#well more accurately he is djinn

[izopoz]

the chillest guy at the function (entity who sells you arcane weed)

his name is Omen or 0men or Omim or OMEN or Owen or

[cosmos-dot-semicolon]

I've seen you mention on some posts that Ninjago had an affect on your relationship with being Asian, and I was wondering if you had any thoughts you wanted to share on the subject of Asian representation in Ninjago.

Feel free to disregard if the subject is too personal.

This is absolutely fine! In fact I’ve been itching for an excuse to talk about it for a while, because this show deeply influenced my writing growing up, and honestly I'm sick of most of the people getting noticed for discussing it being white.

So, I think Ninjago’s Asian representation is garbage. It’s not unique: there was a common trend in 2010’s kids’ media to make everything cooler by including Ninjas or, more generally, Asians Doing Martial Arts. I remember it being in media as distant as Club Penguin and many Flash games back in the day, as well as worse cartoons I don’t bother to remember the name of. I’m fairly sure adult-geared Kung Fu movies also had a hand in this, but I didn’t watch those as a kid.

But Ninjago’s particularly bad in that they’ve kept doing this for over 10 years, and it’s baked into their story.

Everything from them not checking up how ‘ninjutsu’ was spelled, to them not actually making the characters have Asian skintones in that one anime segment, to that one time they based Nya’s outfit off a clearly named Cheongsam from Pinterest and called it a Kimono? It all just reeks of people who wanted to make a quick buck of an entire continent’s ‘aesthetic’ and the mysticism around it, rather than portray them as actual people.

There’s a really great website by someone (who I can’t remember the username of) detailing all the Orientalism of the show up until about season 10. It dives very deeply into how the design language of Ninjago always seems to be based in making the actually ‘Asian’ parts of the show evoke more of a feeling of East Asia than actually being accurate to any one culture, and a lot of inaccuracies and why they arose.

A poignant point it raises is that any time we get a cool character or place, they’re always portrayed as more western-coded and ‘civilised.’ Jamanakai Village is poor and the villagers are rude. Ninjago City is civilised and clearly closer to what white people are used to living in. Lloyd is this world’s destined saviour, and he is blonde. There was *one* Asian voice actor on the VA team. And 2/3 of the Ninja team is white-coded by name.

Some my own observations over the years also include:

Jay’s ‘yin to my yang saying’ being completely made up.

That intro to… season 7, I think? Where the Ninja fight off some slave-drivers whipping people working a rice farm. Which never gets brought up again.

Nadakhan’s entire design is the only bit of South-Asian rep we get for the first few years, and his mythology is inaccurate to how actual Djinn work, and he’s acknowledged by the creators to have a sexy voice and be an absolute creep.

Having enjoyed Monkie Kid, I think Ninjago’s Asian rep is fundamentally unfixable. It was built to appeal to a western audience that simply thought the concept of ninja were cool, and thought of Asia only as a conglomerate where people had powers and did cool fight sequences or were otherwise savages. And also where the entirety of South Asia doesn't exist.

Like, I've tried to make an AU where I overhauled things completely to be better rep, and you just can't do it without breaking the show in half. Half of a character's name comes from Japan, and the other half from China. You're going to be losing something whatever you choose (shout out to Koko from the movie), and it gets uncomfortable to think about real quick, especially when the show's strongest suit is its characters.

As a kid who was part of a diaspora, Ninjago definitely didn't help my fucked up viewpoint of being cool only if I passed as white enough and viewed my parents' country as a magical but ancient land rather than part of reality.

[tiredflowercrown]

Jahlil of Agrabah

The boys!

Ancestry: Human

I ended up going with human for Jay because while there is options similar to djinn, they more align with Jordan. Jafar before that had been human and had been rendered to a sorcerer at the end. So human.

Class: Rouge (Subclass Thief) and Wild Magic Sorcerer

Our first multiclass! Jay is the classic thief archetype which is the textbook definition for this class and subclass.

The majority of Jay's levels are going to be rouge with just one level in sorcerer. It's not a talent he wishes to cultivate. (His father's desire for magic made sure of that.) That's why he's a wild magic sorcerer.

While this type of sorcerer can accurately cast spells, there's random aftereffects that they don't mean to cause. The literal definition of untrained chaos magic.

Main Ability Score: Dexterity

One of Jay's main talents is his ability to move and climb. You can't get caught if they physically can't reach you. He also would need decent scoring in strength and charisma due to his charm and sheer athleticism.

Skill Proficiencys: Stealth, Athletics, Acrobatics, Deception, Persuasion, and Investigation

Rouges get a lot of skill proficiencys. The most obvious ones for Jay are stealth, athletics, deception, and persuasion.

Acrobatics because it doesn't take just brute strength to climb roofs and walls, as well as you see how many flips that man does. It's too many. (If they pay attention to him, they don't see Carlos stealing from them.)

Investigation is being able to spot when something is wrong in a scene. Jay wouldn't have been able to make it that long as a thief on the Isle without being able to see something out of place and dip.

Background: House Agent

Jafar would do anything to rise on the ladder, including selling his son to Maleficent. Jay grew up both stealing for his father and being under Mal's ownership, this gives him an intense amount of knowledge on Mal as well as an unshattering loyalty towards her.

Feats: Mobile and Skilled

These are a bit what they sound like, allowing Jay to be even faster and skilled at his proficiencys

Weapons: Rapier and Shortsword

Rapiers are what they use for Swords and Shields. Shortsword is bit more of a classic sword that I see fitting Jay well.

Armor: Studded Leather

It's almost what he is wearing every time we see him on the Isle.

That's it for Jay! Carlos is gonna be next!

If yall have any questions or want me to go more in depth, just ask!

[the-whumpening]

Meet the Character Monday #4

Evius - Tigerverse

[Image ID: A digital drawing done in a simple, sketchy style. On the left is Evius, a tiefling with dark skin and light hair, sitting cross-legged and reaching his left arm to grab Ash's face. Ash, a tiger-man, is also seated and leans into Evius. Both have happy expressions, and Evius is kissing Ash's cheek. The drawing is done in shades of blue and green. /End ID]

Basic Info:

Name: Evius Euphoria Chamillet de Malbolge

Age: Chronologically 29, physically around 19 at the moment (de-aging magic is a bitch)

Birthday: August (Leo)

Height: 5' 11" (180 cm) [currently closer to 5’ 8”/175cm due to de-aging]

Hair: White (light brown in human disguise)

Eyes: Gold (green in human disguise)

Favorite Color: Blue

Gender ID and Orientation: Cis male, bi/pansexual (not sure how his player wants to specify between those two). Evius leans more polyamorous and is comfortable having multiple partners, though he does get a little jealous/possessive over Ash.

Pronouns: He/him

Other: Evius is a Wild Magic sorcerer/warlock and a talented dancer/acrobat/performer

What's Evius’ role in the story? Evius is the heavy-hitting magic user of the party, and Ash’s love interest in the Tigerverse stories. He had a long term, on-again/off-again relationship with Ozmund that started all the way back when he apprenticed under Oz as a teenager. Ozmund sees him as both “a traitorous whore” and “the one who got away.”

Fun Facts about Evius:

Evius has unpredictable wild magic surges, which can cause an array of effects. A common one he experiences is age fluctuation; although he’s nearly 30, he is currently stuck in his 19-year-old body—and limited by his 19-year-old impulsivity.

