#what? who DON'T i ship gilgamesh with?

[hydrachea]

Giltoria...

[1-lightofjustice]

Using "Sibling Title" in Romantic Relationship Is NOT Incest

You know, interacting with majorly English community about Asian media made me realize that English doesn't have any "sibling title", something that was so common in Asia (and perhaps other continent too cmiiw), thus I noticed some of them have a little difficulty on perceiving what "sibling title" actually meant. Combined with shipping war and incest allegory, many misunderstanding are created. Somehow yesterday I happen to stumble upon two of them in almost the same moment so I wanna make this post to vent my frustration.

First is this :

The segment that they meant is when Kota called Izuku "nii-chan" and Ochako "nee-chan" after Ochako's speech.

Yes, Kota called Izuku "Big Brother" and Ochako with "Big Sister". But really, even the translator clearly explained in their translation that "nii-chan" and "nee-chan" are not only title for older siblings but also title/name for a young teen or 20-ish boy/girl (overall people still in youth). Other people on twitter (X who?) pointed out that Kota means those title in relation to him and not to Izuku-Ochako, which is true, Kota may think of Izuku and Ochako as his big brother and sister at that situation. But even if he's not, he will still use "nii-chan" and "nee-chan" titles toward Izuku and Ochako because that's the title that was correct from person on Kota's age to people on Izuku/Ochako's age. Of course, that doesn't mean Izuku and Ochako are bounded by sibling/familial relationship in any form.

For example, this is a "7 years old" kid Conan ("a young boy" in disguise, for complicated reason) called 18 years old Heiji and Kazuha with "nii-chan" and "nee-chan" while at the same time helping them to hook up. He didn't really think of them as his brother/sister like in personal level, but he still used "sibling title" because that was the appropriate ethic for him.

Next is the example in broader sense, but the point is still because they are "brothers", there's no way Gilgamesh and Enkidu have romantic relationship.

let's pretend it's not completely bizarre to input arabic perception on a story with a language that way predates arabic, with different time, culture, and setting. Let's use arabic now. Brother in Arabic is "akhi", derived from Akkadian "ahu", the language that was used on 12 tablet Epic of Gilgamesh standard version ("Ses" is Hittite/Sumerian version).

This is the excerpt from Epic tablet by Andrew George, when the word "ahu" is used to described Gilgamesh and Enkidu :

The thing is, "ahu" may meant brotherhood, but they don't necessarily mean bounded by familial forbid-to-marry relationship. The word "ahu" can mean brother of same social standing, close male associate, or the proof of companionship, for example King Tushratta used "brother" (ahu in akkadian, shesh in sumerian) to Pharaoh Egypt which they have brother-kingdom relationship. Of course they are not "family" with each other and their family can marry each other.

Even if, as the commenter said, translated into arabic, "akhi" is not meant for strictly brotherly relationship. The word itself means "brother, close male friend, male associate". In fact, there's webtoon in my country (Muslim majority) that has female lead called her love interest "akhi". And this is her pray so God can make her meet her "akhi".

Translation : "There has been 6 years passed but I still haven't meet "akhi". Please God lead him to be close to me"

Of course when the female lead called her crush "akhi" she doesn't mean that there's familial feeling from her to him that prevent her for wanting to marry "akhi". And readers from my country completely expect her to still call her husband "akhi" even after marriage.

Those "sibling title" are not and never strictly platonic. Those are title for almost-familial-but-not-really attachment, usually to emphasis social construct. It just, I don't know the exact term but I call it "polite endearment title". When it comes to romantic relationship/marriage, even with "sibling title" there will be no incest feeling involved as long as the couple are not bounded by blood of close family, share the same mother's milk/wetnurse, nor raised together from before puberty (the latter may depend on situation).

P.S : I wonder, do English users find it weird if we Asian use the exact same title for sibling and for romantic partner? Like, you guys know that Korean fangirls called their idols that they want to date/marry as "oppas" in the same word as they call their "oppa" in home, right? I am Javanese, I call my blood-brother "mas", and I expect to use that word for my husband too, like my sister who called her husband "mas" even though she's older than him.

[nottoofondofgaypeople]

Make a whole post about your favorite Divine Warrior ship

I was gonna make this post about Kul'zak and Enki cause they are my fave Divine ship, but then I realized I can make a comparison of Araphel and Esmund to Gilgamesh and Enkidu and that idea is eating me alive.

Gilgamesh the corrupt king, once loved before power pulled him into sin, desperately needing someone on his level to keep him in check. Enkidu who was created by the gods to be Gilgamesh's equal, rival, and friend.

Araphel who began to pull on the strings of a corrupt king and give into his vices due to power, desperately chasing the one person he's ever felt close to. Esmund who chose to acquire this power and uses it to protect his friends, even when they become enemies. He can never quite bring himself to kill his dear friend.

Gilgamesh and Enkidu who fought for seven days and gained respect for one another, enough respect and love that they would literally go to the ends of the earth for one another. Araphel and Esmund who once fought side by side and are now willing to throw one another to the end of the world if it means they never have to see the other again.

You can see the way they could have been. The lives they could have had. Where Irene is Inanna/Ishtar trying to seduce Gilgamesh away, but he stays head strong and only dedicates himself further to Enkidu. Where Araphel and Esmund could have had a truly beautiful relationship, one where they bettered one another both in combat and in spirit, supporting one another in a way only warriors can. Maybe they did have it at one time.

But even if that did happen, there's certainly no kept record of it. Even if Enki is a Keeper, even if Menphia wrote countless journals, there's no record of Esmund and Araphel's relationship before it turned sour. It's too painful of a memory when they see what it became. Enki who could have read these ancient texts and seen his friends in them, weeping over how much better things could be.

Kul'zak who's known Esmund longer than anyone else and knows what it's like when he's in love. He knows that even until the very last moment, Esmund still held love in his heart for the man he once knew. Faintly he still thought they could forgive and learn to love one another once more. It was only when things got so bad that Kul'zak went to the extreme of suggesting they seal him away that Esmund finally agreed to do something substantial.

Kul'zak wanted to do more than that. But he knew that most of the Divine would be against his initial idea of just straight up killing Araphel. Only Enki and Xavier would agree to that. Because he knows that Esmund still loves some past version of Araphel, that Menphia is still incredibly bitter about Irene and Araphel's relationship, that Enki lost someone he loved because Esmund decided to pursue Irene.

Esmund and Araphel love each other so much they'll literally tear the world apart just so they don't have to kill each other.

[thebibliomancer]

Essential Avengers: Avengers #308: JOURNEY

October, 1989

The life of an Eternal hangs by a thread -- and only one being on Earth has the power to save GILGAMESH!

It's just Gilgamesh though.

She-Hulk's concerned expression and raising one hand in concern looks more like she's shrugging confusedly about this whole situation. 'Some Eternal!'

Anyway.

Last times on Avengers: Captain America declared all Avengers were Avengers, there were no teams anymore just one big family, and he was in charge of it all. Then Lava Men attacked, lifted Avengers Island up on a big stone spire, and kidnapped the Avengers in a stone ball which rolled all the way to the depths of the Earth.

The Last of the Lava Men, Jinku, told the Avengers that when they killed a random demon in Inferno, it killed most of the Lava Men and turned the rest except Jinku into stone.

Jinku tries to kill the Avengers with a big lava monster he created and apparently succeeds in killing Gilgamesh. Then the Lava Men that turned into stone hatch into golden men and tell Jinku to cut it out. So he does.

And that brings us to now. And this cool airship.

Very shiny.

Inside the ship? The Avengers.

The ship was apparently made by the golden Lava Men to get the Avengers back to the surface, based on a design that Black Panther gave them.

But even though Captain America and Black Panther are sitting at the controls, they're not in control. The golden Lava Men are. Because the ship is them.

Pretty neat.

But that's looking a little bit ahead.

The reason this is all relevant is that She-Hulk frets that Gilgamesh is dying. Or dead? Something? He doesn't have a pulse but his body is still warm? Plus, Eternals have conscious control over every atom in their body so who knows what's going on with him?

Anyway, time may or may not be a factor. And the golden spaceship made out of golden people may or may not be going its maximum velocity already.

Meanwhile, hey, don't we need to finally resolve that thing where Avengers Island is up on an unsteady stone pillar?

Reed's plan worked!

He had Sue make a spiral invisible force field around the stone pillar so that as the pillar collapsed straight down as crumbling pillars are known to do, the island slowly shifted its weight to the spring-shaped force field, which had the same springiness as an actual spring, which gently lowered the island back to the ocean.

There's a lot about how this gets resolved that's questionable but questionable in a comic book science way so I don't even mind it.

I do mind the weird way this subplot had its time budgeted. Reed and Sue responded to Jarvis' distress signal and arrived without any equipment besides Reed and Sue's mighty brains.

Reed comes up with a plan to lower the island back to the water and has Sue do it. And then the issue ended and we get this curt wrap-up next month.

I don't know how much Byrne wanted this issue to deal with lingering plot threads from the previous arc but it feels like the subplot should have ended on more of a cliffhanger last issue instead of the problem being basically solved, we just haven't seen it resolve yet.

Maybe I'm nitpicking but it reads weird.

Anyway, the West Coast Avengers have landed on Avengers Island after Wonder Man helped hold up the island and nobody else did anything to contribute.

They stand around talking about how great the Fantastic Four are.

