#why the hell did i do this traditionally.

[lethologicaee]

reveal of the assignment that took over the last month of my life. for a star wars film class of all things..... well. sorry for the shitty notes app scans it is what it is

sketches and stuff under the cut 😸

[sixxtytoo]

🖤✖🤍

[dododan]

Thoughts about Alastor after the episode "Hello, Rosie"

Perhaps first such a small summary for those who haven't read my previous posts about Alastor.

Alastor's deal with someone has worked out. Officially we don't know with whom, but my theory is that it is Lilith.

Alastor is obliged by the contract probably to help/protect Charlie. His intentions are not clear, and he harbours many secrets.

He is not fond of Lucifer. Theories are that he either sees him as a threat to Charlie's hotel and dreams, or he is redirecting negative emotions about his own father and how Lucifer treated Charlie onto him.

Alastor enjoys being in the company of women and probably likes/appreciates Charlie. Perhaps he sees himself as her mentor.

His help, although chaotic and initially incomprehensible seems to be having an effect and actually helping the hotel and Charlie.

Alastor has a weakness for jazz and alcohol, but we don't see him ever drinking alcohol in the series.

His enemy is Vox, but he is more annoyed by Lucifer (probably because he is stronger than him).

Alastor doesn't like to lose or be wrong.

Here you have a link to previous thoughts if you are curious.

Alastor’s true motivations? - Why is he helping Charlie?

Dad beat Dad - Alastor, what the hell are you doing?

Traditionally, there are loads of spoilers here!

From the outset, Alastor seems interested/intrigued by Charlie sitting in the room and spinning another plan. Clearly he saw an opportunity in. Charlie was alone, so he could talk to her in peace. A plan was already forming in his head.

On Instagram, one girl made a fair analysis of Alastor's facial expressions. What expression on his face signifies what emotion. Which proved to be very helpful in understanding him! Here you have ig: @/sasha_draws.bg She did a really great job! But back to Alastor.

When Alastor feels some negative emotion, lines/wrinkles appear under his eyes. Which is true when you pay attention to the previous episodes, but in this 'Hello, Rosie' it is particularly noticeable.

For most of the time in this episode, Alastor seemed concerned to me.

When Alastor was talking to Charlie I had the impression that he was provoking her. He made Charlie painfully aware of how badly her plans had failed, which seems cruel. Initially this could be understood as simply an opportunity to take advantage of Charlie and make a deal, but I think this is just an added benefit. Alastor is bound by his contract to the hotel and Charlie, so he can't leave her. But Alastor has besides made Charlie realise that she can't idly brood on the bed because she doesn't have that luxury. Her friends were waiting for a plan, they were waiting for Charlie.

Charlie gave up at that point, and Alastor made her realise that there was still a chance to make things right somehow. He exasperated her, and showed her that she couldn't give up - in a rather cruel way but still, it's not always kind words or words of support that help you up.

Sometimes the painful realisation of the truth is the best motivator to undertake change.

For a moment, Alastor seemed annoyed that Charlie thought she had him figured out because she smiles all the time. He made her realise that the opposite is true.

A smile can be a weapon on many fronts. You could say that he gave Charlie some cue about his own behaviour. His lecture about smiling shows a lot about him.

Alastor hides a lot - his emotions, motivations or goals. He revealed to Charlie that he himself puts on a mask. The smile gives Alastor a sense of control.

The question is, isn't Alastor also lying to himself in this way?

He is creating himself as a cruel overlord, a person without a conscience who inflicts suffering on others for fun. It makes me wonder if he hasn't started to believe himself in the character he wants to pretend to be?

Nevertheless, no matter how good Alastor's goals may be attributed to him, or that his actions have a good effect on the hotel and Charlie, he still made a deal with her. He was aware that Charlie would not give up her soul to him and would not do anything against herself. Their deal is that Charlie is to help him like friend to friend when he needs it without hurting anyone, and he will give her information. Quite a specific arrangement and very narrow. To me their deal is a bit of a lifeline for Alastor when he finds himself trapped by his own contract.

[As an aside, I've noticed that a lot of people think that the stitches appearing on Alastor's lips are a sign that he can't talk about his deal. I doubt this because of the design of his character. Alastor was shown at many points to be dealing with voodoo or somehow connected to it. This is indicated by the green symbols that appear when he uses his powers, and the stitching that appears on his mouth probably refers to the very design of the voodoo dolls, which also had their mouths stitched in this way. Ironically in my opinion, voodoo is generally good magic, focusing on healing or helping, which doesn't really fit Alastor. Unless one considers the distinction between white and black magic as it is known in New Orleans. But I also point out that I'm not an expert, but I'm just partly familiar with the subject of voodoo and just wanted to show a reference to Alastor's appearance here].

I think Alastor's worry or uncertainty is most evident when he leads Charlie to Rossie. You can see the look on his face and those wrinkles under his eyes. This could be interpreted as:

he's upset that the angels are about to exterminate in the hotel and the only person who can oppose it is preoccupied with his love problems rather than more important matters.

He is upset/worried that he realises he won't be able to help Charlie this time, so he leads her to the only person who is more knowledgeable about love than him: Rossie.

He is nervous because he sees that he might fail if the hotel is destroyed, and that this might somehow breach his contract.

Alastor and Rossie seem to have a very intimate relationship, which was implied in the episode " Scrambled Eggs" when they were at the Overlords meeting. Now we have confirmation that they are very close friends. Rossie can afford a lot in Alastor's company and he allows her to do so. It also seemed to me that when he met Rossie he relaxed a bit, as the wrinkles under his eyes disappeared for a few scenes.

All in all, I'm not surprised that Alastor and Rossie are friends.

Rossie is the opposite of Alastor in a way. She seems transparent in her feelings and genuinely cares about her cannibals. But she also has the strength and power to allow herself to do so. Alastor, on the other hand, plays and hides emotions all the time, and gains power through fear. Despite this, he gets along very well with Rossie, which may mean he's not quite what he makes himself out to be.

I also think that Rossie's words about it being actions that show true nature and feelings may apply to Alastor and his role in season two in the future. But we can already see this now, for example, in the fact that his duet with Lucifer, where Alastor sang that he wanted to replace Charlie's father, ultimately led to a reconciliation between daughter and father which Alastor seemed to be happy with.

We also have it made clear that Alastor is asexual.

Rossie commented that Alastor could learn manners from Charlie. It is possible that what is meant is that when someone annoys Alastor, he does not mince his words. He makes his opinion clear - Susan is a perfect example of this.

Alastor and Rossie really seem close to each other, such as when they look at each other when Charlie panics, or how they dance with each other or their negativity towards Susan. Additionally, Alastor must have had a close business relationship with Rossie since she had an assignment for him and when she said that he never let her down. I got the impression that this gave him considerable satisfaction. Plus it helped the image he wanted to create for Charlie - that he was reliable.

Alastor also seems to put his faith in Charlie after all. Rather than believing in her plan of salvation for sinners, he believes more in the girl's ability to draw crowds and motivate people to action other than through fear or deals. It is hard to say whether he admires this trait of Charlie's, but he certainly appreciates her for it.

Alastor supported Charlie during her song when she had to convince the cannibals to fight - either by giving her the microphone or showing her a thumbs up. I further related that he was slightly worried/nervous, but also pleased after seeing his actions bear fruit.

Alastor also made it clear to Rossie that he valued Charlie and expected nothing less from her than to thrill the crowds. But the important thing is that he referred to her as the Princess of Hell, not Charlie. Alastor has made it clear for the first time that he wants to fulfil Charlie's potential, this shows that despite the faith he has in her, he still only sees her as the Princess of Hell and not Charlie as someone who is more than just a princess.

A break for now, as it's quite late at my place, so expect the rest of the analysis tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow at the furthest.

[firstkanaphans]

if i have permission to be a bit of a bitch in your inbox (feel free to ignore this if not), the dichotomy people build between bl and queer media is sooooo fascinating. and of course by that i mean it gives me hives. the universalizing of 'real queer experiences' is obnoxious as hell, but how its been applied to ofts has really shown me why i find it so obnoxious. most of the people who hold this dichotomy would never classify a bl that ignores homophobia as 'authentically queer' media. but i definitely saw people who hoped that the 'authentically queer' ofts would exist in a bubble without any slutshaming, or that it would be resolutely shut down in show. but in my aroallo experience? that would be as inauthentic as the no homophobia bubble, so where does that leave us?

also the circular logic in the bl vs queer media arguments is mind numbing. 'bl doesnt cover these types of themes' yeah dude because you forcibly remove everything with those themes from the bl category in your head. 'queer media must acknowledge homophobia' the idea that a story by queer people about queer characters isnt really queer because it chooses to focus on joy or discovery or any other facet of queer existence is so fucking depressing. go hug a queer friend and think about why you feel queerness is defined by suffering before anything else.

Oh, hey, you found my soap box, Anon! Let me just step on up there with you for a minute.

So, first off, let me just say how much I hate the term “authentically” queer. It seems to suggest that in order to be queer, you have to be queer a certain way. As an ultra femme lesbian, the queer community often makes me feel like I’m not queer enough. That I don’t understand the hardships that come with being gay because I am “straight-passing.” This is the same thing people do to BLs. News flash: if you’re queer, you’re queer. Period. Congratulations, that’s all it takes to be authentic!