His name is a mouthful, but its parts are important. Chamillet is his family name, and “de Malbolge” refers to the devil his family worships (Glasya of Malbolge). Glasya blessed his family with his tiefling nature as a reward for their servitude and loyalty. His mom Dahlia is a human, and his father Gilbrand is a half-orc (I believe there’s also some Elf in there as well but I can’t remember how).

Evius has two younger sisters: Andrea, the youngest, is a half-elf who is following in the family footsteps and training to be an acolyte of Glasya. Mika, the middle child, is a human who eschewed the religious practice to instead take up martial arts. She is the first student of the Way of the Broken Skull, a monk path created by Andromeda, a tiefling friend of the party. (It involves a lot of headbutts.)

Evius has always been flamboyant and dramatic, and he joined Barnum’s traveling carnival for a time as an acrobat. There, he met an air djinn named Marishna; they conceived a son (Zephyrus) one drunken night, and she didn’t tell him about it until years later.

Before Ozmund’s betrayal, Evius had made a warlock pact with Oberon (King of the Faeries, son of Aunt Marjorie). Their pact was “mutually beneficial,” if you catch my drift. Ultimately, Evius ended things when he realized Oberon only ever came around when it was convenient rather than actually helping him when he needed him. He was also realizing his attraction to Ash at the time and wanted to focus his attention there. Oberon, to his credit, wasn’t overly bothered by the change and never revoked the powers he’d given Evius.

Biggest Secret: Despite his outward confidence and carefree attitude, Evius is deeply insecure and self-loathing. His rash and impulsive decisions are his way of maintaining control—even at the expense of his safety or long-term goals. Despite having two extremely important people in his life (Ash and Zephyr), he still falls prey to self-destructive impulses, which are only made worse by his de-aging issue impairing his judgment.

[I didn't like the drawing I had of Evius in this originally, so I replaced it with a different one. This one is more accurate, though it does include Ash as well.]

[feybeasts]

Lancaster seems like a pretty swell guy to hang around with! All I know about him (or at least remember hearing about, hopefully I’m not misremembering things) is that he’s a merchant of some kind, so how about you give us some more details about the jolly fellow?

Also, further addressing the whole merchant thing: what’s the funniest customer he had done business with?

Lancaster is indeed a merchant! Or, more accurately- he's the fae equivalent of one, which is to say he's somewhere between a shady merchant and an outright djinn.

He specializes in offering mortals goods and services that speak to their hearts- items they've most desired, things of sentimental or aspirational value- of course, what the "customer" doesn't know is that these things are almost always "cursed" in some way- usually resulting in said customer taking on a new form... but always a form that, deep down, they wanted desperately.

So he's a bit of a contradiction, yeah? He's a shady, stinky fella who is sketchy as they come... but at the end of the day, he's probably the most customer-friendly magical businessman you could hope to encounter!

As for funniest customer? Well, in a very metaphysical sense... me! Lena is only the way she is now because she bought what he was selling- and was transformed into her current- and true- self for her trouble! She's actually his apprentice and courier now, and it's a good working relationship- as good as it can be when your boss is a trickster god!

[angels-in-overcoats]

WWDITS Season 4 Review

I was on the verge of saying season 4 was my favorite season because it had some really REALLY funny episodes (the private school one had me crying laughing) but the more I think about it, I don’t know if I can give it that much praise.

First off, it is a bummer to have basically a whole season without Colin Robinson who is a character I believe hasn’t been given enough credit for how funny he actually is (although I did appreciate how scarily accurate the writing team captured a modern 9 year old’s personality. Baby Colin was practically just my nephew to a T)

Secondly, I don’t get why all the characters are such dicks this season. Nadja is being awful to everybody while trying to run her club to the point of attempting to bribe the wraiths out of their union by withholding the only thing that can ease their eternal suffering, Laszlo is bordering on abusive to his friends and surrogate son (Take for instance the Jersey Devil episode. Not once have I ever thought of Nandor and Laszlo as having some weird rivalry with each other. They bicker, sure, but that’s just what roommates do. I guess those “80 years” of arguments just happened off-camera for the first 3 seasons), and Nandor... well, we’ll get to Nandor

They’ve always been “bad people” but they were never truly bad people, ya know? Unlike shows like Succession or It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia where the whole point is to make you root for the main characters to fail, I never really wanted to see any of the vampires face consequences for their bad actions until now.

Now for the 37th wife in the room: Marwa

I legitimately got depressed watching her story unfold. I know it’s supposed to be funny and fantastical in its own horrific sort of way but it was just so skeevy to have her forcibly changed constantly with no autonomy or consent. Giving Nandor a djinn is such a funny concept and you can do so much with it but THIS is what you decide to do???

And Freddie... oh Freddie. The only reason I was willing to go along with Nandor’s constant manipulation of Marwa is because I was expecting her to break free from the spell and for him to get his comeuppance... but it never came. Instead, in the most horrifying turn of events yet, he strips every ounce of Marwa’s humanity from her (body, personality, memories. All gone). She’s not dead. She’s just... gone. She’s not herself anymore with no idea as to what happened. It’s a horror story and not the fun kind.

I hope they fix this in season 5 because the writers of this show usually know what they’re doing and hopefully they can realize when they’ve fucked up royally but time will tell, always does.

[rhetoricandlogic]

Hope You’re Happy

Kundo Wakes Up  (The Gurkha and the Lord of Tuesday, volume 2)

By Saad Z. Hossain 

Kundo Wakes Up is the second volume in Saad Z. Hossain’s The Gurkha and the Lord of Tuesday series. 

One year and two hundred and thirty-six days ago, artist Kundo’s wife vanished, leaving a note informing him that she was leaving. Kundo did not handle the news at all well. Now, six hundred and one days later, he wakes from his daze and resolves to look for his wife. 

Throughout the six hundred and one days Kundo spent in a funk Chittagong has continued its slow, inexorable decline. Karma, the ruling AI, issues fewer and fewer updates, which hints that Karma is on the verge of simply abandoning the city and its population to their post-Disintegration-Era fate. 

Kundo seeks out his old hacker friend Hassem for assistance. Hassem too has vanished. All that remains of Hassem is his apartment, still crammed with Hassem’s possessions, and an enigmatic letter left with Hassem’s neighbor, Fara. 

There is a link between Hassem and Kundo’s missing spouse. Both were avid gamers. Indeed, Kundo has long suspected that his wife ran off with her gamer pals. However, on closer examination it seems that Hassem got caught up in an illicit, hidden game known as Black Road. Kundo’s wife followed the same path, frantically competing to win … what?

Enter ReGi, Duchess of Kathmandu and duly appointed Sheriff of Karma. Karma too is very curious about the Black Road. Why it is that none of the AI’s wonderful machines can get near the entity at the center of the game? Humans do not appear to suffer from the same deficiency; thus humans will have to investigate for Karma.

Kundo and his rapidly expanding collection of friends and allies set off to find the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Chittagong. Or more accurately, the djinn. And — perhaps! — answers. 

I am not at all sure Kundo ever thinks of his wife by name. Certainly, his preferred choices are ​“his wife” and ​“her.” It’s possible that the implosion of their marriage was an overdetermined process, inevitable if Kundo (as he was six hundred and one days earlier) was half of it. 

The story is set in a city inexorably sliding into collapse even as the ocean slowly rises to claim it. The characters are hapless and abandoned, the protagonist is an unhappy man looking for his missing wife and friend. Not exactly the stuff of which happy stories are usually built. 