And there's also something odd here. A united West Coast Avengers team isn't something we've had since Byrne took over the book. US Agent isn't with them. Tigra is with them but doesn't seem like she's feral or horny (although she doesn't say anything). Maybe Wanda is distraught about her husband losing his emotions but she also doesn't have anything to say.

Do you know how with crossovers sometimes, a character or team will be written vaguely out of character because the writer isn't familiar with them or doesn't know what's happening in their book around this time?

This appearance of the West Coast Avengers has that feel but Byrne is writing both Avengers books!

Why do they feel like the vaguely wrong crossover version of the team?

Anyway, after they finish saying how great the Fantastic Four is, they all talk about how great Jarvis is. And Jarvis IS great!

Wonder Man mentions that Jarvis puts up with a lot for the Avengers, including losing his eye.

Eyepatch Jarvis, as he is back to wearing his eyepatch, explains that his eye is almost healed and he won't need "this rather diabolical looking patch" soon.

The book keeps going back and forth on it.

When he first got out of the hospital, it was mentioned he'd suffered vision loss after his beating at the hands of Mr. Hyde. Then the Jarvis-focused Inferno tie-in issue had his mom yell at him to take it off because he doesn't need it and it doesn't even make him look all that cool. And then Byrne has him put the patch on only to make a point that he won't need it soon.

Weird.

The West Coast Avengers take off without even waiting for the Avengers or going to help them (since last anybody knows, the Avengers got kidnapped by Lava Men).

Kinda weird but Byrne clearly does not want to actually write the West Coast Avengers in this book.

The Avengers spot the Fantasticar as they fly towards Avengers Island, noting that their reserve members came to help.

And I note that the Fantastic Four also left without finding out what happened to the kidnapped Avengers.

Look, I get it. They heard that Jarvis was in danger and came running. I would too! But they're less invested in the Avengers East Coast.

When the golden craft lands, Jarvis immediately and correctly guesses that this is the Avengers.

Ew. I don't love how a door sphincters open in the golden aircraft. The golden Lava Men already turned into a vehicle. They can't transform a door too?

Anyway, the Avengers tell Jarvis they'll Explain It All later. Now, they need to hustle Gilgamesh to the medical facilities.

Usually this is when Everyday Normal Doctor Donald Blake Just Passing By would show up to handle the Avengers' medical needs. But Odin took Donald Blake away from Thor so now Thor just casually mentions he's well trained in the healing arts.

But even though Thor is exactly as good at medicine as Donald Blake, for example, he can't do anything for Gilgamesh.

The man isn't dead and he's not alive, he's some secret third thing (called being an Eternal).

So Captain America has the idea that they should go ask an Eternal what the fuck is going on with Gilgamesh.

Most of the Eternals fucked off with a Deviant cube into space but luckily some didn't.

I'd say the cool ones didn't. The cool ones and Gilgamesh.

Meanwhile, Olympia. Hidden in a pocket dimension in Greece.

There's an old man shepherd who pauses in his shepherding for a minute to wax poetic about walking among the ruins of his ancient ancestors, where the gods themselves once walked.

I'm guessing this guy never bought into the Christianity thing. Good for him.

Less good for him, his sheep vanish into thin air.

And when the shepherd goes to investigate, he's pulled through thin air by a person wearing green and yellow but who isn't Loki.

It's Sprite! The eternal prankster kid of the Eternals.

Messing with this guy because fuck this guy.

When the guy confuses Olympia for Olympus (because, yeah) Sprite gets agitated that everyone confuses the Eternals for the mythological figures they inspired/were inspired by. Like, c'mon Sprite. You owe your entire existence to Jack Kirby's fascination with Chariot of the Gods. You don't get to be offended that someone mistakes Eternal stuff for something else. That's your whole conceit.

Ikaris soon shows up and tells Sprite to stop bugging the mortal for fucks sake.

Ikaris: "You have been cautioned about your notion of 'fun' in the past, young one! I remind you, these humans are by nature frail and easily distressed. You might have caused this man to have a heart attack with your foolishness!"

The man is very distressed.

Ikaris apologizes for Sprite, Makkari gathers up the straying sheep, and Ikaris escorts the shepherd back to the familiar hills, declining to explain how Eternal stuff works because the explanation would mean nothing to him.

He asks the man not tell anyone what he has seen. Which is pretty nice. Later Eternals would just wipe his memory without asking.

The shepherd is like who would I tell? People would think I was drunk or dreamed the whole thing up.

Of course, just when the guy is wondering whether he did just dream the whole experience, Sprite pops out of thin air to do the man a startle one more time.

Geez, Sprite.

Maybe Gilgamesh isn't the only uncool Eternal left on Earth. You're kind of an asshole.

Ikaris and Makkari scold him that Sprite's sense of humor will cost them some day, foreshadowing foreshadowing.

They let Sprite wander off so they can discuss how Olympia is weird these days, emptier than even most of the Eternals fucking off to space can account for.

Ikaris: "More than silence. There is a flavor of death on the once sweet breezes. I have tasted it often enough to know it."

Ikaris guesses that when the majority of the Eternals fucked off, it was like they took the majority of the city's soul with them.

Which, considering later revelations that the Eternals and their cities are all parts of one great machine what is Earth, might actually be right on the money.

But the sheep wandering inside was not Sprite's doing. The barriers that protect Olympia have weakened enough that it just happened randomly. Sprite just capitalized on the incident to mock a shepherd.

Ikaris and Makkari go to talk to Thena and Phastos. Where Phastos has just finished telling Thena that even if her bones are telling her something is wrong, he can't find any flaws with the machines that run Olympia.

Wow, this is a lot of information about Eternal Stuff if we're just dropping off Gilgamesh for medical treatment. I suspect this is our new arc.

Ikaris tells Thena that he hasn't found any force directed at Olympia from the outside. He thinks the call is coming from inside the house, so to speak.

Ikaris: "This city is as one with we Eternals. But we are greatly reduced since the departure of the Unimind."

He's really banging on about that.

I wonder if I'm witnessing snapback in action. Sending most of the Eternals into space was a tidy way to tidy them up since they weren't used for a lot. But now it turns out it was a big mistake so are the Eternals that went to space going to come back so we can get back to status quo?

Maybe.

Thena tells Phastos to bolster the city's defenses. Then they can look into Ikaris' theory.

But Sprite has been eavesdropping on the meeting. He decides Phastos is too unimaginative to bolster the defenses. And that he, Sprite, should do it instead. So that it's done with flair by a guy acting from a place of ignorance.

Look at this idiot. He has no idea what he's doing.

The Avengers don't actually go to Olympia. They go to visit Sersi first. She's closer and more interesting than 90% of the other Eternals. Also, Captain America knows her from his own book, sidestepping the question of whether Wasp or Starfox told him about the party they crashed.

Thor brings out Gilgamesh for Sersi to see and she reacts in shock horror that he looks as if dead.

She has them bring Gilgamesh into her tastefully decorated apartment

So tasteful.

Sersi asks what happened and Thor says Gilgamesh bravely fell in battle. Which Sersi calls bullshit on because Eternals don't fall. That'd be a misnomer.

Thor himself has a spell of wooziness which he dismisses as a passing weakness.

I wonder if the Lava Man Avatar of Cha'sa'dra had bonus damage against immortals.

Sersi examines Gilgamesh and finds basically the same thing that the Avengers already have. Gilgamesh has no pulse and no brain activity. He's basically dead but not. She's never seen an Eternal like this.

So she suggests that they take Gilgamesh to Olympia.

Except. Well.

I guess Sprite managed to blow up the city. With flair. And probably panache.

Also, Namor mentions missing Hercules, prompted by the Avengers flying over Greece.

I wonder if we're also seeing snapback on Hercules' fate in action. If so, good. The Evolutionary War ending was damn stupid.

Anyway. We seem to be piling on the subplots because that old man from a previous issue also managed to blow up his house.

He doesn't seem too put off that he blew up a small piece of New Jersey. Just excited that he's getting close to whatever scientific breakthrough he's working on.

I have no idea where this subplot is going.

But its probably going somewhere.

Follow @essential-avengers, which comes in regular and sour cream and onion flavors. Like, reblog, comment, ask what that last sentence meant. I'm open to various forms of engagement.

[softquietsteadylove]

got the idea of sprite and kingo sneaking into gils room at night because of a recipe or something and they don't know thena is sleeping there too watching them and in the end thena scares the shit out of them

"Shut up!"

"I wasn't saying anything!" Kingo whispered back to his very cranky sister as they continued down the hall.

"You're doing this," she hissed at him, waving her arms around. "Cut it out."

"Hey, I'm just being ready for a fight," he argued in his own defense. "You never know who might be wandering around."

"Relax dude," Sprite rolled her eyes, although she wasn't moving much faster than Kingo at this point. "Ikaris is on watch, and I haven't seen Thena since dinner."

"Right," Kingo sighed, shuffling along with their grey robes swaying gently around them. "It was probably a long day for her. With any luck she'll actually be asleep."

Sprite grinned, "and Gil made her favourite. You know how his food knocks her right out."

It was true, dinner had been hearty and filling, even Thena having more than one serving. Although maybe that had more to do with Gil eagerly refilling her bowl before she could even ask.

Kingo exhaled as they finally arrived at the door they were after. It was identical to all the others, but this one surely had the recipe they were after. "Ready?"

