#they’re my dysfunctional father and son

[chrisdoesanart]

Jesse Pink Guy

[sarcodyne]

Oh the character trope that is sons of typically the main villain who strive and sacrifice every piece of themselves with the hope of being recognized and praised by their fathers. Only to usually be used as a shield in the physical sense or to scapegoat punishment.

Or even they just end up dying or taking the punishment of their father because they gave all of themselves to what their father wanted. Forgoing morals and only focusing on the pain and yearning for recognition and love. Never truly having chosen anything for himself.

And usually even to the very end of their life or the story, he never breaks off and becomes a full person. Always feeling the need and hope that what their father was doing was truly right.

[radicalcircuit]

Favorite thing about all the familial relationships in Sonic is that they’re all abnormal in their own way.

Sonic and Tails? While they’re summed up to be brothers, Sonic had to take care of a literal 4 year old when he himself is not old enough to have one. He’s his mom, dad, and picket fence.

How Charmy, a 6 year old, was put into the care of Vector and Espio is a complete mystery. They don’t act as family in a traditional sense, but they can be described that way.

Shadow and Maria were brought together due to their circumstances, and have grown quite close to each other during the limited they share together. Shadow takes care of her while Maria teaches Shadow the many things life offers.

While I’m talking about game-verse and haven’t read the Archie comics, Shadow also has a black-arms brother and that’s something.

I’ve spoke about this before but the Eggman family is so dysfunctional. What do you expect when a mad scientist is your father and role model?

An ai is learning what it means to love and her experience is from a very morally questionable man who mistreats his sentient robots on a regular basis. One of which is more or less his prized son and another is literally left for what can be called child abandonment. Sage is proven to have her own best judgement in mind, though who’s to say that her father’s actions won’t influence her in the future?

Oh my god, does this make Shadow Sage and Metal, and oddly enough Omega their weird uncle/cousin? He clearly distances himself from Eggman but on a technical basis, he is???

Actually the Robotnik family tree is genetically fucked up, blood related or not.

Frankly Cream is the only one with a traditional family life. Well traditional until Sonic came along, but her home life is as normal it can be compared to everyone else that I’ve talked about here.

[blindmagdalena]

Christmas Traditions

1k gen fic featuring our favorite dysfunctional father & son. some themes of grief and slight codependency. inspired by the exchange in the comments of this ask.

Homelander tells Ryan that Santa's not real. It goes poorly.

“Hey, dad!” Ryan calls from the living room.

“Yeah, bud?” Homelander calls back, meticulously unraveling a nightmarish tangle of Christmas lights. If he’d had things his way, the decorating would have been done for them when the two of them returned to the penthouse.

Instead, Ryan had been insistent that they decorate together.

It’s tradition, he said. Homelander didn’t have the heart to refute him.

“You don’t have a chimney,” the boy declares from the doorway, standing with a stocking clutched in both hands. “I don’t have anywhere to hang my stocking.”

“Oh, uhhhh…” Homelander looks over his shoulder, eying the stocking warily. One of Ryan’s holdovers from his former home. Former prison, more like. “Go ahead and hang it on Atlas. What’s one stocking against the weight of the world?”

Ryan doesn’t seem to appreciate the joke. His expression is still pinched in concern.

Homelander frowns, setting the lights down. “What’s wrong, bud?”

“How’s Santa going to get in if you don’t have a chimney?” He asks very seriously, lightly twisting the stocking between his hands.

“Oh,” Homelander barks softly, breaking into a smile as he looks back to his task. “Aren’t you a little old for that?”

“What do you mean?”

“You know, the whole Santa thing?” When he looks back to his son, it still isn’t clicking. His brows furrow. “He’s not real, Ryan.”

Ryan grimaces like he’s been struck at, lifting his stocking to chest height like some sort of festive barrier. “Yes he is. Mom said so.”

Homelander blows a raspberry. Great, it’s going to be one of those conversations. “Yeah, well, your mom said a lot of things that weren’t true, didn’t she?” He stands from the table and makes his way over to the boy now scowling at him with hurt and confusion. “But hey, look at it this way: you don’t need Santa anymore. You’ve got me!” He says, arms splayed in invitation. “I don’t even need reindeer to fly! And neither do you, for that matter.”

Ryan doesn’t move. He’s still clutching that stocking to his chest. It looks handmade, the large R initial sloppily sewn in place. As much as he’d like to sneer at it, there’s a nagging jealousy in the back of his mind because the imperfections are how he knows it was made with love.

“Hey,” Homelander coaxes again, reaching out to give his shoulders a little squeeze. “C’mon, pal. Am I wrong?”

Still, Ryan doesn’t move. He doesn’t meet his father’s eye. Homelander can feel the mounting upset in the slight tremble of his shoulders, though.

“C’mon, little man,” he says, giving the gentlest shake. “Talk to me.”

“I killed Santa,” Ryan croaks out. 

Homelander recoils in equal parts surprise and confusion. “What?”

“It’s my fault,” he says, clutching the stocking tightly to his chest, choking on each word as tears spill down his cheeks. “It’s my fault mom’s gone, and now Santa’s gone too. They’re gone and I killed them.”

Shit, shit, fuck, damn it, shit. 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, back it up, kiddo,” he says, dropping into a kneel. “We’ve been over this, okay? What happened wasn’t–”

“It doesn’t matter!” Ryan interrupts mournfully. “It doesn’t matter, it doesn’t matter if it isn’t, she’s still gone. And Santa’s not real because she’s gone.”

Homelander stares for a long moment, utterly at a loss. “I… I’m sorry.”

The dam breaks and Ryan sobs as he throws his arms around Homelander’s neck, muffling the wet noise of it into the collar of his suit. The sound of it is horrible not just for the sensory of it, but how each ragged breath tolls like a bell of failure. Father’s aren’t supposed to make their sons cry. They’re supposed to protect them. They’re supposed to make everything better.

Homelander lifts Ryan as though he’s much smaller than he is, cradling the crying boy to his chest and rubbing his back in soothing sweeps. “I’m sorry, bud,” he says, whispering it again and again and again. “I’m sorry.”

I’m still getting the hang of this, he nearly says, but he swallows it back. He wants Ryan to think of him the way a father should be seen. As if he knows what the fuck he’s doing. He continues to rub his back, comforting him through a loss that is both alien and painfully familiar to Homelander.

He never had a mother to lose, not really, but isn’t that a loss in and of itself? The pain of grief is a bitterness shared across all types of love. Even for the love you never had the chance to know. Even for the love that was a perversion of what could have been.

His own eyes burn with their shared grief. His son weeps in his arms like a very small child would, and Homelander hears the familiar sobs of his own childhood echoed in those same cries.

“It’s okay,” he says, clearing his throat, the catch of his voice humiliating to his own ears. “It’s okay, son. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. I’m here… I’m here.”

Maybe it’s a poor consolation–Ryan will always miss his mother–but it has to account for something, doesn’t it? He already has so much more than Homelander ever did. He understands Ryan better than anyone ever will, and vice-versa. Together, they can weather this storm.

Eventually, Ryan quiets. He could have cried for several more hours if he wanted. His fathers arms will never tire of his weight. He’s stronger than that, though; of course he is. They both are, Homelander tells himself.

“Can we still put out milk and cookies?” Ryan asks after a time, voice still half-muffled against Homelander’s suit.

“Yeah, bud,” he agrees readily, giving his boy a squeeze. He would agree to anything in the world right now. Arson, murder, robbery, a thirty-stack of pancakes, whatever the kid wanted. Homelander’s nerves feel as structurally sound as jell-o in the wake of his son’s tears. “We sure can.”

As Ryan would say, it’s tradition.

[ccatskies]

this is my take on the initial episodes of queen of tears: so, um. hyunwoo’s reaction to haein dying. a lot of people were immediately put off by it and dropped the drama, calling him an asshole. i wouldn’t say the reaction wasn’t a little uncomfortable to watch as a viewer, but that’s only the case if you’ve never put yourself in the shoes of someone suffering immensely from a dysfunctional relationship.

the lack of overt affection was destroying him because his wife is so closed off and would rather care for him in a way that is impossible to be acknowledged by him, she humiliated him in front of his employees and he had to respond w “yes, ma’am” despite not agreeing w her bc she’s his boss, she didn’t stand up for him vocally when her family was berating him to no end, plus the family made him do their household chores against his will. he had to walk on eggshells around them, especially his wife.

it was so bad that there were multiple scenes where his hands were clenched together, trembling. he went to therapy and got strong anxiety meds prescribed in return. this abysmal marriage was crippling him emotionally and mentally (it’s safe to say haein put him through emotional abuse, even if she didn’t intend to affect him that way)

his initial plan was to divorce haein because he couldn’t take it any longer, even if it meant his multimillionaire father-in-law was going to stab him in the back (figure of speech). in fact, he preferred being stabbed over having to face the vengeance of the hong family.

the “window fantasy” isn’t fictional. there are multiple women, unwillingly dependent on their narcissistic husbands (not only bc they can’t go anywhere since their working opportunities have been sabotaged but also bc a bad rep will follow them if they leave or don’t yield to their husbands; tldr: there are consequences to leaving), that have wanted to be widowed at some point bc they couldn’t bear the trauma of the marriage. growing up in a south asian society, i know a thing or two about being stuck in traumatic marriages and the only way being out is if your partner somehow dies.

no one would invalidate an abuse victim if they wanted their abuser to die. so, are these women any different just bc they agreed to the marriage when their partner swore to carry out their commitment? only to find out none of their needs are being met and they’re stuck? are they not being abused?

so, people, to an extent, DO justify it when women want their toxic husbands to die because of terrible life situations.

now, back to QoT. i saw someone on twitter say that if the roles were reversed i.e if haein was the one who was wishing for hyunwoo to die, they’d be okay with it bc “yess go get revenge on your toxic husband and free yourself girl” bc misogyny is a systematic thing. it’s not easy to escape abusive husbands in our society especially when they hold power over their partner.

so, for the opposite to happen i.e the husband wanting his wife to die just looks “bad.”

however, queen of tears is a show where it is blatantly obvious that the gender roles are reversed. something that even my younger brother pointed out seamlessly. the hong “queens” family think they’re progressive for making their sons-in-law do their chores for them (something they did not sign up for). this is how many daughters-in-law are treated in modern society. the only reason “misandry” feels more real in the show, in terms of the hong family, is bc the women of this family certainly hold more power over the sons-in-law because of CLASS. haein is a multimillionaire’s daughter while hyunwoo is a villager’s son. they could easily take revenge on his family in irreparable ways. class distinction exists, power exists, abuse exists.

with all that in mind, hyunwoo might as well have been going through the “widow fantasy” where if he left his wife willingly, he’d have to suffer and if he chose to stay, he’d still need to suffer. the only way out was haein not being in his life anymore without him having to do anything.

