (E, femslash!Sirius/Remus, 3.6k)

Lesbian Wolfstar. Remus never went to Hogwarts, and she’s getting rather paranoid about the Grim that keeps following her everywhere.

M/F

Draco/Hermione

💞 [FIC] The Punch That Made a Mark by Tardis_Magic93 | @tardis-magic93 💞 (T, Draco/Hermione, 1.2k)

His Godfather’s eyes went wide with shock as if he noticed the soulmate mark right on his nose where Granger punched him.  “Who is your soulmate?”  Draco gulped nervously at his Godfather. He took too long to answer because his Godfather held his shoulders and shook him.  “Speak, boy!”  “Granger,” Draco mumbled.  “Can you please speak louder, Draco,” his Godfather sighed. “Granger! Okay?” Draco sighed looking at his Godfather frantically. 

💞 [FIC] Dizzy Edge of Heaven by Wanderingfair 💞 (E, Draco/Hermione, 9.8k)

Draco has just been traded from the Bulgarian National team to the Wimbourne Wasps. When moving into his new flat he hears his neighbor singing The Cure’s Just Like Heaven, and is immediately hit with a vision (or version) of their life together. He doesn’t believe in Divination, and has obviously been hit with one too many bludgers. The more time he spends around his new neighbor, the more he wants it to be true.  OR  The canon divergent telling of Draco Malfoy, a former Durmstran student, current Quidditch star, meeting Hermione Granger for the first time and being instantly unsure if he’s just incredibly smitten or he’s possibly found his soulmate.

Draco/Luna

💞 [FIC] something’s changed by scattermeamongthestars | @scattermeamongthestars💞 (E, Draco/Luna, 6.8k)

“I want to join the Order,” he repeated. His heart was beating so fast, so hard, he felt like his chest was going to burst. It hurt to breathe.  A wise move. He’ll find his soulmate there.

Harry/Pansy

💞 [FIC] Ink Stained Skin by swoonbaby | @swoonbby 💞 (M, Harry/Pansy, 19.8k)

Pansy Parkinson went all the way to California to hide from her past and was pleased to find her escape a rousing success. At least it had been until a freak accident involving a spilled bottle of ink erased all her progress and sent her past (or possibly her future) careening back into her path.

Hermione/Severus

💞 [FIC] Small Silver Linings  by dolor_dolores | @dolor-dolores💞 (T, Severus/Hermione, 33k)

Three touches – that’s what it takes to activate an ancient Merfolk binding magic, long forgotten in the wizarding world, and only applied to humans under rare circumstances. When Hermione Granger gets marked by the queen of the Merpeople during the Triwizard Tournament, she doesn’t know that she is bestowed with the ability to recognize her soulmate. Quite unfortunate so, Severus Snape would rather pretend to be dead than face is insufferable soulmate. However, he had made the calculations without Hermione, who is not so easily discouraged.

Katie/Marcus

💞 [FIC] Shatter Your Illusions of Love by liiilyevans | @liiilyevans 💞 (T, Katie/Marcus, 3k)

Katie Bell is Healer at St. Mungo’s. She deals with difficult patients all the time. Just usually not ones who have saved her life before.

Luna/Theo

💞 [FIC] In His Love Story by Halliwell19 | 💞 (E, Luna/Theo, 12.3k)

Set in magical regency England, Lord Theodore Nott is in want of a wife, except he doesn’t believe he will find a witch he could call his soulmate… until Lady Luna Lovegood made the Queen laugh.

Narcissa/Remus

💞 [FIC] Sheltered in Black Wings by Caiti | @caiti-creative-corner💞 (T, Narcissa/Remus, 2.4k)

Sometimes Narcissa wondered what her life might have been like without the bonds she held. And sometimes she had nightmares about the same. She would do whatever it took to protect her family and her people.

Neville/Pansy

💞 [FIC] Lover’s Leap by DrPansyParkinson💞 (E, Pansy/Neville, 13.5k)

The Wizarding World is small and insular—Pansy Parkinson and Neville Longbottom have known each other since they were children. But after Pansy’s Grandmother dies, a magical heirloom forces them to see each other in a new light.

💞 [FIC] Beyond the Garden’s Gate  by MarinaJune | @sailtomarina 💞 (M, Neville/Pansy, 29.6k)

Sir Neville Longbottom is the unlikely hero of a gallant quest to slay the Evil Serpent Nagini and return Lady Pansy Parkinson to her fiancé, Prince Draco Malfoy. Except this lady doesn’t appreciate being rescued, nor does she want to go on a journey back to the kingdom–and that’s before they discover they might be each other’s soul mates along the way.

Pansy/Sirius

💞 [FIC] Incendio by UltramarineOrchid | @ultramarineorchid💞(M, Sirius/Pansy, 16.2k)

Sirius Black has spent his entire adult life running away from two things: his soulmate, and spoiled pureblood witches. When Pansy Parkinson enters his life, what could possibly go wrong?

M/M

Albus/Gellert

💞 [FIC] souls and marks  by prima_vera | @girl-with-goats 💞 (T, Albus/Gellert, 1.1k)

A new parlour opens near the Diagon Alley, offering to reveal the soulmarks. Everyone is, naturally, curious, and clients start coming over, while the owner, one infamous Gellert Grindelwald, watches over them.