Sprite merely rolled her eyes at him, engaging the door and holding her breath as it slid open silently. They walked through and she idly left an illusion of it in the empty doorway (just in case they needed a quick escape).

"Hm," Kingo noted gently as they walked into Gil's room. It was identical to all their personal quarters: small and underwhelming. He turned to Sprite, "if there were less of us do you think we'd get bigger rooms?"

"No, there'd just be more room for ship stuff," she whispered back as they took in the books Gil had accumulated. They mostly seemed to be journals, probably about food--maybe some booze recipes.

Everyone had their own personal affects, even as eternal beings who had no need for physical keepsakes of life. Sersi was actually the most notorious for it, with her little human trinkets. Druig had the occasional thing that Makkari would give him from her own covetous stash of stolen goods.

Kingo and Sprite jumped slightly as Gil grunted and adjusted in the bed. They both looked, checking to see if he was still asleep, and froze.

Thena was sleeping with him, her forehead pressed to his chest, her arms pinned close. One of her hands was slipping into the collar of his robes to touch the side of his neck!

Kingo eyed Sprite, lowering his voice to an even quieter whisper, "what do we do?"

Sprite pressed her finger to her lips with a glare.

Kingo made a face. What do we do?!

I don't know! Sprite signed back, also frozen on the spot in the face of the great predator. If they woke her, it would be trouble enough, and that was outside of what she would do if she knew they were trying to pilfer something from poor Gil.

Kingo pointed to the book in Sprite's hand, leave it. Time to bail.

Sprite shook her head, beginning the process of tiptoeing out of the room. They had gotten what they came for, there was no abandoning it now.

Kingo followed suit, never taking his eyes off the bed with the Strongest and Warrior Eternal in it. It was kind of gross, but also kind of cute, seeing them all cuddled up. They got pretty small beds for their quarters, so it made sense that they were practically on top of one another.

Sprite turned within the threshold of her illusion and waved her hand for him to hurry up.

"Leave it."

Both Eternals flinched. Kingo straightened, hiding his hands behind his back.

"Save it," Thena murmured from the cocoon of Gilgamesh's arms. There were no signs that she was awake other than her clear and sharp speech. "I was awake as soon as the door opened."

They should have known. Sprite and Kingo traded a defeated look between them. Their mission was always doomed. "We didn't-"

"Out."

"Right, right," Kingo sighed, tiptoeing a little more quickly the rest of the way out. "Sorry, T."

"Put the recipe back."

Sprite rolled her eyes at her bossy sister but slumped back into the room to do just that. "Snitch."

"If you so desire it, ask him," Thena argued, still frighteningly still whether asleep or awake. She added, "nicely."

Sprite flipped her middle finger at Thena, but her eyes were still closed. If anything, Gil tightened his arms around her, pulling the blonde closer and nestling his head in a better position against hers. Sprite made a silent face of gagging.

Kingo rolled his eyes, "come on, Sprite. We've been caught fair and square."

Sprite huffed but joined him in the hall again. Of course he would take Thena's side. And she did have to admit, she had never seen Thena actually...relaxed, like this. Sprite dispelled her illusion, preparing to close the door again.

"Who was that?"

"No one," Thena whispered back to Gil, whose voice was bleary and faint. She paused, and the distinct sound of lips on lips was heard, "go back to sleep."

Sprite's eyes went wide. She made half a step to go back inside and see for herself what was happening, but Kingo caught the neck of her robes and dragged her away kicking and whispering. "Dude! That's-"

"Really going to get us killed?--I agree," he hissed at her, dragging her off and away from their sister and her lover.

[hassiegfrieddoneanythingwrong]

Sure. I was more angry that the writers are conflict-avoidant when it comes to Kriemhild and passed over not one, but two large, potential character arcs that Siegfried could play a minor part in rather than the only, major part. Only one I easily understood because Byrnhildr is from Sigurd's legend, so she's not the Queen of Iceland and it would be silly to linger on Kriemhild's conflict with her.

Mind you, I'd still like to see an interlude on it, much as I'd like to go over Gudrun and Sigurd, but let's not kid ourselves here. The FGO writers nowadays don't seem like they ever want to bring it up given Sigurd's line on it.

Remember when I said I wanted a Enkidu-like interlude for Kriemhild? In that interlude, Enkidu spared nothing for Ishtar and went straight into catty dialogue with her. There was no delicately dancing around their hostile relationship nor any retcons regarding what was already said before in FGO regarding Ishtar and Enkidu.

Kriemhild, on the other hand, gets two lame excuses that cut off parts of the Nibelungelied she could possibly grow from: Brynhild's conflict with her and the long time she spent with Attila and the Huns.

I wasn't talking about the event entirely as it was a breath of fresh air from the last two events where she spent time with Siegfried. That's expected. No. I was talking about the small part between her and Altera where she said that she couldn't remember her time with Altera and the Huns - which contradicts Byrnhildr saying she smells Siegfried's scent on Altera. Which hints at Altera having spent time with Kriemhild. That little aside soured the rest of the event as it not only confirmed the writers don't want to dedicate time to fleshing out Kriemhild beyond her Fate-only conflict with Siegfried (thanks Higa), but that they're content in using any out to avoid going over Altera's time as Etzel/Attila. Want to know what I wanted when saving a pity for Kriemhild? Character expansions for both Siegfried and Altera on top of Kriemhild herself. Guess I wished on a monkey's paw. I'm now sure her kids with Altera are also retconned out of existence. Not too sure about Gunther II, though.

Oh yeah, want to know the best part? In the same cop-out dialogue, the writer of this event said there's another version of Kriemhild that remembers her time with Altera instead of casting away the memories as not important (even though Kriemhild's tactics in Traum say otherwise). I remember another servant version promised by the writers that never came out: rider Caesar. Yeah, it's been years and he still hasn't shown up. Sorry Cleo. Odds are, that version of Kriemhild won't show up either. And it's been nearly a year since the last batch of interludes too.

So yeah, that's what I meant about her being Siegfried's shipping attachment. It seems the writers only want to focus on their romance part of the Nibelungelied and not go over Kriemhild's personal development as a character herself. One issue I do have when it comes to couples in this game, regardless of who's being shipped.

But I suppose this comes with the territory of loving the character from the source material first before getting their Fate version. You start getting disappointed when the writing doesn't meet what you expect.

Anyways, I hope this explains it. And thanks for not immediately assuming I hate Kriemhild herself just because I have issues with how she's written.

OOOOOOOOOOHHHH, yeah that makes more sense now. As much as I would also love to see more focus on both Kriemhild and Siegfried (especially on the former), as well as possibly for Altera, the sad fact is that it will possibly never happen.

Kriemhild forgetting why she politically married Altera is like as if Artoria forgot why she abandoned her humanity to be a good king, or Gilgamesh seeking out the herb of immortality, or why Yu Mei-ren/Akuta Hinako initially wanting to summon her beloved Xiang Yu. It makes no sense on any level for her to forget it. Perhaps this'll be ignored and actual focus on them if Kriemhild gets an interlude, but I sadly don't have high hopes (or even a medium level of hope).

And for Altera, none of the writers seem to be interested in fleshing her out in FGO. All of them seem content enough that everything interesting about her is just locked behind another game. Like, her second interlude is the only one that's actually about anything while her first and third interludes are more vague memories before and after she became the leader of the Huns. There's a small (and I mean small) possibility that there probably could be an Extella collab at some point in the future, with a guest writer who is really damn passionate about the character(s) similar to what happened with Samurai Remnant, but again I wouldn't hope for it.

TLDR the only way to deal with the giant, tangled, unfocused mess that is the situation between Siegfried, Kriemhild, Altera and potentially anyone else is to Cope™️.

Or write fix-it fics, either way.

[teatitty]

I sprinted back 15, 16 and 17 for one of your fate ships :))

FUCK YOU FOR THIS AUUGGHHH okay people are probably expecting me to do DiarCu or FionnDiar but no we're spicing it up with GilDiar this time because I have flavours to them and I rarely talk about em so here we go

15: What, for them, constitutes a level of intimacy that they would only rarely share with someone? This can be physical, emotional, etc.

Talking about their actual feelings to be fucking honest, they're both incredibly private people who rarely let their real feelings show and are far more content giving out vague answers to questions instead of total honesty but when it comes to eachother they're honest in a very brutal sense, there is nothing off the table even if it does lead to hissing, spitting and stabbing afterwards

Physical intimacy is also an easy one they don't show physical affection to just anyone and do not take part in any PDA whatsoever: any and all hugs, cuddles, pats etc is done behind closed doors almost exclusively

16: If they had the ability to just spend free time with their partner, what would they do? Would they go out or stay inside?

Oooohhhh this is a hard one but I really think it depends on the day. Sometimes they'll go out somewhere and bicker while walking, other days they get up to mischief together and then there are times when they just stay indoors cozied up just doing separate things. Gilgamesh won't admit it to anyone but he likes using Diarmuid as a pillow and watching movies or shows with him so they can remark on the plot together

17: Under what circumstances would they want to be left alone by their partner?

Fwoooooo there's a lot actually. Whenever they get into fights or arguments they have to spend a minimum of a few days away from eachother just to calm down from it, and they both have certain "rituals" they just don't want anyone else seeing. Diarmuid cannot deal with anyone around him when he's in mourning or struck by grief and will simply disappear somewhere to deal with it alone and Gilgamesh always has to deal with his anger in private so he doesn't explode on the first person he sees

[akampana]

"You really don't see it, don't you" and "it’s easy to confuse feelings for something they aren’t, especially when eye-contact is involved" for Giltoria, please.