it sounds cruel but it’s obvious he was pushed to the edge. he wanted to escape the trauma and it should also be noted that by then, he was completely out of love with haein (he told his therapist that he despised his wife the most). how much can you sympathize w someone you can’t even look at without feeling small?

so, in that period, he must’ve went through an overwhelming amount of emotions while he was on survival mode, not allowing him to think straight, or even consider what he had w haein in the past bc much of that was long gone. furthermore, i don’t think he would’ve been that obsessed w the will revision if yanggi didn’t motivate him to think that way, with the intentions of getting compensation for their poor excuse of a marriage.

so yeah, i wouldn’t say he was being a good husband to her initially. but rather, he was being selfish… by looking out for himself for once. he’s always had to clean up the hong family’s mess, looking after their reputation, never getting peace of his own.

then again, it takes two to tango and the marriage failed bc of both hyunwoo and haein’s lack of efforts. but i would say it was more complicated for hyunwoo bc haein always kept him guessing (and she was indecisive as well; the wedding anniversary issue) and he’s grown up in a pretty communicative family, so not taking his partner’s words at face value isn’t something he’s used to. he felt the most unloved.

so, personally, it was hard for me to sympathize with haein until a few more episodes into the show (this is coming from someone who relates to haein a lot, kind of opened up room for a lot of self reflection). she was a bad wife to the point her partner wanted to die. can’t say if the feeling was mutual on her part. haein herself admitted that she was a terrible partner, understanding why he did what he did, despite it being heartbreaking.

another thing i’ve noticed people say is that hyunwoo was pretending to be the good guy and hiding behind his “kind” actions but you could tell his actions became more genuine and he started to catch feelings again, albeit he was in denial at the beginning. when the divorce agreement papers leaked, he told her the honest truth without coming up w excuses, acknowledging that this whole ordeal hurt haein more than it hurt him. he didn’t take advantage of her memory loss (the rain scene w the cat “aeong”) to cut himself some slack and to make sure haein wouldn’t immediately be plotting against him.

he wasn’t hiding behind his actions or claiming to be a good guy. he was owning up.

he started to care, felt guilty (hotel scene in germany) and realized why and how their relationship failed, worked towards making it better. i think he would’ve been honest and told haein abt the divorce himself anyway but learning about it from her mother kind of broke the trust haein had on him.

anyway, i never thought i’d be on tumblr defending a man who was happy at the news of his wife dying but here we are.

[fbfh]

Tristin Dugray lore hcs

wc: 1k

warnings: mentions of broken/dysfunctional families, tristin's siblings both have drug problems, mentions of sexism and abortion (v briefly), mentions of cheating (also v briefly), tristin is not super close with his siblings, brief mention of DUIs (not tristin), I think that's it??

summary: lore on Tristin's family whipped up in my little plastic play kitchen by yours truly lol

a/n: I MISS HIM!!!! I SAW SOME GIFS THAT MADE ME SALIVATE!!!!! also!! in case it wasn't obvious the Dugray family is based on the real life Dupont family, just like how the Huntzbergers are based on the Sulzbergers

song recs: family jewels - Marina (ouch!), be here - palaye royale, everything is romantic - charli xcx

The Dugray family have made their fortune as far back as the American revolution, starting with immigrating to America and manufacturing gunpowder for the American soldiers

This eventually led to the Dugray family owning one of the largest and most established chemical manufacturing corporations in America, DuGray

They invented a number of household names like pyrex, teflon, styrofoam, and even superglue, and also make ppe for people who work with or around chemicals

A while back, they also acquired two bank chains on the east coast, one of which is for east coast businesses, and the other is expanding slowly across america. 

The Dugray family’s net worth is roughly 18.6 billion. I know. 

Also, the Huntzberger family’s net worth is roughly 21.7 billion. I know.

Tristin mentions at one point that he has a “matching set” of baggage with Paris, and we know Paris’s parents are not at all close to her, or each other

We also know that her father is the head of a pharmaceutical company, and when her parents divorced it was in the newspaper

So yikes!

Anyway the only family mentioned by name is Janlon Dugrey, his paternal grandfather (I’m assuming if Janlon was his mom’s dad he would have a different last name yk)

So OBVIOUSLY I had to flesh things out a little 

Looking at this family tree I made a while ago, Tristin has two older siblings: his oldest brother Royce, and his older sister and middle sibling Sutton

They’re both a bit older than Tristin, since his mom is their dad’s second wife

Truett DuGrey married Helena Holshire and had Royce, then Sutton

They divorced when Royce was around 7 and Sutton was almost 5 because Helena suspected Truett of cheating, and Truett suspected Helena of being a gold digger

Both were true

A couple years later, Truett is introduced to Blythe Ross while working on publicity for the banks his family as acquired 

Blythe and Truett didn’t necessarily get along, but she could handle him better than most other women he’s met 

They were actually introduced through Mitchum Huntzberger and his wife Shira, because Shira and Blythe are sisters

Surprise!

So Blythe gets pregnant and Truett can feel another Helena gold digger situation coming

That’s when Blythe tells him she can’t go to his work event because she has to go to a clinic

Truett stops in his tracks and realizes three things at the same time

Blythe is not in fact using a pregnancy to try and get access to his money

He loves his son Royce as much as he’s able to, but he’s already becoming apathetic and Truett can’t pass over the family business to someone with no drive or ambition

Royce is 10 by the way

Lastly, he realizes that this might actually be beneficial to him

So he convinces Blythe not to get an abortion and to elope instead

Once she gets her body back after the baby they’ll stage some wedding photos and claim it was from a little over a year ago so no one knows he had the baby out of wedlock

When she’s 18 weeks along, he schedules a private ultrasound to find out the baby’s gender

He tells her that if it’s a boy, everything will be fine

If it’s a girl, he’ll serve her annulment papers and nice fat alimony and child support checks to keep both of them out of his life

Blythe isn’t sure if she’s relieved or not when the doctors announce they’re going to be having a healthy baby boy, but Truett sure is

So he grows up watching his burnt out older brother and back bone of the family older sister navigate middle school and high school when he’s barely starting kindergarten

They don’t have any harsh feelings toward Tristin

Not really

They were just never that close yk

It’s like the pilot of umbrella academy, “we only see each other at weddings and funerals”

Except really, they only see each other when Truett forces them into whatever is going on with the family business, or to bail each other out of trouble

Royce is just waiting for his trust fund to kick in so he can fuck off and smoke weed in peace

Sutton is desperately trying to keep her image and life together while hiding her nicotine dependency and steadily growing pill problem from the public eye

And Tristin just wants to fucking feel something

His mom has been in and out of “med spas” and “wellness retreats” for so long he wouldn’t be surprised if she didn’t recognize him, and the only time he and his dad talk is when he’s making charges go away

Sutton is engaged to this guy Clint

And he’s fine or whatever, Tristin hasn’t really talked to him much before

But he’s keeping his ear to the ground to make sure he treats his sister right

Sure Sutton can be condescending and a total control freak and act more like a mom than his actual mom

But she’s still his sister

So Sutton’s been off planning this huge wedding and trying to start some lifestyle brand for luxury dog beds and organic phone cases or something

Royce barely managed to keep his latest DUI for driving stoned under wraps but Truett still found out and sent him off to rehab

So Tristin starts high school at Chilton feeling almost lonelier than ever

Tristin aches for consistency, for stability

Thanks to Duncan and Bowman he sort of has that

And people like Paris that he’s literally been in school with since he can remember

It’s not that they’re particularly close, but he just likes that she’s always around when he’s going to and from class

There’s a few other people like that too, loose acquaintances that haven’t dropped out or transferred

They make him feel like even if everything else has gone to shit, he still has his winning personality

And he still has Chilton

[wonderlandleighleigh]

A follow up to this

Gordon Ford is not a man who is used to rejection. Not only is he charming and funny and handsome, but he is Gordon fucking Ford, dammit. Women love him. Women are impressed by him; want to be with him.

But, apparently, not Midge Maisel.

He drinks his drink distractedly as he watches her from across the bar, laughing at something Lenny Bruce is saying, her hand resting on his chest comfortably as she cracks up, and he looks...

He doesn’t even look smug. He just looks delighted. Smitten with this beautiful women.

Ugh. They’re in love.

“Look at them,” Gordon grumbles to Mike. “They look so...happy together.”

“Who?” Mike asks, looking confused, before following his boss’s sight line. “Oh. So?”

“What do you mean so? She’s supposed to be free-wheeling! Unattached!” Gordon complains. “Available!”

Mike frowns deeply. “Uh...”

Gordon huffs. “I’m going over there.”

“Why?”

“Because- because!”

“...Sure.”

*****

Lenny loves making Midge laugh, ad he has to admit that he’s missed it since he’s been away.

He misses her.

It’s so good to spend time with her like this. Even if it’s brief; even if he has to leave again in two days.

This feels...

Good.

Right.

He turns to order them another round of drinks from the bartender and when he turns back around, Gordon as standing there with Midge, a little too close.

“Seems like the party is over here tonight,” Gordon smiles.

“No, no party,” Midge tells him coolly. “We were just chatting.”

“What about?” Gordon presses.

Lenny hands Midge her fresh martini. “Apparently Midge’s father told her son about some of the horrifying events in human history to assure him he could sleep in his own bed instead of Midge’s.”

Midge laughs again and shakes her head. “I love Papa, but he is so fucking terrible with children sometimes. I have no business being as functional as I am.”

“Well, you’re not that functional,” Gordon tries to joke.

Lenny blinks as he sips his own drink. “Her dysfunction is your gain, you know.”

“She’s only had two jokes on the show,” Gordon points out, starting to look out of his depth.

Lenny just smirks and sips his drink. “That says more about you than it does about her, Gordo.”

Midge grins a little to herself as she sips her drink.

“You know what I think we need?” Lenny asks her, leaning in, officially ignoring Gordon now.

“What’s that?” Midge asks.

“Coffee,” he tells her. “Good coffee. And very good pie.”

“I think you might be right,” Midge nods sagely. “Good coffee and very good pie really sound like something we desperately need right now.”

“You makin it?” Gordon asks, obviously trying to be funny.

“He’s starting to sound like my ex,” Midge comments to Lenny.

Lenny grins behind his hand. “Didn’t your ex bomb on stage so hard he left you?”

She nods. “Yes, he did. Coffee? Pie?”

“Cafe Reggio?” Lenny offers. “They got that pecan pie.”

Midge sets her glass down and takes his arm. “Lead on.”

Lenny pats the hand that’s resting on his elbow affectionately and grins at Gordon. “G’night, Gordon.”

“See you tomorrow, Boss,” Midge smiles happily.

They head for the door, and he glances down at her, grinning widely. “How good did it feel to leave that guy in the dust?”

“So good,” Midge confirms. “Especially since I got to do it with you.”

He leans in and kisses her temple affectionately, and he works on getting them a cab to the Village.