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that a large percentage of the people I see using this designation are straight women who think that queer suffering is a necessary part of the queer experience, but a lot of “authentically queer” people—me included—don’t want to be reminded of our real-life suffering every time we turn on the TV. Heartstopper is triggering for me. Bad Buddy is not. As a queer woman currently living in Ron DeSantis’s Florida,  I deserve to be able to turn on the TV every once in a while and not be reminded that there are people in the world who want me dead.

I’ve learned that when people describe a BL as “authentically queer,” what they actually mean is “This BL feels more Western”—the racist insinuation there being that Western media is inherently better.

I feel like The Eclipse is a good example of this hypocrisy. No one has ever called The Eclipse “authentically queer” despite the fact that it delivers one of the most nuanced takes on the dangers of systemic homophobia that I have seen anywhere. The writers of both the source material and the script are gay men. The director is queer. That seems to meet all of the qualifications these people set for “authentically queer” and yet no one has ever questioned that The Eclipse is a BL. Why? Because it incorporates traditionally Asian/yaoi humor tropes such as the pratfall and the accidental kiss. 

Are you sensing a pattern? It’s not the queer-ness of a piece of media that determines whether it is seen as “authentic.” It is its “Western-ness.”

Let me be very clear: All BLs are “authentically queer” media because the only requirement needed for a piece of media to be “authentically” queer is for the characters to be queer. And if you don’t like that, then maybe stop watching BLs.

If the people who were producing these shows had a problem with the term, that would be another discussion, but they don’t. P’Jojo has never advertised Only Friends as anything other than a BL. The fandom did that for him. And with all due respect, if the people making the fucking thing are calling it a BL, then it’s a fucking BL.

So, yeah. Not liking BLs doesn’t make you cool. It makes you a bigot. The fact that the term has become so derogatory is rooted in both racism and misogyny because this was originally a genre created by women, for women, and the hobbies of women are so often infantilized.

BLs are queer media. Die mad about it.

[l3xdrigo]

I had silly thoughts run into my mind, Regulus igniting Vertin's passion to do art again by showing her an abandoned wall and bringing spray paint.

Vertin is more traditionally on painting but she has known about spray paint and has been wanting to try them for a long time and Regulus gives her the opportunity to test them out.

When first picking up one of the spray cans, she's not sure what she wants to create, what type of mural or artwork. Vertin is pretty unfamiliar on how to work with such a big canvas, and with a tool she hasn't quite got the grasp of yet. Regulus comes back with a bunch of paint buckets and big and small paintbrushes "What are these for? " "To help us with the painting of course, I may not be the best at any painting stuff but this pirate is passionate in anything art based and the freedom of expression! " Regulus happily chimed.

Vertin was grateful but she's not sure what to make yet, so she asked Regulus who gave her one of the buckets of paint, puzzled, she looks at Regulus "what am I supposed to do with this? "

"Throw it of course! Throw it against the wall and watch it splatter, let it be messy, let your artwork be free. It has been awhile since you last painted yes? So why not let all your creative ideas out now? "

Vertin looks at Regulus and then to the paint bucket in her hands, the swirling color inside it, she knows what she needs to do. Taking a slight step back, she throws the paint out of the bucket towards the wall, making a huge splatter to it and some to themselves as well. Regulus let's out a cheer "There ya go! Now, Let's get painting!"

Splashes of colors added to the wall, the more added, the more Vertin felt free. The paint flowing down like raindrops, the lines of contrasting colors overlapping each other, using the spray paints to add more texture and little designs and details. It was messy yes, but it was free, Regulus smiling wildly as she continues to paint the already very colorful wall, this felt nice, it felt great. Vertin was smiling, laughing even at times where they get hit with splashes of paint, Regulus's joy has been contagious and seeing Vertin happy made Regulus even more joyful.

After finally finishing their artwork, both sat down on the ground, facing what they've created. It was a messy mural, with designs of their interest, a music disk, some doves, a golden thread, butterflies and much more. Both were covered in paint and colors, it'll take a while to get them off but that's the least of their worries for now. "I think this pirate can say that, that is one beautiful mural" "It is, thank you Regulus, for bringing me out here and doing this" "No problem, you've been cooped up in that office for days now, I think you deserved a break.. And you did tell me you liked painting so, this was the best idea I could come up with" "One of the ideas you had that didn't end in disaster *pfft*" "Oi-"

Both bickered for a bit, laughing and giggling like children. It's moments like these that make all the work and sacrifices worth it, even with the weight of responsibility of being the timekeeper, others are lending a hand to carry the weight, just like Regulus. Both sat there, as the sun sets and hope rebuilds.

(Or platonic soulmate Reguvert my beloveds<333)

Bonus:

As both sat quietly, a song from the radio that Regulus brought suddenly plays "Oh hell yeah! I love this song.. Say Vertin, do you dance? "

The timekeeper pondered for a bit and gave her an answer "I do, why? "

"Well, would you like to dance with this pirate? I think that'll be fun"Regulus stood up and stretched out her hand, Vertin, slightly surprised by the sudden request, but accepted it, taking Regulus's hand into hers.

" Though be aware that this pirate may not be the best at dancing, but will certainly try her best" It's been awhile since both had danced, and more so with someone but none of that mattered right now, they're just here to have fun. Dancing to the beat of the music, as both moved to the rhythm, a few slip up's here and there but is still going strong. Going with the flow of the music, both have actually made a good dancing pair, being able to move to the rhythm easily and adjusting their movements to near perfection. Despite not even having steps in mind, both have their own, synchronized and adapting as the music goes on. It felt like walking on air as they continued to dance, they kept this on till the music ended and both were exhausted.

"I must say, you're a great dancer Regulus"

"Thanks, you're not half bad yourself, we should do this more often" "I'll check if my schedule can free up a bit"

They realized that it was near dark soon, both headed back into the suitcase, walking and talking about their interest, plans and anything really. They've grown into each other's company, and they wouldn't have it any other way, a captain and her second best mate, a bellwether and her first follower.

[pynkhues]

I recently read an article in which Quentin Tarantino stated that fewer movie stars exist as a result of "Marvel movies in Hollywood." I think Jennifer Aniston made a similar argument before saying that there are no longer any movie stars. I'm not sure what that means. I can think of a lot of movie stars right now, such as Zendaya, Timothee Chalamet, and Zoey Deutch etc. what do you think? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this and Quentin's comments.

QuillBot's

Months ago, when you sent me this ask, anon, I wrote out a really long reply and as soon as I hit post, my laptop crashed and ate the answer, and I was so annoyed at myself for not saving my reply, that I couldn't bring myself to try and re-write an answer. I'm really sorry for that, especially because I think this is such an interesting ask (or well, two asks, because I think the death of the movie star and the impact Marvel's had on the broader concept of a movie star, are kinda two different things).

I've been thinking about it a bit again recently though, particularly as the Oscar race gears up, and Jacob Elordi and Charles Melton''s respective stars are rising in an industry currently desperate to find the new young Hollywood male 'talent', and I've been thinking about it again because honestly?

I agree with Jennifer Aniston, I think the movie star is dead.

We are a long, long way from Golden Age Hollywood where actors like Cary Grant and Marilyn Monroe could captivate a public imagination in a way that translated to big box office effect, after all. Hell, we're even out of New Hollywood, an era dominated by names like Al Pacino, Jack Nicholson, and Jane Fonda, and the Blockbuster era with Tom Cruise, Sylvester Stallone and Harrison Ford.

My original reply went into a lot of the different reasoning as to why this is (like with many things, I don't think there's any one reason for it), in particular how the advent of streaming has changed our relationship with films and TV shows, how the saturation of the market has diluted the staying power of celebrities, how social media and the perceived accessibility of celebrities removes personal mystique which in turn removes intrigue and increases a sense of entitlement, and the fact that so many people having stopped going to the cinema means that the experiential element of seeing a film in a setting larger than life has been diminished.

I think call out culture plays a role too, with any actor on the rise being torn down by tweets they made eight, nine or ten years ago impacting how their star rises, I think the dismantling of the studio system (which is a good thing!) also harmed actors in the long run as studios stopped investing the same resources into making and training stars (they used to be able to sing, dance and act! Now some can barely even act!), and I think, of course, the rise of prestige TV changed the industry substantially (after all, movie stars were movie stars - they traditionally did not, and would not, do TV, which created a clear class structure in terms of screen-based storytelling).

And yeah, I think the language shift from film and TV to content has done irrepairable damage to the artistry of filmmaking and the consideration of a movie star as an actor at the top of their field instead of an actor with the most Insta followers or YouTube subscribers (after all, if everything's content, isn't it the same thing? [no lol]).

Which I guess is kind of where Quentin Tarantino's argument comes in, right? What he's saying is that Marvel's made it so that the IP - the content itself - is the star, not the actor, and I'd say he's probably right with that.

Think of it this way - back in the New Hollywood/Blockbuster era, Harrison Ford was the movie star - he was leading new franchises left-right-and-centre between Star Wars and Indiana Jones, sci fi epics like Blade Runner, leading action thrillers like Patriot Games, The Fugitive and Clear and Present Danger and getting nominated for Oscars for Witness.

He was a movie star in every sense of the word because you could hinge a film - one with a new concept, not just remakes or sequels - on him and be virtually guaranteed a success. He was what sold the tickets, the director just hopefully had to make something good enough people would leave the cinema glad they saw.

Tarantino's argument is the Marvel model - - hell, even the new Star Wars properties, turned the franchise into the star, for better or worse, which means original films can't compete because nobody knows the IP. Back when Harrison Ford was at the top of his game, his name was what helped original films including smaller, standalone works like Witness find an audience, but the studios have changed that. Capitalism has changed that.