(A/N) hi~! hope you don't mind I combined these requests since they're similar prompts. enjoy some very simpy casgil x arturia from meeee <3

it's all in the eyes____________

Words: 1.8k

Characters: Gilgamesh | Caster , Artoria Pendragon | Saber, (One of her exes, I'll let you decide who it is)

Ship: GilArt

Tags: Pining, Jealousy, Love confessions

The days he believed she would come to her senses and into his arms had long passed. That complacency made its ugly, shameful exit the day she fell into the clutches of another. He should have learned of Love's heavy hand when Enkidu died in his arms, but living amongst the less worthy stroked his ego. He told himself there was no one else who could capture her attention, for who could possibly compare? There was no one else whom Love could match with her. 

He was wrong. 

For a hellish eternity, Love punished him for his hubris, humbling the king with the devastation of heartbreak every time Gilgamesh opened his eyes. He burned when that monster held her gaze. He burned when the mongrel’s fingers interlocked with hers. He burned when she kissed lips that were not his own. 

For several months he languished in the excruciating fires of envy, refusing to acknowledge that only intense longing could cause this much hurt. But time clearly dictated he could deny his feelings no longer. He loved Arturia Pendragon, and it was that same love that incinerated his soul with every reminder that she wasn’t his. 

While the world saw nothing more than the gritting of his teeth, inside, the wise King Gilgamesh had been reduced to a desolate pile of ash. Bleak. Lifeless. A far cry from what he had been before he was summoned to the clinical halls of humanity’s last bastion. If it weren’t for the mission, he’d have let the wind take him away and have this incarnation’s failures dissipate. He would leave no evidence of his mistakes. No one would know that it was not a Beast, calamity, or any threat to the universe that felled the world’s first hero, but love for one damned woman. 

Then, for reasons he could not fathom, the man she so treasured let her go. 

Gilgamesh knew it was mere luck that presented him another opportunity; luck that the damn monster she fell for could not find it in himself to realize how deep her feelings ran. Though it killed him to know how close he’d come to total loss, he swallowed his pride and snatched his chance back. The wise ruler of Uruk who brought the early civilization to prosperity, defeated innumerable great beasts, and amassed a measureless treasury, reluctantly found himself humbled. He could not take this chance for granted. Never again. 

From then, Gilgamesh stoked his dwindled hope, banishing his jealousy at his not being her first, second, or even third choice. Such things mattered little now. Gilgamesh would be her final love, for he was more than sufficient, and she would not want for anyone or anything more. 

So, he tried. He learned to request her time, not demand it. With his actions, he dismissed her prejudices. With his words, he grew her fondness for him. The king that never needed to court found himself willingly dipping his toes into blandishments so she would look his way.  In life, he’d dismissed courtship as an activity of his subjects such that one could prove themself a worthy partner to the object of their fancy. As king, he thought such practices beneath him, for there was no one he ought to prove himself to. However, he found it no longer mattered how mundane, how ordinary it felt to woo her. Courting her was but a challenge to overcome. Her attention was a worthy prize.

But even after all his effort, he never saw the reflection of his feelings in her deep, sea-green eyes, no matter how long he plunged himself into them. Part of him craved the days the meeting of their eyes was fleeting, for now that she granted him lasting stares, the absence of passion for him was startlingly clear. 

Rage tempted him, simmering at the darkest recesses of her mind. How could she not see his feelings? How could she not return them? Where did he err in his being such that he was denied her love? Hadn’t he proven himself a wise counsel? A pleasant companion? A loyal comrade? How could she decide his qualities did not suit her, when time and time again, they proved compatible? 

Though his eyes grew fiery, he never answered anger’s call. He knew Arturia was not to blame. No, she was merely the most convenient outlet for the erroneous and misguided belief that her love was something he was owed. The real fault lay with his past self, who unfortunately subscribed to that incorrect ideology, and in doing so, blinded Arturia from ever realizing the genuine affection buried underneath.

Still, he tried, even if he knew he was operating at a disadvantage courtesy of his Archer form. One day, she’d look at him without reservation. One day, she’d see the person he became, not the person he was. One day. 

Then…that mongrel realized its mistake, crawling back to her, begging at her feet for another chance. Though Arturia hadn’t articulated her answer, Gilgamesh had studied her emerald eyes long enough to discern her feelings. Then, their eyes met, that damn evergreen gaze piercing him like she’d run her sword through his chest. His heart bleed with envy, knowing well the poignant feelings within those orbs were not his. 

In an instant, the patience he gained over the long years of his life vanished. The long game was no longer an option. As he crossed the hallway, he steeled his will, pride be damned. He could not allow her to be with another, not again. 

“Arturia.” The syllables were slow and fond as they left his lips, spoken in the breath of a lover. Though his knees hadn’t hit the floor, he felt humbled as she allowed him to take her hand. (She never let Archer do so.) 

Did she know–he asked himself, as her captivating stare clashed against his–how much power she had over him? Could she ever fathom the capacity one needed to have a king–to have Gilgamesh– hanging onto her every word; holding onto the mere hope that she might love him back? Had she realized that he would give her the world on a platter if she only asked?

“Is something the matter?” So innocently, she questioned, ignorant of his rapidly beating heart and shallower breaths. Surely, he thought, she could see the heat in his cheeks; the intensifying desire burning within his eyes. Oh, how he longed to close the distance between their lips. Oh, how he yearned to taste the stubborn spitfire that played his heartstrings like a harp. But he stopped himself, staving his want by moving his fingers from her palm to her face. 

She hurt him more than any foe ever had, and she hadn’t even lifted a finger. She stood there completely unfazed, immune to the ache that tormented his whole being. Of course, there was something wrong. Of course, there was something amiss. Her eyes–those damning green eyes–still stubbornly sought someone else when he was right here. 

This close, when every breath they took was shared, when he could feel the heat radiating off her skin, how could she not know how he felt? Almost…desperately, he searched her eyes, looking for some proof his efforts hadn’t been in vain. 

“You really don’t see it, do you?” he meekly asked. His tone was soft. Vulnerable. It was so unlike him that if she hadn’t witnessed him speak, Arturia wouldn’t believe the words were his. His arms grew slack. As he drew backward, the woman couldn’t help but think something inside him had died: extinguished, like a candle in the rain. Arturia didn’t want that. 

Hesitantly, her hand closed around his before his palm could leave her cheek. With a shaky exhale, she relaxed her stiff shoulders, breaking their gaze before emotion spilled out in tears. Her eyes traveled down his silhouette. Distinctive loose garbs, a slightly less bulky frame, and a less haughty posture proved that the one who held her so closely was Caster. Caster, who had never hurt her by intention, nor berated her with words. Caster, who was patient with her despite the preconceptions she held of him due to the actions of his younger self. Caster, who hadn’t met her prior, yet looked at her like they’d known each other for ages. Like they were meant to meet. Like they were destined. Even…even back when she chose someone else. 

Warmth swelled in her chest. Air was scarce already in the few inches between them, but even though she felt breathless, she stilled her mind. It was never wise to let oneself be caught up in the throes of emotion.  It was easy to confuse feelings for something they weren’t, especially when eye contact was involved, she told herself, mustering the courage to meet Gilgamesh’s scarlet orbs. Something told her that she hadn’t erred in her observations. And she…she found she didn’t want to be wrong. 

Her chest began to ache. It was never meant to stifle the frantic beat of her heart. It was a miracle it didn’t explode from the force once their eyes locked once more. The king’s gaze was as sharp as an eagle’s and far more piercing. As her knees turned to jelly, her mind warred with itself, unable to decide whether she’d rather drown in that gaze or let it melt her. Either way, she knew she’d lost. Caster had somehow burrowed his place into her heart. She didn’t know when, or even how, after everything that happened in the Holy Grail Wars with his other self, but he did. There was no denying what she felt for Gilgamesh. Not anymore. 

“Do not be so cryptic, I implore you, I do not wish for my feelings to be toyed with,” the words left her mouth in an imperative whisper. No, a challenge. Her eyes seemed to glow in the fluorescent light, bright even in the artificial white. Within them, he could see her ramparts falling, collapsing on top of each other till only emotion remained. The wise king’s eyes widened.

“If you want to tell me something, Gil–”

He placed his lips on hers. Bold. Unafraid. Unapologetic. As he pressed her flush against him, his confidence grew. He felt her tangle her hands in his hair–god he dreamt of that for so long. The two kings stumbled, tripping over each other’s feet clumsily till they finally found the wall. Still, Gilgamesh pressed onward, deepening the kiss even as a smile crept up his lips. He’d seen it at last, hidden in her eyes until the very last moment: Arturia knew he loved her, but more importantly, she loved him back. 

___

heya! hope you enjoyed this one. it's been a while since this ask was sent, but i hope yall still like it anyway :>

stay safe, my dudes.

-akampana

[has-gilgamesh-doneanythingwrong]

Kotomine kirei for the ask meme

Hi anon, thank you for the ask! Whoa this is cool. I've never gotten a Kirei request before. This will make for a good challenge as I don't know quite so much about this guy.

Edit: This was so difficult. I am so satisfied with canon Kirei that I haven't got many headcanons for him at all...

