#i want them to be significant enough to his original time period | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

sprout-fics · 9 months

Text

Poly TF141 x Omega! Reader Headcanons

(Poly TF14 x F! Omega Reader)

(Part Nine: The Proposition)

Tags: Omegaverse, Alpha/Beta/Omega dynamics, Hidden designations, Alpha! John Price, Alpha! Simon 'Ghost' Riley, Beta! Kyle 'Gaz' Garrick, Omega! John 'Soap' MacTavish, Omega F! Reader, Group dynamics, Poly TF141, Slow burn, Courting rituals, Heat cycles

Masterlist

“I want you to help me with my next heat.”

Soap’s spoon drops into his oatmeal, sending splatter across the table

You ignore him, focus on Price and Ghost on the other side of the table you’re all gathered around during communal breakfast, having waited to speak until everyone has had some semblance of food and coffee

Price’s hand clasps the handle of his mug in a white-knuckle grip, a rare look of shock passing over his face. Likewise, Ghost seems taken aback, gaze wide enough under his mask you can see the whites of his eyes

The silence is deafening.

You wonder, for a moment, if you misspoke

Courting was one thing, but to ask for something so intimate was…a significant step in your relationship with the rest of the team. Perhaps one too far

“I…I think I can tell roughly when the next one will be.” You elaborate. “I’m still in my mandatory detox period, but my cycle should be stabilizing…so…” You fidget with your hands in your lap, eyes looking down

“Are you sure about this?” Is the first question Price asks, and you nod, certain of your decision. There’s no other alphas in the world you’d trust more to help you, and if your last heat was any indication, you’d prefer not to endure by yourself

The silence stretches on, and finally Price sighs, reaches for his cigars

“When?” He asks

“About two or so weeks from now, I think.” and your captain nods, eyeing Ghost, waiting for him to object

“Both of us.” Ghost clarifies, and you shrug

“Yes. Otherwise…well…” It seems unfair. You mentally add

“And us?” Gaz adds hesitantly, and you focus on him

“You’re welcome too.” You’re quick to add

That makes Ghost straighten back in his chair, shock blinking through his eyes at this sudden bravado of yours, a sharp change from your cautious allowance of them into your heart

You squirm, a little uncomfortable, waiting for them to say no

“Hen.” Soap offers quietly, and you turn to the only other omega in the group, seeing his blue eyes gaze at you comfortingly

“It’s…a lot. With two alphas.” He tells you in consolation, still loud enough for the others to hear. Soap, the one with experience in this circumstance, the one who is your packmate, but also your confidant in this regard. “It might be a little overwhelming.”

“Wouldn’t be my first time.” You point out flatly, referencing your original taking by the two alphas all that time ago. Soap snaps his jaw shut, pausing before he concedes with a shrug and a nod

“But…” You turn back to the two alphas and Gaz before you. “There are conditions.”

“Name them.” Ghost gestures, leaning back in his chair similar to Price

“You aren’t allowed to bond-bite me-” and both Ghost and Price look mildly offended you would even have to say as much. “I can back out, and if I do, it changes nothing between us-” and at this Price looks a little more concerned, mostly at the idea that they’d do something to warrant the withdrawal of your consent

“And finally, I want…a um…practice run.”

You swear you can hear a pin drop

“Y-you mean-” Gaz fills in the silence, words tight in his throat, and it takes courage to nod once more, not back out despite the wash of embarrassment that prickles along your skin

“M-maybe not at the same time.” You clarify, ducking your eyes up to glance at the team. “But…just to get an idea?”

“Hell’s bells.” Soap groans beside you, which you try and take as a positive sign

Price clears his throat, drawing everyone’s gazes to him, and he swallows so his adam’s apple bobs

“You’re saying you want to have sex with us.” Ghost declares flatly before before Price can beat him to the punch, an the older man levies a mild gaze at Ghost, who merely shrugs

You’re too busy with your desperately burning face to pay them much attention, not able to offer more than a nod in your embarrassment

The boys are struggling to figure out what to say, you can tell, and there’s a festering, rotten thing that unspools inside your chest in the silence

“Unless…” You venture. “You don’t want to?”

It’s one thing to ask for assistance during a heat. You know that. It’s another to brazenly offer intimacy with all of them at the same time, using your heat as a thinly veiled excuse to crawl your way into their beds

A hand drags you sideways, until you bump against Soap’s shoulder. He huffs

“Ya numpty.” He chides. “Was just waiting for you to ask, was all.”

You squirm, heat prickling along your skin but desire curling deep in your belly, pleased and desperately relieved.

“So…now?” You ask, slightly bolder, and Soap laughs

“Eager.” Price comments, his smoky voice husky, suggestive, and it makes you wiggle a little closer into Soap’s side as his grip tightens on you

“We don’t need to rush things.” Gaz chimes in then, breaking the building unspoken between you all. “There’s time before your heat, we can take our time, yeah?”

You chew your lip at that, and though the temptation to tumble into bed with all of them right now is…promising, you know there’s a weight to Gaz’s words, spoken as you stare into his liquid brown gaze

“Y-yeah.” You manage, ignoring the possible trickle of something wet at your entrance, praying they don’t catch the scent of your arousal before you’ve even been touched.

“Sooo…” Soap drawls beside you, voice playful as he breaks the myriad of emotions swirling in the room. “My room? 8pm? Should I bring lube?”

Gaz barks a startled laugh, and you give a little punch to Soap’s arm, who moans lewdly on purpose like an ass, grinning all the while

“Right then.” Price announces, standing from his chair and looking pointedly at all of you. “We can discuss this more later if necessary, but you-” and he looks at you and Gaz in turn. “Have weapons training, Soap is in charge of rookie drills, and Ghost, you’re needed for intel briefing.”

You all move to your respective tasks with various grumbles of consternation and approval, and it’s only once the team has mostly filtered out that Soap brushes past you, dipping his head low to graze against the shell of your ear

“Offer stands, bonnie.” He whispers there, taking a deep lungful of air that tells you he’s already smelled the slick dampening your folds.

He’s gone without another word, leaving you stiff, staring after him, and desperately waiting for 8pm.

Taglist:

(Please have an 18+ or similar age disclaimer in your bio to be tagged in this fic)

@alicesfracturedmirror @emrzennn @scatter-mind001 @josieguts @angryvengeful @ramadiiiisme @mutuallimbenclosure @waves-against-a-cliff @sunnynomoar @miyabilicious @piratesfromspace @sofasoap @soapskneebrace @writeforfandoms @waltzthegenderfluidpan @ghosts-goldendoodle @cherrycoloredfunk86 @lostagoodcigar @tbrfic @appleschloss @tizylish @misshoneypaper @kkinky @reaper-chan666 @kenma-izhu @shinebright2000 @zalyluvvs @neoarchipelago @essencse @dankest-farrik @mirthlxss @bi-witch-bxtch

#call of duty x reader #cod mw2 x reader #mw2 #poly tf141 #omegaverse call of duty #cod omegaverse #tf 141 x reader #my writing #my fic #x reader

1K notes · View notes

starleska · 11 months

Text

The Spot x Reader headcanons

just some ideas exploring The Spot as a character and how he may be with a significant other 👀 content warnings for bullying, harassment, possessive/yandere behaviour, and weird Eldritch portal-murder.

⚫ despite The Spot’s obvious ego, he struggles to believe you find him attractive. when you first meet he’s in something of a transformative period: volleying between being in awe at the power of his new physical form, and caving in to the abuse he’s received from friends, family and strangers for how he looks. The Spot rambles to you in a half-nervous, half-manic sort of way about the quirks of his bodies: how his spots fizz when he’s angry and feel like heartburn; how his blank-coloured skin stretches over his skeleton like too-tight rubber; how he isn’t even sure if he has a skeleton anymore. he’s convinced that you’re waiting for him to ‘turn back to normal’ - or, in the suspicious part of his mind, that you have an ulterior motive for getting close. it takes a while for The Spot to notice how blown your pupils become when he looms over you, or how your breath quickens when he says something equal parts charming and devious. but once he’s aware that you truly are captivated by him as The Spot...the power goes quite to his head 😉

⚫ The Spot is hesitant about physical contact at first, but once he knows you’re not a threat, he melts. understanding The Spot’s body was difficult at the start: one time, you tried to hold his hand, but accidentally stuck your fingers through a portal on his wrist and punched him where his nose should be. yet you soon learn to be careful, and with time, The Spot stops flinching away when you rest your palm on top of his, or gently cup his cheek. his skin has a smooth, dolphin-like quality: dry yet slippery like linoleum. you know you’re doing things right because The Spot is a vocal man: he voices his content audibly, with a pleased sigh when you nuzzle into his neck, and a gentle hum when he wraps his long arm around you and pulls you against his chest. when it finally clicks that you want him, The Spot can’t enough of you. he’s forever touching you on the arm, the waist, even the lips. it’s as if now his original form is gone, he can’t get enough of your physical humanity 🖤

⚫ becoming intimate with The Spot does your social life no favours, which makes him fiercely protective of you. it’s no wonder that the two of you found such common ground: you’ve been victim to your own share of bullying and trauma, and feel for The Spot’s plight, having had his whole life wrenched away from him without so much as a sympathetic ear. one day, you’re cornered by several locals who start berating you for being a ‘freak-lover’. they shove you to the ground and tell you to get out of town, and to take that ‘mutant’ with you. but before you can open your mouth to reply, portals open up underneath each your would-be attackers and swallows them up to the shoulders, keeping them pinioned in a kind of trans-dimensional bondage.

The Spot pops through a hole in the sky and rushes to you, checking you for injury and asking, “Did they hurt you?” when you say no, but tell them what did transpire, you watch a ‘frown’ crease the upper half of the hole in his face. he turns away, and strolls over to his new captives, his demeanour languid and cocky.

“Thought you could get away with this, huh?” The Spot asks. a chill thrills up your spine: his voice is two-toned, with something much darker belying his usual sweet tone. the captives are too terrified to reply.

“Don’t bother,” he continues. “You’re just going to waste your breath. How about I do you a favour and...”

he raises one hand, and splits his index and middle fingers apart, like a pair of scissors.

“...cut things short?”

with a violent snap, The Spot snips his fingers together. the portals close in a sickening crunch, and you watch as the limp, lifeless bodies of your attackers slip through the open holes, and disappear into nothingness.

