#this and my love of ultimate sacrifice w her romance | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

knightotoc · 1 year

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Spock's deal as developed over decades:

logical, stoic, superhuman strength, superhuman precision, green blood, pointy ears, scientist, musician, vegetarian, friend to animals, telepath, hippie sympathizer, idealist

has more powerful emotions than humans, so he has to hide them

over years of cold professionalism, forms incredibly deep attachments to coworkers Kirk and Bones, even though their human lifespans are tragically shorter than his own

a complex reflection of an imperfect but remarkable and beloved real person (Nimoy's two biographies are called "I Am Not Spock" and "I Am Spock"); because of this, Spock is famously Jewish-coded and expressed many of Nimoy's strong personal values and creative ideas

historically significant gay interpretation by an important fandom and published writers; in the wider fandom, Spock's sex appeal surpassed the actual lead actor's

he has some romances as a young man, but he ultimately dedicates his life to the noble cause of Romulan reunification

bizarre alien libido on a fuck-or-die 7-year cycle; this silly premise is taken extremely seriously

difficult relationship with his Vulcan father and human mother

complex relationship with Starfleet, especially w/r/t Pike, Kirk, and Romulans

has a secret half-brother who darkly mirrors Spock's own struggles with emotions, forming bonds with other people, and faith in God

sacrifices himself out of pure, logical love and gets reborn through the misuse of a terraformer-turned-superweapon

the platonic ideal of a nerd

In 2009, Spock was recast, but this version is from an alternate timeline. There are two significant changes to the character, which are not as appealing to me, but I still appreciate them:

his homeplanet was destroyed. This enormous tragedy gives us a character who is much less stoic. In my opinion, this takes away from Spock's uniqueness. But as a Star Wars fan, I appreciate that Spock's grief for his planet gets to affect him in a way Leia's never did

he has a relationship with Uhura. This is a fun decision, especially as these characters had some chemistry in the original show, but it is a bit spoiled by the creepy tracking device subplot

This recast is a fundamentally different character. In my opinion the best thing about him is when they lean into that difference; Quinto's Spock knows about Nimoy's, and has profound feelings about his alternate self. This was handled beautifully after Nimoy's death, and I am grateful that his protege's version of the character got to grieve with us in the real world.

In 2019, Spock was recast for a second time, and this version is supposed to be the same character as the original. But they have made multiple changes to the character anyway, which I mostly dislike. I haven't watched SNW since I feel this interpretation of Pike is even more ableist than the 60s version, but I am trying to keep track of what this franchise is doing with their best character:

Spock now has an additional secret sibling, an adopted human sister Michael. The reveal that Sarek chose Spock over Michael for Vulcan Science Academy, which Spock refused anyway, is some fun drama. It makes me feel bad for Michael and angry with Spock, which is a bummer. I do not think we needed to have Trek's first Black woman protagonist anchored by her relationship to a legacy character. I enjoy their dynamic, but I don't see a fundamental mirror of challenging topics with them like I do with him and Sybok. And of course this bond isn't going to be able to influence Spock in the future, as his bond with Sybok will

Spock now also has dyslexia; I appreciate the representation, but again this isn't going to influence him at all in the future; Spock in "The Menagerie" is an ableist character by modern standards

he's in a love triangle with Chapel and T'Pring; to me this is OOC for all three of them, and unnecessarily makes original Spock into a big, insensitive jerk. While he is a passionate character, the whole point is that he controls his passion, even to the point of choosing his love for humanity over his love for individuals. His deep friendship with Kirk and Bones is only possible since they have grown old together, which is the main theme of the original movies

where'd the chest hair go

Peck's interview where he says they're pushing Spoimler and he enjoyed acting with Quaid because they're both from acting families = so this actor's input into this once highly personal character is just queerbaiting and nepotism

The reason I wrote this post is because, in the newest SNW ep (spoilers), Spock becomes somehow humanized and, as a result, happily eats bacon. First of all, "I love bacon" is like, the definition of cringe outdated internet humor. More importantly, this is a nonsensical and possibly offensive move for a character who is Jewish-coded and vegetarian. Vulcans can eat meat, but they choose not to as part of their strict code of ethics. Spock in particular has a deep love for all forms of life, and his telepathy even gives him the ability to understand every creature from the Horta to the whales. Of course Federation meat is synthesized, but, at least in my interpretation, I can't imagine Spock even symbolically enjoying eating one of the smartest animals on Earth.

Of course every beloved character will develop over time, sometimes even in prequels. But these changes ought to make them more complex, or more personal to a new creator. The things that made Spock special are draining away. He is becoming more fashionable, straighter, more ordinary. Most fans seem to enjoy the new version, but I am left reeling at these odd decisions.

#star trek #spock #long post #lots of adverbs here smh im too upset to write well ig

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dxringred · 2 years

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HELLO FELLOW ST/DDIE NOT-QUITE HATER BUT JFC DO THE DOUBLE STANDARDS REALLY NEED TO BE SO OBVIOUS?

i love the fandom, but this issue has been present since. forever. since steve stans were shitting on nancy after the halloween party scene, making fics and long-ass paragraphs bemoaning steve’s puppy-dog eyes when he heard that nancy say that she was pretending to be in love. as if the scene wasn’t about NANCY and her grief??

and then again! when robin came out, the initial “holy shit, we finally have some canon queer rep of quality!! robin’s such a cool character, and this was a beautiful scene!” people immediately latched on to the fact that she didn’t label herself explicitly as a lesbian in order to shove her and steve together. and again, the steve stans raved about what an excellent ally steve was, when the scene was about ROBIN and pushing past her obvious fear to tell steve something like that.

and most recently, with the vickie and robin scenes. i personally don’t ship them, but even that was, apparently, content tailored for the steve stans. the fact that the directors might be leading into an actual romance life for a canonical lesbian character (though nancy has literally been right there. even the actors are in support of the ship)? unimportant because look!! look how proud steve looks in that scene, look how happy he is for robin. wtf.

steve’s a great guy, a fun character and he’s got depth and kindness etc etc. eddie… i mean. he’s also really cool and i get why people like him, i really do. but he barely had a season’s worth of character development, and already he’s a fan favorite. i like the ship, but i hate the fact that once again, the fandom is full-on obsessing over the “cute white boys” and neglecting the wlw pairings

and it’s so much more than a bunch of people upset that their ship isn’t as popular. this is an actual issue, where the lack of wlw content and attention is forever being overshadowed by the mlm pairings.

damn, i didn't even know it was possible to send asks this long-

sadly, i don't know any history of the stranger things fandom since i've never watched the show, let alone engaged in the fandom, but i can attest to the rock/ie one since i've seen several posts mentioning how steve looked like a proud parent or w/e, and then others being all "poor steve" since he's single while robin has vickie and nancy has johnathon. (for now.)

on his own, steve's an okay character to me. his development was good until 4B messed it up with him latching onto nancy again, but even with that, i've never gotten the impression that there's a lot of. depth to him? like it's very much the basic character arc of "popular highschool asshole realizes it is bad to be an asshole and that he actually cares for others". totally fine but hardly groundbreaking lol. and if i see his chest hair one more time-

i haven't watched the show, so i can't attest to eddie outside of gifs, but again. nothing special from what i've seen. his little arc seems to be 'manning up'? instead of fleeing like he did with chrissy (which i thought was a perfectly valid reaction, frankly), he dives into lover's lake, helps save steve and then sacrifices himself which ultimately then lowkey negates the development because he's fucking dead lol.

maybe it's just because he's a far cry from my type of male character, but. yeah, don't get the fan favorite thing. don't get the petition with 75k signatures. don't get the ship (no issue with it yet though) when they barely had any scenes. it's definitely a case of them both being (arguably) attractive white men. cishet girls in particular will eat that shit right up.

the fact that ste/ddie shippers are now going around reporting ronance shippers and calling them names for giving them a taste of their own medicine and/or politely asking them to tag their fucking fics correctly is disgusting imo. it's giving lesbophobia. they seem to think their ship is more important, and therefore nobody else's tags and spaces matter. the way they behave, you'd think the average age of that fandom is 12. (and i wouldn't be surprised if it is, honestly.)

the only canon lgbt+ character is wlw. (i can't speak for will. i don't know if his sexuality has actually been definitely stated yet, and it hasn't in the show as far as i'm aware, so. vickie also isn't confirmed anything as far as i know.) and yet somehow mlm pairings with minimal scenes are heavily overshadowing any wlw content. (first it was billy/steve which. what the fuck, actually. now it's ste/ddie.) i don't know what the huge disparity is rooted in (lesbophobia, misogyny, mlm fetishization, all of the above) but it's fucking annoying and boring. broaden your horizons. get a grip. uggggghhh.

#ask #ronance #are there any other lgbt+ characters other than robyn?#like i said #haven't watched the show #so idk anything about minor/side characters #those are the only three i know of #and will is only (apparently) coded afaik #also no i dont know why i spelled robin that way

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starberry-cupcake · 4 years

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Free Short Stories: Aromantic Recommendations

Aro week is over but I spent it reading aro stories that are entirely accessible online (with their authors' consent) and thought I'd share some with you, as well as some extra resources. I’m going to include under “read more” content warnings and specific details, like the kind of rep included or important notes, so if you want to be sure and safe before reading them, you can click “read more” for all that information, or if you prefer just the blurb, avoid it easily enough. There you will also find the extra links of interest and other masterposts.

Edit: This post used to be split in two parts, I’ve integrated them into one whole post for everyone’s convenience.

1. Nkásht ii by Darcie Little Badger

Josie and Annie set to investigate a strange death that may involve more than they expected. Sometimes the love that heals isn’t romantic and bonds that are strong are those chosen.

2. Hope of the Future by Elizabeth Barrette

In a fantasy setting, a human cleric finds an elf bard and a strong female dwarf, all cast aside for their identities, and create their own home and family. The same characters also appear in another poem that continued their story: The Underground Gardens.

3. Tanith’s Sky by Penny Stirling

Ash is left with the loss of Tanith, after she sacrifices herself to save the world. Tanith's memories resurface in people's minds and Ash has to navigate their identity, their memories and how to label for others’ sake their lost relationship.

4. And If The Body Were Not The Soul by A. C. Wise

Ro is a human who forms an unlikely bond with an alien refugee, discovering a different layer of proximity that doesn't chain to the type of physicality humanity sets. In that process of discovery, Ro learns about the other side of the social oppression in their own city.

5. The Crows Her Dragon’s Gate by Benjanun Sriduangkaew

An exploration of the background and re-telling of the story of the goddess Xihe. Marrying out of the obligation of customs and pressure, this story explores the feelings of Xihe, her relationship with Di Jun and the freedom she ultimately seeks.

6. The Girl Turns West by Darcie Little Badger

Another tale set in Native American culture (the author is a Lipan Apache writer), this story is about family, sacrifice and forms of non romantic love and devotion that transcend the limits of life and death.

7. Kin, Painted by Penny Stirling

The narrator can’t find a place in a family that seems so determined, so certain, painted each in a specific way. A poetic prose filled with magic and the colors that we paint ourselves with, which can sometimes change with time.

8. Cucumber by Penny Stirling

A queerplatonic couple in a fantasy setting deals with social pressure in a story written in poetic verse.

9. The Famine King by Darcie Little Badger

A woman is chased by fear, memories and a being that affects her relationship with her own identity and mental health, while finding refuge in a found family. These characters are also included in a previous story called To Sleep.

10. How My Best Friend Rania Crashed A Party And Saved The World by Ada Hoffman

Emma, a Relator, finds out that her best friend Rania, a World Saver, is being used by her boyfriend and can lose her credibility as a Hero for it, so she enlists a tech-savvy Number Fiend, Deborah, to crash a high school party in a forbidden sector to confront the guy.

11. Unlike Most Tides by Darcie Little Badger

Mathilda is in peace with her solitude until she communicates with energy beyond her understanding and finds the voice of a murdered woman who asks her for help to deal with her killer: her ex boyfriend.