Sexuality Headcanon: I have no clue to be honest, though he did attempt a happy(?) marriage with his now deceased wife Claudia Hortensia, had his interesting obsession with Kiritsugu- and whatever spicy shenanigans he had going on with Gilgamesh during the fourth to fifth grail wars.... I cannot determine a clear sexuality headcanon for Kotomine Kirei.

I admit, I did assume he was more on the asexual spectrum when I first saw him in Fate/Zero, but after seeing some more fate stuff I legit have no clue anymore. I feel like there is so many complex nuances to what draws Kirei to certain types that I am not quite sure what his sexuality could be headcanoned as.

Gender Headcanon: I don't have any gender headcanons for Kirei, I feel like Kirei is very much who he is; especially by the dawn of Fate Stay Night in which he seems very comfortable as to how he identifies himself.

A ship: oooh Kotogil that ship is evil men supreme, absolutely hedonistic and sadistic ship where all desires converge and meld together into a thrilling rhapsody of pleasure! ABSOLUTELY LOVE THAT DYNAMIC! Also I ship him with Kiritsugu mainly because I loved their final battle in Fate/Zero, as well as their contrasting ideals. That fight was incredible, one of my favorites of all time. Posts that call Kiritsugu Kirei's 'manic pixie dream bf' make me chuckle so hard because Kirei really was searching for something in that guy, and I feel like in a ship, that would be incredible to explore in further detail.

I don't have many Kirei ships, but I'm open to others as well! Like him and Kariya can be interesting to see just for the multilayered chaos that can be unleashed from such a pairing.

A NOTP: I have a few but mainly because I don't really like the massive age differences that are a feature of some Kirei ships. I think Kirei is a twisted guy. Ah, I also am not a fan of Bazett x Kirei solely because of how exactly their dynamic ended; it was shocking and heartbreaking what happened between them! (I see no issue with people liking Kirei x Bazett though, it's just not for me personally).

A BROTP: I feel like there are many possible exciting BROTP for Kirei, especially with FGO Rasputin now joining the team. Yeah I don't have any specific names in mind, I'm pretty neutral on this front. Would Angra and Kirei become friends? I am very curious about that.

A random headcanon: I don't really have any for Kirei, I am not sure why but I am so content with how he is in canon that I haven't got more to suggest for him. I guess he would love events like the 'geki kara (super spicy) food festival' mainly just to horrify others and cause a massive sense of unease as they watch him suffer over all of the sulfur level hot dishes and then derive pleasure from it.

General Opinion over said character: Kotomine Kirei is INCREDIBLE. What an amazing character. He is evil in nature yet tried so hard to exemplify 'good' and be something that he was not; even being able to understand the ins and outs of the concept of good; as a man with incredible moral understanding yet who packs a nature that juxtaposes so severely with his moral wisdom that he just leaves me SPEECHLESS. And then once Kirei adopts his true self, he truly flourishes (at the cost of everyone else's sense of safety and security). And then they make his magic of a HEALING TYPE and he recites PRAYERS whilst doing fucked up things I mean to me that's one of the coolest character archetypes EVER!!! Kirei is so terrible that he goes right back round to being a top-tier, brilliant character who never ceases to surprise, shock and amaze me.

HE IS ONE OF MY ALL TIME FAV ANTAGONISTS!!! His character arcs, development and personality are just so well written. I feel like Nasu and Takeuchi really popped off when they made this guy.

[number1mongrel]

hello i would like to send you gilgamesh (im sorry i always do) and ASA chainsaw man please

no no dont apologize tysm!

Gil:

favorite thing about them: HES SO CUTE!!! THE CUTEST!!! I love that he's arrogant and acts like he's better than everyone but only because he is better and more important than everyone (in a way). he actually has the strength to back up his boasts, even if he's also an idiot and loses most of the time bc he's stupid and has too much hubris. he has so much gap moe too!!! and he's a tsun to the people he cares about!!!!! so much to love!!!

least favorite thing about them: i have a hard time dealing with Fate route Gil in particular. i really can't defend him at all and a lot of it still makes me uncomfortable (no offense to those who like Fate route Gil this is just me)

favorite line: GOD too many to pick but i guess i'll go with the classic: "Your birthday is it? Fool, you should grant me at least a week's notice!"

brOTP: I do ship ozygil, but I also love them just as buddies with similar tastes that love to hang out and fuck together

OTP: hnggggg also so hard to pick. Kotogil still has a very special place in my heart and i love it so much, but in terms of what i think is best for gil in the long run than gilkidu or gilhaku.

nOTP: I'm not really a fan of regular gil//saber... BUT i do like it in very specific circumstances, namely if they're part of a larger ot3+ or if it's gil/salter or something (again no offense to people who like it! i see the appeal!)

random headcanon: i think i've mentioned this before but he keeps a bunch of sweets and desserts stashed in his treasury and around the church bc he can't handle kirei's spicy cooking

unpopular opinion: if i have to see one more person say "casgil is the only one who cares about other people" i'm going to lose it

song i associate with them: i don't listen to much non-anime music but i did once see an MEP with gil set to slither by bohnes that i liked, so i associate that song with him now especially for kotogil purposes

favorite picture of them: AGAIN TOO HARD TO PICK AHHHH. i guess i'll just share this again for now (i need to add to it too!)

Asa:

favorite thing about them: i love how socially awkward she is. i like her making plans and then immediately failing every time. i feel bad for her but sometimes it's also endearing. i wasn't immediately super attached to her like i was with the original trio but i've grown to like her a lot more!

least favorite thing about them: not really sure... haven't quite seen enough of her yet. nothing's really bothered me

favorite line: this whole bit

brOTP: I like her two-man comedy bits with Yoru

OTP: her and Denji!! Though i do also like them platonically. I hope they can be happy but i dont trust fujimoto...

nOTP: not really sure i have one

random headcanon: she's got that autistic swag

unpopular opinion: again i'm not sure if i have one... i pretty much agree with most takes i've seen on her so far

song i associate with them: dont have one again (sorry)

favorite picture of them

[grumfield]

If you don't mind me asking, who are your favorite romantic relationship's couples in books/ manga/ anime/movies/tv series (can be canon or non-canon)? Sorry if you've answered this question before......Thanks....

Hi!! I don't mind at all, thank you so much for this ask!! I'm always happy to talk about my favorite ships :) These are in no particular order...and there's a lot lol so sorry in advance!

Mo Ran and Chu Wanning from 2ha ( Canon): dumb little mass murderer horndog is his pathetic depressed teacher who couldn't regulate his emotions if his life depended on it. They make me want to bite something and tear it to shreds.

Gideon and Harrowhark from the Locked Tomb series (Not canon...yet): Gideon is like if Utena was a big beefcake butch lesbian and Harrowhark is like what if Anthy was anemic and utterly swagless

Damen and Laurent from Captive Prince: (Canon) I read their story at an impressionable age and they changed my brain chemistry. They're the best enemies to lovers couple and I will die on that hill.

Enkidu and Gilgamesh from The Epic of Gilgamesh: (either or bro it's your interpretation) ancient story about a goat man who's sole existence is to kill a king and he becomes friends with him instead...what's not to like bro???

You Miao and Li Zhifeng from LSWW (Canon): Ouuughhh...i love them so much...spoiled little tea merchant's son and the mysterious Quanrong dude he hangs with...shit gets so crazy and political I love it and I love them

Hannibal and Will from Hannibal: (Canon) omg what if i was a suit-wearing pun-loving freak and i was psychosexually obsessed with a sweaty little fisherman who knows allllllll the ways I'm fucked up ahhah then what

Villanelle and Eve from Killing Eve: (Canon...?) bro don't even get me started

Shefali and O Shizuka from The Tiger's Daughter: (Canon) fantasy mongolian warrior woman and her soulmate a fantasy japanese woman. They fight demons together and it's GREAT.

Asako Minami and Kuroiwa Hiroto from Stigmata (Canon): Detective Guy whose body recreates the injuries of people who were recently killed in the area he's in and his detective partner

Jaime and Brienne from Game of Thrones: I fuck with the manlet/giant woman who tops combo

An Zhe and Li Feng from Little Mushroom: (Canon) they remind me a lot of the characters from No.6 which was really formative for me in middle school...except i find them more endearing bc they're both kind of like unexpressive dudes!! love their dynamic

Mizusawa and Takatsu from Young Bad Education/Young Good Boyfriend: (Canon): OUGH!!! pathetic pathetic teacher and his fucked up weirdass student...I love them...their relationship is so incredibly cute wah

Hector and Achilles from...the Illiad...: (Not Canon) yeah yeah yeah flame me all you want I think they're superior to Patroclus/Achilles yes i read fic about them (they're the only couple I read fic of)

I haven't read the series since I was 12 but I think Tessa, Will, and Jem from Infernal Devices should have gotten together period

Whatever the fuck Phoenix Wright and Edgeworth have going on

Those chicks from the Handmaiden

Anyways there we go LMAO

[hydrachea]

Ask game: I have no idea who Gil is, but that one:D

Alternatively, Tome Kurata MP100

Then I'll be the one to inform you that Gil refers to Gilgamesh from the Fate series, because his name is a mouthful (fingerful?)... And that I'll be going with him because as my icon can attest, I am strikingly normal about him.

Anonymous asked: What about Gilgamesh for the character ask?