And yet … Kundo’s journey forces him to engage with other people. Once he crawls out of his own navel, it turns out he’s pretty good at this whole interacting with humans (and the occasional djinn) thing. As well, the legions of the forgotten and abandoned turn out to have their own virtues as well. Kundo Wakes Up could have been terribly depressing, but to my surprise, in Hossain’s skillful hands it was a delightful change of pace. 

[themarysuep]

Ms Marvel episode 3: Spoiler-y Ramble

We got a mendhi and the wedding??? Plus a medley dance scene at the wedding? Yeh mera dil??? That was excellent. I absolutely loved all the wedding festivities. I liked that they included a bit about Aamir's financial situation, which is from the comics. I loved that Sana Amanat cameo'ed at the wedding!

So djinn and tonic huh? Uh the Clandestine/djinn reveal. I'll admit I'm a little disappointed and confused. Why would the show choose this path when Kamala is scheduled to appear on The Marvels? When the MCU is on the cusp of Secret Invasion? There's already been set pictures of her with the Kree. That would have tied together so well with her being an inhuman, or even just a hybrid for now. I also don't know how I feel about Kamala Khan being a djinn??? That's so... strange. It also doesn't fit with the MCU so there doesn't seem to be any reason for the change? I know there is more to the story. But how much more?? It's also really not making sense. Just some vague understanding that the planet may be destroyed if they open a portal? How does this portal fit with the larger MCU? Also why did Nimra Bucha say to remember that Najma means 'star'?

Ok.. onto my favorite part! We have a found a universe where Kamran doesn't betray Kamala at every turn! *squeal* I guess he doesn't have his cool powers but he does have some moves. I'm definitely team KamalaKamran. I'm sorry but Bruno needs to go to Caltech. I need one win on this show and it has to be a desi romance. But also that's all there is with Kamran? No powers and he didn't know about his mother?

Kamran arriving to save us from the white savior trope:

Nakia is a legend as always. I loved her standing up to the FBI. And I screamed when she found out about Kamala's powers. I'm so so so glad it happened so soon. Her wedding outfit was also just so beautiful. I'm so happy about her reaction and that she seemed upset Kamala didn't come to her and tell her. The agents stepping into the mosque with shoes?? Their disrespect towards ALL the Muslims. With all due respect this show does tackle Ismalaphobia but it is not the only thing it tackles and that's what makes it special.

I'm very excited to see Pakistan and what connection Laal Khanjeer has to everything.

Shout-out to Kamala and her wallpaper of Carol:

I've also just realized that N.I.C.E hasn't been formed yet?

For the millionth time I have to reiterate that this show is beautiful and has some of the most accurate representation of South Asian culture and religion that I've ever seen. I think those things make the show AMAZING and that the powers and origin is just secondary.

Edit: this hand is blue?? Like the Kree?

[estrel]

Saving Grace (And Staying Put)

destiel december 2020 prompt: presents | wc: ~1.3k

russian translation available thanks to @hereigoagain !!

[READ ON AO3] [RUSSIAN]

"What'd you think?"

Dean's staring at Cas, a glass full of eggnog resting against his lips. Behind the rim of it he’s hiding a smile at Cas' thoughtful squint, as Cas watches the end credits roll on the television.

"I think...I still don't understand. Are you meant to be my George Bailey?"

Dean splutters into his drink at that, sitting up to wipe eggnog from his mouth and set the cup on the coffee table. He shoots Cas a look, but Cas is still frowning, head tilted in question and maybe a little bit of concern at Dean's reaction.

After watching a myriad of Christmas movies that included Gremlins (a classic), Home Alone (another classic) and Krampus (Jack was not a fan), Sam and Jack had disappeared off to bed and Dean had stuck It's A Wonderful Life into the DVD player. His hope had been that Cas would get his Clarence references after watching it, but instead Cas was comparing Dean to the suicidal businessman that the angel saves in the movie.

What had made Dean choke was that he wasn't exactly wrong.

"I—I guess I am, man, yeah. I mean, I'd like to think I'm a little less pathetic, and I'm probably not as nice as he is, but it's...you're not too far off."

Their eyes meet, and Dean reaches between them for the remote.

"But I'm," Cas says, in a tone that makes Dean pause. "I'm not an angel anymore."

Dean sits back on the couch again, shifting once to get comfortable. "So?"

"So..."

He waits for Cas to continue, rubbing a thumb over the buttons on the remote as the silence stretches. The credits on the TV come to a stop. 

"So, I'm not...’Clarence’ anymore."

"And...what? Is that supposed to faze me, or something?" Dean looks at him again, and Cas' face expresses his apparent uncertainty. 

Dean smooths out his frown, opting instead to get across some of his own sincerity by dropping the deflections for a second.

"Cursed or not, Cas," he says gently, "Angel or not. Doesn't matter, we're...I—I'm better with you. So none of that leeriness, okay? Because you're more than just a set of fluffy wings and a halo."

He thinks Cas might take a crack at him again, indulge him that angels don’t have halos or harps or whatever Dean had said, but he doesn’t. He watches Dean for a long moment, all the while Dean pointedly tries not to notice, flipping channels for something else to watch. The Grinch might be good. 

“I have something for you.”

Cas reaches into a pocket, keeping his hand there while he thinks of how to proceed.

“I know it’s Christmas Eve, and that’s not typically when gifts are given... I also know that there’s probably a whole ritual that has rules and I’m sure you’re very picky about them, but I still...I don’t know if this will count as a present. But I still want to give it to you, if you’ll accept it,” Cas says. 

Dean feels his heart racing, thrumming against his chest so fast it makes him lightheaded. He simply nods, not trusting himself to speak, and watches as Cas pulls out the chain of a necklace until it reveals a small glowing vial that hangs off of it. 

On instinct, Dean reaches out to touch it, hovering his fingers just over the glass. He lifts his gaze to look at Cas. 

“Cas...what is this?”

The essence inside the vial swirls, a bright blue almost the shade of Cas’ eyes. Dean’s entranced, watching as it rhythmically shifts and moves against the glass. 

“It’s me,” Cas replies. “Well, more accurately...it’s my Grace.” 

Dean freezes. 

“Come again?”

Cas sighs softly. “My Grace.”

“You—you saved it?” Dean means to ask ‘How?’ next, but his mouth says, “And you’re giving it to me?”

Cas nods. 

“Why?”

Cas lets his arm relax, lowering it so that the necklace rests between them on the seat cushion of the couch. “You...gave me my humanity, Dean. You showed me how to care about...about everyone. I know I can never repay you for that, but I thought...I thought the least I could do was give a part of myself in return. I—” he hesitates, biting his bottom lip in thought.

“What?”

“No, nothing. I just...hope that you’ll accept it.”

Cas lifts it again in offering, and Dean moves his hand to fit the vial against his palm. It's warm to the touch. Dean wraps his fingers around it, and Cas lets go of the chain. It falls limply against Dean's knuckles.

"Thank you, Cas," He says, bringing it close to his heart. Cas smiles.

"Actually, I uh...I have something for you, too," Dean adds. With his free hand, he digs into his jean pocket and pulls it out, suddenly feeling that it’s a little dumb in comparison to the gift Cas just gave him.

"It's, ah, not exactly angel Grace, but," he holds out the flat of his palm, showing Cas.

Cas takes it from Dean's hand, holding it as if it’s as precious as the necklace Dean is clutching onto for dear life. He levels Dean with a serious stare.

"Are these...?"

"Keys," Dean says, "One's for Baby, and the other's for the Bunker."