Properties with existing audiences and deep pockets for merch were prioritised, only now those franchises are faltering and you've got a generation trained that 'cinematic events' are reserved for blockbusters in established universes, instead of taking a risk on a new film because you know you love an actor who's in it.

Do I think we could go back?

Maybe, but probably not.

I think the place we are now in the history of cinema / TV / 'content' means you can't make a movie star anymore because I think the industry is simply so different that no actor can break through in the same way that even Leonardo DiCaprio could 30 years ago. That industry doesn't exist anymore, actors aren't guaranteed draws (Bones and All proved that for Timothee Chalamet, and Wonka I think could go a similar way), or they have to heavily rely on other industries to become household names which I think dilutes them as a pure 'movie star' (Zendaya's a great example of this - I like her a lot, but how many movies has she even been in? They built her career up in peripheral industries long before they tried to sell her as a movie star, and frankly, I'd question her even as a leading actress yet given she's typically only either been in ensemble casts or clear supporting).

It's a whole new world, and yeah, I think the movie star is dead.

[tansyuduri]

Merlin Loregasm Rewatch S1E4

Hi Everyone! Welcome to my rewatch of Merlin focusing on the lore. I am a giant nerd so pretty excited about this. We're on THE POISONED CHALICE

OKAY so @catsconflictscopicsandchamomile our resident Old English expert explained to me something really interesting. the spell used by Nimueh draws its power from the Spear-Danes, the semi pagan culture featured in Beowulf (Who had their own lake lady in Grendel's mother who was likely a priestess of the old religion And linguisticly called Disir) There is more though The first lines of the spell also seem to be Nimue saying she owes her magic to the spear Danes (that Grendel the monster in Beowolf ate) At this point I'm wondering if its meant to establish she is saying HEY MY SPELLS ARE PAGEN This will not be the only Beowulf reference in this episode. (Its never referenced or quoted after this episode) I'm wondering if the translators threw this in as a joke or easter egg Or in my freind's words "fuck it. lets canonize Beowulf in this universe real fast" (Okay I just discovered one of their choices I'll talk about later and HOLY FREAKING SHIT)

Mercia is traditionally thought of as a kingdom formed during the anglo-saxon settlement of Britain (Which occurs post Merlin acoirding to Merlin having saxons of enemies in later seasons) The historic king Arthur if he existed was said to have fought against the anglo saxons but this is just a footnote as we are focusing on Merlin Universe) HOWEVER a 13th century text says "“Pagans came from Germany and occupied East Anglia, that is, the country of the East Angles; and some of them invaded Mercia, and waged war against the British.” 

British here being Original pre-saxon inhabitents. SO it is possible that a Mercia existed before The Anglo-Saxons. This could also be the Historian using the name he knows. Bayard is not a recorded later King of Mercia either so good choice in name if we want him to be a Britonic king from a Mercia founded before the Anglo-Saxons apear. Fun fact Mercia also resisted leaving paganism longer than any other Anglo-Saxon kingdom! BUT Anyway in Merlin Mercia is a thing, Its ruled by Bayard, and its color is blue. It would be in the midlands of England most likely.

Also he was at war with Camalot, but now is not. I wonder if that has to do with Uther having not inherited but taking over the kingdom! Uther: The treaty we sign today marks an end to war and the beginning of a new friendship between our peoples

I also think Uther as a peacemaker is interesting, especially as we see this more than once. It might be why some people view him as "A good king."

So this at first glance SEEMS like it hints more toward paganism. Beltane is a Gaelic May Day festival. But its renamed version May Day was not exactly Christianized. See most other big Gaelic festivals (usually religious) Were kinda taken over by Christianity when it came. Yule became Christmas Samhain became All Saints Day (All Hollows Eve) ETC. Beltane was also celebrated in some places ALONG with Christianity until the 1800s. (Scotland did this specifically) In modern times Beltane is VERY Pagan. And it is very possible this hints further toward the Camalot is pagan or just nonreligious side of the entire debate. (Despite people using words like god or hell.) But it's not quite as conclusive as many other type of references would be.

(For context despite it saying we've Arthur here is talking about Merlin, who just announced his cup was poisoned, exclusively which is interesting!) See slow gin is a type of alcohol made with juniper berries and blackthorn fruits. It was traditionally brewed (With a lot of home brewing) in October and November and used as a warming drink in the depths of winter. AS you can tell this episode does not take place in winter. I think there are two possibilities for Arthur picking this drink specifically to mention despite that. The first is that as a prince perhaps the drink is available to him year round if he wants it and he doesn't know that is not true of most people yet. The second is he is so panicked at the prospect of the trouble Merlin is in his mind latched on to the first drink that popped into it.

Okay, so Mort means death in Latin. And the ending suffix here Usually makes the word an adjective from proper or place names BUT often appears in flower naming. So basically this plant is named The "Death Flower" Flower or "Capital D Deathly" Flower

Gaius: it can only be found in the caves deep beneeth the forest of Baloch The flower grows on the roots of the Mortaeus tree.

Uh okay. THERE IS SOME SHIT GOING DOWN with this plant. First of all, flowers growing from the roots of a tree is just weird. flowers are basically there to attract things to pollinate a plant usualy. If a tree has flowers they do not grow from the roots. Second of all its kinda weird for flowers or trees to grow in DEEP caves. Sunlight cannot read them there. I would give it a pass if it did not say deep because if there were cracks in the ceiling of the cave that could put light though. It does kinda explain why they can ONLY be found there though. If its so odd and specialized it might be the only place it can grow.

This flower is either innately magical in some odd way or does not conform to evolution. So at this point I am pretty sure it was bred/engineered/magiced into being but some sorcerer. Likely specifically for poisoning people. and that person wanted to limit the people who knew of it and thus kept it in once set of caves. BUT SOMHOW news got out about it. Ok so I also looked up Baloch. In Welsh it can mean dig or sorry. In Irish it means boy and in scottish the same thing. So no info to be gleaned from that

Gauis: A cockatrice-- it guards the forest. Its venom is extremely potent, a single drop would mean certain death. OK first of all I'm doubling down on there being some past sorcerer, Because they were FOR SURE using these as guard dogs. Second of all I LOVE Merlin paying fast and loose with magical creatures from folklore because I can too in my fics A Cockatrice in folklore was a monster created when a toad or snake egg was hatched beneath a chicken. It could kill with a look, or a breath, or a touch, and was basically a two-legged dragonish creature with a rooster head. In the Merlin world it is very diferant. We'll see one soon! "Few who have crossed the mountains of Isgard in search of the Moraeus flower have made it back alive." Yeah can't find any meaning behind the name Isgard! BUT HAVE I MENTIONED I THINK A SORCER ONCE LIVED IN THE CAVES/FOREST.

Okay I think this is a reference to the actual historical job of taster. Basically important people (ESP royalty) would hire someone to taste all their food before thay ate it. That way if it was poisoned the taster would die instead of them. It was viewed as a pretty plum gig because poisoning didn't often happen (ESP if people knew there was a taster) and the taster got to eat REALLY good food and get paid for it. I think its also an interesting character detail that while this kinda implies that Uther might have someone (At least for his private food and not banquets) We see multiple times that Arthur in fact does NOT. It is quite possible he managed to put his foot down and get out of this somehow because he believes it to be wrong. Which not gonna lie is a very Arthur thing to do.

(Context: Arthur talking about how Gaius said they can save Merlin if they get the leaf so it is not a fools errand) Waiiit is this trying to imply that Gaius was the one who brought up the idea that one could use the old religion to give Uther a son? I mean we knew he was the messenger. but HOLY SHIT. And if that is true, Uther somhow forgave him? Why would Uther forgive him? The only thing I can think is if Gaius talked about how magic had tricked him and gave Uther something else to blame. This is all conjecture though. Uther could be referring on how Gaius is close to Merlin or something else. It just feels like it might be a nod at what all went down around Arthur's birth.

Okay so this is Merlin quoting Beowolf here. A Poem that is yet to be written down but might have had some oral tradition and actually takes place at the traditional time Arthur is said to have lived. Merlin is basically talking about how Arthur/Beowolf is endowed with honnor. This happens right after Arthur decides to ride out to save Merlin.

Magic Rule Established: Potions/Poisons can be more potent if magic is used in their preperation

Okay MORE Beowolf

Merlin says Arthurs name then basically talks about a young man doing good deeds.

Playing hard and fast as I said. LOOK Dinosaur!

Okay so more Beowolf At this point I am 99.99% sure the people hired to write the spells at the time where having the time of their life. Let me explain

This line talks about gifts of treasure (the light) he conjuress to help Arthur. Fine. BUT then it mentions Arthur being under his father's protection. Expect Merlinto protectg him. The spell writers used a freaking old english poem to let Merlin call himself Arthur's "daddy" I am not sure what I am expected to do with this knowledge. (It might have been chosen so they could use the next line of the spell but THEY DID NOT HAVE TO DO THIS) The next line (Which is actually also the next line in the poem) says something about how so that when Arthur is older his companions can stand with him when war comes.

Okay so yeah turns out there is no tree or roots. I'm chalking this up to he said she said. STILL GOING WITH THE SORCERER.

OKAY so it a potion is made using magic the antidote may ALSO need magic

Oh look our first hint Merlin is immortal. I find his brand of immortality intersting. HE CAN DIE he just comes back after a bit.