Draco/Harry

💞 [ART] The Petals Within Me by EraJMCouts | @erajmcouts 💞 (M, Draco/Harry, Digital Art)

The fine lines between love and lust, passion and possession, the want with the distrust.

💞 [FIC] Kiss Me, Kill Me, Keep Me Forever by DrWhoIsGinnyHolmes | @drwhoisginnyholmes 💞 (M, Draco/Harry, 2.4k)

A few quips back and forth, and the next thing Harry knew, he was tasting the insults straight from the devil’s mouth, sucking the popped “P” of his surname off Draco’s tongue and swallowing every scream that ripped through Draco’s self-control.

💞 [FIC] As bright as your smile by Nelween | @nelweensfic💞 (M, Draco/Harry, 2.8k)

In a world where you only start to see colours when you interact with your soulmate, everything turned back to shades of grey for Draco during the final battle. Until Potter and Luna show up to defend him during his trial.

💞 [FIC] Chosen of His Own Accord by AliceLiddle | @drarrypotterrenaissance 💞 (T, Draco/Harry, 17.8k)

From the prompt: Some families (the Malfoys, the Blacks, etc.) choose never to learn who their soulmate is due to the very high likelihood that they’re not a pure-blood. But the desire for your “other half” is strong, and every now and then, someone from those families decides to break tradition.  In which Draco gets braver, Harry chooses his own path, and they both run into each other a lot while running errands.

💞 [FIC] Sparks by annaotherthing | @annanother-thing 💞 (E, Draco/Harry, 20k)

“I’m sorry,” Draco turned to him, “are we boring you?”  Greg looked up. “No, I’m just hungry, and you’re taking far too long to just tell them that you and Potter are soulmates. Do you have to be this dramatic?”  There was a moment of silence, before all hell broke loose.  Harry didn’t know soulmates existed until he was fourteen. He wasn’t sure what he imagined it would be like, but he knew it wasn’t this. But that’s not to say he didn’t like it.

💞 [FIC] Blank Space by Jelliebabie💞 (E, Draco/Harry, 34k)

Life has not been easy for Draco Malfoy since the war. His hopes that he could complete his house arrest and finally get on with his life were not to be. Spat at in the streets, unable to get work, Draco is getting desperate. Desperate enough to put his life in the hands of a backstreet practitioner to see if finally getting rid of the Dark Mark can make a difference. But his decision has consequences he had not expected, and may provide the answer as to why Harry Potter seems unable to leave him alone.

💞 [FIC] A pulled down shade  by fast_brother 💞 (M, Draco/Harry, 43.1k)

Harry does not like Draco Malfoy, not even one bit. Never did and never will. That is, until he finds himself married to him.

💞 [FIC] Expiration of a Summer’s Rose by apricitydays 💞 (M, Draco/Harry, 60.0k)

Draco returns to England ten years after the war. Many things are different, but Harry is the same. But what does Harry have to do with Draco’s compelling new interest in botany? After an unexpected event disrupts the life Draco has built for himself, he slowly finds out. A hanahaki case fic

💞[FIC] tell me where it ends by SquibNation10 💞 (E, Draco/Harry, 63k)

After Harry wakes from his short-lived death, he begins to see red strings tied around the fingers of everyone he sees. No one else seems to be able to see them. He is surprised to see who is (or isn’t) tied to each other.  He is tied to Draco Malfoy.  Feature: Supportive Kingsley, a twist on the 8th-year fic

Draco/Harry and Harry/Tom

💞 [ART] Pour My Heart (In Places Where It Can’t Be Touched) by starlitsilvereyes | @starlitsilvereyes💞 (G, Tom/Harry and Draco/Harry, Digital Art)

Draco Malfoy’s soulmate is Harry Potter. Harry Potter’s soulmate is Tom Riddle.  Only Tom Riddle disrupts fate with his bare hands when he decides to split his soul, severing the string that links him to Harry Potter.  The prophecy takes its course – turning star-crossed lovers into enemies.

Draco/Ron

💞 [FIC] unless you’re choosing me by The_HouseRyn | @the-houseryn 💞 (M, Draco/Ron, 31k)

A soulmate was a choice. It was two people deciding to spend the rest of their lives together, weathering any storm. That was a fact that Ron would hold as truth for the rest of his life. Even when the Unspeakables found a spell in some ancient text that tied soulmates together with a red cord and showed them a moment of their “true love”. It was a hoax, he was sure of it. But no one else agreed, willing to upend their lives just because a stupid spell said so. Ron wouldn’t have minded so much if it hadn’t wrecked his.

Harry/Regulus

💞 [FIC] The Enemy of My Enemy by MidnightStargazer | @midnightstargazer💞 (T, Harry/Regulus, 33.8k)

In a world where soulmates are identified by tattoo-like marks on the body, Harry Potter was born with a constellation on his arm. For nearly seventeen years, it sits there, dormant and dark. Then, as he and Dumbledore enter the cave where they believe a Horcrux may be hidden, the stars begin to glow. The Blacks don’t go looking for their soulmates. Regulus was taught from an early age to ignore the lightning bolt on his skin and prioritize his duty to the family. But when he finds himself thrust into an unfriendly future, his soulmate may be the only person he can trust. At first glance, the two have little in common beyond their mutual desire to see Voldemort defeated. Will that be enough to bring them together? In a world where soulmates are identified by tattoo-like marks on the body, Harry Potter was born with a constellation on his arm. For nearly seventeen years, it sits there, dormant and dark. Then, as he and Dumbledore enter the cave where they believe a Horcrux may be hidden, the stars begin to glow. The Blacks don’t go looking for their soulmates. Regulus was taught from an early age to ignore the lightning bolt on his skin and prioritize his duty to the family. But when he finds himself thrust into an unfriendly future, his soulmate may be the only person he can trust. At first glance, the two have little in common beyond their mutual desire to see Voldemort defeated. Will that be enough to bring them together?