Content Warnings and Extra Details

1. Nkásht íí by Darcie Little Badger

Details: urban fantasy, folklore, suspense, aromantic lead character, main platonic relationship between female characters. CW: minor characters deaths, accidents, the death of a child is mentioned, domestic abuse in flashbacks.

2. Hope for the Future by Elizabeth Barrette

Details: aroace male lead in a poly relationship with a female and male character, fantasy, story in poetry, happy ending. CW: arophobia and acephobia, family abandonment.

3. Tanith’s Sky by Penny Stirling

Details: fantasy, sci fi, drama, hurt/comfort. Main qp relationship between an aroace cis female lead and a non binary allo lead. The aroace lead is dead by the start of the story, which I had my hesitation about, but the story does a wonderful job capturing Tanith’s life in an aftermath of what would be another untold story, as well as Ash’s identity and their relationship, as well as the process of grief and moving forward. CW: major character death, grief, depression, transphobia, arophobia and acephobia.

4. And If The Body Were Not The Soul by A. C. Wise

Details: explicitly touch-averse asexual non binary lead, very likely aromantic (expressed but not named in the text), sci fi, social strife, hurt/comfort, found family and friendship (nb and cis female, nb and alien friendships). Many commenters have expressed that Ro is potentially an autistic character, some autistic authors and reviewers have agreed or disagreed but I couldn’t find whether the author stated that at any point. CW: mild depictions of violence, xenophobia, social issues and unrest, happy ending.

5. The Crows Her Dragon’s Gate by Benjanun Sriduangkaew

Details: the goddess Xihe is depicted as aroace yet marries the god Di Jun for a time in which she lives troubled. Fantasy, mythology, re-interpretations, angst with a happy ending. CW: internalized acephobia and arophobia, dubious consent, violence, animal death, toxic marriage, there is a side wlw couple of mortals who die.

6. The Girl Turns West by Darcie Little Badger

Details: there isn’t romance in the story, the lead character doesn’t seemingly have romance in the future and there is a side female character who explicitly rejects suitors and prefers to live independently yet with her family. Considering that the author has written several aroace characters, I decided to include this one and another story in Part 2 as strong potentials (there is another story by the same author that other sites recommend as aro-representative, but I think these two are a lot less vague). Fantasy, mythology, folklore, bittersweet ending. CW: death mentions, wounds and accidents, blood mentions.

7. Kin, Painted by Penny Stirling

Details: poetic prose, fantasy, aromantic lead character, trans male character, non binary characters.

8. Cucumber by Penny Stirling

Details: fiction in poetry form, queerplatonic relationship in a fantasy setting. CW: arophobia and acephobia, social pressure.

9. The Famine King by Darcie Little Badger

Details: mystery, suspense, horror, folklore, hurt/comfort, angst w/optimistic ending, explicit non romantic & non sexual main relationship between to female characters. CW: blood, wounds, cannibalism mentions, mental illness with hallucination episodes, racism.

10. How My Best Friend Rania Crashed A Party And Saved The World by Ada Hoffman.

Details: high school setting, uplifting, sci fi, aroace lead character in a friendship with a heterosexual girl and a bisexual girl. CW: arophobia by the best friend, which is not confronted or discussed, mentions of racism. Notes: I read this story for the Pride list last year and I didn't include it because I had a bone to pick with Rania's character. The story is fun, a lot more lighthearted than many of the ones here and has a distinct tone that makes it good to include, plus Emma (the lead) is a very friendly, social and well-liked person, rather than the traditional robot/alien foil aro, ace and aroace characters tend to receive. So, even if I'm still uneasy about Rania and how her bad attitude is not acknowledged in the story, I’m still including it for all its perks.

11. Unlike Most Tides by Darcie Little Badger

Details: there is a protagonist who prefers to live in solitude and speaks about it and about her favorable feelings towards it. It isn’t explicitly stated that she is aromantic but, much like The Girl Turns West in Part 1, I’d say it’s a good addition to the list, though it's probably the least explicit of the bunch. Mystery, supernatural, sci fi, suspense, positive ending. CW: murder, corpses, side character death, blood, femicide.

Other masterposts:

@coolcurrybooks's first and second masterpost I consulted

Penny Stirling's recommendation list

LGBTQReads recommendations list

Claudie Arsenault recommendation list

Aro and Ace character database

Aroaessidhe recommendations list

YA Pride masterlist

My own LGBTQ+ free short stories rec list from last year, some of these stories are in it but the majority is not

#book recs #short stories #masterpost #lgbtq+ books #aromantic books #aromantic stories #aro week #aro awareness week #aromantic awareness week #aroace space #long post #books

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midnightdemonhunter · 2 years

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about your remnant ideas !! you mentioned there were only one or two members of class 77 who DIDNT have a deep relationship w junko, could you elaborate on that? very interested in how not being as close to junko as the others affected those specific people's remnantisms

Oooo yeah of course! Though I didn't phrase my thoughts amazingly there, I more meant not every class 77 member has a friendship/romance with Junko.

The two classmates I'm talking about there are Gundham and Nagito, since both vehemently dislike Junko for different reasons. Gundham calls her The Devil Incarnite because of her mean attitude and tendency to make fun of him, as well because of how bad she is with animals. (They dislike her)

Occasionally Junko humors Gundham though, and argues with him in the same kind of speech as he does-- and he LOVES these moments. After all, who better than the devil to argue against? He's got some grudging respect for her and the 'curse she's cast' on his class. I'd like to think Junko's royal sprite was mildly based off the persona she'd put on to argue with him.

I think like Akane, Gundham only realised the depth of his feelings for Junko after she died. And GOD what a confusing mix of emotions it is. He's convinced Junko is the embodiment of evil, but he also thinks he's irredeemable. So he thinks she sucks but like-- in the most important, ultimate way possible. Thus, he ends up forming a cult/church to give her the respect and worship she deserves-- but also to talk about how horrifying she is.

Gundham's biggest problem here is conflating his own wickedness with Junko, and declaring them both irredeemable. He's dragging himself down with her. This is why he ends up attaching her arm to him-- the arm of the Devil-- to the wrong socket, so he can never use it properly. The man with two right hands! He's decided that love is sacrifice, that Junko demands sacrifice from him, and that he must destroy everything he loves in order to appease her. This gives him some of the most unhealthy remnant relationships!

As for Nagito, this one is pretty much agreed on in the fandom-- Nagito didn't like Junko, but he also loved her. In school they were known for their Hope vs Despair arguments that would go on wayyyy too long, and their constant need to accompany each other to make sure they're not 'doing anything weird'. So they're often around each other with their weird mutual obsession, but they also very much dislike each other.

There's probably a sweet sweet parallel you could draw here about how the two people who hate Junko the most each take her arms and hands but boy I'm not sure what it is yet! Would love to do some art for that concept eventually though!

Just like with Mikan, I don't really have any revolutionary remnant Nagito thoughts? I feel like people have actually deep dived into his remnant self, so I have less to add.

HOWEVER. While we're talking about people who don't care about Junko..... HAJIME. In school he avoided her everywhere, deeply uncomfortable with her personality and general...offness. Then she visited him in the depths of Hopes Peak about the surgery and things got a little more complicated! This lines into my hc that ignores canon: Hajime is the one fronting for most of the apocalypse pre-sdr2.

And he still does NOT care about Junko. He does end up caring for class 77 though, especially since the future foundation wants him dead so bad. He'll take what he can get! This ties into my final remnant related hc here that's controversial: Nagito and Izuru only meet once pre-sdr2, and it's on the boat bringing them to Jabberwock island :))

#danganronpa #sdr2 #gundham tanaka #nagito komaeda #hajime hinata #junko enoshima #remnants of despair #midnight speaks #got a little offtopic here i just have too many thougts #gonna sneak a secret second rant in here #cause i feel dr3 gundham is SO dumb. I hate his design with a burning passion #and i get the urge to lean into animals for remnant gundham but i feel the supernatural element has a lot of potential?? but it goes mostly #ignored by canon and the fandom which i think is a big shame #I feel like i went on a side rant in this ask to TRY and explain gundhams remnant mindset. since its one im always wokring on #but i fully think the Evil Overlord is a big part of his remnant self

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cosmicangst · 3 years

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this was definitely a beach ep (even for a drama that is basically one whole beach ep) as it felt less driven than others bc the main conflict was essentially “keep the relationship a secret” with the fallout being that they would be the target of gossip, which is pretty insulated to this one ep and does not have as high a stake as the main throughline of conflict driving the undercurrent of the past ten eps (ie will they let their walls down long enough to be vulnerable with one another about their feelings)

im a firm believer that an established relationship can engender as much if not more interesting stories than the build up. so many less capable romance writers often fall prey to vapid drama or convoluted misunderstandings to keep the audience invested when the couple releases so much of the tension of that will they won’t they by getting together. romances become one dimensional stories when they focus on drama that sacrifice character for cheap intrigue rather than having the drama be character-driven (and finding a balance of external/internal conflict.) it often pits the couple against each other and is less interested in how they as a unit face a problem together. which is the issue! if your ultimate aim as a romance is to portray a happy ending ie building a functioning relationship you can’t fall back on the ease of mining interest by having couples constantly stuck in that “build up” stage (aka not learning how to communicate w each other, breaking up instead of figuring it out as a couple then getting back together etc etc)

but despite the more “settled” energy of this ep i do think that this was necessary bc i suspect that du sik’s secrets and hye jin’s entreaty for them to be honest will be their first real test as a couple. we do need to see them completely enamored and silly and playful and making people like mi seon exasperated. the show is quite literally in a honeymoon stage in it of itself and it would feel dishonest for straightforward people like du sik and hye jin who up to this point have been honest w nearly everything but their feelings to not be so direct and pointed w their affection here.

i love that it ends w hye jin completely laying her cards out on the table and the community showing their full support. because now literally nothing but whatever du sik has yet to confront directly in his past can stand in their way. so the natural outcome is that it’ll either make or break them and everything up to here, every ep has affirmed the theme that support and mutual care is an integral facet of life so yes i do have faith that the remaining eps will do right by me

that being said i do hope we don’t reach an inert point in the story either, where it’ll become this drawn out thing that becomes increasingly superficial the more the show contrives inane ways to keep them from confronting it directly and/or perpetuating it as an insurmountable wedge between the two (can you tell ive been burned before? lol) but this show so far has done nothing but surprise me pleasantly. every time you expect a lesser show to fall into easy traps like maybe keeping the second lead resentful or getting in the way between the main couple after being rejected this show has seong hyun and hye jin acknowledging their gratefulness to each other as their first love in a very mature and adult way and seong hyun and du sik maintaining their friendship.

so i was both thoroughly entertained and cringing in self consciousness (remembering all my first loves and how i acted 😷) by all the fluff (except for the casual violence for comedic effect bits which i will never not find alarming and unfunny) and i think this is a sweet first chapter for them to grow as a couple just starting out and what that means for them exactly rather than a prelude for them (and this show) to fall into stagnancy/complacency or worse be constantly barraged by unnecessary drama for the sake of drama

#hometown cha cha cha.

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moopsloops · 2 years

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Maple’s Melfel Megapost: Lovesick Obsession and Conspiracy-Style Origins

I mean the title says it all. I’m here to scream about Melfel. Main points are his relation with Elhaza and my thoughts regarding backstory. Very long post ahead, feel free to read but uhh TL;DR I love melfel a very normal amount. BF2 spoilers ahead, questionable accuracy at some parts bc I’m not a lore expert, but I put a lot of time into this so hopefully it's mostly accurate, coherent, or entertaining to read if nothing else.