[delopsia]

Hi, I misread an ask and thought we were discussing omega! Rhett and Reader with Alpha Bob, and now I've had to do the copy-paste of shame 🧍‍♂️ This is just a cute little long-winded ramble about Rhett hailing from a long line of alphas and coming into his own after meeting Reader and Bobby 💐 This can turn into a one-shot if anyone asks me for it.

Not a soul could have expected that the infamous youngest son of Royal Abbott, beefy cowboy, and reckless bull rider, was an omega. Hell, Rhett hadn't even expected it.

Even in his toddler and early childhood stages, he fell into every tell-tale sign and stereotype that an alpha child would. A little too possessive of his toys, flashing his teeth on the playground, would prickle at the presence of alphas. He was damn near identical to Perry.

Royal was convinced that their youngest would turn out to be an alpha. Hell, he'd been bragging about his unbroken family lineage since before Rhett was even born. He knew every one of his children would be alphas. And it would only make sense, hailing from a long line of them; in fact, the Abbott family hadn't seen a beta or omega born since the late 1800s. Questioning it, in the family's eyes, was pointless. Why would the tradition break now?

And then Rhett hit those years, the awkwardness of becoming a teenager topped off by the sudden maturing of scent glands. Little patches of skin learning to produce thin oils; some kids struggle with overproduction, and some need specialized creams because their glands are drying out. As if dealing with acne and hormones wasn't enough for them to deal with.

Cecelia's suspicions came when Rhett's scent change didn't match Perry's. Where Perry had experienced a sudden shift, overproducing so much scent that Royal could literally lift his nose to the wind and know where his eldest was from a mile away, Rhett was a quiet change.

Over the course of six months, he lost that 'new' scent he was born with and acquired something that can only be described as smores at a campfire. Smokey and warm, with a slight sweetness, so well hidden that the only way to catch a whiff of it is to have your nose right next to the scent glands on his neck. And while sweetness isn't a scent reserved exclusively for omegas, it was an anomaly on both sides of the family.

So when seventeen-year-old Rhett came home from school early one day, complaining about his face being hot and an uncomfortable churn in his belly, Cecelia couldn't say she was surprised.

Perry, quite frankly, did not give a damn when he found out, it was none of his business, and even if it did bug him, he was too focused on the birth of his daughter to spare it much thought. But Royal was a firestorm of his own. He couldn't understand it. How could this possibly happen? And no matter how much he yelled and screamed, this wasn't a matter that could simply be remedied by words.

It was only during this argument that it became painfully clear that Rhett didn't function like the stereotype depicted. Even with Royal's barking and challenging, Rhett didn't fold like he was meant to. Being an omega didn't change his rougher nature, going toe to toe with his father, a mountain in the wind, refusing to be moved.

It frustrates Royal to no end; he breaks tradition in every way possible. An omega hailing from generations of alphas who refuses to act the way an omega traditionally should. Doesn't loosen his shoulders and slightly lower his head, when an alpha enters the room, no matter how hard Royal tries to pull it out of him.

Even stranger. Rhett fully commits to the alpha-dominated sport of bull riding. Is so disguised in his nature that not even his many, many hookups realize he isn't an alpha. It's an oddity that perplexes even Rhett himself.

A part of him is always tempted to skip his medications and experience a full-blown heat in the safety of a cozy hotel. He knows a handful of gentle-handed alphas who would be more than willing to take care of him, has toys and everything he could possibly need, but it just doesn't...do anything for him. He's tried it before, but even with the fever and hint of delirium, it quit being fun after an hour, and calling someone just filled his belly with dread. Watching TV, snuggled in the sheets, was all he truly did.

His friend Archie, an older guy who has been around the sun a few more times than Rhett has, suggests that it's simply because Rhett hasn't found the right people. And maybe he's got a point because one summer, everything changes.

You're similar to Rhett in the whole 'omega not acting like an omega' situation. It's never been something you've gone out of your way to adhere to; other than being rudely reminded of your heats when you forget to take your medication a few days in a row, you pass as all three.

Taking bits and pieces from each to create the unique design of your personality, unable to fall into the trap of being a carbon copy of everyone else in your gender. In the event you truly need to, you can get away with convincing others that you're a beta or an alpha. It's a nifty trick that not everyone can pull off. Where your friend has to bathe in special pheromones to trick those around her, you can simply open your mouth and make a claim.

Unlike Rhett, Bob comes from a patchwork of secondary genders. Alphas, betas, omegas, there's no true pattern to his family, and rarely does anyone display the behaviors associated with their status. His momma is an omega who is often mistaken for an alpha; his younger sisters are betas, but one acts like the spitting stereotype of an omega. It's such an afterthought in the Floyd family that Bob didn't even really notice he was an alpha until someone made a comment about it.

The spectrum of dominance is a much larger issue with alphas than it is with omegas. It's one thing for an omega to break their traditional roles, but the whole 'alpha' thing is a mess of its own. Some wise guy decided that being an alpha wasn't enough and started up a trend of "true" and "false" alphas, depending on how well you adhered to the stereotype. Bob, one way or another, has found himself labeled a false alpha; his presence simply doesn't command the submission of everyone else in the room. Frankly, he doesn't give a damn. So what if he's frequently mistaken for a beta?

So when he's dragged to a concert in the middle of nowhere Wyoming, and this rough and tough cowboy lowers his head at him, Bob doesn't know what the hell to think. And there's you, right behind the unnamed cowboy, downright confused about why you just submitted yourself to a complete stranger when you exclusively reserve that motion for your loved ones.

To you, a quiet alpha like Bob isn't all that out of the ordinary.

To Rhett, it's a breath of fresh air.

It takes some time to get out into the quiet of the parking lot, but one way or another, the three of you are perched in the back of Rhett's truck. Playfully bickering, bewildered about how Bob took one look at you and knew you were lying about being a beta. He'd identified you and Rhett so easily as if he were being asked as simple as what color shirt you were wearing. A feat that had made your skin crawl in the past, now an odd sense of comfort, like he was seeing you for you and not anything else.

Rhett's having the strangest experience of his life. All he can think about is rubbing his head against the glands on Bob's neck, like a damn cat dying to drown in the woodsiness of his scent. That's never happened before, and he explains it as such. He's rarely ever felt the instincts of an omega, forget learning to calm them. He only explains it because of a whine he didn't know he made. Doesn't expect Bob to tilt his head and invite him over.

But he doesn't know what to do. The instinct is strong, but it's not all the way there. Until you squirm over and nuzzle up on the other side of Bob, running the glands at your temples against the ones on Bob's neck. Here you two are. Strangers. Rubbing up on another stranger. Rhett's not sure what to do about the twinging in his chest as he nuzzles into Bobby's neck. Bob is just happy to be a comfort, kind in a manner that you haven't seen in a long time.

All things considered, it should be a one-night thing. An odd memory that you look back on and wonder what the hell you were thinking. But you're all in the same hotel, and it's so hard to stay away from each other.

Staying out late at a diner, falling asleep in Rhett's hotel room to the tune of the television. You come back from sightseeing with friends and run into Rhett in the hall. He sees you nuzzling your friends and has all sorts of questions about how that works. You're more than content to show him.

Bob returns from lunch and becomes a willing test dummy to all of Rhett's confused instincts. Where Rhett would usually lash out at someone asserting dominance over him, when Bobby tries, he bends and shows his neck.

When Rhett gets home, he starts acting funny. Before the trip, he never paid his phone much attention. Now he's buying a new one that won't overheat or freeze over a text message. He's found himself muffling whines over phone calls and jumping every time his phone dares make a noise 'cause it could be you or Robby. Over the course of a few days, he's gone from lone wolf to pack-oriented, physically hurting for the presence of people he's just met.

Rhett has never been great at catching scents, but when you and Bob appear at his rodeo, he smells you before he sees you. Has to be stopped from scaling the fence to join you two up in the stands. Nobody knew Rhett was an omega until after he'd ventured up and snuggled into the juncture of Bob's neck, nuzzling your temple, so completely and utterly content that he chirps for the first time in his life.

And so maybe the three of you are something more than friends now. Nobody needs to know that you and Rhett are boarding a plane to spend the week at Bob's apartment. It's no one's business that they spend weekends at your place and that Rhett sometimes appears for a night because he missed you.

You've been dating for two years when the decision is made to move in together. And you only spend a few months under the same roof when you come home on your lunch break to Rhett, red-faced and confused, lying in the bath. He's home from work early; didn't make mention of it to either of you.

"What's wrong?" You murmur, pressing a cool cloth to his forehead, stroking away the bits of hair that cling to his flushed skin. Clammy is the only way you can describe it.

"I'm..." his eyebrows furrow, doesn't seem to understand a lick of what is coming out of his mouth, "leaking?"

His heat started. The info script on his medicine confirmed breakthrough heats were possible, but the aggressiveness of it perplexed you to no end. You've experienced mild breakthroughs, but it's never left you weak in the knees and burning like a furnace. Getting him to cum isn't enough to relieve the ache in his belly; you can't imagine how confusing it must be, to go from zero to one hundred like this.

But there's a burning problem: Bob is deployed. On an aircraft carrier thousands of miles away.

You're trying your best, but you're in over your head. Rhett's going theory is that it's related to the uptick in instinct as of recent; getting into tune with his own body has triggered something that's been building up for years. Avalanching at the worst possible time.

It's not ending. Your strap-on has been enough to satisfy him in the past, but his heat cannot be fooled by prettily colored silicone. He snuggles on your chest and fucks you until you're too sensitive to go another around; he's cum three times, and he's still pawing himself through another orgasm.