Cas is quiet, so Dean keeps going. "I figured, y'know, without your Grace, you'll be needing to get places and, well, keys...open doors." He mentally curses himself. Keys open doors? He squeezes his eyes shut, shakes his head a little to reset himself. 

"What I mean to say is, now it'll be easier to get home. You can come and go when you'd like, and you don't have to wait for one of us to let you in."

Cas' eyebrows twitch at that. "Home," he repeats, but it’s said like a question.

Dean nods, smiling softly. “Yeah, Cas. Home.” He looks away, startled a little by Cas’ sincere eyes that search his face. “If—If you’ll accept it.”

“Yes,” Cas says quickly. “I accept.”

“Good,” Dean responds. He tries to ignore how the racing of his heart makes his hands shake. He looks down at the necklace. It swings a little, gently touching his chest.

“Um,” Dean holds it out to Cas. He waits a moment too long, though, because he can see Cas’ smile beginning to falter. “Do you think you could help me with this?”

Stunned, Cas takes the necklace and Dean bows his head, feeling his ears go red. It’s a sign of trust, Dean knows, to let your guard down like this in their line of work. It’s like baring your neck to a vampire, or falling asleep next to a djinn.

Cas moves closer on the couch, and their knees touch just barely. Dean watches Cas’ Grace dip underneath his chin as Cas pulls the chain around his neck. He can feel Cas’ arms raised on either side of him as he fastens it, can smell Cas’ scent from how close they are. 

Then Cas is done, fingertips brushing the back of Dean’s neck as he rests the cold chain there. His touch lingers, and Dean’s breath catches, and then Dean is lifting his head up. 

They’re closer than he thought. 

“Thank you,” he whispers. Cas gives a small nod, eyes a little wide. His hands are still at the back of Dean’s neck, fingers brushing gently at the hair on Dean’s nape. Dean shivers, unable to contain it. He brings a hand up to Cas’ tie, holding it a moment, before deciding it could use some adjustment. 

Then both hands are fixing the knot, and when Dean is done, he uses the tie as leverage to pull Cas closer. There’s a pause, when both of their noses bump against each other, where Dean gives Cas an out. 

He doesn’t take it.

Dean presses forward, fitting their lips together. It’s the satisfaction of two missing puzzle pieces finally sliding into place, after years of being lost and collecting dirt under a couch. It’s clean, and it’s warm, and it feels like Purgatory all over again—like purity.

When they pull away, Dean’s a little out of breath. He places a hand on Cas’ face, running a thumb over his cheek.

“Stay,” Dean says. “Don’t leave my side again. I want—I want you to stay.”

Cas’ eyes glisten. “I will,” he says. “I will.”

tag list (ask to be added/removed):

@castiels-a-lamp @jellydeans @writtenmemxries @cestladean @randomblabbling @fluffiestlou @dreamnovak @weird-dorky-little-d @depressivedemonnightmaredean @jackleslongcon @friedchickenangelwings @galaxycastiel @destielle @dickspeightjrs @on-a-bender @organicpurplepants @casbelieves @samuelswinchester @spacegirlstuff @seffersonjtarship @winchester-novak @professorerudite @squintingg @holmesemrys @imnotrevealingmyname @festivemish @good-things-do-happen-dean @angxlsgrxce @casandeans @castielscrookedtrenchcoat @destiel-in-its-natural-habitat @gracelesschoice @superduckbatrebel @iheardyourprayer @top13zepptraxx @that-one-fandom-chick @scoobydean @destiels-canonahhhhhhhhhh @maxguevra @cursed-or-not @i-think-im-humanbut-cant-besure @fitinmypoems @madilineskingdom @awolfnamedaliac @castee-yel @tearsofgrace @credentiast @fivefeetfangirl @my-favourite-hellatus @gray-is-neutral @sunflower-vol-28 @ensignabby @ar-bi-trary @lulu-zodiac @y-yo-a-ti-dumbass @castielology @nguyenxtrang @destiel-bitches

[flawedamythyst]

Old Guard Headcanon that, wow, got long.

So, the general assumption is that Joe has just been drawing Nicky for nine hundred years, right? Sketchbooks just filled with his face? Which is fair and accurate but, consider that as obsessive fanfolks we have experience with what it’s like to dedicate years to drawing/writing about the same one or two people, and what tends to happen once you’ve worked with the ‘canon’ version for long enough to want something a bit different.

Yes, that’s right. After a hundred years of whatever of just drawing Nicky as he is, Joe branched out into AUs and fantasies and excuses to draw Nicky in a range of weird and wonderful costumes. By the time Nile starts flicking through his art, it’s not something he even thinks about any more.

Joe: “Oh, that’s Nicky as a space pirate. Look at his little boots! And, look, here’s our spaceship, it’s called The Malta.”

Nile: “So you’re a space pirate too? Have you drawn yourself?”

Nicky, pointedly: “Yes, my heart, have you drawn yourself?”

Joe, with a dismissive wave: “There’s nothing interesting about drawing me.”

Nicky: *quiet sigh, because he’s spent a lot of time trying to convince Joe that he should include himself in his AUs*

Joe: “And here, look, this sketchbook is all about what Nicky would be like if he were partly cat. He likes climbing to high places but sometimes gets stuck and, look, this one is how he looks when you stroke his belly.”

Nile, staring at the art: “Oh god. You’ve drawn catboy!Nicky.”

Because they’re from before books were a thing normal people could afford and it was all oral story-telling, all the Old Guard pre-Booker have a tendency to make stories up and then tell them to each other. Joe’s always include art, and almost always have Nicky as the main character.

Joe: “This is Nicky as a djinn. He’s not tied to a lamp or a ring, though, he’s tied to a sniper rifle. Any time someone pulls the trigger, he appears and grants them three wishes.”

Nile, faintly: “His pants are see-through.”

Joe, without shame: “Of course.”

Andy, settling in with a glass of vodka for storytime: “So he’s trapped in the rifle?”

Joe: “Yes, he is a slave to the magic that ties him there, forced to grant wishes even when they are not to his liking. A lot of the people who use the rifle are not nice men, and wish for power or people to die.”

Nicky: “Oh no, Joe, I don’t like this.”

Joe, comfortingly patting his leg: “And then one day the rifle is given to a young artist who has been pressed into fighting a war against invaders, but who just wants to return to his studio.”

Nicky: “Is he handsome?”

Joe, shrugging: “He’s okay.”

Nicky: “I bet he’s the most handsome man the djinn has ever seen.”

Joe, blushing: “Well, perhaps.”

Andy, knocking back vodka: “Enough flirting, what happens next?”

Joe: “The artist uses the gun and the djinn appears and offers him three wishes. The artist is overwhelmed by the djinn’s ethereal beauty-”

Andy, with warning, because these stories have descended into poetry about Nicky’s looks before and she’s not in the mood for that tonight: “Joe.”

Joe: “-but he is in the middle of the battle and doesn’t have time to properly appreciate it. He immediately makes his first wish, for the war to end, and the djinn grants it, sending the invaders back where they came from. He takes longer to make his second wish, because the end of the war has been all he’s focused on for so long, but in the end he wishes for a home to live in, by the sea.”

Nicky: “Oh, that’s nice.”

Joe: “That is what the djinn thinks too. He has granted many wishes but he has never had the chance to create a home before. He uses his magic to build a house on a cliff, with a path down to a beach and a wide balcony where the artist can look out at the horizon, and an art studio that catches all the evening light, and a garden with a grove of ancient olive trees-”

Andy: “Are you just describing your place in Malta?”