First off, shoutout to @/symonynii for sharing the bf2 translation w me, all the script quotes are from their work, thank you for fueling my brainrot and permanently altering my brain structure. Quotes from that translation will be this fun purple >:) Translations from Rexona will be this cool green :p Also melfel is referred to with he/she/they in this doc just fyi

Melfel is a massive simp for Elhaza

When investigating this relationship, it’s very obvious Melfel has this obsessive near-worship level of respect for Elhaza. If you took a shot every time Melfel reiterated that everything they do is for Elhaza (or “that man”... haha edgeworth vibes just call that mf your husband) you would die from alcohol poisoning, he constantly talks about it. But they also trust Elhaza with their life, or at least enough for some soul-related experimentation to take place:

"Melfel: Yes~ Oh, but don’t worry. I’m only a clone that contains part of my spirit. I was made by Elhaza"

"My existence is only for Elhaza, please do not misunderstand that..." (Resonance line from BFR). This level of devotion is just ffsdfdfsldfldfsdfldf. My brain melts. He gets irked if you assume he's working for Nogreth due to loyalty for Nogreth's cause, he wants to reiterate that he is loyal to Elhaza above all else. Man. Same sentiment is shown here too:

"Tiny Melfel: ...Of course. Everything is for Neo Orcus. Of course~

Tiny Melfel, to himself: Well, for me, it’s more like “everything is for Mr. Elhaza”. I only exist for that person..."

I have already gushed about this development multiple times but it drives me crazy. Melfel starts the game being completely unable to comprehend how someone can sacrifice themselves for the sake of others

"Melfel: Oops... hey, I wonder what I should do now... To give yourself up to protect others... how does one act on such a feeling?"

And then at the end of the game he sacrifices his life to protect Elhaza and his work from the protags it drives me feral. Their bond with Elhaza, their love for him pushed them to make the ultimate sacrifice all for him. It makes me crazy, how much love and devotion one has to learn and accept how much they would give up.

Adding on, Melfel’s last words?????

“Elhaza......I... always….”

I always WHAT?? I always loved you???? It’s very specific structure, it can’t be spun in some way like “I was honored to serve you” it sounds like a full-on love confession. Having a man’s name be your last words as you try to address them one last time,,, idk seems pretty gay gay homosexual to me.

Also, this bit kind of dives into headcanon territory, but I view the tiny melfels as fragments of Melfel’s soul, so it’s crazy and emotionally gutting how even after death a part of Melfel’s soul cares about Elhaza, it makes me feral this clown is so in love. Her love extends past life and death and every part of her soul screams about her love for Elhaza, it's just aaahdjshjkssdskadsdk peak romance.

“(we see tiny melfel carrying elhaza’s mask across a black screen, and he grins at us)”

And this Rexona voice line drives me crazy like OH MY GOD???? This is so much. mf wants him so bad.

"Elhaza is everything to me. What he wants is what I want. His enemies are my enemies."

Elhaza’s feelings (or lack thereof)

Now it’s a lot more difficult to find examples of Elhaza’s thoughts about Melfel bc we just. Don’t see much of him and he rarely talks about them which is :/ And it also can just read as Elhaza doing the bare minimum to keep Melfel in line with him instead of genuine sentiments. But there are some instances.

Most notably when Melfel leaves for their final encounter with the protags, they mentions how they had to ask Elhaza to face you, Elhaza didn’t originally want/order Melfel to be out there and likely took some persuasion to agree to let them go. So maybe he does care? He seems to have held some concern for her safety, because as this point Nogreth’s demon lords have kind of been falling apart both internally and with the protags taking them down

“Melfel: ...You can say whatever you want, but we have something to do. It’s for that reason that I asked Mr. Elhaza to send me back here. It’s ridiculous to think that you’re the protagonists of this world~”

Additionally there’s this whole dynamic they have before encountering the protags and og gang together ft. Melfel being so so excited and hyped about working with Elhaza while he’s just like “cool :/ ”.

"Melfel: Mr. Elhaza himself will go? This is unusual. I thought the interception would be left to me.

Elhaza: ...It’s not a bad idea to get a look at their faces.

Melfel: Oh, I’ll come and help you! It’ll be an honor~

Elhaza: ...Hmph."

Just gonna drop this here too because it’s a fun moment, Elhaza really just said “lmao go crazy”. I think he has some sentiments towards Melfel, but it’s not nearly as much as Melfel holds for him.

“Melfel: Of course~ I’ll get support for Hilda and Lune... And above all, the killing of weak summoners~

Elhaza: Hm... enjoy yourself. You might be able to use support from Shaia in some cases.

Melfel: I understand~ And now, I’ll…”

They both really have a thing for encouraging each other to kill and complimenting murder. Typical evil lovers behavior.

"Melfel: As expected, Mr. Elhaza! An instant kill as always, it’s wonderful~

Elhaza: ......

Melfel: Ah.... but it looks like you’re not pleased.

Elhaza: ....... It seems like the damage was much lower than normal. I’ll entrust you to the rest. Do whatever you want.

Melfel: Is it alright to kill that Weisser as well?

Elhaza: I don’t care.

Melfel: Wonderful. Then I’ll have a great time~"

Of course Shida's whole character plays a role in how he expresses himself. Due to how long he's lived and extended his life, he's become very disconnected from human emotions and bonds, viewing them as something interesting to study rather than an actual experience.

"Human beings are truly interesting.

Life and death, bonds, negative emotions…no matter how much we study them, there is no end to them.

They are silly, beautiful, and irrepressible."

So it makes sense how neutral and even dismissive he is towards Melfel and his clear expressions of devotion. Additionally, Shida seems to be focused solely on his research, he sees everything as a way to advance his work.

Their relationship is inherently tragic because of how little Elhaza cares when compared to Melfel’s obsession. But because of Melfel’s nature they just don’t seem to care. Even the smallest recognition is enough for him. They feel fulfilled with what they get, even overjoyed. It makes you wonder… what did Elhaza do to cause such a strong infatuation? Well, I have a buckwild frankensteined mess of canon, headcanon, and stretches of connections to potentially explain it.

Smashing together a backstory for Melfel

Brave Frontier Rexona actually flat out states Melfel's backstory, which genuinely surprised me ngl. I just tossed this from the brave frontier library site into DeepL so hopefully it's somewhat accurate:

-Blind faith in Elhaza-

He joined Nogreth when they invaded his home world of the Otherworld.

As a man of very low status, Melfel saw Nogreth who had destroyed his world as a god of salvation.

His cunning mind and talent for magic were bought by Elhaza, and his absolute loyalty to him led him to become the head of the legion in the blink of an eye.

In addition, he seems to have led many insane subordinates.

So, Melfel is from the Otherworld, which made me cry because I had to watch all the cutscenes from the Otherworld section of the game to piece together the lore since I never reached there lmao. But more notably, Nogreth invaded Melfel's home and he viewed them as his savior. He hated his life and saw the destruction of it as a saving grace, a moment for him to achieve the greatness and power he likely desired. This low-status background ties in really hard to what Roy brought up to Melfel in their trauma mirror confrontation.

“Melfel: Every human has a wound in their heart. This mirror picks it out and shows them it~ It’s prized in my collection.”

....

“Roy: I know, Melfel. You just fool around with all your cowardly tricks, but your strength is well-hidden. You must have suffered, and harnessed that suffering for your power. And... now you’re fighting for your own reasons... right?

Melfel: ......”

That inferiority and struggle in Melfel's early life is what pushed him to follow the one that tore it all down for him, Elhaza.

Ngl this revelation made me have a mini meltdown because I didn’t notice Rexona on the brave frontier library site when I wrote the next part and this revelation poses quite a big complication which sucks bc I think it ties together a lot of themes and arcs together well and deepens melfel’s character so I’m about to commit crimes against canon.

Okay forewarning: this next part delves into unhinged conspiracy theory shit so if you’re not interested I completely understand. But this relationship gets like, 100 times crazier and more fascinating if you consider that…

Conspiracy theory: Melfel is Malef.

Hear me out please. There’s just too many similarities and connections to be coincidence:

Evil nightmare clown with prominent eye motif is a character design archetype that is ripe for possibility, the fact that Melfel and Malef are the only two (as far as I know) to exhibit this theme is crazy. And their designs are kinda similar? The Parch Misfit Malef design especially retains the similar purple stripes and eye motifs. Also it’s a fun contrast that Malef’s element is fire while Melfel’s is nature, practically the complete opposite it’s neat. And it’s reflected in their designs, transforming from Malef’s predominantly red design to the complementary green of Melfel’s design, ties into the themes of transformation and significant change between the lives of Malef and Melfel

Little bonus find: Melfel does constantly switch elements in his battles of brave frontier two dungeon and that can relate to why he has a completely different element as malef, but that has questionable canonical weight it could just be a fun mechanic. Additionally, Malef’s extra sp skills allow him to add extra elements to his bb/sbb attacks which is similar to Melfel’s event, but once again: questionable canoninity due to how frequent that buff pops up in other unrelated units’ sp buffs. It's also interesting to note that while Melfel is technically a plant/nature attuned unit his attacks are primarily flame-based, which can tie him back to Malef (ik brave frontier isn't the best at sticking with units' elements when designing attacks but it's another interesting connection).

The similar names. Idk it’s a bit too similar to be coincidence or laziness imo. There are similar names of characters throughout the games’ rosters but like. This is different. I feel it’s a bit too similar to just be unintentional.

Malef’s research being very very similar, almost identical to what Elhaza has been researching, it makes sense why they would become allies. They both are studying how to extract the powers of demons and other living magic users to create an ultimate being. Very very specific, very very fascinating how it’s these two of all characters to study this. (I elaborate more on this later, just wanted to mention this as theory proof over here).

I think that if Melfel and Malef were the same then the contrast between their two deaths would be so cool. The first time Malef "died" it was from selfishness and a desire to keep the research for himself by killing his co-researcher Holia. The second time Melfel dies it’s a selfless sacrifice to protect Elhaza and his work that he’s so passionate about. The near opposite cause of death, the growth and development and parallel is just mmmmmm it's perfect it just feels so fulfilling it all comes full circle.

Melfel is hinted to have had a tragic backstory centered around failure and not being enough.

Melfel: ......”

When Roy calls him out for it it’s notably the only time the theatric, always talking Melfel is left speechless. This focus on inferiority and inner turmoil is so etched into Malef’s character that it pushes him to murder Holia and take all the credit for their research, it makes sense that this deep fear pushes Melfel to weaponize others’ trauma and insecurities because knows firsthand the devastating mental effects it can have on a person.

Ngl I don’t know the timeline very well and am not 100% certain when Mora saved Malef but for the sake of this spiel we’re gonna assume it was wayyy before Nogreth encountered Melfel.

Eventually Melfel and Elhaza met (which I believe was quite a long while ago, I headcanon he was the first one after the OG Nogreth crew to be recruited). Anyways, Melfel repeatedly cites Elhaza as his savior and all, so what if Elhaza quite literally reconstructed Malef’s body or gave him a new vessel to inhabit? I know he was technically saved by Mora, but he’s very much lacking a proper physical form. My man is just a ball of fire with limbs, his whole torso is gone. He was also condemned to servitude for Mora. Perhaps Elhaza gave him a proper physical form and was his second savior in a sense? I think that slaps. And of course in Melfel’s eyes the role of savior demands his servitude, so out of gratitude for being freed and fully restored, he moved to serve Elhaza and join Nogreth.

Additionally, Malef’s field of study was near identical to Elhaza’s goal: creating an ultimate being by extracting and utilizing demons’ powers. Perhaps Melfel was saved because of his knowledge overlapping with Elhaza’s research. It's clear that Shida values his research over anything, so to come across someone who may have knowledge and experience that can further that knowledge? He would try and recruit them in a heartbeat lmao. Idk it’s very cool and adds so much more connection and bonding material between them. It also serves as Melfel’s backstory and an explanation for why he’s so infatuated with Elhaza (besides being rly gay ofc).

This convo shows how Melfel is more familiar and able to understand the contents of Elhaza’s research, probably because of his researcher background as Malef (side note it also shows Elhaza and Melfel reassuring and checking in with each other,,, a small chill moment between them :,) )

“Melfel: After that, my alter ego was discovered in Akras.

Elhaza: Good, you played your role well.

Melfel: By the way... how is the plan going?

Elhaza: ...Everything is going according to schedule.

Melfel: That means more to me than anything~ Finally, Mr. Elhaza’s research is in the final stages~

Elhaza: ......

Melfel: Oops, I may have snooped a little bit. I’m sorry.

Elhaza: What you did... do you know what’s going on?”