His fever should come down after two days, but even using artificial pheromones isn't enough. They're not as subtle as Bob's scent, too intense to trick his overwhelmed brain into a false sense of comfort. Burying his nose into Bob's old shirts is the only thing that works, but he's producing so much of his own pheromones that it's lost in a matter of hours.

Bobby doesn't know something is wrong until Rhett whines pitifully at the sound of his voice. He mistakes it for Rhett, missing him, but it just keeps happening. You have to step out of the room to explain what's going on because Rhett genuinely cannot handle being able to hear Bobby and not feel him.

The worst part of it all is having a specialized doctor come out to verify that Rhett's condition is bad enough to warrant the Navy letting Bob come home. Not because it feels like an intrusion on your privacy, but because of how Rhett just doesn't know how to act about someone intruding in his private space. Doesn't understand these feelings or how to even begin to control them; he didn't get the chance to work through these when he was younger.

Heats rarely fit the criteria, but Rhett's fever exceeds it alone. He's burning up from the inside out; she gives him a shot of something to help take it down, but it's only temporary. He's lucid enough to manage the night. Wakes you up while he's rustling around the kitchen, biting on a slice of plain bread while he cooks a mini pizza.

His fever goes back up before morning.

Bob doesn't make it home until sunset.

It's strange. You expected Rhett to jump him before he was through the front door, but he doesn't budge from his spot. Quietly nestled on the bed, staring at the wall, in his own little world, unreactive until Bob's hand combs through his hair. And then he does to Bob what he did to you; he turns into a glue trap. There's no escaping his kisses and nuzzles and nips.

You're too damn exhausted to join the first time. Laying next to them, half awake, watching as Bobby gently works Rhett open, fucking him into the mattress, blindly holding your hand all the while. You'd expect it to be frenzied. Rhett's got this whole house reeking of his scent, and he's putting up a hell of a show, but Bob's slow with him. Thoroughly wearing Rhett out, shushing his mindless babbles. It's never mentioned, but you've got the feeling it's because Rhett's never been knotted before.

And when it does finally happen, you learn that Rhett's feet twitch when he's knotted. An adorable little spasm that you had heard about but never considered it to be real until now. It must tickle because he's giggling before his orgasm is over, straining to peer down at what's going on.

Evidently, that was all he needed, because the intensity drops overnight. Come morning, Bob wakes to the quiet shuffle of Rhett in the closet, suddenly overcome with the urge to build a nest but completely and utterly confused about it. He's got a pile of clothes and knows he's supposed to do something with them, but it's just not happening.

You wake up surrounded by clothes, blankets, and other soft oddities that Rhett's found himself drawn to. It's a crudely built nest, crafter only by instinct, with no memory or advice from others to guide himself with, but he's so smiling and accepting everything Bobby offers him. Your nests are primarily built out of things you've bought for the occasion, featuring your favorite colors and textures, but the warmth of this one is unrivaled.

Even after, Rhett doesn't necessarily act like an omega. He's still every bit of the rough-and-tumble cowboy from the first day you met, but he's in tune with himself now. He'll go from a bar fight to nuzzling up under Bob's chin and squeezing you to him, all in the same five-minute span.

Officially going off of his medications has finally let his body do its thing, regular heats that fall into sync with yours and little bits of fat collecting on his ass and thighs, squishy and solid in all the right places. He learns to handle himself and never truly conforms to your aesthetically pleasing nests, forever building a warm, messy patchwork of you and Bobby.

Purring is a function lost to the test of time in most, a function gone obsolete, but your contented rumbles teach him to make the noise, too. Most omegas are groomed out of making all their more primal, animalistic noises, but he chirps and makes all sorts of funny noises that you didn't know were related to your nature.

Bobby is forever the pillar that allows for all of your and Rhett's shenanigans, letting the pair of you love up on him or torment him to your heart's content. He's the sleeping giant that lets kids play on him, only raising issue when he's got genuine reason to.

And even now, with the normalization of these funny little behaviors and Rhett becoming fully aware of his own body, the fun of it all never dies down. Maybe it's because of the long-established dynamic or the nontraditional conformation of who you are as individuals.

Or maybe it's got something to do with the newly healed marks on your necks...

[irithnova]

About my Siberia ocs...

So I think it's important to balance their characterisation in a way in which they are distinctive characters with interesting personalities and backstories but also acknowledges the challenges they face without making their entire character essentially "They're sad all the time because of Russia" or "Stop talking about their struggles under Russia I don't like politics."

I think both are problematic however I find the latter to be far more distasteful because well. This is a nation personification OC we're talking about and not only that, they're essentially nations within a nation (Russia) by virtue of colonisation and so are minority groups within the larger nation. Hell - because of displacement and immigration from European Russia , a lot of these groups are minorities within their own lands. It's a special case when dealing with minority groups/occupied people personifications and it's particularly egregious when someone wants to forgo any kind of acknowledgement of these power imbalances yet still insists that their interpretation is sensitive.

I've seen some pretty bad OCs of Siberian groups which are the product of the creator going "I hate politics stop talking about politics!" or, an almost direct quote, "I hate when people shove politics into historical hetalia." Which... Is an interesting take to say the least considering how history feeds into politics and vice versa. Historical hetalia is a beast in an of itself and is one of the only hetalia communities/bubbles in which "no politics" will get you laughed out the door from what I've seen considering *gestures to my previous statement*. If you've ever taken a history course - you'll know how much history and politics are intertwined.

This is how you get interps which consists of the likes of "Russia was wandering around the empty lands of Siberia" which not only blatantly disregards the brutality of the Russian colonisation of Siberia but also promotes the concept of "Terra Nullius" or "Virgin Land". I'm quoting myself from an even bigger post I have in store which focuses on anti Mongolian sentiment however stereotypes about Mongolians and Siberian groups often overlap because of their placement in Northern Asia, hence why it applies to both,

"In addition, to hone in on Mongolia being an "untouched, pristine" land - this is also a common trope that is launched towards traditionally nomadic "unsettled groups” (such as Siberian and Native American groups). The concept of "Terra Nullius", a Latin word meaning "nobody's land". It completely disregards the presence and rights of the people who inhabit the land and has been historically used to justify the colonisation and displacement of such groups - their land belonged to "nobody" so it was essentially up for grabs...It divorces the people from their landscape and paves the way for dangerous misconceptions and justifications to blossom.

Here is an example of "Terra Nullius" in action in a Russian propaganda poster, encouraging Russians to move to Kazakhstan."

Or interps such as "[Siberian group] has forgiven Russia for everything he did/most things he did and is in love with him" which implies that the mistreatment of the Siberian groups is merely something in the past when it is in fact ongoing. The mistreatment of Siberian groups such as the Sakha, Buryats, Chukchi and Tuvans has been all the more highlighted in their disproportionate mobilisation in the invasion of Ukraine - and the heaps of scapegoating that was subsequently shovelled onto them.

That's not to say ethnic minority soldiers in the Russian army shouldn't be held accountable for their crimes - however that and the fact that they themselves are victims of Russian imperialism can both exist as true statements. The scapegoating is so bad that even Pope Francis joined in, blaming the brunt of the war crimes committed onto "Non Russians" such as Buryats and Chechens, as they do not come from "Russian culture."

Back to my main point... I think the resistance to do research on and publicly acknowledge how these groups live under Russia and what kind of struggles they face in some kind of bid to "not paint them as victims!!11" is sorely misinformed and ignorant. Because well. They are victims.

Not in the sense that you should portray them as sad, pitiful, weak little meow meows but in the sense that yes they are living under Russian occupation and are an occupied people who's been subjected to centuries of Russification, and so compared to making an OC of Mongolia who is an independent nation state at least I think there is far less room to be hauling around "leave politics out of historical hetalia!" "don't talk to me about politics!" "stop victimising them!!" because then it leads to tone deaf interpretations such as "They've forgiven Russia for everything and is in love with him ♥️💖", "Russia is actually [Siberia groups] father", "Here is my singular Siberia OC who represents ALL Siberian groups and by the way Russia is their father" (yes these are all real interpretations I've seen and I've made a separate really strongly worded post ranting about it) and worse. I mean I've literally seen an "aph Siberia oc" who was Russia and France's love child. Terra Nullius executed Hetalia-style.

I don't really think I need to elaborate on why a singular Siberia OC is problematic - Siberia is filled with a myriad of different groups who speak different languages, have different origins and ways of lives and practices, different religions, who've experienced eras of peace and conflict with each other, etc and yeah to shove them all into one personification is an erasure of the sheer diversity that is in Siberia. I definitely don't need to elaborate on why making Russia a father to any of these groups is problematic, to say very the least.

On the point of "don't only portray them in a victimising lense", I think making Siberian groups all depressed all the time is also a Russia-centric perspective. Of course it's ignorant at best to not acknowledge their shared suffering because of Russia however when this point and this point alone is central to their character I believe in a way that it strips them of their autonomy and ability to feel things and do things outside of Russia's gaze. There is absolutely a lot of joy to be had despite their current situation, perhaps even in spite of their current situation. It's ok to give them odd quirks and put them in funny situations as well as acknowledge that they are an occupied people and approach that territory carefully when need be.

For example, I made my Buryatia bubbly and loud but made my Tuva a bit more deadpan because I see them as a pair who often associate with each other and I think the dynamic is funny. I also made Buryatia an overbearing "husband" to Soyot who is perpetually tired™ from all the se- .