[bitterrobin]

using this site as a notes board to shop around my Bette Kane-Battle for the Cowl AU which I will now be lovingly regarding as the “Flamebird&Not-Robin in: the dangers of dead fathers, two (2) different spy organizations run by our evil-except-not-really-mothers, and somehow everything always is either a Wayne or a Kanes fault.”

Starting off this au with a general list of the characters in it and their roles as of Battle for the Cowl:

(((Edit: I changed the format to make this easier to read)))

Bette Kane - Flamebird

I’m throwing around the idea of her being a forensic scientist/or a pro-athlete

I hc her as being the same age as Dick i.e around 26

she’s back in Gotham bc Bruce died, stays in Gotham bc she sees the absolute mess it’s in & decides to help

even if it’s dubious if anyone really wants/needs her there

still an established LA hero with a public reputation so she’s not totally unknown to Gotham

finds Damian basically homeless in Gotham/breaking into places to stay and offers to take him in

he only accepts bc he knows she’s a Kane/related to his father

correctly regards Damian as an abused child / but doesn’t have the prior extensive knowledge or experience with the League to cloud her judgement on Talia or Damian (they’re equally both victims in her eyes)

while she is leagues more adjusted emotionally than the other Bats (she almost never interacts with Bruce outside of her childhood) - she’s still a lil traumatized and unhealthily copes regarding her parental situation and Kathy Kane

also has a little bit of trauma-related amnesia with a certain section of her childhood (that will come into play)

She does remember being Batgirl vaguely, very vaguely

Damian al Ghul-Wayne - not Robin in this au

at least not yet

he goes out on his own without a definite vigilante identity until later developments

came to Gotham to see Bruce after leaving Talia

Bruce is “dead” so Damian decides to wander Gotham on his own before Bette discovers him

tentatively stays with Bette bc they are related and he needs shelter

is secretly still insecure about Bruce (bc of how they last interacted) ((Batman#655-657)) /and whether or not Dick would have accepted him, as they haven't met before this au (Resurrection of Ras al Ghul is heavily altered)

tolerates Bette, Tom, and Rory’s friendly affection but will not hesitate to leave in the early months

is struggling with his place in the world bc Bruce is gone, Dick doesn’t know who he is, and Tim still hates him. So he’s not on the best terms with the main Bats.

Tom Bronson - Wildcat (the third)

If you don’t know who he is (I think only JSA fans know if his existence), he’s the third-ish Wildcat of the 2007 Justice Society, the estranged son of Ted Grant, following the long-ago death of Yolanda Montez and way-longer ago death of Jake Grant.

And yes, he is the one that transforms into an anthropomorphic black jaguar (he got it from his mom)

Ted will make an appearance and somehow I WILL bring Yolanda back from the dead/maybe even Jake too

Tom goes to Gotham to help his dad with the city shenanigans of BfTC

jury’s still out on whether I’m making him a love interest for Bette (my brain will make crack ships of the most random characters, don’t mind it)

decides to stay in Gotham even after his dad leaves bc the Bats really are stretched thin (in his opinion) (he’s used to the large size and scope of the JSA)

becomes a brother figure for Damian

accepts him as a annoying little brother in the sense of someone taking care of a stray kitten that bites your hand

lacks literally all experience with anything Batman related before going to Gotham / so he has Opinions about the family

is constantly anxious about Gotham (he is from Brooklyn) (someone pls tell him how this dysfunctional group of people manages to do anything at any point in time in This Fucking City)

a non-Bat POV into the insanity of Bat-events happening

what’s the League of Assassins? or Leviathan? Or Spyral? Or a Red Hood? Fuck if he knows

In my mind, Grant Emerson never died (he is happy and thriving OK) (fuck u Blackest Night) (he will make an appearance) (alongside Maxine)

Rory Regan - Ragman

our favorite underrated Jewish hero

originally from Gotham, I’m surprised he isn’t used more

for those not in the know : Ragman is a magical/mythical Jewish hero consisting of a costume made of rags which contain the countless souls of sinners who will eventually gain redemption within the rags if they help the current Ragman

Rory can use their strength, minds, and skills to help him as Ragman

Ragman (the suit) was canonically created to protect the Jewish population of Europe around the 1500s after the Golem of Prague was also made

Bruce makes an appearance in his 90s series actually / and Rory makes a cameo in a couple issues of O’Neil Batman

I’m planning on making him a more homegrown hero who tends to the homeless/poor/criminals that the Bats don’t get to- the whole “Tatterdemalion of the Justice” thing

is here bc we need another non-Bat pov of Gotham (he’s way more familiar with Gotham than Tom)

and I also like Gotham being more diverse in terms of vigilantes

bonus mentor for both Bette and Damian

he likes Bette bc shes 1. Jewish 2. a lighter hero than the other Bats 3. is a little easier to communicate with

he knows Damian is struggling and tries to support him in any way he can (as Rory also has daily struggles about his own morality bc of the Ragman suit/entity)

has been in Ragman in Gotham for about as long as Bruce has been Batman / he has seen some shit

The Ragman suit canonically slows the aging of the user, so Rory is older than he looks

he only just now started working with Oracle bc he understands the need for a semi-formal organization of Gotham heroes (he does appear in BfTC: The Network)

Kathy Webb-Kane - Agent 0/Headmistress

The leader of Spyral

not a child of a n*zi/ Otto Netz does not exist in this AU

still the first Batwoman

not romantically involved with Bruce bc ew

formerly married to Nathan Kane - the oldest Kane sibling of the little dynasty (Martha’s older brother)

after he died, she inherited what fortune he had that wasn’t taken by the Kanes

formerly Bette’s legal guardian/adopted mom after her dad died when she was 9

yes there will be mommy issues/familial conflict bc Spyral is an antagonist

conflicted about Bette bc she does still care for her, but she has a mission that she was committed too long before Bette was even born

clearly remembers being Batwoman

Spyral is still a spy organization connected to St. Hadrian’s Finishing School

currently targeting Talia/Leviathan, Damian, and Jason

also begins targeting Bette after she starts investigating in search of Kathy

Talia - Head of Leviathan

okay so. Resurrection of Ras al Ghul happens, but not the same way. Talia tries to go against Dusan on her own with Damian after learning of the body snatching plot

Inevitably, Ras comes back. He manipulates Talia and Damian into staying for a little longer. Things do not work out, and Talia deliberately sends Damian to Gotham bc Bruce isn’t dead (yet).

Bruce dies, and Talia loses hope in trusting any of the Bats to help her and Damian (she and Dick never got along, her relationship with Jason is strained)

So she creates Leviathan as a way to combat her father

BUT it’s not the same organization at all. It’s more of a spy organization with the direct purpose of taking down Ras/implementing a better version of his ecological agenda without as much murder and bloodshed.

Leviathan also is technically against Batman bc obviously Talia has never aligned completely with Bruce either. But she doesn’t purposefully try to kill him or Damian.

She’s a very conflicted character here, and she’ll show up in person to see Damian and learn of his status. As a mom, not a villain.

She’ll have a bigger part later on as Leviathan comes into conflict with Spyral.

Wants to take Damian back but is terrified that she’s not a good mother, that’s she’ll only make her precious son worse, and that Ras will just take something else from her permanently again (familial trauma x2)

So she flip-flops between helping Damian and trying to stop him from being a vigilante out of fear for his safety - which Damian detests (mommy issues 2: electric boogaloo)

Leviathan becomes a target for Spyral after it starts gaining followers that aren’t former League traitors and gains a wider influence among the eco-conscious and those who genuinely want Ras al Ghul gone forever

Dick - Nightwing/Batman

basically the same as og Battle for the Cowl

he becomes Batman and struggles under the mantle

doesn’t take in Damian so Tim stays Robin and in Gotham longer

he doesn't meet Damian until after Bette starts taking care of the kid so they don't have the same connection as in canon

he slowly becomes endeared to Damian the more they interact as the plot goes forward

while he’s still dismissive of Bette at the beginning, he’s forced to trust her when it comes to Damian and Spyral

He comes very close to like seventy mental breakdowns over the whole story

Tim - Robin

stays Robin bc Damian doesn’t need the role when he gets to Gotham

so no, there isn’t any conflict regarding the mantle until way later, and by the time Damian becomes Robin - Tim is already Red Robin

Bc Tim is Robin, he stays in Gotham for a while after Dick becomes Batman

that doesn’t mean there isn’t any tension bc there’s still the whole “Bruce isn’t dead” thing

Unlike canon though, Tim has words and can communicate before he leaves so Dick actually knows that Tim has at least a barebones theory of what happened to Bruce (doesn’t mean that Dick fully completely believes him and he’s still grieving so he doesn’t want anything dangerous to happen to Tim)

(this also means that the zombie Batman thing doesn’t happen)

Tim still leaves on his League pilgrimage and becomes Red Robin out of necessity

He still pushes people away, and he still is an asshole to Stephanie

Ras is very clearly manipulating him out of his own goals to strengthen the League and act against Leviathan

When he comes back to Gotham, Tim fights with Damian over the issue of Talia and Leviathan (bc he sees it as another fully evil organization, slight bias put into him by Ras)

Stephanie - Batgirl

the same as the comics

technically more on Barbara’s side than Dicks after BfTC

still a sister figure for Damian

will eventually meet with Bette bc it’s a crime that they never know each other in canon

is carving out her own legacy and path as a hero and Batgirl

still dealing with insecurity over Bruce

Cassandra - not Batgirl or Black Bat

will eventually become Batman

doesn’t show up until after the initial Battle for the Cowl

becomes Batman entirely on her own (for a bit there’s like three Batmen running around)

exclusively works with Oracle and Steph, comes to work together with Dick

doesn’t interact as much with Bette or Damian until they cross paths investigating Leviathan

Barbara - Oracle

still the same

does not interact as much with Dick&Tim bc she’s still running the Birds of Prey on top of training Steph

will interact with Kathy and Bette eventually bc I need the Batgirl interactions

Jason - Red Hood

is Batman briefly during BfTC

still takes in Scarlet as a pseudo-child

he won’t play a big part in the Bette/Damian part of the story

will eventually become a target for Spyral bc Red Hood is a crime boss with some wide connections

Bruce - dead (lol)

still time traveling and everything

tim will still investigate

the omega sanction/Barbatos hullaboo still happens

[stardustdiiving]

I would read your zhongxiao codependent yuri Like, I do generally picture them as a vaguely father/son dynamic BUT THAT IS NOT CANON. It's just as much fun to view them through a romantic interpretation! Idk why people can't view the same characters in different kinds of relationships without being weird about it.