Harry/Severus

💞 [ART]  Lovers' Eyes by acydpop | @acydpop 💞 (T, Harry/Severus, Traditional Art)

Having a soulmate in their world was dangerous. Being away from Harry while he was in auror training was painful, but Severus found a way to keep Harry with him forever.

💞 [PODFIC] Finders Keepers by Lilian recorded by Cailynwrites💞 (T, Harry/Severus, 50 min)

Based on the fic by Lilian Severus Snape doesn’t find a single thing until he’s twenty. By that time, he has given up and ignores a young boy, when he arrives at Hogwarts.

💞 [FIC] Invisible String by emeraldlove | @givereadersahug 💞 (G, Harry/Severus, 3.7k)

The first time Harry saw Snape’s black eyes — him truly acknowledging Snape’s existence beyond him being his mean professor — it was the night after Harry killed Professor Quirrell. He was dreaming and in his dreams he was screaming.  Harry dreams of Severus over the years.

Harry/Teddy

💞 [FIC] Of Flowers, Unfaded by Aspen_Gray | @aspengray 💞 (E, Teddy/Harry, 34k)

“Excerpt from Arithmancy journals of the witch Brwyn y Dail, inventor of the Ipsum and Morex spells: “In crafting this Fpell, it had been mine Intention to affift fuch Perfons that feek their Foulmate. They will come to know themselves with the bundle of Flora I have named the Ipsa Coronae and their Mate or Mates with an Alteri one…Af their Relationfhip groweth, the third and final Coronae, the Vicini, will detail its ftatuf.”  Or: Teddy and Harry are soulmates. It takes a long time for Teddy to realize this fact and an even longer time for Harry to accept it.

Harry/Tom (Voldemort)

💞 [FIC] Stories that end and begin by HadrianPeverellBlack 💞 (M, Tom/Harry, 4k)

Tom had been right.  Now that he was in his fifth year at Hogwarts, he could state that Soulmates were a nuisance.  With the exception of a few souls who could consider themselves lucky, most of them were forced to put up with people they despised and who would do no good for their future.

James/Regulus

💞 [FIC] Fireflies by shushu_yaoi_lj | @orange-peony 💞 (E, James/Regulus, 26.9k)

James’s fingers suddenly brush against his skin, touching the very top of Regulus’s spine.  “This,” James says, his touch featherlight as it ghosts over Regulus’s skin, making it tingle in the most peculiar way. “It’s a lovely tattoo. Almost like antlers. When did you get it?”  Regulus can’t speak.  This can’t be possible.  Of all people—why James Potter?  Still, his mother’s words echo in his head. Every member of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black has a soul mark. A tattoo that appears at birth and can only be seen by their soulmate.

James/Sirius

💞 [FIC] breakable heaven by Graceless_Lady | @gracelesslady23 💞 (M, James/Sirius, 7.8k)

James lies comatose in the hospital wing with a curse that can be cured by his soulmate’s kiss. Unlike fairytales, however, in life the story doesn’t end with learning your soulmate’s identity… and true love’s course doesn’t always run smoothly.

Marcus/Oliver

💞 [FIC] rough around the edges (but the edges look good) by epsilonargus | @epsilonargus 💞 (G, Marcus/Oliver, 8.5k)

oliver wood is obsessed with 2 things: quidditch, and marcus flint. and his soulmark will be, must be, awakened by marcus flint’s first words—if only he could get the surly slytherin to talk to him…

Marcus/Percy

💞 [FIC] Fifteen Years of Preparation  by EloiseEvans | @eloiseevans 💞 (M, Marcus/Percy, 3.3k)

Percy wasn’t ready. A fact that threw him off, regardless of the cause. Because Percy was always ready. It was a fact of life, a tenet that he lived by. The situation was made even worse by the sheer amount of time that he’d had to prepare. Fifteen years to be precise. But together, they would fix it.

Remus/Severus

💞 [FIC] Phantom by nocturn 💞 (T, Remus/Severus, 1.8k)

Soulmates communicate by writing on each other’s skin, Severus leaves Remus on read way too often, and the two confront a little unfinished business because (you guessed it) they’re ghosts!

💞 [FIC] He’s already in me by p0intless_p0et 💞 (T, Severus/Remus, 2.9k)

On the night of Dumbledore’s death, Lupin’s mark appeared.

Remus/Sirius

💞 [Podfic] Coming Across a Silver Moon based on the fic by sliebman10, recorded by BurningAurora | @burningaurora 💞 (T, Sirius/Remus, 30 min)

When Sirius’s father bids him to investigate the rumors of a beast in the forest surrounding their lands, he meets a humble woodsman, Remus, and learns about the mark of true love, and what exactly might be lurking in the forest.