I made a crack dynamic between Sakha, Evenkia and Dolgan where Evenkia was Sakha's teacher at first but then became a deadbeat dad leaving Sakha to primarily raise Dolgan, thus Dolgan takes after Sakha and is uh lawyermaxxing👍. Yukaghir is the little old lady of the group who is often forgetful but very nifty and Chukotka acts like a big sister to people which Koryak (who I see as her brother) always finds annoying and they often bicker. Ket is on the slightly edgy side and is extremely particular about his routines and Nganasan terrifies Nenet because he eats reindeer whereas Nenet doesn't.

All of these quirks/ more lighthearted interpretations and "they are an occupied people under Russia" can coexist. One should not be thrown out for the sake of the other.

I think there's also problem - though I've seen this far less, in making Siberia ocs purely as a middle finger at Russia. As in, you made the OC because you wanted to say loud and proud FUCK RUSSIA which well yeah, fuck Russia, but I highly doubt your interest in this group lies outside of wanting to #own the Russians which is dehumanising in and of itself. At least pretend to care about the history and culture instead of using an entire group of people to make a virtue-signally oc purely to try and upset some Russians.

Anyways yeah Siberia 👍

[lionheartedmusings]

with mousey and bad together on the server, there's been a lot of talking about her as satan (it's been clarified by mousey that all she remembers is that she's a demon from hell) and her as bad's boss, and i wanted to do a bit of a deep dive on bad's demon lore through both a "pop culture" view and a more traditional biblical view.

in pop culture we've had a lot of mixing up of demon lore in general, with the prevalent idea that demons are creations of hell, and not all of them necessarily fallen angels or previously heavenly beings — it's a perfectly valid analysis, but i'm firmly convinced that bad's character is not just any demon, but instead very much a powerful demon that was once an angel.

let's start with what we do know of q!bad's personal history and slot things into their proper place. we know he's around 11600 years old (making his "date of birth" somewhere around 9577 BC. we also know he arrived in this world (which in this case we have to assume is whichever dimension qsmp is held in) in 9600 BC which means he lived the majority of his life away from his home — he was barely 23 when he "moved".

we also know that he didn't come to this dimension willingly, that he was summoned and in that summoning he caused serious destruction — it's been made pretty apparent that the man sunk atlantis, and frankly there's still a question as to whether he did it on accident or not, or the reason why he keeps it hidden. according to bonnie the horse, he sent them a lot of "salty souls" once, and bonnie has also dubbed bad "death of the sea". it doesn't matter whether bad is hiding because what he did made him famous, or because he feels terrible — what matters here is that one singular demon was able to cause the destruction and sinking of a whole civilization singlehandedly. he was also able to do it at a pretty young age.

we also know that bad has eaten souls before (as well as anything he can get in his mouth, apparently), that he's got a way to avoid being summoned (as he told dapper he'd let him know later) and that for better or for worse, he's immortal. so, it's safe to say that bad is an extremely powerful being that cannot be killed by any means, and who has enough control over himself to not only hide his true nature but also contain himself to the highest degree.

speaking of death, bad's relationship with it is very interesting on a few levels. we know he's employed as a grim reaper (and that being a grim reaper is completely removed from his origins, it's just a job) and that to one degree or another, he's acknowledged mumza as the goddess of death as being canonical to him as well (yesterday tallulah spoke about death as a beautiful woman, and bad confirmed to chat she meant mumza).

but what is a grim reaper?

traditionally, grim reapers (or those who served their role) were nothing more than physical manifestations of death with the purpose of easing humans from one plane into the next. they're friendly and kind, and historically for the longest time (up until the middle ages and the plague) they were positive figures, reminiscent at many times of angels.

now, onto angels. angels biblically are far from the cherubic vision we see most often — they're whatever they're needed for. they can be kind-hearted messengers, but they're also warriors and if need be, and they can be incredibly dangerous to humans. why did some fall? simple enough, they sinned. there are passages in the bible regarding the fall of angels and they're described as losing the war in heaven, being cast down with "satan" (while satan and lucifer are not entirely interchangeable and they're often considered two different people, biblically today they're presumed to be the same so let's just roll with it for now) into hell. other passages speak of angels who sinned against god and who await judgement in hell.

but what does any of this have to do with badboyhalo, you ask? well… more than it seems at first if you put it all together. on a basic level, bad wouldn't be considered your average demon — yes, he's full of mischief, has an odd moral compass, and can be incredibly violent, but he's also very kind, and very gentle, and very very loving. there are contradictions in his personality that could be discounted as meta… but the evidence continues to pile up. bad is full of angel iconography, from the actual halo in his name and in his preferred design, but his new build in his home is really beating us over the head with it — he build two statues that can only be described as holy warriors, dark and demon-y but with a golden halo and beautiful white wings.

then, there's "the chair". which is not a chair, it's very much a throne, but for whatever reason bad seems vehemently opposed to admitting that it is, in fact, a throne — it's huge, and full of dark and red blocks, fire… and behind it? huge angel wings. now, one could argue that they're bones, but there are details in the blocks that very clearly allude to feathers — the idea of white feathery wings is a direct parallel to angels, and i think it's very intentional.

who, then, is badboyhalo? i'd put my money on his personal lore being connected to the demonology idea of "the princes of hell" — angels who fell from the grace of god, and took up their kingdoms in hell. i'm fully convinced that bad is a prince of hell. now, which one? that's trickier, and not something we know enough to real pinpoint, especially when you consider that the identity of the princes of hell is pretty fluid — there's a lot of different texts who name different demons, so i'm choosing to simplify it until we get more information.

tl;dr - badboyhalo is not just any ol' demon, but a fallen angel — one of the "princes of hell".

a special thanks to @comradeboyhalo because this post was very handy!

[signedeclipse]

Hi Eclipse! If possible do you think you could do some fluff headcanons focusing on painting your nails with Muzan, Enmu, and Gyutaro? I just think it'd be a really cute scene :)

Enmu

He is always paying close attention to your features

Notices new jewelry, different outfit combinations, and foods you are fixating on

Most curiously, he notices your nails magically change colour every other week or so

Wondering how he eventually confronts you about it

Swoons when you explain you never did it around him because you were worried the scent was too strong for a demon

He will literally shove tissue up his nose just so he can paint his nails with you

Prefers to do it himself because he kind of lacks any sense of style and wants as many colours and designs as possible

I mean, yours are pretty and all but you are missing out on the neon rainbow swirls he's got

Gyutaro

He scratches himself a lot, so his nails are pretty janky

One day when you take notice and offer to clean them up, he's rather curious

I mean, you always do yours, so why not try it?

Really enjoys watching you carefully massage his hands and wipe them down, file them

Doesn't really care what colour they end up

If you really pressure him to pick, he would choose the first colour he sees you wearing

Let him match you, dammit...

Kind of minimized how often he scratches himself because he wants to prevent any chipping to your work

But if it eventually decays, he makes it really messy, so you feel inclined to offer it again

Muzan

A demon's nails are traditionally already coloured

But that doesn't stop him from watching you curiously as you try to paint your own

You seem to be having a hard time doing it yourself, and he can hear your frustration

So instead, he marches on over and demands you hand him the polish

First, he wants a bit of a demonstration

But then he goes on to paint your nails for you

He's been around a long time; you can't tell me his hands aren't steady as hell

Literally perfect nails, not a smudge or droplet left

He says he does it because the scent of the paint is strong, and it bothers him

But really, he wants to impress you

Authors Note - Fighting the urge to not be crazy and scare people who dont know we are mutuals... take care of yourself and enjoy!

[sgiandubh]

I'm confused why people keep insisting this woman is Sam's beard. A beard traditionally is a woman who is pretending to date a man to hide that he is gay. In this fandom every woman is Sam's beard - used to signify hiding his relationship with Cait. However, as far as I know Sam and Sarah have never even been in a photo together. He's cheering on her and everyone else at Hyrox, because yes, he does know this woman and is presumably her friend. Why is she a beard and not his friend. Has she posted things that imply a relationship? Has she interacted with the antis or mommies in her comments? No. I know you and others have called for people to just leave her alone but I don’t think people know how.

Dear Keep Insisting Anon,

Or are you the returning Not Allowed Anon, hoping for more traction? I wouldn't know.

No, she has emphatically not interacted with the overzealous Mommies, who already started fawning 🙄.

Yes, she has posted things that might imply a relationship, from Gran Canaria: the fitness 'go' and the protein powder (or whatever the hell she was preparing) video from that rental's kitchen. Those definitely had Ha-wa-wee 🐰vibes and are what a beard would absolutely do (look here, not there). Whether she was completely unaware about what Mordor is always able and ready to make of those videos or just serving another round of Narrative Kool Aid, is up to debate.

I chose not to give this uhm, 'thing', more traction than it deserves and I explained why. I will add only this: any further nitpicking on that particular topic only fuels *urv's new Fitness At Dawn Harlequin fanfic. That is something I would never want to be a part of. And I will always say, very clearly, to leave her and her child alone: the least thing those people need is this kind of questionable attention.

But when did this fandom know where or how to stop? The alternative is the Bardo of Boredom and very frankly, Anon: who would want to be stuck there until the new avatar steps in?

[gglitch1dd]

This might be kind of a stupid thing, but your stories really made me love myself more as a woman. I am a person who identifies as bigender and I have always had a somewhat complicated relationship with my more feminine side, both in relation to my body and in experiences. The way you portray the reader, her partner admiring her so much as a woman, suas lutas e conquistas, They always make me go a little "wow" if that makes sense. This made me look at myself, at the difficulties I've experienced living as a woman, and then realizing that I shouldn't feel repulsed by that side of me, but rather I should feel in awe of it. I started to love my body and who I am more and more, so...