Now is it possible to tie this all in with the Otherworld backstory that Rexona presents? I will try, but we can also just take the easy way out and pretend Rexona's lore drop doesn't exist because canon is a joke. Maybe Malef fled to the Otherworld?? idk it's possible. He would have to have given up everything to flee anyways, no research no status no nothing, he would be living it rough out there, which lines up with the low status Melfel found himself living in.

To add to my case on why this theory is based and would be so good if true: there can be a lot of parallels drawn between Shida and Malef. I touched on it earlier but their similar research into harnessing god/demon power to create an ultimate being is damn near identical, as well as their undying devotion to research above all else. So in a way, Shida can be seen as a foil of Malef, as he was successful whereas Malef was horribly disfigured and condemned to servitude. So Melfel's devotion to him could also be stemming or strengthened by the perception that Elhaza is everything he wanted to be as Malef, Shida possesses the success and power that he wanted to have. He was saved from his unfulfilling life by the embodiment of everything he wanted, how could he not fall in love with him? Melfel quickly chose to work under Nogreth likely because of her insecurity she felt for her failing research as Malef, perhaps seeing this as the closest way to meet that. Then eventually along the way, likely while she chimed in input from her own similar research, her research-related motives turned to a genuine love for Elhaza. Hell, it can also provide a case for Shida having genuine feelings for Melfel. He would naturally be closer to Melfel if they had research knowledge that interested him, and through those interactions maybe that interest moved away from research to Melfel themselves, similar to how Malef's obsession with research morphed into an obsession for Elhaza.

And of course the theme of rebirth/given a second chance and falling in love with your savior, I eat that shit up it’s just so good, it fits so well and adds more dimension to Melfel’s worship, Elhaza is literally his god in this scenario, he gave him a purpose in life and a second chance to prove himself. It doesn’t get gayer than that. Melfel’s obsession with his research also seems to curb away and begin to turn into an obsession with Elhaza. If this theory is true, Neo Orcus can be seen as a fusion of Malef and Elhaza’s research, it can be seen as the embodiment of Malef’s research that he killed and died and dealt with demons for. So to see Melfel grow tired of his work, but instead have that passion turn towards Elhaza… idk it shows some sort of growth I guess? More ties to the transition from Malef caring only about research instead of partnership to Melfel caring for partnership instead of research. It draws parallels to how much passion Melfel has, how fixated they become on what they deem to be more important than life itself. It even ties into the idea of Melfel understanding sacrifice through his love for Elhaza. He would be familiar with sacrifice for research, his whole work with Neo Orcus reiterates that, but sacrifice for people? Only when he falls for Elhaza and grows more devoted to him rather than his work does he finally decide to die for a person he loves. How much love is needed for that? It’s simultaneously tragic but… beautiful in a way.

Closing words & more Nogreth ideas

Is melfel/elhaza a healthy relationship? Probably not. Is it cool and sad and fascinating to look at? Absolutely.

Yeah, thanks so much for reading, I’ve been brain-rotting over this for a while and just wanted to scream about it. Melfel obsession hasn’t died yet, it’s only become more all-consuming. Now that brave frontier died, the characters just exist in my head like ocs due to no longer having the source material being accessible in its original form so they just. Consume all my thoughts. I treat them like left-behind dolls with interesting bits of history to build off of, as if this doc doesn’t reflect that.

Uhhh some extra Nogreth thoughts real quick to cleanse your palate: Shaia was painfully underutilized and unexplored, Hilda is a lesbian it’s so obvious, Barragan and Lanford are quite possibly even gayer than melfel/elhaza, the whole Zaad being a demonlord instead of Gustav debacle is hilarious alongside Hilda and Rene having to fight over their single Demonlord position, melfel canonically hates uwuspeak, and I want Hilda to crush my skull. Thanks for reading.

#ITS FINALLY DONE #FUCK THIS TOOK FOREVER BUT IM HAPPY #melfel #elhaza #shida #brave frontier 2 #brave frontier #the way the otherworld revelation from rexona tore me apart #i wrote the conspiracy theory before I found the profile in the library #and I didn't want to scrap it because a: copium and b: it works so well #bf is literally gone so I think I can stretch and alter canon a little bit right?#long post

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vermillioncrown · 3 years

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I said I was going to write you an essay to make you question what I do with my free time, and I follow through on my promises! So, making my case for Jiang Cheng, as well as some comments on why I think ot3 is cute but ultimately wouldn't work. Obvious caveat that we haven't had all the major character interactions and canon changes in dbd yet, so my opinion is subject to change according to how the story develops. I talk a big game but I actually don't mind who zyx ends up w bc I know it'll happen due to Character Development. Our thoughts on romance are fairly similar.

Why wangxian+zyx doesn't (yet?) convince me:

I'd have to really, really be sold that it isn't, in fact, wangxian+zyx but instead wwx/lwj/zyx, and I think zyx would too. You recently made a post on zyx feeling like an intruder in their relationship, and it would take so much work for wangxian to convince her that she wasn't an afterthought, not bc they think so abt her but bc wangxian is basically the founding principle of the canon she's inhabiting and girl can only handle so many mind-blowing paradigm shifts and that quota is filled by transmigrating. I also feel like wangxian have so much work to do w themselves in canon before they're ready to be in a relationship, and asking zyx to join in is like asking them to do a lot of emotional heavy lifting on their behalf. Like, she knows all their hangups, and she might be able to help one (1) romantic partner w that stuff but two is asking kind of a lot? Also she just knows too much abt them. She knows too much abt everybody, but them in particular. (zyx's reaction to the Horny Gripping, anybody?) Also, that insight seems to be a major reason why she even knows how to interact with them/interpret their behavior, and she's still baffled half the time lmao.

Not to mention, these two are Dramatic. Like, they are That Couple, and are prone to dramatic displays of love and romance and great personal sacrifice and zyx is way too lowkey and easily embarrassed for that shit. (zyx, if someone did the equivalent of giving the whole cultivation world the middle finger on her behalf: First of all, I would never put you in that situation, and second of all *perishes*) (zyx, if someone proposed in public and made graphic comments abt wanting to bang her: I don't know you. Also, I'm going to beat you to death.) (Alternatively, these are the two with enough combined chaos energy that they're the ones most likely to find out abt zyx's reincarnation/transmigration bit.)

Now About Jiang Cheng:

Of course, he is my bestest angry boi and I'm not-at-all-secretly in love w your Lan Wenhui au, so I'm biased. And let's be real, their relationship would have to have elements of politics. But I love their dynamic and how they seem to intuitively understand each other and have similar responses to situations. I don't think they'd have wangxian level Romance, but I also don't think zyx is built for that. (Not a criticism, bc I'm certainly not either.) But I think they'd have an excellent sense of comradery and companionship and respect, and would definitely be a cultivation world power couple bc they're both just so damn competent. Also they'd be roasting everyone the entire time. (Basically, I think they'd make each other laugh, and that's my gold standard.)

I think they're similar enough that they can understand each other without letting their worst qualities and habits dominate? Like, they both deal with feelings of inadequacy and are hyper competent to compensate, and can come off cold but definitely aren't. zyx wouldn't let jc get too caught up in his own head and family feelings, etc., and jc would see zyx on a research bender and be like 'eat food, you gremlin'. (He grew up w wwx, he knows.) jc is also p charismatic to my mind, in a way we both see and don't see in canon, mostly subtextual in how he rallies Jiang Sect during the war and rebuilds it. You don't do all of that solely through the power of being an angry asshole everyone's scared of. Also, jc has a major thing for ppl being loyal, and if zyx and he were to become an item, ie for political reasons, I think she definitely would be and I think he'd find that enormously attractive. And I think having someone on his side who shares his goals would really allow jc to grow and mature in ways that zyx would find appealing. (Returned confidence and trust in the other person?) Plus, imagine zyx/jc interacting w jzx/jyl, I feel like there are so many opportunities for comedy gold.

Idk I like some of the other pairings suggested--whoever put forth jzx/jyl/zyx is Big Brained. Anyways I've written some and would love to chat w you if you ever want to, and also maybe someday I'll write up my thought on lxc or Mianmian as potential love interests. (I feel like I could really be into something w Mianmian 😉)

if i questioned what anyone did with their spare time, it's "glass houses and cast stones" on this end. thank you for following through, love reading write ups that prove i've dragged others into this hellhole. it's especially nice when a reader catches onto what i'm trying to convey in the fic, and agrees (two braincells in resonant frequency across the land).

on wangxian+ot3:

you've brought up something that very few have brought up before, even as a joke. like, haha yeah we know zyx's a potty-mouthed transmigrator, but the emotional and mental toll on someone to be constantly reminded they don't belong, they don't fit in, there's nothing they can do about that, and they cannot be themselves wholly... it's a lot. there's only so many braincells left to do other mental heavy-lifting. and yes, zyx is willing to handle most things as they come, but they tend to establish ground rules and assumptions before operating, and wangxian is one of those gr&as, thought immutable.

they're also on a different level of emotional maturity than wangxian (for as much of a mess zyx is), there is self-awareness and understanding that sets them apart from the teenagers around them (let alone the emotional messes that are wangxian). it'd be too imbalanced, one person helping the other person develop to their level rather than mutual growth (not saying it can't happen. it's currently unlikely). and knowing too much about a person, not some faceless character - to know someone, move onto liking them, respecting them; the 'DISGUSTANG' response is played up for laughs, but that's masquerading the guilt/discomfort one would feel when unintentionally violating another's boundaries. and it's even worse bc the affected party doesn't know it.

(i'd like to argue on zyx's behalf/my behalf that the Customer Service/Professional at Work face is good enough to interact with most people, and there's a reason ppl irl ask me to read others to filth. the bafflement is only when the interpretation must involve the self.)

(in a "fuck, dude - i exist in other people's thoughts???")

the Drama is def another con in the wangxian category. nice to read about, but don't you fucking dare bring that into the house. each reaction you've written is 100% true: it's more like zyx would never want to put their partner in the position of performative displays of affection and romance (bc it means they've fucked up themselves, and it's time to exit life). the reflexive reaction to raunchy declarations would likely be a bellow and a punch (the thoughts are as you've written).

but, yes - the gravitational pull of wangxian's chaos -> they're getting into the business of those they hold dear, whether the other party likes it or not -> it will probably happen. i answered that 'potential crossover ask' before, and that's the case where wangxian are the only mfers with the least responsibilities such that they'll get into a mess w zyx that will bust that secret wide open.

(also, toying w a side-plot during ssc, involving demonic cultivation + inquiry)

on jiang cheng:

it's no surprise - from the lwh au and zyx's thoughts in dbd, jc is the character they identify most with. not in a 'aww little meow meow' but a 'uh the reflection in this mirror is... i don't want to think about this bye'. i'm happy you like what little i have on their dynamic in dbd so far; it's difficult to get them to interact in depth at this point of the fic bc it's in the nature of both jc and zyx.

if they do get together, it's as you said: not wangxian level of true love romance, and neither are built for it. it'd be like the lwh au, except less funny and much messier (the fact that wwx has a crush on his shidi's ??? being one thing, and the fact that jc has to consider his position/appearance rather than pursue romance or even consider zyx a romance option). it'd have to develop from strong friendship first, which is exactly like your thoughts on comradery + companionship + respect. a partnership on multiple fronts.

it's two girlbosses dating each other.

(i def have more interactions with the two building up via snark, and yes - how can you date someone that doesn't make you laugh? minimum requirements right there, you have to find each other hilarious)

also true on similar but different: they deal with their fixations and hurts in different ways. there's always the possibility that two people like this would start a cold war of posturing that'd keep them from reconciling, but the little differences of the sources of their issues/how they manage their issues gives room for coexistence. very much agree w your examples.

jc has to be charismatic - not only did he rebuild the jiang, he did so when he was on the losing side, and it'd probably looked better for his recruits to stay out of cultivator business and hope it'd blow past. he has yet to pull out the jc charm on zyx yet. it's not as bombastic as wwx's, but it's something.

while zyx would never say their defining trait is loyalty, they are stubborn as fuck. "fuck it i'm not doing this" *does it anyway* "i don't need to be here" *is still here* <- the thing w shuangfeng all through part 1. so yeah, if they deliberately chose to stand with jc, it will likely be followed through to the end. jc doesn't have many people that are straightforward and stalwart with him, and as shady as zyx is they aren't that complicated of a person. at least, i don't think so lol, but i 'might' be biased.