💞 [Podfic] Romantic Obscenities and Other Curiosities Of Love  based on the fic by casstayinmyass, recorded by BurningAurora and ashata | @itsaash💞 (T, Sirius/Remus, 41 min)

Sirius Black’s soulmate has a foul mouth– that’s all he knows. Remus Lupin wonders what he could have possibly done to warrant such an explosion of words that he’s had tattooed on his back his whole life. In the small mountain town of Hogsmeade, they’re both bound to find out soon

💞 [FIC] Click to Connect  by TherestheSnitch | @theresthesnitch 💞 (E, Sirius/Remus, 11.0k)

When the only way to find a soulmate is to see if you Click! during anal sex, being a Bottom with a very well endowed soulmate can make things hard–hard to get off, that is. Sirius is a little desperate to find his big-cocked Top soulmate.e

Severus/Sirius

💞 [FIC] Soulless: Blind Date  by picklesonsaturday | @picklesonjupiter 💞 (T, Sirius/Severus, 1.7k)

There were three types of soulmates: platonic, romantic, and enemy. Severus was one of the rare few without a soulmate. He was one of the soulless. Those who are shunned by society because they are seen as unable to make connections, which is a blatant lie. Or Severus has the opportunity of finding love when he goes on a blind date.

[alicentsswornshield]

@wolfie-1221 posted a list of their fav rhaenicent fics 🤌 10/10 recommendations

I've been inspired to share my own list since I've been spending probably too much time on ao3 - hopefully it will be helpful for anyone looking to start reading rhaenicent (note that few are already mentioned in the above mentioned post)

My top 5 (in no particular order):

(WIP) Seven (by @comicxgrl)

The story follows two alternating timelines and you're equally invested in both. It's so so well written, you fall in love with the characters immediately, the pacing of the story line is incredible and with only 5 chapters published, I think story is slowly set up for the main arc. The author is an architect and you can feel the thought process and clear intention behind every line and action.

(WIP) Out of sun (by @lumyart )

Rhaenyra and Alicent share a complicated past. Skip 10yrs later, Alicent is an excellent surgeon, has three kids and a husband. Their paths cross again when Targaryen Enterprises start being involved with Alicent's hospital.

Tags for this story are #bdsm #makingkinkemotional #emotionalslowburn - I think that's all you need to know?

I feel like it's really hard to write about bdsm w/o making it feel gratuitous. That's not the case here. @lumyart involves it as one of the main plot points of the story. It explores the emotional/psychological reason/need behind kinks and how those relationships differ etc. The push and pull in their relationship is dizzying, as the story progresses we get snippets of their past and what went wrong between them and how did they get where they are now. It almost feels like you're uncovering a mystery. There's many layers to the story and each chapter gifts you one piece of the puzzle.

See also: Blame it on Fate (morning show au we deserved) | silver sparks (wish this was the s02 hod script)

Love is complicated (by @molter-writes)

Absolute favourite of molter's fics and that's really hard to decide on.

This story made me want to start a campaign to get @molter-writes to actually write a rhaenicent Notting Hill AU.

Don't even read the summary. Just read everything and anything by @molter-writes , it will always deliver strong writing, a compelling storyline and characters that you can't help but fall in love with. See also: (WIP) leaf and blade | (Completed) grey ridge (ríl liatroma) | (Completed) ride the dragon (and do it quickly) | (WIP) song of the exposition

(WIP) Lying (in the hollows of your heart)  (by @wakesirens) 

I usually read only modern AUs (because of the misogyny in Westeros, I have enough of that irl thanks) but this fic is amazing nonetheless. Keeping Baelon alive and him being king gives us an alternate version of Rhaenyra's life. One where she's his most trusted advisor and representative of the Crown but she's not bound to the throne/realm in same way as the heir. This allows her to still attain power and freedom usually not afforded to women. Oh and Alicent works in a brothel.

(WIP) What you wanted (by mrdcai)

Berlin, spies, complicated past, angst

Again it's just excellent writing! This one only has 1/3 chapters out but I'm already convinced that it deserves to be among top five fics. Only downside is that the story will only have three chapters, though a part of me is hoping that the author will change their mind and make it a longer story.

Side note, I keep imagining Alicent as Olivia Cooke's character from Slow Horses... great spy/thriller show btw

See also: Desire (I want to turn into you)

Some other fics I loved:

(WIP) Honey, make this easy (by nerdsofdeath)

Alicent is a history professor at university and Rhaenyra is her new TA. It's a slow burn and v angsty 😭

(Completed) Midnights Like This (by pure_black_wings)

College AU, they're two idiots in love that don't know how to cope.

(WIP) War of Hearts (by Silanahfire)

Rhaenyra Targaryen is barren and the realm needs an heir. The King and Grand Maester Mellos found a solution in the scripts of Old Valyria. Alicent Hightower will carry her child, even if the estrangement between the two seemed impossible to end. An arranged marriage waits both.

(WIP) You Broke Me (by skullgamerscy)

Angst 😭

The Silver Queen and the Lady in Green (by Wandering Fan)

This is AU in every sense of the word. The author built a whole different world with its own lore. Very very slow burn

[astercontrol]

I'm awake in the middle of the night still thinking about how Unusual the romantic subplot is in Tron 1982.

So, when I was growing up there was a formula most movies followed. If there was a romance, it would usually go like this:

Main character is single at the beginning. He's a regular guy, not particularly book-smart or serious or responsible, just a relatable dude. He likes women but doesn't currently have one in his life.

He meets the love interest. She's conventionally attractive, not particularly interesting personality-wise, and in most cases she's single too. If she has a guy of her own, he's clearly shown to be a Bad Guy.