#the spot x reader #the spot #dr. jonathan ohnn #spider-man: across the spider-verse spoilers #spider-man: across the spider-verse #spider-man #starleskawrites

879 notes · View notes

aeoris4lovers · 11 months

Text

when caleb is talking to the nein about his past before the dinner with trent, he tells them that in the time he spent under trent, astrid and wulf never wavered in their dedication or willingness. after rereading his origins comic, though, i think he’s wrong. i think there was a pretty significant period of time where eadwulf specifically was having doubts about what they were doing right in front of his eyes.

exhibit a: the bodies

this is the most subtle example of it, but it’s also the earliest and probably represents the very beginnings of whatever doubts were brewing in wulf’s mind.

in both of these instances, there’s a dead or unconscious body on the ground, and wulf is staring at it while bren talks to trent. it’s hard to tell where he’s looking in the second one, but a later frame makes it clear that he’s looking in the direction of a body.

in the first one particularly, he looks to me like he’s visibly upset — his face isn’t as stoic as the others, and his body language looks uncertain, not his usual crossed-arm stance.

these were the moments that first caught my eye. they brought up questions in my mind: what is he thinking? what’s going through his head as he looks at the people they just hurt?

exhibit b: the bath scene

this comes immediately after the second body, and is what confirmed in my mind that wulf definitely isn’t entirely on board with the things they’re being told to do.

he closes the door behind them and just stands with his fist against it. none of them look happy by any means, but it’s clear that he’s upset to a point where even bren and astrid, in the midst of their own feelings, look concerned and go to comfort him.

bren in particular takes a long moment with him before the two of them rejoin astrid. i’ll get into why that — and bren’s role in general — is significant in a moment.

exhibit c: the morning after

this is the most important point in all of this, and the significance of his reaction here really can’t be understated.

in this moment, trent has just drawn their attention to their “memories” of their parents defying the empire. these are, from their point of view, very real and undeniable memories. and yet, the reaction we see here from wulf is one of explicit and absolute rejection.

and he’s not just denying what trent wants him to believe — he’s angry. he’s standing up and slamming a hand on table and raising his voice. doubt has been simmering under the surface in him for a while now, and this is the moment that trent crosses a line. trent has presented something truly unthinkable to him and despite his own memories supporting it, he absolutely cannot believe it. on a very visceral level, he knows it can’t be right.

this moment is significant not only because it confirms beyond a shadow of a doubt that wulf is not completely sure of what they’re doing, but also because we literally never see another student of trent openly defy him like this, nor do we see any volstrucker do so.

let me repeat that: until caleb goes up against him with the nein, eadwulf is the only person we ever see look trent in the eye and say “you’re wrong.” even after all of campaign two, we never see someone actively working under him defy him that explicitly — it’s only caleb, who escaped his control, or people like the nein with no real connection to him. even when astrid acts against him, she does it very quietly and is clearly terrified of those actions being alluded to at the dinner. wulf is the only one we ever see who, while at trent’s mercy, dares to openly and completely reject him.

bringing his family into it was a step too far. at this point, wulf isn’t just struggling with what they’re being told — he’s absolutely not having it anymore.

so what gives?

we know that he ultimately believes trent enough to kill his parents, and is even the first of the three to do it, so how do we get to that level of agreement from such a powerful moment of anger and denial?

that’s where bren comes in.

looking back at that breakfast scene, we can also see how the other two react to their own memories coming to light.

astrid’s is one of betrayal. she’s confused and struggling to understand why they would do it, but she doesn’t deny it either.

bren’s, on the other hand, is one of defeat. he’s clearly upset, but he’s simultaneously totally certain that what they’re remembering is true. and of course he is — his memory has been impeccable his entire life. why would he start to question it now, even if he doesn’t want to believe what it’s telling him?

bottom line: while astrid clearly also struggles with it and may have her own doubts, though not as strong as wulf’s, bren takes it all in stride and never wavers.

and if there’s one thing we know about wulf, it’s that he trusts his people. throughout his scenes in campaign two, we see him looking to astrid for signs of what to do or say and deferring to her when he’s overwhelmed by or unsure of the situation at hand. when caleb takes his hand at the blooming grove, he follows, and when astrid takes his hand and leads him away, he follows her. where they go, he follows. he trusts them implicitly and he looks to them when he doesn’t know what the right call is.

so what is he going to do in that moment, when his own mind is telling him something that he absolutely can’t believe and he doesn’t know how to reconcile it? he looks to them for guidance.

astrid clearly isn’t in a place to offer much, and hasn’t been. she’s not as lost in doubt as he is, but she’s not certain enough to reassure him either. we can already see that in the bath scene — remember when i said it was significant that bren is the one to stay with wulf while astrid goes off on her own? she wants to comfort him and tries to because she cares about him, but it seems that her conviction isn’t quite strong enough to be a steady base for someone else. and in the breakfast scene, we see that again, with her not openly going against it but still struggling with it in a way bren doesn’t.

bren, on the other hand, is consistently certain that they’re doing the right thing, even when it feels bad. caleb says as much himself when he first tells beau and nott his story: “i was so sure, i was so sure, until i wasn’t.” hearing his parents scream as they die is genuinely the first time he ever has doubts. until that moment, he’s sure. he trusts his mind and he trusts trent and he believes in their cause.

so when he sees wulf struggling with it, what does he do? he offers that certainty, reminds him of why they’re doing what they do, assures him that they’re doing the right thing and he doesn’t have to feel guilty. he’s their rock, the one wulf and astrid can trust to be sure even when their faith is shaken.

and that’s exactly what i think happens in the time between that breakfast and the night they kill their parents: bren sees wulf angry and totally lost trying to make sense of the massive gulf between what he remembers and what he knows to be true, he sees astrid confused and not able to put the pieces together, and he reassures them because he trusts his mind and so do they and he doesn’t want to see them struggle.

and i think astrid needs less convincing, but once she’s sure too and it’s only wulf that can’t accept it, that’s when he starts to think that maybe the unthinkable could really be true. bren is certain of what he remembers and astrid is certain that bren is right, so how can wulf, who trusts and relies on them so much for guidance, not at least entertain the idea that his parents really are traitors? how can he deny it and, in doing so, deny them?

that’s how he can ultimately go and do what he’s told, with such a stern and certain look on his face as he does. because his people were sure that it was the right thing to do, and no matter how strongly he feels that something must be wrong, he trusts them even more than he trusts himself.

that’s not to say that his doubts are completely quelled, though, because there’s still more of this thread that we can follow.

exhibit d: the aftermath

wulf’s move to knock bren out and save astrid is a quick and decisive one in the moment, but it’s clear that he isn’t at all sure if he did the right thing. he talks to trent — explaining himself, maybe even apologizing because he thinks he was wrong — and trent has to stop him and say that no, he was right.

this is significant for two reasons. the first and more obvious of the two is that this shows he’s still in a headspace of questioning what he’s doing almost immediately after doing it. that doubt was quelled long enough to allow him to complete the “exercise”, but not by any means gone for good.

the second, which i think is the most important to the person he ultimately becomes, is that this is the first time he’s had to look to trent for reassurance.

before this moment, it’s bren and astrid who comfort and reassure him. but now, bren is lost to them and astrid is in no shape to offer any comfort, much less give him the reassurance bren might have. and she might not want to do so even if she could — she wanted to save bren, not leave him behind, and may very well be angry at wulf for the choice he made. so what choice does he have, with neither of them able to support him, but to look to his mentor for reassurance?

and what happens once he gets that reassurance from trent? before, he doubted trent and even openly defied him, but can he continue to do that now?

if he wants to be able to live with himself after, to live with the choice he made and sleep at night, he has to believe that the reassurance trent offered him that night was right — he has to believe that trent’s judgment is right. if trent is lying or just wrong, that means he did the wrong thing that night, and where can he go from there?

that night is a turning point for wulf not just because he took his parents out of the picture, but because he made a decision that ended up forcing him to trust trent to an extent that he really didn’t before.

the new eadwulf

the wulf that we meet in campaign two as an adult is a far cry from the wulf who stood up at that table and said “no, they would never.” he comes across as largely apathetic to and even comfortable with the things they do — it’s just a job for him, not something to overthink or get hung up on. as far as he’s concerned, the lives they take are unfortunate but still necessary sacrifices, just like trent always said.

and if you ask me, his journey to becoming that person, to the doubt and the fire in him being all but completely stomped out, starts with the night he was forced to give up his one source of constant reassurance and finally put his trust in trent instead. everything we see him do to separate himself from his actions, from his belief in fate and his “good soldier” attitude to the drink he has ready after spending time with trent, stems from that moment. he is the way he is when we meet him not because he simply doesn’t care, but because he can no longer afford to.

caleb says they never wavered while he was with them, but i think it’s only because his vision was clouded by his own certainty that he never saw it. he just couldn’t believe that they might not believe in their cause as much as he did because it seemed so right to him, and how could he believe that the people he loved would doubt something so important?

but they did doubt it, especially wulf, and even as an adult, little bits of that stick around in him — he immediately gravitates toward caduceus after caduceus stands up to trent, and as soon as trent isn’t a threat anymore, he’s perfectly content to just stay with caleb (and probably would have if astrid hadn’t pulled him away when she did).

i think, if bren hadn’t been selected for the volstrucker program or just hadn’t been as confident as he was in all of it, it may very well have been eadwulf who found himself standing against trent in the end.

#thank you for coming to my ted talk #this turned out so much longer than i expected i just. have so many wulf thoughts #no clue if this made sense but i needed to write it all out #sometimes you gotta just. write an essay about some shit that no one asked to hear #cr meta #eadwulf grieve #blumendrei #caleb widogast #astrid becke #bren aldric ermendrud #eodwulf grieve #blumentrio #c2 #the mighty nein #critical role #critical role meta

459 notes · View notes

rebeccathenaturalist · 4 months

Text

So in writing the history of identification/taxonomy chapter for The Everyday Naturalist, I spent a lot of time poring over scans and reprints of very old western European natural history books. This included a lot of medieval bestiaries, which were usually illuminated manuscripts with the colorful, stylized artwork so common from that era. It wasn't until the European Renaissance that you started seeing more of an emphasis on realistic artwork, and by the time you get to the transitional period between the late Renaissance and the Enlightenment engravings based on original drawings were very common for illustrating books on animals and plants.

A lot of the images passed around as "antique scientific illustrations" stem from the mid-17th century Historiae Naturalis written by John Jonston and illustrated by Matthäus Merian the Elder. By this point in history numerous European nations were sending ships around the globe to bring back resources, which included a significant number of natural history specimens. The sheer variety and biodiversity represented by these gave naturalists in these countries an overwhelming amount of fodder for study, classification, and publication.