Joe: “Perhaps. It’s a nice house. A good home.”

Nicky with heart eyes, taking his hand: “My love.”

Nile, clearing her throat: “And the third wish?”

Joe: “Ah, well, the artist finds that harder. Now he has a home, and the land has peace, he can’t think of anything else he needs. He asks the djinn to wait and the djinn is happy to, living in his house with him, taking walks on the beach, discovering all the things he has not been able to see or do while trapped inside the rifle. Days pass, and then weeks, and the artist almost forgets that he has another wish, and that the djinn isn’t just a close friend who lives with him.”

Nile: “Okay, but does the djinn get proper pants while that’s happening, or is his junk on display the whole time?”

Joe: “The artist finds him other clothes so that he could blend in with the local people, but in the evenings when they sit on the balcony together and watch the sunset, the djinn returns to the way he is most comfortable.”

Nile, muttering: “Nobody’s comfortable in see-through pants.”

Joe, ignoring her: “And then one day the artist looks at the djinn and realises that although it is a very nice house, it is only a home because the djinn is there, and that he loves him.”

Nicky lets out a happy sigh.

Joe: “And he realises that the only thing he wants to wish for his third wish is for the djinn to stay with him always. But that is not a wish you can make for another person, it must be their choice to stay, so instead the artist takes the djinn’s hand and wishes for him to be free to go wherever he wants, and to grant whatever wishes he pleases, and to not be tied to the rifle any more. Because true love is wanting someone to choose their own path to happiness.”

Nicky, tears in eyes: “Joe, let me finish the story. I know exactly how it ends. The djinn stays in the house with the artist, and dedicates the rest of his life to making him happy because he is the most beautiful, generous soul the djinn has ever met and he can’t believe how lucky he was that he was the one who took up his rifle.”

Joe, beaming back at him: “Exactly so, habibi. They melt the rifle down together and forge the metal into rings instead, and they marry each other with them.”

Nicky, overcome: “Oh.”

He pulls Joe into a kiss. It goes on for a while.

Andy: “That was okay but it needed more action. There should have been more fight scenes. Maybe some light maiming.”

Which isn’t to say that Joe lets Nile look through all his sketchbooks, of course. There’s one in particular, from when he first saw a copy of the Kama Sutra, that features a drawing of him and Nicky in every single sexual position that is even vaguely plausible. On rainy afternoons when there’s not much else going on, Nicky flicks through and picks a random page, and they try and re-enact it. It isn’t always the most successful sex they’ve ever had, but they have a lot of fun trying to get the positions to work.

Joe also has a semi-popular webcomic, which he doesn’t get to update as regularly as he wants because of missions. It’s about the adventures of Nico Mouse, who’s a mouse living on a farm, who gets caught up in a war that the fieldmice launch against the mice who live in the house. During the war, he realises that fieldmice and house mice are the same and the war is futile, and then meets a house mouse called Josef who he falls in love with. They run away to live in the barn together, and work on reconciling their two different mouse tribes.

Andy has no idea about it, which is good because she would lose her shit, but Booker found it years ago. In exile, he follows it religiously and posts anon comments on every single update (that Joe 100% knows are coming from him, because Booker is not subtle) and cries when Joe introduces a vole called Sebi, who has lost all his family but creates a new one with Nico and Josef and the other exiles who live in the barn.

[itsclydebitches]

Chapter 12, about the Relics: “I think it’s something we wanted to do cause they were sentient and because they were from the God of Light and.. in essence - even though they’re supposed to be impartial - they do want humanity to succeed." Okay. I'd wish they were impartial but I don't mind this. So why is it that Oz is treated worse when he uses them? You know, the one your creator tasked with the job? Yet they're not only more lenient with Ruby, but Cinder, the one working for Salem.

Yeah, for me Ozpin is the big stumbling block here. We see Jinn allowing Ruby to pseudo-cheat by stopping time, Oscar is offered the same loophole, they overtly cheat with Ambrosius to an absurd extent, and though Jinn answers Cinder's question, she doesn't look happy when she does it.

I think it's easy to infer that the Relics are hero-aligned based on these things, though like so much else in RWBY, it's not very well executed. I would have preferred some in-world acknowledgement of this bias considering that these sentient beings could, at any point, simply tell the heroes that they want them to succeed. I personally don't want the heroes' obstacles erased simply because these beings happen to like them, that's just not a compelling story. And if we're meant to understand that the Relics are helping the heroes because they're anti-God of Darkness/Salem/grimm, we have the problem that Ruby never told Jinn that she's out to destroy Salem. She just asks what Ozpin is hiding from them. What about that interaction tells Jinn that Ruby is her ally? This is all very messily done, but there are other details (the cheating, the sad expressions when Cinder calls her) that do help forward the writers' intent, so it's a case where I might have been able to say, "It has its problems, absolutely, but I got the overall message." There's no hand-holding, so to speak.

Or rather, I would have taken that position if not for Ozpin.

He's the outlier here. Though the Relics seem to instinctively support the group who only just found out that Salem exists and they should maybe do something about that, Jinn is downright cold toward the man whose entire purpose is to deal with her and unite humanity. How does that make sense? I've spoken about this in other metas, how the less than kind nickname for Ozpin ("Old Man"), amusement at him begging on his knees, and a useless, one sentence answer ("You can't") compared to Ruby's 20 minute vision (which just happens to air all Ozpin's trauma, further hurting him) all send the message that Jinn hates the guy. Or, more accurately, at the time it sent the message that these beings were impartial and, like the genies and djinns of myth, prone to twisting your wishes in horrible ways. Remember Ozpin frantically trying to keep Ruby from using the Lamp, to the point where the ran at her to take it? At the time I theorized that this wasn't just because he had a secret to keep, but because there was some severe downside to using the Relics at all. That would fit with his extreme reaction, Jinn's uncomfortable treatment of him, and it would put a much needed limitation on the all-powerful, magical objects. I believed something more was going on because, at the time, I still had faith that the writers were putting effort into their story. But instead, it turns out that there is no downside, Ozpin just freaked out over the Salem secret, Jinn loves Ruby for reasons only established in the commentary, and she dislikes Ozpin because... just because.

So we've got this cycle of conflicting characterization going:

Oh cool, these Relics are kind of cold and aren't useful unless you're careful about exploiting their rules

Wait never mind, this one adores Ruby. Why is that?

Hmm, maybe it was a fluke? Jinn is pretty stern now about Ruby not being allowed to cheat anymore.

That was a lie! Oscar is able to summon her again without a question. What's going on?

Okay, new Relic, new rules. We get an entire scene detailing how crazy hard it is to get what you want from Ambrosius.

...never mind, their wish was nonsensical and broke all the rules. He also gave Penny a body for free. This is ridiculous.

We've been saying that for months now, but most of the fandom is bending over backwards to try and explain how, actually, the heroes are just that smart and talented.

Well, would you look at that. The writers have admitted that the group cheated. Glad they're owning up to that, but why are they allowed to cheat?

Apparently because the Relics want the good guys to win. Okay, the motivation is solid, I've argued that reading myself, but it would have been nice if that had actually been established in the show.

And even if it had been, why haven't they helped Ozpin in the same way they've helped Ruby? You know, the guy whose entire existence revolves around winning this war?