Character ask

favorite thing about them: How complex he is. He's a massive asshole, and that's generally what people will stop at, but there's so much more underneath that. There's a deep, intense love for humanity, four thousand years old. There's undying loyalty that rivals the most devoted servants, if you can manage to earn his respect. There's a striking ugliness, justified but too extreme self-confidence that earns his defeat more often than not, and an immense sense of entitlement to both things and people. And yet all of that coexists into a coherent character.

least favorite thing about them: How complex he is. Yup, it's the same thing! But it leads to a lot of misunderstandings and misconceptions about his character, because that kind of is what happens when you're been appearing in various installment of your series for 18 years now. The takes I have to lay my eyes on, this is not what evolution has been working for millions of years to see.

favorite line: There's a lot, especially in CCC, but I have a particular fondness for his bond 4 line in FGO, which comes off as oddly encouraging and which I didn't expect the first time I came across it. I like it a lot.

"What? I'm not as strong as I say? Careless, even? Nonsense. What is a king without an ego! Now then, stand proud!"

brOTP: Ozymandias. My god, Ozymandias. Canon even supports it, I've read Ozy's FGO interludes, they're bros. Incredibly annoying, incredibly loud bros.

OTP: I've spread the Gil/Rin gospel in the ask... Well, about Rin, so shoutout to both Gil/Kirei (awful people doing awful things, and also doing each other) and Gil/Artoria (mostly [LOUD CENSOR BLEEP] but she should also peg him).

nOTP: It's not a nOTP in the "I don't like it" sense, but it's a nOTP in the "wait, why though" sense. I don't get why so many people ship him with Arthur, when I don't believe they've ever interacted and when Arthur has his own Gilgamesh in his universe. I don't think most of the fics in their tag are about Prototype Gilgamesh, so I'm greatly confused.

random headcanon: It's very, very hard to get him drunk. He's two-thirds god, after all.

unpopular opinion: It really wasn't "protagonist armor" or anything of the sort that made Shirou defeat him. Gil was always going to get his ass kicked.

song i associate with them: Also no real explanation to give aside from the scenarios I daydream about on my commute with various songs playing but the first that comes to mind is this one.

favorite picture of them: I swear I'm being entirely serious, but it's this one. I can't explain why in a way that's brief but just know, genuinely, this is my favorite picture of him.

[akilice]

What are your thoughts on Hakuno’s main servants in Extra, CCC, Extella, Link? (Nero, Tamamo, Nameless, Gilgamesh, Altera, and Charlemange)

I can only answer for Nero and Tamamo since they're the ones i've experienced in extra so far

and for Nero, she's pretty good, Nero has a really good dynamic with Hakuno, and their relationship causes some mutual growth on both sides. Nero constantly encourages Hakuno to be better and get gud /jk She is someone who inspires Hakuno to keep fighting and I'm glad I picked her as my first servant

(Tamamo likers please don't read the next part its gonna be me complaining)

The same can't be said for Tamamo though. I can't feel any mutual growth and i'm at the sixth week. Tamamo never encourages Hakuno to better herself but instead insists she's fine the way she is, which in other context would be a sweet thing to say, but here realistically, it's not something Hakuno needs to hear. The whole dynamic is Hakuno freaking out about her condition while Tamamo is trying to make a move on her, it's honestly frustrating to me and annoying

I haven't played Nameless yet and I will absolutely not form an opinion based on the fanbase because hakuno x nameless shippers piss me off (i have nothing against the ship its just the way the fans massacre his character a lot) BUT I will say I read 'nameless' as Nemesis the first time and I keep thinking of him in Resident Evil

[whimsicalmeerkat]

Five of my fics I love (as opposed to those other bastards)

Originally saw this from @fairytales-and-folklore via @greyhavenisback: "Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love 💖"

These aren't in any sort of order. I don't know if they're even my five favorite fics I've written. This is going in public so none of my hockey RPF fics were even taken into consideration. I'm not about to try to rank things or whatever. They're just five out of the crowd that I love and want to share today.

Can't Start a Fire Without a Spark

Daemon Sadi/Lucivar Yaslana

Black Jewels by Anne Bishop | 1188 words | Explicit

Summary:

Lucivar didn’t always want Daemon when he saw him, but sometimes he did, and after nearly two thousand years, he knew he could usually have what he wanted. Not always. Both of them valued the ability to choose - that freedom they were denied for centuries. There were times when Daemon wanted him when he would say no, for no reason other than that he could. They had never talked about it, but he knew there were times when Daemon did the same. or The one where they fornicate against a tree

Thoughts:

Daemon & Lucivar is one of my favorite ships to write, and I have so many, many feelings about them. I saw someone describe the series in an exchange request as the author creating a kinkverse and making it a story about family, and that's absolutely true. These two went through so very, very much trauma, and in this story I give them a chance to act on the mind-boggling amounts of sexual tension they have going on while still acknowledging what they've gone through. They are half-brothers, so mind the tags.

Tags:

incest, sibling incest, anal sex, outdoor sex, smut, plot what plot/porn without plot, top lucivar yaslana, bottom daemon sadi, trauma bois, acting on impulse, fornicating against a tree, excuse me sir there are feelings in my porn

lie beside me baby, that's an order

Emhyr var Emreis/Geralt of Rivia

The Witcher | 13.693 words | Explicit

Summary:

Geralt was relaxing after dinner when his life went to hell. The sound of a carriage pulling up wasn’t surprising. He had friends who came by occasionally. The sound of two more was unexpected though. He got up to see what was happening at the same moment a rather pale, unusually flustered Barnabas-Basil came out onto the patio, and proclaimed, “His Imperial Majesty has arrived.” His tone was distinctly accusatory. Geralt really couldn’t blame him.

~

Emhyr shows up at Corvo Bianco because of a threat which can only be solved by Geralt, specifically by sleeping in Geralt's bed. What's a poor Witcher to do?

Thoughts:

Grumpy old men all the way on this one. One of the tags is 'Emhyr Has Schemes(TM)' and it is well-earned. There's bed sharing and misunderstandings, but it isn't all light-hearted shenanigans. They talk about things like Blaviken and the wars Emhyr has waged. There's a happy ending, but it takes a fair amount of feeling each other out before they get to feeling each other up. Well, back to. Guess you'll just have to read for that to make sense!

Tags:

canon what canon, boys being dumb, Emhyr has Schemes(TM), sharing a bed, mild potential somnophilia, the lesser evil

make a moan upon the midnight hours

Enkidu/Gilgamesh

Mesopotamian Mythology | 3879 words | Explicit

Summary:

“Teach me,” Enkidu said simply, smiling slightly when Gilgamesh turned his head to look at him. “I would learn you.”

“You mean you would learn from me,” Gilgamesh corrected with a smile.

"That too,” Enkidu said, rising up and turning onto his side.

~

Enkidu can’t fall asleep indoors. Gilgamesh has a solution for that.

Thoughts:

I knew nothing about the Epic of Gilgamesh beyond the name and relative age of the text when I signed up for the Chocolate Box exchange, but my personal place in rarepair hell made me decide I wanted to give my recipient something they probably didn't expect. I ended up having a hell of a good time writing this original enemies to lovers pair. I got good feedback from both the person the gift was for and others who've read the epic. Not into it from that perspective? Maybe you'll be drawn in by the fact that they get together on the palace roof under the stars. Features both humor and tenderness along with the smut.

Tags:

blow jobs, hand jobs, first time, smut, outdoor sex, sex under the stars

every breath you take

Rodney McKay/John Sheppard

Stargate Atlantis | 1356 words | Teen+

Summary:

John couldn’t help but count the beats, trying to time them in his head. If he could focus on that—somehow find a way to mentally track breaths per minute without looking at his watch—maybe, just maybe, for a little bit, maybe for longer than a handful of seconds he could forget the awful sound of Rodney not breathing.

Thoughts:

I set out to write Rodney getting physically hurt and John comforting him. That lasted maybe a sentence. This one is all about the feels with no smut. I'm quite happy with it. Zero stalking in spite of the title, which probably shouldn't be allowed, but I promise it makes sense.

Tags:

hurt/comfort, fluff and nonsense, this fic contains zero incidences of stalking, the botanists were fine

just give me one thing that I can hold onto

Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski

Teen Wolf | 9392 words | Explicit

Summary:

Derek woke up feeling relaxed and content, which was how he knew something was wrong.

~

Derek & Stiles keep waking up naked in the woods. It’s obviously a curse. I mean, what else could it possibly be?

Thoughts:

A plot bunny run rabid, but one I'm pretty damn proud to have tamed. Full of tropes, but with a few of my own ideas on things like mating bites and claiming. At least 60% porn, but with lots of feelings (thanks, Derek), hence the 'excuse me sir there are feelings in my porn' tag. Includes Stiles saying he wants a werewolf divorce.

Tags:

alternate universe - canon divergence, blow jobs, anal sex, knotting, mates, porn with feelings, mild angst, fluff and smut, smut, marking, scenting, banter, top derek hale, bottom stiles stilinski, alpha derek hale, derek hale is a failwolf, derek hale deserves nice things, even though he doesn't think he does, fluff and nonsense, excuse me sir there are feelings in my porn

Well, there you have it. Five of my fics I especially love. I'd love to know what you think of them, either here or in comments. I'd also love to answer any questions you might have. I adore talking about my stuff.