(i tend to introduce myself as a 'single-celled organism'; like, i'm kinda shady but only for fun)

you want the most awkward family dinners, don't you? unfortunately for jc, it's a case of "we're best friends that were so homie we dated siblings" when it comes to jzx&zyx.

jc & jyl eyeing each other from across the table like 😶😶

(i do not know how that type of interaction would work out, and i will leave the future a mystery)

wrapping up:

i would love to talk more about jzx/jyl/zyx throuple bc it's so galaxy-brained, but bc jzx is instrumental in the plot near-future, i do not want to spoil anything until the things have happened.

when more lxc interactions happen (some upcoming in the discussion conference, a lot in the ssc), i'd love to see it.

BWEW BWEW BWEW!!!!!

[LUO QINGYANG ROUTE - prerequisites fulfilled]

^ if people find things (if you find things) in dbd, she's now available to be discussed :)

also, from pm's:

> "Ooh another pt of interest that can apply however you like: zyx doesn't *trust* love as a sentiment on its own. She's like 'feelings? How unfortunate, how can I get out of this.' I don't know if she would be able to view romantic love as lasting and therefore worth investing in seriously unless there was other stuff underpinning it. But reliability and competence? Mutual respect? I feel like that would go much further to winning her over, would be what makes her catch feelings."

< "you fucking got it"

< "like, zyx is not one to deny feelings exist. but that's a whole separate animal."

< "you can't get assholes off your lawn and away from your sect through ~true love~"

> "Lmao zyx viewing their emotions with a 😒 'that's a little irritating but whatever'"

< "rational zyx to emotional zyx "we'll get through this""

#electricalsheep #on dbd #dbd love shack #inquiry #thanks for the essay i loved it #submitting to the journal of fanfiction lmao #i was wondering if anyone would catch on with lqy at all 🤭

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mageglory · 3 years

Text

Dragon Age Redemption (of a Plot) Part 2

And here we go with the continuation, folks. I still tag @dalishious since I started this after a rewatch organized by her blog before disappearing in the world of exams. Part 3, the last part, is already done and will arrive for the end of the day. Are we done? Let's go.

-After Josmael heals his wound and accuses Tallis of stabbing him, Tallis does her "I've proven a point by stabbing you" bit and Josmael, who's kind but not going to validate this, says "and this was the best way?" but ultimately follows them because he wants to help his clan.

-Cairn does his "I'm not working with an apostate they are evil" bit but when he says "my job is to lock them up or exterminate them" Josmael points up his hypocrisy (and also points up that tecnically he is NOT an Apostate, he's part of a different religion. He's a First) Cairn obviously ignores him/tells him to shut up, then Tallis goes "well you two will have to keep an eye on the other and follow me them" because she's so neutral and wise /s

-"We hoped the elder of our clan Yeven escaped the Chantry" "nobody escapes the Templars" "The Sarebaas did" brings out the "The Chantry killed him?!?" "No he was being examined" piece and in answer Josmael tells that humans sometimes attack dalish who wander too far away from the clan and torture them (like we see the templars do in da2 and in many other occasions). Cairn takes offence and Josmael answers that "examined" is just torture so he has no right to talk. Tallis points out the Sarebaas involvement and tells Cairn to keep up and Josmael gives Cairn a silent sideye.

-They still have the conversation when Cairn tells Josmael that it's better his loved ones died when he was young "feels less painful this way". Josmael starts answering coldly, but he's immediatey interrupted by Tallis qun wisdom before he can tell anything. Josmael answers, angrily, that love doesn't makes people selfish but it's what matters in the world and to help the casual DA fan to get who's right the conversation mirrors the romancing Warden and Wynne dialogue from Origins, with Tallis saying duty is all that matters and Josmael saying it's better to love and loose that not love at all. But we skip the Cairn x Tallis bit yes? yes. He just say love matters and that they are old. The duo laughs at that and say they are half the age of the dalish elders, and Josmael looks at them and says "I did not meant age. You are old inside".

-We skip the "Templars aren't allowed to marry bit" because WHAT IS SER WEASLEY THEN BIOWARE.

-The gang ambushes Sarebaas in the cave, still busy doing his "magic is unknown even to mages and what is a little blood for a lot of power" bit. That was a bit cliche but cool, a classic villain monologue and I can appreciate the classics.

-The battle starts and I laugh at the special effects used for magic, but basically it goes as in canon there, with Nyree the Reaver defeating Cairn and breaking the philactery. The mask of Fen'Harel activates. Also the scene where Tallis shows Sarebaas his collar and his "never again" stays, because it's cool, but Sarebaas is shown recoil on instinctive fear at it because we are gonna point out that he's the main villain but his hate of the Qun is justified. The bad guys get away and the "good" guys (lmao Josmael is the only good one there) + Nyree are trapped in the cave.

-The new episode opens up with Josmael being the only one to clear the rabble because "responsable" for them being trapped (which is a ridicolous argument but w/) while Cairn interrogates Nyree. When Nyree says that as mercenary she does not talk and Cairn hits her, Nyree laughs and asks Cairn if that's what he does to mages and if so he should put more energy in it because he's pathetic. When Cairn attacks again he's stopped by Tallis that tells him that Nyree is a reaver and it was a trap to make him angrier since she gets more powerful with more pain. And also because I like to think that Nyree like Zevran is a decent person so while she was totally provoking him the dab at the Templars was honest. #MageRights

-Cairn says to Tallis that the philactery is now broken and the two have a fight that deranges in something that can be summed up as "what kind of chantry fool lets our best way to get our Sarebaas back be destroyed" "shutup knife ears" and Nyree laughs at them and say she knows what the Sarebaas is going to do. Tallis pays handsomely Nyree to side with them and shamelessy confess to have stolen from the Keeper wagon. Josmael retorts, in a baffled/horripilates tone, that those money belong to the clan and should br used to help them all and she had no right to it.

-Tallis answers that capturing Sarebaas will help them all and basically ignores all of Josmael rightful anger. Cairn yells at the apostate that he would have totally killed Sarebaas if not for Josmael incompetence.

-Nyree proves that Cairn was basically torturing mages, remembering him from the prison. Josmael, still angry, sides with Nyree but Cairn is unrepentant. Tallis cuts off the discussion and the gang discovers that Sarebaas is going to Sundermount. Josmael rightfull is in anxiety at the idea of the woman he loves being killed for a blood magic sacrifice.

-Josmael looks at them broodingly/angrily in silence while they talk but then sighs and tells them of the shortcut.

-"What you know of this ruins?" "It's an ancient place of power from our people time" and Tallis goes with her "not our, yours". I shake my fist angrily at Bioware dividing elves but let it pass since honestly Tallis they are better without you get off that high horse.

-Lmao I forgot Nyree asks if Sarebaas could destroy qunari and chantry using the mask to call an army of demons. That's kinda of one my Tevinter ocs plan *toasts a drink to my gloriously evil woman*

-Nyree rightfully points out that Sarebaas was hurt and enslaved all his life and wants revenge but instead of saying "he's pissed at the world" she more openly says that the Qun made this. Tallis answers the usual propaganda of the qun piece of Sarebaas needing control and that's the only piece where I allow some Tallis x Cairn and only in a sarcastic sense. Nyree looks at them and tells Tallis she's no better than the Templars, even if she thinks she is and sarcastically adds "you two would make a great couple, killing kids together for their magic"

-They reach the conveniently placed carboard of an inn in the middle of nowhere instead that near abitations of roads. I'm sure they make great buisness.

-They talk while eating and Nyree informs them and us that she's from Nevarra, which explains why she is more open to magic than many others. If you are a casual DA fan don't worry, because Cairn will try to take a dab at the Mortalitasi, calling them "wicked necromancers" and trying to insult Nyree which gives our favourite woman in the group the occasion to shut him up and also briefly talk about the mortalitasi and say "the grip of the Chantry is weaker there".

-Then they talk about the Reavers abilities and at least there everyone is like "wow cool" because yes reavers are great and we should have knightly orders of reavers instead of chevaliers.

-Obbligatory Cassandra Allegra Portia Calogera Filomena mention (<3) that part stays the same because I hate how Tallis tries to get in Nyree head but Nyree is perfectly capable to shut her up without my help.

-Josmael asks about Tallis mission, Tallis talks about qunari titles and how she was demoted and how she killed an orlesian slaver. Literally the only vaguely bonding part of the gang, if we ignore the Cairn and Tallis romance subplot (and we do, it doesn't exist. He still compliments her but not in a romancey way)

-For clarity Tallis still can/does vaguely flirt with Cairn in this scene but it is the typical spy flirt she does with Hawke too since the start and it is obvious both to Cairn and the audience than theres no romance and it's just part of Tallis personality (and as long as she doesn't stab mages Tallis can do what she wants)

-The "do you have to flirt all the time?" "no but I like it" bit is useful to make Nyree joke about the other two members of the group to Josmael. Because their friendship is amazing and I love them more than Cairn and Tallis.

-Then we got to the fighty part in the inn and both me and Galria Brosca cry of happiness at the existance of such a (Cailain voice) GLORIOUS rubber-made warhammer.

#dragon age redemption #dragon age #rewrites #tallis

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fantasyinvader · 3 years

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Kamen Rider Saber: Finale and Series Review

Okay, before I start disemboweling this series I want to give the finale two points of props.

It was nice to see the main trio fight the big bad together rather than it just being the lead Rider.

The ending really feels nostalgic for me. It's like one of those old games or anime that tried to do something like Evangelion, mostly Star Ocean 3 comes to mind.

I was going to add another point: how the ending didn't have to rely on a cosmic retcon to turn things into a happy ending like Build or Zi-o did, leaving those who died dead and having some level of maturity. I was going to give the show that point, even if it felt like it was leading into Touma essentially becoming God, but then the show did it and...I'm going to be honest here, I was saying fuck you at the screen. Multiple times, kinda like when Doctor Who's 50th anniversary where it turns out Gallifrey wasn't destroyed, the Doctor sealed it away and just couldn't remember it. Like, that is the level of bullshit I was calling out, and with Doctor Who I only said it as an “oh fuck you” rather than just “fuck you fuck you fuck you” until I noticed I was doing this and stopped myself.

Got it? Good. Now let's put Kamen Rider Saber on the examination table, rip it open, and see what went wrong with it.

Oh my god, where to begin with this series?

You ever see a show or movie that tries to do too much for it's runtime? Maybe a book that has some ultimately good ideas, but it never fleshed them out properly? That's my biggest feeling with Saber. Individual parts of the story, some arcs and characters are good on paper. Not to mention, Touma has two incredibly sexy upgrades (the Ryuki-inspired Draconic Knight and the berserker Primitive Dragon). But there is just so much in here that, given the proper focus could have carried the show if properly developed. It's a case of quantity over quality.

But the main problem comes to it's central McGufffin, the Omniscient Tome. This book is supposed to have all knowledge and later on all stories contained within it. It's what powers Wonderworld and the Wonder Ridebooks that are the main collectable trinket of the season. But when you stop and think about it, Saber is a world where there is no free will and the antagonists are all rebelling against this in their own way. Kento's dad (former Kamen Rider Calibur) went rogue in the backstory because he was given a vision of the future through his sword, and it led to the former Saber taking up the role of Calibur and going rogue in order to learn the truth. When the other riders are turned against Touma, the argument is over how he's destined to become more powerful, making Touma seem like he's seeking power and could be a future threat. When Kento returns from the dead, he's haunted by visions of the world ending in multiple variations, leading to him trying to seal the Sacred Blades in order to stop it. But then Master Logos is revealed to be buttfucking insane, wanting to rebel against his position in the world. Then it turns out the monster faction's leader, was a former poet who lost hope when he learned that all his creations were already in the Omniscient Tome, so he decided he would end the world his way rather than the predetermined ending. And even then, the world still ended the way it was always fated to end, even with Touma disappearing to nu-Wonderworld if only for a year.