Beyond the obvious fact that the writers are not planning ahead and thus whatever idea they next introduce is likely to contradict what came before it, I honestly believe that this Ozpin problem is a result of everyone hating Ozpin in Volume 6. The show made it crystal clear that no one was allowed to sympathize with him. Out of a cast of ten, including a total stranger who had no personal beef with him (Maria), not a single character took a position other than, "Yeah he's the worst and I'm glad he's gone. Why would we try and get him back?" So with this single reaction driving the entire Volume and beyond, why would Jinn be any different? Having her be kind, or even just neutral, messes with the blanket perspective Volume 6 was going for. Jinn acts cruel towards Ozpin because Ozpin, in that moment, is supposed to be hated by everyone, regardless of whether that makes sense or not. It's a characterization based on the badly constructed tone of the Volume, rather than Jinn's own personality, backstory, goals, etc. And that decision has now, Volumes later, severely impacted our ability to go, "Okay yeah. The Relics are pro-heroes. I'll buy that even if we haven't done as much with that idea as we could have."

I swear, though RWBY obviously had the seeds of these problems planted long before (badly written racism allegory, semblance rules keep changing, boring Volume 5 with inactive heroes, etc.) I personally think RWBY went off the rails in "Uncovered." The biggest problems we have with the show now can be traced right back to those snow episodes where the story decided to make the heroes entirely uncaring of an ally's extreme pain, respond to world-shattering news with identical reactions, refuse to admit that they might be out of their depth here, ignoring 20 minutes of lore outside of a single line, another mentor character is introduced that doesn't amount to anything, the start of Qrow's turn from drinking as a joke to alcoholism, introducing the idea that we don't just have macguffins, but sentient macguffins with ill-thought-out characterizations and rules the writers don't actually want to follow... those episodes introduced so much that is still haunting RWBY two Volumes later.

[shepherds-of-haven]

I was wondering if there was a blest equivalent of zodiac signs existing in the ShoH world. Like is there a star sign or season that alludes to a person’s character? I know that in the game the season in which the mc is born does give some stat boost so I was curious! And if so which characters believe in them, take them with a grain of salt, or just flat out ignore them? I can imagine that mimir would take them very seriously if they do exists!

Also, I’m not sure if you’ve answered this but what are some common fairytales in blest? Is there a general story that is well known and popular like how cinderella is widely known to us?

Hi there, thanks for the great question! As far as I know, there isn't really a 1:1 equivalent to star signs or zodiac signs in Blest! There are, like, certain circumstances and omens that are ascribed to people's birth circumstances, some of which include stars, but it's more explicitly superstitious and descriptive of the course a person's life might take, rather than a description of their overall personality, if that makes any sense?

For example:

Blade - born to new snows and a crescent moon, nighttime, beginning of winter: will be a warrior, thought to portend a long, proud, bloody life full of honorable deeds

Trouble - born in the heat of summer, in the middle of the day: potential to either burn out fast or have extreme resilience and outlive many peers

Tallys - born at dawn to the sounds of birds chirping: not much to be said, pretty normal circumstances, might have a tendency for wisdom and having clarity, but not particularly strong signs

Shery - born in spring on a rainy (but not stormy) day: destined to have a peaceful, quiet life, with likely a happy disposition

Riel - born on a fall day when the Polar Candle is clearly visible even during the day: destined to be blisteringly intelligent but shunned and misunderstood by peers

Chase - born under an autumn harvest moon: potential to have extremely good luck or grave misfortune

Red - born during the day, under the Dayspear constellation (Narthax): destined to be an agent of justice and firm with the lines between right and wrong, can be interpreted as being wise

Ayla - born at a blood-red dawn when the Pelinel constellation still visible in the sky: will have a fighter's life, full of hardship, violence, and survival, but will endure endlessly

Halek and Naolin - born under two blue moons with both moons at their fullest, twins: will lead a life of incredible change and destiny, once-in-a-lifetime occurrence, potential to become legends

Briony: - born in spring, morning, with the Tholjass constellation particularly bright throughout the night before: will be a strong fighter with an important social network - links to others are important, or blessed to be surrounded by important loved ones

Lavinet - born in spring, daytime, within a week of the first apple blossoms appearing: will be blessed with great charisma and charm

As you can see, some of these 'omens' fit, and others don't really! There are whole books that are devoted to figuring some of this stuff out, and a lot of it is sort of "pick-and-choose"--like you can conveniently be like "oh that constellation doesn't look THAT visible" if you don't like your baby's omen gfldggf--so it's not really taken that seriously except by superstitious people, particularly small, insular communities with strong ties to past pagan beliefs or ancestral cultures. In the modern day, and especially in big cities, it's not something that's really noted at a baby's birth unless you already believe in that sort of thing.

It's noteworthy that there are also a LOT of bad omens as well as just neutral/vague ones, and the bad omens tend to be more noticed than the good. So if it's like, "Hey, my baby was born in spring, she's gonna be super charismatic!!" it's like "oh! how cool!" But as soon as a baby is born under a blood moon, everyone in the neighborhood is like "YO. Wasn't Teko's kid coming today? The mom is already in labor?? She better hold it in or that baby is going to be destined to be INSANE or a MURDERER"

The baby's not going to be, like, shunned or actually treated poorly for their birth signs, but it will always be that bit of juicy gossip to be passed around in very insular communities, typically by neighborhood wives who want to shit-talk, but few actually like really believe it, if that makes any sense! "There goes Ylissa... Did you know her first was born under a blood moon? *sip tea*" "😲 you're lying..."

As for how each RO feels about these signs and omens, it's basically:

Blade: neutral/indifferent, does not believe in them but does not care or pay attention at all if others do

Trouble: neutral/indifferent, mildly interested when people talk about them, in the way that you ask each other what fortune cookie you got when you're at a restaurant together

Tallys: believes in them to a certain degree: like if someone's baby was born under a blood moon, she'd be like "hm. that's unfortunate" but she's not going to be like "NO. You can't be wise, you were born under the sign for stupidity!!!" In other words, she's not actively thinking about it much and it's more in a passing, shallow sense!

Shery: she like sort of believes in them, sort of doesn't? It's like a fun little icebreaker and she has cognitive bias to believe the ones that are more positive or seem to fit the person better, like wow Blade's seems pretty accurate! But she doesn't whole-heartedly believe in them in any concrete way!

Riel: despises them, especially his. He's smart because he worked to become smart, not because some stupid moon or whatever foretold it!!! stop taking credit for his decisions, moon!!!

Chase: DESPISES his, actively will not talk about it. automatically dislikes anyone who takes the birth signs even a little seriously. (joking about them is okay, but sincere belief is a turn-off for him)

Red: doesn't believe in them at all and thinks they're all coincidental/conveniently vague enough to fit, but doesn't begrudge others if they believe in them and generally won't try to argue with it. Doesn't think his is accurate like at all

Ayla: has literally never even heard of them or thought of them in any meaningful way

Briony: kind of indifferent, she doesn't really like hers very much (if she knows it), she's interested to hear what others are as a fun conversation starter or an insight into their personalities, but does not believe they actually dictate or foretell anything

Lavinet: thinks they're mostly just superstition and doesn't pay much attention to them, but she'd get a little bit nervous if her baby was born to like a really bad omen before laughing it off

Halek: hates his birth sign and blames it for his position in life (his was taken VERY seriously by the Reach). Dislikes talking about it and checks out when other people talk about theirs. Ironically, he's checked out so much that he's forgotten what his birth sign ACTUALLY is and tells MC "it had something to do with the new moon or something" in the game, which is just... wrong lol

Naolin: more respectful about the birth sign and pretty much believes in it, because it would be a super weird coincidence for the first twins born in the Reach in 100 years or whatever to also be born under two perfect blue moons...