However, there was still the perennial problem that not everyone writing or illustrating these seemingly exotic species could access them in person. Medieval bestiaries, and their predecessor the Physiologus, tended to mix natural history with religious allegory, and often the writers had never actually seen the species they were describing. Since they had to go on secondhand (or thirdhand, or fifteenthhand) information, things sometimes got lost in translation like a big game of Telephone. And the situation was still the same by the time Jonston and Merian were working on the Historiae Naturalis.

Which is why that venerable attempt to catalog as many of the animals in the known world as possible includes, amid pages of real animals like molluscs, deer, and bats (categorized with the birds!), you also had descriptions and engravings of six different unicorn species. Jonston did remark that he was going entirely on the word of others and cited his sources wherever he could, but it seems as though most of them were treating the unicorn as a separate beast from the rhinoceros or antelopes. (You can find a scan of the entire Historiae Naturalis de Quadrupedibus here, if you want to read for yourself.)

This is probably the last major natural history work in which unicorns and other mythical animals would be presented as equally real as flesh-and-blood animals; once the Enlightenment got into full swing, the sciences sought empirical evidence, and hearsay was generally no longer considered good enough for publication. So there's something a little charming about this text that bridges the gap between the ancient bestiaries with their blurring of fact and fiction, and the modern emphasis on chasing down the truth behind the myths.

#natural history #Historiae Naturalis #scientific illustration #antique illustration #vintage illustration #bestiaries #science #unicorns #animals #wildlife #nature #Renaissance #medieval art #medieval history #bestiary #history #art history #antique animals

77 notes · View notes

techni-kolor · 11 months

Text

Meursault’s Origins

Hello everyone! (Or the approx 4 and a half people who will view this!)

I was wondering recently why Meursault’s appearance in the anime/manga looked so damn familiar and it FINALLY clicked tonight! And I decided to share my likely insane revelation. Hint: It involves someone we already know.

My theory is that Meursault is an experiment that was based on Arthur Rimbaud’s ability “Illuminations” and then later perfected after the war had finished. From what we know about the Great War in the BSD Universe it involved a fair amount of ability users! From spies-- Arthur Rimbaud, Paul Verlaine, to medics-- Yosano Akiko, Mori Ougai, to soliders-- Fukuchi Ochi, Fukuzawa Yukichi, even experimental life forms designed to turn the tide of a war-- Nakahara Chuuya. Basically the whole war became a clash of abilities so strong and volatile that it nearly tore the whole world apart. And who do we know who is fantastic at containing volatile entities/abilities and served in the war on the side of France? Mr. Randou himself.

Exhibit A: The location of the prison itself. France is the known origin country of Arthur Rimbaud. He served the DGSS in it’s field operations division for many years there and remained loyal to them until losing his memories. I always found it odd that Meursault was in Western Europe since most of the major conflict arcs take place locally in Japan but this could explain the significance. Meursault itself is also a French word which could be another tie or simply a clue to its precise location.

Exhibit B + C: We know that Illuminations is capable of containing extremely powerful abilities within its hyperspace AND capable of restraining Dazai when needed. Rimbaud literally retrieved an entity who defies the laws of physics in the form of Arahabaki and was also easily able to work around the possibility of nullification when battling Dazai in the Fifteen Arc by simply encasing him within a sub-sub space of his ability.

Exhibit D: French researcher Pan and the existence of Black No. AKA Paul Verlaine. We already know that experimentation was happening in France at the hands of a citizen and that when the DGSS became aware they halted it. However, we know that the information gathered by these trials was not destroyed as it falls into the hands of the Japanese Government a short time later leading to ...

(Suribachi City built in the aftermath of Arahabki emerging due to war time experiments.)

We don’t know exactly why the information was never destroyed. Unless there was reason to keep it under government power rather than riding the world of unethical, immoral instructions on human lab rats. Something like using it in further experiments themselves?

Exhibit E: This is likely painfully obvious but it just looks similar! The yellow, glowing, floating squares evoke the same imagery. Which I admit could be a coincidence and why the cells are rounded rather than squares in the anime ... but the yellow, shimmering look is interesting.

Now ... why would such a thing be needed? And why would such a thing exist specifically in times of war? Well I thought about and decided that maybe Meursault has a darker history than we imagined. I wonder if Mersault was designed to house prisoners of war. A prison that could entrap any ability user for an indefinite period of time sounds rather helpful when the enemy has strong Gifteds, right? Imagine Mori’s troops without Yosano Akiko or Japan losing Fukuchi Ochi’s Mirror Lion ability for combat? It could easily turn the tide of the war if enough ability users were removed from the battle field. It’s only once the war is over that it is converted to a maximum security prison

And maybe all the other sneaky experiments contained within its walls are halted ,,, dense water anyone? It would suck to be waterboarded with as an enemy spy or to surround important locations where you do not want enemy forces marching into. Interesting technology at the very least and quite possibly the result of another gravity manipulator? Someone else we know? Such as Paul Verlaine, another French spy who was involved in experiments himself? It’s all very intriguing, my friends!

#bungou stray dogs spoilers #BSD spoilers #Stormbringer spoilers #BSD #Bungou stray dogs #Meursault #decay of angels #dazai osamu #nakahara chūya #Paul verlaine #Arthur Rimbaud #Fifteen BSD #BSD Manga #BSD theory #potentially triggering

131 notes · View notes

oliveroctavius · 8 months

Note

Thoughts on Lily Hollister?

Oh man, I've been thinking about her a lot recently. She's from a period of ASM that I do not always like or understand but she fascinates me as a character.

I remember my first impression of her and Carlie being a cynical "Okay, MJ and Gwen 2.0". I still think she was introduced as part of a "back to basics" push to assemble a neo-CBG, but I have no hard feelings there. Parallel civilian drama is always a plus in a Spidey comic and they are quite cute.

But—as a big HarryMJ fan—this isn't really a rehash. (And not just because Harry is now also meant to be a ditzy glamorous party guy.) MJ was just a teenager dicking around while Lily's non-party goals are political and focused. Note that this "love triangle" kicks off when she realizes Peter is an insider at a paper that opposes her dad. I wasn't reading the letters, but—surely someone guessed Menace's identity the moment "he" turned out to be backing Hollister, right?

She's definitely pulling Harry's strings on the politics side, but isn't emotionally avoidant and spends a lot of private time with him. (If we believe her later, worry about his well-being triggered her origin story.) It seems fair to say she appreciates familial devotion.

ASM #586 is my favorite flavor of Spidey Reveal. The villain is someone we knew and almost trusted, and when we look back the seeds of motivation are there, paralleling our protagonist for dramatic tension! Your dad whose reputation you're curating loves your roommate more than you, you say? He always wanted a son, you say?

There's a deliciously Lady Macbeth flavor to this whole speech.

That which hath made them drunk hath made me bold. What hath quenched them hath given me fire. My hands are of your color, but I shame To wear a heart so white.

Come, you spirits That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full Of direst cruelty!

"Okay, you won't be jealous?" she asks seemingly genuinely, in a voice so deep and a body so muscular that everyone has he/him-ed it up until now. The ongoing goblin theme of violence = power = masculinity is blinking neon here. Obvious jokes about Harry's taste in women aside: what kind of philosophy does a woman have to have to be attracted to what the Osborns represent, thinking she's special enough to not be chewed up and spit out?

And she does say she still loves him! You could read that as a manipulative lie, but to me it's more interesting if she does like Harry in her condescending way.

After all, she seems to love her dad similarly, going behind his back to "support" him in ways he'd never want.

It's too bad that this super-intense characterization of Lily is mostly only retrospective. ASM #588 and the jig is up.

Hie thee hither, That I may pour my spirits in thine ear And chastise with the valor of my tongue All that impedes thee from the golden round, Which fate and metaphysical aid doth seem To have thee crowned withal.

It's very possible that the gender element is writers being weird about a black woman as a love interest. (I have a whole thesis on how Black side characters are compared/contrasted to the Osborns somewhere.) But I believe that just a little weirdness can add flavor. It seems significant that Menace, as Lily's fantasy of power denied to her, reads as a nonblack male, as though she hopes that becoming an Osborn will grant her whiteness, too...

Unfortunately, I don't think anything has lived up to that reveal. It kind of feels like nothing has even tried.

[sighs extremely deeply] American Son. Throwing out her whole villain speech to have her bear a super-soldier goblin son for Norman to use as the next Real Osborn.

Macbeth once says to Lady Macbeth:

Bring forth men-children only, For thy undaunted mettle should compose Nothing but males.

But that's right after Lady Macbeth says she'd murder her own baby with her bare hands if it was personally politically advantageous. Why is Lily "if you want something done right, steal your man's role and do it yourself" Hollister now an obedient heir-producing accessory? And that to a guy she beat the crap out of in ASM #571 for being a waste of rich white dude advantages?

We have gone all the way to the other side of Weird. Where did her jealousy and personal ambition and all the weight behind it go? Where's her guilt for ruining her relationship with her father for good? Why is she calling Norman "babe"?

Origin Of The Species (ASM #642-6) makes some attempt to reconnect to the original character threads with the whole friend group banding together to deal with the fallout of Lily's decisions.

But she still feels mostly like a plot device, and her guilt is more wet blanket than "out, damned spot" levels of satisfying. (She jumped to murder to bolster the name of someone who would never have wanted that! Are we ever going to come back to that part!)

Protecting her child from Norman should redefine her allegiances, but she just... got dragged back to bit-part appearances as an accessory to whichever goblin is the biggest deal at the moment. And got memory wiped for a while and became a black cat ripoff.

I feel like this wouldn't have fallen so flat if Bill Hollister hadn't vanished right after her reveal. Did he ever know about his grandson? A severely underrated element of the classic CBG is how many of their parents/mentors knew each other independently of the kids. The larger web of political + financial + circumstantial connections meant that interpersonal family shockwaves stuck around after the first arc, doubled back, mirrored each other in interesting ways. These should've! This should've.

God this post got long. TLDR crazy first arc that nothing else has even remotely lived up to in my mind yet; it would have to follow up on her bonkers family relationships and deeply jealous personal philosophy (or whatever's left of it).