The world wasn't saved, it was destroyed and then rebuilt because Mei wrote an online post that encouraged people to share their stories, which they did in oblivion even though these guys shouldn't have seen the post at all and instead just heard her voice.

Like, maybe the nu-World has free will. I'd buy that. But when applied to the 47 episodes I've spent the last year watching (alongside the Zenkaiger crossover episode), it felt pointless because it ended the way it was foretold in the Omniscient Tome. It didn't matter that Storious was defeated, fate was not averted. It's like, the complaints people have about the MCU post-Loki. It doesn't matter that Tony decided to sacrifice himself, because he didn't have free will. He was always going to sacrifice himself. Thanos was always going to snap away half the universe, and it would always be undone because choices didn't matter before Loki's ending.

And that's not even going into how they final arc reveals that Touma can somehow create stories not present in the Omniscient Tome. That he can somehow, because the personification of Wonderworld choose him as a child, that for some reason he's the only writer in history that can do this. His catchphrase is about how he'll be the one who'll decide how the story ends, but with the idea that everything was set into stone? It's laughable.

Like, my problem with Zero One's ending was the last scene. Aruto had learned a lot about the Humagears and was an advocate for them finding their own dreams as they became self-aware AI. So him trying to treat a new humagear as just an amnesiac Is and try to help her “remember”? That felt like a betrayal of the character and what he stood for. But the post-series movie revealed that Is left a copy of herself in the Zero Two driver, and merged with the non-self aware nu-Is who the movie kept reminding us wasn't the Is we knew. Aruto even had a sobbing scene about what he was doing, lowkey acknowledging what he was doing but without overtly calling him out. It fixed Zero One for me after that last scene left me with a bad taste in my mouth that overshadowed an otherwise excellent show.

You can't fix Saber with a single movie, that's what I'm getting at here.

So, with that out of the way let's go into my thoughts on each character.

Touma: Is one of the blandest main riders in the franchise. His sense of style is probably one of the worst I've ever seen though. Like I know they like to try and give the main riders their own look rather than having them dress like normal people, like Aruto wearing a hoodie under his suit jacket alongside with his very bright shoes, but this wasn't a W or even something like Ghost (where honestly I really liked Takeru's robe-like shirts). What they eventually settled on with Touma was a stupid hat, really baggy pants, and shirts that look like they came out of a stern librarian's closest. You know, the type with her hair in a bun and their horned-framed glasses on a chain.

Rintaro:Is one of those cases where he's meant to be the secondary Rider of the series, but is overshadowed because the writer likes to use someone else more. The idea of him having to turn against the organization that raised him (like a child soldier) could have worked really well if the series had a more free will-direction. But alas.

Kento: Kento's the one character I found I could really like. His arc was more interesting during the first quarter, his return as Calibur, but then he returned to being Espada and, as much as I love that suit, he just became Touma's main cheerleader. Really, I felt like towards the end it was a waste of him, especially since he doesn't get any power ups like Rintaro did to solidify him as one of the main three. He definitely feels like a victim of rewrites or just the writer not knowing what he was doing.

Mei: The female lead. Honestly, I just found her annoying most of the time. A womanchild to match Touma's more manchild moments, with a potential romance with Rintaro thrown in to only be confirmed in a future movie. Really, she should have taken over as Espada after Kento disappeared early on (especially since she's one of the three in the Ending dance while Kento isn't).

Daishinji: I'd say best boy, but he became a background character pretty quick.

Ogami: An older Kamen Rider who is also a father to a young child? Cool, and could even have worked in contrast to Rintaro's raising as essentially a child soldier. But alas, it was not to be.

Ren: OMG. A somewhat psycho younger Rider, idolizing Kento, and his social Darwinist beliefs on strength leading to conflict as Touma gets more powerful, leading to him abandoning the team to train with an enemy monster? HOW DO YOU MAKE THAT NOT WORK! I swear, Ren should have been the secondary Rider of the series, with his changes in beliefs being used more effectively.

Yuri: One of the most competantly written characters in the entire show. One of the original swordsman who became his sword, returning after 2000 years and not only feeling the culture clash of then and now but even how the idea of what makes a hero has changed? Good boy. Also loved him using a shadow body early on during fights.

Sophia: Why are you even here?

Reika: Oh boy, the swordswoman who leads the rest to distrust Touma under the orders of Master Logos, and doesn't sway from this until he's proven to be batshit insane? And even then, reluctant to join the others? Could have been better, especially if her relationship with her brother didn't come across as incesty. Though, could we please return her to Magine in Zenkaiger? Reika hugging her was really cute, in a socially awkward type of way.

Ryoga: Reika's brother. With his powers being something out of Jojo, time manipulation powers which are a bit hard to explain. He starts them and to his opponents things seem like the fight is continuing as normal, but he really exists outside of that and then can attack from a blindspot? Could have been really good with if the series had gone Team Free Will is all I'm saying.

Master Logos: What I mentioned above, but his Rider suit is one I'm in lust with. Just laughs like a madman and you're wondering why Reika and Ryoga don't rebel against him earlier.

The Megid: Two are a waste who I never bothered to learn their names. Fall out of focus for a bit and only return to be beaten, with the sad fact that they were once human. Storious is the exception, but even then I felt he was a little too late to save the series.

Tassel: Bon Lecture! I still hate you you weirdo, even if your death scene made me feel a little sad. The fact that you treated the early parts of the show as a story you were reading? Have you seen my other complaints?

As for the message of what the show tried to say? I don't really mind it. It's encouraging people to love stories, even if they are copies (considering the controversy of Time Paradox Ghostwriter and Cheat Slayer within recent memory, I'm trying not to make jokes about Saber encouraging plagiarism). And I don't think that's a bad thing in itself. Hell, how many stories take stuff from older stories and just tweak elements to make them their own? I love the Elric saga, but that was based on old legends and meant to subvert the likes of Conan the Barbarian, and some other stories I've liked have borrowed elements from it as well. The idea that stories can be used to pass on our hopes, thoughts and dreams to others is pretty nice as well, rather than writing being a form of masturbation on the author's part.

But in the shadow of the Omniscient Tome and it's implications, I really feel the story should have taken another route.

A lot of Riders start of weak, having to introduce the plot as well as the main release of whatever trinket they want kids to gorge themselves on this year. But they usually start getting better towards the end of the first quarter, while maybe stalling a bit towards the end of the second/third. Saber was a series that I felt never really found it's legs. Too many bareboned plot threads on the go, dropping some for a while only to pick them up again after they've been forgotten about. This is not a good series, to be honest I think Zi-O and even Ghost were better, and really feel it would have been better handled in the hands of someone who could actually write.

Not to mention, this gave me flashbacks of Power Rangers Megaforce over how much this series relied on fight scenes. Throw in greenscreen everywhere, lack of civilians...oh god, it is Kamen Rider Megaforce. And it felt like Saber was trying to have a story, unlike Megaforce, but it has the same “it’s a kid’s show, we don’t have to try that hard” energy.

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bisexualryder · 5 years

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Okay dude i’ll bite, can i know more about your trio wardens au ? Like how did they meet ? Who did they romance ? What happens to them after dao ? In da2 ? Dai ? (Sorry im just a huge fan of ocs and i love the wardens)

Ahhh, first off - thank you for asking! I’m happy to gush about my trio of idiots wardens :D Secondly - don’t apologize for asking! I love talking about my OCs, I’m just bad about keeping up with posting and such lately (but hope to fix that soon, especially if I make this extra sideblog). ANYWHO, gonna jump in and apologize now if this gets long, lol.

—

SO I’ll hit romance first since that’s quicker and easier. Rylee and Ise (eventually) become a thing - they’re married by the time DAI rolls around. Typical grumpy asshole falls in love with ray of sunshine and doesn’t want to admit it at first. She tries to play it cool and ends up playing it too cool until she gets some help from the couple companions she befriends (mostly Zev, since Sten doesn’t care that much, but he offers his insight on what qunari do). But they don’t actually, like, really become a romance-y thing until after ghoul!Tamlen shows up and oof that one is painful.

Eleri I… don’t know yet, to be honest. She was a re-imagining of my old Cousland, who romanced Alistair, but with Eleri I’m actually leaning a bit more toward Zevran. But uh, still not sure yet, I’m mad indecisive on this one. tbh even Nate is in the running for her *shrug emoji*

On to the rest!

DA:O

They don’t all join the standard way, I guess, but they do all meet at Ostagar. Ducan officially recruits Rylee and Isethari, Eleri recruits herself, lol.

Rylee is recruited first. Standard Tabris origin there and it’s on the way to Ostagar that they plan to stop and see the Dalish elves and that’s when they find Isethari half-dead in the middle of the woods (it was sheer luck, really). Duncan sends Rylee, carrying the nearly-dead Ise, to the camp and goes to investigate the area. Other than Rylee wandering around the Dalish camp like an awestruck idiot, most of the Mahariel origin is the same. Rylee stays behind in the camp, though, when Ise and co. are sent back to the ruin where they run into Duncan. Once they leave, Rylee earns herself the duty of ensuring that Isethari doesn’t run on their trip to Ostagar, bc let me tell you Ise is not happy about leaving without finding Tamlen.

Now for Eleri, she escapes the castle with only her mabari after her parents sacrifice themselves to buy her time to get out. She manages to make it to the stables for her horse and rides as hard as she can to Ostagar, desperate to find her brother. When she basically gets told that he’s out scouting and she likely won’t see him before the battle, she asks about the wardens and is pointed toward Duncan. At that point, she goes up to him like: “I just slaughtered my way through an army of men trying to assassinate my family. I have nothing left but this dream, please.” He asks clarification, she provides, he eventually agrees and sends her off to gather the other recruits and report back with Alistair. It’s at that point she meets Rylee and Isethari, who are hanging around close together by the quartermaster (after Rylee nearly kills Daveth for hitting on that one woman, you know the one).

From there up until the start of the fight, it progresses as it normally would in canon. They all get their quest, go out into the wilds, etc. etc. And once they survive the Joining, they have a pre-meeting meeting thing. Alistair and Eleri join the meeting as per canon, and Duncan assigns Rylee and Ise to the remaining warden forces. So from there, canon-typical for Eleri. Go to the tower, light the beacon, get almost killed and then saved by Flemeth, etc.

Rylee and Ise, however, have a much more trying experience. Rylee takes a genlock to the face (claws? blade? idk lmao) for Ise to protect her - this being around the time they can see the battle is going south. Duncan’s already been killed at this point and Ise starts to panic (she hates fighting as it is) and manages to half convince, half drag Rylee from the fighting and they flee the battle to the nearest town (naturally, Lothering). They end up meeting up with Eleri and Alistair (and Morrigan) again and explain what happened from their perspective and then work with Eleri and Alistair to come up with a plan of action.

Eleri takes up the role of warden-commander (since Alistair and Ise don’t want to lead and everyone knows Rylee leading is a Very Bad Idea™).

Uhhh, key highlights of what they do I guess would be:

Sided with the Mages

Irving saved, Uldred dead etc etc

Put Bhelen in power

Branka’s killed

sent Dagna off to study ofc

Sided with the Dalish against the werewolves

two elves with one being Dalish and the other violently racist made it a simple choice for Eleri to lessen a headache later (she had way too much else to worry about than argue with them)

Helped Redcliffe and saved Conner

demon killed w/Jowan’s help (he does the ritual and Morrigan is sent in to yeet the demon out)

Isolde’s alive

side note: didn’t poison the Urn

Anora rules w/ Alistair

Loghain alive & recruited as a warden (recruited post-final fight)

Alistair still performs the ritual with Morrigan

Awakening

Not too much of note here. Rylee is the one that finds Nathaniel, though, and it does not go well for him. It’s only Ise that stays Rylee’s hand from killing him. When they bring him to Eleri, she immediately recruits him when she realizes it’s her old friend. He’s still pretty ticked, but softens about the whole thing a bit when he realizes Eleri is around.

With more wardens, they’re able to more easily protect the Keep and Amaranthine. And the Architect does live (much to Rylee’s great annoyance).