Also, yes, there are lots of famous fairytales in the world of Blest! Ironically, most of them have to do with actual fairies (sometimes/mostly spelled faerie or the Faerie) rather than a lot of our prince/princess/monarch fairytales. Some also circulate around angels, deals with demons, djinn, and--especially as the canon of the One-God became more prevalent--a lot of folk stories about saints, like in a Joan of Arc mythologizing sense!

I could swear I did a write-up on common fairytales--no?? Did I dream that or something?? There was a fox, and berries... or... hm. Anyway, I'll have to go hunting for that, but I hope that answers your questions!

[fgrobichiko]

Case 2022H - The Ring Cycle

[Subject: the unknown vigilante known as [REDACTED]]

"Begin recording. What is your name?"

"You know me as [REDACTED, see notes G to L]."

"Yes, but that isn't your name, is it?"

"It may as well be."

"Very well. How did you come about your power, [REDACTED]?"

"I'm sure you've done your research. The ring I wear grants me [REDACTED], among a great many other things."

"And this ring is..?"

"There is a Djinn inside it. I'm sure you've heard stories."

"I see... so the ring is magical in nature?"

"That's an oversimplification. Magic is [REDACTED]. So yes, in a sense. But no, in a more accurate sense."

"And the Djinn is... literally inside the ring?"

"In another sense, yes."

"I don't have time for word games, [REDACTED]. You know what I want to know. Now... how did you come to have it? What was the catalyst for it?"

"Well, that's more complicated than you might think. You probably won't understand if I tell you."

"Maybe not. But maybe."

"Alright, then. I got my ring from another hero. You might have heard of him, although probably not. [REDACTED]. I was [REDACTED], back then."

"I... never would have guessed. Did the ring do that?"

"In a sense. The ring responds to strong desires. Needs. Wishes, you could say. [REDACTED] used the ring, but he used it recklessly. Dangerously. And it sensed that it could find another user."

"You?"

"It wasn't looking for me specifically. I'm sure about that. But it could feel my need. My will. It responded to me. I don't know why, whether it wanted to do something new, or if it was trying to find a victim, but I claimed it from him. It's mine, now. When the ring slipped from his finger and came to mine... I'll never forget his face. The horror. The anger. The realisation that what was once a gift could be taken away. The bargain he'd made. There's a reason you don't hear about him anymore."

"And so since then, you've been using it."

"Yes. Openly sometimes. More subtly other times."

"And it still [REDACTED]?"

"It tries. I hope this information will be useful, doctor."

"Yes. I'm sure it will."

"Very good. Now, I'll be leaving. Please do tell your personnel not to prevent me. I promise my will is superior to theirs."

[Recording ends. [REDACTED]'s account lines up with that found in several texts the foundation has acquired, which detail the binding and summoning of Djinn. The stories of Djinni being trapped in Lamps or Lanterns seem less and less accurate by the day. [REDACTED] returned to "the job" not long after this interaction, seemingly unaffected by the many probing attempts that were ongoing during our interview. I daresay the ring may have nullified them completely, which is an unsettling thought. Is it possible it works instinctually in addition to via focussed thought? Or worse, has it a mind entirely its own? More research is required.]

[deadlyanddelicate]

i’ve been remiss in liveblogging my catching-up-with-spn thoughts but man scoobynatural really did hit like a brick to the face. it was just. So Much Episode

dean quoting elsa from frozen and telling sam to “let it go”, which is similar to referencing dory in s12 and generally being into cartoons because he never got to have a childhood except elsa is very obviously a disney princess... imagine season 1 dean??? you couldn’t. they’d give the reference to sam and have dean say something like dUdE cOulD yOu bE MoRe GaY??? anyway post-charlie dean we love you

the dean cave!!!!!! listen. listen. listen. don’t talk to me about dean’s nesting. don’t talk to me about he’s constantly trying to make the bunker a home for himself and his loved ones (which is fundamentally at odds with sam viewing it as a place of work, which is also why dean is so unsettled with the hunters using it as a homebase in s14 bc hey that’s his home!! :/ ). but DO talk to me about how there are two la-Z-boy recliners but we know sam’s never seen the deancave before so. who’s the other chair for. who’s the other chair FOR. gee i wonder if this has anything to do with dean and cas having movie date nights. don’t (or do) talk to me about dean building a home and cas being the first person he wants to share it with!!!!!!!!

the running joke about dean loving scooby doo which the show plays for laughs bc they rely on jensen to make it funny but is actually monumentally sad. “wherever dad dragged us there was always a tv”. dean raised sam but who raised dean?? no one. that’s who. he got stuck watching scooby doo and letting tv be his parent because no one else was around to do it. watching cartoons was probably the closest he could feel to being an actual child. john winchester die by my blade

right so. aside from the whole dean striking out with daphne as a last ditch attempt at performing heteronormativity, many people have already discussed the triangulation of desire happening here with dean-daphne-fred much more in-depth than i could, so i’m not gonna get into it but i just. dean... dean you’re so transparent. literally see-through. why was that whole car-racing scene so filled with homoerotic tension à la top gun?? i know why and you know why we all know why. also there’s THIS which is driving me absolutely off my gourd:

yeah, dean. tell us more about fred’s perfect hair, his can-do attitude, and his stupid ascot (which dean ends up wearing HIMSELF by the end of the attitude!!! love that triangulation!! love that sublimation of desire!! love that inherently bisexual conundrum of do i want to be him or be with him!!! delicious!!! (also worth noting, dean’s disparaging comments towards fred can be paralleled to velma’s disparaging comments towards sam... whom she ends up kissing at the end of the episode. just saying)

wonderful. i once led armies and now i’m paired with a scruffy philistine and a talking dog. this has nothing to do with dean i just love cas very much and he was golden in the episode. mans came back from syria where he got married to the djinn quinn as part of an elaborate scam. immediately goes down to the deancave further proving that he knows where it is when even sam who lives in the bunker didn’t. they are NESTING your honour!! also dean did compare cas to scooby which is. well i don’t know what it is except for dean’s constant reframing of cas as the most endearing/dorky creature regardless of how accurate it is(n’t).

“that was the coolest thing that’s ever happened to me. and that includes the cartwright twins.” followed by cas immediately staring at him and asking “what did you do with the cartwright twins.” and dean getting flustered and stammering while he makes a hasty exit. okay. maybe don’t bring up your past sexual escapades in front of your current love interest then!!!

just! the ending with tfw working together on solving the case!! i love them very much!! wholesome content!! 

“is that an ascot?” (beat) (strokes ascot sensually) “yes.” what IS this!!!! what am i WATCHING!!! you turn into your object of desire because it’s easier than admitting your desire to yourself when you’ve been so doggedly (ha) pursuing what you’re supposed to socially acceptably desire!!!

“dean. you’re not a talking dog.” just. the voice of a man who is completely exasperated and rethinking his decision to defy heaven for this particular human. first the cartwright twins and now this?? (and yet, cas... why did you make the book you were working on a romance book. why did the killer stuffed dinosaur have to be in love. supernatural is A Show with Characters)

but also just something about. dean having aggressive homoerotic tension with fred and then wearing the ascot himself. dean comparing cas to scooby the talking dog and then acting like scooby himself. you turn yourself into the object of desire so you never have to actualize that desire outside yourself i know the rituals are intricate i KNOW it--

[jaskierswolf]

This is based off this amazing art by @frostedbasilisk. Thank you for allowing me to write something for it! It’s Geraskier (with references to Yenralt and a non-exclusive relationship) - Just over 800 words. No warnings apply.