#lily hollister #harry osborn #comics #axis hobgoblin was fun! but lily :(#I support women's wrongs etc etc #long post #thank you for the ask I have been thinking about this a lot

38 notes · View notes

lets-all-calm-down-a-bit · 10 months

Note

Hiii, i absolutely adore your style parent hcs. Do you have some more?

YESSS I WAS WAITING FOR ANOTHER ONE!!!! YAYYY

1: Kyle is called Dad or Abba (Dad more commonly because he is used to it with his own father, but his mom encourages Abba when she visits because she originally wanted Kyle to use that as a kid as well)

2: Stan used to be Uncle Stan since Stan was originally less of a co-parent and more of a friend that visits often and spoils the kids rotten. This stopped the moment Mordecai walked in on Kyle and Stan kissing. That was probably the most awkward conversation Stan and Kyle have had with the kids in their lives. For a short period of time (about a month) he was just "Stan", but that quickly faded into Papa. It was really cemented in when he officially moved in with the family.

3: From the time Kai was born till he was around 6, Stan had his own apartment. He would spend most of his time at Kyle's house and with the family, but he had such a busy work life that he didn't want to settle down and make anything official. He didn't want to end up being a practically absent father due to his schedule. Kyle hated this, but understood where his worries were coming from. It was their most significant topic of conflict until Stan finally got it through his head that he was pretty much already a father to these kids, and he was doing really damn well. The arguments typically go as follows:

Kyle: Come on Stan, you practically live here already. Why don't you move in?

Stan: But what if I'm a bad Dad?? What if my work gets in the way and I end up being a shitty father??? I just can't do that to them 😫😭

Kyle: ...

Kyle: You take Kai to the arcade every weekend. He literally calls you Papa.

Stan: sTiLL!!!!😫😭😥💔

4: When Celine was a year and a half old, Stan finally moved in with Kyle. He was still constantly worried that he wouldn't be a good enough father, but he no longer let that affect how close he was to the family. He put his whole heart into being the best dad he could be.

5: Kyle was the one to get the kids enrolled in school and fill out all the important paperwork. Stan's a little scatterbrained when it comes to stuff like that, but he takes them to school and picks them up every day so they don't have to ride the "stinking ass-sweat hormone pit" that is the bus. Those are Kai's words, not his. He got a whole lecture from Stan for that one.

6: Kyle may not be the best at cooking, but he can make one thing better than anyone you've ever met (except his mother.) He got a book of family recipes from his mother, and every Passover he makes the best matzo ball soup you've ever had in your life.

7: Stan stands by the fact that you can find the best shit at thrift stores, so he tends to shop there for furniture, knickknacks, and clothing. Kyle on the other hand... He's the guy who religiously shops at REI and other overpriced outdoors stores because he thinks they're neat. He goes camping, hiking, and everything under the sun just so he can have an excuse to shop at these places without Stan nagging him about how unnecessary it is. Those kids have the nicest mother fucking winter coats you've seen in your life. Kyle just came back home one day after being out for a few hours with two 200-dollar winter coats for the kids. Stan was flabbergasted, to say the least. Kyle tried to defend himself by explaining that the coats were listed to be the safest in cold temps, but honestly, there's no way to defend that rationally lmao.

54 notes · View notes

charlidos · 17 days

Text

I keep writing Viggorli fanfiction in my head, sometimes with a little help from Viggo's poetry. I think Viggo uses his art and poetry to express himself, but of course no one but him can know what he was thinking when writing it. But I can imagine. And I wish to imagine he wrote some of them thinking of Orlando. I'm sure my imaginations and theories are only new to me.

As with the O+H painting, the poems which are dated from the time frame of filming LotR (1999-2002) can reasonably be considered to be quite influenced by everything Viggo experienced while in New Zealand. He spent 18 months+ there, after all. For this reason, I read his poem Communion imagining he was also under the heavy influence of love for his elf boy. And to me, it reads like a very romantic but also very wistful poem. So this story would be labeled "friends to lovers, angst".

In my view, at least two sort of objective facts, support my not-very objective theory that Orlando is the unamed object of desire, namely Viggo's choice of words:

"Bloom of compassion" - the most obvious (too obvious even? - or hiding in plain sight?) - it's a common enough word, sure, but in this context, during this period of Viggo's life, is it really a coincidence? It seems to stand out like a neon sign: BLOOM. It's difficult to unsee.

"Anglican doorway" - "Anglican" mostly refers to "Church of England" or the Anglican communion as a whole. But it can also be another way of saying that something is English. And so it can be read as "English doorway", if you wish. Regardless, it certainly leads your thoughts towards England. Furthermore, Orlando was brought up in the Church of England (and born in Canterbury, the place of origin for the church, no less), while Viggo has no known connection to any religion really. It's perhaps not as obvious as bloom, but it's still quite a significant choice of word. Again, in this context, at this time, when we know Viggo spent so much of his time with Orlando.

Here's my interpretation of Viggo's Communion:

we've left shore somehow become the friends of early theory close enough to speak desire and pain of absence of mistakes we'd make given the chance.

The two are described as friends, who have become closer, intimate in words and thoughts. Sharing secrets, fears, feelings. Bordering on something more.

each smile returned makes harder avoiding dreams that see us lying in the early evening curtain shadows, skin safe against skin. bloom of compassion respect for moments eyes lock turns forever into one more veil that falls away

He seems to be having thoughts of them becoming lovers, the veil of "just friends" falling away. But it seems to be still just a dream, a hope. It's such a beautiful image: the two of them, together, intimate, safe. And that "bloom of compassion", maybe V just wanted to get the word in...

this after seeing you last night, first time smelling you with permission: shoulders to wonder openly at as carefully kissed as those arms waited impossibly on. they've held me now and your breath down my back sent away the night air that had me shaking in the unlit anglican doorway.

But seems they've already been intimate, maybe just a first kiss, a lingering touch, holding each other. The "smelling you with permission" implies he's smelled O without permission before. Sneaking a little sniff when in close contact. Inhaling the sweet scent of a beloved friend. If we accept "anglican" as a reference to O, then what is this unlit doorway? Is it just an image of being allowed inside O's private space? And why is it unlit? As in Orlando being from that church, but not believing in its god? Or an opening into this other person which is difficult to find, maybe not fully opened to him.

are we ruined for finding our faces fit and want to know more about morning? is friendship cancelled if we can't call each other anymore in amnesia, invite ourselves to last glances under suspicious clocks telling us when we've had enough?

A worry that sex will ruin their friendship, implying it's not clear what their relationship should be, even after crossing that line. I love that phrase "finding our faces fit", it's both funny and beautiful; finding that when they kiss, they felt a sense of belonging. And that they probably don't want to stop. I'm not sure if he also worries about other people seeing, finding out, being in the public eye. And he worries that they won't be able to talk like they did before, as friends.

your steady hands cradling my grateful skull: were you taking in my face to save an image you've rarely allowed yourself after leaving that cold alcove? am i a photograph you gaze at in moments of weakness?

Again, he seems to feel this relationship only exists in private, in bed. Maybe implying that O regards it as a weakness, these feelings. This part could also be read as if it's him looking back, when the relationship is over, or changed, distanced, wondering if O thinks of him.

you ordered me off my knees into your arms. wasn't to beg that i knelt; only to see you once from below.

The image of V on his knees could both be a sexual thing, but it could also be about worship; that he wants to be on his knees to adore O. But it's also a part of the poem's religious theme; you usually kneal while taking the communion. You kneal to pray.

tried to say something that filled my mouth and longed to rest in your ear. don't dare write it down for fear it'll become words, just words.

The relationship seems fragile, filled with fear of loss. Like he can't say everything he wants to, afraid it'll lead to it ending. There's so much desire and longing, but also so much despair of the relationship being so brittle, that it can fall apart at any time.

Once I read it this way, like with that painting, I can't see anything else. Maybe it's just coincidences, maybe it's just something from inside Viggo's brain (and not connected to reality), maybe it can be read in many other ways. But since my brain is warped, I can only read it like this.

#viggo mortensen #orlando bloom #viggorli #poetry

14 notes · View notes

gemsofgreece · 9 months

Note

I know we often talk about all the regions of Greece plus the Islands, but what about Thessaly region? It's so underrated even though it has Olympus, meteora, beautiful places, forests to go. Not only that but wasn't part of king Aiolou in the Odyssey?

This region in my opinion is not talked enough about it's culture and history i am sure even from ancient times it has given a lot to Greek history.

Yay let's give some love to Thessaly! I share your feelings. I like this region a lot. So let's make a post with cool facts about Thessaly.

But before that I would like to comment on why Thessaly appears to be overlooked. I think the reason is that Thessaly is in between two regions that have attracted so much the interest of historians. It is sandwiched between Argos, meaning all of south Greece with Athens and Sparta and all the load of city states, and Macedonia. It gets more or less the same treatment with Epirus. Furthermore, Thessaly's biggest power is also its weakness. Thessaly is what is considered the "breadbasket" of the nation. An essentially provincial agricultural area, vast as nowhere else in Greece, it did not intrigue as much as the other regions with their drama, polities, conquests or artistic and scientific achievements.

Cool facts about Thessaly:

Despite its later obscurity with historians, exactly because of its vast fertile land, Thessaly had some of the earliest advanced settlements in Europe during the Neolithic period, such as Sesklo (6800 BC) and Dimini (4800 BC).

In the Mycenaean Age, Thessaly was known as Aeolia. The dialect spoken was Aeolic Greek. The Homeric epics are written in a mix of Ionic and Aeolic Greek. Aeolic Greek was considered the ideal dialect for poetry and lyricism. Poets and Rhapsodoi would travel to Thessaly to find inspiration.

Thessaly has paramount significance for the Greek mythology. Mount Olympus is located where Thessaly and Macedonia meet, so this is where the Gods lived. Achilles was born and reigned in Thessaly (his kingdom encompassed Phthia and extended beyond the Thessalian borders into Hellas, the westernmost meeting point of Thessaly, Epirus and Central Greece). Centaur Chiron raised many heroes in Mount Pelion, which is the origin place of centaurs. Jason and the Argonauts embarked for their journey from the city of Iolcos (now Volos). And loads more myths are associated with Thessaly.

Thessaly was somewhere between the world of the southern city states and the Kingdom of Macedon. It was usually a kingdom too or dismantled in a few smaller kingdoms ruled by the tagoi, aristocratic warlords. During the early classical period, Thessaly started being influenced by democracy however after observing the rise of Macedon, the Thessalians essentially invited King Philip to incorporate the region into his sphere of influence and Thessaly returned into having one single powerful king.