Anyway I love your vision and would love to hear more about it lakdjs

THANK U SO MUCH Im not sure if I’m gonna write zx in the future since I’ve tended to be shy about posting my stuff relating to them for over a yr now, but I did post this fic with them last year while trying to get a hold on how to write them (mind the tags it’s pure angst omg). I was too shy to tag it as ship since it didn’t feel shippy enough, which is kind of funny to me in hindsight bc I reread it and am like. Man I think only a zx shipper would write this NUFNVJVJV

Post got kind of lot Im gonna go on a tangent about them under the cut

Honestly my theory for why ppl r very set on the father/son interpretation is everyone’s immediate thought on to how to make the power imbalance between them seem less uncomfortable is to apply a parental interpretation to it. Which is fine ofc, I get it, but the way ppl push it as canon a lot kind of grates on me a little bc they’re usually incredibly passive aggressive and pushy even if u clearly designate ur post as ship OTL

Also not really a fan of the characterizations either since ppl tend to treat Xiao like a moody teenager Zhongli has to reel in (this is hilariously reminiscent of the post I made about how ppl handle scaramouche and nahida a bit ago haha). And idk I just feel kind of polarized about the headcanon overall bc I associate it with people being really uncomfortable and frustrating about zx

I just like how there’s sort of an imbalance to them, some zxs like them being more fluffy and functional but I sort of like it where it’s not like, entirely dysfunctional but I’m prioritizing a specific kind of character study over romance. This tends to be how a lot of my ships go ngl I just sometimes enjoy the intensity/intimacy of romantic feelings thrown into the mix if it makes it interesting but I’m not often interested in a lot of my ships following more standard romance plots(?) I guess? Unless it’s specific ones. Which sounds clinical when I put it like that but this is just bc I am very aromantic NHFBVJVJ

When I say codependency in zhongxiao honestly it’s sort of a theoretical(?) codependency—not sure how to word it? I think Xiao would be really fucked up if he didn’t have Zhongli in his life suddenly but I don’t think his relationship with getting attached to people invokes what people would majorly think of when they think of codependency in a ship I suppose. It’s moreso I just feel Xiao could be at his worst with dehumanizing himself in comparison to other people with Zhongli, because said mental state is driven by how he feels about debt, service, and duty which are very closely tied with devotion and how he would feel about someone he considers his god and leader, as well as someone who saved him

It’s fun this is paired with Zhongli who generally knows how to work with Xiao kind of understands the self destructive depth Xiao’s loyalty/devotion comes with. Also fun they have been around each other for a very long time and Xiao as one of the adepti is familiar with the past I think Zhongli appreciates having around. They work but it’s also a case where Zhongli is in such a position of power over Xiao its kind of very delicate situation that’s hard for both of them to navigate. Which is fun to explore. I esp love contrasting it with other Xiao pairings (actually i think i still have that xiaoven fic up on my ao3 where I tried to convey a specific interpretation of them in a similar exploration vein too)

I totally get why people wouldn’t like it (I feel a lot of my opinions on xiao ships just clash with a lot of fandom consensus so bad all the time And it’s just bc I’m like this I’m not even trying to be contrarian or anything. HELDINCJD) but I just tend to handle shipping in a specific way. It’s not I don’t enjoy fluffy or lighthearted zl and xiao stuff I actually enjoy it a lot I just like there being layers. This makes it feel more impactful when I think about how Zhongli looks out for Xiao in canon or how Xiao gets like textually flustered talking to him (lantern rite 2023 was so tailored to my tastes it’s not even funny)

[cor-ardens-archive]

Dean/John Sam/John AND Sam/Dean incest triple threat let's GO

straight off the bat i can say i've never been able to even visualize sam/john, it's so weird to me! nothing against people who like it, i just don't see that fitting their relationship or the characters, whereas i do see dean/john as something that fits seamlessly with canon.

spn really evokes incest constantly, because the show is -- well, it's gothic, a kind of americana gothic. even without necessarily making it text, the terrors in spn involve dysfunctional families, child abuse, transgressive relationships, blurred boundaries, domestic horror, etc. dean/john is actually brought up textually more than once, though in offhanded and easily dismissible ways. (dismissible if you're not inclined to engage with it, but inescapable if you're inclined to see it.)

it's like. if you assume dean and john engaged in an incestuous relationship nothing about canon needs to change. in fact, it explains a lot about dean's character. he was groomed, that's already a fact, and i find it impossible, personally, to not connect it to incest. the way dean was made to fulfill a role of caretaker, not just taking care of sam but also taking care of john; his unwavering loyalty and obedience; his adoration of john and then his bitterness and acknowledgement that john was a terrible father who hurt him in irreparable ways; the fact that, despite knowing this, he'll always love his father; the way his position within the family has prevented him from "being with a woman"; how hell is still about john, always ("daddy's little girl, he broke") etc. etc. i love it. it's one of my favorite relationships of all time, and it's essential to my understanding of dean as a character, and how i feel about him. it’s the appeal of john as a character as well, his endless contradictions, how he behaves around his sons. he’s the demonic father-lover.

sam/dean is essential to me as well, in ways that are connected to dean/john. in a motherless household with a neglectful, abusive (and yet sometimes loving) father, the children don’t develop healthy boundaries, and that’s part of survival too. i think that aspect of it is sad (that their intimacy and mutual devotion are a response to childhood abuse and neglect) -- but it’s also beautiful that they could find that kind of love in those circumstances. and yet it’s not entirely idealized -- there’s intimacy between them, but there’s also a gap, a distance that makes their dynamic more compelling. they know each other better than anyone else, which gives them both the capacity to hurt the other more deeply than others could; and yet there always parts of themselves that they conceal from each other or which the other can’t entirely comprehend. that’s part of what makes their relationship so fascinating.

these are just some aspects of sam/dean that i like, but there are so many others, and anyway there’s so many people talking about them and analyzing their relationship much better than i could! but i love them, they’re so fucked up. they’re cathy/heathclif for the cw.

[fictionaladoptionpolls]

Damian Desmond

Age: 6

Home: Berlint (Spy×Family)

Likes: Football, cartoons, Stella Stars, Anya

Dislikes: Worms, peppers, the national language, Anya

Stella Stars: 2

Second son of warmongering former prime minister Donovan Desmond, Damian is as arrogant, ambitious, and quick to anger as you would expect from that pedigree. (And being six years old.) He bosses his classmates around when given half a chance, bullies the one girl who consistently ignores him, and sometimes he’ll yell at other kids even when they’re trying to be nice.

All of which is a little more understandable when you look at his family. His father is cold, distant, and busy; we see even less of his big brother; and while it’s not 100% clear what his mom’s deal is, she is both reluctant to show affection to Damian and clear evidence that the Desmond household is even more dysfunctional than we realized.

Also, he’s six. (Not all anime kids can be pure cinnamon rolls.) If you want a nice, well-behaved kid, there are plenty of better options. But if you want an affection-starved kid to love, he’s a solid pick.

What does Tumblr have to say about Damian?

I’d like to express how cute Damian’s crush on Anya is. It’s adorable. One of the cutest things I’ve seen in my life. Ok bye now, just wanted to say that

I hope the Desmonds can heal too, especially Damian. The poor little boy started school thinking he’s Important as a Desmond but by now he’s been disabused of that idea. He carries his last name and his own desire to emulate his ‘war hero’ father as burdens. And he’s 6. No child should be crushed under all that weight.

I love watching Damian be a little fuckin brat and Anya reflecting all that right back at him in her own special way. MWAH

[house-of-mirrors]

I’ve finished the long awaited bio post for the third of my player characters, Miles! I’ve mentioned them before, my horrible son, spaghetti noodle of a human being, character with which I make evil choices to see text. You may send a calling card to The Remorseful Apprentice, or you may find the old profile of The Avid Occultist. Here is the Picrew link

Why do I have two versions of the same character? Short answer, I missed them too much after knocking so here we are.

Quick facts:

·      Miles symbolizes the corruption of high society in the Victorian Era. They were born into a wealthy family and grew up with entitlement and imperialistic views in what I’ve heard my grandfather call “the age of arrogance.” The world is theirs, and it’s their right to have whatever they want. Given the choice between pursuit of power and anything else, they will always choose power. External corruption with the red science and seeking reflects internal and generational corruption.

·      “No shame, no spine, no self-awareness”

·      If asked to choose a gender option on a form, they would circle all of them. They’re not too particular with pronouns and sometimes use he/him, but I most often use they/them for Miles. Distinctly a femme presentation. Miles and Orsinio are mtf/ftm hostility.

·      They are somewhere on the autism spectrum; it manifests as touch aversion and a difficulty in making real friends despite being a social butterfly. Touch aversion somewhat plays into them being aromantic, but they genuinely have no interest in it. Miles gets the badge of being my one allosexual OC.

·      Miles greatly struggles with mental health, much of which comes from family trauma, and being in the Neath makes that a ticking time bomb. If they had therapy and antidepressants, the whole tragedy could have been averted. TW ahead for darker discussion of mental illness, SMEN typical self-harm.

Now, I can’t explain why Miles is a villain without explaining how their actions affect the rest of the plot, so this “bio” is more of a whole summary of a narrative arc. Under the cut became more or less a mini fic, so FYI that it is longer than usual for my character posts. Also includes some mentions of my friend's characters. For someone who complains about SMEN so much, I sure did base a significant chunk of my OC stories around it, didn’t I? Tragic. (The themes of temptation lured me in, and when I realized how much I didn’t like it, I was already too committed to the story, alas.)

You may wonder as you read, “Hey, why does Miles’ story include so much about Orsinio?” Well, Miles thinks they’re a main character, but they’re actually a side character. You may also wonder, how does having two versions of the same character with wildly conflicting ambitions work in the timeline? No single thing shall be a single thing. Major spoilers ahead for SMEN (including vague detail about the hate ending) and the discordance, as well as all ambitions.

Early Story

·      The Lovelace family made its fortune in the textiles industry. Incredibly dysfunctional with the detached parenting typical of the time within the leisure class. Neither of their parents is great, but Miles mostly has daddy issues:tm:. There are also large age gaps between the children; Miles is the second youngest and only close to their younger sister, Marguerite

·      Negative attention is still attention which leads to Miles getting involved in multiple scandals. It also isn’t a good look for Miles to not yet be married or engaged, which they’re really uncomfortable with, being aromantic. The final straw is a gambling debt, after which their father, Julian, disowns them until they make something respectable of themself

·      Miles has heard rumors about the Neath and decides to go to try to make their fortune. Before leaving, Marguerite gives them her necklace and asks them to be safe for her

·      Soon after arriving, Miles learns about the Marvellous. They need a path to attain their own fortune and power, and this is a promised road to rising the ranks. They say they’re doing this to prove themself, but really, they’re only throwing themself into their vices. I follow the interpretation that Heart’s Desire is a metaphor for addiction.

·      At a bohemian event, Miles meets a Professor. Orsinio tries to be mentoring to a new arrival, but Miles is prickly and pro-monarchy and they part bitterly, though Miles does become close to their mutual friend, Elliot

Seven is the Number

·      As Miles progresses through the Marvellous, they begin to hear a voice in their head telling them they can have much more power than the Masters can offer. The voice comes with troubling dreams and lapses in memory. When they wake up covered in blood in the bushes outside a salon, Elliot tells them to talk to Orsinio

·      Orsinio isn’t too happy to see them, but is very willing to help. He was at Avid Horizon during Nemesis and knows what it’s like to feel that pull. (He claims he no longer feels it.) Miles is briefly his student in the lab and generally is very poor at it, refusing to listen and not doing much of anything. Eventually, they leave when they realize they can’t gain anything they want here. Orsinio is irked and genuinely wanted to help, but he can’t force anyone to do anything.