__________________________

Geralt hummed as he flicked through the pages of his book, a less than accurate retelling of their encounter with the Djinn written by one Julian Alfred Pankratz. Geralt snorted and rolled his eyes, the details of Jaskier’s injuries were grossly exaggerated, making him out to be some kind damsel in distress. Jaskier, sorry, Julian, had made Geralt’s relationship with Yen to be something sensational and spellbinding, rather than the raw sexual encounter that it had been, and continued to be as and when they ran into each other around the Continent.

Jaskier was flitting around their shared room at the inn, humming to himself as he prepared for his evening. “Geralt, my darling, have you seen my shirt?”

Geralt, looking at Jaskier’s perfectly fine white chemise, raised an eyebrow at him. “You’re wearing it.”

Jaskier put both hands on his hips and snorted. “Very funny, Geralt. As if I would wear this old thing to a royal ball! I meant the one I bought to go with my corset, with the silk panels at the shoulders?”

Geralt shrugged. “Have you checked the saddlebags?”

“Have I checked the saddlebags?” Jaskier muttered sarcastically. “Useless, bloody witcher. You’re lucky you’re so gorgeous.”

Geralt smirked and opened his arms as Jaskier flopped down onto the bed with a sigh. He snuggled up against Geralt’s chest and Geralt kissed his hair, the scent of honey and chamomile filling his senses. “You smell good.”

“I know, you always sniff me more when I use this oil in my hair,” Jaskier said as he draped an arm across Geralt’s chest. “I figured you liked it.”

Geralt smiled, placing another kiss in Jaskier’s hair before giving his arse a slap. “You need to get ready.”

Jaskier squeaked, looking up at him with a perfect pout, wide blue eyes and his bottom lip quivering just the right amount. Geralt ran his thumb along Jaskier lip and then pulled him into a kiss. It didn’t take long for the kiss to grow heated as Jaskier straddled his waist and Geralt’s hands found their way under Jaskier’s shirt, but Geralt pulled away with a groan before they could get carried away. Jaskier whined and chased his lips, as his eyes fluttered open.

“You have the King of Redania to entertain, later,” Geralt said, nosing under Jaskier jaw. “I’ll be waiting for you.”

“Come with me?” Jaskier asked for the hundredth time. “I swear it won’t be like Cintra.”

Geralt shook his head. “You have the Xenovox from Yen?” Jaskier nodded. “Call me if there’s trouble, and only if there’s life-threatening trouble. Understand?”

Jaskier rolled his eyes. “You’re no fun, darling, but fine. I’ll get ready.”

“Hmm.” Geralt kissed Jaskier’s neck and then pushed him off the bed.

“Oi!” Jaskier cried indignantly.

“Get dressed.”

Jaskier scoffed but did as he was told. Geralt watched him over the top of his book, not really paying much attention to the words. He knew the story anyway, he’d been there for it after all, but he’d found the book in an old chest after a ghoul contract. He’d seen Jaskier’s real name and hadn’t been able to resist picking it up. It was well written and an engaging read, but complete and utter bullshit. Jaskier pulled a new shirt from Roach’s saddlebags and grinned, Geralt smirked. He’d known the shirt had been in there, bloodyminded bard. It didn’t take long for Jaskier to pull on some gorgeous pale blue silk trousers and his shirt, before holding up his newly purchase corset.

Geralt tilted his head as he watched Jaskier slip the garment on, contorting as he tried to fiddle with the lace on the back. Geralt counted down in his head as Jaskier grumbled, sticking his tongue between his lips, eventually he whined and pouted at Geralt.

“Help?”

Geralt shuffled off the bed, batting Jaskier’s hands away from the lacing. He placed a kiss the nape of Jaskier’s neck and then pulled at the lacing. “Alright?”

“Tighter, please.” Jaskier said as he arched he back, pulling a silver necklace from off the dresser and examining it.

Geralt pulled tighter, drawing in the blue silk corset around Jaskier’s waist, defining his figure until he looked completely delectable. It wasn’t proper in the slightest, in fact it was completely indecent. Geralt had half a mind to trap his lover in their room together for the rest of the evening. Jaskier probably wouldn’t even complain, but Geralt also knew that Jaskier thrived on the attention and adrenaline of performance. He could never deny him that.

“Thank you, darling,” Jaskier sang as he turned back around, cupping Geralt’s cheek and gazing at him with such fond adoration.

Geralt felt his cheeks heat up, his mouth going dry as he took in his lover’s form. Jaskier looked radiant, a picture of true beauty. Geralt was lost for words. “Hmm,” he said instead as he pressed his forehead against Jaskier’s.

Jaskier laughed and bumped their noses together. “I love you too, my darling, I love you too.”

[eerna]

You've been gushing about the Daevabad trilogy for a bit now and you've got me really curious to check it out, especially since I'm an Arab Muslim, but when I checked the first book on Goodreads it had a lot of 1 star reviews (not that Goodreads ever really gives accurate book reviews but still...) so I was wondering if you could give an overall review of the series based on your experience with the book! I've read TLC and SOC so I know I've got at least some similar tastes to you.

Look, if you ask me to talk even MORE about it, who am I to refuse!!! If you want detailed info on every book separately, check out my Goodreads acc in my FAQ~

The worldbuilding- Absolutely Fantastic. This is one of the best fantasy settings I've read. It's incredibly detailed and created with so much love it is obvious this isn't the case of "I wanted my fantasy series to be unique, so I threw it into a blender with a few vague references to a non-European setting". The history and the magic system are wonderful and obviously inspired by many myths and legends from the Arabian world. The majority of the plot is set in a fictional city, but the characters spend some time travelling the Djinn nations scattered among early 19th century Africa and Asia. I can't give you an accurate take on the portrayal of Islam, but it is treated with lots of love, and religion (in general) is seen as something important but not as the One Personality Trait. My one problem with it is that sometimes the dialogue sounds too modern and ruins the immersion.

The characters- For the first two books I disliked 2/3 of the main characters. It's the worst part of the series to me: their romance and the MC Suck Ass. It's very tropey and her potential is squandered as she aimlessly floats around making dumbass decisions. HOWEVER, in book 3, the author suddenly remembers what to do with her, and her arc becomes engaging and she is a good character now! Who knew! And that third main character is so so so good and wonderful from the get-go that I barely even had time to be upset about the other two. He makes mistakes and grows from a stumbling, sorta annoying, but well-meaning child into a fantastic man all around. The supporting cast makes the world feel alive- everyone is unique and has a firm place in the story, with relationships that make for fantastic and/or heartwarming entertainment.

The plot- Lovely, it meshes my fav themes. The series follows power struggles taking place in the fictional capital of the Djinn nation, as a newfound successor of an ancient bloodline befriends a prince descended from her family's enemies and the two have to find their place in a world that is new to both of them, although in different ways. It talks about inherited generational hatred, the struggles women face even when put in powerful positions, complicated family dynamics, the bloody price of revolution and the following oppressor/oppressed issues, and redemption for the unforgivable (it drops the ball on this one and drops it hard, it isn't a good analysis of war criminals). I understand that with books this long there is always the issue of staying engaged, but I was never bored while reading it because even the slow portions of the books talked about stuff I personally find interesting. People would stand around debating the morality of their magical social system and I would be all starry eyes and chinhands.

Whew!!!!! Okay there it is, hope it helps! If you decide to read it, have fun~