It is kinda evident that the Thessalians just wanted to live their lives and were absorbed with their own matters, trying to stay away from most drama. That lack of drama earns them their obscurity. Of course there were microdramas between nobility and kingdoms and all that but honestly nothing in comparison to the southern mayhems or the excessive northern ambition. Despite their low profile, Thessalians were wanted in other Greek armies for their cavalry.

During Roman and Byzantine times, the region was constantly targeted by invaders including Slavs, Avars, Huns etc due to its fertile land. This made the Byzantine emperors often remove or transfer away foreign populations from the area and have Greeks from other regions to settle in, to reinforce the Greek element of the region.

Much like in all other eras of its history, Thessaly was somewhere in the middle during the stages of the Greek Independence from the Ottoman Empire. It was incorporated to Greece after Peloponnese and Roumeli (Sterea Hellas) but before Epirus, Macedonia and Thrace.

Thessaly is a diverse land. It has a core of extended farmland dotted with hills and mountains as well as rivers and lakes, surrounded by a ring of big mountain ranges. At its west it expands to the Pindus mountains and their woodlands, at its north lies Mount Olympus and its east finds the Aegean sea and boosts a remarkable coastline. It also has three major islands, generally considered some of the most densely forested in the country and with beaches often featured in Top lists across the world. Sightings of seals and dolphins are common near its coasts.

Due to its geomorphology, the Thessalian plain gets some of the hottest temperatures in the summer and some of the coldest in the winter.

Thessaly is home to the most significant natural wonder of Greece. The rocks of Meteora. Meteora is a group of massive rock formations dating to the Paleogene era when this area was still part of the seabed, before the sea was pushed upwards and away. Meteora have been inhabited by monks ever since the middle Byzantine period. It has 20 Byzantine and post-Byzantine monasteries, out of which six are still in service. Aside from a natural wonder, the region is also a UNESCO world heritage monument.

After the independence, the region prospered due to being the largest farmland in Greece as well as having the third largest port in the country. It is the third most populous region after Sterea Hellas (which has Athens) and the large Macedonia (which has Thessaloniki). As a result, Thessaly is the only region in Greece with two major cities of about the same population, Larissa and Volos, the 5th and 6th largest cities of the country respectively, in close proximity. Larissa boasts an ancient past associated to Achilles and is the metropolis of agricultural and industrial Greece, all while buzzing with nightlife and a lot of student life. The also mythologically rich Volos is the Thessalian port, ensured with prosperity even during the hardship of Ottoman times, and is very notable among Greeks and those few foreigners who know for being surrounded from all sides by beautiful scenery, including very forested mountains, hills, extended shorelines, peninsulas, islands and numerous beautiful villages which combine tradition with a cosmopolitan flair.

The rest of the region is decorated by the rare outstanding mountainous beauty of Trikala, which also encompasses Meteora, and is one of the towns in Greece more focused on improving the quality of life for its citizens, often becoming a point of reference for other places. Karditsa with its traditional feel completes the quartet, offering access to the beautiful Lake Plastira and Agrafa mountains, some of the most unexplored and undisturbed, both naturally and culturally, regions of Greece.

And now some photos from Thessaly under the cut. Enjoy!

Various regions of Larissa

Various regions of Magnesia (Volos)

Various regions in Trikala

Various regions in Karditsa

Various regions from Sporades islands

All photos chosen randomly in Google search just to give you an idea. I do not own any of these.

Hopefully you enjoyed this tribute Anon!

Also, to anyone wondering "wasn't this supposed to be a farmland?", well yeah, it is by Greek standards. The farmland is indeed very big, it's just that if I showed many photos from the plain I would be running short of mountains and coasts. And also, Greeks typically don't take photos of their plains as often so I'd had to make a more strenuous search.

48 notes · View notes

snappit-the-snek · 10 months

Text

Sometimes, you just need to be held

Summery: After a rough day, all you wanted to do was hide away in the dorm and forget about it all. However, your lovely significant other decided to try and cheer you up.

Character: Deuce Spade

Word Count: 896

Genre: Comfort (slight angst to fluff)

Fandom: Twisted Wonderland

Warnings: none

A/N: This was originally a gift for one of my friends because they were feeling down and I wanted to cheer them up. They loved it and have allowed me to share it with all of you as well. I hope you find some comfort from this fic if your not having the best day 💛💙

-----------------------------

Everything that could have gone wrong that day, went wrong. The potion in Crewels class had blown up because some cat-looking direbeast decided that it needed more silverfish scales which resulted in a lengthy makeup process. The homework was forgotten in a locker, which resulted in an awkward explanation to Trein as to where it was. He did let you go back and get it much to some relief, but Lucius seemed to judge you for the entire class period. You had gotten smacked by a badly thrown magicshift disc which resulted in a nurse trip, missed lunch because of said accident, and had nearly been ragdolled around by a very excited Floyd who decided he wanted to mess with you at that very minute. Your savior at that moment had been Jade who dragged his protesting twin back to the lounge to finish his shift.

The unbirthday party hadn't gone much better. The pastries for the unbirthday party had been overcooked cause Ace wasn't watching the timer and Trey had to step in, a can of red paint had been accidently dropped on your head while in uniform by a clumsy second year student, and to top it off the hedgehogs had somehow gotten free from their enclosure and you were forced to fetch them or risk Riddle slapping a coller on you. Needless to say you didn't enjoy that days unbirthday party even after the chaos had calmed down, and not once during that day had you gotten any glimpse of Deuce, the one person you wanted to see the most.

Walking through the doorway of Ramshackle, you let out a sigh, and allowed the tears that you'd been holding back the whole day to fall. So much chaos and so many problems to solve in such a small amount of time, you were completely drained both physically and mentally. Slipping your shoes off and placing them in the dorms shoeracks, you made your way up the creaking stairs to your room so you could remove the paint stained uniform to wash it, as well as take a shower to remove the remaining paint from your hair. Cater had been nice enough to try and get as much paint out as possible, but there wasn't much he could do.

One shower later, you changed into clean casual clothing and walked back downstairs to throw the dirtied uniform into the washing machine. The second you did so there was a knock at the door. Some part of you didn't want to answer it. The day has been rough enough, and whoever was at the door probably wanted something from you. You'd bet ten thaumarks that it was Crowley on your doorstep with another threat 'gracious offer' that you couldn't refuse. Regardless you went up to the door, took a deep breath to reel in any patience and sanity you had left in you, and opened the door.

Your eyes widened when you saw a very familiar blue-haired freshman standing in front of the door, still in his uniform and complete with a sheepish expression and his hands behind his back.

"Hi, I um…I heard from Grim that you had a bit of a rough day, so I brought you these." He pulled his hands out from behind his back, presenting you with your favorite pastry and your favorite drink. "I found one of the pastries left over from the unbirthday party and figured you might want it."

It took a solid few seconds of shock before you snapped back to what he was saying to you.

"Oh! Sorry, uh, yeah it's been an…interesting day to say the least. You can come in if you want." Deuce nodded before slipping past you into the dorm, kicking off his shoes in the doorway before heading further in. You stood there staring in front of you for a minute, feeling a smile cross your face. He had remembered your favorite things, and he brought them in an attempt to cheer you up.

Shutting the door behind you, you followed his footsteps into the dorm, coming into the lounge to see him set the items on the coffee table in front of the couch. He turned to face you when you stepped in, offering a much more affectionate smile.

"I don't know if this will make you feel any better per say, and I know I'm not rb best at making people feel better but I could at least try to help, if you'd have me." You stepped forward towards him until you were close enough to draw him into your arms, pulling him as close as you possibly could, plopping your head onto his shoulder. He stiffened for a minute in surprise, but soon relaxed and wrapped his arms around your waist, his head now resting on the top of your head.

"You just being here is enough Deuce. I just want someone to hold for a little while if that's okay." You said, your speech muffled into his jacket. You felt his toned arms tighten around you further and felt him let out an affectionate huff.

"Don't worry, I'll be here as long as you need, I promise."

#deuce spade #twisted wonderland #twst fanfic #comfort #heartslabyul #snappit writes

20 notes · View notes

asamitakamybeloved · 1 year

Text

Speculation After CSM Ch 113

I am almost certain that they're not trapped with Eternity. I'm pretty sure this is Famine's power alone that's stranded them in the endless aquarium. This is significant because Denji is immediately reminded of the Eternity Devil fight and is going to try to deal with it the same way he did the first time, only to discover that there's no devil coming after them that he can fight. He will absolutely get frustrated by this fact.

As long as this ISN'T the Eternity devil and it's just a Horseman power, Famine has tied Asa's hands. No devil body to combat means Denji can't get them out of there on his own, and Asa is basically a normal human unless she turns the items on her person into weapons (which would not be helpful in this situation). That leaves Asa with no choice but to comply or wait for Famine to let them out herself.

Famine has made things super inconvenient for Yoru's plan. Asa needs two things to make a weapon: guilt and ownership. I think she and Denji will have nothing to do but talk, and that will build her guilt. Now the problem here is how to make Denji "hers." They're in a stressful situation and they already are kind of fed up with each other, Denji's probably ticked because he can't find Eternity, Asa's panicking because the devils are forcing her hand, and now they're both getting starved. Not exactly peak conditions for Denji to fall for her even if Asa WERE willing to kill him.

The other troublesome thing here is that it derails Yoru's original intention for Asa to create a weapon so powerful it can take down Chainsaw Man. Turning Denji into a weapon after getting to know him in a short period time would spark some guilt, but not nearly as much as she would have had if she had a chance to grow close with or fall for him organically. Asa would not get to maximize the potential of this weapon, even if she could use Denji.

To escape the situation, I think she either has to come clean to him about Yoru and/or Famine wanting her to kill him, or she admits she was "responsible" for the deaths of her prez/teacher/mom/bestie and sparks up his empathy because of his own involvement with Power and Aki's demise. Their shared experience in this department is why I so desperately want them to end up together and heal each other. Denji's been pretty forgiving with all the women who wanted to kill him, so I wonder if the events of Part 1 changed that character trait or if he'll still be understanding of Asa's circumstances.

I don't think him changing into Chainsaw Man is gonna happen though because why have these elaborate plot elements that make Yoru fail to discover his identity, only for Yoru to find out (by reading Asa's mind) he IS Chainsaw Man when Asa and Denji finally escape?