·      Miles’ condition continues to worsen, plagued by compulsions to eat strange things and nightmares of knives and drowning. They wonder, can you really get hurt in a dream, and can it scar in real life? They are genuinely scared, but they’ve never learned how to ask for help. They confide their worries in a letter to Elliot on a drunk evening, at their wit’s end with exhaustion.

·      Their own family didn’t want them, but this voice does. They feel like it’s wrong to accept the voice, and they’ve been told not to by their friends, but if they give into it, they can finally sleep.

·      No one hears from Miles for some time after this. They go off the grid with weeping scars, memories of chains, and stains on the soul. One could make the argument that Miles, the real Miles, is dead after the first time they stab themself (second weeping scar). I as the player was not invested in SMEN and therefore Miles wasn’t either; it functions primarily as a MacGuffin.

·      The person who returns to society is very much not like Miles used to be. This person is even more charismatic and does much more physical contact, compelling enough to entrap people for St Arthur’s Candle. They adopt a seemingly carefree attitude, why worry when all shall be well?

·      Miles becomes a silverer, inspired by interpreting their strange dreams and promised power from the fingerkings. They use these dream interpretations to amass a small cult following of fellow seekers.

Miles, you could have just Asked him to Dinner

·      At a working lunch with an affectionate devil, Orsinio is told what Miles did to their soul. He rushes home to pen an urgent warning to his friends, but finds Miles inside, waiting for him in his study chair. Miles speaks highly of his work, apologizing for not appreciating it properly when they were a student. They come interested in his unpublished work. He’s one of the few who has seen the Avid Horizon. Won’t he tell them more? Orsinio firmly denies Miles, but they leave with the self-confidence this isn’t the end of it. Once they’re gone, he walks outside right back to the affectionate devil and makes a deal for his soul. If he doesn’t have it, he can’t give into temptation to seek. Orsinio has finished railway at this point and tried to convince himself he was okay, that he was past this, but he isn’t.

·      Miles progresses through candles B through E without much fanfare. At the Carnival at Midnight, they claim to be seeking for love, a love they never got from their family, or a love for their enemy, the Professor.

Poor Choices are Made in HD

·      The end of the Marvellous rolls around. Miles makes as many scummy decisions as possible, choosing not to help the topsy king, condemning the cardsharp monkey, though they do hesitate, just for a moment, with Beechwood’s chance. They say they’re playing the Marvellous for themself, but they know deep down they’re still having feelings about their father. This is a chance to give all of that up, make a new life for themself, heal from past trauma. But no, they came this far. They’re not giving it all up for a moment of emotional weakness.  

·      Miles becomes Mr Cards. Isn’t this what they wanted? The first time they meet with Mr Hearts for red science, they feel deep down they’ve made a terrible mistake. Being a Master doesn’t seem good at all. They need something else, but what is it? (Genuine connections with people?) They need to go North.

Clown on Clown Violence 

·      Miles comes to Orsinio yet again, asking him to join them in seeking. He’s so smart and he’s been marked by the northern wind, why won’t he? He can finally have revenge against all the Masters, against the system that enabled Cups to kill his brother. Orsinio refutes with compassion, telling Miles their sister wouldn’t want to lose them. Miles, the real Miles, almost breaks through, their sister ever a soft spot for them. They admit they’re afraid of what they’ve become and they don’t want her to see them like this. Orsinio extends another olive branch, telling Miles it isn’t too late to turn around. But Miles, as always, choses pursuit of grandeur

·      By this point, Miles has become truly obsessed with this enemy they can’t break, not only with the madness that comes of seeking but with possessive behavior that comes from becoming a Master. (Or, Miles, you could have apologized for being rude and asked him to dinner) When Orsinio still won’t bite, Miles threatens to target his friends/found family instead, both Elliot and Lucy.

·      What plays out is a long, regrettable, and, if we’re being honest, a bit pathetic struggle between Miles and Orsinio. Orsinio’s logic isn’t good logic, but it is logic. He thinks there’s no fate worse than going North, even death or injury, so tries poisoning Miles a few times to get them to stop one way or another. Miles isn’t offended but milks the incidents to make Orsinio appear like the villain and turn others against him. Mail fraud is a significant contributor to how things fall apart; Miles begins intercepting letters, isolating Orsinio and each of his friends from each other.

·      Meanwhile, Miles is getting closer to Elliot, claiming to be their only real friend left and trying to drag them into seeking. (Elliot finishes Light Fingers and gets a child to protect so that comes to a quick end, fortunately.)

·      Despite all that’s transpired, Orsinio keeps getting drawn back to Miles. He tells himself it’s determination to stop them for the greater good. What he doesn’t realize is that Miles already got inside his head with seeking which is the real reason he won’t let the topic go. There comes the darkest hour in which he nearly scars himself but is stopped by his student mentee. 

I Want that Twink Obliterated

·      Orsinio comes to realize he’s indulging the same reckless behavior he did during Nemesis that nearly sent him down the dark road of seeking at the time. He pens a letter to Lucy confessing all he’s kept to himself thus far. He reflects that recklessness can be a manifestation of addictive tendencies, then he remembers who he’s fighting, the Master of Gambling. He realizes how he’s been played a little bit too late.

·      Orsinio is strong-minded and normally wouldn’t have fallen for such manipulations, but he’s been worn down for a long time by Miles preying on his paranoia and guilt. Nightmares 7. He goes to pursue Miles one last time to put an end to this once and for all, but walks into a set-up. Miles drags their final confrontation to Parabola where they have an advantage as a silverer. Orsinio does not win and spends some time in the Royal Beth afterward.

·      Orsinio’s student manages to get word of the truth to his friends. Lucy puts Miles in their place through varying violent means and then goes to be with Orsinio. Both of them promise to each other to be better communicators. Lucretia also comes to the Neath during this time to help in the crisis, but more on her story later in her own bio.

NORTH

·      Elliot learns the truth of what Miles did and feels betrayed. Miles sends a final letter. They’re not sorry for what they did, nor are they sure why they did it. Elliot was the last thing they had left to lose, and this whole chess game ensured they would lose Elliot. Now, they’re prepared to go North. First, they must go South, but they will go North.

·      What Parabola and the fingerkings could offer wasn’t enough. Winning the Marvellous and getting the chance to become a Master wasn’t enough. Miles almost considered throwing their lot in with liberationists, so that after the revolution they could seize power in a vacuum, but they didn’t pursue that route. They’ll never be satisfied as long as there’s a higher station to rise to.

·      Miles is unable to live with what they’ve become. They cut off their hair for St Gawain’s Candle, and when they look in the mirror, they only imagine a photograph of Julian as a younger man. They reflect on all the horrific deeds they’ve done and all the people they hurt to get where they are now, and they realize they became just like their father. Beyond the gates is a place they’ll finally be free of him. (Who is the real villain of the story? Julian Lovelace is.)

·      Had they chosen any other ambition ending than power, they would not have gone North. The gravity of the decision hits them and they realize becoming Mr Cards would mean entirely losing their identity. They can’t let anyone see them like this. They don’t want this to be their eternity. They really messed up and see no way to fix it now

·      Miles muses that physical monstrous changes by the red science represent internal corruption, generations of abominable deeds done to stay in power manifest in the weeping scars on their skin. They didn’t fail to live up to their family legacy, they embody it better than anyone else. “Miles, you didn’t have to do any of that!” There are so many points at which a different choice could have made the story end another way, yet the story never could have ended any other way.

·      On the feast of Candlemas, 2 February, Miles goes North. At the gates, they hesitate one last time, thinking of their sister. But they can’t let her see what they’ve become. The sentiment is far too little, far too late. I interpret the knock as suicide

·      At the exact same moment that Miles knocks, Orsinio obtains a discordance stone.

·      Miles asked, “What is due?” I will be vague about the ending, but all I’ll say is that it was the only fitting end for the character trajectory they were on, and they got exactly what they wanted. A position above everyone else. Attention from the grandest.

The End... or Is It?

·      On the seventh day of the seventh month, someone returns from the North, picked up by a ship that was in Stormbones and spotted them by lucky chance.

·      Elliot reacts in disbelief and betrayal. Lucy reacts by killing Miles, repeatedly, for what they did to her loved ones.

·      Orsinio remains calm, because he realizes immediately what’s afoot. For Miles to be here, Nothing had to have happened, because if they weren’t here, then something would have happened. This is Miles, and this is Not Miles. He holds his dog Sugarplum while musing on this, wondering if he should not take Miles to the Anchoress for advice. He decides against it, for the time being.

·      This Miles spends some time adjusting back to life in the Neath, starting completely over again. They have lingering physical changes in sharp teeth and pointed ears, but otherwise has no connection or obligation to continue participating in the Masters’ experiments. They remain under the radar for a time to ensure it’s safe, but no one seems to even acknowledge them. They also have no marks from SMEN save one scar, the first scar, as a reminder.

·      Miles finally realizes the best way to spite Julian is to cut him out of their thoughts and live the life they want. Orsinio is proud of them for character growth, but couldn’t they have realized that sooner, without seeking?  Miles adopts the name Darlington instead, their mother’s maiden name.

·      Orsinio is ever patient but gets tired of Miles hanging around his lab all day and tells them to get something to do. They see posters at the Department of Menace Eradication for a big hunting prize. They always enjoyed hunting trips during visits to the family’s summer home on the Surface. Why not? (We all Look Away from R playing the same ambition with multiple characters. No single timeline shall be a single timeline.) Orsinio remains exasperated.

Bag a Legend 2 Electric Boogaloo

·      “Veils got Miles in the divorce with Eaten”

·      While my OC Samuel represented the taciturn and violent side of Veils, Miles is the charmer and manipulator. Despite getting a second chance, they very much are still a villain, though at least they’re less unhinged this time. Miles becomes a Midnighter. They don’t know why they have a sudden interest in the Great Game, but they find they’re a natural at it. Miles, whether they’re conscious of it or not, plays White.

·      I’m in the middle of BAL now, but Miles will choose the Surface Veils ending. I imagine Veils can shift appearance easily, given that it’s a manifestation of intrigue and disguise; when they first encounter Surface Veils, it appears like Julian. Miles is disarmed, but has grown much more confident, and is able to keep control of the situation. As the game goes on, Surface Veils shifts to look more how I imagine it. When they come to an impasse, a hand is outstretched, and negotiations for a deal can begin. Allying with Veils is the perfect way to spite their father the textile magnate

All My Homies Hate the White

·      Orsinio, who already was suspicious of the circumstances of Miles’ return, grows even more concerned watching them develop an interest in chess which was previously nonexistent. He knows of the higher powers of the chessboard from his studies at the Adulterine Castle, and he knows something of the nature of the Old Man and the White from his experience in the game (several ES). Orsinio knows enough to understand they send agents to the Neath, and he begins to wonder if this is why “Miles” is here.