Tagging a random assortment of people, but feel free to grab it and run with it if I missed tagging you. I'd love it if you'd tag me when you do. I'm always on the lookout for new stuff to read. @torrefaction-of-silver, @ooksaidthelibrarian, @krabraccoon, @dreaminghour, @calenlily, @pterawaters, @mswhich, @bad-at-names-and-faces, @alondradina, @dr-fumbles-mcstupid, @elder-flower, @milficwriter, @shadow-wasser

[thebibliomancer]

Essential Avengers: Avengers #302: EARTH ROCKS!

April, 1989

-- It's QUASAR -- and the West Coast Avengers to EARTH'S RESCUE!

Cool!

Who the fuck is Quasar?

(I mean, I know who he is because I've been reading his book on Unlimited. But to ye back in the day Avengers reader, who the fuck is Quasar?)

But I guess this is what happens when the entire East Coast team explodes. We get Quasar and the West Coast Avengers stepping up.

Gilgamesh, I'm glad you're dead. You continue to let the team down with your Prince Valiant haircut in the roster box.

Anyway, let's get into it.

Last times on Avengers: after various nonsense, the Avengers fell apart as a team. Captain America convinced Mr Fantastic and Invisible Woman to join the Avengers, alongside Thor and Gilgamesh. The team had its probably first mission, to go investigate Super-Nova, the last survivor of the Xandarian Novas. The guy is coming to Earth to smash shit up because he's mad at Nebula for destroying Xandar and he somehow heard that Nebula is an Avenger so he's VERY MAD that the Avengers are hiding her instead of turning her over to face justice. Or in other words, Avengers tell giant alien that they don't actually have the fugitive he's looking for and he gets so mad he blows up his entire ship, with the Avengers inside.

Someone get this man some vengeance.

Super-Nova human rockets to Earth determined to smash things up until someone produces Nebula.

Usually aliens coming and going is pretty casual but Super-Nova detonated an enormous spaceship fairly close to Earth, astronomically speaking.

So the big explosion is noticed by a lot of people. Especially Cold War people who are nervous that it could mean escalation when we're all trying to enjoy some Glasnost around here.

In New York, Wendell Vaughn is enjoying his new security consultancy business, located at scenic Four Freedoms Plaza.

His solo series hasn't started yet but a caption helpfully suggests everyone read it whenever it comes out.

Wendell was a SHIELD operative who touched some bracelets he shouldn't have touched but in this case it was a good thing. He became one of SHIELD's super-agents! Then he became the head of security at Project Pegasus! Then he got depressed and decided to fly to Uranus to see if he could find the secrets of the Quantum Bands. Where he met cosmic bigwig Eon who told him his job was to safeguard the universe, mostly by hanging around on Earth and waiting for a cosmic assassin to cosmically assassinate Eon.

So Wendell figured a good way to safeguard the universe by which we mean Earth would be to start a security company. And to keep Eon in a closet in his office.

So he's doing pretty well for himself.

His cosmically cool bracelets alert him that there's weird space shit happening on Earth so Quasar flies off to investigate.

Super-Nova lands in Chicago. Apparently he chose it because it contained the world's tallest building at the time (the Sears' Trade Tower) and he wants to fuck it up to prove he means business.

So he blasts a chunk out of the building with a SKREESH and summons the words SURRENDER NEBULA OR PERISH to float around so people will know what he's about.

Quasar shows up and demands the dude identify himself and not make any more hostile gestures.

Super-Nova: "I am Super-Nova, only survivor of the planet Xandar! Do you know of the woman Nebula?" Quasar: "Nebula? Why, no." Super-Nova: "A pity."

And then he blasts (at) Quasar.

So, before, when he went to Earth to smash shit up it was under the assumption that the Avengers were hiding Nebula from him. A dick move but you can see where he's coming from, kinda. Even if it makes no sense that he knows what he knows and still is so misinformed.

But some dude just came up to him that has no idea what's going on and Super-Nova tried to kill him.

You're a dick, Super-Nova.

With hostilities started, Quasar decides he gotta subdue this guy. He's powerful enough to wreck the entire city if he sets his mind to it.

Since the Quantum Bands are basically a Green Lantern ring, Quasar uses them to form manacles around Super-Nova's wrists.

Which the giant guy finds hilarious.

He starts building pink energy in his hands and as we all know by now, too much pink energy is dangerous.

Quasar attempts to hold the manacles against the build-up but Super-Nova pushes past Quasar's limits and explodes the manacles.

The explosion hurls Quasar away and he thinks how he totally would have died just then if the Quantum Bands didn't have an energy shield around him.

That yellow aura around him, basically. Protects him from dying. Very handy.

The energy blast also broke the rotors on a news copter so Quasar disengages to catch the crashing copter and settle it gently on a roof.

For which he is rewarded with the journalists mistaking him for Thor.

I mean. Blond and a cape. Seems cut and dry.

Meanwhile, Super-Nova is even more pissed off than before. The energy blast also disrupted that surrender Nebula message. So for the minor inconvenience of making Super-Nova have to put up a new message, Super-Nova tries to blast Quasar out of existence.

Quasar manages to strengthen his shield but gets blasted right out of the plot. I just don't see him in the rest of the issue.

Over at the West Coast Avengers Compound, the West Coast Avengers are playing cards because I guess things are just really slow over on the West Coast.

Also, this is set sometime between issues 41 and 42. Probably.

Tigra and Hank Pym have rejoined the team. But Scarlet Witch and Vision aren't around. And neither is the Wasp. But for reasons, this has to happen before the VisionQuest story concludes.

Anyway, West Coast Avengers support staff guy Juan Mercado interrupts the poker game to advise Hawkeye that there's a big dude smashing up Chicago and they should probably do something about it.

Hawkeye goes okay lets see if the East Coast team already called dibs.

The jurisdiction agreement between the West Coast and East Coast Avengers gets kinda weird in the middle of the country. Since Chicago is in the Midwest (although on the East side of the Midwest), Hawkeye contacts Avengers Island to see if they have dibs.

East Coast Avengers Communications Officer Peggy Carter answers the call.

Wow. Cap gave his old girlfriend a job. You hates to see cronyism from Captain America.

Anyway, she confirms that the East Coast Avengers haven't responded to the Chicago thing because they're off doing space stuff.

In that case, Hawkeye calls dibs.

The team looks anemic with half of the members missing.

But they are guest starring in the East Coast Avengers' book and we already have Quasar guest starring as well. So maybe its for the best that Vision, Scarlet Witch, and Wasp are using PTO.

Meanwhile, SPACE.

Where the Avengers didn't actually blow up.

Obviously, Invisible Woman saved them by putting an invisible bubble around them.

That's her thing. Saving people from explosions with last minute bubbles and also putting bubbles in people's brains. She contains multitudes, bubble-wise.

Reed tries explaining to her what she just did but she's like dude I was there, I did it.

Holding the bubble as its flung from the explosion is doing Sue a strain so Thor asks that she make an invisible airlock so he can go outside and redirect their trajectory to Earth.

He gives Sue a thumbs up to let her know hes ready for the airlock to be disappeared. And I adore Thor doing a thumbs up. He has learned well of our Midgardian ways.

Thor first needs to slow the bubble down, since it was hurled by the explosion. So he throws Mjolnir and catches it over and over, shifting his position to steer towards Earth.

Simple physics, probably.

Gilgamesh comments that Thor is smarter than he expected from such a strong guy. Which is a rude compliment.

Anyway.

Over in Chicago, the West Coast Avengers arrive in QUINJET and spot Super-Nova.

Hawkeye recognizes the costume as being similar to some Nova dude who operated a few years back. That's right, the one and only Richard Rider in his original series that last 25 issues.

For some reason, I always think of Richard Rider Nova being a later character. Because I more associate him with New Warriors.

Anyway, that's what Super-Nova reminds Hawkeye of. Non-Super-Nova. (Although, Nova Richard Rider would become like Super-Nova in having all of the Nova Force in his one singular body but instead of becoming a giant, he did not. Got a cooler uniform though.)

The West Coast Avengers assume Super-Nova is up to no good, despite other Nova being a hero, because a police barricade is shooting at him.

Not a safe assumption.

Wonder Man volunteers to take the first crack at Super-Nova and teamwork is dumb so he wants to take the first crack alone.

The Quinjet swoops by to drop off Wonder Man and Super-Nova contemplates grabbing and squishing it right before Wonder Man punches him right in his giant face.

And then gets grabbed.

Wonder Man: "You could have at least *aach* fallen on a few buildings to make it *uugh* look good!"

... Do you WANT collateral damage, Wonder Man??

Super-Nova asks Wonder Man where is Nebula and instead of just saying he doesn't know (which probably wouldn't help anyway) Wonder Man says he doesn't snitch.

So Super-Nova craters him into the pavement.

Former Giant Guys Hank Pym and Hawkeye are agog because when they were giant guys, they couldn't have hit Wonder Man that hard!

They're kinda making it about them.

Wonder what their next move is going to be because none of the three remaining West Coast Avengers have nearly the oomph that Wonder Man does.

Of course, Hank could maybe shrink Super-Nova. I wonder if he'll even try.

Meanwhile, the atmosphere.

The Invisible Woman's Invisible Bubble is re-entering it.

Which presents a new problem.

One: Sue is starting to get faint from overexerting her powers and the fact that the oxygen in the bubble is getting thin. It was finite after all.

Two: re-entry is going to heat up the air around the bubble. Sue can keep the heat from transferring inside, apparently. But the more the bubble heats up, the more pressure will be on the bubble. If Sue falters even for a split second, the heat will burn them all up.