Also, there's the obvious, glaring irony of the fact that he is Chainsaw Man and Asa's trying to make a weapon to fight Chainsaw Man. Can hybrids even be made into weapons? Denji doesn't die easily so would it even matter if she made him into one if she could, since his body could probably be restored as long as he has the Pochita heart? Also, Famine seems to be able to read Asa's mind-- does she already know that Denji is Chainsaw Man? Anyways, if Asa discovers that Denji's Chainsaw Man, then the entire objective of forming a relationship with Denji for weapons-purposes goes way out the window. Perhaps it will free her up to form a real relationship once she knows she can't use him...?

There could be a perspective shift (like when we followed Yuko briefly) where we cut to the devils, with Yoru trying to get Famine to give it up and let them out. Maybe if Asa is willing to make Denji a weapon even if she does not succeed in actually doing so, then that will be enough for Famine to allow them to go.

#asaden #mitaka asa #asa mitaka #csm #chainsaw man part 2 #denjasa #p2 #mine #denasa #denji

122 notes · View notes

canonicallyanxious · 1 year

Text

[huge disclaimer up top that I am incredibly lacking in knowledge as to queer/lgbtq+ history and culture in Thailand, especially outside the context of globalized queer identity, so this post should absolutely not be taken as any sort of authority or statement on the topic; i'm just in the very beginnings of doing my own research and wanted to sort through some thoughts as well as see if anyone else out there knew more or could point me toward other sources]

so one thing i was thinking about is that if Jim is in his mid-late thirties, this means he was probably born in the early-mid 80s, which means he came of age in the 90s. i must confess my ignorance of the impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic [particularly social stigma against the lgbtq+ community] outside of a western context but even still i can't not find this timing significant. so i'm starting to do some research on the situation in Thailand during this time period and have come across some really interesting sources i wanted to share [under the cut, if you please!]

First is from Untold Stories originally published in 2002. The full video/transcript is super interesting and has a lot of information about Thailand's response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the 90s. one thing i wanted to highlight [bolded emphasis is mine]:

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: Viravaidya is confident Thailand’s infection rate can be contained once again. Awareness is high, as is literacy, as is the availability of condoms. The big problem is how to deal with the one million or so Thais already infected. Tens of thousands of previously symptom-free HIV patients are now in the visible, advanced, or terminal, stages of the disease. The campaigns may have raised awareness, curiosity, and even generous donations, but patients like Phra Choochart, one of about a dozen monks here, say that doesn’t translate to sympathy or compassion.

PRA CHOOCHART: I keep secret for many years. But finally, something happened in my skin. It beginning to appear. I cannot keep secret anymore. So, I come to be a monk because in society if you catch HIV, nobody want you; also your family.

Untold Stories also has a follow-up story from about 5 years later in 2007. again the full video/transcript is super interesting imo, but here are some personal highlights regarding the social stigma of hiv/aids in Thai society [bolded emphasis is mine]:

REV. MICHAEL BASSANO: He’s 50 years old, but his family just left him. They came over and dropped him off. And they left him here with us. [...]

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: Many, like this man, are dropped off, their disease unattended, many with tuberculosis, a daunting infection they must survive before they are physically fit enough to go on the AIDS medicines.

[...]

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: Thirty-two-year-old Nok Eng came to the temple when her skin showed rashes, a classic HIV symptom. She left when her health improved but came right back in a few months. Health care was hard to find for her and her HIV-positive husband. And it was especially tough at her factory job, where people knew she was HIV-positive.

NOK ENG (through translator): Every day at lunch, I could hear people whispering next to me, gossiping about me, being sarcastic. I just couldn’t take the criticism.

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: The most painful, her parents, who live in a rural community, wanted little to do with her.

NOK ENG: I told my parents that I wanted to come and visit, and they said, “Just stay where you are.” They said that I would humiliate them.

still trying to find sources for what the attitude/stigma is like in more recent years, as well as information about social stigma regarding the gay/queer community outside of this specific context [also worth noticing these sources don't really focus on HIV/AIDS stigma in the context of the gay/queer community specifically], but even still, considering the huge impact the HIV/AIDS epidemic had on social stigma against the lgbtq+ community as well as the generational trauma of living as a community through such a thing in western society, i would be really interested to know if that context had a significant impact on Jim's coming of age as a gay man - i don't think it's something that they would ever explicitly get into on this show but still, that social/historical context could help put some things into perspective, particularly the emphasis on family relationships being the most painful part of the social stigma

i mean idk. i just think about jim running away from home with his sister, and referring to himself and Jam as "two great survivors", even in the context of the homophobia he had to face from his own sister. and i think about his flashbacks with Beam, how even at the peak of their relationship there was hesitance on his part [like when Beam loudly declared their love in the temple for example], and how quickly and easily he accepted that Beam couldn't tell his family about them, and how the tension between being open about yourself in your personal life versus your family/public life is already a lot to deal with even outside of the context of Beam living a whole separate life with a woman his family set him up with. and i can see how even as an older gay man who has been out for some time now there's still a lot of fear and pain Jim carries with him, as someone who seems to value family quite a lot. i really hope we can see him get to the point where he can begin to accept and understand that even after all that he's been through he has created a loving and supporting family of his own, and that's not in spite of the person that he is but because of it.

#sarah.txt #moonlight chicken #mlc meta #seriously i feel like there's a lot i might be missing in context of thai society/culture watching this show #it feels like something that has a fairly significant influence on the story/characters even if not explicitly engaged with #i would really love to learn more if i can!#story meta

49 notes · View notes

daydreamingfics · 2 years

Text

»»— photograph | lsm (svt ml)

synopsis: your boyfriend seokmin captures your relationship in photographs

» an original purely fictional lee seokmin story created by daydreamingfics: only on tumblr. please do not repost anywhere. feedback, likes, and reblogs are welcome and appreciated. ♡

pairing: lee seokmin (dk) x y/n genre: idol!au, fluff, boyfriend!au word count: 1k warnings: none, i'm just in a silly fluffy mood, it seems musical inspiration: ed sheeran - photograph

❝ we keep this love in a photograph we made these memories for ourselves

"Can I open them now?" you question for the millionth time since Seokmin positioned the makeshift blindfold over your eyes. Being with someone keen on surprises was entirely unexpected, as you were a little too impatient and giddy to wait for them properly, but that was before Seokmin. Your self-proclaimed "master of surprises" beau truly lived up to the title and continuously hit every special moment he'd planned for you out of the park. Well, the ones he had been able to keep secret long enough. No matter his schedule, Seokmin continually prioritized his and your relationship. Promising from day one that should you choose to allow him and his hectic lifestyle into your heart, he'd always aspire to make you feel loved and appreciated. And not once had he broken that promise to you.

"Not yet, Y/N," Seokmin responds, setting a chaste kiss on your nose as he continues to lead you. With your sense of sight disabled by the blindfold, Seokmin guides you along. Murmured directional cues drift to your ears as you bubble over with excitement every step of the way. You trace featherlight exclamation points into Seokmin's arm to silently convey your enthusiasm and, mostly, to catch his adorable chuckles at the ticklish effects of your playful antics. "Just a little longer. The wait will have been worth it, my darling, Y/N, I hope," Seokmin's words dangle in the air between the two of you, a tell-tale sign that the boy was starting to doubt his plans. Quickly reassuring him, you gently squeeze his bicep to intercept his overthinking. "Seok, your surprises are the best. I'm sure I'll love what you've prepared," you console your boyfriend—wanting to reach out for him, but given the blindfold, that was easier said than done. You flail an outstretched arm in the air, to which Seokmin uses the opportunity to place his chin in your palm.

"Okayyy, DeeKayyy, you've got this," Seokmin loudly verbalizes in his announcer's voice, thus rendering his moment of doubt over just as quickly as it had arrived as you share a laugh. The declaration reassures you that the boys' excitement, once again, was elevated. There were numerous reasons why you'd fallen in love with Seokmin, but his sheer positivity had to be the most significant one. Seokmin never steered away from showing his genuine emotions to you, never caring about appearing too vulnerable, and you adored him for it. Your heart pulsated feverishly within your chest as you never quite knew what to expect when it came to Seokmin. You'd been dating for some time now, yet his effect on you never wavered, and you were confident it never would. When it came to incredible boyfriends', you were a fortunate individual to have him in your life.

With the second half of his group's tour rapidly approaching, the familiar feeling of dread due to soon being miles away from one another lingered like a storm cloud above you. A feeling that despite your best efforts, Seokmin noticed. He knew your strength and how you handled everything in stride, but he wanted to ensure that he always held to his words of making you feel appreciated. You, too, knew that you could handle the time apart, as this wouldn't be the first time your idol boyfriend would be away from you for an extended period. Yet, you're only human; if given a choice, you'd have him home. Be able to see him at least every other day, if possible. But that wasn't up to either of you. So over time, you'd discovered ways to deal with distance as best you could. From your very first date, Seokmin always brought his camera along. He wanted to capture all of your moments as a couple in a still-frame image, no matter how massive or miniature. Your photo album varied from lazy days at home to pictures of you two in foreign countries; when your schedule permitted you to tag along on tour. You were thankful for his pension to capture it all. You found comfort in glimpsing at the photographs of your relationship from the early stages to now, especially when Seokmin was away.

The scene before you leaves you in awe once Seokmin maneuvers behind you and removes the blindfold. He'd set up a pillow fort in the center of your living room floor, lit with twinkling fairy lights and candles, while a homemade slideshow of your pictures through the years projected on the wall. In the center, your favorite foods lay carefully prepared. As you marvel at all of the little details that Seokmin knows you, love, he gently fastens a heart-shaped locket around your neck, securing the clasp as you admire the shiny jewelry with tears in your eyes. "Seok, this is, wow, this is amazing," you hum while he wraps you in his embrace.

"I love you so much, Y/N, and I know that being with me isn't always easy but thank you for always being my rock," he beams down at you in his arms, swaying your bodies lightly as you relish the moment and return his declaration of love. Moments pass as you bask in the comfortable silence that envelopes you—simply sharing in the extraordinary time with one another.

"What do you say we put the first picture in that locket tonight? Hm," Seokmin questions as he leads you, hand in hand, into the pillow fort, sitting down first so you can sit in your favorite spot between his legs. Seokmin's chin rests on your shoulder as he holds the camera in front of you. "To us making more memories together, forever," Seokmin whispers, sealing the words into your blushing cheek with a delicate kiss.

"To us making more memories together, forever," you whisper back as Seokmin snuggles you closer to his front, your eyes locked on one another as he presses the camera's shutter button to capture another memory in a photograph.