·      Orsinio is doing a lot mentally better, but still struggles with paranoia. What if his whole life, he’s been a pawn? What if his brother was murdered not only as part of Mr Cups’ scheming, but to get Orsinio to go to the Neath, where he’d eventually go West and study what isn’t at the Hurlers, so he’d have the wherewithal to later lead an agent of the White directly to the court of the Black?

·      The story ends here, for now. I’m excited to do railway with Miles and read text for evil choices that I can’t make with other characters for RP reasons. Playing a villain is a lot of fun. We’ll see how things play out, or do not play out.

[starboundanon]

Okay I’ve just finished reading Emperor Vader’s Guide and like I came here for the Vaderluke expected some cute Dinluke, somehow I started staying for the Vader & Din dynamic like they just. They’re just so fun. One little messed up family!

Now on the edge of my seat desperately waiting for Grogu & Vader interactions.

I was a little worried about how dark this fic would get, and was pleasantly surprised to see that it ended up being a lot softer than I expected! Also it’s so funny to see the inherently normal Dinluke and then boom problematic father/son incest clash, I applaud the way you saunter out there with no fear.

But yeah, it’s very cute to see the way Vader, albeit reluctantly, slowly start to get a little fond of Din, and Din being his normal dumbass self going like…friend? Ally? Mentor? Father figure /gets beaten to death with a hammer/

it’s the slow progression, you don’t just let any guy fuck your precious pillow princess of an omega son so eventually you too get a lil attached and I love how you portray it!

At this point I’ve strayed so far from my initial tunnel vision on Vaderluke and wonder how I got here…

All in all, fantastic fic you’ve got there, here’s to having fun writing self-indulgent things in this fucked up galaxy *blows kiss*

Waking up to this ask was like all my childhood Christmases rolled into one. Thank you, my friend, for the incredibly sweet comment. ♥

I'm glad you're enjoying the anadin/vaderdin moments as much I am. Look, vaderluke is my otp, dinluke remains dear to my heart, but anadin........... it has potential. I'm just sayin', these three gorgeous men would make a pretty happy (albeit wonderfully dysfunctional) throuple, don't shoot the messenger.

If I didn't have WIPs lined up to my ears, and if HtD wasn't already a rewrite of another fic, I would write another rewrite where Sidious forces Vader to present as an Alpha, and he keeps the charade going long after he slaughters Sidious and names himself Emperor, right up until his reluctant, kidnapped, Omega son's charming silent strong Alpha mate accidentally induces his first heat in twenty years, and then woops, Din's stuck with two needy Skywalkers.

I think Din is one of those Alphas who has no problem deferring to his Omega mate for some/most things while also being completely dependable, caring and providing for his clan. He wouldn't try to usurp Vader as Emperor, but he would recognize that, hey, his father-in-law is actually an Omega in secret and is going to need some help sometimes with heats and gentling and other special Omega needs. He's absolutely the caretaker of his little clan, even though Vader pretends that's his role in front of the galaxy at large.

(Also just, hnngh, the sweet angst of Vaderkin enforcing Omega traditions, roles and stereotypes onto Luke that he himself no longer has to follow, but viscerally remembers, blind to the harm they did to him and every Omega around him.)

Parts of that bleed into HtD, because even though Vader is the Galactic Emperor, a legendary Sith Lord, an Alpha and a literal force of nature, he gets in over his head, pushes himself too hard and fails to take care of himself more than a typical Alpha probably does. I don't think it's a skill he ever mastered, even though it's supposed to be an ingrained thing. Din sees that, and while he respects the hierarchy of their relationship (and their relationships with Luke), he also sees Vader as clan (mate's Resident Alpha will be his Resident Alpha as well, after all) and can't just sit idly by if the man is struggling.

They're so messed up, I love them dearly.

Thank you again for this wonderful ask, I was absolutely thrilled to receive it. 💋♥

[blurhawaii]

yuletide 2022

dear yuletide writer,

another year, another yuletide! hello and thanks for reading my letter. even if you’re not my assigned writer and are just checking it out for the hell of it. i’m still terrible at putting what i like into words, hopefully all this rambling makes sense. just know that the prompts are only suggestions–if you’ve got something else in mind you’re longing to write, then go for it.

and i feel like this goes without saying but i am more than okay with receiving treats.

likes:

dysfunctional relationships eg. codependency, messed up father/son dynamics, enemies to lovers, power imbalances.

vulnerability in men, uncertain intimacy.

UST, slow burn, first times.

supernatural/magical realism/cosmic horror. weird hints of it in an otherwise normal universe.

redemption arcs.

found family.

big loyalty kink. love it when trust is earned and kept.

praise kink.

open and honest communication between partners.

polyamory. it’s the journey of them getting together and making it work that interests me the most. or how a couple goes about bringing in a third person.

stories set in canon. or a divergence of canon. fix-it fics.

soulmate/soulmark fics. i’m mostly interested in these kinds of scenarios when they’re dysfunctional takes on them. e.g. they don’t actually have each other marks but get together anyway.

daemon AUs. i’m especially into the intimacy of touching/comforting each other’s daemons, them expressing thoughts and feelings they otherwise don’t say out loud.

dark/bleak fics. don’t be afraid to drag characters through the mud. happy endings are welcome but i like the struggle.

i’m fine with anything from gen to porn but would be happiest with something in the middle.

canon typical violence is fine and to be expected from some of my choices.

characters and the development of their relationships are more important than plot for me.

dislikes:

AUs that are completely disconnected from canon e.g. high school, coffee shop AUs.

established relationships, unless they are already together in canon

crossovers

genderbending

feminisation of male characters

fics that are entirely fluff

A/B/O fics

PWP

mpreg

first person fics (i have no problem with second person fics tho if you feel like experimenting and think that could work.)

The Departed (2006)

*Billy Costigan               *Sean Dignam

one of my favourite films ever. i request it every year so you can't really go wrong with this as i'm just thirsty for anything.

most of my love is for dignam and his tough love attitude towards his job and the undercovers he's responsible for. i am endlessly endeared by his wild card quality, expletive fueled speech and hair trigger temperament. his father/son relationship with queenan contrasted against billy’s father/son relationship with queenan--how cyclical the whole set up is. his complete disregard for everyone else in that office, especially sullivan. and despite all of that, it's obvious that he cares. i don't think you could do a job like that and not care in some way, and it’s those few and rare moments where we see him soften around billy --we need you, pal-- that's what i would like to see more of. that juxtaposition of good cop/bad cop all coming from the same guy.

shipping fic is what i am craving but honestly whatever you are comfortable with writing is fine, as long as it involves them both. due to the nature of the film i am perfectly comfortable with violence and the screwed up relationship they are bound to have. the friction born of the situation vs the fact that they need each other to get through it is what i am all about.

things that really get me with these two: codependency, power imbalances, the enemies to lovers trope, unexpected moments of vulnerability, loyalty.

prompts:

fics where billy survives are my usual go-to. i'd love something that explores the angst of billy's ‘where the hell were you when i needed you’ reaction towards dignam, supposing that he survives that ending. because from billy’s POV, at least, dignam basically disappears from the film after queenan’s death. maybe dignam still kills sullivan, and billy’s reaction to that. is he thankful or is he pissed?

i’ve wasted a lot of time thinking about the line --why don’t we meet up, sweetheart, let me buy you an ice cream-- the jokey seriousness of it just kills me. if you can somehow write that happening in a believable, in character fic you would earn my eternal respect. whether that’s a clandestine meeting during billy’s undercover period, or some kind of post-film scenario where dignam makes good on his promises, i have no idea but i’d love to see it.

daemon au - very curious how this would impact going undercover. daemons expressing feelings that the characters otherwise can’t. and the intimacy of touching/comforting each other’s daemons is an absolute favourite trope of mine.

soulmate au - either having their names on each other or their first words. or something else more uncommon/unusual. this interests me particularly here for the same reason the daemon au does because i’d love to see how this would work in a universe where you’re going undercover. i’m thinking about that scene where costello is smashing billy’s arm cast and the idea that it could be hiding something other than a wire.

time loop/groundhog day fic - there’s a lot of moments in the film i think they would both like to change, and it kind of makes sense to me to have billy’s survival be the pivotal thing triggering the loop.

Bone Tomahawk (2015)

*Arthur O’Dwyer             *Samantha O’Dwyer             *John Brooder

i’m a huge fan of westerns and i’m a huge fan of thinking too deeply about potential ot3s. bone tomahawk gave me both of these things to gorge on.

every time i watch it i latch onto all the little hints dropped about the kind of relationship brooder has with both of the o’dwyers. he’s a weird, vain, loner, dandy man type who is rude to pretty much everyone else in the film, except the married o’dwyers. it’s established that he was interested in samantha o’dwyer, presumably before she was married, flirted with her, but was ultimately rejected by her. instead of this being a point of conflict in the film, brooder is nothing but cordial with her, respectful even--knowing to go to her when told to find a doctor--and is quick to hold himself responsible for putting her in danger once she is taken.

it would then be very easy for the film to pit brooder and arthur against each other because of this past. but, excluding a couple moments when tensions are high, they’re both unusually friendly with each other. the way arthur jokes about wanting no flirtations between brooder and samantha but still allows brooder to escort his wife into town when he can’t because of his leg. arthur is the only one who ever calls him john. arthur is the only one to ever call brooder out when he’s being too rude, and have brooder actually listen to him and reel his rudeness in. i am especially floored by brooder calling arthur ‘cowboy’ multiple times, in the most fond manner possible. in fact, this might be the only way he refers to arthur, thinking back on it. i also love the little moment where brooder helps arthur down from his horse. such a small moment that means a lot considering the kind of man he’s been shown to be.

the film has an extremely violent end, hopeful in a few ways but largely not. anything written for this would inevitably have to draw on some of this violence, which i am fine with, but i’m mostly interested in how the characters deal with the trauma and less the trauma itself. it probably goes without saying that i ship all three of them in all configurations.

prompts:

anything set before the events of the film. how the three of them might interact on a day-to-day basis in the town of bright hope. how they reached this level of fondness. how outsiders might view the different way brooder interacts with the o’dwyers, compared to the face he shows to everyone else.

brooder lives AU - not gonna lie, my enjoyment of this film dips slightly once brooder is gone. (i’m always pleasantly surprised by how much matthew fox is the MVP here.) but maybe they find him hurt but not quite dead as they’re escaping, and all three of them get to return home. maybe for convenience sake samantha sets brooder up to recover in their home, so she can tend to him and arthur at the same time.

would love to see something that explores brooder having to come to terms and live with the amputation of his hand, considering how vain he is. he explicitly states in the film that he’d rather die than live like that, but maybe the o’dwyers can help him through this with what i imagine would probably have to be tough love.