Main Character and Love Interest fall in love. This follows one of a few common tropes. Usually either Instant-Mutual-Attraction-then-Fight-then-Makeup, or He-Likes-Her-She-Hates-Him-and-he-Persistently-Wins-Her-Over. If she has a boyfriend, this will involve a breakup and probably a fight where Main Character triumphs over him.

Then they live happily ever after, and the movie closes with the satisfaction of having shown the Relatable Regular Guy Getting The Girl because he's the Main Character and deserves it.

Now, contrast this with the love story in Tron, and see how I'm blown away:

Main Character is (sorta) the Regular Guy trope: he's said to be a computer genius, but too fun-loving and irresponsible to get very far in life with it.

Love Interest is conventionally attractive, yes, but more personality and intellect than you usually see, and also… she's NOT HIS love interest. She's his ex. And without any real animosity on either side! They're still friendly with each other, and she and her new boyfriend start events in motion by going to visit him and offer help.

New BF is an absolute NERD. He spends his leisure time at home balancing his checkbook with an abacus. The angriest we ever see him is when he gets told he can't go to WORK for a couple of days. Love Interest experienced Main Character's fun-loving immaturity and then picked someone on the absolute other end of the intellect and responsibility spectrum.

And they clearly are happy together! There is definite friendliness and flirtation between the exes, but her commitment is 100% to her new guy.

New Guy is the ONLY one who shows some real resentment about that previous relationship. And that evaporates in the course of that one visit to Main Character's place.

Now, even if you manage to ignore the rainbow flags decorating Main Character's apartment all over, and the seductive striptease that TOTALLY appears to be WORKING on New Boyfriend…

…even then, you're STILL left with a very unconventional scenario at this point, where Main Character has made ZERO progress toward breaking Love Interest up with her current guy-- and in fact has bonded with him to the point of getting him to agree to help with a crazy scheme that's gonna kickstart the main plot.

Which, of course, takes place in a world inside the computer system where the Programs written by people on the outside are living entities who share their faces and personality traits, and… this, too, messes with the usual course of the Romantic Subplot, in amazing ways.

Ex Love Interest and her New Guy have programs living inside the computer, and those two programs are also in an established relationship, although they've been separated by Guy Program getting captured, locked up and made to fight as a gladiator. When he escapes, with Main Character and another friend, he gets separated from them and thinks they've been killed and the first thing he does is find Her-- because 1. he is overwhelmingly in love with her and 2. she is the only one who knows the route and all the devices he'll need in order to get where he's trying to go.

Main Character is the only one who's entered this computer world. Ex and New Guy's real-world selves are on the outside, and from this point on, their part in the plot consists of New Guy having to be there to receive a communication from his Program. Which he does, like the best and most loyal friend, enabling a happy ending for the whole team.

Meanwhile, Main Character's involvement in any "love story" consists of one moment when he's in the computer system, alone with his Ex's Program and about to pull a stunt that might get him killed, and they kiss.

Now, she meets him at least halfway, and seems to be very much INTO this kiss, although it also seems that kissing is not a thing Programs usually do and she may not have any idea what it means to him.

So, I wouldn't say Main Character has noble intentions here. He's not sure he's going to survive, he's with someone who closely resembles his Ex that he still has Feelings for, he WANTS one last kiss from her and he can easily take advantage of the fact that she doesn't know what kissing even means. Definitely not his most ethical moment.

But her response shows just how free she is-- perhaps how free her entire world is-- from human hangups and taboos involving romance.

After clearly enjoying the kiss, she also clearly realizes that it's an expression of affection. Later, when she's reunited with her own partner, she immediately tries it out on him, to their mutual delight-- and with no sign of anger or guilt about how she learned it! She is ecstatic to be together with her soulmate again, but she also has only good things to say about Main Character's last moments in the system. From her perspective, all that happened with the kiss was "This weird awesome stranger showed me a new way to touch someone I love, and now we're gonna have so much fun with that!"

Back on the outside, Main Character doesn't "get the girl," or fight and triumph over the Other Man. Instead, he gets a scene reuniting with BOTH of them, in one big group hug.

Just IMAGINE if this had been the norm. If it'd been the sort of romantic subplot we all saw most commonly in our formative years, shaping our whole idea of how love works.

Just freaking IMAGINE.

[yourqueenb]

So I finally took the player survey. It took me a while to complete because I ended up writing a lot more than I intended to 💀 But I wanna comment on a few things that stood out to me here…

I found this question in particular interesting because global traits were not something I had ever considered, but they could potentially mitigate the issues they have with the constant rigid, innocent, and socially/intellectually inept MCs. At least we could pick how we want to play our MCs, right? However, I find the 3 example traits they were able to come up with concerning, especially given that the majority of their players are women and the fact that we’ve been asking them to give us MCs outside of those boxes. Anyway, I’m curious to know what everybody else put for this. I think I selected 2 or 3, can’t remember which.

I also wanna know what everybody put for the questions under number 9 because to me a lot of them seemed to be related to changing the app’s interface or adding monetizable features. And things like that aren’t really important at all imo. (Or at least not as important as the story development and gameplay changes they need to make). I actually like the interface the way it is and would rather they not clutter it with all of the extras they mentioned.