DA2 & DAI

Sometime in here is when Rylee and Ise get married. They have two ceremonies - one in the Denerim alienage to honor Rylee’s culture and then again when they find Ise’s clan outside Kirkwall.

Hawke and co. do run into Ise and Rylee in the Deep Roads during the expedition (as they are canon with Ashley Hawke, there’s not a twin to save). BUT the two of them help Ash and crew gtfo and back safely to Kirkwall. Turns out they saw Bodahn on their way into the Deep Roads to investigate and got a tip to keep an eye out for some lost members of the expedition (the whole leaving suddenly without them thing didn’t sit right with him).

Later on, in that mission where you run into Nate? Eleri’s with him, though doesn’t actually advertise herself as the warden-commander while chatting with Ash. Ash isn’t dumb, though, (not always, at least) and gets a feeling Eleri might be kinda more in charge than she was told. So when wardens start disappearing, she takes a chance and makes contact. It ultimately pays off when Eleri sends Rylee and Ise to help the Inquisition.

During the events of Here Lies the Abyss in Inquisition, it’s Rylee that stays behind to buy everyone time to escape. And, much like when Ise was taken from her clan, she has to be dragged out - this time by the Inquisitor herself (Olivia, for the record) - kicking, screaming, and utterly sobbing that they’re leaving her wife behind.

BUT because fuck canon, Rylee survives and kinda wanders around the raw Fade until she finds another open rift. This ends up dumping her into the ass end of Orlais somewhere and it takes her a while to make her way back to Skyhold, but dammit! She and Ise do get a happy ending. It does take a while though, it really does. And for that duration, Ise doesn’t leave Skyhold for anything after they get her back there. Resigned, more than anything, she usually perches on an empty wall away from the hustle and bustle of the main areas near the stables. She also doesn’t eat much, only what small bits that Cole brings her.

As for Eleri, she - along with Nate, Velanna, and Sigrun - are searching for the cure. And I really haven’t thought much beyond that.

MAN this got long, I hope you don’t mind! I had a lot of fun thinking about this and gushing a bit about my girls and what they do :D So thank you, again, for asking! One day, I think I plan to write something detailing their journey from start to finish in DAO and maybe beyond, but it’d probably be a series of drabbles? I struggle with long fics and flowing from one chapter to the next, but maybe.

#lagawara #taie replies #warden trio au #rylee tabris #eleri cousland #isethari mahariel #rylee hc #ise hc #eleri hc

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madokasoratsugu · 6 years

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the red that binds

[Varg/Lucette, Fritz/Lucette; lots of implied sexual content]

summary: He could never stand to lie to her. Except when -. Well. The exceptions don’t matter anymore, do they? Not when it is Varg’s company she seeks night after night. (in which varg is intent on making many, many excuses, and lucette is intent on having none of them explained as they partake in what is, at its very core, a destructive love.)

a/n: /banging pots and pans/ BACK AT IT W MY BS VENT FICS !! boy did it feel good to write without thinking/planning much. p sure format is messy on tumblr again so pls give it a read on ao3 instead if u can !! thank u.

read on ao3

This arrangement isn’t so bad, Varg figures.

There’s the princess lying bare beneath him, blood on her teeth.

Lucette licks her lips, and drags him down for another rough, copper filled kiss.

Her skin is hot and sweaty under his roaming hands, and her voice sickly sweet.

No, Varg doesn’t mind at all.

Not even the way she calls for someone else as she finishes.

Hildyr dies years too late.

And Lucette - poor, pretty Lucette who’s seen the heads of one too many people she loved roll merciless at her feet - simply takes the crown like second nature.

Adopts her mother’s cruelty like a second skin.

Only this time, it’s driven like a rusty knife through herself.

Grotesque, but true.

Amongst the wreckage of her former self, Lucette rules with an iron fist.

Amongst the death of those not her fault, Lucette too, lays herself to rest.

Varg would know.

Since Varg’s seen it firsthand, with how the lionhearted princess discards her apathetic mask for him.

Not a queen to him, not yet.

Not when she’s still wounded and rabbit hearted, panting and unraveling so, so easily in Varg’s hands.

People don’t call him a magician for no good reason.

But, well.

Maybe that was a stretch.

Magicians hide aces up their sleeves, credit their fame to their secrecy.

Varg has none of those, not in front of his princess.

Ace in the holes never pull through for him.

Not when his ultimate ace is his face.

Even that doesn’t work on Lucette, who traces it with her nails.

Hard enough to hurt, but not enough to draw blood.

Not like the vibrant scarlet trails she leaves upon his back.

With secrets - tricky things - they are akin to lies, with her.

And that would never do.

He could never stand to lie to her.

Except when -.

Well.

The exceptions don’t matter anymore, do they?

Not when it is Varg’s company she seeks night after night.

Or is it just his face?

It doesn’t matter either way, to the man.

Not anymore.

Streaks of red haphazardly carved into his back, his arms.

So it’s only polite that he returns the favour with bruising bites of his own.

Teeth marks and throaty gasps hold their relationship together.

Heresy to a typical romance.

Varg would have minded, once upon a time.

But there’s hungry kisses pressed against his collarbone, humming against his jugular.

He would have minded, once upon a time.

But it is not his mind that has retained.

Lucette breaks into a wet gasp, and her eyes fill with tears.

Varg licks at the newest mark.

She doesn’t tell him to stop.

He doesn’t.

Some days, Varg’s fingers still tingle, phantom magic and invisible loss trickling out of him.

The screams of Lucette ringing in his ears, shrill as Hildyr’s laugh.

It had made his impossible headache pound.

Mind cleanly cleaved in half, Varg had never felt - worse.

Loose ends and punishments, Hildyr had crowed.

Varg’s fingers curl into a loose fist.

There’s nothing to hold on to.

No one.

Some days, Varg cannot tell the difference between Lucette’s grief and his own.

Whatever Lucette desires, Varg delivers.

(kisses upon her palm, a rebel’s head on the stake)

Whatever Lucette wishes, Varg grants.

(her name whispered so carefully, the gouged eyes of an adviser)

Whatever Lucette asks, Varg answers.

(can you stay, will you leave, do you love me?)

He’s always been compliant, but this -.

This is excessive, new.

But that is what his princess craves.

The fresh twist of Varg’s face from too long nails, the inelegant way he kisses her between her thighs.

Anything, anything that doesn’t remind.

That isn’t refined or right or proper.

That isn’t gentle or good or kind or -.

Him.

Lucette bites back another bitter cry to let slip a pleasured sigh.

Varg counts it as a point in his favour.

The first time Lucette does not spurn Varg’s touch is six months after he -

Expired, for the lack of a better word. A kinder one.

‘The only way,’ Hildyr had said then, so boredly, callously, ‘ to get you to behave, hm?’

Now, it is a different matter entirely that has her in tears.

But she is still mad with the same grief, with loss, with terrible, terrible hatred the Tenebrarum soaks like a sponge.

How like the Queen to ensure her crown would go to a worthy heir in the worst ways possible.

Varg is only surprised Lucette does not tell him to go when he knocks at her door at midnight.

“Cinderella is up past her curfew.” Varg had said, trying so, so hard not to crumble at the sight of her running tears, her shaking fingers.

Varg is only surprised when Lucette pulls him in, locks the door behind them and kisses him feverishly, mumbling an ancient word both knew had already lost its meaning.

Then she falls to her knees, wailing gracelessly, too hurt to bother with facades, with pride.

And Varg falls with her, cradling her to his chest, letting her cry all the tears he cannot bring himself to.

“I don’t want to marry - marry -.”

And she cannot finish her sentence, too betrayed to even think of her own mother’s words from the afternoon.

Cruel excuses of genetics and the country’s future, of Hildyr’s own sacrifice.

Funny thing to call your own daughter, really.

Her hot tears spurs - something in the raven.

Something Varg thought had died six months ago.

Bending over, Varg kisses the corner of Lucette’s eye, murmuring against her flushed skin, “You don’t have to give them anything.”

Smart, clever Lucette, understands without repetition his connotations.

“No.” She agrees, and still lost in her mad grief, kisses him again.

And again, and again, until they end up on her bed, until it is his name tumbling senselessly between her heated gasps, the aching of being filled that brings tears to her eyes instead.

Lucette doesn’t give Hildyr, the kingdom, any more of herself than she gives Varg.

Which is to say, everything, but nothing, all at once.

It’s a contradiction Varg does not understand until Hildyr’s blood is on Lucette’s hands, a familiar sword plunged through her bosom.

Poetic justice, Varg would have said, if not for the hollowed out stare Lucette bears as she drags the sword out.

Blood splatters over her dress, her unflinching face.

That day, Angielle celebrated the death of a queen and the crowning of a new one.

That day, Lucette gave herself away - but to whom, Varg isn’t sure.

Especially when Varg finds his princess seeking his companionship once more that night, another name hanging off her lips.

Varg doesn’t mind, not when he could have been that person.

Not when he was.

(but what a difference ‘was’ and ‘is’ made.)

“Don’t - go.” Lucette breathes, face buried into Varg’s neck.

She peppers a butterfly kiss, and the knowledge of who it is she’s calling for kills him.

“I won’t.” Varg says, false and gentle, in a way these lips used to speak.

Shifting, he soaks in her moan.

Soaks in her pain.

Ah, they both really were -

Too far gone, weren’t they?

Once, back when Lucette was still more of a girl than a witch, Varg had heard her singing to herself.

It was a lipsing, low tune, too complicated to be any childhood lullaby.

A forgotten language rolling over her tongue, clicking between her teeth.

Hiding himself behind the corner, with but a wall separating them, Varg had closed his eyes to the sky and listened.

It was a tune he recognised, a love song rough around its edges and poorly composed.

Still, Lucette had made it sound so -

Beautiful.

And when she tapered off, Varg had thought he could hear her smile.

Had thought she just might, a slender curve of lip unabashedly reserved for him.

But which him Varg refers to -

Till now Varg doesn’t know.

Doesn’t want to know.

Ah, he really was a coward, after all.

The moon is high when Lucette sinks into Varg’s arms, in tears, once more.

This time, it’s a quiet trickle, too used to their path down her pale cheeks.

Again, he silently holds her, combing, tangling his fingers in her too long hair.

For once, they sit on the bed fully dressed.

The letter from Brugantia lies crumpled on the bedside table.

In it, King Klaude Aidric Renaldi Mattheus Almonte details their search for the missing Prince Rod Benedikt Widdensov and Princess Emelaigne Widdensov -

The rest is better left unsaid. Kinder.

“Varg.”

Lucette speaks for the first time since the man has entered her chambers, voice scratchy and hollow.

Varg hums in reply, gazing down at her. Touched by the barest fractures of moonlight, she looks vulnerable, common.

Certainly nothing like the queen the people of Angielle all loved her as.

Certainly nothing like the awkwardly kind princess he had loved her as.

Lucette’s grip over his shirt is unnaturally tight, and Varg lets it be.

She pushes herself off his chest, and moves from her position curled on his lap to straddle his hips instead.

Varg’s hands find themselves on her waist and back, teasing fingers running down the indents of her spine.

Unaffected, or at least appearing not, Lucette leans forward.

Hair sliding over her shoulders, hands sliding over Varg’s chest to rest with thumbs overlapping on his neck, a loving, loose chokehold.

“You will die by my hand and no one else’s.” Lucette breathes. “Understood?”

Slowly, surely, her hands fully circle around Varg’s throat. She does not squeeze down. Varg almost wishes she would.

Honey eyes half lidded, caramelised a bitter brown in the darkness of the room.

They hold no trace of softness, of love, of anything good or pure, anything he might have once loved her for.

Anything he might still love her for.

“Whatever you want, Lucette .” Varg whispers, all blind devotion and reverence, all canines and mockery, all the things she likes about him.

And when Lucette smiles in response, Varg can almost pretend it’s kind.

Almost.

Lucette’s touch was careful and worried, once.

Like a calm stream, smooth and cool, always questioning, always wanting to swallow up more than she allowed her fingertips to graze.