Il buono il brutto il cattivo | The Good The Bad and The Ugly (1966)

*Blondie                     *Tuco Ramirez

i rewatched this recently and it sent me down a bit of a spiral of watching spaghetti westerns. i love the landscapes, the loneliness, talking around campfires under the stars, sharing a smoke, the constant underlying search for fortune and a place to settle down. the good the bad and the ugly remains my favourite simply because it has all these things and the added bonus of an antagonistic, reluctant partnership. and i especially love when partnerships eventually grow a layer of trust, no matter how flimsy.

these two fascinate me because the whole set up of their partnership in the beginning--the bounty hunting and the subsequent rescuing from the hanging--requires so much trust between them, and i am a firm believer that there is a certain amount of fondness between them, even when they’re trying to kill each other. this feels obvious to me by the end, what with blondie going out of his way to orchestrate a situation where tuco lives.

i love the darkness and the humour of their relationship and how they can both be deceptively smart when they need to be. i feel like they really do bring out the best and the worst of each other, in way that can only happen when you feel very strongly about someone. i do ship them but would be fine getting something that just explores their relationship.

prompts:

anything that explores the willingness of tuco putting a rope around his neck. how they got themselves into that situation, the trust it requires on tuco’s part to do that, the discussion they must have had to hash out all the details. maybe there’s a part of this deal we don’t see in the film, some kind of quid pro quo thing where blondie lets tuco do the same to him when they’re alone, as a way to even the score and it’s probably the only way to get tuco shut up about it. go as kinky as you like, breathplay and choking kink is welcome. i have a tiny obsession with the black neckerchief the man with no name usually wears, how thick it is, how he always wears it so close to his throat. if you can incorporate that somehow i would be crazy pleased.

post film reunion. would they just fall back into routine? whether that is going back to the bounty hunting scam or trying to kill each other again. i kind of doubt either of them would be able to hang onto the money for very long but what if one of them does use the money to buy some land. what if there was some very strange domesticity for a time.

weird west. go wild with ghosts, hauntings, legends of the old west. i love it most when the weirdness sits on the outskirts and creeps slowly into canon.

feel free to try out a soulmate/daemon fic here. it could be an interesting interpretation of the trust they development. even more so when they still trade murder attempts.

Uncharted (2022)

*Nathan Drake                   *Victor Sullivan

i’m a fan of the games which, in turn, should probably make me dislike this film. however, i regrettably had an okay-ish time with it. i wouldn’t exactly call it good but it was a passable buddy adventure film. uncharted 3 was always my favourite game because it focused on the relationship between these two, on how they met specifically, and so i was pretty much predetermined to get some enjoyment out of this concept here.

the things i like: the older man/younger man, mentor/protege dynamic. the competency shown when treasure hunting, pick-pocketing, pilot/flying kink. the friction of sully’s prior relationship with nate’s brother, how that didn’t end well, how that affects his and nate’s relationship, the insecurity of being seen as a replacement. i like that nate eventually softens sully’s edges but i also like that they are still kind of dicks to each other. i, for some reason, even enjoyed all the bubblegum teasing, the fondness towards sully and his cat, and the terrible attempt at sully’s infamous mustache at the end. and i cannot believe it’s canon that they spent many hours spooning in the trunk of that car.

i do ship it. i have since the games and i’m fine with acknowledging the age gap.

prompts:

a case fic of sorts. just them on the hunt for treasure. more focus on how they learn to work together when nate is more used to working alone and sully sees a lot of nate’s brother where he probably wishes he didn’t. maybe sully acknowledging how different his and nate’s dynamic is in comparison. because of feelings.

any kind of exploration into role reversal. some kind of situation that puts nate in charge. sully, despite being the older/more experienced one, being forced on the back foot.

i love the moments in the games when it crosses over into the supernatural. where, for the most part, the universe is perfectly normal, but the deeper they get the more things like yetis and immortality just becomes the norm. like indiana jones films when the religious objects and myths exist just below the surface. i would love something where they stumble on it during a treasure hunt.

The Color of Money (1986)

*Eddie Felson                 *Vincent Lauria                    *Carmen

i almost nominated this but eventually dropped it for something else. so i was pleasantly surprised to see someone else had thrown it into the ring.

the thing i really love about this film is that it’s made very obvious that they are all bad for each other. all three of them make each other worse in some way, and it’s largely about the corruption of goodness. most obviously of vincent, but i think it could be argued for all of them.

i like how each pairing gangs up on the other for different reasons at different times to best reach their goal. how eddie and carmen use vincent’s naivety and his softer heart against him. the way they work together to manipulate vincent--you make him feel good, i teach him how to run. how they both share the understanding that they’re not good people--they’re professionals, vincent.

i love the older/younger dynamic and the attempts at being a mentor between eddie and vincent. but i especially appreciate that the film lampoons the idea of it being a father/son kind of relationship when they use it in a grift and treat it like a joke. same with eddie and carmen when he outright says it’s not like that. eddie allowing vincent to get hurt to teach him a lesson, but then touching him with kid gloves when he checks out the damage done. the unavoidable phallic-ness of eddie giving vincent the pool cue--he’s been thinking of nothing else all day. then there’s the betrayal of vincent throwing his game against eddie. being confronted with the fact that they’ve created this monster, so what did they honestly expect would happen?

vincent becoming jealous of eddie and carmen acting like a couple. but which one is he jealous of exactly? eddie throwing his money around, sugar-daddying the younger couple. but also trying to keep his distance at the same time.

the way vincent and carmen keep pushing eddie, like letting him into their room while they’re showering and getting dressed. contrasted with the moments where we see them hanging out, watching tv together, just being happy in each other’s company. and the odd kindness they show him sometimes, like when eddie eventually gets played himself.

i definitely ship all three of them in all configurations.

prompts:

anything set during their time on the road. maybe having to share a hotel room for some reason. not sure if the ‘there’s only one bed’ trope counts when there’s three of them, but i’d still love to see it. vincent and carmen having to coax eddie into the bed with them because an old man like him shouldn’t be sleeping in a chair. stopping at diners, driving late into the night, deep conversations, falling asleep on people, fooling around in the back seat and the voyeurism of the third person pretending not to watch.

eddie and vincent teaching carmen how to play pool. maybe they’re the last ones left at a pool hall late at night. and their natural one-upmanship takes over.

anything post film where they keep running into each other. tripping up each other’s plans and grifts on purpose. 

[notapaladin]

such a filthy dimming shine

“maybe we can have some fucked-up dysfunctional tizoc/quenami as a treat” said no one ever

happy halloween!

Also on AO3

-

He bathes slowly, in cold water. He washes his hair, rinsing it clean of blood and painstakingly teasing out the tangled mats. It falls past his hips, long enough to sit on; wet, the weight of it drags his head back. He thinks maybe a steam bath would help, to relax him if nothing else, but—no. Having the water heated would take too long, and he is is expected tonight.

One does not keep the Emperor waiting.

One does not refuse the Emperor’s summons.

One does not—

He balls his hands into tight fists, nails biting into his palms nearly hard enough to draw blood. They might, if he hadn’t so carefully gotten a manicure yesterday because he’d known his Emperor would call him soon for his own pleasure and it would not do to leave marks. Not on the Revered Speaker’s exalted person. The Emperor likes him...pliant. Accommodating. He can do that, can arch his back and moan like a sacred courtesan and squeeze his eyes shut, squeeze back the lump in his throat, pretend his shudders when the Emperor croons his names are only of pleasure.

There are no slaves here to help him comb his hair out until it dries. There are no witnesses to this, to a High Priest of Huitzilopochtli preparing to do something that could probably be construed as breaking his vows. Would probably be construed as such, if he hadn’t sworn other ones that must supersede it.

(I pledge my loyalty to Revered Speaker Tizoc-tzin, Emperor of the Mexica. And he’d knelt, and his Emperor had smiled the rictus grin of a corpse.)

Quenami is twenty-six years old. He is descended from noble blood on both sides; his father and grandfather were both Eagle Knights, his mother a princess of Chalco. He went to calmecac with Tizoc—with Tizoc-tzin, where they had been...not friends, Tizoc-tzin did not have friends, but something like allies. Tizoc-tzin appointed him to his current position, raised him to the greatest heights any priest could ever hope to attain. He is wealthy beyond all dreams of avarice, second in power only to the Emperor. He should be grateful. He is. He is. Tizoc-tzin has never felt the need to force him. He hasn’t had to.

It shouldn’t matter that Tizoc-tzin has died and been brought back, that he walks now because of the body of maize dough and blood Quenami has made for him, that he’d had to stand in the Heartland in front of his god and beg, and yet it had been Acatl—that peasant’s son, that rabid dog—who had fought Itzpapalotl for his lord’s soul and shoved it back in his body. It shouldn’t matter that what looks out through Tizoc-tzin’s eyes now is weak and cruel and paranoid and—

(Unfit, whispers a voice that sounds like Teomitl.)

It shouldn’t matter that his too-cold hands make Quenami’s skin crawl, that he shoves too roughly into him every time without a single thought to his comfort, that his face is twisted with something too desperate to be called pleasure as he demands Quenami respond. He chose this, after all. He is loyal. He will serve his Emperor.

He perfumes himself with incense and chooses his outfit with care. On go the gold earrings, the armbands, the legbands. No necklaces; the string had snapped last time, and he still mourns those coral beads. His loincloth and cape are white, embroidered with yellow suns, and he wears a headdress of heron feathers simply because the white will look good against his black hair. Tizoc-tzin commands his loyalty, but not his sense of fashion. It’s important to display himself to advantage.

He thinks of sacred courtesans dying their hair, staining their lips and teeth red, painting themselves with bold patterns.

He takes the headdress off. It doesn’t matter that he shares is summoned to the Emperor’s mat; he’s not a stupid man, and he knows how much Tizoc-tzin holds priests in contempt. All priests, regardless of whether they’re his childhood friends or his loyal allies or have brought him back from the dead, dragged his soul from the Heartland with nothing but the High Priests of Tlaloc and Mictlantecuhtli as practically dead weight behind them—

Enough. It is midnight. He is expected.

He leaves his chambers straight-backed, eyes fixed dead ahead, and walks to the chambers of the Revered Speaker. He is always the one to approach, a supplicant at his lord’s feet, never the other way around. He doesn’t think Tizoc-tzin even knows where his chambers are.

There are guards. They nod to him, something horribly like pity in their eyes. He wants to stab them.

(He wants to stab something. He’s left his knife in his rooms.)

(At the moment, he’s not sure who he’d use it on.)

Tizoc-tzin is awake, of course, waiting for him with the light of a single torch illuminating the room. It’s not much, but Quenami is glad of that. If he could see—he’s not sure if it would be better or worse, to see everything clearly. To see what Tizoc-tzin has become. Or, maybe, to see what he always was now that death has stripped all illusions. He never pictures anyone else when he’s in the imperial chambers, but...if it was dark, maybe he could. Maybe he could pretend it’s all happening to another man, with another man.