I was also gonna put what I wrote in the additional feedback box here in case anyone was interested, but some of it got deleted from the original draft of this post. So I’ll just put a few of the major points I touched on below:

“Additionally, we should have the option to opt in or opt out of the appearance of hookups, ending stories in romantic relationships, and romancing certain characters, especially if a book is not classified as erotica or does not have a content warning. Unwanted sexual propositions and descriptions of sexually charged situations can be uncomfortable or even triggering to read, even if the characters aren’t real! For example, the “I’m in a dark mood” scene with Ethan in Open Heart book 3 and the hookup options in Laws of Attraction book 1. Players who have little to no romance points with one character and the majority or all of their romance points with another should not be getting propositioned by or receiving romantic dialogue and narration from/about the former so late in a series. And either less sexually charged lead ins before scenes or the choice to opt in to hookups outside of the main romance(s) from the beginning should be incorporated into the stories. Additionally, if choice is going to be taken away by only offering one LI option, we should at least have the choice to be single by the end of the book. Not all romances have to end in relationships!”

“Outside of romances with love interests, there needs to be a lot more care and development given to MCs. Players spend the most time with and are in the heads of the main characters; yet, it often feels like they’re the least important parts of the stories and experience the least growth. We also rarely see MCs with character trait combinations outside of innocent, incompetent, and new to their field/interest or (occasionally) mildly competent, brash, and uncouth. There should be more diversity in set traits, the choices we can make to shape our characters, and dialogue options/how our characters can react in certain situations. In game personality tests (like in TE and PM) or some kind of point system might help with this issue as well.”

“Lastly, if you don’t listen to any other feedback, please (for the love of all that is holy) retire the new MC body sprites that appear in Unbridled, Hot Shot, Guarded, etc. With flat torsos and legs and disproportionate arms/oversized heads in comparison to the lower bodies, they are very unflattering and unsettling to look at. And what makes them worse are the ghastly pale, sickly looking skin tones. Skin coloring is something you guys never mastered as the Black MCs (with the exception of 1 or 2) have always appeared ashy and as if they were given white/gray undertones - not to mention the minimal hairstyle options and straight roots on textured styles - which is quite irritating and offensive. However, now all of the MCs have skin tone issues in certain books. So players are only left with options that are painful to look at and difficult to enjoy customizing and playing as. MCs with richer skin tones, more flattering hairstyles options, curvier body types, fuller lips/noses, and more unique facial features in general would make gameplay a much more enjoyable and immersive experience.”

[iamafanofcartoons]

100+ REASONS TO WATCH AND ENJOY RWBY

Let’s put this as simply as we can.

Now, I understand you’ll need further reasons to look into the show that was created by Monty Oum, Miles Luna, and Kerry Shawcross.

SO! Here is 100+ Reasons to give RWBY a shot, plus a resource list link at the end. ENJOY!

1) Sci-fi/fantasy show that balances the two aspects very well 2) Endearing characters 3) Deep underlying messages about the importance of human connection 4) Constantly improves on itself 5) Writers actually try to listen to what the fandom wants 6) Creative setting 7) Actually handles difficult topics, like communication, privilege, and the cycle of abuse in a way that is sensitive to the audience 8) Ending is already set, meaning the show is not at risk of selling out to corporate overlords 9) God-tier foreshadowing 10) Top notch fight choreography 11) EVERYTHING IS A GUN 12) RWBY unambiguously avoids Depraved Homosexual tropes - no evil LGBT characters