Well, except for Firelord. He's a fire guy.

Also, he just woke up and has offered his fire-based help.

He has Sue make another airlock so he can climb outside with his fire stick and use his cosmic fire powers to redirect heat away from the bubble so that if Sue's concentration drops, they don't all fry.

Well, except Gilgamesh, Thor, and Firelord who could probably all walk it off.

When Invisible Woman's concentration finally slips, Mr Fantastic grabs her and stretches his body into a parachute.

Thor grabs Captain America and the two have a moment, of some kind.

Thor: "I have thee, Captain. The true heart of the Avengers shall suffer no injury while Thor lives to prevent it!" Captain America: "You get my vote, partner."

(Its a nice moment, of some kind. But c'mon with the character shilling, Thor! The true heart?? The true heart of the Avengers is the nebulous concept of heroes banding together to face larger threats on Tony Stark's dime. Cap is important but there have been real, legitimate Avengerses without him.)

Firelord offers to carry Gilgamesh but Gilgamesh goes no thanks, I can fly by myself.

So given that you have two fliers with their hands free, they should probably carry Reed and Sue. It'd probably be faster than the two moving at parachute speed.

No? We're just going to stick with that? Okay.

Anyway, matching pace with Mr Fantastic and Invisible Woman going at parachute speed, the Avengers and guests angle their descent to try to land near the West Coast Avengers Compound.

Speaking of that team, back at the fight, they land the Quinjet to the bemusement of a cop police who compares the Quinjet to the Millennium Falcon.

Get your eyes checked, guy.

Quinjets are cool but they don't look a star war.

They've landed near Wonder Man's crater and see that he's okay. Even recovered enough that he's started climbing out by himself.

A random General Akord on site exposits to Hawkeye about Super-Nova arriving and fighting Quasar.

Tigra catches a radio communication from the East Coast Avengers that they're going to borrow a Quinjet from the West Coast Avengers Compound and join them in Chicago.

You think this would be good news except Hawkeye is an idiot who engages in dick waving contests almost as often as he shoots arrows.

Hawkeye: "Just great. That means Cap and the boys'll be here to grab all the glory and we'll come off looking like blasted also-rans."

Here's a suggestion for if you wanted to wrap this up before another team had to come and bail you out.

Bring the full team next time, idiot. Scarlet Witch is your win button for this kinda nonsense.

Since Hawkeye is now itching to try to resolve this before Cap and crew show up, he decides to do something reckless.

Reckless like not suggesting Hank Pym shrink the guy, which he is probably capable of doing.

He tells Tigra and Hank to cover him while he shoots a flare arrow to get Super-Nova's attention... and then he definitely has a plan for what happens next! Definitely!

Hawkeye shoots a flare arrow (flarrow?) at Super-Nova right when he's building a new "bring me Nebula" message out of train tracks.

I honestly kind of admire the pointless resourcefulness of this Super-Nova dude.

I also love Hank and Tigra sighing about having to bail Hawkeye out of this impending error in judgement.

Anyway, Super-Nova picks up Hawkeye and goes hey why are you saying you're the Avengers leader when I already met them in space and you weren't there?

Hawkeye offers to explain the whole two teams thing but Super-Nova really could not care less.

Super-Nova: "Human -- my patience is exhausted! Do not blather! Where is the woman called Nebula? Where is she who destroyed my world Xandar and then fled here to hide among the Avengers?"

All helpful exposition for Hawkeye, who apparently did not pay any attention to the "bring me Nebula" train track sign from earlier.

Hawkeye finds himself explaining the two teams thing anyway. Because this guy says that Nebula was hiding among the Avengers? Well, okay. But which team though? We need to narrow it down.

So Hawkeye asks what Nebula is like so Hawkeye can figure out which team she's hiding with.

And now Super-Nova is so agitated with Hawkeye that he's contemplating clenching his hand.

The hand that Hawkeye is in.

Hawkeye: His upper lip's quivering, his eyes are narrowing, and his grip's tightening. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea if Cap showed up about now. Since I haven't the faintest idea where that Nebula babe is, I may have just bought the farm!

Good job, Hawkeye!

Follow @essential-avengers because I cover not only Avengers and West Coast Avengers but West Coast Avengers in Avengers. Like, reblog, and comment. I appreciate it!

[softquietsteadylove]

For the mermaid AU:

After the capture situation Kro is angrily searching for Thena. Gil is taking care of Thena and one day Kro arrives at Gil’s doorstep.

Let’s do a little more angst and sweet moments :D

"Gil."

Oh fuck.

Gil nodded to the fellow fisherman. They were never exactly on super friendly terms anyway, so it wasn't exactly as if he would have been expecting them to start chatting lightly. "Kro--what are you doing here?"

"Well," the taller man began, stepping into Gil's home without so much as an invitation. He pulled his hands out of his rain coat pockets. "I was in the area."

Bullshit. It took a solid twenty minutes by motorboat - or ten minutes by ship - to get to the port from Gil's little island.

"I'm sure you heard that I had a..." Kro paused, looking around the kitchen, "rather large catch get away from me."

"Yeah, I heard," Gil managed to sound casual as he said it, closing the door behind Kro, resisting every urge of his to throw him out. "What was it, a swordfish?--shark?"

"Hm," Kro scoffed quietly, finally turning to Gil. "Bigger, actually--something quite...unique. It was a real treasure."

Gil nodded, as if to offer his sympathies to the monster in front of him. "Well, it happens to the best of us, y'know? Don't let it get to you."

"Well, the thing is, Gil," Kro walked back over to him with a menacing look on his face. "It didn't just get away. Someone snuck onboard and cut my net."

"Really?" Gil asked immediately, refusing to give Kro even a hint that he knew what he was talking about. "That doesn't sound like any of the guys here."

"No, I didn't think so either," Kro faked a sigh. The guy had a sense of drama, huh? "But then someone told me that your little dinghy was missing after my catch was taken."

Gil shrugged, putting his hands on his hips. "I had some dinner at the pub and headed home, man. I don't know what to tell you."

Kro looked out Gil's kitchen window to the end of his dock. "What's the box for?"

Gil held his breath. He had built it there so Thena could come and go as she pleased. It had clothes, and food, little trinkets he found that he thought she would like. Granted, he had built it for her long ebfore all this had happened. "Well, I'm always forgetting something before I head out, y'know? So I built that for some spare tarps and extra socks and shit."

"Smart," Kro outright laughed. He looked at Gil again. "I know she's here, Gil. Or if not here, then you have her close by."

"Who?" Gil scowled.

"Don't pull that shit with me, Gilgamesh," Kro snarled, happy to storm over to him. Gil was a mountain of a man but Kro had a freakishly tall frame and he wasn't exactly lacking strength himself either. "You stole that little nymph from me."

"You caught a nymph?" Gil continued to rile up the increasingly dangerous visitor. He managed to feign his disbelief only because Thena was upstairs having a refreshing little nap in the bathtub. "You feeling okay?"

"I will find her, mark my words," Kro growled right in Gil's face. "I will find my fortune and when I do, I will have you arrested for theft. Maybe I'll even rip out one of those little fangs of hers and send one to you on a necklace."

"Get out."

Kro leaned back, satisfied to have gotten any reaction out of Gil at all.

Gil was shocked he had held himself back from snapping the guy's neck. Kro would be deserving of it, just for making him imagine Thena getting her teeth pulled.

"I'll be back, Gilgamesh," Kro promised ominously, pulling the front door behind him on his way out.

Gil waited until Kro was all the way back to his main dock and heard the motor start up. He sat himself down - collapsed - into the seat at the table. He had known this would happen--had been expecting it since the night Kro caught Thena. And still he was shaken.

"Gil?"

He scrubbed his hands over his face before looking up. Thena leaned her head against the doorway, her hair completely dry despite her aquatic lounging. She was wearing a soft, pale blue denim shirt of his, the sleeves rolled up messily and unevenly to her elbows.

Thena came over to him, resting a hand on his knee and looking to him carefully. "You look frightened."

He nodded. He felt frightened. He took her hand in his, holding it to him. "He doesn't know you're here, but he knows it was me. And he's not going to rest until he finds you."

"So he won't find me."

"Thena-"

"Gil," she soothed, her voice as smooth and iridescent as a seashell. She knelt down next to him, letting him keep her hand in his for comfort. "The safest I can be is with you. Even if he combed the ocean for me...I would still come back to see you."

Gil sighed, taking in the beautiful Angelfish before him. He knew she was telling the truth, and he probably wouldn't have been able to resist her either. He liked to believe he would, but if he was being totally honest, he would probably be out there looking for her too.

"We're safe here," Thena nearly whispered.

Gil let out a shuddering breath. He pressed a kiss to her hands. "No more swims for a little while, okay, Angelfish? Not even around the dock."

Thena nodded, fully understanding the restriction and the need for it. "What about you?"

He shook his head. "It'll only be even more suspicious if I take time off work now."

He had only taken the day immediately after the rescue off for himself. And even that was potentially suspicious. He just couldn't bring himself to leave Thena alone.

"I'll be fine here," she smiled at him, as if her life weren't hanging in the balance of something out of their control. "You go and work. I'll read the books Sersi brought."

Gil nodded, trying to take in a single steady breath for her sake. He ran his thumb over the back of her hand, "want anything when I go out tomorrow?"

Thena pulled his hand to her cheek and leaned into his touch. "Just...come home soon."