" so you can keep me inside the pocket of your ripped jeans holding me closer 'til our eyes meet you won't ever be alone, wait for me to come home

145 notes · View notes

anxiety-thyme · 8 months

Text

It's that time again! First Friday Fic Night

For a refresher you can see what this is about here.

Voting at the bottom to choose next month's topic.

This month is family feels. Found family. The one you chose or who you chooses you. Sometimes on purpose but often unintentionally. As someone who had to cut ties with my family of origin (except my sister who is a gem), this theme is close to my heart.

I don't think that families (found or otherwise) are limited only to long-term, here-for-the-long-haul, relationships. Sometimes someone passes through your life for a brief period of time but manage to plant a home in your heart. It can happen when you need them for a season, or when they need you, and usually it hits you when you least expect it. So my definition of family feels may seem broad so the stories may not hit that spot for you. It's cool, they are all still really worth the read.

I had difficulty narrowing down my list so we may come back to family feels in the future. I also left Dadzawa out. That is a whole genre of its own. In this post we have Attack on Titan, My Hero Academia, Teen Wolf, and Snow White With the Red Hair. We kind of hit them all.

As always, mind the tags!

Attack on Titan

make this moment last forever, by aelandair

"Erwin accompanies Levi to an orphanage."

This one sits at the intersection of creating family and intense yearning. Maybe leans a little farther into the yearning. Oops.

My Hero Academia

Your sun in the night sky, by notified

"In which Bakugou Katsuki learns saving is not always about blowing stuff up, cracking down on villains' plans or, even making use of his quirk in any significant aspect. It can be gruelling, tedious and heartbreaking. And it's funny, because he never really set out to save the brat in the first place.

Or, Bakugou acquires a snarky orange child."

I cannot emphasize enough how much I love this fic. I actually don't know how many times I've read it at this point. This is Bakugou not just saving without blowing things up, but it is also him learning to care for others, understand what giving up a piece of yourself really means, and discovering family. Plus, domestic Bakugou is my religion.

I think this might have been the first BNHA fic that grabbed me. It is top 5 BNHA for me, and I have 268 BNHA fics read and bookmarked. I wish I was joking about that last part.

lullabies for ghosts in the mind, by jarynw02

"He’s well aware of how convenient it might be for Dabi to parade around as an innocent toddler for a while to throw off suspicion. How, if this were still Dabi’s mind, he’d be smart enough to lie and act and cover his trail until he can return to normal and inevitably escape.

But Katsuki can’t stop thinking about how bright his blue eyes are, how they swelled with tears in the alley at the mention of heroes-- the mention of his father, Endeavor, the most impactful hero in the child’s life. Even if this tiny human is Dabi biding his time, those tears were real. Those tears were real and coming from eyes so much like Katsuki’s husband’s eyes, shed for the same man that’d made Shouto cry too many times for Katsuki’s liking.

Dabi turns into a toddler and Katsuki brings him home to Shouto."

I think this was originally going to be a longer fic, but it works really well as just a one shot. As I mentioned above, domestic Bakugou is my thing, and in this he is soft soft soft.

His Littlest Listener, by lilredpandacub

"Present Mic Loves all his jobs. But he especially loves his Friday and Tuesday night Session on his Radio Show where his most favourite caller is sure to ring up late at night just to speak and pose ever more interesting questions. Hizashi really just wants to give the sweet little baby a cuddle."

Baby Izuku being so smart and Presentation Michael is really feeling personally attacked by it.

Teen Wolf

Roots to Tether by, clotpolesonly

"Scott needs someone to look after Beacon Hills while he's away at college. Stiles needs someone to keep an eye on his dad. Liam needs a sparring partner, Mason needs a translator for his ancient books, Malia needs someone to run with.

And Derek? Well, Derek needs this."

Derek gains a family that he didn't know he was looking for and that he didn't know he needs. My biggest Teen Wolf ship is Derek/stability.

Snow White With the Red Hair

The Five Times Obi Knocked (and the one time he didn't), by happybubbles

"He always wondered what it would feel like to have a home. And she always wondered if she would find a place of her own ever again."

I always always want Obi know he has a home and highlighting how Obi uses their knocking on the wall to express that is just lovely.

Fugue in Three, by infinitelystrangemachine_old

"Ryuu, Shirayuki, and Obi have all taken different paths to end up where they are now. An admission on Ryuu's part helps tip the trio into their future."

This is such a beautiful piece. The three of them finding home in one another, settling into a life together and reaching out for the version of the future that they want. It feels like evert line destroys me.

'It hurts. It aches. It tears at her until all she wants to do is shake Obi awake, retreat into the safety of his arms for the first time ever, if only to find a place to bury the tortured unmaking and remaking of her heart.'

'Take me, he thinks, and his heart, his very own heart, goes still in his chest. Do what you want with me. I’ll lay at your feet if that’s what you want. I’ll crawl on my hands and knees for the rest of my life if it would do you some good.'

It's just so good. I can't. If there is only one fic you read from this list, it should be this one.

Please enjoy, I hope these warm you (even when they hurt a little bit.) Let me know how much you like them on a scale of excel sheets tracking nutrition to cracking adolescent voices.

See you next month <3

7 notes · View notes

anemoi-i · 6 months

Text

Because He Loves You

Diluven | Rated M | No Reposts.

Please read Rain Towards Dawn first.

After preventing an attempt on Diluc's life and getting his identity revealed in the process, Barbatos navigates through no longer being a hidden presence to his people as well as the love for Diluc he doesn't know how to deal with.

Warnings: Potential graphic violence, rating goes up later. Formatting different from the original version.

Part One (Here) | Part Two | Part Three (Coming Soon)

- A Gentle Breeze of Hope Dancing in the Sky -

The Duty of Dandelions

A Mondstater whispers a wish on a Dandelion and holds it in her hands.

She walks towards the square slowly. She needs assistance to do so, but her assistants is more than happy to help this kind soul to her destination. A smile is on her face and the warm sun cloaks her in hopeful light. Mondstadt has changed in recent time—for the better, of course. Something grand has happened. A cause for celebration. The taverns were full, the streets livelier than ever before. She knows why, it is quite obvious. Even her heart fluttered joyfully once the news reached everyone’s ears.

A Dandelion Seed is important to a Mondstadter. Even without wings, it can hold their hopes and carry them to the Thousand Winds. It represents a Mondstader’s love. It represends their freedom. Almost everywhere you walked, you came across a Dandelion in the Land of the Wind. These lovely vessels of communication also were used in the creation of wine and there was no shortage of wine. In ancient times, the wine from Dandelions held a significance unlike any other. Today Dandelion Wine was one of the many staples of Mondstadt and while the symbolism has changed, it’s original purpose was never forgotten.

The young lady continues her walk to the square. As is common, the scent of Cecilias and Windwheel Asters permeate the air. The city had a period of rain for the past couple of days, so the beautiful scents were amplified. Her assistants tell her the square is only a couple of steps away and she thanks them for their help. Upon arrival, she hears a cheerful crowd but the most important voice she needs to hear is soft and gentle. This voice talks about the Dandelions and the Thousand Winds and acknowledges the wish. The voice grows harder to hear, indicating it is time for it to go, but her assistants plead for it not to.

“Oh, it would be cruel of me not to see you. Come on, bring her here.”

She approaches. He grasps her hands and it makes her flush innocently.

“H-Hello, Lord Barbatos…”

Barbatos squeezes her hands, smiling at her. She can’t see it, but she knows he is smiling and it is beautiful unlike any other.

“Hello, Glory. Did you bring Dandelion Seeds?”

“I did! Will you help me release them into the wind?”

“Of course. I acknowledge your wishes, as do my Thousand Winds.”

Lord Barbatos takes the seeds and lifts them into the air with Anemo.

The seeds glow for only a moment before they disappear. Those who did not leave yet marveled at the sight, while Glory smiled brightly. Though she could not see, she could imagine and often that was greater than any sight. She remembered the times she asked the Traveler to climb atop the Statue of the Anemo Archon to release the Dandelions for her. Now, what better way to have her wishes heard than from the Archon himself? It’s a pleasant, euphoric feeling. Satisfied, Barbatos sends her off with his best regards and she returns to her home that afternoon feeling safer than she’s ever felt before.

A Mondstadter knows their Anemo Archon to be gentle in nature. Understanding. He were never exclusive nor requiring advance notice that someone wanted to speak with him. Oddly enough, all you had to do was catch him at a tavern. He would have a drink or two and sing until his voice became hoarse. For more serious prospects, he could be seen frequenting Mondstadt Cathedral. He had tales for those that wanted a lighthearted chat, a laugh even. For those that felt lost and weary, he had comforting words for them as well. He knew exactly what to say to his beloved Mondstadters—and it was always the truth.

There came times Barbatos had to remind certain people that he is their Archon and no mere human was going to change that. A month later, after a certain assassination attempt on a certain Winery Master, he made it a mission to “evict” the remaining Fatui out of the Goth Grand Hotel, returning the building to its owner and restoring proper use. Of course, he simply couldn’t hide such an “eviction” from the people, so they watched as members of the Fatui were kicked out like pests while their Lord assumed his true form, threatening their lives should they ever try to cause harm to his people again.

(The people did not have to know that should their Lord have had the privilege of privacy, he had much more violent endings for them.)

After granting Glory’s wish, Barbatos moved from the Square.

He made his way to the Ordo Favonius building and gestured for Athos and Porthos standing guard to follow him. He walked quickly and the Knights had no choice but to follow, matching his haste.

“At your beck and call, My Lord,” Athos spoke. “What can Porthos and I do for you.”

Barbatos sighed in response. A Thread imparted him with the memories of Glory a long while ago and he always gave her safe passage whenever he heard her prayers. He crossed his arms, losing himself in thought as he continued to walk. It may have been more logical to stay at the Ordo Favonius building, especially since he were overseeing the actions of the Ordo these days, but only for a moment he did not think properly, so he continued to the gate of the city. Swan and Lawrence are there as always, giving him a formal greeting he acknowledges. He turns his attention back to the two Knights that are still at his side.

“Go and retrieve Godwin from my Windrise and order him to return to the Ordo Favonius building.”

Swan and Lawrence quickly turned around. Athos and Porthos bow their heads and leave to perform their given task with haste. I see Swan and Lawrence turn their heads and roll their lips. Their eyes are wide. I don’t have to see it, but they are. They think their comrade is “fucked” so to say. Well, I am not so harsh. They don’t have to worry, but they would worry more if I told them that they didn’t have to, so I remained silent.