“Quenami.” Tizoc-tzin’s voice is more nasal than it used to be.

He stops. Kneels. Keeps his eyes on the floor. “You summoned me, my lord.”

A lazy hum of acknowledgment. “Rise. Come closer.”

There’s a breeze coming from somewhere, a faint stomach-turning scent of sweet flowers as a reminder that there’s life outside this room. He takes one step, two. Three.

“Stop.”

He stops. Tizoc-tzin tilts his head, lazy as a well-fed jaguar where he’s laying sprawled on a priceless fortune in furs and rugs. The dais on which his mat rests puts him about level with Quenami’s knees, and Quenami feels every slow crawl of that insect-glittering gaze drag up his skin. He’s still fully dressed, but he feels naked.

“Your hair’s still wet at the ends.”

It is. It’s been dripping slowly down the hem of his cloak. He swallows, keeping his gaze on the floor. “My apologies, my lord. I was eager to see you.” The lie rolls so easily off his tongue.

But it’s worth it, because he sees the flash of Tizoc-tzin’s smile and feels his own shoulders relax. “Good. Join me on my mat, Quenami.”

He chose this. He is loyal. He has pledged himself to his Revered Speaker.

He lowers himself to the mat, knowing that Tizoc-tzin will take his averted gaze as respect. It’s not untrue, really—whatever else Tizoc-tzin may be, he is still his lord. Still a great warrior. Still someone Quenami might, once, have called friend when they were young and foolish together. He can acknowledge that, and not...this.

This: the hands on his skin ripping his clothing free, heedless of the bruises left behind.

This: the biting kisses that turn to teeth on his throat, his collarbone, where he won’t be able to hide the marks. Tizoc-tzin hardly ever kisses his mouth, likes to sneer that there are better uses for it.

This: the crooning cold possessiveness when Tizoc-tzin says his name, breathing that he’s beautiful and sweet and mine, mine, mine.

He has to sound eager; even to his own ears it’s a poor showing, but then Tizoc-tzin hears what he wants to hear. He always has. And his voice does tremble, his body betraying him as his lord presses him down to the mat and looks at him like a predator, hands around his wrists tight enough to feel bone grinding together. “Ah—how do you want me, my lord?”

Tizoc-tzin hums, thinking—and then, mercifully, lets him up. “On your hands and knees,” he finally orders, the tone of a man who doesn’t even conceive of being disobeyed. Not here. Not by him.

Quenami exhales. Good. Sometimes Tizoc-tzin wants to fuck his face, or to sprawl supine while he rides him. This position...well. He’ll be sore tomorrow, and the day after, but he’s used to that. And this time his expressions, at least, will be his own.

He rolls over. He gets his knees under him. He focuses on his breathing, on the smooth sheets under him, on the flickering furnace-heat that is his connection to the Southern Hummingbird. He makes himself relax, because Tizoc-tzin won’t care if he does or not. Won’t care if his screams take on the edge of pain. Maybe he should start preparing himself beforehand, but he still has some pride, and that would feel too much like giving in.

It would be easier if he hated it. If he wanted to struggle, to fight back, or even just to pull away. If his body didn’t chase scant sparks of pleasure, panting and whining like a beast as Tizoc-tzin works him open. If he wasn’t trembling from arousal as well as shame, because—he is a priest. He has sworn vows. And right now, he can’t remember which ones take precedence, and he’s not sure he cares.

His legs shake when Tizoc-tzin fucks into him—the preparation was more for his Revered Speaker’s benefit for his own, not nearly enough to make it properly comfortable, and if he were not High Priest of Huitzilopochtli he might scream at the sudden, rough, too-large gods Tizoc-tzin’s really not that big but his muscles are telling him otherwise intrusion. He sobs anyway, back arching as his hips work in a desperate attempt to make it easier, and Tizoc-tzin must take that as pleasure because he wraps the loose fall of his hair around his fist and pulls, voice a snarl. “Fuck—yes, that’s it, tighten up for me—perfect little slut—”

It all sort of blurs after that. He’s aware of Tizoc-tzin talking, praise and insults mingled in the same breath; he’s aware of his own gasps and cries and shuddering groans in response. He knows his knees ache where he’s kneeling on the mat, that Tizoc-tzin is biting at his shoulders and grabbing his hips hard enough to bruise, that each thrust is knocking him forward and shoving his face into the pillows. When he tries to muffle a scream into his forearm, Tizoc-tzin yanks his head back and makes it ring out into the flower-scented air instead. Pain and pleasure twists together until he can’t tell one from the other.

Tizoc-tzin slaps his ass hard, and he shut his eyes. He’s glad dinner was a long time ago.

With a flash of something like rebellion, something like treason, he thinks Acatl would never have to put up with this. If—when—when Teomitl is Emperor and Acatl is in his place, the High Priest of Mictlantecuhtli will never need to endure being treated like—like a thing, like a convenient warm hole to fuck. No, that idiot boy looks at Acatl like he hung the moon, and Acatl looks at him like he’s the Sun come to earth. He doesn’t know whether Teomitl’s had him yet, but he does know that. If nothing else, Acatl wouldn’t stand for it. The man’s too stubborn, too prideful, too sure of what’s right.

His face twists, and now he’s really glad of this position because his teeth bare themselves in a snarl without his conscious input. Another treasonous thought slides across his brain, sharp as a knife—Acatl wouldn’t stand for anyone else being treated like this either. Probably not even me.

(If Acatl sees the marks, the limping, the blood—)

(No. Acatl hates him, for damn good reason, and the feeling’s mutual. He won’t lift a finger. This is Quenami’s bed, and he must lay in it.)

His own orgasm takes him utterly by surprise. He’d thought he’d have to fake it, but apparently Tizoc-tzin has his body well trained. He’s vaguely aware of Tizoc-tzin’s own release following, spilling deep and hot in him until it leaks out down his quivering thighs. Mostly, he just feels relief. Tizoc-tzin’s never up for a second round. Maybe he would be, if he hadn’t died—but well, Quenami’s not complaining. He might have, once, but not when it’s like this.

His Emperor pulls out roughly, leaving him blessedly empty, and pants into his hair for a long moment while he catches his breath. The weight of him on top of him is almost...comforting. If it was only this, he thinks he wouldn’t mind. They used to share a room at the calmecac when they were boys.

Finally, Tizoc-tzin rolls off him with a grunt, looking at him out of the corner of his eye. “You may leave.”

He’s not sure he can. Leaving requires moving, and his legs might not obey him yet. Everything hurts. But his lord has as good as given him an order, and so he squeezes his eyes shut and pants, “As—as you wish, my lord. A moment, please.”

“...Hmm. Alright, then.” He sounds satisfied. Sleepy. If Quenami is going to ask him for anything—any concessions, favors, even a gift as reward for his service—now would be the time.

He exhales shakily, feeling his body sink into the mat. Slowly he falls onto his side, draws himself up into a fetal position, and stretches out his legs again. The pain brings tears to his eyes, but he thinks he can move. He has to. “My lord,” he starts.

“Hm?”

He swallows. His throat is dry. “Can you...can you pass me my cloak?”

It hits him in the face. As he disentangles himself from it—and from his own hair, and the blankets, and one end of a very fine wolf pelt—he hears Tizoc-tzin laughing. His face burns with shame as he cleans himself, working by feel since the torch has long since guttered to embers. He was wrong. Not seeing it doesn’t make it better.

He is devoted to his Revered Speaker. He knows who he is to thank for his exalted position, for the safety of the Fifth World, for the strength of the Mexica Empire. The gods are strong—his god is strong—but Revered Speaker Tizoc-tzin is the Southern Hummingbird’s hand in the Fifth World. He should be grateful for this chance to serve him. He should worship at his feet.

By the time he’s reasonably clean and reasonably dressed, Tizoc-tzin is snoring. He looks pallid. Shrunken. Weak. Quenami has slain stronger men than him, stretched them out on the sacrificial altar and held their beating hearts in his fist. Madly, rebelliously, he wonders what he’d find if he were to hack through this man’s diaphragm and reach into his chest.

(A voice in his head that sounds like Acatl says, You could find out.)

His hands are empty. His heart is empty. His soul—he’s not sure. He thinks that’s empty, too.

He walks away and leaves his Revered Speaker behind.

[financialsmatter]

Saturday Rant…CNN/Hunter Biden Story

This week we learned how CNN & MSNBC ex-bosses struggled to justify burying the Hunter Biden story. Needless to say, it was no surprise seeing how these media Presstitutes ignore their responsibilities as journalists and only do what their Wall Street overlords tell them to do. We’ve been ranting about their corruption for years. And their sleaze/hypocrisy was obvious as they claimed “He was not arrested” as an excuse for not reporting on it. But at the same time, stories rebutting the laptop allegations were considered “important news” on their networks. Proving that hypocrisy knows no boundaries in a corrupt and complicit media. So, with that in mind let’s turn today’s rant over to a writer going by the handle of Dan-the-Man. The Hunter Biden Story?   MSNBC’s Phil Griffin and CNNs Jeff Zucker give new meaning to the name sleazeballs. And their laughable claim that their approach before the election was justified because “he (Hunter Biden) was never arrested.” Griffin said:  “The Justice Department was looking into it, never reported it until he is the son of a candidate. I don’t think it’s a main story until that happens.” The insulting hypocrisy of that statement alone should get him slapped in the face by any man capable of recognizing the insult and delivering the blow. Let’s not forget…Hunter was the son of a “Vice-President” before he was the son of a “candidate,” and was much more compromised then. It’s one thing NOT to have the story, and another to have it and avoid airing it. Crimes of omission can be as reprehensible as crimes of commission. And how is it that CNN continued to report Biden’s repeated and unchallenged claim that “I have never spoken to my son about his overseas business dealings?” And those denials continued even after an audiotape surfaced showing President Biden leaving a message for Hunter specifically discussing coverage of those dealings. Biden’s denial of knowledge is patently false. It was equally evident that the Biden family was selling influence and access. And there are emails of Ukrainian and other foreign clients thanking Hunter Biden for arranging meetings with his father. It shows you that, when the dysfunctional outnumber the productive in the news, business fiction is far more lucrative than the truth. Media Accountability?   Thanks, Dan-the-Man for that passionate rant…you are the Man. And it is our hope that one day these so-called journalists will be held accountable for their lies and deceptions. Until then we’ll continue to expose them as much as possible.   In the meantime, learn how to prosper AND thrive in the midst of journalistic corruption in the October issue of “…In Plain English” (HERE).   Share this with a friend…especially if they’re disgusted with the media. They’ll thank YOU later. We’re Not Just About Finance. But we use finance to give you hope. FYI **************************************** Invest with confidence. Sincerely, James Vincent The Reverend of Finance Copyright © 2022 It's Not Just About Finance, LLC, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website. Read the full article