13) No surprise plot twists for the sake of shock value 14) The soundtrack Not only does it slap, bits of lore and characterization can be found in the series music 15) Character design 16) Symbolism and metaphors and hidden meanings abound Can make for an enriching experience if you have knowledge about color theory and fairy tales and historical/mythological figures 17) Nuanced portrayal of morality between heroes, villains, and those who are neither 18) Layered writing where not everything, especially conflict, is clear-cut and easily resolved 19) Portrays trauma without over-dramatization 20) Production values improve with each volume 21) Hopepunk 22) Female-Centric main cast All the “Fix-it” fanfics and “Rewrites” involve Male-Centric Casts and/or taking time away from female main casts to focus on male characters, especially male side characters. 23) No surprise plot twists for the sake of shock value meets Thanos snap. 24) Good bits of humor sprinkled throughout without being overbearing 25) A few villians that while irredeemable, are interesting to watch in how they act. 26) Masterpiece of a comedy spinoff 27) You can legally watch the show for free 28) Subverts narrative tropes common to both "western" hero stories and anime 29) Gender dynamics and expectations are well-balanced Gender  tropes subverted, and addressed directly at times 30) Comfortably addresses class warfare, alcoholism, and other "mature" topics in approachable ways 31) Corgi 32) Combat Skirt 33) Women get to have pockets and pouches... 34) Women not requiring a man to save them 35) Large number of POC portrayed positively 36) LGBT are neither creeps nor villains, instead the straight people are. 37) POC are neither creeps nor villains as a majority...instead the white people are. 38) The “White Male Savior” with the mask, trenchcoat, and katana is the villain, while the underdog protector of the lower-income is a POC woman who may or may not be lesbian. 39) Meaningful facial expressions (that is, the animators spend time creating mood and reaction to elevate the storytelling) 40) Main antagonist is a woman, as are several of the other antagonists and they are NOT ditzes or idiots, nor are they fanservice. 41) The women are as intelligent as the men, where most anime try to have men be superior than women for the sake of shounen, the women are equal to men in screentime, plot relevance, intelligence, strength, personality, etc....though RWBY tries to have the women take precedence. 42) Men are support characters with their powers, while Women have more protagonist superpowers. 43) Positive half-sibling and stepmother representation 44) Positive honorary family member representation 45) Gay shipping and Lesbian shipping is encouraged by the writers and voice actors/actresses 46) The Main female protagonist's blood-based superpower is not broken or OP and has limits. 47) Well-executed humor (usually, ha). Basically trying NOT to make it fanservice or toilet humor or cringe. 48) Creators at least try to fix its less than stellar/problematic parts, which is more that I can say than the majority of entertainment. 49) Female characters are complex and interesting, also for the most part don’t woobified female villains. 50) Terrifying Villains and Monsters There is a difference. V1-V3 involved Monsters , V4-V8 involved Villains. 51) Every Character is based on a fairy tale/myth/legend/story and looking for those breadcrumbs just adds to the show 52) Already said, but emphasizing the fight choreography and the soundtrack. If you love over-the-top video game style fights this is for you. If you love epic metal playing over those fights this is for you. 53) Plays with tropes and story telling norms to subvert expectations in the best way 54) Not afraid to have tonal shifts to tell the story they want to tell 55) Not afraid to have the heroes lose sometimes 56) And plot points have consequences!!! None of this "bad thing happens and 1 episode later the status quo is restored" 57) Emphasizing foreshadowing again. Things that happened in season 8 were foreshadowed as far back as season 2. 58) The main characters are proactive. None of this waiting around for them to get up the courage to do something about the bad guys. Don't give me the “manor tea” stuff, they were trying to recover, Ironwood had it out for them and would have shot them for helping while refusing to obey him. 59) The Main characters are smart. They notice things (and come up with really cool strategies) 60) At least one villain does NOT underestimate the main characters 61) Everyone doesn't let characters use false justification for their actions regardless who it is! Everyone gets a consequence that fits! 62) Soundtrack is LIT 63) Gay Gay Homosexual Gay 64) Because I'm still on this, two autistic-coded main characters whose traits aid in their heroism! Ruby and Penny...possibly Marrow Amin 65) Kdin Jenzen, a Transgender VA, plays May Marigold, a transgender heroic side character who does not get killed off. 66) Chaotic teens saving the world with the power of stubborn optimism 67) Opposites Attract Tropes 68) Goth Uncle 69) Goth Milf 70) Himbo Dad 71) Non-sexualized Catgirl 72) Cat Cougar Milf with Tea Tray defeats Bat Assassin 73) Panther Dilf 74) Blonde Brawler Female who is also smart and can work mechanics 75) Female protag uses scythe and cape/cloak 76) It Portrays several different types of abuse ranging from romantic relationships to familial abuse along with accurately portraying them 77) Shows how harmful Alcoholism is 78) When/If a a character dies, it’s for a reason and isn’t for shock value Penny cheated death once...she would not cheat death again. Ozpin's immortality is a curse, and he is truly dead, a ghost. 79) One of the the main-main characters is disabled and isn’t treated as/seen as lesser 80) Male/Female friendships are a thing and abundant Normally if a man and a woman engage, its shipping, not friendships. But with Naruto and Sakura we have friendship. With Ichigo and Rukia its friendship....now that is abundant friendship in RWBY. 81) LGBT Voice Actresses Voice LGBT Characters. Kdin Jenzen is Transgender, Arryn Zech is Bisexual, and so are their characters. 82) All Romantic relationships, heterosexual or not, are given attention and emphasis on their interpersonal relationships 83) Balances tragedy and comedy, there are SEVERAL episodes where you both end up laughing your ass off and crying 84) Never goes all out depressing, the message is clear, it takes it to heart, and it shouts it for all to hear. Sometimes bad things happen. But you have to keep moving forward. 85) Has a variety of characters, each with their own themes/allusions (e.g. Ruby = Red Riding Hood, Team RWBY = Fairy Tale Characters, Team JNPR = Crossdressing Historic Heroes) 86) Amazing Music that builds on the characters' motives 87) You won't suffer vision problems after watching an entire cast that's blindingly white (shounen anime in general) 88) Gay doesn't suddenly die to leave heartbroken love interest Straight and angstily going back to the white guy who killed Gay out of possessive jealousy, which is super romantic. 89) Partners of dead Gays, should a Gay die, will not obligatorily be paired with someone str8   90) Character designs reference various fairy tales and stories, so you can get things like Mulan and Thor being a childhood friends romance, Beast and Beauty being one and the same and in love with Goldilocks, and Red Riding Hood maiming Cinderella, who is evil. 91) Everyone; good, bad, and the minor characters...are all hot. 92) You WILL get attached both to the good and bad characters. 93) All characters have very unique designs that fit their personalities and fighting styles. 94) Emotional/Physical Abusers get killed AFTER being humiliated 95) The Entire Show is full of metaphors and symbolism. The backgrounds, character clothing, the weapons they use... it's fun to analyze! 96) Stresses the importance of just being a nice person above all other stereotypical morally gray anime tropes 97) The people who work the the show. Seriously not just the main people; I'm talking about all the unsung heroes who do amazing background and scenery to sound design, etc. RWBY has some of the nicest, most hard working, and supportive crews I've seen. And considering the amount of harassment the anti-fandom can throw at them, they take and handle it so remarkably well. 98) Every character looks amazing from main to one-off. How their outfits convey who they are so well and sometimes subtlety. Also how the creators and character designers make it so cosplayers can have pockets on their outfits. 99) No  stupid twists for shock value, the twists that do happen are foreseeable but executed in a way that is still shocking. 100) Enjoyable Comedic Spin-off far better written than Teen Titans Go. 101) Awesome weapon concepts 102) Awesome growth of story, plot, and transition of it. 103) People hate it when you have fun watching RWBY....is that not enough?