Now, kissing her wrist, Varg cannot find that hesitation.

Her touch is an icy burn, blistering and devouring, eager and painful grips on his shoulders.

It’s just a pity none of that want is reflected in her watering eyes, clear and desperate for something - someone.

It’s just a pity neither of them can give the other what they wholeheartedly seek from each other night after night.

The whole affair is a piteous one, really.

But Varg doesn’t -

Care.

Can’t bring himself to.

Not when the one who did, so, so much, is already gone.

And in his maddening grief, Varg kisses Lucette.

It isn’t healthy.

It isn’t right.

It isn’t anything Lucette deserves.

But still.

She’s the one who keeps returning, who keeps desiring, wishing, asking.

And Varg -

Varg is only happy to provide.

What else is a loyal wolf good for, if not to please his mistress?

If it starts with corruption, and ends with the guillotine -

Well.

Varg was never one to expect a long life, anyway.

He doesn’t know when judgement will fall, if it ever will.

All he knows is when its time to pay his dues, there’ll be a forgotten song trailing from his lips, and the woman who once, could have loved him, will be the one who swings the gavel.

And if that’s how he goes -

Varg doesn’t mind it at all.

#cinderella phenomenon #cinderella phenomenon spoilers #lucette riella britton #varg (cinderella phenomenon)#fritzgerald aiden leverton #melon writes

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galacticbugman · 6 years

Text

Cannibalistic Insects

6 When you think cannibalistic creatures what comes to mind. Maybe sharks, frogs, and some lizards might come to mind but in my mind there are some very different insects that come to this guy. Some you might not even think are cannibals; but as for some others you might know or are familiar being cannibalistic. Some cannibalism may be just for food and to plain blank murder another creature but some times it is very vital for survival of a whole new generation; allow me to explain.

When I say the word firefly what comes to mind besides the space western sci-fi show with Nathan Fillion as Captain Mal Reynolds. You might think country nights, collection jars, lights, and other things might pop in to your mind but these creatures may not seem like cannibals but they are. These beetles have the power of light or as we call bio luminescence. In this beetle’s body is a chemical compound that allows this Common Eastern Firefly and others to light up the night sky. During mating thousands gather and send signals to each other kind of like an old Morse-code of sorts. Females send signals and males respond. Many of the signals are used to attract mates however there are some females with an evil mind.

Some females will send signals like she is wanting a little romance in her life. However she is playing a deadly game where the responding male will not survive the night. He responds to these false signals expecting to find love at last however all is not what it seems and she kills and eats him. This is very common among these guys. It may seem strange but many insects are in fact like this. It is a strategy that some have taken to the extremes. It is all for food purposes but there are some insects that take this killing game to a whole new level.

Dragonflies, the kings of the skies. These guys are constantly hungry in both the larval stage and in the adult stage. Many insects don’t partake in hunting for food when they are adults for they do not have any stomachs or gastric tracts which can process and digest food. Instead their purpose is to breed and ultimately perish so they can bring up the next generation. The dragonflies are the best natural bug zappers around next to bats. They can down more mosquitoes than any other insect. However some dragonflies like this Common Green Darner Female can take on other dragonflies and damselflies. There is one that I have not photographed that I am still hunting for known as the Dragonhunter. At around 3.6 inches nearly they are our biggest Dragon in Texas. They can go for many things their own size or larger. They have been known to prey on other Dragonhunters and even swallowtail butterflies. I have seen one that I posted on iNaturalist but think it retains to what I am talking about here.

Here is an Eastern Pondhawk who had just killed a Checkered Setwing that was almost as big as she was. Even thought it is not a Dragonhunter the Dragonfly habit of eating your own kind is a common practice. With insects hunters become the hunted all the time. In the bug world you don’t who will eat you or when you will be eaten. I took this shot when I was out at Elmer W. Oliver Nature Park in Mansfield Texas. This is by far the most dramatic shot I have ever taken with a dragonfly but I have another one that I watched eat from beginning to end at the same park.

Okay it is not my best shot but this one was taken at the annual Elmer W. Oliver Nature park that happens every fall. This time I was at the second pond photographing damselflies and the one I was focusing on got taken by this Common Green Darner male. You can see the Damselfly tail sticking out beneath him in the middle of this body. Even though smaller they are still in the family known as Odonata which means “toothed ones” in Latin. They seem to pick even on the little guys of their group but that is all part of nature’s checks and balances it even falls on the predators as well. It may seem cruel but this is nature’s way to keeping populations down and keeping the ecosystem healthy.

Next is...

Okay how did this get in here??? Well actually I put it here for a reason. Praying Mantises may make it big in the memes and joke books department because the female is told to rip off the male’s head while mating. This is true but there is a perfectly logical reason for it. Let me discuss it with a different set of photos this one is silly... Next slide please.

Take for instance these Praying Mantids known as the Carolina Mantis. When mating the wife does chew off the males head. I know I don’t have a photo of one eating another like I did for the dragonfly it would have made the explanation a lot better. Just stick with me on this one and pretend one is eating the other if you want.

Is this just murder or is it something more? I will let that soak in for a minute.

I think of it not as a straight up heartless act even thought it is pretty violent but it seems that in some studies that in his sacrifice he give the female the extra boost she needs to give the nutrients to create the next generation. You see the father gives his life up so his young can survive. Some males actually get lucky and escape before she eats him. She doesn’t just go for the head but she will eat him whole. She may toss out the bits she doesn’t like but that’s how it goes in the bug world especially if you are Mantis in the mood for love. It is an interesting love story that has an interesting twist I think. It may seem strange and cruel but he is giving his young all he can to make sure that their survival is a success story. It may seem like an ultimate failure in the husband’s part but it is vital that he lay down his life in some cases.

The bug world is wondrous but it is a dangerous world. It is full of predators and eyes looking at you from all directions. You never know when your number will be up. Next time I will be sharing with you a couple of insects that use wild weapons. As my buggy Halloween themed bonanza continues. Until next time I am Zachary the Bug Man.

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redemptiionss · 6 years

Note

For the ask, Voltron,Lorura, and Lotor :)

Thank you anon!! Okay let’s see:

001 | Send me a fandom and I will tell you my: (Voltron)

Favorite character: Lotor 💜

Least Favorite character: Zarkon & Haggar.

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon): I’ll be honest, Lotura is the only pairing I ship in VLD, really. BUT I do like:

Shallura

Pidgance

and that’s it.

Character I find most attractive: Lotor hands down, but Shiro is extremely attractive too…. Both are the top two attractive guys in VLD tbh.

Character I would marry: Shiro is the most marriageable character tbh, but I’d still marry Lotor tho lol.

Character I would be best friends with: Allura, I hope. & Lance too because he seems super fun to be friends with.

a random thought: #saveLotor2k18 (also that S7/S8 better fix S6.)

An unpopular opinion: I don’t know if this is unpopular, but Shiro should remain as the Black Paladin, the White Lion is Allura’s thing, and stop switching the Lions. Also Lotor and Kuron deserved better.

My Canon OTP: Lotura.

My Non-canon OTP: Lotura.

Most Badass Character: Imo Allura, Shiro, & Lotor are the most badass characters in VLD. I’m not just speaking about their skills alone, but also based on what they’ve endured, all of their pain & sufferings, what they’ve had to sacrifice, whether voluntarily or not– and their strength, perseverance, and determination. So I don’t think I can pick just one.

Most Epic Villain: Haggar. she seems to be playing the long game here.

Pairing I am not a fan of: Allu*ance. (I do not like K*ance or S*eith either.) I am only censoring the names because I don’t want this to end up in their tags just because I mentioned them, you never know with Tumblr’s screwy tagging system.

Character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another): Honestly, If they leave s6 as it is, then it’s going to be Lotor that they really screwed up. I’m hoping that this won’t be the case.

Favourite Friendship: Shiro & Keith.

Character I most identify with: Idk tbh? I don’t think there’s really anyone in the show that I personally identify with.

Character I wish I could be: Allura ‘cos she got to spend time with & kiss Lotor Just kiddin. I really do hope that they’ll let her truly be happy instead of just snatching it all away /: I really do admire her strength & determination, her bravery and loyalty. I also admire that she’s making an effort to move past her prejudice & racism (specism?). I know I could never deal with things as well as her if I had gone through half the things she has. Also Altean Alchemy… and shapeshifting. Super cool.

002 | Send me a ship and I will tell you: (Lotura)

When I started shipping them: I started shipping them around s4, before there was any Lotor/Allura interaction. I was like, woah what’s this? I saw that they seemed to have a lot in common and I felt that there was a TON of potential there, especially if they ever interacted.

My thoughts: SUCH AESTHETIC OMG. Also they would honestly be the ultimate power couple.

What makes me happy about them: They complement each other so well. They’re basically the only ones who can truly relate to & understand each other, due to being children of royalties, their shared heritage + culture, their connection to their parents… They were able to open up to each other in ways that they weren’t able to with others. They built each other up, supported each other, helped each other to grow and become stronger. They were truly equals. Allura was the one who made the first moves towards Lotor, not to mention that it was the first time Lotor was able to experience a mutual, healthy, & trusting relationship with someone. It. was. all. real.

What makes me sad about them: S6. Damn, it just had to ruin everything, huh? I still believe that there’s hope, though.

Things done in fanfic that annoys me: When they make Lotor out to be some OOC abusive villain. Chances are that I’m not going to read it if the author is just going to butcher Lotor’s character. Also when Lotura is tagged but it isn’t the even the main pairing, but rather it’s a side pairing or a post-pairing.

Things I look for in fanfic: Some sweet, sweet fics centered around Lotor & Allura’s character & relationship. Grief, angst, hurt/comfort, redemption, romance, fluff…. Unfortunately they’re difficult to find, especially sfw ones. One of the only good things that came out of s6 is more Lotura content being produced tbh.

My wishlist: 1) reconciliation 2) COMMUNICATION, no jumping to conclusions! 3) redemption (depends on what the truth really is– whether he actually needs it or not) 4) an bone crushing embrace. 5) hand!! holding!!! 6) another kiss! w no interruptions! 6) TRUE. AND. WELL-DESERVED. HAPPINESS. for the both of ‘em! 7) bridal carry?!?! that’d be so cute lol.

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: What are you talking about? They’re the only ones for each other. They’re meant to be.

My happily ever after for them: Married & bringing along an new era of peace and prosperity in the galaxy as the Emperor & Empress of the Galtean Empire, dealing with reparations for all the devastation & loss from Zarkon’s reign, reforming the Galran culture, possibly bringing it back to what it once was(?) before Zarkon. Also. CUTE MINI ALLURAS & LOTORS. Lotor would be the father that he never had, he would be so deeply in love with Allura & adore his children so greatly.

003 | Give me a character & I will tell you: (Lotor)

How I feel about this character: I. Love. Him. I see so much potential in him, so much.. goodness shining out of him in despite of his moral greyness, and I truly believed that his story was going to be about breaking the cycle that resulted from Zarkon’s betrayal, Alfor’s death, the destruction of Altea, and the neverending conquest of the galaxy… and most importantly, the cycle of abuse (Zarkon: the abuser & Haggar: the abuser, and Lotor, the victim– who doesn’t have to become like Zarkon– who despised his father so much that he displayed contempt every time he was compared to him.) I hope it will still be so. I mean, it’s honestly a miracle that he even turned out this well. Truthfully I didn’t realize how invested I became in him until s6. That was… awful.

Any/all the people I ship romantically with this character: Allura only, always, and forever.

My favorite non-romantic relationship for this character: Hmmm I’d say Axca.

My unpopular opinion about this character: Lotor isn’t evil or a villain, nor is he nonredeemable.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: I wish s6 had happened differently.

Favorite friendship for this character: Allura. (I’d like to see him interact with Keith too, I feel that there’s a lot of potential there, also that it’d be really interesting. Also I’d like to see him be friends with Shiro too.)

My crossover ship: Don’t have one.

#im so sorry that this took me so long to finish lol #anonymous #answered #this is why i shouldn't do long ask games #because it takes me literal hours to type out the answers lol #ahhh i feel like i couldn't word things very well...#:(

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