Thank you 💙

Wow. I did not expect to start crying before bed.

If I could tell you how much this means to me, as a writer but also as a woman, I don't think I'd be doing it justice❤️

Honey, I understand. At one point, I'll be transparent, I hated being a girl. I hated being an eldest daughter who felt like life was meaningless and being a girl was a horrid experience because of the few horrid men and puberty making us feel weird about our bodies, because "Youre the weaker sex" disposition that society makes us believe about ourselves but it took me a long while to learn to love myself and my femininity.

To love the fact that, yes, I love to cook and bake, yes I love the colour pink, yes I love to wear dresses and skirts, yes I do love traditionally feminine things and fall into such roles sometimes, yes id actually love to fall in love and with the right man maybe even have kids one day. sometimes I just want to be a girl. (If you catch my drift) And I think sometimes we forget that that's okay.

It's why I write my YNs to be strong in their own way. She doesn't have to be a boss bitch and always channel her inner masculine energy to get the job done (sometimes it's necessary but still), she doesnt have to be the most powerful person in everyones lives and be the most ambitious savvy person ever. She's loved how she is. She's beautiful how she is.

I make sure that through her partners. Whether it be Izuku, Eijiro, Katsuki or hell, even when writing father figure characters for YN such as Takeo and Masaru, I make sure their words and appreciation reaches you.

Yes, you reader. The one reading this right now. So that you feel safe and loved. And so that the little girl inside of you feels happy to be who she is.

I love you so much❤️. And thank you for allowing me to help or reach you in even the most little of ways possible. I feel so blessed and i thank God everyday i get to live to see it🩷

-Glitch1d

[moonlightdancer26]

What know what other character I love who gets paid dust? Fleur frickin Delacour. My girl was a Triwizard champion and a war hero. She was an extremely talented witch and a very smart (BILINGUAL!!!) person, not to mention badass and tough as nails, and yet other characters treat her like some kind of floozy. Ginny and Molly are allowed to antagonize and make fun of her with zero consequences, and the text validates it. What is it about Fleur that makes her so awful in their eyes? That she’s French? That she’s quarter Veela? That she’s pretty? That Bill is marrying her and not some demure English girl his parents picked out for him? Like the twins do with Percy, they constantly antagonize her and then act like SHE’S the terrible one when she defends herself. My girl put up with being objectified her entire life. Pay her some respect.

I CAN’T EVEN EXPLAIN HOW MUCH I LOVE FLEUR

She literally deserves the world. She wasn’t even from Britain, yet she permanently moved there for Bill and was still getting accustomed to learning English. She also quite literally had NOTHING to do with the war besides Bill. She could’ve fled, but willingly stays and risked her life for the man she loved. She may have been “aRrOgAnT” (are people not allowed to complain about things they aren’t used to??) but she was also brave, loving, kind, strong, loyal, and protective. Molly was a grown ass woman and should’ve given Fleur more recognition for moving countries and making an effort to form a good relationship with Bill’s family. She should have also scolded Mione and Ginny whenever they’d mock her. She also tried to pair Bill up with Dora despite the fact that both of them were in love with someone else. And shouldn’t she have made an effort to be nice to Fleur? Bill clearly loved her, did Molly not trust her own son’s judgement?

If Fleur had not been a traditionally feminine French woman, I’m sure as hell they wouldn’t have antagonised her.

And, like you said, she was literally objectified by everyone all her life. That dinner scene in the Yule Ball where Roger Davis literally wasn’t listening to a word she said, like holy shit imagine that kind of shit happening to you everyday. And the phrase “Just look at her! She was asking for it!” must’ve been used on her a billion times, it’s literally so gross I feel so bad for my girl. She deserves all the respect

Also I was writing my tags and my sister asked me why I was so invested 💀 I’m out rn but I still wanted to answer this

[tinyjellyfishy]

I know people are going "KISS HER!!! WHY DIDN'T THEY KISS!!!" about that imodna conversation, and I would have been extremely happy if they did! But I'm a little saddened because calling for that feels like it misses the explicit and incredibly queer message given by their relationship because it's looking for what's been defined in expectation to be love. It misses the power that exists in undefinition.

"It transcends words, our relationship."

"You are my strong foundation." "You're my tether."

"i love you so much." "i love you more than anything." They say this while they're hugging. They punctuate this incredibly heartfelt and world-defining love by holding onto each other tight like they'll never see each other again. Women who fight for the other and have saved each other again and again. This is love. This is a love confession.

It just doesn't end with a kiss.

There is an undeniable love and care. You cannot miss how devoted these women are to eachother. It’s simply a fact. But Laudna says it herself: their relationship is beyond definition. Beyond label. It is all encompassing, all surrounding, like being soulmates. And Laudna says it doesn't have a label, because their love just-- is. Not friendship, not dating, might not call it a QP, not a mere partnership, not anything but Laudna and Imogen. Just look at it. They don't NEED to kiss to tell you how much.

I will fully admit i'm greyroace with a tenuous understanding on love despite being in my own relationship: specifically the lines in the sand between platonic and romantic feelings and what either entail. There are SO many psychology theories on various typings that frankly the best conclusion you can come to is "love is love slashy-face :/" it's all a nebulous strange connection humans being make. Love is beyond definition because man fuck, what the hell are we talking about.

And yet, without understanding it, love is powerful. It's the connection that makes two people think about living away on a horse ranch together peacefully, the kind that makes them plunge into eachother's personal hells to lead them by the hand to sunlight. It's cuddling in the night while holding eachother's hands. And it's Laudna and Imogen's. They’ve said it outloud: they are the other's better half to a better whole, and more important than anything else. You can't deny that. And it’s so wonderful to see such an incredible relationship. It doesn’t NEED to have The Big Kiss as its overture.

A kiss is not the grand thing of a relationship; weirdly, a lot of writers tend to completely STOP the story at The Big Kiss and not be able to let the characters have a functional relationship. Laudna and Imogen are unbelievably intertwined, they LOVE EACHOTHER. There's no "will they won't they" tension or dancing around the idea of dating and being girlfrienda and the squee of hot goss (which i do still enjoy btw c2 was very fun for many reasons). They are so wholly comfortable in the other. Like the old type of love between long time married couples, the kind where it's so ingrained it's simply routine. Sometimes prone to insecurity and bumps (rocks.) but every relationship has that, and the great thing is that their other friendships are there to support them, just as important to rounding out their circles, unlike some stories that would sacrifice or flander them. for the sake of the love story. They're Imogen and Laudna, Laudna and Imogen, close with their friends but eachother most of all. Imodna IS canon. Its arc is just something that isn't about what we'd call the romance of it.

It feels like demanding they needed to kiss in order to officialize(?) their love enforces a strange binary that makes their relationship lesser and unrecognized as meaningful unless they engage in traditionally romantic gestures. It's the same societal allonormativity that places a false hierarchy on romantic versus platonic relationships, that dismisses "Do you really think we were meant for normal?" Laudna asks. Isn't that ambiguity and lack of definition what queerness is for?

If they kiss in the future I will be very very happy! If you make them fluster and awkward in ur funnie fictions go wild. But maybe I've just been recently fatigued with fan culture in general ignoring the beauty and complexity of various relationships and character stories because of this narrow idea often rooted in an overemphasis on shipping culture. Denying the value in the forest because it didn't have your specific tree.

[catierambles]

Blood Moon Ch.11

Pairing: Syverson x Annalisa Caulfield (OFC)

Annalisa moved around her office in Pendulum, needing to get a jump on work. Sy would be by later as they got closer to opening to start the paperwork and meet the security team. Inventory counts, nights totals, police report from last night. The fact that Sy's brother was one of the suits that showed up was a bit amusing. She'd dealt with him a few times before and he was a decent guy.

The office door opened without a knock beforehand and she looked over at it as Eugene walked inside, his posture tense.

“Knocking is a thing.” She said simply.

“Why is your new boy toy put in the system as the new Head of Security?” He asked, his tone angry.

“Because he is our new Head of Security.” She said, as if it were obvious, and it was.

“A bouncer I could understand, the man is a neanderthal hick—”

“Don't talk about him like that.”

“But Head of Security?” He asked, “How in the hells is he qualified for that?”

“By being a former Captain in the Army Special Forces.” She said, “With multiple tours under his belt. He's a bit overqualified for being simply a member of security, don't you think?”

“Annie, you're letting your personal feelings impact your business decisions.”

“Excuse me? How? We needed a new Head, he needed a job and was qualified. It doesn't matter how I feel about him. If he had found the position positing online and applied, he would have gotten it. Because he's qualified for the position.”

“Just because you enjoy sleeping with him—”

“He's my Tovaras.” She said and he paused.

“Excuse me?” Eugene asked, his voice controlled.

“Sy is my Tovaras.” She clarified, “It's why he felt so different to me, why I felt so strongly for him since the beginning. He's my Tovaras de Viata.”

“He's a human.” Eugene said but she was silent. “He's not a human.”

“No, Eugene, he isn't. He's a wolf, like Ethan.”

“You're fucking a dog? Are you stupid?”

“Get out.” Annalisa said.

“Annie—”

“Eugene Dubois, get the fuck out of my office. That's twice you've insulted him and now you've insulted me. Get out of my sight and remember your place.” He looked like he was going to argue, but she just kept eye contact before he looked away.

“Yes, Lady Caulfield.” He said and left the office, closing the door behind him.