Need to come up with a list of good youtube channels next.

[generic-anime-boy-bracket]

Round 1, Group A: Matchup 7

Haruka Nanase vs Tracey Sketchit

Reasons for being generic + Propaganda below

Haruka Nanase

Reasons:

Haru has The generic anime boy cut with black hair and blue eyes. He hardly ever talks. All my boy wants to do is swim and be homosexual with his pals (but in a cool way). He is the Main Character of course. Hardly ever makes a facial expression that isn’t straight boredom. If I drew him you wouldn’t be able to tell him from any other black hair anime boy if it weren’t for his jammers and swim club jacket tbh

I feel like if you drew him in the style of Mazm: Pechka he'd just end up looking like Pyotr tbh

Propaganda:

I love him your honor. Free! shaped me fundamentally

Tracey Sketchit

Reasons:

He has a very "just some guy" vibe, spending most of his time as a background character quietly observing after his 30ish episodes as a main character. Former head writer Takeshi Shudo himself once said on his blog that he thought Tracey didn't have a strong enough personality. Appearance-wise, Tracey has dark hair and brown eyes and doesn't stand out all that much.

He is literally *just* a guy. The best guy, but just a guy. A little dude, little fella. The guy ever.

Tracey is an incredibly sweet respectful king who got sidelined by the anime. It’s so sad because he loves drawing and research and pokemon, but he barely got any screentime 😔 I think he’s a wholesome fun character and he deserves more love!! 

Propaganda:

Despite the fact that large swathes of the fandom either give him flak for being "boring" or completely forget about his existence, to the point that people also meme about his forgotten-ness, he has persisted. He went 17 years without a single line of dialogue due to his expensive seiyuu and then finally got to speak again in the final episode of Ash's story. He has 12 fans but we are dedicated and we are proud and we adore this sweet boy.

Tracey is king. Respects women, stays in his lane, draws pokemon. What’s not to love???

[redpool]

LGBTQ+ Characters in Assassin's Creed

only the characters that are relevant to the story and or we actually spend time with.

Alkibiades - Assassin's Creed Odyssey - Bisexual.

Alkibiades harbored not only a flamboyant attitude but also a rather insatiable libido, frequently engaging in threesomes and even foursomes with men and women together.

Alexios/ Kassandra - Assassin's Creed Odyssey - Bisexual.

It's safe to say they're bi, whether or not you choose to sleep with only men or only women.

Azar - Assassin's Creed Valhalla - Gender Fluid

She adopted a masculine name and mannerism which eventually led to the discovery that she was gender fluid. As per her wish, Azar's friends continued to us feminine pronouns.

Erke Bodilsson & Stowe - Assassin's Creed Valhalla - Gay

They formed a close bond and eventually a romantic relationship. which they hide from the public.

Eric Cooper - Assassin's Creed: Initiates - Transgender

this one is new to me tbh, it also says he's mentioned in the Syndicate database. It says he's Scottish and was in a relationship with someone who was murdered in a discriminatory attack, and after hunting down and killing the group responsible, he considered ending his life but was recruited by an assassin names Gavin Brooks.

Harlan Cunningham - Assassin's Creed Brotherhood - Gay

Tho only his voice is heard (in Brotherhood) his story is greatly expanded in Assassin's Creed: Initiates. During high school he had a promising career in wrestling, but this ended when he was outed. He fled Texas and travelled to Europe, finding solace in the Brotherhood.

Chevalier d'Éon - Assassin's Creed Unity - Transgender

In a time where dressing up was popular, she first dressed as a woman at a costume ball, aided by her build, King Louis XV took notice of her and realized that her appearance of a beautiful woman would make her easy to deploy as a spy. After 49 years of dressing as a man on most occasions, she took to appearing publicly as a woman in 1777, sparking a debate on gender.

Jacob Frye - Assassin's Creed Syndicate - Bisexual

Jeffrey Yohalem (the lead writer for Syndicate) indicated that the team explicitly avoided giving him a female love interest during the main storyline. He also hinted at the idea that Jacob needed to 'figure himself out' after his brief partnership with Maxwell Roth. This led to speculation over his sexuality, which led to the official Assassin's Creed Tumblr account confirming that he is canonically bisexual.

Leonardo da Vinci - Assassin's Creed 2 - Gay

Leonardo appeared to be gay, as this was hinted at several times. When speaking to Ezio in Rome, he mentioned his work on the Mona Lisa, and Ezio warned him not to allow pretty girls to distract him from making the designs he needed. With his arm around him, Leo lightly assured him that women would 'provide little distraction'. Additionally, he was in a relationship with his assistant, Salaì.

Eivor - Assassin's Creed Valhalla - Bisexual

same deal as Alexios & Kassandra

Ned Wynert - Assassin's Creed Syndicate - Transgender

Ned was a transgender businessman from America in London during the 19th century, writers said he was added in the game for representation, really the only acknowledgment of it is a look shared between Jacob & Evie when they first meet. Ned is based on the historical figure of the same name.