Upon returning to the Ordo Favonius building, Barbatos was greeted by several Knights in the hallway, all to whom he acknowledged. He made his way to the office and sat in the vacant chair, propping his elbow on the table and resting his chin in the palm of his hand. He looked bored but he was not. He almost wanted to ask a Thread to whisk Jean over for a chat, but he was the one to give her much needed time off from her duties. He told her that he didn’t want to see her within an inch of the building and that instead, he’d temporarily take over (which caused fear within the Knights, naturally). Not too long into his wait, Athos and Porthos return with Godwin in tow. He looks like he’s seen a ghost.

“By the way, My Lord,” Athos spoke. “A new slew of gifts came in for you. Bottles of Dandelion Wine, freshly made Mondstadt Hash Browns from Sara, a bushel of apples and various other fruits. Where should we leave them?”

“Hmm. Leave me the wines. I’ll take the bushel of apples and one serving of the hash browns. The rest of the food can be distributed to the Sisters and their choir members. Make sure they’re given while they’re still fresh.”

“Will do.”

When they leave, he gestures for Godwin to sit.

“Go on now.”

He sits and much like a scolded puppy, looks down at the wooden table.

Barbatos turned his head, looking outside of the window. It was mid afternoon. The sun still shone in the office, but clouds were forming. Soon day would turn into the night and the taverngoers would be ready to mingle until the midnight hours. He would be joining them, finally able to live amongst his people as he wanted.

The Archon asked softly, “Do you regard human life as being short?”

“W-Well,” Godwin stammered. “It depends on the person really, My Lord. Sometimes humans—”

“I’d like to know what you think, not anyone else.”

“Well… Yes, I do.”

Barbatos turned to face him.

“Living for over 3000 years, I’ve witnessed humans do miraculous things. Here in this beloved city, the ones that came before you raised their weapons in name of freedom. If they did not have weapons, they threw stone. If they did not have stone, they threw themselves. They did this with the memory of happiness, for a future they could not witness. They did not waste a day. Each day was spent doing something for a better tomorrow.

“There were lovers who could not see each other again. Lovers who died in each other’s arms. Burdened with what they had to lose, they were forced to move on by time, which supposedly heals all wounds, but I’ve yet to see it. So tell me: if you regard human life as being short, why do you not see the one who has regarded your safety top priority over even herself?”

He gives up. “I’m sorry, Lord Barbatos! It’s just I… I didn’t want to lose face.”

Barbatos prevents himself from rolling his eyes. The task is harder than he expected it to be.

“I am not the one you should be apologizing to. Let me tell you something. I tasked myself with taking over the Ordo so your Acting Grand Master could take a much deserved rest. She is beautiful and fair, much like Lady Vennessa, the first founder. I also tasked myself with taking over to deliver some harsh truths—I mean, it’s not to be rude or anything, but the Ordo today is not the Ordo Lady Vennessa asked me for my blessing in creating. One way or another I will make sure all of you are well up to the task of protecting Mondstadt.”

Godwin looked down again. “Okay. I understand.”

“Now go. She is at Good Hunter eating lunch.”

He left with what little pride he had remaining.

There was still so much he needed to do to “reform” the Ordo. Barbatos sighed a second time today, wishing Vennessa was once more at his side. On top of her beauty and fairness, she was also incredibly wise and her strength knew no bounds. It was a no wonder she earned Ascension to Celestia, but the idea still left a sour taste in his mouth that he could not speak about even if he tried. Still, a nudge in the right direction would have been nice. At some point, I would have to talk to Kaeya when he returned from his business trip. That is something I dread. I still haven’t even spoken to Albedo yet. Another reason why I wanted to stay hidden.

His saving grace is that the day came to an end. He left the office after his little lecture and saw off the rest of the Ordo. Not that it meant anything, as he would be seeing most of them yet again frequent Angel’s Share or the Cat’s Tail as was the routine. He’s gotten into the habit of stopping at the Cat’s Tail first, not wanting Margaret to feel her tavern was neglected from his appreciation. He couldn’t stay for long because of the cats, but it was enough to give her recognition. He would then make his way to Angel’s Share.

Almost immediately, the taverngoers give their greetings to him. Some approach him timidly despite the alcohol on their skin and hand him offerings. He calls on several Threads to take them to his Domain where they would be enjoyed later. Diluc makes his way from the upper level. He’s carrying a new box of wines, the very same he places behind the bar. He gathers the ingredients for Dandelion Wine and makes it flawlessly, pouring the finished drink in a tankard and handing it to Barbatos.

“Evening, Barbatos. How do you fare?”

“As pleasant as I can be.”

This is different. Diluc does not glare at him. He doesn’t hold Barbatos in contempt and he doesn’t hate him. He looks at Barbatos with concealed respect. He treats him as a normal person, but acknowledges him fully as his deity, something he didn’t do before. Diluc’s pride was a bit damaged, but not beyond all repair. The attempted assassination still lingered in his mind and as a result of it, his Intelligence Network increased in strength and diligence. Even Barbatos hasn’t met every single member until they come out of their hiding place, bow, and tell him of the situation they have already taken care of.

Diluc reaches into his pocket and takes out a single black card with the Ragnvindr crest in gold stamped on it. He slides it towards Barbatos, gives him a serious glance, and quickly turns on his heel to assist someone else. The card was nothing short of important, as it was the same one used to deliver secret messages between him and his Intelligence Network. It meant that there was activity from those that threatened the peace and prosperity of Mondstadt. Barbatos sips the Dandelion Wine as he reads the card discreetly.

Abyss Order activity was located at Stormterror’s Lair and Windrise.

Threat Level: Novice at both locations.

Speculation: The Abyss Order sought to gather intel due to our Lord’s reappearance.

He made the card disappear with a soft teal light. When Diluc returned, he refilled Barbatos’ tankard and gave him another gaze.

Barbatos asked in a low tone, “Is it still snowing?”

“Sunny,” Diluc replied.

“Who cleared the clouds?”

“Myself.”

This surprises the Archon though he knew it should not.

Diluc, after all loved Mondstadt to the core. After leaving for four years, desparate to know the truth behind his father’s death, he came back. He came back and called Mondstadt home once again, made up with his brother and picked up the pieces that were broken more than a million times. He wiped the tears he tried to deny from his face and channeled that anger into a desire to protect. Barbatos watched as the Ordo birthed a rival from one man who sought to make sure the tragedies he faced would never once again happen to anyone else.

So, the surprise is no longer present on his face. As quickly as it appeared, it left. He has long appreciated Diluc’s efforts in a way that passed the borders of strictly admiration. He has known it to be true, has declared it to himself that the love—the love he feels for him is overflowing. It begs the question: why am I so afraid? Why can’t I utter a single word to him about this love if it is so strong? Is it fear of abandonment? A disapproval or a disgusted glance that would tear me apart, or is it that I’m afraid of what happens when he doesn’t push me away?

He can’t do this. He can’t think about this.

“Thank you. Rest tomorrow. I will think of something suitable to give you as a reward.”

“I need no reward. I do what my heart commands me to do.”

“Poetic,” Barbatos laughed. “Not bad. I’ll give you credit—but you forget I’ve existed in this world for eons. Everyone wants recognition. It flows in the blood. Those that do not simply restrain themselves from the euphoria of having someone look their way and praise them. How tragic would it be to offer your life for an entity that forsakes you? You used to think that I was such entity.”

Diluc’s eyes flicker. He controls his astonishment so expertly that even that deserved recognition in it’s own right. The custome r that wanted another drink for him was his saving grace as he excused himself to serve them. The night became busier, so Barbatos amused himself with playing songs on his lyre while several watched, entranced by his voice. That didn’t change from before, only increasing once everyone found out his identity. He continued to entertain the crowd until it was time for Angel’s Share to close. Even then, he continued to play his lyre and watch Diluc organize the bar for tomorrow, looking much calmer than he did earlier.

“Every beginning of the week, I whisk Dandelion Seeds into the winds so that my Threads can hear and acknowledge the people’s wishes. How come you have not asked me of anything?”

Diluc sighed, “I don’t want to draw unnecessary attention to myself. You know how I work, Barbatos. That shouldn’t be a surprise to you.”

“What if it did not?”

“You publicly announce you’re doing so before going to the busiest area of the city. There is always a line of people waiting for your approval.”

Barbatos scoffed. “There is no one here now. Just you, myself, and the wind. What would you ask of me?”

“I don’t have Dandelion Seeds.”

“There are ones in front of the entrance, are they not? I’ll see you in front of the Church.”

Barbatos disappears in a flurry of feathers unceremoniously. Diluc catches one of the feathers in his hand and holds on to it tightly as if it were the last feather in the world. Barbatos knows he would entertain every outlandish request he has. Every last one. It’s why he’s marching to the front of the city and grabbing every last Dandelion Seed much to Swan and Lawrence’s confusion. It’s why he’s holding them in his hands in such a way one would think he is carrying glass. It’s why he’s making his way to the Church as requested to quickly find Barbatos. He has his eyes closed and his hands folded and he smiles mysteriously. Is this the same person that has often gotten inebriated and loudly pranced about in his tavern? The same person who leaned against him with blood on his face after stopping his assassin?

It was overwhelming to think about.

“I’ll ask once more,” he began. His voice was soft. Welcoming. “What would you ask of me?”

A short pause. He knows exactly what he wants. He gets on one knee and opens Barbatos’ hands and pours the Dandelion Seeds into them. Only then does the Lord finally open his eyes and look at him as if to say you didn’t have to do all of that.

“Let’s see. What I would ask of you is to be your benefactor. I want your complete and utter trust that I can be the sole person that protects your nation.”

Barbatos opens his mouth, but all that comes out is broken sound. He cannot form coherent sentences.

“You’re on and about inciting change, taking over the Ordo, doing as you please. Fine. Sure. Do that, but I want to be the first person you call on to draw their sword. I want you to need me.”

“…N-Normal mortals ask for mora, Diluc. Or… or more mora in your case.”

“I’m not normal.”

I want you to need me, he says. Terrible irony.

Barbatos lifts the seeds into the air and just as before, they glow briefly and disappear.

“I acknowledge your wish, Diluc Ragnvindr, as do my Thousand Winds.”

#genshin impact #venti #diluc ragnvindr #diluven #venluc #my fics

6 notes · View notes