Sy walked into Pendulum, heading past the bar and Ethan taking count of what they had on hand. The club was quiet, the day lights on, the large bladed pendulum on the back wall behind thick glass stationary instead of swinging back and forth on a track like it usually did.

“Hey, man.” He called out and Ethan turned.

“Hey, brother.” Ethan said, “Heard you're joining our little gang.”

“Yeah, Annie offered me a job.” He said, heading over to the bar.

“Avoid Renaud--”

"Eugene." Sy said and there was a beat.

"Is that his real name?" Ethan asked with a snort and Sy nodded. "Wow, okay. Anyway, he's pissed and on a war path.”

“Thanks for the heads up. He gonna be a problem for me?”

“He won't go against Annie if he knows what's good for him.” Ethan said, “Besides, she handles the staff, not him.”

“Yeah. You in their little inner circle?”

“The coven?” He asked and Sy nodded. “Not officially. It's only a vamp thing, traditionally, but I'm in on meetings when they have them. You will too, probably.”

“How many on the payroll are non-human?” Ethan was speaking plainly, so Sy figured it was safe for him to do so as well.

“Only a few. We're the only wolves that I know of. Sweeney, Shelley, and Frost are vamps, they patrol the floor looking out for trouble and take care of the VIPs. A couple members of security.”

“Yeah, Annie let me know about them last night during the drug thing.”

“Eugene, obviously,” Ethan said, “The other bartender, Jayce, he's human and in the dark though, so mums the word around him. Annie'll probably introduce you to the vamp staff privately."

"I know why I call her Annie, why do you?"

"Because she's Annie." Ethan said with a shrug, "I was in a bad spot after I got infected, half feral and dangerous. She took me in, got me straightened out, gave me a job. I know what you're probably thinking, and no, it didn't go any farther than that. She's like...I don't know, a big sister or a mom. She took care of me until I was able to take care of myself. I'd do anything for her, because I know she'd do anything for me. For all of us. Except maybe Eugene. Can't believe that's his real name, the try-hard."

“She's my Mate.”

“I know.” Ethan said, “Dude, my nose is hypertuned like yours. You carry her scent, and not just because you're bunking together. It's a part of you now. Just like she carries yours. You're her—the hell do they call it? Tovaras? It ain't just chemistry, Sy, it's biology. Speak of the She-Devil.” Annalisa gave him a look as she moved next to Sy, her hand sliding over his low back and he gave her a soft look.

“When did you get here?” She asked.

“Not long, just talkin' to Ethan about the lay of the land.” He said, his arm lifting to wrap around her shoulders. “Heard Eugene is in a bother.” Ethan snorted softly, turning back around to continue taking stock.

“Eugene.” He whispered, chuckling.

“He'll get over it.” She said, “Come on, let's head back to my office and we'll get a jump on the tax paperwork.”

“Taxes?” He asked with a note of disgust.

“Yes, taxes. You still have to file a W-2 and a 1099.”

“You been in this city since before it was a city, how do you keep people from noticin' that you don't age?” Sy asked.

“By knowing people who know people.” She said with a shrug.

“You sure you ain't in the mob?” He asked and Ethan snorted again.

“Yes, I'm sure.” She said, rolling her eyes. “Come on, bureaucracy awaits.”

The paperwork was every bit as boring as he remembered as he looked over the various tax forms and employment documentation.

“I haven't signed my name this much since I enlisted.” He said, throwing the pen down on the desk and leaning back in his chair.

“You were a Captain, weren't you?”

“Yeah.”

“That requires a college degree, at least a Bachelors.”

“Went into ROTC outta high school, Criminal Justice.”

“You have a Bachelors in Criminal Justice, a military background with tours overseas, and you couldn't get a position in at least the Police Academy?” She asked but he shook his head.

“I had an honorable discharge, but it was listed as medical. On-going complications due to injuries sustained in the line of duty. I guess they didn't wanna chance it.”

“Does the Army know about...” She let it trail off, but he knew what she was asking.

“Not that I'm aware of.” Sy said, “I was pretty banged up, so when they asked if I wanted to keep goin', I told'em no and they discharged me. Be pretty hard to hide it if I stayed in.”

“Probably a good call.” She said, “Besides, if you stayed in, you probably wouldn't have been in Bixby's that night and we would have never met.”

“Doors, windows, ya know.” He said and she got up from her chair on the other side of the desk, walking around it and going behind him, leaning over and resting on his shoulders, her hands smoothing over his chest. “I want you to meet my family.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. You already know Brian, but there's his wife and kids, and I got three other brothers. Pete and Jake are both married with kids, and Mikey is the youngest but is too busy bein' twenty-four to settle down.”

“Nor should he, at that age. Marrying that early almost never works out. You don't know who you are yet to settle with someone for the rest of your life.”

“How old were you when you got married?” Sy asked and she paused. “Annie?”

“You sure you want to know that answer?” She asked and he turned slightly to look up at her.

“Not so much anymore.” Sy said, “You weren't like...sixteen, were you?” She had been Turned on her wedding night, so however old she was when she was married, was the age she would be forever.

“No.” She said with a snort, “It may have been a different time, but there was still decorum when it came to marriage. Especially since children were expected from the union. I was twenty when I married. Markus was...well, a couple centuries past that, but passed his age as thirty-five.”

“Your folks let their twenty year old daughter marry a man they thought was fifteen years older than her?”

“Different time, remember?” She reminded him, “But you're right, twenty at that time was still considered a bit young, most women married at twenty-two or twenty-three. However, Markus was a Lord, remember? And wealthy. We...weren't.”

“How'd you meet him?”

“You're going to hate him if I tell you.”

“Annalisa.”

“I was a maid for his estate. It was one of the very few ways, besides seamstress or prostitute, for a woman to be employed. I sent all the money I made back to my parents as, because I was a maid, I had free room and board at his estate in the servants' quarters.”

“He was your boss.” Sy said, and she was right, he was starting to hate him. She had been twenty, a servant, and... “He held all the power. Over where you lived, if you ate, if your family got money to survive.”

“Sy...” She moved away from him with a sigh.

“Annalisa, the man took advantage of you.”

“Markus was never inappropriate with us, never asked things of us outside our job descriptions.”

“That don't make it right. It don't matter he didn't get frisky with the other maids, it matters that he got frisky with you.”

“The man married me, Kyle! Would it have been better if he got under my skirts and then kicked me out once he got bored?!”

“It don't matter that he put a ring on your finger!” Sy said, getting up from his chair, “You were twenty! Barely outta bein' a teen and he seduced you!”

“Doesn't seem to bother you.”

“Don't you dare.” Sy said, “You're a few centuries past twenty now, Annalisa, and even if you weren't, I ain't holdin' your livelihood and the livelihood of your entire fuckin' family over you.”

“Neither did he!” She yelled, “He didn't just fuck me in a hall closet and marry me to avoid a scandal, Sy! He courted me and he proposed because he loved me, and I said yes because I loved him.”

“The power balance between you—”

“For fucks sake, Kyle! It's been four hundred years and the man is dead! That Hunter forced holy water down his throat and I had to watch as his insides were liquefied! There was so much blood! And the entire time he was screaming! Even as it streamed out of his mouth and nose! A horrible, drowning sound! I could hear it for years afterwards! See him every time I closed my eyes!” He crossed the room quickly, pulling her against his chest as the almost violent sobs wracked her body, holding her tightly.

“I'm sorry.” He chanted it into her hair, “I'm sorry, baby. I'm so fuckin' sorry I dragged that up.”

“I couldn't save him, I couldn't help him. I had to watch him die like that, knowing I was next.”

“How'd you get away?”

“Eugene, he was a friend of Markus'.” She said, breathing through it, “He was too late to help Markus, but he was able to get me free and out of there.”

“And you—”

“Be pissed at him. I was eventually. I was a recent widow, having watched my husband die a gruesome, traumatic death, and he saw an opportunity.” She said.

“Go out to my truck, baby. We're goin' home, I'm runnin' a bath in that big bathtub of yours, and I'm takin' care of you. Okay?” She nodded against him and he dug his keys out of his pocket, handing them to her. “I'll be right out.” She just nodded again, palming his keys and pulling away from him, leaving her office.

“Annie?” He heard Eugene's voice out in the hall and there was a snarl in the back of his mind. He came into view a moment later in the office doorway, his shoulders tense and his eyes burning. "What the fuck did you do to her?"

"What did I do to her?" Sy asked and Eugene stalked over him. He tried to grab him, but Sy twisted, grabbing his wrist and wrenching his arm behind his back, slamming him face first onto the desk, fisting the back of his shirt. "You listen to me, you piece of shit."

"Let go of me!"

"She was traumatized and you took advantage of that. Her husband, your friend, was dead and you helped yourself to his widow." Sy said, "If it ain't about business, you don't talk to her. No more visits to her house, you can talk to her here or at Tell-Tale Heart. Got it?"

"Or you'll what, dog?" He growled out, his fangs long.

"Or I'll rip your damn arms off and beat you to death with them. It'll take a while, but I won't be in any rush." Sy said and let go of him, stepping back as he straightened.

"You're fired."

"Not your call. Now get outta my face."

"The only reason why I'm not ripping your throat out right now is because of Annie."

"Keep tellin' yourself that if it makes you feel better." Sy said and stood there in the office for a bit longer after he was gone before leaving, heading out to his truck. Annalisa was sitting in the passenger seat, relaxed in the seat with her eyes closed. She didn't respond when he got into the driver's side, starting the engine and pulling away from the club, but her fingers did tighten in his when he reached over to hold her hand, entwining their fingers.